Chapter 379: The Scarf, the Letter, the Ghost
In the end, Tetsubaki still left, leaving everyone with only the sight of her back as she walked away.
When Shuyu returned home, he opened the gift Tetsubaki had left for him.
Inside was a scarf, only about one-third complete, and a letter.
Shuyu, if you followed what I told you and didn't open this in advance, then by the time you're reading this letter, I've already left the Hidden Leaf Village.
There's so much I want to say, so I decided to write you this letter.
First of all, thank you so much. Back in the Land of Iron, you rescued me and brought me back to the Hidden Leaf Village. Here, I met so many friends. But to me, the most important one is still you, Shuyu.
Because you're different from everyone else.
I'll always remember you—how gallant you looked when saving me, how focused you looked when cooking, how earnest you looked sweeping the floor, how calm you looked reading, how dedicated you looked training…
And I'll always treasure the memories of those wonderful days we spent together.
Honestly, I didn't want to leave. I've gotten used to life with you—seeing you in the kitchen every morning, doing house chores together, shopping for groceries together… It's scary how easy it is to grow accustomed to something.
But don't worry about me. Even though I'm used to having you around, I'll adapt quickly.
Oh right—next time we meet, I hope I can finally try your Amaterasu-fried eggs... Actually, maybe not. I heard from Sarada that your eyes still haven't awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Every time you use your eye techniques, your ocular power decreases.
Please take good care of yourself, Shuyu.
About the scarf—my skills aren't very good, so I couldn't finish it before I left. I'm really sorry. But I don't think you'll catch a cold just because you're not wearing my scarf.
After all, you're such a dependable, truly amazing person. So I don't think I need to worry about you.
These past few days have been the happiest I've had in a long time—and that's all thanks to you. So Shuyu, make sure you live a happy life from now on, too.
---
Border of the Land of Iron
Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and the ground was already blanketed in white.
Future Boruto's footsteps crunched against the snow as he pressed forward.
Even though visibility was poor at night, he continued traveling.
"Hey! Who are you?!" a man's voice suddenly called out. Future Boruto turned in the direction it came from and saw a small house nestled in the snow. A man was shouting from the open window. "Don't go up the mountain at this hour! It's too dangerous!"
"It's fine. I'm a ninja," Future Boruto replied.
"Still, why don't you stay at my place for the night? Head up the mountain tomorrow. There've been... ghosts appearing at night."
The moment he heard the word "ghost," Future Boruto's expression sharpened. It wasn't the first time people had used that term to describe zombies.
Wondering if zombies might have shown up here too, he decided to stay the night and gather information.
Inside the man's home were two umbrellas still being made—he appeared to make his living weaving umbrellas.
Dinner was simple: a bowl of rice and a bowl of salted tofu soup. But for Future Boruto, it was more than enough. Back in the apocalyptic ninja world, this would've been a feast.
"Thanks for the meal. By the way, I'm Boruto."
"I'm Saburō," the man replied.
As a civilian, he didn't have a family name.
"Can I ask... what exactly do you mean by 'ghost'?"
"After the sun sets, ghosts appear in the snowy mountains and eat anyone they see. So whatever you do, don't go wandering around at night."
Saburō laid out bedding on the floor as he spoke.
"Do the people who get eaten also turn into ghosts?" Boruto asked.
"I don't know. It's just a legend, after all."
Boruto gave it some thought and ultimately decided to investigate the snowy mountain.
Even as he slept, he remained alert, but nothing unusual happened throughout the night.
"When you get past that mountain, there's a town at the base," Saburō said the next morning.
"Thanks, Saburō."
Snowflakes drifted gently from the sky. The snowy mountain was a pure, desolate white, with no sign of life.
"I don't sense any zombie activity at all..." Boruto muttered, his eyes opening in Sage Mode.
"Could it really just be a baseless legend...?" Kurama, inside him, said.
"No legend comes from nowhere. If Saburō's account has any truth to it, then something must be hiding in this mountain—either zombies, or ghouls," Boruto replied as he walked forward. But even as he neared the foot of the mountain, he still hadn't found any clues.
In weather like this, even if there were clues, the snow would've buried them.
"Boruto," Kurama suddenly said.
"Yeah," Boruto nodded. He had sensed it too—something was off ahead.
Three or four crows circled overhead, cawing.
Crows were always drawn to corpses.
Boruto quickened his pace, and in just a few minutes, he reached the base of the mountain. As he looked out at the village ahead, a grim expression crossed his face.
If zombies really had shown up, the villagers were probably already infected.
Boruto drew the Kusanagi Sword, heightened his senses, and stepped into the village.
Even through the snow, he could smell the faint scent of blood. From the gaps of slightly ajar doors, he occasionally glimpsed human corpses.
He entered one of the homes and used his sword to turn over a corpse lying face-down on the floor.
"The bite marks look like a zombie attack... but why didn't this person turn into a zombie?" he murmured, frowning as he examined the body.
"Could it be because of the cold?" Kurama suggested from inside him.
The freezing temperatures may have slowed down the infection rate of the zombie virus.
"I don't know," Boruto replied, shaking his head. "I'm only good at killing zombies—I don't know much about how they work."
Suddenly, he grabbed his sword and spun around, blocking a surprise attack from behind.
"...Himawari?!"
Staring in shock, Boruto saw Himawari before him. The Kusanagi Sword was pressed against her mouth as she reached toward him, making grasping motions.
That look in her eyes—Boruto had seen it in zombies before.
But strangely, her body hadn't shown the usual signs of decay that came with zombification.
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