Chapter 411: Side Quest – Future Boruto
In an underground laboratory located in the Land of Iron—
Boruto's Kusanagi sword was wedged in the zombie's gaping maw as it lunged at him. He followed up with a sharp kick, sending the creature flying, and then finished it off with a Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu aimed straight at its head.
The smooth, fluid sequence of attacks showcased Future Boruto's complete command of the battlefield.
"This place is bigger than I expected... Hey, Boruto, we should be clear of zombies now, right?"
Mitsuki walked in from another room, his snake sword dripping with fresh blood.
These brainless zombies that only knew how to charge and bite weren't much trouble. They were more like simplified versions of demons—or so Mitsuki thought.
"Rrraaagh—!"
"What the hell?!"
A beastly roar shook the air, startling Mitsuki. He could feel the tremors underfoot and the scraping sound of something heavy being dragged across the ground.
Future Boruto's expression turned grim, his muscles tensing instinctively.
From the darkness ahead, a hulking figure emerged, nearly three meters tall and glowing with a greenish light. In its right hand, it held a massive iron chain, and at the other end of the chain was a savage, brutal iron hammer.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
Mitsuki instinctively backed away. The sheer pressure radiating from the creature was overwhelming.
"Crusher Beast..."
Boruto spoke the monster's name, but didn't elaborate—not because he didn't know more, but because the beast was already upon him, forcing him to stop talking and focus on dodging.
The Crusher Beast was a new breed of zombie developed by Orochimaru of S.H.I.E.L.D., using a viral serum based on the Hulk's transformation formula.
Other than its slow speed, its stats exceeded even the Hulk's in almost every category.
And in this narrow space, the Crusher Beast had every advantage.
It swung its chain in a wide arc. When the attack missed, it let out a furious roar and turned its attention toward Mitsuki, charging at him with terrifying force.
"Flash Strike!"
Instead of retreating, Mitsuki stepped forward. With a flash of cold steel, his snake sword slashed clean across the monster's chest. The beast's momentum slowed, then stopped in front of him.
A gash opened across its chest, and a geyser of green blood gushed out like a hot spring.
"It may look scary, but it's not that tough after all..."
"Mitsuki, look out!"
Boruto's voice rang out in warning.
"What?!"
Right in front of Mitsuki, the Crusher Beast—thought to be dead—suddenly moved again. The wound left by his sword began to regenerate. The creature yanked its chain, swinging the massive iron hammer directly at Mitsuki.
Shocked by its sudden recovery, Mitsuki realized—too late—that he'd missed his best chance to evade.
"Flying Thunder—!"
The Rinnegan's teleportation ability activated: Future Boruto and Mitsuki switched places. Mitsuki reappeared in a safe spot, while Boruto took his place to face the incoming attack.
"Rasengan!"
The spinning blue sphere intercepted the hammer mid-swing. "Kurama!"
"At your command, Lord Boruto!"
With Kurama lending his chakra, Future Boruto entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and infused the Rasengan with tailed beast chakra.
The Rasengan turned gold.
"Haah!"
The golden Rasengan shattered the iron hammer and slammed into the Crusher Beast's head, punching straight through its skull.
The hulking monster wobbled a few times, then crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud.
After defeating the Crusher Beast, Future Boruto entered Sage Mode, scanning the area. Then he turned to Mitsuki and said, "…There are no more zombies here. Let's go."
———
"Lady Tetsubaki, run!" The last remaining samurai stood his ground, blade in hand, staring up at the scientific ninja tool puppets hovering in the sky. "Only the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf can save us now—"
His words were cut short as a laser pierced through his chest.
"Terminate… all… humans…"
Three puppets descended from the sky, aiming palm cannons at Tetsubaki, who stood in a ready stance, sword in hand.
She knew she didn't stand a chance. But running would only get her killed faster. So she chose to fight head-on.
Even if I kill just one, it's worth it. If I kill two, it's a bonus.
What Tetsubaki didn't know was that these puppets were mass-produced on a streamlined assembly line.
They could manufacture over a hundred in a single day.
"Rasengan!"
Future Boruto suddenly dropped from above, smashing a Rasengan into the head of one of the puppets.
Mitsuki's snake sword extended mid-air, wrapping around another puppet's head and flinging it violently, finally tearing it off the body.
"Don't underestimate a samurai!"
Tetsubaki instantaneously appeared in front of the last puppet and cut it in half with a single lightning-fast slash.
"Tetsubaki, are you okay?" Mitsuki asked.
"I'm fine," she nodded.
"Tetsubaki, what happened here?" Future Boruto asked.
"I don't know. These scientific ninja tool puppets just appeared out of nowhere and started destroying everything in the Land of Iron. Since they can float, a lot of samurai have been killed…"
"How many of them are there?"
"Around a hundred or so…"
"A hundred…" Boruto looked at Mitsuki. "Let's go."
Along the way, they saw not only human corpses, but also the bodies of demons.
"Looks like these things are attacking indiscriminately," Mitsuki commented after examining one of the mangled demon corpses.
But Future Boruto's expression remained tense.
"Scientific ninja tool puppets… that's what they're called…"
Flashes of updated future memories flickered in Boruto's mind—visions of a world where people lived like hollow shells, moving only by instinct.
"Boruto?" Mitsuki looked at him, puzzled.
"Let's move."
Boruto didn't want to explain further.
Should he tell Mitsuki and Tetsubaki that these puppets could be manufactured endlessly?
"Where are we heading now? The capital of the Land of Iron?" Tetsubaki asked.
The capital had already been completely overrun by the puppets.
"No. We're heading straight back to the Hidden Leaf."
Boruto replied.
"Did something happen, Boruto?"
"Mitsuki, these scientific ninja tool puppets aren't something the three of us can deal with alone. This is way more serious than anything we've faced before."
Hearing that, Mitsuki's expression turned grave as well.