Chapter 417: Counterattack!
"Surrender, or be destroyed!"
"Surrender, or be destroyed!"
"Surrender, or be destroyed!"
...
As they patrolled, the scientific ninja tool puppets broadcast the same message repeatedly, attempting to break the enemy's will through psychological warfare.
"We can't go on like this!" A few days later, in an underground shelter beneath Iwagakure, Kurotsuchi looked around and said, "Eventually, we'll run out of food! We have to organize a counterattack!"
Watching Iwagakure be destroyed under her watch left Kurotsuchi with a deep sense of guilt. She missed the late Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, more than ever.
"Junior Sister, you just rest here. Don't worry about food—we can have the S.H.I.E.L.D. members go out and scavenge. The scientific ninja tool puppets won't attack them anyway," Akatsuchi tried to comfort her.
"That may be true for us, but there's no guarantee Skynet won't track them..." said Shunhi, voicing everyone's concern. If any of the S.H.I.E.L.D. members were followed by Skynet, the agents might survive, but the rest of them would surely be killed. "Still, I agree with Kurotsuchi's suggestion..."
"Not bad. I think your name was... Husky, right?"
Kurotsuchi lit up at the support.
Ignoring the praise, Shunhi continued, "After all these days, we still haven't come up with a better plan. So why not go with something straightforward—launch a direct assault on Skynet."
If Kurotsuchi's proposal could be overlooked, Shunhi's could not. Unlike Kurotsuchi, who only had Akatsuchi with her—and both of whom were among the weakest in the current group—Shunhi was different. As the deputy director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he not only had valuable intelligence on Skynet but also led team members SpongeBob and Patrick, who were mid-tier combatants among the group.
"Hmm..." Boruto thought for a moment before responding, "Alright. But we can't send everyone. We need to keep some people back—our hope for defeating Skynet in the future."
"From our side, let's leave Patrick behind. I'll go with SpongeBob," Shunhi said after glancing at Minato, who returned the look with a grateful nod.
"Why..."
Kushina, ever hot-headed, started to object, but Minato gently held her back.
Everyone understood—this counterattack was a suicide mission.
"I'll take care of things here in Iwagakure," Kurotsuchi declared.
"Junior Sister..."
"Senior Brother, don't try to stop me. I'm the Tsuchikage. I must live and die with the village. So, you stay."
Kurotsuchi cut off Akatsuchi before he could say another word.
"As for Konoha..." Boruto looked around. Konoha had four members present—more than any other group. "I'll go with the Sixth. Sarada and Granny Tsunade will stay behind."
"Hey, brat! This kind of thing should be left to the older generation!" Tsunade snapped. "Letting the young die while the old hide in the rear goes against the Will of Fire."
"Granny Tsunade, I'm the Hokage. And as Hokage, I must set an example," Boruto replied calmly, smiling. "Besides, you staying behind is crucial—your medical ninjutsu will be invaluable."
At last, the team for the counterattack was finalized: Boruto and Kakashi from Konoha, Shunhi and Minato from S.H.I.E.L.D., and Kurotsuchi from Iwagakure—a total of five.
On the surface of Iwagakure.
Every day, more villagers were dragged away by the scientific ninja tool puppets, taken to some unknown location.
Fewer and fewer living humans remained.
"Shikamaru, are you sure Boruto and the others are here?"
Konohamaru asked while carefully avoiding the patrolling puppets, still searching for any sign of Boruto after several days.
"Well... if they're not on the surface, then the only possibilities are the sky or underground," Shikamaru reasoned. "And since the scientific ninja tool puppets control the skies, underground is the only logical choice!"
"But we've checked underground too, and haven't sensed any chakra at all," Obito added from the side.
"Anything we can do, Skynet can too. That's why Boruto and the others must be blocking chakra detection..."
Just as Shikamaru finished speaking, a massive explosion erupted in the distance.
"What?!"
Shikamaru, Obito, and Konohamaru exchanged glances, then all looked toward the sky—where an enormous Rasengan had just appeared.
There was no mistaking it—it had to be Boruto.
"Let's go!"
"Right!" Obito and Konohamaru responded in unison.
Meanwhile, from high above, Boruto dove toward Skynet with a colossal Rasengan in hand. The other four fended off the encroaching scientific ninja tool puppets.
Faced with the descending Rasengan, Skynet raised both arms to catch it.
"Ahhhhhh—Nine Tails!!" Boruto roared from above.
"ROAR!"
The Nine Tails inside him let out a thunderous roar.
An immense surge of chakra erupted.
Underground in Iwagakure, Boruto's shadow clone sat cross-legged, eyes closed, gathering natural energy.
"I hope they're okay..." Sarada murmured as she stood before the clone. Just then, the clone dissolved into white mist of its own accord.
The natural energy collected by the clone returned to the original, and Boruto instantly entered Super Sage Fox Mode.
"Golden: Colossal Rasengan!"
Boruto's Rasengan turned golden, gradually overwhelming Skynet's defenses.
Even with Skynet's foot thrusters running at maximum output, it couldn't hold back the golden Rasengan and was eventually slammed into the ground.
The earth beneath Skynet's feet caved in rapidly.
"Nuclear Release: Nuclear Blast Fist!"
Shunhi obliterated an incoming puppet with a single punch and turned to look toward Boruto and Skynet's battlefield.
"You're not the only one who can transform!"
Skynet's steel-framed body suddenly swelled with muscle—an upgrade courtesy of the Cell cells it had harvested after its last defeat.
Purple energy surged from its body, shrouding Boruto's golden Rasengan.
"Purple: Colossal Rasengan!"
A Rasengan just as powerful appeared in Skynet's upraised hands.
"Lightning Blade!"
Kakashi's palm crackled with electricity as it pierced a puppet's chest. Gasping slightly, he adjusted his breath and looked toward the clash between Boruto and Skynet.
---
[I'm begging for support, everyone. Please help! Support me at patreøn.com/craxx_real.]