The timeline rewinds to shortly after Boro released the virus.
Boruto was holding Sumire Kakei's hand when the black mist drifted across the street.
"Cough… cough…"
Sumire staggered slightly, covering her mouth as she inhaled a trace amount of the virus. Boruto immediately felt the abnormality in the air and followed the direction of the spreading mist with his gaze.
For a brief moment, he hesitated.
If he moved now and erased the source instantly, he would become a hero in Kirigakure overnight. The prestige would spread across the village faster than the virus itself.
But the moment he felt Sumire's grip tighten—
He knew something was wrong.
This virus was supposed to cause paralysis and weakness.
Not this.
A thin arc of lightning flickered at Boruto's fingertips and slipped into Sumire's body in an instant, erasing the pathogens she had inhaled.
"Cough… cough…"
She was still trembling.
Her breathing became uneven. Her body temperature rose rapidly.
Even holding Boruto's hand seemed to cost her effort, her fingers unconsciously tightening as if she were enduring intense pain.
Her palm was burning hot.
Her fair skin flushed red, and faint steam rose from her head.
"Wait…"
Boruto's expression changed.
The chakra inside Sumire's body began to surge.
Not chaotically.
But as if something sealed deep within her was responding.
Click.
A sound like glass shattering echoed faintly.
Ancient patterns emerged across Sumire's skin—delicate, crystalline markings tinted with a faint purple sheen, spreading along her arms and collarbone like an intricate seal being rewritten.
Boruto stared at them silently.
"…So they've arrived," he murmured.
"The Ninja World, hidden for a thousand years, has finally been exposed to the sight of the Ōtsutsuki."
The pioneers were already close.
Boruto's Byakugan opened instinctively.
Under its gaze, the violent fluctuation inside Sumire gradually stabilized, the markings fading until only faint traces remained beneath her skin.
He didn't hesitate.
Boro was still active.
Boruto quickly left a note behind—and vanished from the Ninja World with Sumire.
The dimension of Nue.
A desolate world of lifeless mountains and gray plains stretched endlessly beneath a dull, colorless sky.
The surface of the space itself was wrapped in layers of sealing formulas, stacked tightly together into an airtight barrier.
"…What a troublesome setup."
Momoshiki Otsutsuki hovered in mid-air, his expression cold and bored.
Beside him stood Kinshiki Otsutsuki, silent and imposing.
Momoshiki raised one hand, the Rinnegan embedded in his palm opening.
The sealing layers across the entire dimension shattered and were absorbed in a single sweep.
"A crude concealment method," he said disdainfully.
"Kaguya truly fell far."
Otherwise, they wouldn't have found this place so easily.
"There's nothing of interest here," Momoshiki added.
"Let's go. We'll deal with Kaguya directly."
Kinshiki activated his space-time technique—
"Hold it."
The air rippled.
Two figures stepped calmly into the dimension.
"As the owners of this space," Boruto said evenly,
"It's not unreasonable to charge a toll, is it?"
Momoshiki's gaze shifted.
His eyes lingered on Sumire for a moment.
A spatial resonance.
His expression darkened slightly.
"…This isn't Kaguya's dimension?"
But when he sensed their chakra levels, he laughed.
"So you're the ones she sent?"
"Inferior beings playing guard?"
Boruto didn't react.
"We're just here to collect payment."
Momoshiki's smile vanished.
"You're courting death."
"Funny," Boruto replied flatly.
"You parasites are offering your lives as toll."
For a moment, Momoshiki stared at him in disbelief.
Then fury erupted.
—Fire Release!
A blazing construct swooped down toward Boruto.
Boruto formed seals calmly.
"Water Release!"
A towering water dragon rose from nothingness, unleashing high-pressure torrents that tore the attack apart into steam.
Momoshiki frowned.
Boruto's follow-up attacks were absorbed effortlessly by the Rinnegan.
"…Troublesome."
Boruto activated chakra mode.
Light enveloped his body as he rose into the air.
Momoshiki's returned attacks were erased by the Truth-Seeking Orbs floating behind Boruto.
Kinshiki stepped forward, conjuring a crimson weapon and intercepting him.
Weapons clashed mid-air.
Boruto used the Truth-Seeking Orbs to force Kinshiki back, just long enough.
Momoshiki was exposed.
A golden blade flashed.
Momoshiki raised his palm instinctively—
And froze.
Boruto hurled a Truth-Seeking Orb weapon straight toward his hand.
"…So that's your aim!"
Too late.
The golden slash severed Momoshiki's arm.
Boruto appeared instantly in front of him.
He grabbed the severed limb and kicked Momoshiki away.
In one smooth motion, he extracted the golden Rinnegan from the palm and sealed it away.
"AAAAAAH—!!!"
Momoshiki's scream echoed through the dimension.
Before the counterattack reached him—
Boruto vanished.
Reappearing beside Sumire.
Her arm glowed faintly, the hidden pattern responding.
The dimension trembled.
Momoshiki roared in rage.
But Boruto was already gone.
Far away—
The Ōtsutsuki had lost something irreplaceable.
And Sumire Kakei had unknowingly become the key that allowed Boruto to stand at the center of the storm.
---
A/N: Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded. Please Check It Out. It will really help me out and will keep me motivated to continue.
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San