The desert stretched endlessly, golden dunes rolling beneath the harsh glare of the sun. Even the wind was hot, carrying fine grains of sand that stung against exposed skin.
Team Boruto stood at the edge of the Hidden Sand's outer village, their cloaks pulled tight against the grit in the air.
Boruto rubbed sand from his eyes, groaning. "Man, why is it so hot here?"
Sarada adjusted her glasses, sweat trickling down her temple. "It's the desert, Boruto. What did you expect?"
Ryo remained silent, staring at the dunes. The mark on his wrist pulsed, faint but steady, as if it felt something stirring beneath the sand.
---
They were led through the sandstone gates by a Hidden Sand jonin named Saji, a quiet man with dark robes and a gourd strapped to his back, much like his Kazekage.
"The Kazekage will brief you shortly," Saji said, leading them into the main hall.
Inside, the air was cooler, the thick walls blocking the heat as they entered a simple room with scrolls lining the walls.
Standing at the window, his red hair catching the light, was Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage.
Boruto's eyes widened. "Whoa, it's Gaara!"
Gaara turned, his calm, pale green eyes settling on them, pausing on Ryo for a moment before he nodded.
"Welcome to the Hidden Sand. Thank you for coming on such short notice."
Sarada bowed politely. "It's an honor, Lord Kazekage."
Gaara gestured for them to sit. "Two nights ago, a chakra storm appeared over the western dunes. At first, it was only lightning and wind. Then… they appeared."
He unrolled a scroll, revealing sketches of the chakra figures they had faced before, but larger, wielding scythe-like blades of condensed chakra.
Ryo's eyes narrowed. "They're growing stronger."
Gaara nodded. "They drained chakra from our patrols, leaving skilled shinobi unconscious. Some did not wake up."
Boruto clenched his fists, anger flashing in his Jougan. "We'll stop them."
Gaara studied him quietly before turning to Ryo. "You are the one with the mark."
Ryo hesitated before showing his wrist, the faint glow visible even in the shaded room.
Gaara's gaze was unreadable. "The storm reacts to you. We will need your power."
Ryo swallowed, the weight of those words pressing down on him like the desert heat.
---
Into the Storm
That night, the storm rolled in over the dunes, dark clouds flashing with purple lightning, the wind screaming across the sand.
Team Boruto stood ready, joined by Saji and two squads of Hidden Sand shinobi. The sand gourd on Saji's back trembled, grains swirling protectively around him.
Boruto activated his Jougan, the rippling distortion revealing threads of chakra within the storm.
"They're here," he muttered.
From the lightning, chakra figures stepped forward, their bodies crackling with stolen chakra, scythes humming with deadly energy.
Sarada activated her Sharingan, tracking their movements. "They're faster than before."
One figure lunged, slicing through the sand, aiming for the shinobi lines. Saji's sand surged, forming a wall that absorbed the blade, shattering into glass from the heat of the chakra.
"Now!" Sarada shouted.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Flames roared across the sand, slamming into one of the figures, but it reformed instantly, absorbing the fire into its glowing chest.
Boruto leapt forward, rasengan blazing in his hand, colliding with another figure. Sparks exploded, but the figure's scythe came down, cutting into Boruto's shoulder before Sarada's kunai deflected it.
"Focus, Boruto!" Sarada snapped, her eyes tracking the storm's shifting patterns.
Ryo stepped forward, the mark on his wrist blazing with green and gold light. The storm around him slowed, the wind forming a calm eye where he stood.
The chakra figures paused, turning their glowing eyes toward him.
---
The Temptation
Within the storm, the air rippled, and a new figure appeared, floating just above the sand.
Kuro.
His dark cloak fluttered, lightning flashing around him, the Chakra Resonance Core hovering in his hand, pulsing in sync with Ryo's mark.
"Ryo," Kuro's calm voice echoed across the dunes, carrying even over the howling storm. "You see it, don't you? This world's weakness. The endless cycle."
Boruto stepped in front of Ryo, blood running from the cut on his shoulder. "Shut up! We're ending this cycle our way!"
Kuro ignored him, his masked gaze fixed on Ryo. "Join me, Ryo. Together, we can reshape this world."
Ryo's breath caught as visions flooded his mind—villages at peace, children laughing without fear, no borders, no wars, no orphans.
"Join me…"
He felt his feet moving forward.
"Ryo!" Sarada's voice cut through, sharp and desperate.
Ryo blinked, stopping, the vision shattering as he saw Boruto and Sarada in front of him, standing between him and Kuro, their faces determined despite the storm's fury.
Ryo clenched his fist, the mark on his wrist blazing.
"No."
Kuro's head tilted. "Then you will fight for a world that will never accept you."
Ryo raised his hand, green chakra swirling. "I will fight for them."
---
The Clash
With a flick of Kuro's hand, the chakra figures lunged, their scythes swinging with deadly speed.
Boruto countered with a rasengan, Sarada launched a barrage of fireballs, and Saji's sand surged to block incoming blades.
Ryo stepped forward, the mark on his wrist glowing brighter, unleashing a wave of green light that collided with the storm's energy, dispersing the chakra figures momentarily.
Kuro's Resonance Core pulsed violently, the storm intensifying, lightning tearing through the dunes, turning sand into glass.
Boruto leapt, aiming a massive rasengan at Kuro, but Kuro deflected it with a wave of his hand, sending Boruto crashing into the sand.
Sarada charged, kunai infused with lightning, slashing at Kuro's arm. Sparks flew as Kuro blocked with a chakra blade, the impact sending Sarada sliding back.
Ryo's mark blazed, and he slammed his hand into the ground.
Wood Style: Binding Roots!
Thick roots burst from the sand, wrapping around the chakra figures, pulling them down as they struggled, draining their stolen chakra back into the earth.
Kuro's eyes narrowed behind his mask. "So, you truly are his descendant."
Ryo's eyes burned with determination. "I won't let you hurt anyone else!"
The Resonance Core in Kuro's hand flared, and with a final pulse, he vanished into the storm, the chakra figures disintegrating into fragments of light.
The storm began to break apart, the clouds fading into the star-filled desert sky, leaving only the soft sound of wind over cooling glass dunes.
---
Aftermath
Boruto groaned, sitting up, brushing sand from his hair. "He always runs away…"
Sarada sighed, kneeling to catch her breath. "We stopped them. For now."
Saji approached, bowing slightly. "The Hidden Sand owes you a debt."
Ryo looked up at the stars, the mark on his wrist still glowing softly.
Kuro was out there, waiting.
And the revolution was far from over.