Chapter 149: Boruto vs. Naruto – A True Father-Son Duel!
"No wonder…" Naruto nodded. Thinking back to his first encounter with the Husky, there really had been quite a few strange things.
"Since you've already figured it out, I hope you can keep Comrade Husky's identity a secret."
"Don't worry, Jar Merchant. We know how to handle this kind of thing," Shikamaru replied.
Konoha Stadium.
The stadium, once destroyed during the Chūnin incident, had now been rebuilt.
The noise within the stadium was constant. Many big names had shown up to watch the spectacle.
Boruto vs. Naruto.
A true father-son match.
"Let me see how much you've improved while I was gone, Boruto," Naruto said, staring at Boruto before him.
The reason for this father-son match was to assess whether Boruto was capable of handling a specific mission—
Investigating the disappearance of Konohamaru, who had gone missing during a mission near the border.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Ten Borutos appeared before Naruto.
"Whoa!" Sarada gasped. "When did Boruto have this much chakra?!"
"It's probably because of the Nine Tails. Becoming a Jinchūriki gives you an enormous amount of chakra," Sasuke explained to his daughter.
Each of the ten Borutos began forming a Rasengan—something Boruto had never dared to attempt before.
"Watch yourself, old man!"
With ten Rasengans at the ready, Boruto was clearly riding high.
"Bring it on, brat."
All ten Borutos charged Naruto with Rasengans, but he effortlessly took them down using taijutsu alone.
One after another, Boruto's clones were kicked away and disappeared in puffs of smoke—until only the original Boruto lay collapsed on the ground.
"You don't have to hold back, Boruto."
"Damn it…" Boruto slowly picked himself up off the ground and glared at Naruto. "I don't need you to tell me that!"
He closed his eyes and entered his inner world, where the Nine Tails sat with its eyes shut, seemingly napping.
"Hey, big fox. Lend me your power."
The Nine Tails cracked open an eye, yawned, and ignored him.
"Hey! Did you hear me?!"
Seeing no reaction, Boruto climbed onto the beast, grabbing its fur and standing atop its head.
Back in the stadium, murmurs began spreading through the audience—Boruto had had his eyes closed for quite a while now.
"Mom, what's big brother doing?" Himawari tugged on Hinata's sleeve.
Hinata watched Boruto anxiously. The moment she heard he'd returned, she had dragged Himawari here. With her Byakugan, she could clearly see the Nine Tails' chakra inside Boruto.
She gently stroked Himawari's head. The children might not understand, but as an adult, she knew exactly what it meant to become a Jinchūriki.
"You little brat! Get off my head!"
The Nine Tails stirred and shook its head, trying to throw Boruto off.
"No way! Not unless you lend me your power!" Boruto clung tightly to its fur.
"Tch…" After a few moments of shaking, the weary Nine Tails finally gave in.
Outside, Boruto's eyes suddenly snapped open, his body now covered in a golden Tailed Beast Cloak.
"Old man, the real fight starts now!" Boruto declared, forming hand seals. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Three golden Boruto clones appeared on the field.
"That's… my brother-in-law's Tailed Beast Cloak!" Hanabi said, staring in astonishment. "When did he—"
"Calm down, Hanabi," Hiashi Hyūga said, his expression serious.
Hiashi was well aware of the Ōtsutsuki's attempts to gather Tailed Beasts.
The three golden clones launched a coordinated attack on Naruto—but he blocked every strike.
"I'm right here!"
Boruto's real body suddenly appeared behind Naruto.
"Using clones as bait while the real one attacks from behind… That's a move Naruto used to pull all the time as a kid," Shikamaru commented.
"Don't give your opponent a heads-up in the middle of battle, Boruto," Naruto said as he kicked away the clones and turned to face the real Boruto. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A wall of earth rose up between them. Naruto then leapt into the air, using the blinding sunlight to obscure Boruto's vision.
"A ninja must learn to use their surroundings."
"Don't give your opponent a heads-up in the middle of battle, old man!"
Using Naruto's voice to locate him despite closed eyes, Boruto extended a chakra arm from his Tailed Beast Cloak and reached into the sky.
"You're learning quickly, Boruto." Naruto's voice came from behind him.
"What—?" Boruto turned to see Naruto behind him, then glanced at the version of Naruto being held by the chakra arm.
Suddenly, the captured Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke.
When Naruto had leapt into the air to attack from the blinding light, he had also used Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"Always leave yourself a way out, Boruto," Naruto said, looking straight at him. "Still, you've definitely grown stronger."
"Hmph… like I need you to tell me that…" Boruto muttered. Though clearly pleased by Naruto's praise, he put on a cool front.
"Boruto really has gotten stronger. And with that golden glow, he's looking pretty cool too… but the Seventh Hokage is still amazing," Chōchō said, munching on a bag of chips.
"So that's the Seventh Hokage's fighting style… Using just a few basic jutsu and smart use of the environment, and he beat Boruto that easily," Sarada said as she watched Naruto in the arena.
Hokage's Office.
"There's a mission for Team 7."
"…What?! Konohamaru-nii lost contact?!"
Boruto exclaimed in shock after hearing Naruto's explanation.
"Yeah. This mission is up to the three of you—and Uchiha Shuyu will be acting as squad leader." While Boruto's power had grown, his experience was still lacking.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go now!"
Worried about Konohamaru, Boruto was raring to go.
"Hold on, Boruto," Naruto stopped him. "The mission starts tomorrow. For now, go home and see your mom—and change out of those clothes."
Boruto looked down at his Akatsuki-style uniform.
"Come to think of it… I feel like I've seen that outfit somewhere before…" Sarada thought for a moment. "Oh, right! In that photo with my dad, Aunt Karin, Uncle Jūgo, and Uncle Suigetsu—my dad was wearing the same thing!"
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