Chapter 151:
Although they were headed to the same destination, once the Thunder Train arrived, Ao didn't take the same path as Shuyu, Boruto, and Sarada.
"I didn't expect the one sent this time to be an Inner member of the organization," Ao said, looking at the cloaked man in front of him.
"After all, it's about a lost Vessel. This kind of troublesome incident has to be handled with caution."
The "Kāma" is akin to a seal, and the Ōtsutsuki are like Tailed Beasts.
Those who have Tailed Beasts sealed inside them are called Jinchūriki.
Those who have a Kāma implanted in them by an Ōtsutsuki are called Vessels.
"What do you need me to do, Koji Kashin?"
"Although this mission falls under my responsibility, I won't make a move unless absolutely necessary. So for now, Ao, retrieving the Vessel is up to you."
"You're really entrusting something this important to an old man who can't even use his body techniques freely anymore? You sure have a lot of confidence in me, Koji Kashin."
Koji Kashin laughed as if he'd heard a funny joke. "Don't say that, Ao. You're being too modest. You not only stayed by the Daimyō of the Land of Water's side to support Kara's operations, you even helped us establish contact with that S.H.I.E.L.D. group. Ao, I hold you in high regard."
"Well, thank you for the Kara organization's generous favor. But Konoha clearly caught the scent already. Since the incident occurred near the borders of the Land of Fire, Konoha's response has been much faster than ours. Most importantly, the ones they sent this time are Uzumaki Boruto, Uchiha Shuyu, and Uchiha Sarada."
"The Uzumaki and Uchiha clans, huh? No problem. Go ahead and engage them if needed, Ao. Other Inner members will handle the aftermath," Koji Kashin said after thinking for a moment. "Also, this is a special weapon from Kara just for you. Hopefully, you won't need to use it against three kids."
Taking the suitcase from Koji Kashin, Ao said, "A battle after sixteen years… I'm looking forward to it."
—
"This is the site," Shuyu said, standing at a high vantage point and looking at the grounded airship below.
"There seems to be something over there," Boruto said, pointing at something lying near the airship.
"And there are signs of battle, too," Sarada added, her Sharingan enhancing her vision.
"We can't see much from here. Let's get closer," Boruto suggested.
"Mm." Shuyu nodded. Just as Boruto was about to head down, he continued, "Boruto, Sarada—you two stay up here. I'll go down alone. If something happens, you can provide backup right away."
"Huh?"
Boruto abruptly stopped and looked at Shuyu.
By that time, Shuyu had already jumped down, landing on the ground and examining what looked like human-shaped dolls lying there.
"What are these things?"
"They're probably puppets used by a puppeteer."
Hearing a male and female voice behind him, Shuyu turned around and saw Boruto and Sarada.
"It's all Boruto's fault—he went down first, and I followed to stop him," Sarada said quickly.
"What?!"
Seeing the two about to start bickering again, Shuyu could only step in helplessly. "Whatever, you're down here already. Anyway, nothing dangerous has shown up yet."
"These puppets on the ground… I guess Konohamaru took them down?" Boruto speculated.
"Not sure," Sarada said, shaking her head. "There's no trace of Konohamaru-sensei nearby. And if these are puppets, then their controller must be around here too. Unless Konohamaru-sensei went to chase after the puppeteer."
Shuyu slowly stepped into the airship and looked at an opened black coffin-like container. He wore a grave expression and was just about to call out to Boruto and Sarada when he heard sounds of fighting outside.
"Sarada! Boruto! Are you two okay?!"
Rushing out of the airship, Shuyu saw Boruto and Sarada surrounded by the puppets that had previously been lying motionless on the ground.
"Shuyu! We're fine!" Sarada shouted. "But these puppets completely ignore our ninjutsu and can use jutsu without weaving hand signs!"
Shuyu's face turned serious. Using jutsu without hand seals reminded him of scientific ninja tools.
Ever since joining S.H.I.E.L.D., Boruto had come up with all sorts of weird scientific ninja tools—he even started talking about "the Force" and "Jedi," terms Shuyu had never heard before.
No time to think about it. Shuyu jumped into the fight, kicking the puppets away one by one and pulling Boruto and Sarada out of the encirclement.
After scanning the surroundings and confirming the area was safe, Shuyu turned to the panting Boruto and Sarada. "Inside the airship, I found an opened black box. I think those puppets were guards meant to protect whatever was inside."
"So Konohamaru-sensei might have been attacked by them while investigating the box. That's probably why the village lost contact with him," Sarada said.
Shuyu nodded. "Yeah, that's very likely."
"Damn… I hope Konohamaru-nii is okay," Boruto said, his face full of worry.
"No need to worry. I found a marker left by him near the airship."
"A marker?" Sarada looked at Shuyu.
"Mm. It's a special sign used by Konoha's jōnin to communicate. I learned about it while in the Anbu. If we follow the signs, we should be able to find Konohamaru."
Eventually, the three arrived at a cave.
"Konohamaru-nii!" Boruto shouted as he walked into the cave. Hearing Boruto's voice, Konohamaru—who was sitting against the wall clutching a wound on his chest—lowered the kunai in his hand.
"Boruto! What are you doing here?!" Konohamaru said, looking surprised. Then, spotting Shuyu behind him, his expression softened a little. "Ah, so Shuyu came too."
"Hey, what's that look for, Konohamaru-nii? You don't trust my strength?" Boruto protested.
"No, of course not! Boruto, among your peers, your strength is definitely top tier," Konohamaru quickly said, waving his hands.
"Alright," Shuyu cut off Boruto's antics and asked, "Konohamaru-sensei, what exactly happened?"
"Shuyu, you've probably already seen the open black box in the airship, right?"
Shuyu nodded. "If my guess is right, the contents of that box are the key to this whole incident."
"Yeah. The relevant intel is right here," Konohamaru said, taking out a scroll from his clothes. "Take it back and analyze it."
Just then, a man's voice echoed from outside the cave.
"Since the topic is so interesting, why don't you share it with me first?"
Ao stood at the cave entrance, wielding a Gatling-style scientific ninja tool, a curious expression on his face.
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