"There are only my father and me left in the Uchiha clan… so who are you?"
Sarada stared intently at the pale-skinned boy before her who called himself Uchiha.
But Shin ignored her question. Instead, he pulled a scroll from his cloak and muttered under his breath.
"Father said I must bring you back and complete the task he gave me."
Sarada's expression hardened. "You're here to capture me?"
She pushed her glasses up, her voice filled with confidence.
"I'm afraid you don't have that kind of ability."
Boruto's eyes narrowed as he studied Shin. That skin—so pale, just like Mitsuki's. And those eyes… three-tomoe Sharingan.
A clone? A cyborg? Maybe one of Orochimaru's creations?
He frowned and asked directly, "The 'father' you mentioned… is it Orochimaru?"
Shin's expression instantly turned cold.
"You don't need to know," he said flatly. "You can go to hell."
With that, he unsealed the scroll, and a massive shuriken connected by a long chain appeared in his hand.
With a swift flick, the weapon tore through the air like a freed beast, whistling straight toward Boruto.
Boruto sighed, shaking his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips.
"You're an awfully rude guy. Guess I'll have to teach you some manners!"
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Six gleaming diamond-like chains shot out from behind him. One instantly coiled around the spinning shuriken, yanking it from Shin's grasp and flinging it aside.
The remaining five chains whipped forward like serpents lunging from their burrows.
Shin's eyes widened—he hadn't expected Boruto to wield such power. He darted between trees, narrowly dodging the chains that seemed almost alive, twisting and homing in on him no matter where he moved.
Thanks to his Sharingan's dynamic vision, Shin barely managed to evade being entangled.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Sarada's hands flashed through seals, and a blazing sphere of fire burst from her mouth, surging toward Shin.
The flames lit up the forest in orange light, heat warping the air.
Shin leapt high into the air, evading the flames, and flung several kunai toward Boruto and Sarada.
Sarada didn't flinch. Her crimson eyes—now showing two tomoe—gleamed as she drew several shuriken and hurled them forward.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal clashed midair, sparks flying as the weapons collided and fell to the forest floor.
Just as Shin landed, the ground beneath him cracked open—another chain burst out, coiling tightly around his body.
No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free. The chains twisted tighter with each movement.
"This trick never fails," Boruto said proudly, watching Shin writhing on the ground.
Sarada blinked in surprise. "Boruto, that Orochimaru you mentioned… you mean the Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin?"
"Yeah." Boruto nodded.
"You're saying Orochimaru wants to capture me?" Her disbelief was clear. "But why?"
"I'm just guessing," Boruto replied. "Orochimaru wouldn't dare touch you himself. But this guy definitely has something to do with him."
His eyes hardened as he glared at Shin. "And he's dumb enough to try and kidnap Uchiha Sasuke's daughter? Does his father even know who he's messing with?"
Meanwhile...
In a strange white stone dimension, the black-robed man frowned.
"Who is that blond boy?" he muttered. "He subdued Shin so easily… and he has the same power as Karin. Could he be that person's son?"
Back in the forest, Shin stopped struggling. The three-tomoe in his eyes began to spin rapidly, merging into a new pattern—a circular Mangekyō with three sharp corners.
"Is that… the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Boruto muttered, surprised.
Sarada gasped, her eyes wide. "He awakened the Mangekyō?!"
"Looks like I'll have to get serious," Boruto said quietly.
His azure eyes began to shift, transforming into a brilliant starry blue, glowing with mysterious light—the Jōgan had awakened.
With the power of the Jōgan, Boruto could clearly see everything within his range of vision.
That's when he noticed something odd—a tiny creature perched on a nearby tree trunk, its body small and strange, with a single three-tomoe Sharingan glaring at him.
"What the—? I didn't even notice that before. Looks like… some creepy version of Mr. Krabs," Boruto thought. "An accomplice, maybe? Whatever. One problem at a time."
He raised his right hand, pointing it at Shin—then slowly lowered it again.
"Boruto…" Sarada called softly, confused by his hesitation.
At that moment, Shin activated his Mangekyō ability. The shuriken scattered on the ground suddenly rose into the air, spinning violently as if pulled by an invisible force.
"So your Mangekyō can manipulate objects?" Boruto said calmly.
The weapons split apart into eight razor-sharp blades, whistling through the air straight at Boruto and Sarada.
Then—a golden flash.
Naruto appeared before them, his entire body wrapped in the radiant Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. The chakra flickered like golden fire, roaring with raw power.
He raised his hand, and the golden energy surged outward, forming a protective barrier around Boruto and Sarada.
The moment the spinning blades hit the barrier, they disintegrated into glowing dust and scattered into the wind.
"Am I late?" Naruto asked lightly, glancing back at them.
His Hokage robe fluttered in the chakra's heat, the Konoha symbol shining on his back.
Boruto crossed his arms. "Took you long enough, Dad."
Naruto's mouth twitched into an awkward smile. He had imagined a cool heroic rescue, expecting his son's praise—but all he got was mockery.
Sarada looked on in awe. "So this is Uncle Naruto's Nine-Tails power… The chakra is incredible!"
Naruto confirmed that both kids were safe before turning to the restrained enemy. His expression hardened.
"Even a Mangekyō Sharingan, huh?" he muttered, locking eyes with Uchiha Shin.