"Bastard!"
"It hurts—let me go!"
Fenggu struggled desperately, but Boruto's seemingly casual grip held him like iron.
His face twisted in agony, teeth bared, completely humiliated.
[Emotions from Fenggu — progress bar increased by 42 points]
Boruto smirked coldly. "That little bit of pain already unbearable for you? Don't worry, there's more to come. Try not to pass out too soon."
He leaned in closer, voice dripping with mockery. "Carrying a bag of rice up a few flights of stairs—that's just the warm-up."
Fenggu's heart trembled. How is this kid so strong? He's younger than me! Regret and fear flooded through him.
He cursed himself for ever picking a fight with this monster.
"What are you all standing around for?!" he shouted at his companions. "Get him! All of you!"
The group of rogue Kirigakure ninjas hesitated.
Still, for the sake of pride, they drew their weapons and surrounded Boruto.
"Perfect," Boruto said coolly. "All of you together will save me the trouble."
He tightened his grip and hurled Fenggu through the air.
The man crashed into the ground with a sickening thud, dust exploding around him.
"Ahhh—!" Fenggu groaned, curling up in pain, unable even to breathe properly.
[Emotions from Fenggu — progress bar increased by 113 points]
Seeing their leader defeated so effortlessly, the others froze, glancing nervously at each other.
Their earlier bravado vanished instantly.
Boruto straightened up, his blue eyes sharp and cold. "Anyone else craving pain? Step forward!"
His words cut through the silence like blades. The remaining thugs, trembling, began backing away.
Boruto took a slow step forward. "What's wrong? Done already?"
Each step he took sent them retreating one pace more, fear etched into their faces.
"What is pain?" he asked softly.
In a flash, he disappeared and reappeared right in front of one of them, face to face.
The thug flinched so hard his weapon nearly fell from his hand. "I—I don't know!" he stammered.
"Then learn now."
Boruto's hand moved before the man could blink.
Smack!
The slap echoed sharply. The thug flew sideways, hit the ground hard, clutching his face as it swelled red and raw.
The others recoiled in horror, stepping back further.
But Boruto wasn't finished.
"What is pain?" he asked again, appearing in front of another.
"P-Pain… it's like being slapped!" the man whimpered.
"Wrong."
Boruto stepped on the man's foot and pressed down.
Crack.
The sound of breaking bone tore through the air.
The thug screamed, collapsing and clutching his foot, writhing in agony.
The last two thugs exchanged terrified glances, realizing escape was impossible.
They bit their lips, drew their weapons, and pointed them at Boruto with trembling hands.
Boruto's tone lowered, deadly calm. "If you want to understand pain… first, you must learn how to take a beating."
He advanced slowly, his presence so suffocating it made them shake uncontrollably.
"What is pain?" Boruto asked one last time. "Pain takes time to understand."
He vanished—then reappeared behind them in a blur.
Smack! Smack!
Two swift strikes sent both men flying. They hit the ground hard, groaning and coughing in pain.
"A genin who's only been out of the academy a few years, and you thought you could teach me pain?" Boruto muttered with disdain.
He turned and walked toward Fenggu, who was still sprawled on the ground pretending to be unconscious.
"Stop faking it," Boruto said, planting a foot firmly on the man's hand and twisting slightly. "You haven't felt enough pain yet."
"Please—!" Fenggu screamed. "I was wrong! I don't want to feel it anymore! Please, let me go!"
Nearby, Shikadai frowned. "Hey, Kagura… are you really okay with this? They're still Mist shinobi, right?"
Kagura shook his head calmly. "They need this lesson. Those guys spend their days bullying weaker villagers. Maybe a little pain will teach them something."
"Still," Shikadai muttered, "Boruto keeps going on about pain—this really okay?"
Denki sighed. "It's fine. He's just like that lately. He calls it training through pain. Think of it as… a psychological jutsu."
"A… what?" Kagura blinked.
Denki grinned. "Yeah, we call it mouth-to-mouth combat. Physical and mental damage all at once. Works wonders on loudmouths."
Kagura nodded slowly. "So that's what it is…"
Meanwhile, Boruto noticed the injured thugs trying to crawl away.
"Who told you to leave?" His tone turned sharp. "The lesson's not over yet."
The thugs froze in terror. Some formed hand signs, readying smoke bombs or weak ninjutsu.
Boruto raised one hand. "Banshō Ten'in!" (Universal Pull)
An invisible force yanked them off their feet. Their bodies flew helplessly toward Boruto, eyes wide with fear.
He lowered his stance slightly, one foot back, fists clenched.
"Let's see if you can endure twenty years' worth of pain from this one punch."
"Eight Extremities Collapse!!"
His punch landed with explosive force—not enough to kill, but more than enough to make them regret everything.
The shockwave sent them tumbling to the ground, howling in agony.
Boruto looked down at the groaning men and said coolly, "If you want to play gangster, learn to take your punishment first. That's what real pain is."
The others could only watch in silence as his words hung heavy in the air.