BORUTO ALTER: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS

CHAPTER 3: INHUMAN STRENGTH? BORUTO'S BATTLEFIELD

Night.

A fire crackled before the young Shinobi. They were gathered around one side as Konohamaru sat on the other. They sat upon logs within the forests that were mixed between Konoha's and the land of Rivers.

Konohamaru had put up a barrier jutsu- it was weak, however it did hid the light of the fire. Still, Boruto felt unease creeping around his shoulders.

Almost as if on cue, Konohamaru looked at Boruto, offering a friendly smile.

"How are you all feeling?" He said, eyes pausing on Boruto's teammates as well.

Sarada was the first to answer.

Visibly annoyed, she pushed up her glasses before speaking.

"I think we're wasting time resting, Sensei." Sarada answered.

"Whoever did this to the village.. we need to catch them as quickly as possible. What if they escape?" Sarada furrowed her brows.

"Don't be so eager to rush into things, Sarada." Konohamaru cautioned.

"Lord Seventh was right when he said that these guys aren't regular Shinobi. We're here to gather intel- clues. Our ninja way.. it's not always about fighting." Konohamaru chuckled.

"I know you want to prove yourself. You'll have your chance. You all will." Konohamaru said with a heavy sigh. Boruto raised his eyebrows-

Sensei looked sad for a moment, as if he regretted what he just said. However, in seconds he was smiling again.

"I'm going to scout the immediate perimeter before checking in with Hanabi. Both of our teams should reach Chofu by the end of the day tomorrow." Konohamaru rose to his feet with a quiet grunt.

"Stay here. I'll be right back." Konohamaru formed a jutsu sign, then vanished in the night with a sharp hiss of air.

"He doesn't understand." Sarada whispered.

Boruto looked over to his teammate. She was staring at her gloved hands, slowly stretching out fingers before closing them into a fist.

"What do you mean, Sarada?" Mitsuki asked, fire illuminating a socially inappropriate smile.

Sarada's dark eyes glanced over to the pale-skinned youth.

"Uchiha.." she said.

Boruto remained silent. Sarada was usually happy- bordering on annoying. Now she was..

"That name.. my clan. It's a curse." Sarada began.

"We all learned about Madara at the academy. I know what he did- what Obito did. Despite their crimes.. they were my family. My dad.. he decided to go running off as opposed to facing the village. Mom says he's on an important mission.." Sarada looked away from Mitsuki then, staring into the fire with hollow eyes.

"I can tell how the village looks at me. How they address me. When they see the Uchiha crest on my back.. deep down, they see a spawn of something.. something evil." Sarada offered a bitter grin.

"I'm sorry. I'm being stupid."

Mitsuki returned Sarada's smile.

"It's not stupid. People treat me with suspicion, too!" Mitsuki beamed.

Boruto stretched his hands closer to the fire.

Breaking his silence, he moved from his log down to the forest floor, using his former seat to recline against.

"Konohamaru sensei is a Sarutobi. He wouldn't understand."

Boruto smirked.

"He's destined to become Hokage after my dad, I bet. He thinks about the village so much.. he probably doesn't even realize you're an Uchiha half of the time."

Sarada laughed.

"I guess I have to thank him for that." She said.

Mitsuki suddenly perked up.

"Something-"

Boruto sensed it too.

No way-

An explosion rattled the ground some meters away, lighting up the forest in darkness. They all jumped to their feet, each one pulling out a kunai.

Boruto spread his senses around him- he was no sensory ninja, but the heightened awareness would help in a pitched, close quarters battle.

An ambush?

Another explosion shook the earth. Fire spouted high into the sky-

"That's Sensei's jutsu-" Mitsuki said coolly.

Sarada nodded her head forward.

"He's signaling us."

Boruto turned his head to face her while simultaneously scanning the trees around them with blue-silver eyes.

"To help him?" Boruto asked.

"No- if I were Sensei.. I'd want us to go find Hanabi's team. It seemed like he was pointing the flames towards the south."

Boruto gritted his teeth.

"That doesn't seem right. We should help-"

Mitsuki placed his hand on Boruto's shoulder as Boruto turned to run.

"Sarada's right. We'd only get in the way. Konohamaru might even lead his attacker to Hanabi."

Boruto ground his sandals into the dirt.

I can't just abandon Konohamaru!

Boruto felt the heat-

then he heard the whistle of it moving through the air.

For a split second, Boruto saw himself, Sarada, and Mitsuki. He could see all around them- the trees, the branches. He saw a needle of water zipping for his neck almost as if it was in slow motion. Boruto craned his head backwards-

Time sped up again.

Boruto's head turned to follow the jutsu as it crashed into the tree trunks to the left of him, splintering several with loud thuds as it cut through bark.

What powerful force.. this isn't just water style!

"Boruto!" Mitsuki screamed, pulling Boruto backwards as more bullets of compressed, steaming water smoked across the cold air.

Crashes echoed throughout the forest. The trio of genin stood back to back-

"Just a couple of kids..?"

A figure pounced down before them.

He rose, illuminated by the nighttime moon.

The man was young, maybe in his early twenties, if not younger. However, seven lines of zig-zagging scars crossed his face, traveling from his forehead down to a square jaw.

He had light brown hair, and wore a black tunic that exposed his stomach. Upon his belly, sealing jutsu was carved. His legs were wrapped in onyx bandages down to his ankles. His arms and hands were unclothed, and they too bore sealing jutsu that spread over his skin like ornate tattoos.

"Who-" Boruto began.

The man frowned, advancing immediately as he wove hand signs.

"Vapor style: Corroding mist!" The man opened his mouth- fog shouted outwards from between white teeth.

The genin separated, jumping in the air as the man's jutsu hissed in the howling wind.

"Don't let it touch you!" Sarada warned.

Boruto nodded silently, flipping himself over in the air as he landed on a branch behind their attacker.

Vapor style.. does he know two chakra natures?

Wait-

The air beside Boruto shifted as his eyes widened in the night.

"I should've had Mitchisune switch with me.." the man said. He was behind Boruto-

Dozens of white snakes sprouted from the ground below them, climbing up the tree with incredible speed. The man leapt away from Boruto's branch, lightened by the moon while hanging in midair.

Sarada ran on the forest floor towards him. Her hands clasped together jutsu signs with trained efficiency.

"Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" She roared. Sarada stopped, sliding on leaves and dirt as she threw her head forward, belching fire from an open mouth.

Sarada's orb of flame rolled over the ground, growing larger as it traveled.

"Ha!" The man grunted as he landed on the forest floor.

"Water Style: water wall!" The man hissed. A wall of water sprouted from nothing, absorbing Sarada's jutsu behind a simmering and hazy shield of liquid and fog.

Mitsuki took the man's place behind Boruto, then leapt to Boruto's side.

"Careful, Boruto." He warned with a neutral grin.

Boruto and Mitsuki pounced in unison. Boruto went for the man's left, and Mitsuki went for his right.

The man spun, meeting Boruto's kunai with his own. He threw Boruto off balance, using Boruto's smaller frame against him. The man kicked Boruto into a tree as he turned towards Mitsuki.

Mitsuki released more snakes from his sleeves- forcing the man backwards. The man leapt into the air, chakra forming around him.

"Boil release: Water scythe.."

The man's jutsu formed about his ears-

Two swirling crescents of steaming water formed out of thin air, hurtling towards Mitsuki. Mitsuki gathered a shield of snakes around him as the man's jutsu came crashing down.

"Mitsuki!" Boruto yelled. He rose to his feet, pain bellowing on the left side of his stomach. He grimaced.

That kick... did he already break one of my ribs?

Boruto ignored the pain. He tasted blood in his mouth as he ran into the fog that had formed around Mitsuki.

Sarada joined up beside him, separating as they came across the man's silhouette.

Good, we'll surround him, then-

Suddenly, four identical attackers leapt from the fog-

Boruto clapped his hands together.

"Wind Release: multiple gale palm!" Releasing his hands, Boruto spread them out to either side of his body. A surge of wind exploded from Boruto, pushing the fog back as three of the man's doppelgängers exploded into white mist.

Boruto's eyes settled on the man as the rogue shinobi was thrown backward.

Then you're-

He and Sarada pressed their attack. Sarada jumped backwards, Boruto stabbing for the man's chest with a kunai. Sarada leapt over Boruto, landing behind the rogue shinobi while Mitsuki slid to the man's right.

With Boruto pushing the shinobi backwards, Sarada and Mitsuki attacked with their own kunai-

A surge of chakra escaped from the man as he folded his hands together into a Jutsu sign.

"Summoning Jutsu: Divine River!"

A swirling, snakelike spout of water curled around the rogue, protecting him as Boruto and the others were thrown backwards.

Boruto rose to his feet, panting. The pain in his stomach was unbearable. He looked over to Sarada and Mitsuki as they rose- both had been thrown a few feet away.

The man himself stood with one hand on his hip, while water swirled a constant circle around his feet.

Boruto noticed that the man's right arm no longer was covered in tattoos.

"This guy.. he's strong." Boruto said aloud to his team.

Sarada joined Boruto. Her dark eyes were narrowed behind dirtied glasses.

"We'll fight defensively now. No more direct attacks." Sarada commanded. Mitsuki stood at Boruto's left.

"We'll have to use Lighting Style." He added.

Boruto tsk'd.

"Lighting style.. we'll run out of chakra quickly."

Boruto narrowed his own eyes, blonde hair crossing bright pupils.

"We'll have to end it in five, no, four moves."

He smiled darkly.

"We're dead otherwise."

The man raised his hands, then clapped them together.

"Now..!" Sarada yelled.

At the same moment, the rogue shinobi's water slithered forward with uncanny speed. It rose in the air, sharpening itself into a funnellike point, and then crashed downward for the group of genin.

Mitsuki leapt out of the clearing and deeper into the forest. Elongating his arms, he grabbed Boruto and Sarada, pulling them between trees as the water turned up dirt and rock.

Sarada panted.

"He's.. This strength.."

Mitsuki nodded.

"We may all be in danger- even Konohamaru Sensei."

Boruto's breathing grew even more haggard. He held his stomach-

This pain! I'm..

Afraid?

"It's no use hiding.."

From behind?!

Tendrils of water sprouted from the trees above. They stabbed for Boruto and his team-

They narrowly evaded the lethal streams. Boruto winced at the sound of water puncturing wood inches away from his face.

This...!

Suddenly, the man fell from the trees-

He quickly recovered, leaping to his feet as he bounced backward, past Boruto and back into the clearing.

What..? Was he-

"You okay, Boruto?" Himawari jumped before her brother, blonde hair crossing her wide forehead.

She looked every bit like Minato, bearing the same, stern face and sharp eyes that their grandfather's stone likeness held for decades.

Iwabe and Hijitaka joined Himawari.

"Boruto- you're!" Hijitaka's white eyes widened in concern.

Boruto raised his hand, grimacing.

"Don't worry about me right now. We need to focus on him." Boruto glared ahead at the rogue shinobi.

The man was cautious- he hadn't moved from his position yet. Despite his strength, he was now on the defensive.

"Is this guy.. the one who attacked the village?" Iwabe asked. He carried two katana, one in each hand. A single lock of black hair escaped a tight, red cap and fell over brown skin.

"We're not sure yet. It doesn't matter- all that matters is taking him down." Boruto said.

Hijitaka nodded in silent agreement.

Himawari's stern expression grew wicked as she bore an evil smile. Signing her hands together, she closed her eyes.

"Byakugan!" She said, veins bulging at the corners of her eyes as they opened. Her blonde jaw-length bangs parted as chakra exuded in response. Her once blue eyes were now white and featureless, like Hijitaka's.

The Byakugan.

Unlike pure blooded Hyuga, Boruto and Himawari weren't born with the dojutsu. However, about a year ago Himawari awakened it in a fit of rage while training, much to their mother's surprise.

Boruto felt a different kind of pain then.

Jealousy...?

"More kids huh?" The man cocked his head to the side. He weaved fingers together, before slowly raising them before his face.

Boruto felt chakra begin to heavy in the air about them.

Even with Hima and the others here.. will we be able to beat this guy?

Boruto didn't have to ask where Hanabi was. She was no doubt going for Konohamaru. Which meant-

For now, we're all alone.