BORUTO ALTER: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS

CHAPTER FIVE: SAVE US SENSEI! KONOHAMARU'S STRONGEST JUTSU!

HIS ENEMY laughed loudly. Smoke rose from a small crater, masking Konohamaru's foe in dusky fog.

Still, Konohamaru could see the pointed spikes of the man's hair, and the wide frame of his body. Further behind the man, burning trees crumbled to wavering grass below. random circles of exploded earth pocked the ground.

All of this the work of the man's volatile jutsu.

I can sense there's some sort of barrier around us now.

He couldn't sense the others, his students. He at least knew they heeded his message to flee for the south. Hopefully, they met up with Hanabi's team.

It was simple.

All Konohamaru had to do was defeat this rogue nin.

The man waved the smoke away. He had gray skin and a sunken, skeletal-like nose. His hair was bright blonde, frayed and pointed like a star. His piercing blue eyes violently twinkled, appraising Konohamaru.

As the man stepped from the crater, he bore a flashy white smile.

"You're quite fast, Konoha-nin!" The man complimented happily.

He flexed his hands while crossing his arms.

"You must be.. a jonin!"

It's coming!

Konohamaru threw himself into the air with a kick. The ground below him exploded in dozens of miniature bombs. He rose from the smoky ash, dashing backwards into the adjoining wood.

He leapt from tree to tree-

A hand sprouted from above Konohamaru. His eyes widened as vision exploded in light.

Konohamaru's body burned, before rolling to the ground as a charred log.

Konohamaru himself peered at the man from a branching perch hidden in the trees.

"I know you're there, Konoha-nin. But.. let's talk a bit."

The man grinned before sitting down.

"My name is Mitchitsune Shichi.. by the look of you, you must've fought in the war." Mitchitsune's voice lost its boisterous ring.

"You must've been young."

Konohamaru's eyes narrowed behind a veil of leaves. Mitchitsune raised his arms.

"It was terrifying, wasn't it? We couldn't see the sun. It was dark for what seemed like an eternity. Then- when it happened.."

Konohamaru himself tensed.

He instantly knew what Mitchitsune referred to.

The moment we lost.

He could still feel roots surrounding him, constricting him. He remembered the lifetime lie, a reality his subconscious drunkenly conjured as his chakra was drained.

"And now, nations like yours expect us to sit and wait. Expect us not to try to prevent that from ever happening again. We don't have the luxury that you great nations do. The safety of strength. Once you great nations save the world, we will already be gone."

Mitchitsune stood, lowering his head.

He smiled.

"You probably think I'm some thug. I was.. for a time."

The rogue ninja continued.

"But I serve a greater purpose now."

Mitchitsune suddenly rose his arms. Six orbs of earth sprung into the air beside him.

"Carbon Release: Imperial Bullet.." Mitchitsune chuckled as his chakra flared.

The chunks of earthen rock were suddenly engulfed in blinking white flame-

It burned into a smooth and refined ore, rising above blackened refuse that fell to the ground in globing droplets of magma.

Mitchitsune lowered his hands.

"I have the honor of sharing my Lord's chakra natures.. here, I am an extension of his will!" Mitchitsune bellowed.

Konohamaru readied himsel-

The branch he was on creaked in protest at the slight and sudden movement.

Two of the spheres burst through the air, crashing through thick trunks of trees and brambles of branches.

He can move them independently?!

Konohamaru shifted alight, vanishing just as Mitchitsune's spheres punctured massive holes through bark.

I'll have to use speed..

Konohamaru thought.

Konohamaru dashed through smoke, re-appearing behind the man. The missing nin ducked underneath the stab of Konohamaru's kunai while simultaneously twisting his arm into a punch.

Konohamaru dodged the blow-

The man curled his wrist, opening his palm as Konohamaru slid past.

Air whipped and roared- a crumbling explosion erupted from between the missing nin's fingers.

"Hm-!" The man laughed.

Konohamaru erupted from the man's left, parting smoke. He slapped hands together as he inhaled deeply.

"Fire Style: Phoenix flower jutsu!" A volley of fire erupted from Konohamaru's mouth as he rushed forward. Mitchitsune's spheres rose, racing to and absorbing each petal of fire.

Konohamaru continued his advance, flipping a kunai into the air. Mitchitsune surrounded a finger in fine carbon, flicking away the kunai as he ran to meet Konohamaru.

The ninja exchanged a flurry of blows- Konohamaru slid backwards as a sphere suddenly descended from above, crushing the ground.

Five more sped from all directions, each one aimed for Konohamaru's head.

He smirked while forming a jutsu sign.

A formation of earth fled from the ground below. It was scaled, layering itself repeatedly to increase its defense.

The spheres impacted within a bedlam of smoky roars.

Mitchitsune offered a grin.

"Impressive.. Konoha-nin." He said.

His spheres not only failed to puncture the earthen egg, but now they were stuck.

This won't hold them forever. But I'll buy myself time.. Konohamaru thought.

He formed a jutsu sign within the crumbling earthen walls as Mitchitsune laughed from the outside.

"I was expecting Fire Style.. but Earth Release? Hmph.. you understand the fundamentals more than I do, and I am of Iwagakure."

Konohamaru frowned.

I had assumed as much. What's more.. he said he served some sort of Lord..

"Who are you really? You aren't of Rivers, like the kunai you left behind. What is your objective with the Leaf?!" Konohamaru shouted.

His resolute wall began falling apart faster, losing its form as Mitchitsune's orbs churned against it.

I don't have much more time. This is going to have to do it..

Konohamaru closed his eyes, biting one thumb until it bled.

The ground erupted in a flurry of fire and earth. Mitchitsune's spheres were blown backward by the sudden force. Konohamaru's rocky shield fell away while he pounced forward.

Beside him, cracking earth followed in a zig-zagging crease upon the ground. Konohamaru felt his chakra lurch as the jutsu activated.

Mitchitsune jumped backward, his eyes wide. He threw his hands upwards with a panicked, beckoning motion.

Konohamaru couldn't see, but hear the sound of Mitchitsune's spheres rising from the ruined earth-

Now! Konohamaru clapped his hands together, before lowering them to the ground.

He felt the heat of Mitchitsune's carbon weapons nearly upon his neck-

A snap of light roared from behind Mitchitsune.

"Summoning Jutsu: Ruyi Jin Ban!" Konohamaru bellowed.

Mitchitsune turned as a flaming spear shot through his chest. It completely funneled through Mitchitsune's flesh as Konohamaru held out his hand, catching the weapon.

Mitchitsune staggered forward, looking down at his wound as it bled profusely.

Konohamaru dispelled the summoned staff with a quick flourish.

The missing nin chuckled, coughing up blood as his wound sprinkled in multiple streams of red gore.

"You-.. you're strong, Konoha-nin. Stronger than I am- far.. stronger.." Mitchitsune fell to his knees.

"I wonder.. how you'll do.. against it.." Mitchitsune offered Konohamaru a bloody smirk.

"It?" Konohamaru stepped forward while Mitchitsune fell onto his back.

"There's.. a failsafe.. imprinted on the weakest of us.. for si-" Mitchitsune vomited a plume of fresh blood.

His skin glistened with sweat as he gave Konohamaru a spiteful, dying gaze.

"...we- saw you with.. those genin.."

They split up! Of course- that's why they put up a barrier jutsu! They're trying to slow us down!

Konohamaru's eyes widened in anger as he regarded the wounded man.

The jonin ran, sliding to his knees beside the dying missing nin.

He placed his hands over Mitchitsune's quivering wound, hovering palms just above churned flesh as healing jutsu spread through Mitchitsune's body.

The missing nin's eyes widened in alarm.

"Wh- what are you-!"

Konohamaru looked ahead sternly.

"I'm healing you so you survive, then binding you here. Once I save my students, you'll be a valuable source of information." Konohamaru offered the man an evil smile.

Mitchitsune returned the grin.

"Truly.. a spectacular.. ninja.." Mitchitsune stammered. Konohamaru rose one hand, forming a jutsu sign.

I still have a good amount of chakra left. Thanks to Lord Hokage's training, I'm able to infuse small amounts while fighting..

Mitchitsune suddenly rose both hands, clapping them together as he formed a jutsu sign.

"There's another failsafe!" He bellowed with crazed eyes.

Konohamaru jumped backward.

Tch, he waited until he was healed enough to move his arms!

Suddenly, a rod of black erupted through Mitchitsune's cackling, open mouth. He screamed as the rod broke apart into a small waterfall of ebony liquid.

Eyes swam within the water, pupils decorated in a strange design reminiscent of the Rinnegan.

The black water suddenly began to vortex, consuming the man as he laughed aloud in pain.

Mitchitsune's body cracked underneath the blanket of blackness, bones snapping free of skin, tearing apart his flesh from the inside out.

In seconds, the body was gone.

Konohamaru's eyes fell upon the empty, clean space on the ground.

Even the blood..

It was almost as if glass shattered within his mind.

This chakra!

Konohamaru then realized he could vaguely feel the ebb and flow of familiar chakra screaming in distressed, frenetic hues.

They're fighting something far stronger than Mitchitsune!

Konohamaru sped forward, breaking into the forest. He felt Hanabi upon him in seconds.

"You were searching for me." He said as they both jumped from tree to tree in unison.

"Yes- I had our teams meet up together. I saw your signal, but then.. I couldn't sense anyone until now. This.. this chakra.." Hanabi's voice shook.

Konohamaru grimaced.

"They divided us effectively. They're not simple thugs. They're..!" Konohamaru trailed off as another explosion of vile chakra belched into the air.

"Let's hurry, Hanabi! There isn't much time!" Konohamaru shouted.

He shut his eyes in prayer.

Please, just survive a little while longer!