BORUTO'S MASTERS – ADMISSION

The Camp

"I admit it, I killed Senju Hashirama, would you like to hear the tale?"

"Don't leave out a single detail," Boruto responds.

Tao Ma laughs. "I guess I should start with this divine ability of mine, the hive mind. I received it under terrible circumstances, I didn't want it, honestly, I didn't. The moment I got it all I could hear was this voice screaming in my head, kill Homeworld, kill Homeworld, kill Homeworld!

"This may sound like a negative, but the voice is so trustworthy, if you do what it says everything works out fine. You followed it's commands in your own way, after all, it was using you to eliminate Homeworld too. Both you and this terrible voice in my head, you have a common goal.

"The hive mind is something to behold though Boruto, I wish I could get across just how incredible this power is, how much quicker I understand everything because of this shared consciousness. To interface with other minds is fantastic. I've used it carefully mind you, rewiring people's brains, they feel pain when they contradict me, euphoria when they support me. Thanks to this miraculous power, I have gathered plenty of obedient followers, just like Hashirama and Tsunade. None have compared to you though."

"Shut up!" Boruto shouts angrily.

"Oh, don't fear Boruto, it's a compliment. Nobody has done more to ensure the downfall of Homeworld than yourself. That's why I came to your pocket-world you know, this voice had a feeling that you were going to be something spectacular and haven't you lived up to the hype. You disappointed your previous master, ditched your fiancée, spat on your father's legacy, you even used your mother's death to boost your power and further our cause."

Boruto takes a step, putting his face inches from Tao Ma's and pointing his finger angrily in the maniac's face.

"You consider very carefully before you mention my mother again."

"When I came to your world, I learned of this captained-six contest General Clyde proposed, I was curious, so I decided to take my time. It was then that I saw Senju Hashirama. I'd never seen a man bathed in so much natural chakra before, I knew that if I could push my 'death' energy onto him he would be my most powerful pawn. I realised that he would have strength even greater than mine, but the hive mind could control him, so I wasn't the least bit worried.

"I killed Hashirama and brought him back again, pushing 'death' energy onto him, I made him my pawn. It's funny looking back on it, all those funny looks his brother gave him, all those times he said that he disapproved of his new attitude. Yes, using Hashirama to play games with Tobirama was most amusing. Your world has a very interesting history and those two were very important players. It was fun watching them turn on one another, even in those circumstances.

"Amusing, you all struggled so much to survive, watching it was quite fun. I watched the Sarutobi girl unlock her strange powers. I watched with wonder at the bizarre powers of your 6th Hokage. I watched the Senju brothers fight, against the enemy and against each other. I laughed as your fiancée lost her temper with the man who turned her father against her, imagine how surprised I was to see his younger counterpart. Lastly, I was amused watching your fight, I laughed as you turned the tables against that terrible colonel who ran crying to his sister.

"You know, there's so many ways I could have pushed you over the edge back then, so many clever little ways I could have interfered. What if Hashirama had told Clyde about your techniques? What if he had worked against you during the final battle? What if I had let your grandfather die from that poison, or if I had just killed Sarada without any explanation, you could have lost your mind so much quicker couldn't you?

"I didn't make Hashirama more powerful though, not yet. I rewired his brain, just as I have done with Tsunade. I used the memory of Mito's death to drive him mad, to make him hate the people with Homeworld with a passion just as great as your own. The difference is that your hatred was real Boruto, frankly I don't see why you dislike me. You and I are the same, the only difference between our motivations is your childish need for approval. You still want them to pat you on the back don't you, your father, your master?

"I never appeared before Hashirama again. I even supposed that I may be able to use him, to increase his strength when you Naruto died and make him the hero. I thought that Hashirama would let me control your village, but then something happened that I never imagined in a thousand years.

"I waited for General Clyde to seal the deal, to conclude the contest by killing your father. But that didn't happen, because your father mastered 'life' energy. In all my life, I have never felt so humiliated by a single incident. Suddenly, your father wasn't only stronger than General Clyde, he was stronger than me too. He ruined everything; I doubt even Hashirama would have been able to defeat him in that moment.

"Do you remember when you almost killed your little girlfriend during that battle? Oh, it was a sight to behold, just when you two were working so well together, 'death' energy just pushed her towards the other side. I thought that the heavens had chosen me in that moment, that your hatred would spike just by sheer luck, that you would see the world as I do. But it happened again, your father, of all things he worked out 'life' energy. The only person in existence that could have saved her was right there."

"All this time you wished such a horrible fate on us," Boruto realises, "You didn't care about me at all, just about my strength! You wanted Sarada to die! You turned me against the one man who helped her!"

"You turned against him yourself."

"And it was the worst decision I have ever made!"

"But you made it, nonetheless. You cannot come this far and claim apathy Boruto. When you sided with Hashirama and I we may have made the choice easier for you, but you decided to come with us. You had free will, free from my influence at least, you could have done what your father would have done and stubbornly refused to come with us. For all your talent though, your will cannot compare to his, it's a different league.

"Of course, my control is not total, it never is, there are always tiny remnants of the old personality left behind. There is always a will to survive, they will fight for their life no matter what I do to them. It's a good thing too, it reassured you that Hashirama was still himself, particularly when he spared your father's life. I feared we may lose your allegiance if he had gone on a killing spree after defeating your father."

"You're crazy," Boruto says.

"Are you only just realising it now?" Tao Ma laughs, "I've been crazy since the moment we met, I've been crazy ever since I took these powers onto myself. Power doesn't come free; you have to make compromises and sacrifices in the real world. Not everyone can be as blessed as your father, when the rest of us are met with tricky decisions we either compromise or we die."

"You think my father's choices were easy, delusional. He kept going, never compromising, never going back on his word in spite of the circumstances. That is what makes him so remarkable."

"He's your father, I doubt you could ever see the truth anyway."

"What about my powers?" the Shadow 9th asks, "Were my powers really yours, was I just another resurrected sage mode user for you to control?"

"No, you were different, your talent was your own right from the very beginning. Hashirama may have talent in 'death', but his talent is incidental, yours is god given. That's why you've always been so fascinating and valuable to me Boruto, you are the only person other than me who genuinely understands this power. We're the same you and I, whereas the others, they are just pieces to be pushed around on our chess board.

"Hashirama and Tsunade got their 'death' powers from me, but you had them long before I arrived in your life. You couldn't control them, but they were there. Previously you were under the impression that you picked up your 'death' powers when your squad were killed and brought back, that made total sense to you. Unfortunately, Boruto the truth is much simpler, you just never died in the first place, you survived. You witnessed pure death, the demise of dozens of people who trusted you, who feared nothing but lost everything, that's why you understood.

"What I told you was just a series of convenient lies, some small enough that you wouldn't notice, some so audacious that you couldn't begin to challenge them. Of course, your comrade over there is different. I've encountered some geniuses in my time by Nara Shikadai stands out from the pack, truly he has my sincere congratulations.

"I regret deeply that you didn't meet the criteria for the hive mind, you could have been our cause's most powerful weapon. You could have been the one to bring about the destruction of Homeworld and I sense that you may still be that man yet. You're too powerful for your own good, if you hadn't understood 'death' yourself you could have been the man that we needed. Alas, your strength comes with responsibilities and independence from my influence, it seems that independence has been too great."

"You knew I was stronger than you?"

"There was nothing I could do about it," Tao Ma shrugs, "One doesn't pass up the opportunity of a lifetime just because it is difficult to grasp. No, I wasn't going to let you slip by Uzumaki Boruto. The voice led me to you, and I grasped hold of you tightly, so tightly that not even your parents could pull you back."

Boruto looks back on his own actions and is horrified by what he has done. He fell for every lie that Tao Ma spun and at an incredible cost. The village trusted him, his grandfather encouraged him to argue different ideas and he took it too far. He spat in his father's face and walked away from the Circle, deciding to take unilateral action. What's worse, his actions haven't just wasted his time, they placed Sarada in mortal danger and to this moment Shikadai and the others remain in harms way. All of this is his fault. How could that have happened?

"Answer me this, if I was never part of your hive mind how did you make me betray Sarada?"

"I didn't make you do anything, I just poked you in the right direction," Tao Ma says, "I knew that you trusted Hashirama. By controlling him, I created the illusion that he was your mentor, that you could trust him. He used that trust, along with the rage you felt after losing your squad, to encourage you to make the right decision. However, it was your decision at the end of the day, I didn't make you betray the Hidden Leaf, you made that decision yourself."

Boruto casts his gaze down at his own feet, he feels like he's going to be sick as the web of lies finally comes untangled. His mind has been running in circles for years now and his thoughts have been engineered by this lunatic all along.

"Now you and I understand one another," Tao Ma says surprisingly calmly given the situation, "What are you going to do with this new knowledge Uzumaki Boruto?"

Boruto's mind wonders to all the people he has hurt. The feud between Hashirama and Tobirama that he widened. The doubt and conflict that he put in the mind of Mirai and her family. The split in the Nara family. Mitsuki's separation from the cause he believed in. Sarada having to shoulder the protection of the village without him. The split in his own family. The disappointment felt by Sasuke and Sakura. The death of his mother. All of these are his fault and he can only do one thing to stop them.

"I'm going to do what I should have done from the start," Boruto reveals, "I'm going to protect the Hidden Leaf Village."

Suddenly, all those standing behind Tao Ma tense. Boruto doesn't miss their perfect coordination, realising that it is no doubt because of the hive mind. Tao Ma is in control here, there can be no mistaking that. On his side, he has a collection of warriors, all of whom use a double-transcendent element, perhaps the most lethal element to have ever existed. Behind him he has four shinobi, only one of whom is particularly proficient in using divine energy. The odds are not in his favour.

"Are you sure you want to do this Boruto?" Tao Ma asks, "If you think this is going to improve their odds of survival, you are sorely mistaken."

"I'm going to save everyone. Right now, I don't know how I'm going to do it. Frankly, I don't have the power needed to free Tsunade and Hashirama from your control, but I'm going to do it eventually. I'll save the 1st Hokage, the 5th Hokage and all those who are slaves to your abilities. I will never give up."

"Determination won't save them."

"Persistence and refusing to give up can take you a long way," Boruto says, "I learnt that from a great man, someone far better than you could ever be."

Tao Ma chuckles.

Boruto continues, "When I am done here, when Shikadai and the others are free I'm going to start righting the wrongs you have made me commit. First, I am going to find Sarada and apologise for what I have done. Then I'm going to find the only person who can bring back Hashirama and Tsunade. I'm going to find my father."

"I don't know if I am making myself clear enough Boruto, I'm not trying to convince you of anything anymore, this is a threat. If you try to leave, the situation will become violent, those who you are trying to protect will die."

Shikadai watches on as suddenly Tsunade and Hashirama walk forward. They cross no-man's-land and come to Tao Ma's side. Together, the three of them, their mightiest adversaries in these circumstances, surround Boruto, making it clear that they have the advantage over a single opponent on his level. If they were to attack him Shikadai would have to hold back all the others by himself.

Mitsuki realises the situation that Boruto has gotten himself into. This is not how he pictured things going down. Boruto has always been brave but being stubborn at the moment will surely only get them all killed. Either way, now their deaths seem inevitable, yet more futile casualties in this endless struggle for the Leaf's freedom.

Boruto turns back to look at the quartet of shinobi he protects.

"We're not letting you leave," Hashirama says.

"You will stay with us until Homeworld is gone," Tsunade adds.

Boruto smiles, "Sorry Shikadai! I should have believed you from the start." he shouts.

Shikadai shakes his head, fearful for his friend and for the others standing beside him.

A cloak of 'death' appears around Boruto signalling the end of negotiations.

"I'm going to fight to keep you safe."

After being played by a madman for such a long time, finally Uzumaki Boruto is free.

Author Note

Hi All,

Sorry that this chapter is a bit shorter than normal, my plan didn't serve me as well as I hoped here.
If all goes according to plan I will be uploading again tomorrow.

Thanks for reading,
Me

In Response to Kimko's Question
About when Naruto will wake up

Sorry, that would be spoilers.
Thanks for reading though, I'm glad you are looking forward to it.

In Response to m'j doom's Question
About an index chapter

I can't write too much detail down in any index at risk of giving away spoilers.
I have got a notebook with all this written down, but I've also got future events in there so filtering it would be a nightmare.

I've noticed there is a wiki for this story on the web.
Perhaps when this story is done I will go and update that with all these details.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to Anon's Question
Regarding the Otsutsuki

The Otsutsuki weren't as developed when I started this story as I believe they now are in the Boruto manga/anime.

As far as I was concerned when I wrote this, they come from Naruto's pocket world and while they could use divine energy in theory, none of them have ever understood an element as Naruto has. The same goes for the Biju.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to jenuzumaki's Question
Regarding Hinata's trance-like movements

I couldn't possibly give away spoilers about that, or even if there are any spoilers to be given.
You'll just have to keep reading and trust that I have a plan in place. I hope that what I have got planned will entertain you.

Thanks for reading.