Ugh!!
Izuna slowly opens his eyes as the gentle sunlight of early dawn greets him.
He slowly wakes up from the bed and stretches his muscles. My muscles are stiff but my spirit feels so refreshed.
Swoosh…
A dense wave of Nature energy assaults his senses.
Huff…
He takes a deep breath of fresh air and walks to the balcony.
The scenery of lush greenery and dense forest appear in his vision. His vision is sharper than ever as he is even able to see a tiny insect on a blade of grass a mile away. He immediately recognizes this place as the Shikkotsu Forest.
"This is Shikkotsu Forest which means…"
Swirl…
Izuna produces a blob of water in his hands. The blob morphs into a mirror. He inspects his left eye and notices the ripple pattern with nine tomoe.
"That wasn't a dream. I have finally awakened my Rinnegan. Not only that, it's a Kekkei Mora Rinne-Sharingan."
He waves his hand and dispels the blob of water.
"It will take me a while to get used to this eye."
"Camouflage!"
He mutters and a veil of light covers his left eye.
"Now I don't even need to make hand signs to cast a jutsu. How convenient! But… it's also boring. Hand signs are the true identity of a shinobi."
Hmm…
Izuna inspects his body and notices the small cracks in his chakra system.
"Rinnegan is a manifestation of chakra. It mostly enhances the spiritual side of the body. Now my body is falling behind. At this rate, my body won't be compatible with chakra and I will explode like a bomb."
A shiver runs down Izuna's spine.
"That wisp of Six Paths Chakra which I harvested from the Summoning Heavenly Pure Reincarnation is already used up. Now I have to depend on myself to fend off this disease.
Which reminds me, how did the Sage of Six Path die? His spirit is still alive and kicking in his incorporeal form. Was his body also too weak to host his powerful soul and thus failed him at old age?"
Izuna ponders over this detail.
'The members of the Otsutsuki clan have a prolonged life span to the point of being immortal. Kaguya has all of her chakra drained and her body was sealed in the moon, yet she can still revive herself. Then there is that Isshiki. His entire body was sliced in half and yet he can still live long enough to possess another body and even that body is alive for almost a thousand years. These Otsutsuki sure have the vitality of a cockroach.
There sure all lots of secrets. I can only depend on Amado's research and my discoveries about the Kama. With my new abilities, the research will be smoother."
Crack… crack…
Izuna cracks his neck and jumps from the top of the tree. I need to stretch my muscles to lessen the stiffness.
Bang…
He heavily lands on the ground and creates a crater at his landing place.
"Those wild beasts will be a nice sparring partner to test my new abilities."
Whoosh…
Izuna flickers towards the territories of the wild beasts.
Huh!
The main body of Katsuyu crawls out of a cave. The earlier commotion has attracted her attention.
"Looks like Izuna-kun is awake! I must immediately inform Tsunade-sama."
Katsuyu summons one of her small clones and sends it to Konoha.
Bam… Bam…
Multiple explosions occur in a distance. A large cloud of dust and debris rises in the air.
"Izuna-kun is at it again. He sure likes to bully others."
Katsuyu shakes her head and enters her cave.
--
Konoha
Inside the Hokage Office,
Chiii…
A messenger eagle shrieks near the window. Shizune opens the window and receives the letter. She takes out a pill from her pocket and feeds it to the eagle.
Chiii…
The eagle flies towards the nursing pen of Konoha's information department.
"Tsunade-sama! It's a letter from Kakashi!"
Shizune presents the letter to Tsunade.
Hmm…
Tsunade unfurls the letter and reads its content.
"Kakashi and the group have arrived at Kiri. The chunnin exam will start in a week. Till that time, the genins will familiarize themselves with the place and relax a little to ease the stress of the journey. Good!"
Tsunade nods her head.
"I will visit Kiri during the final phase of the exam."
Tsunade folds the letter and stores it in a drawer.
"This time most of the young children of the various clans are taking part in the exam. To ensure their safety; I sent Kakashi, Guy, and Itachi. Shisui is busy with his duties as the executive chief of the Konoha's Police Department."
Hah…
Tsunade stretches her arms and relaxes on the chair.
Creak…
The chair weakly moans under her weight. Shizune silently stares at Tsunade.
'It must be the weight of her breast.' She thinks to herself.
"Hmm… Shizune! Why do I feel like you thought something rude just now?!"
Eek…
Shizune freaks out.
"Nnn… No… Tsunade-sama. It must be your imagination."
Shizune wipes a bead of cold sweat from her forehead.
"Probably!" Tsunade nods her head.
Oink… Oink…
Tonton nods in agreement.
Swoosh… Poof…
White smoke appears on Tsunade's table and chibi Katsuyu crawls out from the smoke.
"Katsuyu!"
Tsunade perks up and corrects her posture as she picks up the chibi Katsuyu.
"Tsunade-sama! Izuna-kun is awake… Tsunade-sama!" Chibi Katsuyu reports as Tonton squishes it in her embrace.
"Oh! That's good news."
Tsunade's mood cheers up. She waves her hand and summons the Anbu.
Whoosh…
A yellow-haired Anbu with a tribal mask appears in front of her.
"You can remove the mask, Minato!" Tsunade orders.
"You summoned me, Lord Fifth."
Hmm…
Tsunade informs Minato about Izuna's awakening.
"That's a relief." Minato heaves a sigh of relief.
"He pushed himself to his limits to perform that ritual. I will immediately inform Kushina of this good news."
Whoosh…
Minato teleports from the office.
"Let's meet with him. It has been a month since he went into a coma."
Tsunade grabs chibi Katsuyu from Tonton's clutches, who groans in displeasure.
Oink… Oink…
Swish… swish…
Tsunade makes some hand signs and reverse summons to Shikkotsu Forest.
--
Whoosh…
She appears in Shikkotsu forest alongside chibi Katsuyu.
"Tsunade-sama!"
The main body of Katsuyu walks out of her cave.
"Where is he?" Tsunade asks her.
BOOM…
Another violent explosion rings in the distance.
Tsunade's expression turns ugly, and she turns towards the direction of the explosion.
"Everyone is worried about him and the first things he does after waking up is to create chaos."
Whoosh…
Tsunade enters Sage Mode and dashes in the explosion's direction.
Sigh…
The Main body Katsuyu, and the chibi Katsuyu sighs.
"She is acting like an angry housewife again!"
In the forest,
Izuna is floating in front of a giant croc.
"Yo! Your body looks sturdier than the previous guy. Look at those shiny scales. I am sure you can handle a beating."
The giant croc trembles in fear as he stares at Izuna with terror in his eyes. His neighbor, a giant python is tied around a tree in a bowtie knot.
Roar…
The croc roars at Izuna and warns him to not approach him. He opens his giant maw as his teeth glisten with sharpness.
"Hmm… Mother's birthday will arrive soon. Maybe I can give her a purse made of crocodile leather."
Izuna rests his palm against his chin as he scrutinizes the giant croc.
Brrr…
A shiver runs down the giant croc's spine as it notices Izuna's scrutinizing gaze.
"Roar… No… skin."
The crocodile mumbles some incoherent words.
"Oh! He has awakened his spiritual intelligence. Katsuyu! Add him to the list."
A chibi Katsuyu jumps from Izuna's shoulder and marks the giant croc's body.
"That makes it three. Seems like the wild animals of the Shikkotsu Forest are developing intelligence at a rapid rate."
Izuna pats the giant croc's head.
"Study well or else…"
Plop…
The giant crocodile falls on the ground and loses consciousness.
Sigh…
"What a weak-hearted croc?!"
Whoosh…
"IZUNA!!"
Tsunade is rapidly dashing towards Izuna. Her right hand is balled into a fist and it glows with a light green chakra.
Izuna has noticed her a long time ago.
"No, you don't."
Whoosh…
Tsunade phases through Izuna's body, who is nonchalantly floating at his place.
Bang…
Her punch shatters a nearby two-story rock into pieces.
"…"
Izuna breaks out in a cold sweat as he stares at the remains of the boulder.
'Phew! Thankfully, I avoided it. Otherwise, the concussion from a direct hit would have hospitalized me for a day."
"Yo! What's the big deal? I just woke up, and this is how you greet me." Izuna has a sour face as he complains.
Humph…
"Can't you see how worried we are? It has been a month since you went into a coma and the first thing you do is to squander around." Tsunade roars in anger.
"A month?! Shit!"
Izuna hurriedly grabs Tsunade's arm despite her resistance.
Whoosh…
He teleports to Konoha together with Tsunade.
In Uchiha Compounds,
At Izuna's house,
Haah… Haaah…
Ayaka is repeatedly swinging a Katana in a forward slash. Akira is observing her from the side.
"Your posture is still too stiff. There is still a lack of coordination between your blade and body. The blade should act as an extension of your arm. Just incorporate this in your practice." He instructs her.
"Yes, Dad!" Ayaka nods her head as a drop of sweat trickles down from her forehead.
Akira stares at her resolute expression and nods his head.
'Izuna was too much of a genius. I never got a chance to train him seriously. He just comprehended everything at such a rate that it took the joy out of teaching. However, I can keep up with Ayaka's learning pace.'
"Alright! That's enough practice for today." Akira stops her.
"But Dad! I can keep going." Ayaka protests.
"No, means no!" Akira flickers behind her and seizes the katana from her hands.
"You shouldn't exhaust yourself from excessive training." Akira pats her head.
"Ok! Dad." Ayaka mumbles.
"Ayaka! Ayaka!"
A loud voice interrupts them.
"Oh! It's Aunt Kushina." Ayaka perks up and instantly dash towards the front yard.
"Is my cute little sweetie at home?"
"Yes, I am." Ayaka hurriedly dashes towards the door.
"Here you are!" A smile bloom on Kushina's face.
"Now give me a hug and I will give you good news." Kushina opens her arms wide.
"Ah!" Ayaka hesitates, but Kushina pulls her into her embrace and gives her a bear hug.
"So, what's the good news?" Ayaka stares at Kushina with expectation in her eyes.
"Take a guess!" Kushina raises her hands.
"Um! Is Onii-san back?" Ayaka places a hand under her chin and mimics Izuna's action.
"How cute!" Kushina pats Ayaka's head.
"Yes, your brother is back from his mission." Kushina nods her head.
After consulting with Akira and Aiko, Tsunade fabricated a lie to not break Ayaka's heart. It may cause her past trauma to resurface. Since Tsunade is the Hokage, Ayaka naturally believed the lie.
"Yay! I want to surprise Nii-san." Ayaka raises her fists.
"Then let's bake some cookies for him," Kushina suggests.
"Yes, I will bake the best cookies for him." Ayaka hurriedly dashes towards the kitchen.
"This girl! She is so energetic when it is related to his brother." Aiko shakes her head.
She turns to Kushina.
"About Izuna? Is he alright?"
"Yes! The news came from Tsunade-sama. So, he should be alright!" Kushina nods her head.
Phew…
Aiko heaves a sigh of relief.
"That boy, he worries me to no end!"
--
Whoosh…
Izuna and Tsunade appear in the Hokage's office.
Oink… Oink…
Tonton is startled to see them.
Whoosh…
Minato appears in the office after sensing the commotion. Mei appears with him.
"Are you alright?"
Mei hurriedly dashes towards him and gently touches his face.
"Of course, what will happen to me?" Izuna puffs his chest.
Ahem…
Tsunade clears her throat and Mei's face turns red in embarrassment.
She takes a step back and inspects Izuna.
"Umm… You look a bit different." Mei mumbles.
"I can't see the changes but I feel like you are somewhat different." She curiously stares at Izuna for answers.
"Hmm… It's true. You indeed feel a little different. I failed to notice it in the Shikkotsu forest." Tsunade also nods her head.
Minato just silently watches them from the side.
"Of course! I am different." Izuna nods his head.
"I am even more handsome than before." Izuna proudly puffs his chest.
"…"
The group rolls their eyes at Izuna's narcissist comment.
"Nothing has changed at all. This guy is still the same as ever."
Tsunade snorts and turns around.
"I have to hurry and meet Ayaka. She must be worried for me." Izuna prepares to teleport.
"Don't worry! I took care of it for you." Tsunade grumbles and explains the details.
"Thank you so much, Tsunade. I will treat you to a premium wine."
Izuna grabs Mei and teleports in front of his house.
"Don't forget your promise."
Tsunade's yells fade in distance.
--
Whoosh…
Izuna appears in front of his house. He hurriedly dashes towards the door and yells.
"Mom! Dad! Ayaka! I am back."
"Don't yell! I am not deaf yet." Aiko furiously walks out of the house.
She stops in front of Izuna and twists his ear.
"You don't know… how worried I was for you? Even if you don't care for your well-being, at least care for the well-being of your family."
Izuna turns to Mei for help. Mei avoids his gaze.
'Looks like she is upset too. I can't avoid it, can I?'
"Mom! Where is Ayaka? Is she in the academy?" Izuna wisely diverts the topic.
Humph…
Aiko snorts and lets him off.
"Come inside first!" She beckons him.
"Ok!" Izuna follows her.
He can easily sense the location of any person he wants to search in the entire village. But out of respect for his parent's privacy, he chooses not to. Since these are the etiquettes of a ninja.
Otherwise, imagine a bunch of Hyuga's peeking through the entire village. They will be brandished as a clan of perverts rather than a clan of elites.
"Sit!" Akira sternly stares at Izuna, his expression unreadable.
Hmm…
Izuna anxiously sits on his knees as he waits for the harsh lecture about to befall him.
Sigh…
Looking at Izuna's anxious expression, Akira takes a deep breath and laughs loudly.
Haha… Aah… Aww…
Aiko elbows him to stop his laughter.
"Do you think it's funny?" She glares at him.
"Yes! I mean, NO! But I can't help myself but laugh when I noticed his expression. It has been a while since I last saw him like that. Maybe twelve years or so." Akira strokes his waist.
"Hmm… it's true. It has been a while. Time surely flies by!"
Both of them reminisce the memories. Izuna winks at Mei as he avoids the punishment from his parent.
"It's ready." Ayaka walks out of the kitchen with a tray in her hands. Her hairs are doused with flour and there are stains of cream and chocolate on her clothes.
"Ayaka!" Izuna cheers upon seeing Ayaka.
"Onii-chan!" Ayaka hurriedly throws away the oven mitts and jumps into his embrace.
"Hoh! She isn't so passionate when she hugs me." Kushina pouts and follows her.
"I missed you, Onii-chan!" Ayaka snuggles in his embrace.
"Onii-chan, Missed you too!" Izuna pats Ayaka's head.
'Angel! Ayaka is my cute little angel. All of my worries are washed away.'
"Look… Look… Onii-chan! I made some cookies for you." Ayaka beckons to him as she shoves the tray filled with black charcoal and cinders to him.
There is a little bit of cream smeared on their top which distinguishes them from the coal used to bake them.
"You made these cookies?"
Izuna has an ugly expression in his heart, but an amiable smile appears on his face.
"Of course! I made them all for you." Ayaka puffs her chest and raises his head.
Her expectful eyes wildly screams in Izuna's ears.
'Praise me! Praise me more!'
Gulp…
Izuna gulps his saliva and stretches his hands to pick up a piece of charcoal, no a piece of cookie.
"Wait!"
Ayaka stops him.
"I will pick one for you." Ayaka stretches her tiny hands and picks up a shuriken-shaped 'cookie'.
"Try this Onii-chan!"
"Al… Alright!"
Izuna weakly grabs the cookie as Ayaka expectantly stares at him.
Crunch…
He takes a bite of the cookie; the taste of cinders and ashes greets his palate.
Ayaka passionately stares at Izuna with expectation in her eyes.
"Onii-chan! How is it? Do you like it?"
Crunch… crunch…
Izuna munches on the cookie as if he is enjoying himself.
"Good! There are very good. No! they are the best cookies I ever ate." Izuna weakly mutters these words.
"Oh! If so then I will bake more cookies for you in the future."
Upon hearing these words, Izuna's expression turns pale. He perspires profusely.
Ayaka notices the sweat on Izuna's forehead.
"Onii-chan! You must be feeling hot. Let me bring some ice cream for you."
Ayaka dashes towards the kitchen.
Izuna turns his head and notices the flushed faces of Kushina, Mei, and his parents from holding their laughter.
Swish…
He waves his hand and casts a silencing seal.
Haha… Haha…
Kushina bursts out in laughter, followed by Mei and his parents.
"That's retribution for you." Mei laughs loudly.
Haha… Haha…
Kushina and his parents crack up again.
Izuna stares at them with a poker face as an evil smile slowly appears on his face.
"Onii-chan! I brought this ice cream for you."
"Oh! Thank you, Ayaka!" Izuna grabs a spoon and savors the ice cream.
"Ayaka… let others taste your cookies too. How can I be the only one to enjoy such good cookies? Remember, you should share good things with your family." Izuna gently smiles at her.
"Ah! My bad!" Ayaka smacks her head.
She picks up another cookie and passes it to Kushina, Mei, and her parents.
The expression of glee is replaced with horror as the group holds a cookie in their hand.
"Go on! Have a bite!" Izuna gently smiles at them.
Izuna's gentle voice sounds like the whisper of a devil to the rest of the group.
Gulp…
They steel their heart and swallow the cookie in one bite.
"Let me taste too!!"
Ayaka picks up a cookie and nibbles on it.
"Eek! I forgot to add sugar."
"…"
Twenty years in the future,
"How is the investigation going, Sasuke?!"
Naruto is resting against the Hokage chair as he poses a question to Sasuke.
"The situation up there is quite chaotic. It has been ten years since a full-blown between them have started. The Otsutsuki's are growing restless day by day!" Sasuke sighs and stares out of the window.
"Hah! The ambition of Otsutsukis are too grand. Thankfully, the other faction is keeping them engaged. But we won't entertain any of them. After all, both factions are just the opposite sides of the same coin." Shikamaru places down a report.
"Thankfully, we have you and Ayaka to monitor their movements. If not for your intel, our world would have ended up as their nutrition long ago." Naruto leans forward on the table.
"It is our responsibility. Besides, who else other than me and Ayaka possess the ability to transverse dimensions." Sasuke takes out a scroll from his pocket.
"Damn! It sucks to be so weak!" Shikamaru leans against the wall.
"We are nothing more than ration and chakra pills in the eyes of these monsters." Shikamaru clicks his tongue.
"Well yeah! Those two Otsutsuki fellows surely learned their lesson for underestimating our abilities." Naruto recounts the details of their recent battle.
"Those two fellows are least of our concern. They have little status in their clan. That foul-mouthed guy was a small prince from a branch family. He was too desperate to prove himself, all to preserve his status. The other was just his attendant. "
Sasuke shakes his head.
"The most troublesome is the third guy who escaped from our clutches. He is a member of the royal family. I am not sure of his status or rank in the clan but his abilities are real."
Naruto stands from his seat and walks towards a bulletin board.
He criss-crosses the picture of Momoshiki and Kinshiki.
"This third Guy Urashiki is dangerous!"
Naruto returns to his seat and picks up the report presented by Shikamaru.
"This is…"
"See for yourself!" Shikamaru rests on the couch.
"This lazy guy!" Naruto grumbles and reads the scroll.
"A new Otsutsuki ruin?!"
He raises an eyebrow as his eyes meet with Sasuke.
"It's just as Nii-san predicted. There are four Otsutsuki ruins spread throughout the Shinobi World. We have already excavated the other three ruins, only this last ruin was hidden from our sight." Naruto folds the scroll.
"Yeah! After the initial ruin exploration, the explorer team found a strange turtle-shaped vase. Since it is a relic of the past, I passed it to the research department to decipher its secrets. After all, it can give us more clues about the Otsutsuki clan."
Shikamaru remarks.
"Leave this matter for later. For now, our key priority should be Urashiki. Naruto you should remain on your guard. His target is the Nine-tails sealed inside you." Sasuke warns him.
"I will be on guard!" Naruto nods his head.
"I will send someone from Anbu to guard your house." Shikamaru stands up.
"There is no need for it. Besides, Dad is also there with me." Naruto waves his hand.
"Alright! I still have other matters to attend to. So, I will take my leave." Shikamaru picks up a scroll from the table.
He walks out of the Hokage Office leaving Sasuke and Naruto alone.
Sigh…
Sasuke sighs and his expression turns serious.
"Naruto! I am sure you are already aware of Boruto's condition."
"Yeah! During the chunnin exam invasion, Momoshiki brandished him with his Kama seal." Naruto touches his forehead in worry.
"It's not the first time, we have been through this. Previously, thanks to Nii-san, the situation was resolved. Also, Ayaka is an exception. But Boruto…"
Words linger in Naruto's word. He takes a deep breath and calms himself.
"If only Nii-san was here…" Sasuke mumbles to himself.
--
Inside Yakiniku-Q restaurant,
"Eat up! All of you eat up. It's my treat today!"
A twelve-year-old boy with spiky blond hair and blue eyes waves his hand.
"Then I will eat my fill!" A dark-skinned girl with amber eyes and a round physique picks up a piece of meat and stuffs it in her mouth.
"Damn! You sure are in a bright mood even after failing the chunnin exam." Another boy sitting opposite to him remarks.
The boy has spiky black hair tied in a ponytail. He has teal-colored eyes and laziness erupts from his demeanor.
"Boruto! You have yet to repay me from the last time and you still have enough money to spend on a party."
Another girl with onyx eyes and shoulder-length dark hair with a tint of blue at end chimes in.
"Sarada! You sound like my grandma. Also, grandpa gave me money to treat you all." Boruto grumbles.
"Hehe! It's time for the finale of this party."
Boruto takes out a small cardboard box from his pocket. He removes the seal and three plastic packets appear in his hand.
"This is the last packet left in the shop. I was lucky enough to get my hands on it. Hehe!"
"Hmph! What's so exciting about these cards? A packet of potato chips is more useful than this. You can eat them and appease your hunger." The dark-skinned girl grumbles.
"You won't understand, Chocho! Besides, you only have eyes for food. You won't understand the charm of these 'Extreme: Shinobi Picture Scrolls'." Boruto peels the plastic wrapper with excitation.
"Whatever! Potato chips are still the best." Chocho snorts and picks up another piece of meat.
"So, yummy!"
Boruto ignores her and slowly opens the first packet.
"Give me an SSR card… Give me an SSR card…" He prays while opening the first pack.
Ten cards appear in the pack. Boruto hurriedly scrambles through the pack as the color of his face changes.
"What a bummer! No SSR card in this pack."
He throws the pack aside and focuses his attention on the second pack.
"Bless me with luck. Just give me a good SSR card." Boruto silently prays in his heart.
Zip…
He slowly peels the outer layer as his heart races in excitement.
"Not this one… not this one… not this too…" He scrambles through the cards.
"Finally! It is an SSR card." Boruto jumps in joy.
"It's uncle Itachi too. I am so happy." Boruto jumps in excitement.
"Uncle Itachi!" Sarada pushes him away and stares at the card.
"It's indeed Uncle Itachi!"
"Hey! What was that for?" Boruto snatches the card from her hands.
"Let me take a look at the stats!"
Card Name: Itachi Uchiha (Pre-Fourth Shinobi War)
Rarity: SSR
Taijutsu: 7
Ninjutsu: 9
Genjutsu: 10
Kenjutsu: 7
Bukijutsu: 8
Fuinjutsu: 4
Senjutsu: 7
Special Ability: Gaze of Abyss: Paralyzes the opponent with fear. After playing this card, the opponent's next move will be cancelled.
"Yay! This is a very powerful card. It's one of my best cards."
Boruto ignores the rest of the cards and gently places this card in an album.
"Now for the last pack." Boruto rubs his hands in excitation.
"I wonder if this pack will have good cards too."
Boruto peels the cover with trembling hands.
"Not this… Not this… Not this…"
One by one, he scrambles through eight cards and his expression turns ugly.
"None of them are good!"
His vision finally rests on the ninth card.
"Damnit! It's Dad again! Why do I keep getting his cards?"
Boruto complains as he stares at the smiling picture of adult Naruto.
He stares at the stats of Naruto.
Card Name: Naruto Uzumaki (Pre-Hokage Period)
Rarity: SSR
Taijutsu: 8
Ninjutsu: 10
Genjutsu: 4
Kenjutsu: 5
Bukijutsu: 5
Fuinjutsu: 9
Senjutsu: 10
Special Ability: Orb of Destruction: Annihilate the entire opponent's deck below S-Rank rarity.
"Anyway… I will still keep this card. It will be a waste of an SSR card."
He pockets the Naruto card and grumbles.
"That killed my mood. Even so, at least I got the Uncle Itachi card!"
Boruto ignores the last card and prepares to throw it away as he glances at the card.
"WHAT?! WHAT THE HELL?!"
Boruto yells loudly, alarming nearby customers. They turn to Boruto with angry looks.
"We are sorry! We are sorry!" Sarada apologizes to them.
"My friend has a few loose screws. Don't mind him!" She angrily turns to Boruto.
"What was that?!"
"This… this…" Boruto points towards the last card.
"What is it?" Sarada turns to the last card and her mouth opens in an 'O' shape.
"No way!"
She hurriedly picks up the card and reads the details.
Card Name: Izuna Uchiha (Fourth Shinobi War)
Rarity: SSXR
Taijutsu: 10
Ninjutsu: 10
Genjutsu: 10
Kenjutsu: 10
Bukijutsu:10
Fuinjutsu: 10
Senjutsu: 10
Special ability: Full Counter: Grants immunity to opponent's next five attacks after which unleashes an attack with the power of opponent's past five moves. (Invulnerable to any status effect.)
"Wow!"
Boruto's and Sarada's mouth forms an ellipse as they read the state of the cards.
"You guys!" A pale-skinned boy with blond hair snatches the card from them.
"Let me take a look."
"Holy Shit!" His eyes open wide.
"What's the big deal, Inojin!" Shikadai grabs the card.
"What's the deal with this card? Heh! Isn't it too broken?"
Yo Boruto! Everyone!"
A spectacled boy with dark eyes and black chin-length hair tied in atop-knot waves at them.
"Oh Denki! You came right on time."
Boruto grabs Denki's hand and thrusts the card in his hand.
"Look… Look… Isn't this card too broken?"
"Let me see." Denki takes a peek at the card.
"SSXR rarity card. No way!"
Denki gasps in astonishment.
"Boruto!! Do you know how lucky you are?" Denki almost yells in Boruto's ears.
"Eh! Is that so?" Boruto and the rest of the group curiously stare at him for answers.
"Ahem! Let me explain." Denki adjusts his spectacles.
"I am sure all of you know that my father's Kaminarimon company produces these cards…"
Huhu…
The group nods their head.
"Since my father's company produces these cards, their rarity and number are also determined by my father."
"That makes sense." Shikadai nods his head.
"So, needless to say, the cards with the higher rarity rating are very low in number." Denki continues.
"Yeah! That's true. I only have 12 SSR rarity cards even after spending all my pocket money for 5 years." Boruto grumbles.
"What about the money you borrowed from me?" Sarada glares at him.
"Yes! During the production of these cards, we decided on a fixed ratio for the number of cards. For example, almost 90 percent of cards produced are of N rarity, 7 percent of the cards are of R rarity, 2 percent of the cards are of S rarity, 0.995 percent of the cards are of SR rarity and 0.005 percent of the cards are of SSR rarity. This ratio will stay fixed no matter how many cards are produced in the future." Denki reveals the production secret to them.
"No wonder, I can only get 12 SSR cards in 5 years," Boruto complains.
"No! There is more to it." Shikadai shakes his head.
"With such a meager number, it would be a miracle if you even managed to get even a single SSR card, much less twelve. There is something else in play here." Shikadai speculates.
"Wow! As expected of Shikadai." Denki nods his head in praise.
He looks around and places a hand near his mouth as he whispers to them.
"This is a secret. So don't tell to anyone or I will get in trouble!"
"Don't worry! You can trust us." Boruto pats Denki's shoulder.
"Since my father is the owner of the company, he decided to sell a percentage of packs with SSR cards exclusively in Konoha. Also, this SSXR card is very, very rare. It's so rare that only 5 of such cards will be ever made." Denki whispers to them.
"Woah! Isn't that a bit unfair?" Boruto grumbles.
"Ssshhh!" Denki places a finger on his lips.
"Do you want other villages to get all your SSR cards?"
"No! Never!" Boruto frantically shakes his head.
"So this is the reason why only three packs are allowed per person per day." Shikadai nods his head in understanding.
"Yeah, kind of!" Denki scratches his head.
"Still, I am so envious. Even I couldn't get that SSXR rarity card." He grumbles.
Boruto picks the card and stares at Izuna's picture in sunlight.
"He looks just like Tatsuya Nii-san."
"Of course, he is. He is Tatsuya Nii-san's dad." Sarada rolls her eyes.
Hmm…
Boruto's expression turns serious, and he turns to Sarada.
"Hey, Sarada! You are an Uchiha and lives in the Uchiha compound. Do you know anything about Uncle Izuna? I mean… he is the only person with an SSXR card. Not even dad and uncle Sasuke have such a card given how strong they are."
"Hmm… Now that I think about it, it makes sense. Let's visit Grandpa Akira and Grandma Aiko. They will tell us more about Uncle Izuna." Sarada suggests.
"Can I come with you?" Chocho hurriedly stuffs the remaining pieces of meat in her mouth.
"Me too… Me too…" the rest of the group also insists.
"Fine! All of you follow me." Sarada shakes her head.
--
Later in the evening,
"Bye, everyone!" Boruto waves his hand and dashes towards his house.
"Woah! I never expected uncle Izuna to be so incredible. But why does nobody know about him and where he is now?" Various questions pop in his head.
"Even Grandpa Akira didn't mention it when I asked him. Let me ask mom. She must know something." Boruto hops over to his house.
"Boruto Onii-chan! You are back." Himawari waves her hand.
"Oi Brat! You are back."
A spectacled woman with crimson eyes and red hair walks out of the house.
"Oh! Aunt Karin. When did you come?" Boruto panics a little.
"Huh, Boruto! This is how you greet your aunt." Karin grumbles and pulls Boruto's ear.
"Aw… Aw… That hurts." Boruto rubs his ear.
"Aunt! Where is mom?" Boruto asks Karin.
"You looking for me, Boruto!" Hinata walks out of the kitchen.
"Oh! My Boruto-chan is back. Give Grandma a hug!"
Kushina walks out of the kitchen and bear hugs Boruto.
"Aww… why do I feel like I live with a bunch of barbarians?" He silently mumbles to himself.
"Ara… did you say something?" Kushina has a smile on her face as her hair rises in the air.
Gulp…
"No! I didn't say anything." Boruto gulps his saliva.
"That's good then. Go and wash. Dinner will be ready soon."
After half an hour later,
Phew!
"That hit the spot." Boruto relaxes on the couch.
"You sound like Dad!" Himawari giggles.
"No! I am not an old man!" Boruto grumbles.
He turns to Hinata and Kushina.
"Mom! Grandma! Who is the most powerful shinobi to exist ever?" Boruto expectantly stares at them for an answer.
Ah!… Ah! Hinata, Kushina, and Karin's expressions freeze as they hear this question.
"Boruto! Why the sudden question?" Kushina curiously asks him.
"It's because of this." Boruto takes out Izuna's card from his pocket.
"Oh!"
Hinata, Kushina, and Karin reads the details and shake their head.
"These stats. They are an understatement of his true power."
"What?!" Boruto's eyes widen in surprise.
"The… then! That means Uncle Izuna is way more powerful than this." He asks in trepidation.
"Of course!" Kushina nods her head.
"Don't you agree, Tatsuya-chan!" Kushina raises her head and stares at the ceiling.
Whoosh…
The space in front of them trembles and a person appears in front of them.
The newcomer greatly resembles Izuna except for his hairs which are a little bit different.
"Tatsuya Nii-san!" Boruto is shocked to see him.
"Why are you sneaking around here?" He asks Tatsuya.
"Sneaking?!" Tatsuya rolls his eyes.
Bonk…
He bonks Boruto's head.
"You brat! I am doing my duty as an Anbu. I am the bodyguard of Hokage and his family." Tatsuya shakes his head.
He acts as if Boruto's words hurt him greatly.
"This boy!" Kushina rolls her eyes.
"Not only his looks, but even his personality is similar to his father."
Ahem…
Tatsuya clears his throat and remarks.
"Boruto! If you want to know how powerful my dad is. Then let me tell you, he single-handedly ended the Fourth Shinobi war." He has a proud expression on his face as he describes Izuna's feats.
'It's nothing. Father even stopped the invasion of Gods.'
Boruto turns to Hinata for confirmation.
"Mmm…" Hinata nods her head.
"Woah! Incredible! Uncle Izuna is really incredible. Tell me… tell me! Where he is? I want to train under him."
Boruto asks in excitement.
"He…"
Tatsuya's expression changes as a tint of sorrow and sadness appears in his eyes.
Kushina notices the sorrow in Tatsuya's eyes.
'Poor child! He is just like Naruto! Naruto spent the first ten years of his life without his parent. Tatsuya spent the later ten years of life without Izuna.'
"Boruto! Your Uncle Izuna is on an SSS-Rank mission. A mission only he can do. Since it's a secret, every information related to him is hidden. This is the reason the kids of your generation know little about him. As for us, Izuna Nii-san was our idol. He was our hero!" Karin has an infatuated expression on her face.
Ahem…
Kushina clears her throat.
"It's getting late. Your father and grandfather are already here." She interrupts the conversation.
"We are back!"
Minato's and Naruto's voice rings in their ears.
"Welcome back! Grandpa! Dad!"
Himawari dashes towards the door.
"Oh! It's Hima-chan!" Minato picks her up and Naruto tickles her face.
"My Hima-chan is the best. Look how much she loves dad!"
Naruto pampers Himawari.
.Present time Konoha--
'Hah! Two years have passed since Minato and Kushina san's revival. Various things have happened during these two years.
I have completely mastered my Rinne-Sharingan. Now, I can use 50 percent of its power with no side-effect on my body. Any more and I am afraid I will overexert myself and my chakra system will blow up like an inflated balloon.
Also, Mei's constant hard work for the past five years has finally paid off. The village has groomed Chojuro as her successor and next month will be our wedding ceremony. She will officially settle in Konoha and her father will temporarily take over the leadership of the village.
As for the situation of the main cast, all the members of the Konoha 11 are chunnins now.
No major incident happened during this time. The village is peaceful as ever. But…
What's with this current situation?!'
"Here I go? Yoshaa!!" Tsunade aims towards his head and kicks the soccer ball with her full strength.
"Izuna Onii-chan! Watch out!" Ayaka warns him from the spectators.
Hah…
Izuna raises his hand and catches the ball.
Aww…
He feels a numbing sensation across his wrist.
'If it was anybody else, they would surely suffer a concussion. Tsunade's strength is sky-rocketing day by day. What the f* is Uzumaki family feeding her?' Izuna grimaces in pain.
Tsk…
Tsunade clicks her tongue.
"I thought I had him this time."
"Nope! Not a chance!" Izuna passes the ball to Sasuke.
"Go for it! Sasuke Nii-chan!"
Ayaka cheers for Sasuke.
"You can do it too, Hinata Onee-san!" Hanabi cheers for Hinata.
'Well! As you can see, this is the situation. I am playing a match of shinobi soccer with the gang. Soccer isn't a popular game among shinobis, only the civilian kids are engaged in it. Can't help! Given the abilities of Shinobi kids, a normal soccer game won't entertain them much.
So, one and half years ago, I came up with Shinobi Soccer.
Since then, it has become a popular sport among shinobi kids. It is one of the main events of the Konoha Annual Sports Meet.'
Izuna turns his attention to the field as he watches the opponent team's effort to tackle Sasuke.
Now, for the current match. Well, it started with a small misunderstanding in hot spring to this full-blown war. They quickly divided teams into Men Vs Women.
The members of the Man's team are Minato-san the Captain, Guy, Itachi, Shisui, Asuma, Neji, Lee, Kiba, Naruto, Sasuke, and Me. The women's side has Kushina Nee-san as the Captain, Tsunade, Mei, Shizune, Anko, Izumi, Tenten, Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and Karin.
Yup Karin! I found her during the chunnin exams held in Kirigakure. She participated in chunnin exams from Kusagakure. Initially, Kusa was against Karin's return to Konoha; but it only took some negotiations from me to convince them. Now, she is a part of the Uzumaki household.
Kushina Nee-san has a sweet spot for cuteness and Karin quickly filled that spot. It also may be because of her Uzumaki lineage and sad backstory.
"Now for this current situation, the real culprit…"
Izuna raises his head and gazes at the spectators.
A white-haired pervert is holding a camera and is constantly clicking pictures.
"Haha… I will add this to my collection. A picture of Tsunade in bloomers. I will treasure it for the rest of my life." Jiraiya has a perverted expression on his face as he constantly clicks more images.
Sigh…
"I will it pass this time. Also, Maybe I can … No! No! What am I even thinking? I have to focus on the game."
Izuna shakes his head and focuses his attention on the ongoing game.
'Shinobi Soccer is similar to normal Soccer in the sense that both sides have eleven players, but there are no extras. I have expanded the playground to almost thrice the size of a normal soccer field to keep up with the speed and stamina.
Also, to ensure fairness, ninja abilities aren't allowed during the game. Thus, I created a sealing tag to restrict the infusion of chakra. So, the players won't be able to use any Ninjutsu and Genjutsu during the match. However…'
Sasuke passes the ball to Minato who dashes towards the goal post of the opposing side.
He aims the football towards the post and prepares to kick it.
"MINATO! If you dare to score a goal, then there won't be any dinner for you." Kushina shouts from the opposite corner.
"WHAT?!" Minato is stunned for a second.
Mei uses this opportunity to snatch the ball and pass it to Anko.
"Hey! That's unfair, Mom!" Naruto grumbles.
"Everything is fair in love and war, dear! And this here is a war."
Anko passes the ball to Kushina, who dashes towards Izuna to score a goal.
"Is that so?!" Izuna raises an eyebrow.
"Then don't mind if I play dirty."
Whoosh…
Izuna takes out a wine bottle from his storage.
"Tsunade! If you help me score a goal, then this vintage wine from Land of Noodles is yours."
"What?! Vintage Wine!" Tsunade's eyes glow.
"But… that would be…" she falters.
Seeing her hesitation, Izuna ups the stakes.
"I will make it two!" He takes out another bottle from his storage.
"These are limited wines. There are only a hundred bottles of them. Initially, I was going to use this wine during my wedding but now you can get a chance to drink it in advance."
Izuna shakes the bottle in front of her.
Gulp…
Tsunade gulps her saliva and drool leaks from her mouth.
"Alright! Just don't forget your promise." She turns to Kushina and dashes towards her.
"This wine will be mine."
"Oh No! Tsunade-sama has betrayed us." Shizune anxiously stares at Tsunade.
"Haah!" Tsunade steals the ball from Kushina and dashes towards the goal.
Shizune clenches her fists and prepares to block the ball.
Hah!
Tsunade delivers a roundhouse kick, and the ball is sent spinning towards the right side of the goalpost.
"I will block it." Shizune dives towards the right to block the ball.
Huhu…
"You weren't even born Shizune when I had mastered the art of kicking," Tsunade smirks as the ball curves and changes its trajectory to left.
Brr…
A shiver runs down Jiraiya's buttocks. He rubs his butt and murmurs.
"Why does my butt hurt suddenly?"
Whistle…
Kakashi whistles to announce the end of the match.
"Team Minato wins the match with a score of 1-0. It's a loss for Team Kushina."
"Yeah! We won!"
Naruto cheers happily and jumps around in the ground.
"Well! that was easy!" Izuna brushes his hand and walks towards the rest of the group.
"Humph… You are sleeping on the couch tonight." Mei snorts and turns away.
"Well! That was anti-climactic."
He turns to Minato.
"Minato-san, why don't we spend our night at Yakiniku-Q. I will pay for the dinner."
"Seems like a good idea." Minato nods his head.
"Then it's decided. It will be a Boys Night out tonight."
Izuna drags the rest of the group with him.
"Hey! Don't forget about me." Jiraiya shamelessly joins the fray.
"It's Boys Night Out! Not an Old Man Gathering!" Izuna bickers with Jiraiya.
"Humph… who are you calling an old man. My heart is still young." Jiraiya ignores Izuna's gaze.
"Youth! This is youth!" Guy clenches his fists.
"…"
--
Later at Night,
"Humph… if these men can celebrate, then so, can we?"
Kushina holds a lady's only meeting in her house.
Ayaka serves them tea.
"Then let's celebrate Lady's Night out." Tsunade sips her tea.
"Hmph… Tsunade-Sensei! We lost the match because of you." Kushina complains.
"Now! Now! Don't sweat the small stuff!"
Tsunade waves her hand and brushes the topic.
"Since Yakiniku-Q is reserved by man; why don't we visit Kirigakure's restaurant?
"Yep! That's a good idea."
Swoosh…
Mei and Kushina fork out a sealing tag.
"Hold us tightly! These Flying Thunder Sealing Tags can only carry 6 people at a time."
--
Swirl…
A portal opens outside Konoha and three people walk out of it.
In the Yakiniku-Q restaurant,
Izuna raises his head and gazes in the portal's direction.
"A temporal Shift? Who could it be?"
.