"Where the hell are they?" Boruto exclaimed, his voice filled with urgency and frustration. He had been searching for hours with no success. He even asked Sarada and Mitsuki for extra help. But even they hadn't encountered any traces of either Kawaki or Sankira.
As Boruto scanned the sky, foreboding washed over him. The once peaceful light blue expanse had transformed into a swirling mass of dark clouds and a mysterious shade of grey. The wind blew fiercely, akin to a brewing hurricane.
"This can't be good," Boruto muttered, his worry evident. He was sure his brothers had done something so horrific that it had disrupted the very skyline of the village. A clash between these two had always been inevitable, and Boruto knew it would only end in catastrophe. Not only would it cause harm to his brothers, but it could also unleash chaos for the Leaf. There couldn't be another sibling rivalry capable of shattering the shinobi world.
The stormy sky continued to churn with increasing intensity. It was only a matter of time before the head of the village discovered the anomaly. His father, Naruto, the Hokage, would soon be informed. Boruto couldn't let his father see the family he had put so much love in tear itself apart, tear Konoha apart. He could not let that happen.
"Wait, the forest..." A glimmer of realization struck Boruto. His gaze settled on the Forest of Death, a few kilometers away. The menacing clouds seemed to come from there.
"Could it be?" Boruto was figuring out where his brothers might be.
"Has to be." He no longer had time to contemplate his thoughts. Boruto needed to act swiftly. If the rotten-looking sky indeed emanated from the Forest of Death, Kawaki and Sankira must be there.
"Mitsuki, Sarada. I think I know… where they are," Boruto informed his two friends, his voice filled with determination and anxiety.
Together, the three members of Team 7 sprinted toward the forest. Their movements were fueled by exigency. Their feet propelled them from one rooftop to another. Boruto's uneasiness grew with every passing moment. He stumbled twice, causing Sarada to assist him in regaining his footing. She observed the uncharacteristic impatience in Boruto's actions and recognized the gravity of the situation. Sarada had known Boruto for a long time. They were as close as brother and sister. She knew he wouldn't act so hastily unless the circumstances were truly dire. Her interest in Sankira also played a part in her helping Boruto, sensing a resemblance between him and her parents. His coolness, calmness, and green eyes, the alluring green eyes... It offered her solace and familiarity, similar to her mother's. As she hurried alongside Boruto, Sarada felt obligated to defend Sankira and those beautiful eyes.
"Why are they fighting each other?" Sarada questioned, seeking answers from Boruto as they raced towards their destination.
"It was coming. I knew these two wouldn't let either one of them alone. I should have stepped in sooner. Maybe I could have prevented this," Boruto lamented, self-blaming himself.
"It's not your fault, Boruto," she reassured him, her voice carrying the strength and conviction redolent of her mother, Sakura.
"If anything, those two should be responsible for whatever is happening. They've allowed their hatred to control their actions."
Boruto's guilt lingered, but he understood that dwelling on it wouldn't resolve the current predicament. Time was running out.
"It doesn't matter whose fault it is. I can't afford to see my family get hurt like this. Especially that old man. It will break him, for sure." Boruto emphasized, his tone flooded with the volume of his words.
Sarada fell silent. Witnessing Boruto's sorrow and worry etched on his face, her empathy for him became coherent. Over their long friendship, she had been through Boruto's darkest moments and seen the depths of his heartbreak. She couldn't let him experience the same pain again, as this was personal. His siblings were trying to kill each other for crying out loud. She quickened her pace, now leading the way, committed to preventing another disaster from befalling her dear friend. Recognizing Sarada's determination, Boruto was both surprised and grateful. He appreciated his friend's unwavering support and persistent presence in his life.
"Sensed them yet, Mitsuki?" Boruto inquired.
"Saw them," Mitsuki answered confidently.
"They're ahead, but we need to be faster. I also sensed an unusual concentration of chakra in their way."
"Alright, gang. Although this is not an S-ranked mission, I want you guys to treat it like one. Okay?" Boruto's voice conveyed a commanding aura; his mind fixated on the task before them.
Both Sarada and Mitsuki nodded in unison. And onto the scene, they went.
"Don't worry, Boruto. No one has died yet. We'll stop them when we get there," Mitsuki reassured Boruto with a comforting smile.
Despite being an unconventional friend, Mitsuki had always been a loyal companion to Boruto. He cherished his 'sun' more than anything else. Mitsuki would gladly die protecting Boruto's light, the light from his sun. His words touched Boruto, and he was grateful for Mitsuki's caring and genuine nature.
"Umm. Thanks, Mitsuki." Boruto's awkward response was filled with sincere appreciation.
"Almost there." Mitsuki signaled them.
Approaching the eye of the storm, they all felt jittery. It was like another entity was in the mix of Kawaki and Sankira's fight.
"The Ten-Tails..." Boruto got a flashback from his conversation with Kawaki.
Seeing the fear on Kawaki's face when he mentioned the monster, Boruto couldn't deny the possibility that the Ten-Tails had escaped. Escaped from... Sankira. Like his brother had envisioned in his nightmare.
"No, it can't be." Boruto desperately dismissed the crazy idea Kawaki had plugged into his mind. Shaking his head, Boruto refocused his attention on the immediate mission. He accelerated, passing both Mitsuki and Sarada with ease.
As the trio made their way deeper into the Forest of Death, Boruto's confounding eyes watched upon the intricate flows of chakra that seemed to weave through the air. His nerves whirled, struggling to fathom the significance of what he was witnessing. Memories reminded him of past encounters with chakra points and his ability to perceive the complex chakra system.
"What am I seeing?" Boruto was baffled in disbelief and astonishment.
The dormant power inside Boruto had reawakened, granting him a glimpse into the network of energy that enveloped everything. He remembered how this unique ability had aided him in previous battles, allowing him to defeat Sumire and her summoned beast, Nue, as well as counter Urashiki's attack. However, its sporadic nature always left him perplexed and uncertain.
In a drastic attempt to regain control over the overwhelming sight, Boruto instinctively covered his right eye as if shielding himself from the chakra flows. To his surprise, the ethereal energy remained visible, defying his efforts to conceal it.
Frustration seeped into his tone as he uttered, "Dammit. What is this?"
"Boruto, what's wrong?" Sarada immediately checked on him.
Mitsuki joined in, his voice reflecting his confusion. "Why are you covering your eye like that?"
Boruto struggled to find the right words to explain his bewildering experience.
"I don't know what's happening. I'm seeing... chakra!" he finally articulated, his emotion mixing with anger and awe.
His friends gasped, their shock mirroring his.
"Like flows and flows of non-stop chakra. And it's coming from..." He pointed straight in the direction where his brothers were situated.
Sarada's mind raced, connecting the dots swiftly.
"Then it must be Kawaki," she asserted boldly.
Boruto nodded in agreement. He was visibly tired. The onslaught of sensory information had undoubtedly taken its toll on him. He glanced at his Karma seal, relieved to find it stable and contained. The seal, the source of his own unique powers, remained unchanged, ruling out its involvement in his current ability to see chakra flows.
If it wasn't the seal, what was causing him to see these chakra strings? The answer eluded him, yet he knew time was as precious as ever. Lives were at stake, and their mission to save their brothers took precedence over personal mysteries. The enigmatic chakra strings he had seen earlier danced at the periphery of his vision, but he brushed off his problems.
"I can't be bothered about this. There're people to save," Boruto murmured, his drive rekindled. He stopped covering his right eye, inadvertently revealing the rare Dojutsu with powers only gods could dream of. Its cyan color contrasted against the darkened sclera and visible pupil.
Boruto unknowingly activated the Jogan again.