Hey, kid!
What the—?! Who is that?!
Sit down.
Don't leave Naruto's side without permission.
Empty Tears
Who the hell are you?!
I'm the fox who possesses his body.
Simply put, I'm kind of like a yokai.
This is crazy!
Just calm down. I've got no beef with you.
It's my job is to look after you while Naruto's asleep.
The Five Kage have personally asked me to do this.
Shinobi asking me for favors now.
What strange times...
I've read the files Kara has on you.
You're a Tailed Beast, right?
Oh...?
I can't believe he had such a monster inside of him.
No wonder the Hokage is so strong.
With a weapon like this,
now I get why he's the head of this village.
Your name's Kawaki, right?
I can't blame you for thinking that,
but you're a bit off target.
In fact, it's quite the opposite.
I actually got in Naruto's way up until now.
I've observed him since he was a baby,
and his life has hardly been smooth sailing.
Yeah.
If anything, he's kind of like you.
I used to be feared,
and I was known as the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit.
You were an untouchable monster, right?
Oh right, you read up on me, didn't you?
I took a lot of people's lives.
Including Naruto's parents.
Soon after Naruto was born,
he was forced to become the vessel that I would be sealed inside of.
A vessel...
I killed his parents
and he's had to live with me ever since he was born.
And he was given immense power that he never even asked for.
Earlier, you said that I was Naruto's weapon, right?
Yeah.
Well, you're off target on that one too.
I was a chain that constrained his life.
Naruto's parents sealed me within his body.
They used a powerful sealing jutsu in exchange for their lives.
I've tried many times to release the seal placed on me
by provoking his anger and making him go on a rampage.
When Naruto was in a rage,
he'd gain tremendous power, but in exchange,
he'd hurt the people around him that he cared most about.
Each time he hurt someone he cared about,
it would take an immense emotional toll on him.
I'm not something convenient like a weapon.
That's how my relationship was with Naruto.
Don't be so nervous.
You tremble before me,
but he's had to deal with me since he was a little kid.
Against this much power?
I don't believe it!
The people of the village probably helped him out, right?
You really think that happened?
You both come from similar circumstances.
Stop that monster from moving!
Do not hold back!
No...
He bore a monster inside of him.
So, of course he got treated harshly by others.
He was hated and spent all of his time alone.
He'd end up on the swings as he watched the other kids
having fun together, out of the corner of his eye.
He wasn't there because he particularly liked the swings.
You get what I mean?
For a guy that was always alone,
it's ironic that his specialty is the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
That Shadow Clone Jutsu is great.
You could have a fight with yourself,
and get all your stress out, right?
No, doing that won't work.
You wouldn't feel any better.
I've been there and done that.
But in the end, it wasn't any jutsu that filled Naruto's heart.
Friendship can change the world.
In unbelievable ways.
I've seen Naruto fill his heart up, up close.
So, I have proof as well.
He's sleeping so soundly!
Even if he got a bit of rest, it's not unreasonable
considering all the chakra he used up in that last battle.
I've known him for a long time.
I've seen him fight recklessly many times.
He'd put himself through agony
to face his enemies without concern of running out of chakra...
Whenever he'd do that, his reason was always the same.
Hey, do you know when he's at his strongest?
No idea.
It's when he's fighting for his friends.
The strength that we shinobi possess
is all thanks to our bond with another person.
Even you and I are connected.
Do you think I can do it too?
Can I become like him?
Naturally, that all depends on you... But it doesn't seem impossible.
Because from the looks of it,
you haven't completely dried up yet.
It's pretty late.
Look for that missing piece tomorrow.
Prove yourself, Kawaki!
Prove your worth.
Learn to use the Karma quickly.
Even if you are the Vessel,
you are only an accessory to the Karma.
From the moment you were given that marking,
your life has been decided, regardless of your wishes.
There's no escape.
What's the matter?
It's nothing.
I just have to walk up this tree?
Yeah, concentrate your chakra to the soles of your feet.
It's surprisingly difficult.
Well, I'll just give it a try.
There's no escape?
I won't let things go your way.
Good job! You have a knack for it!
It seems you already have excellent control over your chakra.
Enough with these baby steps!
Hurry up and teach me how to make Shadow Clones.
Damn it.
Do you have any idea how much I struggled
to learn how to climb up a tree?
It was a piece of cake for me.
SEVENTH HOKAGE
All right! Let's move on to the next part!
Seems like things are going well.
It sure does.
If he can use ninjutsu
on top of his Karma and Scientific Ninja Tools,
Kawaki would become an incredible shinobi, don't you think?
That's not what I meant.
He's getting special treatment from Lord Seventh.
I mean, I sympathize with his circumstances, but...
I think it's only natural.
Lord Seventh thinks of everyone in the village as his family.
I mean, he never even hesitated once
in welcoming someone like me into the village.
It sounds convincing coming from you.
That's why I suppose everyone is special to Lord Seventh.
I see.
Boruto, how's the pain from your Karma since then?
Come to think of it, it hasn't hurt at all recently.
Except I'll feel my heart racing sometimes,
even though I haven't been doing anything physical.
And I've been having a hard time falling asleep.
Is it just stress?
I hope so.
Maybe you've gotten more sensitive?
Is that so?
No, I was being sarcastic...
How do you feel, Kawaki?
The pain's gone away for me too.
And I've stopped waking up from nightmares.
If anything, I feel like strength's welling up inside of me.
Maybe it's the synergy with the ninjutsu training,
but I really feel like I'm stronger than before.
Perhaps learning to control your chakra
is having a good effect on the Karma.
I'm proud of my student.
I think he's even better than you at climbing trees.
Hey!
Don't make fun of the Hokage, ya know!
Damn it!
Don't get so worked up!
I won't be outdone.
What's the matter?
Dad's been training me lately.
I've got to get him to be more merciless!
Mr. Sasuke's in the village right now?
Yeah, but he was sent on another urgent mission.
When he returns, could you ask him to train me too?
Yeah, I guess he is kind of your master.
I'll ask him for you when he gets back.
If Mr. Sasuke is training Sarada, I can't let myself lag.
Let's train together, Mitsuki!
Good idea.
We need to be ready when the time comes to fight Kara.
Yeah!
Kawaki, you're coming too, right?
No, I'll pass.
What?! Why?
Don't tell me you're exhausted from that training?!
Of course not!
I've got stuff to do at the house.
What are you gonna do at home?
Let's train together!
Leave me alone!
There's something I have to do by myself.
Whatever it is, I'll be by his side watching him.
Let him do what he wants.
Well, fine.
But...
you're not alone anymore.
Even though I have no idea how you feel about that.
It's true. It's almost unbelievable.
Well, we're off to do some training.
Let's go, Mitsuki.
It's Jigen!
Huh?
He's the one who carved the Karma into me.
He's the bastard who messed up my life.
He knows everything about it.
He's the unavoidable barrier standing in the way of us
solving the mystery of the Karma and getting rid of it.
We're gonna have to fight him some day.
We'll defeat him.
Using everything we've got. Including the Karma.
Yeah, I know.
We've got to get a lot stronger in order to do that.
Besides, this isn't just about the Karma for me anymore.
At this point, you're too important to me to leave you be...
Isn't that right, Brother?!
Let's crush Jigen...
and the rest of Kara with him!
Not a bad idea.
You've sold me on it, Boruto.
Chidori!
It's no good!
My Chidori is nothing compared to Dad's.
I just can't gather up enough chakra!
We've identified him.
The leader of the Kara's called Jigen.
That name was mentioned in the data
that Konohamaru brought back with him.
But Kawaki's statement confirms that he is their leader.
I see.
But should we trust him so easily?
You still don't trust Kawaki?
If you have a reason for trusting him, let me know,
Mr. Director of the ANBU.
I admit that Naruto is pretty naïve,
but we don't have evidence
to believe that Kawaki's targeting the village.
That's probably not all the data Konohamaru brought back with him.
Was there anything about the Kara or the Karma?
There was one curious bit of intel.
We found what appears to be
the coordinates to a certain location.
However...
It seems it can only be reached via Space-Time Ninjutsu.
What?!
It was in there blatantly,
practically screaming out, "read me!"
It could be a trap to lure us out there.
That's a possibility.
Even so, we can't ignore it.
Sorry, but on my own discretion,
I've already sent out Sasuke to look into it.
You made the right decision.
I would have done the same.
I'd like to find out more about the Kara as soon as possible.
This is Sasuke we're talking about.
Even if it is a trap, we probably have nothing to worry about.
Sorry to have kept you all waiting!
You have been eagerly waiting for salvation—
for the Infinite Tsukuyomi!
But it's not enough.
You still don't desire it enough.
Are you satisfied with the path you have walked on?!
– No! – No!
Are you satisfied with the situation you're stuck in?!
– No! – No!
Do you feel hope for a future you cannot see?!
– No! – No!
Of course not!
So why is that the case?!
What's the reason?!
I'll tell you why!
It's because you're not waiting eagerly enough
for the Infinite Tsukuyomi!
You don't have enough faith!
When your cries for salvation reach the heavens,
you will be led to a world of inner peace.
The day you will be led by Otsutsuki will eventually come!
I dreamt a dream!
I dreamt that all souls were saved!
With no difference between the rich or poor...
A dream that all lives were saved!
This world is rotten!
It's a dump teeming with maggots.
But there is a way to salvation!
Next time on Boruto: Naruto Next Generations:
"The Cult."
THE CULT
That is the ray of light, known as the Otsutsuki!