Sasuke Shinden

Prologue
The light novel opens by setting the scene: a billowing trail of white smoke coming from the
chimney/smokestack of a line of the raisha (I believe in English it is called the electric train or rail
car?). Konohamaru slumps deeply into his seat. There is tawny and green scenery on his left and
right whizzing by. He’s just absentmindedly gazing through the windows. Seems to have been
lengthy construction along the mountain side. Despite that, there seems to be thick growth of new
trees. There’s even flowering dogwood in white and pink.
里に帰ったら、何食べようかなぁコレ……やっぱ一楽らくのラーメンか？ それともたまには節約し
て、自炊にすっかなぁ……。
 When I return home to the village, I wonder what I should eat ‘kore…I guess I’ll go to Ichiraku
Ramen? Or every once in a while I should be frugal, I guess I should cook for myself…
Konohamaru is returning from a solo mission to deliver something to the Kazekage. Anyway,
Konohamaru ‘s mind is completely fixated on dinner plans. He thinks to himself that he’s always
reminding Boruto and the rest of the team to always stay vigilant when on a mission. But this should
be a bit different, right? He’s on his way home from an errand-running mission where the potential
for battle should be zero. So he should be able to relax a bit. He’ll be arriving soon, anyway.
アクビまじりにぐっと伸びをした木ノ葉丸は、離れた席に座る人影に気が付いて、ふと動きを止め
た。
 Konohamaru yawned while doing a quick stretch. He then suddenly stopped when he noticed
the figure of someone who was sitting in a separate seat.
長く伸びた前髪で、顔半分を隠した男——うちはサスケだ。
 With long and straightened bangs, half of the man’s face was concealed… It was Uchiha
Sasuke.
いつもの黒マントに顔をうずめ、寝入っているようだった。
 His face was buried into his usual black cloak, and seemed to have fallen asleep.
サスケさんがいるなんて、珍しいなコレ……定期報告かな。
 It’s unusual for Sasuke-san to be here ‘kore….I wonder if it’s a periodic report.
木ノ葉丸は、眠るサスケの様子を、興味しんしんで眺めた。
 Konohamaru gazed with a curious, keen interest at the sight of Sasuke sleeping.
少年のころから端正で有名だった顔立ちは、歳を重ねた今も衰えを見せない。目元にかすかに寄る
ようになったシワが、元来の整った容貌に渋みを添えている。そして、閉じたまぶたの裏側には、
常人にはけして持ちえない一対の特別な眼— —写輪眼と輪廻眼が潜んでいるはずだ。
 When he was a boy, his features were famous for their handsomeness; Even though he had
considerably aged, they showed no signs of decline, even now. Wrinkles had started to subtly
settle into the skin around his eyes. They added astringency to his original, well-featured
looks. Beneath his closed eyelids, he had a pair of special eyes that no ordinary person could
possess: dormant Sharingan and Rinnegan.
世界最強の忍者のひとりで、しかもクールなイケメンとくれば、独身時代にはさぞかし多くの女性
の心を惑わしてきたことだろう。本人がその状況を甘受していたかどうかは、また別問題だが。
 Besides being one of the world’s strongest ninja, he was also had become a cool ‘ikemen’*. In
his bachelorhood era, he had certainly captured the hearts of many women. Whether or not
the man himself put up with that kind of situation remained a different question.
 [T/N] An ‘ikemen’ is a slang term that means like a super hottie with the whole package.
Someone who oozes handsomeness, coolness, and fashionable.
Anyway, by no means did Konohamaru expect to see or meet Sasuke in the raisha. Konohamaru
turns around in the carriage. There’s a mother with a sleeping infant in her lap, an old couple splitting
a doriyaki amongst themselves, and a young couple returning from traveling too. These people were
unrelated to the bloody world of shinobi.
Konohamaru can’t help but notice that they’re casually sharing the same carriage as regular villagers
who benefited from the peacetimes. Sasuke is generally difficult to get a hold of. He’s also extremely
popular because of his super-rare Gemaki card. On the other hand. he’s been seen by the public as
a criminal under probation. He has numerous friends as well as enemies… And yet, he just happens
to be sharing a ride on the raisha. No one else seems to have noticed Sasuke in the carriage
though, since there’s absolutely no uproar.
Konohamaru is also getting sleepy. He leans on the windowsill and knocks his head against it on
accident.
But suddenly…
BOOM!
There’s a resonating sound of an explosion. Konohamaru opens his eyes in surprise. He looks out
the window at the end of the railcars of the raisha. There’s billowing black smoke and fire. The
passengers begin to scream and shout about the detonation and smoke. They’ve begun to fall into a
panic because they don’t want to die.
Konohamaru yells at them to stop pushing and shoving. He tells them to hurry and escape to the
head of the raisha cars. The passengers are fighting one another to be first in the narrow aisles,
flooding the passage. But they’re all still flying into panic mode. He tells them that he’s a ninja from
the Fire Country, and that the explosion came from the end of the raisha and it’s considerably far
away from their own compartment. He reminds them again to calm down and compose themselves
and that they ought to wait for updates from him where they are. He is hesitant about leading them
to the head car in case it’s really an unnatural or human-driven act. The assailants might be aiming
for the control engine in the head car.
Before he knows it, the raisha has become quiet. Under Konohamaru’s command, the passengers
are more or less restored to order. He then tells them that he’ll go out and check on the situation.
Before long, the raisha will be stopped anyway. At that time, the passengers should leave the raisha,
taking minimum things during the evacuation. And of course, he keeps telling them to remain calm
and not panic.
But…where is Sasuke-san?
Konohamaru checks the carriage of the raisha, but Sasuke is nowhere to be found. Seems like he’s
already headed to the scene of the crime. With the passengers calming down, it seems as though he
took priority in extinguishing the fires.
Konohamaru heads out a window, and climbs onto the roof of the raisha and rushes towards the end
of the line.

Konohamaru arrives at the 12th railcar at the end of the line…but he stands completely still in shock!
He expected the carriages to be swallowed up in violent flames, but for some odd reason they’re
completely encased in ice instead! He kicks one of the frozen windows and breaks in. His breath
blows against the stinging cold air.
うちはサスケは、渦巻く冷気の中央に立っている。
 Uchiha Sasuke was standing in the centre of the whirling, cold air.
彼のかざした手の先で、最後までくすぶって座席の木枠を燃やしていた赤い火が、みるみるうちに
氷に覆われて消えていった。
 At the tip of his outstretched hand, there was a red flame that was burning the wooden frame
of a seat; It was smoldering until it’s very end. Before his own eyes, the flame was then
enveloped in ice and disappeared.
「サスケさん……これは一体……」
 “Sasuke-san…what the heck is this…”
「木ノ葉丸か」
 “Konohamaru, eh?”
振り返ったサスケは、凍てついた車内を目で指して言った。
 Sasuke looked over his shoulder, and then spoke while he motioned with his eyes to refer to
the frozen inner carriage.
「見ての通りだ。鎮火した」
 “As you can see, it’s been extinguished.”
「ち、鎮火……まあ、確かに、火は消えてますけど……」
 “Ex..Extinguished… Well of course, the flames have disappeared….but…”
The end of the line of carriages are almost entirely first-class seating. They’re actually manufactured
differently than the other compartments. There are spacious, wide width sofas that are made to face
on another. Each compartment has a thick oak wall that acts as a partition. The ceiling has been
destroyed by the shock of the explosion, and the sofas have gone tumbling across the broken floor.
The lighting fixtures that were in the set has finely detailed carvings and looks like a high-class and
expensive item. The furnishings have been bent and broken by the blast, and some have been
scorched with burn holes. Now they look like mere shadows of their former condition, covered in ice.
「水遁による消火では、高温の水蒸気が生まれてしまう」
 “When you extinguish a fire with Suiton, it produces a high-temperature water vapour”
圧倒されている木ノ葉丸に、サスケが言う。「だから、水遁に風遁を組み合わせて、発生する水蒸
気ごと凍らせた」
 Sasuke spoke to Konohamaru, who felt overwhelmed: “ And so, when you combine together
Fuuton and Suiton, the resulting water vapour becomes frozen over.”
「水遁ならぬ〝氷遁〟、ってことですか……」
 "So that's not Suiton, but rather 'Hyouton'...?"
「近いが、そのものではない。昔、戦った相手がやっていたのを真似た技だが、奴の威力にはまる
で及ばん」
 "It's close, but it's not the very thing itself. In the past, I fought an enemy who could, but it's an
imitation of the technique. It's not even comparable to that guy's power at all."
及ばない？ これで？
 This is...no match for it?
床から天井まで一分の隙もなく凍りついた車両を見上げ、木ノ葉丸は白い息をついた。水遁と風遁
の組み合わせ——言うのは簡単だが、異なる二つの性質変化を同時に発動させ組み合わせるのは、
けして簡単なことではない。
 From the floor to even the ceiling, there wasn’t a single gap in the frozen railcar when he
looked up in admiration. Konohamaru exhaled a white breathe. A combination of Suiton and
Fuuton…that’s something simple to say. But to combine together and simultaneously invoke
two different nature transformations…that was by no means something simple.
But just then, they hear a short shriek coming from the direction of the passengers. Ahhh, what’s
happening? Standing there is a young lady with a short haircut and red hair. She looks to be in her
mid teens. Her earrings are jingling, and her nails have rhinestones adorning them. She’s wondering
why her seat has been frozen…? Konohamaru tells her it’s because of the explosion and from the
result of the flames getting extinguished. She seems shocked and yells back. He asks her why she
didn’t notice if she was in the carriage. She then admits that she heard a kerfuffle from everyone
else, but she was listening to music. Sure enough, she has orange earphones on her shoulders.
Sasuke takes a step towards her and addresses her with a voice without any inflection: So just what
was she doing up until now? She says that she was feeling hungry, so she went to the dining car.
There was pasta, escargot, and pana cotta for take-away boxes. She has a glass of carbonated
water in her hand.
They then ask how the other passengers are doing. But she says she only knows about herself. It’s
the first-class coach section after all…the rest is reserved for other people. She puffs up her chest in
pride. Konohmaru just stares at her audacity. He thinks to himself: this young lady is really the only
one in the entire first-class carriage? She notices Konohamaru making a shady face and makes a
sour face herself. She asks him if it’s because it’s a bad idea for a minor to ride the raisha all alone.
Of course, Konohamaru says it’s not like that. She tells him not to look down upon her. She has
money, at least…so he shouldn’t make such faces at her.
But anyway, Sasuke asks Konohamaru if he happened to sense any indication of suspicious people
while he was on the way here. He interrupted the young lady’s complaining. Konohamaru shakes his
head. He had come along the rooftop, so he had no idea about the situation inside the carriage. And
so the logical conclusion to Sasuke is that the criminals who placed the bombs must still be inside
the raisha.
Sasuke clears away some of the broken glass that’s fallen. But it doesn’t seem to be from the
window from Konohamaru’s entrance. It’s clearly different than the glass that’s used to make those.
The shards of glass are thinner in make and seem curved. Like the type to make part of a fuse of a
timed bomb. Konohamaru immediately feels this intuitively. He surmises that that it might be a
regular civilian who is the perpetrator, especially one who can’t invoke ninjutsu. And so if they are
not ninja, then it would be difficult to escape right away. The raisha is still running at it’s highest
speed. So there’s a high chance the person who set the bombs is still in the carriages. They now
have to ensure immediately that they don’t injure the other passengers.
But right as Konohamaru is about to spring into action…
BOOM!
Once again, there’s an explosion. This time it seems to be coming from the head railcar.
Konohamaru peers outside the window. The raisha seems to be going even faster…Sasuke takes a
glance at the scenery outside too, and immediately sets a foot on the windowsill. He climbs up to the
top of the railcar. Sasuke-san…!? Sasuke travels quickly on top of the raisha to the head of the
railcar. Even though there’s a billowing cloud of smoke, he jumps straight through without hesitating.
Meanwhile, Konohamaru reminds himself to calm down. It’s an emergency, so having good
teamwork is vital.
Since after the second blast, the speed of the raisha has dramatically increased. And so, the speed
regulator in the control panel was likely to have been affected. In order to safety stop the raisha right
away, they have to stop the power section. Sasuke’s ice technique might be effective for this
situation. So while Sasuke is working to do this, Konohamaru ought to work to catch the perpetrator
of who’s inside the railcar. To come to this conclusion, it took Konohamaru roughly two seconds. To
him, it’s quite a valuable experience to be able to work with a high caliber ninja like Sasuke. He
knows what to do from here. Konohamaru has exited the raisha, and then happens to look back and
notice something.
It’s the young lady from the first-class compartment. She seems to be messing with the ice barrier
with curiosity. Konohamaru tells her never to leave that railcar because it’ll be dangerous. She
agrees and says OK…but as a slow reply. She breaks off a hanging icicle and uses it to stir her
carbonated water drink instead of using the stirring stick thing. Konohamaru thinks that she’ll be
okay.
He’s stepping on the 11th railcar, which seems to be the second-class seating. There’s luggage in
the seats and aisles just thrown about. The passengers have all seemed to have been evacuated
already. It’s natural for them to have that reaction if the railcar right after them was just exploded.
Konohamaru stays vigilant and sweeps the railcar, and then heads to the 10th. It should be empty of
passengers too. But he sees a woman’s back, who’s shaking and retreated into the corner of her
seat. He asks her if she’s alright.

Konohamaru calls out to the trembling lady, asking whether or not she was alright. She’s crying and
clutching her baby to her chest. Seems like she can’t move because she is scared. She asks who
Konohamaru is. Of course, he replies that he is a ninja from Konoha. He tells her that there was an
explosion not too long ago, but that the fires have been extinguished. She shouldn’t be worried. She
seems more relived about her and her child’s safety. She tells her to settle down, have a seat, and
wait for more instructions.
Konohamaru starts walking away but she tells him to wait up. She begs and pleads for him not to
leave her alone because she is so frightened. Konohamaru tells her again to calm down. After all, he
still has to go in search of the perpetrators. He then takes another look back at her over his shoulder
because…
This lady suddenly throws her baby right at him!
He reaches out to try and catch it, but he knows it’s too late…
But then with a poof noise, the baby suddenly transforms into a shinobi wearing deep purple
garments! He points a kunai right at the tip of Konohamaru’s nose. Konohamaru manages to bend
backwards to dodge it, but it grazes his cheek. A bit of blood comes out. If the baby was actually just
a ninja who transformed, it makes the lady his accomplice. Suddenly he gets kicked from behind and
gets thrown back. The lady has now also transformed into a ninja. They exchange blows with one
another (unnamed taijutsu and uppercuts). Konohamaru catches the glimmer of a shuriken from the
corner of his eye. He then puts some distance in between them in the aisles.
One of the enemies is a middle-aged man. He is still wearing the bib around his neck from when he
was disguised as the transformed baby. As for the other person, Konohamaru thinks they might be a
man by the body type. Their face is covered by a cloth so he can’t be sure of the facial features.
Their only distinguishing feature seems to be a mole under the left eye. Konohamaru needs to stay
on guard.
The man wearing the bib slowly speaks, guessing from Konohamaru’s movements that he is a
Jounin level ninja. Konohamaru doesn’t want to confirm or deny anything to them. He tells them that
Konoha shinobi are strong afterall, he could be a Chuunin too.
「ご謙遜を。巡り合わせに感謝しますよ」
 “You’re being modest. Thank you for this opportunity.”
「は？」
 “Wha?”
「まさか上忍を直接殺せる機会を賜ろうとは」
 “By no means did I ever think to be given the opportunity to personally kill a Jounin”
Konohamaru glances out of the window. It seems like the raisha is slowing down just a little bit.
Perhaps Sasuke has gotten to the head car and frozen over the engine compartment. Konohamaru
thinks to himself that it would be better if he can finish these guys off before Sasuke comes back.
The other man with the mole takes a step forward, thinking Konohamaru is planning to escape. But
then they get interrupted again. The door that separates them from the 9th compartment opens.
Another person in purple appears and says that they will deal with Konohamaru. Seems like 3 VS 1.
But there’s another person behind him. And another…and another.
Now it’s 12 VS 1.
They form a semi-circle and corner Konohamaru. It’s a cramped compartment, but they’re going to
battle here? Konohamaru thinks about using Kage-Bunshin, but the situation is melee-range, and it’s
a tight space. Before he can consider other options, kunai are flying at him.
But just then, a hot wind billows overhead. The enemies step back because of the crimson flames.
It’s Sasuke’s Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique)! Sasuke is now standing
protectively in front of Konohamaru. Even with his back turned to him, Sasuke asks Konohamaru for
a status update. Konohamaru tells him that their group seems to be fairly large. Their leader seems
to be the old geezer wearing the bib. There might be an even larger organization behind this. They
should be captured alive, any rate. The moment Konohamaru finishes talking, Sasuke disappears.
Suddenly two enemies are collapsing onto the floor or onto their knees. Then another person stands
in front of the man wearing the bib in a protective stance. Sasuke remains silent. He unsheaths his
concealed sword back from it’s scabbard. Sasuke strikes the person in one sword swipe, who tries
to guard it with his wrist gauntlet. He gets thrown off into the wall. There’s an overwhelming
difference in their ability and strength.
After a bit of hesitation, the man in the bib rushes towards the window. The glass shatters and he
jumps out the window. Konohamaru yells at the guy to wait up. He takes another fleeting glance at
Sasuke. He knows that it’s his responsibility to pursue after that guy. Konohamaru jumps out of the
window too.
 he enemies fainted one after another as Sasuke struck them with the back of his sword and
with a chop of his hand.
移動速度ひとつ取っても桁違いのレベルなので、何人いようとまるで相手にならない。紫装束の爆
破犯たちは、サスケの動きを目で追うことすらできぬまま、バタバタと倒れていく。
 Even when it came to movement speed, his level was completely in a different league; It
couldn’t be matched, no matter who these enemies were. The purple-clad perpetrators of the
explosion could not follow Sasuke’s movements with their own eyes. They each collapsed
with a thunking noise.
ものの数分も経たないうちに、立っている紫装束はたった二人になってしまった。二人のうちひと
りは、母親に化けていた、あのほくろの男だ。
 Although only a few minutes had elapsed, only two of the purple-clad perpetrators remained
standing. Amongst the two of them, one was the mole-faced man who had been transformed
into the mother.
「…………」
 “......”
サスケが降伏を促すように、ほくろの男の顔を見つめる。
 Sasuke stared intently into the face of the man with the mole, as if urging him to surrender.
「クソッ……」
 “Damn it…...”
ほくろは、舌打ち混じりに、短い印を結んだ。
 While clicking his tongue, the mole-faced man made a short sequence of seals.
グボッ！
 Fwoom!
突然、サスケの足元の床から、鋼でできた角状の柱が生え出た。鋭くとがった切っ先がサスケめが
けて勢いよく伸びる。サスケはひらりと身をかわし、よけたついでに近くにいた男のアゴを殴って
気絶させた。
 Suddenly, a horn-shaped pillar made of steel sprung forth from the floor, right beneath
Sasuke’s feet. It’s end was sharpened like the tip of a sword, and extended forcefully towards
Sasuke. Sasuke nimbly evaded it. While Sasuke was avoiding it, he struck the man closest to
him in the jaw, who then collapsed.
鋼の柱は、一瞬にして雷車の天井を突き破り、うねりながら天に向かって伸びていった。
 The steel pillar instantly pierced through the ceiling of the raisha; With an undulating motion, it
kept extending towards the sky.
見たことのない忍術だ。なかなかの威力だが、サスケの敵ではない。
 It was a ninjutsu that had never been seen before. It was certainly powerful, but it wasn’t
Sasuke’s enemy.
ともかく、これで、あとひとり。
 Because this was a separate issue for later, anyway.
最後に残ったほくろの男を、サスケは底知れぬ黒い瞳で、まっすぐに見据えた。
 Sasuke stared directly at the remaining mole-faced man with his bottomless, black pupils.
「くっ……来い、うちは！」
 “C-...Come here, Uchiha!”
ほくろの男が、ヤケクソのように背中の剣を抜いて構えた、その時。
 Then the man with the mole prepared and drew out a sword from his back, seemingly in
desperation.
「ねぇ、なんか雷車止まってなーい？」
 “ Hey, so why didn’t you stop the raisha?”
場違いに、能天気な声が響いた。
 An awkward, insolent voice resounded.
ほくろの男の背後のドアが開き、一等車に乗っていた少女が、ひょっこりと顔をのぞかせている。
 The door behind the mole-faced man opened. It was the lady from the first-class carriage,
unexpectedly peeking her face through.
「逃げろ！」
 “Run away!”
サスケが叫ぶと同時に、ほくろの男が床を蹴る。少女に向かって突進し、細い身体を抱え上げた。
 At the same time as Sasuke shouted, the man with the mole on his face kicked off the floor.
He charged towards the lady, and grabbed a hold of her thin-framed body.
「……へ？」
 “......Eh?”
事態を把握できず、少女がきょとんと首を傾げる。
 She couldn’t grasp the situation as she stared blankly and tilted her head to the side.
サスケがとっさに投げたクナイが、ほくろの男の腹に刺さった。しかし男の動きは止まらず、少女
を窓に向かって、ボールのようにぶん投げた。
 Sasuke instantly threw a kunai, which struck into the abdomen of the mole-faced man.
However, the man’s movements didn’t stop.
「きゃあああああッ!! 」
 “Kyaaaaaaa!!”
ガシャァン！
 Clang!
窓ガラスが割れ、少女は車外に放り出される。
 The glass window shattered, and the lady was thrown out of the raisha.
「チッ……」
 “Tch….”
サスケは舌打ちとともに、窓を蹴り壊して飛び出した。少女の身体を空中でキャッチして、地面に
着地する。
 As Sasuke clicked his tongue, he kicked the window; he broke it and then jumped through. He
caught the lady’s body in mid-air and landed on the ground.
「なななななんなのっ!? 怖すぎんだけど！ なんなのあの男!? チョー死ぬところだったんですけど!?
」
 “Whaaaaaaaa!? But that was so scary! What’s up with that man? But I really felt like I was
going to die!?”
これだけ騒げるならたいした負傷はないだろう。それより問題は、あのほくろだ。
 If she is able to even make as much of a racket like this, she probably isn’t injured. But aside
from that issue, there was the mole-faced man.
サスケは小脇に抱えた少女をその辺の茂みの上にぼさっと落とすと、車両のほうへ向き直った。
 Sasuke carried the lady under his armpit, and then quickly dropped her off in some nearby
thickets. He then turned to face the direction of the raisha.
飛び上がって窓枠に足をかけ、中をのぞきこむ。
 He jumped up and placed his foot onto the window frame. He then peered inside.
——案の定、ほくろの男は自決していた。
 ——Just as I thought, the mole-faced man committed suicide.
車内は、天井まで真っ赤に染まっていた。ほくろの男は血まみれで、壁に寄りかかるようにして座
りこんでいる。首筋の出血から察するに、床に落ちたクナイで搔っ切ったのだろう。足首の先がか
すかに痙攣しているが、見開かれた両眼は完全に瞳孔が開ききっていて、もはや絶命しているのは
明らかだ。
 The interior of the carriage was dyed to the ceiling in bright red. The mole-faced man was
bloodstained, sitting and leaning up against the wall. He guessed that the man was bleeding
from the nape of his neck, cut by using the kunai that he dropped. There were faint
convulsions from the base of his ankle. Both of his eyes were opened wide to show his pupils,
so it was obvious that he was dead already.
やられたな……。
 It’s over, eh...
サスケは、床にうつぶせに倒れた別の男をひっくり返した。左胸にクナイが刺さり、血がにじんで
いる。他の男たちも調べたが、同様に、みなトドメを刺されて死んでいた。ほくろの男が、情報の
流出を恐れて、殺したのだろう。
 There was another man who was laying face-down on the floor, collapsed. Sasuke turned him
over. There was a kunai protruding from the left-hand side of his chest, and there was blood
running down from it. When he examined the other men, everyone was stabbed to death in an
identical manner. The mole-faced man probably killed them in fear of any intelligence leaking.
サスケは忌々しげにため息をついた。爆破犯とはいえ、人が死ぬのは本意ではない。犯人たちにつ
いての情報を聞き出すことが不可能になってしまうし、なにより現火影が、人が死ぬことを嫌がる
。
 Sasuke let out a sigh in an annoyed manner. Even though they were the perpetrators of the
explosion, there was never any intent for people to die. It was now completely impossible to
extract information from the perpetrators. But above all else, the current Hokage disliked that
people died.
木ノ葉丸が追いかけた、あのリーダー格の男だけでも、せめて捕まえることができればいいのだが
。
 But at least it would be fine, as long as they could catch the leader who was being pursued by
Konohamaru.
サスケは十一体の死体に背を向け、車両の外へと降り立った。
 Sasuke turned his back away from the eleven dead bodies, and descended outside of the rail
cars.
先ほどの少女が、土の上にぺたんと尻もちをついて、へたりこんでいる。その瞳はかぼそく震え、
驚愕に揺れていた。
 As for the lady from a while back, she had plopped down to sit onto the ground. Her pupils
were delicately trembling, shaking in shock.
「……どうした」
 “...What’s wrong?”
尋常ならざる少女の様子に気が付いて、サスケは声をかけた。
 Sasuke called out to her, having noticed her unusual state.
「あ……あ……」
 “Ah….Ah….”
声をわななかせ、少女は、震える指を持ち上げた。
 The lady spoke in a trembling voice, and raised up a quivering finger.
指の先を追って振り返り、サスケは、自分の最後の望みがもはや潰えていたことを知った。
 Sasuke turned his head to where the tip of her finger indicated. He then understood that his
last hopes were already dashed.
車内で男たちと戦った時、ほくろの男が繰り出した鋼の忍術。床から生えた鋼は座席をねじり倒し
、天井を貫通して、するどく天に向かって伸びている。
 When they were battling the men inside of the carriage, the mole-faced man had unleashed a
steel ninjutsu. The seats had been knocked over and contorted by the steel that had sprung
forth from the floor. They had penetrated through the ceiling and had extended towards the
sky.
伸びた鋼の切っ先に、あのリーダー格の男が、串刺しになっていた。
 At the tip of the extended steel was the man who was their leader: He had gotten skewered.
百舌鳥が枯れ枝に刺した早贄のように。
 It looked as if he was a butcher bird that had been pierced through a dead tree branch, just
like a first sacrificial offering to a hunting season.
onohamaru had leapt out of the compartment and is pursuing after the man who’s wearing the bib.
He yells at him to wait up. He can’t escape from him, so that guy ought to surrender! The man is
trying to escape into the forests that line next to the rail tracks.
On the inside of his wrist, Konohamaru is wearing Scientific Ninja Weaponry. He turns the knob and
a small scroll comes out of the ejection hole.
中に収納されているのは、雷遁による電流攻撃。ただし、並みの忍者に使っても殺さずに済み、な
おかつ身体を麻痺させ動きを止められる程度に計算された強さのもの。
 Stored inside is a Raiton-based electrical current attack. However, when used against a
normal ninja, it shouldn't even kill them. However, their body will become paralysed and their
movements will be stopped; This is the degree to which it has been calibrated to.
Konohamaru holds it out in his outstretched palm, and then fires the attack. A golden dragon gallops
in midair. It’s a direct hit on the bibbed man’s back!
The man falls forward and quivers a bit...but immediately recovers. He sets off running again as if
nothing had happened. Konohamaru has question marks in his head, thinking maybe he misfired?
But anyway, he needs to stay in pursuit. Shouldn’t the Scientific Ninja Weapon Team have taken the
settings into account? Of course, it wasn’t meant to kill, but the electric current should have been
enough to stun him. He was certain that this was calculated from before...and It really looked like it
struck the man.
……まさか、電流に耐性があるのか？
 …...No way, he’s immune to electrical currents?
While thinking things over, Konohamaru climbs on top of the raisha. He releases a sickle and chain
weapon. He manages to swing it and catch the bibbed-man’s leg. He needs to bring them into close
combat. Konohamaru jerks onto the sickle and chain, and the man’s body comes flying through the
air in an arc.
Using the force as a counter, the man tries to use his fist to strike at Konohamaru’s face.
Konohamaru guards it with his left hand, and then grabs the other man’s head with both arms. He
intends to smash into each other, so he head butts into him with all his might.
Bham!
The bones in their heads vibrate, and Konohamaru endures the pain in his eardrum. He tries to
quickly knead some chakra.
Rasenga-....
But then suddenly the man tears off his bib. He holds it tightly and slips it around Konohamaru’s
ankle. It’s obvious that the cloth seems different: it has a stiffer feeling to it.
Oh shit!
It winds around his ankle and then…
Boom!
The bib exploded!
A sharp pain travels up his right foot and he pulls his leg away. There are bomb fragments in his calf.
Some lumps of meat scatter. Of course, the other man suffered injuries too from handling it. His right
hand has been blown off at the wrist. He shows it off in front of Konohamaru’s face. It’s spouting off
blood and getting into Konohamaru’s eyes.
But anyway, Konohamaru deals with blinding pain. He’s using his willpower to keep his eyes open.
His field of vision is warped, but manages to twist the man’s right arm. He asks him what the man’s
goals are, and why he’s targeting the raisha.
The man scoofs at him, and says his aim is now to kill off Konohamaru! He kicks Konohamaru and
sends him off flying. While dealing with the recoil, Konohamaru tries again to gather chakra into his
palm.
Rasenga-...
次の瞬間、よだれかけの男の身体を、黒々とした鋼の柱が貫いた。
But right at the next moment, a deep black steel pillar pierced through the body of the bibbed-man.
The man coughs up blood and falls from middair. Both legs have gone languid in the sky, and then
start twitching and convulsing. Konohamaru drags his leg along as he checks on the man. The steel
pillar has extended and pierced through the ceiling of the railcar. He surmises that it must have been
due to a ninjutsu.
The white’s of the man’s eyes are showing. His tongue has also gone languid and flops around his
mouth. From underneath his tongue, little bubbles are welling up. Blood starts dripping from his
mouth and starts to stain Konohamaru’s shoes.
He’s dead.
Konohamaru collapses shortly after trying to desperately remove the shard of metal from his shin.
サスケに合わせる顔がない
 He was too ashamed to face Sasuke.
情報を得られなかったうえに、敵を死なせてしまうなんて。
 He was unable to extract information, since he had let the enemy die.
Chapter 1
 “ KO-NO-HA-MA-RU-SEN~SEIIIIIIII!! Get well soon ‘ttebasaaaa!!”
Boruto energetically throws open the door to the hospital room. His cheerful and vigorous voice can
be heard resounding throughout the hospital wards. Of course, Boruto barges in through the door
first. He means well with his best wishes, but Boruto has come completely empty-handed. Sarada
enters next:
「ボルト！あんたウルサイわよ！ここ病室なんだから、静かに！」
 “Boruto! You’re being loud and annoying! Since this is a hospital room, you’ve got to be quiet!”
She is holding a bouquet of sakura at her chest. Last (but not least!), a calm and composed Mitsuki
enters the room.
It’s only been one day since Konohamaru has been hospitalized, but he’s already gotten bored of it.
He’s happy to see his beloved students, and the joy of their visit inadvertently spreads across his
face. He starts asking them about their mission. He tries talks to them in a composed manner as
their shishou, to preserve his dignity. Boruto responds that there wasn’t one. So that’s why they
decided to line up early in the morning.
「並んだって、何に」
 “What do you mean by ‘Got in line’? What for?”
「これですよ」
 “For this!”
Mitsuki is holding a paper bag in his hands. He takes out a square package. The shop’s name is
written on the wrapping paper. It’s something from a Japanese confectionary shop that’s been super
popular lately. It’s renowned for making these exclusive strawberry daifuku. They only make 400 of
them per day! The rumor is that if you don’t get in line from even before the shop opens, you won’t
be able to buy any at all.
Sarada delightfully confirms that everyone got in line early for these strawberry daifuku. While she’s
talking, she is arranging the sakura branches into a flower vase. Boruto takes the box from Mitsuki. It
seems as though he just can’t wait any longer! He tears off the wrapping paper and opens up the lid.
The strawberry daifuku are wrapped up in Japanese paper and neatly lined up into rows.
Konohamaru surmises that they might have gotten in line for themselves. Though his heart is
warmed by their intention, he seems a bit disappointed.
Mitsuki wants to brew some tea and asks where he can get a supply of hot water. Konohamaru
interjects and says he wants to do it. With Mitsuki’s help, Konohamaru gets the crutches from his
bedside. Since Konohamaru has been bedridden, he’s been feeling a bit restless and depressed.
Against his will, he hasn’t been able to do much. And so, he excitedly exits the room.
Meanwhile, Boruto grabs some chairs that are near the hospital room and arranges them into a
circle. They all sit down. Sarada is surprised and worried that there are ninja who could gravely
injure and hospitalize someone like Konohamaru-sensei. Mitsuki nods in full agreement with her. But
at least none of the other passengers were injured, so they should be glad about that.
Sarada then turns on the TV. The broadcast timeslot is currently airing a news program. It’s just a bit
before noontime. There’s a blond-haired young lady on the screen. They’re pointing the microphone
towards her. It seems to be some sort of interview.
「誰これ？」
 “Who’s that?”
サラダが首を傾げると、
 Sarada tilted her head to the side.
「姫野リリィだよ。サラダ、知らねーの？」
 “That’s Himeno Lilly. Sarada, you don’t know about her?”
と、ボルトが目を丸くした。
 Boruto said with widened eyes.
「だってあんまリテレビ見ないんだもん。この子、何なの？タレント？」
 “Well that’s because I don’t watch much TV. So who is this kid? A star TV personality?”
「アイドルだよ。最近人気で、テレビにもたくさん出てんだぜ」
 “She’s an idol. She’s popular nowadays, so she appears on TV quite a lot, you know.”
While Boruto chats, he nonchalantly reaches for the strawberry daifuku. He starts to open the
wrapping paper. Sarada and Mitsuki follow suit and extend their hands to get one. Sarada tears off
the wrapping paper of hers, and then absentmindedly stares at the TV screen.
Lilly is still on-screen. She has lovely facial features. She is wearing a mini-dress with frills and
ribbons sewed onto it and also a white pair of boots. She has shoulder-length blond hair that’s styled
in loose waves. Her age seems to be in the mid-teens. Her manner of speaking and behaviour
seems to be innocent-looking, as if she’s a younger kid.
アイドルかあ……あんまり興味ないけど、この子、どんな歌うたうんだろ？
 She’s an idol, eh….I’m not that interested at all, but as for this kid...I wonder what kind of
songs she sings?
ぼんやり考えながら、苺大福を一口食べたサラダは、感電したようにその場に飛び上がった。
 While thinking things over absent-mindedly, Sarada ate a mouthful of the strawberry daifuku.
She immediately sprung up as if she had gotten an electric shock.
「なにこれ！おいしい！！」
 “What is this! It’s delicious!!”
「そうだね」
 “You’re right.”
ミツキが淡白に同意する。
 Mitsuki candidly agreed.
「んー、うめえけど。オレは、かーちゃんが作ってくれるぜんざいのはうが好きだな」
 “Mmm~ It’s delicious, but I like the sweet red bean soup with mochi that my mother makes for
me even more, you know.”
小癪なことを言いながらも、ボルトは早くも二個目の苺大福に手を伸ばした。
 Even while he was saying something so impudent, Boruto was already reaching out his hand
to take his second strawberry daifuku.
は〜、この苺大福…すっごい…すっごく…すっごい…。
 Wha~ This strawberry daifuku so…incredibly…incredibly…amazing…
おいしさのあまり語彙力を失い、サラダは幸福に包まれなら、噛みしめるようにひとつ目を食べ終
えた。
 It was so delicious, that she was at a loss for any words within her vocabulary. Sarada was
completely wrapped up in happiness while she was chewing and finishing eating her first one.
They think about waiting until Konohamaru-sensei returns before they have a second one...but that
reconsideration lasted for only two seconds. So they each cheerfully reach for another one...
But anyway, music starts to stream from the TV. It seems like Lilly announced her latest song.
The screen flashes the song title: まちゅまろハート (‘Machuumaro Heart’), and Sarada starts to feel
a light headache. Colourful lights shine upon Lilly...She’s wiggling at her waist and twisting around.

*[[And so we’re given some of the riveting lyrics of the song...lol~ Basically it
starts off with her repeating まちゅまろ/ ‘Machuumaro’, then マッシュマロ/
‘Maashumaro’, before finally saying it correctly as マシュマロ食べて/ ‘I’m eating a
marshmallow’. And then suddenly it gets super weird and she sings what I think is ゴ
ーゴー♪ ゴートゥー♪ へルアンドエンジェルー // “Go go~ Goth, Hell, and Angel~”. So I
actually have no idea how it devolved so quickly either...lol~ But anyway, that’s my
best guess for what it’s supposed to be.]]*

「なんじゃそリやあつ!!」
 “What the heck is this!!”
Sarada’s shouting also resounds throughout the hospital wing. Boruto responds in annoyance:
「サラダ、うるせーってばさ。ここ病室なんだから静かにしろよなー」
 “Sarada, you’re being loud and annoying ‘ttebasa. Since this is a hospital room, shouldn’t you
be quiet.”

Sarada asks Boruto if he even understands any of Lilly’s song lyrics at all. (They’re a bit nonsensical,
right? lol~). She keeps singing things like ‘hell and angel’ and ‘sticky sticky marshmallows’. He
doesn’t know the meaning behind them either, right? Boruto replies that he doesn’t particularly care
about the song lyrics ‘dattebasa.
He takes another mouthful of the strawberry daifuku and stuffs his cheeks full. Seems like he’s kept
up his appetite even after hearing the song. Sarada also doesn’t seem to care much for the lyrics
either. But somehow, she can’t help but feel a bit disturbed by these enigmatic lyrics. Sarada
reproachfully takes another glance at the TV. The camera view is showing Lilly singing a segment
that goes ‘‘Machuumaro mofumofu mofufufufu~”. Lilly continues to enthusiastically sing her song.
Sarada can’t stand to listen to it any longer. She slams her fist down with a ‘thunk’ onto the remote,
and turns off the TV. Mitsuki then begins to airily hum to himself: “Mofumofu mofufufufu~”. The boys
don’t seem to get the point at all. But anyway, there’s still more strawberry daifuku, and they’re quite
delicious. They keep eating them while chatting idly.
Konohamaru then returns: crutches in one arm and skillfully balancing a tray of tea in the other. He
laughs a bit and notes that they seemed to have eaten already. He passes around the tea to each of
them. Boruto starts asking Konohamaru about the incident while sipping on his tea. Just who were
the people who attacked the raisha? What was the point of the explosions? And with that many
perpetrators? Konohamaru says they don’t have any information about why yet. Those purple-clad
guys didn’t leave many clues behind. But it seems that they have an excessive number of holes in
their ears.
「穴？ピアスホールってことですか？」
 “Holes? You mean like piercing holes, right?”
ミツキが怪訝そうに聞き返した。
 Mitsuki dubiously asked again.
「ああ。死体を検視した医療班が言うには、全員、耳たぶから軟骨にかけて、五つのピアスホール
が空いていたそうだ」
 “Yeah. The corpses underwent an autopsy by the medical treatment team. They said that
everyone, from their earlobes to about their cartilage, seemed to have had about five open
piercing holes.”
「集団の団結を示すサインでしようか？ボクたちの額当てのような……」
 “Isn’t that a sign to denote their group’s unity? Similar to our hitai-ate….”
Konohamaru says that he can’t be certain about that. But from his impressions from battling them,
their battle strength doesn’t seem to be all that menacing….Aside from the leader, they seem to be
about Chuunin level. But they were still troublesome in their own way. Sarada guesses correctly that
the point was that the enemies were completely willing to risk their lives. Konohamaru grimly nods
his head in agreement. If the enemies were to be arrested, they would have been able to extract
information out of them. However, the enemies chose to die instead. So it’s an incredibly difficult
thing to do if your aim is to capture them alive. It’s even harder to do that, rather than just plainly
killing them off.
Boruto is worried about the destructive blast on the raisha: were they especially trying to use bombs
or ninjutsu ‘dattebasa? Well, if their objective was to indiscriminately aim at the villagers...they might
have countermeasures too. That would potentially cause a lot of damage. They might be aiming for
a crowded civilian area or station. They could have caused the destructive blast in broad daylight…
But for now, Konohamaru doesn’t know the current status in much further detail. The four of them fall
dead silent in the hospital after hearing about it.
「…苺大福でも、食うか!」
 “Anyway, shouldn’t we have some strawberry daifuku!”
暗い雰囲気を振リ払うように、明るく言ったのは、木ノ葉丸だった。
 Konomahu spoke brightly In order to shake off the gloomy atmosphere.
苺大福の箱のフタを持ち上げるが一中身は空っぽだ。
 He lifted up the lid of the box of strawberry daifuku, but it’s contents were completely empty.
「え!?」
 “Eh!?”
木ノ葉丸は驚愕して、箱の中身を四度見した。
 In surprise, Konohamaru looked at the contents of the box repeatedly four times.
何度見直しても、何も入っていない。
 No matter many times he looked, there was nothing inside.
「お、お前ら……苺大福はどうした……」
 “Y-you guys...What happened to the strawberry daifuku….”
声に動揺をにじませながら、三人のほうを見る。
 While his agitation was spreading into his voice, he looked towards the three people.
「ボクは二つしか食べてません」
 “I only ate two.”
ミツキがすかさず主張した。
 Mitsuki asserted this without a moment’s delay.
「私も三つしか食べてないです」
 “And I only ate three of them.”
「オレも四つしか食べてないってばさ」
 “I only ate four of them ‘dattebasa.”
「計算バッチリじゃねえか! 九個しかなかったんだからコレェ!」
 “So they were perfectly accounted for, right!? Because there were only nine ‘kore!”
目を三角にして怒る木ノ葉丸を、サラダが「まあまあ」となだめた。罪悪感はあるが、本当におい
しかったので後悔はない。
 Konohamaru was furious, looking at them with with daggers in his eyes. Sarada tried to calm
him while saying “It’s okay, It’s okay…” She felt guilty, but in reality they were so tasty that she
had no regrets.
「ま、また買ってきますから」
 “ W-Well, because we can go and buy them again.”
「いらん……そんな時間があるなら修業にあてろ……」
 “No...If you have that sort of free time, use it to train…”
気丈に言ってみるものの、木ノ葉丸はすっかリ肩を落としている。
 Even though he said it firmly, Konohamaru’s shoulders were completely drooping.
ミツキが苦笑いしながら、とりなすように語題を変えた。
 With a bitter smile, Mitsuki tried to mediate by changing the subject of the conversation.
「先生, 退院はいつごろなんですか?」
 “Sensei, how soon until you will be discharged?”
Konohamaru inadvertently and glumly glances down at the plaster cast that’s protecting his right
ankle. He says that the injury itself isn’t that bad at all. However, the bomb seemed to have caused a
slight degree of paralysis. Seems as though there was a poison that was prepared with it. Until they
finish countering that, hospitalization is required. It will take roughly three weeks. Sarada ask him
again, ‘Three weeks?’ in a worried tone. Boruto asks what will happen to their team ‘dattebasa.
Konohamaru glances at the doorway with a smile. He tells them that there will a substitute who will
take responsibility for them in the meantime. Mitsuki seems a bit curious, repeating ‘A substitute,
eh?’.
「安心しろ、かなリの強者だ。まあ、控えめに言ってだな……ヤバいくらいに強い」
 “Don’t be worried. This person is exceptionally strong. Well that’s to say it in a humble
manner, I guess. They’re so tremendously strong.”
「マジかよ〜っ! 望むところだぜ!」
 “Are you serious~! That’s exactly what I wanted!”
ボルトが興奮したように、両手を握リしめる。もったいぶる木ノ葉丸に、サラダがじれったそうに
聞いた。
 Boruto grasps both of his hands tightly in excitement. Sarada, who is getting annoyed at how
pompous Konohamaru is acting, then asks:
「で、誰なんですかっその、代わリの人物って」
 “So, who is this person...Who you said is the substitute…?”
「オレだ」
 “ It’s me.”
低いがよく通る、涼しげな声。三人全員、その声色を聞いただけで、それが誰のものなのかをすぐ
に察した。入口のほうを振リ返ると、サスケが、いつもの無表情で立っている。
 The low tone carried well: it was a cool voice. Just by hearing that tone of voice, all three of
them instantly guessed who that person was. They turned their heads to the entranceway.
Sasuke was standing there with his usual, expressionless face.
「うそっ!?」
 “No way…!?”
パパが私たちの先生にっ!?
 “Papa is going to be our sensei…!?”
喜びのあまリ、素の反応をしてしまったサラダは、はっと自分を取リ戻すとコホンと咳払いをし、
 Overwhelmed with joy, that was Sarada’s original reaction. She was personally taken aback,
but then regained her composure. She continued after clearing her throat, coughing ‘Ahem’:
「…へー。パパが、私たちの先生になるんだ」
 “...Eh~. So Papa... will be our sensei.”
と、冷静なスタンスで言い直した。
 She corrected herself, speaking with a serene stance.
「ああ。しばらく里に滞在することになったからな」
 “Ahh. That’s because I’ll be staying in the village for a little while.”
「まじかよー! やったぜーっー! 」
 “Are you serious!? Alrightttt!”
はちきれんばかリの笑顔で、腕を振リ上げたのはボルトだ。目をキラッキラに輝かせ、 嬉しさをみ
じんも隠さずに笑顔を弾けさせている。
 Brimming with a grin, Boruto raised his arms over his head. His eyes lit up and were sparkling.
He couldn’t contain his utter happiness, and a smile burst forth on his face.
その隣で、ミツキも、期待に満ちた顔で微笑していた。
 Right beside him, Mitsuki also had a smile on his face from being full of excitement.

Sasuke-occhan is going to teach us ninjutsu!

Boruto cannot contain his exaltation. Their designated training location is at a forest that extends
outside the village. His gait unconsciously shifts to a cheerful and buoyant one as he bounces along
towards the meeting point. Boruto’s objective is to become a ninja like Sasuke who will support the
Hokage. And so for Boruto, Sasuke is the embodiment of his dream itself.
Boruto can’t help but be in super high spirits because of this opportunity. He had trained with Sasuke
before: even though it was a short period of time, he had learned many things. He was able to start
reflecting upon his relationship with his father. That time spent with Sasuke was considered a
treasure to Boruto. Since that time, Boruto has taken on many more missions. Because of those, he
has surely matured. So this time around, he will definitely show off his powers to Sasuke-occhan!
He’s very eager and full of enthusiasm for their first day of training.
Thunkkkkk! Zwishhh~
Sasuke threw a kunai with dreadful force, and it goes flying. It mows down every single bit of the
forest trees in its flight path. It’s also magnificently pulverised a distant cliff that happened to be in
the way too. Boruto is looking on, completely speechless.
「クナイでこんな威力が出るのか」
 “So a kunai can give off this kind of power?”
「パパってやっぱすごい…しゃーんなろーだわ…」
 “Of course Papa is amazing...Shannaro~”
Next to Boruto, Mitsuki and Sarada are murmuring to each other. On the surface of the distant cliff,
they see smoke rising from it. In a single strike, a kunai can do that!? How is that possible…
Of course, Sasuke didn’t throw the kunai in an ordinary way. He had hooked the kunai with the tip of
his finger and kneaded chakra. And then in an instant, it seemed like electricity was given off. They
didn’t understand the mechanism very well, but in the next moment, the kunai went flying with a
violent force. Finally, the surface of the distant cliff was pulverized.
Sasuke remains in a cool and composed manner and lowers his arm. He then turns to face the three
of them. He saysthat it’s probably still too early for them to do anyway.
Eh, then why bother showing us? The three of them are in agreement in a silent protest.
Sasuke then nonchalantly reaches into a leather bag and takes out two small dice. He extends out
his hand to the rest of them.
「最初の課題だ。このサイコロを忍術でゾロ目にそろえてみせろ。ただし、サイコロには一切手を
触れないこと」
 “This is the first challenge. With ninjutsu, make the eyes of these dice show identical numbers.
However, you can’t touch the dice with your hands at all.”
Without touching them? The three of them exchange glances, thinking they’ll need some sort of
miracle to do it.
Sasuke says that they’ll allowed to try out whatever method they’d like. Sasuke tosses the dice into
the air one after another. He takes out a shuriken from his breast pocket and nimbly flings it. The
shuriken whirrs and spins as it flies. As the two dice fall down, the shuriken grazes them at an angle
one at a time. The flipped dice tumble on top of a bush. The shuriken curves back like a boomerang
into his hand.
The three of them go and squat down and confirm it...The eyes of the two dice are both are showing
the number six. Boruto mutters that it’s an amazing feat, with his eyes rounded wide. Mitsuki also
closely examines the dice. Sarada looks on at the two of them, giving them a bit of a prideful glance.
Boruto understands how he did it, and still thinks Sasuke-occhan is beyond amazing. And so, Team
7 embarks on this simple training exercise to match the eyes of the dice. They set them onto tree
trunks and stones.
To begin with, they each have to consider their own forte, and which would be best to use in order to
manipulate the small dice.
「あたしは、やっぱ手裏剣かなっ」
 “As for me, I’ll use shuriken of course.”
Sarada has decided, and makes her attempt for the dice on the stump first. She launches a light
shuriken. It sticks a centimeter astray from the dice. The wind pressure alone stirs the dice a bit, but
not enough to topple or turn them. Her aim is off, so next time she aims closer. And so the shuriken
then strikes the dice...which cleaves it.
Well, if they look at the dice closely, they would see that are actually made of sugar cubes and
coloured starch syrup. They are extremely light because of that. On impact, they will certainly
crumble. And so, they will have to manipulate it carefully and not be too strong or too gentle in order
to make the eyes match properly. A light or gentle breeze ought to move them.
Mitsuki chooses to use fuuton and generates a breeze. It seems to be working alright, but he’s rolled
different numbers...but then he’s blown them away!
「オレが得意なのは、螺旋丸だってばさ！！」
 “My forte is the Rasengan ‘dattebasa!!”
And so, Boruto uses the stream of chakra from the Rasengan. So that’s how he’s decided to try and
rotate the dice…. He starts off by trying to make a small Rasengan in the palm of his hand. In the
blink of an eye, the wind pressure itself starts to blow onto the dice.
Ahhh~
The sugar cubes didn’t crumble. They also haven’t been blown away. With that degree of power, he
can manipulate both dice at the same time and roll them without directly hitting them. So he can
attempt to match the eyes of the dice for a longer period of time without breaking them…It looked
relatively simple, but it took fine and delicate power control. He isn’t successful either.
“Taaa!”
“Chyeah!”
“Ehhhh!”
“Haah!”
“Ahh, I broke them again!”
“Damn it, I’ll absolutely get it to do it ‘tebasa!”
Everyone is yelling and screaming as they’re trying to put in as much effort into their training. Sasuke
is standing in a location further away, watching over all of them attentively.

[[Ah okay. I thought this next section was really poignant of Papasuke, so I wanted to give it justice
with a full direct translation~~]]
頭をよぎるのは、自分がまだ下忍だったころの記憶だ。カカシの指導のもと、ナルトとサクラとと
もに修業に明け暮れた日々のこと。
 Something then came to mind: his memories from when he was still a genin himself. Originally
under Kakashi’s guidance, he has spent everyday and all of his time training with Naruto and
Sakura.
第七班が行動をともにした時間は、ごく短かった。忍を目指した理由も、みんな違った。 それでも
、あの短い時代は今でも、サスケの中に深く根づいている。
 The time that he had spent together with Team 7...was quite short. In addition, the reason he
had for becoming a shinobi were different than everyone else’s. Despite that short time period,
those memories were still profoundly rooted within Sasuke.
らしくもなく昔を懐かしむような気持ちになっている自分に気づいて、サスケは苦笑した。
 It was uncharacteristic of himself to feel and reflect upon his past with nostalgia like that;
Sasuke smiled wryly when he noticed himself doing it.
と同時に、時代とともに社会が変わったことを、しみじみと実感する。
 But at the same time, he actually felt and realized that society had changed together with the
era.
ただひたすらに強い忍が求められる時代は終わった。戦いに満ちた、むなしく血なまぐさい乱世が
終わりを告げ、忍の戦い方も変わりつつある。
 The era of when the typical demand was for nothing but strong shinobi was over. It marked
the end of the turbulent times when blood was spilled in vain, in an era full of battles.
もはや、敵を殺すだけが、戦闘ではない。
 There were no longer in combat to only kill their enemies anymore.
平和を維持するために必要なのは、 武力ではなく、安定した社会と他国との均衡。今の時代に必要
なのは、ただ強だけでなく、あらゆる状況に臨機応変に対応できる忍だ。
 Some things were necessary in order to preserve the peace. It wasn’t military strength, but
rather a balance of foreign nations with stable societies. What was necessary in the current
era was not just typical strength...But rather shinobi who were able to cope and adapt quickly
to the environment and all the situations that surrounded them.
ナルトの働きで、木ノ葉隠れの里は変わった。争いの時代が終わり貿易が盛んになったことで、そ
れぞれの国は発展を分かち合えるようになった。火の国は著しい近代化をとげ、 里人は生命をおび
やかされたり、日々の生活を気に病まなくてもよくなった。
 Because of Naruto’s work, Konohagakure Village had changed. The era of strife had ended,
and foreign trade was flourishing. It seemed as though each country was sharing their
advancements and developing. The Fire Country had remarkably modernized. The lives of the
villagers were not in jeopardy; They had nothing to fret over during the course of their daily
lives.
平和を謳歌する木ノ葉の里人は、戦乱の世の記憶を失いつつある。里の平和のために、 ひとりで答
を背負いこみ自らの一族を手にかけた男がいたことなど、忘却の彼方だ。
 Konoha was glorified in peace. The villagers had lost their memories of being in an era of war.
For the sake the village being at peace, there was one man alone whose hands were
burdened with dealing with his own family as the solution to that peace. Things like that had
been forgotten in the lapse of memories.
それでもいい、と思えるようになった。兄のことは、自分が覚えている。それで十分だ。
 But yet that was fine: He had come to think of it that way. He remembered his elder brother,
and that would be enough for himself.
現代を生きる新しい世代までもが、喪に服す必要などない。
 Those who still live in the modern era and in the new generation have no need to observe
such mourning.
それに…サラダやミツキ、ボルトを見ていると、里のために自分を犠牲にした兄の気持ちが、分か
る気がしてくるのだ。
 Besides...When he was watching Sarada, Mitsuki, and Boruto...He felt as though he
understood the sentiments of his elder brother who had sacrificed himself for the sake of the
village.
新世代の子供たちが、木ノ葉隠れの里の教えを糧に成長していく姿。兄が守りたかったものが、こ
の里に受け継がれているのだと感じるたびに、サスケは胸がすく思いがした。
 He was watching the sight of the children of the new generation as they used the teachings of
Konohagakure Village as food for becoming more mature. These were things that his elder
brother had wanted to protect. Each and every time he felt that those sentiments were being
inherited by the village, Sasuke felt pressure being relieved from his heart.
長い長い戦いに明け暮れたことも、 無駄ではなかったと思えてくる。
 It seemed as though doing nothing but all those long, drawn-out battles were not in vain.
教育。
 Training.
それこそが、里を守り国を守るため、最も重要なものなのかもしれない。
 The results from that would be for the sake of protecting the village and the country. Perhaps
that is the most important thing to do.

Boruto snaps Sasuke out of his contemplative section above~

He asks Sasuke-occhan to teach him the trick to mastering his challenge. Sasuke turns towards the
direction of Boruto’s voice. He sees those familiar blue eyes, looking up at him in admiration, without
any care or worries at all.
Sasuke asks Boruto what’s wrong. Boruto says they tried out Rasengan, shuriken, and various other
ways...but nothing seems to be working properly. Boruto asks for Sasuke to teach them how he did it
like with the shuriken from before ‘dattebasa.
Sasuke takes out a shuriken, but all he can muster is “…”. Suddenly he is at a loss for words. While
he’s inhaling, he can’t seem to describe the sensation. At least, not consciously. It seems difficult for
Sasuke to try and express it again. He responds a bit awkwardly, saying:
「こう持って……投げる」
 “Hold it like this….And throw.”
「……~~~~~それじゃあ分かんないってばさ！」
 “.....I don’t understand that ‘ttebasa!~~~~~~”
Boruto stomps his feet in frustration. Mitsuki starts asking more tangible questions: How does
Sasuke adjust the power? By the snap of the wrist? Or by the fingertip? Sasuke stares into the palm
of his own hand and thinks for a bit. The trick to it was probably something along those lines, but it
was difficult to explain it in words. He only knew it by feel. How could he explain how to adjust it…?
The three of them wait attentively for his answer.
「…狙いを定めて……こう、投げる」
 “...Establish your aim….and throw it...like this.”
Even if Sasuke puts it that way, he can’t communicate it well to them at all. The three of them
collectively sigh when they hear his advice. Sasuke makes a wry smile at his predicament.
オレは、教育者には向いてないな。
 I don’t seem to be suitable as an educator.
その点、カカシは、言葉が上手かった。ろくに周りに伝えずに大抵のことを済ませようとする自分
と違い、カカシはいつも、適切な言葉を適切な量で操って、どんなことも分かりやすく後進に伝え
た。
 As for that facet, Kakashi was skilled at using his words. He was different from me in that I
would typically settle things without having to communicate well about it. But Kakashi could
always manipulate the appropriate words in just the right way...No matter what it was, he was
easy to understand when he communicated to whomever he trained.
カカシと比べれば、オレは師匠としてまだまだだな…そんなことを思い、サスケは内心で 自嘲した
したのだった。
 If I compare myself to Kakashi, I feel as though...I still have a long ways to go when it comes
to being a shishou. Sasuke ridiculed himself with his innermost thoughts.

 Despite training until sunset, Boruto was unable to arrange the eyes of the dice in the end.
螺旋丸で強敵モモシキをぶっ倒したことだってあるのに……角砂糖ひとつ思い通りに転がせないな
んて、屈辱だ。
 Even though he had managed to defeat his formidable enemy, Momoshiki, with his
Rasengan...He felt humiliated by something like this: Being unable to roll the sugar cubes to
his liking, for one thing.
家に帰ってからも、サイコロ修業のことで、頭がいっばいだった。
 Even from when he returned home, his mind was only filled with the sugar cube training.
風呂に入りながらも昼間の練習を思い出して、湯船の中で両手を広げてみる。濡れた天井から落ち
た水滴が、手のひらの上で水面を割った。 こんな小さな水滴でさえ、水面にぶつかれば波紋を生む
のだ。角砂糖を崩さずにチャクラ をぶつけるなんて、無理じゃないかー。
 Even while he was getting into the bathtub, he remembered the daytime training as tried to
open up both of his hands. Droplets of water rained down from the wet ceiling. The surface of
the water was broken by the palm of his hands. Even with such small droplets of water, if they
collided with the surface of water...they would produce a ripple. To not destroy the sugar
cubes, he couldn’t strike them hard with chakra. Was that impossible, though...?
弱気になってんじゃねえってばさ、オレ!
 I...Can’t be so weak-spirited ‘ttebasa!
ボルトはひとりでぶんぶんと頭を振って、めげそうになっていた自分を叱咤した。 しょっぱなから
つまずいてる場合じゃない。オレは、サスケのおっちゃんの弟子なんだから!
 Boruto then reactively shook his head from side to side; He was scolding himself for getting
discouraged. This won’t be a situation where I’ll keep stumbling from the very beginning.
That’s because...I am Sasuke-occhan’s pupil!
気を取り直して、濡れた両手を目の前にかざす。
 Regaining a grip on his mindset, he held out both of his wet hands in front of his eyes.
「角砂糖を崩さないくらい、やさしく……」
 “So to avoid destroying the sugar cubes, I’ve got to be gentle…”
イメージトレーニングのつもりが、うっかり本気でチャクラを練ってしまい、風呂の水面がぐるぐ
ると渦を巻き始めた。
 He intended on image-training, but he inadvertently and actually completely kneaded chakra.
The surface of the water in the bathtub started to wind round and round into a swirl.
「ボルト？こんなところでチャクラ練ったらだめよ。お風呂場が壊れちゃう」
 “Boruto? It’s not okay to knead chakra in a place like this. The bathroom will end up
completely destroyed.”
すかさず母のヒナタが顔をのぞかせて、釘を刺す。
 Without a moment’s delay, his mother Hinata peeked her face inside to warn him.
ヒナタは白眼の使い手で、チャクラの流れに敏感なのだ。
 Since Hinata was a user of the Byakugan, she was sensitive to the flow of chakra.
「ふ、風呂のぞかないでくれってばさ! かーちゃん、家で白眼使うのもやめてくれよ!」
 “Please don’t peek into the ba-bathtub ‘ttebasa! Mom, please stop using the Byakugan in the
house too!”
「ふふ。チャクラの気配を感じたから、つい、ね」
 “Hehe. That’s because I felt the presence of chakra. Not intentionally, okay?”
風呂から上がると、ヒマワリが、リビングで音楽番組を見ていた。
 Once he stepped out of the bathtub, he saw that Himawari was in the living room watching a
music program on TV.
スタジオで歌い踊っているのは、姫野リリィだ。カラフルなスポットライトを浴びて、汗を散らし
ている。
 The one who was singing and dancing in the studio was Himeno Lilly. She was basking in
colourful spotlights while her sweat was scattering.
「マシュマロ食べてー♪ ねっちゃねちゃー♪」
 “ Eating marshmallows~♪ So sticky, sticky~♪”
ヒマワリの視線はすっかりテレビに釘づけだ。リリィの歌声に合わせて、メロディを口ずさんでい
る。
 Himawari’s eyes were completely glued to the TV. Matching up with Lilly’s singing voice, she
was humming the melody to herself.
「ヒマワリ、姫野リリィ好きなのか？」
 “Himawari, do you like Himeno Lilly?”
ボルトが聞くと、ヒマワリは「うん!」と嬉しそうにうなずいた。
 To Boruto’s question, Himawari delightfully replied “Yup!” and nodded.
「リリィちゃんかわいいし、歌もダンスも上手だから」
 “Because Lilly-chan is cute, and she’s good at singing and dancing.”
そうなのか。
 Is that so?
ボルトはテレビ画面に視線を戻した。 リリィの顔がアップになる。かわいいかどうかはピンと来な
かったが, 目の色はキレイだと思った。深紫の瞳は明るく澄んで、 まるで虹のふちの色みたいだ。
 Boruto returned his gaze to the TV screen. Now there was a close-up of Lilly’s face. What
struck him wasn’t about whether or not she was cute, but he thought that she had a pretty
eye-colour. She had deep purple eyes that were bright and clear: They looked completely like
the colour at the edge of a rainbow.
ゴーゴー♪ ゴートウー♪ ヘルアンドエンジェルー♪
 Go~ Go~ ♪ Go~ To~♪ Hell and Angel~♪
ゴーゴー♪ ゴートウー♪ ヴァイオレツトムーン♪
 Go~ Go~♪ Go~ To~♪ Violet Moon~♪
サラダが言っていた通り、改めて聞くとけったいな歌詞だ。
 It went in accordance to what Sarada had said about it: These were bizarre song lyrics to
listen to once again.
They continued training with the dice also on the next day.
あ゛~~~~~~!!
 AaaRgHrgHhhhhhh~~~!!
Sarada bitterly screams in frustration, which resounds throughout the forest. Shuriken are stuck on
the stump next to the dice, whose eyes read three and four.

[T/N] The way they author decided to write it was an あ // ‘Ahhh’ sound with two radical called
‘dakuten’. This changes the pronunciation of written Japanese. Ordinarily in standard alphabet, は
(Ha) -> ば (Ba)->ぱ (Pa) just from extra radical marks. あ゛doesn’t exist at all in standard Japanese
alphabet, so it’s kinda like an emphatic flavour of her pronunciation that’s a bit fudged because it’s
more emotive than usual.
So instead of あ~~~~~~!!
(Ahhhh~~~!!)
We have something that’s あ゛~~~~~~!!
More like (AaaRgHrgHhhhhhh~~~!!)
or like “ArghydhjfFkl;23j45a~~~!!”.
Some non-standard way of saying it. (#TheMoreYouKnow)

She tells Boruto that she’ll get it right soon enough, but he retorts that he’ll certainly take the lead
‘ttebasa. He sees that Sarada seems crestfallen by her progress, and tries to act like a smart-aleck.
Boruto tries right away, screaming あ゛っ! in a discouraged manner.

[T/N] Shorter, but also weird emphatic version of Ahh! with two non-standard dakuten. Maybe
pronounced more like ‘Blargh’ or ‘Asfklg’...? lol~

He struck them hard with the airflow of his chakra, and he’s cleaved his dice in half.
Mitsuki butts in a bit, saying that the one who’s actually closest to completing the challenge is him.
He says it while laughing and making a seal for Fuuton.
Sasuke then calls out to the three of them, who are still doing repeatedly doing their trial-and-error
methods.
「今日は修業メニューを増やすぞ」
 I’ll be adding to the training menu today.
「へえ。どんな?」
 Ehh. How?
「電磁誘導投擲だ」
 The Lorentz Gun

[T/N] 電磁誘導投擲 (Denjiyuudou Douteki) is given the furigana ローレンツガン (Lorentz Gun). From
now on, I’ll refer to it as the ‘Lorentz Gun’, because the kanji is absurdly long to write if read
normally/if I keep it like a jutsu name. In English, it literally means ‘Electromagnetic Induction
Throwing’, which is equally annoying to type...lol~ Also for physics lovers, you can freshen up on this
topic, [The Lorentz Force].

They wonder what he means. They tilt their heads and follow along behind where Sasuke is. They
can see the damage that was done to the cliff that he hit yesterday with his kunai. The side of it
seems to have been shaved off, due to the avalanche that he had caused.
「この技は雷遁を応用する」
 “This technique will employ Raiton (/Lightning Release).”
The three of them nod.
サスケが、 クナイを取リ出す。昨日使っていたのと同じ、赤銅色のクナイだ。
 Sasuke takes out a kunai. It’s the same as the one he used yesterday: A brown kunai.
「ねぇパパ、 なんでそのクナイ、 赤っぽいの？ 」
 “Hey Papa, why is that kunai...kinda red?”
「銅のクナイだ。電気をよく通す」
 “It’s a copper kunai. It conducts electricity well.”
サスケはクナイを手に構えた。
 Sasuke prepared to use the kunai in his hand.
「従来の雷遁による攻撃は、主に、強い電圧を相手にぶつけてダメージを与えるタイプのものだっ
た。ボルト、お前の紫電がそうだ。しかし、今から見せる技は、原理が違う。強い電流が流れる時
、 その周囲に磁場が生まれることを利用してクナイを飛ばす。 最近、 科学忍具班が発見した原理
で、仮に電磁誘導と名づけられている」
 “When attacks employ normal Raiton, they are the type that primarily causes damage by
striking the enemy with a strong voltage. Boruto, your Shiden (/Purple Lightning) is like that.
But in the technique that I’m about to show you, the principle is different. When the strong
electrical current streams, the kunai will be fired using the magnetic field that’s been produced
around it. Recently, the Scientific Ninja Weaponry Team discovered this principle; They’ve
provisionally named it ‘Electromagnetic Induction’. ”
科学忍具班、 と聞いて、 ボルトは露骨に顔をそむけた。
 Upon hearing about the Scientific Ninja Weaponry Team, Boruto blatantly turned his face
away.
サスケはクナイを持つと、 遠くに見える岩肌に向け、 片方しかない腕をまつすぐに伸ばした。 広
げた手のひらの中指に、 銅のクナイをひっかけている。
 Holding the kunai, Sasuke turned toward the surface of a distant rock that could be seen. With
no choice but to depend on his only arm, he suddenly extended it. He was hanging the copper
kunai with the middle finger of his open palm.
「標的に向かって立ち...二本の電撃を、 平行に飛ばす」
 “Stand facing towards the target...And fire it in parallel with the two electric blitzes.”
サスケの手のひらの先から、 二筋の電撃が、 バチバチと音を立てながら伸びていった。 電流を放
出する、 雷遁の基本技だ。
 Originating from Sasuke’s palm were two lines of electric blitzes, which made a ‘bachi-bachi’
sound as it was being produced. Emitting an electrical current, it was a technique that used
Raiton as it’s foundation.
「そして、 二本の電流の間を通るように、 銅製のクナイを投げる」
 “And then, in order to pass through the gap between the two electrical currents, throw the
copper kunai through it.”
ふつ、 とサスケが軽くクナイを放った。 並んだ二本の電流に、 クナイの左右が触れた瞬間...
 With a ‘fwoo’ sound, Sasuke lightly threw the kunai. Then at the moment when the left and
right sides of kunai touched the two aligned electrical currents...
ブォン!
 BOOM!
クナイはすさまじい勢いで加速し、 森の木をなぎ倒しながら進んで、 岩肌を突き崩した。
 The kunai was accelerating with tremendous force: The trees in the forest were being mowed
down of their own accord, and the surface of the rock was thoroughly crushed.
音速にも勝る加速。 素手で投げるのとは桁違いの威力だ。 はたして火影でも、 この速度を 超えて
クナイを投げられるかどうか。
 The acceleration even surpassed the speed of sound. The power was in a completely different
league by throwing with his bare hand. When it came to the Hokage, could he even throw a
kunai that would exceed this velocity?

[T/N] According to good old [Wikipedia] as a reference point at room temperature:

At 20 °C (68 °F), the speed of sound is 343 metres per second (1,125 ft/s; 1,235 km/h; 767 mph; 667 kn), or a
kilometre in 2.91 s or a mile in 4.69 s.
Though I don’t have much of a physics background to confirm it, but I assume that Papasuke broke
the [sound barrier], and that BOOM! might be a [sonic boom].
(And yes, that's the author wondering whether or not Dadruto is able to match up with Papasuke's
new throwing ability...lol~~)

唖然とする三人に、 サスケが向き直る。
 The three of them were dumbfounded as Sasuke turned around.
「まずは、 雷遁の基本攻撃を二本に分けて放出するところからやってみろ。 右手と左手、 それぞ
れから電流を放つてみるのもいい」
 “To begin with, this attack has it’s basis on Raiton: Use a method where you’ll divide it into two
when you try to emit it. It’s fine to use your right and left hands to release each of the electrical
currents.”
Only Sarada and Mitsuki emphatically answer with a “Yes!’. Boruto, however, looks depressed. He
takes a side-glance at the clouds of dust that have formed at the surface of the rock. Sasuke notices
Boruto’s disposition. He then takes out three of the copper kunai from his breast pocket.
「 銅のクナイは錆やすいから、 定期的に酢で磨け。 錆びついていると威力が落ちる 」
 “Because it’s easy for copper kunai to rust, they should be polished regularly with vinegar. It’s
power will degrade if it gets rusty.”
Mitsuki thinks this fact is interesting. He says that with the normal kunai made from iron, you have to
warm it with flame in order to prevent it from getting rusty: It’ll have a coating with a film of black rust
around it. A kunai made from copper is the opposite, as you have to polish it with vinegar to prevent
the rust.
Sasuke seems impressed with Mitsuki’s knowledge. He says that Konohamaru-sensei taught him
this. Sarada chimes in that she also knew this. Boruto doesn’t join in on the conversation. He’s
acting bored and gazes over that the birds flying overhead.
「どうした、 ボルト」
 “What’s wrong, Boruto?”
クナイを受け取ろうとしないボルトに、 サスケが聞く。
 Sasuke asks Boruto, who is trying to not receive the kunai.
「 いや…オレはあっちで、 もうちょっと、 サイコロ転がす練習するってばさ」
 “No...I’ll be over there, for just a bit longer...Practicing the dice-rolling ‘ttebasa.”
どこか浮かない様子でそう言うと、 ボルトはそそくさと、 森の中へと戻つていつた。
 Boruto said so in a somewhat distant manner, as he hurried off to return into the forest.

Before he knew it, the western sky was tinged in red. And yet, Boruto was still unable to match up
the eyes of the dice even once.
今度こそ、 成功させてやるってばさ…！
 Next time, I’ll make sure that it’ll be a success ‘ttebasa…!
Boruto tries to fire himself up with both of his hands outstretched, holding the dice. He kneads some
chakra. Both of the dice tumble a few times together, and then stop. They both have three’s facing
up!
やった…!
 I did it…!
But just when Boruto could think about celebrating, the right dice suddenly rotated once again. It
reads one.
Boruto yells out in frustration, and then flops onto the ground...Both legs splayed out in front of him.
He then topples himself over, feeling disappointed in himself. He’s very annoyed at himself only
because of that disappointment. He mutters an ‘Argh, Damnit..’ to himself.
Around now, Mitsuki and Sarada were probably still practicing that Raiton skill. That
electromagnetic-whatever-it’s called.

(Just FYI, the author wrote-in 電磁なんちゃら = electromagnetic-something-something. Boruto really wasn’t
paying much attention to the demo, eh? Or at least trying to play it off cool.)

Boruto energetically stands back up and grabs the dice. He tosses them with a mix of irritation and
forcefulness.
「荒れてるな」
 “Lost your temper, eh?”
From overhead, he hears a voice.
Taken aback, Boruto looks up. It’s Sasuke himself! Boruto denies that it’s because of the training.
Boruto means to act tough with his tone of voice, but then he suddenly and rudely looks away. He
takes a glimpse at the vast evening sky above him, and sees a crow flying by as if it was gliding.
Sasuke sits down onto a tree-stump. Instead of looking at Boruto, he stares distantly off into the sky.
「ボルト。 科学が嫌いか？」
 “Boruto, Do you hate science?”
「…なんでそう思うんだよ」
 “...What makes you think that..”
「なんとなくだ」
 “ For some reason or another.”
The sky is now entirely dyed orange, as if it’s burning. There’s a cool breeze that blows by that
makes them feel a bit chilly. Even so, it’s a calm evening. The grass is swaying. They cast long
shadows whichslightly rustle and billow.
「別に、 嫌いとかじゃねーけど…」
 “ Well it’s not like I hate in particular, but…”Boruto gives off the impression of a guilty
conscious. Little by little, he starts to talk.
「なんつーかさ…。 黒錆で長持ちとか、 ローレンツガンでなんたらとか…そうやって科学に頼んの
つて、 あんまり忍っぽくないっつーか…かっこ悪イっつーか」
 “How should I put it...Things like long-lasting black rust… or stuff like the Lorentz Gun...It’s
about the reliance in science...Or should I say...It doesn’t seem becoming of a ninja at all… I
mean...It’s kinda lame.”
「そう思うか」
 “So that’s how you feel.”
「 うん。 …オレ、 やっぱ、 科学、 好きじゃないってぱさ」
 “Yeah….I mean.. Of course...I don’t like...Science ‘ttebasa.”
That’s why Boruto seemed rather dejected when he saw Sasuke demonstrating the technique that
used scientific principles as it’s foundation. The light from the sunset peeks through a stream of
clouds and envelop their shadows. A gentle breeze passes as the clouds continue to slowly float by.
Sasuke then continues to talk as he watches some birds return to their nest:
「 科学を知れば、 忍術もより効果的に使うことができる。 科学と忍術は、 対立するものではなく
、 同じ場所から茎を生やすものだ 」
 “If you understand science, you’ll be even more effective and capable of using ninjutsu.
Science and ninjutsu are not antagonists to one another: They grow and stem from the same
things.”
「‥‥‥わかってるってばさ」
 “...I know ‘ttebasa.”
Boruto cast his gaze downwards, and then scowled at the ground. Thoughts passed through his
mind, the bitter memories from the Chuunin Exams from when he was secretly using the banned
scientific ninja tools. Of course, his Father saw it all. And then he was disqualified as punishment.
But unrelated to those reasons, his heart and mind completely rejected them. Just by hearing about
science, those memories were being refreshed in his mind from the exams.
「ボルト、 お前は優秀な忍者だ」
 “Boruto, you are an excellent ninja.”
サスケが静かに言った。
 Sasuke said softly.
「恵まれた教育を受け、 それに応えるだけの才能と根性も持っている…里を守って死んでいった忍
者がお前を見たら、 きっと誇りに思うだろう 」
 “You have received a blessed education; In addition, you possess enough talent and
willpower to live-up to it as well...If the ninja who died protecting the village were to see you, I
think that they would certainly be proud of you.”
「んなわけねえじゃん!」
 “That’s not the point, you know!”
Boruto seems more agitated and miserable, and then spits out a retort:
「科学だらけの、 便利でぬるい時代に生まれたオレのこと、 バカにするんじゃねえの。 歴代の忍
者さんたちはさあ! 」
 “I was born into an era that’s been completely and conveniently full of science, so don’t look
down upon me. The next generations of ninja will be too, you know! ”
「するわけないだろう」
 “That’s not what I meant.”
サスケが、 あっさりと言う。
 Sasuke harshly said.
「平穏と発展は、 それこそ乱世の忍者たちが夢見てきたものだ。 長い時間をかけ、 気が遠くなる
ほどの切磋琢磨を繰り返しながらな」
 “Peace and advancements...These are things that shinobi who were caught up in turbulent
times could only dream of. For long periods of time, they repeatedly and diligently improved
themselves until they felt exhausted.”
Sasuke then takes out a kunai from his breast pocket. It’s kunai that’s been protected with rust. It’s a
deep black colour that dully reflects light.
「クナイをあえて錆びさせることで、 腐食から守れる。 二本の電流の中央にクナイを投げると、
特別な力がクナイを加速させる…たったそれだけの知識を得るために、 多くの先人が幾度もの観察
と分析を繰り返してきた。 そして、 科学忍具は、 そうして蓄積されてきた知の集大成でもある。
中忍試験で使うには確かにふさわしくなかっただろうが、 実戦で上手く使えば大きな武器になるだ
ろう。 ただ強いだけじゃなく…里を守るための、力としてな」
 “By coating a kunai with rust, it becomes protected from corrosion. Throw a kunai between the
centre of two long electrical currents, and a special power will make the kunai accelerate… In
order to just acquire that knowledge itself, many of our predecessors have observed a number
of things and repeatedly analyzed them. And so, as for the scientific ninja tools, that’s what
the knowledge accumulated into. Of course, it probably wasn’t appropriate to use for the
Chuunin Exams, but if you cleverly use it in actual combat, it’ll probably become an important
weapon. It’s not just an ordinary power, but a power to be used...for the sake of protecting the
village.”
The clouds streamed by. Sasuke and Boruto were enveloped in the sunset once again. Boruto
stared at the Sasuke’s profile from the side. Usually, Sasuke’s hair and pupil was a black colour.
Now exposed to the setting sun, they were orange-tinged.
「 多くの人間の手によって、 長い時間をかけ、 積み重ねられてきた知の集積。 その最前線にいる
のが…ボルト、 お前たちの世代だ」
 Because of the hands of so many people over long periods of time, we’ve been able to
accumulate a collection of knowledge. At the front-most line of that, Boruto...Is your
generation.”
Sasuke suddenly looked in Boruto’s direction. Their eyes briefly met. Boruto promptly averted his
eyes away. Seeing Boruto’s reaction, Sasuke softened his facial expression.
「 お前は科学が嫌いなんだったな。 オレの話に退屈したか」
 “Since you hate science, you probably got tired of my story.”
「 まーね。 …サスケのおっちゃんって、 意外と、 よくしゃべるんだな 」
 “I gotta admit...Sasuke-Occhan, I’m surprised...You speak so well.”
「 お前の父親ほどじゃないさ」
 “Not as well as your Father does.”
Boruto cast a glance over to the top of the bushes. He had thrown the dice onto there some time
ago. Because the sugar cubes had broken, there was already a line queued of ants all around it.
サスケの期待に応えたい。 痛いほど強く、 そう思う。 だからこそ、 どうしても科学を好きになれ
ない自分がもどかしかった。
 He wanted to live-up to Sasuke’s expectations. That feeling...was painfully strong. That was
the reason...For why he was so irritated at himself: For not getting accustomed to liking
science, no matter what.
「そろそろ日が暮れる。 里に戻るぞ」
 “The sun will set soon. Let’s head back to the village.”
Sasuke stood up and started to walk towards the cliff where Sarada and Mitsuki were practicing.
Boruto silently walked behind him.
The northern sky had already started to darken.

SHORT INTERLUDE

 That evening:
ミツキはひとり、 大樹の枝の上に立ち、 電磁誘導投擲の自主修業をしていた。
 Mitsuki stood alone on the branch of a huge tree, independently training on the Lorentz Gun
(Electromagnetic Induction Throwing).
放たれた雷遁は、 空気に触れた瞬間から拡散していく。 自然の流れのままにしておけばすぐに空気
に溶けてしまう電撃を、 一本の道筋として保持し続けるのは、 高度な技術のいる作業だ。
 The moment that the released Raiton contacted the air, it diffused. Naturally, if the current
continued on as usual, the lightning attack would eventually and quickly diffuse into the air. In
order to keep maintaining it as one long path, he had to train with advanced techniques.
空はよく晴れていた。 くっきりと輝く半月は、 木の上から兒ると。
 The sky had cleared up nicely. There was a distinct glimmer to the half-moon that could be
seen from the top of the trees.
バチバチツ…。
 Crackle crackle...
放つ電撃の芯に柱をうめこむようなイメージで、 ミツキはひたすらに電流を放出する練習をしてい
た。
 Mitsuki was determined to practice releasing an electric current, thinking of an image like
burying a post through the centre of his released lightning attack.
「なかなか面白い修業をしてるわね」
 “What a rather interesting training that you’re doing.”
背後からふいに声をかけられ、 集中力を乱された。
 A voice from behind abruptly called out to him. His ability to concentrate got disturbed by it.
振り返ると、 大蛇丸がひとつ上の枝に立って、 こちらを見下ろしている。
 Mitsuki looked over his shoulder. Orochimaru was standing on top of another branch,
overlooking him.
「なに? ヒマなの?」
 “Huh? You have some time off?”
「ふふふ。 散歩よ。 月がきれいだったから」
 “Hehehe. I’m out for a stroll since the moon was so beautiful.”
「…ふーん…こんなところまでね」
 “...Hmph. You came all the way to place like this,eh.”
「見たところ、 雷遁の流れを制御しようとしてたみたいだけど…どういう意図なの?」
 “From the looks of it, it seems like you’re trying to control the stream of the Raiton...But what
are you intending to do with it?”
適当に返事をして修業に戻ろうとしたのに、 大蛇丸はなおも話しかけてくる。 どうやらヒマなよう
だ。
 Even though Mitsuki tried to return to his training by giving him an adequate response,
Orochimaru kept on talking to him. It seemed as though he really did have some free-time.
「雷遁の流れを操ることで、 磁場を利用して物を加速させるんだ」
 “By manipulating the stream of Raiton, you can make something accelerate using the
magnetic field.”
「ああ、 なるほど。 電磁誘導ね」
 “Ahh. I see. Electromagnetic Induction Throwing, eh.”
大蛇丸との会話を切り上げて、 ミツキは意識を手のひらに集中した。
 Finishing up the conversation with Orochimaru, Mitsuki turned his attention to concentrate on
the palm of his hand.
思い浮かベるのは、 直線のイメージ。 四散しようとする電流を引き寄せて、 まっすぐに…。
 The image of a straight line came to mind. Draw the electrical current back towards myself
when it tries to scatter, and then aim straight ahead...
ミツキの手から放たれた電流が、 パチパチと音を立ててプラズマをまといながら伸びていく。 その
軌道は、 目視の限りでは、 まっすぐに伸びていた。
 Mitsuki released an electrical current from his hand: The plasma made a particular ‘Crackle-
Crackle’ sound as the electrical current lengthened towards his target. The trajectory, to the
best of what he could see, extended straight out ahead of him.
…できた!
 … I did it!
と、 思った瞬間、 バチイ! と音を立てて電流そのものが弾けた。
 He thought that for a second. But then the electrical current itself popped with a ‘Crackle!’
sound.
「わっ」
 “Huh”
上手くいったと思って、 つい気を抜いてしまった。
 He thought that he had done it well, but he had accidentally lost focus.
「なかなかやるわね。 まあ、 私の息子なんだからそれくらいできて当然だけど」
 “You did pretty well. Well, it’s natural that my son would be able to do something like this
though.”
「 まだまだだよ。 形を保てないし、 意図した形に放電できるまで時間がかかるんだ。 サスケさん
みたいに、 一瞬でってわけにはいかない」
 “I still have a long way to go. I wasn’t able to retain its shape. It’ll take some time for me to
even be able to get the electrical discharge to be in the intended shape. It’s impossible for me
to do it all at once, just like Sasuke-san.”
「え？」
 “Eh?”
サスケの名前が出た瞬間、 大蛇丸の目の色が、 急に変わった。
 The second that Sasuke’s name was uttered, Orochimaru’s eye colour swifty changed.
「 ミツキ、 アナタ…サスケくんに、 修業をつけてもらってるの？」
 “ Mitsuki, You’re...Receiving training...From Sasuke-kun?”
「 ああ、 言ってなかった? 木ノ葉丸先生が入院中だから、 サスケさんが代わりに教えてくれてる
んだ」
 “Yeah. Didn’t I tell you? Because Konohamaru-sensei is in the hospital, Sasuke-san is
teaching us as his substitute.”
「ふぅん…あのサスケくんがね…」
 “Hmph. That Sasuke-kun, eh…”
意味深につぶやいて、 大蛇丸が黙りこむ。
 Muttering with a hint to an underlying meaning, Orochimaru then fell silent.
「…」
 “...”
大蛇丸は、 蛇が蝶々を追うように、 ぐるりと瞳を巡らせると、 やがておもむろにつぶやいた。
 The pupils of Orochimaru’s eyes swirled around and around, like a snake chasing a butterfly.
Before long, he slowly muttered:
「…明日、 アナタたちの修業、見に行こうかしら」
 “...Tomorrow, perhaps I’ll come to see all of you training”
「絶対やめて」
 “Seriously, don’t do it.”
END OFSHORT INTERLUDE

Aside from training with rolling the dice and practicing with the Lorentz Gun, Sasuke’s training
covered a wide-range of topics. From basic training to mock-battles, he had various plans.
Roughly five days had elapsed since they had began their training. One way or another, the three of
them had managed to arrange the eyes of the dice. Although it wasn’t even eight or nine times out of
ten, they managed to be successful once or twice out of ten times. Sarada and Mitsuki were
gradually getting used to using the Lorentz Gun. However, Boruto had continued to avoid science.
As far as the ninja of the new generation are concerned, using science would become a natural way
of doing things. It would become important, just like an ally. If he kept avoiding science as much as
possible, he’d end up lagging behind other ninja.
Sasuke wanted to make him overcome his allergy towards science, but the issue was with Boruto’s
feelings. Sasuke was worried about Boruto’s obstinance, since he kept turning his back away from
science. None other than Boruto himself had to overcome that deadlock.
It was now the morning of the second week since they had begun training.
Sasuke was late for the start-time of the training by almost thirty minutes. He watched as the three of
them had already begun practicing with their independent training: Trying to match the cube-sugar
dice.
“You’ve considerably grown accustomed to controlling them”, he greeted.
“Until you’ve made zero mistakes, continue to practice this every day. Mitsuki, Sarada...Don’t forget
to train the Lorentz Gun. Afterwards, do some basic training and mock battles. Decide for yourself
from the menu of options. If there’s something that you want to do, let’s discuss and decide.“
「なんだよ、サスケのおっちゃん。どっか行くみたいに」
 “Well, Sasuke-Occhan, it seems like you’re going somewhere.”
「任務が入ってな。もう発つ」
 “I’m heading on a mission. I’ll be leaving soon.”
さらりと言うサスケに、「えっー!」と、目を丸くしたのは、サラダだ。
 “Ehh-!” Sarada’s eyes grew wide as Sasuke answered without hesitation.
「里を離れるってこと?」
 “You’re saying that you’re leaving the village?”
「ああ。火急の調査を依頼されてな。一週間ほどで帰る」
 “Yeah. I’ve been dispatched for an emergency investigation. I’ll be back in about a week.”
平然と言うサスケに「急だってばさ……」とボルトが口をとがらせる。
 As Sasuke answered calmly, Boruto’s mouth tapered sourly as he replied, “You said urgently,
‘dattebasa….”
サラダは、じとっとした目つきで、サスケをにらみ上げた。
 Sarada had a dark and gloomy look in her eyes as she glared back at Sasuke:
「……ねーパパ、そのこと、ちゃんとママに伝えた？ママ、パパがいなくなるって知ってる?」
 “...Hey, Papa… Did you properly tell that to Mama? Does Mama know that Papa is leaving?”
「ああ」
 “Yeah”
「ほんとに？ ……いつ?」
 “ Really?...Since when?”
父親の言うことをまるで信用していない娘の、疑わしげな表情に、サスケは苦笑いで答えた。
 She had a dubious facial expression, since his daughter didn’t believe in what her father had
said at all. Sasuke responded to her with a bitter smile:
「お前が寝たあとに、サクラとはたっぷリ話してる。だから心配するな」
 “After you go to sleep, I talk to Sakura a lot. That’s why you shouldn’t be worried”
「ほんとかなあ……」
 “I really hope so……..”
The subject matter of Sasuke’s missions were usually top-secret. Boruto had always heard of it that
way.
As Sasuke left to depart on his mission, the three of them went to the outer gates of the village to
send him off until he was out of sight. Then they chose to have lunch at Ichiraku Ramen. Brushing
aside the entrance curtain on their way out with full stomachs, they made their way back to the
training grounds.
The old section of town had a quiet atmosphere in comparison with the new section of town, which
had been considerably developed and was bustling day and night. Street lights lined up in rows, and
there were huge shop window displays and open cafe terraces. They could hear the shouts of the
storekeepers from the front of the Japanese confectionary shops, and there was a cartoon cat
mascot at the middle of the crossroads that was handing out fliers.
“You know, Chou-Chou and I went to eat anmitsu there, it’s super delicious….”
[T/N: Anmitsu is a syrup-coated red bean dessert with an agar jelly. It’s served with fruit, such as peaches and
cherries.]
The three of them continue to walk in a daze, chatting idly. Someone then hands out a leaflet to
them.
Boruto reflexively reaches out his hand to take one, but then a huge paw grabs onto him. Boruto has
a surprised look on his face.
“What?”
It’s the cartoon-mascot cat. It leans in towards his face.
“You guys are shinobi, right?”
The cat spoke to them.
“We are, but...What are you doing?”
“I have a request for you...!”
The cat in the cartoon-mascot lowers it’s voice again, and then pulls Boruto forcibly by the hand
behind an alleyway.
Sarada and Mituski are confused, but pursue right after them.
It’s a secluded, hidden back alleyway. The cartoon-mascot cat then meekly begins to talk.
“Actually, even though I’m just a lowly celebrity…”
(They think to themselves: ...But it’s a cat?)
“Someone is trying to kill me!”
(They think to themselves: ...But it’s a cat?)
“That’s why I want you to guard me! If you want money, I’ll pay!”
(They think to themselves yet again: ...But it’s a cat?)
The three of them exchange glances with one another.
“Uhh, But first, shouldn’t you go to the hospital or something?”
Mitsuki cruelly replies to her without hesitation.
The cat kicks and then stamps it’s feet.
“Seriously, I’m so worried over this…”
She starts shouting at them, and lifts off the head of the costume. Underneath is flowing, wavy, and
bright golden hair.
All three of them stared with their mouths agape.
“I...Can’t die in a place like this!”
Inside the cartoon-mascot costume is the hugely popular break-out idol-singer...Himeno Lilly.