Hearing Sasuke's words, Ao's eyes widened instantly.
'How does this guy know?'
'Was I betrayed?'
'No, impossible!'
First off, Uchiha Sasuke looked exactly the same as he did during the Fourth Great Ninja War. On top of that, there was this chaos—though the cause was unknown, shinobi from the past were appearing one after another. Sasuke must have simply traveled from the past to the present.
So, under these circumstances, how could Sasuke possibly know about him and the Kara organization?
Just why?
However, seeing Ao's reaction, Sasuke knew he wasn't mistaken. Although this Ao was different from the one in the original story—he hadn't lost half his body in battle—he had still walked the same path.
He had become a modified human!
It was clear from Ao's current appearance; half of his body had been fundamentally altered. Judging by the extent of the modifications, it seemed Ao intended to completely abandon his human form, converting everything to achieve a form of immortality.
"The old you, while lacking a bit in raw power, was decent enough as a support-type ninja," Kimimaro stated coldly, raising his hand and firing several bone projectiles. The moment the bones shot out, he accelerated, closely following them, rapidly closing the distance to Ao.
Faced with Kimimaro's attack, beads of cold sweat formed on Ao's forehead. This man before him, while not as terrifying as Uchiha Sasuke, possessed strength that, relative to Ao, or even the entire ninja world, was undoubtedly top-tier.
Ao suddenly accelerated, revealing thrusters akin to jet engines on his back. With a burst of speed, he abruptly dodged the incoming bone spikes.
However, while the projectiles were avoided, Kimimaro himself wasn't so easily evaded. Swinging a bone blade, Kimimaro slashed straight towards him. His movements and speed were such that even an average Jonin would struggle to react.
Thanks to his modified body, Ao's reaction speed was incredibly fast. Instantly, the Type-3 Shinobi Gauntlet on his left arm erupted with a chakra saber, easily parrying Kimimaro's bone blade.
A clang echoed from the impact.
Though the chakra saber was powerful enough to block the bone blade, it couldn't stop Kimimaro's sheer strength. Ao's body slid rapidly backward, carving two long trails into the ground.
Even as he slid back, Ao's left hand transformed directly into a capacitor-type Scientific Ninja Tool—a machine gun! He opened fire directly at Kimimaro.
"Don't underestimate me!" Ao roared. "Let me show you the power of modern Scientific Ninja Tools!"
A relentless hail of bullets sprayed towards Kimimaro like rain.
Boruto paused, stunned. "A machine gun... built into his arm..."
The next second, while Boruto was marveling at Ao's modified body, a sharp clattering sound rang out. Kimimaro, wielding bone blades in both hands, deflected every single incoming bullet. This extraordinary kinetic vision was entirely thanks to the pair of Byakugan he now possessed.
Blocking bullets with flesh and bone—such a feat stunned even Ao.
'This guy... he really is an absolute monster!'
However, Ao's left arm wasn't just capable of turning into a machine gun; it also housed built-in ninjutsu scrolls, allowing for immediate jutsu activation.
The next moment, flames surged. The Fire Release ninjutsu scroll activated. A wave of fire rushed towards Kimimaro.
Kimimaro frowned, thrusting the bone spikes from his hands deep into the ground. Instantly, three meters ahead, the earth shattered as sharp bone spikes erupted, forming a solid bone wall before him, easily defending against the Fire Release attack.
Immediately after, Kimimaro leaped into the air.
Because in the next second, a chakra cannon began bombarding him furiously from Ao's position.
Seeing Kimimaro dodge, Ao grit his teeth fiercely.
'His speed is unbelievable.'
'My attacks can't even hit—'
Suddenly, volleys of bone bullets shot towards him. Ao swung his machine gun arm, firing back at the incoming projectiles. Bullets collided with bone bullets, creating dazzling sparks in mid-air. A cascade of sparks exploded.
A corner of Ao's mouth twitched. The Scientific Ninja Tool he'd sacrificed an arm for was being matched in effect by Kimimaro using only his Kekkai Genkai.
'All you ninja with Kekkai Genkai... you all deserve to die.'
As someone from Kirigakure, Ao still harbored an instinctive, deep-seated resentment towards ninja possessing bloodline limits.
Suddenly, while continuously firing bone bullets, Kimimaro rapidly closed the distance. Amidst the storm of gunfire, Kimimaro moved with effortless grace, seemingly unfazed by the danger.
Seeing Kimimaro getting closer and closer, Ao realized he was out of options. He could only resort to his final trump card.
A device on his chest suddenly opened, and chakra rapidly converged within it. An astonishing chakra fluctuation erupted.
Kimimaro's eyes narrowed slightly. To modify a body to such an extent...
In that instant, Kimimaro was merely a step away from Ao.
Gritting his teeth, Ao roared furiously.
"Die for me—!"
The chakra cannon, fully charged, fired instantly.
The scene should have been Kimimaro being struck by the blast, sent crashing into the ground like a meteor, leaving a massive crater.
But what actually happened was…
Kimimaro thrust one hand towards the chakra cannon and clenched his fist.
The chakra was violently absorbed by Kimimaro. In what felt like the blink of an eye, the entire chakra cannon blast was completely absorbed.
Then, Kimimaro's bone spike pierced straight through Ao's chest, instantly disabling the chakra cannon's emitter. Simultaneously, Kimimaro seized him. Bone spikes shot out, piercing Ao's limbs, effectively crippling his modified arms and legs. He was completely immobilized.
"Gotcha!" Kimimaro grinned. Just then, a black receiver rod pierced Ao's body, instantly halting the final flow of chakra within him.
At that moment, Ao's eyes widened, staring towards Sasuke's position.
'Damn it...'
"Thinking of trying something?" Sasuke chuckled lightly. "I won't let you."
It seemed Ao had intended to self-destruct, or perhaps had some other escape method planned. But Sasuke wasn't about to give him the chance.
"Let's go," Sasuke said. "We'll leave Kirigakure first, then we'll properly interrogate this guy about the Kara organization."
Kara?
Haku paused, taken aback. He had never heard that name before. What is the Kara organization? Why is Lord Sasuke looking for them?
Boruto and the other two shared the same confusion. Wasn't Master Sasuke's main objective this time to capture the Nine-Tails? Where did this Kara organization come from? What do they do? Was this captured Kirigakure ninja a member of Kara?
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