Naruto: Boruto Returns to Shippuden

Chapter 202 Root

At that moment, Boruto's ears caught the sound of two footsteps approaching outside the door. Soon after, Jugo appeared at the door, followed closely by Sai, and the two entered the room together.

When Sai saw Boruto, he was slightly taken aback at first, then smiled and said, "This is really unexpected. I didn't expect you to appear here. It seems that the Fifth Hokage's judgment of you was somewhat wrong."

"Although Boruto's strength is not to be underestimated, he is clearly not suitable for the position of captain. Leading the team so openly into the enemy camp is a reckless act that could put you and your two other partners in danger, or even make you their test subjects."

At this moment, Sai still believed that Boruto and the others had rushed into this dangerous place because they realized he was missing, intending to rescue him.

Boruto did not respond directly to Sai's sarcasm, but simply smiled at him.

Boruto's smile made Sai realize that something was wrong. Then, under Sai's surprised gaze, Orochimaru took out the envelope he had given him earlier and handed it to Boruto.

With a puzzled look, Sai turned to Orochimaru and asked, "Lord Orochimaru, what do you mean by this?"

Boruto took the envelope, opened it right in front of Sai, and began to browse the documents inside.

However, as the contents of the document gradually unfolded, Boruto frowned, clearly surprised by the information revealed in the document. He never expected Danzo to use such a crucial document as a bargaining chip.

Naruto noticed Boruto's change in expression and immediately went to his side, asking curiously, "What's inside, Boruto..." As he spoke, Naruto peered into the document in Boruto's hand.

What came into view was a picture and detailed personal information, with the words "Direct Member of the Hokage's Anbu" prominently displayed below, which shocked him.

Naruto, agitated, grabbed Sai's collar and angrily demanded, "Why did you betray us? Even if it was to carry out Danzo's orders, you should at least be able to distinguish right from wrong! Don't you know what the consequences of your actions will be?" Clearly, Naruto was disappointed and angry at Sai's behavior.

Faced with Naruto's angry questioning, Sai maintained a calm and composed attitude. He smiled and replied, "Take a closer look at our current situation. Who looks more like a traitor to Konoha, secretly colluding with someone like Orochimaru?" His tone carried a hint of sarcasm, implying that Naruto's current behavior was more suspicious than his own.

Sai continued in a nonchalant tone, "Well, it's all because of orders. We are just Danzo's tools. We have no names, no personal feelings, no memories of the past, and no expectations for the future."

"All we have is our mission. In those unknown darknesses, we silently support the great tree of Konoha."

Sai looked directly at Boruto and the others, and said in a completely calm tone, "This is... 'Root'."

At this moment, Sai was explaining the concept of "roots" like an emotionless machine.

Boruto stared at Sai: "Your emotions are like your ink paintings. They seem colorless, but you've just hidden them deep inside. But you should know that ink paintings can also create colors."

Although Sai knew nothing about the specific agreement between Boruto and the others and Orochimaru, and did not understand why someone like Orochimaru would be willing to assist them, he still raised his question: "Sasuke clearly betrayed Konoha and joined Orochimaru's camp, so why are you so persistent about him?"

Naruto clutched his chest and replied, "The person I used to hate the most was Sasuke. He and I were both without families, but he was an elite in the village and received a lot of attention, while I was always a loser. But the time we spent together was really happy. He was... he was someone who recognized me."

Naruto paused, took a deep breath, and then said firmly, "Sasuke is my friend. It's a precious bond that we built together with great difficulty!"

Just as Naruto was expressing his deep friendship with Sasuke, a cold yet familiar voice suddenly rang out behind Boruto: "Is that so? I don't remember having such a deep bond with you?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Naruto immediately looked in the direction of the sound, and his gaze quickly locked onto the source of the sound.

Naruto saw Sasuke and a white-haired man standing behind them. A look of surprise immediately crossed Naruto's face, and he couldn't help but call out Sasuke's name: "Sasuke!"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, a mocking smile playing on his lips, and said, "Naruto, when did you start becoming so cheesy?"

Faced with Sasuke's teasing, Naruto gave an awkward smile, scratched his head, and then turned to Sasuke and asked, "Sasuke, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting in a room further inside?"

Sasuke didn't offer much explanation, simply replying, "I just returned from my training."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Since Sasuke, you've only just returned from your training, then Sakura..."

When Sasuke heard Naruto mention Sakura, he raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised that Sakura had also come here.

Sasuke then turned to Boruto and said unhappily, "Boruto, you're bringing more and more people with you. First it was Naruto, then Sakura, are you going to bring Kakashi along next?"

Boruto shrugged at Sasuke's question. He couldn't help it; they all wanted to see him.

Hozuki Suigetsu, standing behind Sasuke, looked around. His gaze swept across the cave hall before turning to Jugo beside him, and he said with a hint of curiosity, "Eh? Where's Karin?"

When asked by Hozuki Suigetsu, Jugo simply shook his head, his expression somewhat helpless, indicating that he knew nothing about Karin's whereabouts.

......