NOVEL WEB Chapter 18: Chapter 3: Infiltration
Dawn Mission
The sky was pale when Team Boruto gathered outside Konoha's gate, the air cool as dew still clung to the grass.
Naruto, arms crossed, looked at them with quiet resolve.
"You've found the trail. Follow it. Capture who's supplying Kuro's forged scrolls to rogue groups."
Boruto's Jougan flickered. "We'll get it done."
Sarada adjusted her glasses. "We'll find out who's behind this."
Naruto's eyes softened as they turned to Ryo. "And you—trust yourself."
Ryo clenched his fist, the Resonance mark pulsing softly. "I will."
---
Into the Forest
They moved quickly through the forest, branches whipping past, chakra control steady as they kept low to avoid detection.
Boruto grinned. "Feels like old times, huh?"
Sarada rolled her eyes. "Focus."
Ryo's senses sharpened, the Resonance energy humming as it picked up faint vibrations through the ground.
"Stop," Ryo whispered.
Ahead, near an abandoned watchtower, rogue operatives wearing disguised Stone shinobi gear unloaded crates marked with Kuro's seal.
Boruto's Jougan locked on. "They're infused with artificial Resonance energy."
Sarada's Sharingan flared. "They're planning another frame-up attack."
---
The Strike
"Plan?" Boruto asked, cracking his knuckles.
Sarada smirked. "Fast and quiet."
Ryo nodded, kneeling as vines crawled under the earth, wrapping around the crates and the feet of the operatives without notice.
Boruto flickered behind the first guard, tapping his neck to knock him unconscious.
Sarada moved in with precision, her kunai disarming another.
But a rogue operative noticed too late, drawing a kunai infused with purple Resonance.
"They're here!"
The crates began to glow as seals activated, destabilizing the energy within.
"They're rigged!" Sarada shouted.
---
Resonance Control
Ryo's eyes widened as the artificial Resonance threatened to explode, the energy spiking.
"Get back!" Ryo shouted, stepping forward, the mark on his wrist blazing green.
The Resonance energy leapt toward him like a hungry flame, but Ryo stood firm, inhaling slowly as Sasuke had taught him.
Control it.
He extended his hands, vines bursting from the ground, encasing the crates, siphoning the unstable energy into himself.
The ground cracked, wind swirling violently as green and purple light clashed.
---
Holding the Line
Boruto moved to help, but Sarada held him back, Sharingan analyzing Ryo's chakra.
"He can handle it."
Ryo's body trembled, pain searing through his veins as the foreign Resonance fought him, whispering chaos into his mind.
> "They will never trust you."
"You are a weapon."
No.
> "Join us."
No!
Ryo screamed, forcing the Resonance down, weaving it into the vines, stabilizing the energy as the crates stopped glowing.
The forest fell silent except for Ryo's ragged breathing.
---
Aftermath
Boruto rushed forward, grinning. "That. Was. AWESOME."
Sarada sighed, but her eyes softened. "You did it."
Ryo looked at his hands, the vines retracting as the mark on his wrist pulsed once, then settled.
"I… controlled it."
---
Capturing the Supplier
From the shadows, a cloaked figure tried to flee, but Sarada's Sharingan locked on.
"There!" she shouted.
Boruto flickered, intercepting with a low sweep that knocked the figure down, pinning him with a kunai.
"Who are you working for?" Boruto demanded.
The rogue spat, "You think you're heroes, but the nations will turn on you. Kuro will—"
Sarada pressed her kunai to his neck. "Kuro isn't here. Talk."
Fear flickered in the rogue's eyes. "We're paid to distribute the scrolls, make it look like your Resonance boy's fault. It keeps nations scared, keeps them buying protection."
"Protection from who?" Sarada snapped.
"Kuro's network—Mercenaries calling themselves the Storm Hands."
---
The Message
They tied the rogue and secured the crates for evidence, preparing for return.
Boruto clapped Ryo on the shoulder. "See? You're stronger than they think."
Ryo looked up at the morning sky, clouds drifting calmly.
"I'm not afraid of this power anymore."
Sarada nodded, adjusting her glasses. "Good. Because we'll need it."
---
In the Shadows
Far away, Kuro stood on a cliff under moonlight, Aika beside him.
"So, they stopped the sabotage," Aika said.
Kuro's masked eyes reflected the stars. "Good. Let them grow strong."
Aika frowned. "You wanted them to succeed?"
Kuro's voice was like the rustling of distant thunder. "Only by standing against the world's fear will they understand what this world truly is."
He looked at the Resonance Core, pulsing with hidden storms.
"And only then will the world break."