The Path That Boruto Can See

Back in the village, Kakashi concludes Nue is not summoned like an ordinary creature, and Naruto's Sage Mode fails to sense it, so the trio reason its caster must be in another dimension. Denki, Shikadai, and Inojin hunt for Boruto while something odd stirs in the sky. Within Nue's home dimension, Boruto trails a thread of dark chakra to a stump and is ambushed. Striking back, he stabs the beast in the face and suddenly perceives its chakra network, one point near the base of its tail standing out. Mitsuki rescues him and reveals that Nue answers to Sumire's commands.

Boruto has Mitsuki stall the beast while he rigs explosive-tag kunai, then drives a blade into the tail's base and drops heavy ropes onto Nue. Sumire shields the downed creature with Water Release and finally explains herself: her father served the village yet was branded a criminal for his Root ties after the war, and the fear of living in hiding drove her mother to a fatal illness. When she and Mitsuki trade blows, Boruto throws himself between them and is hurt, refusing to believe her warmth toward the class was ever faked. He watches the dark chakra's grip on her begin to fade.

Boruto reasons the spirit spread through troubled students because Sumire's own turmoil made kindred hearts easy to infect. When she orders Nue to drain her remaining chakra and detonate, the beast only nudges her gently, and Boruto realises it regards her as its parent rather than a mere handler. As the Gozu Tennō on her back shatters and the dimension caves in, Nue guards the three as they flee through a rift Boruto spots. Sai arrives with Konoha shinobi, offers Sumire his sympathy and help, and she accepts. Still linked to Nue, she boards the incoming train with the others, all of them late for the Academy.