The Predestined Path

Jūgo works to strip the cursed seal from infected birds before they turn violent, tagging each one, while Boruto wishes he could ease his burden. Sarada and Mitsuki report the last spots left to search and set off to check them, leaving Boruto on watch. Sarada reminds Jūgo to take his scheduled injection, and explains to Tosaka that regular doses hold off his transformations, though Jūgo notes they dull his senses and make removing the birds' seals harder. Spotting a flightless domesticated goose, Jūgo likens its lost ability to his own inability to live a normal life because of the seal, and worries about clearing the infection before the wild geese migrate.

Aware his body is growing resistant to the shots, Jūgo still retreats to his cave each night. He and the team are secretly watched by Land of Rivers researchers, and after a couple more days of work, they wake to find the infected birds set loose. The geese have transformed and fled, and Jūgo, chasing them, begins losing hold of his own change. Sarada rushes back for his injections only to find them gone, even from the cave, and returns just as his transformation finishes. The group dodges his assault, and when he bolts for the village, tranquilizer darts from the research group finally bring him down.

The village headman, who summoned the researchers as a precaution, feels betrayed that the Konoha shinobi hid Jūgo's nature, and rescinds his request for their help. The researchers reveal an unconscious Namida and Wasabi, both freshly infected, and claim they found no sign of Sumire. In truth, Momo and Sasami overwhelmed Team 15, and though Sumire called on Nue, the beast instead fled with her and now stands guard while she hides in a tree. As the researchers take over and enlist Tosaka's expertise, a frustrated Boruto is left with no choice but to step aside.