The Hardest Rock in the World

Synopsis[]

Mitsuki wakes up after dreaming of when Log and Orochimaru both tried to sway him to join either one of them, surprised he can dream. At the Lightning Burger, Mitsuki tells his friends about having his first dream while wondering what to eat. Boruto is surprised he's never had a dream, and Chōchō complains about him taking too much time to place an order. When Boruto asks him, he confesses he never felt like rebelling against his parent. They're joined by Shikadai and Inojin, who has a chick on his shoulder. They explain it's from an egg that hatched the day before when they were fulfilling a mission in a poultry farm, and got attached to him. When Sarada and Boruto explain it imprinted on him, Mitsuki mentally compares it to first seeing Boruto after deciding not to choose neither Log nor Orochimaru. Sarada reminds her team they have security duty for the Five Kage Summit. At the summit, due to the topic being the Ōtsutsuki clan, they also invited the previous Kage, Kakashi, Mei and A. Darui notices Ōnoki's absence, and Kurotsuchi says he came with her, but gave her the slip. They surmise he's sightseeing. While keeping watch, Boruto is bored, and asks Mitsuki to tell him something interesting. Mitsuki instead asks him if he ever felt like his thoughts weren't his own. He wonders if his attachment to his friends is like the chick that imprinted on Inojin, like a genjutsu they can't break. Boruto dismisses the concern, saying they're not chickens, and Mitsuki asks if he has any fun stories. Boruto tells them about a question his father gave him to solve the day before, about the hardest rock in the world. They notice some shinobi by their location, and Mitsuki goes to ask what is happening. Sarada tells Boruto he should be more mindful of Mitsuki's troubles, or he'll stop liking him. Boruto answers they're good friends, and that it'll never happen. Mitsuki informs them the shinobi are looking for Ōnoki, exciting Boruto, who is sure that as Tsuchikage, he's bound know how to answer the question. As they examine his drawing, Ōnoki passes by, taking it and commenting it doesn't look like him. Ōnoki knows who Boruto and Sarada are, but not Mitsuki. They tell him he needs to go back to the summit, but he doesn't want to attend a boring meeting. He mock threatens them with Dust Release, but throws his back. Boruto asks him about the hardest rock, and Ōnoki says he'll tell him if instead of taking him back to the summit, he shows him around the village. Boruto and Mitsuki agree to it. Sarada questions it, but Ōnoki tells her the summit would be boring. At the summit, they discuss the missing Urashiki, and Naruto says Sasuke has left to investigate. Kurotsuchi is exasperated by everyone's easygoing attitude. In the village, when a construct beam is about to fall a civilian, Ōnoki protects the civilian with his Dust Release, impressing the genin, but passes out from the effort. When he wakes up, he mistakes Boruto for someone called Kozuchi. When asked about it, he explains Kozuchi was his grandchild, who died at a young age. As promised, Ōnoki explains about the hardest rock, saying it's the unbreakable will of shinobi. When Boruto and Sarada begin bickering, Ōnoki asks Mitsuki about his will, who finds it complicated, and unsure. Ōnoki says if he keeps going at it, it must be truth. Boruto asks Ōnoki not to tell Naruto he told him the answer, but Ōnoki reveals he asked Naruto the question, who just asked Boruto without actually knowing the answer. Ōnoki tells them to visit him if they ever go to the Land of Earth, and wants more dumplings before going back to the summit. After dropping Ōnoki, Boruto thinks it was a trick question, but Mitsuki found the answer satisfying. Arriving home, Mitsuki becomes alert when he notices someone has been there, and sees a letter for him, which he burns. The next day, two shinobi on guard duty at the village's gate are attacked with Lightning Release.

Trivia[]

• Sarada claims Ōnoki is 100 years old. However, as he was 79 during the Fourth Shinobi World War, which happened 15 years prior, he'd actually be 94.

Credits[]