Boruto and his teammates looked up at the large screen hanging above the new town intersection.
“So Sasuke’s decision to suspend the concert was the right one?”
“For the people of Konoha, yes. That extremist group was planning to bring their fight to the dome. I have no doubt that innocent people would have been killed if the show had continued.”
“And you were once a member of this group, is that right, Lily?”
“I was. I disagreed with their methods, however, so I left. But I still held a grudge against the Hokage. I was determined to bring his standing down in the public eye.”
“Was that why you became an idol then?”
“Yes. That’s exactly right.”
Himeno Lily was being interviewed. The fact that she had been allowed to do the live broadcast was quite extraordinary. Celebrity or not, she had committed a serious crime.
“Seriously, it totally sucks she turned out to be a criminal. I was halfway to being a fan even.”
“Like, I knew Sasuke was a good guy right from the start. A hot old guy like that, there’s no way he could be a baddie.”
“Right? I mean, he’s super cool, and so strong too!”
“I believe Lily, though. This is all a shinobi conspiracy!”
As he listened in on the people passing by him in the intersection, Boruto grinned. Everyone had their own ideas about all the recent goings-on.
Lily herself had asked for the interview. She’d wanted to stand up in a public forum and tell people what had actually happened to clear away any misunderstandings.
The ninja had raised their eyebrows at the request. Who knew what would happen when the person at the center of the commotion stepped into the spotlight again? They would have a real problem on their hands if someone with as much influence as Lily were to say something extreme or careless on a live broadcast, and they were offended by the very notion of allowing a criminal to appear on TV. After careful deliberation, the council naturally rejected Lily’s request, but in a surprise move, the Hokage overturned their decision and gave her permission to go ahead with the interview.
“Lily seems more relaxed now somehow,” Sarada said.
“She kinda looks relieved,” Boruto agreed.
Sitting on the sofa, Lily wore jeans and a simple, unbleached shirt rather than one of her usual frilly, ribbon-laden dresses. The hair on her head was her own close-cropped cut, which allowed a full view of the piercings in her ears. The overall effect was a neat chicness, an entirely different look from the idol Himeno Lily.
“That plan failed because the ninjas of Konoha interfered. Those same ninjas saved me when I tried to kill myself in a moment of despair. I asked for this interview because I wanted to express my gratitude to them. And because it seems that people have gotten the wrong idea about Sasuke, and I wanted to make clear what actually happened.”
There was no mention of the fact that the ringleader behind all of this had come out of the Shigetsukyodan. This too was the Hokage’s work. He had no intention of rejecting the entire Shigetsukyodan community. He wanted to deepen their mutual solidarity. For the Shigetsukyodan followers to maintain their religion going forward, they would need to leave behind their exclusionary dogma and change to work with the outside world. The Hokage was hoping that Lily would help build that bridge. And her testimony had indeed been crucial in arresting the remainder of the extremist group.
“I guess the people of Shigetsu Island have accepted what happened surprisingly smoothly,” Mitsuki said, looking up at the large screen. “This really was just the work of an out-of-control extremist group. It looks like not everyone in Shigetsukyodan hates the Land of Fire.”
“I hope we can coexist somehow. Guess we just have to leave it to the Hokage and the Mizukage, huh?” Sarada said, and glanced at her watch. “Ah! Yikes! If we don’t get going, Master Konohamaru’ll get out before we get there!”
“Dang! We better hurry up!” Boruto shot off, and Sarada and Mitsuki chased after him.
No longer in need of crutches, Konohamaru stood on his own feet and looked down at the courtyard from his window. Steam rose from the mug in his hand, black coffee he’d put more effort into brewing properly than usual. He celebrated his own complete recovery with the fragrant aroma of the freshly ground beans and the deep bitter taste. A gentle breeze came in through the window to caress his cheeks.
And then the whirlwind of his own beloved students blew in to shatter this silent, peaceful moment.
“Master Konohamaru! We came to visit!” Boruto shouted.
“You’re too late, dummy,” Konohamaru sighed. “I’m going home today.” Brats. Noisy as ever. He looked back in exasperation and set his mug down on the side table.
“We know! That’s why we came!” Sarada skipped into the room next, holding up a familiar paper bag and smiling. “We wanted you to have some strawberry daifuku this time for sure!”
“It’s to celebrate your release,” Mitsuki added, closing the door behind him.
The look on Konohamaru’s face wavered faintly at the words strawberry daifuku.
“Th-that so? Well, you did come all the way here. Sit, stay awhile—hey.”
They had already sat themselves down and were excitedly opening the box of daifuku, releasing the sweet, tart scent of the cakes into the room. Smiling faintly, Konohamaru watched his happy students distribute the confections. This time, he noticed, they’d only brought one for each of them.
“To your health!” Boruto grabbed a daifuku and stuffed it in his mouth.
As Konohamaru was reaching for the last daifuku in the box, there came a knock at the door.
“Come in!” Boruto called.
Sasuke entered. Konohamaru snapped to attention at the appearance of this unexpected visitor.