ʷʰʸ ᵈᵒ ᵍᵒᵒᵈ ᵍⁱʳˡˢ ˡⁱᵏᵉ ᵇᵃᵈ ᵍᵘʸˢ | ᴋᴀᴡᴀᴋɪ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | REWORKING?!?

#03 We're A Team

Reader POV

The fight between the masked man and the boy was brutal. Sparks flew from metal as they exchanged blows, neither one holding back. I clenched my fists, watching closely.

Then the man landed a solid hit, his fist slammed into the boy's stomach, knocking him to the ground.

"He's going to take him!" I yelled and took a step forward.

Before I could rush in, Mitsuki's hand shot out and grabbed my arm.

"Don't interfere, Y/N. You'll just get hurt."

I glared, but he wasn't wrong.

"Tch. Fine."

We watched in tense silence as the man lifted the boy off the ground by the collar.

"It'd be a real pain if you woke up and went berserk," he sneered. "Want me to break your arms and legs first?"

"Hey, old man!" I shouted, desperate to get his attention. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!"

He turned toward me, voice low. "What did you just say?"

But that second of distraction was all the boy needed.

"You really think you have time to look away?" he growled, then yanked at the man's scientific ninja tool, ripping it clean off his arm. The man stumbled back, stunned.

"You bastard! Where'd you get that kind of power?!"

The boy's expression darkened.

"It's not me. It's this thing," he said, glancing at the mark on his hand. "That's why I hate it."

He lunged forward, and with a single punch, his arm extended unnaturally, piercing straight through the man's stomach.

"I warned you," he said coldly. "This time I'm not stopping at your jaw."

The man's face twisted in panic. "W-wait! Please! I'm begging you! I was wrong! Stop!"

The boy didn't hesitate. He raised his marked hand and pressed it against the man's forehead. A strange, black energy radiated outward.

"Your breath stinks, you pig-bastard."

And then, with a burst of raw power, the man's upper body exploded.

The boy dropped back down, landing in front of us.

He looked straight at me, his eyes sharp and guarded. I tensed, prepared to fight.

"You people... You really don't know about Karma, do you?" he said, his voice quieter now. "Not that it matters. You haven't mastered it. Not even close."

"I don't even know what it is!" Boruto yelled, frustration written across his face.

The boy scowled. "Tch. Playing dumb. Whatever. If you come after me again, just know, there'll be a mountain of corpses waiting."

His words hit hard. I stepped forward.

"You've really got a nerve. How about you try listening to people before assuming the worst for once?"

He didn't respond. Instead, the black markings began to fade from his face. And then he collapsed.

Later..

We heard that Lord Seventh had taken the boy in personally. I hadn't spoken to him since the fight. We definitely got off on the wrong foot... so I decided to drop by Boruto's house to properly reintroduce myself.

As I neared the Uzumaki home, I saw Boruto and the boy, Kawaki, fighting on the roof. That same black mark was glowing on both their faces.

"Boruto!" I shouted, leaping up to the roof just as they froze mid-motion.