The Future: Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 144-A MASTER'S SHAME

The Camp

Sakura watches Tao Ma's face for a reaction, but it's no good. His crazed expression is permanent, as if painted on by a great artist. The darkness that has descent upon them has made it no better. She notices as her focus fails her how cold it is for the first time, she shivers as she takes note of the soundless wind, undetectable in spite of everyone silently awaiting Tao Ma's response.

Sasuke is no better a position. He doesn't feel the cold, his arm dangling outside his cloak as if it were the middle of summer, but he cannot judge Tao Ma's reaction either. The man would have been a great gambler if he hadn't set his mind to mass murder. Still, a game face alone won't be enough to weasel his way out of this. Surely Shikadai has him cornered.

Tao Ma chuckles, his voice slightly quieter than usual.

Shikadai doesn't like that.

"Shikadai, do you mind if I ask how you managed to work this out?" Tao ma asks, "I'm willing to answer, but I too am becoming suspicious of those around me. Did you just suddenly realise that I was different, that I was insane?"

Shikadai resists the urge to smile, the edge of his lips creaking a little. Tao Ma is clearly brilliant, more so than he is letting on, to have kept up a lie like this for so long. However, if he wants to get into a game of mental chess, he has picked the wrong opponent. It's time to show Tao Ma just who he is dealing with.

"Tsunade has been experiencing headaches recently. She has shown pain induced by mental anguish, a symptom of her brain being reconfigured," Shikadai explains, doing his best to quote Sakura. "I'm not expert, but there are no techniques from my world that can do that, nor any disease that Lady Sakura has ever encountered. Perhaps the only thing that could do that would be a divine ability. Only someone without chakra could have a divine ability amongst us. The only person without chakra here, is you."

Sakura balls her hand into a fist as she is overcome by rage. However, she resists the temptation to attack Tao Ma straight away. If Shikadai's prediction is correct, then Tao Ma has a grip of Lady Tsunade's neurological functions, perhaps he could kill her on the spot. Attacking him is dangerous, the only one who could do it safely enough would be Sasuke. If Boruto or Hashirama were to get in the way though, there is no guarantee that Sasuke could save Lady Tsunade. She's powerless at the moment, despite her incredible strength.

"Very well, I admit it. I'm a Homeworlder."

Tao Ma's confession is shocking. It is shocking to Sasuke, shocking to Boruto, but especially shocking to Shikadai. Perhaps it is part of an elaborate plan to fool them, perhaps he will lure them deeper into his spider's web with his sophistry, but they cannot see how he intends to do it. Coming up with a plan to trick them in such a short time should be impossible.

"Why did you lie to us?" Boruto asks.

"I lied because I was ashamed." Tao Ma admits.

Shikadai laughs, turning from Tao Ma and walking in a small circle, shaking his head all the while. He was ashamed, it will be interesting to see how he plays that character in his current state.

"I saw what my people did to the pocket worlds, how we treated pocket worlders like dirt," Tao Ma continues, "I took my arguments to others but none of them would have it. Nobody from Homeworld came to the aid of the pocket worlds, nobody but one person. I came to help you!"