The Cursed Forest
Good morning, Boruto.
Hey!
Did you hear?
We'll be undertaking a joint mission with Team 15 today.
Oh, that's unusual.
Well, no matter who we're teamed up with,
Team 7's gonna be the one to wrap this up quick!
I figured you would say that.
Something going on?
Is that a Peeping Tom? In broad daylight?
Why don't we scare him a little?
Hey, you! Peeping Tom!
Quit bothering people like that!
Huh?
Ow…
Looks like you were wrong.
I'm so sorry!
I didn't know you were studying birds!
It's okay.
I'm just glad the eggs are safe.
There, there!
You really like birds, don't you, Mr. Tosaka?
Boruto!
Could it be? Do you like birds too?
Huh? Me? No, not really.
I just had a feeling that you did!
Look at this nest!
I'm certain it's the egg of a Long-Winged Swift Pigeon!
You licked it!
Imagine, finding a super rare nest here, of all places.
How lucky!
He just licked it, right?
I want to observe everything, not just with my eyes and ears,
but with taste too.
After all, they say the tongue speaks louder than your mouth, right?
No, they don't!
There you go!
Just like before.
I'm sorry.
Is that species that rare?
The feathers on the tail of the Long-Winged Swift Pigeon is
a tad longer than an ordinary Swift Pigeon.
Is that all?
It may just be a slight difference,
but it's all written in their genes.
Genes…
You mean the things that make up chromosomes?
Genes determine the shape and behavioral patterns of all living things.
The long tail feathers,
the bird's instinct to return to its nest like this…
So, what you want to say is that
all this stuff is already predetermined before we're born?
For instance,
your hair and the color of your eyes,
your physical agility, and likes and dislikes… Everything.
But that's no fun.
That has nothing to do with my genes. I'm me, ya know!
You're very interesting.
Mind if I lick you?
No way!
So long, Mr. Tosaka.
Just make sure you don't do anything weird.
See you again, Boruto, Mitsuki!
We really got sidetracked.
I hope Sarada's not too upset.
Yup, she's mad.
Sorry!
Whatever.
As I mentioned earlier, this will be a joint mission with Teams 7 and 15.
That fine, but where's Big Sis Hanabi?
C'mon, it's Hanabi Sensei, got it?
You may be related to her, but she's our captain.
Okay, okay.
Hanabi is assisting the border patrol team.
It seems there's been an infiltration.
This time, I'll be leading both teams as captain.
What's our mission?
Well, your mission is to investigate
and try to find the cause of injured wildlife.
Injured wildlife?
In a village on the outskirts of the Land of Fire,
birds have been going into a frenzy and attacking people.
The entire forest is their natural habitat.
The request is to find the cause and stop it.
That's why the two teams are needed
to check out the extensive habitat, correct?
What? Hanabi Sensei gets to be in a real battle…
while we're taking care of birds?
No complaining!
She's right. Even small missions are worth our attention.
You tell him, Class Rep!
I keep coming across birds today.
Oh well, let's get going!
Okay! But before that…
We're specialists when it comes to ninjutsu,
but we're clueless when it comes to birds…
And so, a specialist who specializes in birds has been
"specially" chosen to accompany you.
That's a lot of "specials."
Here's Mr. Tosaka the ornithologist!
Hello!
Oh, Boruto!
Mr. Tosaka?
I see, the birds in this vicinity mainly subsist
on the berries of the Bullseye Creeping Vine…
That man's jabbing at bird poop!
At least he's only jabbing at it.
Huh?
I'm sure it's the Bullseye Creeping Vine…
But I think I need to look into this more closely.
What the—what is he doing?!
He has a habit of licking everything.
I was right!
Mr. Tosaka, let's hurry.
Oh! I-I'm sorry!
When it comes to birds,
– I become so engrossed! – H-He licked it...
He licked it!
You know, I think a mission involving animals is right up our alley!
We already have experience from that one mission.
Let's outdo Boruto and his team on this mission!
Stay alert.
We're approaching the village in question.
I don't hear any strange sounds, so far…
Actually, I think it's too quiet.
I don't hear a single bird chirping.
You're right. Something feels weird.
Stop!
Team 15 guard Mr. Tosaka, and stand by!
Team 7, come with me!
It's close!
Boruto!
I'm okay! Keep moving!
Who are you?!
We're from the Hidden Leaf.
We've come to save you.
Lightning Ball!
Damn it!
Cut it out already!
Damn it!
Why…all of a sudden?
Who's there?!
I guess you're not the caretaker of the birds…
Whoa!
What power!
What was that voice?!
Namida, stay focused!
Come on, monster!
Boruto!
I owe you one, Class Rep!
Awesome! When did you get so big?
Nue, it's okay now.
Thank you…
I was foraging for wild greens when I was suddenly attacked…
Is the village nearby?
I'll show you the way.
Sumire! Thank goodness, you're okay!
Yeah.
Be careful. This is no ordinary forest.
A huge monster just appeared.
What do you mean by monster?
I'm not really sure, but I've never seen a type like that before.
Boruto, tell me about that in detail later.
But right now, we need to get this man back to his village quickly.
His breathing's very shallow.
His temperature is rising too.
Way to go, Sumire.
You saved Boruto!
I just happened to be there.
What's wrong? You seem a little down.
Actually…
I knew it! Nue, keep up the good work, okay?
Sumire?
Oh, it's okay.
Hey!
We're here from the Hidden Leaf Village.
Thank you for coming.
Please, bring him this way.
Will you come too, Mr. Tosaka?
I want to investigate the cause thoroughly.
Oh yes, sure.
So that bird is the cause, after all?
There are many instances where birds spread disease.
But, I can't say for sure without investigating more carefully.
We noticed the change in the birds about one month ago.
They destroyed our crops,
then eventually, they began attacking people.
It's around that time that
we began hearing beastly cries from the forest, too.
Beastly cries?
Yes.
Frightening cries, as though they came from the depths of the earth.
The cause could be the river.
The first things to start acting abnormally were the river's water fowl…
What's the source of the river?
It runs along the village, from the top of the mountain.
It flows into the Land of Rivers next to us.
Please don't go near the river until the cause is found.
Please use only well water for your daily needs.
Oh, I knew it!
What is this?
What did she mean by "I knew it"?
Well…
What's going on?
Looks like something happened over there.
What's going on?
He was found unconscious by the river.
I know him!
Huh?
It's Mr. Jugo.
He was at Orochimaru's place!
Yeah…
It's Jugo, no doubt.
You're both friends of his?
He's not really a friend…
Mr. Jugo, it's me, Sarada Uchiha.
Do you remember me?
You were found unconscious by the river.
I slipped and fell into the river.
I thought a monster had attacked you.
A monster?
It appeared near the forest.
And it was on a rampage.
I see.
Hey, stop it.
So, Mr. Jugo, what were you doing around here?
This marking…
Could it be?
If the villagers find out about this,
who knows what kind of rumors will spread…
That's why you didn't mention it
when you made the request for this mission?
Please…
Please find the cause and stop it!
Hey?!
What?!
P-Please stay away from me!
What's that marking on him?
Boruto, take care of Mr. Tosaka!
The rest of you, evacuate the villagers!
– Right! – Right!
Isn't he—?
Mr. Jugo!
Mr. Jugo…
Don't go near the forest!
What do you mean by that?!
Boruto! Where's Mr. Jugo?
Well…
Hey, look!
The markings faded!
What does it mean?
We just have to go and find out.
Be careful.
That thing earlier is called a Curse Mark.
Curse Mark?
One of the properties of a Curse Mark is to stimulate the fighting instincts
of living creatures.
So that's why he suddenly went berserk.
The birds going into a frenzy… Don't tell me—!
And I've heard that Orochimaru utilizes Curse Marks.
Is he mixed up in this again?
But that's not the problem.
Jugo…is supposed to have a Curse Mark too.
One that's extremely dangerous.
You think Jugo in involved in all of this?
I can't believe this is all just coincidence.
In any case, don't forget that whatever's in this forest
is more dangerous than anything we've ever encountered.
– Right! – Right!
Mitsuki and I will continue to move forward.
Team 15 will go downriver.
Boruto and Sarada, go upriver.
If you find anything, don't try to deal with it yourselves.
Make sure you contact your comrades!
Hey, are you taking this seriously and looking?
Hey, what are you doing?
This sound!
It's a natural echo.
Remember the villager describing it as,
beastly cries as though they came from the depths of the earth?
That's been bothering me all this time.
The village is located that way, right?
The wind is blowing from north to south.
The slope of the mountain is about 20 degrees, so…
Bingo.
It's pretty solid.
It's like an underground prison.
Aren't you going to contact Konohamaru Sensei?
He said only when we "find" Jugo, right?
You are so sly that way…
Mr. Jugo?
Is he hurt?
Don't come near! Please stay away!
Mr. Jugo!
We came to help you!
Mr.…Jugo?
Sarada, let's get out of here.
He's…
the one I encountered…
He's the monster!
I'm gonna kill you…both!
Mr. Jugo was the monster?
What is going on?
This is bad.
He's completely undergone Curse Mark Transformation.
Curse Mark Transformation?
What does that mean?
It's not just a physical transformation.
Right now, he's being controlled by homicidal impulses.
If things continue, the villagers are in danger!
Next time on Boruto Naruto Next Generations:
"Jugo and the Curse Mark"
You guys, provide back up! We're gonna have to separate him here.
JUGO AND THE CURSE MARK