The next morning, birds chirped outside as sunlight spilled over Konoha, bathing the village in the warm gold of a new day.
Inside Naruto's house, Boruto sat at the table with his arms folded, staring down at the cup in front of him like it had personally offended him.
"…Seriously?"
Naruto, meanwhile, was already eating.
"What?"
Boruto slowly pointed at the cup, his face full of disbelief.
"Why are we having ramen for breakfast?"
Naruto slurped up another mouthful without a shred of shame.
"What's wrong with that? It's good."
Boruto's eye twitched.
"We had ramen last night."
Naruto raised a finger, looking like he was about to reveal some deep truth of the universe.
"No, no. You've got it wrong."
He turned the cup around with a smug grin so Boruto could see it properly.
"That was yesterday's ramen. This is salt ramen."
"…"
Boruto just stared at him.
Naruto grinned even wider, way too proud of himself.
After a few seconds, Boruto let out a long, tired sigh and pushed himself up from the table.
"Yeah, that's not the point."
Honestly, sometimes he had no idea how his father had survived this long.
He walked over to the fridge, opened it, and started digging through whatever was inside, hoping there was at least something edible in there.
"Don't you have anything normal?"
Naruto looked over from the table.
"Like what?"
Boruto frowned, still rummaging around.
"I dunno. Anything that isn't instant ramen."
Naruto blinked.
"That sounds kinda demanding for a guy eating in somebody else's house."
Boruto paused, then shot him a flat look over his shoulder.
"You say that like this place has options."
Naruto clicked his tongue, but didn't deny it.
Boruto kept moving bottles and containers aside, only to find that the contents of the fridge somehow looked even sadder than he expected.
Still…
A moment later, his eyes narrowed.
"Hm."
Then he straightened up.
"Okay. Fine. I can work with this."
He came back to the table carrying a bunch of bottles and seasonings in both hands.
Naruto stared at the collection, then slowly looked up at Boruto.
"Oi… what are you planning?"
Boruto gave him a confident grin.
"I'm gonna make you something you won't forget."
Naruto's expression immediately turned wary.
"That doesn't sound reassuring."
"It means I'm saving you from whatever this is supposed to be."
Naruto huffed.
"Watch your mouth. This is a perfectly good breakfast."
Boruto didn't even bother answering that.
A little while later, two red cups of ramen were set down on the table.
Naruto leaned back slightly and stared at his cup the way a man might stare at a trap that had been left out in the open on purpose.
There was already sweat gathering at his temple.
"…Boruto."
"What?"
"Why does it look angry?"
Boruto folded his arms and leaned against the table, looking far too pleased with himself.
"Just eat it."
Naruto looked at him, then back at the ramen.
"You sure this is food?"
Boruto's brow twitched.
"Wow. Thanks for the confidence."
Naruto muttered under his breath, picked up the cup, and took a big bite.
The very next instant, his entire face twisted.
"Gah—?! Hot! Spicy! Too spicy—! Blegh—! Cough! Cough!"
Boruto recoiled.
"Hey! Don't do that! You're making it look like I poisoned you!"
Naruto fumbled for water, grabbed it, and chugged half the thing in one go. He coughed a few more times, breathing hard, before finally lifting his head again.
His face was red. His eyes were watering.
He looked like he had just fought for his life.
But then—
He took another bite.
Boruto blinked.
Naruto chewed slowly, swallowed, then grinned.
"…Okay. Yeah. This is actually pretty good."
Boruto smirked.
"Obviously."
Naruto pointed at him with his chopsticks.
"But it's still way too spicy!"
"That just means your taste buds are weak, old man."
Naruto froze.
"…Old man?"
Boruto shrugged and sat back down.
"You heard me."
Naruto stared at him for another second, then snorted and kept eating anyway, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
After a while, the room quieted a little.
Then Naruto glanced at Boruto across the table.
"So… how long are you planning on sticking around the village?"
Boruto scratched the back of his head.
"Not sure. My master had something to take care of here, and he told me to relax for a while, so… I'm basically just here."
"I see…"
Naruto nodded, then hooked a thumb toward himself with all the pride of a man assigning himself an important mission.
"Well, Kakashi-sensei isn't around right now, and Granny Tsunade told me to keep an eye on you guys."
He puffed out his chest.
"So until then, I'll show you around the village."
He tried to make it sound official.
Tried.
But the truth was painfully obvious.
He looked way too happy about it.
Boruto noticed, of course, but didn't say anything.
Outside the house, Sasuke stood quietly at a distance, his expression calm and unreadable as he watched the two of them get ready to head out.
He had concealed his presence completely, leaving behind no sign that he was there at all.
He simply observed in silence.
Just like that, another day passed.
And before long, the moment Urashiki Ōtsutsuki had been waiting for finally arrived.
In one of Konoha's forested areas, Naruto and Boruto were out under the excuse of sightseeing.
The two had been talking casually when both of them suddenly felt it.
A sinister presence.
Their expressions changed at once.
And in the very next instant, Sasuke appeared beside them, his gaze sharp as he looked up into the sky.
"Sasuke!" Boruto immediately relaxed a little the moment he saw him.
Naruto looked from Sasuke to the figure above them, completely thrown off.
"Hey, it's you, mister! What's going on?"
Then he squinted up at the sky.
"And who's that guy?"
Floating above them was Urashiki Ōtsutsuki, looking down at the trio with a leisurely, knowing smile, as if he had all the time in the world.
"Urashiki..." Boruto ignored Naruto's question completely.
His fists clenched so tightly they shook.
Urashiki smiled down at them, looking almost amused.
"Just as I thought... you two showed up ahead of schedule."
His tone stayed light, but the irritation hiding underneath it was obvious.
"How vexing..."
Then his gaze shifted lazily between Sasuke and Boruto.
"You're always getting in my way."
Naruto frowned and asked again
"Okay, seriously, will somebody tell me who this guy is already?"
Urashiki's eyes moved to Naruto at last.
The smile on his face widened.
"I've wanted to meet you for a very long time, Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto froze and pointed at himself.
"Me?"
He blinked.
"Wait, hold on—how do you know my name?"
Urashiki chuckled softly, like Naruto had asked something ridiculous.
"Well, of course I do."
He tilted his head.
"You're quite famous, after all."
The next instant, he swung the crimson chakra fishing rod in his hand straight toward Naruto.
"Sasuke!"
Boruto moved at the same time Sasuke did.
Boruto grabbed Naruto and yanked him out of the way just before the strike landed, while Sasuke leaped into the air and slashed at Urashiki with his sword.
Urashiki twisted aside with casual ease, dodging the blade by a hair while spinning his fishing rod playfully in one hand.
Even now, he was still smiling.
"Let's get out of here..." Boruto said through clenched teeth.
He already knew this wasn't a fight they could afford to stay in, not like this.
He turned to pull Naruto away—
"It's too late."
Urashiki's voice dropped from above.
His eyes narrowed.
And before anyone could react, the hook of his fishing rod was already embedded in Naruto's stomach.
"Wha—?!"
"Huh?!"
Everything froze for an instant.
Even Sasuke's expression changed.
"Naruto!"
Boruto's face went pale.
"No way...!"
He instinctively reached toward the hook, then stopped halfway, not knowing whether pulling it out would make things worse.
Urashiki's grin deepened, satisfaction all over his face.
"Your chakra... is mine."
He yanked the hook back with complete confidence.
Then stopped.
The smile on his face vanished.
The hook was empty.
Urashiki stared at it.
His pupils trembled slightly.
"What...?"
For the first time, genuine confusion entered his voice.
Naruto blinked and looked down at himself, then back at Urashiki.
"Uh... what was that supposed to do?"
Sasuke's eyes flickered as he immediately began piecing it together.
Urashiki stared at Naruto, unable to understand what had just happened.
"Why can't I extract his chakra...?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes and calmly voiced his conclusion.
"Is it because of the seal...?"
Naruto, on the other hand, was done being confused.
"I don't know who you are, but I'm not gonna just stand here while some weird guy attacks me outta nowhere! Dattebayo!"
With a serious look on his face, Naruto pulled out a kunai and charged recklessly toward Urashiki.
"Wait, Naruto—!" Boruto shouted.
Too late.
Naruto had already leaped into the air and closed the gap.
Urashiki's expression darkened slightly.
"You leave me no choice, then..."
He muttered under his breath and flicked the hook of his rod, trying to wrap Naruto up completely...
Swoosh!
A sword crackling with Lightning Release cut across the air before he could finish.
Urashiki clicked his tongue and immediately raised his rod to block.
Sparks burst between the weapons.
"Tch..."
Urashiki's playful expression soured at once as he glared at Sasuke.
"You really are an annoying Uchiha."
There was no hiding the disgust in his voice.
Urashiki hated Sasuke to the core.
No matter what era it was, no matter where he went—
This man always showed up just to ruin everything.
Sasuke's expression remained calm, his blade still pressed against the fishing rod.
"The feeling is mutual, Urashiki. Otsutsuki and I have never gotten along well."
His voice was low, flat, and completely devoid of emotion.
Then, without even looking back, he spoke.
"Boruto. Take Naruto and move."
Naruto immediately bristled.
"Oi, quit deciding things on your own! First that freak drops out of the sky, then you show up acting all mysterious—"
But before he could finish, Sasuke moved.
One instant, he was in front of them. The next, he was right beside Naruto.
"Eh—?! When did you—"
Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"Sorry, Naruto."
White light flickered faintly around his palm.
"I have no other option."
Before Naruto could react, Sasuke began absorbing chakra directly.
Naruto's eyes widened in horror.
"H-Hey—! You're stealing my—"
Boruto quickly grabbed him.
"It's fine! Just hold still!"
Naruto still looked confused, but he didn't resist.
Meanwhile, above them—
Urashiki's expression changed.
"You think I'll just watch?"
He flicked his crimson rod forward.
The hook shot straight toward Sasuke.
But...
Sasuke's Rinnegan spun once more.
Amenotejikara.
Urashiki's body suddenly swapped with a distant tree.
The hook struck nothing but empty air.
Urashiki reappeared several meters away, his eyes narrowing.
"Tch…!"
He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Sasuke continued absorbing chakra silently, his expression completely focused.
The tomoe in his Rinnegan rotated slowly… a clear sign that his chakra was recovering.
Urashiki, of course, had no intention of facing a fully recovered Sasuke, so he dashed forward again
But before he could reach them, Sasuke's left eye rippled once more, and in the very next instant, Urashiki vanished.
In the span of a blink, he was suddenly thirty meters away, standing where a chunk of broken stone had been just a second earlier.
Urashiki clicked his tongue as his sandals scraped across the bark of a tree branch.
"…That damn Rinnegan."
Sasuke smiled faintly, the corner of his mouth curling up just a little.
He kept his hand on Naruto's shoulder, continuing to draw in chakra with that same cold focus that made it obvious he didn't have the luxury to care how it looked.
Naruto twisted toward him anyway.
"At least explain it first, you guys!"
Boruto almost barked out a laugh despite the situation. Even now, that part hadn't changed.
After taking his fill, Sasuke finally let go.
The heaviness around him stabilized. His stance settled. The strain that had been clinging to his body ever since arriving in this era eased just enough to vanish from his movements.
Urashiki noticed that change in his aura immediately, and his eyes narrowed with caution and irritation.
"So that's why you were dragging yourself around before."
His smile returned, thinner this time.
"How ugly. The great Sasuke Uchiha, reduced to borrowing chakra from a child's father."
Naruto's face darkened.
"I'm not a child's father— wait, what?"
Boruto slapped a hand over his own face.
"This is not the time."
Sasuke stepped forward, his sword hanging low at his side.
Now Naruto finally got a proper look at him.
That strange eye… why does he have one eye that looks like a Sharingan, and the other one is even weirder?
"…Your eyes."
Sasuke glanced at him and sighed.
"Questions later."
Then his gaze sharpened.
"He's after you, Naruto. If you stay here, you'll get in the way."
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