"Stop it, Neji."
A figure blocked Boruto's path.
Boruto looked at the figure in front of him, feeling a bit unfamiliar: "You are?"
"This old man used to be the Third Hokage, but now I've retired and am just a normal old man at home."
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around and smiled kindly at Boruto.
"Oh, oh."
Boruto nodded, but his mind was on other things.
Third Hokage?
Is he Konohamaru-nii's grandpa?
But how did he remember that Konohamaru-nii's grandpa, the Third Hokage, and his uncle Asuma Sarutobi, had both died?
Were they not dead yet?
Boruto scratched his head.
If he had known he'd come back, he would have reviewed Konoha's history beforehand.
"Naruto, you and this child go ahead and do what you need to do. I'll explain things here."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said to Naruto.
"Oh, okay, thank you, Grandpa Third."
Naruto, seeing that the Third could come to their rescue, immediately breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled Boruto away.
"Um, thank you, old man."
Boruto thanked him before leaving.
"What a polite child. He seems much better behaved than Naruto was when he was little."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled contentedly.
"Lord Third, that person..."
"I know everything."
Neji was about to say something else, but Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him.
Watching Boruto and Naruto leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi patted Neji's shoulder: "That child isn't what you think. He's deliberately hiding some of his identity. Don't disturb them."
"Is, is that so? I understand."
Since the Third had said so, Neji had no choice but to give up.
——
On the other side, Boruto and Naruto finished eating at Ichiraku Ramen.
While Naruto was paying, adult Sasuke returned briefly to tell Boruto that he was going to investigate nearby for any traces of Urashiki's activity. He told Boruto to keep an eye on Naruto and not to leave the Village, as the Village was very safe right now.
What Sasuke said was correct.
Konoha was indeed very safe at the moment.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Hiruzen Sarutobi were all in the Village.
Even if Urashiki happened to appear suddenly while he was away, even if Jiraiya and the others were no match for Urashiki, they could still cause a commotion and delay him until he arrived.
This Ōtsutsuki, Urashiki, was very strange. Since his appearance, he had the power to kill people instantly, yet he hadn't killed a single person.
Gaara, Chōjūrō, Temari, Kankurō, Mitsuki, Shinki, Mirai Sarutobi... everyone said Amaterasu was a benevolent fire. If that's the case, Urashiki was almost a benevolent Ōtsutsuki.
Naruto took Boruto for another stroll and noticed Boruto looking a bit listless. He then remembered that Boruto had been tied up all night and hadn't slept.
Feeling embarrassed, he immediately took Boruto back home and told him to rest.
"Um, you absolutely must not leave the Village!—Uh, I mean, you're my tour guide. If you're not here, I won't know where to go tomorrow."
Boruto was indeed dizzy with sleepiness. Seeing Naruto about to leave after dropping him off at home, he finally called out.
After Naruto left, Boruto covered his eyes with one hand, and a voice appeared in his mind.
"[Son of man, you are going to die.]"
"Is that you?! Die? Are you threatening me?"
Boruto covered his eyes.
"[Oh, perhaps I used the wrong word. Not die, but disappear.]"
"Is there a difference?"
"[You don't care about your own disappearance, but what about your sister?]"
"What do you mean?!"
"Hello?"
"Why aren't you talking anymore?"
"..."
No matter how much Boruto spoke, Momoshiki's voice didn't reappear. He noticed his headache was gone, and a wave of sleepiness washed over him, causing him to fall into a deep slumber.
By the time Boruto woke up again, it was already night.
He lay on the futon, covered by a blanket. Naruto was already asleep beside him, and an empty instant noodle cup sat on the table, indicating his dad's dinner was still the same.
At this moment, Boruto recalled Momoshiki's words from earlier in the day.
When Momoshiki was defeated, he had said some cryptic, seemingly prophetic words, and he had said them again today.
Could it be that he wasn't overthinking things, and he really was going to disappear?
Boruto carefully lifted the blanket and stood up.
Yesterday, he had indeed confirmed that his dad's 'tool' was not damaged, but that was all.
Could Momoshiki's words today mean that the thing was only superficially intact, but actually had lost its function?
Otherwise, why would Momoshiki say that he and his sister, Himawari, would be gone?
After yesterday's embarrassing scene, Boruto would normally never do the same thing again, but this matter concerned his sister's life and death.
"For Himawari, forgive me, Dad. This is the last time..."
Boruto gritted his teeth and walked to Naruto's bed again.
He had to verify if his dad still had the ability.
Begin!
"Ugh ~ Sakura-chan, no, hehe ~"
"..."
While Boruto was verifying and praying that his dad wouldn't wake up, he heard this extremely lewd mumble in his sleep.
And, Boruto completed the verification; his dad's ability was fine.
But Boruto wasn't happy at all.
His own dad was actually, in this situation, lewdly mumbling Sarada's mom's name.
Could Momoshiki's words about him disappearing refer to this?
As Boruto believed he had learned the truth and was at a loss, Naruto woke up again.
This awakening was even more terrifying than the last.
The last feeling was static; this time, it was dynamic.
Naruto's eyes widened as he looked down.
What use is this iron rod to me?
What good is this change to me?
Still uneasy, still melancholic... "Ah — — — — — — — —"
Another shrill scream echoed through the night.
However, this time, Sasuke didn't rush over, but another person was hesitating downstairs at Naruto's house.
After hearing Naruto's scream, Hyūga Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and looked over.
—After learning from the Third that Boruto's identity was special, he indeed had no intention of troubling Boruto, but to resolve the discomfort in his heart, he still wanted to secretly learn more about Boruto.
Who knew Boruto had slept all day and hadn't woken up.
Neji, who had waited for half a day, was about to leave when he heard that scream.
"No wonder Lord Third said not to worry about Hinata-sama's safety. So that's how it is..."
Neji saw the scene inside the room through his Byakugan and wished he could poke out his own eyes.
On his way back, Neji no longer worried whether Boruto would harm Hinata. Instead, he began to wonder if he should tell Hinata about this.
Neji deduced in his mind—
If he told Hinata the truth about "the deer doll," and if Hinata-sama remained stubborn, thinking Naruto liked men, then she would want to become a man.
Then, for Hinata's sake, and also believing that a male was more suitable to be the head of the main family, the Clan Head would decide to have him, a member of the branch family, contribute his 'things' to be transplanted to Hinata... This incident is also recorded in Kakashi's book, "Icha Icha Paradise."
"Damn the main family!"
Neji decided to keep this matter a secret; absolutely no one could know.
He didn't hate Hinata; he hated this shameless system.
To avoid becoming Hyūga Neiko, he had to apologize to Hinata and couldn't tell her the truth...
....
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