Karin walked through the drastically changed streets of Konoha Village, finding it somewhat hard to accept.
Especially when she saw Naruto's face carved onto the Hokage Rock.
The feeling was indescribable.
She knew Naruto's temperament and his history with Konoha all too well.
Based on her understanding of Naruto, it was absolutely impossible for him to accept becoming Hokage.
In other words, the Naruto in this world was likely not the one she knew.
"Huh? What's that?"
Just as Karin looked at the Hokage Rock, a small figure also caught her eye.
After eating the Garuda Devil Fruit, Karin's physical abilities had greatly improved, including her eyesight.
The Garuda possessed vision far surpassing that of a hunting eagle, and Karin shared this trait.
Sasuke had once questioned why she still wore her glasses despite having restored vision, but she had brushed him off with unfamiliar terms like 'character trait' and 'glasses-wearing girl'.
Sasuke, having never studied Jiraiya's literary works in detail, naturally couldn't understand these words.
Back to the matter at hand.
When Karin clearly saw what the small figure was doing, her eyes instantly widened.
"That brat!"
She almost instantly vanished from the street, her speed quickly attracting the attention of a Ninja who happened to be passing by.
Karin simply tapped the ground lightly, propelling herself into the air.
The next moment, golden wings unfurled from her back, and intangible winds, as if controlled by spirits, actively swirled around her.
Within just a few seconds, Karin went from the village center to the front of the Hokage Rock… right before the child dangling from a rope.
This child, with his back to Karin, was intently using a brush dipped in paint to graffiti the Hokage Rock belonging to Naruto.
'Idiot!'
After finishing the last stroke, Uzumaki Boruto wrinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out at the statue of his father.
Just then, a clear, sharp reprimand came from beside him.
"Hey! You brat! What are you doing to Naruto-san's statue!"
Boruto turned to look and saw Karin, whose hair had turned golden due to her partial beastification, fluttering her wings behind him like a real angel.
"So... pretty..."
The foolish boy was dazzled by the shimmering golden wings, instinctively freezing in place.
Karin, meanwhile, crossed her arms, her gaze unfriendly, clearly very dissatisfied with Boruto's bratty behavior.
This was hardly surprising.
Regardless of whether the Naruto in this world was the one she knew, she couldn't tolerate such disrespect towards Naruto.
"Huh?"
When Karin saw Boruto's appearance, which was practically a miniaturized version of Naruto, she instantly understood.
With Kousei as a precedent, Boruto's identity became obvious.
'This kid was definitely Naruto-san's child in this world.'
After all, such coincidences were rare.
He didn't graffiti the other Hokage, only targeted Naruto's statue, plus the spitting image appearance.
'It seemed Naruto-san in this world wasn't very good at parenting.'
'This silly boy was nowhere near as cute as Kousei.'
Karin silently gave Boruto a low score in her heart.
Even though she had initially been jealous of the affection Naruto showed Kousei, after spending time together, she had gradually grown fond of the straightforward and adorable little girl.
The child before her, playing pranks on his own father, clearly paled in comparison.
"Hey, brat, you haven't answered me. Why are you doing this to Naruto-san's statue?"
Karin moved closer, asking Boruto in an unfriendly tone.
Hearing this, Boruto snapped out of his awe at the golden angel.
Once he processed Karin's words, his expression immediately soured.
"Hmph! What does it matter to you what I do to my stupid old man's statue?"
He assumed this stranger was just another admirer of his 'good-for-nothing old man'.
Boruto never understood why his father, who always lounged on the sofa at home like a dead fish, had so many people fawning over him.
'Even when passing by the Ninja Academy, hordes of girls would rush over screaming 'Seventh Hokage-sama!' and asking for autographs.'
'He's just a stupid old man who doesn't even have time for his own kids...'
"Oh? Is that so?"
Hearing Boruto's words, a vein visibly throbbed on Karin's forehead.
"It seems you need some proper education, brat."
After saying this, intangible winds transformed into sharp blades, instantly severing the rope tied around Boruto's waist.
"Ahhhhh!!!!"
The brat immediately screamed as he plummeted downwards.
During the Fourth Hokage's era, the drop from the top of the Hokage Rock to the ground was about forty to fifty meters. But later, Konoha was destroyed during Pain's assault. During reconstruction, the foundation was essentially 'excavated'.
Coupled with additional construction during the reigns of the Sixth Hokage Kakashi and Seventh Hokage Naruto...
The height from the Hokage Rock to the ground was now nearly seventy meters.
Boruto let out a delightfully satisfying scream as he free-fell.
But his scream didn't last long before being cut off by a whirlwind.
Manipulated by Karin, Boruto was lifted by the whirlwind and floated back before her.
"So? Have you reflected on your actions?"
"You!!"
The brat actually pulled a kunai from his ninja pouch and threw it at Karin.
What awaited him was, naturally, another free-fall.
"How about now? Want to continue?"
Karin's smiling face, which Boruto had initially seen as an 'angel', now seemed no different from a demon.
"Da... damn it!"
Just then, another voice chimed in.
"If possible, could you please let my student go?"
"Huh?"
Karin turned around to see Konohamaru, dressed in a Konoha's Jonin uniform with a blue scarf around his neck.
"This little brat is your student? Then you should teach him properly how to treat people worthy of respect."
As she spoke, Karin pointed at Naruto's statue while manipulating the whirlwind to toss Boruto towards Konohamaru.
Boruto shrieked mid-air before being caught steadily by Konohamaru and set down.
Konohamaru followed Karin's pointing finger and saw the large [IDIOT] scrawled on Naruto's statue.
"Ah... that..."
Konohamaru scratched his head somewhat helplessly.
"I've actually lectured him many times about this... I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree..."
Konohamaru smiled wryly, remembering how he had seen Naruto graffiti the other Hokage's statues when he was young.
Boruto's behavior perfectly replicated his father's.
And Naruto himself didn't seem to mind much anyway.
"However, I will educate him properly about this matter."
Konohamaru's expression turned serious as he addressed Karin.
"But before that, could you please identify yourself? A powerful individual appearing mysteriously in Konoha Village."
He switched gears instantly, going from rescuing Boruto from Karin to all business.
"If possible, I'll need you to come with me to the Hokage Building for identity registration."
Konohamaru looked at Karin, who could fly freely without using Ninjutsu and had golden wings, instinctively categorizing her as a potential powerful enemy.
He had chased after her at full speed after seeing her vanish on the main street.
Even as a Jonin, he couldn't keep up with the young woman's speed.
That didn't seem like any Body Flicker Technique he knew.
"Go to the Hokage Building? Does that mean I can see Naruto-san?"
The words were spoken, and Konohamaru's pupils contracted to pinpoints.
So fast!
Somehow, the young woman who had been flying mid-air moments ago was now right in front of him.
If she had intended to, he would have been dead over a dozen times already.
Karin seemed completely unconcerned about the speed she had just displayed. Her golden wings retracted, and her hair turned red again.
"Huh? You are..."
Seeing this, Konohamaru blinked, feeling that Karin looked somewhat familiar.