"The Ryumyaku is completely sealed. No one can open it anymore except the Fourth Hokage."
At the dinner table, Karin repeated what she had heard.
Boruto and Naruto, sitting beside her, nodded repeatedly.
Across from them, Hinata and Himawari listened blankly as if hearing a story.
"So, Naruto-san's wife of this world, I'll be troubling you for a while until I find a way back."
Karin had actually recognized Hinata.
She was the Hyuga girl who had come with the Konoha's Ninjas last time and fainted.
'So, in the fate of the Naruto-san who hadn't experienced the other world journey, he would ultimately marry this person too?'
Karin looked at the gentle woman, then at herself.
Though very unwilling, she felt she was outmatched in certain aspects.
Of course, while talking, she didn't forget to eat heartily.
Since starting training under Naruto, Karin's appetite had grown rapidly.
Especially after eating the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, it had multiplied several times over.
It seemed everyone in their group had huge appetites… except Jiraiya, who hadn't trained much in Haki or close combat.
But usually, within the team, everyone had a large appetite.
And with Naruto setting the precedent, her own appetite wasn't particularly remarkable.
Now, however, it was different.
The contemporary [Big Eater Queen], Hyuga Hinata, or rather, Uzumaki Hinata now, who had once defeated Naruto and others by eating 46 bowls of ramen to win a food contest, sympathetically refilled Karin's bowl upon seeing how quickly it emptied.
'What a poor girl, how long has she been starving...'
Hinata didn't doubt Naruto and Karin's story much.
After all, she had always trusted Naruto unconditionally.
This man had proven his reliability throughout the first half of his life. Hinata was a mother now and naturally wouldn't act childishly in this situation.
Moreover, she could sense that the young girl before her didn't seem very interested in her husband.
She didn't even have the admiration for the Seventh Hokage that the other village girls had.
As a woman, her intuition about this feeling was sharp.
Thus, Karin naturally ended up staying at Naruto's house temporarily.
After Karin moved in, the two kids, Boruto and Himawari, started following her around like ducklings.
Boruto claimed he wanted to show Karin around the 'future' Konoha.
In reality, he kept trying to ask Karin about the principles behind her wind-manipulating technique and the wing-summoning technique.
Himawari's reasons were simpler.
She instinctively felt a strong liking for the big sister.
So, during this period, many people in Konoha saw this trio of one older and two younger figures wandering around.
Few knew that Karin wasn't much older than Boruto.
Counting strictly, including the time spent with Naruto, she was just over fourteen years old.
But the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit's physical enhancements and Naruto's training made her appear at least sixteen or seventeen.
And certain aspects were even more developed.
Karin was actually quite interested in the 'high-tech' new Konoha Village.
Things like the Thunder Trains and scientific ninja tools really opened the eyes of this girl who only knew how to fight.
It was a pity she wasn't very familiar with the people in Konoha, otherwise, seeing the descendants of the Konoha 12 would have been even more interesting.
…
Time passed quietly during these leisurely outings, and soon it was time for Boruto's Chunin Exams.
The first exam was simple: answer a true/false question.
Examinees would stand under the corresponding answer. If wrong, the ground would collapse, revealing a pit filled with ink below. Getting stained with ink meant disqualification.
Perhaps due to work, Naruto didn't appear at the first exam.
But Karin didn't miss it.
Sitting alone on a cliff face outside the supposedly spectator-free exam area, Karin waved at Boruto, cheering him on.
"Hey! Brat! Don't get eliminated in the first round!"
Although Boruto didn't get his father, having Karin cheering for him eased his disappointment somewhat.
Sarada, standing nearby, looked utterly shocked upon seeing Karin.
"Hey, hey... Boruto, do you know her?"
"Huh? You mean Karin-nee?"
Hearing the name 'Karin' from Boruto deepened Sarada's shock.
She had seen this woman in her father's group photos!
'But why did she look so young after all these years?'
'And that figure-'
Comparing Karin's powerful, rhythmic physique and very feminine curves in her mind, Sarada made a silent assessment.
'No good... Mom loses!!'
Simultaneously, a previously formed suspicion resurfaced and swirled in her head.
'I wear glasses, but neither of my parents do. Plus, the hairstyle and face shape-'
'Eek! Could she be my real mother?'
Carrying this worry, Sarada was distracted throughout. If not for their third teammate, Mitsuki, acting in time, she might have fallen down with Boruto.
The truth of the exam was simple: both answers were wrong. It actually tested the candidates' reaction speed.
All three passed smoothly.
…
"Hahahaha… No way, no way. I don't like that Sasuke guy at all."
Although unsure about her counterpart in this world, when asked about who she liked, Karin laughed and denied it outright.
This successfully eased the tension in Sarada's heart a little.
The second exam was a flag capture battle. Boruto's opponents were a trio of triplets from Kirigakure.
Initially, Boruto was pushed back, on the verge of losing.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, he remembered Karin's teachings during this period.
Feeling somewhat guilty for freeloading, Karin had ended up teaching Boruto everything she learned from Naruto.
She felt this method of passing down skills shouldn't count as leaking secrets.
Among them, Karin wasn't very proficient in Ninjutsu either.
But her practical combat experience was relatively rich.
The Taijutsu and tactics were ingrained into Boruto's subconscious through repeated sparring sessions.
Due to this period of training (beatings), Boruto's recognition of Karin had significantly increased.
During this time, a guy named Katasuke had been promoting his researched [Scientific Ninja Tools] devices that could perform Ninjutsu quickly without hand seals… to the Hokage's family.
But Naruto rejected them, citing potential unfairness in the exams.
Karin, however, had taken a bunch from him like they were new toys.
Of course, Boruto didn't mind this at all.
In his heart now, he had a concrete concept of what a true strong person was.
He didn't respect recognition gained through such tricks.
He wanted to make his father see him in a new light through his own genuine strength.
At the final critical moment, Boruto's potential erupted, and he used a kicking technique taught by Karin.
It was a kicking style Naruto learned from the Longleg Tribe, particularly suited for Karin's transformed physique.
So, when Boruto used it, it looked somewhat awkward.
But it successfully blocked the triplets, earning him the qualification to advance.
The final round was one-on-one matches.
Promotion to Chunin would be decided based on the participants' performance during the matches.
This time, Naruto didn't miss it. He appeared in the stands with Hinata, Himawari, and Karin.
Boruto's opponent was a seeded contestant from Kumogakure, Yurui… a Ninja who fought using bubbles.
These bubbles blocked Boruto's shuriken and kunai from all angles, so Yurui maintained a composed demeanor.
But this very underestimation led to his defeat at Boruto's hands.
After Karin's special training, Boruto's dynamic vision had improved significantly. He quickly found an opening among the multitude of bubbles and closed the distance with agile movements.
In the one-on-one fight, Boruto emerged victorious.
Later, Sarada and Gaara's adopted son from Sunagakure, Shinki, also advanced. The final three were to decide the winner through a free-for-all.
But at this juncture, the Otsutsuki, Momoshiki and Kinshiki, who had appeared earlier due to some butterfly effect, interrupted the final match.
Instantly, overwhelming killing intent engulfed the entire arena.