"Uncle Sai, why are you here?"
Boruto frowned. "A simple commotion caused by a Ninja Academy student who hasn't even graduated yet needs the Anbu to handle it? Is Konoha really that short-staffed?"
He glanced at the two Anbu operatives, who were already lifting the fat, pig-faced man off the ground—clearly planning to take him in for interrogation.
"Boruto," Sai said evenly, "this incident is part of a larger investigation the Anbu are handling. It's getting late. You should head home."
He didn't elaborate, his gaze lingering on the unconscious man's swollen face.
Boruto nodded but added seriously, "Uncle Sai, I just want to remind you—I sensed a strange chakra from that guy earlier. But after I taught him a lesson, it vanished. His chakra levels dropped a lot, too."
After saying that, Boruto took Sarada's hand and left the scene.
Sai watched him go, thoughtful.
"So his chakra really was drained… I didn't expect Boruto's sensory perception to be that sharp at his age. He really is Naruto's kid."
The two stopped in front of Sarada's house.
"See you tomorrow, Boruto."
Sarada let go of his hand gently and waved.
"See you tomorrow, Sarada."
Boruto smiled, watching her disappear behind the closing wooden door before turning to head home.
Night had fallen over Konoha, wrapping the village in a quiet, soft veil. As Boruto walked the familiar streets, his thoughts wandered.
I didn't expect things to get this complicated… even Sai got involved. Something's definitely off.
I should've used my Jōgan to take a closer look at that chakra.
He sighed and opened his front door. Warm air and the smell of home greeted him instantly.
"Brother! You're back!"
Himawari ran to him, her small feet padding across the floor.
Boruto bent down and lifted her into his arms, smiling. "Yeah, I'm back, Himawari."
"You're just in time," came Hinata's gentle voice from the kitchen. "Dinner's almost ready."
Boruto smiled warmly and walked to the dining table with Himawari still in his arms. The table was covered with delicious dishes, their aroma filling the air. His stomach growled.
"Mom, dinner smells amazing!" he said cheerfully, already drooling a little.
Hinata chuckled softly. "Of course. You must've had a long day at school, so I made your favorites."
She picked up a piece of golden-fried shrimp and placed it in his bowl.
Man, Boruto thought as he started eating, kids with moms are so lucky. Every other time traveler in anime ends up an orphan.
Dinner was warm and full of laughter. Boruto talked about the fun things that happened at school—but conveniently left out the part about nearly giving Shino a heart attack.
Afterward, Boruto and Himawari helped clean the table while Hinata prepared a lunch box.
"Mom, you've worked hard enough today," Boruto said. "I'll take Dad's dinner to him."
Hinata smiled gently. "Thank you, Boruto. Your father's been swamped with paperwork lately. He'll be happy you came."
She carefully wrapped the lunch box in a cloth bag and handed it to him.
The Hokage Building stood tall against the night sky, lights still glowing in the upper floors.
Boruto looked up at the office window that was still lit and sighed. "Figures. Still working."
Bang!
With a puff of smoke, he transformed into Tendo Pain and stepped inside, carrying the lunch box.
The guards in the corridor froze instantly. Many of them had lived through the real Pain's invasion of Konoha. Seeing that all-too-familiar black cloak with red clouds again sent chills down their spines.
"Boruto?"
Nara Shikamaru appeared from the hallway, hands in his pockets. His tone was calm but laced with disbelief. "You're here to deliver a lunch box to Naruto, right? Did you really have to transform into him?"
Boruto lifted the lunch box and grinned. "Uncle Shikamaru, I just wanted to give Dad a special surprise."
Shikamaru sighed. "Surprise, huh? Let's hope it doesn't end in a heart attack."
Boruto shrugged. "Can't help it. Dad's been looking so drained lately. I'm just trying to cheer him up."
Shikamaru rubbed his temple. "You really are Naruto's son…"
Boruto smirked and continued down the hall in Pain's form. The guards he passed tensed, one muttering under his breath,
"Don't panic… Pain—uh, I mean, Master Boruto—is just here to deliver Lord Hokage's dinner…"
At the door to the Hokage's office, Boruto took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Naruto was buried under a mountain of paperwork, his eyes tired. When the door opened, he looked up—only to freeze.
There, standing in the doorway, was Tendo Pain, holding a lunch box.
The fatigue vanished instantly, replaced by a mix of surprise and exasperation.
"P—Boruto! Can you please stop transforming into Pain?!"
Startled, Naruto accidentally elbowed the towering pile of documents beside him. Papers flew everywhere, scattering across the floor.
"Ah, crap!" he groaned. "Now look what you made me do!"
Boruto rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Dad…"
He raised a hand slightly. A faint, invisible force rippled through the air. The scattered papers began floating, aligning themselves neatly before settling back onto the desk in perfect order.
[Emotions from Uzumaki Naruto — Progress Bar +2584]
Naruto stared in disbelief, then broke into a small, proud smile.
"Boruto… you've already learned to control part of your Jōgan's power that well? You must've been training secretly."
Boruto set the lunch box down on the desk and pushed it toward him. "Dad, this is from Mom. Eat it while it's still warm."
He turned to leave, then paused and added, still in Pain's voice,
"Oh, and Dad—if you don't come home for dinner tomorrow, I'll make you carry a bag of rice up the Hokage Building stairs. Got it?"
A bead of sweat rolled down Naruto's temple. "Forgive me, Boruto. I'll try to make it home."
Naruto smiled softly, guilt flickering in his eyes. He knew how much time he'd lost with his family.
Boruto nodded, satisfied, and released his transformation before heading toward the door.
Naruto watched him go, the corners of his mouth lifting in a warm smile.
"Boruto… you've really been working hard."
Boruto didn't turn back, but a grin appeared on his face as he walked down the hall.