"Am I... really my mother's biological daughter?"
Boruto was stunned by Sarada's sudden words.
"What's wrong, Sarada?"
"Why doesn't my dad ever come home?" she asked quietly.
"There are no wedding photos of my mom and dad, not even a family picture. The only photo we have is of Dad with someone else."
Sarada pointed at the photo in her hand, her voice growing weaker.
"In this picture, the red-haired woman next to Dad is wearing glasses... just like me. I…"
Boruto's mind spun. Does Sarada think Karin is her biological mother?
"Hmm…" he muttered. Sarada does kind of look like Karin when she wears glasses. Could it be that Sasuke married Karin? Is Sarada Karin's daughter?
But Boruto quickly shook his head, trying to make sense of it all.
Wait—wasn't the saying that the winner of the Valley of the End fight becomes Hokage, and the loser marries Sakura? What the hell is going on here?
"If Sasuke really married Karin, then why is Sarada living with Sakura?"
"And Sakura's name is Uchiha Sakura. That clearly means she married Sasuke."
"As for Sarada looking like Karin… maybe it's just a coincidence. Or maybe Sasuke bit Karin so many times for healing that her genes rubbed off or something?" Boruto thought, trying to lighten the mood.
He comforted her gently, "Sarada, don't jump to conclusions yet. A photo doesn't prove anything. Let's wait until Uncle Sasuke comes back and you can ask him yourself."
Tears welled up in Sarada's eyes.
"Dad? Will he even come back?" she whispered. "He left me and Mom for years because of a mission… and never sent a single letter."
Her voice trembled as her eyes turned red.
Boruto clenched his fists. Damn it, Sasuke. You made Sarada cry.
"When we meet again, I'll make you feel her pain," he swore silently.
"I'll go with you tomorrow," he said aloud. "We'll ask my dad about Uncle Sasuke together. He must know what kind of mission keeps him away for so long."
"Uncle Naruto…" Sarada murmured softly.
The Next Day
At noon in the Hokage's office, Naruto was busy handling paperwork when a soft tapping came from the window.
A gray eagle perched outside, pecking gently at the frame.
"It's Sasuke's hawk," Naruto said, recognizing it immediately.
Shikamaru chuckled. "Still using that old-fashioned method, huh?"
"Well, most of Sasuke's missions are in remote areas. Probably no signal." Naruto untied the letter from the hawk's leg and unfolded it carefully. His expression turned serious.
"Sharingan?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Meanwhile, in a hot spring town near Konoha, Kakashi lounged lazily at a table in a loose bathrobe, holding his phone to his ear.
"Hey, Naruto, you know I'm supposed to be recuperating, right?" Kakashi said, his tone half-annoyed, half-amused.
"Sorry, Kakashi-sensei, but Sasuke was attacked by someone with the Sharingan during a mission," Naruto said hurriedly on the other end.
At the word "Sharingan," Kakashi's gaze sharpened. He fell silent for a moment, thinking deeply.
"In that case," he said slowly, "the attacker is either a surviving Uchiha… or connected to Orochimaru."
At that very moment, Boruto and Sarada stood quietly outside the Hokage's office, about to knock—when they overheard the conversation inside.
"I'll have to ask Orochimaru in person for the details," Naruto said. "But before that, I'm going to meet Sasuke myself."
Naruto ended the call, turned to Shikamaru, and said, "Have my shadow clone stay in the village. I'll go find him."
"This is serious, Naruto. Be careful," Shikamaru replied with a nod.
Outside the office, Sarada grabbed Boruto's arm and pulled him into the shadows.
"Boruto, I want to follow Uncle Naruto and see my dad."
"I knew it," Boruto whispered back. "But with my dad's speed, we can't keep up."
"If we tell him, he'll never let us come," Sarada said anxiously. "Then we'll never see Dad."
Boruto thought for a moment, then smirked.
"You're right. Then we'll leave the village before he does."
Sarada nodded firmly. "Yeah."
Outside Konoha Village
The two hid beneath a large tree by the road. A moment later, Naruto's figure flashed by like a streak of lightning—so fast that the trees trembled in his wake.
"So fast!" Sarada gasped.
"Yeah, and that's without even using Sage Mode or Nine-Tails Chakra Mode," Boruto thought, impressed.
"Let's go, Sarada!"
They darted out from hiding, following Naruto's trail through dense woods, leaping over streams, dodging branches, and sprinting across the open plains.
Meanwhile...
In a strange white stone dimension, a cloaked figure stood upon a platform, his face hidden in shadow.
Behind him knelt a young man with short snow-white hair, three-tomoe Sharingan spinning in his eyes, and the Uchiha crest embroidered on his back.
"Shin," the robed man said coldly, "bring me Uchiha Sasuke's daughter."
As Boruto and Sarada ran through the forest, Boruto suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"What's wrong?" Sarada asked, startled.
Boruto's brows furrowed. "There's a chakra fluctuation ahead—in that tree."
"Chakra? Could it be Uncle Naruto?" Sarada guessed.
"Not Dad," Boruto said firmly.
The next second, a figure dropped from the trees and crouched low before them, his head slightly bowed.
The young man raised his face slowly, revealing scarlet eyes spinning with three tomoe.
Sarada's breath caught. "Those eyes… Who are you?"
"Uchiha Shin," he said coldly.