Chapter 219: The Illegitimate Son, Boruto
The Streets of Konoha.
Whoosh!
Boruto was dragged into an alleyway by Sasuke. Confused, he said, "That was the wife of the 4.5th Hokage just now. Why does she look exactly the same as she does in the future?"
He knew he had almost slipped up again, but he was genuinely curious. This was the "past," yet she looked just as young as she did in his era.
"If he knew you were calling him the 4.5th, he'd probably pull a prank on you. Uncle Tonbo has a very wicked sense of humor, so watch your tongue. As for her appearance—Uncle Tonbo is a man who cares deeply for his family. He uses his own chakra to maintain his family's physical health. It's likely similar to the technique used by the Fifth Hokage," Sasuke explained with a sigh.
"Why? He's a Hokage! Why doesn't he like being called that? A lot of kids at the Academy use that title," Boruto asked curiously. He was quite the gossip when it came to Captain Tonbo—the hero of the Western Front and the founder of the Academy's Battlefield Simulation. He wondered what the man was actually like.
He cares for his family, so he must have a great personality. Not like my dad, Boruto thought. But judging by Sasuke's tone, the man also seemed to make Sasuke quite exasperated.
"The 4.5th Hokage, as the name implies, means an 'Acting Hokage,' not a formal one. Would you want that?" Sasuke countered.
"..." Boruto definitely didn't. He wanted his own face carved into the Hokage Rock.
"He has already retired from the front lines and moved to logistics. In the future, call him 'Director.' Uncle Tonbo seems to believe that title carries more weight than Hokage. He prefers it," Sasuke reminded him.
"Isn't he the Deputy Director?"
"...Once we deal with Otsutsuki Urashiki and you go back, feel free to try calling him that," Sasuke glanced at him.
Boruto scratched his head. "Forget it. I've only met Director Tonbo a few times; I wouldn't dare talk back." He was afraid of being pranked, having seen the victims of such jokes back at school.
"Let's go. The important business isn't settled yet."
"Mhm."
Whoosh!
The two wandered Konoha for a while and finally gathered some intelligence. Currently, they were in the period of the first Chunin Exams—the time of Boruto's father, Naruto. That meant the current Sasuke was only about twelve or thirteen years old.
However, they hadn't found a single trace of Otsutsuki Urashiki. It was as if he hadn't appeared in Konoha at all. But that didn't make sense; Urashiki should be looking for young Naruto right now to harvest the Nine-Tails' chakra.
"Uncle Sasuke, what should we do? You don't think he's hiding somewhere else, do you?" Boruto walked the streets, bored. His mind was already drifting toward seeing what his dad and Uncle Sasuke looked like as kids.
"No. The time-travel treasure has a limit. We can't stay in the past indefinitely. Once the treasure re-collects enough temporal energy, it will repel us back to our time. It's more likely that during the transit through the time tunnel, Urashiki ended up in a different space-time coordinate due to the interference I caused. If that's the case, it'll be troublesome."
Sasuke was worried. If they weren't in the same time node, there would be no one to stop Urashiki.
"Ah... will our future change? Will I end up being unable to be born?" Boruto shivered at the horrifying thought. "Uncle, there are powerful ninjas in this era too, right? They can stop Urashiki, right?" He looked at Sasuke hopefully.
"I don't know. Research on time is something no one fully understands. Whether these are two parallel timelines or if they intersect and influence each other... no one can say for sure. There are many powerful ninjas, but without intel, Urashiki will be very difficult to handle."
This was why they had to stop him. They couldn't leave hope to the unknown. The best way was to ensure the past remained untouched.
Boruto felt terrible; he didn't want to die before he was even born. "Let's find Dad. If Urashiki appears, he'll definitely go for him. Urashiki's goal is the Nine-Tails, so if we find Dad, there's a high chance we'll run into him."
Despite his worry, Boruto had found the most logical path.
"Mhm. At this point in time, Naruto should be training with Jiraiya of the Sannin. Let's go look for them." Sasuke nodded, pleased with Boruto's analysis.
"Boar-Dog-Bird-Monkey-Ram... Summoning Jutsu! Dammit! Why can I only summon tadpoles and frogs with two legs?"
Naruto walked with his head down, his hands still practicing the seals. It was the same set of signs, so why was his result different from the Pervy Sage's? No, he had to master this jutsu to beat everyone—including Sasuke—and become a Chunin.
Suddenly, he looked toward his house. Two figures were crouching in the alley next to his apartment, seemingly whispering to each other.
"Hmm? Suspicious."
Naruto wove a seal and poof—transformed into a generic passerby. He crept closer, ears perked, trying to overhear their conversation.
"He isn't back yet?"
"He should be training."
"I'm so excited! I wonder what Dad was like when he was young?"
Naruto's ears twitched. A Dad? Young? Who are they talking about?
"A mischievous brat. A guy who likes to use pranks to get attention."
"So immature."
Naruto was completely baffled. Mischievous brat? Pranks for attention? Who are they talking about? Me? No, no, no. He wasn't a troublemaker; he was a top student. Even Uncle Tonbo said so. Besides, he was only twelve—he didn't have a son.
Suddenly, the voices stopped. He peeked around the corner only to find the alley empty.
"They weren't looking for me. Just a coincidence." Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he felt a sense of accomplishment. This was his first time acting like a real "intel ninja."
"Hello there, Old... uh, kid."
Suddenly, a voice rang out behind him, making Naruto jump. He spun around to find the two strangers standing right there. The younger one had yellow hair, whisker-like marks on his cheeks just like him, and blue eyes. He was the one who had spoken.
Naruto was stunned. He didn't even care that the kid called him "little brat." He quickly pulled a mirror from his ninja pouch, looked at his own face, then looked at Boruto. His expression became increasingly strange.
Boruto and Sasuke looked back at him with surprise. Did Naruto figure something out?
Naruto pointed a shaking finger at Boruto and shouted: "You... you... could it be...?"
No way, did Dad recognize me? Boruto screamed internally. Is Dad actually a genius?
Only Sasuke, after a moment's thought, knew it was impossible for Naruto to recognize them. He just didn't know what kind of leap the boy's mind was taking.
"Could it be... are you my dad's illegitimate son?!" Naruto yelled.
He rushed up to Boruto, examining him closely. The more he looked, the more it made sense. Same hair, similar face, similar age... Good grief! My long-dead old man actually had a secret kid! Naruto's mind immediately went into gossip mode. Who was his mom?
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