Outside the ramen shop, the afternoon sunlight slanted across the wall, casting a long shadow.
Kakashi leaned quietly against the wall, his gaze carrying a solemn weight as he looked into the distance.
At that moment, Jiraiya strolled over, stopping beside Kakashi. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and asked, "Did you say that person knows Naruto very well?"
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes slightly, as if trying to extract more information from Kakashi.
Kakashi nodded in response and added, "Not only that. He pays extraordinary attention to Naruto, as if he knows all about him."
"And not just Naruto. He seems very concerned about Sasuke as well." Kakashi's voice was low and steady, revealing a trace of anxiety.
Hearing this, Jiraiya furrowed his brow and muttered to himself, "This is truly unexpected..." After a brief silence, he asked again, "Are you certain he knows Naruto is Minato's son?"
Kakashi nodded without hesitation. "I am certain of that."
Jiraiya gave a slow nod, indicating he understood the situation. Then, he cast his gaze inside the ramen shop toward Boruto and Naruto, who were eating with great relish. A complex light flickered in his eyes, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"We need to find some time to have a proper talk with him," Jiraiya said, frowning as he broke the oppressive silence first.
Kakashi nodded, agreeing with Jiraiya's assessment. The two exchanged glances, sharing the same hidden worries.
Meanwhile, inside the bustling Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto wolfed down a steaming bowl of ramen and let out a satisfying burp. His eyes swept casually over the interior of the shop and finally landed on Boruto, who was sitting nearby, burying his face in his noodles.
Naruto noticed that Boruto was wearing a mysterious mask that left only one eye exposed. Blinking his expressive eyes with bubbling curiosity, Naruto asked, "Big Brother Boruto, why are you wearing a mask like that?"
"It looks super mysterious!"
Boruto, who was in the midst of slurping a mouthful of noodles, choked violently upon hearing Naruto's address, nearly getting a noodle stuck in his throat.
Regaining his breath after much effort, Boruto hurriedly set down his chopsticks and said in an urgent tone, "Ah, how many times do I have to tell you?"
"Don't call me big brother. Just call me Boruto directly. Make sure you don't get it wrong again!" With that, he cast a pleading look at Naruto, as if this form of address caused him endless distress.
Seeing this, Naruto reached up and scratched his spiky blond hair, a puzzled expression on his face. "But you're clearly older than me. According to common sense, it's only right for me to call you big brother. Is there something wrong with that?"
Faced with Naruto's innocent question, Boruto found himself momentarily at a loss for how to reply. After a moment of thought, he could only cobble together a random excuse.
"Well... actually, I just don't really like people calling me big brother. It always feels a bit weird, so please don't call me that anymore, okay?"
Naruto tilted his head and thought about it. Though he still found it a bit strange, seeing how insistent Boruto was, he decided not to press further.
With a nod, Naruto smiled and said, "Alright, since you don't like it, I won't call you big brother anymore, Boruto."
Boruto breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his chopsticks to resume eating.
Just then, Sasuke walked slowly over to stand before Boruto. With deep, sharp eyes, Sasuke gazed at Boruto and spoke in a soft voice: "I'm leaving for now. I'll come find you tonight."
Having said that, Sasuke waited quietly for Boruto's response.
Hearing this, Boruto turned his head, his gaze meeting Sasuke's. The corners of Boruto's mouth curved upward into a smile as he said, "Okay, just come find me at Kakashi-sensei's place."
No sooner had the words left his lips than Sasuke gave a slight nod in response, offering no further words. Without a moment's hesitation, Sasuke turned on his heel and walked straight out of Ichiraku Ramen without looking back.
Naruto, who had been quietly observing the entire exchange from the sidelines, watched Sasuke's departing figure fade into the distance. Then, turning his gaze back to Boruto, he asked, "Boruto, would you be able to spare some time to help me with my training?"
Taken aback by the request, Boruto blinked in surprise. But he quickly recovered, a bright smile spreading across his face as he replied briskly, "Sure, no problem." He added, "I happen to be quite skilled at Ninjutsu like the Rasengan."
Hearing this, Naruto's eyes widened in sheer astonishment. He cried out in disbelief, "What? You know how to use the Rasengan too, Boruto?"
"I always thought that besides Pervy Sage, I was the only one who mastered that move!"
Seeing Naruto's shocked expression, Boruto couldn't help letting out a soft laugh. "Ha, don't underestimate me. Actually, it's not just the Rasengan—I have plenty of other powerful moves and techniques I can teach you."
Hearing this, Naruto was so excited that he leaped right off his stool, dancing around in jubilation. "That's amazing... With this, my strength is definitely going to skyrocket!"
However, just as Naruto was basking in the height of his joy, a familiar voice rang out unceremoniously by his ear.
"No! Naruto cannot train with you."
The sudden declaration pierced the air like a thunderclap, instantly dragging Naruto down from the clouds of delight back to reality.
Boruto turned his head at the sound, fixing his gaze directly on the stern-faced Jiraiya. Boruto's mouth parted slightly as if he wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat and were swallowed back down.
Before he could speak, Naruto could no longer contain his dissatisfaction and jumped out to voice his protest first.
Lifting his head abruptly, Naruto glared directly at Jiraiya with wide eyes and grumbled resentfully, "Why not? What do you mean I can't?"
Then, as if a thought had just occurred to him, Naruto continued angrily, "Sasuke is letting Boruto train with him, so why is it not allowed when it comes to me?"
"That's not fair!"