Chapter 303: Parent-Child Day
"...Big Sis..."
"Sasuke already told me. I didn't expect you to be my son."
Naruto said with a smile.
"Mm." Future Boruto nodded, then looked at Sasuke and said, "Uncle Sasuke, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Yeah."
Sasuke stepped in front of Hanabi and activated his Rinnegan.
"No! I don't want to forget Boruto!"
Hanabi's resistance was clearly ineffective. As the power of Sasuke's Rinnegan activated, her struggles gradually subsided, though tears continued to stream down her face.
"To prevent any changes to the future, we also need to erase everyone's memories of Boruto."
Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, Sakura, Kiba, and Hinata as he spoke—naturally, that included Kiba's ninja hound, Akamaru.
By the time Hanabi came back to her senses, Future Boruto was already gone. Looking at the people around her, Hanabi was completely bewildered, feeling an emptiness in her heart as if something important had been lost.
...
"It's about time I head back."
Future Boruto pulled out the Ōtsutsuki clan's secret treasure—the turtle—from his robes.
"Lord Boruto... about Hanabi's feelings for you..."
The Nine-Tails within Future Boruto began, hesitating mid-sentence.
"Yeah, I know. But... there's no future for us. If the future isn't changed, Hanabi will eventually die. And if the future is changed, I, who come from the apocalyptic future of the ninja world, will disappear."
As Future Boruto spoke, he began channeling chakra into the turtle.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village)
Future Boruto looked around—Konoha had already been fully rebuilt.
"Looks like time didn't stand still here while I was away."
He walked down the streets of the newly reconstructed Konoha, taking in the sights.
"Lord Boruto, up ahead."
The Nine-Tails in his body warned him.
Ahead, Hinata and Hanabi were walking hand-in-hand, shopping together.
"Boruto?" Hinata spotted Future Boruto in the crowd. "Where have you been the past few days? We haven't seen you at all."
"Uh..."
A hesitant expression crossed Future Boruto's face.
"Boruto!"
"Uncle Sasuke!"
Hearing the voice, Future Boruto turned his head.
"You finished your mission and came back."
"Yeah." Future Boruto nodded.
"Mission?" Hinata looked at Future Boruto and Sasuke in confusion.
"Since you're back, you should report to Naruto right away."
"Sasuke's right. Go ahead, Boruto."
"Mm. I'll be going then, Mom."
Watching Future Boruto and Sasuke walk off, Hinata and Hanabi resumed their stroll down the street.
"Oh no, I forgot to ask if Boruto's coming home for dinner... Seriously..." Hinata shook her head. "By the way, Hanabi, you seemed a little off earlier..."
"Huh? Me? Off...? Oh—well, Boruto's already grown into such a reliable adult, so of course we can't treat him like a little kid anymore."
Hanabi replied a bit flustered.
"True. Boruto really is surprisingly dependable now."
Hinata said with a smile.
...
Hokage's Office
Only Naruto, Sasuke, and Future Boruto were present.
"...So that's how it was, huh? It all feels so surreal... But since it's you saying it, and with Sasuke vouching for it, then I'm sure it must be true."
Naruto looked at the future version of Boruto, who was nearly the same height as himself.
"Sorry to trouble you again, Boruto."
"It's fine, Dad." Future Boruto replied as he pulled out the turtle. "This turtle can travel through time and space. When it's out of chakra, it goes into a dormant state. But every time it activates, it consumes a huge amount of chakra."
"Looks like this thing's dangerous too... Alright, I'll have the sealing team secure it immediately."
Naruto examined the pink, dormant turtle in front of him.
"By the way, anything happen in the village while I was gone?"
"Ah, when you left, the village was still in ruins, right?" Naruto said with a chuckle. "Actually, a few Peace Stars appeared during that time. Thanks to the wishes we made upon them, the village was able to be rebuilt. Now, only two Peace Stars have yet to appear."
"Any idea when the next Peace Star will show up?"
"Not yet. But for now, Boruto, since you're finally back, take a break and rest up." Naruto smiled. "Besides, your timing's perfect, Boruto."
"...?"
"Tomorrow is the village's first Parent-Child Day since the reconstruction."
...
Parent-Child Day — a day to deepen the bond between family members.
"Sorry, Sarada. I know it's Parent-Child Day, but I really can't get away from work... And your dad too—even though he's in the village, he's never home..."
"It's okay, Mom. Besides, Dad's busy because Lord Hokage needs him." Sarada replied understandingly. "Anyway, I already made plans to practice shuriken with Shuyu today."
Ichiraku Ramen, Branch No. 2
"Sarada, here to meet Shuyu, right?"
Shunhi said while busy working behind the counter.
"Yes, Uncle Shunhi."
"Wait just a bit, Shuyu will be down shortly."
As he finished speaking, Shuyu came down from the second floor. Behind him was a girl from the Land of Iron—Tetsubaki.
"I think... she's from the Land of Iron..."
Sarada looked at the girl behind Shuyu and furrowed her brows, trying to recall.
"Tetsubaki of the Land of Iron. Since her homeland was destroyed, and it was difficult to arrange housing in the village, the Hokage asked me to let her stay with me for the time being," said Shunhi.
"Let's go, Sarada."
Shuyu said to Sarada. Before leaving, he glanced back at Shunhi.
Ever since Itachi learned that Shunhi was a Hydra sleeper agent embedded in S.H.I.E.L.D., and played a key role in bringing it down, his attitude toward Shunhi had improved a lot.
"Hold up. I invited someone else to join you too—after all, it's Parent-Child Day."
As Shunhi spoke, the door to the shop opened.
"Dad?!" Sarada looked in surprise at Sasuke entering. "Dad, aren't you helping Lord Hokage today?"
"Mm." Sasuke nodded. "Today is Parent-Child Day, so Naruto is also taking the day off. Shunhi couldn't make it, so he asked me to take Shuyu instead."
After all, Shuyu was one of the very few young Uchiha left—and the only male among them. His talent was something Sasuke recognized, and spending Parent-Child Day together was a good opportunity to strengthen ties with the clan.