[So, as a child, Naruto craved attention from everyone, and thus often pulled pranks. For instance, he would paint the statues of the past Hokage on the Hokage Rock, and he particularly loved to graffiti Namikaze Minato's face. Hmm… I can only say that it is truly a case of like father, like son. This trait was perfectly inherited by his son Boruto, who also liked to draw on his father's stone face.]
[One could say it was a case of Naruto reaping what he sowed.]
The Sky Screen flashed images of the young Naruto after one of his pranks, showing all four Hokage faces on the cliffside covered in messy graffiti—some with tears drawn on them, others painted to look like cats.
On the other side, Boruto was shown hanging from a rope, scribbling all over Naruto's stone face.
Their poses and mannerisms were remarkably similar.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Training Ground]
Naruto looked at Boruto's handiwork on the screen, put his hands on his hips, and looked very pleased with himself.
"Hahaha! Boruto's graffiti is way worse than mine. Looks like he didn't inherit my essence. I'm obviously still the better one!"
Sakura had a vein popping on her forehead. "Naruto, didn't you notice? Boruto only painted on your future face!"
Naruto's laughter came to an abrupt halt. He looked closely and sure enough, the other statues on the Hokage Rock were completely untouched. Only the statue that resembled his future self was covered in messy paint.
"This kid has no respect!" Naruto was instantly furious.
"He must not have been raised right! Why only draw on my face? When I see him in the future, I'm going to give him a serious talking-to!"
Sakura was even more exasperated. "You idiot… he's your future son. You're the one who taught him that kind of thing! Besides, I think he's way better than you. Even when he plays pranks, he knows his limits—unlike you!"
Naruto covered his ears. "Not listening, not listening, not listening!"
Sasuke, standing nearby with his hands in his pockets, delivered a deadpan finishing blow: "Genetics."
Naruto glared at him: "Oi, Sasuke! What do you mean by that?"
Sasuke glanced at him: "Exactly what it sounds like."
And the two started bickering again. Kakashi held his forehead and sighed.
'These two. Can't go a single day without arguing.'
---
[Hokage Office]
Hiruzen looked at the graffiti on the Sky Screen with a bitter expression.
"Naruto… he really was quite a handful back then. Though he's gotten a lot better since becoming a shinobi."
Tsunade snorted from the side: "Better? He just hasn't had the chance now."
She then turned to Shizune and said, "Listen, Shizune! Keep an eye on Naruto for me. Make sure he never writes or draws anything on my face!"
Shizune, holding Tonton, nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"
Since Tsunade had only recently become Hokage, only a blank space had been cleared on the Hokage Rock—waiting to have her face carved. Even the outline wasn't finished yet.
But for someone as "vain" as her, even if it were just a statue, she would never allow Naruto to graffiti it in the future, and certainly not his son.
'How exactly did Naruto raise his kid? Could something like graffiti really be passed down from father to son?'
And neither of them seemed to have inherited any of Minato's good traits!'
---
[Konoha, Year 50. On a cliff top somewhere in the Shinobi World]
A masked figure sat leaning against the edge of a cliff, looking at the Sky Screen and letting out a mocking laugh.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. As expected of Minato-sensei's child. Even after sensei's death, he can still become Hokage, and perhaps even his child might become Hokage in the future."
The dream of being a Hokage.
For him, after seeing Kakashi pierce Rin's chest with Chidori, that dream had completely ended.
Now, watching Naruto and Boruto act so recklessly on the screen without facing any punishment, he couldn't help but sneer.
Beside him, Black Zetsu noticed Obito's unstable mood and spoke up to remind him: "Obito, now that the Sky Screen has exposed your existence and your future plans, we'd better reconsider. Don't go near Konoha for a while. You'll be discovered easily."
Obito, who had been lamenting just moments ago, suddenly darkened his expression.
"Zetsu, you should be calling me Madara!"
"You're merely his creation, so stop wasting words here. I am Madara's true successor, and his plans—I will decide how to carry them out."
Black Zetsu's expression remained neutral, but inwardly he was exasperated. 'These Uchiha… there's really something wrong with all of them. It's easy to guide them into darkness, but making them actually do anything useful is a hassle.'
'Especially this one right here!'
Obito continued: "Hmph! As long as I don't want to fight Namikaze Minato, what can he do to me?"
"Didn't I survive just fine in the future? I even became the second Six Paths-level powerhouse! As long as I deal with this so-called 'Child of Prophecy,' there won't be any problems!"
Black Zetsu was so angry inside that he wanted to kill someone, but he had no other choice.
And lately he always felt that this guy Obito was going to cause some trouble for him.
'Forget it. He has Kamui, and he has that guy Madara's Sharingan. If he also learns Izanagi, there really isn't anyone in the current world who can truly pose a threat to him.'
Still, Black Zetsu felt a sense of heaviness as he recalled the Ōtsutsuki clan mentioned earlier by the Sky Screen.
---
[Speaking of Naruto's childhood, it's impossible not to criticize the villagers of Konoha. The low quality of Konoha's villagers is truly rare in the Shinobi World. Every morning when they open their eyes, they think about who they should bully today.]
[When Naruto was young, he was bullied because of the rumor that he was a "Demon Fox". Sakura was bullied because her forehead was too big. Sasuke was bullied because his personality was too arrogant. Kakashi was bullied because his father was bullied to death. Might Guy and Rock Lee were bullied because they could only use Taijutsu.]
[Chōji was bullied for being fat. Shino was bullied for being too strange.]
[Iruka was bullied for being an orphan. Itachi was bullied as a child for being too excellent.]
[The Uchiha clan was bullied because they bullied others.]
[Even Hinata's Byakugan and Kushina's red hair became reasons for being bullied.]
[It's truly hard to fathom. In front of Konoha's villagers, whether you're fat or thin, beautiful or ugly, bullying is equal for everyone. No matter your background, appearance, or family, someone will always find a reason to bully you. And yet, these same people, who grew up being bullied, still dedicated themselves to protecting Konoha—and they even called this the 'Will of Fire.']
[But at least it shows that Konoha's villagers have principles: they won't refrain from bullying Hinata just because she's the Hyūga heiress, nor will they pity an orphan and not bully them. Only Orochimaru was clever enough to just run away.]
*****
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