"You're from the Uchiha Clan?"
"What's your name?"
A deep, calm voice came from behind Sarada.
Startled, she flinched and turned around.
Behind her stood what looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, but her sharp intuition told her immediately—this man was anything but ordinary.
"I'm Uchiha Sarada," she replied politely. "Do you need something?"
Madara's eyes were like an eagle's, piercing and assessing every detail. After a long look, he finally spoke.
"As a descendant of the Uchiha… why do you wear glasses?"
Boruto, watching from the side, nearly choked on his dango.
Is Madara seriously shocked about that? he thought.
Honestly, I was just as surprised when I first met Sarada—three years old and already wearing glasses, Sasuke's daughter and all.
Sarada blinked, caught off guard by the strange question.
After a pause, she smiled politely. "I've had poor eyesight since I was young. I can't see clearly without them, so I need glasses."
Madara frowned slightly. Back in his time, the Uchiha Clan had no such weakness.
"The Uchiha… to have descendants with vision defects…" he murmured under his breath.
Sarada tilted her head curiously. "You seem to know a lot about the Uchiha Clan. Who are you, exactly?"
Madara paused. A voice echoed faintly in his mind—Boruto's warning, perhaps—and after a brief thought, he crafted a cover story.
"I'm just a researcher interested in Uchiha history," he said smoothly. "When I saw the clan crest on your clothes, I couldn't help but ask."
Sarada nodded. "I see."
She didn't pry further; after all, Konoha often received curious outsiders fascinated by ninja clans.
Madara's gaze softened slightly. Let her wear glasses, then… he thought. At least the Uchiha still live on.
From a distance, Tobirama was watching with growing suspicion.
"That blond brat with the whiskers—Naruto's son, obviously," he muttered. "And Madara's talking to him and that Uchiha girl… is he trying to harm the Hokage's child?"
Just then, Madara suddenly shifted his tone.
"Your name is Sarada, right? Would you like to become my disciple?"
"Disciple?"
Sarada blinked. "And what exactly could you teach me?"
"I can teach you powerful Fire Release techniques!" Madara declared proudly.
"Fire Release?" Sarada replied with a confident smile. "I've already mastered all of the Uchiha's Fire Release techniques."
Madara raised a brow. "All of them?"
"Then I'll teach you how to awaken the Sharingan."
"I've already awakened it."
Sarada's eyes flashed red, her double tomoe Sharingan spinning elegantly.
Madara froze for a second.
"What? The double tomoe Sharingan—at your age?" he thought in disbelief. "When I was that age, I was still skipping stones with Hashirama…"
He smirked. A genius. I must take her as my disciple.
Then his eyes flicked toward Boruto, a faintly mischievous grin curling at his lips.
"I can also teach you how to awaken the Man—"
"You mean the Man…"
"Mangekyō Sharingan?" Sarada interrupted, her voice dropping into shock. "You know how to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Boruto, catching Madara's look, immediately tensed up.
Oh no. That face… he's got that same expression Sasuke used to give me.
Don't tell me this old man's planning to 'teach' me the same way—make me fight to the death, then tell Sarada, 'Hate me, my dear disciple…'
Suppressing a sigh, Boruto sent a silent message to Madara using Menma's voice.
"Avoid contact with the Seventh Hokage and Sasuke's kids for now. It'll draw unnecessary trouble."
Madara scoffed in his mind. "You have this power and you're afraid of them?"
"Not afraid," Boruto replied. "Just… the time isn't right yet."
"Hmph."
Madara gave a quiet snort, then turned and walked away without another word.
Sarada watched his back as he disappeared into the crowd.
"What a strange person," she murmured.
Boruto shrugged. "Don't mind him. He's just a dancer. Ignore him."
"Dancer?" Sarada frowned. "He doesn't look like one…"
From across the street, Tobirama—still tailing Madara—exhaled in relief when he saw him leave.
As he passed Boruto and Sarada, though, he shot a glare their way.
Evil Uchiha brat… he thought darkly before moving on.
Later That Afternoon
The sun dipped low, casting golden light over Konoha's streets.
In front of the Hokage Residence, Hinata carried a bag of groceries in one hand and held Himawari's small hand in the other.
"Papa!"
Himawari's eyes lit up as she spotted Naruto approaching from down the road. She immediately broke free from Hinata's hand and ran toward him.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called softly, her face bright with a gentle smile as she followed.
Naruto crouched down, opening his arms wide as Himawari leapt into them. He spun her around in the air, making her laugh with pure joy.
Hinata stood nearby, watching the two with warmth in her eyes.
A moment later, Boruto appeared, walking slowly with Sarada beside him, their hands intertwined.
"Yo, Dad," Boruto said lazily. "Why're you home so early? I thought you'd be buried in paperwork again."
"Big Brother! Sister Sarada!" Himawari cheered from Naruto's arms, waving happily.
Naruto chuckled. "Even a Hokage gets a break sometimes," he said with a grin.
In a shaded corner nearby, Minato, still disguised, quietly watched the scene unfold.
He smiled faintly, his eyes misting over.
You've grown into an excellent man, Naruto, he thought.
For a moment, the image of him and Kushina holding baby Naruto's hands flashed through his mind.
If only I'd seen through Obito's plan sooner… maybe everything would've been different.
Minato sighed softly, emotions swirling within him—regret, pride, and a quiet peace.
From the shadows, he continued to watch as Naruto, Hinata, Boruto, and Himawari laughed together in the fading light.
His heart ached, yet it was full.
As Naruto lifted Himawari higher, he suddenly paused, sensing something—someone—watching.
He turned toward the corner of the street… but saw nothing.
"What's wrong, Papa?" Himawari asked, blinking.
"Nothing," Naruto said gently, smiling as he shook his head. "It's nothing at all."
The warm light of the sunset bathed the entire scene—father, mother, son, and daughter—while from the shadows, the Fourth Hokage silently smiled.
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Boruto: Growing Up as Naruto's Son is now on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you for your support! 💙
...
Sorry for not uploading chapters regularly. I'm currently studying for my semester exams, so chapter upload times may vary for now.
From next month onward, chapters will be uploaded on time. Thank you for your patience and support.