Inside Senju Park in Konoha, Sarada was walking with Sumire Kakei, helping her ease the tension after her confession.
"Sumire, don't be so nervous. Boruto already accepted your feelings. Just let things happen naturally," Sarada said gently.
Sumire nodded, a faint blush still on her face. "Thank you, Sarada. I really didn't expect Boruto to… accept me."
"You don't need to feel insecure," Sarada replied with a smile. "You're beautiful and gentle—what boy wouldn't like you?"
Sumire's cheeks reddened further as she nodded shyly.
A few days later, inside the Hokage's Office, Naruto looked up in surprise as Kakashi walked in.
"Kakashi-sensei? What brings you here?"
Kakashi squinted slightly beneath his forehead protector. "Boruto's graduation exam is coming up soon, right? I'm here to be the examiner for his practical test."
Naruto tilted his head. "Kakashi-sensei, is that really necessary? You already know Boruto's strength."
"That's exactly why I need to test him myself," Kakashi said seriously. "Besides, this exam isn't just about Boruto's abilities—it's an important test for the next generation of Konoha's ninja."
Naruto thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, Kakashi-sensei. I'll leave it in your hands."
In the Ninja Academy classroom, Denki sighed loudly. "Time really flies. Tomorrow's already the graduation exam."
"I wonder what the practical test will be about. I just hope it's not too hard."
Shikadai looked up lazily. "I heard the last exams tested Clone and Transformation Jutsu."
"That's a relief…" Denki muttered, visibly relaxing.
"By the way," Denki asked curiously, "do you know who the examiner will be?"
Inojin shrugged. "Probably Shino-sensei or maybe Anko-sensei."
"I just hope they're not too strict," Denki said nervously. "I don't wanna end up repeating like Iwabe."
Iwabe smirked. "Heh, depends on the examiner. Some teachers don't pass a single student. Maybe we'll all repeat together!"
Sarada, sitting nearby, overheard their conversation and turned to Boruto. "Boruto, we're finally about to graduate. Do you think we'll end up in the same class?"
Boruto nodded. "Probably. I think team assignments are already set. But Sumire might get placed elsewhere."
"Ah, then Sumire…" Sarada trailed off, sounding disappointed.
"It's fine," Sumire said softly. "Even if we're not in the same team, I'll still see you both around."
On their way home, Sarada walked hand-in-hand with Boruto while Sumire quietly followed behind.
Seeing this, Sarada nudged Boruto with her elbow.
Boruto caught on immediately, turned around, and reached out a hand to Sumire. "Come on, Sumire. Walk with us."
Sumire froze, her cheeks turning pink before she shyly placed her hand in his.
From a nearby corner, a disguised Kakashi was secretly observing them—camera in hand.
Watching Boruto walk with two girls, he couldn't help but mutter, "Boruto's actually this popular? If Sasuke finds out, he might stab him with a kunai."
He sighed, shaking his head. "Ah well, young people's business should stay young people's business. When Sasuke finds out, Naruto can deal with the fallout."
With that, Kakashi followed after them. Appearing suddenly in front of the group, he lifted his camera.
"Oh, you're students from the Academy, right?" he asked innocently.
"That mole… Kakashi," Boruto thought, but outwardly he stayed calm. "Who are you, old man?"
Kakashi frowned slightly. "Calling me 'old man' already, huh? My name's Skye. I'm a freelance reporter."
"Oh? A reporter?" Boruto asked, pretending to be curious.
Kakashi nodded. "Yep. Since the graduation exam's coming up, I'm here to interview some students—ask about your goals and dreams."
Boruto grinned. "My goals and dreams? My goal is to become the strongest in the Ninja World… and my dream is to make the whole world feel Pain!"
With that, he released Sarada's and Sumire's hands, transformed into the form of the Deva Path Pain, and raised his hand dramatically.
"A bag of rice to carry up how many floors?!" he shouted.
Kakashi instinctively took a step back, muttering, "Good thing I'm already used to this nonsense."
He glanced at the girls and asked, "Why make the world feel Pain? Aren't you happy enough as it is?"
Boruto smirked. "Exactly. I'm too happy—so I want everyone else to suffer."
Kakashi sighed, clearly taking it as a joke, and turned his camera toward Sarada.
"What about you? What's your goal and dream?"
Sarada thought for a moment before answering firmly, "My goal is to become Hokage. My dream… is to stand beside Boruto."
Kakashi smiled softly. "Hokage, huh? That's a good one."
Then he turned to Sumire.
Blushing, Sumire replied shyly, "My goal is to support Boruto in the future… and my dream is to always stand behind him."
Her face turned scarlet as she finished.
Kakashi looked at the two girls, nostalgia flickering in his eyes. "Just like Sakura and Sasuke back then…" he thought, sighing inwardly.
He was also quietly impressed. "This kid really has a way with people—two girls completely devoted to him."
Still, he smiled kindly and said, "Alright, that's enough for today. You three are quite the interesting bunch."
He waved goodbye and walked off.
The next day, in the Academy teacher's office, Shino was grading papers, marking a bright red 100 on Boruto's theoretical exam.
"Boruto Uzumaki, perfect score. Impressive," he said aloud.
"Perfect score, huh? Not bad," came a familiar voice behind him.
Shino jumped slightly and turned to see Kakashi standing there. "Lord Sixth! When did you arrive?"
Kakashi picked up the paper and smiled. "Just now. From here on out, I'll be supervising the practical assessment myself."
"Lord Sixth will be the examiner?" Shino asked in surprise.
Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. I want to see for myself how many of these little troublemakers can make it to the end."
...
Author's Note:
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