"Stop! Neji, stand down!"
A figure stepped out of the shadows, blocking Boruto from the lethal strike.
Boruto looked up at the old man, blinking in confusion. "Uh... who are you?"
"I used to be the Third Hokage. Now? Just a retired old man taking a walk."
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around, flashing Boruto a kindly, grandfatherly smile.
"Oh. Oh, okay." Boruto nodded, but his brain was full of confusion.
'Third Hokage? Isn't that Konohamaru-niichan grandpa?'
'But wait... didn't Konohamaru-nii always say his grandpa and Uncle Asuma were dead? Like, super dead?'
Boruto scratched his head, feeling like an idiot.
'Damn it. If I knew I was coming back to the past, I really should have paid attention in history class instead of drawing on the textbooks.'
"Naruto, you and this child go ahead with whatever you were planning. I'll handle the explanations here," Hiruzen said, looking at Naruto with a knowing glint in his eye.
"Oh! Awesome! Thanks, jiji!"
Seeing the Old Man come to save his ass, Naruto felt a wave of relief.
He grabbed Boruto by the collar. "Come on, let's get out of here before Neji snaps again."
"Um, right. Thanks, old man!" Boruto waved awkwardly as he was dragged away.
"Such a polite child. Definitely better mannered than Naruto was at that age," Hiruzen chuckled, watching them run.
"Sandaime-sama... that person..." Neji started, his Byakugan veins still bulging.
"I know everything."
Neji was about to launch into his 'pervert theory,' but Hiruzen cut him off with a raised hand.
Watching Naruto and Boruto disappear down the street, Hiruzen patted Neji's shoulder.
"That child isn't what you think. He is deliberately hiding his identity for a reason. Do not disturb them, and do not ask questions."
"Is... is that so? I understand."
Since the Third Hokage himself gave the order, Neji had no choice but to power down his dojutsu and let it go.
...
Later that evening.
Boruto and Naruto finished destroying a few bowls at Ichiraku Ramen.
While Naruto was digging through his frog wallet to pay, Adult Sasuke flickered in for a brief status report.
He told Boruto he was going to scout the perimeter for Urashiki's chakra signatures.
His instructions were simple: "Watch Naruto. Do not let him leave the village. The village is the safest place right now."
Sasuke wasn't wrong.
Konoha was stacked right now.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the undead Hiruzen were all present.
Even if Urashiki showed up while Sasuke was gone, those three could raise enough hell to stall him until Sasuke got back.
Besides, Urashiki was a weird guy.
For an Otsutsuki with the power to one-shot people, he had a stubborn streak of not actually killing anyone.
Gaara, Chojuro, Temari, Kankuro, Mitsuki... he beat them all, but nobody died.
They say Amaterasu is the "benevolent flame" because it never kills anyone? Well, Urashiki was gunning for the title of "Benevolent God."
Naruto took Boruto for another lap around the village, but noticed the kid was dragging his feet.
He looked like a zombie.
That's when Naruto remembered—he had tied this kid up all night with a sock in his mouth.
Feeling a sudden pang of guilt, Naruto decided to call it a night.
He dragged Boruto back to his apartment to sleep.
"Hey, whatever you do, don't leave the village! —Uh, I mean, you're my guide! Without you, I'd get lost tomorrow!" Boruto mumbled, half-asleep.
His head was pounding.
Seeing Naruto turn to leave the room, Boruto called out one last warning before collapsing onto the futon.
After Naruto left, Boruto lay there, covering one eye with his hand.
Suddenly, a familiar, arrogant voice echoed in his skull.
"It's you?! Death? Are you threatening me?!" Boruto mentally shouted, clutching his face.
"What is the difference?" the voice of Momoshiki sneered.
"What do you mean 'what's the difference'?! Explain yourself!"
"Hey?"
"Why aren't you saying anything now, you bastard?!"
"..."
Silence.
No matter how much Boruto shouted internally, Momoshiki's voice was gone.
The headache vanished instantly, replaced by a wave of exhaustion so heavy it felt like a genjutsu.
Boruto was out like a light.
...
Night.
When Boruto woke up, it was pitch black.
He was tucked under a blanket and Naruto was snoring like a pig on the bed nearby, and an empty cup noodle container sat on the table.
Some things never change.
But Boruto's mind drifted back to Momoshiki's words.
"You will cease to exist."
Back when they killed Momoshiki, the ghost dropped some vague prophecy bullshit.
Today, he said it again.
'Could it be? Am I not just overthinking this? Am I literally fading away?'
Boruto carefully lifted the blanket and stood up, sweat forming on his brow.
Yesterday, he had confirmed that his dad's "tool" was physically intact.
But that was just a surface-level inspection.
For Momoshiki to speak up now, was he trying to warn him? Was he saying that while the "hardware" looked fine, the "software" was corrupted?
Was Naruto shooting blanks now because of the Chidori shock?
If so... Himawari and he were doomed!
After the embarrassing disaster yesterday, Boruto had sworn he would never, ever, ever, ever touch his dad there again.
But this... this was about his little sister's life!
"For Himawari's sake... forgive me, Dad. This is the last time. I swear."
Gritting his teeth, Boruto crept toward Naruto's bed like a real ninja.
He had to verify functionality!
"..."
Just as Boruto was conducting his "investigation" and praying to every god that his dad wouldn't wake up, Naruto started muttering in his sleep.
"Hehe... Sakura-chan... your skin is so soft..."
The tone was lewd.
Extremely lewd.
Mission Complete: his dad's was fine.
But Boruto wasn't happy.
In fact, he was horrified!
His dad, in this critical state, was dreaming about Sarada's mom?
Wait.
Is THIS what Momoshiki meant by "I would disappear"?
'If Dad hooks up with Aunt Sakura instead of Mom... I'm never born!'
Just as Boruto thought he had uncovered the terrible truth and feeling lost, Naruto woke up.
And this awakening was far more terrifying than the last one!
The previous incident was a static feeling.
This time? It was dynamic.
Naruto widened his eyes and glanced downward.
'Why is there movement? What is this iron rod doing? And why is someone holding it?!'
The realization hit him like a Tailed Beast Bomb!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!!"
Another soul-shattering scream echoed through the night sky.
...
Outside.
This time, Sasuke didn't show up since he was busy.
Instead, another figure was lurking in the bushes downstairs.
Hearing Naruto's bloodcurdling scream, Hyuga Neji immediately activated his Byakugan to assess the threat level.
After the Third Hokage warned him, Neji had dropped the hostility.
He had no intention of hurting Boruto.
But Neji was a thorough man—he wanted to resolve the doubts in his heart, so he decided to stake out the apartment.
Who knew the kid would sleep for twelve hours straight?
Just as Neji, who had been squatting in a bush for hours was about to give up and go home, he heard the scream.
"No wonder..." Neji whispered, peering through the walls with his Byakugan.
"No wonder the Third Hokage said we didn't need to worry about Lady Hinata's safety... So this is why..."
Through the Byakugan, Neji saw the scene in 4k.
Boruto.
Naruto.
The hand.
The rod.
Neji wished, for the first time in his life, that he could poke his own eyes out.
He deactivated his dojutsu and stumbled away, traumatized.
On his way back to the Hyuga compound, Neji was no longer worried about Boruto harming Hinata.
Instead, a new, darker spiral of paranoia began to consume him.
'Should I tell Lady Hinata what I saw?'
Neji played out the scenario in his head.
'If I tell Lady Hinata that Naruto prefers men... she might refuse to give up. Her obsession is too strong.'
She might think, "If Naruto likes men, I just need to become a man."
Then the Hyuga Elders... for the sake of the Main House Heiress... they might decide that a gender reassignment surgery is necessary.
And where would they get the parts?
'Me.' Neji shivered violently.
'They would decide that I, as a member of the Branch House, should contribute my... assets... to be transplanted onto Lady Hinata.'
He remembered reading about such forbidden medical jutsu in Kakashi's "Vigorous Paradise" series.
It was practically canon!
"Damn the Main House!" Neji hissed into the night.
He made a decision right there.
He would take this secret to his grave.
It absolutely must not be known by anyone else.
He didn't hate Hinata.
What he hated was this shameless, caste-based system that would definitely steal his dick to fix her love life.
To avoid becoming the Great Eunuch of the Leaf, he had to keep his mouth shut.
'Sorry, Lady Hinata.... i can't tell you the truth, My balls depend on it!'
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