Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Chapter 325 Extra Chapter 2: The New Generation (2)

Looking at the blond man in front of her, who was engrossed in eating and had no regard for his image, Sarada found it hard to equate him with her father's legendary nemesis.

But remembering her resolve, she took a deep breath and strode over.

"Uncle Naruto!"

"Huh?" Naruto looked up from the huge bowl of ramen, a noodle still hanging from his mouth, and stared blankly at the serious-looking girl in front of him. "Oh! It's Sarada! What's wrong? Didn't you bring any money? It's okay, Uncle will treat you to ramen!"

"No!" Sarada exclaimed, drawing the attention of the other customers in the shop. Her cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes remained firm as she bowed deeply to Naruto: "Please take me as your apprentice!"

"Pfft—cough cough cough!" Naruto was so startled by the sudden request that he choked for a while before he could catch his breath. His blue eyes widened. "Take you...take you as my apprentice? Do Sasuke and Karin know about this?"

"This is my own decision!" Sarada straightened up, her hands clenched into fists. "I want to become stronger, strong enough... to defeat my father!"

"Oh?" Naruto put down his chopsticks, took a tissue to wipe his mouth, and looked at Sarada with interest. "You want to become my apprentice so you can defeat your father?"

“Yes!” Sarada clenched her fist, her gaze meeting Naruto’s without flinching. “Uncle Naruto, you were my father’s rival, and one of the people who knows his strength and weaknesses best! Please teach me, make me strong enough to make him face his family, strong enough to… defeat him!”

Naruto didn't answer immediately. He just looked at Sarada quietly. After a while, he suddenly grinned and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay." He nodded easily, as if he were agreeing not to teach the Hokage's daughter to challenge the Hokage, but to go out for ramen together tomorrow. "I promise you."

"Really?!" Sarada was caught off guard by his quick agreement.

“Of course it’s true! But…” Naruto’s tone changed, and his eyes became more serious. “My training is very tough, so don’t complain about being tired halfway through.”

“Absolutely not!” Sarada exclaimed excitedly.

"Then it's settled. I'm going to the Hokage Building to talk to your dad about something, so I'll let him know while I'm at it." Naruto said, taking out some money and placing it on the counter. "Uncle Tetsuya, here's the money!"

After saying that, he casually waved to Sarada, and in a flash, he disappeared outside the ramen shop.

……

Inside the Hokage's office, Sasuke was buried in a pile of documents.

The streetlights outside the window were already on, illuminating his cool and focused profile.

Suddenly, the window was silently pushed open, and a golden figure nimbly flipped in.

"Go through the main entrance, Naruto." Sasuke didn't even look up, his voice flat.

"Haha, still as sharp as ever, Sasuke." Naruto chuckled as he sat down in the chair opposite the desk, crossing his legs. "I have something important to discuss with you."

Sasuke then put down his pen, raised his eyes to look at his longtime friend and rival: "What is it?"

Naruto's smile faded slightly, and he leaned forward a little, lowering his voice: "When I was wandering around outside recently, I discovered some traces that seem to belong to... the Otsutsuki clan."

Sasuke's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, his gaze instantly sharpening like an eagle's: "Are you sure?"

"Most likely." Naruto nodded. "They seem to be observing, and their movements are very discreet, but that unpleasant lingering chakra scent is unmistakable."

"..." Sasuke was silent for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. "I understand. I will immediately have the intelligence department follow up and strengthen the monitoring of the border and airspace."

“Yeah, you’re better at this than I am.” Naruto agreed, then, as if remembering something, a slightly mischievous smile appeared on his face again. “Oh, right, there’s something else. Before I came here, I took Sarada as my apprentice.”

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, finally causing a noticeable change in Sasuke's expression. He frowned slightly, looking at Naruto: "Saara? How could she..."

“The little girl met me on the street and immediately asked to become my apprentice.” Naruto shrugged, his smile widening. “And her goal was very clear—she said she wanted to learn from me and become strong enough to defeat me in the future.”

Sasuke was completely stunned upon hearing this.

He clearly hadn't expected his daughter to have such thoughts, much less that she would take such direct action.

The image of his daughter storming out of the house that morning flashed through his mind, along with the wedding anniversary reminder message that Karin had sent him later.

A complex mix of emotions welled up inside him, leaving him momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Seeing his best friend's rare stunned expression, Naruto couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahaha, isn't that interesting? You Uchiha people are all so funny! Don't worry, I'll give your precious daughter a good workout."

The air seemed to freeze in an instant.

Sasuke looked at Naruto's bright smiling face, and a vein seemed to throb faintly on his forehead.

He was silent for a few seconds, then slowly spoke in an extremely complex tone, filled with distrust and even a hint of... terror:
"What...you taught her?"

He leaned forward slightly, his deep black eyes fixed on Naruto, and asked the most crucial question, word by word:
"You wouldn't possibly raise my daughter to be a rogue ninja too, would you?"

Naruto: ... After a moment of silence, Naruto scratched his head and forced a laugh to cover his embarrassment, saying, "How could that be?"

Sasuke looked coldly at Naruto: "I don't know who it was back then, but they could have just asked the teacher for a mission and swaggered out of the village, instead they insisted on slashing their headbands."

"Is this something that can't be resolved?" Naruto was getting anxious, slamming his hand on the table and standing up.

Sasuke sighed helplessly and said, "Fine, fine, it's not a bad thing if Sarada becomes your student, but please, don't teach her anything other than ninjutsu."

"Hey, I don't like hearing that," Naruto retorted.

Sasuke ignored the noisy Naruto. After the ninja world began to modernize, his workload as Hokage had more than doubled compared to when he was the Fifth Hokage. Even with Shikamaru and a group of other Hokage assisting him, he still couldn't finish his work.

Seeing this, Naruto decided not to bother Sasuke any longer and left the Hokage's office.

Leaving the subtly tense Hokage's office, Naruto strolled leisurely through the streets of Konoha, his hands in his pockets.

Back in Konoha, he felt much more relaxed. Although the threat from the Otsutsuki clan from beyond the heavens was urgent, years of trials and tribulations had taught him to find moments of peace during lulls in the crisis.

At this moment, all he wants is peace and quiet, to go home and see his son.

Come to think of it, it's been quite a while since he left the village. Boruto must have grown taller again, right? Thinking this, Naruto's face unconsciously broke into a slightly expectant smile, and he quickened his pace.

The new Uzumaki clan's territory in Konoha appears peaceful and elegant under the care of the new matriarch, Hinata Uzumaki.

Naruto pushed open his yard gate and immediately began searching. Soon, he spotted that familiar figure near the training ground in the corner of the yard.

Boruto was practicing Gentle Fist in the arena, his movements swift and precise, the wind from his palms creating a slight whistling sound in the air.

His expression was focused, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, indicating that he had been practicing for quite some time.

His serious and meticulous demeanor subtly revealed Neji's style back then, and even... a bit of Sasuke's when handling official business.

Naruto leaned against a pillar and watched quietly for a while. A fatherly smile unconsciously appeared on his face, mixed with some indescribable emotions.

He cleared his throat and shouted in what he thought was a cheerful and pleasant tone:

"Yo! Boruto! Training? Not bad, you're getting the hang of it!"

Boruto paused slightly, then stopped and stood still.

He turned to look at his father, his face showing little surprise or affection. He simply gazed at him calmly with those white eyes that resembled Hinata's, and responded with a flat, indifferent tone:
"Yes. You're back."

This overly calm reaction was like a basin of cool water gently poured onto the small flame that had just ignited in Naruto's heart.

He scratched his signature blond hair, trying to maintain a smile, and took a few steps closer:
"Haha, just got back! Just passing by to drop by. How's your cultivation going? Have you encountered any difficulties? Although your old man isn't home often, I still have experience and can give you some pointers!" He tried to make his tone sound more enthusiastic and more like a father.

Boruto picked up the towel beside him, wiped his sweat, and turned his gaze back to the wooden stakes in the training field, avoiding Naruto's expectant look.

"Thank you, but no need. Uncle Neji and Mother provided excellent guidance." His voice remained calm, revealing no emotion. "Besides, aren't you always very busy? Patrolling outside is more important, isn't it?"

The distance in those words made Naruto's smile falter.

He could sense that his son wasn't sulking, but rather... a calm rejection born from a habit of disappointment.

This calmness made Naruto feel even more powerless than direct complaints.

"Well, I haven't been busy all the time..." Naruto said somewhat awkwardly, wanting to say something more to try and close the distance, "Um... Boruto, how about we go eat Ichiraku Ramen tonight? Just consider it... a get-together for us father and son after so long?"

Boruto finally turned his head again to look at Naruto, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes, then gently shook his head.
"No, I have to study for my academic class tonight. You just got back, so you should go and take care of your business first, or go and keep Mom and Sunflower company."

After saying that, he resumed the starting stance of the Soft Fist, clearly having ended the brief conversation and immersing his mind once again in his own world of cultivation.

“…Oh, okay. Then…don’t overwork yourself.” Naruto opened his mouth, but could only manage to utter this dry expression of concern.

He stood there, watching his son's focused back as he practiced. The figure looked particularly tall and independent in the afterglow of the setting sun.

A complex mix of relief and disappointment welled up in Naruto's heart. He was relieved by his son's growth and excellence, but disappointed that he seemed to have become an occasional, even somewhat out-of-place, guest in his son's important growth process.

He silently turned around and left the training ground alone.

The setting sun cast a long shadow of him, and his usually dashing and unrestrained figure now inexplicably exuded a sense of loneliness.

He thought, maybe next time, I should bring back a different gift? Or, perhaps I should find a more suitable opportunity?

In the training field, after Boruto confirmed that his father's footsteps had faded away, he slowed his movements slightly for a moment, lowered his eyelashes, sighed softly, and then swung his palm at the wooden stake with even more force.

(End of this chapter)