Ti trickled by, and another ten days passed.
Tonbo Tobitake's ability to sense Natural Energy grew stronger by the day. However, he had not yet attempted to absorb it for experints; he felt his chakra reserves were not yet "saturated" enough. He wanted to wait until his foundation was more robust before taking that leap.
Nonetheless, he was becoming increasingly sensitive to the energy of the world. With his powerful spiritual talent, simple tasks like entering a ditative state were as easy as breathing—a far cry from the struggle Naruto would eventually face during his training at Mount Myoboku.
"Sakura and Ino's talent for chakra control is truly formidable. As expected of ninjas with such high spiritual affinity."
Tonbo looked toward the two girls. Currently, both had their hands placed on the spheres, funneling chakra so precisely that a soothing lody drifted through the air.
Ting-ting-dong, ting-ting-dong...
This talent was worthy of the protagonist's circle. Of course, the credit ultimately went to him—the great educator, Tonbo Tobitake.
Just as Tonbo was imrsing himself in his physical evolution, a sudden sensation flickered in his mind.
"What's this? A chakra signature that feels exactly like Sasuke's, yet possesses a distinct difference?" Tonbo was puzzled. Without a second thought, he refined his chakra and pushed his sensory perception to its maximum.
His "sight" swept past the training grounds... the streets of Konoha... the shops... the bustling residents... and finally arrived near Naruto's house.
"Uncle Sasuke, is this where my dad used to live?"
A young boy with yellow hair, wearing a black track jacket and tactical gear, spoke to a tall, handso figure beside him.
"Mhm."
Sasuke looked at the familiar room and the surrounding environnt, a trace of nostalgia surfacing on his face.
"We really traveled back to the past. But where did Otsutsuki Urashiki go?" Boruto was curious about what his father looked like back then, but the priority was dealing with the threat. One wrong move here could alter the future.
"The Turtle ti treasure is gone, and we don't know where Urashiki is. For now, we collect intelligence." Sasuke knew the urgency. He hoped they hadn't arrived too early. If Urashiki appeared now, the blow to Konoha would be devastating, and the future they knew might be erased.
Boruto grinned. "Hehe, I'm so curious to see what the old Konoha was like. Let's go!" He dashed toward the main street. Sasuke sighed and followed. "Hopefully, we won't affect the future too much."
Ichiraku Ran.
"Whoa! The ran at Ichiraku even back then is so authentic!" Boruto slurped the noodles into his mouth, his face radiating happiness. He looked at the shop's decor, noting it was still quite "vintage." It wasn't like the Ichiraku of his ti, which had all sorts of modern equipnt.
"The equipnt is a bit old-school, but the atmosphere is totally different," Boruto said to Sasuke.
Sasuke was about to reply when Teuchi, who was working, spoke up with a frown. "Kid, what do you an 'old-school'? My equipnt is the most advanced in the world. Don't go talking nonsense about things you don't understand."
Teuchi spoke quite bluntly. One should know that Ichiraku Ran had many branches across the country now. The equipnt they used was state-of-the-art, largely thanks to Tonbo Tobitake's foresight.
"Look at this machine. It's from the Land of Lightning's 'House of Food' corporation, used to precisely regulate and maintain heat with the latest tech. You're just a kid, so I'll forgive you. But you, the adult—you should teach the boy better. You can't just say whatever you want in public." Teuchi lectured Boruto for a bit before turning his attention to Sasuke. If a child is rude, it's clearly a failure of the adult's upbringing.
"Ah, hahaha... Sorry, Teuchi-san. I haven't taught him well," Sasuke chuckled awkwardly.
"Wait... you know my na? I don't recall seeing you before." Teuchi was confused. Was he getting so old that he had no mory of such a handso custor?
"Haha, maybe you're just too busy and forgot," Sasuke said quickly.
Boruto also felt a bit embarrassed. Mocking the past while standing in it was indeed a bit overconfident. "Sorry, Mister. I shouldn't have said that. By the way, don't you have a Big Eater challenge in your shop?" Boruto looked at the bare walls. There should be a ranking there, and his mom should be at the top.
"Big Eater challenge?" Teuchi was puzzled.
"It's a contest to see who can eat the most. If you eat enough, you get on the leaderboard for other custors to admire!" Boruto explained.
"Boruto, stop talking nonsense," Sasuke cut him off before turning to Teuchi. "Apologies, he's just babbling." He shot a warning look at Boruto, who lowered his head and went back to his noodles.
"It's fine. I actually think it's a great idea for an event," Aya said, stepping out from the back of the shop. She looked at Sasuke and Boruto. "But have I seen you sowhere? You look very familiar." She felt the yellow-haired kid looked especially recognizable.
Tonbo-sensei's wife, Sasuke thought. He rembered being treated to ran here by Kakashi back in the day. He hadn't expected her to be so perceptive. Was this "woman's intuition"?
"Oh! I rember! You look just like Naruto!" Aya suddenly realized. "The yellow hair, the face shape—though Naruto isn't as handso as you." She smiled as she handed Boruto another bowl.
"..." Sasuke was speechless. How is Aya-neechan this sharp? Even if Tonbo-san were here, he shouldn't be this sensitive!
"Ah—!" Boruto stared at Aya, his eyes wide as if he wanted to say sothing. Fortunately, Sasuke clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Hahaha, what a coincidence! Well, we're full, so we'll be going now!" Sasuke shoveled down the rest of his ran and dragged Boruto out of the shop. If they stayed any longer, there was no telling what Boruto might blurt out.
"Hey! You two punks! Not only did you waste the ran I put my heart into, but you didn't pay!" Teuchi roared, seeing the unfinished bowl Boruto left behind. "I'm telling you, my son-in-law is a brilliant ninja of Konoha! You won't get away with this!"
To Teuchi, skipping the bill was one thing, but wasting food was disgraceful. Aya was equally furious. No one had ever dared to cause trouble at Ichiraku Ran, let alone waste food and pull a "dine and dash."
They rushed out the door, but the two strangers had already vanished.
"Don't worry, Dad. No one eats at Ichiraku for free. When my husband gets back, I'll have the Police Force find them and give them a lesson." Aya clenched her fists, her veins popping. She was truly angry.
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