Walking home with the last rays of the sun warming my face, I let out a quiet breath. Today had been… productive. Not dramatic. Not explosive. Just quietly fulfilling. Which, honestly, was a rare feeling for a reincarnated anime protagonist. No sudden villains or power-ups—just real work.
My muscles ached from Kakashi's intense taijutsu drills, and I had a shadow clone still practicing the Clone Jutsu under the waterfall behind the old Senju training grounds. Good luck to that guy. Poor bastard was probably sneezing nonstop in that cold.
As I approached home, I could already smell dinner wafting from the kitchen window. Hinata really was the heart of this home. It still felt strange calling her "Mom," even internally—but she was warm, kind, and quietly strong. Way too good for an idiot like Naruto.
"Welcome back, Boruto!" her voice greeted cheerfully as I slid the door open.
"Yo, Mom. I'm back," I said, slipping off my shoes. I tried to sound like the polite and dependable son she deserved. A little cringe, maybe, but it made her smile, so who cares?
As I settled down to eat, Himawari immediately started her usual excited babble.
"Onii-chan! Did you beat bad guys today? Did you throw kunai like—whoosh! Pshh!?" She mimicked some exaggerated ninja moves with her chopsticks.
I chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Nah, no bad guys today. Just training."
Hinata glanced at me with a pleased expression. "You've been working really hard lately."
I shrugged. "I just… wanna be better."
She paused, then said softly, "You're becoming more and more like your father."
I froze a little.
Am I?
"I'm trying to be like me," I replied after a moment. "But I do admire him."
That earned me a soft smile.
---
Meanwhile, up in the Hokage office, Kakashi was reporting to Naruto.
"You know," Kakashi began, seated lazily across from Naruto, "your son's got a good head on his shoulders. Focused. Quietly driven. Almost reminds me of… someone else."
Naruto looked up from his paperwork, eyes curious.
"Kinda like Itachi," Kakashi said with a hint of pride.
Naruto blinked. "You're saying Boruto reminds you of Itachi?"
"Minus the mass murder, of course," Kakashi added casually.
Naruto gave a nervous chuckle. "That's… comforting?"
"But seriously," Kakashi continued, "he listens. He thinks. He's got a long way to go, but the potential is there."
Naruto leaned back in his chair, staring out the window toward the village below.
"I wish I had more time with him."
"I know," Kakashi said, not unkindly. "But he understands more than you think."
---
Back in my room, I sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, looking over the list Kakashi had written for me:
Taijutsu forms (refined)
Chakra control exercises
Basic elemental transformation
Clone and Substitution mastery
Genjutsu resistance
Honestly, it was a lot. But this was what I'd asked for.
One of my shadow clones was out practicing hand seals right now. Another was reviewing pre-academy theory—chakra circulation, shinobi history, even political alliances. If I wanted to outshine everyone in both combat and class, I had to be like Itachi, right? Genius takes effort.
No skipping steps.
No shortcuts.
Just repetition, until even the basics were second nature.
---
A few days later, during class—
"Boruto," the instructor called, "perfect scores again. Keep it up."
All eyes turned toward me, but I ignored the attention.
Sarada, seated next to me, gave me a small glance. "What's gotten into you?"
I gave her a half-smile. "Just trying to live up to the name."
She rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth curled up.
From behind me, someone whispered, "He's so serious these days… like a different person."
I heard it. Didn't respond.
I wasn't here to impress anyone. I was here to be strong.
Still, it felt… nice. Knowing I was making progress.
---
That afternoon, Shikadai caught up to me as I left class.
"Yo," he said, hands in his pockets. "You're acting kinda weird lately."
I raised an eyebrow. "Weird how?"
"Like, smart. Motivated. Respectful. Not like the Boruto I knew," he said with a teasing smirk.
I shrugged. "Guess I just grew up a little."
"Huh," he said. "Good for you. Wanna hang out at the arcade?"
I hesitated, then shook my head. "Nah, I've got some things to take care of."
He narrowed his eyes. "You're not secretly an old man in a kid's body, are you?"
I laughed a little too nervously. "Nah, nothing like that."
After another long training session with Kakashi—who had me standing on one finger trying to balance while controlling chakra flow—I collapsed under a tree near the training grounds.
Kakashi sat down beside me, handing me a bottle of water. "Not bad, kid. You're progressing faster than I expected."
"Thanks," I said between gulps. "Still got a long way to go."
"You know," he said, gazing at the clouds, "your dad was a disaster at this age. But he never gave up. That's what made him great."
I looked at the sky, letting the silence settle.
"I'm not him," I said quietly.
Kakashi nodded. "And that's a good thing."
---
Later that night, Hinata peeked into my room.
"You've been working hard, Boruto. But remember to rest too."
"I know," I said, closing the book I'd been reading on elemental affinities.
She lingered for a moment. "Your father would be proud of you."
And for once, I didn't feel the need to argue.
"Thanks, Mom."
---