Naruto: Boruto Returns to Shippuden

Chapter 8 Welcome Home!

Naruto tried his best to make his voice sound relaxed and natural, and he smiled as he said to Boruto:

"Boruto, there's nothing strange about those looks. You're probably just too sensitive because you've only just arrived in Konoha."

"The people here are very friendly, so you don't need to worry."

Despite his attempt to appear nonchalant, a barely perceptible tremor in his voice betrayed his deep-seated unease.

"Is that so? But..."

Boruto frowned slightly after hearing Naruto's explanation, seemingly wanting to ask more questions, but Naruto interrupted him in time, not wanting the topic to go any further.

"No buts! I'm a little tired, let's hurry up and go!" Naruto said, quickly pulling Boruto's sleeve and leading him towards home.

Naruto thought to himself: As long as... as long as I get home, everything will be alright...

Although Boruto was somewhat puzzled by Naruto's sudden agitation, he obediently nodded and replied, "Oh, okay..." He didn't press the matter further.

Although Boruto didn't outwardly press the matter, his inner curiosity compelled him to still try to catch the conversations of the surrounding villagers.

......

"Look! This scourge of Konoha has returned to Konoha! And I even saw it. How unlucky! It seems I'll have to live in fear for the next few days, lest I be shrouded in this ominous aura."

"Damn it! How come that nine-tailed fox brat is back again? I haven't seen him for the past few days, I thought he was dead out there. I was so happy for nothing."

"You wretched scourge! I haven't even had a few days of peace and quiet, why did you have to come back! You might as well just die already! So you don't cause us any more trouble!"

"Who is this nine-tailed fox you're talking about? What terrible things has he done that you harbor such deep resentment towards him?"

"You haven't been in Konoha Village long, so you probably don't know anything about the village yet, right? Look, it's that brat with yellow hair and wearing that old-fashioned orange coat!"

"Ha! He has done countless heinous things; he has killed countless people in Konoha Village alone."

Most importantly, he was responsible for the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife. It's truly baffling why the village's higher-ups would leave such a menace in the village.

"If it weren't for this fox demon boy going out of control and causing chaos in the village a few years ago, we would still be in the dark."

"Oh? Is it that scary? Then I should stay away from him to avoid getting involved unnecessarily."

"Whose child is this little guy? Come out and claim him! He actually dared to speak up for that fox demon, so he's probably not a good person either."

The two of them, one a fox demon and the other a wicked one, no wonder they support each other; birds of a feather flock together.

......

The villagers' words contained a huge amount of information, which shocked Boruto's brain and left him unable to react for a moment.

'Nine-Tailed Fox Demon', 'Calamity', 'Killed the Fourth Hokage and his wife'...

Why is my dad called a menace by them?

And how could Dad possibly have killed the Fourth Hokage's grandparents?

Is the Nine-Tailed Fox referring to Kurama? Isn't Kurama a good friend of the ninja world? Why is Kurama called the Nine-Tailed Fox?

The negative comments about Naruto lingered in his mind, leaving him puzzled.

Boruto desperately wanted to stop and ask Naruto what was going on, to understand why there were such misunderstandings and prejudices.

However, when he saw Naruto's tightly closed eyes and the beads of sweat on his forehead, he swallowed back the question he was about to ask.

They decided to wait for a more suitable time to ask Naruto about all of this.

......

Boruto silently followed behind Naruto, watching Naruto walk forward with his head down without saying a word. He felt a mix of emotions and didn't know what to say at that moment.

He wanted to comfort Naruto, but he worried that his words would sound weak or inappropriate.

Boruto finally managed to stammer out, "Are you alright, Naruto? They've all been slandering you like that, why did you have to put up with it?"

Naruto calmly said, "It's okay, these things are nothing new to me. Hey Boruto, will you distance yourself from me like they did?"

As soon as Naruto finished speaking, he slowed down, turned around, and looked directly at Boruto, waiting for Boruto's reply.

Despite Naruto's attempt to conceal his emotions with a calm exterior.

But his hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles turned white from the force, and his body trembled slightly, all of which silently revealed the turmoil deep within his heart.

Boruto responded to Naruto seriously:

"How could that be? After all, aren't we... companions?"

Naruto lowered his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the soil beneath his feet. He didn't want Boruto to see his expression at that moment.

"I don't know why this happened, I really don't know..."

“From the moment I fainted a few years ago, I felt that the people around me always kept their distance from me. They looked at me with strange eyes, as if I carried some kind of ominous mark. They kept saying that I was a scourge of Konoha Village.”

"...I once asked my third grandfather why everyone disliked me and distanced themselves from me, but they always avoided the topic..."

"Until one day, Mizuki told me that I was the nine-tailed fox who killed Iruka-sensei's parents and destroyed the village, but Iruka-sensei was still willing to accept me as I am..."

Naruto changed the subject, giving Boruto a firm thumbs-up and saying, "...So! For my own sake and for Iruka-sensei's, I must become Hokage! I want everyone, including those who were prejudiced against me, to accept me!"

Boruto looked at his father, whose face was full of smiles and whose eyes were full of hope for the future, and suddenly felt a little heartbroken. So this was the reason why his father wanted to become Hokage.

Seeing that Boruto hadn't responded for a long time, Naruto frowned slightly and said with some dissatisfaction, "...What? Even you don't believe me?"

Boruto snapped out of his daze upon hearing Naruto's question and hurriedly replied, "How could that be? I believe in you, Naruto, that you will definitely, absolutely become a great Hokage!"

Although... I hope even more that you can be a good father...

After hearing the answer he wanted, Naruto grinned, put his arm around Boruto's shoulder, and said, "Right? Hahahaha."

As Naruto and Boruto walked and talked, they unknowingly arrived at the building where Naruto lived. Before they even went upstairs, they heard a series of playful and joking sounds.

"Okay, look at me!"

"Tch, your aim isn't good either, you'll have to watch mine."

Boruto curiously raised his head, his gaze passing through the dim streetlights and landing on the entrance upstairs.

He saw several young children gathered together, throwing pebbles at a doorway.

Among the group of kids, one of the older children suddenly noticed Naruto and himself downstairs.

His eyes widened, and he shouted loudly to the other children, "Hey, look!"

The eyes of the kids followed the direction the child was pointing, and when they saw Naruto, their expressions immediately changed from excitement to panic.

One of the children suddenly cried out, "Oh no! The monster is back! Run!" With this cry, fear filled the children's faces. They quickly dropped the stones in their hands and scattered in all directions, as if a ferocious beast was chasing them.

In an instant, the group of kids scattered like fallen leaves blown by a gust of wind, but they didn't forget to make a face at Naruto in their haste to escape.

Naruto paid no attention to this and went straight upstairs, with Boruto following closely behind.

When they arrived at Naruto's floor, Boruto frowned at the sight before him. Naruto's doorway was piled with all sorts of trash, including discarded cardboard boxes, plastic bags, and beverage bottles. Clearly, Naruto hadn't thrown the trash away himself.

Naruto didn't say much when faced with the mess in front of his house. He just silently bent down and began to clean up the pile of garbage.

Seeing this, Boruto didn't say anything and quickly joined in the cleaning.

With their combined efforts, the trash was completely cleaned up, and the entrance was tidy again. Only then did he slowly open the door: "I'm back!"

However, the house was pitch black, and no one responded to Naruto's words. Only his own voice echoed in the empty room, which made Naruto slightly disappointed.

"Welcome back!" Boruto replied as if possessed.