"Oh, so you're wandering performers." Jiraiya stroked his chin and nodded thoughtfully. "As fellow creators in the arts, I'd personally like to believe you... but."
His tone shifted, suddenly turning serious. "The current Hokage of Konoha has run into a little problem. As the village's temporary person in charge, I have to ensure everyone's safety. You should know what happened in Konoha recently, right?"
Sasuke could not help frowning slightly. Of course he knew what had happened at this point—the Konoha Crush Plan launched by Orochimaru, the Third Hokage's sacrifice... But calling it "a little problem" felt deeply out of place.
"Honestly, I really hate this all-business attitude." Jiraiya spread his hands. "Simply put, these are extraordinary times, so someone has to keep an eye on you."
"Huh? Keep an eye on us?" Boruto's eyes widened in surprise. As the Hokage's son, he had never imagined that one day, he would be treated as someone who needed surveillance in Konoha.
"Um... Master Jiraiya, if someone needs to carry out the surveillance mission, why not leave it to me?" Naruto suddenly volunteered himself.
"Huh? You?" Jiraiya looked utterly incredulous. It was not that he doubted Naruto's abilities; he simply felt that assigning such a low-level task to Naruto now was a complete waste of talent.
"It's fine. All ninja missions have been suspended recently anyway, so I'm pretty free," Naruto said casually.
"Mr. Sasuke! This is great!" Boruto lowered his voice, unable to hide his excitement. "I never thought I'd get to stay by Dad's side so naturally!"
However, Sasuke did not respond to Boruto's delight. He stared at Naruto's back and once again sensed that something was wrong—this Naruto was far too polite.
In his memory, Naruto at this age should have been a loud, energetic, hot-blooded boy, even somewhat