A New Era

A month later.

In the morning in Konoha, sunlight filtered through the mist and fell over the Training Ground, dew glimmering on the tips of the grass. But an urgent report from the border shattered the calm—a merchant caravan bound for Sunagakure had been attacked at the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. Three guards were seriously injured, and the cargo was stolen. According to the survivors, the attackers wore tattered cloaks, moved as swiftly as the wind, and used the long-lost "Sand Shadow Style" ninjutsu.

"Sand Shadow Style?" Naruto frowned at the report on the scroll. "Wasn't that a clan of wandering ninja wiped out a hundred years ago?"

Candlelight flickered in the office. Sasuke stood by the window with his arms crossed, his expression grave.

"Maybe they weren't wiped out," he said. "Maybe they just went into hiding. Over the years, there have been sporadic traces of something similar along the border. I always thought they were imitators."

Naruto sighed and rubbed his temples. More strands of white had appeared in his hair since last year, as if time had dusted his head with frost.

"We can't put this off any longer," he said quietly. "We have to get to the bottom of it."

Just then, Boruto pushed open the door. His Deep Blue ninja uniform was crisp and neat, a short sword strapped to his back and a Jonin armband tied around his left arm. His expression was composed; he no longer resembled the rebellious boy he had once been.

"Father, I've assembled the team and we're ready to go," Boruto said. "Sarada, Mitsuki, and Shinshiki are standing by."

Naruto looked up at his son. For a moment, he seemed to see his younger self—determined eyes, squared shoulders, and that reckless urge