The Wandering Ninja

Shinshiki bound the prisoners. "These people... don't look like pure evil."

Sarada looked at one of the boys. He was only thirteen or fourteen, and though his face was caked with dirt, he still looked like a child. He was quietly sobbing.

"They must have had no choice," she said softly.

Boruto was silent for a moment, then stepped forward and took off his outer robe, draping it over the boy's shoulders.

"We'll investigate your backgrounds," he said. "If you really have been wronged, the Leaf will hear you out. But for now, you must stand trial."

The boy looked up, shock and hope flashing in his eyes.

On the way back, starlight spilled through the forest.

Sarada walked beside Boruto. Suddenly, she asked, "Boruto, do you think... Lord Naruto is really going to retire?"

Boruto gazed at the faint lights of the Leaf in the distance and let out a sigh. "I don't know. Lately, he's been coughing whenever he reads through documents, and his hair's getting whiter by the day. Maybe... it's time."

"If he retires, who'll become Hokage?"

"Probably me." Boruto's voice was calm, but tinged with a hint of heaviness. "I'm the Jonin squad leader, and I'm his son. A lot of people will think it's only natural."

"What about you?" Sarada stopped and looked him straight in the eye. "Do you want the position?"

Boruto smiled, a little uncertainty in his expression. "Me? I still have a long way to go. Being Hokage isn't just about being the strongest. It's about carrying the faith of the entire village. I'm not sure I'm ready."

"But you've already done so much," Sarada said earnestly. "In that fight just now, you didn't kill anyone. You even treated your enemies with dignity. That's what true strength looks like."

Boruto