"Ugh, so noisy. Who's making such a racket in the middle of the night, ruining a perfectly good dream..."
The newcomer drew out his words in a leisurely, mellow voice. He squinted at Boruto. "Oh, it's you, kid."
"Great-Uncle!" Boruto's eyes lit up. Then he scratched his head with a grin. "You're still awake? Oh, wait. I woke you up, didn't I?"
"Hmph. At least you know." Kizaru, the man Boruto called Great-Uncle, slowly tugged his coat tighter around himself, still speaking at his unhurried pace.
"Young people these days have no consideration for their elders."
"Do you know how precious sleep is at my age? I'd finally managed to have a dream. I was sunbathing on a beach, drinking coconut juice, and then you shouted me right out of it."
Boruto couldn't help muttering, "But Great-Uncle, last time I passed by during the day, I'm pretty sure I saw you napping in the gatehouse. You can just count that as making up for the sleep you lost tonight!"
"Oh? Talking back now?" Kizaru's eyes remained narrowed, but his right index finger moved faster than Boruto could react and flicked him lightly on the forehead.
"Ow!" Boruto clapped a hand to his forehead. A small red mark was already appearing there.
He grimaced but didn't dare say anything else. Instead, he quickly called to Moegi, Sarada, and Mitsuki behind him. "Teacher Moegi, Sarada, Mitsuki, come on in! The gate's open!"
Moegi led Sarada and Mitsuki over and gave Kizaru a polite nod. "Sorry for disturbing your rest so late, Mr. Kizaru. We've just returned from a mission."
"Oh, Teacher Moegi. Don't worry about it. Work's work." Kizaru waved a hand and stepped aside at his usual leisurely pace. "Come in. It's chilly out at night."
Once they were inside the