Naruto clutched his head, his bravado vanishing in an instant. A guilty, faintly nostalgic smile appeared on his face.
"Oh, that... heh, you still remember that, Pervy Sage? I was just curious."
"Curious?" Jiraiya snorted and splashed a handful of hot water over himself. "That was reckless! Exactly like that kid Boruto in the future!"
"You see something unknown that looks interesting, and Chakra rushes straight to your feet. It's like the part of your brain called 'caution' just snaps."
"What do you call that? Like father, like son!"
He glanced at Naruto's sheepish grin. His tone softened, carrying a hint of helpless amusement.
"Still, that habit you two have of acting before you think has broken quite a few deadlocks by sheer luck."
"Forget it. I can't be bothered lecturing you. Hinata's going to have her hands full."
Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head without arguing.
Amid the steam rising from the hot spring, he seemed to see himself as a child and Boruto in the future. Their unreserved enthusiasm and impulsiveness toward the unknown were nerve-racking, but they were also familiar to him—part of what made someone a Naruto Uzumaki.
Now he was beginning to understand how Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and Pervy Sage had felt watching him do whatever he pleased.
It made you want to laugh and yell at the same time, all while holding your nose and cleaning up the mess.
"Enough. Enjoy your bath, future Seventh Hokage." Jiraiya closed his eyes and relaxed into the hot spring. "Boruto has his own path to follow."
"As for you, you'd better think about how to be a good Hokage first. Don't give your son a reason to complain someday, 'How can a Hokage act like that?'"
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Office, Tsunade braced both hands