Just as Meihui was wondering whether to let Boruto and Naruto recognize each other as father and son, something suddenly occurred to him. They had been in the past for half a day and had already seen little Naruto, so why hadn't he seen his own younger self?
Meihui wasn't the only one puzzled. Sasuke had also been looking everywhere for the younger Meihui, but there was simply no sign of him.
"I'm done. I'm so full! Thank you so much for treating me to ramen."
Naruto rubbed his belly, which had rounded out from all the food. He hadn't expected to get so lucky today. Not only had he made friends, but they had even treated him to Ichiraku Ramen.
As he ate, Boruto asked, "By the way, Naruto, do you live alone?"
Naruto had been perfectly happy, but at Boruto's question, he immediately wilted, his expression turning downcast.
"I don't have any family. I've always lived alone. But I have lots of good friends-Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji."
Thinking of those good friends seemed to bring a smile back to Naruto's face. But while he was happy, others weren't-namely, Sasuke and Meihui.
What had they just heard? Naruto had always lived alone?
Sasuke had grown up with Naruto and Meihui. The three of them had been practically inseparable. Back then, he had been so envious that Naruto had an older brother like Meihui, which showed just how much Meihui doted on his little brother.
Looking at the Naruto before him now, he couldn't imagine how the boy could so calmly say he was an orphan. Perhaps only Naruto himself knew the pain behind those words.
When Meihui heard Naruto say he was an orphan, he felt as though something had gone wrong with his ears. In the