Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

'Isn't this guy my son?'

Naruto thought in his heart.

In his previous life, he had heard complaints about how Boruto had leaned heavily into nostalgia to boost its ratings, even featuring a time-travel arc that took Boruto back to the past.

However, he recalled it happening around the time Sasuke defected from the village. But here, that timeline didn't seem to match, as Hiruzen was still alive, there had been no Konoha Crush Plan, and Itachi hadn't even reappeared in Konoha yet. The timing felt completely off.

'Or maybe the person in front of me wasn't my son?'

'However, the tall young man standing next to him was definitely the grown-up Sasuke.'

'What is going on?'

But before he could speculate further, the system prompt sounded in his mind again.

[It is detected that the low-level system is on Boruto's body. It is currently in a dormant state. Host, please proceed with capture as soon as possible.]

After hearing this, Naruto's suspicions were confirmed.

This blonde-haired boy in front of him was, without a doubt, his son, Uzumaki Boruto.

'System, is this messed-up timeline your doing?' Naruto asked in his heart.

[This system requires additional energy to stabilize itself, and devouring other systems is the best way. So, yes, I intercepted this low-level system.]

'Good grief, it really is you.'

Naruto sighed and shook his head in exasperation. Facing the system's mischief, he was really helpless.

Just then, the angry mob of women pursuing him and Jiraiya arrived on the scene. Without missing a beat, Naruto quickly handed Boruto the binoculars.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you. Here, take these as an apology."

After saying that, he gave Jiraiya a look.

Jiraiya understood what he meant and quickly pulled Naruto up and ran away again.

Looking at the two people walking away and the binoculars in his hand, Boruto smiled.

"Dad sure is polite. He just bumped into me, but he gave me a pair of binoculars as an apology."

But his gratitude was short-lived, as the women who'd been chasing Naruto and Jiraiya spotted Boruto holding the binoculars and immediately yelled, "Aha! He's holding the binoculars, that's our pervert! Finally, we've caught you!"

Boruto was slightly startled, "Pervert? What pervert? This binoculars is..."

But before he could explain, the furious lead woman shouted, "We saw it all! There were two of you, one big and one small, and now here you are with the binoculars. Trying to lie your way out? You're young, yet already a little deviant. We're taking you both to the police to set you straight."

Realizing what had happened, Boruto's jaw dropped as he pieced it together: the pair of peepers were Jiraiya and… his own father, Naruto!

But with the binoculars in his hand, there was no way he could explain his innocence now.

Thankfully, Sasuke, ever the silent but effective ally, grabbed Boruto and disappeared in a flash, escaping to a safe distance.

Using his tracking skills, Sasuke soon located Naruto and Jiraiya.

Boruto's face was a storm of frustration as he confronted them: "How could you two do that to me?"

Naruto gave him an amused look, "What did we do? We ran into you, apologized, and even left you a gift. Why chase us down like this? If the binoculars weren't enough, should we throw in another pair to really say we're sorry?"

Boruto fumed at the mention of the binoculars, "How can you justify peeping like that and then dump the blame on us?"

Naruto snorted and said, "First off, we were training. You wouldn't understand. And even if we did leave the blame to you, so what? We know everyone in this village, but we've never seen you two! So you're obviously from another village."

Boruto frowned and said, "From another village? We're from ten years in the…never mind! Just because we're not from your village, you think it's okay to scam us like this?"

"Now that the Chunin Exams have ended, all the Shinobi from other villages have already left the village. And here you are, arriving in Konoha at this time. I think you two have ulterior motives, so I tested you a bit. As expected, you both managed to find us quickly, which means you're Shinobi too, right?"

Naruto snorted coldly, "Shinobi from other villages coming here at this time… The fact that I haven't attacked you already shows my kindness. But if you're here to reason with me, then let's go see Sandaime-sama and have a good discussion about it!"

"This…"

Boruto hesitated for a moment.

He and Sasuke had traveled back here only to hunt down Urashiki and protect Naruto from being harmed.

However, right before their arrival in the village, the creature that brought them across time, an odd turtle named Karasuki, had given them specific instructions, which Boruto still remembered vividly.

Just a short while ago, right as they arrived in Konoha...

"You are people from the future, so let me inform you of some rules to follow when acting in this past…"

Karasuki, the turtle-like artifact in Boruto's hand, explained.

Boruto frowned and asked, "Aren't you an accomplice of Urashiki?"

Karasuki explained: "I am the time-traveling artifact Karasuki. I lack the concept of alliances you're thinking of, so I have no vested interest in Urashiki-sama. My mission is simply to execute time travel and to inform you of any necessary precautions afterward."

"This turtle sure talks like a stiff." Boruto muttered speechlessly, though feeling somewhat relieved.

"What are the precautions?" Sasuke asked.

Karasuki slowly explained, "First of all, you must not reveal that you're from the future to anyone in the past. Above all, do not interfere with anyone you have close connections with."

"And what happens if our identities are exposed or we interfere?" Boruto asked.

Karasuki explained, "It could have drastic effects on the future. To put it dramatically, even a single action you take in this era could alter the future. So please exercise caution and act only after careful consideration of the possibility that things and people you know in the future might vanish."

At this point, Boruto's memory of Karasuki's instructions ended.

Originally, Boruto thought they'd be able to slip in without trouble and secretly protect Naruto from Urashiki's attack. But to his surprise, they had run into Naruto right after entering the village, and now they were at risk of being dragged to see Sandaime.

Just as Boruto was racking his brain for a way out, Sasuke spoke up.

"Performers."

"Hmm?" Naruto looked at Sasuke with interest.

Sasuke explained, "We're performers who travel around different villages. With all the excitement around the Chunin Exams recently, we thought we'd come here to earn a little extra."

"Oh? Performers, huh? Then why don't you show us a trick? If I'm satisfied, I won't take you to Sandaime-sama."

Naruto said with a playful smile.

Sasuke's eyelids twitched slightly, and he reached into his pouch and took out a small red ball. Then, he tossed it into the air.

As he snapped his fingers, the little red ball actually...