"A bag of rice needs to be carried up several floors... a bag of rice needs to be carried up the second floor…"
Along with this strange chant, a crisp electronic tone rang out in Boruto's mind:
[Ding... Successfully played: Tendo Pain]
[Emotional Progress from Uzumaki Naruto: +9527 points]
[Emotional Progress from Sarutobi Konohamaru: +886 points]
[Emotional Progress from Nara Shikamaru: +556 points]
One after another, ripples of emotion spread through the crowd — fear, shock, awe — all of them continuously feeding Boruto's Tendo Pain progress bar.
"Every grain of rice has mud on it. Who's going to give you a bag of rice?"
Boruto, in the form of Tendo Pain, struck the classic pose that seemed to freeze time itself.
The air around the Ninja Academy grew heavy. The students instinctively stepped back, their young faces a mix of fear and confusion.
Naruto Uzumaki looked up sharply. His heart clenched as he stared at the figure in the sky — that unmistakable silhouette of Pain.
A glowing Rasengan formed in his palm. In the next moment, he hurled it toward the ground, and the recoil thrust his body upward like a rocket.
"Boruto!" he shouted. "Stop right now! You can't use that kind of power in Konoha!"
But Boruto ignored him completely.
"Ridiculous."
With a calm yet menacing tone, he raised his right hand slightly — as if preparing to unleash a catastrophic power.
Naruto's instincts screamed. He braced himself in a defensive stance, memories of his battle with Pain flashing before his eyes.
[Emotional Progress from Uzumaki Naruto: +4396 points]
But the attack never came.
With a soft bang, Boruto's Pain-like figure dissolved into a puff of white smoke.
Naruto blinked. "A shadow clone!"
His gaze darted downward — and there stood Boruto's true body, still transformed as Tendo Pain, standing boldly before the crowd of new students.
His aura radiated such oppressive force that several children trembled, some even collapsing to the ground in fright.
Konohamaru and Shino immediately stepped forward, shielding the students.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru began forming hand seals, his expression tense.
Boruto smiled faintly, lifted his hand, and spoke in a deep, chilling tone:
"From now on… let the world feel pain."
The words struck like a curse. Fear rippled through the square, peaking in seconds. Screams and cries broke out; some children were sobbing, others too frightened to move.
A small girl collapsed to her knees, crying, "I want to go home!"
Then—
"Shinra Ten…" Boruto paused and laughed. "Just kidding!"
With a puff of smoke, he released his transformation, revealing his true face.
"Uzumaki Boruto, reporting for duty!"
Konohamaru sighed in relief. "Good grief, it's just Boruto…"
Shikamaru dropped his hands, canceling the Shadow Imitation Jutsu.
Shikadai groaned. "Seriously, Boruto? First day of school and you pull this kind of stunt?"
Denki added weakly, "Yeah, I thought I was about to die just now…"
Even Sarada muttered under her breath, "So this was that 'important thing' you mentioned earlier…"
Just then, Naruto landed beside Boruto, his expression dark. He grabbed his son firmly by the arm.
Boruto looked up with a cheeky grin. "Hey, Dad."
Naruto's voice was low but stern. "I'm speaking to you as the Hokage right now, Boruto."
Boruto chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. The Seventh Hokage, huh? So serious when you're on duty, Dad."
Naruto's expression didn't soften. "Why did you do this?"
Boruto shrugged. "It was just a harmless joke. No big deal."
Naruto frowned deeply. "A joke? You terrified the entire class! Boruto, you weren't like this before."
Boruto smirked. "Maybe I inherited your personality, Dad. You vandalized the Hokage Rock when you were a kid. Compared to that, I just gave them a little scare."
That shut Naruto up for a moment. He remembered those foolish days all too well — when he'd done anything for attention.
Still, as Hokage, he had to stay firm.
"Boruto, that's enough. You're grounded — two weeks, confined at home."
Boruto sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Fine, fine. I get it, Dad."
That Evening — Hokage's Office
The orange glow of sunset filled the room. Piles of paperwork sat before Naruto as he reviewed them with weary focus.
Breaking the silence, Shikamaru leaned back in his chair. "When he turned into Pain, he scared a whole batch of kids to tears," he said teasingly.
Naruto gave a sheepish laugh. "Yeah… sorry about that."
Shikamaru chuckled. "You know, Boruto's already way stronger than you were at his age."
Then, with a curious look, he asked, "But how did he even know about Pain in the first place?"
That question made Naruto pause.
"Maybe he sneaked into the confidential archives," Naruto guessed. "With his Byakugan and skill, it wouldn't be that hard."
Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome kid." And with that, their conversation faded into silence.
That Night — The Uzumaki Home
A soft knock sounded on the door before it slowly opened.
"Is this Aunt Hinata? Hi, I'm Sarada. I came to see Boruto — is he here?"
Hinata smiled warmly. "Ah, Sarada! Please, come in. He's resting upstairs… though he's been acting a little strange today."
Sarada nodded, a flicker of worry crossing her face. She walked quietly up to Boruto's room.
When she opened the door, what she saw made her freeze in place.
Boruto stood with his back to her, still transformed into Tendo Pain, his tone low and cold.
"Feel the pain… think about the pain…"
[Emotional Progress from Sarada Uchiha: +20 points]
Boruto suddenly noticed her presence. He canceled the transformation and turned — locking eyes with a flustered Sarada standing at the doorway.
"I—I'm sorry!" she stammered, blushing. "I should've knocked first."
Boruto scratched his cheek awkwardly. "It's okay. I was just practicing a new transformation technique… didn't expect you to walk in."
To ease the awkward air, he poured her a glass of water. "Here, sit down."
Sarada sat quietly and took the cup, then looked at him seriously. "Boruto… are you in pain?"
"Pain?" Boruto smiled softly. "No. Actually, I feel great." He gently held her hand.
"Then why were you saying all those dark things?" she asked, confused.
Boruto chuckled. "It's just part of the role. To become someone, you have to feel what they felt."
Sarada nodded slightly. "I see… well, since you're fine, I'll head home. It's getting late."
Boruto frowned slightly. "Leaving already? Stay a little longer."
She smiled faintly. "If I don't go now, Mom will worry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
Just as she turned to leave—
"Brother!"
Himawari suddenly burst in through the door, bumping straight into Sarada.
Thud! Both girls staggered backward.
Boruto reacted instantly — catching Sarada by the waist with one arm while using the other to cushion Himawari with a burst of invisible force.
Sarada looked up at Boruto — and her breath caught.
His blue eyes were gone.
In their place gleamed a pair of luminous silver eyes, swirling with a mysterious, multicolored radiance.
"Such… beautiful eyes…"
Sarada quickly pulled away, and her gaze shifted to Himawari — who was floating midair, giggling.
"Wow! I'm flying!" she cheered.
Under Boruto's control, she slowly descended to the floor.
"Brother, I want to fly a little more!"
Boruto smiled, patting her head. "No, or Mom will worry again."
Right then, Hinata appeared at the doorway.
"Oh good, everyone's here. Dinner's ready. Sarada, please stay and eat with us."
Sarada hesitated. "Um… it's already late, Aunt Hinata. My mom might worry."
"Don't worry," Hinata said kindly. "I'll call Sakura and explain. Boruto can walk you home afterward."
Boruto nodded encouragingly, so Sarada smiled. "Then… thank you, Aunt Hinata."
Dinner at the Uzumaki Home
The dinner table radiated warmth. Hinata kept placing food on Sarada's plate as if she were her own daughter.
Boruto teased Himawari now and then, and laughter filled the room.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful — perfect.
But far away, in the Hokage's office, Naruto leaned back in his chair, staring wearily at a mountain of paperwork.
He sighed deeply.
"Looks like it's another all-nighter…"