The next morning, Boruto woke up early. After finishing breakfast, he headed out to meet the other members of Team 7.
As he walked through the village streets, his mind drifted back to the conversation he had with Momoshiki the previous night.
The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.
How could a member of the extraterrestrial Otsutsuki clan possibly negotiate with a human like him?
Boruto still clearly remembered the moment Momoshiki first descended upon the Hidden Leaf Village. The arrogant expression on his face, the way he looked down on everyone as if they were nothing more than insects. That pride was part of his identity as Momoshiki Otsutsuki.
Normally, someone like that would never speak with a human on equal terms.
And yet, that was exactly what had happened inside Boruto's mental space the night before.
The thought left Boruto deeply puzzled.
"Why would Momoshiki want to cooperate with me?"
He kept thinking about the question as he walked, until a familiar voice suddenly interrupted him.
"Boruto, why are you so distracted?"
Boruto looked up and saw his teammate standing in front of him.
"Oh, Sarada. Sorry about that. I was thinking about something and didn't notice you."
"What could possibly be weighing so heavily on the great hero of today?" Sarada teased with a smirk.
"Hero? Come on. I just helped defeat an enemy alongside Uncle Sasuke."
Sarada crossed her arms.
"You're already my father's student now. Why do you still call him 'Uncle Sasuke'?"
"I've been calling him that since I was little," Boruto replied with a shrug. "Sometimes the habit just sticks."
"So what were you thinking about just now?" Sarada asked.
"It's nothing important," Boruto said quickly. "I was just wondering what to eat for lunch."
Sarada raised an eyebrow.
"With your usual habits, you'll probably go to Thunder Burger again."
Boruto grinned.
"Well, Chocho eats there all the time because of her clan's special techniques."
Sarada sighed.
"That's because of her clan's metabolism. But you eating that kind of food every day... don't you think there might be a problem with that?"
"Burgers are delicious," Boruto replied dreamily. "Especially the lemon flavor."
"I'm not asking whether it tastes good," Sarada said firmly. "I'm asking whether your mom would approve of you eating junk food every day."
Boruto froze.
"Uh… probably not."
"Then you should bring a proper lunch box to school," Sarada said. "That way your mom won't worry so much."
Boruto stared at her in surprise.
"Sarada, you're acting really strange today. Since when did you start caring about what I eat?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Sarada snapped, her face turning slightly red. "Do you want me to punch you?"
Boruto leaned back nervously.
"Sarada, has anyone ever told you that when you get angry, you look exactly like Aunt Sakura? It's kind of terrifying."
"Boruto!" Sarada clenched her fists angrily.
"Sarada, wait! Don't come any closer!" Boruto shouted as he took a step back.
"You two seem to get along well."
"Huh? Who said that?" Boruto and Sarada both turned toward the direction of the voice.
"Oh. It's just you, Mitsuki," Boruto said casually.
"So what were you two talking about?" Mitsuki asked with a gentle smile.
"Boruto wants to eat burgers for lunch," Sarada explained. "And I told him eating proper meals is healthier."
Mitsuki tilted his head slightly.
"So Mitsuki, what do you think we should eat for lunch?" Boruto asked as he casually slung an arm over Mitsuki's shoulder.
"You can decide, Boruto," Mitsuki replied.
Sarada shook her head.
"Boruto, you still don't understand Mitsuki's personality, do you? No matter what you choose, he'll go along with it. You two are practically like twins."
"That's not true!" Boruto protested immediately. "It's obviously because the restaurants I recommend are good! That's why Mitsuki eats with me! How can you slander me like that?"
Boruto and Sarada quickly fell into another playful argument.
Meanwhile, Mitsuki simply stood nearby with his usual gentle smile, watching them quietly.
The lively atmosphere around Team 7 felt warm and familiar.
After spending the entire day training outside with Team 7, Boruto finally returned home in the evening.
Once dinner was finished, he lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
His thoughts returned to Momoshiki once again.
"How am I supposed to deal with him?" Boruto muttered to himself.
"Should I really believe what he said?"
"And why does he want that sealed scroll?"
"Ugh... there are way too many things to think about."
The more he tried to sort through the questions, the more confused he became.
Eventually, Boruto let out a tired sigh.
"Forget it," he said to himself.
"I'll deal with it when the time comes."
With that, Boruto rolled over on his bed and closed his eyes, letting sleep slowly take him.