Chapter Text
She was small, felt brittle, like a twig he could break easily in his arms just by applying more force, he had caught her before she could hit her head on the tiled floor. It was an action without much thought behind it, he brought his right arm around from under her neck and placed two fingers on her neck, trying to find a pulse, he felt it but it was much more subdued.
“Quick! put her on the bed”
Oga was much faster than him. By the time he entered the room, she was arranging medicinal supplies they had acquired on the side table near the makeshift emergency bed, it was the only bed in the hideout that was comfortable for a patient and it belonged to her. he cautiously shifted her in his arms, and carried her to the bed. Her face was pale, deathly pale, the bruise from earlier had faded a little, but stood out like a sore thumb. As soon as he put her on the bed, Oga took over. He watched from the sides as she took measurements of her vitals, and injected an IV syringe in her arm, soon various machines that he had dragged into the room were connected to the pale teenager. The machine beeped continuously at random indicating something, but Oga kept on working on her, her hands kept glowing green, unperturbed by the sudden emergencies that popped up randomly, he followed her orders like a dutiful assistant, and when he wasn’t needed, she asked him to leave the room to change the girls damaged tunic.
Once outside, he sat on the floor. He had no clue whatsoever about what could have caused this. The time-traveling turtle was a viable option but it required an immense supply of chakra, but he hadn’t seen it with her at any moment. Even if the turtle was used, it would have required someone to first go into the past to bring someone into the future, and for that, a stupendous chakra supply was needed. There was no perfect Jinchuriki in any of the five elemental nations that he was privy to, even this reasoning begged the question; How did they find the turtle in the first place, and if somehow someone had managed to operate the device, why had they brought Sarada with them?
An obvious answer would be that they wanted to attack Konoha, by abducting Sarada from the past, but why abduct her? A smarter approach would be to kill her then and there, but then again, he didn’t remember anything like that happening. A likely answer was that they wanted something else from her, highly likely; The Sharingan, but if they did where was the assailant? A potential answer would be that, Sarada probably resisted against the assailant and it resulted in them being separated in the route, but looking at the situation it was highly unlikely due to her method of appearance. It wasn’t as seamless as he had experienced, and it hadn’t resulted in him and Sasuke being damaged in any way. So why did Sarada got damaged that badly? From what he could make out of the data Oga noted down, she was scarred at several places internally, he doubted Oga would be able to completely heal her, she was a scientist not a doctor, and all of her medical knowledge came from working under Amado and then her experiments that she conducted on herself and sometimes on others. She knew about healing enough that she could repair damage to some extent but not enough that the patient would be completely okay, it would still require them to exert effort themselves. And there was a good chance her qualifications would fall short.
He passed his fingers through his hair, if the inevitable was to happen he would have to look for a doctor, possibly a surgeon, and an extremely good one at that. He knew only two people that could fit the category but all of them; possibly, hated him.
‘Wouldn’t that be something……’
He lost track of time, sitting on the floor and lost in his thoughts. As realization drew upon him, he noticed that approximately 4 hours had passed and Oga was still inside the room. He got up abruptly and entered the room. It was exactly as he predicted, Oga was still busy tending to the girl, who was now in a blue loose shirt, her damaged glasses were placed at the table, and her complexion had improved, but her face still had the haunted expression of the one who was knocking on death’s door.
“How is she?” he asked, making sure to keep his voice as low as possible. Oga looked up from the clipboard she was holding and replied.
“I have managed to stabilize her, but it’s temporary, she is alive only due to the ventilator, if any new complication occurred, she would die in 10 minutes or so. She needs a real doctor”.
She sat down on the chair and he settled again on the floor, resting his back against the wall, he closed his eyes, trying to drown out the voice of reason inside him that goaded him in the direction he dreaded, he had been pondering at the problem for the past couple of hours and still hadn’t reached a conclusive solution. An alternative was to kidnap a doctor, but that was impossibly risky. He didn’t know anyone who would be able to reverse the damage to that extent. The treatment, as far as he could predict would need an expert surgeon with either an assistant or another experienced doctor to provide chakra for the transfusions and an entire separate team to monitor the condition of the patient, that was the extent of what could make out. The complexity of the treatment increased as Oga began listing the injuries and the possible remedies they could muster in the meantime, there weren’t many. They had the equipment that would eliminate the need for any big team of doctors, but they lacked the doctor itself.
His mind went to the nurse he had encountered in his Genin days but there wasn’t any guarantee she would help and she knew Sarada by face; he would have to tell her the reason why a Saradalookedk like was with him and injured nonetheless. She became quite famous for her treatment and as well as her non-committal status, she was a hotline for the rouge shinobi that managed to find her. Her skills were also legit, he had seen her keep a girl infected with Hashirama’s cells, and she had also healed countless Shinobis during the war. But he had a strong suspicion she wouldn’t take to him kindly, being in a space that wasn’t defined by any nation, she was a wild card to play, he wanted to keep Sarada’s existence as guarded as possible, so she was out of the picture.
“There aren’t any options left; you can wait, but her condition isn’t going to improve”
Oga was also thinking along the same lines, and she had called him out for his hesitance.
“…..I’ll do something”
The afternoon breeze, gentle and unassuming, was something he had lately begun to cherish. As the sun dipped lower into the horizon, casting long shadows and soft amber light across the village, it signaled more than just the end of the day, it marked the lifting of an invisible weight. The strain he wore so well. It was often when he would walk alongside his daughter. Sometimes she would be waiting for him. Sometimes he would be the one standing there first, quietly scanning the thinning crowds. They rarely said much, and they didn’t need to. The presence alone was enough, a soft balm against the rigidity of their lives.
But it hadn’t always been Sarada. Before her, it was his brother’s quiet footsteps beside him after long hours at the academy or the training grounds or the view he hot from his rides on his shoulders. Those memories still clung to this time of day, like the fading warmth of sunlight on the skin. Back then, the breeze carried a different kind of comfort one born from being looked after, instead of being the one who always had to hold things together.
Today was an afternoon like every other, Sarda on his right side, silently enjoying the breeze. She had a small smile on her face, a peaceful smile that he would always associate with his wife, who would be busy at the hospital at this time. On his left side was Kakashi Hatake, someone he deeply respected despite their occasional banters that mostly included Kakashi berating him, or sometimes just teasing him over something trivial with Sakura as an accomplice. It was, at those times, he missed his best friend the most. The heart of their team, it was apparent to all of them every single one of them had compensated for his absence in their ways. They, sometimes with Sarada; went to Teuchi’s together, Kakashi and Sakura were always ahead of him in that matter. After ramen, a visit to the Graveyard was an unspoken custom, replacing old flowers with new ones. Another fact was that they were also busy with their own lives, baring Kakashi who had long since resigned from the council. Their get-togethers were rare, Sakura had her hospital to look after, and Sarada had her own Genin team, other than that she was mostly with Shikamaru managing serving as an assistant of sorts, when she was not busy. Sasuke also had his missions to complete and sometimes the Anbu asked for him during difficult assignments.
Kakahi, out of all, was making the most out of his time. He would either be seen at the orphanage, sometimes he would be seen fishing, or sometimes he would be helping Shikamaru in the office. He had discreetly made a fixture for himself in their lives. Gai’s passing was heavy for Kakashi, his best friend had left the world earlier than Kakashi and he seemed to have taken his best friend’s life examples to heart. He would sometimes take Sarada’s training into his own hands, teaching her the ropes.
At Kakashi’s insistence, they changed their route, and instead of going to their home as usual, they ended up at a restaurant. It was mostly empty, only a single customer was seated at the last table in the row, quietly drinking his soup. They were guided to the table next to him, he didn’t mind the seating, the restaurant would be reasonably crowded in the following hours so the staff probably wanted to assign the tables in an orderly fashion.
The dinner went fairly smooth, apart from Kakashi casually flashing Icha-Icha Paradise at the serving lady every time they ordered an extra serving or a drink, making her blush. Even growing old hadn’t knocked sense into the pervert about literature, though he was fairly sure that it was something Kakashi had ingrained into himself deeply, it was also something that he associated his old captain with.
They were just about to finish their drink, when an odd feeling brushed over his nerves. Years of experience honed in on that feeling. It was like standing in the center of a bubble, where his surroundings would go quiet, Sarada and Kakashi had also noticed the change, and the soft, cheerful atmosphere was gone up in smoke in an instant. Kakashi proved his suspicion true by leaning his body sideways, his faux-eye smile in place.
“Do you want something gentleman? I am afraid we don’t have extra money”
He addressed the person sitting behind them, Sasuke turned his head for a better view. It was a tall figure; with a traveling cloak whose hood was pulled up to conceal facial features. The person in question had no chakra presence. He had noticed the man when they had entered the restaurant, he had initially assumed he was a civilian,or a traveler. He had not bothered to check since Konoha was in the middle of a flux of travelers of all sorts, merchants, craftsmen, and many more. Security was always on high alert, and he and Kakashi had personally overseen the protocols and timings of patrols. There was even Yamanaka’s security system running all the time. There were only a very few people alive Sasuke could think of that could slip through the security undetected, and one of them was right behind him.
“You have grown soft Sasuke-san”
It was him, no doubt. Sasuke’s hand flew over his sword in an instant, ready to draw at the moment noticed. Kakashi tensed up as well, Chakra swelled in the air among them. They were at a civilian establishment and any fight here would lead to several causalities. Apprehending him would be quite difficult. But his appearance begged the question, what he was doing here? And why after such a long period?
“You have some guts showing up here of all places”
Kakashi's voice was low, sounding more like a growl, but the threat was clear. His face was contorted slightly, anger dripping from his words. Sarada kept silent.
“What are you doing here?”
He laid down his question, forcing his voice even. His fist involuntarily clenched at his side, pure rage and anger swelled under his skin, coaxing him, the urge was there like always, it surged like an old wound reopening and bleeding.
“I have something that you might want to see.”
The answer was cryptic, Kakashi agreed with him and slowly began to inch out of the bench, but then a gloved hand appeared from the side and both of them stopped. It was holding a pair of glasses, and his Sharingan spun to life, blazing, reflecting his carefully stowed away anger. The arm itself was under a layer of Genjutsu, but the glasses weren’t, likely to fool the staff that was moving about the restaurant. He slowly lowered his gaze to the item in his hand. It was red-rimmed and seemed familiar. He looked back at his companions, both of them had their eyes trained on it. Sarada for the first time, spoke first.
“Where did you get those?” she asked, surprised.
‘…….’
“What do you think?” the answer came, delayed. He had recognized them, it was undoubtedly Sarada’s, he grabbed the glasses from the hand and passed them on to Kakashi, who was looking at the hand like a predator. The frown on his face deepened further.
“Stop beating around the bush”
Sasuke’s biggest priority was to figure out his intentions, all the times he had interacted with him after he freed him from the tree state the Grimes had left him in, he had deeply reflected on his past interactions. In every single one of them, Boruto had held the advantage over information and every time they had to be the one playing catch, this situation was no different.
“A certain someone just appeared in front of me, and they are the owner of this object” Confusion was evident on Sarada’s face at the answer, Kakashi face morphed as if practically screaming ‘bullshit’, and so was Sasuke’s.
“You seem to not value your life” Kakashi taunted.
“What about you, do you not value the life of your people?” the reply was instant. It caught all of them by surprise. Sarada looked up at him for an answer, but he had none.
“Get to the point, unless you have a vacation booked for the TI”.
The threat did not affect him, as he continued to eat his meal. The hood of the cloak shifted a little to the side to reveal some of the shoulder-length hair, instead of answering he lifted the bowl and drank its contents in a single take. The answer however was not something any of them had expected.
“You remember don’t you Sasuke-san?”
The answer was again a question aimed at him. He looked at the glasses for some answers but found nothing on them except they were undoubtedly Sarada’s though in a beaten-up state. One of the lenses was cracked and one of the legs was crooked. He thought back on the question,
‘you remember don’t you Sasuke-san?’, was he implying something he had forgotten? He looked back again and found Boruto drinking his soup with all the leisure in the world, annoyance bubbled up inside, but an unknown uneasiness surged within him. ‘‘A certain someone just appeared in front of me, and they are the owner of this object’’ his brain zeroed on the line. Was he implying that that someone is from Konoha? Or someone they know? The only one he could think of wearing these glasses was Karin's. was she his hostage? He had seen Karin with his Sharingan, and he could tell that these glasses wouldn’t even barely fit on her face, and the last time he had seen her was in Orochimaru’s lab, it was barely a week ago. It was evidently not Karin then that he was talking about—
He was not sure whether it was disbelief or shock that showed on his face fist. The realization had hit him hard, his brain registered his sole eye widening as he stared at the face of Boruto looking for any hint of a lie, who was now looking at him, whose own sole eye glowed under the hood. The conclusion he reached was equally appalling and simply nonsensical, something that had ridiculously low chances of ever happening. But as if sensing blood in the water, Boruto spoke, his voice betrayed no hint of intent.
“You seem to have figured it out, make your decision quickly, the situation well….let’s just say is precarious. I will be waiting outside the village for your answer for two days. Don’t bother looking for me in the meantime”
As soon as he said those last words the barrier surrounding them collapsed. The noise surrounding them didn’t feel muddled anymore. In the same instant, he and Kakashi both stood up, but the table was vacant, a few ryos were tucked under the bowl. Behind them the waitress appeared with a difficult expression on her face, that soon turned into relief after counting the money he had left behind. Only then did, she seem to notice them standing there and promptly apologized for her behavior. After paying for their meals, they exited the shop quickly.
She always enjoyed their small get-togethers. Over time they had become quite regular, she had always wanted to spend more time with her father, know him better, and spend more time with him. He also wanted that, he had said it himself many a time with and without words. But their lives demanded them apart, he had his job as the Shadow to the Hokage when she was just a kid, no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t get him to stay for more than a week or sometimes even hours. Even during those times, their interaction were precious to her, those small tidbits she collected of her father’s every time she got to meet. When they entered the restaurant, out of habit she scanned the place; it was quite sparse, just a few patrons and mostly the staff bustling about. Her eyes rested on the person sitting at the end of the row with their back turned toward them, he had a traveler’s cloak on him, a fairly common occurrence after they had opened the village’s borders for trade. The Yamanaka’s were monitoring the entire village, their numbers had increased exponentially in the security department. There was quite a protest by the Civilian Council when they got the wind of the fact that every single one of them was being monitored. Shikamaru had handled that situation well, despite the rumors about his deteriorating mental health. He was getting hounded by small groups of civilians that complained about the heavy restrictions, something this, something that…, It had been a painful few years, with every department raining their anger and resentment over him.
“They have gotten too used to peace”.
He had told her when she asked him about it. But it seemed that the pent-up frustration found some hole in the armor, he kept talking.
“Naruto led the village with optimism, you know we were almost at the brink of a full-blown war and he allowed a fucking concert of all things in the village. He had allowed that snake Amado full freedom even after the shit he pulled at us. He put restrictions on so many things he deemed unsuitable but forgot were necessary. He forgot what the result of his all-goody actions would be; ANBU ran stale, and we suffered so much damage from it; he trusted in others' goodwill. People have gotten too used to it, the fragile peace he upheld alone. The lot it did good to us, our informants turned tail as soon as they got the scent of weakness, and our elite flailed like headless chickens on the field. …… ”
It was such a shocker at that point that she, for a while, believed in those rumors. She was; of course, immature at that moment. She kept her silence, she remembered the days of her own when she was one of those who held the burning end of the candle.
‘she was at a bar, dim lighting, her thoughts drowned down with the thrumming of music. It was a well-populated bar, with Shinobi and civilians alike; some just out there to have some fun and others to have some fun, something she hadn’t had the chance to do even once. She had been to some of the get-togethers, her classmates, or many of the ones that Cho-Cho initiated, but to her, they were just that. Her head was never there, constantly chasing the thoughts of her father’s and Boruto’s whereabouts, the what-ifs circled her brain like vultures; the only thing she truly enjoyed was her sparse dinners with her mother. Though at that she had started to feel guilty, her actions were strange and excessive for her mother, she had lost her husband and her pillar of support due to her inaptitude, at times she would feel the weight of her outburst pressing upon her, but she had always nudged it aside reciting the phrase ‘I have done nothing wrong’ like a mantra. It worked, whenever she was alone or someone decided to take it on themselves to drag her family name through the mud. But her fragile armor cracked whenever she saw the longing, grieving face of her mother staring at her family photograph, she had heard about it, the order under which her father was released from custody through the efforts of the Sixth Hokage, she could barely imagine what her mother was going through, for her it was as if her decision and her uselessness had caused this, her composure always faltered. Then she would just lock herself in her room in some isolated place, she would never come out until she was too drained or someone came looking for her, she would never be able to forget her mother’s tears of relief when Sasuke was proven innocent, it was something she would not have imagined, but he made it happen, she was always in his debt one way or another. But that day, it seemed …. She downed her shot in one go just as it seemed as if she would spiral in her thoughts again. The alcohol burned its way down her throat, but it helped her ground herself back to her reality.
She looked around again and noticed a bunch of Chunin talking amongst themselves, it would have been normal if one of their faces was not so expressive, she burned the alcohol inside her body, and focused her hearing. They were drunk clearly, so even the music couldn’t drown out their music.
“They have let him out, the bastard Uchiha, I swear that the Hokage was fucking paid by that Haruno bitch between her legs.”
The glass in her hands cracked audibly, the fire burned behind her eyes, and the maniac urge to rip apart their throats rose up. But she lowered her head and quietly asked for another shot, the bartender looked at her and then those imbeciles and gave her another glass this time a completely filled. She took a long sip, but those fools were dead set on shortening their lives.
“Just like her you know, Simure was her name, I think. I wonder what she did to get the pardon. It was all dandy until our esteemed Lord Seventh decided to fuck his way to death. Heard she was from the root, I bet she was one of those sluts, no wonder she died so soon, could have you know….”
It was a coincidence she looked back when he said that, he winked with a leery smile on his face. The rest of his friends laughed alongside him, making filthy comments about her. She stayed there till listening to various people talking, her world tilted many times in that short night.
It wasn’t until the bartender announced that the bar was closing, that she snapped out of her daze. She paid for her drink and stumbled out of the bar, heavily drunk. She didn’t come to her senses until her bed kissed her face. She had hoped she would fall asleep as soon as she got home but sleep was miles away. Her mind was still there distilling information, the vile things they said about them, how blatantly they praised the current Hokage’s inaptitude and praised Lord Seventh’s tenure for how easy they had it, all of it. She buried her head in her pillow, stewing in the pit she had dug for herself.’
They were about to leave when things went to shit, her head was completely silent, and her ears were focused on his voice, she didn’t hear Lord Sixth's threats and was promptly thrown into confusion when he showed them a pair of glasses her glasses, and before she knew they were leaving the place.
“What was he talking about?”. She blurted as soon as they stepped outside. Both she and Lord Sixth were confused, looking at Sasuke, who was clearly unsettled and currently had a far-off look in his eyes. He let out a breath through his nose and turned towards her.
“Sarada go back and confirm these, and meet me at the Hokage tower”
He handed her the broken pair, she nodded and with a couple of sunshin she was in her room and sure enough, her old glasses were there in a case. She grabbed them and within a few seconds she was at the Hokage tower, they of them there with Shikamaru. The man looked a lot more roughed up than a few hours before she had left his office, a few strands of hair were flying across his face under the ceiling fan. Shikamaru looked at her and motioned them to follow him.
His office as always was a mess, the table was stacked with papers, mission reports, assignments, and proposals littered his table. She grabbed a few of the stacks and placed them on the racks to the side, it seemed that he had been briefed on the situation already, as he immediately motioned his guards to leave them, and all noise faded away with the activation of the privacy seals. He turned to them, weariness and tiredness was etched across his face like a feature, not an expression.
“So, what did you find?” he asked.
She placed both pairs on the desk, nothing needed to be said, his eyes narrowed. They stood there for a few seconds while Shikamaru stayed silent, likely mapping out their next moves. Sasuke was also deep in thought, his Sharingan was activated and was focused on the glasses.
“There are residues on them, both signatures match,” he said in a matter-of-fact voice. Shikamaru looked up and the frown on his face deepened, Kakashi also started scrutinizing them. The protocol dictated to take them to the Forensic and Analysis Department, but they understood that it was a far sensitive matter.
“What’s the possibility it could be faked?” Kakashi asked, his tone full of skepticism.
“Very slim and to this extent almost impossible” Sasuke answered, his brows knitted together as he analyzed them. Sarada had taken a peek at them with her own, and she could tell that it was extremely similar to her signature. She had felt it when she had touched the glasses.
“Kara had always done the impossible” Kakashi countered, Sasuke offered no reply. Shikamaru having heard both of them, took out his cigarette. It was annoying to her at first, the office always smelled of smoke Shikamaru did that whenever something went south. Aunt Temari had often asked to restrain his smoke, but alas, the man always managed to outmaneuver both of them. Even as his assistant, she had minimum success in reducing his habit. Gradually she had grown used to it, just like Konohamaru who also used to complain about the same thing.
“To do that they will a sample and original sample, not something sticking to a wall or another, Sasuke how much is the match?” Shikamaru intervened, what he said was true to an extent. If they indeed had gotten a sample of her signature; even then, from a medical point of view it was impossible, the closest you can get is a 40-50% match and even that was with extreme care and through a procedure that could blowback if something goes south. Katatsuke was the pioneer but his machine could only generate chakra but lacked a signature. He had later asked her mother to collaborate, and for a few years they have been working on the project, a joint project that was shut down as soon as the war started. The doctor was furious and protested when Shikamaru withdrew the funding, but miraculously settled down later.
“Extremely close, the frequency is lighter than Sarada’s, I’d wager the residue is from a Sharingan.”
Silence ensued, and Kakashi and Shikamaru looked at him. Sasuke called off his Sharingan and stared at them, but this time he had a different face, a face that had answers they wanted.
“What is it?” Shikamaru asked, with a drag from his cigarette, his tone was inquisitive. Kakashi took a seat and leaned forward.
“It’s just a hunch, do you remember the Urashiki hunt?” he asked.
“Yes, I do, I….” Shikamaru drawled off, realization dawned across his face like a blanket. Confused she looked at Kakashi who had also reached some kind of conclusion but was still looking at them both for answers.
“What about it?” Kakashi asked for her, and both men turned around.
“It's confidential information, so no telling anybody, is that clear?” Shikamaru looked pointedly towards both of them. She realized that he was specifically ordering her. She wanted to take offense but knew that it was for her own good. They both nodded, it was a little comical since it was the previous Hokage agreeing to something he knew by heart.
Sasuke and Shikamaru shared a look, and with a sigh, Sasuke started.
“I suspect that someone is messing with time, and for reference, it is possible.”
The discussion that proceeded after that was another bombshell, then she understood why he had only addressed Sasuke, both of them knew what was at stake and what were the dangers. Kakashi was also listening. At the beginning, it hadn’t made any sense, but she began putting twos and twos together.
“So, what do we do now?” Kakashi asked as soon as Sasuke was finished. He had been listening silently and still looked completely unruffled. If what Boruto was claiming was true, then they would be in deep trouble( or mostly her), which included many other things, mainly who had gotten their hands on the turtle and why they had brought some kiddy version of her.
Shikamaru stood up from his chair and began pacing across the office, his face deep in concentration. For a few minutes neither of them spoke and tension was thick in the air, for Sarada, she had accepted that she would die in one mission or another, she had no ambition turning 50 or raising a family, even since that day she had kept living because of her parents and made a promise to herself to spare them the grief. Her world had shattered in the past few years, the only shards left that were still hanging with the frame were her family’s and no one else, she had bled, cried, fought, and killed to keep the broken frame intact, every time she was alone in enemy territory, facing certain death, she trusted only herself, it was reality where she could cut, burn, punch anything, but now there was something she couldn’t even touch, a form of death that she needed to protect to stay alive. She, in some twisted way, still believed him, even after he left her without any form of contact; she had understood it at the time but refused to accept it. She wanted to grab him by his collar and plead with him not to break his promise, to stand beside her. The only thing she was able to accept in those past few years was that promises are meant to be broken.
“Bring him here” Shikamaru broke the silence, catching all of them deep in their own thoughts.
“He said he would be outside of Konoha, I don’t think he will come inside,” She blurted out, having no time to stop her mouth. All of them turned towards her, and she swallowed her hesitation inside.
“…What a drag. Fine, then we meet him outside” Shikamaru squashed the burning end against the table and thankfully didn’t ask her any question anymore.
A few hours later
The night gale blew threw the trees, rustling the leaves. It was cold much colder for the village’s current climate. Winter was afoot and with it their more problems. Shikamaru had left a clone in his office to keep working, not that it was going to do anything worthwhile. They had been waiting for more than fifteen minutes now, if it was anyone else, he would have left. But he perfectly understood what Boruto was aiming for, he was anything but thorough. Shikamaru had personally kept track on his movements after their pseudo alliance all those years, without Kashin Koji the boy flourished more than he did with him. It was a bit terrifying to him, he was a loose cannon that could fire back in their own formations, but Shikamaru took that risk. If Naruto had been here, he would have blown his ears off, after all he was using the child; Naruto had given asylum and even provided him shelter in his own home. The case against him would have been dropped when Naruto and Hinata walked out of the portal well and alive but soon spiraled when they found his son’s body lying in a pool of blood. At that time, he had believed in Boruto to control the battle’s flow, the agreement between them was not to kill him but capture him for fact checks now that their alliance was known to Kawaki, though now he even forgot why did he even believed him in the first place, but the paper on his office begged to differ. He should have known that Kawaki would showcase the one quality he had always linked to Naruto, he kept standing and never yielded. His trust had given into suspicion as the progressed, nothing was coming out of it. But then Boruto said the last words he was never able to forget.
“Fine then……, You won't back down, neither will I. Good…..., because from now on, this... our little feud……. over who’s right is worth shit. Himawari needs her parents…… more than I do. I’ll carve them out of you if I have to; I’ll write the seal in your own blood if I have to. Those little trinkets….you prance around with…won’t save you this time, Kawaki”
His words then had shocked him; Boruto’s voice had taken a dark coarse turn. The kind he had always disliked, and he sacrificed his very freedom a chance to prove himself innocent because the looming threat of unconcern and a very quiet but ominous threat was looming over Himawari’s future now that it was confirmed that she was the Jinchuriki. She needed protection from those two old bags who would undoubtedly try to insert her in the protocol for an imperfect Jinchuriki. It was imminent because she had no protection, The Hyuga clan was but a divided monolith, not all of them were united. Hanabi would be the only one who would have taken a stance against them, but the elders would have no doubt pushed for it. The other three would have undoubtedly voted against it, so would the previous Hokage including Aburame’s and Inazuka’s. But for how long, she would eventually have to use it, against her will and it would be not long. He had received reports about increasing hostilities between Iwa and Cloud.
He had praised Boruto’s instincts privately later when the war began, Konoha had no Jinchuriki but with Naruto back in command, there was hope. Neither side had brought the Jinchuriki’ s in nor the tailed had been forced into any forced sealing. It was a breath of relief, Naruto had explicitly told others in their last ever Hokage Summit, that if the Biju’s were harmed in any way, Konoha would be taking action. It would have worked if it was Korutsuchi or Darui they were talking with, Gaara would have supported Konoha if he was there. Chojuro had no say in the matter, his hands were bound. The new Kages were itching for war and so were the eager Damiyos.
His silent musing was cut short when their group had again shifted their location. This was the fifth time they had done this same thing. Kakashi was visibly irritated, he wondered if he was too at the age where people started to feel unrest more than usual. His son would have looked at him and laughed, though he had always said he looked like an old man.
A soft laugh escaped from his lips, …gods he missed that boy so much. He missed him so much, their interactions bad been limited but he remembered them. Goofing off in nights like these, messing with Temari just for the sake of fun, playing Shogi till she kicked them out for one reason or another. His parting was a disaster for both of them. For him it was like the death of his father once again, but this time he had been the one to send him to his death. He wouldn’t even be able to mourn his son’s death properly, just like the last time. He had too many responsibilities, back then and now too. This time Kakashi had kindly taken his place for a few days, when he returned home that night Temari hadn’t cried when he opened the door or even when they walked through the silent corridor. he waited for it the eventual outburst, his world crumbling once again. That night neither of them talked, she hadn’t prepared any food, and neither had he asked for it. He silently followed her to their son’s room, it was clean, he remembered lazily telling him to clean his mess whenever he went out. Against his expectations he had remembered doing it this time, Temari had laughed that morning teasing a red-eared Shikadai. His son’s flak Jacket was on the bed, covered in blood, and so was Temari’s hands. Her eyes were red rimmed, he silently took the jacket and looked over it, it stabbed clean through the back through the ribs.
They spent that night in that room, Shikamaru holding her, and she holding him. The next day his mother came too, and that week was just the three of them. Others came and delivered their condolences, Ino, Sakura, Hanabi and even Sasuke, who had hastened his return from the outpost after he received the news.
His attention was now fully on the task ahead. Sasuke had alerted them of movements a few minutes ago and now they were waiting for him; it wasn’t far away but neither close enough for patrols to hear them. it was a good location. He quietly extended his own shadow into the expanse, stretching his senses and feeling the space around them. he didn’t even need hand sign nowadays, Sasuke was his training partner nowadays, a friendship born of first mutual interest and then later respect. He had always respected Sasuke for what he did, his efforts to rebuild the Uchiha name, his quiet strength that helped Naruto in his quest to bring happiness to the village, to keep his canvas clean from the stench of the world. And just like that he found him leaning against a tree.
“You decided quite fast, that’s a start” he was completely hidden in shadows just a silhouette peeking against a tree.
“Where is she?” Sasuke asked, his voice held a distinct edge, he could tell he was anxious he had been since they left the office. His brows were and the lines on his face were more prominent than ever.
“Are you coming too, Hokage-sama?” Boruto’s voice now came from behind. All of them turned around, it was a pain that he couldn’t sense his chakra properly. He Kakashi were blindsided, but the two Uchihas weren’t, they were staring at the same spot in front of them. He cleared his throat.
“yes, I will evaluate the situation, so don’t try anything funny”
Privately he knew that nothing would happen, Boruto had proven time and time again that he wanted peace even if he had burned the bridges himself. It wasn’t trust nor was it understanding, it was a fact, that was either going to be changed or upholded.
The Shadows moved, and a Kunai appeared in front of them, his handle was covered with a seal. It wasn’t as neat as the one he had seen on the Fourth’s Hirashin Kunai’s but a patchwork that seemed clear and at the same unclear.
“Gather around it, I’ll take you there”
His voice reverberated in the same way; he looked at Sasuke again but he seemed unfazed by it.
“We are going by foot” Kakashi’s voice drew their attention. He had a positively vexed look on his face, and he was eyeing the Kunai in blatant disgust.
“…I would have recommended that too, but I am afraid she don’t have much time” Boruto’s tone remained impartial but he picked up on the oddity there. He wanted them to move fast, either what they thought was really dire, or in the worst-case scenario they were going straight to their doom.
Kakashi’s face scrunched up in discomfort too. Both Sasuke and Sarada was looking at them, Sasuke’s lone eye silently urged them to accept the offer. Sarada eyes held uncertainty, but he could see the request. He had made Sarada his assistant not for the fact that she was only worthy candidate but also because she had something others didn’t, she was obedient when she needed to be and steadfast when values or life was concerned. He sighed again; this was going to turn into a big mess if they were deceived
“……by your method then” he conceded. Kakashi looked at him in apparent anger, though it was hard to tell how much of this was disappointment. But he too yielded after a bit of argument. All of them gathered around the Kunai and braced for the transfer.
In one moment, they were outside of Konoha and the next they were standing in some clearing. He moved his foot with the intent to move but it fell short when the vertigo hit him a second later. He shook his head and looked around again, they were surrounded by several hill. He couldn’t even guess which country have they landed in. Others had also recovered by then.
“Where is he?” Kakashi asked, tense as a bow string. The whole area was dense with growth, trees and bushes grew closer and thicker; an advantage for him, this whole area was his domain, just like the Nara forests. Kakashi would be able to track his smell if he even tried to get close to them and the Uchihas had no blind spots thanks to their Sharingan.
“This way” he appeared a feet away from them, silent as an owl. Neither of them moved, sensing no movement he turned around and he got his first look at his face. He seemed considerably more controlled than before, his attire hadn’t changed and at the same time much more different, a black hilt with a black scabbard was visible under the faint light that escaped through small gaps in the outgrowth. Before he could make out anything useful, he turned around and walked towards one of the hills. He sent more Chakra to his eyes to improve his sight and he saw him biting his thumb to draw blood, and as he had suspected a small entrance became visible. Kakashi and Shikamaru looked at each other, it was concerning if this kind of hideout was anywhere near the Leaf village.
All of them moved one by one after him and he heard him close the entrance again by some sort of seal, nothing was visible in the dark except their steps. It was long downward spiral, by a margin sparse in light. He subtly kept stretching his shadow and sensed several pathways extending something that could come to use if it was some trick. The downward staircase soon led them to light source, they followed to a gate and to his surprise it had a panel attached to it. Boruto placed his hand on it. The panel made no noise as it scanned, something that was standard in most security protocols. The door opened to a furnished room. A pillar in the center, and a few on the sides held the entire structure up. The room had, he assumed it was the main hall, some armchairs and seats that were attached to walls. A slab that looked like a bench was attached to the right. His attention was on the other doors, one them looked like it was quite thick. The door to his right opened up and a woman that looked more like a girl in her twenties walked out dressed in a doctor’s coat with gloves on walked out. She had dark brown hair with skin that was more pale than white. Her brown dress was visible under the coat, red eyes regarded them with a smile that seemed plastic, practiced.
“Hello, the patient is in their” A practiced response greeted them. Sarada and Sasuke wasted no time hurrying into the room with Kakashi hot on their heels. He answered the greeting with a nod to his head and he also went in with Boruto and the girl.
His heart trembled when his eyes landed on the figure on the bed. So was the rest of his group Sarada and Kakashi in disbelief, were staring at her. The girl looked pale and as pale as a corpse. Several machines and tubes that were attached to her were connected to what he recognized as a ventilator. The severity of the scene must have snapped Sarada out of her stupor and she immediately began bombarding the girl with questions and began assessing the situation. Sasuke looked like his soul was ripped from his body, his eyes were stoic as a statue but he could see the fear that flickered in them.
“How did this happen?” Sasuke’s voice was low and his Sharingan fully ablaze. The sound a sword coming out of the sheath even stopped Sarada who’s hands were glowing green over the girl; his killing intent filled the air. Neither of them answered, Sasuke walked towards him, and placed the sword on Boruto’s neck, the girl tensed but Boruto motioned her to stop. Instead of acknowledging the threat, he looked Sasuke in the eye.
“Whoever is responsible for bringing her here” Boruto answered, not an ounce of fear in his voice. “I suspect someone is messing with either a faulty jutsu or the turtle is being used in ways we don’t know”.
The answer was evasive at best, neither satisfactory or cagey. Sasuke was of the same mind, and the Sharingan began glowing more dangerously. Kakashi beside him had his hand in his pocket, no bout around a Kunai. His own shadow was stretched ready to lash out. Just as it seemed a fight would break out, someone else broke the tension.
“Could you take it outside!, There’s a dying girl over here for God’s Sake!”