Another Chance

by moilcondor34

Summary:

He wants another chance to make things right
what if he gets it?

Chapter 1

...-chan!
...ni-chan!!
ONI_CHAN!!!

Opening his eyes only to see a clear ceiling, his nostrils picking first the scent of clean air, brain still picking up stray voices
feeling soft ground under himself and his body feeling occupied by an unknown object.

Boruto woke up in a jolt, hand instantly going for his hilt, senses kicking in, but he was startled to find nothing besides him. His vision betraying his mind showed a moving image of his sister, small, still a small kid with an expression of mixed confusion, shock, and concern, his own eyes went wide at this revelation

"Are you okay?"
( ...... )

He was not able to respond for a moment, just staring at the figure of his younger sister with a blank face, his first reaction was to check his chakra flow

'He was not in a genjutsu, nor the visions he often saw'

"Oni Chan are you fine you look pale. Did you have a bad dream?"

'A DREAM'...

Maybe it was all a dream. what else could it be? All that pain, sadness, and loss was something that only could be chalked up as a dream 'A bad one'.Maybe it was all his imagination, a product of some stories he had heard from others in his childhood.

But something was odd his body felt heavy as usual, chakra still as potent as ever, that ominous presence still lingering in the back of his mind
He was still feeling the lingering pain in his chest and limbs from the myriads of cuts and bruises he got while fending off enemies. but now he was back in his own home, in his room, in his own bed. It was all wrong

"is everything, okay, you are not answering. should I call Mom?"

'Mom'...

"No, I am fine. What is it?"

Something felt odd. he felt he could not trust anything at this point, so his first reaction was to play the current event out then recollect his thoughts, to find out what was going on

"Mom is calling you for breakfast, hurry up or you are going to be late on your first day at the academy"< br//> Acadmey....what??

"I'll be there in a minute, you go first"

Himawari left the room still puzzled by his reaction wondering about the expression on Boruto's face

'maybe he just had a bad dream'

After Himawari left Boruto got out of his bed, legs heavy like lead, he felt exhaustion plaguing his body, he tumbled on his feet as soon he set them on the floor and dropped, they felt lifeless, somehow he made his way to the mirror and saw his reflection 'a twelve-year-old face in his pajamas and white shirt

 His body felt rigid, and stern despite his expectation of discovering a weaker version of himself, he felt the same pressure before he woke from his supposed nightmare, and his chakra was no different

He was confused about what was happening here his sight involuntarily sat on his right palm, lying there was his karma< br//> now he was utterly shocked and convinced that he hadn't woke up from a nightmare, but it was all a reality and this was a reality too

He started to rush through memories and thoughts trying to find an answer to this mess. Time Travel crossed his mind but he dismissed it due to the obvious contradictions it proposed, he was in his younger body, not in a separate one, and he had a karm..

'KRAMA..'
He took off his shirt and saw the black wound on his chest and a diamond on top of it

The scar was there but nothing made sense....
'

Looks like you are in quite the situation brat, troublemaker as always'

' ... MOMOSHIKI...'

Boruto's hair stood up at that voice, and his ears perked up at the word "trouble" Maybe he knew something, whether he would tell Boruto or not was a different case, but he could still pull something from him, it was at least worth the try

"Hey, What is going on this ain't the same time travel, did you do something Momoshiki "

'who knows, but you are right this is not the same time travel nor another dimension, figure it out yourself, brat'

'stupid freeloader'

Boruto thought. he couldn't help but sigh and started going over what he knew

He was in the past, in different circumstances than his previous experiences and he had his old characteristics as well, he felt exhausted but not weak. He had the karma, the scar, and that 'pain in the butt momoshiki' as well, he got another problem on his plate other than the ohtutsuki now he had to find a solution to this problem as well
He changed his clothes his scar was visible, and so was his karma he needed gloves, but he couldn't do anything about the scar< br//>

He mentally prepared himself to see his own family after so many years, but memories flooded him, he felt overwhelmed at first but calmed himself down, maybe it was temporary and it was just a fragment of his wish that was projecting itself into his mind

He used to wish that he could get another chance to correct everything that happened and save his friends and family, but he was left suffering in a harsh reality that made him question his very resolve and the peace that created these circumstances, seeing the struggles of the previous generations falling apart was gut-wrenching, he wished that he could just go back and correct everything...

His train of thought was interrupted by a sweet voice.'His mom's voice, he froze in place

"boruto come down, or you are going to be late"

He managed to say something

"Coming"

He wanted to say more he wasn't even sure if his voice reached her or not but he couldn't raise his voice anymore when didn't hear a reply he took a deep breath and went downstairs

To meet his family after many years, hoping he doesn't mess up the already messed up situation

He saw his mother cooking breakfast and his sister lining up the utensils he just walked up to the table and sat on the chair, just staring at the food served on it

"Good morning, hurry up and...are you alright,boruto?"

Came the greeting he was trying to avoid, he was sure that he was going to break down if he heard the motherly voice he longed to hear for so long

"I am fine...just a little out of whack"

He managed to somehow blurt out something, thanking whatever god out there that he didn't break now

"Is that so? then finish your food or you are going to be late for the academy"

He wordlessly nodded and ate his food, the taste of his mom's cooking the deep-buried emotions inside him swelling, after finishing his food quickly he went upstairs and grabbed his bag. While going out of the door he heard her voice again

"Have a good day!"

He froze again, his face opposite to her's peeking out of the kitchen, a lone tear slipped down his cheek

"you too," he said in a low voice and left

He walked toward the train station numbly remembering the events that happened before, if it was past and a real one at that then maybe he could rectify it, change it he stared at the karma he needed gloves he checked the money he had, he had enough to buy a pair of them. he changed his route and reached the shop he recognized, Everything was the same, he bought gloves similar to the ones he had before just small in size

 He checked the time on the clock hung in the shop, he was running out of time.

He hopped on the roof of the shop and was surprised that his strength didn't deteriorate, after discovering this anomaly he ran full speed toward the academy. He had no intention of making a fool of himself like before

If he really was given a second chance in life then he was going to utilize it, to steer it toward a better future, one in which his parents were alive, one in which his sister was happy

with that in mind he headed toward the direction of the academy

Chapter 2

Boruto jumped roof to roof heading toward the academy, his eyes showing him the bustling konoha market swirling in and out with people he never once thought that he would be able to see this sight again

The image then distorted and he saw the wrecked buildings their roofs fallen to the earth their surfaces and edges smudged with the blood of his comrades, bodies lying on top of each other as if signifying the hopelessness of the people that died

He could smell the scent of blood in the air, flowing around as if it was meant to be like that, the once fresh air of the open grounds became the drug for the bloodthirsty enemies, the sound of flesh tearing apart, the reverberating sound of bones breaking, the helpless cries of the shinobi and the villagers seemed like a chorus to those heartless entities.

He shook his head to clear his mind, the sound of merchant selling goods was replaced by curses and cries, his chest squeezed on itself as if to contain the pain spreading through it

His eyes picked up the happy laughter of a small child being carried away by his mother in the park, children playing on the slides and swing only to be replaced by the cries of a mother holding her dead child, blood trailing all over her face and the clothes the eyes of the child static like buttons staring at him reminding him of his awful reality.

The playground shifted to a ravaged area bodies deformed bones protruding from the flesh, and the area of children's joy became a nightmare to even the adults fighting. He remembered seeing a chunin being ripped apart and his teammates were just stunned at the sight, his insides spilled out only to be crushed under their foot. Many of the loyal ninjas didn't even get a proper burial, their bodies were just lying in the sight as leaves lying on the ground

He stopped on a roof closest to the academy seeing the structure with stone faces behind it, in the next moment he saw the destroyed landscape while standing on a pile of corpses, his hand and sword coated in blood as he stood feeling nothing on seeing the massacre occurring in front of his eyes

 He had given it all like his mentor, endured like his father, and never complained about the pain and loneliness he felt to anyone, he took it all upon himself the hatred, the curses, the loathing, the blame so that people would be able to recover from the unimaginable losses they had encountered

He had sacrificed all he could, his family, his happiness, his dreams, his mental peace, and his future to keep those he cared about safe from the threats that plagued the lands like a disease

But he failed, his mother died trying to protect his little sister, the look in her eyes just held one question

'( WHY? )'

His sister, the only remaining person in his family lay helplessly in his arms as her soul left her body, he couldn't even mourn her death, the ninjas forced him to leave her body as they tried to attack him, their declarations echoing in the air vowing to kill the murderer of the Seventh's family

He felt a lump forming in his throat at those memories, he felt tears on his face he was surprised to see them, he thought he couldn't cry, he never cried again after his family's death, he viewed those memories as his only weakness, he buried them deep in his brain, even the accusation of being a murderer couldn't resurface them in this way, but now...

He cleaned the stray tears and hopped down from the roof, he saw Shikadai waving at him with a lazy smile on his face

"yo, you arrived in time after all"

He saw the image shifting to Shikadai leaning with his back on the same academy doors, blood running from his mouth and from the gaping hole in his chest, heaving shallow breathes his mouth forming those last words he couldn't forget

'No matter what you do, you will always be the enemy of the leaf, you killed everyone from the people who took in you as a family to the people who wanted to be your friends, you are a monster through and through....(cough) you will never know peace because you destroyed it with your own hands'

"you okay?is something on my face?"

He snapped from his thoughts and saw Shikadai staring at him with a quizzical look in his eyes not with one of hate, loathing, and anger

"um...I am fine"

Shikadai cocked his head to the side his gaze landing on the black marking on his chest

"what's with that mark on your chest were you trying to draw some tattoo on it"

Crap!...he forgot to cover the scar, he was so lost in thoughts that it didn't cross his mind

''What....oh this..give me a minute'' he replied in haste

He went to a corner and put two fingers out familiarly focusing chakra he was so used to, the scar started fading normal skin took its place. It was a technique he came up with after he ran from the village he used this method to hide his whiskers during infiltrations undercover in other nations after his mentor was left unable to fight and he had to run away from every place shortly because his whiskers made him more recognize able even in foreign nation

It was based on the body modification technique and the manipulation of chakra on a minute level within a very small scale, it was hard at first but he gradually got a hang of it. It made sneaking into the villages more easier and he was able to carry out his missions more acutely than before. No ninja was able to see through the alteration and he could maintain the technique for months mostly because of his body being Ohtutsuki and Momoshiki powers slowly but surely merging with his own, he could perform the technique subconsciously even in an emergency

Shikadai became suspicious of what Boruto was doing so he asked him in an annoyed tone hoping he wasn't pulling a prank on him

''hey what are you doing this isn't the time to play pranks, we will be late if you don't hur...''

Boruto turned to face him again this time the scar gone and he replied

''let's go, it was a bit of ink I forgot to clean it''

As he had hoped Shikadai turned with a sigh muttering 'what a drag' under his breath. Boruto followed him to the ground where other kids were filing up he saw the backs of his friends who were chatting without a worry some were nervous, but that was taken over by the excitement of their big day

He saw the backs of many of his once-called friends alive and breathing

—-- Denki, ChoCho, Inojin ,Houki ,Wasabi……..

He moved his tired eyes across the area taking in the entire scene until his gaze landed upon a set of charcoal eyes staring back at him, he stared back at them making sure his face remained neutral, he missed the innocence in those eyes that left them in his reality, the eyes then showed him an expression of question and confusion, he could read those expressions anywhere. His vision changed to a bloody set of eyes, blood trailing down and tears forming on the corners, the expression asking him a question he didn’t have an answer for

……Why?......

His vision then enlarged to show him the face of Sarada, lips scrunched up slightly in confusion his attention was diverted back to reality by Shikadai's voice

‘’Hey, why are you spacing out?’’

‘’Oh..it’s nothing just thinking about something’’ he answered in a normal tone he knew he would have to use multiple times to avoid suspicion because he had a hunch that he wouldn’t be able to focus today.

All of the kids along with him turned their faces to the voice that grabbed their attention

The Seventh Hokage standing tall in a confident manner, a caring smile on his face, honest and burning with ambition, his voice powerful yet caring, he wasn’t ready to meet his once already dead father, his eyebrows shot up in surprise to see his father alive and happy his expression went back to normal when the Hokage caught his gaze he could almost hear the inaudible chuckle that left his mouth at his surprise

He stared at his face taking in every feature of his face, nothing was amiss, it was the same face he deeply cared about, he always blamed the old man for his absence whenever he got the chance, not caring about his feelings, he realized his selfishness when that privilege was stripped off with an extra price that he wasn’t expecting to be forced upon him out of blue.

He first took that challenge in a stride in a naive manner but he didn’t know at the time that he would be forced to grow at a fast pace when his master left him he felt truly even though their relationship was strained an invisible veil keeping them part despite his attempts to break through the wall the harsh truth kept reinforcing the impenetrable distance between them, he had to build the minimum trust among them to be a little ease that he had something in his grasp

But when he lost it he was blank not knowing what to do next. He spent many years training brutally all by himself and some time with Koji he only trusted him because their goals were somewhat aligned but that was it, their relationship never went beyond that of collaborators to protect the village from the threat of the claw grimes and the shinju

He was able to save him at the end but he forgot him completely but he didn’t mind it he was prepared for it, but he lost his sanity when his old man died he went completely insane abandoning any semblance of control just to kill the murderer of his father, time only got worse he started losing everything bit by bit, his father, his mother, his friends, his sister, his relatives, he broke down

He gave up on protecting everyone and only focused on the people he had a place left in his broken heart but his mind completely stopped functioning normally when losses narrowed further taking them away from him as if he was a curse to those around him

The only people left in Konoha who knew about him were only people, the cyborg dou was long dead Simurie died shielding Sarada. Mitsuki died trying to keep the civilians safe.

Everything seemed hopeless he distanced himself from them and didn’t face them directly only keeping an eye from afar, his hands were stained with the blood of his brother, his comrades, and countless other people he knew nothing about his mind was dead set on keeping them safe from any threat be it the village itself he had long strayed from the path his father and mentor showed him once and was walking in the darkness to not burn himself

He heard his father's all-too-familiar speech telling them about the ninja’s duty and his priorities to uphold the peace

‘Was this peace really worth protecting when it forced the responsibility on a few shoulders and didn’t even look back at them or was this just an illusion to hide the ugly face of reality’

His mind formed such thoughts on its own he stared at the face of his father wondering if he knew that this thinking would only lead to naivety and cowardice in front of life-changing choices probably he knew that but Boruto knew he kept that from them to ease their life

‘’You probably should pay attention to the instructions they seem important’’

A calm voice sounded from his right he recognized that voice, Mitsuki had quite the talent for sneaking close to people when they are distracted he had sensed his chakra signature when he arrived at the academy he turned his head towards him when his father ended his speech

‘'that so? ’’

It was a question for himself too he looked him right in the eye and asked. Mistuki replied

 

‘’Those are the basics so they are important’’

‘’Maybe’’

Mitsuki didn’t break the gaze as if measuring Boruto. He then extended his hand

‘’Mitsuki, nice to meet you, I hope we get along’’

He returned the handshake and replied

‘’Boruto, me too’’

Both of them turned toward the academy and walked toward their class, Mitsuki chatting and introducing himself to others with a smile on his face

Boruto just walked alongside the group with a distant gaze wondering what he was going to do now there was so much to do and his mind refused to even function normally he needed a rest from his thoughts or he would suffer from a mental breakdown

He occasionally answered the questions others asked and mostly listened to others with his hand in his pockets ChoCho squealed about potato chips and Sarada asked Mistuki about himself, Shikadai chiming in to remark at their statements, and Inojin often making snarky comments he felt out of place he didn’t had anything to talk about just staring at the hallway

‘’You okay?…..you seem a little out of it’’

Sarada asked him quietly breaking him out of his trance, he replied looking at her

‘’I am fine a little headache, nothing concerning’’

He said the sentence he had said and written many times in replies to her when she asked him about his health through letters in a monotone manner

Sarada seemed satisfied and the group entered the classroom one by one, he entered last hoping he could go through the day without too much trouble as he settled on his desk pain rummaging through his body

He was not looking forward to the day as his mind drifted toward the window wondering if he could come to peace with himself first….

Notes:

The last one had a lot of mistakes
I am sorry about that
I posted without reading it
hopefully it won't happen again

Chapter 3

The day was running painfully slow; he was only half listening to the lecture Shino was delivering to the class; he drifted into a daze when the bell rang.

‘’Were you even paying attention to what sensei was saying?’’

Boruto raised his head lightly in the direction of the sound, Sarada stood there arm crossed with a quizzical look on her face,
……
……..

‘’What are you staring at?’’

He broke out of his thoughts at the intruder's voice and found himself face-to-face with her

‘’More or less’’

''what?''

''Nothing''

He was not in the mood for an argument he stood up from his seat and started putting his books in his bag, Shino told them they were going to have some Shuriken training today

A Welcome development, his brain was refusing to function, and it seemed like it would take his perception some time to accept the new situation

‘’ You were not paying attention were you, you are going to get a scolding later if he found out that you were sacking off’’

‘’Let's hurry up first or we will get that scolding anyway’’

He saw her narrow her eyes at his statement, it triggered guilt inside him for leaving her behind, he had left her behind in Konoha after the attack he had not seen her since then

it had been 3, no, 4 years when he last saw her face after that he only contacted her for status and sometimes answering her questions about his well-being, he burned her letters after reading them once so they couldn't trace back to her if he got caught but now she stood close to him he wanted to embrace her but it was not the older but a younger version of the same girl that he swore to protect but was forced to look after her from afar breaking his promise to stand by her side when they grew now the reality was testing him again putting his emotions on the pedestal by throwing him to face her again at his worst he swallowed the rising uneasiness and turned to leave the class

‘’You are acting weird today did you do something again?’’

He turned back slowly looking her in the eye

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sarada opened her mouth to say something but she stopped when he turned around
……….

Those blue eyes were tired, old yet at the same time serious, with a sharp gleam and an air of maturity around them

there was longing in those eyes she was stunned by the change in the persona

she admitted that he acted like an idiot with a big carefree smile on his face but now he was quiet, with a serious expression on his face all the time in class but it was clear that he was not mentally present

‘’Is something wrong?’’

‘’N..no it’s nothing let’s go’’

He turned around and walked away

What was that, an act or was that just a false notion, she shook her head around to clear the intrusive thoughts and headed toward the grounds
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The training ground was buzzing with enthusiastic voices of the young ninjas, talking vehemently about their future as shinobi, their aspirations, dreams, and their goals as shinobi. Boruto glanced around the area, the entire scene felt novel he had gone through the same stage before, when he used to brag about every small thing seeing the world through a filter and never questioning the current atmosphere not taking into account the irregularities that the Shinobi world nested within itself

He felt someone watching him from a distance. He moved his eyes toward the person without tilting his head, he sensed the chakra of The Seventh Hokage, warm and strong, watching over them like a family head.

‘’ All of you will take part in shuriken throwing training you will be evaluated according to your skills in hitting the target and being careful_

Thonk —Thonk

Shino was interrupted by the barrage of shuriken heading for the target he substituted out of the way. Sighing he raised his body from the crouching position the current events already exasperated him, Tilting his head he was surprised by the sight of Boruto Uzumaki just standing there watching the entire scene play in front of him

‘If anything I expected him to be most elated to take part in exercise so why is he standing there’ in th Shino thought

‘’ Boruto Uzumaki demonstrate your shuriken skills in front of the class, please’’

Boruto heard his name being called for the exercise he stood facing the target, he took three shurikens in his right hand and threw them at the target, the shurikens made a wide arc and hit it at the dead center

‘’Next —-

Sarada watched the scene play out from the side, she was shocked like others when he hit all the targets with ease she knew he was bad with shurikens but now he was suddenly good at it

''hey did you see that"

"Amazing isn't it, he hit them all in one"

"Well he is the Hokage's son after all" Other kids kept gossiping about him behind his back Sarada saw him standing with his back resting against the wall like nothing happened she took a mental note to ask about it later

The sequence went on like before, he was struggling to keep himself straight despite the pangs rising in his stomach he wanted to close his eyes but he feared that this dream would end, he swiped his eyes left and right trying to find fault in the scene in front of him but he couldn't,

Everything was too real to be believable
His thoughts started going haywire

‘It has to be a dream’

‘My consciousness must be projecting these images’

'there was no poison no illusion just reality 

''Now head toward the sparring grounds for taijutsu practice’’

He wordlessly followed his guard up all the time, measuring the flickering chakras of the people in the school and his classmates till his senses picked up the signature of Naruto’s chakra humming in the giant arena

‘’Why are you tensed up, there is nobody in the hallway’’ said Mitsuki from his left trotting down the path with his friends in tow

‘’Nothing in particular’’ he replied, they couldn't sense such suppressed chakra of the Seventh as they were but for him, it was a different story. After all….

‘’ We will begin taijutsu training approach the arena when your name is called out. Lord Seventh has graced us with his presence he will observe your fights so give it your all’’

There was a wave of hum in the arena at the mention of the Hokage. The man himself stood on the higher floor facing the arena he didn't comment but observed them with attention

‘That’s different from before guess my presence is already inducing changes in the timeline thought Boruto

‘’First match; Sarada uchiha vs Namida’’

The first match went on as he had expected, Sarada won by a landslide, and the rest of the matches also progressed normally, or did they….

The match-ups were completely different from before he also caught Naruto’s gaze repeatedly he was not sure what was amiss but he soon figured out that he had instinctively erased his chara signature his reaction made sense he let a little chakra comparable but still high for a genin slip out of his grasp

‘’Next up Boruto Uzumaki vs Mitsuki’’

He walked up to the middle of the stage and faced Mitsuki as an opponent again but in a friendly match not a battle to the death

‘’I look forward to our fight’’ said Mitsuki with a smile

‘’Yeah me too’’

‘’BEGIN !’’

The match had started but neither of them moved Mitsuki was being careful trying to get a feel of Boruto’s intentions but Boruto stood unflinching with his hand in his pockets watching Mitusuki's every movement

‘’Guess I’ll make the first move’’

As soon as saying that he rushed toward Boruto, he goes in with a left hook aiming to rattle the blond, boruto moves back and then jumps backward to avoid the incoming kick, Mitsuki doesn't stop he rushes him again with a barrage of punches aimed to knock him out Boruto weaves in and out the fray without much effort

He observed Mitsuki through the fray; he knew that Mitsuki never goes serious in sparring, always staying passive but seriously dangerous when against an enemy he had fought against him enough times to understand his nature as a friend and also as an enemy, he needed a plan to defeat him without seriously wounding him

He dodged a left hook and for the first time in the fight threw a punch at Mitsuki. Mitsuki blocked the attack but his expression was clear that it was by luck, he determined his speed to be higher than what it was in the past at this point in the timeline

He shifted on his feet instantly and landed a kick in Mitsuki's stomach, the blue-haired way was unable to react in time and staggered backward using the momentum he created some distance between himself and Boruto, he adjusted his stance with his left hand down at his waist and his right hand above his chest, his aim was clear

Target the vitals and slip through his defenses with pure speed

He was readying himself when he felt a little pain in his chest but he ignored it

--JUST KEEP FOCUS--it will go away, he took a deep breath

He opened fire with quick jabs aimed at vital points and joints to disable his movements he started at a slower pace to match Mitsuki's speed once they got interlocked in the exchanges he started increasing his speed little by little.

He saw Mitsuki's stern face beaded with sweat and concentration as he tried to keep up but Boruto overwhelmed him and pinned him to the ground signaling the end of the match

He released Mitsuki and made the seal of reconciliation to end the spar the pain kept increasing now coarsing his breath he shrugged it off as a temporary disturbance in his body

He saw the surprised face of his father then it clicked he wasn't using The Gentle Fist Technique that he had stopped using long ago he realized his mistake

Suddenly his body started feeling extremely heavy he started to wobble a little bit his vision started to become unstable

He crashed into the railings clutching his chest with his right hand while the left tried to keep his body upright. His insides were pulling upon themselves as if trying to fill a void in his chest

He sensed a bright chakra signature close to him he tried desperately to not give in, but a sharp pain surged through his tiny fragile body

His vision blacked out and the last thing he saw was an orange blur and a lot of mixed sounds throbbing in his ears

He felt like falling into a soft space near a warm fair he murmured the last thing he could make out through his parched throat

‘Tou-san’-------

He could hardly keep it together and soon after that he passed out

Chapter 4

The Hokage was supposed to be the strongest person both physically and mentally, as children they were taught that the Hokage was the protector of the village and the epitome of The Will of Fire, which in of itself was the core of a konoha shinobi

Everybody in the leaf was the Hokage’s family and he is expected to protect them equally, never show weakness in front of the village as a protector to keep their morals high, keep the young shinobi in line, and direct their devotion to the protection of the village

That’s how Naruto used to envision the Hokage as the pinnacle of strength, honor, and respect. He dedicated his life to achieve this goal, to put an end to the obstructions he faced as a child and prove everyone wrong

When he became the Hokage he was ecstatic, he had achieved his lifelong goal and achieved a greater understanding of the role that just being powerful was not enough it was a rough ride but the result was worth the trouble

But the greatest happiness he was ever blessed with was his family, his precious little fluffballs, he was overjoyed when his first child was born, calling it happiness was an understatement about what he was feeling now

Excited…

Proud…

He had become a father….A father …..

He saw his little son flailing his little hands in the air, his eyes were overflowing with emotions. he made a vow secretly to protect this life at all costs, he was his precious son, and he was not going to let anything ruin his home again

He got what he used to yearn for as a kid, a place he could truly call home within a home
His family, his corner of joy, and now his son adding another tuft of happiness….
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- His worst fear His fear reared its ugly head when Boruto wobbled unsightly as he approached the sidelines after his match with Mituski.

He was already on his toes during the match, if someone asked him he probably would have shouted at them,

‘He could not sense his son’s chakra, DAMMIT!!’

He tried to chalk it off as an improvement in his chakra suppression but to this level…..
He shot off the idea in an instant, erasing the chakra signature was something you could do with a Kekai Genkai not something you can learn, sure there might be some who knows what hidden jutsu to achieve some level of erasing chakra signature but even then….

Uneasiness kept creeping on him as he watched the fight go on he was mentally debating on whether to use Sage mode or not, he clasped his hands in front of him and silently contemplated the unfolding situation

 

Apparently, that wasn’t the only surprise he was going to get today Boruto didn’t attack at all instead he was only dodging, a gasp escaped his mouth when he went on the offensive, he wasn’t using Gentle fist at all

Even then he couldn’t sense his chakra he was hoping that he might get proven wrong but he still couldn’t grasp a single whisp off him, his demeanor was different from the usual too he was quiet, serious, and calm all of a sudden, completely opposite to his energetic loud nature kid he remembered, something was definitely wrong

“Huh?”

“What is going on?”

“How….”

A series of quiet whispers broke out among the Jonins watching the area they seemed to have noticed it as well, he couldn’t blame them for it

The Jonin standing beside him had sensed his uneasiness and said "Hokage-sama, should we stop the fight?”

"No, let’s just watch for now” replied Naruto, it would be strange to stop the fight now that it was rearing towards the end slowly, but focusing only on Boruto he noticed something else

‘He is moving strangely …. He is re-adjusting his pace again and again’ thought Naruto, his fighting style was controlled yet his moves were raw as if he was out of practice, he became convinced that Boruto was faster than Mitsuki in all aspects. Mitsuki was overwhelmed and soon was defeated gracefully

He urged to control himself from rushing to his son to check him all over but when he saw him falling down with a pained look on his face he threw away all precautions and teleported to his side catching him in his arms

The students were all bewildered at his sudden appearance coupled with the shock of an unconscious Boruto only further worsened the situation

‘’Should we assist, Lord Hokage?” said a jonin at his side

Naruto ignored him and was about to use Sage mode when he felt the chakra of his son, his stiff shoulders relaxed a bit but his heart was beating out of the world

‘’No need ‘’ Naruto replied turning toward Shino he said “Continue the class I'll take him to the hospital” There was haste in his voice, he didn’t wait to hear his answer as he ran full throttle toward the hospital

His temporary relief was thrown out the window again, Boruto's chakra was different it emitted eerie vibes it changed from a warm turbulent to a cold static state. He glanced at his face it was listless with no sign of life on his face. The chakra emanating from him was too large to be believable. panic took over him as he activated Sage mode to get a better read on it.

It was engulfing his chakra by its sheer volume he was terrified that Boruto's body might not hold up from the extra chakra inside him. How did it get there in the first place? There were no reports of any unusual activity and you couldn’t just slap that volume of chakra in someone without getting noticed by the ninjas patrolling the village

Thoughts of losing his son started manifesting in his mind he shook his head and was again startled by the cold skin of his son, he felt his soul leaving his body at this revelation he instantly took off his cloak and wrapped it around him to keep him somewhat warm. In the midst of all of this, he found himself in the vicinity of the hospital...

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakura Uchiha was sitting in her office in the hospital, she was the head of the Konoha medical staff and was in direct charge of the medical teams of the village, she was a busy personnel in the institute, and she was reading a report on the progress made by the scientific research team on the new medical tools they were developing, it was due early but the project was getting less attention due to the professor’s insistence on focusing on the ninja tools

She was frustrated but she understood the motivation behind Katasuke's actions he was passionate and his heart was in the right direction so she didn’t oppose the idea itself

She put the report down and sighed she was already annoyed and she had a full day ahead, the incompetent report with the slow progress of the project was messing with her temper but work was work she didn’t complain much she stood up to grab a drink then her movement suddenly halted

Naruto?

That chakra was undoubtedly his ‘But why is he headed this way?’ before she could make further assumptions her senses informed her of something crucial

There were in fact two of them one was Naruto and the other she couldn’t recognize but then she registered the fact that the second was bigger than Naruto himself

Her eyes widened at this realization, there was no one who had more chakra than Naruto in Konoha so the mere idea of such a thing happening was nonsense

She rushed to the window and yanked it open she saw naruto rushing toward her window with a terribly pale face with something wrapped in his cloak

Or someone…

She stepped aside in time as he came crashing landing roughly on his feet, his face was marred with sweat and was losing color as he breathed heavily trying to keep himself composed

What followed next was mayhem
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few hours were like a guillotine waiting to come down on the people both inside and outside the special care unit. Sakura swiped sweat off her forehead as she focused on keeping the boy lying in front of her from dying, his chakra network was burnt to a crisp for the most part and his body somehow was keeping itself from exploding

The monitor beeped continuously, reminding her of the precarious situation the boy had found himself in out of nowhere
—-----------------------------------
Naruto was already trembling with fear while explaining the situation to her she immediately took the boy from his hands and dashed to another room ordering every nurse to follow her shouting instructions at them

she immediately understood what had happened and now was directing the other nurses

'’Sakura-chan! What is happening at least tell me something!?’’ naruto shouted following her

‘’Stay outside and get Hinata here we might need her Byakugan, HURRY UP!”

Naruto instantly left, she focused back on Boruto lying on the bed, nurses hooking him up with the machines and putting an oxygen mask on his face

She had faced several situations as bad as they could get but now she felt her confidence shaking, she took a deep breath and overlooked the process, while setting up the equipment on the table beside the bed

Hinata came with tears threatening to fall she stammered but still managed to reach the bed on which her son was lying with machines attached to him

‘’Hinata! Use byakugan to monitor his chakra network and guide where his body is deteriorating!”

Hinata dried her eyes many times as she monitored his body while Sakura worked to undo the damage
Naruto was also not in a good state he was pacing in the hallway mumbling incoherent curses he had given orders to increase the security around the village, he had been urged by the staff many times to sit down which he only did for a minute or so before going at his pace again…

Sakura couldn’t blame any of them, she would have been in the same situation in their shoes, she was just as nervous as them

She couldn’t comprehend how he gained all this chakra all of a sudden and even if he did he would have exploded from the sheer volume but his body didn’t reject the chakra altogether but it seemed it was trying to adapt to it, speculation could wait now she just needed to focus
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It had been a tedious battle but he was stable now his body was not crumbling from the excess load but it was now veering toward healing the damage it had suffered

Sakura was now sitting in front of Naruto who gave her a comprehensive report on everything that went down during the fight and how he couldn't sense his chakra signature to him passing out in pain

Sakura listened and then handed him the report “That’s definitely strange i never heard someone without a Kekai Genkai manage to do that….well we have to wait until he gets up then we can ask him"

‘’How’s he doing? Give me a detailed explanation”’ said Naruto

Sakura looked at him, his face serious and lips drawn in a straight line and brows furrowed

‘’He is fine for now as for the reason it seems that his body somehow got an absurd amount of chakra but the thing is…he should have died the moment it got in his body but his body surprisingly managed to withstand that as of we are speaking his body is undergoing some changes_

‘’Changes?” naruto cut her off “What kind of?”

‘’His body is adapting to the chakra inside it, the reason why it didn’t happen sooner, maybe because the chakra was lying dormant inside his body, accumulated at one point that’s why he was fine, I think during the fight he managed to siphon some part of it that caused the dormant chakra to start flowing in his channels’’

“That’s_”

“Weird right? I thought so at first but the damage was mostly accumulated in channels in the chest area” She showed him the report and the results they got from scanning his body

Sakura stopped and reconsidered her next words

‘’It’s a good thing it started flowing through or else he would have died without a warning another, another strange thing is that the foreign chakra is identical to Boruto's own but both are different from what I remember, it seems like a lost part was trying to adjust itself in his body” Sakura added the second part hesitantly and in response Naruto had an open mouth trying to digest the information he was receiving

Naruto didn’t raise any questions further, he glanced at the moving chest of his son sleeping with Hinata sitting beside him with a worried look on her face, he breathed a sigh of relief that Boruto was not going to die at least

Suddenly Hinata’s head bobbed up and her lips quivered as she saw Boruto’s eyelids moving
Both he and Sakura moved quickly to his side Hinata was squeezing Boruto’s hand trying to calm herself down
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warm …

A warm place….

But not enough….

Not enough to get rid of the cold….

Was the suffering not enough?….

Why more?….

Storm ravaging inside….

Blocking all light…

Not letting him live….

Not letting him die….

He was alone on the plane, and as far as he could see there was nothing

Empty…..

The place was complete and and incomplete at the same time never-ending, stretching endlessly….

A bright light shone in the distance he ran toward it, suddenly it got bigger and enveloped his entire world............

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boruto opened his eyes, a blinding light caused his vision to blur out momentarily and then he saw some faces through his foggy sight, suddenly he felt a warm embrace around himself, startled by the sudden pressure he moved his arms to gain some distance from the intruder but was unable to do so...

His arms felt heavy his head throbbing with pain, his vision cleared and lavender eyes entered his sight with tears peaking out of the corners, he took in the face…a familiar pale round face with sadness and relief written over it, he saw purple hair reminding him much of his deceased mother.....

He jerked terribly and it alerted the woman he heard her voice

‘’Boruto are you okay does it hurt again!?”

He let the words sink in, that unmistakable voice was his mother's and it hit him all at once reminding him of the predicament he was in

“............”

He was at a loss for words, he chose to take in her appearance much to his dismay it only worried her further

‘’Boruto?”

“ yes, I am fine now…. Mom” The words came with much more difficulty, more like reassuring himself of the safety he felt from the embrace

He sat up and saw his father standing across the bed, it seemed like he had questions regarding him he averted his eyes the man looked like someone had yanked his soul out and then opted to shove it back mercilessly

The same look he gave him when he was released from the ‘Dikokuten dimension’ that lasted for a second before he was hit with a lingering wave of Omnipotence like a predator waiting for its prey He knew it would happen but he had hoped that he might be granted salvation from the pain and struggle he went through but it was followed by more hatred toward him

 

“How are you feeling now, Boruto?”

Another voice that registered in his brain as Sakura Uchiha standing in the room clad in a white hospital robe

''.....better?”

More like a question he didn’t know what was better at the point he was just riding the waves now letting them take where ever they want

‘’Then I guess you are ready for an examination ” she said with a kind smile hoping to ease the boy but all she got in return was an empty guarded look, his face had no sign of energy just a blank expression

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You are good to be discharged now but as I told you there is an overabundance of chakra in your body so you will not be able to use it properly or use it at all you will need time to get back to how you used to be”

Sakura explained to the boy sitting in front of her, listening to her in a detached manner
It took some time but the procedure to discharge him proceeded without complications she expected him to be shocked by the revelation of not being able to use chakra but he was rather indifferent to the notion

‘’Take some days to rest it might be painful for but it will subside gradually, you can train after that ‘’

Boruto nodded, got up rather stiffly, and then left with Hinata, she then turned to Naruto and addressed him
“He will be okay you need not worry he might need your help in controlling that large amount of chakra”

Naruto replied while leaving “Thank you Sakura-chan for your help today” and left

Sakura sat there in silence pondering on the possibility of the whole incident happening under their noses and then went back to work
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He got home without any significant problems, the sun was setting in the horizon when he entered his room there was pain still in his body. Hinata was very worried about him and he assured her that he was fine and needed some rest she let him go with a stern warning to call her if something happened

He collapsed on the spot and rested his back against the door watching the sun setting as radiance filled his room with an afterglow the pain was bearable and he had the medications that Sakura had given him

He then decided to rest as he was exhausted the possibility of dying surprised him but he had a nagging feeling that he would be okay as fate only wanted to toy with him

He closed his eyes hoping to get some sleep he was in the past and he had a chance to make things right prevent his family from dying and possibly build a better future for all of them

He needed a plan and keep his identity hidden till it was crucial to do so

‘WAIT A MINUTE!?’

He lifted his shirt and was relieved to see the clean skin on his chest, the mark was not there and the karma on his palm also disappeared as well he didn’t feel freedom but felt that it was still there

Lying dormant waiting to wreak havoc he avoided trying to activate it as it would only cause more pain he felt something tugging his consciousness in the back of his mind

“You really thought you could get rid of me that easily, brat. Just be happy that you didn’t die, if I hadn’t helped you, you would be nothing but a mess of flesh and blood”

Yup, he still is there….

‘Nobody asked you to do that, just admit that you were afraid of dying’

“Believe whatever you want but it will be interesting to see how you will suffer again_

‘Says the guy who himself is dead why don’t you go to sleep or something it will help with your temper’

“........”

Seems like he went quiet boruto let out a sigh and plopped headfirst on the pillow after taking the medicine

Sleep came rather quickly and much more peacefully than it used to in his timeline

Maybe he could just tell all of it to someone and just rest and spend his days in leisure running from his fate

‘Wouldn't that be interesting……’

 

Little did he knew fate always tested the ones who ran away from and he was one of those fate chose to test this time……………………. 

Chapter 5

Cries of agony rang in the air like a mantra, pain washed over the land that once stood proud among all others

 

The metallic stench of blood tainted the fresh air that had nurtured many buds.

 

Ashe and soot flew untethered in the surroundings, rivers raged unchecked, all constraints broken.

 

Among all this, a lone figure stood on the top, time had affected the young man, who looked much older than he should be.

 

With a slight shake of his right hand, the blood sprayed on the ground from his sword glistening, he didn’t bother to look at his deed, yet he gazed at the settlement below.

 

His cape bellowed behind him, hair swaying in front of his face exposing his scarred eye, another reminder of what he lost.

 

A sound grabbed his attention, he turned around looking at the person square back in the eye…..

 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Nightmares…

 

His old buddies never left him even in the past, continued to haunt him, and goaded him to try and break the holds.

 

He sat up abruptly in his bed with a start, looking at the cloak, it was 2 in the morning not the morning itself.

 

Another day, another failed attempt. It was the third day and he couldn’t sleep more than 3 hours before another nightmare slapped him against his comfort

 

He was given three days' leave from the academy and he had spent the days trying to get back in shape more acceptable, how did that go, well...

 

Incredibly humiliating, although he knew that beforehand, but the reality hit harder than expected

 

‘Ah! I forgot to mention that your chakra coils are extremely tensed and it would not be good to use jutsu in this state, so please refrain from that, or they might get damaged terribly, I have asked Naruto to watch over you so listen to him’'

 

Sakura said with an air of finality in her voice, leaving him no other option but to heed the advice, he had no qualms about being watched 

 

He remembered the difficulty of simple tasks such as tree walking to be bloody difficult

 

He wasted three days just to have some semblance of control, he rubbed his eyes to relieve them of the stress from lack of sleep.

 

He groaned wondering what to do now, Naruto was sleeping in his office downstairs, another change among many, he had opted to keep a clone close to him, the clone accompanied him during training and in the home till he himself came back at night.

 

‘Well at least Himawari can be happy’ he thought, his younger self probably would not have accepted him coming home without a hidden purpose, but now he felt nothing resembling resentment, he was glad that they all would be happy with each other. He was satisfied with that.

 

He did not belong there, ultimately he was a foreigner in their son’s body trying to cover up his mistakes, his real parents were dead, and he accepted the fact just like before he had accepted his fate.

 

He stood up, stretched his body, stretched his senses as far as he could, they were all sleeping peacefully…but that was not what he was after, he channeled chakra slowly and carefully to his right eye, and his vision cleared giving him much detailed information, he saw past the floor through the skin and observed the thrumming chakra of the Kyubi.

 

‘ Yep definitely not sleeping’ he could tell from the flow that it was awake, probably to keep an eye on him after being asked by Naruto. He could erase his signature but that would alert him otherwise.

 

He cut off the flow and was left with a headache, ‘right this body is not used to it’, he waited out the vertigo, then jumped out the window, the cool night wind crashed against his face, and he settled on the roof, watching the stars

 

A cat sat beside him, it was a black cat with blue eyes. He patted it on its head, another memory surfaced

 

‘ It was during a job in a remote area of Land of Fire, he was heading back to the hideout when he noticed someone following him, turned out it was a cat, ironic was it? He didn’t pay attention at first but it followed him till he stopped to take a rest, then he took a good look at it

 

It had a wound on its face similar to his, closer to its right eye but it was not very deep, a faint green glow danced in his stretched palm, it squirmed at first but he held it in his other hand, after some minutes he deemed it enough and released it, he thought it would go away but it rubbed his head against his hand and since then it never left his side

 

He found that strange that, a cat was what he got attached to, when he rejected everything. 

 

The little furball always stayed close to him whenever he was at the hideout, he didn’t think of it as a burden but a loose chance of some normalcy in his life

 

“I didn’t know you liked cats, that’s new,” Sarada said as she took off her cloak, she found it quite surprising.

 

‘’You should take her with you, I am going to move somewhere else, I can’t carry her with me”

 

He answered knowing that it was a bad idea to keep one with him, summonings were a different case, it was a small animal that had no part in his life except he somewhat liked that part meddling in his.

 

After some intel sharing and further discussions on the matters regarding the state of  things, she got ready to leave, she couldn’t stay there since she had aborted a mission to meet him

 

“Take her, she is marked, you can pass it off as a pet” he addressed her matter-of-factly.

 

After some arguing she agreed and left with her, he only got to see it again when he was fighting during the attack and he found it dead in a heap of rubble, by Sarada’s own words in her letters, she missed its company 

 

He lost track of time and when he came to his senses it was morning, warmth energized his cold body, and it reminded him of his time camping outside during his genin days. He cocked his head back at the sound of footsteps.

 

Himawari came running and opened the door with happiness whiffing off her, she had been that way since Naruto started spending time with them, a treat for his little sister

 

He followed her to the table where his past family set, he chose to think that way so he would not get attached more than necessary and make impulsive decisions, he wanted them safe and he was okay even if he had to go rogue again.

 

He didn’t give a damn about the village, he had his lesson the hard way, that he could not protect everyone……

 

He wasn’t a fucking Naruto Uzumaki, that protected everyone by himself….

 

He wasn’t a fucking Hashirama Senju that commanded respect due to his legacy and power…

 

He was a fucking nobody that had been given privileges, a name, and a connection and he misused all of it. he was going to protect his dear ones even if he had to be a monster once more.

 

Breakfast ended without much talking, Hinata being the Everly loving mother hugged Boruto, his old self would have retaliated, but he didn’t, he knew that she was genuinely worried for him, after all he almost gave her a heart attack, his eyes felt hot, heart throbbed fast.

 

He fought off the temptation to hug her back and cry, confide her about the truth to, and just stay cuddled against her to hide from the rest of the world. he ended the hug but couldn't return the smile.

 

He left for the academy, mentally preparing himself for the questions and inquiries he was going to quell later. He briefly went over the changes that coursed through the previous days while trudging toward the academy.

 

Naruto was suspicious and prodding for info all the time, he kept asking questions, about the pain, his health, and many more, he was careful in his answers, trying not to sound indifferent. 

 

The problem was how to explain, him erasing his chakra signature, he had shrugged it off by saying ‘I do not know’ for the time being, but he knew one day he would have to tell him something to ease him

 

He arrived at the academy light-footed, he had tried acting happy, but failed, so he gave up on acting, he was horrible at it.

 

He was not happy, not excited, just worried, countless bloodbaths had nourished the person known as Boruto Uzumaki, he was a monster at best, not a brother, not a son, not a friend, someone whose name incited fear in people,

Trauma plagued his personality not bothering the dimensional distance that existed

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The time at the academy was mundane at best, not including the intrusive barrage of questions, it was boring. But he was alert all the time, years of training and travel had ingrained in him a sense of awareness that was not quantifiable. His classmates also sensed his changed attitude

 

Murmuring among themselves, they often stole glances at him, they did not dare to ask him directly, because they sensed a dangerous aura around him.

 

‘ Do not bother me’  was left unsaid but it still lingered around in the air about him.

 

“What’s with him today? Acting all broody” Sarada said while adjusting the glasses on her nose, she remembered that he didn’t answer their questions properly, instead gave them vague answers and then shrugged them off and after that, he had remained quiet for the rest of the day.

 

‘’Let him be, forcing him would be a drag’’ Shikadai replied yawning.

 

Boruto arrived at the academy at the last minute and then took the seat at the back, since then he hadn’t uttered a single word.

 

It was clear that he was avoiding, them not out of spite, but for different reasons she could not name.

 

The bell signaled the end of classes and Boruto didn’t waste any time leaving the noisy class.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His goal was to start training today, more focusing on Taijutsu and increasing his speed and stamina, he was dangling at a snail's pace compared to his original, he walked towards the training ground he had been using for the past two days, not missing the presence behind him. He got close enough to the perpetrator by slowing his walking pace.

 

His follower was an amateur, they hadn’t noticed that Boruto was aware of them, although he was not so serious about hiding his suspicion. He suddenly stopped, and the stalker also stopped. 

 

Behind the wall, eh?....

 

Boruto bent down and picked a pointed rock, not harmful, but really gonna hurt, without warning he flicked his wrist and the stone went straight for the pole on his left back, it took a perpendicular turn after rebounding and went straight into the alley on his right back

 

He heard a scream, a girlish voice, and then called out:

 

‘’Come out or else, I will use shuriken next time” and just as he had suspected Sarada came holding her arm, glaring at him. 

 

“Hey, that was uncalled for” she complained removing her hand from her left arm, exposing a small bump where the tip of the stone hit her.

 

“Well, pursuing someone without their consent is also uncalled for, need something?” Boruto replied, seeing her pout like that refreshed his memories and he found it fun being able to tease her again like this.

 

‘…old days’ thought Boruto, he was not sure why but relief washed over him that it was Sarada, somehow he felt at ease with her in tow, but he still avoided her due to his past and present overlapping, creating illusions and disturbing ones at that

 

‘’Where are you going? That’s not the way to your house” inquired Sarada, he first thought about not telling but then changed his mind, she had a keen eye she might be helpful.

 

‘’Training, wanna come?” 

 

“Sure, but it's hard imagining you train of all things” Sarada replied gauging his reactions, to her surprise, his face remained passive, not what she expected.

 

“Well, guess I am” Sarada's face scrunched in confusion at his remark. He sighed

 

“Never mind” The conversation ended and they increased their pace toward the forests.

 

Boruto arrived at the grounds and dropped the bag he was carrying, he noticed the clone hiding in the tree, but ignored it for the time being, then crossed his fingers of both hands and summoned 7 Shadow Clones, not a number to be proud of, but still better than 4 clones

 

The advantage of having too much chakra was that he could depend on the clones, even if his control was still not perfect, they were functional, he could still use ninjutsu, but not to the extent of his liking.

 

One of the clones walked toward Sarada and stood beside her, while the rest took their positions around him, slipping into fighting stances.

 

Sarada understood what was happening, but was still confused about his agreement to let her accompany him, the clone standing beside her crossed his arms apparently had sensed her thoughts, so he spoke

 

‘’I need some external opinion on my taijutsu, that’s why we both are going to observe his fight” he explained to her while staying aware of the clone behind him hiding in the tree.

 

It was Naruto who had assigned him to watch his son during his training, he focused on the front deeming the presence harmless.

 

The clone thought back on the behavior of Boruto in the last three days, he was mentally absent for most of the part, focusing only on training, he didn’t smile even when he was complimented on his skills, just staring with blank eyes, empty and cold only uttering mono-syllables. His growth was also enigmatic not natural at all, it felt like rust was falling off the the iron.

 

Even now with his friend, he didn’t smile, his training method was good but it had flaws, the clones would disappear after one or two jutsu, then no ninjutsu? maybe, his clones slipped into similar stances, some with just shoulders hunched just like Boruto himself, while 2 of them adopted the Gentle Fist stance.

 

Boruto closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and crouched a little, his clone took it as an okay sign

 

“Begin!”

 

At the signal all 6 clones rushed all at once, he parried the first strike and spun to kick the kunai coming from behind, two of them came from both sides he sidestepped the first kick and hooked his arm with the clones and moved behind by twisting its arm and landed a right hook on one’s chin, it connected and the clone disappeared, he kicked at the trapped clone on the back, it went tumbling and then poofed.

 

He instantly substituted himself with a long and the next instant it got impaled by a dozen shurikens. Others understood what had happened and quickly armed themselves with kunai’s

 

He attacked one of them from behind but it slashed backward and he went lower with a right hook.

 

He halted and jumped backward just in time to avoid getting tagged by the two clones sliding towards him, sensing another presence behind him he took out a kunai from his holster and parried the slash aimed at his face, after that all 5 of them engaged in slashing, parrying and blocking, the sound of metal clanging rang in the forest

 

‘’Isn’t that a little too extreme” Sarada panicked, that match was far from a healthy spar they were going for the kill

 

The clone didn't respond just observed with a grave expression, it was also keenly aware of the restlessness emanating from the presence behind him

 

It turned around and made eye contact with the clone, it was surprised for a second but calmed a bit after getting the message

 

Sarada had to constantly cut off and on her Sharingan, even then she was unable to follow their movements properly, but she noticed that he was sometimes lacking in reach or stepping too far and then readjusting again. It was all suspicious,

 

‘How did he got this strong so fast’ That question swam in her mind, but she kept quiet and focused harder on the ongoing match.

 

It was nearing its end Boruto threw the kunai point blank at the face of a clone that was trying to strangle his arm, smoke filled the area, and taking advantage of the smoke, he teleported behind another one and with both of his hands broke his neck

 

 The other two threw shurikens at him, instead of evading, he rushed into the fray, but had to substitute again to avoid getting cut by the ninja wires attached to the shurikens. The wires were hard to spot, a second’s mistake could have ended in painful gashes.

 

He engaged one of the clones in a kunai clash, using his kunai to capture his opponent’s, he moved under the lock and used the clone’s body as a shield to block the incoming hail of kunai, by pushing it in front of it.

 

The last remaining clone teleported to get a swipe at him from behind, he ducked and rolled forward to gain distance. They threw their kunai at each other and rushed to engage again in a taijutsu battle.

 

He was cursing his smaller frame and his body was heavily falling behind his skill, the smaller reach caused some mistakes that earned him a punch in the abdomen, the clone changed his tactics and added Gentle Fist in the mix, he dodged two finger strikes and then attacked with small jabs and closed the distance with them.

 

The clone raised his arms to block the incoming punch but he opened his hand and grabbed its arm to flip him over his shoulder and then he kneed him in the chest, signaling the end of the match.

 

Sarada was left stunned at the conclusion of the match, he was faster than he led on in the match against Mitsuki, he approached the clone and it nodded before poofing out of existence 

 

‘’How did you…?”

 

Sarda mumbled but found herself at loss for words when Boruto made eye contact with her, a mysterious force held her back from saying anything

 

Both of them turned around when another person came from behind the tree, his voice laidback

 

‘’Well-well, that was an interesting match, Boruto “ said the man before stepping out.

 

Boruto sensed his chakra in the middle of the match, but his appearance was rather surprising and he was the last person boruto expected to meet.

Notes:

Hello fellas, hope you are enjoying the story so far
Till then SAYONARA

Chapter 6

Notes:

yo!
somehow managed to write this chapter even though I had no plans to
it might not be the best one but I tried my best to write something acceptable

I wanted to ask if you want the pacing to increase, if so then i will comply

if you have any suggestions i am open!!!!

 

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‘The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is grief - But the pain of grief is only a shadow when compared with the pain of never risking love’ .

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               It was nagging him for a while now, his behavior was getting way more erratic, troubling day by day, but he couldn’t blame him. The blonde was this close to losing his most precious possession in the world.

 

Feeling sympathy for him, he decided to see the boy himself, according to the father he had immersed himself in training since his release from the hospital, which was abnormal, since the boy was distancing himself from the family. He didn't know the reason but several scenarios came to his mind

 

His hunches were proven correct when he saw the so-called ‘Training session’ of Boruto, it was far too intense to be called a ‘session’ in the least. Boruto was definitely pushing himself, but the driving force was unknown, people don’t start moving unless they have a reason to do so, even the incident was not capable of inducing a need of such caliber

 

The match itself was interesting, the setting of the spar and the techniques used by the blonde.

 

What surprised him the most was the usage of shadow clones like that, that was definitely smart, his ingenuity was nothing new to Kakashi's eyes, definitely a trait from Hinata, the spar was picking its pace, and then he noticed the reason for Naruto’s worry... 

 

‘Those movements….they are not something an academy student should be able to pull off’

 

He was right, he was one of the most experienced people in Konoha, he had seen many talented shinobi in his life, and all of them excelled, one better than the last. All of them were geniuses in their own right, improving the older methods, and introducing new ones, they always surpassed the previous generation

 

But what he was seeing now was much more different than any of that, calling it mere talent was not enough. The movements were complex yet done with practised ease. as if he was just recalling them.

 

He looked at the clone, standing beside Sasuke’s daughter, he had a mixed expression on his face, but what stuck out the most were his eyes, it was a brief moment when they met his, and he instantly switched positions with a broken branch, It made no noise, he was surprised at the sudden shift in the atmosphere

 

Instead of the striking electric blue, he was used to seeing, they were dark, deep blue, not of a child, he had heard that eyes reflect the soul but he couldn’t see past them, it was like looking into an abyss

 

The exchanges picked up speed, till they were practical blurs, he saw Sarada using her Sharingan to keep up with them, but one look confirmed that even then it was difficult for her, the fight ended spectacularly in Boruto’s victory.

 

It was clear to anyone that the fight was not normal, it extended beyond the scope of normal, it was lethal and risky in all aspects, but he had bigger concerns than just an academy student showing sudden growth.

 

Numerous questions arose in his mind, being mindful not to startle the kids. he approached them and smiled to ease them a little

 

‘’Well, that was an interesting fight wasn’t it, Boruto?”

 

Boruto looked at the silhouette behind the trees, asking him a question, if they had not taken the initiative to speak he would have attacked them, he was not naive enough to let his guard down, even if there was no threat, his trained instincts didn’t relax even in his own home, he was an outsider and had no intention to mindlessly make the same mistake of trusting the sweet ideals that held no merit in face of an insurmountable enemy

 

“Good evening, Kakashi sensei”

 

Boruto replied as the shadowy figure stepped into the light, revealing a white-haired man with a mask on his nose, he was smiling but his eyes remained serious, his brain sent alarm signals that he was in some deep interrogation, he had interacted with the man enough to beware of him, as an enemy he was clever, cunning and a tough foe.

 

He needed to be in control of the situation or else he would have the rug pulled from under his feet, he kept his emotions in control and asked

 

“Do you need something, Kakashi sensei?”

 

The man’s smile reminded him of the time during his graduation exam when he tested him on his resolve, but what answer could he muster now…

 

He was a blank slate, with no selfless resolve, just a shameless soul trying to keep itself intact and sane.

 

‘’Not really, don’t mind an old man trying to kill sometime’’ Kakashi replied cheerfully but failed to gain a reaction from the blond, Sarada on the other end was confused at his appearance

 

He briefly glanced at the ground there were not any noticeable wears and tears, he turned his attention back to the kid.

 

“At this hour?” his tone was flat, betraying the usual brightness it once held, uncharacteristic of the hyperactive Uzumaki

 

Kakashi suppressed his urge to raise an eyebrow at the statement, he realized the meaning when suddenly Sarada made a face as if something dawned over her.

 

“Sorry Lord Sixth, but I have to go, have a good day!” she suddenly replied

 

With that she hurried towards the village presumably to run an errand or to meet up with her friends, Kakashi glanced ever so slightly at the blonde, who was watching her go, nothing out of place, not a single strand of emotion.

 

A poker face, not normal on the Uzumaki, something was definitely going on inside his head. He couldn’t help the slight unease that crawled over his spine when Boruto turned to face him

 

“Was that necessary?” Kakashi asked dropping the smile, once he saw that Boruto had picked up on his intent. 

 

‘A smart one, eh?’

 

“You seemed like you had something important to ask, so ask” Boruto had a demanding tone with the intensity unbecoming of a kid, much less than a threat but more like an order.

 

“How is your health nowadays, I heard that you were in quite a predicament” 

 

“Just some occasional pain, light strain on the coils during chakra usage, other than that no noticeable ailment”

 

A report_?Who taught him that? Kakashi mused, he dreaded the possibility that Boruto was in some sort of Genjutsu by the attacker, or was under someone else’s control.

 

It was the first thing that came into his mind when he first heard about the attack, who in the world would just slap some extra chakra in a kid and be away with it?

 

It was a cold logic but it was his duty as a retired Hokage to look after the village, the boy’s odd behavior gave his theory some flame, he could sense his chakra, highly suppressed, again an abnormal development, the boy should be  practically radiating chakra, given the reports, his theory was dangling on a thin thread

 

But he shuddered at the thought, if it was something like that then Naruto would have sensed it by now, Hinata would have seen it with her ocular prowess, heck even he could have caught on.

 

But nothing was decisive, too many loopholes to fill, the idea itself had no sufficient evidence, and he had no choice other than to keep it tucked away in the back of his mind

 

“Your idea of training is a little over the top, don’t you think?”

 

“It's effective”

 

A short answer was all he received, yet no conclusive evidence...

 

“I have a question for you, wanna answer?”

 

“Another one?” he questioned.

 

‘ Most likely wary, but what for?’

 

“You are not even a genin yet, you are trying to get stronger forcefully, a commendable action…

 

He paused intentionally and lowered his voice as he met the blonde’s eyes locked with him, he wanted to intimidate the kid and prode his intent, he was determined to pluck out the weed

 

‘’...but not always the right one, don't you think?”

 

He was going to subtly expose Boruto's intentions, Kakashi's heart lurched when Boruto met his gaze deep, not breaking contact, he had seen those eyes before….

 

Broken….

 

Broken but carefully pieced together not to fix them, but to keep them from falling….

 

Hiding the dead, battered soul behind them, too scared to face the wind again…..

 

Where had he seen them before,...on the face of someone he knew, his friend, memories of Obito filled his brain again, his firm mask hiding the traumatized child behind it.

 

They held insurmountable darkness in them, obstructing the view beyond them...

 

Kakashi was surprised that such thoughts even made themselves dominant in his brain. Boruto was a normal kid, not some veteran shinobi who had seen battlefields, but his presence told him otherwise…

 

His mannerisms reflected a refined person, even his slightest movements were enough to convince him that he was not standing in front of a kid

 

“Let’s spar” Boruto suddenly proposed, Kakashi was dumbfounded at the sudden request,

 

His normal reaction would be to shoot down the request, but seeing an opening he decided otherwise, the clone in the tree had poofed out some time ago, signaling Kakashi to handle the matter, his student was relying on him to make a breakthrough.

 

Sighing, he replied “Hmm, fine with me, rules?’

 

“2-minutes, fight till you drop” 

 

“Confident one, aren’t you” Kakashi smiled then added “Well, try your best”

 

‘What’s with me and these blondes?’ he mentally sighed as Boruto walked back to create some distance between them

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Boruto was glad he avoided the question that was most likely on Kakashi’s mind but was suspicious when Kakashi agreed to his abrupt proposal.

 

He considered Kakashi a dangerous existence, one slip-up wobe uld all it would take to blow up his cover, the man was as wicked as they come, he would normally have already killed him, but now the situation was different, the man was not his enemy

 

At least, not yet...

 

Just a comrade, no nothing more, a sparring partner, albeit temporary, was all he wanted to account him for, he walked back ten feet before looking back at him, still standing lazily, as if he was strolling in a park

 

Behind the lazy, laidback person rested the battle-hardened shinobi who would think twice before killing his enemy, he needed to be careful with his actions

 

He also lacked his book, he always read, Boruto noticed he was sending dangerous signals, his muscles couldn't relax in the man's presence

 

He was serious about it, well anything to keep his mind off the depressing thoughts plaguing his mind.

 

The fight started with Boruto running up to him, instead of engaging head-on, both of them took out kunai in their hands, Kakashi knew that underestimating him would be a mistake, Boruto readjusted his kunai holding it in a reverse grip, twisting his body he jumped, making a beeline to Kakashi’s head, Kakashi blocked the kunai with his own, feeling the force behind it, he pushed him back.

 

Boruto dashed again this time remaining low, Kakashi was observing him closely as he slashed his kunai keeping its tip straight to avoid missing the mark, he anticipated that the next attack from below

 

He was correct, the kunai came arching from below, but at the last moment before the clash, Boruto pushed more chakra towards his legs, his body moved forward missing the incoming kunai, instead his wrist came in contact with Kakashi’s, using the momentum and a slight flick of his locked wrist, the kunai shooted straight for Kakashi’s face, who earned a cut on his nose, tearing his mask a little as he leaned his head back to avoid the attack

Boruto didn’t stop, as Kakashi stumbled backward, he took hold of his outstretched arm and pulled on it as soon as he felt resistance to the force, he used it as a hold, and landed a hit on his side but grimaced as it met Kakashi’s raised led, not backing down he twisted his body to land a back kick on his face which Kakashi guarded with his free hand.

 

Both departed and created distance, Kakashi was impressed at the tactic the blonde deployed, he instinctively knew that if Boruto was serious he could have killed any other shinobi, he noticed that Boruto was not tired at all, despite the bout he had before, but took a long breath, and they started again

 

Boruto managed to keep up with him, but he was on the defensive end, often earning a kick or a punch that he was barely able to dodge or block, some of them landed due to him mistaking his frame, pain radiated through his body, it felt sweet against the cold void in his body, the time was almost up when Boruto covered his pointed fingers with yellow lightning and thrusted it toward Kakashi, the world slowed down and a memory resurfaced…

 

His hand was still covered in blood, corpses lying on his feet as he walked forward, dismissing the smell of rotting flesh, he had grown used to it

 

A familiar figure stood in front of him, a Konoha shinobi holding his abdomen, blood pooling around him, his blade crackled before it cut through the shinobi in a flash like butter, and the corpse faltered with the sound of dying chirps, he knew that man, not a man but a boy no older than his sister, her teammate from the genin squad. He was mumbling something and Boruto wished he had sliced his throat instead

 

‘…..-amily kille….-rot in hel-..... ’

 

He returned to his senses once again, the hand inches away from his face still reaching the former Hokage’s face, the image of a dead Kakashi popped into his mind, but he was unable to retract his hand whose speed was amplified by the crackling lightning

 

But all of a sudden a hand covered in purple streaks grabbed his fingers, and both energies collided creating a small explosion, he jumped back from the smoke, his left hand radiated with stinging pain, Kakashi suffered the same, he had to tip his hat to the man for sparing him the trouble that was going to be a major headline all over the village

 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kakashi thanked his lucky stars for the narrow escape, his intuition saved him from potentially getting severely injured, he stared at his hand, burnt flesh not too bad but enough to leave permanent scars if not treated, the boy was in the same condition and was staring at his now torn glove, it was a close one for both of them.

 

“Let’s end it here, shall we?”

 

Kakashi said in a light tone to ease the boy who unsurprisingly seemed a little shaken up, a little while later both of them sat down, both of their hands wrapped in bandages with a slight whiff of antiseptic, the boy did not wince or rejected the treatment.

 

The air was tense, Boruto was definitely blaming himself for the little mishap, he wanted to tell him that an accident like this was no big deal, but seeing his tense form he hesitated

 

“Sorry, I did not mean to attack like that,” Boruto said after a little mental debating on the best course of action.

 

“You did not answer my previous question?” Kakashi asked not bothering to console him, cutting him down effectively. Boruto looked at him at the abrupt change of subject

 

Caressing his bandaged hand, he replied slowly” Is there something wrong in getting stronger for oneself?”

 

Kakashi hummed and gazed at the village buildings and eventually replied

 

“Throughout my entire life, I have seen multiple ninjas take the same stance, they ultimately drowned in a state of helplessness when they fail”

 

“Doesn’t that mean they were weak to begin with?”

 

!?..Kakashi was taken aback by the statement, it was unnatural for the person in front of him, the image of his other student flashed in his mind for a brief moment

 

But why?

 

Kakashi couldn’t find a reason for the behavioral change in the kid. He expected him to be more like Naruto, but he saw stark differences between them, he raised an eyebrow at him and replied

 

“On what basis can you say that?” he decided to probe his intent a little

 

“Such a person would…have been a fool thinking that he could have fought alone if he was not strong”

 

Kakashi listened with rapt attention while trying to guess why Boruto had such a personality shift, his objective was not met. yet

 

“That’s where comrades come into play, don’t you think?”

 

He sensed that Bouto was smart enough to understand him and was hoping to find the cause of the change and now was eagerly waiting for an answer, not showing any of it on his face, he wanted to direct his thinking to a fruitful road instead of the letting him face the dark road himself. 

 

He had failed to help Sasuke before. but now he would correct his path even if he was going to do it forcefully.

 

“Comrades can only help you to a certain extent and after that, you are on your own, that can be said the same for the pursuit of strength, it’s important so that you don’t have to rely on anyone” the reply came after a long pause

 

Kakashi deemed it enough for today and got up, before leaving he said the last line

 

“You can’t fight on your own forever, there will be times when you have to rely on others and if you maintain that mindset you will have great difficulty later in your life, think hard about your choice”

 

He then left Boruto to his thoughts, he concluded that Boruto was hiding something, his words spoke for themselves, he also had a lot to think about and change his perception of the blonde or whoever possessed him.

 

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Boruto walked towards his home through the busy streets pondering, Kakashi’s words were irrefutable but his heart refused to accept them again, his goal was to prevent the deaths of people he cared about, not serving the village, he would not be holding on to any ideals until he is damn sure that they are safe…

 

‘Pathetic mortals, limited by truly foolish logic, you see the futility of your actions yet you refuse to acknowledge that you are destined to suffer, why not just give up?’

 

‘You got up from your beauty sleep, eh’

 

‘Feigning ignorance will get you nowhere brat ’

 

‘My problems are not rooted in ideals, Momoshiki, I do what I deem fit, and I do not need anybody telling me what to do unless you have an idea to go back to my older body’

 

‘Tch!, stubborn as ever,...’

 

‘......’

 

There was a chill in the air that Boruto tensed instinctively, Momoshiki's breath lingered near his neck, chilly as it was, foreboding bad entails sd it did before, it rang

 

‘Be warned you have sealed your fate with your own two hands’

 

Boruto stood in the middle of the pathway like a statue, until a kid bumped into him and broke his trance

 

“I am sorry!”

 

The kid shouted to him as he went on running, the image flickered and Boruto saw two bleeding corpses running after each other on a ragged path, the air tinged in coral, their face hidden and shadowed by the evening radiance, they looked up and stared him with there hollow eyes, he looked around and saw various carcasses moving around, with hollow eyes some of them peered at him, binding his soul, a cold bucket washed over his brain.

He walked through the crowd, his heartbeat slowed down to nearly nonexistence. Voices filtered through the heavy air surrounding him

 

‘...shameless….’

 

‘.....monster….’

 

‘.....cold-hearted killer backstabber….’

 

‘.....worthless existence….’

 

Boruto opened the door of his house with a numb hand, he walked in and removed his sandals, a gurgling voice addressed him

 

“Welcome back, Boruto”

 

His vision showed him another corpse unlike others it had an eerie smile on its face, and its indigo hair smudged in blood swayed a little from the motion

 

“I am back” he replied, the figure seemed like -it was looking through him, its head seemed to tilt slightly before it walked toward the room, he silently followed it, the house felt foreign, cold air rubbed on his skin, depriving him of his warmth

 

The images kept flickering as he walked through the hall to the kitchen, showing him different scenes, he saw his sister's and mother's dead bodies cradling each other and in the next moment they were setting food on the table, and the scene changed again, thin hands wrapped around his waist, it raised his head and opened its slitted mouth, a deep gash ran across its face, it’s voice felt like a vacuum was sucking his soul.

 

‘Welcome back home,..ONI CHAN’

 

The world changed again, the giggling Himawari had an expectant look on her face, eyes sparkling with anticipation, Boruto stared at her making sure that it was real before patting her on her head, he just couldn't smile even if he tried, he gave up on it and sat on the family table. Himawari's face flashed a hurt expression before she let him go and sat on the table. he knew he had hurt her but he couldn't give her what she wanted, Hinata also noticed but said nothing

 

The family ate in a pleasant atmosphere, at least the other two members were enjoying themselves with small talk, Boruto ate in silence trying to make sense of their words, the food had no taste on his tongue, and his ears were not registering any familiar sound, only muffled and unintelligible voices rang in them

 

He picked up the glass of water but stopped it near his mouth, the glass was half-filled with murky blood, and he spotted two chunks of bones floating in it, its metallic tinge blocking all his senses, he saw himself in the reflection of the surface, standing with his back toward him, his blue eyes glowing darkly, as he turned it reflected another pupilless eye and a dull mark on it it was dripping with foreign fluids

 

“...-uto!”

 

“...-oruto!”

 

A voice began to expose itself, it was muffled under invisible barriers

 

“..BORUTO!”

 

The shout accompanied by the shaking dispelled the image and he found himself holding a glass of water, his heart was thrumming fast against his chest, his breathing was erratic and he met his mother’s worried glare 

 

“Are you fine? we have been calling you for the last minute, your hands are cold!”

 

Her hand was over his own, he did not realize that he was squeezing the glass, and it cracked under the pressure, the warm hand felt soothing against his cold one

 

 Suddenly he felt an extreme wave of exhaustion fell on his body, the grip went slack and the glass landed with a thud on the table

 

“I-I am fine, j- just a little tired” replied Boruto in a wavering voice, he didn’t want to worry them further, so he removed her hand gently and then replied in a more stable voice

 

‘“I am finished, I will be in my room”

 

Hinata saw the bandaged hand and assumed that it was still hurting him, she was worried about him, but he had closed himself and was refusing to accept foreign touch, she tried talking with him but couldn't make significant progress

 

Saying that he went to his room, he felt Hinata's gaze on his back but he didn't turn to look back, as soon as he reached his room his knees gave under him, his back slid down the door and he sat on the floor like a limp noodle, he struggled to move his legs but a wave of pain jolted across his limbs.

 

His body convulsed intensely and he felt his mind going dark but the pain kept him awake, dragging his body with his arms, he struggled to reach his table, with great effort he took out the painkillers from the drawer, he washed down the pills with water from the bottle in his bag.

 

Breath left his body, he was panting as if he had been running for days, he didn’t realize he was hyperventilating, a deep voice reverbated:

 

‘Tch! Weak humans, your body is still adapting to adapt to that puny excuse of extra chakra, it's baffling how you humans are so slow in everything

 

‘Like I haven’t noticed, you have been manipulating my chakra inside my body, care to explain?’

 

‘Huh? Who do you think is keeping the mark hidden!’

 

‘Didn’t know you were that chivalrous’

 

‘Humoring yourself, we'll see about that’ 

 

The voice disappeared just like that and he felt a little light, he crawled over to his bed, lying down he tried resting his body but he knew that the pain would keep him awake all night, he wasn’t hoping to sleep just staring at the ceiling, wondering to himself

 

‘Wouldn’t it be much easier that I could die, many bad things can be avoided, eh’

 

But there was the unknown factor Momoshiki, it wouldn’t be surprising if he somehow managed to take control of him

 

‘Sure The Hokage and Sasuke can take care of him, but his strength is unknown at this point, he had been in this body for too long even to begin making a guess, the only thing left to do was to walk along with him’

 

He covered his eyes with his arm, blocking out all the light, his body still ached but he felt the medications taking effect, and feeling slipped from his limbs, it was becoming painful watching his parents worry

 

Their pained faces were like a thousand needles stabbing him, but they were only making holes allowing cold air to enter his body, numbing his heart and soul, even if they were a bunch of fakes, they still were the same faces he once loved, he could just run away but he was still bound in those despicable chains

 

He was willing to risk his life but only for those who deserved it…

 

Those whom he cared for….

 

Those who were close to him at his worst….

 

But none of them were alive, he was among the dead, and he could never be the same again, he had heard that time could heal hearts, but it only deepened the wound, his heart never bled after that, not because he didn’t care, he just didn’t have a heart left

 

After all, he himself was not a human, right?

 

He watched the ceiling as his own thoughts consumed him

 

 

                                                                                                     

Chapter 7

Being the outcast, he would be chased, he would be hunted down vehemently, and he would escape, it was like a routine to him, he was not bothered by it in the slightest and it never troubled him, he would even kill if he had to, never he had thought that this would end, he was destined to run.

 

So he ran….

 

Ran with no destination in mind….

 

He ran and ran and ran….

 

Till he stopped, no he had been stopped, he was at the starting line again, he was so close to finishing his run, now he had to start it again.

 

Boruto glanced up at Shino who was teaching the basics of chakra and its properties, he was aware of the occasional stares at him, and so was Shino, but both of them did nothing.

 

The class ended with the final bell, the shifting of chairs signaled the students approaching, but he jumped out of the window before any of them could say anything and walked up to the roof, ignoring the surprised gasps that left their mouths, the leaves rustled with the wind, it was cool and sweet, he sat on the edge of the roof, the Hokage faces were in full view. From Hashirama to Naruto Uzumaki, all of them were the greatest ninjas of their times, at once they were unbeatable, but even then fate ran its course.

 

The images flickered, he was now looking at the destroyed mountain, some faces had craters in them and some were flattened to the surface, then they were normal again, a gust of wind and a person materialized beside him, he didn’t bother to look back.

 

“You need something from me?”

 

“Running away, are you?”

,

Running, huh….

 

He had been running for too long, from everything, he left everything behind as far as he could and it had strangled him terribly.

 

He had been told the same thing, too many times to count, each one laced with mocking hate but this one was different, he replied

 

“Can’t think of anything else”

 

“Just answer their questions properly, you can do that, no?”

“It's going to be a hassle”

 

The clone regarded his next words, They were still investigating the perpetrator behind the incident but the only lead they had was Boruto’s condition and his confession about the sudden surplusage of chakra in his system, though he narrowly avoided death, something had changed during the course.

 

Naruto had doubled the security of the village, and ANBU investigations were also going on, there were extra guards posted at the A-UN gate, but reports suggested otherwise, the incident was still classified, and the academy was notified of his illness with no real details, but still they could not figure out the shift in his son’s personality.

 

He changed the subject to lighten the mood between them.

 

“The school trip is coming near, it will help to ease your mind, ya know”

 

Boruto actually appreciated the idea when Shino informed them, he was itching to get his hands on a sword, but it was a given that it would raise too much suspicion, just his sudden interest in training sparked confusion greater than he had anticipated, and he had gotten so used to the idea of taking things to the extreme that he forgot that there was no one after him, now that an opportunity had presented itself, he wanted to acquire one without raising alarm bells.

 

“It seems interesting”

 

He answered in a way that this timeline Boruto would have answered, but could not produce more words, it wasn’t every day you are speaking to a dead person.

 

Naruto doubted his answer, Boruto had a distant look in his eyes as if seeing something far away, he looked too different from his son, Kakashi sensei’s report made more sense that he was in some problem of his own and was hiding something, he didn’t want to doubt him but the information was credible due to the source and it matched his current obsession accurately.

 

He wanted him to have fun with his friends, and become an excellent ninja who could uphold his ideals, he wanted him to open up and cough up his worries. He was getting jittery with each passing day, at such times he wished he had a Sharingan, so many problems could be solved if he could just peer into his mind.

 

He felt anger, and frustration bubbling up, figuring out his son’s problem seemed more difficult than managing the paperwork, Boruto seemed to have sensed his thoughts, he said in a low tone.

 

“You should focus on your work’’

 

That was….. weird, since Boruto always brooded about him being too absorbed in work, another change that was beginning to be prevalent in him, he was struggling to wrap his head around the rapid developments, each one stranger than the one before it.

 

“I have time, ya know”

 

He tried to crack a joke, but Boruto’s voice remained distant.

 

“If you have that much time then play with Himawari, don’t bother yourself with me”

 

“Hey!”

 

Boruto didn’t want to be harsh on him but the intertwining of images was scrambling his brain, at some instances he would forget where he was, and he had a hard time suppressing his uneasiness, he felt unsafe even in his room hands twitching for a Kunai or any weapon, he was trying to cope with the problems as best as he could, but the years of developed instincts never stayed calm.

 

The clone decided that further talking would only worsen his mood so he replied

 

“Then I will meet you at the dinner”

 

As if giving up the clone poofed in a cloud of smoke, seeing that Boruto also jumped from the roof and ran towards the training grounds near the academy to pass some time with light training.

 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

At the dinner the entire family sat down at the table, Boruto felt genuinely hungry after some training that progressed till late evening, he ate his food silently and listened to the conversation,  Himawari giggled at his father's jokes and his mother was smiling at them, his heart ached in ways, he didn’t wanted to, no amount of sedatives could take that pain away.

 

The conversation went back and forth, effortlessly gliding from one topic to another, he only listened, he had nothing to talk about, he stared at their faces, burning the images into his memories, their happy faces, among the everchanging corpses at the table.

 

“Boruto if something is bothering you, talk to us, sweetie,” Hinata said, that kind, sweet voice that always warmed his heart now felt like hot barbs in his flesh, and a lump formed in his throat…, he swallowed the rising bile and answered.

 

“I am fine”

 

 Hinata's worry was palpable, he sighed internally seemingly fed up with the situation, he still hadn’t gotten used to being around them, and the questions never ended, so his pain.

 

“I am completely fine, no need to worry over small matters” he repeated his sentence in a stronger tone, hoping to force his point through.

 

He managed to put some force behind his words, but couldn’t look back at her in the eye, with that he walked off to his room, trying to end the matter once and for all.

 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Hinata saw his retreating back, she was still concerned about his mental well-being, a small voice rose among the thick silence in the air.

 

“Mom, is Big Brother okay?”

 

Himawari asked her after noticing the tension in the air, Naruto patted her on the head smiling at her, he said in a kind voice.

 

“He will be fine, he needs some time, you should cheer him up, ya know”

 

Her mood lifted at this and she nodded enthusiastically, both the mother and daughter cleaned up the dishes accompanied by the occasional chipping of Naruto, making a joke, or telling funny tidbits of some past events involving Hinata and him. 

 

After that, she also went to her room, it was 9 in the night and the chatting progressed way longer than normal, both of them sat down on the couch in the living room, Hinata spoke first.

 

“Naruto-kun, what exactly is going on with Boruto?”

 

Naruto was prepared for the question all the time during the dinner and still after that he was waiting for her to ask, he cleared his thoughts and began slowly.

 

“I can’t say anything solid at this point, the information you know is all we have now regarding the matter, the investigation is still going on as we are speaking, and his condition is also stable”

 

Naruto paused to take a breath, the hard part was telling her about his bizarre mental condition, and she only wanted to know about that, he hesitated, but Hinata sensed his worry and didn’t interrupt him,

 

“My clones are looking after him, the only problem is his ‘change’, though stable it’s still unpredictable, he looked really worried about something “ 

 

‘And he is very much affected by it’ went unsaid. He continued

 

“Kakashi sensei said that maybe he is affected by a Genjutsu, but there is no definite proof though, I'll ask Sakura-chan to take a better look at him”

“Kakashi sensi.. Ah! Was he training with him that day?”

 

“Hmm.. oh! Yeah, apparently he decided to go see Boruto himself, they sparred a little and talked after that, both of them, he was hesitant to say something but don’t worry, I’ll handle it you know”.

 

Naruto smiled as he assured her, she seemed convinced by his words, seeing that Naruto added.

 

“Keep an eye on him anyway, he will open up if he feels like it, giving him space will be helpful”

 

“Understood”

 

Hinata abided, her faith in Naruto was unshakable, and her mind calmed down a bit, she would have always supported his decision, he had been trying his best as a father ever since the accident, he was even sacrificing his Hokage’s work to make time for them, but her eyes tracked back to the door, and an unknown feeling pooled in her stomach, she swallowed the unrest believing his words.

 

The pair continued to talk in the living room, while on the other hand, Himawari went to her brother’s room, she walked quietly up to the door….it was open a bit, she knew it was bad manners to peek but curiosity got the best of her, so she pushed it a little and peeked inside.

 

Swoosh!

 

Thud!

 

She couldn’t make even a sound, as a kunai embedded near her face on the wall, she saw Boruto sitting on the window sill, shoulders tensed and eyes narrowed, threatening to kill her, for the very first time in her life, she felt fear from her brother, and that in spades.

 

“What are you doing this late at night, Himawari?” he asked as his hand withdrew from the kunai pouch, his voice was deep and strict, she steeled herself, expecting a rebuke or a cold shoulder, but when nothing came, she spoke.

 

“Umm…I jus-..I just wanted to talk to you, oni-chan” she replied, still standing at the door entrance, she was puzzled by his actions, from being oppressive to suddenly quiet.

 

His hand hung in the air, the other in his holster gripping another kunai, once he saw the person at the entrance he relaxed a little, realizing his mistake he apologized.

 

“Oh!...sorry for that,” 

 

Himawari took that as an okay signal and stepped inside the room, she briefly eyed the kunai on the wall, then walked up to him, carefully marking her steps, her brother was getting stranger after the incident, she just wanted to talk, not rile him up any further, she couldn’t even tell whether he was angry or not, she regarded her words carefully.

 

“Why are you avoiding us? Mom and Dad are worried about you” she asked rather meekly, trying to sound as harmless as possible.

 

The changing expressions on his face took her by surprise, it shifted from slight confusion to realization, and then it morphed into melancholy, she was sure that Boruto was hiding something, being his sister she had memorized all of his habits, they were easy to spot before, but now they seemed eluded by a thick mist.

 

“It’s nothing serious, they are just being sensitive” It pained him, having to lie to her again, under the exterior shell lied a person, who was more terrible than what she could think of.

 

He turned his face back towards the sky, meeting her innocent eyes triggered the underlying nightmares again, the more he tried to suppress the urge, the more it became painful.

 

“But still, you are avoiding us” The words cut deeper than a kunai.

 

That was true, Himawari was always observant about her surroundings, and although her conclusions were accurate, her approach was mild.

 

“I did not mean to”

 

His reply was weak, If anything he wanted her to stay happy, compromise was necessary, he looked back at the sky, her eyes were hard to keep contact with, they were too bright.

 

‘It's a starry sky’  he noted needlessly.

 

He noticed, then recalled something, long forgotten, buried under the heap of events, he looked back at her, she was still struggling to say something, how cool it was when he used to give her piggyback rides, just because she was there to greet him at the door as if waiting for him, those moments made his heart lurch, he wasn’t sure whether he was feeling happiness or longing while looking back at them, but he wanted to do something to get those feeling out, to scratch that itch.

 

He always struggled to close the distance between them, but all he could do was just see her fight or suffer from a distance, their bond was severed to the point of nonexistence, and he missed those innocent days when she smiled and called him ’brother’ with fondness, but all he received now was hate or cold indifferent gaze directed at him, the sweetness in her voice washed away with time, he desperately wanted to be by her side, but she pushed him off, every time he tried, he failed miserably.

 

An idea struck his mind, it was all he could come up with, his desire to cheer her up was making his insides turn and twist.

 

“Want me to read you a story to bed?”

 

She was shocked at his sudden proposal, but her eyes sparkled and he saw countless stars in them twinkling, too bright against his dark world, the corners of his lips curled up in a smile, not a full grin, but enough to convey his feelings, he was sure it was one.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was fast asleep when he finished, it had been such a long time, he wanted to hug her, but he was afraid that she might disappear as she did before, he retracted it back, he was afraid that he might harm her, so he silently adjusted the covers on her and exited after confirming that she was intact, he went back to his room and sat in the window again, a sensation made its presence on his right cheek, he touched it and felt the hot liquid, he then realized that he was indeed crying.

 

The cool wind further fanned his emotions, turning a lone droplet into a thin stream, he let himself get washed by the rain, soaking his soul in his own tears.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The class was dripping with excitement on the day of the trip, he was standing on the side watching them, it had taken him a lot of time to accept his new reality, and communicating was rather difficult, so he slowly became the loner of his class, Shikadai and others tried to initiate conversations with him but they quickly fell apart, he never answered more than a nod or an ‘okay’, seeing the hopeless case, they eventually gave up.

 

The only problem he had yet to sort out was Sarada, till this point, he had avoided her, he knew it was his fault, but he couldn’t find the courage to face her.

 

From other's perspective, they had nothing between them, but it was wrong, guilt gripped him whenever he saw her, and his perception had changed throughout the years, he owed her so much that he couldn’t even hope to repay her, he was completely in her debt, she had sacrificed too much for him, she gave up her dreams, status and her own reputation again and again for him.

 

He looked at her side profile, she was discussing something with the class rep aka Sumire Kakei, probably about the trip, another person who stood by his side.

 

He remembered the day she was killed, she was fighting alone against them, completely outnumbered and out-matched, still, she fought to her death while others watched her from the sidelines, too scared to fight themselves, she died but ended up saving those pathetic lives.

 

But people always find something to direct their hatred towards, after the incident people found out about her past, her connection to the Root and him, it started as a rumor at first, but unknown to him, somebody was actively spreading them, and it didn’t take much time for the truth to shed it’s skin.

 

Those who spoke about her in praise spewed venom about her, and many kinds of conspiracies were concocted, and for the first time in his life he felt the need to kill a person of his own village, he would have if not been impeded by Sarada, but he couldn’t calm himself down, eventually he found the person responsible for the entire drama, he still remembered his pleas for mercy, but his heart found no place for him, he pounced upon mercilessly, the day marked his decent into madness.

 

Recalling those moments was not a good choice, as he unknowingly started exuding bloodlust, some kids scurried away at the suffocating feeling, not wanting to poke the hive, he calmed himself down and followed the rest.

 

Eventually, they boarded the ship, the wind was cool and the waves were mild, he had seen the same scene before, but he did notice the changes that were occurring daily, he was not appointed the class leader this time, and neither was he complaining, nor was he excited about the trip itself, his concerns lay elsewhere.

 

On the ship there were 4 Jonins and some Chunins, some of them were not even teachers, but they were freely interacting with others, he walked off to the rails and gazed at the sea, not bothering to interact with them, definitely odd to have such number, he kept his senses sharp and kept track of their chakra signatures, ready on the moment notice.

 

His mind reeled elsewhere while listening to the clamoring voices, one of them stood out the most, and everything else faded into the background, it was her voice, he focused on that singular voice and realized that there were actually two voices, both were different yet belonged to the same person of different times, he wondered what had exactly changed among them? Before they were just friends, comrades, really good friends, then she saved his life, even when he saw her three years later, all he felt was guilt, he was sure that it was as such.

 

But somewhere along the line, it all changed, he started to see her more than just a friend, she was always on his mind, at that moment he realized that something had changed about her, the feeling was overwhelming, he could not put a finger at it first, but the desire to see her increased with time, he used every chance to see her, often sticking to the shadows, following her during her missions, keeping track of her using toads.

 

Kashin Koji was suspicious of his odd behavior but she shrugged him off by saying that.

 

‘I must keep her safe’

 

It was later during his fight with Kawaki that he concluded that she had become much more than a friend to him, the moments they shared, the brief hug, the bickering, all of it was indispensable to him, that thought alone kept him from sacrificing himself.

 

 After the fight was over, Kawaki was forced to release his parents, because his death meant the collapse of the ‘ Dikokuten’. He cared about Naruto to the point. 

He knew that this was gonna happen, but the pain it carried was immense, he fled to his hideout, he wasn’t sure what to do next, he had freed Sasuke, but he had also forgotten him once again, now he felt truly alone, he had no hope left in him.

After their death, she tried her best to reach out to him, and even though they never got to talk, he knew what she wanted to say, but he didn’t want to lose her too, he wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, Sumire’s death instilled hate in him, and losing his family extinguished the flame inside him, the last warm sensation was her presence in the world.

 

She had occupied the only place left in his heart, someone too much to lose, she was the only person he found peace in, but he had to leave her behind to keep her safe.

 

Even in the darkest night, in the deepest ocean, she took his hand, shifted his priorities again, and kept him going, hoping to protect the village she wanted to lead, safe from all threats, she was his reason to live, even if he couldn’t be with her, he would always be in her shadows, that motivation kept him going, his little warmth in a world too cold for him.

 

He was content with just talking to her via letters, though brief, it still satisfied him, the knowledge of her safety was enough for him, he didn’t want her to go through the same hell, he had gone through, she was his ‘sun’ and he needed her to keep himself sane.

 

He blinked his eyes and the scene in front of him turned blurry, her smile became distorted, he rubbed his eyes, only to realize that he was crying, thankfully no one was watching him, he wiped them, regained his composure, and focused on the voice again, this time it was calling to someone.

 

“Boruto!”

 

The voice was …angry, it was such a long time since he had last seen her face, but he remembered those features, the scrunched brows, and pouty lips, it seemed like she had been calling him for some time, her jet black eyes were glaring and she was holding out something, giving it to him, he realized that he was looking at her, not an image in his mind but a real Sarada glaring at him:

 

“At least pay attention to your surroundings, i have been calling you for the previous minute”

 

He came out of his thoughts and quickly grabbed the paper from her hand, not wanting to anger her anymore, it displayed the schedule of the trip as well as the regulations, he swept a glance across the paper, folded it, and stuffed it in his pocket, Sarada was still staring at him, with Sumire in tow, this was shaping to be a bad situation.

 

“Do you need something, from me?” he asked. Sarada was looking at him with concern in her black eyes, for a moment, the two images overlapped, and he blinked multiple times to confirm who was standing before him.

 

“You should tell the teachers if you are not feeling okay” she replied. She believed what she saw, Boruto knew that too, he wanted to maintain his distance, he likely was gonna faint from the daymares, if not from the exhaustion.

 

“I am fine, why are you asking” he tried to lie, but his attempt failed.”Then why did it look like you were crying?”

 

Notes:

Share your thoughts, I'll be very grateful!

Chapter 8

Sarada was not shocked to find Boruto leaning against the railings; aside from his obvious indifference to the enthusiasm of the entire class, there was nothing unusual about his conduct. At least until last month, everything was normal. She was certain that something had happened when he fainted following the sparring match. She tried everything she could to find out more about the situation, but she failed gracefully.

 

After numerous attempts to engage with him, she couldn't shake the feeling that Boruto was actively avoiding her. It annoyed her a little when she finally realized what was happening. Despite his occasional obnoxiousness and rudeness, none of it seemed to be apparent on his face upon his return to the academy. There was a complete shift in Boruto's demeanor; he went from being a grinning idiot to a quiet, serious Boruto.

 

His frequent moments of being lost in thought or staring at someone or something became part of his daily routine. She often felt a sense of distance, as if he didn't recognize them anymore. Their communication dwindled, and she could barely recall the few occasions when he interacted with them, the exchanges consisting of only a handful of words. While most people perceived Boruto as carefree, nobody, not even others from his close-knit group, anticipated such a profound shift in his demeanor.

 

In addition to the one time he asked her for training, which was interrupted by Lord Sixth, that was the last interaction she had with him. During the brief scuffle, she noticed significant improvements in him. She vividly remembered the intense spar against Mitsuki, and she pondered what might have sparked his sudden interest in training. Upon reflecting on the fight, she couldn't detect any hint of struggle from any angle she viewed it.

 

As she observed him fight against his clones, she gradually realized that he was far better than what he had previously let on. The spar exhibited a level of skill that she would expect from a higher-ranking ninja, making it challenging for her to even keep pace with the unfolding battle. What truly stood out was the fact that despite abstaining from the use of ninjutsu, he effortlessly dealt with them by using techniques that she was certain he never learned.

 

That spurred her to dedicate even more time to her training. Her ultimate goal of becoming The Hokage seemed like an impossible dream unless she could surpass Boruto in skill and ability.

 

Then one day, it occurred.

 

As she slept in her room, a dull ache coursed through her brain, intensifying whenever she activated her Sharingan. It wasn't a severe pain, but more like a constant weight pressing on her mind. This discomfort troubled her as she concentrated on manipulating her chakra as if something was perpetually obstructing its flow.

 

Upon experiencing dizziness, she initially attributed it to her recent awakening of Sharingan. However, as time passed, the persistent effects hinted at a different underlying cause. Despite her best efforts to keep on going, she found it increasingly challenging to maintain her balance. and she eventually made the decision to discontinue her Sharingan training. The frustration of having to halt her training, something she had been eagerly pursuing, was palpable. With a heavy heart, she begrudgingly muttered beneath her breath as she acknowledged the disappointment of calling it a day.

 

Darkness…… 

 

She found herself standing on a desolate and vast plane, with nothing but empty space stretching out for miles in every direction. Her body felt weak and lifeless, and a faint, thrumming sound filled the air around her. Despite the absence of any breathable air in this endless desolation, chills ran across her skin. She noticed a faint, glowing thread that seemed to appear in the distance. Feeling drawn to it, she started following its faint luminescence, eventually leading her to a mysterious crevice. As she gazed around, a sense of unease washed over her as the area was engulfed in an eerie and ominous silence. The fissure itself emitted a faint, pulsating white glow as if it held an eager anticipation to expel something unknown.

 

‘’I am having a really bizarre dream,’’ she thought.

 

"Wait! How can I be certain that this is a dream when I am experiencing such vivid sensations?" Her mind acknowledged the extensive range of motion and the apparent comprehensive understanding of her surroundings, creating a sense of surreal clarity.

 

After hesitating for what seemed like an eternity, she found herself standing alone amid a vast expanse, with nothing but emptiness stretching out in every direction. The monotonous pacing had worn her out, and her eyes fixated on the only existing feature in the landscape: a narrow crevice. With a mix of fear and curiosity, she touched its rugged surface.

 

The crack emitted a blinding burst of white energy that swiftly enveloped her, causing a drastic transformation in the surrounding landscape. The ground shifted and flowed beneath her feet as a series of rapidly flickering images filled her vision. What she witnessed seemed like a terrifying manifestation of Konoha Shinobi's worst nightmares.

 

The destroyed village….

 

Her friends, some in the hospital, or some injured...

 

No sign of her father or Nanadime, all souls cursing someone under their breaths…

 

(change)

 

The graves, with their names on it….

 

(change)

 

Another under the statue of the Will of Fire, with the name Naruto Uzumaki engraved on it….

 

Hinata Uzumaki, Himawari Uzumaki….

 

Shaikadai Nara, Chocho Akimichi, Inojin Yamanaka, Simure Kakei…..

 

The line of grieving townsfolk and Shinobi seemed to stretch on, their sorrowful cries echoing through the vast expanse.

 

Then, another one near the Uzumaki’s was a name she had never heard before...

 

Kawaki Uzumaki……

 

The atmosphere shifted abruptly, leaving her no time to gather her thoughts. A mysterious figure loomed before her, engulfed in black. It was impossible to discern whether the figure was a youthful teen or a grown man, as his features were concealed by long strands of blonde hair. His attire bore a striking resemblance to her father's, accentuated by the radiant glow of the setting sun. As he peered at her with a single deep blue eye, a sense of unease crept over her.

 

‘Boruto?’

 

The single eye, its gleam a tapestry of unknown depths, held something she couldn't quite wrap her mind around. It seemed to be a fleeting farewell as he dissolved into a whirlwind, leaving her to lunge forward in a futile attempt to grasp him. She was left with nothing but the echo of her own rapid breaths as the weight of inexplicable sadness washed over her like a cascade…

 

She stood still, mesmerized by the sight of her hands, slightly larger than her own, with elegant and smooth fingers that resembled those of her mother. As she gazed up at the setting sun, the world around her seemed to undergo yet another transformation, serving as a painful reminder of the changes she couldn’t control.

 

Her body froze in place as the images accelerated, and her eyes felt like they were about to pop out of her sockets. The air was leaving her body, the suffocation was completely real, and she wasn't sure if it was a dream or not; it felt like someone was choking her, and as the last vision passed, she slid into a cold, red liquid, her consciousness fading into oblivion. She shouted in pain, but the surrounding noises drowned it out. Tears streamed from her eyes.

 

Just in time, she snapped out of her daze and jolted upwards, panting heavily with clusters of sweat rolling down her forehead. She suddenly felt her body shrink in size as a sharp pain pierced her head, making her feel like it might explode at any moment. Her cheeks were wet once more as fresh tears streamed down her face, leaving behind trails of salt.

 

Gasping frantically for air, she struggled to get up on her feet, but the dizziness in her head caused her to stumble. She quickly tried to regain her balance, but before she knew it, her legs gave way, and she fell face-first on the floor, hitting her head hard on the ground. As she lay there, the world around her turned blurry and dark, until finally, she succumbed to the darkness and passed out.

 

As she slowly regained consciousness, the gentle warmth of the sun's rays caressed her face. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find herself in her own bed. She struggled to remember how she had ended up there after losing consciousness.

 

As she slowly rose to her feet, feeling unsteady, she couldn't help but wonder, "Was all that a dream?"

 

The pounding headache that had plagued her just moments before had vanished, leaving behind a strange, icy numbness at the back of her brain. It sent shivers down her spine and made her skin crawl. As she tried to shake off the unsettling sensation, the memory of the dream flooded back to her. It had been a terrifying, nightmarish vision straight out of a horror movie. She made a mental note never to watch those again if her nights were going to end up like this.

 

She slowly made her way to the bathroom, feeling unsteady as she reached for the shower handle. The cold water cascaded over her face, providing a welcome relief against her drenched body. As she finished her shower, she carefully selected her clothes and then reached for her glasses, her mind wandering as she did so.

 

‘‘Maybe I should ask Mama to take a better look’’

 

The only option was to ask her mother, as she had been unable to find a solution for the pain in the last few days. She was on her limit and had to admit that the nightmare had indeed spooked her. Many questions were floating in her mind, but she felt it was better not to know the answers. 

 

The pictures of the boy who resembled Boruto, the villagers lamenting the murder of the Uzumakis, and the unknown member remained vivid in her mind. She was unsure what to tell her mother...

 

“I‘d prefer if you don't.” 

 

Startled by the abrupt intrusion, she instinctively snatched the sharp kunai from her drawer, her muscles coiling with tense anticipation. The chilling feminine voice had caught her completely off guard, and she frantically swept her piercing gaze across the room, desperately searching for any sign of an unwelcome intruder. She observed every detail of the room, but to her dismay, she found no one. 

 

‘’Who’s there?” she demanded, her voice booming across the room…

 

No response…. 

 

No one came out; she lowered her weapon and surveyed her room, checking beneath the bed and outside the window, but found no one. 

 

‘Strange’

 

She picked up the brilliant pink spot through the floor, pulsating slowly. She recognized it as her mother’s Chakra signature, feeling assured that she was at home and asleep. She checked the room again and found no one.

 

‘I could swear that I heard someone,’ she frowned as she dropped the Kunai on the table.

 

"Keep it low; you might wake her up; she must be tired from the night shift."

 

There it was again! Her eyes flew across her room again as she spun around, but no one was behind her…

 

“Now then, how does it work?”  

 

Now that she was convinced she was not hearing things, she concentrated on trying to find the source…

 

“Ah!…”

 

Goosebumps erupted across her skin the moment she heard the ominous yelp. Instantly, a powerful force yanked her backwards, enveloping her in a bone-chilling sensation. In the span of a heartbeat, she found herself ripped from the comfort of her bedroom and thrust into the dark, unsettling place—one that eerily resembled her nightmare. Fear rippled through her body, in anticipation of the inevitable confrontation. The unknown lurked in the shadows, filling her with a sense of dread and uncertainty.

 

But nothing happened; she slowly moved forward, but with no sense of direction, she couldn’t determine where she was…

 

‘’Well, that was surprisingly easy."

 

Whoever was speaking certainly was up to something, and as if she wasn’t scared enough, a presence made itself known behind her. She quickly punched behind her by spinning her body, only to be blocked by someone. Her arm was caught at the bicep with long, sleek fingers similar to the ones she had seen before. She raised her eyes and found herself face-to-face with a girl…

 

Tall, pale skin, black hair... she jumped at the sight of two sanguine orbs, shining in her eyes with three tomoes pronounced. She wore a black tunic reaching above her mid-thighs, and her arms were covered with long black fingerless gloves. The rest of her body was obscured due to the darkness in the room…

 

“ Calm down; it might take some time to explain all of this.”

 

The voice echoed in the room; she took a step backward and steeled herself. She asked…

 

“Who are you? And where am I? And how are you speaking to me!?”

 

She blurted all those questions in a single breath; her heart dropped when she focused on her features, which ominously resembled her own…

 

The girl’s eyes were surely assessing her for who knows what; she smiled as she turned her Sharingan off, but Sarada didn’t let her guard down; being in an unknown place and with someone that dangerously resembled herself was slowly but surely freaking her out…

 

A few ideas popped into her head, but before she could think any further, the girl spoke…

 

‘’For starters, I am Sarada Uchiha.”

 

“Wha-!!?”

 

She choked on her words when she heard those words…

 

‘No way! But how_’

 

She stared wide eyes, jaws dropped at the girl who just called herself Sarada; her mind raced over the many possibilities, but none seemed plausible….

 

As if the other Sarada was reading her mind, she smiled again and spoke :

 

“Well, all in due time, but Mama is calling you, so see you! ”

 

In an instant, she was thrust out by an unseen force and found herself standing in the middle of her room. Her mother’s voice reverberated through the entire house. As her mind readjusted to the change again, she smacked right into the wall due to the vertigo; she regained her composure and shouted back.

 

“C_coming!” 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At first, the situation seemed utterly unbelievable, leaving her at a loss for who to turn to for guidance. It was difficult to believe that she was communicating with her older self from the future in her subconscious. Being entangled in such a situation did not exactly align with her mood. However, she gained valuable insights about both the mysterious communication and her future self.

 

1. They could talk in her head without needing to face each other; it was helpful but distracting sometimes.
2. They could switch places, allowing for dual control of her body (she wasn’t exactly fond of that, even though she could see what was going on), and that’s why she found herself in the bed instead of the floor.
3. According to her, they were still exposed to sensory ninjas and the Byakugan; they could evade the sensory ninjas by masking their chakra as much as possible, but even then they would be found if the ninja knew what to look for.
4. The place they were talking in was her mindscape; it was not what she expected, but according to her older self, it was okay.
5. Her older self was serious most of the time, but there were times when she acted childish like her mother but still had an air of maturity around her.

 

When she broached the topic of those troubling images with her older self, the response was a stark silence. Her cheerful attitude faded, giving way to a solemn expression and sorrow evident in her eyes. Sarada chose not to press further than necessary; the mere glimpses of that future had already unsettled her, but the person in front of her was the one who went through hell.

 

Her older self spoke in hushed tones, and the emotional turmoil was evident on her face. Sarada&#39;s words grew quieter as she continued, recognizing the weight of the situation.

 

When it finished, Sarada found herself at a loss for words once more; it made sense if her older self wished to change the future, but then she remembered something: that had been nagging her for some time.

 

“Who was that guy in your memories?”

 

She knew the answer, yet she was expecting an alternate explanation. The sight she had witnessed had left her with more questions than answers, and there were still countless gaps in her story that she couldn’t piece together herself. As a result, Sarada found herself unable to resist the urge to seek answers.

.

 

“That was Boruto; the last time I saw him was on that day.”

 

Her voice quivered with a haunting solemnity, its tone indicating the impending doom. Though they were talking through a mental link, the sadness in her tone painted a vivid picture of her distress. The mere mention of the dead people was uncomfortable for someone who wanted to suppress them.

 

“Is he dea_?” she couldn’t even complete her sentence.

 

“No, he left the village and then never showed his face again, that idiot….it’s been eight years since then.”

Among the numerous revelations she had, the most startling was the story of omnipotence; she wasn't sure if she believed it, but she had no other choice but to accept what her older self was telling her with a grain of salt.

 

Whilst desperately wanting to provide comfort, she found herself helpless, unable to console her. This weight of such grief was yet unfamiliar to her., All she could do was be considerate and not ask any unnecessary demands on her.

 

As the older Sarada told her Boruto, she bore a stoic expression, the anguish deeply etched on her face, yet tightly controlled. Through the subtle shifts in her eyes and brows, Sarada could sense the magnitude of her emotions that were just beneath the surface. The elder Sarada spoke of Boruto's ultimate failure to utter devastation, and his descent into madness, Sarada felt a sense of sorrow and grief, as she could only imagine the pain that her friend was about to face.

 

She explained to her about Kawaki and his true character. She could hear a sense of dislike in her voice towards the boy, mentioning how he had taken Boruto’s life, made her own life hard, and treated Himawari coldly after sealing away her parents. The boy who Boruto recognized as his brother finally accepted him as a member of their family.

 

She was shocked to hear about the Hokage’s death. She considered him the safest person, second to her father and mother. The news rattled her because she had seen how strong he was, and the fact that he was going to die made her wonder who or what he had been fighting against.

 

Her attention was diverted back to the trip when she heard Smurie calling her; the girl was still being monitored after the academy incident. Keeping a straight face, she waved to let her know where she was in the crowd, Even in the future, the girl suffered persecution due to her connections to the root; her name was dragged through mud even after death. It turned out that her older self owed her quite a lot.

 

“They never stopped badmouthing her even after her death. Hokage-Sama tried his best to suppress the leakage of information, but it was an inside job.”

 

‘ What happened to the person who leaked the information?’ Every new bit of information was groundbreaking for her, and she had learned not to react too much in a crowd.

 

“Someone killed him; we only found his dismembered corpse.”

 

‘ Who was it?’ she inquired, trying to keep a neutral face for the girl standing in front of her; she didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

 

“A root member, a devotee of Danzo, those scumbags were biding their time to paint Konoha in their master’s will.”

 

‘ Wasn’t he one of the elders? And what is root anyway? I tried to search for it in the library, but I found nothing.  

 

“That elder formed the organization in the guise of protecting Konoha, but in fact he used it for his own selfish purposes.’’

 

‘Like what?’ Instead of answering, her older self signaled to postpone the conversation since Simure was beginning to suspect something, if her tilted head and confused expression were any indication.

 

Smurie Kakei, being the class rep, was tasked with managing the group of students. Contrary to what she had expected from someone who had just tried to destroy Konoha, she was a shy girl asking for her help in distributing the papers that contained the rules of conduct during the trip.

 

“That’s a surprise; they didn’t give us any of this in my time,’’ Older Sarada mused, presumably looking at the timetable.

 

‘ Huh, is it concerning? It’s pretty insignificant if you ask me.’ she spoke in her mind.

 

“Time doesn’t behave like that; every little thing matters.” 

 

‘Are you saying the timeline is changing?’ she raised an eyebrow at the statement, not sure what she really meant.

 

“A good chance, I don’t know much about time travel, but we can make some assumptions, no?”

 

‘Then how are you so sure that it will affect the future?’ she asked.

 

“Well, Boruto and Papa once had a time-traveling experience; they didn’t tell me all of it, but from what I understood through Boruto’s rambling, that’s the most I can say.”

 

‘So, basically, you have no idea what to do next?’ she inquired, a little surprised by the sudden news that there were people who had done time travel.

 

“Hey! It wasn’t like I had planned to jump back in time. Plus, they might have changed the regulations after what happened to Boruto."  Her older self snapped a little, and she grimaced from the pain that radiated due to the sudden fluctuation in her chakra, but she kept reading the paper.

 

That made sense; she was sure that the controlling panel must have reconsidered their decision to give them too much freedom; they were on guard after that incident, which also explained the high number of guards on the ship.

 

“Is something wrong, Sarada-chan?” Simure’s voice interrupted her train of thought; her eyebrows knitted in worry, probably from seeing her stern face.

 

“N-no, I was just thinking something else,’’ she hurriedly gave her a vague explanation.

 

“Oh! Okay… Can you give this to Boruto-kun?” she held out a paper to her;’’ she was most likely in a hurry since her stack of papers was still looking pretty much untouched.

 

“Sure” 

 

She accepted the paper and glanced around. After a few moments, she found Boruto in the same spot as before, leaning over the fence. She walked towards him, hoping he would notice her, but instead, he just kept staring at the sea as if nothing else was present. She called out his name.

 

“Boruto” 

 

No response

 

“Boruto!’

 

Again, no response

 

“Boruto!!”

 

No response; his body remained leaning on the railings, his eyes frozen in place, not even the faintest trails of breath….

 

“BORUTO!”

 

He visibly flinched and abruptly turned around; he looked her straight in the eye, she sensed anticipation from her mindscape, and then there it was.

 

That confused gaze, as if he didn’t recognize her….

 

Sarada noticed something flickering in Boruto's eyes as she approached him. It was the same distant and unfamiliar stare he always had of late, as if he were looking at a stranger rather than his friend.   He blinked repeatedly as if trying to dredge up some semblance of recognition within himself. She felt her older self's chakra bubbling beneath the surface, threatening to draw attention to them.

 

Finally, Boruto seemed to recognize her; his face flashed with surprise but quickly transformed back into his stoic facade. Sarada couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment that her friend's demeanor remained unchanged as if nothing was wrong.

 

“At least pay attention to your surroundings; I have been calling you for the previous minute!”

 

Despite her questioning, he remained silent and suddenly grabbed the page from her grasp. A jolt of surprise coursed through her, but her older self urged her to stay quiet but didn’t explain the reason. His eyes darted over the paper,  before swiftly tucking it away in his pocket. Turning his gaze towards Smuire behind her, he asked in a low flaky tone.

 

“Do you need something from me?’’

 

As she observed him, she couldn't help but notice the subtle signs of unease that he was attempting to conceal. Despite his facade of composure, there was a nervous twitching in his fingers that betrayed his inner turmoil. And then there was her older self's sudden silence,. His gaze lingered on her as if searching for something hidden, and the colors in his eyes seemed dull and lifeless, lacking their usual vibrancy. It became clear to her that he was trying to mask his anxiety as he struggled to maintain control over his rapidly increasing breathing rate. 

 

She felt a pang of concern for him, despite any differences they may have had. "You should tell the teachers if you are not feeling okay," she urged gently, hoping that he would open up about whatever was troubling him. i.

 

“I am fine; why are you asking?’’ He replied, his voice wavering like a leaf, betraying the induced calm on his face.

 

So be it…

 

“Then why did it look like you were crying?” she questioned back, and she immediately knew that she had hit the bull’s eye.

 

His body went stiff immediately, and he averted his eyes, She tugged at her mental connection, but her older self didn’t respond. She was already suspecting him to have received memories from the future as well, but the way he was acting was completely off. 

 

“You must be imagining things,’’ he replied, still refusing to meet her eyes.

 

‘’Maybe..but are you really okay?’’ Although she was working on the assumption that she saw tears on his face, she too deeply cared about him; he was a loud mouth, brash, and immature, but even then he was still her friend.

 

Before she could get an answer, Boruto vanished, Shunshin. She clicked her tongue and started scanning the deck, she failed to detect any indication of the blonde's presence. Despite her attempt to detect his chakra, it felt like it had vanished rapidly, akin to vapor. As soon as she began searching, her elder version interjected.

 

“Don’t, it’s useless, if he doesn’t want you to find him, you won't.”

 

‘He looked like he was on the verge of having a breakdown!’ she screamed at her older self, not wanting to waste any more time arguing with her.

 

“Because he is also from the future,” her older self said like it was the most normal thing in the world.

 

‘What!?’ she stopped dead in her tracks.

 

“It’s just as you thought; right now he has erased his chakra signature; only the older Boruto can do that (she ignores her widening eyes and continues), and the way he is acting has also confirmed some theories in my mind.’’

 

Her mind reeled back to the first day of the academy when Boruto promptly fell unconscious after a brief spar with Mitsuki. She forced herself to calm down and something clicked.

 

‘ So the incident back then was caused by his future self?’ that made sense if he had a breakdown because of the memory onslaught, they weren’t anything but horrifying nightmares, but Boruto’s behavior…..

 

“Exactly, he isn’t just coexisting with him, he has completely taken over the body”

 

‘ That’s…. Unbelievable, how is it even possible?!’ she exclaimed, she noticed the gazes of her classmates, who sheepishly turned away after noticing her attention.

 

“I have a few ideas, let’s move inside’’

 

Sarada walked back inside the cabin because the heat on the deck was increasing and the conversation would likely drag out. She kept silent listening to her older self's explanation. It sounded unrealistic but she didn’t interrupt her...

 

“We would have also ended up like him, if not for different chakra composition’’

 

‘What do you mean?’ she asked while picking out a book she found in the library, not that it would answer her questions, but was enough for forbidding anyone from bothering her. ’Chakra has the same nature in every being, doesn’t it?’

 

“Correct, but due to the presence of Momoshiki and their merging, his chakra became more…let’s say, potent, I think that since this Boruto is compatible with him, he managed to survive, otherwise, he would have been blown by the sudden injection of chakra’’

 

‘That Otsutsuki you talked about that was inhabiting Boruto’s body, isn’t it?’ she asked, remembering the conversation amidst the dozen she had had with her.

 

“I think he did something to prevent himself from dying, as for us my chakra perfectly synchronized with you, it didn’t have an additional factor in it, that’s why I was able to control the amount of my Chakra flowing inside your body, instead of blowing you to bits’’

 

‘Well, thanks for that, what are we going to do about him?’ she wanted her older self's opinion and ignored the fact that she could have died due to her older self's stunt.

 

‘’That depends on what he does, I think the best option is to give him some time, it must be quite overwhelming for him,’’

 

‘ Agreed’ she couldn’t argue on that point, Older Sarada engrossed herself in the conversation going around her while she continued to read the book. They avoided talking further because of the roaming sensory nin moving around the corridors. There wasn’t that much progress but she was bound to do nothing other than wait.

 

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Close…

 

Too close….

 

He couldn't believe how much she affected him. Her mere presence stirred up emotions he had long buried deep within him. He didn't want to lose control, especially in front of her. The tranquil surroundings offered an escape from his internal chaos, with a gentle breeze enveloping him in a calming embrace. He sat down on the cool metal surface, feeling its sturdy weight support his trembling frame. He let out a deep, his mind tumultuous whirlpool of thoughts and emotions, as his closed eyes scoured the vast expanse of his deepest fears and desires. With each inhale and exhale, he struggled to steady his ragged breathing, swallowed in the almost empty sky

.

 

A deep breath, another, and repeat…

 

He focused his chakra, channeling it through the nooks and crannies of his body, invoking a sense of tranquility that calmed down every inch of his being. His mind, a mess of emotions and memories, gradually came to a rest, like a storm calming down after a fierce tussle with the winds. He breathed deeply, his chest expanding and contracting rhythmically, as he allowed the peaceful atmosphere to seep into his soul.

 

He muffled the image of her presence in his mind, and instead turned his focus inwards. He felt the beating of his own heart, the pulsing of his own blood as it coursed through his veins, and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. He delved deeper, connecting with his physical body, establishing his boundaries, and sensing the flow of his chakra within himself. He extended his awareness outward, feeling the energy within his vicinity, and gradually spreading it to encompass the entire surroundings. The hours flew by, and the soft glow of the sun slowly gave into the shadowy darkness of the night.

Notes:

Enjoy^_^

Chapter 9

He stared at the stars in Suna’s night sky, a beautiful view if one was looking for it. In his mind, he was in an enemy land, where the price of his head rivaled the entire collection of Sun’s Bingo book bounties collectively. A soft breeze flowed from Konaha's direction, fluttering his hair as he ran toward his destination. Another year had passed, but the situation remained the same, the war had taken a toll on everyone, some hit the worst while some managed to curb the blow a little more than others. Suna’s predicament was no different from the rest of them. Lacking of resources, manpower, and capable administration, were just the glaring issues the minor ones were being sidelined.

 

Some hours later, he was in his hideout in Konoha, a well-hidden place, underground and covered by a strong Genjutsu. Orochimaru’s craftiness was fascinating. The intertwining of numerous tunnels provided an excellent route of escape if required. He settled into his makeshift bed, a stone slab with a cloth on it. He had long gotten used to it in the past six or eight years since he ran away permanently from his home.

 

His Home……….

 

Yeah, his used to be home……………

 

If it was his past self he would be turning over in the bed, cursing himself or his weakness, his ineptitude, or his naivety. But now, he just accepted it as every other variable in his life. He used to feel grief, anger, helplessness, rage, and most importantly pain, every time he thought about them, now he felt nothing. A void filled his heart and his brain always reached a logical conclusion to what the situation represented, before letting any emotion even register. 

 

An inevitable outcome of his merging with the Ohtutsuki inside of him. There was no longer Boruto Uzumaki or Momoshiki inhabiting this body. It was just Boruto, or his various monikers that described him in the Bingo books. The killer of Seventh Hokage, the Kara resurgent, the immortal ….so on. Honestly, some of them were hilarious he was dumbfounded when he heard them. He instead opted to turn his attention to the other occupant of the facility.

 

Ouga, the last remaining ex-member of Kara, was working on the knowledge Amado left in Kara’s Hideout and the one he had salvaged from the Konoha scientific Lab. He had once helped her when he was a kid. How she escaped Eida’s Omnipotence was a mystery he couldn’t completely understand. 

 

‘ I lost a part of my brain when Jigen-sama attacked for experimenting on his body without his permission"

 

That was all she had told him, similar to their previous conversation years ago. He had then concluded that Eida’s Omnipotence possibly attacked the part of the brain that was actively involved in making decisions because Ouga suffered from the problem of processing emotions, not that she lacked emotions. It contradicted Momoshiki’s explanation of the ability. It could change the perception of anyone by enforcing the desires of the user on them. The perception of a person is actively influenced by the decisions they unconsciously make about something. Maybe losing that part of herself had allowed her to scoot past the ability. 

 

The chakra inside the brain usually moves around by sensing the chemical messages and impulses fired by the brain. it regulates its flow accordingly and actively when the part of the brain in charge of its flow commands it directly, that’s how it stores the information in itself by making imprints when the information is processed in the brain.

 

Omnipotence, he had concluded was like every other jutsu. It worked by manipulating the decision-making part of the brain since most of the decisions are influenced by emotions. The only thing that worked out of logic was that it also affected the target’s chakra. Chakra can store memories, like an imprint, that’s where omnipotence took the jump. It rewired the chakra composition of the target according to the user’s desire. Memory manipulation was the only jutsu similar enough but unlike memory manipulation or erasure or any other genjutsu, it never left any imprint. It was impossible to reverse it unless the user had willed it.

 

The working explanation was that the part of her brain responsible for processing emotions was missing, which in turn had affected her decision-making process. She had no perspective on anything. A detailed examination showed that the chakra pathways leading to the forebrain were damaged and additional pathways circumvented around the injury, leading to a gaping hole that was crudely healed but failed to retain any functionality. So no chakra was flowing in that part which presented no target for an attack. 

 

So, Ouga began helping mostly looking after his injuries or maintaining and organizing the information he brought after Koji’s death. He was skeptical at first whether she was helping him because he was the boy Kara took in until she told him otherwise. 

 

He felt nothing toward her, she was another existence that helped her, he wasn’t sure whether he was grateful for that or just acknowledging her efforts to repay him for his act years ago. His mind again provided him with the hollow answer he hoped to avoid.

 

‘ She is returning the favor’

 

   His thought was followed by silence all over the hideout except the clicking sounds of keys, or the occasional hum from Ouga’s mouth. Sometimes she acted like a child, befitting the henge she had used before. He was grateful for her, or his mind supplied him that he should be. He had long since given up trying to fall back to his younger self’s personality, the optimistic and ambitious approach he had once taken, the whole concept of such an attitude became illogical. He always felt something trying to bubble up in his chest only to fade the moment it registered with his brain. Even Momshiki’s greediness felt childish, his presence had dissolved with his own, merging to create the abomination he is today. Even the memory of his family’s death failed to elicit any feelings from him any longer.

 

His thought process halted when Ouga called him.

 

“What is it?” he asked, hoping it came out neutral as he approached her.

 

“There is some disturbance that the Toads are picking up” she replied, in an equally neutral voice.

 

“Where?”

 

“Some miles away from the border, seems like Claw grimes.” she looked a little confused.

 

“Something wrong?” the only problem he could think of was if some other person happened to be in the area, although the Ten-tails had been destroyed he still wasn’t sure what would happen. The downside of not having Koji around. However, the toads he left behind came in handy.

 

There were enough for Ouga to deconstruct them, learn their structure, and reengineer them specifically for him.

 

“They….. seem to be moving around the same place, circling the clear patch between the trees, it seems,” she explained with pinched brows, as she examined the data from the scout Toad that had appeared a while ago.

 

“Any other signature in the area?”.  Any irregular movement by those mindless beasts was nothing but suspicious, they had no concrete goal, except biting any entity with Chakra. Especially with no one controlling them, they were just running around like headless chickens with explosive tags.

 

“No, not any that the Toads could have picked up” She looked up at him, seeking further instructions.

 

“There must be something in the area they must be after or…someone. I'll check it out.” He grabbed his coat and cloak hanging from the wall and his sword resting against the bed frame. His eyes fell on the blank back of the coat that once held the Uzumaki symbol, which he had discarded a long time ago—a sign of cutting his ties from his origin when that anchor fell too deep in the ocean, never to be retrieved.

 

“Are you sure, you just came back, shouldn’t you be resting?” Ouga said as a matter of fact.

 

“I’ll be fine, we might be expecting a guest though, so be prepared ” he then donned his attire quickly and prepared to move. A toad leaped on his shoulder and hid in his cloak’s collar. He focused on the link on the scouting toads in the general direction and disappeared.

 

Hirashin was an incredible jutsu, fast, and untraceable, the only downside was that he didn’t know what he would be facing when he arrived at the intended location. As soon as he touched the ground with the toad in his collar, he threw one marked kunai behind him and one high in the tree that entered his vision first, the visual input came next. There were almost 9 claw grimes crawling around the clearing, as soon as his feet touched the ground three of them lunged at him only to meet thin air and a kunai sticking out of the ground. In the next moment, a sword protruded out of a grim’s chest with no blood and Boruto used his momentum from the teleportation to force it to the ground. His senses flared.

 

There were in fact 13 claw grimes instead of 10, moving around the area but entirely focused on the empty expanse Ouga mentioned. He squinted, there was nothing there except something that kept probing his senses, too faint for a chakra signature. The beasts could sense it much clearer because they were made of chakra themselves, it was their nature. His sensory perception was inferior to them. 

 

They jumped into the fray in the next moments, and Boruto weaved through them, it had become a routine for him at this point. He would have treated them like annoying bugs but his paranoia kept him on the edge. The expanse was slowly gathering up Nature Chakra, almost like a wind-aided poison, calmly picking up speed and area. He sliced three more of the grimes when the expanse began to brighten up lightly, he could feel the thrumming of Nature Energy from afar. His attention was again diverted by the attacking grimes. He jumped to avoid the low swipe and twisted mid-air to pin the attacker on the ground. He skewered the head coming out of the Claw mark with his sword. 

 

There were 6 of them remaining, but all of them paused when the bubbling chakra exploded like a paper bomb. The beasts turned their attention towards the source completely disregarding him. He quietly teleported to the Hirashin marker on the tree and observed the activity of the grimes, none of them noticed his retreat, and kept them in his sight as he focused on the vibrating chakra.

 

The expanse was vibrating with nature chakra, the years of training on nature chakra paid off. He wouldn’t have been able to sense it before, he would have just sat back hoping that it was not catastrophic, but now he could tell that that much nature energy was not normal to gather in one place if no jutsu was being used. He readied himself, if some nin came out then he would kill them, no matter the village. He had made a lot of efforts to erase himself from the hidden village’s radars, no one would mess with it. The glow started growing outward forming a bubble, he could feel the elation in the beast, they were also feeling the absurd amount of chakra probably itching to consume it.

 

It vibrated and doubled in density, then vibrated again, and the chakra inside it increased again. He felt something, a distortion in the space before him. The sensation was strange but he had felt something like it before, he narrowed his eyes and tried to recall the feeling it was weird, as if something was forcing itself through the air.

 

It must be a jutsu, but who? There is no Senjutsu practitioner I know of……

 

As the bubble burst, an explosion of Chakra erupted, like water from a punctured balloon. He squinted against the swirling glow, straining to make out the contents within the bursted sphere. Gradually, his eyes revealed the faint silhouette of a figure lying at the bubble's center, shrouded in vibrant streams of energy. The figure was almost ghostly motionless as the luminous Chakra enveloped it. 

 

His suspicion rose, the amount of nature chakra that erupted in the way it did would have killed anyone, civilian-ninja altogether. Yet the figure showed no sign of injuries, he could see its chest rising and falling, and it was a little pointed on the top.

 

A female then.

 

Her size indicated that she was a teen, about 10 or 13 years old, or in between. He couldn’t tell before he could think any further, the claw grimes pounced upon her. He instantly sunshined behind one of the beasts and sliced its head off before it could react, no matter who it was he wasn’t stupid enough to turn his back to an unknown despite the situation. No one just accidentally came to this area, it was far away from the border, with no villages or towns in sight, the only thing that was near was one of Orochimaru’s lairs. All those who came near it came with the intention of killing him. it was a famously known rumor, that the Hokage killer was always lurking in Orochimaru’s labs, searching for immortality. 

 

But why a child? He was not above killing her if she proved to be hostile. That was until the light receded and her face became clear. All his thoughts screeched to a halt.

 

Sarada??

 

Immediately, as if in a trance he grabbed the unconscious body of the girl and teleported to a safe distance away from the claw grimes. He took another look at the girl, he recognized the face, and it was etched into his memory. The familiar red-rimmed glasses sat on her nose.

 

It had to be a henge ……….

 

He shook his head. He could contemplate later that the girl was waking up anyway. Instead, he focused on the grimes. They were nothing more than a challenge to him anyway. 

He rushed forward and in one clean swing of katana, as soon as a head plopped on the ground, 3 of them had already disappeared in the claw marks, and the remaining two opted to take a wider arc around in an attempt to pin him. Jura’s meticulous and ingenious handling of his foot soldiers was still ingrained in them, they were no longer mindless beasts no more. They could easily take out a squad of low-level Jounin with the same number if they fought. 

 

He substituted with a broken branch near the dazed girl, as much he would have preferred to leave her behind if not for the claw grimes or for the fact she resembled a little too much his childhood friend. The girls gave out a loud groan.

 

Even her voice is similar……..

 

He notes absentmindedly, the girl looked around and then at him, nose scrunching up a little with confusion and then at the approaching entities, before she could freak out or make a wrong move and got bitten, he grabbed her from her collar back which incited a weak groan from her.

 

“Hey! Who are you?, and what do you think you are doing?!”

 

“Keep your mouth shut, and drop the henge while you are at it” 

 

“What?!, what henge?”

 

He ignored her wailing and dashed away from the pursuers in time. He hoisted the girl under his arms and teleported to one of his kunai marks far away from the beast. He dropped the girl there and flashed to the other side of the clearing. Then he flared his chakra once to get the attention of the beast and then promptly let go of his grip.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

She had no idea what was going on when she woke up she expected her to be in the hospital with her mom or in her bed, but instead, she found herself in the middle of the woods. Strange beasts surrounded her, circling her like predators. Her body was aching as if she had just run multiple laps of the village, the pain radiated throughout her body and got worse when it reached her head, it was pounding as if it was getting constantly hit by a hammer. She felt like she was going to throw up at any moment. His vision was blurred and the world was spinning.

 

A figure in the dark cloak suddenly appeared in front,  grabbed her like a sack and ran off. She tried to retaliate but her body refused to obey her, and then he had the gall to accuse her of using a henge! Before she could say anything they were on the other side of the clearing. He threw her to the side without any care. Her body protested under the rough handling. 

 

How did he move such fast?

 

He was off like a rocket, all up until now he was silent except when he talked, even his footsteps didn’t make any sound, although, there was no need for any stealth. A wave of cold and pressing chakra rocked her, jolting her entire body. It took her a second to realize that it was coming from him. Her body froze and she found herself trying to inch away from it. The figure weaved in and out of the attacks, she had no idea what those were. They were a lot different from the Shin clones she saw. Many other sliced-up bodies were lying on the ground. How long was she out of it? she had no idea. 

 

In a matter of seconds, the figure slashed all of them with his black blade, its hilt was black and white with a small piece of cloth hanging freely. The figure had blonde hair and he was about the height of her father. His movements were too quick for her to see, Sharingan was out of the question. When he turned around, she was shocked to see his face clearly. He looked ridiculously like Nanadime Hokage in the face, minus the one missing whisker and the scar above his eye. He had a stern expression all the while, which revealed nothing other than he was a serious person, he had none of the Hokage’s gentleness. The chilling pressure had not dropped a bit, he was suddenly in front of her crouching down. 

 

He came face to face with her looking her in the eye. She found herself edging backward until her back hit the tree, his eyes were blue, but instead of the bright, cheerful blue that would have calmed her, her blood ran cold those eyes were cold, piercing and studying her like an enemy. Her father’s eyes were scary, but there was no malice when he mistook her for the shin clone. But his eyes were drowning her, she felt trapped.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

The girl was quacking like a leaf in the wind, she was so terrified that she didn’t even notice his sword sticking in the tree close to her neck. She snapped out of her trance when the blade slightly grazed her neck, her eyes went wide as saucers. He was still wondering about the possibility of his friend’s childhood doppelganger running around, but it was absurd. She had weapon pouches on her, and wore the same dress as her, the same glasses. Her strange appearance in the clearing in the way it did…….yeah, somebody was plotting against him.

He spoke before she could get her bearings.

 

“Who are you” he asked.

 

“S-sa-Sarada u-Uchiha..”

 

“Quite a lie, think again”

 

“N-not a l-lie” She looked like she was going to faint, so he let go of his killing intent, but kept the eye contact, the girl visibly relaxed. A fatal mistake, but a child like her probably haven’t noticed it.

 

“Is that so?”

 

The girl stilled again. She was probably an academy student or a genin of 11 or 12 years old. Her eyes narrowed a bit in defiance, there it was the similar stubbornness he remembered of her. He pulled the sword out of the tree and rested it on her shoulder blade pointing towards her neck.

 

“Start talking.”

 

The girl squirmed for a bit, maybe throwing her was not appropriate, she licked her dry lips but didn’t budge.

 

“Don’t test my patience girl” he lowered his voice, and the girl visibly stiffened up. He pressed the sword on her shoulder blade.

 

“W-what are you after?” there was fear in her voice, but her stubbornness was clear as day. Even in the face of certain death, she was staying firm.

 

“What do you think?” her resolve was admirable, but a foolhardy decision to rely on it.

 

“You probably know, that’s why you have kidnapped me, haven’t you?” 

 

Now it was his turn to be confused. 

 

“You don’t know how you got here?”

 

“N-no”

 

This was strange, she hadn’t shown any signs of concussion when she woke up. Her actions were genuine, he could tell. Her body language hadn’t betrayed her yet. A different thought sprung up in his mind.

 

“You say you are Uchiha, then show me the Sharingan” he demanded

 

The girl’s eyes went wide but she still didn’t budge, he had no other choice but to use force. He grabbed her face with his hand and brought it close to his own face, he let the sword fall on the ground.

 

“Show me your Sharingan if you are an Uchiha, girl “

 

She started flapping her feet and her hands gripped his own trying to force it open, then he felt the ridiculous strength he was sure only three people in the world could possess. The girl was using it to free her face from his grip, but it was all for naught. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t tried to learn that technique. he did, after a lot of trial and error, so he ignored the attempts at crushing his hand and shook the suspended body again.

 

The girl’s eyes were watering, perhaps realizing the futility of her struggles. She closed her eyes, at first he thought that she was not going to comply and simply had accepted her death, but then she opened them, and two shining sanguine orbs popped up. His brain instantly went into overdrive, listing every possibility but only a few were plausible, either it was a genetic clone, or….the other one was less credible, Kurasaki should not be here. Something was not adding up.

 

He let go of the girl, no the doppelganger of his childhood friend Sarada Uchiha, someone he still cared about. She still occupied a lot of his thoughts, like an unconscious command his actions were often regulated by instinct. In his darkest moment whenever he thought killing himself was the best option, or letting Kawaki kill him would bring an end to all the chaos, his momoshiki problem would be solved. She served as an anchor, keeping him from drowning in the sea of regret.

 

Leaving her wasn’t an easy choice, it was equivalent to throwing everything she had done for him in her face. But it was necessary, he was only a burden for her damaging her standing in the village, and keeping her father away from her. After Naruto and Hinata were released from Kawaki’s Dikokuten, all previous charges against him and Sasuke were dropped, Sasuke was pardoned on the basis that he knew that Naruto was alive and helped him escape so that he could question him where he was and after knowing the location, a Claw grime bit him and he as unable to come back. With Eida’s help who was surprisingly not salty about him killing Kawaki, the entire situation was dealt with such nuance, that he doubted it could work. But he was then charged with the murder of Hokage’s son. 

 

He kept away from Konoha till the other nations decided that Konoha was weak enough to exact their revenge. Garaa was long dead, his successor was from the clans and Shinki was overlooked because he wasn’t Kazekage's blood, nor did he belong to any clan. Kiri was aligned with Iwa and their Damiyo unearthed his desire to expand his land and attacked a small country that was allied with Kumo,  they purposely targeted Kumo because they had tried it before and failed because of Konoha’s interference. Konoha was roped into the war because both sides needed Konoha’s help to reduce their expenditure by pursuing the shortest route available. 

But Konoha refused so it fell into war trying to protect its borders.

 

He had to help his village with a kill order on his head, but he went with it, killing entire platoons of enemies, and decimating enemy's outposts. He stole intel from his enemies making his allegiance known. Other Konoha shinobi were irritated by him, framing his help as an attempt to curry favor with the Hokage, Sarada even fought against those. He realized soon that Konoha was fighting a losing battle, Naruto’s influence had decreased a lot as his strength, and Konoha’s forces were already depleted. Sasuke was the strongest among them, but even he couldn’t be in two places simultaneously.

 

On one nightmarish night, his entire family was assassinated, only Himawari survived thanks to the nine-tails but there was no sign of her, she was abducted by Konoha nin who had sided with Kiri, they wanted their Jinchuriki. White hot rage consumed him. He couldn’t think of anything at the moment except the overwhelming desire for revenge, the next he remembered was the hell he brought upon his enemies. They had broken every pact they had made, he had to fight and kill the 3 tail Jinchuriki. He ravaged every single cell and every home to find his sister, he eventually found in her an underground cage where they were attempting to break her since they couldn’t extract the Biju. The scene of his sister chained up with no more than an excuse of cloth on her shivering body devastated him, tracks of tears were visible on her face. Days of starvation and thirst took a toll on her body. The way her body jerked and the fear in her eyes when he touched her broke him completely, the little bit of sanity left within him quietly left him as if it was also afraid to see what would happen next.

 

The news of Kiri’s destruction spread around like wildfire. Himawari was successfully rescued by the Anbu. She became a shell of her past self. He was unable to help her through it, too afraid to go near her fearing he might damage her further, even then Sarada helped her guiding her through her grief.

 

He moved from battlefield to battlefield in search of the ones who did all of this, those Konoha nin’s who betrayed and killed his family, only to find out the root was responsible behind the fiasco, and not soon after Shikamaru permanently took the mantle. He tried his best to cull out the root but it became impossible, they were that damn slippery. He wanted to rely on him, and then Simure died in a mission. He accepted that she was a ninja and death was a looming shadow in their line of work, but the defamation of her character by the rumors followed, people talked about her like she was a stain on society, her name was ridiculed. Her connection to the root became common knowledge.

 

Her achievements, and her sacrifice, all was forgotten in a matter of days. Even after killing those responsible, a sense of dread loomed over him. Telling him something was wrong, screaming at him, but he ignored them. Instead, he resorted to keeping an eye from afar.

 

Himawari was then reinstated at the official Jinchuriki position, the elders pushed for it, stating that they needed the Biju to bolster their strength.

 

She needs to understand her position.

 

Her first mission as the Jinchuriki was right in the middle of the battlefield, he wanted to feel angry, feel frustrated but all he could do was watch from afar, he had made clear enemies of Konoha after killing those root bastards dressed as Jonins. He didn’t want her to go through with it, yet the council pushed it, he could have just taken her from Konoha, keep her with him, safe.

 

But he didn’t want her to be deprived of her friends, with him she would have nothing, in her eyes he wasn’t even respectable, he had killed her brother. In Konoha, she will be with Sarada, Aunt Hanabi, and Grandpa Hiashi. His brain reached the stupid conclusion, that she would be safe within Konoha.

 

The single mission turned into 2 then into many, and slowly she lost her smile, whenever he appeared on the battlefield, she would regard him with hate, and scorn and outright give him the cold shoulder. He wanted to be sad and feel frustrated, but no matter what he did he was unable to relive those feelings again. He went to the site of his carnage multiple times trying to invoke something in him. It went all in vain, it only managed to increase the sleepless nights. He wasn’t even afraid of the sight, just being in the same territory many times woke him up.

 

Sarada was the one who told him what was going on under the table, the elders wanted Himawari under their command and were analyzing Himawari’s progress critically. Even being so close to death didn’t stop them from trying to amass power. Shikamaru took active steps against them and curbed their influence, it was a good sign for her. 

 

The war began to get out of their hand, and the need for another powerhouse against other Jinchuriki was felt around the war zones. The only two Sharingan users were occupied on their own respective battlefields. They had no choice but to send her again on missions.

 

The mission she was sent on was classified even Sarada who was now acting as the Hokage’s assistant didn’t know of the details, he only got the whiff of it when he couldn’t sense her chakra in the village anymore. After hours of painful search, he arrived at the border, heavy chakra enveloped the area, a sign that two bijus had fought recently. There were dead bodies he could tell. He rushed into the fray hoping he could spot her as soon as possible.

 

He was too late

 

Blue lifeless eyes stared at him, there was so much blood around her body. 

 

Blood.

 

Soo much blood.

 

Too much blood.

 

One of the enemies noticed and yelled at others, he didn’t register his sound not until a kunai embedded itself in his thigh. He pinned the attacker on the ground with his sword through his gut and let his instinct take control. His brain was fixed on her body, counting the cars he had seen, the long slash on her back, and the sword he had pulled out of her body, the nine-tails was also dead. Nobody could save her now, he moved, parried, and slashed uncaring about the grotesque murder he was committing. When he came to hos his senses later, he was holding her lifeless body. Amid the bloodshed she had grown so much, so fast he was unable to keep track of her, achieved so much. Her body felt light, was it blood loss? Or was it just his imagination? He couldn’t tell. Her face was another thing he couldn’t forget, the tired, pale face of his dead sister

 

Was all my effort worth this?

 

His question was answered brutally when seals flared all around him, restricting his movements. Several masked ninjas came out of hiding. When he saw them, his brain short-circuited.

 

Root.

 

They were here watching their Jinchuriki die, Karma spread on his arms and he moved. Amid the clearing, a puddle of enemy blood and peeled-off flesh. The root ninja with one of his arms in bits and pieces, and the other dangling confessed.

 

The elders were behind this

 

He was their target, and Himwari was deemed unsuitable for a Jinchuriki by them. Too soft, like her father. They strategically leaked the information about her mission knowing that they would be out for blood. Pushed for information classification to hide their involvement. Knew that he would go after her, and they would have their finger dipped in honey, not knowing when they would eventually take them out, predators would be after them.

 

They killed her.

 

He was late, too late to save her, their plan hinged on him saving her, then having both of them killed by their dogs and pinning the blame on him if he escaped alive. If he didn’t, he would still be a criminal, Sarada would become their target next. She had vehemently pushed for her posting in the Kyubi’s squad but got rejected due to her presence being needed elsewhere. They had probably judged her dangerous, due to the way she openly challenged their authority. He would have ripped Konoha inside out, but Sarada's hand on his shoulder stopped him, and he realized something. 

 

He was holding her down, his presence beside her was unneeded.

 

The elders were found guilty for the second time and nothing could stop their execution, the village lost the nine-tails, but at a forgiving time. Iwa gave up on the war due to Sasuke’s effort, his presence on Iwa’s frontier was making them relive the horrors of the third ninja war. A lone man had scared them away, resources exhausted and forces dwindled. They offered a peace treaty.

 

The war ended and he felt constipated at the celebrations, they were making merry on the blood of his family. He felt betrayed by everyone. Even now, he could feel the phantom weight of her dead body in his arms

 

The lone escape in his grief was that at least Sarada was alive. Allowing him a reason to live, but his presence was harmful to her. He made the hard choice of leaving her, knowing that Sasuke would keep her safe, later she would become the Hokage, live her life peacefully, and he would make sure her village would stay safe. He made the decision shamefully easily, throwing all her sympathy, kindness, and efforts back at her face. Now her younger self sat in front of him like some form of vengeance, glaring at him, shaking him. Momoshiki’s words echoed all around him.

 

‘.............they shall take everything from you’

 

“What do you consider everything Boruto?’’ Kawaki had once asked him. He did lose everything because he was too close to them. His presence alone attracted challenge, people only wanted him dead that’s why they used others to get inside his defences.

 

All of that rushed through his brain as he took some steps backward and sat on the ground, watching her gather herself, her cheeks had taken a purple hue and it was probably hurting her. He contemplated the possibilities, the only one left was the turtle. In case, it has returned and someone from this timeline accidentally used it without knowing what it is, it would require them to go back in time first and the traveler would be with her. Unless she got separated but she had no recollection of being taken away.

 

He looked at her again, this time she was eyeing him with caution. She was really Sarada, he got up and walked up to her, as non-threatening as possible. He lowered himself to her eye level, he slowly reached for her face making sure to let her see his hand. She flinched badly at his touch but didn’t back away when healing Chakra soothed her pain, probably wondering what on earth he was doing. He ignored her bewilderment and focused on the job, the bruise was somewhat healing. He wasn’t the best at the job, all the things he knew were taught to him by Sarada. He motioned his hand downward to let her know he wanted to check for injuries, she removed her hands from her ribs hesitatingly, and a cursory Chakra scan revealed no fractures so his immediate worry was gone, next was her near-empty chakra reserves, and the damage to her chakra network, it was bruised pretty badly. He removed his hand and pondered on how to approach this problem, he had experience with this before, but she was the target here of someone, whom he couldn’t tell. 

 

Should he tell her? his objective in this situation should be to minimize the knowledge she would be privy to, prepare a jutsu for erasing memory, and make sure she stays alive. Several plans ran through his brain. He got lost in his thoughts, simulating scenarios in his brain.

 

“Do you know where you are now?” he asked politely this time.

 

“No….” she answered, her tone was skeptical she looked prepared to run the moment notice, though he would probably stop her, she would only make matters worse for herself.

 

“You are…injured, badly to say the least. I am…sorry for my rough behavior, it wasn’t intentional” he apologized, kind of? By her expression, she was also as confused as him. His apology was a half-assed attempt to lighten the barrier. After seeing her reaction, he instantly abandoned any hope of it working.

 

“Wh–” she coughed, swallowing as she did, he took out his water canteen and offered it to her. She eyed its contents suspiciously for some second then slowly drank water, trying to detect any dissolved substance. He resisted the urge to comment on it, he himself was a bit surprised at the childish urge she always did that just to tease him when they were kids.

 

“Who are you?” she sounded more sure this time, she rubbed at her sore side making his fault painstakingly pronounced. 

 

“I can’t tell you that, you are free to guess. For your ease, you can consider me your partner for a foreseeable future, because you are in deep trouble” he tried to keep it as vague as possible, partially to assess her state of mind, and partially in the hope that he could figure this problem out as soon as possible and send her home. Dreading the possibility that he might get her killed if she stays with her too long.

“Why?” she inquired. 

 

“Reasons” was his answer, he offered a hand to help her help. She eyed it suspiciously for a few seconds and ignored it completely. She looked at him next, eyebrows scrunching a little, likely trying to figure out who he was.

 

“Get up, we need to leave,” he told her. She blinked a couple of times at him as if he had said something stupid.

 

“Where are you taking me?” she inched away from his hand.

 

“Do you think you can survive with those injuries? There are more of these around, you are lucky I found you” he bobbed his head towards the fallen grimes.

 

She shuddered and looked at the corpses, littering the area. She looked at him again, question floating in those onyx eyes.

 

“Tell me first, who are you?” she questioned, he hesitated. He wanted to get her out of there quickly, there was no telling who could appear next, or if whoever was behind this incident landed his ass to find her it would be a problem. He might be already here or somewhere in between, but he couldn’t tell. There were a few oddities he wanted to confirm first.

 

“Take your best guess,” he answered instead. If he had told her otherwise, they would have been stuck in an endless back-and-forth.

 

She blinked at first, it took her a moment to understand his words. She glared at him for no apparent reason and then studied his face closely.

 

“You are a relative of the Seventh Hokage, aren’t you?” her tone was skeptical, was she testing him? He resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow.

 

“Close one” he answered half-heartedly.

 

“You are lying” she said in a completely sure-with-myself tone. 

 

“How?” he responded, still thinking about his possible course of action for the future, a million thoughts ran in his brain.

 

“If h-, I would know” she scowled, honestly she looked like a toddler instead of a threatening shinobi with that look.

 

“Well, that’s not my concern, are you gonna come willingly or do I have to force you?” he responded instead, her scowl deepened on seeing his reaction, he wasn’t smiling but she must have picked something on his face that made her react.

 

“W-what are you going to do to m-me” she inched back again, her breathing was getting erratic and her pupils started showing signs of dilation, her voice was faltering, she must be in a lot of pain.

 

“First get you treated, then get you home, you in?” she took time to form her opinion this time, repeatedly eyeing her surroundings and him, then the corpses.

 

“Fine” she coughed and stood up swaying a little. He moved toward her and grabbed her shoulder lightly. She flinched at the sudden contact, he kept his voice as polite as possible

 

“Grab on tight. It might get a little uncomfortable.” She looked at him with apprehension, and they both disappeared.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Sarada didn’t know what exactly happened when her view suddenly blackened out, she thought she had been knocked unconscious by the creep. That was his name for now, she was then hit with a full-blown wave of nausea and she barely controlled the urge to throw up. When she raised her head, the creep was looking at her with that singular blue eye, he looked eerily like that idiot.

 

This stupid headache!...  

 

She really wanted her mother to be there, she almost wanted to cry at the pain, but held it in. A shinobi shows no weakness, she might not be a ninja yet, but for her dream to come true she must be strong. He looked at her with an unknown look, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared, she blinked, did she imagine it? She ignored it in the favour of her current predicament and looked at the steel door, there was a pad on the side of the white door. She desperately wished for her parents to be here right now, they would turned him inside out, but where was she was the biggest question.

 

They were probably underground, and panic set inside her. The creep had not let go of her hand, she was getting no clue about him, what if he was a child trafficker playing others with his get-up? What if he was after his Sharingan? She was in deep trouble indeed. The creep placed his hand on the pad, it flashed a green light and then made a sound. The doors parted open and revealed a pristine and furnished area, there was a pillar in the middle and a round bench around. Her body protested for a break but she gritted her teeth, resolving to stay aware in case she needed to make a run for it.  

 

Her luck must be in the sewers right now because the door slammed shut behind them. He ushered her inside, the furnishing didn’t cover every part of the tunnel, rocks were protruding out at some points from the ceiling. He led her around the corner into a research area of some sort. She stopped in her tracks, this place was giving her hives, not because anything was disgusting, but because her recent experience was on her mind. Was he really after her Sharingan?

 

Fuck! She should have anticipated that!..

 

 Fear consumed her as she walked farther into her altar, the creep took her into another door. She expected an operation theatre or another lab, but instead, it was equipped with monitors and a lady was standing with her back to them. She must have expected them because she didn’t seem surprised at their arrival.

 

“Ah, You are back” she exclaimed as she turned around, were they together? If so the way she looked at him suggested nothing else.

 

She was a beautiful and tall woman, she didn’t look like a real person with those unnatural red eyes. She was wearing a black coat, over a black top and black pants, she had no weapons as far as she could see. She was smiling politely, she didn’t come off as a dangerous person to her. Her “escort” guided her to a chair.

 

“Hey, isn’-” she began, a hope emerged that she might finally get the context of what the hell was happening, but the creep motioned her to be quiet.

 

  Dammit! What’s that guy’s problem?

 

 On the other hand, she would be surprised if he actually told her something, her mind supplied uselessly. Her sides were aching terribly at the new position.

 

“You are correct, as to what it is true. I can’t say, anyways…….”

 

She couldn’t make out the rest of the sentence, as her vision blurred out and full-force vertigo hit her, their voices became muffled. She tried to keep it together, but her side flared up with immense pain, both of their figures were overshadowed by numerous black spots. The last thing she wanted was to be at their mercy, while she was thankful for the creep’s help, he wasn’t forthcoming enough for her to trust him, and there was the mysterious lady whose motives..hell! both of their motives were unknown to her. To her chagrin, her vision tilted to the side and she felt her body falling. She saw a streak of yellow and muffled sound before black invaded her world.

 

Notes:

Flashback-no-jutsu
How are y'all doing?

Chapter 10

The boat was due docking on Kiri’s shore the next morning; he wasn’t able to catch a single wink in the dark. The prospect of stepping on his sworn enemy’s land gnawed on his nerves; his mind tortured itself with his own memories. After some turning around, he gave up trying to sleep and sat up on his bunk bed. There was a whole can of worms that was going to burst at this trip. Going out was not an option, Aunt Hanabi had sternly warned him not to pull that disappearing stunt again, and it was a curfew on the ship, and the guards were not any rum of the mill too, so he just sat there watching the starry night from the window. Ever since his eyes opened on that day, his emotions had been all over the place, they always seemed to be completely in his control, to the point he was craving a change in his emotional state. Sometimes they would surge uncontrollably or sometimes they would just flatline, like they never existed in the first place. He knew that it was not supposed to be a gain, but reality taught him otherwise, his position required him to be completely detached from those constraints, but he realized later that it had cost him dearly without his knowledge. His mind had been constantly counting and visualizing ways this trip could go wrong, he may choose to be ignorant, but he could see the changes. The heightened security may be useful but it could also result in increased retaliation. It would take a single wrong push, and many of them would end up dead. He couldn’t help but wonder, how he would feel. 

He just couldn’t see past the solid personas of his classmates he had in his mind of what they had become, his enemies, all, except those three, after his head. He would sometimes feel a somewhat obligation to keep an eye on them, then sometimes his brain would deem them unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. He fell back on his bed, and closed his eyes, trying to suppress the incoming anxiety. It was a futile effort, they were going to die, no matter how much he tried. Before he had done everything he could with the knowledge of what was going to happen, but still failed. He was the last person; he would want to give another chance. He rolled to the other side facing the door of the cabin.

His escape path….

He had entertained the idea of running away, ‘just find the turtle and go back’. But it wasn’t as simple as it first seemed. Upon thinking more, there were a lot of factors to be considered First, he would need to confirm it was the same turtle that brought him here, assuming it was the turtle that did it in the first place. Surviving in the wild wasn’t an issue, he had more than enough experience. But there was the danger of Kara members lurking around, that forced him to think twice. He was stronger than he was supposed to be, but not enough to be able to outrun them. He was also afraid of changing things too much; he could already see things that weren’t supposed to happen, and then there were other possibilities that he couldn’t make an educated guess about. He wasn’t sure if he was in the same reality anymore. Then the most glaring issue of getting out of this body, that it was impossible without some questionable actions.

He had hoped the trip would help take things off of his mind, giving him some space to breathe, it just further proved how disoriented he was to have overlooked this entire scenario. Instead of calming him down, the time away had only managed to increase his ever-growing concerns, things he had overlooked before, issues that needed to be resolved, and questions that needed to be answered. He admitted that being close with his family had thrown him for the loop, he felt like someone had ripped his heart out nail it to a sandpaper. Every time he was near to any of them, his chest would twist painfully, resonating as reminders of his failure. He had thought that taking the first step would be the optimal choice, but after he returned from Himawari’s room, he could barely hold the urge to throw up.

His chest heaved as if he had run across the entire Land of Fire, his breaths were irregular and sparse, and each one sent blinding jolts of pain throughout his body. He could barely see ahead of himself, his hands were numb, cold, and shaking. He could feel the weight of her body...

Her head touching his right bicep, her hair falling, dried crusts of blood still on them…

Her body was still a little curled up, leaning in for warmth as if it had already sensed the inevitable slip…

Her face was losing color faster than a painting out in the rain, her eyes drooping slowly, the glint, the twinkle he had fought so much for, fading….

He sat there, cradling her against his chest, he could hear her mouth forming the words slowly…

‘Mo-..ad’…i-a…’

He grabbed her hand, trying to provide the warmth she was seeking, but it was futile. He knew what brother she was talking about, and it broke his heart like glass, he forcibly shoved down the pain surfacing in him and squeezed her hand.

‘It …h-urts’….

‘It …hurts’….

He kept holding her hand, even when he practically felt life leaving her body, staring into her eyes slowly losing the light.

He shook his head, refusing to further stare into the abyss of his memories, he had ventured there many a time. Every time, he came back half-dead from mental exhaustion and stress. He rolled on his other side and did what he could do at the time, try to get some sleep.

It wasn’t the best option at the moment, he could have been better off planning for the incoming disaster, but there were so many if-and-elses, that it would render all of his plans useless if one thing went awry. At this point, there was no definitive direction for him to pursue, he had only priorities he wanted to fulfill, no obligations, just agendas on his to-do list that could somehow help him get some answers or provide a somewhat clear outlook on his future actions.

The morning was thankfully uneventful, there was the expected flurry of roll-calls, micro-management by the trip staff, and the instruction reciting from the supervisor, the additional shinobi on the deck did make him feel uneasy, years of constant bloody animosity among them was still eliciting unpleasant feeling within him; though he quashed it down before it could show on his face. The weather was nice and fresh, accompanied by the cool breeze, the last night's introspection had proved to be somewhat helpful, and he felt more control of himself. 

They were only allowed to keep a minimum number of weapons on them, the rest were confiscated by the staff, he was left with a single hip pouch, with half of his gear. He didn’t mind it, he had fought with minimum weaponry before, he would manage. They were greeted by the Mizukage’s right hand “Kagura”, he greeted their group respectfully and led them around the Capital.

For others, it was their first experience visiting a country outside Land of Fire. So, they were excited and bouncing around from one corner to the other, even Sarada who was oddly sticking close to the majority was now looking curiously at the shops and the wares, the teachers had left them in Kagura’s hands for now. In his reality, the trip was only a cover-up for negotiations the adults had scheduled for themselves, he concluded it was the same here, but the additional personnel on the staff was a concerning matter, he couldn’t reach a reliable answer, no matter how much he probed and tried. He left the question pending, letting it hang to catch moisture with time. The group treaded along the Capital’s roads while Kagura regaled them with information about the technological development and the economic progress of the Water Country, his classmates were undoubtedly interested in the info; though some of them preferred the good old exploring time. They reached the Capital Square, the center of the city when Kagura made the highly anticipated announcement.

“From here, you are allowed to take a look around but you are to report to me after exactly one hour, I will remain here until every single one of you comes back, is that clear?”

“Yes!” a collective shout and the next instant they all scattered, well some of them, a few had decided to take their time deciding, Sarada chose to stay with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who were accompanied by Mituski, he duly noted. Other than that, an unhappy soul, at the back of the group was also among those who chose to stay. Iwabe Yuino, the earth-style user was silently glaring at Kagura. This Iwabe was surprisingly less hostile towards others and somewhat less rude, he was standing with his usual group of Denki and Metal, who were furiously debating what to see first.

“I stepped over my boundaries huh?”

He mused silently with his hands in his pockets, maybe the Iwabe of his time just needed some time opening up, not someone stupid like him to barge in and tell him how to behave. He had noticed how nothing significant had changed in his classmate's lives without him, apart from the fact that some of them pestered him for details about his fainting at the academy training grounds, none of them really knew about the incident; though he suspected Aunt Sakura might have told Sarada about it, the trio would eventually know it later too.

He watched them murmur among themselves, arguing enthusiastically about mundane things like this made him wonder how different their lives would have been without him. He was the cause of so many tragedies in their lives. Destroyed by his mistakes, his inability to do what was necessary forced them to pay a hefty price. Most of them paid with their lives, some by their sanity and some by value. They had hated him with every fiber of their being, justifiable anger on their part, he was an aggressor in their eyes. Killer of their Hokage, even if it was proven wrong, his misstep eventually costed him his father’s life, his inability to leave things as they are. There was nothing between them, just pure, unadulterated hatred. He was fine with it, they weren’t oppressing anyone for no reason, he was the culprit there, he had blood on his hands. But now he had no idea how to act around them. Hell, he had problems dealing with being around his own family. A high-pitched sound jerked him to attention, the group had finally decided upon a plan of action and Cho-Cho seemed to have seen something interesting, that promoted the squeal. He relaxed his shoulders and worked his thought train to his predicament.

‘Now…what to do?’  he mused, leaning his head back; he had seen this place multiple times. There was nothing here he remotely liked or wanted to see. He could just follow the group, and play the part of a somewhat strange teenager, or just move about the area looking at the local shops and monuments. In the end, all that mattered was the fact that Shizuma was going to make an entrance sooner or later and he needed to be prepared for it. He looked at the sky, wondering just how different it would go down this time, he was prepared this time and had no problem killing them if it came down to that. Suddenly he felt eyes on him, he lowered his head, and it was Sarada’s group, who were oddly all looking at him silently. He really didn’t care about their opinion; he was sooner or later going to either leave them or be their end. He looked at each one of them, silently debating what possibly would they want from him.

“Uh…so you wanna come or not?” Shikadai asked, with resignation oozing from every word somehow, he didn’t miss his eyes skating to his chest. Shikadai had seen the wound on his first day in the academy and was probably making some theories, with added info from Sarada he would definitely reach the answer. Shikadai was, though not on the level of his father, extremely smart. He respected him not just as a friend but also as an enemy, his plans usually worked extremely well, though he initially lacked the experience in the early war days.

“Sure, where are you all going?” he asked, Mitsuki was smiling as usual, he noted duly.

“We have decided to hit the docks from here first, then circle back through the market area” replied Inojin with his hands on his hips.

“Fine with me”

“Let’s get moving then, don’t want to be too late” Shikadai yawned and started walking towards the docks, everyone followed as if he was the captain of a mission, he watched for a moment unsure whether that was mere foreshadowing, or just fate taking it’s intended route. He ignored the voices in his head and followed suite.

The little detour was unremarkable, he still kept looking here and there seeing if anything would catch his interest. He kept to the back the entire time, keeping half an ear on the chatter. The market area was crowded as expected considering the time of the day, the trade seemed to be flourishing, if he remembered correctly, there was quite the boom in the economy in the Land of Waters after they purged the sea of the pirates and raiders. The most notorious of those were the members of The Funato Clan, he remembered Kagura telling them about it, the same mission where he got killed. Though none of that made the impact it should have made on him, his naivety led to his death; yet, even then he remained completely oblivious to the harsh reality of the world. He was starting to see why Sasuke seemed extremely discomforted, when he realized the implications of time travel, for a person with so much of himself in the past, the urge to change things, to possibly right the wrong, to make a new and better future for himself must be overwhelming. Every step in the Village must have been reminding him of the things he left behind, for the illusion of power, for the never-ending pit of revenge, all of that ended up flipping on his head when he realized the truth. He could only imagine, what he had felt at that moment when he realized that his brother was alive, the realization that he had a chance to fulfill the intense want to reverse the damage that he had felt when he realized the entire truth.

He had also felt it, the raw need, the pain, when things started to slip through his fingers, back when he had some parts of himself still intact. There was this intense burst of emotions that lingered within him, his mind always spiraled back to that hope of a chance. But the turtle was no longer in the same time as his, the string was no longer there for him to pull and there was no one left to guide him anymore. That feeling waned over time, leaving a void that only expanded with time. He had felt that urge again the second time, but it was reduced to nothing more than a spark that lighted up the last time before turning into ash.

He soon found himself given that choice, and he also was uncertain; whether he wanted to take the chance or just allow fate to take its course once again.

The market trip ended near the docks; the group broke up further with each one proceeding towards their own interest. Cho-Cho went for the food stalls, and Inojin followed soon after, looking around a bit and probably concluding that their stopping point was no good reference image for his paintings. Shikadai had apparently found a good place to laze around but was promptly hauled away by Cho-Cho. That left team seven (even though they weren’t technically a team and there was no guarantee that would happen). None of them said anything, Sarada and Mitsuki probably had plans of their own, as they eyed each other for a moment. He refrained from commenting on that, he had probably done some damage to their bonds, that resulted from his decisions. He was sure that they knew he was purposely avoiding them, and were probably unsure about how to approach him. 

“Where do you wanna go first?” Mituski spoke, suddenly initiating the conversation.

“There were a couple of interesting shops on the way” Sarada added, as if listing their options.

“I am fine right here; meet me here when you all are done”

At that Sarada and Mitsuki looked at him with varying expressions, Mitsuki’s smile dropped with a face that seemed to be more surprised than annoyed and Sarada stared at him with her unnerving coal-black eyes, which seemed to have developed an eerie gleam to them. He mentally hissed at himself for making a careless remark, he was genuinely trying to not sour the mood, but his mind was getting too overwhelmed, and he instinctively resorted to his usual go to approach. He fought the urge to back away from the interaction, and instead resolutely stared at his potential future teammates looking for the slightest hints of the defining lines in their pre-team friendship.

“You are not interested?” asked Mitsuki, with a curious turn of his lips.

“No” he replied, walking toward the edge of the deck to sit down.

“Then what about the stalls, they are selling Shinobi cards. They seem to be quite popular these days” Mitsuki suggested, following him. Sarada followed suit too, staying suspiciously quiet.

“…not interested Mitsuki” he tried his best not to sound a bit annoyed, but he really needed some space for his brain to relax. From the way his chakra stilled, Mituski seemed to catch on to his mood but being Mitsuki, he simply changed the item of interest.

“Then what about the food stalls, there is quite the variety we don’t usually get to see those in Konoha”

“You sure, you are fine?” Sarada suddenly interrupted. It caught both of them off-guard, him mostly because he assumed that she would just keep quiet about it in front of Mituski. Mitsuki on the other hand was equally surprised looking between them, trying to understand the context behind her sudden questioning.

“I am fine, get a move on there isn’t much time” he replied, his tone slightly rough, but neither of them caught the slip.

The conversation thankfully didn’t escalate further and both of them left quite easily. He let out a weak sigh he didn’t knew he had been holding. His head was ringing with alarm bells, the interruption was for all purposes natural, and nothing was out of the line. He couldn’t quite yet understand her reasoning.

 He looked at his dangling feet over the edge of the docks, his reflection stared back at him, the young, unmarred face, meant to be smiling and laughing, was peering back at him with dark eyes and haunting expression. He could see his older face setting around the edges not physically but lurking under the skin like a second skin. For the entire hour, he kept thinking about the conversation, going off on long tangents but every string ended abruptly with an overreaching conclusion. He clocked back when he heard footsteps approaching him, heavier and numerous.

He continued peering at the reflection until the men passed, Chakra suppressed but unmistakably shinobi. They passed him without any particular action and continued toward their chosen destination or rather the one his classmates were towards. For all they pretended to be unbothered by foreign wannabe shinobis running on their turf, their gazes were oddly focused, flittering about the area, as if in search of someone. His own signature was nulled when he started following them, moving in their blind spots, sticking to the shadows. It wasn’t long until he ran into the exact scenario he had predicted, one of the guys he recognized as the guy who had given a piggyback ride to Sarada, was arguing with Sarada, he couldn’t quite hear the conversation but after seeing the conflicting expressions changing shades, he could summarize that he was trying to provoke them. Thankfully Mitsuki's timely intervention seemed to cause the guy to get flustered for some reason, he could place a bet that Mitsuki had inside knowledge of Mist's inner conflicts and was openly using them. It seemed the guy also sensed that he was after the wrong targets and moved towards the dark streets.

At the same time, his brain reached two important conclusions:

He came all alone, unlike the last time. At one end it spoke volumes about the effect of the additional personnel. It was a golden opportunity for him to act, the person in front of him posed as a substantial target. There were multiple tangents he could draw by acting now, given the time limit, it was risky. And on the other hand, the potential wide network of reconnaissance Shizuma had laid in advance was likely prodding at something, there were others moving about seeking their perfect moments.

It took one second to decide his approach and the next he was first ahead in the alleyway surrounded by huge water pipes; the noise of the rushing water was loud enough to drown out anybody’s voice but low enough to not be interrupting. After a quick glance at his surroundings, he formed a specific set of hand seals, and on command chakra rushed through his body, stretching the coils from the sheer volume, thrashing against the walls of coils at every turn, and with a puff the 12-year-old boy was replaced by a tall man, decked in black with golden hairs and a scar on his left eye. He had used too much chakra for a simple transformation technique, his control was likely going to take the most time to adjust. Another hand-sign later, a clone of his younger self popped up, looking at him with judgmental eyes.

Great… even his own clones didn’t trust him with something as simple as gathering information…

Then the clone nodded and disappeared with a shunshin, it was clumsy but he wasn’t going to pretend to be nitpicky at such a time, control was going to be the hardest thing for him, his body would need more than a little time to automate its natural functions with highly potent and massive chakra reserves as compared to its previous demure reservoir. Thinking again, he pulled out hand signs of transformation technique again and this time exchanged the vibrant golden for a shade of black closer to shorter grey and the blue of his eyes to dark black, his features took on a sharper look. Satisfied this time, he moved out

He kept himself to the shadows feeling out the chakra of the Chunin Mist Shinobi, waiting for him to make a move. A sudden feeling of deja vu hit him, but he shook it off, not letting it cloud his mind, and trained his eyes on the man. The Chunin was trekking the alleyway with a carefree attitude, but the constant shifting of his eyes betrayed his laidback output. The stalking continued for two or more turns and soon he knocked on a door completely blended with the walls, there was a likely marker that had allowed him to identify the location, the door opened and after his introduction, he was let in and the door disappeared. After waiting for a while, he concluded that his companion had entered the settlement through another entrance, and he started scoping the area. The hideout was sealed off for the most part and was likely a temporary storage site for construction workers, the hole that was being used must been a part of the drainage system, since pipes were abundant area, after 15 minutes of search he found a rectangular hole with bars to allow light in, it was positioned in a way that the pipe in front blocked it out of sight, allowing only a minimum sunlight to pass through from below, the angle of which concealed the hole even further, it was by chance he found that opening, scanning the area with chakra was non-viable since it required incredible chakra control and he was blowing off his attempts at a decent control constantly. He approached the opening from above, attaching himself to the wall like a gecko, and reached closer to it, he then positioned himself sideways to allow his ears more clearance to sound and focused, the sound came interrupted, and muddled, he stopped himself just when his face was an inch away from the edge, he pulled himself up. A Gengutsu was placed over the hole, drawing in anyone who was eavesdropping and playing with their senses to expose them. he abandoned his previous position and placed his ears directly against the wall. The proved to be thicker than he expected and the voices were not clear, nevertheless, he listened:

“…..ats, w…..att…..,Shiz….” One of the voices said, clearly frustrated but respectful.

“Ho…….,gua……, plan…..” a female voice sounded next, he assumed her to be the wielder of the twin lightning blades.

There was back and forth between the group, he couldn’t identify the rest of the people in the hideout, except Shizuma and the female. He concluded they must be from the rebels, either Shizuma’s lackeys or sympathizers from some other groups. The meeting, should it be called that, continued for fifteen to twenty minutes, and the majority of them left from some other exits. Only a few remained, Shizuma’s murky signature was still inside, he had exchanged not so many words, either he was gauging his lackey performance or just keeping them in line. From his experience, it was probably the latter. He didn’t give much thought to the whole rebellion part, it was not his concern. Mizukage and his entourage were likely on their tails, Mei Terumi as he recalled was the one that led the crackdown last time, likely she would likely do so again. He recognized the words ‘Hokage’ and ‘2 days’, due to them being repeated a lot.

Before he could ponder further on their implications, there were shifting noises coming from near the walls, he scurried away instantly from his position and perched on the nearest building’s top, from where he saw Shizuma and the female moving out of another exit right beside the opening, Shizuma’s attire was a contrast between red and black that wasn’t bright neither dull, just in the middle, with a sleeveless shirt similar to his female companion that hanged loosely on his frame, a short blade was clasped between his shoulders blades, with a black hilt and a grey scabbard. His companion wore ninja sandals with slightly elevated heels and a similarly colored sleeveless top that extended to her mid-thighs, a katana was clasped on her hip. She had their forehead protectors on her left bicep, while Shizuma’s was tied around his forehead. His teeth flashed a smile as he turned around to face her, he was directly in his line of sight, the building, he was perched on was small but was overshadowed by neighboring buildings, the top wasn’t flat and the pillars on top supported some kind of machinery, he hid around one of the pillars that was slightly behind others. Shizuma mouthed something and then leaned down to kiss her. it was slightly annoying, but he kept his annoyance to himself and continued watching, they soon parted.

His mind flashed back to the mission that led them in the middle of another inside war in the hidden mist village, they had to work together with the arrested mist swordsmen, who were aiming for bail on the request of Kagura, it had led some of them to their deaths. He had learned that the female ‘Buntan’ was in some sort of relationship with Shizuma and apparently, he was manipulating her to make use of the twin lightning swords. He watched them for a while and when they were out of sight, he also headed out to meet his classmates, he felt annoyed that he could not get any information worth any importance but only a single confirmation that the coupe was in motion and that Hokage’s intervention with extra guards has impacted their plans. Their original plan was to overthrow Chojuro and Mei, with Kagura at his side. Then place the country in the direct line of fire by killing the Hokage’s son. With this many guards, he could guess where things might take a sharp turn or completely derail.

With simultaneous thoughts running in his brain, he moved through the narrow streets and their shadows and soon found himself at the dock where his classmates agreed to meet, but there was nobody on the dock or on the pier, he looked around and saw no sign of anyone slightly familiar, he closed his eyes for a brief moment searching for his clone’s signature, it wasn’t anywhere in the area, he tried to broaden his senses but his control faltered each time he tried to separate a wisp of his chakra in form of a pulse. Giving up, he changed his course and headed to the point where Kagura had instructed them to report at after an hour. Sure enough, he had wasted an hour, when he found all of his classmates walking in line behind Kagura, no doubt leading them to their hotel, his clone was doing the effortless job of ignoring everybody. He didn’t need to send any kind of message, his clone subtly pulsed his own, chakra both of them banking on their unique state of chakra to communicate, he received the message and resigned himself in the group’s shadow till the opportune moment.

She was getting nervous, a little bit angry, and then nervous again, she couldn’t really blame anyone, and neither could do anything about it. The cause of it, was the little cot of consciousness, that proclaimed itself as her future self, the worst of it all was that it was currently busy unwrapping the Genjutsu on her memories that her older self had placed on her. Her frustration had turned into cold fear when it had suddenly disappeared the previous night before their arrival at the Hidden Mist Village, where according to it, they would be in the middle of a coup attempt by the infamous swordsmen group, she was genuinely on the edge when the Mist Shinobi suddenly started to follow them, and then out of nowhere tried to rile both of them up, but thankfully to Mituski, they were able to avoid any confrontation. Then it was kind enough to inform her that it was currently busy and she was on her own.

‘Why did she put a Genjutsu in the first place, if she wanted it to be removed?’

She had tried asking it the same question in multiple different ways, and none of them managed to make a dent in its response. Eventually, she had to give up, admitting defeat was sometimes better than persisting. Kagura was also another person she was wary of, she understood his position in the overall picture, he was in a tough spot. With no way of knowing the truth of his place in the world, he was also getting manipulated by Shizuma into helping him acquire the Special Blades, as the successor in line for the hat, he was inevitably knowledgeable about their location. He had guided them into a hotel, where they would be staying for the duration of the trip, turned out they had been assigned four rooms with three of the normal size rooms for boys and one larger room for the girls. The rooms housed several beds and other essentials within themselves, the division among the groups was evidently made by Kagura, who was kind to reassign some people according to their wishes, she was doubtful at first, whether that trip was going to be enjoyable or not, the large number of official was no way a good sign for fun starved people, meant that they were not using them just as a sign of good faith she supposed that the officials had taken their feeling into consideration and were treating it like a trip. As her older (suspicious)self had pointed out the security was likely the result of the incident with Boruto, who passed out suddenly after his spar with Mitsuki, she had never seen the Hokage so… scared. It was hard to tell, she had asked her Mom about it since she was likely the one who would have been in charge of him, she deflected the question saying that she didn’t have clearance to know, but told her that he was fine and there was nothing to be worried about. She didn’t object, but the truth was she had seen the massive convergence of chakra around his chest, luckily she had the Sharingan activated and later was able to make a working theory with the help of her older self, who albeit had made the situation even more troubling. The person in question was trotting around behind them with all the carelessness in the world, but she could see that his shoulders weren’t relaxed, his gaze was stoically focused in front of him, and wasn’t engaging with anyone.

He had completely avoided any interaction with anyone, she could understand the why of it, at least according to what she had been told. But, she could tell that her older self had omitted some large amount of the details about the events, sometimes outright denying any answer. She might be trying to respect him by not sharing what he didn’t want others to know, but even then there were some things that didn’t made sense about her story. How did the Seventh Hokage even died, her father was also mostly absent in her story, did something happen to him? Why did everybody remain against Boruto for apparently no reason, sure she told her about Kara and Jigen, but she had no idea why they were connected to helping Boruto, all she had instructed her was to keep Boruto away from them. Then the biggest question of them all, how did both of them even end up here? Why there was a Genjutsu on her memories, and on what memories?

They were then, after dropping their stuff in their rooms, led by Kagura to the Mizukage Tower to meet with the Mizukage, the leader of the village. The Mizukage Chojuro, was a young man, probably around the same age as the Seventh Hokage. He was dressed up in, what seemed to be an official garment, blue with outlines of green and some pale accessories, his mannerisms were friendly, as he addressed the Konohan residents, his speech was short and offered a lot of positive things about the hidden village, and his future vision of the relationship between their respective village. He then personally led them around the Academy, which was located near the tower, the academy was surprisingly similar to the Konohan academy, however; when they advanced to the training areas, the difference became clear. In Konoha, the students were taught mostly basic stuff, catering closely to Taijutsu, but here the major focus seemed to be on Kenjutsu, she was no expert in Kenjutsu, her father was, but the fact that they were practicing katas on water spoke loudly about their dedication and expertise in handling a blade, evident by the words of the Mizukage, who was proudly explaining about the exercise methods mist employed training their Shinobi, no wonder many mist shinobi they had seen outside had at-least a short blade on them.

“Anyone who wants to give it a try?” the Mizukage kindly offered, it was abrupt, and even Kagura was caught off guard. The students exchanged glances, no doubt nervous, it would undoubtedly be rude to turn down his offer, but none of them were skilled in Kenjutsu except Tsubaki who came from the Land of Iron, who after a moment stepped out of the group.

“I would like to give it a try” she simply announced, her mannerism spoke of her upbringing. She had a katana tied closer to her waist, it had a red hilt, which was adorned with a cloth accompanied by a white scabbard. She walked elegantly to the water-filled arena, her mannerism spoke of her upbringing, she was the princess of Land of Iron, and she betrayed no nervousness, the kind, an amateur would feel while facing a master, in her case it was their guide who would be demonstrating his skills.

Sarada snuck a glance at Boruto from the corner of her eye, he was watching the whole scene with rapt attention, his eyes were glued to the two combatants who bowed to each other as a sign of respect. At the academy she had seen callouses on her hand, making it clear that she was no coddled princess, it was that quality that she admired the most about her, even in the face of an obviously stronger and more experienced opponent she showed no hesitance. Boruto himself leaned on the railing, Mituski also noted his presence and turned to greet him again, Boruto replied with a nod and no more. She saw both of the combatants take their respective stances with their training swords, suddenly Mituski commented.

“She is good”

His comment was as surprising as always, he had a knack for catching people off guard. Sadly, her older self had shared no information about him, except that she had missed him. She suspected that he knew Kenjutsu mostly likely from Orochimaru, who her older self had associated him with. The battle below suddenly started, drawing her attention away from her classmate.

Tsubaki attacked first which Kagura blocked effortlessly, he let her blade slide over his using her momentum to disrupt her balance, but Tsubaki was aware of that and shifted her body immediately to catch the returning below from the side, she pushed back and immediately charged at him, or Sarada thought she would. She jumped back and readjusted her bokken, she charged again, this time lowering her body, her movements were fast and nimble but her attacks weren’t as effective as Sarada thought they would, the unstable surface of water was messing with her concentration, she realized later when she broke her chain of attacks the second time.

“Do you think she can win?” she asked Mitsuki, who was also watching with close attention, his golden were fixed on Kagura for some reason.

“She can’t, she isn’t used to fighting on water.  Look, she is visibly straining herself trying to stay upright on the surface”

He was right, Tsubaki's previous steady stance was getting wobbly and then she made her first mistake, her foot slightly submerged in water and her attack landed short, the disturbance in momentum made her panic, and she hurriedly tried to reassemble herself, but Kagura didn’t miss the opening and slashed upward, Tusbaki in her distraction tried to parry, but it turned to be feint and Kagura knocked her sword out of her hand by hooking his blade edge in her hilt, and the next moment, his blade edge rested on her shoulder.

“I yield”  

 The arena lit up with clapping and even Mizukage himself was clapping and congratulated her, Tsubaki accepted it, no doubt frustrated at her loss, but she seemed to accept it. Soon their group was let out of the academy and this time the Mizukage himself accompanied them to their location which happened to be the museum, at the other end of the capital. This side of the capital was also crowded but there were a lot more accommodates in this part than in the other, the stores and buildings here seemed a lot more modernized than in the other half, she suspected it was an extension of the original Hidden Mist, just like in Konoha.

Their tour with Mizukage ended in the afternoon, she was amazed at how accommodating the Mizukage was, he had spent the better half of the day walking with them. They were then led back to the hotel through a different route, the alternate path was lined up with many parks and tourist places, those spots spoke much about the development of the Hidden Mist, there were proper systems in place to regulate the number of tourists. She was downright impressed, and so were others.

“It’s beautiful” Simure exclaimed lightly

“Indeed, after the fourth ninja war every village focused on improving themselves, Kiri trade also improved considerably due the now open trade routes, that were closed before due to the tension between the villages” Kagura replied.

Others also shared the same sentiment; they had learned that Kiri’s trade was largely dependent on the seafood that was largely exported to Iwagukare and the reigns surrounding the Earth country. She was amazed that they had advanced so much with so few resources, Kiri was naturally lacking in minerals and energy resources, they had somehow overcome the deficiency and now stood equal to other nations.

The hotel proved to be heaven for the exhausted students, some of them went straight to sleep after dinner, and some engrossed themselves in sorting and storing various souvenirs they had collected in their bags, their trip would last two days, and the first day went without hitch and now they were relaxing. She relaxed in her bad which was right beside Tusbaki, both of them were on good terms in the academy. Calling them friends was the best expression anyone could put on their relationship; it was cordial and both of them appreciated each other company.

“Your fight was amazing,” she told her, at that time there was too much crowd around her and she figured, since she was next to her in their room, she would congratulate her later.

“Thanks, it was a good learning experience. You should have tried too” her answer was polite, she had chosen a light dress over her kimono, the atmosphere in Kiri was humid at night, and the staff was kind enough to provide air conditioning in each of the four rooms. She had also changed her clothes after taking a bath, the hotel had also provided laundry service for one day, so they didn’t have to deal with many problems during the trip.

“I am no good with a Katana, but they do have interesting training methods” she replied, while taking a book out of her bag, it was a novel she had bought, it was based on the aftermath of the war, but in touch of Hidden Mist village.

“You are right, I would have never thought of training in such a manner. Wish I was more careful, Kagura sword techniques were interesting.”

Sarada agreed with her, though both of them adopted the same stance during the spar, their techniques were starkly different, she must have figured out how Kagura was moving on the surface without any problem.       

 They fell into easy talk about sword techniques, with Tusbaki giving her basic knowledge. they were in the middle of their conversation when there was a knock on the door. Both looked at each other but were equally clueless about what it could be. Simure opened the door, it was Shikadai, who seemed somewhat resigned and at the same time worried.

Denki had gone missing and he was asking if they knew something. Evidently, restlessness spread through the room, those sleeping also woke up, and speculation started.

Sarada’s brain had one question in her mind. Was this what her older self had warned her about? She scrambled out of her bed and joined the question with Tsubaki. All of them agreed to form a group to look for him, they had apparently found a message in red near a window, telling them to come to a location. Soon the group which included Sarada, Tsubaki, Simure, and Wasabi hurried followed Shikamaru to the sign, there were Boruto, Iwabe, Metal, Inojin and Mitsuki waiting for them. Each of them except Boruto and Mitsuki was equally worried, both of them wore serious looks with Boruto deep in thought. Wasabi leaned closer to the message and sniffed it

“It’s definitely blood” she confirmed.

“Then let’s go and teach those fools a lesson!” Iwabe pointed his staff toward the direction.

“Shouldn’t we tell the staff?” Metal interjected nervously.

“What if we are too late and something happens!? They are gonna take too long to catch those fools!”

Apparently, Iwabe's group had also encountered the same Mist Chunin and promptly started a fight, though; it ended without any injuries on either side. It had now turned into this. Arguments began heating up, and Iwabe was pushing them to act now, his point was also valid.

“I propose we go” Mitsuki suddenly added

 “I second that” Boruto piped up behind him.

That silenced both Iwabe and Wasabi, this time Tsubaki stepped up.

“What is your point?” she asked both of them

“Getting adults would take too much time, and those Shinobi would likely spin it in their favor, we are breaking rules by just gathering here” Mitsuki replied.

“We will be the only one punished, and we still have a day left” Inojin ended his thoughts line.

His arguments swayed most of the group members, likely because all of them wanted not to spend the last day locked up in their rooms. Soon they were running towards the mentioned location, they had a small time window, and the hotel management wasn’t Shinobi and would be less likely to notice the missing children.

The location mentioned was a warehouse near the docks, they had separated into groups to increase surveillance of their surroundings and to avoid guards. In fifteen minutes they were at the warehouse, Sarada's heart was beating faster with each approaching second, and the lack of knowledge tempted her to pull the mental thread many times, sometimes she gave in but received no answer in return. The warehouse was located in a desolate space, and after a couple seconds of contemplation, they went in.

She was expecting many Shinobi, a bloody Denki, even with some of his parts missing. She blamed those visions for her bleak thoughts, but instead, they found a figure clad in black hovering over the unconscious Shinobi, his hands were invisible. Denki was also unconscious, lying against the wall. The figure turned around and a single blue eye pierced through them. behind them, Wasabi muttered

“Blood”

That alone set them even more on the edge, the normally calm Mitsuki was also frowning in confusion. The figure spoke.

“Get him out of here, and be careful of who you pick a fight with. I will bring them to the Mizukage” he pointed toward Denki. She wasn’t sure whether he was mocking them or being serious, she looked at Boruto who was also staring intently at the bodies.

The bodies were piled up on top of each other, she recognized the face of the Mist Shinobi and none of the others. In the next moment, the figure raised a hand and vanished with the bodies.

“Stay Here” Boruto spoke, and he was gone too. Tension snapped like rubber in the warehouse and they rushed toward Denki, he was unharmed and after a quick examination by Mituski, was not poisoned, relief flowed through her. Simure took out a water bottle and sprinkled some on his face, which woke him up.

“What happen_” Denki suddenly sat up, his voice slurring mid-sentence. The next few moments he informed them about what happened, he was kidnapped by those Shinobi when he went out to get something to eat, from within the hotel and the blood was someone else, they had mocked him and after that, he remembered someone coming in and threatening the Mist Shinobi, he had felt someone hitting him in the back of the neck and then he passed out.

“Well, you are alright that's all that matters” Iwabe exclaimed.

Others also nodded, Iwabe hauled Denki up, he asked

“Boruto not with you guys?”

At the same time, a shadow appeared on the ground, they all simultaneously turned around to find it was Boruto.

“He escaped”

 

  

Chapter 11

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!”

 

  

 

Notes:

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