#mind: kawaki ( the vessel )

[cpirits]

(( UNPROMPTED -- @swordsxandxsakuras said: [ (To Boruto muses) A short girl passes by holding a very large boulder. ]

The boys were walking around the Village and had been chatting. Something caught Iwabe's eye and he stopped short, and Boruto was behind him. "Wha-- Iwabe, what the hell?!" The blonde bumped into Iwabe's back.

Iwabe's mouth hung open and Denki waved a hand in front of his face, and he didn't notice. "That rock, it's fucking massive!" Mitsuki chuckled and poked Boruto to look where Iwabe was looking.

"Wha-?" He saw the girl, and his eye went wide. "How is she doing that?" Denki pushed up his glasses as he saw the girl too, shocked by the size difference between the girl and the boulder.

"Hey!!" Iwabe called out, "That's pretty damn cool." jogging after her, so in awe that she could hold such a heavy object. Boruto soon joined him, pulling Denki along, and Mitsuki followed curiously behind.

#swordsxandxsakuras #( swordsxandxsakuras // nezuko ) #mind: boruto ( the sun ) #mind: iwabe ( doryuheki ) #mind: denki ( kamanari heir ) #mind: kawaki ( the vessel ) #mind: mitsuki ( the snake ) #『 beep beep on the coil // asks 』 #『 scrap fever // queue 』 #『 route locked // in character 』

[saintgoths]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴇɴ

CHAPTER TEN - UNBURNT.

WORDS - 4,743.

RATING - G+.

SUMMARY - as kawaki and suiren get to know each other more, past sakura learns of her youngest daughter’s unburnt ability.

feedback would be appreciated!

i also cross-post this fic on wattpad and ao3.

previous chapter - chapter nine.

“Where have you been?” Frustration loudly hinted in his voice, Kawaki’s eyes stalked Suiren’s movements as she walked towards him, hands on her hips, surprised yet satisfied that he seemed to miss her company.

“I wouldn’t have guessed you would’ve missed me being around,” Suiren smiled as she arrived next to him.

“It isn’t funny,” he said, his eyes dark and pungent and face expressed with judgement.

Unmoved, Suiren crossed her arms, in distaste of his attitude. “I have a life outside of you,” she truthfully stated before she leaned her back against the cold wall, her eyes quick enough to see the dissatisfied look Kawaki had on his face after what she had said.

“Your mind place is much lighter than usual,” Suiren stated as she looked around, “and warmer,” she noted and as he looked away from her, Kawaki’s sight bounced away.

Proud, Suiren gently pushed herself off the wall. “Is your life getting better?”

Kawaki scoffed. “Barely anything has become better,” he factually stated.

“Then what has made your mind place become better?” Suiren asked, and as Kawaki pulled himself to respond, Suiren furrowed her eyebrows as kickback of his lack of answer, but as keen her mind was, an imaginary blazing light bulb appeared above her head as she hastily understood what might’ve been the reason of it.

Warmly she laughed and bothered, Kawaki’s cheeks turned warm and red. “Please stop,” he dryly pleaded but stubborn, Suiren moved towards him, yet embarrassed, Kawaki pulled himself backwards.

As she pulled a face, Suiren returned her hands against her hips, “Considering I’m the reason why your mind place is becoming better, it’s mean to avoid me,” she stated and as she turned away from him, Kawaki had felt an alarm to follow her.

“Where are you going?” He inquired and restful, Suiren rolled her eyes, as she dramatically dropped her hands beside her, Suiren hadn’t bothered to return her gaze towards his direction before she responded.

“I’m going to sit down.”

Watchful, Kawaki awkwardly watched her do so. He had stood close to her while she got into her comfortable position, legs against her chest and arms wrapped around her legs, in silence, Suiren rested her face against her knee pads and began to whistle out of boredom.

“Ah,” she suddenly breathed out, and eventually, Suiren turned to look at Kawaki. “Before I left the other time, you said that you were a vessel for someone,” Suiren stated, “A vessel,” she repeated, and Kawaki, with a certain expression on his face looked down at her.

“For who?”

Dubious, Kawaki pushed his bottom lips behind his teeth, fluctuant to trust her furtherly, Kawaki’s mind paced back and forth, yet, the look on her face and the essence she had carried had urged the boy to properly trust her.

“I’m a vessel for a man named Isshiki,” Kawaki began, “allegedly I’m the best one,” he dryly smiled and while he sat beside her, Suiren pushed an irresolute brief simper.

“Do you want to be a vessel for him?”

“Of course not,” he sneered and embarrassed, Suiren slightly shrivelled into the position she was in.

Aware of the graceless look Suiren had stamped on her mask, Kawaki hastily sighed and continued to speak in order to make her feel less embarrassed. “I’m the best vessel for Isshiki because I have low will power and mental strength.”

“Do you think that’s probably why I’m able to easily come into your dreams?” Suiren asked and in ponder of Suiren’s question, Kawaki had decided to agree with her inquire.

“My weak mind,” he weakly laughed and guilty, Suiren turned her vision towards her knees.

“Thank you for telling me this,” she gratefully thanked, and remorseful, Suiren sadly smiled. “I’ll probably forget it all when I wake up.”

“I never forget about you,” Kawaki said.

Surprised, Suiren looked at him. “I am so sorry I cannot do the same.”

“It’s okay,” he shrugged, “you have many people and probably many important things in your life, you don’t have to remember me.”

In disagreement, Suiren shook her head, and as she scooted herself closer to him, her eyes had fallen soft, aware of the slow openness Kawaki had displayed to her. “I think you’ll be important to me,” she verily stated and unsure what to believe in, Kawaki’s steel-like eyes moved away from her and to his fingers, and comprehensive of his doubtful attitude, Suiren placed her hand against his shoulder before she forced him to look at her.

“I promise, I’ll do everything I can to remember you,” Suiren pledged, and gently assured, Kawaki had unintentionally forced a small smile on his face, lightly astonished of the warm and comfortable side Suiren had been able to bring out of him.

“I’ll wait till you do,” he whispered and onwards, the two teenagers rested in each other’s silence.

⋆｡‧₊°꧁ ༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻ ꧂‧₊˚.⋆

“Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Ram, Snake and Dragon,” Suiren called out and lightly soft glows from her finger tips radiated, Suiren had presently been at the Training Grounds with Sensei Ren and like their previous days Suiren had arrived early for her quick private sessions with the man.

“Jutsus take long to make,” Ren pointed out and slightly at irate with his statement, Suiren shrugged her shoulders.

“I know that, but the light glows on my fingertips is an improvement.”

Comprehensive, Ren hummed. “How do you know you’re fully capable of making it?”

“Because I have the power and skills to do so,” Suiren quickly replied.

“You know there’ll be a lot of failure creating a Jutsu,” and after Ren had said that, Suiren had delivered a man a long look.

Her long stare had displayed the disapproval the young girl had felt towards Ren and hastily, the white glowers on her fingers died down. “Do you believe in me, Ren-Sensei?” Suiren carefully drawled out and in response, her Sensei had approved her a look.

Surprised by his lack of belief in her, Suiren felt her body warp into jelly. “I thought I was your Superstar,” she commented and as her eyes fell to her feet, she couldn’t help but feel a sting behind her eyes, as much as she used to find it embarrassing whenever Ren had called her that, Suiren had sincerely and honourably felt comfort from it.

“Suiren I---” Ren tried to explain himself, but adamant, Suiren pulled a face, fierce and angry.

“That time in the Prism Tower, I was able to make my own Jutsu by my own fear, the Fire Portal, I was able to do it without any hand signs,” Suiren said, “I was able to do it when both Raiden and I needed to escape----”

“And can you do it now?” Ren asked and awkward, Suiren clenched her fist and as she had attempted to argue with him once more, a quick and shadowy figure disrupted their bubbling dispute, her father.

Distracted, Suiren pushed back her tears before she paced herself towards her father, Sasuke who had gently knelt down and greeted her with a comfortable hug, surprised, Ren lightly took a step back as he quickly examined the presence to be Sasuke of the Uchiha clan.

“Uchiha-Sama,” Ren respectfully greeted, “I didn’t expect to see you return to Konoha so quickly,” he said and kindly, Sasuke greeted Ren.

“Ren Sensei, it’s nice to meet you,” Sasuke calmly accepted and after he had spoken, the taller man had carefully looked around and took in the atmosphere around him. “Where are the rest of your students?”

“Suiren comes to train earlier than everyone else, she’s eager to learn,” Ren smiled and proud, Sasuke placed his hand on top of his youngest daughter’s head who had awkwardly leaned against him.

Her shy manners had caused her sensei to laugh lightly, during his time training her, Ren had figured Suiren to be someone who barely became shy, yet, perhaps it was only her father who could bring out that side of her.  “Sakura told me you were like a father to Suiren when I was gone,” Sasuke said, “I’m here to thank you for being that figure during those periods.”

“You’re welcome, it was a pleasure taking care and training Suiren,” Ren shook his head. “She’s a bright and powerful child, huge potential.”

Prideful, Sasuke smiled as he could feel Suiren almost under his cloak. “I’ve always known she would be.”

“Suiren?” A voice called and immediately, Suiren and the two men had turned around, the long-haired girl had finally pulled herself out from her father’s cloak to see that Raiden and Akane had quickly made way to where they had currently stood. “Is that your dad!” Akane excitedly called out, surprised and delighted to finally see the mysterious warrior.

Embarrassed, Suiren looked at her feet before she sucked in her breath and began to introduce her team-mates to her father. “Dad, this is Akane, and this is my other team-mate, Raiden,” she smiled and gently inflamed, the two children welcomed and greeted the taller being who had carefully looked down at them.

His uncovered eye dark, just like Suiren’s twin, Sarada, but there had been a similarity in his eye in which he had with Suiren, the quiet but loud power and respect that had them stick out like a sore thumb. Sasuke’s eyes returned to Raiden and had remembered that his wife had told him that there had been something between the Nakamura boy and his daughter, and on edge, Raiden respectfully bowed his head, arms to his sides like a solider. His uneased approached identified by Suiren who furrowed her eyebrows as she awaited her father to eventually speak.

“It’s nice to finally meet the two of you,” Sasuke said and without hearing what they had to say, the Uchiha man had twisted his body towards the direction of Sensei Ren before he gently bowed his head. “I’ll be seeing you,” the man said before quickly disappearing.

As she had clicked her tongue, Suiren pressed her hands against her hips humoured by her father’s enigmatic ways. “Such a mystery he is.”

“Your father is so hot,” Akane blurted and unapologetically she covered her mouth while she could feel Suiren’s dark forest green eyes pierce into her, without remorse, Akane giggled while Sensei Ren commanded the three of them to continue training like the previous days.

“Today, it’ll be Suiren and Akane fighting,” Ren said as he pulled out his timer, and excited, Akane clapped her hands.

“I’ve been waiting to finally fight princess pretty face,” she smiled and unmoved, Suiren raised the both of her eyebrows as she took a step back for their routine distance.

“You sound jealous,” Suiren commented and taken aback, Akane pushed out a laugh.

“Me? Jealous of you?” Akane drawled out and after the two girls laughed while Ren got between them so he could count down.

He raised his hand up and the two girls sternly positioned themselves, eyes serious and keen. “Three,” the tall man began, “two…one!”

Thus immediately, Sensei Ren had jumped backwards while the two girls darted towards each other, they had begun with Taijutsu, their aims and speed ruthless, Suiren’s punches and kicks precise and Akane avoidant, the light-haired girl had jumped backwards and in the midst of summoning her weapon to hit Suiren with, the Uchiha girl had attempted to jump away but bits of the sharp weapon had grazed Suiren’s skin.

Lowly, Suiren cursed under her breath, teeth gritted as she could see Akane proudly smile, still unbeaten, Suiren paced towards Akane, her feet quick and hasty to the point that Akane couldn’t dodge fast enough. As she loudly yelled, Suiren pounded her fist against the ground forming a large crack steep and wide enough for her opponent to fall through.

“Woah,” Raiden gasped as he clapped but it had seemed like the hole wasn’t deep enough to keep Akane in, the girl had jumped right out, aimed for Suiren, her strength directive and fierce which had caused the black-haired girl to defensively push her hands in front of her.

Her paws quickly engulfed by flames that had easily hugged Akane’s body, Akane’s skin blazed by Suiren’s ruthless and bitter fire had caused the girl to scream in agony, quickly, Ren and Raiden had jumped to her feet the moment they saw Akane in the air, figure like a phoenix that had blazed and lighted the kingdom but its life soon die as it fell.

Horrified, Suiren covered her mouth with the back of her hand, eyes wide like saucers as she raced towards Akane who had cried and groaned in pain, she had rolled her body against the grass as she silently but loudly requested for the fire to stop.

⋆｡‧₊°꧁ ༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻ ꧂‧₊˚.⋆

SEVEN YEARS AGO

The scenario loud and buzzing with families and individuals passing through, the loud cackling of fire and barbeque had swarmed the Nara Clan’s Garden, they had the idea to throw a small gathering for people to relax and eat and the parents had found it an opportunity to have their children play with each other.

Currently, Shikadai had chased Suiren around, the two were known to be close, like how Boruto had been close with Sarada, yet the connection between the two could’ve been perceived as erratic and chaotic. Chiefly, it was an era where Sarada had begun to hyper-focus on the absence of her father and being at this barbeque hadn’t made it any better.

Seeing the children happy with their dads---and Suiren and Sarada all alone with their mother, compared to Sarada, Suiren had tried her best to not think about it, she had wondered about him from time to time but she regularly pushed it to the back of her mind. Though, whenever she did think about him, she had wondered why their father wasn’t there for the important areas of their lives.

A couple of years ago, Sarada had caught a vital illness that caused her eyes to become blurry, so she had to wear glasses, it was new, but Suiren and Sarada adjusted to the situation and Suiren helped Sarada grow to feel confident about her new accessories; currently, Sakura and Temari spoke under the shades while Hinata had helped Himawari put one of her shoes on, everyone had been distracted when Boruto grabbed Sarada’s glasses; but when he ran around it, Sarada wailed which had caught Suiren’s attention.

Suiren who was quick, chased after Boruto, no thought or awareness in her mind but focused on returning Sarada’s glasses back to her had tripped into the fire pit.

The fire hasty to engulf her small body had caused a fiery reaction from the children who had screamed in fear in what would happen to the youngest Uchiha. Gaining the adults’ attention, Sakura had rightfully panicked and darted towards her daughter who hadn’t realised what had been going on, on her knees she had sat and welcomed the warm feeling against her skin, her clothes unburnt along with the rest of her commodities.

Yet, frightened, Sakura hadn’t noticed her daughter was unharmed, nevertheless, she pushed herself to put her hands into the fire and lightly blaze herself as she pulled out her kin. As everyone gathered around the two, Sakura had tightly hugged Suiren, her stomach full with distress and ache as she gently repeated her daughter’s name, but the time Sakura had pulled away from Suiren, hands around her limbs to examine the girl, she had eventually noted that there was nothing wrong with her.

“Suiren, did you not feel yourself getting burned?” Sakura asked and confused, Suiren looked down at herself, just as confused as her mother.

“I didn’t realise,” Suiren answered, “I was too focused on getting Sarada’s glasses after Boruto took them,” and as the young girl had finished her response, Sakura couldn’t help but dryly laugh as she noticed the ability of her daughter---and while Suiren had then noticed the burned hands of her mother, she had almost felt the same fear Sakura had previously. “Mama, your hands are burnt.”

“I can heal myself,” Sakura said incapable of stopping herself from smiling, she had then pulled Suiren into one more loving embrace because she had whispered. “You’re such a magical girl,” the mother proudly said as she gently raked her fingers through Suiren’s long hair.

⋆｡‧₊°꧁ ༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻ ꧂‧₊˚.⋆

PRESENT DAY

Worried, Suiren had stood outside the hospital room Akane had been occupied in, thankfully, Suiren’s mother had tended and healed her but Suiren couldn’t help but feel terribly guilty for what she had done, and the second Suiren had saw her mother step out of the hospital room and the recognisable noises that clacked from her heels, the young girl had stopped playing with her hands and shuffled from side to side.

“Is Akane going to be, okay?” Suiren questioned and happy to see her daughter, Sakura had politely smiled.

The pink-haired woman closed the door behind her before she had responded. “Akane will be fine,” the mother reassured, and aware that her daughter had been fixed guilty, she had then pulled herself to kneel down at Suiren’s height. “You didn’t know you could do something like that, you don’t know how to control these unique fire abilities of yours.”

“Now what would happen if I accidentally set everyone I know on fire?” Suiren asked and humoured, Sakura laughed. “I think Akane officially hates me now,” Suiren said and empathetic, Sakura had stood up straight and placed her hand against her daughter’s left shoulder.

“I think she’ll forgive you, if you try to speak to her,” Sakura truthfully replied and thoughtful, Suiren pushed her lower lip behind her teeth as she nodded at her mother’s comment, and as Suiren made way to open the door, the Uchiha matriarch had quickly pressed her lips against the top of her daughter’s head before she left to take care of unfinished work business.

As she took in a soft breath, Suiren pulled the door which had revealed the rest of her team-mates, Ren and Raiden who had greeted her and Akane who had sat up on her bed, reticent.

“Hey,” Suiren lightly greeted and with a forced small smile, Akane had barely looked her way, she had her hands on top of each other but sight through the glass windows that revealed the other side of the village. Awkward, Suiren had moved her perception towards the men in the room, remorseful and anxious the girl had fiddled with her fingers. “Is she okay?”

“Your mother healed her completely,” Raiden smiled and honoured by his comment, Suiren had returned his gleam.

As she turned to look at Akane once more, she had examined the lack of marks and burns that had been there the last time Suiren had saw Akane, which had been expected from a professional like her mother. “I’m sorry for what I did, like I’m really sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” Akane hummed and relieved, the two girls had smiled at each other before Akane had shuffled towards Suiren’s direction. “I forgot you’re an over-powered Uchiha,” and as kickback, Suiren had laughed. “And it’s not like I cannot forgive you, if I didn’t, I’d have Raiden and Sensei Ren on my neck forcing me to.”

Startled, Suiren stood up straight, her eyes quick as she exchanged glances with the two men. “I—” the girl began ere she returned her dark eyes towards Akane, “it was an accident, it wasn’t intentional.”

“Then you need to learn how to control your powers, you cannot be the person you want to be if you don’t,” Akane mentioned and understanding of the girl’s point, Suiren nodded her head.

“I have so much power, one’s that I don’t know exist that just come out,” Suiren excused and exhausted, Akane rolled her eyes and resistant to let things get worse, Raiden stepped forward.

“Akane, Suiren feels guilty enough---”

“Of course, Prince Charming coming in for Suiren per usual---”

“You three,” Sensei Ren sighed and while his voice of authority had immediately spelled the three to stop what they had wanted to say to each other, discomforted Raiden and Suiren exchanged glances. “You three need to work on your team-work before the Chunin Exams that are almost less than a week come,” he commented, “Suiren, Akane is right about needing to learn how to control your powers,” Ren directly said which had caused Suiren to press her lips into a thin line, “and Akane,” his voice trailed, “Suiren has a point, she has endless of unknown powers, and Raiden, stop having the need to speak for Suiren all the time.”

Embarrassed, Raiden glanced at his fingers while Akane mildly sulked in her bed. Silent, Suiren took a step back before she found the situation a good moment to leave the room, and without hesitation, Raiden had traced her foot-steps, annoyed by his shadow-like self, Suiren glanced at him. “You don’t need to follow me.”

“But I’m your Prince Charming,” he joked, “I have to,” his dry humour enough to push a laughter from the girl.

“I didn’t get the chance to properly thank you for taking care of me,” Suiren added, “back in the Prism Tower,” she said and as they made their way down the busy corridors of the hospital, Raiden smiled at her, protecting Suiren was the least he could do, and no matter how many times he had been congratulated for his bravery in their previous mission, Raiden had always brought up the fact that it was Suiren who had made them escape at the end of the day.

“You’re welcome Suiren,” he responded and before the two students exited the hospital, Suiren had pulled him into an embracing hug.

Surprised, Raiden locked his arms around her, his embrace tight and loving as he accepted her sweet scent into his base, Suiren had always been known to be short, but her height been more implicit as he could rest his chin against her cranium. Perhaps he had always craved this soft side of Suiren to him as he could feel half of him be pulled away the second the Uchiha girl had let go of him. “Thank you for being my Prince Charming,” she smiled, her eyes glint with humour as she had then walked next to him out of the building.

⋆｡‧₊°꧁ ༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻ ꧂‧₊˚.⋆

Sasuke had been the one to open their apartment door, he had stood tall, brooding and piercing as he looked down at his child who had stood beside Raiden. Content to see him, Suiren had greeted the man and had been followed by Raiden who he hesitated in his speech.

“I was just dropping Suiren home,” the green-eyed boy said and silent, the Uchiha patriarch beckoned his head while the footsteps of his wife had slowly increased from behind him

“You should stay for dinner,” Sakura smiled and against for the boy to stay, Sasuke had furrowed his eyebrows but hadn’t verbalised his opinion. “You helped Suiren be safe in the Prism Tower, you’re allowed to come here any time,” Sakura said and grateful, Raiden stepped into the new Uchiha territory, slightly behind Suiren in anxiety as he could feel the hard stare of her father follow him.

As the young boy closed the door behind him, Sarada had quickly peered out of her room, she hadn’t worn her glasses and her bare appearance would always surprise individuals who were not a part of their family as they were routinely used to the short-haired girl with her red frames.

While the rest of the group had moved to the dining table, Sarada had chased after them and had brought Suiren into a tight hug. “Mama told me what happened.”

“If so, I shouldn’t be the one getting hugged,” Suiren smiled, “Akane basically hates me now.”

“It’s not like you knew you could do that,” Sarada excused and Suiren shrugged.

“Well, that’s what I said---but apparently it’s not a good enough reason,” Suiren said as she sat down on her usual seat, Raiden plopped himself right next to her whereas the other three Uchiha had set themselves on their routine chairs.

“Oh, it’s almost as if you burnt her alive,” Sakura jokingly stated while she moved around the table to put their plates and food down.

“Like I said, I didn’t know I could do that,” Suiren simply responded which had caused her mother to press her lips into a thin judgemental line.

Focused to change the topic, the pink-haired woman had adjusted her sight towards the Nakamura boy who had patiently lingered to eat. “Raiden,” Sakura smiled, her green eyes bright and preoccupied to hear gossip. “How’s it like being in a team with Suiren?”

“It’s been a pleasure,” the boy joked which had commenced the woman to laugh, both knowledgeable of how much of a character Suiren could be.

Sarada who had then looked at their father gently laughed behind her hand as she had recognised the hair-raising father act he had attempted to put on. Nudged by his wife to be kind to the boy, Sasuke had then sat up while Suiren recognised the slight unsatisfied expression he had on his face. “Dad, is something wrong?” Suiren asked and thoughtful of what he had wanted to inquire, he had gently coughed.

The others around the table on their toes and curious on what the man had wanted to say.

“Are you two in a relationship?” The man asked, his ponder which had immediately caused the already silent people to become even more reticent. Suiren flustered and Raiden scared had made Sakura laugh at the two children’s reactions.

After Suiren and Raiden exchanged glances, Suiren turned her vision back to her father before she spoke, “it has been spoken about---”

Immediately, Raiden had kicked her under the table frightened of what would come next. “Ow!” Suiren shrieked as she kicked him back. “It’s the truth!”

To move the attention away from the topic, Raiden coughed behind his hand. “The Chunin Exams,” the Nakamura boy smiled. “I can’t wait for people from all villages to come to Konoha.”

As Sarada’s eyes lit up in excitement, the short-haired girl sat up on her chair. “I heard news that the Sun Village is going to join the event.”

“I thought the village was a myth,” Sakura said.

“It allegedly isn’t,” Sarada shrugged.

Suspicious, Suiren turned to look at Sasuke. “Do you believe in it?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I have been travelling for a long time and I’ve never seen anyone from the Sun Village or have even encountered the place.”

“Suiren said that she was told that there was a Sun Stone,” Sakura added, “and that all the stones are in places that align with its ability, such like the Water Stone being in the Land of Water.”

“Plus, I want to get my hands on the Sun Stone,” Suiren said which had earned her multiple looks from the people around the table.

Stern, Sakura furrowed her eyebrows as she picked up some of her food. “Suiren,” her mother called, “the Water Stone is going to be the only stone you’re gonna lay your hands on,” and before Suiren opened her mouth to say anything, Sakura’s expression dragged into a narrow and hard look which had pushed Suiren to save what she had wanted to say.

Though she had pondered how her mother would feel if she had discovered that she had absorbed the powers the Water Stone once held.

“Nah, I just want to see the design of it,” Suiren goofily smiled as she poorly commenced an excuse to why she had wanted to retrieve it. As Sakura’s gaze remained on Suiren for a few seconds, the Uchiha matriarch rolled her green orbs to her husband who had remained casual, they had each knew it was best to not speak about it anymore, hence the topic of the Water Stone had still been a sensitive topic for everyone.

Although, Suiren couldn’t help but wonder about her future, and how they would react when they find out that she had wanted to search the world for each magical object, and how surprised they would be on how Suiren would do anything and everything to get them.

masterlist

#naruto #naruto fandom #naruto fanfiction #boruto fanfiction #suiren #suiren uchiha #sasusaku here #sasusaku #sarada has a twin #she's sarada's twin

[damien-wolfram-art]

Preparing a Vessel

Boruto slept soundly most nights, but the night of his resurrection was fitful. He fidgeted restlessly in his bed as visions of his desperate father, Naruto, his merciless brother, Kawaki, Code of The Kara, and Otsutsuki filled his mind. If the Otsutsuki he played host to, Momoshiki, was to be believed, then he was now the genuine article– one hundred percent Otsutsuki. Code would definitely be after him.

He broke a sweat thinking it over and inside his mind something stirred. “You truly are pathetic, aren’t you?” Asked a deep yet soft spoken voice in received pronunciation. It pushed away all other thoughts, leaving Boruto with only one– Momoshiki.

He was a small man with white skin, white eyes, and hip length straight white hair. He was dressed in all white kariginu robes and single toothed tengu-geta sandals. His head sported two backwards curving broken horns with the right one being broken further down than the other. He hovered over gently in Boruto’s mind palace where the much more colorful teen clutched his knees close to his chest. Around them, thousands of stars flickered in the dim blue sky. “Get up child,” Momoshiki ordered.

Boruto looked up at him; his blue eyes looked tired. “What do you want?” He asked.

“If you were merely Human, I could stand by and watch you suffer all day but you…you are no longer Human, Boruto. Get. Up.” The blond rose to meet his parasite’s gaze. He held his arms close to himself as he was inspected. “You aren’t hurt. Why do you hold yourself in such a manner?” Asked Momoshiki.

“Don’t you think this is a little weird?”

“Of course, I do. To think you would steal away any chance of my resurrection and become full Otsustsuki yourself…How extremely vexing! Nevertheless, you are of my kind now, boy. Show some pride,” Momoshiki said, raising his hand such that a blast of energy peeled Boruto’s oversized pink night shirt right off of him. This revealed his karma patterned chest, making his face burn with embarrassment.

“H-hey! What gives y’know?” Boruto yelped. “I don’t wanna show it off and besides, I don’t want you looking!”

“Oh, please boy, quit being so modest,” Momoshiki commanded and moved his arm downward, completely disrobing Boruto’s bottom half. Now, he could see just how his black karma snaked down his entire right half. “Just look at yourself. You're a beautiful fully fledged Otsutsuki now. You should really give yourself a bit more credit.”

“B-Bastard,” Boruto grumbled; his face was still on fire.

Momoshiki let out a wicked laugh and approached his vessel’s mind palace form. “I’ll tell you what,” he began before taking Boruto’s chin between his delicate fingers and licking his lips. “Why don’t I show you just how special you are.”

@narutokinktober

@bitchbot3000

#narutoevents2023 #october 2023 #monthly event #multiship event #day 22 #body worship #boruto naruto next generations #naruto shippuden #naruto #boruto #boruto uzumaki #momoshiki otsutsuki #borushiki #kawaki #naruto uzumaki #Otsutsuki #nsft #Somnophilia

[dorn-queen-of-thorns]

"The power in me"

12th Chapter

Promises

At another place:

The boy sits alone in front of his girlfriend's protective coffin. A coffin where time stands still. Sustained by her spirit mate, Nue. This powerful beast's chakra, although descended from Kaguya Ootsutsuki, does not last forever and so the boy must act to save his girlfriend. He's under pressure.

His goal is very clear to him. He must harvest the chakra fruit and give it to his girlfriend. Momoshiki recently told him about the Gozu Tennō that it represents an almost completed karma mark and thus she is a vessel of Kaguya. Momoshiki promised him that if he gave up his body and let his soul fall asleep, Momoshiki would save Sumire and thus Boruto and Sumire would be together as Momoshiki and Kaguya forever.

The mark Sumire wore 3 years ago when they were all still in the Shinobi Academy.

These were good times. Along with Shikadai, Mitsuki and the other boys, he has caused a lot of trouble and pranks while Sarada and the girls tried to stop the boys, which often ended in chaos.

He fondly remembers the quarrels with Sarada and misses her protective nature towards everyone she counts to her group. And her target is supposed to be big in the future...

His childhood friend has big plans with her goal of becoming one of the next future Hokages and following in his father's footsteps. A goal he never aspired to himself. Much rather wanted to be as cool and capable as Sarada's father Sasuke while also being his master. He sadly recalls the old days slowly fading away, overshadowed by Momoshiki's personality.

Your blue eyes will make you lose everything you hold dear. This bastard prophesied his dark fate. The facial expression of the once cheerful boy darkens into a sad grimace and sheds tears.

Another memory appears: "Your eyes are much bluer than your father's!" Sarada once said, which could also be mistaken for a romantic intention and he also blushed at the time. But now he realizes more and more that Sarada instinctively saw ahead of his dark destiny.

" Remember! This miserable brat was pathetically trying to hide her Rinnegan from us,” Boruto hears a malicious laugh.

"As the last possible Uchiha with a newly awakened Rinnegan, she must die. She could prevent your plan if there is a possibility of a connection to Kawaki. You know her nature and her desire to protect everyone around her. She's similar to Naruto..." a telltale voice whispers into his own consciousness.

" No!!! I can't, I mustn't go that far!!!”, Boruto desperately tries to shake off this thought.

Sarada, Mitsuki....

He remembers the boy with his pale yet handsome appearance. His skin is white as snow, and his hair is slightly bluish to match. But his eyes radiate such a magical warmth for Boruto. He could never decide which was prettier to him. Mitsuki's warm golden eyes or Sumire's mysterious dark purple ones. He could never really make up his mind. Had Mitsuki been with him when he had to take Sumire to safety, he would have taken him with him.

Himawari, his beloved mother and his misunderstood father….

The relationship with his father Naruto had never been easy. There were times when he wished for a different father. Often he had no time for himself and his family. Everything changed when Kawaki moved in, and it pains him to realize that Kawaki was the reason he ended up spending more time with his father. However, he never wished for his father's death. He could only watch helplessly as he was drawn into the vast Dimension Gate.

Hinata…

Hinata, was always the calming influence of her family. She had always been there for him and his sister. She hadn't had it easy growing up, as the future head of the Hyuga family. All she wanted was a simple and normal life. A loving family. The love she missed so much from her childhood passed it all on to her own family, and that's probably why she was able to forgive Naruto's absence.

Himawari…

He will never be able to forget his little sister. The sunshine of his family. He hopes that somehow she will survive in this ruined world. Maybe she's lucky and Kawaki will take it in his own place. She wanted to follow in her big brother's footsteps and also become a great shinobi. She had great talent, even more than he did. She just entered the Shinobi Academy and hasn't even passed her Genin exam yet.

I'm sorry Hima... Are his last thoughts of her before Momoshiki takes over his personality again.

„ They’re all just miserable creatures and the price has to be paid in order to be able to stay with your girlfriend forever”, again that treacherous voice.

Kawaki….

Times weren't easy with his fiery adoptive brother, who never lied and infuriated everyone with his outspoken manner. And... yet there was a special bond with this intimidating boy. A loving bond that could exist only between brothers.

He doesn't want to have to sacrifice his brother; not by blood but by their bond; who was also forced and made to an Ootsutsuki. Far more gruesome than his own Ootsutsuki trial. Kawaki had to overcome a lot of suffering and pain. The period of family life was short-lived for him. This sensitive boy would never recover from this loss. Boruto firmly believes this and thus decides to end Kawaki's dark fate.

"You know what you have to do. There's no going back..." says his second personality in him.

His thoughts wander back to Sumire one last time. Tenderly he touches her cold hand and anchors his fingers in hers. He desperately wishes that someday she would be able to return his gesture of affection and love. But first he has to do something important:

To save Sumire he will have to sacrifice Kawaki and the rest of the world.

" Sumire, I promise to save your life! And if I have to sacrifice the world for it, I will end your suffering!” says a last part of his personality to the girl in the coffin. And so his goal is clear. He's willing to sacrifice the rest of the world for Sumire...

Same day:

Together with Suigetsu, Sarada meets Orochimaru in his laboratory. She is disappointed to find that Mitsuki is not present.

He doesn't come here to say goodbye to me, she realizes sadly. All she has left is a shambles of loose memories.

Orochimaru looks at Sarada in the old Akatsutki coat and has to suppress a smirk. Too much he would see his former teammate Tsunade's face when Sakura's daughter stands in front of her in that ill-omened coat. Too bad he won't see that reaction.

He points to two letters in front of him: "It's good that you're here. You should be familiar with Tsunade, also called the 5th. Your father must have contacted her too. She agrees to continue your further development of chakra control. You are fortunate that your mother made an impressive impression on her as her student, as one of the three sannin.

You'll be on your way tomorrow. Of course not alone. One of my team will accompany you to Sunagakure. The path has become dangerous and you and your father are the last Uchiha..." Her father's former master wants to continue, but is interrupted by Sarada.

"No, I don't want to!", Sarada refuses and looks her opposite firmly in the eyes.

The little girl really has the courage or cheek? to disobey his orders. The old Sannin looks at her in surprise and scrutiny, "No?"

Sarada shakes her head resolutely, "I want to stay with Mitsuki and you. Please train me to become stronger.”

The request surprises Orochimaru beyond measure. She takes after her father and his eyes soften for his standards. Memories are awakened again and his earlier desire for a Uchiha body reports back briefly. But he is aware that such a body is useless if this world is destroyed by one or both Ootsutsukis and will ultimately die despite having this body anyway.

"I refuse," he says matter-of-factly to her.

Sarada looks at him in disappointment and before she tries to rebel any further, he continues, "I don't accept disobedience. In addition, you only own the 2nd Tomoe. You are too weak to teach yourself any other useful techniques and you are untalented for an Uchiha. Your father had already developed the 3rd tomoe at your age..."

Hurt by this statement, Sarada looks to the side and wraps one arm protectively around her body, which clutches her other arm., "Whatever you say... I'll go ahead and pack my things then."

“It is important that you stay focused on your mission. Protect Kawaki from his own fate. If you save him, everyone else around you including your father will be safe..." Orochimaru tells her calmly.

"And what about mom? Why haven't I heard from her?” Sarada asks desperately. If she can't be with her mother during this difficult time, she isn't willing to have to break her newly formed bonds again.

"Sarada, I can't tell you what happened to your mother. I still don't know the exact circumstances”, the old Sannin tries to wriggle out of the increasingly unpleasant conversation with lies like a snake.

Sarada senses that everyone around here avoids her , when it comes to her mother. Mom… Where are you? she asks herself worried about her mother.

"You have to pack your things now. Karin will accompany you on your journey. She is the best choice for you. You can protect both of you sufficiently while she serves as your chakra source. She's already waiting for you. Now go !”

Alarmed by Orochimaru's statement, Sarada immediately wants to counter something, but remembers her promise to Karin and Suigetsu's statement that she had to do something.

Slightly relieved not to have to watch out for a pregnant woman on this dangerous journey, she goes back to her makeshift quarters and rests to recharge her batteries.

A few hours later there is a knock on Sarada's door and her foster aunt stands grinning in front of her with something important to her in her hand, "Suigetsu has returned to your room and brought me your broken glasses. I put in a new lens and swapped the broken temple for a good one.”

Sarada examines her repaired glasses: The glasses that were once fiery red now have a black bracket as a new splash of color. Sarada likes the new little change and is grateful to Karin for her care. She only knew such care from her mother until now. She unconsciously wipes her tears from her eyes...

" What is? Lord, if you don't like it. Let's buy you new glasses in Sunagakure. Please don't cry!” Karin tries to calm her down.

Startled, Sarada looks up at her foster aunt, "No, it's not that. Your caring reminds me of Mama. That's all and I want my glasses to stay that way. Thank you Aunt Karin!”

With slain cheeks and a trembling voice, which she tries to quell in front of Sarada. She hugs the girl so Sarada doesn't see her own tears, "Sarada, I promise to support you!", recalling the promise she made to Sakura shortly after Sarada's delivery.

Together they both go to one of the secret exits possessed by this huge laboratory built into a mountain.

Arriving at the exit, they are already awaiting by Suigetsu, Orochimaru and Log, Mitsuki's big brother? Sarada is disappointed to find that Log's more younger copy doesn't appear for her farewell . She remembers Mitsuki's statement that Team 7 is destroyed and that is a rupture in their friendship between the two.

Log notices her sad look, "I'm sorry for you. But I'm supposed to tell you that Mitsuki can't and doesn't want to come to your farewell. I also wished for a different ending for both of you. But when it comes to Boruto, he's very stubborn."

"I see.." Sarada says gloomily to Log, "please tell him that I didn't want it all that way. And he should take care of himself.”

"I will," Log tells her.

Then Suigetsu speaks up and approaches Karin and carefully takes her hand. He gently squeezes her one last time, "Be careful, okay?! And watch out for the brat that she doesn't do anything stupid.”

Blushed, Karin looks at Suigetsu and unnoticed, she strokes her hand briefly over her lower abdomen, "I will. And don't worry about her. She's quite reasonable for her age."

" Who knows? She's an Uchiha and a pretty girl at that. She'll quickly attract the interest of boys of her age and maybe some girls,” he jokes about Sarada.

" Do you have it right now? Man, boys are all the same, just so annoying!” precedes an indignant Sarada with a blush on her face and doesn't get anything from the exchange of words between the two adults. Kawaki's appearance appears in her memory.

Damned! He's just a mission for me. Nothing else! , she thinks annoyed and sets off.

Karin quickly catches up with her and they both begin their journey together.

The group that stayed behind looks after the two women for a while.

And you're really okay with Karin going with Sarada,” a curious Orochimaru asks Suigetsu.

Nervous beads of sweat form on Suigetsu's face, "Both of them will be fine. Sarada is a one man army and with Karin she has unlimited ammo,” he tries to calm himself and hide his own concerns.

"As you mean...", Orochimaru looks after the two women for a while until they are no longer perceptible. "Was the cloak your idea?" Orochimaru's mouth twitched imperceptibly.

Suigetsu becomes melancholic of his youthful days together with his group of Sasuke, Jūgo and of course Karin, "I thought I had to cheer the brat up a bit and gave her her father's old Akatsutki coat."

An audible snort followed by a whoop of laughter makes Suigetsu look up, startled, to see his master bursting with laughter.

"You already know that she's going to cause a lot of trouble with this. Well, it suits a native Uchiha..." and he wipes a single tear from his right eye.

A laughing Orochimaru terrifies Suigetsu. You don't see something like that every day...

#kawasara #kawaki x sarada #mitsuki #karin uzumaki #suigetsu hozuki

[the-letter-horror-lover]

Point of no return by lllBluebirdlll

Anime » Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Rated: T, English, Hurt/Comfort & Adventure, Boruto U., Naruto U., Sarada U., Sasuke U., Words: 32k+, Favs: 6, Follows: 6, Published: Apr 21 Updated: Sep 23

2Chapter 1

Hey everyone, this story is meant to be my take on how the story could've gone after chapter the events of chapter 66 of Boruto manga so if you don't want spoilers or are not caught up to it I'd recommend you don't read any further.

Well with that warning out of the way I would like to clarify that I planned out this story shortly after the release of chapter 66 with no knowledge of what the future chapter (that being 67 - 69 as of me writing this) would be about. I thought about re-planning the story around the knowledge brought on by chapter 67 but in the end decided against it so just keep in mind that when you read. Disclaimers out of the way I'll be attempting to keep these updates weekly, this is intended to be a short 3 - 4 chapter story showcasing what could've happened after the end of chapter 66 so I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter One

Aftershock

Everything was moving in slow motion, as soon as he regained himself from Boruto pushing him away his first instinct was to reach him again as dread settled in the pit of his stomach. Whatever scenario he could come up with would still be far from the scene he now saw before his eyes as Kawaki all but pierced a hole straight through his son's chest.

His mind froze in shock and he stopped entirely as his vision narrowed in on Boruto's body as it fell limply to the ground.

Silence was the only thing between everyone at the scene for the few seconds that followed until Naruto finally kicked himself into gear and ran towards Boruto as he screamed his name, falling to his knees when he finally reached him while taking everything in. He wanted to believe that this was some sort of trick, there was no way this could be happening right?

He held onto his son's shoulders and shook him lightly as he called for him, begging him to wake up as the blood from the wound on the child's chest stained him.

Kawaki stood a short distance away watching the scene unfold as Naruto leaned down and lightly cradled Boruto's body, hugging it tightly against his chest. He looked down as he raised his hand that had now returned to normal, stained with Boruto's own blood.

He closed his fist in anger and suddenly felt his legs unable to support him, falling to his knees he closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath before turning his eyes to where Code stood, this would not be over as long as he was still around.

For his part Code simply watched the scene unfold, clicking his tongue in displeasure, this was certainly not the scenario he was hoping or expecting from this situation he had created. Boruto was the sole vessel for Momoshiki so if he was dead then there was no other Otsutsuki required for the ritual. Kawaki might still be a viable option seeing as he had enough Otsutsuki data in him but he was not the ideal candidate.

"Code"

Snapping out of his thoughts he paid attention to Eida's voice in his ear "Yeah?"

"Uchiha Sasuke is getting close, He might've felt the disturbance and is coming to check. You might want to think about your plan of action now"

Letting out a breath he turned back to the scene in front of him "Things have gotten somewhat complicated hm" he removed his hand from Shikamaru's neck, reaching behind him to create a new set of claw marks on the ground "I need to think, so you just stay put for a while won't you?"

Shikamaru half turned to try and look at Code just as his hand came down on the back of his neck and all he saw was the fading ground as he fell down.

Code brushed the dirt off his clothes before looking back in Kawaki's direction "And we'll be seeing again soon, Kawaki"

Before Kawaki himself could even respond, Code sank back into his claw marks, disappearing from the area entirely.

"Why…Kawaki"

Standing back up from where he was, Kawaki turned to look at Naruto where he was half looking at him while still cradling Boruto's body. He looked away,keeping his head down "I was our agreement. We agreed that this had to be done and he knew you wouldn't be able to"

Naruto turned back on Boruto, he knew Kawaki was right, he would never be able to kill his own son but…as he saw himself like this now he wondered if maybe he could've done more to prevent this outcome.

His eyes were glued to Boruto, attempting to bring back some of the life he knew, half waiting on him to just open his eyes again but the hole in his chest begged to tell another story.

He placed a shaking hand over his wound as it faintly began to glow green. He had learned the very basics of medical ninjutsu many years ago from Sakura, he'd been able to heal tiny cuts but was never able to get past that. Still, he felt like he had to at least try, he refused to simply stay there uselessly with the quickly cooling body of his son in his arms.

He didn't want to believe this was happening, he was supposed to be the one protecting him, and yet he found himself in a situation where Boruto had decided to sacrifice himself to keep him and the village safe by extinguishing the possibility of Momoshiki's reincarnation.

Naruto closed his eyes as he felt the sting of tears, he had promised that he would protect him, that he would do everything in his power to keep him safe…yet here he was.

Who was he kidding? As much as he tried his attempt at healing would never be good enough to heal such a wound, probably even someone as skilled as Sakura would have trouble with it.

His jaw tightened in anger as tears began to flow down his face, tightly hugging his son's body against him in impotence "I'm sorry…Boruto"

~ o ~

He was jumping from branch to branch as fast as his legs would take him, Ino had contacted him while he was home and explained the situation, he was halfway out the village before she even finished explaining everything. Long and short of it was that Code had appeared, Kawaki had ran away and Boruto had gone after him. She mentioned Naruto and Shikamaru going after them but with an enemy of unknown power that was only rumored to be stronger than Jigen he could not just sit and wait everything out.

Once some distance outside the village he finally sensed Naruto's chakra, jumping from tree to tree he got mentally ready for another hard fight.

Nothing could've prepared him for the scene that was in front of him when he finally reached the clearing. Landing down from the trees to where everyone was, he noted that the terrain itself was scarred with the signs of a large-scale battle, Shikamaru was knocked out on the ground and Kawaki was standing off to the side some distance away.

Despite the destruction and the apparent lack of an enemy on sight, what called his attention the most was Naruto where he was on the ground cradling Boruto's body against him, a hole through his chest.

Was this Code? Ino had said he was here but it would make no sense that his goal would be to kill Boruto since from the intel they had he would need him if he were to continue Isshiki's plans.

Quickly taking another glance and taking in his surroundings he noted how Kawaki was simply standing some distance away, his hand stained with blood. Could he have…?

A part deep inside of him began to fill with anger, confused as to why he would kill Boruto until something in him finally clicked.

He remembered the last conversation he had with Boruto before the last fight with Isshiki, his resolve to do what was right and what was necessary. Another scene flashed in his mind to the moment Boruto held a kunai to his throat with the threat of killing himself to save him and Naruto.

If he was reading the situation properly then Boruto had probably spoken to Kawaki beforehand and they made a plan in case things went out of control again.

"Sasuke!"

Turning back to look at Naruto he mentally shook himself, taking a few steps closer to his lifelong friend "What happened here?"

"I'll explain later, call Sakura or anyone from the medical corps please!"

"I can't"

"What do you mean you can't?!"

"We're out of range of the village's sensory net, we can't contact them unless someone from the barrier corps manages to reach us"

"There has to be a way, something we can do, anything!"

Sasuke took a deep breath, he had more experience with handling the death of loved ones first hand, not that it made it any easier with time and the loss of one's child was a pain he would rather never experience. Even still losing Boruto was still painful even to him, he was his only student, son to his best friend and teammate to his own daughter. To say that this scene wasn't hurting him would be a lie but he knew that it was still nothing compared to what Naruto was feeling, the gods knew that if he were in Naruto's place he could easily slip back to his older self in a spiral of never ending darkness.

Both said nothing for a few seconds, Naruto could read the pain and sorrow in Sasuke's own eyes as they shared a look, knowing that as much as he wanted to call for help there was no way to do it.

His attention snapped when Sasuke's eyes broke contact with him suddenly and looked down at Boruto, following his gaze his breath caught in his throat as he saw that the previously gaping hole in his son's chest was mending itself.

The previously gaping hole was starting to close with a dark pattern, as if an extension of the Karma itself was expanding and regenerating over his wound, the blood had stopped and the hole was being healed right before their disbelieving eyes as everyone stared in stunned silence at the scene unfolding before them.

~ o ~

Everything was covered in darkness, he wasn't sure where he was or what had happened. The last thing he remembered was chasing after Kawaki and fighting Code. He somehow grasped control of Momoshiki's power until an acute pain in his chest stopped him and everything went dark again but…there was something else, he knew he was forgetting something…

Oh, that's right, Momoshiki took over once again and he stopped him long enough for Kawaki to kill him.

He stood up and looked around, there was a dull ache in his chest which didn't really come as a surprise all things considered. Still, he had no idea where he was…was this the afterlife?

The previously dull pain grew stronger then and he clutched his chest as a voice echoed in the darkness of his surroundings. "No, not yet you little brat. You can't die when you are trapped by a fate as strong as yours"

The voice laughed and the sound echoed more as he fell to the ground, the pain in his chest still intensifying until he struggled for breath.

One second he was on his back in the darkness gasping for air, the next he suddenly felt his body's weight once more as air filled his lungs.

There was a muffled voice, the sensation of a cold breeze suddenly brought him to his senses as he felt his eyelids lessen their weight. Blinking several times to clear his vision he found himself looking up at his dad, blue eyes that mimicked his own stared back wide with shock and disbelief "B-Boruto…?"

Taking a few seconds to analyze his surroundings he was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace as his father's relief was clearly tangible after believing him to be dead. He couldn't help but ask himself just why was he still alive, how was he alive?

The voice he had heard before waking up…had that been Momoshiki? Was he the one that brought him back?

His eyes scanned his surroundings until they finally landed on Sasuke standing next to them, a little farther away was Kawaki, also staring back at him in disbelief. His eyes travelled down and noticed the blood on his hand which meant that he had indeed gone through with their plan, he had killed him…and still he was brought back for some unknown purpose.

He feels his dad's hands on his shoulders as he pulls him away from him, his eyes were glassy which were a clear sign that he'd been crying at some point earlier, after the relief came the scolding for being reckless but he couldn't find it in him to argue back or answer at all. He had made up his mind for death, found his resolve and laid everything down to protect those he loved and everyone in the village from the imminent threat that was Momoshiki's revival through his Karma.

Taking his eyes away from his father he lands on Sasuke, there was a knowing look in his eyes that he recognized, he had probably guessed what had happened and he understood his motives and reasoning but Boruto himself knew that if it came down to it again his sensei would not be able to bring himself to kill him, this was also why he could only ask this of Kawaki.

Sasuke understood his intentions well, he knew how Boruto felt about his Karma and the extraction progress, the fears he harbored about hurting the people he cared for. The intended sacrifice had been meant as a last resort plan to tie up the loose ends and keep the village and everyone safe from what he could do.

After all of this he didn't know if Boruto would even want to return to the village considering that Momoshiki had taken over yet again even after he had been taking the pills that supposedly would prevent these sort of things from happening again.

And it was with that thought in mind and a sigh of defeat that he turned serious eyes on Boruto as he stretched his hand down and hapled both father and son to their feet. "Boruto" the boy slowly turned in his direction "Are you sure about what you wanted to do?"

It took him a couple seconds as he processed the question, finally catching up on the fact that Sasuke had quickly caught up to what he had wanted to achieve.

With a sigh he simply nodded before speaking "As long as Momoshiki is inside of me and these kinds of situations are a threat then it's dangerous to everyone. If it hadn't been for Kawaki's intervention then I…I would've probably killed dad"

Sasuke nodded, understanding "Are you really willing to go through with the choice you made?"

While this conversation was going on Naruto kept switching between both of them, attempting to decipher what was going on and why they were being so cryptic. Eventually he understood and his face immediately turned to Sasuke "Oi Sasuke, what are you planning to do?"

Sasuke didn't answer as he closed his eyes with a sigh, the next time he turned to face Naruto the blond had less than a second to react as his blue eyes met a pool of crimson. Naruto fell to the ground, unconscious, Kawaki began to make his way towards them in alarm until he too fell to the ground the instant the Uchiha turned his eye on him.

Boruto exchanged glances between the two of them before turning to Sasuke "What did you do?"

"When they wake up the most recent memory they'll have is of your death, they'll have no recollection of your revival which…we need to discuss"

Boruto looked down at his chest, where there had once been a hole now remained a permanent extension of the Karma like the one on his hand "I…I don't know what happened, or why…"

Sasuke looked down at Naruto "They will most likely believe that Code took your body after they passed out. They'll want to go after him immediately no doubt"

"Well…what now?"

"I'll take you somewhere where you'll be able to remain hidden until the dust settles, after that I'll personally train you to control this power of yours"

"What about my pills? I had been taking them since they were slowing down the Karma extraction and I still need them"

"I'll take care of that, don't worry about it" with that said Sasuke turned away and began to walk off "Come, we need to start moving before reinforcements arrive and find us, more importantly you"

"Will it be fine to leave them here though? We're in the middle of the forest"

"They'll be fine, it won't be long before the team that was following me arrives and takes them back to the village"

With apprehension still clutching his chest Boruto turned to follow Sasuke, muttering an apology under his breath "Mom, Hima…dad…I'm sorry"

Point of no return by lllBluebirdlll

Anime » Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Rated: T, English, Hurt/Comfort & Adventure, Boruto U., Naruto U., Sarada U., Sasuke U., Words: 32k+, Favs: 6, Follows: 6, Published: Apr 21 Updated: Sep 23

2Chapter 2: Ch 2: Mourning

Chapter Two

Mourning

They walked for a short time before Sasuke picked up the pace to a run and shortly after they were both jumping from branch to branch. They traveled in silence for a little over an hour into a part of the forest Boruto couldn't recognize, he didn't remember ever going through this area where the trees were clumped closer together and the vegetation on the ground was ticker.

Eventually they both dropped from the trees, walking for a little while longer on the ground before reaching a seemingly dead end. Sasuke pushed part of the brush aside as he walked through the foliage, Boruto followed him closely as both ended up facing a small old looking cabin covered by more vegetation.

"What is this place? Who lives here?"

"I stumbled across this place some years ago, I have never seen anyone near here so it must be abandoned. I've stopped by here a few times while I was traveling, you'll be safe here for now"

"When was the last time you were here?"

"About three years ago"

Without further questions the pair entered the cabin, the interior was sparsely furnished and a layer of dust covered most surfaces but it looked otherwise in good shape. Sasuke checked around the area and inside the cabin itself to check that everything was in order,as he finished up he stood at the door and his eyes fell on Bourto where he stood outside the cabin still, a breeze ruffled the leaves of the trees above as he absentmindedly looked up at the clouds forming in the dark sky.

"Boruto"

He blinked, Sasuke's voice dragging him out of his train of thought as he turned to look back at him "I'm going to head back to the village, you will have to stay here and lay low until the dust settles back home"

"What are you going to tell everyone? They'll want to hear a report right?"

"I'll simply tell them that I went after code and that he got away. Tracking him will be my cover when I come back and we set out"

"So…I'll just wait here?"

"There are some provisions inside that should last you a couple days should it come to that, this place is remote and no one knows about it so you should be fine as long as you don't leave the area. Try to stay inside and lay low just in case"

He simply nodded back, watching as Sasuke walked off and disappeared back through the foliage where they had come from earlier.

Heading back inside the cabin he sat on a lone couch by the window. His mind flashed back to the moment he asked Kawaki to go through with their plan, from the day they had decided on it Kawaki had been partially against it but after making things clear he finally agreed to follow through should the time come.

Well, he had done it, only neither of them had expected Momoshiki to take the bullet for him, so to speak. He raised his hand, looking at the black diamond etched on his palm "Tch…Why'd you have to go and mess everything up…"

After taking a deep breath he stood up, planning to try and clear his head of the anxiety induced thoughts that plagued him with infinite 'what ifs'

Walking past a small standing mirror he finally took a look at his appearance. There was a large tear in his shirt, naturally, and the stains of his own blood were dying the white material with a dark red around that same area; he supposed that his back probably looked similar in that regard.

Looking down at himself he also noticed that his necklace was missing, it had probably been torn off at the impact when Kawaki had killed him or at some point just before that while Momoshiki was in control of his body. His clothes he didn't mind too much but losing his necklace was a bit different, he had always had it and felt like it contributed to who he was…maybe losing it was also just another reminder that he was no longer himself, not entirely anyways…

Removing his jacket he ran a hand over the Uzumaki crest on the back, just above another large tear that broke through the dark fabric. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, putting his jacket back on to get some cover from the chill of the night. His mind wandered again; what was he going to do now? Where would this situation lead him? And most importantly how was he going to get this problem fixed?

~ o ~

After a couple hours Naruto finally began to stir, blinking his eyes open. It took him a few seconds to get adjusted to the lights that immediately told him that he was back at the leaf hospital.

Another second later and he registered the worried looks of his wife and daughter as they stood next to the bed he had been lying on. Himawari's bright blue eyes brightened at the sight "Papa! You're awake!"

Leaning further towards him Hinata lightly placed her hand over his, worry etched into her eyes "Are you okay? You were out for a while"

As things began to catch up to him once more and he recalled the events that had transpired no more than a few hours ago a dull pain settled in his chest along with a throbbing headache, managing to control his expression he turned on Hinata "Where are Shikamaru and Kawaki?"

"Oh, they both left a while ago for the Hokage tower, I think Shikamaru mentioned meeting Sasuke there"

Nodding back he moved to stand, swinging his legs over the bed and making sure there were no lingering effects from the fight earlier when-

"Papa, where is Boruto?"

He froze, his mind had completely brushed over the fact that he would have to be the one to break the news to his family, for a split second the only thing that filled his vision was the image of Boruto lying unconscious on the ground with a hole through his chest.

"Papa?"

His daughter's voice pulled him out of his spiraling thoughts, closing his eyes and clenching his fist he pushed himself to keep his emotions under control.

Hinata felt the sudden dread in the pit of her stomach as she watched her husband's expression that, albeit subtle, showed hints of anger and sadness. She leaned in closer to him to look straight into cerulean eyes that seemed somehow darker.

Himawari looked between her parents as the silence stretched, searching for an answer to her question. Her dad had said that he would bring Boruto and Kawaki back and she heard her mom say that Kawaki was away with uncle Shikamaru so…where was her brother?

Naruto took a deep breath to steady himself, opening his eyes and looking back to his wife and daughter. They needed to know, he couldn't put this off any longer and he'd rather have them know this now rather than waiting more and prolonging their anxiety.

With a heavy heart he told them both most of what happened when he caught up to everyone with Shikamaru, the fight that ensued and the manifestation of Boruto's power once more. He stopped before being able to tell how everything ended, unable to bring himself to put it into words out loud in hopes that this was some sort of mistake and saying it out loud would make it a reality.

He didn't seem to need to finish, however, as one look at Hinata told him that she understood the situation and the events that had transpired while tears welled in her eyes. Himawari still seemed confused, not entirely following after her dad had stopped talking. "Papa? What happened?"

Leaning forwards towards them both Naruto pulled them into a tight embrace, feeling his own tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes as he fought them back "I'm sorry Hima, Boruto won't be coming back…" He felt the light trembling from Hinata as he kept her close to him, knowing that she too was fighting back emotions for the sake of their daughter "I'm sorry…I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise…"

~ o ~

Back at the Hokage tower Shikamaru was standing watch over Kawaki in the main office, he hadn't let him out of his sight ever since waking up at the hospital after witnessing the fight he had with Boruto. He understood what he had done and why he had done it, by how the conversation had gone between the two it was easy to see that Boruto had planned this out in case things went south.

This very solution had been discussed the last time all the Kage had a meeting, he vividly remembered Gaara asking Naruto if he would have the strength to do what needed to be done which he knew that, as much as Naruto reassured them and himself, that he wouldn't be able to pull the trigger on his own son.

That being said he still couldn't help but be weary, dreading the moment Naruto came through those doors after what had happened. He leaned against the wall with a sigh, eyes landing on Kawaki where he sat on the floor with his back against the wall and his head down, there was also the issue that Kawaki had recovered his Karma somehow.

A flare of anger boiled deep within him as the only person that could've done it sprung to mind. He never fully trusted Amado from the very beginning but this now only reinforced his suspicions.

The door began to crack open and he turned his full attention to it, a part of him glad to see Sasuke walking through instead of Naruto. "You're back already?"

"I couldn't find much, when I reached you in the forest everyone was knocked out and Code was taking Boruto's body. Moving through those claw marks leaves no trace to be followed but I did sense a faint signature that felt similar deeper into the forest. I followed in hopes of finding something, perhaps another set of claw marks or another clue but there was nothing around."

"He really took Boruto?"

"Is that so surprising? He was a perfect vessel and from the Karma itself he was already over eighty percent Otsutsuki while Code himself was a failed vessel from what Amado told us"

Well put like that it made sense "You think he's planning something with Boruto?"

"Hard to tell, the only person that could maybe know something could be Amado"

"Yeah don't trust that guy too much, he re-implanted a Karma on Kawaki without us knowing and who knows what else he's been doing"

For a fraction of a second his eyes widened Kawaki had his Karma back? It made sense, from what little he saw when he arrived at the end of everything there seemed to have been a large scale battle, he knew neither Naruto or Shikamaru would be able to create such scars in the terrain and if Momoshiki had resurfaced then it was only logical that him and Kawaki had been the ones fighting.

The door began to open once more and this time all three people in the room turned their eyes towards it. Naruto walked in, his posture firm and eyes focused as he scanned the room before his gaze finally landed on Kawaki.

He headed straight for him, stopping directly in front of him as he bent down to be at his level before speaking in a collected voice "Why…Kawaki? What were you even thinking?"

Tearing his eyes away from Naruto's he lowered his gaze "It was the only way"

"No it wasn't, we could've-"

"There was no choice, Boruto knew it and that's why he asked this of me. I knew you wouldn't be able to do it so I took care of it…that's all there is to it"

The anger and impotence began to grow deep within him as he forced them back to keep himself composed like he had since leaving the hospital. A hand on his shoulder snaps his attention up to Shikamaru as he slowly shaked his head to dissuade him.

Standing back up Naaruto took in a shaky breath, fighting back his emotional side that wanted to scream and tear everything on sight apart to let out his frustration and impotence, looking back up his eyes landed on Sasuke as his brain shifted to the next most important matter.

"Where is he, Sasuke?"

"Gone, Code took him. I attempted to track him but there isn't much to go by when he moves through those claw marks and we have no idea or reference of where he might be settled down for the time being"

"In what direction did you last sense him?"

"After he disappeared I followed a faint signature east from where we were until it disappeared as well"

Without another word Naruto turned around and began heading for the door, the moment his hand held onto the door handle he was stopped by a hand firmly grasping his arm.

"You can't go after him, don't start acting irrational"

Cerulean eyes met obsidian as Sasuke kept a firm hold of him, the Uchiha clearly saw the spiraling emotions inside his friend's eyes and he understood just a little too well what he was going through after he himself lost so many loved ones in the past.

"Irrational? I'm not being irrational, I'm going out there and finding Code to get my son back"

"You can't track him, did you not hear a thing of what I just said?"

"I can still try, maybe I can find something in Sage mode that you couldn't get"

"And then what? You're going to fight Code?"

"If I have to then-"

"You can't fight him, you…we don't have the power to take him down right now, you should know that after this encounter you had with him"

That made him stop, Sasuke was right…he had been mostly powerless in front of him even in Sage mode, if Kawaki hadn't stepped in to buffer that massive Rasengan from Momoshiki who knows how things would've gone down.

Sasuke kept a firm grip, he needed to keep Naruto from doing any reckless things for his own sake as well as for his plan. If he were to go out in Sage mode there was a chance that he would pick up Boruto's chakra, He needed time to move him further away. I'm sorry Naruto.

After a minute of silence Naruto looked down with closed eyes, he let out a shaky breath as his hold on the door slightly loosened, he stayed there for a few more seconds before his grip became more firm once more which caused Sasuke to tighten his grip on him.

Naruto turned his eyes towards him as his posture loosened, cerulean eyes taking a darker shade as he suddenly appeared tired and worn out from how he looked mere minutes ago "I'm just going to head back home"

Sasuke let him go, identifying the sorrow that was consuming him, even if he had more experience dealing with the loss of loved ones than Naruto he knew that the pain of losing his son must be immense. He tried putting himself in his position but he didn't need to think too much to know that if something like that were to happen to Sarada he would tear through earth and sky to get back to whoever was responsible, It was an easy switch to flip him back to his previous self before the end of the war.

A few minutes after Naruto left Shikamaru turned his attention to Kawaki, he also seemed drained which made him think that maybe this had also taken somewhat of an impact on him. Since his arrival Kawaki had been living with Naruto but considering the circumstances he doubted that sending him home would be a good idea "Kawaki"

At the mention of his name he looked up "what do you want?"

"Head to the underground floors, there is a lab there where you can spend the night for now at least until the he settles down"

He gave back a light nod before standing up and leaving without another word.

Shikamaru took a deep breath as he ran a hand over his face, everything was a mess and he didn't know where to benign to start sorting things out, turning his gaze on the Uchiha he fiddled with the box of cigarettes in his pocket to burn the anxious energy building up inside of him "What are you going to do?"

"I'll take care of tracking Code, will be leaving on longer missions again while I do this and start by gathering as much information as I can from the list of outers from Kara and the remains of the two hideouts that we have confirmed locations of"

Shikamaru nodded "We can't let this information out to the public, it'll create unnecessary chaos"

"Agreed. Boruto's close friends might need to know, we have to make sure that in any case this information doesn't go beyond that"

"Yeah, I'll look into that. We might also need to tell the other Kages about Boruto's death, all things considered"

At that mention Sasuke detected an imperceptible shuffle just outside the windows, reaching out with his chakra he picked up on two familiar signals. Closing his eyes he let a sigh escape him "I have to go now, keep this information classified between just us for now"

As he walked down the corridors of the building he half cursed himself, this was not how he wanted his daughter to find out about this…

Leaving the building he focused on Sarada's chakra signal, it was faint as if she was still trying to hide herself but the irregularities of her signal made him think that she might've been too distressed to do it properly.

His tracking eventually led him to one of the farther training grounds where it was less likely for anyone to be at this time of the night

Jumping down from the treeline he landed on the clearing, his gaze falling on the small figure that was curled up against a tree at the edge of the training ground. He took careful steps, making them noticeable to make sure that he wouldn't startle his daughter, eventually he stopped completely right in front of her as he thought of how to possibly approach this situation.

"What are you doing here?..."

He noted the shakiness of her voice and the way she spoke softly. She had overheard his conversation with Shikamaru and was not taking the loss of her teammate and childhood friend with much grace. "I'm sorry, Sarada"

She's quiet, internally attempting to control her shaky breaths enough to utter the one question she was dreading "Is…is it true?"

He stayed quiet, a light breeze ruffling the leaves above as the midnight sky painted the landscape. He didn't know what to say, how could he tell her the truth without hurting her more than she already was?

Before he could bring himself to speak she cut him off, looking up at him with tear-filled red eyes, her sharingan on display with the three tomoe around her iris.

Sasuke suddenly froze, he hadn't stopped to consider the possible repercussions that the news could have on those closer to Boruto, namely both of his teammates. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat he simply confirmed it, taking another step closer to her as he leaned down to be at eye level with her.

"What happened to him?"

He remained silent, watching the flow of tears run down his daughter's face as a pang of guilt ran through his core.

Taking a deep breath he answered "The one remaining Kara member appeared and Boruto and Kawaki fought him, at some point Momoshiki took control over Boruto again and began attacking until after a while Boruto held him at bay. From the looks of it him and Kawaki had a plan that if something like that were to happen again Kawaki would kill him…so it happened"

Sarada blankly stared at her dad, thinking back to the missions they had done with Kawaki in their team. She pictured what happened at the fight against Boro when she witnessed firsthand how strong and terrifying Boruto became when he was taken over, her mind drifting as she conjured an image of Kawaki going for the kill as Boruto simply took the hit with no struggle.

It was as if she couldn't bring her mind to wrap around that fact. She thought back of the conversation she had with her dad before the Chunin exams about Boruto, when he asked her if she would have the strength to do the very thing Kawaki had done should worse come to pass. And now it had happened, the worst case scenario played out and Boruto was dead…he was gone and there had been nothing for her to do to help or prevent it.

Sasuke kneeled down in front of her, noting how her breaths became more jagged and shallow before she tightly shut her eyes and fell forwards, clutching her head. Reacting in the split second that it all happened, Sasuke caught her before she hit the ground "Sarada!"

Sasuke's heart raced as he held his daughter, her uneven breaths broken by the occasional sob as she continued to let the emotions she had been trying to bottle run free.

Positioning himself to sit on the floor Sasuke held his daughter, wrapping his arm around her and keeping her close in hopes of calming her down and providing comfort. This was the first time he found himself in such a position but he found it easy to fall into this reaction as what he assumed were his paternal instincts took over.

Sarada clutched onto him like a lifeline, burying herself in his chest as sobs shook her frame. For a few minutes she allowed herself to simply let her emotions out, not caring about the fact that she had always wanted to appear strong and composed in front of her dad, the only thing that now ran through her mind was the dull ache in her chest and the pounding throb in her head.

The relative calmness that had fallen over them was broken when Sarada brought herself to voice a single question in between her breaths "Why does it hurt so much?...Why is losing someone so painful?"

He had no answer to that, he himself wasn't sure, he empathized with her as he thought back to the night he lost everything and how it had gone through so much pain himself.

Sarada stirred as she brought her face out from where she had been buried in his chest to wipe the tears away with her hand, Sasuke looked down at her as she held onto his arm and his heart stopped. On her hand that she had wiped her face with was a trail of crimson blood.

His heart beat faster as he unwrapped his arm from around her "Sarada, look at me"

Her sobs had started to die out as she wiped her eyes once more before turning to look at her dad. Sasuke's gaze was locked on the marks from trails of blood that had ran from his daughter's eyes which now reflected a unique pattern characteristic of the Mangekyo.

He was stunned into silence as a thousand thoughts ran through his head before pulling her against him once more, tightening his hold on her as he cursed all of the events that had led to this situation, the one thing he wanted to prevent from happening to his daughter. He wanted to spare her the pain and sorrow at least to an extent and preferably not have her go through such emotional trauma strong enough to awaken her eyes into the final stage of the Sharingan.

Closing his eyes he clenched his jaw, cursing himself and his lack of foresight to see this very thing happening. Turning his eyes up he stared at the sky that by now was starting to get clouded, asking to the heavens for answers, asking if putting his daughter through this pain was truly the only choice…

~ o ~

Naruto didn't recall any moment of his walk from the Hokage tower to his house, his mind completely dissociated from his body as he moved on auto pilot until he reached the front gate to his house. Walking to the front door he held the doorknob for a few seconds before he finally moved himself to open it.

The house was silent, a couple lights were still on in the living room and kitchen but no one was there. Shutting the door he sat down to remove his sandals before making his way around the house.

A short walk around the first floor confirmed that there truly was no one there and so he moved to climb the stairs, keeping noise to a minimum in case Hima or Hinata were to be asleep already.

The first place he passed once upstairs was the half open door to Himawari's room, slowly approaching he walked inside and headed for the bed where his daughter lay with her back turned towards the door.

Entering the room he walked towards her. Half smiling he ran a hand on her cheek to clear some of her hair away from her face. He noticed the light moisture that lingered on his hand, she had probably cried herself to sleep after the news really sank in for her.

He closed his eyes as he straightened himself and walked out of the room, closing the door softly to not disturb her further.

Turning towards the remainder of the hallway he noted the door to Boruto's room was open. Walking towards it he stopped at the door when he saw that inside was Hinata, standing inside the dark room as she kept her arms around herself.

Letting out a breath Naruto approached, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Hinata turned to him with wide eyes that were struggling to hold back tears, simply looking at him for a few seconds before throwing her arms around him as tears ran down her face now that all her grief and emotions had caught up to her and she didn't need to put on a strong face for their daughter.

Naruto pulled his own arms tightly around her, his eyes danced over the dark room that had once belonged to his firstborn son. He observed the ordered mess of books and scrolls, a jacket thrown over the computer chair and the small chest in the corner where Boruto kept his ninja gear.

His eyes drifted back to the desk after roaming the room, a small wooden crate caught his attention as it rested half open by the computer. Inside he barely made out the shape of a long double sided kunai, the very one that he had given him less than a year ago on parent and child day.

Tearing away his eyes from the gift he had given him he turned his head down, resting it on his wife's shoulder, tears formed in his own eyes as he finally reached the end of his ability to hold back the grief any longer. He'd been fighting these emotions back from the moment he had been cradling Boruto's body back in the forest before he passed out and now that he was in the confines of his home while holding onto his wife he felt like he could finally break free.

Tears streamed freely down his face as he thought back to that evening where he had promised Boruto that he would do anything to protect him after they returned from fighting Isshiki. That day he promised his son that he would protect him no matter what, that he wouldn't let anything happen to him, Boruto trusted him then as he fell asleep in his arms but now…It seemed like he had broken yet another promise.

I'm sorry…Boruto…For not being able to protect you.

Point of no return by lllBluebirdlll

Anime » Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Rated: T, English, Hurt/Comfort & Adventure, Boruto U., Naruto U., Sarada U., Sasuke U., Words: 32k+, Favs: 6, Follows: 6, Published: Apr 21 Updated: Sep 23

2Chapter 3: Ch 3: Determination

Hey guys, this will be the final chapter in this story at least for now, this is as far as I planned this and I am not sure where it could go from here but if any of you guys have any ideas or have something you'll like to see be sure to drop it and maybe if I find some more inspiration I might continue this and make it into a full AU timeline of sorts.

That being said thanks to the people that followed and found interest in the story, I really appreciate you guys and I hoe you enjoy this last chapter.

Chapter Three

Determination

Sasuke was walking back home, he was carefully carrying his daughter in his arm as she slept, keeping her arms around his neck. She had collapsed in exhaustion and he believed that her body was also physically tired after taking the toll from the manifestation of her Mangekyo.

He walked silently through the shadows around the less traveled areas of the village as he headed home, preferring to avoid any prying eyes since he was not in the best of moods or mental state himself.

The feeling of a familiar presence made him stop in his tracks, said presence showed itself a second later in the shape of a familiar pale boy with blue hair and yellow eyes that seemed considerably less vibrant than the last time he had seen him.

Thinking back Sauske remembered feeling two chakra signatures bolting away from the Hokage tower when he left to chase Sarada, he guessed that this had been that second signal he had detected.

With a sigh Sasuke closed his eyes for a few seconds, opening them again as he faced Mitsuki "So, you know too"

The boy gave him a wordless nod, eyes still downcast "Sarada and I wanted to check on Boruto after we got word that he had left to chase Kawaki…we overheard your conversation with lord Shikamaru after lord seventh left"

"You need to keep this information under wraps, we are still working on how to go about this situation"

Mitsuki understood, it would cause general chaos if the village were to get word that the Hokage's son had been killed by an enemy. Nodding at the older Uchiha he turned his face up at the moon where it hung high in the sky "How did you do it?"

How? Done what? He wasn't sure what he meant by that until yellow eyes met with his deep obsidian

"You lost people important to you before, did you not? How did you do it? How do you find purpose when your light has been extinguished?"

At this time Sasuke remembered the infatuation Mitsuki had with Boruto, to him the Uzumaki was more than a teammate or a friend, he had been more like a role model, an example to follow. He started to understand more now that he was probably also taking this blow quite hard.

"This…doesn't mean that everything is over. You can find a new purpose, a new drive, forge your own path and be there for your comrades that still need you" his gaze unconsciously drifted to a side as he looked at Sarada "Especially now…"

The silence between the two stretched for a minute until Mitsuki simply bowed down, understanding the meaning behind his words. muttering a quiet "Thank you" he disappeared as he jumped up onto the roof of the nearby buildings. Sasuke took another deep breath, shaking his head as a thousand thoughts ran through his head

I'm sorry…

A little while later Sasuke finally got back home, he lightly tapped on the door with his foot, sensing Sakura was inside and waiting for her to open the door considering that his one hand was currently occupied.

Worried green eyes scanned him quickly as soon as the door opened, she seemed worried but her expression relaxed somewhat upon seeing both her husband and daughter were okay.

Sakura's eyes fell on Sarada "What happened to her?"

"Don't worry, she's only sleeping"

Walking in Sakura shut the door behind them, looking up at her daughter's face where it rested on Sasuke's shoulder she noted the faint trails of blood that lingered there "Sasuke-kun…what happened?"

The man didn't meet her gaze "I'll explain everything, let me get her to her bedroom"

After settling Sarada down Sasuke returned to the living room where Saukra was waiting pacing by the couch, a cup of tea nervously held between her hands. Sitting down Sasuke motioned for her to do the same as he took a deep breath before he began to explain the entire situation about what had happened.

"-Sarada overheard when I spoke to Shikamaru, I found her in one of the training grounds. She didn't take the news too well"

Sakura's brain was running a million miles an hour, first the news of Boruto's death and now the way Sasuke was speaking, the look of dread and guilt in his eyes as well as the trails of blood that she had seen on Sarada's face.

Sasuke watched as reality dawned on his wife and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, he knew he didn't need to say more for her to understand. The last time they touched up on the topic of Sarada's Sharingan getting stronger was several months ago during her training and now those fears could very well become a reality.

Sasuke looked away "She awakened her it, Sakura"

She didn't know what to do, what to think or how to move on from this point on. How would they go about explaining things to her once she woke up? The topic of Sasuke's Mangekyou would inevitably be brought up and he would have to tell her the story of everything but…she didn't know if it was time for her to be able to take that knowledge in and accept things calmly; especially not at a time where her emotions and mental state were already fragile with the recent events.

Sasuke kept his eyes on Sakura as the reality of everything dawned on her, another thought crossed his mind then as he remembered the pills that Boruto had been taking and how he mentioned that he would need to keep doing so to keep the Karma from extracting.

Against his better judgment and due to the circumstances he really saw no way around things. I have to tell her…

Sakura was brought back from her thoughts as Sasuke placed his hand atop hers, turning her gaze to him she noticed the tightness of his jaw "We need to talk, there is…something else"

Confused, she wiped the tears from her eyes "Something more? About what?"

"Not here" he looked around, probably sensing to see if there was anyone nearby "Come with me"

The pair left for the Uchiha grounds, an area of the forest where part of the old Uchiha compound once stood and was now a place where only members of his clan or people he himself chose were allowed to enter, in here he was sure that their conversation would not be overheard.

Sasuke stopped walking once they were deep between the trees as he made sure that no one was around, behind him Sakura waited.

"What is so important that we had to come all the way out here for you to tell me?"

He took a deep breath "Boruto isn't dead"

She froze "...what"

"He's not dead…but only I know, and now you do too, and we need to keep it that way"

"What? Sasuke-kun, do you realize what you're doing? To Naruto and Hinata? To Boruto's friends and…Sarada-"

"I do, and I wish there was another way, especially after I failed to see the consequences this could have on Sarada…it's too late for that now"

"W-what happened then?"

And so he explained to her what he had seen, Boruto being brought back to life by Momoshiki using the power of the Karma; How he understood Boruto's resolve and followed his wishes.

"Well…what now? If it's supposed to be secret then why did you tell me?"

"Because of this" Sasuke pulled out a small bottle with three dark round pills, holding it for Sakura to take

"What is this?"

"These are the pills that Boruto was taking to suppress the Karma's extraction, I took a couple from the bottle he carries with him, we'll eventually need more but I can't go back to Amado or the science division for them. Do you think you can replicate them?"

She looked at the bottle "Well…I can't tell, I would need time to analyze them and figure out if I can gather all the components or substitutes for them that would fulfill the purpose"

He nodded "If anyone can it's you, you're not the head of the medical division for nothing"

Taken back by the sudden compliment she froze in place. She would need time but if anything she could at least attempt to replicate them, for Boruto "So…how long do you plan on keeping this hidden?"

"I don't know…that depends on Boruto himself. He wants to train to hold back Momoshiki,however long that takes that's as long as we'll need to keep this up"

~ o ~

Boruto opened his eyes to a dark void, there was not a light or sound around him as he looked around until- "Did you really think you could end this so easily, foolish lad?"

At the sound of the voice Boruto turned around in its direction, still seeing nothing but darkness. That voice, however, he had no trouble recognizing "Momoshiki…"

Fog began to roll around him from the darkness, in front of him the fog rolled and condensed into the shape of the one remaining Otsutsuki. "Hello again, brat. You should think better if you thought killing yourself would put an end to all this"

"What did you do…?"

"Simply put, I revived you using some of the power of your Karma. Its nature is compressed genetic data after all. Those meddlesome pills of yours were troublesome but they are only a stopgap measure, they won't block the Karma completely or the data that has already decompressed into your body"

He clenched his fists, looking up at the Otsutsuki in front of him"Why?...why did you save me?""

Silence spread for a couple seconds until Momoshiki's laugh echoed in the cavernous space "You are my vessel, I can't let you throw away your life that easily. Besides, your future seems quite interesting, I want to have a look as it all unfolds"

Boruto was silent as he thought back to the first conversation he had with the alien after defeating him, snapping his attention back to him "You said before…that I would lose everything"

"Oh? So you do remember. I couldn't peer into your destiny completely so even I don't know what'll happen in the future…What I do know, however, is that this is nothing compared to when you'll truly lose everything" He approached Boruto, leaving no distance between them as a knowing smile crossed his features "And that…that is one spectacle I do not want to miss"

Without warning the fog around Boruto spiraled and vanished as Momoshiki's laugh echoed in the darkness, leaving the void empty once more, the ground started to crumble and he fell deeper into the abyss as he screamed.

With a jolt he sat up from the couch where he'd fallen asleep on, gasping for air as he looked around to grasp onto anything familiar.

He brought his hand to his chest as a dull pain grew from there, through the hole in his shirt he saw the scar left by the Karma there had a low blue glow, looking at his palm he found something similar with the diamond etched there.

He clenched his jaw, his mind fully occupied processing the words Momoshiki had told him now as well as the warning he gave him after the fight where he defeated him over a year ago. Nothing made sense, the way he spoke just now was almost as if he was amused by all of this, the fact that he had said that basically dying and having to lie to his friends and family about that very thing was not at all what he meant by him 'losing it all' made him wonder truly what those words meant.

He stayed in that train of thought for a while, thinking of possibilities, scenarios, ways to prevent things that could lead to that eventually happening. He couldn't do anything, if Momoshiki had said that it was already a predestined fate then…he really couldn't do anything other than brace and take the punch, hoping that he would be able to recover from it.

His head felt light and he realized then that his breaths were coming in short and shallow, not nearly delivering enough oxygen into his lungs. His heart was pounding in his chest as a cold sweat covered him.

He stopped completely, rolling off the couch he was sitting on and laying flat on the ground as he took deep breaths to attempt to regulate his breathing once more. Closing his eyes he forced his mind to clear and focus only on breathing, the pounding of his heart in his ears began to subside and after some minutes he was able to sit back up.

Opening his eyes he noted that there was close to no light coming from the windows which meant that it was still night. Rising his hand he stared at the mark on his palm, cursing the Karma, his situation and just the world in general for good measure. He let his slightly shaking hand fall, leaning his back against the couch as he stayed sitting on the floor.

He closed his eyes for what he felt were barely a couple seconds but the moment he opened them again he was received by the rays of sun filtering through the curtains.

Blinking the tiredness from his eyes he stood up, feeling his back ache in protest to falling into a restless sleep while sitting up in a deep breath he headed for the door, it creaked open as the morning breeze hit his face and threw him into wakefulness.

The blond filled his lungs with fresh air as he closed his eyes, for a few seconds he simply remained there until finally he turned and went back inside the cabin. Walking by the mirror again he noted his tattered clothes, the Karma mark on his chest visible through the hole in his shirt Guess I should find some better clothes for now.

Releasing a breath he walked over to the one bedroom in the small cabin, there was a closet with several clothing articles of which he assumed had been there for quite some time judging by their looks, that and they didn't look like they belonged to Sasuke from previous times he'd been here.

Browsing through he managed to find a dark gray shirt that despite being a bit big on him he found that it would do a better job than his current torn shirt.

He decided to keep his current pants seeing as they were still in good shape. Deciding that there was nothing more in the closet he moved over to a chest on the opposite side of the room where he managed to find a black Jacket that fit him.

Putting on his replacement clothes he went back to the mirror, it felt weird to see himself wearing nothing but dark clothes. His hand instinctively reached for where his necklace would normally hang and once again he felt sad that he had lost it, for a fraction of a second the thought of going back to look for it crossed his mind but his situation was rather delicate and he couldn't let anyone see him.

Turning to where he had thrown his own clothes he folded them before settling them in the bottom of the chest to keep them out of sight in case anyone happened to stumble across the cabin, burning them was another thing that crossed his mind but the smoke would attract attention and so simply storing them out of sight was his next best choice.

With nothing more to do he headed back for the couch, laying down across it he closed his eyes to attempt and get some better rest but after what seemed like hours of unsuccessful attempts he gave up. Opening his eyes he turned towards the table that rested in front of the couch, a small bottle of dark round pills sitting there innocently.

His expression hardened as he sat up, picking up the bottle and examining it.

Do these things even work?

He knew they did, but the fact that Momoshiki had taken over yet again and forced him to get in this mess made him feel somewhat bitter and distrustful about them. With a sigh he opened the bottle and took one of the pills. As unsure as he was about their effectiveness at the very least he would believe that they slowed down Momoshiki's takeover, that was at least the one positive thing he could hold onto.

He absentmindedly turned towards the window, tuning out the chirping of birds and trees moving in the wind outside as Momoshiki's words echoed in his head, a pang of fear hit the pit of his stomach for the uncertain future that he at least knew held rough times ahead. Whatever the Otsutsuki meant he at least hoped that when the time came that his loved ones would be safe, or at the very least that he would be around and able to protect them.

Taking a deep breath he let his back fall back on the couch, laying his arm across his eyes to block the light he cleared his head, eventually managing to drift off and let sleep take him.

~o~

That morning Sasuke prepared to leave, gathering essentials as well as his usual travel gear in a bag that he swung over his shoulder. After everything that had happened the previous night he had only managed to get a couple hours of sleep but that would have to be enough for the time being.

Standing at the door of his room he glanced back into the still dark interior where Sakura still slept, wording a silent apology for the trouble he was going to put her through with his previous request. Silently closing the door he walked down the hallway, stopping where the door to Sarada's room was cracked open.

Pushing the door further he peeked inside, the young Uchiha was still deeply immersed in her sleep, something he could understand after the emotional ordeal that she had gone through the previous night.

He noted how despite her sleeping state her brows were tightly knit together, her expression anything but peaceful as she laid curled in her bed and clutching a pillow against her chest. With a sigh he retreated and closed the door as he made his way towards the entrance of the house.

As his mind remained filled with troubled thoughts he failed to notice the silhouette that had now appeared behind him.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He flinched, looking back to see Sakura in the hallway "You shouldn't be awake"

"It's not like I could sleep much anyway…" the silence stretches between them for a few tense seconds until finally "I'm worried…about Sarada"

He sighs "So am I…don't worry, I won't be gone for long, at least not until I'm sure she'll be fine"

"What if she asks about her eyes?"

"For now just ease her troubles, I will explain everything to her when I return"

"How long will you be gone?"

"Not long, a couple weeks at most for this first step"

Sakura nodded, understanding what he meant as she recalled what he had told her about Boruto "Be careful"

He turned around, facing the way to the door as he got ready to depart "Ah"

As this was happening Naruto slowly began to break free from the clutches of a restless sleep. He stared absentmindedly at the roof of his room as if it held an answer or a way to somehow bring his son back.

His mind drifted to the previous night and the conversation he had with Hinata, he had told her to keep this information out of the general public to avoid unrest but he knew he also couldn't ask her to keep this kind of emotional baggage to herself and act normal whenever she saw any of their friends. He remembered how heartbroken Hinata had been when he told her that they couldn't even get Boruto's body the previous night, a memory that made him clench his fists in anger and helplessness.

For a while his mind simply thought about this situation, how would they go about this and who could and couldn't know. At the very least Temari might already know from Shikamaru, maybe Shikadai too, he wondered if Sasuke had told Sarada. At some point they would have to let this be known to at least Boruto's closest friends, if nothing was said and he went missing it could bring even more unrest among them.

Taking a deep breath he sat up, swinging his legs over the bed as he prepared to get up, fighting the heaviness of his own body.

Rubbing his eyes he stared down at his hands on his lap, his mind flashing back to the previous night as his hands were stained with his son's blood. Taking a deep shaky breath he closed his eyes to will the memory away, he had to find strength somehow and push forward, he would find the willpower to stand back up and make the bastard Code pay for what he had pushed them to do.

The house was still dark when he managed to get out of his room, it was still early and the first rays of the sun, despite being close, were still at least half an hour away.

He stopped to check on his daughter as he walked through the hallway on his way downstairs, he found her laying in her bed curled up under the blankets, awake and with glistening eyes that gave away her recent crying.

Slowly and bearing the pain in his heart Naruto walked in, earning the young girl's attention as she turned her gaze on him without a word.

"Hey Hima, isn't it too early to be awake still?"

She sniffled, averting her gaze from him "I…couldn't sleep too much"

Approaching he sat down on the bed next to her, placing a hand softly atop her head in an attempt to comfort her "Yeah neither could I" he took a breath "I'm…sorry Hima, I told you that I would protect your brother and I couldn't keep that promise"

Another sniffle "I miss him"

Naruto had to push back his own emotions, still not fully into terms with the situation himself while hearing the deep sadness from his daughter's voice "I miss him too" he removed his hand from her head, taking her hand as she clutched the blanket close to her chest "I know it's hard, but you have your mother and I here for you, we'll get through this. We have to be strong for your brother okay?"

She nodded weakly as another tear rolled from her eyes and Naruto squeezed her hand.

Leaning down, Naruto placed a gentle kiss on his daughter's head "We'll get answers to all of this and work through, I promise you that. But I need your help"

At this she looked up at him again "Mine?"

"Yes, I need you to promise me that you'll be strong for Boruto and for your mother. Be strong for both of them and for yourself, we'll get through this together okay?"

She nodded and Naruto noticed that her tears had stopped as he brought his hands around her and wrapped her in a hug before sitting back up again "You should sleep some more, it's still early"

After that Naruto went to stand but a small hand grabbing onto his shirt stopped him in his tracks "Stay"

Looking down he found it impossible to summon the strength to deny her the request and instead he simply rested his hand on her back "Okay, I'll stay with you until you can fall asleep"

Eventually his daughter's even breaths told him that she finally managed to fall asleep, he removed his hand from her back where it had been rubbing comforting circles and slowly stood up to keep her from waking up.

Reaching the end of the stairs he found Hinata sitting at the table with a cup of tea between her hands, her gaze pointed at the window where the first rays of the sun were already out, she must've gotten up at some point while he was with Himawari and came down here.

Walking towards her he noted the trails of tears on her face, with a breath he decided against his original plan to sit with her and instead walked around her chair to wrap his arms around her, a gesture she welcomed as she let go of her cup and held his arms around her.

After a few moments of silence she finally spoke

"How is Himawari?"

"You saw that huh?"

"Not entirely, I just heard the end of it" she looked up to meet his eyes "Thank you"

He closed his eyes as he stood back up, shaking his head "Don't thank me…we wouldn't even be in this situation if I had been strong enough to save him. This is all my fault"

Standing up from her place she closed the distance between them and took a hold of his hand "It's not your fault, there was nothing you could've done, blaming yourself won't do anyone any good"

He met her eyes, transmitting through their shared look how thankful he was to her, she smiled in return before something in her eyes changed, her expression returning to one of worry "Where is Kawaki?"

He swallowed, he had yet to tell her exactly what had happened and he really did not want to break the news to her right now, he would tell her once everything calmed down a bit more "He's back at the Hokage tower, Amado was going to run a checkup over him after the fight but he's…fine"

She nodded back at him before pulling away but Naruto knew that she had felt like something was off regardless of his answer.

As she sat back down with a sigh her eyes drifted over to the pictures on the wall, stopping at a particular picture of Boruto and Naruto, the former was still just a few years old and was sitting on his father's lap.

Naruto felt something tugging at his chest as he too watched the picture before steeling his resolve and heading for the door. Hinata turned a questioning look on him to which he simply answered with determined eyes "We'll get to the bottom of this, we'll get our answers and find Code…I promise"

And with that he left the house and started to make his way back to the Hokage tower as the sky began to change into the warmer colors of the approaching sunrise.

The walk went by fast as he remained lost in thought, upon entering his office he found Shikamaru and Sasuke already there. After quick greetings Naruto called them to order "Okay, what's all the information that we know up to this point?"

Shikamaru pulled out a folder he'd been holding under his arm, flipping it open to a specific page before he began "Our main enemy is the sole remaining member of Kara, Code, he possess a white Karma that gives him all the abilities we already know about plus another technique that allows him to transport through the claw marks he creates; that aside he also has a similar morphing ability to Kawki's that enables him to change the shape of his arms and hands into extremely durable claws" he closed the folder "And as long as we keep Amado away from his reach we should be safe from him becoming a higher level threat"

He nodded "What do we have on his plan?"

"Not much, Originally we had thought he needed Boruto for his plan of replanting the divine tree but…after all of this"

And that was where their issue lied. "Do we really have nothing?" he turned to Sasuke "No clue as to where he's hiding or what he could be doing?"

"Nothing, as long as he moves using his transportation ability it's going to be very hard to track, especially since I can't try and follow him directly without the Rinnegan"

A knock on the door made the three turn, Naruto called in whoever had knocked and the doors opened to reveal a squad of 4 shinobi, The head of the squad stepping forwards "Hokage-sama, we came with our report after inspecting the place of the fight thoroughly"

A spark of hope lit inside Naruto, maybe they had found something that they missed? "What do you have?"

"A specialized team inspected the claw marks that were still in the area, we tried pinpointing possible locations or contact points but not even our best sensory ninja were able to get much out of them. We are also unable to remove them, however a couple of them did disappear while we were investigating, our guess is that only the person that created them can make them disappear. Perhaps with some more investigating we could find a way to make the remaining marks activate since at the moment they won't allow anything or anyone through them"

The man stayed quiet then, Naruto wanted more, that couldn't be all right? "What else?"

The man shifted uneasily as he turned to glance at his comrades who simply turned their heads away.

"We…we also found this at the site" the man reached into his pocket and then extended his hand, a familiar silver necklace hanging from his grip

Naruto extended his hand to take it, the silver string had snapped at some point but the bolt emblem that hung from it had not been damaged, it seemed the man had taken the time to clean it as well since there was not even a speck of dirt on it but he didn't dare think what reason he could've had to really clean it before giving it back.

Clenching his hand around it his mind could only focus on the feeling of the small thing as he tightly clenched it as if holding it for dear life.

Shikamaru saw this and took the liberty to thank the group before dismissing them "Speak nothing about this to anyone" with a bow the four walked out and left the three higher ranks in the office once more.

Shikamaru closed the distance between him and Naruto, laying a hand on his shoulder cautiously. The blond blinked as if the touch had dragged him out into the world before taking a breath and regaining himself, his hand drifted into his pocket where he safely stored the necklace.

Looking back up to meet his two aides Naruto pushed back his emotions and spoke calmly "What are we going to do about Code?"

At this Sasuke stepped forward "I will go search for him, I have more experience tracking and because of who we're dealing with here we can't just send any random jounin or anbu"

Naruto nodded, as he looked into his friend's eyes he noted the darker features, his eyes were filled with worry and dread and somehow he had a feeling it wasn't all because of their present situation.

Deciding against his better judgment he decided to address him "Is something wrong?"

Sasuke remained quiet, averting his eyes from his

"Sasuke?"

Still no response. A thought crossed Naruto's mind and suddenly he feelt like he might know why Sasuke seemed so conflicted

"Does…Sarada know?"

At that he closed his eyes and turne his back to Naruto, another moment of silence goes by before "She overheard Shikamaru and I speaking last night"

Worry settled in the pit of the Hokage's stomach at what implications this could've had, the Uchiha's silence only fueling his unrest.

Half turning back a dark eye came into contact with a pair of blues and Naruto could feel the worry that was etched deep within the obsidian pool.

"She unlocked it…"

Silence filled the room, both Naruto and Shikamaru were smart enough to connect the dots and give meaning to his words which brought to the light another layer of mental tax that Sasuke was now dealing with.

Sasuke broke the silence again as he turned his back to the pair once more "I won't take long leaves to investigate until I am sure that she'll be fine"

Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged a look, fully understanding the situation. Naruto looked back towards Sasuke "I'll help you search"

"No, I can take care of this alone and you need to be here for the village and your family" Sasuke turned around, facing Naruto fully "Don't leave them on their own, not after what just happened"

Naruto stayed quiet as he stared straight into Sasuke's eye, he left no room for argument and deep down he knew that he was right. He just couldn't leave his family right now.

With a sigh he simply nodded back. Sasuke let out a breath himself, glad that the argument was over now. "What are you going to do about Kawaki?"

Naruto unconsciously flinched, flashbacks of the recent events concerning the boy flashing before his eyes "He's downstairs at the labs"

Now it was Shikamaru who spoke as he crossed his arms "You do remember that even though he was the one to carry it out this was Boruto's plan all along right?"

"I know"

Shikamaru sighed "I checked on him last night before leaving, seems even he himself is taking this whole situation pretty hard"

Hearing that made a pang of sympathy grow deep down in Naruto's chest, he had witnessed the relationship between the two boys grow and evolve, how they went from barely tolerating each other to calling themselves brothers.

"I'll go talk to him…still I don't know where to go from there. I haven't told Hinata everything and I don't know if I even should to be honest"

"She needs to know, just take your time but don't let it wait too long. If anything happens it'll be better if she knows the truth"

The blond nodded at this. Off to the side he noticed Sasuke picking up a bag that he flung over his shoulder "You're leaving now?"

"Ah, the sooner the better"

"How long will you be away?"

"Two weeks at the most, I don't want to be away too long this first time"

"Yeah. Be careful, and send word back if you find anything"

With nothing more than a nod Sasuke took off, leaving the Hokage and his advisor to their thoughts.

Deep down a part of Sasuke was drowning in guilt, especially after seeing how desperate his friend was for information and how he had reacted to receiving Boruto's necklace.

When this all ended he felt like maybe Naruto would never want to speak to him again, he was effectively betraying his trust even if it was for the greater good or if this was something that Boruto himself had chosen to do.

Still, it didn't matter, he was prepared to harbor that hatred, he had been filled with nothing but in his younger years after all.

~o~

That evening Sasuke arrived back at the cabin, immediately his eyes landed on Boruto where he sat at the small kitchen table absentmindedly toying with a kunai while keeping his gaze on the window next to him.

The moment Boruto heard the door creak open fully he gripped the kunai and turned alert eyes on Sasuke, dropping his instinctive reaction a second later when he realized it was just him

"Sasuke-san, you're back already?"

"Ah, I needed to get some things settled back home before I could start moving without suspicion" closing the door behind him he dropped his bag on the couch

Boruto shifted uncomfortably as he leaned back on the chair he was sitting on "How…how are they?"

Sasuke sighed, asking himself if he should answer while questioning why the boy wanted to put such emotional and mental strain on himself "It's hard, they're fine…but a loss like this one will be taking a toll on them for a while"

"I see.." looking down he closed his eyes for a few seconds before standing up, approaching the Uchiha "So…what is the plan right now?"

"The plan is that I need to find clues that'll lead us to Code while also hiding and training you" he turned a more serious gaze on the boy "That eye of yours…have you used it ever since?"

Eye? The question alone startled him "How do you know about it?"

"You used it once against Momoshiki back then, the sharingan can distinguish chakra by color and back then I saw your eye had a different aura to it. So, have you used since?"

"Uhh…I did by accident years ago when we travelled to the hidden mist in the academy and when Shinki and I fought Urashiki. I don't even know how to activate it willingly"

"Do you know what it is?"

"I don't…" he was going to end it there but suddenly a memory came to mind "Wait, I remember something. Back then when Momoshiki spoke to me he had said that I'd inherited the power of the Otsutsuki…Urashiki also mentioned something about a 'Troublesome eye' when we fought him the second time"

This had Sasuke thinking "An Otsutsuki eye that even they fear…if you learn to use it and control it that might be a good asset on your side"

"Well yeah but how am I supposed to learn to use it when I don't even know how to activate it?"

"That's where training will come into play. We'll be leaving now and start investigating so make sure you have everything you might need"

Minutes later the pair were making last minute checkups before taking off, as the time to leave neared Boruto couldn't help but ask "where will we go?"

"For now we'll follow Code's tracks that he left, once I have some more info I'll return to the village to report and you'll wait out wherever we might stay" after this Sasuke reached inside his bag, pulling out a dark cloak similar to his own "Put this on, keep the hood on whenever we're out, we can't have anyone recognize you"

Taking the cloak Boruto nodded, throwing it on himself another question escaped his mouth before he could stop it as his gaze grew more serious "Do my friends know?"

At this Sasuke stayed silent, he couldn't tell him about his teammates, especially Sarada. When the silence stretched he asked again and the Uchiha decided to try and both shut down the subject as well as help the boy "Don't burden yourself with things you can do nothing about, it won't do you any good, knowing or not knowing makes no difference.

After that Sasuke noted how his expression fell, probably troubled by the thoughts that he was being a burden to his friends and family. Taking a few steps towards him he placed a hand on his shoulder to snap him from his thoughts. "We'll figure this out, you'll train and learn to control this power and after that you'll be able to return to the village. You won't be a threat to anyone else and you'll go back to your family"

Really taking in Sasuke's words an ember that had been previously burnt off sparked in his chest, determination, resolve and a promise to fix everything were his drive. For his loved ones he would put everything on the line and work towards a future where he could stop being afraid of hurting them.

A few minutes later the pair were leaving the hidden clearing, Boruto looked back at the small house and then up at the blue sky with a promise in his heart. Deep down an apology rang out to his friends and family, for the pain that he was probably putting him through.

Determination filled his blue eyes as he set his gaze forwards under the darkness of the hood of his cloak.

He would conquer this destiny that Momoshiki liked to flaunt so much, he would defeat him and once he had everything under control he would return.

Clenching his fist he vowed to protect his loved ones, from himself or from any other threat.

He would overcome this and return to his home, even if that was the last thing he did, he would go through with it and eagerly await the moment when he would be able to return.

Point of no return by lllBluebirdlll

Anime » Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Rated: T, English, Hurt/Comfort & Adventure, Boruto U., Naruto U., Sarada U., Sasuke U., Words: 32k+, Favs: 6, Follows: 6, Published: Apr 21 Updated: Sep 23

2Chapter 4: Ch 4 The Path Ahead

After much thought and consideration I decided to continue this story and develop it further as a sort of AU follwing the events of the first three chapters. I've actually been working on developing the storyline for a little over a month now and I've written several chapters ahead already but I don't know how often will updates be, there are a few reasons for this and I will explain how this story is planned to progress.

First of all I will be taking inspiration and possibly even using some of the situations presented in later chapters of the manga (chapter 72 as of posting this chapter) so there will be spoilers for some things there I just won't be specifying what said things would be, if you read the manga then you'll easily spot moments when I use it for direct reference.

Second point is that because of this first part I do need to wait for the manga to some extent and plan around some of those events to be included in this story as well which could mean rewriting some of the chapters that I've already done or modify them so that everything makes sense. For this reason I cannot say how often updates will be posted but I will say that at least as of right now I have the story fully planned to it's end and I just need to write and develop each chapter further so at the very least even if updates aren't that regular rest assured that this story will be completed and not left unfinished unles something major happens that doesn't allow me to keep writing in which case I will post an update explaining and possibly simply post the plot points I have written down undeveloped so that at least you guys know what my plan was with this story.

This was one hell of a long note but I had to clear up some things that are important for you guys to know so this will be the only chapter with such a long note more than likely.I feel like I'm forgetting something else but I can't think of it right now so if I do remember I'll post it as another note in a later chapter but for now I hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter Four

The Path Ahead

The grasp of sleep had a firm hold on her, not like she was trying very hard to fight it anyway, her head was still pounding and it wasn't until a minute later that the fog cleared from her memories and she remembered exactly what had happened that left her in this state.

Boruto was dead, he'd been taken over by Momoshiki again and in the small window where he snatched control back he let himself be killed by Kawaki to protect the village and those dear to him from another danger like Isshiki had been.

She kept her eyes closed in an attempt to lessen the pain in her head as she curled deeper into herself to fight off the deep sadness that clutched her chest. She didn't want to get up, she didn't want to do anything anymore, what was the use anyway? One of the most important people in her life was gone and there was nothing she could do to bring him back.

After a minute of silence she took a deep breath, what was she even doing? That was no way for her to think, what would Boruto say if he saw her wallowing in self pity like this and having these kinds of thoughts? She still had people she cared for and wanted to protect, she still had a purpose and a goal to achieve.

Almost instantly she regretted that last thought as it brought back the memory of her, Boruto and Mitsuki standing atop the Hokage monument when Boruto had declared that his goal was not to become Hokage. Trusting that role to her he declared instead that he would take the role of a supporting shinobi who would protect her.

Something that was now an impossible reality, a promise that was lost to the changing winds of fate.

After a little while longer she dragged herself to sit up, her head throbbed again and she closed her eyes tightly in the relative darkness of her room, she wondered why she was in so much discomfort considering that she hadn't done anything strenuous in the last few days and attributing it to what happened the previous night seemed like a stretch.

Swinging her legs off her bed she stands up slowly, testing her balance, she wavers for a second as her legs take a bit to accommodate her weight but otherwise has no trouble staying up. With a deep breath and slowly opening her eyes somewhat in order to see where she was going she headed to the bathroom, noticing that the room was much less darker than she anticipated which led her to believe that maybe it wasn't as early as she had thought when she first woke up.

Reaching the bathroom she flips the lights on, shutting her eyes immediately at the blinding light that seemed considerably brighter than usual, reaching out she opened the faucet and began to gather cool water on her cupped hands before splashing it on her face.

She feels the drowsiness wash away as the coolness of the water wakes her senses but the discomfort from before still remains.

Reaching for the small towel hanging on the wall next to her she pads off the remaining water, keeping her face covered a few extra seconds to shield herself from the bright light awaiting her. Slowly she brings the towel down and blinks a few times to test the brightness, her vision is blurry for a few seconds as she adapts to the light before it clears and she stares at her reflection in the mirror.

The instant she registers what she's looking at she stumbles backwards, knocking a few things over in the process as she keeps her eyes fixed on her own reflection staring back with crimson eyes that displayed a unique pattern that she'd never seen before; around her pupil was another dark ring framed by eight triangular-shaped markings that almost made her eyes look like a simple depiction of a sun.

~ o ~

Sakura had been making some tea in the kitchen when the sound coming from the bathroom snapped her attention, she immediately headed for her daughter as worry crawled at the back of her mind. Reaching the door she knocked a few times "Sarada? Are you okay?"

There was no answer to her call, the silence remained even after calling another two times and so she decided to simply go in fearing that something had happened to Sarada.

Inside she was received by the young Uchiha as she leaned heavily against the wall while her eyes were fixated on her reflection in the mirror, the trails left by dry tears still marking her face. It was then that Sakura noticed her eyes and she had to push down the surprise that wanted to make its way out.

She knew she had awakened it from the talk she'd had with Sasuke the previous night but seeing it there first hand was a whole other story.

Sarada turned to her mom, the fear clearly evident as tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes "Mama…"

Sakura closed the distance between them and embraced her daughter in a hug, rubbing slow circles on her back "You're okay, just take deep breaths and it'll be fine"

Slowly Sakura guided Sarada out and into the living room where she sat down with her on the couch. Sitting in front of her daughter she finally had a good look at her eyes, they were truly beautiful but at the same time a deep apprehension clutched at her chest at the knowledge of what those eyes meant and what their price could be for her daughter.

Softly keeping a hold on her hands Sakura looked into crimson eyes with calming emeralds "Just breath, close your eyes and retract your chakra the way you normally would with your sharingan"

She wordlessly nodded and closed her eyes, pushing back the fear in her chest as she focused on the chakra that had built up in her eyes.

It took her a few calming breaths until she regained her composure and she managed to get control over herself, controlling her flow of chakra she felt the throbbing pain in her head subside and when she opened her eyes again the world had lost the sharp detailed edges that she gained with the Sharingan.

Sakura let out a relieved breath when she met her daughter's midnight eyes once more, showing her a gentle smile as she brought a hand up to cup her face while channeling some of her own calming chakra to relieve the physical discomfort that she knew she was going through.

"Easy now, you'll probably still feel drained for a day or two so take it easy"

Gathering courage Sarada brought forth the one confirmation she needed "Mama…that was the Mangekyo Sharingan wasn't it?"

Sakura closed her eyes, of course she knew, they might not have told her much themselves but Sakura knew that she had done deep research on her clan from what little information she could find that wasn't restricted which…wasn't really much in all honesty "Yes, yes it was. It is the most powerful and ultimate evolution of the Sharingan and only a very select few members of the clan ever managed to awaken it"

"But how did I get it? Why?"

Sakura took a deep breath "From what your father told me once the Mangekyo manifests itself after the loss of a loved one or someone very close to you, I'm guessing that for you it was…because of Boruto"

The young Uchiha's face fell at that, she recalled what had happened with her dad at the training grounds the previous night, how when she had been crying there was acute pain in her head and a burning sensation in her eyes. She looked up to meet her mother's eyes again. "So…you know too?"

Sakura nodded, bringing in her daughter for a hug in hopes of providing some comfort.

After a minute Sarada pulled back "So papa also lost someone close to him when he got his eyes?"

A pang of fear threatened to claw at the back of her mind but she pushed it back before it gave her away "Your dad had a very difficult and complicated childhood, even from a young age he lost some of the people he held most dear"

"What happened? Back when I was first trying to know more about our clan the only thing the books said was that it almost lost its entire lineage to a grave misfortune"

"I…I think it's better if you hear it from your father, it's a very sensitive topic and I think that it's not my place to tell you his story since back then I was not there and I didn't understand anything until many many years later"

Sarada thought about this for a bit, wondering if she should try and get more information but eventually decided against it "Where is papa?"

"He left early this morning to try and track Code down, from what he told me that's become their first priority"

"Did he tell you when he'll be back?"

"Not exactly but he did say that he'll try to be back in less than two weeks, he was very concerned about you but…he also wanted to start getting ahead on trying to find Code after all that happened"

"I see…"

Sarada stood up from the couch then and started heading back in the direction of her room, trying to think of a way to distract her mind from last night's news and today's discovery. Slightly worried Sakura sood up as well "Sarada, there is one more thing"

At this she stopped and looked back at her mom, staying quiet but showing she was paying attention to prompt her to continue "Don't show anyone your eyes, and more importantly don't use them, they are a powerful asset but their price is just as big"

Any other time she would've probably asked what she meant exactly but at the moment all she wanted was to get out so instead she simply nodded "I'll be careful. I'm going to go out for a walk"

"Just take things easy, you'll need some time until your body gets used to the change in your eyes and the change itself takes a big toll on your chakra"

"I'll be fine…thanks"

Sarada simply changed into some of her sparse civilian clothes, a simple gray shirt and black shorts were the first thing she saw and she didn't feel like giving it much thought either so this would do for today. A little while later she was leaving their apartment, with no set destination in mind she simply let her feet carry her wherever while her mind tried to process everything that had happened in the span of less than twenty four hours.

Sakura couldn't keep the worry she was feeling for her daughter from bugging the back of her mind. For a second she considered trying to convince her from leaving but another part of her knew that maybe some fresh air and a walk could help her get her thoughts sorted out.

Sitting in silence she remembered what she and Sasuke had talked about the previous night, with a sigh she headed for her room and picked up the small bottle containing a few of Boruto's pills that Sasuke had taken.

She didn't like to keep this knowledge from Naruto and Hinata or Sarada for that matter, but after Sasuke's explanation she could understand why Boruto had chosen this and why Sasuke had decided to help him. With new determination to do whatever she could to help Boruto in the slight hope of getting him back sooner she grabbed her white coat from her closet and headed straight for the Hospital.

~ o ~

She walked the streets of the village aimlessly, not really having a destination in mind since the reason she left her house in the first place was just because she felt like she needed to get out. It confused her how when waking up she wanted nothing but to stay in the relative darkness of her room all day but now she found herself needing to leave.

The sky was clear and the sun shone golden rays that bathed the village as people walked around taking care of their business, people heading to and from work, families walking together, kids running around. A bitter thought came to mind as she thought about these people and how happy they were considering what had happened the previous night.

She shook her head. They didn't know…they weren't at fault here, why was she suddenly feeling bitter at them for something they didn't and probably wouldn't know?

The village officials would probably want to keep under wraps what had happened and they could just make an excuse about him being on a long term mission or something if people started asking questions and no one would be the wiser.

She turned her head down and simply looked at her feet as she walked, looking away from the bright glare of the sun that almost felt as it it were mocking her miserable mood, a thousand thoughts and emotions ran through her and she didn't know how to process half of them; from the fear and uncertainty surrounding her new eyes to the deep sadness that she still made her chest feel heavy.

A stray tear ran down her face as her mind drifted to cherished memories without her permission and she quickly wiped it away before quickening the pace of her walk. 'Stupid Boruto, why'd you have to go and play the sacrificial role again?'

She wandered for about an hour but in her mind she didn't really register the passage of time, retreating from her inner turmoil back to the outside world only once she found herself standing atop the Hokage monument.

#Boruto #Point of no return fanfiction

[happyocelot]

Too Old To Ask

For Day 25: Childhood. Have some Hinata and Kawaki moments! Hope we’ll get the same from the anime/manga soon...

FFN | AO3

Kawaki picked up one of the many photos lying around the house, studying it with a great intensity.

It was so...weird. The fact that this person...the Hokage...had so many, and what was more, that everyone in these photos seemed so happy.

There was that idiot, Boruto, hanging onto the Hokage's back as a little kid, and another of the other one, Himawari, also enjoying a piggyback ride from her dad.

...Did dads usually give piggyback rides to their kids? It seemed so, what with how many pictures there were in this house depicting it. Most of them seemed to have been taken when Boruto and Himawari were younger, though.

His dad had never.

And he was nothing more than an empty vessel for Jigen.

Kawaki imagined growing up in this house. Would the Hokage have ever given him a piggyback ride if he'd asked? He had wrapped his warm arm around Kawaki's shoulder a few hours ago. His face had been pressed against the Hokage's chest...like...like...

Something stabbed at his stomach and he blinked back some dust in his eyes.

He supposed he was too old to ask now.

"Kawaki?" someone called out.

He froze and turned around slowly, cautiously, hyper-aware of the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. It was that white-eyed woman, Boruto's "kaa-chan."

He would have laughed at that if the situation wasn't so serious. What a baby. Calling his mother "kaa-chan" like he was still four years old or something.

Boruto's mother smiled warmly at him, her eyes crinkling up like she really meant it, meant the smile. The hairs on his neck slowly settled down.

Kawaki had never seen anyone smile like that. Definitely not his father or anyone in Kara. They just laughed like hyenas that had scented blood and were moving in for the kill.

"Hmmm, looking at dad's photos?" She didn't seem remotely upset at his intrusion into her house, but gazed fondly at the photos in his hand, the ones showing the Hokage in the same ceremonial dress that he'd greeted Kawaki in. "Ah, those were taken just four years ago. If you want to see dad when he was younger, I have an album, Kawaki."

Kawaki wondered why she was calling him "dad," like the Hokage was his dad too.

He decided not to think about it, but greeted her expectant look with a brief nod.

"Well, then, follow me." She held out her hand, and a memory of Jigen doing the same floated unwillingly to his mind.

But Jigen never did smile like that.

"What's your name?" he finally asked. He was not going to call her kaa-chan. He wasn't four.

(And she wasn't his mom, and the Hokage wasn't his dad.)

"Hinata," she said, still smiling kindly. "But you can call me – "

"I won't call you anything mushy and gross," he interrupted. Maybe that was...rude of him, but he needed to set his boundaries, damn it.

She actually laughed in a way that suggested she thought he was a cute toddler. "Of course not, Kawaki. You're a big boy, aren't you?"

He scowled. She laughed again.

***

"The Hokage looks stupid," Kawaki declared flatly, flipping through page after page of the album.

He was wearing a ridiculous orange jacket and sticking his tongue out in one. In another, he had, for some reason, painted his face and was striking a dramatic pose.

V-signs. Shoutiness. The other people in the photos looking either amused or annoyed, or both.

"You sound like Boruto, Kawaki." Hinata-san (was it okay to call her that?) hid her smile in her sleeve, like she thought he was being silly but didn't want to embarrass him.

"Do you really think he looks cool in this?" he asked dismissively, holding out one in which the Hokage seemed to be older, maybe around sixteen, with his arm slung around the shoulder of a dark-haired, white-eyed young man who looked a lot like Hinata-san.

Except that the dangerously blank, narrowed eyes suggested that he wanted to disembowel the Hokage (which said Hokage seemed oblivious to). "The guy in this pic looks like he wants to kill him."

Hinata-san's smile turned a bit bittersweet. She gazed at the dark-haired, white-eyed teenager, and Kawaki noted, with a jolt of alarm, that generally, people who looked that similar tended to be related, and noted with a second jolt of alarm that Hinata-san's eyes seemed to be...teary.

Another pang shot through his chest like a shard of the vase he'd broken.

He was always screwing things up in this house. He didn't understand things that were obvious.

He didn't belong.

A warm hand ruffled his hair. Kawaki blinked himself out of his daze.

"Of course he looks cool," Hinata-san commented, all traces of sadness gone. "And I wouldn't assume that Neji nii-san wanted to kill him in this photo." She turned and gently tugged the photos from his hand. "What do you say we have herring soba for dinner tonight, Kawaki? It's Neji nii-san's favorite."

"What's herring soba? Does it taste good?"

Probably. The food he'd eaten since escaping from Kara was amazing, but then, the organization had never fed him anything other than food pills and gruel in the first place.

Hinata-san patted him on the head again.

"It tastes delicious."

#nhmonth2021 #nhmonth #naruhina month #naruhina #naruto #mine

[raveneira]

Everything wrong with the past 2 episodes of Boruto

Ok heres everything wrong with the changes made in the recent 2 episodes, and how they affect important events later on. After this I am officially done and doing a complete mind cleanse of this nonsense with other far better fandom content that brings me joy.

It’s a bit long, so read only if your willing to hear what I have to say.

In the manga Kawaki is brought to the village immediately, he wakes up and is greeted by Naruto who questions him calmly and explains the situation. Meanwhile also telling everyone else, who wants to confine him, that he'll take personal responsibility over Kawaki

In the anime Naruto is indecisive, even if he would have done it anyway he never once made that clear to Shikamaru and Sai and instead wavered until the very last second. In the manga there was zero hesitation nor debate, he made up his mind and everyone knew it.

Kawaki being brought to Konoha and being treated with kindness and hospitality showed the contrast from how he was brought to and treated at Kara with abuse and neglect. In the anime, he is treated no better in Konoha than he was at Kara, abused and held against his will.

Kawaki learns sincerity and compassion from Naruto's positive influence on him, before that Kawaki is constantly on edge, trusts no one, even attacks kids for simply bumping into him because he feels everyones out to hurt him. Naruto, and Sarada, help him see this is false.

In the anime Kawaki already exhibits signs of compassion, not that he was totally absent of it in the manga, but he would never have relaxed and let his guard down like he did with Sumire because he is ALWAYS on edge and in fear of someone trying to hurt him, especially after what she and Nue did to him in the previous episode

But he did, he relaxed, let his guard down, and listened to what she had to say, although still being dismissive he still was clearly softening up to her even if just a little bit. He only reacts violently over a misunderstanding, but its obvious this is going to be brought up again later and clarified to him.

The final nail in the coffin is Sumire telling Naruto to be understanding towards Kawaki because of how alike they are, and then he later tells Kawaki to not throw his life away because theres someone out there who cares about him, to which Kawaki says there is no such person, which we all know Naruto is gonna say he's wrong by mentioning how Sumire vouched for him later on.

Now lets get to why this is an issue for their future bond.

Naruto being the first person who cared about him & understood him because they were so alike is GONE, that connection has been completely usurped by Sumire, it no longer has the same weight & removes a key part of what made his bond w/ Naruto so special in the first place.

Naruto understood Kawaki on a deep & personal level, both were made vessels against their will, both were seen as monsters, both hated and distrusted ppl, both were very lonely, both had no control over their situations, it was THAT connection that brought them so close together.

In the anime Sumire now fills that role despite their situations being NOTHING alike, the comparison is made anyway. Kawaki actually wanted to escape his situation and be free, Sumire willingly still carried out her fathers will.

At most, they were both vessels, they both had shitty dads, but thats literally it. She trusted her dad & did what she was told even AFTER he died & Nue sees her as family. Kawaki hates his dad & Jigen wanted to resurrect in his body, basically killing him. They are NOT the same thing.

She tells him her sad backstory, empathizes with him, defends him, vouches for him, understands him, shows him kindness and compassion, all the things Naruto did in the manga has been instead given to Sumire.

This is detrimental to their bond in the future, by Sumire being the first to show him these things instead of Naruto, several scenes in the future will no longer have the same weight, impact, or will outright have to be changed altogether.

When those kids bump into Kawaki later, because they had Kawaki show mercy to a kid already, it will make no sense why he would suddenly attack those kids but avoided attacking this one, which means that will most likely be changed or removed, or kept, making him inconsistent.

When Naruto got fed up with Kawaki trying to escape, because they already let Kawaki see Naruto in KCM and wasnt afraid, it'll make no sense for Kawaki to be surprised and in fear of Naruto later like he was in the manga since thats how he first sees Naruto in the first place.

And before you say it was Naruto powering up that scared him, he literally saw him tank a direct hit from his Karma completely unscathed & even called him the big boss, hes more than aware of how powerful Naruto is & that he cant beat him, it'll make no sense for him not to after this

When waking up at the hospital, Naruto was talking to Kawaki and the 4 kage simultaneously, but in the anime Naruto hadnt even made his final decision yet until the very last second of meeting him. So how is Naruto gonna summon ALL 4 kage to a meeting within the time it takes to bring Kawaki back to Konoha? makes no sense

Boruto hears Naruto tell Kawaki he's going to watch over him himself, meaning Boruto will not be surprised that Kawaki is staying with them, it'll also make no sense for Boruto to be as hostile to him since Sumire has vouched for him and what a misunderstood person he is

What opened up Kawaki to the concept of 'friends' was the conversation he had with Naruto and Kurama, now that Sumire has been made 'someone that cares about him' that completely erases Naruto, Kurama, and even Sarada's role in that particular development

Naruto first showed him compassion and sincerity, Sarada showed him empathy and was his first friend, Kurama told him he could become someone like Naruto because his heart isnt fully parched yet, whose world could also change through the friends and the bonds he makes

All of that is changed now, Sumire is the one who shows him compassion, kindness, and empathy first. She becomes his first friend, his first bond, the first person who cared about him, the one who tells him how she was brought back on the right path by Boruto and others

She literally took everyones future role in Kawaki's development in the span of just 2 episodes, even Boruto who is literally talk no jutsu jr has been replaced by Sumire wanting to talk to and understand Kawaki instead of Boruto who's usually always reaching out to people

The problem isnt Kawaki bonding with Sumire, its the TIMING in which he does it. Kawaki officially bonding with others happens AFTER Naruto's positive influence on him, THATS where these episodes should have took place NOT before it.

When Kawaki breaks down over Naruto's disappearance, it will no longer make sense for him to question why Naruto was so kind to him and looked him in the eye, because Sumire already did so why is it a surprise Naruto does? will Sumire now be a part of the flashbacks? and if so that just further proves the point that she diminished his impact

Naruto will eventually bring up Sumire vouching for him soon and its pretty obvious Kawaki is gonna feel remorse, its also obvious that hearing someone [Sumire] cares about him which he thought there was no such person is going to impact him, again diminishing Naruto's impact

If its still hard to grasp and believe that she has taken Naruto, Kurama's, and Sarada's place, look at these side by side comparisons and you tell me you dont see the erasure.

When we say Sumire has diminished Naruto's impact, we're not saying Naruto wont still be an important bond for Kawaki, but making Sumire the first person who cared about him and saying how 'similar' they are literally puts her on the same level as Naruto, its no longer special and unique only to him, but shared with Sumire.

If you honestly dont see the problem with that then that is genuinely sad, Naruto is the former MC while Sumire is a side character, she should be nowhere NEAR on the same level as Naruto let alone shoved infront of him in importance & impact in someones arc he was front & center of in the manga.

Saying 'who cares' about a character we followed for 15 yrs being erased and pushed aside for a side character that had no part in this arc is just downright disrespectful, this man aint go through 700 chapters, 2 movies, & 15 years of hell to have a side character take his place

Yall trippin if you really believe thats ok & acceptable. If you still insist it is then hey to each their own then, but dont call this nitpicking, dont say we're complaining for nothing, dont say nothing has changed, dont say Narutos impact hasnt been diminished because it has

Changing entire course of event, characterizations, character relationships, character interactions, things that directly affect and changes future events, is not a nitpick, those are HUGE details changed because of a side character, which is a very important detail to keep in mind. The former MC and titular character was pushed aside for a side character, that is beyond disrespectful

It would have been better to have Boruto in her place instead, because then it would atleast still coincide with Kawaki bonding with the Uzumaki's first and he is infact the current MC and Naruto's son, but no, they give it to a side character that had NOTHING to do with this arc

Im not even a Naruto or Boruto stan, Im a Sasuke and Kawaki stan for life, but Im still pissed off at the disrespect and Naruto erasure goin on and how it affects and changes Kawaki's entire character arc and development

In the manga Kawaki calls almost everyone he meets an asshole, especially those who order him around or pisses him off which Sumire did several times in these two episodes, yet he never once called her an asshole, this may seem small but it was an important part of his character because he would only call ppl he respected by name which was important later on when seeing his character growth and how he grew to respect those he previously didnt

They are toning down Kawaki's character way too much which makes his development later on not hit as hard because not much will change to begin with. Having Kawaki say he doesnt trust kids either was just a half assed way to try & make when he attacks those kids later on still work, because they themselves know how inconsistent his writing is and how much its diverged from the manga

It also seems that in the upcoming episodes Boruto will still be hostile towards Kawaki and completely disregard what Sumire said to him, which makes that entire exchange there pointless. I assume to stay consistent with the manga. They also made sure not to have Sarada interact with Kawaki personally as to not conflict with their ACTUAL first interaction later on in the manga.

 AMAZINGLY ironic how they are trying to stay consistent with the manga while also simultaneously contradicting it

They dont wanna conflict with Boruto being hostile with Kawaki like in the manga, but had no problem conflicting with how Kawaki first interacts with Sumire.

They didnt wanna conflict with how he and Sarada first interact, but had no problem with Sumire bonding with him first and begging Naruto to go easy on him when he had already long made up his mind to in the manga and was the first to bond with him.

This studios writing is inconsistent af, their trying to stay true to the manga while also contradicting it, flip flopping between characterizations, having scenarios happen that'll make future events no longer make sense nor have the same impact, its just one huge convoluted mess.

So yeah, thats it for me on this subject, Im done with this and moving on to other better fandoms that bring me joy and do a full mind and profile cleanse and just forget about this, its not worth the time or energy anymore.

I'll stick with the anime till chapter 28 is adapted, how they adapt that is where I think I'll decide if I even want to drop the anime and just stick with the manga, Im someone who once I start something I have to finish it, so Im trying to hold out till the end.

But seeing a franchise I love have its adaption butchered THIS badly really makes it hard for me to wanna stand by it. But I've made it this far, might as well see it through to the end.

#boruto #boruto anime #boruto next generations #boruto manga #manga spoilers #bananasalad

[tsukinaartthought]

Jigen or Isshiki? When and who?

Hi!

I think at the last few chapter what we get so many thing confirmed about Jigen and Kawaki's relationship.

So I bring another interesting topic. I think a lot of fan thinking about that when we saw Jigen (who we know he is Isshiki's vessel) is really he or it is Isshiki?!

So how that thing is?

So I think Isshiki just live in Jigen's body, and when Jigen is activating the karma or start to use that on a higher level (when he have a horn), Isshiki is take over the control of his body.

This thing is like bijuu and jinchuriki relationship.

And I have another thing, what  I noticed, when I read back.

When Jigen appear we see a different backgrounds, once black once grey.

So what the meaning of those colours?

I think when Jigen's mind is on a top, we have a black background, and when Isshiki is control the body we have a grey background.

We saw a little, from Isshiki mentality. He is cold, and not too nice person. When he speak is modern not too polite, and absolute not a father figure, and not conflict-avoiding.

So I think when Isshiki is take over Jigen's body we have a grey.

While Jigen is a little bit father figure and polite, and don't want to make a conflict with anybody. We see that when we have Jigen with the black background.

The last picture is from the last chapter, and that black background is not the inside of his chair.

And the final proof why I think in that way.

When you see somebody who thinking in the manga, you see a same black background.

 Why I write to the black background is a same when somebody speaking and thinking?

Because the thoughts are the person's own thought.

I think that is the key for this Jigen Isshiki thing.

I am very curious, what will be the key for this thing.

#boruto #boruto manga #boruto next generation #Jigen #kara #kawaki #otsutsuki isshiki #isshiki otsutsuki #character analysis

[kawaiiscarlet]

W-what if Kawaki said that he'll send Boruto to where Naruto is so that Boruto can save Naruto. And he's pretending to be under Jigen to master karma stuff and learn more about the vessels, the dimensions and Otsutsuki's power/secrets.

w-w-what if he pretends to be evil until the end and sacrifices his life.

don't know whether someone has said these before (well ofc they have) or not but this just came to my slow mind.

#boruto #boruto :naruto next generation #boruto uzumaki #boruto predictions #kawaki #jigen #otsutsuki #anime #manga #spoilers #karma

[docexe-mx]

And the plot thickens...

So, I just read chapter 38 of the Boruto manga and to say the shit hit the fan would be the understatement of the century.

I have been pretty apathetic about Kara on the whole, but I do have to admit the whole deal with Jigen, the Karma seal and the role that the Ootsutsuki clan plays in the whole matter do have me very intrigued (indeed, what this chapter just revealed about Jigen and his connection to the Ootsutsuki is the primary reason why I’m not calling BS on what just happened).

Now, based on the information that this and other recent chapters have provided, I have decided to make some theories about what exactly is happening here, and some predictions of what might happen in the future (and dear ladies and gentlemen, if things just got incredibly bleak, I can’t help it but think they are going to become even worse).

More after the cut:

First, chapter 35 revealed that Kaguya didn’t come alone to the Naruto world back in the times prior to the beginning of the Shinobi era: She had a companion with her. Something happened to him and he was forgotten by history. However, in the same temple/shrine where Sasuke learned about his existence, he also found a confined Juubi in immature form, who was also connected to the mysterious Ootsutsuki: Jigen extracted some of the chakra from the Juubi and his body acquired an appearance very similar to the unknown Ootsutsuki.

Now this chapter has finally revealed his name: Ootsutsuki Isshiki. Furthermore, now we know what Jigen actual goal is: To create a proper “vessel” for Isshiki as he himself is unfit to wield Isshiki’s power, given that his body will be destroyed if he uses it for too long. This is the reason why he needs Kawaki, whose body seems to be very compatible with Isshiki’s chakra.

However, Jigen’s dialogue in the final page and his reaction to the damage his body incurred makes me believe there is more at play here. I think this has to do with what has been commented about the Karma seal in recent chapters (how it seems similar to the Mitotic Regeneration jutsu, which itself was apparently created in ancient times), not to mention Jigen’s reaction upon learning from Delta that Boruto also has a Karma seal (“Momoshiki, you sly fox! You created another vessel as you died”), made in parallel to a panel that had Boruto in Momoshiki’s grasp.

Long story short: I don’t think the man we have seen all these chapters acting as the leader of Kara is actually “Jigen” per se. I think it is rather Isshiki himself, with his mind/conscience/soul inhabiting the body of the man once known as Jigen and using him as a vessel/host, similar to how Orochimaru used the Living Corpse Reincarnation jutsu in the past to transfer his soul between different bodies, or how Kaguya took control over Madara’s body after the later enacted the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

I think the key for this is in the Karma seal itself: My theory is that it’s a cursed seal that contains some of the chakra as well as a piece of the mind/conscience/soul from the member of the Ootsutsuki clan that casted it, preserved in something akin to stasis or hibernation. It’s possible that eventually, the mind/soul of the Ootsutsuki “reawakens” due to repeated use of the seal and takes control over the body of the vessel. This supposition is  based on how Kawaki also took an appearance similar to Isshiki the last time he used the Karma seal while confronting Jigen, with the latter being surprised about how much Kawaki had “advanced”. It’s possible however that another “ritual” or procedure might also be required for the Ootsutsuki to take complete control of the vessel, given not only Kara’s need of recovering Kawaki from Konoha, but also what Jigen mentioned once about needing to “complete” the vessel.

I think this also ties on why Momoshiki placed the Karma seal on Boruto: The phantom/vision that Boruto saw of Momoshiki after giving him the killing blow commented on how Boruto had an impressive lineage (product of having both Uzumaki and Hyuuga blood, clans who descended directly from the Ootsutsuki themselves). He then stated that “one day, those blue eyes of yours will cause you to lose everything you hold dear”, a clear reference to Boruto’s Jougan, which while not featured yet in the manga, has actually been prominent in the anime, often giving Boruto the needed strength to surpass enemies far more powerful than him. I think the idea here is that Momoshiki realized that with his strong Ootsutsuki heritage, Boruto was the perfect “vessel” for him to reincarnate into, hence why he placed the Karma seal on his hand and made such a cryptic and fatidic statement.

Continuing with the theory about the Karma seal holding the mind/soul of the Ootsutsuki, my hypothesis is that back in the ancient era, when Kaguya and Isshiki first arrived to Naruto’s world, some sort or falling out between them ensued that resulted in a battle (it’s likely that this happened after Kaguya ate the fruit from the God Tree and decided to keep the world and its chakra for herself). Isshiki lost the fight and was almost killed, however he managed to transfer his mind/soul to a vessel through the Karma seal (probably casting it on some unfortunate human that was just passing).

Time later, after gaining control over his host, Isshiki probably managed to also eat the fruit from the God Tree (possibly by using the Space Time Jutsu to travel to another dimension) in order to get revenge on Kaguya, but the body of his new vessel was unable to contain so much power. He was thus forced to separate from the godly chakra he absorbed from the God Tree, which reformed into an immature Juubi that was chained into the shrine that Sasuke found. Since then, it’s possible that Isshiki has been roaming through multiple dimensions, placing the Karma seal on multiple hosts, in search of the one vessel capable of holding the full power of the Juubi and the Ootsutsuki clan, only recently returning to Naruto’s world after Kaguya’s final defeat. It’s also possible that the fight with Isshiki was what prompted Kaguya to start creating the White Zetsu army, in order to defend from a vengeful Isshiki or any other member of her kin coming to her world.

As to how all this ties to the Mitotic Regeneration, the jutsu was apparently taught to Tsunade by her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito. It’s possible that it was originally derived from a procedure similar to casting the Karma seal, and passed down through generations of the Uzumaki clan.

And now, for a prediction of the future:

Remember how in the very first chapter of the manga/anime we had that very grim flash forward? Boruto is about to fight against Kawaki on a ruined Konoha, with the implication that not only Kawaki destroyed the city but also might have killed Naruto. Kawaki then declares that the he is going to send Boruto to where he sent the 7th Hokage and that the “age of shinobi is over”. Boruto defiantly reveals his Jougan as well as the power of his Karma seal, while declaring that he is still a ninja.

The thing is that, based on what he have seen of Kawaki so far in the manga, that flash forward no longer makes sense. While Kawaki started as really hostile and mistrustful due to all the harsh experiences he suffered, he is actually a good natured person deep down. And after the brief time spent with Naruto and his family, he has developed genuine affection for them (even for Boruto, with whom he started on pretty bad terms) and decided to become a ninja. He also hates Jigen with all his guts after the hell his “father” made him experience.

Considering what we have seen of him so far, it just doesn’t make sense that Kawaki would eventually turn into such a vengeful and ungrateful prick that would betray/kill Naruto, not to mention destroy Konoha and try to do the same to the entire Shinobi world. So, my personal speculation: The guy we saw in the flash forward is not “Kawaki” per se, but rather Isshiki controlling Kawaki as his new vessel. If this theory about the Karma seal is true, I have to assume that at some point in the future, Jigen will finally capture Kawaki and “complete” him as the new vessel, with Isshiki then discarding Jigen’s body and taking over Kawaki’s. It’s even possible that when he talks about “sending Boruto to where the 7th is”, it might mean sealing him in the same dimension where Jigen sealed Naruto.

As for Boruto and his own Karma seal… well, he is the protagonist of the series and if he inherited anything from his father, it was the stubbornness. You have to assume that Momoshiki’s conscience/soul will eventually reawaken and try to take control over Boruto, but the Blonde Knucklehead Jr. will manage to subdue him and retain the power of the Karma for himself. Hell, Boruto might even manage to befriend or ally himself with Momoshiki, kinda like how Naruto eventually befriended Kurama. The apple doesn’t fall that far from the tree.

Even then, if everything I’m saying here is true, I foresee plenty of bleak things: There are several future tragedies and hardships awaiting Boruto, who knows if Kawaki can be rescued from Isshiki’s grasp, and Naruto might not be freed from the sealing until the very end of the story.

#naruto #boruto naruto next generations #spoilers #analysis #uzumaki naruto #uzumaki boruto #jigen #kawaki

[gregnator-greg]

The Husk – Celestial Beings? Kama – Celestial – Seal 100%

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  Back in Chapter 17 of the Boruto Manga, After interrogating Shojoji nearing the end of Chapter 15 and learning of the existence of the Husk Group, Sasuke speculates that there are strange beings on the same power-level as the Otsutsuki-Clan at large, so not only are they not out of the Otsutsuki-Problem from the Chunin-Exam Arc, but they are facing the same problem in a new form.

We now know that the Original Otsutsuki Clan are an ancient Clan of Celestials, if what Sasuke is saying true, then someone in that group is a celestial being, I mean think about it – how else did the Kama-Seal find its way to earth, and how else did the Husk group come to have this knowledge? obviously something or someone must have given them this knowledge.

    Which brings us to this guy, the leader of the Husk, Jigen. Shocker, Jigen is Kawaki’s adopted father, but lets focus on Jigen. Jigen has the Kama-Seal on his chin, from what we can tell, leader of dangerous groups are not exactly the word ordinary. Since seeing him in chapter 15, chapter 16 and chapter 24, I have always suspected that there is something absolutely not human about him, and I am talking about the way he looks. He looks like a dark-lord of some-sort possible more dangerous than Kashin Koji who wields  a fire-ability that can incinerate anyone with a healing ability.

Here is another theory about the Husk that came to mind. The Husk group are indeed celestial beings who reduced to mortal forms, they would like no more than to gain their celestial powers back. To that they need the Kama-Seals and the vessel which is now revealed to be Kawaki. Once these two thing are combined together, their celestial powers return.

It’s hard to believe that there are other beings in the same Celestial Neighborhood as the Otsutsuki-Clan. Jigen’s Origin story has not been revealed yet, whether it is in the manga or in the anime to come, either way it imminent. The Kama-Seal is another topic to be discussed.

The Kama-Seal  has similarities to the divine in terms of absorbing chakra in the form of a beast notably the ten-tails form. As far as we know the Kama-Seal can absorb any technique made from Chakra. It’s not like Orochimaru’s cursed-seal, No! this seal is celestial, given from the spirit of Momoshiki Otsutsuki to Boruto Uzumaki on the soil of another world, that is until it was discovered that the same seal has been on earth since an unspecified day in time. Are the Otsutsuki-Clan the only once capable of bestowing seals like this, or are there other beings in the celestial neighborhood capable of the same doing? which could prove what Sasuke’s suspicion about other beings on the same power-level as the Otsutsuki-Clan are at large and on earth, Could these beings have anything to do with what happened to Naruto, or where these the beings that Kawaki handed Naruto to before going to fight Boruto in destroyed version of the Leaf-Village?

The Husk – Celestial Beings? Kama – Celestial – Seal 100% Back in Chapter 17 of the Boruto Manga, After interrogating Shojoji nearing the end of Chapter 15 and learning of the existence of the Husk Group, Sasuke speculates that there are strange beings on the same power-level as the Otsutsuki-Clan at large, so not only are they not out of the Otsutsuki-Problem from the Chunin-Exam Arc, but they are facing the same problem in a new form.

#Celestial Seals

[gregnator-greg]

  Kawaki is Doomsday To the Shinobi World

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Now this theory has been circling around my head for almost a year now – Kawaki been Doomsday.  Kawaki has the Kama seal on his left hand, the left hand of God is the hand used for destruction which would explain how the leaf village is reduced to a pile of rubble, If Kawaki is indeed Doomsday, then it would also explain that he could have killed Naruto just as Doomsday killed Superman.

  A New Prophecy is set into motion

A new prophecy is set to begin, since the ending of the last arc in the manga, we somehow had it in mind that the Kawaki was not going to  be far behind the minute we saw those Kama seals on the wall. Obviously he was going to make his appearance, it was only a matter of when and eight-chapter later he arrives. The mystery as to how that Kama-Seal got on his left palm is not clear, one theory states that if Kawaki is the vessel, then the Husk group must have placed the seal on his left-palm having thought that Naruto was the one who landed the final blow on Momoshiki Otsutsuki. Since Naruto does not have the Kama-Seal, it would make him less of a match for Kawaki, Naruto himself even admitted that his, Shikamaru and Sasuke’s time are behind them because in the new-era they are the dinosaurs. Boruto will stand as the protector of the Shinobi world when the Kawaki comes as Doomsday to destroy it. The battle will turn the leaf Village into a wasteland as we saw in episode 1 of the anime and chapter 1 of the manga. Obviously we are not going to leave the main-house of Otsutsuki Clan out of this – since they are observing everything, I’m sure they would grab a chair and crack out a popcorn like they are watching a movie. It is unclear whether or not Naruto is dead, like Kawaki stated that he send Boruto to where he sent his father which can only mean that Naruto is held prisoner on the Otsutsuki home world.

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Kawaki is Doomsday To the Shinobi World Now this theory has been circling around my head for almost a year now - Kawaki been Doomsday. 

#Kawaki is Doomsday