Note: Don't kill me, I just had to submit this to get it off my chest. I won't be updating this story as often. It'll have some occasional updates like I will have with my story, Of Angels and Ninjas. Just...eh, yeah.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, never have and never will. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. I suppose I own the idea of this fanfiction, though.

Warning: Cliched time-travel sequence involving, well, time-travel. Also, it's an AU. Revolves mostly around the character listed, as you've noticed from the summary. Anyway, onto chapter one of The Nearest Place to the Heaven. (Title inspiration: Phantasy Star Online: Episode 1 and 2)

Edit: 3/31/2015; changed "Bolt" to "Boruto" because...yeah.

-x- 1 -x-

Ten years.

That's how long it's been since he was born. That's how long this war had gone on for. And, it's how long his father had been dead. When that man, Madara Uchiha, was revived completely, that's when things had went to hell. He was an even formidable opponent, and the Shinobi Alliance had to make their retreat because he had been so powerful. Had it not been for the reincarnated Nidaime and Yondaime Hokages and their conjoined use of the Hiraishin Technique at the last second... Well, let's say that every one of those people would have died.

The Alliance had hidden in hopes of recuperating, reforming, and to map out plans of attack. It seemed rather futile to hide as the Jūbi could sense them easily, due to the Hachibi and Kyūbi being unsealed within it. With all three of remaining Jinchūriki were away from the battlefield, it was mostly a dangerous game of hide and seek, with Madara as the Seeker and the Alliance as the Hider. During their time hiding out, mostly for the medic-nin (those leftover) to heal as many of the injured as possible, they strategized every possibility in hopes to defeat Madara and the Jūbi.

When one concrete plan had been put into motion, it seemed successful.

And then, once Madara got a hold of the Kyūbi Jinchūriki and ripped it out, that's when it spiraled downhill once more. With the Nine-Tails sealed into the statue, and their charismatic leader defeated due to Tailed Beast Extraction, their hope began to dwindle like a candle. The crazed Uchiha capitalized on that and attempted to wipe them all out and take the Hachibi from its host.

His endeavor was nearly successful, but again, the blasted Hokage with the time-space ninjutsu showed up just in time to make their little retreat once again. Not only that, but Obito Uchiha, his once accomplice, had turned sides and fought him long enough for the Alliance to escape again. He had killed and disposed of the useless Uchiha while taking the Rinnegan for himself. Despite their escape and efforts to restore their fallen hero to life, he was far too gone and it was much too late. Naruto Uzumaki, age seventeen, had died and left the world of the living, and the battle, to his friends and comrades.

Though, he did not leave without a legacy of his own.

Sighing, the blond-haired lad walked through the barrier-sealed underground safe haven, frowning as he watched the surviving shinobi running around, doing several tasks. His floppy, leaf-shaped hair bounced a little with each step he took, but he didn't really mind it. While letting his thoughts run again, he had forgotten he had been called by his mentors and found their location quickly, having sensed their chakra.

"Grandpa, I'm here." He made his announcement and presence known. A blond-haired man, who wasn't really alive, but only so through a jutsu, turned and smiled at the kid before nodding.

"Ah, Boruto. There you are. Thank you for showing up. We have a few things to cover today."

"I know," the boy, known as Boruto, said before routinely getting himself geared up for his training. "What are we going to go over today, Grandpa?"

"Well," the Fourth Hokage started, "we'll be going over your Rasengan again. I want to be sure you have it down to pat, as well as your stances. After that, your mother and uncle will go over your bloodline capabilities to make sure you're in top shape in that area."

Boruto nodded and proceeded to make the Rasengan using one hand. He had been trying to get the jutsu perfected for a year now since they've been hidden and his family had been training him. When he first started his training regimen, he had only been four years old. He remembered his mother crying silently and protesting, but his Grandfather—his maternal grandparent—had firmly told her 'it was the only way'. In turn, his parental grandparent, whom he labeled affectionately as 'Grandpa' to differentiate between the two grandparents, also agreed to training the boy early on.

As he grew older, he learned they were grooming him to become a ninja, a special ninja, with a lot of hopes riding on his shoulders. They weren't trying to train him so he could defeat Madara Uchiha, the man who killed his father, but to do something entirely different. He learned of his task, his mission, last year when his Grandpa was teaching him the Rasengan. They were going to send him back in time to prevent the Fourth Shinobi World War from happening, and to prevent Naruto Uzumaki, his father, from dying prematurely.

It was a lot of weight to put on a child's shoulders, and at first, Boruto was terrified and scared. However, his adopted Uncle, Sasuke Uchiha, told him that his father never gave up because it was nindō, his way of the ninja. His adopted Aunt, Sakura Haruno, also mentioned the same words to him, and also recounted many good things his father had done when he was alive, even tales of his childhood. Boruto soaked up every tale of his father like a sponge, and drew inspiration from his father's nindō and made it his own, like his mother.

After a few days of thinking about it, he agreed wholeheartedly to the plan, much to his distraught mother's chagrin. He resolved himself to train everyday and prepare for the day he would be sent back in time and start his mission.

When his Grandpa wasn't teaching him, he and the other ex-Hokage of Konoha were working on a complicated seal that would be a key factor of helping his grandson in his mission. His mother and maternal grandfather would assist him with his Jūken and another style called Hapki-do. Strangely enough, he managed to combine both styles into one and call it his own.

Once his recalling memories ended, he focused onto rotating his chakra, making it become visible after a few seconds of concentration. Unlike the blue one his father made or the light green one his Grandpa made, Boruto's was turning a shade of yellow instead, giving it a unique color. The whirling noise came along with and the spiraling ball whizzed radically in the child's hand. While it was mostly the size of a baseball, it packed tremendous power behind it.

"Good, it looks stable. How long do you think you can you hold it?"

"Not for long, Grandpa. Maybe two minutes at the most."

"That's fine. You'll only need two minutes anyhow as you'll be hitting your opponents with it and not marveling how cool it looks," the former Yondaime said with a light chuckle. "Anyway, you can dismiss it now." The boy did as he was told and tensed for the next session. "All right now, let's get ready for your spar. I want you to go all out, and don't hold back as usual, understood."

The Fourth's grandson smirked, a smirk worthy of Sasuke Uchiha and slipped into his modified Jūkenpō. "Fine by me. Just don't go to Mom crying when I close your tenketsu points-ttebasa!" He exclaimed excitedly as channeled chakra to the tips of his fingers and feet.

Minato Namikaze, proud father of Naruto Uzumaki and grandparent to Boruto Uzumaki, smiled warmly before taking position opposite of the determined lad. He already knew the kid inherited both his wife's and son's verbal tic. 'Must run deep in the Uzumaki genes,' he thought playfully before focusing on his grandchild. "Very well, Boruto. The same can be said to you. On my ready, okay?" An affirmative nod was given. "3, 2, 1...begin!"

-x-

For Boruto, this was an everyday occurrence to him, ever since he was four and, later, when he accepted his mission at nine-years-old. At the rate he was being trained by not only his family but the other Hokage at times, he was very close to chūnin rank. His family aimed for low jōnin rank at the most, so he could defend himself against any enemy that he would eventually encounter during his trip to the past. He learned something from everyone but mostly from his immediate family members.

From his Aunt Sakura, he learned chakra control and medical ninjutsu, on the off chance he would need to heal himself. From his Uncle Sasuke, he learned the two basic ninjutsu that was taught at Konoha's academy, the Henge and Kawarimi techniques. Bunshin had no effect as the blond-haired child had the same issue as his father when it came to chakra. For that, his grandpa taught him the Kage Bunshin as a substitute. From his Uncle Kakashi, he was taught a few Lightning Release techniques as it was discovered he had a Lightning affinity with Wind as secondary.

Since there were no trees to do the Tree Walking exercise, he'd been learning to walk on walls instead and, as a substitute, the adults drilled a large portion of the ground and had Tobirama Senju, the former Nidaime Hokage, fill it with a Water Release technique. This was how he learned how to perform the Water Walking exercise, with several days of failure though.

Through his mother, Hinata Hyūga, he acquired the Byakugan, though it was considered an incomplete form as he could see only 180 degrees around him and not the complete 360. Boruto had several openings in his guard using his dojutsu, but this was remedied with his grandpa suggesting sage training.

The process itself to summoning was a difficult process as the only Toad Sage alive had been his father. The toad scroll, which had been left in Konoha, had been retrieved by a brave group of shinobi and given to Boruto when he was eight. He signed his name and summoned a medium-sized messenger toad. Said summon was shocked to hear the Child of Prophecy had a legacy and puffed away to spread the good news to his fellowman. Not long after, Boruto had been reverse-summoned along with the Edo Tensei Minato by the Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, who had foreseen their plans to direct the child to his mission. With the sage's words and advice and extension abuse of his Shadow Clones, Boruto earned his right to access sage training.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints and the way the barrier of the underground worked, Boruto could only hold up his genuinely earned sage mode for one minute. He had wanted to surpass his father's full ten minutes, but knew his limits and would train until he could hold out for a longer duration. While he wanted to learn fūinjutsu, most of it was too complex,so he opted out on going that far. However, his grandpa urged him to learn the Tailed Beast Transfer technique, as one of Boruto's other goals in the mission was to deliver the Yin Kyūbi's chakra to his father, so the Nine-Tails could become one whole entity again, and his memories of the future could be used to warn Naruto and thus they could move their plans much faster.

As an added bonus, both of his grandparents designed a counter to the Caged Bird Seal, to which the Hyūga Patriarch asked to 'free your cousin from his burden.' Boruto accepted this because he, too, wanted to help his mother's beloved 'Neji-nii-san' from it.

If everything went according to plan, Minato's soul of the past—as with the other past Hokage—would remain in the Shinigami's stomach and not summoned by Orochimaru. Boruto had concerns for this technique, but Minato reassured him that he wouldn't die from using it, as he would refine the already grafted seal so the Yin half's chakra wouldn't leak into the boy's system and thus have their entities intertwined. If the chance that the Yin would be extracted, Boruto would survive. The unsealed half of Kurama agreed to this plan.

Thanks to Shikamaru Nara's input, they would send Boruto eleven years into the past, a week or so before his father returned to Konoha after his training trip with Jiraiya. This would give the boy ample time to prepare for his mission and set out to do as needed.

First, was to deliver a scroll message to Tsunade, Hashirama Senju's granddaughter and the current Fifth Hokage. The woman herself had gathered the former Hokage and drafted a letter together, signed for only her past self's eyes to see. This would be Naruto's son's verification as a real person from the future, and nobody could mimicry her handwriting. For added measure, she put in information that no one but her and Shizune knew in case the letter was disclaimed.

"Again, what do you see, Boruto?" Hinata asked her only son as he activated his Byakugan, looking around the base.

"I can still only see through some of the walls, and I think that's Uncle Sasu eating a tomato in that other room, there..."

Trying not to picture the stoic Uchiha and his love for tomatoes together, Hinata pushed her giggles aside and focused on the ten-year-old. "Good. What else?"

"Mm, I can somewhat see Grandfather behind me, but it's hard to tell if he's ready to attack or not." Boruto didn't move to confirm as he was currently training how far he could see with his dojutsu active. "Oh, and your tenketsu and your chakra circulating in your body, Mom. But other than that, it looks like it has been for the past five years." Basically, still 180 degrees.

Hinata didn't sigh or look disappointed; she suspected this would become a permanent fixture for her son. The Byakugan apparently wasn't as dominant of a trait and only half as his father's Uzumaki genes were heavily dominant. The boy inherited those more than he inherited anything from his mother, but to be fair, the heiress didn't mind at all. She loved her son to death, and not because he was the procreation of the young man she admired and loved all her life. It also had nothing to do that he was the last thing she had that connected her to him. Both of those reasons were valid and did matter, but how determined he had been since last year was refreshing to her.

Her son reminded her of his father's steadfast and unwavering courage. When he was born, he had been her light once again and the years spent with him she would treasure forever. Hinata only hoped Boruto would cherish his time spent with his family because tomorrow was the day they set for him to go back. Today was her last day with him and she wanted it to mean the most. Having raised a child in the middle of war wasn't ideal and before he was born, many had the gall to suggest she abort the baby because the resources used in the war were running low. It had been a tough gamble but Hinata was certain she and her child would survive.

While she'd wish he'd been born in times of peace, the slight peaceful moments with him hadn't been wasted and were the most precious. The heiress wouldn't trade them for anything. The boy's interactive family was anything but normal and that included his father's former teammates and sensei of Team 7. Having seen his friend's death had ultimately changed Sasuke and hearing of Hinata's sudden pregnancy of said friend's child, he became fiercely protective. He promised on his Sharingan that he would protect the child with his life. Sakura, the main medic along with Tsunade, also promised the same and became Boruto's godmother, appointed by Hinata herself.

The remainder of Konoha 12 were like the odd adopted sibling-figures for their beloved knucklehead's son. Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka, along with Akamaru—Hinata's teammates from Team 8—had doted on the little blond before he started his training and were tasked the duty of watching him as he grew older as well. They became the older brother figures in his life. From her recaps of memories, Hinata smiled earnestly and glanced over to her bundle of joy. He was still looking at everything through his activated bloodline and concluded what he saw.

"And there's Auntie Sakura healing a shinobi, with Killer Bee standing beside her."

"Very good, Boruto. You can deactivate your Byakugan now," his mother said gently. As he did so, she placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him when she noticed his frown. "Don't worry about not being able to see the fully with it on, son. You'll be mastering Sage Mode, which will more than make up for that. Remember your limits, all right? I don't want you to strain yourself."

"Yes, Mom. I remember. I just wish I could so then I wouldn't have to rely on so much..."

"Learning how to channel nature chakra, I think, is as valuable."

"...Yeah? Well, I'll just have to get better at handling Sage Mode for longer so I can surpass Dad's someday!" Boruto exclaimed with a transformed grin on his face. After a moment, it settled into a neutral expression and he gazed up at his mother with his blue eyes. "Hey, Mom? Can you tell me the story of how you protected Dad from that Pain guy again?"

Blushing a little as she recounted the memory in her mind, Hinata agreed by saying, "Sure thing, Boruto. Let me tell you over a small dinner, all right?" The boy nodded and knew what they'd be having; almost the same thing they've been having since he was born: ramen and tomato soup. Tomorrow was the day he'd set off. He could only hope he would make his parents and family proud by doing everything right and then make it back home in time to stop Madara.

-x- Next Day -x-

"It's finally finished," Minato said as he and the other Kages were looking over the sealing array of the technique they created. Using as many possible theories they could come up with, the jutsu that would send his grandson back in time would be a permanent fixture. They'd be ripping a fabric of time and space using their chakra, and pushing someone through that wasn't supposed to be there at all. In essence, Boruto's presence should only cause a little bit of spacial distortion, but not enough for the world to move out of balance. The Yin half that would be traveling with him would act as a beacon placement to make sure he traveled safely through the rip. After all, he was a mass of chakra and wouldn't be too affected by the distortion. The problem would be simply resolved if he merged with his other half, or with the other version of the Yin portion.

Shikamaru ran through the possibility that Boruto might also cease to exist once he finished using the Tailed Beast Transfer technique, as the Bijū would be the only thing holding him in place in the past, as the Yin portion was from another time, but simply a place holder of chakra that sustained another body. While they wished the boy to at least live happily in the past once his mission was finished, they grimly accepted he could disappear. Everyone only hoped he would complete everything before doing so.

"Everything's ready, correct?" Hiashi Hyūga, father to Hinata, asked as he stepped into the large built in room, observing the drawn out seal on the ground. It had been made using blood-infused chakra from the Konoha 12. The place where they wanted to send their charge would be Konoha before Pain's arrival. For it to be precise, those that were present in Konoha before Naruto arrived had to offer approximately 15 milliliters of blood. With it, and some infusion of chakra from each of the four reincarnated Hokage and Killer Bee, it was designed to accommodate their elemental affinity as they posed as 'chakra poles' to connect to the time-space rift.

Using the Hachibi's chakra as a pushing force, it would successfully connect to the appropriate time era. The plan was perfect and the only repercussion was that there was a high chance their world would cease to exist. The other thing they failed to tell Boruto was that they were designed a one-way trip back to the past. He wouldn't ever come back and with no way possible to reverse this technique, he would be stuck there. For all that's worth, the shinobi were hoping it'd be that way.

"It's ready," Tobirama answered as his brother, Hashirama, and his student, Hiruzen Sarutobi—the former Sandaime Hokage—were busy overlooking the seal for last second decisions. "Where is our young charge?" After all, today was the day.

"He's preparing himself," the Hyūga Clan Head replied somberly, as if he didn't want to sacrifice anyone else from his family. He'd lost his twin brother, Hizashi, several years ago, and then his nephew, Neji, died protecting his daughter and Naruto. "They are making sure his preparations are complete."

"I see. Let us know when he's ready. We'll start our own preparations for the task."

"Very well."

-x-

"Boruto, are you sure you have everything?" Hinata asked as she watched her son going through his small pack. "You're not forgetting anything, are you?"

"I have everything on this checklist you gave me, remember Mom?" the ten-year-old boy said as he handed her the scroll she had given him earlier in the day. He zipped his pack up and slung it over his back, securing it. "I also know what I'm supposed to do, too, when I get there." He gave his mother a reassuring smile and grin that his father was famous for. "Besides, I'm gonna save Dad and stop that stupid Madara from hurting anybody else by ruining dumb his plan and Bijū collection. Because I'll never give up or go back on my word. That's our nindō, dattebasa!"

Hinata couldn't help but shed a couple tears as she hugged her child close. He hugged back, knowing how emotional his mother could be. He didn't mean to sound like his Dad, but he couldn't help it. Having drawn inspiration from the dead man and giving his mother hope was his only way of keeping her smile. At least, that's what he thought. Boruto hated seeing her crying and made it his mission to stop it. He had been rather close since last year so he counted every victory.

He knew today he would begin his mission. That's why he had his mother and the rest of her friends recount any tale of their past to him, in hopes of remembering anything important. Ino Yamanaka had dropped by the night before, asking him to 'watch Asuma-sensei if you can.' Boruto figured this was Konohamaru-nii-san's uncle, the one who died before he could marry his mother's sensei, Kurenai Yūhi. He couldn't make too many promises, but he told her he would be on the lookout for him and keep an eye on him whenever possible.

Aside from that, his checklist contained: A) a rough sketch of Konoha before Pain's attack, B) a rough sketch of Konoha after Pain's attack, C) an extra spare of clothes they could afford for him to take, D) the leftover ryo they could gather, and E) the letter to Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage. He had triple-checked his pack to make sure he had all the listed necessities as he could buy the rest he needed when his launch to the past was completed.

Hinata finally released her son and quietly lead him out of his temporary chambers. They headed to the larger room where the sealing matrix had been designed and the ex-Hokage were awaiting them. Not only that, but the remainder of the Alliance and the Konoha 12 plus Uncle Sasuke were present. They all looked to their newest champion with hope burning in their eyes. Boruto knew their eyes were on him, and he took a deep breath already knowing what to do. They had rehearsed this earlier; well, mostly about what he'd needed to do such as where to walk, etc.

He left his mother's side and walked carefully towards the center of the array, waiting for his grandpa to direct him.

There were smiles all directed at him.

"Boruto Uzumaki, let me say this, as your grandfather, you have given me much joy. I may just be a reincarnation via a jutsu, but these past ten years have been fulfilling to me," Minato started as he gazed down proudly at the younger blond. "I had been unable to raise Naruto as your grandmother, Kushina, and I wanted to, due to unfortunate circumstances. But, I had the chance to see you grow up and become a fine shinobi and strong young man under our care." He could see his grandson's eyes water with upcoming tears and couldn't help but smile somberly. "For everything you've done, and for what you will do, never forget that we're always proud of you.

"I'm proud to be your grandfather and proud to have you as my grandson. You're the best gift that's ever been born. Don't forget that."

Boruto managed to blink away his tears in time and nodded to the man that had a hand in raising him. "Hai, Grandpa."

The next one to step up was his maternal grandfather, Hiashi, who stared at the boy for a moment before offering a light smile. "My grandchild, you have been a blessing to the Hyūga name despite the out-of-order details in which you were conceived. However, that doesn't matter to me because you have given this old man a new reason to see hope. You will always have my gratitude for being the joy in my daughter's life. Please, stay safe on your journey as you complete your task."

Boruto bowed his head to the Clan Head in respect. "I will Grandfather. So, no need to worry about me and get anymore gray hairs, Old Man!" There were a couple of chuckles that went around after his comment though settled down in order for the next person to speak.

Tsunade was the next to come up to him and give the boy something. "Here, gaki. Take this."

"Eh? What is it, baa-chan?"

Ignoring the 'granny' comment, the Slug Princess decided to educate the lad. "This is your father's Konoha hitai-ate," she began, watching his eyes light up from confusion to instant awe, "the material for the headband, we repaired as much as we could. The steel plate has unfortunate scratches, but good enough to have as a keepsake. I'm sure he'd want me to give this to you, in honor of his memory." Boruto gaped a little as he ran his fingers over the precious item in reverence as if it would disappear any moment. "Go ahead and put it on."

Nodding, Boruto carefully tied the hitai-ate around his neck, like his mother had described to him in many of her tales of her youth. When he turned to face the Godaime Hokage, she was beaming proudly at him. "Well, how do I look?"

"Like a shinobi under my command, gaki. You look great. Take good care of it, you hear?"

"Of course I will, baa-chan!"

Tsunade's smile never wavered though she backed up and off the seal as the reincarnated Hokage began to move to their designated circles. Killer Bee was also in position. "Anyone else that would like to say anything to the boy before we start?" Tobirama asked. When nobody moved—either they had already talked to him or something—the Second Hokage gave a glance to his fellow ex-Konoha leaders and started molding chakra. Knowing what to do, Boruto sat down in a meditative position. He kept his eyes on the silent audience who watched in awe and admiration as their past Hokage started the sealing ritual, which would send their last ray of hope into the past.

However, this is when the Konoha 12 began to speak.

"Do your best out there, kiddo," Tenten, a surviving member of Team Gai, said, giving the blond an approving nod.

"Yosh! Let your flames of youth guide you to victory, Boruto-kun!" Rock Lee, another surviving member of Team Gai, exclaimed.

"YOSH! THOSE ARE VERY YOUTHFUL WORDS TO NARUTO'S BRAVE SON, MY PUPIL! LET HIS FLAMES OF YOUTH SHINE BRIGHTLY!" Guess who.

"YES, GAI-SENSEI!"

Boruto and the others groaned and face palmed, but the antics of student and teacher brought back many memories and laughter in most. Kakashi, who had been standing a little ways too close, grunted and rubbed his ears. No matter how many years its been, his rival and friend still had powerful lungs.

"Hey, Boruto!" Aforementioned looked up to see Kiba, one of his older brother figures, calling to him. "Just make sure you win when you cross over. With all that training you went under, you'll definitely be handing people their asses back to them!" His partner Akamaru barked gleefully in agreement.

"Remember to make allies as well," Shino, his second brother-figure spoke. He had a soft, monotone voice, but Boruto knew the man meant well. "If you are unsure of something, do not try to do it alone. Not only will you have a Tailed Beast to ask for guidance, but the opportunity to get others to understand your cause. I would rather not see my adoptive little brother frustrated." For someone who gets regularly ignored or forgotten, he had captured others' attention pretty well.

"If possible, please try to assist Konoha when Akatsuki capture me and removing the Ichibi called Shukaku," Gaara, the Godaime Kazekage said as he stepped forward. "Despite all the hardships, I believe to consider the Tailed Beast as someone I can accept as a companion. Just as Naruto has done for his Tailed Beast."

"I'll do my best, Gaara-sama."

"Just 'Gaara' will do."

"Eh... hai."

"Don't become too troublesome like your father," Shikamaru started up next. "It was bad enough having one loudmouth Uzumaki." While he said that, he was obviously smiling and meant no ill-will. "Take care of yourself and be sure to hide your presence well from my past self as well as my father. If we ever catch your true appearance, it'll start becoming even more troublesome for you. So, best get that out of the way at the very least. Only seek them out if you need more allies, however, like Shino said."

Boruto paled a little since he knew Shikamaru was incredibly smart. He'd have to keep a low profile while around him or any Nara for that matter. His mission would probably be compromised and he might be sent to that place called T & I Division. Just recalling stories from Tsunade sent chills down his spine. "I will, Shikamaru-san. It might be tough, but I think pulling off some of my dad's infamous pranks should get any of the Nara off my back."

"Pfft, if anything, that'd get them even more suspicious!" Kiba said with a laugh.

"Aww, but I can at least try."

"Just stick to the plan; lie low and only go out if necessary."

"Yes sir," Boruto nodded.

As everyone else spoke their turn to the child of their superimposed leader of the Allied Forces, the reincarnated Hokage and Killer Bee were completing the technique. From Hashirama, the Kanji for Mokuton appeared underneath him and a string of it aligned with one portion of the array. From Tobirama, the Kanji for Suiton appeared and mimicked. From Hiruzen, the Kanji for both Katon and Fūton appeared and lastly, for Minato, the Kanji for Raiton appeared. Killer Bee and Gyūki channeled their chakra together, and the seal began illuminate in a glow of aquamarine.

Everyone moved back in reflex as a tear in the spacial fabric began to grow in the center of the room, exactly where Boruto was sitting. The boy, while afraid, didn't move. He knew he had to go through this. Everyone was counting on him to succeed. They were making all these sacrifices for him to pull through and not fail. In fact, failure wasn't an option for him.

As the spacial rip continued to enlarge close to her son, Hinata thought over the time she spent with her child, the boy that had given her so much joy despite the hardships and the war they were in. She was a young mother who only wanted to see her son grow up into a fine young man. In a way, she did and she nurtured him as much as she could. He grew up much too quickly for her liking. She couldn't baby or coddle him for too long. She had to watch him grow from a small infant to a trained ninja in ten years. It only seemed like yesterday that she held his tiny body to hers. This moment was tearing her apart; she couldn't bear to be separated from her only sunshine.

But, as a mother and a kunoichi, she had to. Her son being born was an unknown factor and he would remain as such when he went back in time. The enemy wouldn't know how to deal with him but her son would know to handle them. He had their weaknesses recounted to him several times as possible. Boruto's appearance, they all hoped, would be the necessary ticket to an early victory without war and unnecessary bloodshed.

Seeing his mother in tears again, Boruto called out to her. "Mom, don't cry." He caught her attention well. "I'll be back before you know it. Maybe some of things I have to do I won't be able to because I'll just be too awesome and kick ass without doing any of it! Then, I'll save Dad and then come back home! You'll see me again, so don't cry anymore!" Hearing him say such things, so innocently, gave her more of a reason to continue shedding tears. It had nothing to do with him, it was what he had said.

You'll see me again, so don't cry anymore!

'If only...you knew...' Hinata thought and decided to tell him the truth. The tear was growing larger and the patterns around Boruto's circle were lighting up. She wouldn't have much time, so she had to say this before he disappeared and their world would cease to exist. "Boruto..." She started softly. Thankfully the boy's hearing was well tuned as he heard her despite the loudness of the jutsu. Just had to say it like it is. "...I-I'm sorry, my son. Y-you... You won't be coming back..." The words left her mouth and tasted so bitter, so sour.

As expected, the boy was taken aback. "Huh? What? Why?"

"This technique..." Hinata paused, trying to collect herself. A hand on landed on her shoulder—Sakura's—and gripped it in a reassuring way. "This technique c-cannot be reversed. It is... a one-way trip there."

The child was shell shocked by this revelation that he nearly stood up. However, he was stopped midway through this action.

"Boruto, don't move!" Both of his grandparents commanded.

"But!"

"Boruto-kun... please understand... This is hard for your mother as it is for us," Sakura, his adoptive Aunt, spoke up next. Her gentle green eyes were on him as he looked ready to cry himself.

"...But you're... I'll never see any of you again!?"

"That's not true," came Sasuke's voice as he approached from the side. "You'll eventually see us again."

"That's not the point, Uncle Sasu!" The man's eye twitched at the shortened use of his name. "You guys won't be physically there with me! And I'll never be able to come back? Why not?!" The smaller blond closed his eyes as he tried to deny anything else they'd say to him. Going through this task was hard enough, now adding on that he'd never see them again? This was too much! Everyone was counting on him already and now this! How was he going to get through this?

"...Boruto," the boy heard his mother call to him again, though her voice was as broken as he felt, "no matter what, my son. I love you. I love you so much. I know... I know you can do this because you're my son." He weakly glanced up to her with his eyes already swollen a bit from his tears and snot running down his nose.

The tear was growing massive and the Hachibi's chakra was supporting it.

But the boy kept his eyes on his mother, even as the seal began to push him through the distortion. "How? Mom, how! Why do you have so much faith in me? I'm... I'm just a kid...!" A kid with a ton of responsibilities on his plate. He accepted them of course. Because he thought he'd be able to come back, where he belonged after his mission was over. Not to be stuck there forever.

Hinata gave him a warm smile, a gesture only reserved for mother to her child. "Because, to be a parent, one must always have faith in their child." Boruto's eyes widened, not in disbelief, but in shell-shocked happiness. In a way, he was devastated that he would be leaving permanently, but his mother... She believed in him because he was her son. Looking at her again, with resolve building in his eyes, clutching the Konoha hitai-ate around his neck, he rewarded her with his own smile.

Thank you, Mom. For everything.

"It's working! PUSH THROUGH!" rang Hiruzen's voice and the others focused on keeping the tear open as Killer Bee channeled more the Eight-Tails' chakra to push their small hero through. The boy's body became like spectral particles of light as they faded through and transported into the open rift. Just as he was, the reincarnated Hokage were paying a substantial price. Their Edo Tensei bodies were crumbling away as the Hachibi's chakra was being absorbed, pulling Killer Bee's chakra as well. They knew dying was a price to creating something to this degree, but it was worth it. For the former Konoha leaders, it was worth it—they were technically dead anyway. However, for Killer Bee, they had accepted it because the man himself accepted it.

When Boruto's body was gone, the technique instantly stopped, the rift closed and where the former leaders had been were empty, save for lifeless White Zetsu clones that had been used to revive them. Killer Bee collapsed to the ground, in critical condition. Despite she knew he wouldn't make it, Sakura rushed to his aide and began to cast her medical jutsu on him to keep him alive as long as possible. The very earth beneath them began to quake in terrible tremors, and it had nothing to do with Madara Uchiha finding them.

"It looks like... the old ox from ma hide... w-went along for the ride..." the Kumo Jinchūriki rapped horribly but smiled wistfully. His final words were the last thing the Allied Forces heard as their entire world came to a deafening end.

-x-

A few miles away from Konohagakure, a glowing, aquamarine seal appeared on the ground as if by magic. Reforming particle by particle was Boruto Uzumaki, having been safely transported to years before the Fourth Shinobi World War started. Once the seal was finished, it vanished, however, a trace marker was left in the dirt, useless without the creator's imagination to fuel it. The blond haired boy opened his eyes and noticed the smell was different. He looked around and saw trees literally everywhere around his parents' home. The air felt so much cleaner that he took many deep breaths to satisfy his need for its taste.

The grass around him, much livelier than he'd ever seen and the sky! While it seemed to be mid-afternoon, it never looked clearer! Back in his time, the sun almost never came out. It was always raining or cloudy, as if foretelling of bad news. Plus, he hardly ever got the chance to see the sky, being cramped in the underground base for nearly most of his life. It stretched on for miles and miles without ever stopping, just like he had been told. The beautiful scenery around him made him almost forget what he had just been through. Almost.

"Wow, this is so much different than where I came from. I can see why nobody wants war; this place is amazing!" The excited blond grinned wide before it settled into a neutral expression once again. "Okay, now that I'm here, I have to start my mission. First, the map." He sat back down and took his pack off, unzipping it and going through until he found the necessary scroll labeled 'Present-Day Konoha.' He stashed the one that said 'Post-Pain Konoha' back into his bag. After opening the former map, his blue eyes roved over the precise sketch of the Village hidden in the Leaves, each important location marked by name. "So, Baa-chan must be at the Hokage Tower or at the Academy where she gives out missions to teams... I think I'll go to the tower first and see if I can find her there."

"A wise idea," a familiar deep voice said. He already knew who it was.

"Uncle Kura! What took you so long to wake up from your nap? You can't be getting that old!"

Ignoring the jibe to his name and age, the fox replied back. "I was never asleep. I was always awake. I heard everything your friends and family had told you before you were transported. Besides, it was me who kept your body intact during the rift. Had I been asleep, we wouldn't be existing on this side of the time era, now would we?" Paling a little at the thought, Boruto just sheepishly nodded and rolled up his scroll to return to his bag. Once done, he used the Transformation technique to appear like a normal child. However, he had his mother's unique indigo hair color and haircut when she was a child. His uniquely inherited whisker birth marks faded from his face. His eyes remained the same. He slipped on a mask that resembled a tiger.

"Well... let's get going then. We have a world and my dad to save from a madman Uchiha." Boruto said as he turned in the direction where, in the distance, Konoha's large gates were present.