AN: Welcome all. If you read my previous story, then you were probably forewarned about this new tale of mine. As I stated back then, this is a completely original plot! Ah! These DO exist! Yeah, anyways, it's my own original storyline and it takes place before the Boruto movie, but nothing in it is the same. You'll understand as you read along.

This story is already nearly completed, I've just been holding off on uploading for the purpose of actually working out the plot and fixing any kinks, but since I feel you guys have waited long enough, I will post the pilot chapter right now. I'm not sure when I will post the second chapter though. Guess I'll see what kind of support I receive. Any ways, enjoy…

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. All I own is the plot. All rights belong to their respective owners.

"Speech"
Character thoughts explained through regular text
-Scene change-

Implausible Tales chapter 1

A screeching alarm clock cracked the silence of the dark room. A slender pale hand reached out and shut it off gently. Sitting up in bed, her black hair cascaded down her back freely. Her pale pupil-less white eyes creaked open and adjusted to the darkness of her room. Hinata looked to the left side of her bed to see it empty as usual.

Sitting up on the edge, she took a few steadying breaths before getting to her feet, skillfully fighting through her exhaustion. She walked around the room collecting her hospital uniform before heading across the hall to the small bathroom. Shutting the door, she cut the light on and peered into a mirror so damaged that it was hard to see your own reflection in. With another sigh she stepped into the shower.

Letting the cold water she had become accustomed to wash over her body, she stared at the wall in front of her and the rusty pipe of the showerhead. A smile none existent on her face and tiredness leaking from her eyes, she remained that way, lost in thought for what she hoped would be forever. After mustering up the strength to properly clean herself, she stepped out and dried her weary body off.

Putting her clothes on, she was dressed in her white nurse's gown. Staring, again, into the damaged mirror in front of her, she put her hair up into a lazy bun, trying to open her eyes more so that she looked a bit livelier. When she finished her morning routine, she left the bathroom and headed back to her room to dump off her old clothes and grab her badges.

Now, ready to start her day, she walked out of her room and into the living room that was connected to the kitchen. She cleaned up whatever was strewn around the small ratty apartment on her way to the kitchen. Looking through her scarce fridge, she found a few things to throw a quick breakfast together. It took about five to ten minutes to prepare and when she finished, she sat the plate of food down on the small dining table that was technically in the living room. Instead of sitting down to eat it as one would expect, she walked back towards the hallway with the bedrooms and passed hers.

Opening the door next to hers with a bit of effort, she turned the light on. "Boruto." She called out as a mop of blonde hair shot up through a pile of blankets and pillows. "It's time to wake up." She said walking in and picking up the trash he had laying around. Boruto sat on the edge of his bed with a confused expression as if he didn't know what was going on. "Your breakfast is on the table. I have to get going. Make sure you're not late." She warned him walking towards the door.

Boruto remained there on his bed, listening for the sounds he was used to hearing in the morning. His mother shutting the door, then complete silence. Sighing dramatically, he walked to the living room and took a seat at the dining table. For a few seconds, he stared at the empty three seats in front of him, wondering what it would feel like to have them full sometime, like Sarada's family had. After a while, he began eating, staring around their crappy apartment to pass the time.

It was literally a box with two rooms and a bathroom. Sadly, it was all they could afford. Looking at the decoration around the room, he spotted a picture that he looked at every morning. It was of him, his mother, and his little sister, Himawari. She was lying in a hospital bed with a tube in her nose and a smile on her face none the less. Something the girl always had, despite any situation she was in.

That picture was taken three years ago, and she hasn't gotten any better since then. He sighed again before getting up and taking his plate to the kitchen. Dumping it in the sink, he made his way back to his room and grabbed his daily outfit which was a white shirt and blue shorts as well as his white undergarments. Rolling it all up in his towel, he headed for the bathroom.

Staring into the mirror, he examined his reflection. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and two whisker marks adorning each cheek. Oh yes, he was reminded by anyone old enough to remember him that he looked just like his father. A man he was sure he's never met in his life. Well, he had, he was just too young to remember. It's been seven years since his disappearance. Seven years since the 'hero of war' suddenly vanished. Boruto chuckled, shaking his head. "What a joke." He said lowly, removing his clothes and turning the shower on.

All his life, Boruto had been hearing about the amazing things his father has done. From anyone that was so 'blessed' to have met him he heard a story from. That's exactly what they were, stories. There's no way the deadbeat did anything like that. There was no way he beat a Biju when he was a Genin, or saved the village from a man that even beat Kakashi. They were all just a bunch of fake stories for a boy whose father was a no good bastard who left his mom with two kids by herself. Yeah, he was a bit more than mad.

Stepping into the shower, he thought more on it. It just didn't add up for him if it were thought about logically. If his dad really did all that stuff… then why were they so poor? Why wouldn't any of the people he was so 'close' with try and help them when they were four months behind on the rent? No one tried to help them while his mom worked double shifts just to pay for their ratty apartment and Himawari's hospital bill. If they were telling the truth about how great he was, then wouldn't they be more inclined to help them? It only made sense.

The conclusion he arrived at was as previously stated, they were a bunch of stories to convince him his father was an amazing man, to spare his feelings. One day when he was old enough, they'd reveal the real truth about the bastard to him. For now, they wanted him to believe he was someone worth something, for what reason? He had no idea.

His mother only made it worse as she constantly tried to convince him that he would be back one day. He loved her dearly, but he honestly felt as though she were completely delusional. If he wasn't dead and he's been gone for seven years, then there was no way he was coming back.

Word around the village is that she is crazy. Everywhere he goes, he can hear people whispering about her, asking why she doesn't just divorce his dad since that would pretty much solve all of their problems. If she were to divorce him, then they'd be members of the Hyuga clan and they'd get to live in the compound. As the richest clan in Konoha, they could easily pay for Himawari's medical bill! But, Hinata had absolute faith that her husband would return one day.

Finishing his shower, he stepped out and went back to the mirror as he dried the ice cold water droplets from his body. Life sucked for Boruto, especially with the friends he has. Not that they're bad, they just make him feel like such a loser. They make him feel so poor when he's around them while they play on their new game devices, wearing brand new clothes, and snacking on expensive candies he couldn't afford offering him anything left over.

His life in the academy was hell too because they were all so far ahead in everything. They're only first year students of course, so they don't do much more than book work, but still. He was the dead last in the class because he didn't have anyone at home to help him with his work like the others do. Shino-sensei would always try and help him as best he could through tutoring, but it wasn't much more than twenty minutes after class which he just couldn't learn anything in.

Then, when they had the stupid discussions about the latest war. Shino-sensei had a special event every other week where a student tells about their parents experience in the war and how they contributed if they did. Everyone had a cool story to tell except for him. All he could tell about was his mom's war stories. Despite always being told these farfetched stories from everyone, nobody would tell him what his father did during the war. Apparently at the request of his mother who wanted his father to tell him about that himself. Definitely delusional.

In his rambling, Boruto was dressed and ready for the day. He had on his white shirt, blue shorts, and his old worn out pair of blue sandals. With a sigh at the prospect of having to go to the academy, being reminded of how sucky his life was, he left the apartment, locking the door behind him.


-At the Hospital-

Walking up to the receptions desk which was positioned directly in front of the hospitals front entrance in a semi-circle design, Hinata rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes. A young brown haired woman wearing the same uniform saw her and waved aggressively towards her. "Hinata!" She called out. "You look terrible." She remarked.

Hinata chuckled through her nose and stepped up to the desk, signing her name on the check in sheet. "Good morning, Itsuo." She said softly. The girl handed Hinata a clip board with a few different papers on it.

"These are your rounds for the day. I got you most of the ones in the eastern wing." She said with a smile.

Hinata took the clipboard from her and looked through the pages. "Thank you so much." Hinata said sincerely to her before heading off to do her job. Itsuo just smiled back at her with a nod as she watched her walk off with a saddened expression.

Hinata began her task of walking by each room, poking her head in, and marking down any alarming results. Along the way, she greeted patients and other workers with as much gusto as she could muster, which was close to none.

She was so tired, so very, very tired. She has been doing this same routine for years now. This same mundane routine for five straight years. It ate up every waking minute she had throughout the day and most nights when the rotation schedules didn't work out. Every day, wake up and get dressed, make Boruto breakfast, go to work and take two shifts, come home, make dinner, get a few hours of sleep in, and start it all over again the next day.

She wanted help. God, did she want it, but she couldn't bring herself to ask for it anymore. When Naruto first disappeared all those years ago, all of their friends were willing to help her maintain the house they lived in as she was pregnant at the time and couldn't work. When she finally got back on her feet, she told the others that she would be fine with taking care of things from then on, even with two kids. Then, disaster struck when Himawari got unexplainably sick two years after her birth.

Chakra network failure was the best way Sakura could explain it to her. She told her it was as if her chakra refused to push through her system completely. The vibrant little girl Hinata was used to suddenly became equivalent to one of the cancer patients she witnessed throughout her days. The bill was so straining she had to sell their home and move to a cheaper place just to afford her treatments.

Of course she thought of divorcing Naruto. She thought of it many times, but something inside of her was telling her not to do it. Something was just screaming at her that he would be back one day. Naruto always came back… No matter how long he was gone… no matter what he was doing... he always came back.

She was forced to tell herself that like a practiced mantra every day of her life just to maintain that will power. In honesty, she had no idea if he would ever return. What she refused to do was lose hope, because she knew the moment you did, it was truly over. Naruto had a way with surprising people when they least expected it. Hopefully that didn't change and he would pop up some time soon. She needed it desperately and if it didn't happen this year, then she would give up on it and become a Hyuga again. It would pain her, but they were suffering because of his absence.

"Hinata." A voice called out to her. Turning around, it was Sakura walking towards her. "Hey. Back already?" she asked.

"o-Oh.. Yeah, I just got in." she said bashfully.

Sakura smiled at her sadly. "Well, if you happen to stay late, Boruto can have dinner with us and Sasuke will walk him home after."

"Thank you so much Sakura." She said in true appreciation before she walked off, intent on completing her tasks on time. Sakura watched her walk away with a simple shake of her head before she continued on as well.

Room after room, she did the same thing without slowing down. When she finished the first floor, she went for the second and did it all over again. Then, finishing that floor, she went to the floor she was desperately trying to make it to. She started immediately, working at the same pace the whole way until she made it to the last one. With a sigh, she used her forearm to wipe the small bead of sweat from her head before opening the door.

Inside the room, there was a nurse feeding Himawari her breakfast. Hearing the door open, she turned around and saw Hinata. "Ah, Hinata. Perhaps you'd like to take over." She said gathering her stuff and telling Himawari she would see her later. Hinata nodded gratefully at her as she left.

Walking over, she took a seat on the chair next to her. Looking down at her small frame trying to chew. Her seven year old frame was underdeveloped compared to others her age. Her eyes with that sickly look to them made her heart tighten. "Mama.." she said lowly with a shine in her orbs.

Hinata smiled down at her. "Hey Hima." She said caressing the side of her face. The little girl leaned into the touch as if it were the greatest thing ever.

"Where's.. Boruto.." she asked weakly.

"He's at the academy right now Hima.." Hinata replied getting a spoonful of the apple sauce in front of her. She carried it over to the little girl's mouth gently. Himawari slurped it from the spoon with a bit of effort. "How are you feeling today?" she asked, placing a hand onto her forehead gently.

"I.. feel a lot better she said." Hinata just looked at her with a disbelieving look. It was probably just a tactic to go home. "I really do." She assured her. "Like.. my tummy doesn't hurt anymore. And my legs aren't sore.."

Hinata was curious. "Are you sure?" she asked her in interest. Himawari nodded her head yeah.

"I'm getting better and better." She said with a quivering crack to her tone as she shakily made a fist to show her strength which Hinata chuckled at. "Mama? Can you.. t-tell me a story?" she asked suddenly.

Hinata smiled at her. "Which one would you like to hear?" she asked.

The little girl thought about it for a few seconds before her eyes lit up. "The princess, the knight, and the moon people." She said softly

Hinata nodded and looked at her blanket in thought. "…It all started with a scarf… a beautiful red scarf."


-At the academy-

Sitting in his seat next to Sarada, Boruto stared out the window, not paying attention to anything Shino-sensei was talking about. He was, as always, berating the stories he would hear from around the village. What got him back on this depressing subject was the agenda of today. Apparently father's day was coming up in three weeks and they had to write a letter to their fathers, asking them to come to school with them for the day. It was so stupid.

"Now class, we will be having a quiz first thing tomorrow morning." Shino said with finality. "You may have five minutes of free time before the end of class. I urge you to use it for studying." He said, but was promptly ignored with the proclamation of free time. The class erupted into groups of chatter and conversation. Everyone except Boruto, who was still staring out the window.

Sarada was the only one to notice. Chocho was trying to talk to her but she told her to hold on. She tapped the blonde boys shoulder getting his attention. "Boruto."

"What Sarada?" he said with a hint of irritation behind his words.

Any other day, she would have hit him for speaking to her in that tone of voice, but for now she understood. "I was going to ask you if you wanted my dad to be both of our guest."

Boruto looked at her, thinking it over for a second. "No, that's just lame." He said putting his head back down.

"Well then why not ask your grandpa or something?" she asked.

"Grandpa? He's too old, he probably wouldn't even make it out the house. Besides its father's day, not grandfather's day." He informed her as if she didn't know.

"Well, stop moping." She demanded. "You look like a baby." Boruto just waved his hand at her, telling her he didn't care. Sarada just pushed her glasses up with a grunt and went back to talking to Chocho.

Boruto remained in his same mopey state until Shino-sensei finally told them they could leave. They funneled out the door one by one, still finishing whatever conversations they had going on at the time. Boruto walked out next to Shikadai and Inojin. The two boys were having their own conversation as he just tagged along, joining in whenever they asked him something. They both noticed how out of character it seemed for him, but they ignored it, figuring it was the assignment.

Boruto stopped when his name was called out. It was Sarada, walking towards him. He sighed, figuring she was going to berate him for still moping. Instead she walked up and asked if he could walk with her. He agreed since he didn't really have much to do anyways. They walked to Sarada's house in virtual silence. Neither of them had much to say so they just continued walking.

When they finally arrived at her house, she asked him if he would like to come in, but he declined saying he had to get home. Before he could leave, Sakura appeared behind him, telling him he would be staying for dinner. With not much resistance, he agreed and soon, he and Sarada were sitting at the table going over the things he needed to know for tomorrow's quiz since he of course missed it. Sakura prepared dinner for the four of them, occasionally coming out and watching from the doorway with a smile.

Soon, Sasuke made it home and greeted the two before heading to the kitchen to help Sakura. While there, the two discussed the same thing they always ended up talking about when something involving Boruto or Hinata came up. They spoke about Naruto and how sad it was that Hinata still had faith he would be coming back.

After his disappearance, Sasuke had gone in search of him for three long and grueling years. He had searched every plausible location he could think of, even venturing the incredibly dangerous island of Uzushio. His blonde friend was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone at the time had their faith in Sasuke, and he had to return home with the news of his failure. When he explained that he could not find him, everyone else accepted the heart wrenching fact that Naruto Uzumaki was no more. But, Hinata seemed to momentarily lose her mind. Saying things like: 'we'll just have to wait for him to come back' or 'he's probably out there having an amazing adventure'. Never once had she lost a shred of hope. To her, this was Naruto and he always seemed to do the impossible. No matter what, he'd be back.

Sasuke wanted to believe that as well. He wanted to believe it more so than anyone, but when it's time to let go, it's time. It hurt him to do so, but he took Naruto's lessons and decided he would do his best to be a good father and husband. He was even planning on taking the position of Hokage from Kakashi in time when he was ready. It was an unspoken rule between the two of them. If Naruto wasn't there to protect the village, then Sasuke would be. That was just the way things were meant to be.

Finishing dinner, Sasuke and Sakura set the table for dinner while Boruto and Sarada put up their books. Soon, the four were all seated around the table, eating dinner and discussing various topics. They spoke mainly of kid friendly things such as what they learned in class, how Shino-sensei was, and who they wanted to be on their team in a few years. The family of Uchiha made sure to steer clear of the subject of Naruto, or fathers in general.

Boruto for the most part joined the conversation with gusto. Sasuke and Sakura were like his aunt and uncle. This wasn't the first time he's had dinner with them. If they asked him something, he'd answer, sometimes a bit more aggressively than Sarada preferred, and she made sure he knew that with a painful, but friendly, whack to the head. Sakura and Sasuke just laughed with a reason that was lost to the two of them. When dinner was said and done, he bid farewell to Sakura and Sarada as Sasuke prepared to walk him home.

They walked in virtual silence halfway through the trip until Boruto decided to voice the question resting in his mind. "Sasuke-sensei…" he called out. Sasuke looked down at him. He rarely called him sensei anymore. It was a title given to him when Boruto was younger and witnessed his training one day. He ran to him and demanded he train him. Sasuke of course didn't accept, but the name stuck so Boruto addressed him as such.

"What is it?" he asked, seeing his troubled expression.

Boruto's eyes were more focused on the ground a few feet in front of him. "y-… You were his best friend… right?"

Sasuke eyed him, realizing he was talking about Naruto. He turned his head straight and grunted in confirmation. "Yes, I was."

Boruto's gaze was still unshifting from that dark path of concrete in front of him. "Then… what was he like?" he asked. Sasuke was confused, everyone had told the boy stories of his father. He should know by now. Before he could voice it, Boruto continued. "What was he really like… I'm not a kid anymore… I don't need those stupid superhero stories."

Sasuke now understood. He didn't believe any of them. He chuckled as they walked up the stairs to their apartment. Before he could explain anything further to the boy, they stood down the hall, looking at Hinata who just… stared at her doorknob. She wasn't moving, wasn't trying to open the door, she was just standing there, staring at the knob.

"Mom?" Boruto called out cautiously, kicking her from whatever stupor she was in.

She jumped in urgency and turned to greet the two. "o-Oh, Bolt.. Sasuke." She said putting on a quick smile.

The two came walking up to her as she quickly tried to configure the broken lock on their door with a bit of effort. By the time they made it, she got it open. They were both giving her strange looks as they stood in front of her. "Are you ok, Mom?" Boruto asked her in worry.

She pursed her lips together and give him a very strained smile nodding to him. "Go get ready for bed." She said rubbing his hair as he ducked and entered the apartment. Sasuke's calculative look stared at her awaiting an explanation.

Feeling the eyes on her, she turned to him and cleared her throat. "Thank you so much, Sasuke." She said bowing to him. Sasuke accepted it with a bow of his own.

"Hinata, are you ok?" he asked her. She nodded far too quickly for it to have been believable. Her eyes showing desperation for his trust. Sasuke wasn't convinced of course, but decided he would more than likely bring the matter up to Sakura. He nodded curtly and turned his body slightly, indicating he was about to leave. "You have a goodnight Hinata." He said still looking at her curiously.

Hinata watched him leave with a smile that was slowly receding the further he got. When he was no longer in view, she exhaled slowly and entered the apartment, shutting the door behind her. She walked through the living room and passed the bathroom which she assumed Boruto was in and headed for her bedroom. When she entered, she made her way over to her bed and plopped down on the edge. She unraveled the paper in her hand to reveal an eviction notice.

Her eyes began to water slightly as her brain swam through things she could try and do. She could try and talk to the building's owner and request another extension. Maybe guilt trip him by using Naruto's name. She hated to do that, but when things were desperate, they were desperate. She heard the bathroom door open and quickly wiped her eyes. Standing up, she threw the paper in the drawer of the nightstand next to her bed.

Walking out of her room, she knocked on Boruto's door until she heard him call out 'come in'. Opening the door, he was already tucking his feet underneath his blankets. "Hey Bolt." She said walking over and sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Mom, you don't look well." Boruto said holding onto the edge of his blanket.

Hinata smiled at him. He was always so worried about everyone else. Just like his father. "Don't worry about me, ok?" she said with a smile. Boruto nodded slowly at her. Hinata's smile faded from her face however, which worried him even more. "Bolt…" she said getting his attention even though he was already looking at her. "Listen… I might have to go back to work." She said with a saddened expression.

He raised an eyebrow. Why was she telling him? She usually just goes... Unless. "Is it Himawari!?" he yelled urgently, jumping to a sitting position.

Hinata quickly calmed him down, explaining that she was fine. "She's ok. She's actually even better than before." She said.

"She's getting better?" he asked in contained excitement at the sliver of good news, laying back down.

Hinata nodded her head. "Yeah, actually the doctors say she is actually improving little by little almost every few hours." Hinata said with a broken smile filled with tears.

Boruto took that as the best news he heard all day and a beaming smile made it to his face, reminding Hinata so much of Naruto. Then, he remembered how this conversation began. "Wait.. if it's not Himawari, then why are you going back to work already?" he asked.

Hinata just rubbed his head. "I don't mean tonight, Boruto."

"What? You lose your badges again?" he asked sitting up yet again, figuring she was telling him so that he could help her find them. She shook her head again and he laid back down, truly not understanding what it was she was trying to say.

"It's not that kind of work…" she said, letting that ring. Now he understood. Slowly tears began welling up in his eyes. She couldn't possibly…

"You're going back to… being a ninja?"

Hinata could see the heartbreak in his eyes as he said it. She nodded her head slowly. Her own heart sank to her stomach as she watched his breathing become shorter and shorter and his face contorting in pure anguish and sadness. He sat up again and Hinata wrapped him in a tight hug, rubbing his back to hush his crying. "Bol-…" she couldn't even get her words out properly at this point. She could feel his little body convulsing against her shoulder and it broke her soul.

Boruto was crying his eyes out, yelling out muffled pleas for her to stay. He didn't want her to go out there. He couldn't lose this woman. All of his cries of 'I don't want you to go', or 'please mom' were seemingly ignored as she just continued rubbing his back and reassuring him. That wasn't what he wanted or needed right now. He didn't need to hear that she would be fine. He didn't need to hear that they needed the money. He didn't need any of that… he needed her.

Hinata somehow crawled into bed with him and eventually, he cried himself to sleep on his mother's stomach. She couldn't bring herself to move, so she wiped the tears from her face and fell asleep as well. Tomorrow, she would do her last shift at the hospital, pick up her check, and hopefully try to pay their landlord a little bit so that they could keep the apartment until she found a high paying mission. That was her plan of action and she just had to do it. She had to.


-Unknown location-

A black hooded figure trudged down a dirt path, slowly and menacingly. Every ominous step echoing in the night sky. His entire form was covered with the black cloak, hiding any identifying features on his body. He was hunched over and his steps were unorthodox and poorly taken, almost like a drunk, but his direction was undeterred. He marched, slowly yet steadily down the road he was on. One foot… after the other. Not daunted by the droplets of rain that began falling before him.

(Cliffhanger)