Chapter 2:
After putting a few miles between him and the village, Boruto pulled out the map and assignment to figure out where he was. He followed the map accordingly and pressed on. After another hour, he checked the map again to make sure he was going the right way.
"I'm even checking the map to make sure. Ha! If only my dad could see me now. He'd be so impressed. He's an idiot for thinking I wasn't ready for this. Look how efficient I am. Checking the map and everything. I can handle this. I'm doing everything right."
After two hours, Boruto came to a fork in the road. He checked the map and took one of the three paths. Another hour passed and the road split off again. He took the left path and when he came to another fork in the road, he took the path on the far right.
"This is too easy."
The sun was setting quickly and the path he was on took him deep into the woods. He could hardly see the map in the diminishing light. He took out his flashlight and shined it on the map. He came to another split path and consulted the map again. He took one of the two paths and kept going. It was getting so dark, he could hardly see the path. He shined the flashlight forward to light his way.
As time when on, the forest grew louder with strange sounds. Most of them were bugs but some were sounds he had never heard before. It was creepy. Some bugs were flying towards him, attracted to the light. He got bitten many times. He picked up the pace, hoping to outrun the pesky insects.
"This is nothing I can't handle." A few bugs weren't going to stop him.
Then something else came his way. A wild boar came charging from the forest and onto the path. It was in a foul mood and wanted to take his rage out on the young ninja. Boruto ran from it, wondering what he had done to tick it off. Was it the light that bothered it? He quickly shut off the flashlight, hoping that would be enough to send the boar on its way. When he had done that, he was plunged into darkness. His eyes hadn't adjusted to the night because of the flashlight's brightness. He was running blind and went right into a tree. He staggered up and kept running. He fell down a steep hill, still unable to see anything. He was off the path now and the boar was still coming.
"Stupid thing!" Boruto stood up and drew his weapon. A real ninja didn't run from a fight. If this boar wanted to mess with him, he was going to put up a fight.
The boar came his way, charging. Boruto's eyes were still adjusting to the darkness, but he could see the boar coming. When it came close, Boruto stabbed the boar with his kunai. The boar was still charging. It trampled over his leg and knocked him to the ground. The boar was much stronger than he thought, especially when it was moving at this speed. Boruto's hand slipped down the kunai, cutting his hand on the blade. He winced at the pain but didn't have any time to examine it. The boar was still coming and now it was angry. The kunai was still in its back.
"The hell with this." Boruto ran deeper into the woods, hoping to lose it. The boar was on him like a shadow. Boruto ran up the side of a tree, flipped through the air and landed behind the boar. He pulled his kunai free and tried to stab it again. The blade sank into its thick body but the boar wasn't going down. This thing was tough. "I don't have time for this. I have a mission to get to."
Boruto took his kunai back and ran. If he kept wasting his energy on a wild boar, he wouldn't have any energy to fight real tough human beings. This boar was just a wild animal, not an enemy. Though he didn't like leaving without finishing what he started, he had to. For the sake of the mission. He convinced himself that he didn't lose to a boar. He was dedicating his efforts to something far more important. This wasn't a loss but a sacrifice.
At last the boar was finally gone. Boruto was so relieved. He quickly bandaged his hand with a cloth from his bag. Now he had to find his way back to the path in the dark. He wandered around for a while, then found the trail. Now which way was it, left or right? One path would lead him back home, the other would take him to his mission.
This was a tough one. Boruto couldn't tell which way he had come from. He didn't backtrack to get here. He wandered. Depending on which way he had arrived back at the path, it was either left or right from here. The map wouldn't tell him and he had neglected to pack a compass. He tried to look around for something familiar. He turned the flashlight back on and searched for something that could mark his way. Maybe a bush or a broken branch or something.
Boruto looked at the sky. "Oh, yeah. The moon was right in front of me. So I just have to follow that. If the moon is behind me, then that's the path home." The smiling moon was to his left so that was the direction Boruto took. "Ha! I got this. Easy."
After a while, the path seemed even longer to Boruto with no end in sight. He knew it would take some time to get there, but he wanted to distance himself from the Leaf Village. He didn't want his father dragging him home before he even got there. He had to keep going, even if he was feeling tired. He didn't think he had gone far enough yet.
Boruto kept walking until the sun rose. He had been walking all night. Now that it was bright enough, he didn't see why he couldn't keep going just a little further. Hours more passed and another split in the road. He took out the map and took the path on the right. Finally stumbling every few steps, Boruto stepped off the road to take a rest. He slept for hours and woke up mid-afternoon. Feeling rested, he kept going.
It was lonely without anyone to talk to but he kept himself entertained. He was feeling pretty proud of himself. He had put a lot of distance between him and his father. There was no way he would catch up to him now. He looked around at the forest and at the sky. He looked behind him at the path he had traveled. This was the furthest from home he had ever traveled. He had never been this far from home before. No mission he went on ever took him this far out or required him to sleep overnight. All his missions took one afternoon. Both of them.
"Well, maybe I don't have all the experience I need from those two missions... But how am I supposed to learn and get better if I don't challenge myself? Taking this mission allowed me to sleep under the sky in the woods for the first time. Would a D mission have given me that? And that boar was nothing."
In daylight, he was able to see the damage that boar had caused. His pants were dirty and his legs were scuffed up from its hooves. His hand was still in the cloth bandage he had wrapped around it last night. Boruto look a closer look at it in the light. The cloth had turned red and brown. It was covered in dirt and blood.
Thinking he should change it, Boruto sat down and took out a clean bandage. Unwrapping the old one, Boruto could see just how bad it was. He had a red line down his palm from the webbing of his thumb, running parallel to his fingers. It had stopped bleeding which was a good sign. He poured water over the wound to clean it which stung. He wrapped it in a fresh bandage and tossed the old one away. The forest could have it.
It was time to get going again.
Feeling hungry, Boruto took out some crackers from his bag and ate as he walked. The salty crackers made him thirsty so he drank from his water bottle. It felt lighter. After pouring some water on his wound and drinking several mouthfuls, his bottle was nearly empty. Only a quarter was left. He had to ration what little he had. Hopefully he would come across a stream and be able to fill it.
He walked several miles before drinking again. Now his bottle was empty and there wasn't a stream to be seen. He looked at the map but it didn't show any bodies of water. Only roads and trees. Maybe he wasn't reading it right. "All these squiggly lines look the same. Is that a road or a stream? A river? Ah, this is annoying!"
He kept walking, hoping to find something. He didn't want to wander off the trail and get lost. According to the map, he was almost there.
After a while, he came across a rest stop by the side of the road. An old woman was running the small shop alone and greeted him warmly with a wrinkled smile. Thinking he could get some water, he went over and greeted her back. She offered him some hot tea and dango. Boruto dug around in his pocket for some money and paid her. He sat on the bench outside and ate his snack and drank his tea. He didn't have a lot of money to begin with and now he had less. He had to be careful.
He got going again and came to a small town. Surely the could buy some water here for his journey. He looked around at all the different shops but everything was pricey. The town itself looked prosperous. Most of the buildings looked quite new and the people were dressed in clean clothes, many of the women wearing jewelry. He had a feeling if he bought water here, it would be very expensive.
Boruto stopped by the river and looked across the water to the land on the other side. The river was narrow but a boat was still needed to cross.
If ninja ever came across a narrow river like this and needed to cross, they would simply use their Chakra to walk across it. It was a short enough distance for them to get to the other side without need of a boat and it wouldn't waste a lot of Chakra. However, Boruto didn't know that technique yet. Having only been on two missions and the academy only teaching its students so much, most young ninja wouldn't know how to use this technique. Most often, it was taught by their squad leader after graduation. Much like Kakashi teaching his students to climb trees without using their hands. That was a lesson taught outside of school. With Boruto being so impatient, he ran off long before his sensei could teach it to him.
Without knowing how to cross any other way, Boruto had to take a boat ride like anybody else.
Boruto looked around the dock area for a ticket booth or something. He couldn't find anything which left him confused.
"Hey, kid. You looking for something?"
He turned around and saw a young man dressed in fisherman's clothing. Thinking this was the person to talk to, Boruto answered him.
"Yeah. I'm trying to get across the river here, but I can't find a ticket booth or anything. You have to pay to cross, right?"
"That's how it works, kid. I can help you out."
"Really?" Boruto smiled. "That would be great."
The young man looked Boruto over. "Just you crossing then? And you're how old?"
"Twelve."
"Alrighty then." The man frowned. "Oh, dear... Without a parent with you, I'm not sure you'll have enough for the boat. How much do you have on you?"
Boruto dug around in his pocket and fished out what little money he had left, counting it in front of the man.
"Looks like you have just enough," said the man. He took all of Boruto's money and handed him a ticket. "Lucky you. Now hurry up before the boat takes off."
"Thanks." Ticket in hand, Boruto hurried to the dock.
Men and women were starting to board the small boat. The man on the dock called out for any last minute riders and Boruto sprinted over. The man let him pass and Boruto hurried onto the boat. He took a seat and waited for the boat to take off.
Boruto looked down at the ticket in his hand. The man on the dock let him pass without asking to see his ticket. Maybe they checked tickets during the ride. Trains did the same thing. Boruto looked around at the other passengers. Many of them were holding shopping bags and some were mothers with their children. He tried to see if any of them were holding their tickets in hand, but Boruto couldn't tell. Many of their hands were hidden in their pockets, behind bags or holding onto their children or were folded in their laps.
The boat took off and Boruto sat back to enjoy the ten minute ride over to the other side. This was fun. He had never been on a boat ride before. He had only heard about it. He turned in his seat to watch the water slapping against the side of the boat. He inhaled the unique scent and watched the water sparkle in the sunlight.
Finally, they reached the other side and the boat came to an uneasy stop. Boruto could feel the boat waving back and forth on the water, rocking him from side to side and up and down. The boat was tied to the dock and the passengers stepped off one by one. Boruto was one of the last ones to leave.
There was a man on the dock helping the people step off. "Watch your step, ma'am. Watch your step. Watch your step. Watch your-"
"Excuse me."
The man looked down at Boruto. "Yes, son?"
"Uh... I noticed that no one asked to see my ticket. Don't you have to punch it or something?"
The man gave him a puzzled look. "What ticket?"
"The ticket you buy at the dock to ride the boat." Boruto held it up.
The man still looked puzzled. "There are no tickets for purchase at the dock."
"Huh?"
"This is a free boat ride. Everyone gets to ride for free. You don't have to buy anything."
Boruto stared at the man for a second in confusion. Then he crumbled the ticket and roared, "That stinky, lying, cheating son of a..! He scammed me! That jerk!"
The man sighed. "You're an outsider, aren't you? Whoever scammed you must have seen you coming. Might have been looking lost around the docks and came over to help you. Sorry you got scammed, son."
"He took all my money!" Boruto snapped. Then his anger changed to despair. "He took all my money..." Now he had nothing. What was he supposed to do?
"Sorry, son, but that guy is long gone by now. He probably took your money and ran. You probably won't see him or your money again. Sorry to tell you that."
Out of desperation and wishful thinking, Boruto asked, "Any chance you can pay me back the money he took?"
The man laughed and sent him on his way.
Boruto felt so cheated. Granted, it wasn't a lot of money, but it was everything he had.
However, rather than buy water, Boruto decided to fill his bottle here at the river's edge. This water was free. He bent down by the edge of the dock and filled his water bottle. When he pulled it out of the river, he pulled back in disgust. Rather than have clear water, it was gray and brown with specks floating around inside the bottle. The water was all muddy and gross! He couldn't drink this and now his bottle was ruined, too. Even if he dumped this water out, there would still be traces of it in his bottle. The thought of drinking the river's backwash had Boruto gagging. He threw his bottle in the nearest trashcan he could find.
This bit of bad news and misfortune wasn't enough to discourage him from his journey. He would press on no matter what came his way. This was nothing!
Boruto took out his map and checked to see what path he should take. According to this, he should reach his destination by this evening. Boruto folded up the map and pressed on. Nothing was going to stand in his way.
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