"Boruto," the attacker stood up. Boruto was walking toward the opposite direction already with his hands in his pockets. "Boruto!"

"I was going to walk you home, Sarada, but I didn't know you were doing rounds tonight," he stopped walking and turned to Sarada.

"No, I'm not," Sarada took off her mask and subsequently deactivated her sharingan.

"So what was that all about? The uniform and the new mask? All for a prank?"

"No! I had to replace my old one. And it wasn't a prank," Sarada yelled, charging toward Boruto and driving a fist to his stomach. He did not avoid her and they both fell to the ground. "It was payback."

Sarada stared at Boruto glaringly. "That was the second time, Boruto! It's fine with us if you're busy but at least tell us you couldn't come!"

"I'm sorry," Boruto got up and reached for her hand to help her. "Your dad asked me to see him. I didn't know we would be out all day. Are you okay, though? Your head, I mean," he asked and Sarada nodded as she straightened up. "You should stop being out so late just goofing around, goof head. You're giving your dad another thing to worry about,"

Sarada rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Nah, he's always busy - "

"Don't say that!" Boruto grabbed her by the wrist and they both stopped. "Sorry," he sighed. They continued walking.

"I don't mean it most of the time, Boruto, sorry." Sarada apologized sincerely. She was used to her teammate acting that way whenever she said something about her dad. She understood how he felt.

Boruto used to say the same thing about his father. He still regrets it almost everyday.

"Hey," Sarada spoke up when Boruto remained quiet. His face displayed the same loneliness he had always shown whenever he remembered his dad.

Closing his eyes, Boruto sighed, "I want him back."

.


.

"I have so much respect for you, Hokage-sama. I am really sorry that I have to do this,"

Naruto already had his old clothes on, which still fit perfectly and seemed to have been kept in good condition. He was beginning to regain his strength and the man who reanimated him noticed this. He took two pairs of shackles and began to restrain Naruto's wrists and ankles, covering them with paper seals to prevent escape.

"The nine-tailed fox. If you had a choice, would you want to be reunited with it?" The man asked after binding Naruto, facing him in a squatted position.

"Kurama - he has a name, and that isn't for me to decide. I just wanted him to be free after I died." Naruto's chest felt heavy talking about Kurama. He had always empathized with the tailed beasts. He wanted to make sure they were freed and left alone after the deaths of their jinchuurikis. They did not deserve to be bound or used. "Don't you dare involve Kurama in this, he is not yours or mine to manipulate. Whatever you're up to, leave him out of it."

The man just shrugged. A moment of silence lingered as he seemed to think, looking far out the opening of the cave.

"You're facing Sasuke of the Rinnegan, as well as your kid, Boruto. The tailed beast is needed," the man finally spoke, standing up to gather his weapons at the far end of the cave.

"Boruto? Why? What do you have against my son?! He is just a kid!"

"Not anymore, Lord Seventh. Your kid is no longer a child, and he is no longer innocent. He'd give his life for the Uchiha and his brat. Of course he'd get in the way. He always had. He's the perfect bait," the man explained casually, refusing to face Naruto. He tried to make himself look busy by fixing his weapons and throwing log to the fire.

Naruto gritted his teeth. He felt himself fuming. He'd never felt this angry in a long time, excluding the two years he'd been dead. Naruto didn't notice himself clutching his fists too tightly, or his eyes stinging with tears. At the mention of his son, he remembered what family felt like - he remembered how loss felt like when he decided to leave them behind. He wasn't doing that again. He wasn't going to return, only to make things harder for everyone.

As much as he didn't want to bring the same burden to his best friend, if Naruto was unable to undo the reanimation by himself, he knew Sasuke could face him and deal with him better than anyone else. He had seen Sasuke do it - facing and fighting alongside a reanimated Itachi, only to say goodbye after. Sasuke had gone through so much loss, he'd know what to do and how to feel. Sasuke wouldn't break.

The hardest thing he had to go through in dying wasn't dying itself - it was the decision he had to make before it. He could only imagine the pain his wife and children felt, knowing he would never come back home again. They were tough individually and almost invincible when together. They would have pulled through well after his death. But this reanimation... This was different. This was too much.

He missed Hinata - the one who gave him a family of his own, and the one who gave him children that would call him 'dad'. And he missed his children - his daughter's gentleness and cheerfulness, and his son's relentless drive and courage. If only he could watch them grow better everyday...

"Who are you? And what exactly do you want to achieve?" Naruto asked, leading himself back to the reality he needed to face. He had to focus while he could still make his own decisions, free from the other man's control.

"Hyō," the man lowered his weapons on the ground and looked at Naruto. "He isn't me, but I was expecting you would at least recognize him."

The name was familiar. No last name - a code name.

"Who was he to you?" Naruto prodded further. To his dismay, he couldn't think of any way he could sway this man's plans yet.

"Related, but not much. See, he was the only notable relation I had, no one else was as significant. Hyō was in - "

"Root,"

"Yes."

"Of course." Naruto sighed heavily, his body relaxing as he leaned backward.

Root. Danzō. Tobirama. Uchiha. Naruto's mind continued to race. It was starting to make sense, almost.

.


.

Sasuke always made sure he came home for dinner on time at least every two days. It was a promise he made Sarada and he had never failed. Tonight, however, he might not be able to make it. Despite having finished all his paperwork in advance - something Naruto was unable to do during his time as Hokage - Sasuke decided to stay. He had a mission for himself, something he needed to carry out very soon. It has to start today.

He made sure Shikamaru had gone home. The personal guards, however, they would have to stay. He didn't mind raising their suspicions. They have raised mine first. No one else knew of this - not even Shikamaru or Sakura. He had to think through it alone.

"You have called for me, Hokage-sama," one of his personal guards appeared at the door, bowing his head.

"Information on the tailed beasts. I need a detailed and accurate one. Last week's report was not submitted. Don't tell me some of you have been slacking," Sasuke placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands. He stared at the guard sharply, with the intent to intimidate.

I have been really considerate, despite you and your colleagues' inability to meet my standards. Do not test my patience.

"I am sorry, my Lord. The report has been finalized, but forgive us if it was not handed to you on time. There hasn't been anything too concerning about the tailed beasts," the guard straightened up and remained by the door.

"The nine-tails has just reappeared and soon after I noticed a disturbance around it. What were you saying about not having anything too concerning regarding the tailed beasts?"

The guard remained silent for a while, before speaking up. "We determined the threat wasn't significant. The late Seventh's instruction was to leave the tailed beasts alone and allow them to fight for themselves, as this was also their wish. We interfere only when the beasts have failed to defend themselves."

"I did not mean for you to interfere but I clearly asked for all the information you have. If I were meant to rely solely on what I can sense, I would not have had any need for you," Sasuke shifted in his seat and leaned back, resting his hands on the table. "I want Kansuke to report to me first thing in the morning, with every detail he can relay to me - the status of each tailed beast, the methods you have taken to monitor their safety, and the petty excuses he has for all of your team's shortcomings. I am not impressed, Mitsuo. I have never been."

Sasuke waved his hand to dismiss Mitsuo, who left at an instant. When Sasuke made sure no one else was present near his office, he quickly scribbled a note.

Urgent. Track Kansuke. He might be capable of hiding his own chakra. I can sense it fluctuate. Leave before sunrise and start from the underground cave located at the outskirts of the Land of Waves. That's where I last sensed him. Bring Mitsuki, but keep this from Boruto. Promise me not to tell him, your mother, or anyone else about this. Report only to me. Also, I'm sorry I couldn't come to dinner.

A snake slithered its way out from under the table and ingested the note, soon heading for Sarada's bedroom.

.


.

A few blocks from the Hokage's office, two masked shinobis came to a halt on a roof where another ANBU-clad shinobi met with them.

"What did he call you for, Mitsuo?" Their newly arrived companion asked.

"Kansuke and the nine-tailed beast. He's starting to notice something is amiss."

"He was going to find out, eventually. We need to act. Now."

All three of them nodded before they leaped off the roof and parted ways.

.


AN: Edited, but only for grammar errors. (12-25-18)

Timeline: this is placed two years after the Boruto - Kawaki confrontation panel, assuming Naruto was killed during that period. My villains are not related to the original Boruto villains. They're tied more closely with the disbanded Root.

Kawaki would be an unresolved case in this fanfiction. [Unresolved, e.g. Pain entered as a new villain, while Orochimaru (a villain introduced earlier in the series) remained unresolved]. I hope you get what I mean. XD Kawaki and his group (or team, or whatever) are still out there, partly why Konoha has its defenses turned way up.

Thank you for the reviews! The latest reviews have not showed up in the thread but I have read them in my email. It would take me a while to respond to them if they don't show up in the thread, sorry for that. I greatly appreciate them. Thanks again and I hope you liked this chapter.


DISCLAIMER: I started writing this fic in Dec 2016, waaay before the Boruto anime and the Boruto manga started, so there are inconsistencies with the manga and the anime. There are major concepts in the current manga/anime which would not match well with what I had written here (e.g. the Boruto generation kids' skills, Boruto's Byakugan instead of the Jougan).