Remember the warning I gave last update? About this exploding? Well it's going to. And it drops, very purposefully. So read on, knowing that.

IT'S THE FEAR

absolution

It was near pitch by the time they left the orphanage. Almost unnaturally so. The moon was visible from the clouds but its light did little to reach the shadowy path they found themselves or to ease the creeping tension forming in Boruto's gut. Tiptoeing through the dark forest, he held his breath, tensing at the slightest noise from the foliage around them. Every drip from the leaves, every snap.

Sarada turned her flashlight off, not wanting it to alert anyone of their presence. Goodness knows it was dark enough that the beam could attract attention from far away. "I don't like this. Anyone could be hiding around still."

"But that doesn't mean that we have to be caught off guard again." He raised his left hand and began to form his seal with it. He wasn't particularly good with using only one hand, let alone his left one, but it was still a skill he was learning that he should definitely have, even if it felt awkward to his fingers.

Extend pointer and middle, bend ring halfway down beside it perfectly...Here it began feeling awkward, but he forced himself to keep the finger bent beside the two perfectly as he tucked his pinky. Keeping the gesture maintained, he dug for his chakra, pushing it out with all his focus. Hope this works...

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Multiple versions of himself appeared and he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't pay too close condition of the state they were in, it was the equivalent to looking in a mirror and he could only imagine how disturbing the other side was right now.

"Scout ahead," he told them. "See if you find anyone. Try to find Kakashi, he knows more about the Anbu and Sharingan than I do. Him or anyone else my father would trust. Meet up with us. But keep an eye out for anyone who poses a threat."

Nodding, the doppelgangers soon flickered out of their sight.

Sarada stirred, worry in her voice. "Kakashi's retired..."

"Not anymore."

He walked ahead, pushing branches to the side. They were almost back to the village and the trees soon decreased in amount. Their footsteps hardened as they stepped not on moist soil but asphalt. They were back.

"Boruto..."

"What?"

"Look at the mountain."

He glanced and at first didn't understand her worry but after a moment, it dawned on him. It was utterly dark. From the towers above to the humble structures below. "Those monsters took out the electricity everywhere."

"It could have been the storm."

"Wouldn't it have gotten fixed by now?"

"Not with attackers on the prowl."

Boruto swallowed, his fingers curling into a fist as they continued through the deathly quiet village. "They're going to pay for tonight."

"Not if we get killed, which we will we don't prepare ourselves. It was being caught off guard that aided them against those they've killed till now. Come on. Let's get to Tenten's store and stock up on weapons. I don't think she'll mind."

That was actually a good idea. Having been on R&R before, they hadn't been exactly fully equipped when this mess had begun.

As Sarada suggested, they came to her shop and found it obviously empty.

"Sorry for this," Sarada whispered, bringing out one of her kunai. She placed it on the glass and began scratching a wide circle onto its surface. The glass screeched and Boruto grimaced, tensing. "Shhhhhh!"

"It makes less noise than breaking it. Besides, nothing we have could take out the locks she's got on her doors."

A round circle scored onto the pane, Sarada placed her hands in it and gave a firm push. "Just a bit of pressure and..."

Cracks sounded, splitting into different directions but dominantly affected the glass around her score. The shape she had cut fell back but Sarada caught it before it could hit the floor and shatter. "There." Nimbly, she climbed through the hole she had made, setting the broken piece to the ground. Boruto followed after her, turning on his flashlight once they were inside and a bit more secure.

They walked around the shop, taking note of Tenten's supply. Each tool was lovingly labeled with care and organized properly by its type and surrounded by its proper accessories. Cleaners and containers shimmered. They were the woman's passion and it showed by how much care she took of them even in times of peace.

But no longer were these times of peace.

Boruto came to some smoke bombs that were crafted to have extra punch. He grabbed them by the handfuls and was just about to take a sealing scroll when a small sniffle sounded. He glanced to see Sarada standing in front of a sword display. She sniffed again, rubbing her nose.

Sword.

The weapon that had killed their families. The weapon her father, his sensei, wielded. How do you digest that properly? You just couldn't. Not yet. Not when more were out there. And as long as they were, they couldn't think about it now. Had to keep going.

"Hey Sarada," he said. She came to him, expression blank. Of course she would put up a calm front, act all perfect. "Yes?"

"I think these will come in handy. Got a bag?"

"Yeah. Here."

His hand briefly brushed against hers, he wanted to embrace it but she shook her head.

"I'm fine and now's not the time."

They quickly finished arming themselves before leaving as they came. Where to exactly, he wasn't sure. Not until Sarada made the next suggestion. As always, she was the reliable brains and strategist. They were standing between two tall buildings, gathering themselves in the silent alleyway. Glancing around cautiously she said "Weapons aren't going to be enough. We're going to need to get you the Kote."

His fingers tightened on his holster, midway through fastening it. His lips turned downward. "You mean the tech I tried to use during the exams?"

Just the word "exams" triggered flashbacks to that day and night. The look of disappointment on his father's face, the desperation when he thought he was dead...Boruto's hand wrapped around his right forearm.

"Sarada, I...I don't need it. I can still use jutsu."

"Not like this," she purred, taking his hand. She had taken a first aid kit from Tenten's shop as well and began to untie the fabric from his wound. "It's went straight through. Severed tendons...Until we find a medic like my mom..." She began wrapping a bandage linen around his hand, her grasp gentle and soft.

"Your dad's done well with just one hand."

Her expression grew sour and she tied off the wrapping more tightly than needed.

Probably not the time to bring Sasuke up again.

"Fine," he said. "The Science Division is near the Hokage's tower anyway. If the traitors will gather anywhere, it's there with the current Hokage down. We surprise them before they can make their next move, and win."

"But we can't let them catch us, we have to have the element of surprise or you can forget it. That and help. We must find help, because these are forces much bigger than ourselves...Perhaps Ibiki as well. He lives near the prison..."

"Right."

"Boruto..."

"What?"

Her head was pointed downward and she fiddled with her glasses. "I'm an Uchiha...But I'm...I'm not just that. I'm not like my dad once was. I don't want the village to suffer for the past..."

"I know."

"I'm my mother's daughter."

"Sarada," he said, brushing his hand over hers, cupping her face. His fingers nudged at her glasses, straightening them for her.

"I don't care what your bloodline is, all that matters is you're here now, and not on the other side."

"Still...all this for the Sharingan—"

"I just said I didn't care, alright? Now let's get unless you wanna be a sitting duck."

Finally, she smiled, leaning against him slightly. "You look like a duck. One of those yellow toys, anyone tell you that before?"

He rolled his eyes. "Nope, so thanks for being the first."

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

To avoid detection they took to the roofs and back alleys, speeding ahead in the shadows with a sharp eye for any Anbu members. None so far, but they couldn't afford to let their guard down. As they snuck onward, different theories were passed. The most likely being that Orochimaru, who had always shown in interest in the Sharingan, was trying to take over the village in a more subtly eerie way, or that Sasuke was the instigator and had hypnotized the Hokage's men. The third theory's was Sarada's: Danzo in some form or another had come back to finish his job, even after all these years.

Boruto would have pushed that theory to the side but thinking about all the things Sarada told him about the massacre and their past, he could only consider it. The Uchiha just had one messed up history. As did the village, apparently.

It was as if the scourge of the Uchiha and the light of the village was relentlessly bound to each other, right down to the DNA. But the chains were supposed to have been broken. Those days were done and gone.

"Danzo had Itachi kill them, then he took their eyes, implanted them into his arms," she had said. "He ordered the execution of my father too, and for good reason. He was a rogue. And a threat. But mostly, he knew his dirty little secrets."

Danzo was a man with good intentions but very dark ways. Ways that had seen him dance with the devil, Orochimaru, who had at one point in time killed the third Hokage who had been like a grandpa to his otherwise family-less dad. The future that man would have brought had he stayed frightened him, and it frightened her.

Even now, she was a ghostly pale shade. She would deny it verbally but she couldn't hide it. She was next. She was the seed of Sasuke, and wielder of inherited Sharingan.

Kwish.

Hearing noise, they dashed for a bush and hid in the foliage, watching. Boruto found himself staring at her. Her shoulders were squared in intense focus, her fists humming with chakra. Like him, she was covered in blood. But not any of hers.

Sarada scanning the area with her Sharingan gave him a thumbs up.

"We're good. Have your clones found anyone yet?"

"No."

The village looked like a ghost town, even for it being nighttime. It almost took him back to the time of the Chunin Exams all those years ago. How just two alien beings ripped his world apart. He could still hear their cackle, see those white faces, the lips pulled back in a cruel gleaming smile. Could still hear the electricity, the gush of the elements, all under their godly control.

And the overwhelming feeling of helplessness he had felt then.

If he wasn't too careful with his thoughts, he could feel it now again. Threatening to overcome him.

What if it's not Orochimaru or Danzo, or even rogue Anbu...Or another human entirely, what if it's another one of those freaks?!

He did not say this out loud, afraid it would kill any fight in Sarada. It was a night that made her buckle to her knees, terrified. He'd barely kept standing himself.

He had defeated them, but not without help from the other Kage, his father, her father. And inexplicably, no one was around to help them now.

The Hokage's fate was unknown but suspiciously eminent, and his top agent and even his own men, all AWOL. Boruto knew his father had men check up on him occasionally. Or a clone. But he hadn't sensed one of the either since this mess had begun. Didn't sense anyone else.

"They should have found someone by now, we should have," he whispered. "Do you think they got to everyone while we were resting? Or maybe they were evacuated by Shikamaru or something?"

"I don't know."

"I mean none of my clones have found anything..."

"Again," she whispered back. "I. Don't. Know. Statistically, we should have found at least one person outside the crime scenes, but we haven't. What we have here is an anomaly, a paradox."

She had her hand pressed to her forehead, rubbing it. Boruto bit his lip. They were nearing the center of the village, and if something else went down, it would be here, in the core.

"Let's leave for now, we shouldn't just go by ourselves, we need back—Wait!" Boruto came to a sudden halt, his hair standing on end.

"What is it?!"

His clones. All of them!

"AMBUSH!"

His cry came too late. Sheer numbers of masked figures surrounded them. There hadn't been any signs, no time to think or brace themselves. Boruto's knees threatened to buckle from the sheer overwhelming suddenness. How was it even possible they had not sensed the enemy? It was utterly unreal!

They surrounded them from all sides, waiting for no doubt the command from what looked like the leader in the center back. He was garbed in a dark hood that hid his face. Boruto catching sight of him narrowed his eyes. The footage. This man could be the one who had taken down the orphanage and Kabuto himself, with the aid of only one or a few Anbu members.

"What's the meaning of this?" he exclaimed, getting into an offensive stance. Sarada did the same, covering his back. But then again, these were supposed to be his father's men. Maybe they were here to aid them, if only they knew they were safe to yet.

No answer was given, just a lifted hand.

"ANSWER ME!"

The fingers bent, signal flicking. Weapons were raised. Not to aid them, no, at them.

"As the Hokage's son, I order you to stand down! NOW!"

The hand waved.

The Anbu rushed and the battle began. Attacks and jutsu of all caliber were thrown at them, particularly Sarada, but she barreled through most of it, holding her ground with just her fists. A bulking hulk leaped at her and she met them full on. The earth trembled as though rattled by an earthquake.

"Careful," he shouted, ducking under a spear. "Conserve what's left of your chakra! Keep it balanced!"

With a broken shout, she charged forward, zipping out shuriken. A breath of air and they became lighted with flames. The heat blazed through the air powerfully like a wild brush fire.

Dang it, didn't she hear me?!

But he couldn't worry about her at the moment, a man with pretty sick control of his chakra attacked him with explosive orbs. He dashed back, forming the seal for his jutsu. A horde of himself formed and he almost instantly felt the drain on him. It also didn't help that all the forms bore the same injuries he did, the right hand severely cut.

Crap.

His jutsu took longer to from because of it. But when did he give up? Lip curling he charged once more, entering the fray. Numbers were taken down drastically. Almost too easily...until all that stood before him was the hooded one, flames encircling them together. Boruto neared him, glaring with all the malice he could emit.

"It's over!" he shouted. "Your men are down and you're all that's left."

Actually, he doubted they had even put a dent into their real numbers. But as of right here, this moment, the group that had attacked them was left to one, the murderer from the orphanage. The one who's style fit the attacks on the Uzumaki household as well.

The hooded shadow took a step closer, the katana in his hand glinting in the moonlight.

"You're going down too! And if you think this village, even its Hokage after what you did, is gonna grant you any mercy or clemency, you gotta 'nother thing coming! Now tell me who you are!"

The hood tilted, its smirk hidden in its shadow.

Pure malice seethed in the air, sapping it. Choking it. Boruto took a step back, eyebrows drew down. Something was...

Sarada.

He jerked around, panic filling him.

What he saw was only darkness. Debris fluttered in the wind, tree branches waving mournfully. On the crater-marred ground was a single pair of glasses. Red. Her's.

"Sarada! No!"

He snapped his head back, prepared to lunge at the hooded criminal. "Give her—"

Nothing. Just the shadows. So they were hiding then. Going to take him down unawares. Not on his watch. He braced himself, hand held out, chakra flaring inside.

Minutes passed and nothing happened. Nothing stirred, not even the wind.

Easing his tense shoulders just a bit, he risked going back, to pick up Sarada's glasses. Without them, or her sharingan, her world would be a blurry mess.

They had her, but if he rushed ahead recklessly, he wouldn't be good to anyone, especially not her. But at the same time, he'd be damned if he left her to the darkness alone.

All this time. It was the shadows. The Uchiha. He hadn't noticed until recently but there was a darkness she was afraid of. He couldn't let her go down into that world. That dark history. He could not allow that to dictate her fate.

But he had to find her first.

"Anbu..." he muttered. "And sensei..."

If the Anbu were his father's men, he knew their quarters. But if they were Root, which he could not for the life of him recall the designs of the mask he'd just fought...

Wait a minute. There should be bodies. But as he looked around, it was as if they had disappeared completely, without a trace...He was almost surprised. Until he remembered that the corpse of an Anbu member was destined to be destroyed immediately after death to avoid secretes from being gathered.

But that still didn't explain why he all of a sudden only saw blank masks when he tried to picture them. Were they blank? Root members?

He had no sense of where to go anymore, not without Sarada...

Boruto clutched at his stomach, face twisting into what was the beginning of a frustrated cry.

He felt unbelievably lost. To the point he just wanted to cry out for his father. Boruto may have confidence in his own abilities but he couldn't match the sensory prowess or powers of a Bijuu. Or a sage.

But there was a speckle of a chance that the Hokage wasn't even alive. Why did he have to let him go!? Don't look back, he had said. Don't look back.

Boruto's fists tightened. He wasn't going to lose her as well. No way.

"No one else!" he cried. "No one else!"

He couldn't just cower now, only find them again and take her back before things were done that could never be undone.

It came on him like a shockwave. The calm before the next storm shattered. It lashed at him from all sides, that katana. He fell backward, raising his arms. Nicks slashed across it, flesh tearing.

"Augh!"

He barely managed to throw a smoke bomb. A gritty cloud dispersed, covering him for just a moment, long enough to regain his footing. He hadn't even seen the guy, it was as if he blended perfectly with the night itself.

"Come on," he hissed, fingers forming the proper seals. Like a countdown, the smoke cleared and the second it did, he moved.

"Raiton: Shiden!"

Violent electricity crackled, piercing the air...And went straight through the man. The figure spasmed, gasping, body frying from the electricity, the smell putrid. He fell to the ground with a pathetic plop. Dead.

Boruto shuddered, backing away. He did it. He actually did it.

There was no satisfaction like he would have figured there would be. No joy to be had. Just a grim sense of responsibility.

The kid killer was dead.

It was too soon to celebrate. He had to find Sarada.

He turned to leave when a noise sounded, a rustling of fabric, of movement.

Behind him.

He breathed and the air misted coldly. A single shiver ran down his spin and he turned around, teeth barred.

"WHAT?!"

A foot connected harshly with to his chest sending him flying back. He scrambled up, backing away.

"Just what are you?!"

Again the figure gave no answer, no voice. Just a threatening presence from its hooded form. Poisonous.

"You're...like—no, impossible."

It was as if they were a ghost. From the past? No. His head hurt. His entire body hurt. He was covered in hot blood and felt sick. He was just suddenly done. No. Not yet. Not until it was over could he be.

In the hooded man's hand, glass glistened, catching his eye. A vial, on it the Uchiha crest. Bile rose in his throat.

He wiped his chin, making his declaration. "You wanna take her sharingan, you're gonna have to go through me."

It charged, the motion representing his answer: So be it.

He took the dive as well, his Rasengan spiraling in his hand, their bodies collided, and it was only then that he realized that it wasn't a fist that had rammed his gut.

The taste of blood filled his mouth, pooling out of it.

Their hand was pressed to him, but it was not just a simple fist. The gloved fingers were curled around a hilt, the hilt of a sword.

He coughed, sight flickering, insides screaming, his back arching as hot liquid slid down it. And he screamed, the sound breaking before it even got out.

He slid backward, blade exiting his body, forcing him to hold back another scream. Morbid panic filled him. He buckled to the ground, hand pressed to the wound. Vital spot. He had seconds.

He rolled over, fighting to keep his breathing going and even. Focus on anything but...

Nope. This was it. He could feel it...Scraping across his insides like a fine toothed comb.

Yet as he laid there in overwhelming pain, dying...

He did not die.

He blinked, blood still pooling from him. Yet he was still conscious.

He should be dead right now. There was no way he was still alive. This went past tales of miraculous strength and adrenaline in dire need. No. This was utterly unnatural.

Yet here he was. So he moved. Groaning in pain, he kicked weakly at the figure. They simply stepped to the side and continued to gleam over him cruelly. The world behind them, all around, darkened and gave way to a red sky.

What was...

"Holy crap," he whispered, the sound broken.

Now things were starting to make more sense. The village looking like a ghost town. The simple truths that this hooded figure was practically invincible. The power, the helplessness, it really was reminiscent of the incident at the Chunin Exams. No. The very fabric of the past itself, meshed together in a violent tapestry.

"This is just genjutsu."

But how much of it was?

Shadows emerged from the ground like dark tendrils, further shattering the delusional reality. Surrounding him.

"Seriously..." he croaked, unable to hold back tears as the pain intensified in his body. "All of this is just one huge mind-rape?!"

But since when? How much? And who the heck was the caster?! Even if it was genjutsu, he was at his enemy's mercy and there was no telling what they were doing outside with not only him trapped but the Hokage...

His only chance of making it out was to figure out who the caster was but he wasn't being granted more time to even spare thoughts as the shadowy tendrils sprang up, the concrete below his body shattering like a broken window.

"No!"

They wrapped around his limbs and he twisted violently.

Crap. This wasn't even a plane you could fight on anymore. It was a realm of impossibilities, paradoxes, and torture. The ghost crept closer to him, sword pointing at his chest.

He lashed against the shadows even harder. No. No. No! Please don't!

There was nothing he could do to stop the assault than twist around, trying to dodge the sword attacking him. Ripping him to pieces and he let out the scream building up. The pain was all-too real. All too horrendously devastating, each stab excruciating.

Kami. He couldn't take it anymore.

He didn't know how he wasn't out of it.

But no. He wasn't dead, and he wouldn't be if he had anything to say about it. He yanked hard, his hand forming seals again, without the support of the other. He wasn't the average ninja, and he didn't need to act like one anymore. He was the student of a prodigy and a prodigy himself. This guy had tried crippling him but it wasn't going to work. Howling, he pulled for his chakra, screaming "Chidori Stream!"

The Lightning Style zipped around him, forcing the figure to jump back, and ignited the dark tendrils entrapping him. He twisted hard, pulling free.

He dropped down into blackness, the color oozing around him to the point it was palpable. Started running. Didn't make it far. A tendril lashed out, wrapping around his ankle. He tripped. Fallen, it started dragging him back towards the dark shadowy figure.

NO!

His fingers dug into the ground, leaving bloody marks as it pulled him back.

He kicked, and something slashed at his calf, reaching and exposing bone. Slit through the air, striking the side of his face.

He screamed.

The plane shattered once again, he landed on concrete, feeling in pieces. Bleeding out. He tried to crawl away but collapsed from the pain. His muscles wouldn't listen anymore. They were going numb.

No escape. No chance.

It was over. They won.

No. He had to find her. Find the castor. Escape. Come on. Get up, get up!

It was pure willpower driving him. The need to reach her...He fumbled down, hands scraping against the course concrete. The taste of rust filled his mouth and he threw blood up.

"Ugh..."

He could not stop the tears. I can't do this... I can't...It's impossible.

Behind he could sense that person, the ghostly figure shuffling towards him like the walking dead.

He attempted to scoot his body forward, but even that ability alluded him.

He let out a pained breath before his forehead collapsed to the ground. A sword made a shing sound. This was it. He was going to die. No. They'd torture him to the point of lobotomy first.

I can't...

He could not stop the dreadful suspense, from wondering about the pain he'd be forced to endure. They could torture him far past human's capability to survive and he still wouldn't die. Not at first. When he was released he could very well die from the stress.

It didn't matter if it was just in his mind, his senses but not the whole. He and everyone else was still bound by the head. Who knew what kind of havoc was being sewn out in the real world with the Hokage just as useless.

He cried out helplessly. I can't. I can't do this! I'm so sorry but I just can't do this! It's over!

Sarada...

Sarada.

The grip on her glasses tightened.

He couldn't just curl up like a pansy and accept his fate, no matter how hurt he felt.

It. Wasn't. Real.

He pushed himself off the ground, his limbs shaking, the slashes pulsing blood. He gnashed his teeth. It wasn't real. The pain was just in his head.

Fighting back a scream, he made it to his feet, his insides raw and on the verge of tearing themselves apart.

Again, it's not real. His bright blue eyes shimmered, constricting in focus in the warped night air, reflecting his enemy.

They came at him fast, he leaped to the side swinging his hand back as he did, with all he had. Pushed the kunai into the mirage's back, screaming as he collapsed. He shoved the Rasengan into his flesh next. Shredding fabric, skin, and meat.

They spasmed before what was left of them crept from lifeless eyelids.

There. He breathed, numbed. Dead.

But they weren't alone, there were hundreds more. Hovering over the edge, as ever-present as shadow.

No, they grew. Their shapes writhing, and twisting. The trees twisted into cold bars.

He was now standing in a long passageway, its walls dark and gritty. Brick. A prison. It was dank, and there was no sign of a window or proper exit in sight. Sighing, he slid down the wall and collapsed to the concrete below him, holding his hand to the stab wound on his torso. Kami, the hallway ended in darkness, looking endless.

The only way he would get of this with his sanity in tact was if he found the caster. Overcame them.

But who? His mind raced just trying to conceive who could have ensnared him and when...

Sasuke came to mind. Or perhaps the Shin clones' eyes had been harvested and used against him long before they even realized what had happened.

He rubbed his hands on his jacket, pondering. And then it hit him. His jacket.

"Kami," he whispered breathlessly. He knew exactly who it was.

For confirmation he crawled to the unconscious figure and flipped the murderer's hood. Seeing the face, he blinked, lips parted slightly as his thoughts raced. He stood, hand tracing over the course brick. He had seen this place before.

"Just as I suspected."

He began running.

But still burned in his retinas was the face that had gleamed at him from under its hood.

It was blank.

Answers next time with the final chapter. Now let me repeat myself: the ending was already written before the first chapter was even posted. IT'S WAS WRITTEN BEFORE I SPLIT THIS STORY UP AND POSTED IT. IT WAS SET IN STONE. THAT STONE IS THE CORE OF EVERYTHING.

It's there, trust me. I just hope it isn't too obvious...I mean when it came to me, I thought it was good enough to keep trying to write this, even with my muses at an alltime low. The execution itself is a different matter and I hope I have and will pull it off.