Chapter 7:

Boruto walked from the forest, looking back every few steps as if expecting to see the image of Reki standing there watching him, still hoping to catch a glimpse of his true form. He did this until he reached the first house, then faced forward and walked at a normal pace.

There were so many buildings, most of which looked fairly old. Others looked rather new, as if constructed only a few years prior. Some buildings had a new roof which stuck out from the older wooden walls weathered by time. It looked like a humble and peaceful town with cozy homes stacked close together. The people who lived here must have known each other well because of their close proximity. This town seemed very well off and well taken care of. Boruto imagined the people here lived good comfortable lives.

Which made him wonder why such a place would need help. Especially if it was protected by Reki and his group's leader, who and whatever he was.

A well-off and prosperous town must have been seen as a decent target for thieves, Boruto realized. Robbers must have seen these good homes and thought they could strike a fortune by stealing from a place like this. One ruled by a king as well. No doubt they wanted to steal from the king's palace and bag a tremendous prize. A place like this must have been seen as a goldmine to such thieving people.

It also occurred to Boruto that if Reki was not allowed to leave the forest, it would have been easy for thieves to enter the town and steal without having to worry. Apparently Reki's group protected the forest and the king protected the town and its people. That must have been how it worked. Boruto didn't know for certain if that was the case but he had a hunch that his assumption was correct. For this reason alone, the king must have needed help. If Reki and his group couldn't leave the forest or the mountain then obviously the king needed to call for help from people who could.

Still, Boruto wondered why Reki didn't want to show himself. Since he said that humans scared him, it was obvious that he wasn't a human himself. Boruto must have been dealing with something else, but what? Was it a ghost? No, not if Reki could pick up a peach and give it to him. But Reki said he was given offerings so that sounded like ghost business to him. What else could he have been? Whatever he was, he didn't want a human to see him. Was he really ugly? Was he ashamed of his appearance? Boruto hoped to see him after they had talked for so long but Reki had refused him. Apparently Boruto hadn't earned his trust just yet. Simply being Naruto's son wasn't enough to convince Reki to show himself.

Boruto sighed. What good was it to be the son of the Hokage if it didn't give him special privileges? He wasn't allowed on advanced missions, his father wasn't able to bend the rules or spend time with him and he wasn't given access to certain places or allowed to see certain people. It wasn't fair.

Boruto stopped and looked ahead. He could see the king's palace on top of a small hill overlooking the town. As long as he stayed on this road, it was a straight line to the front gate. Boruto hurried through the town and over to the palace.

As he moved closer, Boruto sensed something was amiss. He stopped and looked around. There should have been guards at the gate. Security was pretty lax around here. He walked slowly towards the gate and noticed that the guards were positioned just inside the gate, facing the palace.

"That's weird," Boruto said to himself. "Why are they facing the wrong way? Are they looking to get the jump on someone as they enter and surprise them?" It would make sense because Boruto wasn't able to see them until he moved closer and angled his head just right. An intruder wouldn't have noticed them until they tried to enter the gate.

A shadow moved between the buildings to Boruto's right. Someone was in the town. Thinking it was one of the thieves, Boruto turned away from the palace to pursue them. He moved quickly but quietly. Thinking he could surprise them, Boruto moved behind one of the buildings. As he did, the person he was tracking bumped right into him.

"Oof!"

"Ah!"

The person who bumped into him was a little taller than he was but his voice sounded young.

"I didn't!"

"Huh?" Boruto looked at the person who bumped into him.

It was a boy, no older than himself. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes and a fair complexion. Whoever this boy was, he didn't play outside too often. He carried a flashlight in his hand but it was turned off at the moment. In the pale light of the moon and stars, Boruto saw the boy's outfit. It was a fine robe colored emerald green with silver thread embroidered around the cuff and hem which looked as if it were made from the star-scattered sky.

This boy was of nobility. There was no doubt about that.

"You came from the palace, didn't you?" asked Boruto.

The boy gave him a panicked look, as if he expected to be scolded harshly and then beaten. "I- I just... It's not..."

"What are you doing out here?" Boruto hissed.

"It was only for a second!"

"A noble shouldn't be out of the palace," said Boruto. "It's dangerous out here. Where are your guards?"

"Shh!" The boy threw a hand over Boruto's mouth. "I don't want them to find me just yet! Please keep your voice down. I just managed to sneak out."

Boruto shoved his hand away. "Sneak out?"

"Yeah. I had to get out without them knowing otherwise they would never let me leave."

"Why would you want to leave?" asked Boruto. "As a noble, you're supposed to stay in the palace. That's how it works."

While Boruto didn't know too much about royalty or noble clans outside of the Hyuga, he knew that they weren't supposed to leave their palaces unless they were heavily guarded. He had never heard of a king coming and going as he pleased. They always stayed on their throne. They weren't ninja so they would be unable to defend themselves should something happen, and someone always targeted royalty.

"Ugh, you sound like my dad." The boy rolled his eyes. "He never wants to leave the palace because he has so much work to do. But I'm not like that, ok? I want to taste adventure. And my adventures are pretty simple compared to others who want to explore the whole world. I just want to see one thing real quick then go home. Is that so bad?"

"Your dad? Then..." Boruto looked him over. He thought he looked a little young. Now he was certain. "So you're not the king."

"Of course I'm not," said the boy. "I'm the prince."

"The prince?"

"Yup! Prince Hoshi at your service," he said proudly, dipping his upper body in a short bow. "Of course, you should really be bowing to me."

Boruto raised his brow at the prince. "You don't really act like any prince I've ever heard of."

"Just how many have you actually met? Oh, I see. You think we all have to be proper and never do anything. Well, I'm not like that. No matter how much Dad wants me to be. Or Mom. They don't get it."

"A prince is supposed to stay in the palace and do stuff in there. They don't go out."

"Says who?"

"Says... Says..." Boruto didn't have an answer. "Well, that's just how it is."

"I know what the rules say, but I don't care. Like a prince doesn't want to go outside and have fun once in a while? I've read books where princes are like knights and go riding off on a horse and things like that. They do stuff. Besides, things are boring in the palace. It's the same thing all the time. I want something different once in a while, you know?"

This prince was certainly different from what Boruto was expecting. Hoshi wasn't very prim and proper. He spoke like a normal child and had a bit of an attitude. He wasn't being mean or anything, just different from what Boruto was expecting. Hoshi obviously didn't want to abide by certain rules that claimed a prince had to be a certain way. He must have been a rebel.

"Say..." said Hoshi. "You're not from around here, are you? What's your name?"

"I'm Boruto. I'm a ninja from the Hidden Leaf."

Hoshi went wide-eyed. "Did you say a ninja? You're a ninja?"

"Uh-huh."

"That's perfect!" Hoshi grabbed him and pulled him behind a building. "I have a mission for you! It's real important, so you gotta do it."

"W- wait a second! I-"

"You have to help me."

"I- I know! Just listen for a second!"

Hoshi frowned. "What?"

"That's the reason I'm here. I was called to help out at this town by your dad. The king said that there were these thieves hanging around and he needed help from a ninja to stop them."

Hoshi looked confused. "I never heard anything about that. Then again, Dad never tells me anything... But why would he asked for help from a ninja when we have so many guards and the protection from the ones on the mountain?"

"I have the paper right-" Boruto reached for his bag only to discover that it was missing. "That's right. The swamp. Well, the mission told me to come here..." He just had a horrible thought. "Oh, please don't tell me I went to the wrong place again! If I ended up in the wrong town, I swear... I'm gonna..."

"Never mind that right now," said Hoshi. "As long as you're here, you can help me."

"But I have a mission to get to and if this isn't the right place, then I have to-"

"I'll pay you!" Hoshi interrupted. "Tons! We have a lot of money and I promise I'll pay you for helping me."

"B- but..."

"Here." Hoshi slipped an anklet off his right leg and offered it to Boruto. "As a down-payment. Now that you're indebted to me, you have to help."

Boruto looked at the jewelry shoved into his hands. This anklet was encrusted with jewels and woven with pure silver. It was very expensive and would certainly be worth a lot of money if he traded it for cash.

"Well... Ok. Ok, I'll help you."

"Yes!"

It wasn't just the jewelry he was given or the promise for more. Boruto wanted to help at least someone in the town so it wasn't a wasted trip. He was a ninja, after all. He wanted to help people. It was his job.

"Ok, so what's the mission?"

Hoshi pointed over Boruto's head. "There."

Boruto turned and saw the mountain staring back at them. "There?"

"Yup! I want you to help me get to that mountain. I've tried so many times before but I never could. With a ninja, it will be way easier."

"Why do you want to go there?"

"I'll explain on the way. Right now we need to get going before we're caught and I get dragged back to the palace." Hoshi grabbed Boruto's wrist and pulled him towards the trees. "This way. Come on, hurry."

Boruto followed him into the trees and walked around the town using the trees for cover. It would have been much easier to cut through the town and head back the way Boruto had come but Hoshi seemed to have a different plan in mind.

"I've tried so many times before, but I'm always stopped either by my dad or by the guards. I've been thwarted before even leaving the palace yard or its gates. Some times I'm caught heading for the door. But not tonight. Sometimes, though rare, I manage to slip through the gates before the guards even see me and get into town. Then I'm caught."

That must have been why the guards were facing the other way. They must have been keeping watch for the prince in case he attempted to leave the palace again. According to Hoshi, he had tried this many times.

Boruto still wondered why Hoshi wanted to leave the palace and go to the mountain so desperately. He wanted to know his reasons for doing this. He didn't think it was as simple as climbing a mountain for the sake of saying he did it. There must have been more to it than that.

"So, uh... Why do you want to go to the mountain so bad?"

Hoshi stopped and turned around. "You don't know? Oh, it's famous in this town."

"What is?"

Hoshi leaned closer to Boruto with a big smile on his face. "The mountain is home to... kitsune."

"... Huh?"

"Yup. There's a whole group of them up there. There's a bunch and they live on that mountain. They have so for years. My dad told me. They're the guardians of the mountain and all this land."

Boruto was skeptical. "So you're desperate to see the kitsune living in the mountain? Kitsune? Aren't they folklore and stuff like that? They can't be real."

"They are! They really are!" said Hoshi. "I saw one!"

"You saw one? You actually saw one?"

"Yeah! For real! Outside the palace." Hoshi's eyes started to sparkle like the silver embroidery on his clothing. "I was up one night and heard my dad talking to someone out in the yard so I went to see. It was the middle of the night and dad usually never has people over at night. He's always in bed at that hour so I thought it was strange. So I went to the window and looked outside and I saw it."

The memory alone was enough to make Hoshi's heart beat fast. It was years ago but it was a sight he would never forget.

"It was a kitsune. A real live kitsune with five tails. And he was talking to my dad like they knew each other. I watched them for a while and the kitsune left. It was so cool." Hoshi's eyes were still twinkling. "Ever since then, I've been trying to meet him but he always runs off before I get the chance. I only saw it once, but I know it comes by every now and then to speak to my dad. But whenever I get close, it suddenly stops and runs off."

Boruto wondered if any of this was true. It didn't make a lot of sense to him. Why would a kitsune show itself to one person but run from another?

"When I asked my dad about it, he said that the fox will only speak to him because it's uncomfortable around humans. He says that a lot of kitsune are afraid of them."

Boruto's heart skipped a beat. Reki said he was afraid of humans and wouldn't show himself. According to Hoshi, the kitsune ran off whenever a human came by. Did this mean that Reki was a kitsune? Was that what he was? Had Boruto been speaking with a kitsune all this time?

"I want more than anything to see them. Just once." Hoshi was aglow with happiness against the dark forest. "It would be awesome to meet one of them. It's not fair that my dad gets to and I don't. So that's why I'm going to the mountain to see them in their home. I'm bound to run into at least one."

Seeing Hoshi's eyes bright with hope and excitement brought Boruto joy. It was nice seeing someone so bright and happy, even if it was about something that may or may not have been real. Though Hoshi claimed he had seen one, Boruto wasn't so sure. It could have been a dream since it happened years ago. Hoshi could have mistaken a dream for something he actually saw. Still, it was nice seeing how happy Hoshi was at the thought of meeting a real live kitsune. A sense of wonder was truly an amazing thing to have.

"I've tried many times to see them," Hoshi went on. "I've even tried sneaking out of the palace many times just to catch a glimpse of them, but I keep getting caught. There are guards all over the place. Usually I'm caught heading out the front gate and get dragged back inside. Sometimes I'm caught before I can make it that far. Recently I've been getting further away before getting caught. I've made it out of the yard twice before. Twice without the guards spotting me." Hoshi hesitated. "But..."

"But what?"

"But then, even though I made it past the gates and into town... I ended up right back where I started. I'm standing right outside the gates and then the guards get me and pull me back in."

Boruto was confused. "Wait. You were in the town and then end up back at the gate? What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense."

Hoshi chuckled, half amused and half annoyed. "It's the kitsune. They obviously don't want me seeing them. Kitsune can cast illusions to confuse people."

Boruto's heart skipped another beat. The feast in the forest. It was all an illusion. So there were kitsune after all. They must have tricked him as they had done with the prince.

"Though I knew I was walking forward, they cast an illusion around me to make me think that when I was actually walking back the way I came," explained Hoshi. "They made me think I was going forward when I was actually going in a U-turn. They had me circle around and go right back to the gates of the palace. What actually is and is not is all mixed up thanks to them. Boy, did they have me fooled. That's what happened the two times I made it out of the yard. They cast an illusion so I thought I was going the way I wanted but they had me turn around instead. Boy, are they tricky."

"Yeah, yeah, I get that." Boruto was getting a little annoyed. Hoshi was so excited, he was bragging about the kitsune as if it were his accomplishments. He went on and on and even repeated himself as if to make sure the message sank in. "But if these kitsune can cast illusions to make you go back the way you came..."

Hoshi stopped and turned around. "Hm?" He had heard the skepticism in Boruto's voice.

"What I'm saying is if they've thwarted you in the past, what makes you think this time will be any different?"

Hoshi grinned. "Because I have a ninja with me."

"Huh?"

"Yup! With your help, there's no way I can't get there and see at least one of them."

"Say what?"

"With a ninja, I'm confident that my plan will work. Having a ninja to watch over me and all."

Boruto was getting annoyed again. "I get that, but what do you mean? What does me being a ninja have anything to do with meeting these kitsune?"

Hoshi gave Boruto a look as if the answer were obvious. "Aren't ninja highly skilled and can do a lot of things normal people can't? You're sneaky and can do tricks and stuff, so I figured you would be able to give me an edge. With a ninja's help, we're bound to get there."

Flattered that Hoshi thought so highly of his ninja skills, Boruto resisted the urge to bring up the kitsune illusions and how it might set them back.

"And besides, they live on top of a mountain. I can't climb that thing by myself. It was hard enough climbing over the wall in the side yard."

Boruto frowned. "I am not carrying you up a mountain!"

"Why not?"

"I'm not a pack-mule! There's no way I'm climbing up a mountain with you on my back!"

"Well, I can't do it without help."

"We'll both fall!" Climbing up a mountain was difficult enough without someone strapped to his back who was most likely going to be nothing but dead weight. It might have been easier if Boruto could actually use the wall-climbing technique but he had yet to learn that. Concentrating and maintaining his chakra was something he had yet to master. He could summon clones and use other abilities, but water-walking and wall-climbing were out of the question. That required a certain focus of chakra he wasn't yet able to do.

The thought made Boruto mentally curse his father who should have taught him such a thing by now. Sure, it was a little more advanced and they didn't teach those skills at the academy but Boruto expected to know them by now. They would certainly have helped him on this mission.

"Look," said Hoshi sternly. "I'm the prince of this land so you've gotta do what I say. And I've employed you for a mission so that makes me your boss."

"You're a brat is what you are!"

"If you don't make good on your promise to help me, then I'll tell my guards and you'll be sorry."

Boruto blinked. "If you do that, then the guards will know you tried to sneak out again without permission and you'll get in trouble!"

Hoshi opened his mouth to retort, only to realize Boruto was right and closed his mouth. "Hm. Touche."

They were both stuck in this situation. Hoshi realized that making an enemy out of this ninja wouldn't be very wise or beneficial since he still needed him to do this job. It was probably best not to throw his weight around or try intimidating Boruto. They had to work together on this if he had any hopes of seeing a kitsune.

The thought of seeing them made Hoshi forget about their argument and made him more willing to do whatever it took to reach that mountain. He wanted so desperately to see them.

"I'm desperate to see the kitsune living in the mountain," he said. "It makes no sense for us to be fighting. I wouldn't be out here in the middle of the night to see them if I wasn't serious."

Boruto had calmed down as well. "You thought this through, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Let's back up a bit. You said that you've been thwarted many times by both your father and guards, many times before even leaving the palace yard or its gates."

"Uh-huh."

"And when you did manage to get out, then you found yourself right back where you started because of the kitsune's illusions."

"You're point being?"

Boruto sighed, wondering if the prince thought the answer was obvious or if he was just stupid. "My point is... what makes you think tonight will be any different? Aside from me being a ninja. How do you know we'll get to see them before getting caught or get an illusion cast on us?"

Hoshi smiled, confident in his plan. "Because tonight I'm taking a different path. Or should I say 'we'? Instead of going straight there as I had tried before, we are going to take a longer route which leads around the town and into the woods. Then we're going to loop back among the trees and be at the mountain's base. That way we avoid the town which is where the illusions were cast the first couple times."

Boruto didn't know the layout of the land very well, but this prince obviously did. He tried to map it out in his head. The town and the palace were right beside each other and surrounded by trees. The mountain was just a little further away from the town and easily reached through the forest. From atop the mountain, the kitsune would be able to see the palace and the town and therefore anyone traveling in their direction. No doubt this was how the kitsune saw Hoshi coming and put up illusions to confuse him and send him off in a different direction.

"I see," said Boruto. "I think I get it. Going through town is the most direct way to get to the mountain, but it's also out in the open so the kitsune will see us coming. So we're using the trees for cover and going around that way to reach the mountain. So rather than go straight, we're going in a crescent shape around the town through the trees in order to get to the mountain."

"Exactly," said Hoshi. "Plus, most of the kitsune live over in that direction." Hoshi pointed toward the mountain, which happened to be on the other side of town and away from where they were going. "Since they're over there, they're less likely to spot us."

"So we're going away from them in order to get to them," Boruto said slowly. "Well... It's kind of a roundabout way of doing it and I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense... But... I guess for this mission it might work. Since we're sneaking, it makes sense, I think."

"That's what I thought," said Hoshi. "I figured since they'll see me coming if I take the direct path, going around will be better. The direct path is out in the open. Going around gives us more cover. We can get the jump on them this way."

Now that Boruto thought about it, it seemed like a good plan. Hoshi might have some planning skills that would make him a decent ninja.

They continued their walk through the trees and up the hill. Hoshi led the way, stepping over tree roots and stones in the dark. Going through the forest seemed to be a good idea for cover, but it made traveling more difficult. The young prince was having a rough time finding a safe place to step in the dark. He tripped a few times but he didn't seem to mind. The thought of seeing those kitsune gave him all the encouragement he needed to keep going.

When they reached the top of the hill, Hoshi stepped out and looked around. "Whoa..."

Boruto stepped beside him and followed his gaze back to the town.

This was the main path into the town. They could see the road from here leading right back to the slumbering town below. The could see the rooftops and the palace from where they stood. Just beyond the town was a waterfall cascading down into the trees of the forest. And there was the mountain. The peek of the mountain seemed to be holding up the moon hanging in the starry sky.

"This is the farthest from home I've ever been," said the prince in awe. "I've never seen the town look like this. Or the palace. It's beautiful."

Boruto smiled. "Yeah. It really is."

The town was between them and the mountain. No doubt Hoshi would take the path through the trees to avoid being seen, even though it was more direct to go through the town. If they didn't want to be seen, going through the forest was the best way to get to the mountain. It was a little further than cutting through town, but not by much. It wouldn't take them miles out of the way. Only a few minutes and they would be tripping over tree roots and shrubs every step of the way. Boruto could handle that and the prince didn't seem to think it was a big deal. It looked like the prince's plan was going to work.

"See how clever my plan was?" said Hoshi proudly. "This is the farthest I've ever gone and nothing has happened."

"Let's not jinx it," said Boruto. "They could still cast illusions on us and scare us."

"They don't really do that," said Hoshi. "Whenever I got pretty far, they would just make me think I was walking forward when I wasn't. Like I told you. They just manipulated the path and had me walk back the way I came. Nothing scary. Just annoying."

The prince must have been treated to a different illusion than Boruto was in the forest. His was pretty scary, especially since he had no idea what was going on.

"Let's keep going," said Hoshi. "I want to make it there before the sun comes up and they go away."

"Go away?"

"Yeah. Kitsune only come out at night. Daytime is when they sleep."

"Then wouldn't it be easier to look for them then instead of wandering around at night and hoping they don't use illusions?"

Hoshi shook his head. "No. It would be a lot harder. Them up and about is way easier to spot one. I'm not sure where they go in the morning so I wouldn't know where to look. And besides, it would be a lot harder for me to sneak out in the middle of the day. It's hard enough for me to do it at night. Everyone would see me in daylight. Even the people in town because everyone's out during the day. Everyone will be all 'look, there's the prince' and stuff like that. No sneaking around then."

"I guess you have a point."

"I recently discovered these secret passages in the palace and I've been using them to get outside. Some take you out to the yard but then I have to worry about the wall. It's pretty tall and I can't reach it. I managed tonight by standing on a bench from the garden and climbed over using one of my sheets. Tied it to a branch and pulled myself over. Well, I didn't tie it exactly, but I did manage to pull myself over the wall and it wasn't easy, let me tell you."

Boruto grinned. "You got some skills. Ever think of becoming a ninja?"

Hoshi laughed. "Nah. I wouldn't know what to do."

"You seem pretty adventurous."

"Oh, so all princes have to be proper and sit there and bark orders and kiss pretty girls? That last part might be true but it's one of the perks I'm willing to put up with for the job."

Boruto shoved him. "You're a real-"

Their joyful time was cut short when they heard rustling in the forest. Something was coming their way.

"No, no, no..!" Hoshi whined. "I can't go back yet! I haven't seen the kitsune and we're so close! Don't tell me the guards came and found me."

"Or it could be one of the kitsune getting ready to cast an illusion." Boruto grabbed Hoshi by the arm and pulled him back into the trees before they could be spotted.

They ducked down and hid behind the tree trunks and tall grass, waiting to see who it was. If it was a kitsune, then Hoshi would get his wish. If it were the guards, then Hoshi would have to keep himself hidden and avoid capture. He was not going back until he saw a kitsune.

Any thoughts on what it could be?

Please review! ^-^