A/N: Sorry for the late update everyone. I know I promised it over the weekend, but things got in the way. I'm honestly surprised at the feedback on the last chapter and how some of you had messaged me and reviewed to get these out quicker. Lol. I'm trying, so bear with me. With work/family/gaming...it gets busy. Thanks for all the love and support. I appreciate each and every one of you. Anyhoo, enjoy a super duper long chapter.
CHAPTER NINE
Holy fuck.
He's here, gazing at her with a smug look on his face, holding her mother by her throat. Her subconscious swooned into a dead faint, and she didn't think even smelling salts would bring her back.
She blink repeatedly at Ryuuji as her mind went into overdrive. How did he get in? Where's Dad? Holy shit! Where is Dad?
A creeping cold fear gripped her heart, and her scalp prickled as each and every follicle on her head tightened with terror. What if he'd harmed him? She started breathing rapidly as adrenaline and bone-numbing dread coursed through her body. Keep calm, keep calm—she repeated the mantra over and over in her head.
It felt like an eon had passed while she processed all this, though in reality it was only a split second. Ryuuji's expression remained smug, and his chakra felt different from their last encounter, more ominous and stronger than ever before. The intense blue eyes he once had were now mismatched. A pupil less lavender eye had replaced one of his own. Her eyes drifted to his chest where she noticed a circular device attached to the center of his chest and a gauntlet attached to his right forearm.
Yuna's breath caught in her chest at the discovery.
Despite the fact that her mouth had no moisture in it whatsoever, she attempted to speak. "Ryuuji, right? What're you doing here?" She rasped. He smiled, but it was a disturbing curl of his lip rather than a true smile.
"I was in the area. It's not often I get turned down by a woman or anyone else for that matter. Thought I'd stop by and see if you'd reconsider my offer."
His voice was warm and smooth, betraying him as someone far more sophisticated than the brainless thugs she was accustomed to dealing with.
Yuna wondered, not for the first time, if she was severely in over her head in trying to take on this man.
She didn't answer his question but simply inched her hand to the kunai pouch strapped on her thigh, but came to an immediate stop when Ryuuji tightened his grip around her mother's throat, letting a small gasp of pain escape her lips.
"Easy there, little kunoichi. Let's not do anything rash, shall we?"
Before she could muster a reply, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Well, lookee here." The large bandit from one of her previous missions emerged from the hallway. His appearance was as scruffy and ill-kempt as ever. He was still wearing that grubby shirt, and he looked desperately in need of a shower. Her hair was greasy and lank, plastered against his head. He ambled toward Yuna, oozing arrogance and hate. Her heart rate spiked.
"Where's my father?" She stammered, her mouth so dry she could hardly form the words.
"First things first, bitch," The bandit sneered, coming to a halt in front of her. She could practically taste his contempt. And from nowhere he lashed out, delivering a swift punch to her gut. Yuna clutched her abdomen and collapsed to the floor, the wind knocked from her.
"That's for last time, you fucking bitch!" He screamed.
"Yusei," Ryuuji frowned. "That's enough."
He paused.
"The bitch deserves it!" he gloated to Ryuuji.
"Take this woman back to the hideout," he told him. "I'll catch up with you shortly."
The large bandit's eyes flickered from Yuna back to Ryuuji and gave an exasperated, "Tch..." before slinging her unconcious mother over his shoulder.
"No!"
Yuna launched herself at Yusei, carbon infused fist poised for attack, when she saw Ryuuji making the hand sign for an paralysis jutsu. She moved to strike him in the face and prematurely end his attack but it was too late; she was caught in his jutsu and her mother had vanished right before her eyes.
"So much spirit," Ryuuji chuckled, his tone dark and dangerous as he advanced towards her. Yuna tried to deliver a blow that probably would have shattered his jaw if it had connected as intended, but it was incredibly difficult when she felt as she was being restrained by invisible steel ropes.
"I'm going to fucking kill you." The kunoichi ground out between gritted teeth. It was pathetic how easily she'd been beaten, but she should have known he was out of her league.
Ryuuji smiled, shaking his head as he clucked his tongue disapprovingly.
"Not today my dear. I'm afraid you've lost this battle."
Yuna only continued to glare hatefully, her limbs completely useless, and no amount of willpower would force them to move even an inch.
"I must say, you look just like your mother." He stepped back, and began to circle, casually, as if he were trying to get a better view of a statue in a museum. "The resemblance is almost uncanny. You even have her fiery spirit."
Bastard," she seethed.
Ryuuji only seemed amused by her insult, smirking as he reached out and lifted a lock of her hair and sniffed at it delicately. Then he gently patted the strand back into place, and she felt his cool fingertips against her throat. He reached up to stroke her cheek once quickly with his thumb, his face curious.
"Give her back," she snarled. "It's me you wanted, remember? Take me. Just let my mother go."
"You really are a kind child," he said as he dropped his hand, "Your parents raised you well." He sighed. "But I'm afraid I can't do that. I have plans for her. She'll be my next test subject. Shinobi corpses can endure more than a civilian's. As for you, I'd say I hit the jackpot; a little twofer."
"You won't get away with this."
"And why not?" Ryuuji's smile widened. She felt a curl of nausea in the pit of her stomach as he spoke. "No one will find your body, you'll simply go missing, like so many, many other shinobi. There's no reason for your Hokage to think of me, if he cares enough to investigate. This is nothing personal, let me assure you. Just power."
Rage boiled inside of the kunoichi as she tried to imbed her fist firmly into his smirking mouth, but all her efforts produced little more than a twitch.
Ryuuji shook his head, his face kind. "Look at it this way, Yuna. You're very lucky I was the one to kill you."
"Am I?"
"Yes," he assured her. "Being resented by your own clan as if you were nothing but mere trash; it must've been hard on you. But now...now you get to be a part of something magnificent by becoming a part of me. And who knows, maybe once this is all over and I feel generous enough, I'll kill each and every one of them in your name."
A single tear escaped, sliding down her cheek.
"Shh, don't cry." He said, wiping her tears away. "I'll be very quick. You won't feel a thing, I promise."
She stared at him in horror.
Activating his single Byakugan, Ryuuji tugged her chin, and ran his index finger down the front of her blouse, down her sternum, between her breasts, down her stomach, and over her belly.
She was definitely sick now. There was pain coming, she could see it in his eyes. There would be no quick end like she'd been counting on. She began to tremble.
"A...taru…"
Right on cue the door bursted open, and Ataru was standing in the doorway.
Immediately, Yuna was able to move again, but when she tried to straighten, her knees buckled.
Glancing at her briefly, Ataru's eyes swept over her from head to toe, and she noticed the small spark of relief in his look. But his relief was fleeting as his gaze darted to Ryuuji and stilled, focusing on him, not wavering in the slightest. He glared at him with an intensity she had not seen before, his eyes wild, wide, angry, and scared.
"Yuna, get behind me," Ataru commanded. "Hurry!"
"Dad," she whispered.
"Work." He responded matter-of-factly, his eyes never leaving Ryuuji.
Work. Not here. Dad's okay. Relief flooded hard and fast through her blood, and for a moment she thought she was going to faint.
"Yuna," he prompted.
Yuna struggled to her feet and quickly made her way towards Ataru. He grasped her hand positioned his body in front of hers a fraction. Instinctively, she turned toward him, her chest against his arm as if seeking his protection. And right now, she felt an overwhelming and very present need to be protected.
Ryuuji cocked his head to the side, a smirk playing at his lips. "Well this is certainly unexpected. Goichi never mentioned anything about a sibling."
"Who sent you?" Ataru said sternly. "Did the Katayama clan put you up to this?"
"I came here of my own volition." Ryuuji answered, crossing his arms as if the two shinobi posed little threat to him. "A few weeks back I ran into this little prize. I wasn't aware there were any Hoga's still alive, I'd thought they'd all been wiped out. I wanted to sell her underground but she declined."
Ataru tightened his grip, and she sighed, her entire being relieved to have him near, no matter how angry he was. She chanced a look into his eyes. He cast her an emotionless look. She weakened against him, apologizing without words.
"I see," he said in a low tone.
"However, my desires have changed. I don't intend to sell her anymore. In fact, I want her all to myself. I want her to become a part of me."
"So I take it that's where those devices attached to your body come into play?"
"You're very bright, boy." He said. "Yes, as long as I have this, I can instantly and effortlessly acquire true power."
"Simply put, you're a coward who relies on stealing others abilities," Ataru said. "You're just being controlled by tools. That's not true power at all."
"Not true power? Well then, perhaps you should experience it for yourself." Ryuuji smirked, before making a few quick hand signs and summoning chakra into the tools attached to his body.
Both Yuna and Ataru eyes widened as Ryuuji gathered fire and wind chakra around his thumb and middle finger. Snapping his fingers, he launched a giant blast of fire at them.
"Yuna, carbon dome, now!" Ataru barked over his shoulder.
Yuna hesitated a moment before making the hand signs for the carbon jutsu she knew so well. She just prayed it would form in time before they were both burned alive.
"It's futile," Ryuuji said, laughing darkly.
He's right. There's not enough time! Yuna thought through gritted teeth.
She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for Ryuuji's attack. But it never came. Hesitantly, she cracked an eye open, unable to believe who was standing in front her. He was here.
"Boruto!"
Gripping his right wrist with his left hand, Boruto activated his Kāma on the palm of his right hand, spreading the seal across the right half of his face, chest, and arm, glowing blue upon activation, and absorbed Ryuuji's attack until it was no more.
His breathing was ragged and harsh, whereas hers was almost nonexistent as she desperately scrambled around her psyche looking for some internal strength.
"W-what just happened?" Yuna stammered.
"He absorbed that guy's attack and protected us," Ataru answered slowly.
"I'm impressed," Ryuuji said. "But then again, you're a member of Kara after all."
Boruto scoffed. "Don't lump me in with those fools." He said. "As for Kara, they were disbanded months ago."
"Oh? I've heard rumors, but nothing more. So was it you who took down their organization? If so, that's quite an accomplishment. You have my sincere thanks. They were such a troublesome bunch."
"Where did you get that eye?" Boruto said sternly, ignoring Ryuuji's almost jovial remarks.
The man only smirked knowingly.
"It's amazing what you can scrounge up at a village that's in shambles. I suppose I have you to thank for that."
Boruto tensed ever so slightly, pausing for just the briefest of moments as his opponent's comment cut him deep.
Though his wince was slight, Ryuuji saw it, his features twisting into a cruel smirk.
"Seriously, if it wasn't for you I would've never been able to complete my latest invention. All those innocent people lifeless and I happen to stumble across a Hyūga clinging to his pathetic life among them. Lucky."
The jeering words were too much for Boruto. Red seeped over his vision as he remembered seeing the casualties left after his battle with Kawaki. With a cry of anger he drew the kunai from his pouch and threw it, aiming for his opponent's head, but his anger made him impulsive and reckless and his weapon missed its mark. That hardly seemed to matter however when Boruto vaulted the table and rushed his enemy. Ryuuji sprang away, laughing darkly at having evoked such a response in the stoic ninja.
"Temper, temper. Don't go getting all pissy on me." he sneered, dodging a punch from the Konoha shinobi before spinning to block a kunai with one of his own.
Metal ground against metal as Boruto rasped out, "That eye doesn't belong to you. It belongs to the Hyūga Clan."
The man laughed again, warm and carefree, his mismatched eyes staring into his opponents. They were dangerous and a little wild but held a sharp sort of intelligence in them, a deadly combination.
They broke apart, poised to strike again.
"Sorry," he chuckled. "But I have no intention of returning it."
With a flick of his wrist, a kunai whizzed through the air, embedding itself deep in the flesh of Ataru's right thigh. It wasn't a killing blow, but as Boruto's gaze shifted to Ataru, Ryuuji turned and fled into the woods.
Yuna knew she should tend to Ataru. But he was a medic after all, and she couldn't stand by and watch Ryuuji escape without knowing the whereabouts of her mother. She quickly grabbed her sandals and slipped them on, and began to follow him as fast as her limbs would carry her, bounding into the trees and leaping from branch to branch. She had to catch him, she had too!
Raising her thumb to her lips, she bit hard enough to break the skin before making a few quick hand signs. She slammed her palm down on a passing tree trunk and with a large poof of white smoke, her three trusted felines appeared.
"It's been a while, Yuna." Kenta, the silvery-grey cougar said beside her.
Hina, the bobcat sprung into the air from a moss covered branch and moved to her left side. "I'll say," she muttered. "How come you summon Tama but not us? You even went as far as to get her a present. Rude."
"I told you they would get jealous, Yuna." Tama smirked.
"Now's not the time for this," Yuna said seriously. "I need you three to get to work right away."
"It's not like you to be this serious. Did something happen?" Kenta asked, his green eyes narrowing at her.
"Mom was taken."
The three cats gasped.
"By whom?" Hina asked angrily.
"He's up ahead and he's moving fast," Yuna said. "Mom's scent is still on him. Find out where he's headed. Go!"
"We're on it!" Kenta and Hina said in unison before running ahead and leaving Yuna and Tama alone.
"Yuna?" Tama said worriedly.
The kunoichi shook her head, sending black bangs into downcast eyes. "Tama...please."
The carcal nodded. "We'll get in contact with you as soon as we find out."
I'm counting on you.
Yuna pursued him until her lungs burned and she couldn't gulp in oxygen fast enough, but no matter how hard she ran, Ryuuji's form kept growing smaller and smaller ahead of her, until she couldn't even see him in the dappled light of the forest canopy, but still she ran on, forcing her legs to work until her muscles screamed.
She couldn't sense his chakra, couldn't tell which way he had gone, but she kept on running, thinking that even if there was the smallest chance of finding him, she would take it.
Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision and making bounding through the trees increasingly difficult until she lost her footing on a slippery branch and she toppled forward towards the forest floor below.
She tried to twist her body around so she would land on her feet but she had become slightly disoriented, not quite knowing which was up and was well on her way to falling flat on her back. She would have been in for a nasty spill if two strong arms hadn't caught her effortlessly.
Teal eyes blinked in surprise as she found herself safely cradled against Boruto's chest, one arm supporting her behind her bent knees and the other around her shoulders. She couldn't remember being saved like this since she was a mere Genin.
"Are you all right?" he asked with genuine concern, knowing Yuna was far too skilled to be making such a trivial mistake.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she huffed, raising her gaze to meet his blue ones only to be met with a pair of mismatched eyes; a dōjutsu blue in colour with a darkened sclera and visible pupil. "Your eye!"
"It's nothing," he said, as he gently set her down on her own two feet.
She lifted her hand, and for a moment Boruto didn't know what she was going to do. But she placed her fingers on his cheek and gently traced the raised scar below his eye with awed fascination. The darkness that had been trapped within him for months melted into oblivion and he closed his eyes, feeling her gentle fingertips on him.
Just then, a distant voice called her name, a voice that he recognized. The moment between them was broken as Ataru appeared through the trees. He was walking toward them in determined strides. His gaze was steady on her, his jaw set tight, as tight as his fists at his sides.
"Uh-oh," Yuna murmured.
"Do you have any idea how fucking stupid it was for you to chase after him alone?"
"I'm fine," she insisted, though her body was still riddled with anxiety over the past several minutes.
"Why? Why do you think one girl like you can take on a guy like that?"
"This has nothing to do with being a guy or girl." She said. "At that point in time, I didn't have time to think about-"
"Think about it a little, idiot!" he yelled. "You're a girl!"
"Hey man, ease up." Boruto said. "I was right behind her the whole time."
Ataru snapped to face Boruto, his jaw twitching. "This is all your fault."
"What?" The whiskered teen said incredulously. "How was any of this my fault?"
"If you hadn't intervened the other day none of this would've happened!" He yelled.
"Boruto, what is he talking about?" She asked, looking confused.
"Go on. Tell her. Tell her how you're responsible for our mother being taken." Ataru said coolly, never letting his frosty stare waver.
Boruto felt his jaw clench in anger. He was standing there with an expression that was entirely too smug. The sight of him made his blood boil and if he didn't control his chakra, he was sure he would fill the area with overwhelming waves of murderous intent.
Taking a deep breath to keep his composure from cracking completely, he said, "That day at the convenience store, I caught Ataru following you. I might've confronted him and told him to back off."
Yuna frowned and turned to look at Ataru.
"What? Why were you following me?"
"A few days after you returned to the village from that mission with Boruto, I noticed you were being followed." He answered. "I was being cautious and watching his movements, that's all. After Boruto had stopped me, I lost track of him."
Boruto bristled, refusing to let him stand there and hurl accusations at him when he was not the only one at fault.
"Don't pin this all on me," he spat. "If you knew she was being followed why didn't you report it to the Hokage?"
Yuna took a tentative step forward, not entirely comfortable with physically coming between them right now. With all the emotions flying around, she didn't trust that she wouldn't get hurt in the fray.
"Wasn't that you're job? You told me not to follow her, so I figured you had everything under control."
She rubbed at her temples, trying to stave off the headache that was rapidly forming. "God, just stop, both of you."
"How the hell was I supposed to know? If I knew she was being followed I would've handled it. At the time the only problem I saw was you! Is your life so miserable that you have to constantly follow her around like some lost puppy?"
Ataru shoved Boruto then, his slightly shorter frame hitting the tree behind him. Boruto reacted immediately, throwing a punch that Ataru narrowly avoided. The two men skirmished. They pushed and pulled until she was certain they'd tear each other apart if she stood idly by. She was desperate to make them stop.
"Please stop!" she yelled.
Boruto shoved Ataru off, and for the moment he kept a distance, as they both heaved for air, eyes wild with fury.
"We don't have time for this, we just...don't." She was suddenly aware of her heart beating, well actually it was thumping and she could feel herself beginning to sweat a little. "Now is…not the time for...us…"
"Yuna?" Ataru looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Her head began to swim, oh no...and she could feel the ground coming up to meet her face, or so it felt. The last thing she heard before she passed out in Ataru's arms was his harsh epithet.
"Fuck!"
~MINE TO TAKE~
Yuna jolted awake, eyes wide as the now bright room came into focus. Her heart was beating too fast, as if some latent panic still lingered with her quickly followed by a dull throbbing in her head. "Where am I?" She rubbed her temples and willed the pain away.
"You're awake," her father said beside her.
"Dad?" She mumbled sleepily,
She closed her eyes and reached for the memories. Everything was so blurry, but slowly, like the room, the last memories of her conscious mind came into focus.
"Mom!" she cried as she quickly sat up and then cursed her own stupidity at moving.
"Easy," her father said softly. "Ataru and the others have already been dispatched to retrieve your mother."
"What?!" She cried, kicking off the sheet. "Tama found him? Where did they go? How long ago did they leave?"
"They'll handle it, Yuna." Her father reassured. "Right now you're under orders to stay here in the village."
"Like hell I'm going to stay here while that maniac has my mother, your wife!"
Jumping off the bed, she headed for the door only to be greeted by an Anbu black-op. She took a step back and gritted her teeth.
"Yuna Katayama, I'm sorry, but I cannot let you pass." the anonymous man said from behind the red and white bird mask. "Please go back to that room."
"This is such bullshit," she hissed. "I want to speak to the Hokage."
"Yuna," her father said. "Sit down."
Reluctantly, she turned and fixed her father with a glare.
"How can you be so calm?" Yuna said. "Mom is out there somewhere with that freak. There's no telling what he's doing to her right now as we speak."
"I'm just as worried as you are."
"You can at least show it!" she said angrily, voice rising loud enough to be heard by possible patients in adjacent rooms.
"I know you're worried. But right now all we can do is put our faith in Ataru and the others."
She took a seat beside her father on the bed and clasped her hands together. "I should be out there helping."
"Even if you were allowed to assist, you have no idea where they're heading."
"Actually, I think I can help with that." The masculine voice said behind them, a voice Yuna clearly recognized.
Both father and daughter turned their heads to find Boruto crouched on the window sill behind them.
"Boruto-kun…"
Boruto stepped into the room and handed her a small device.
"What's this?"
"I planted a tracker on Konohamaru-sensei before they left," he said. "We can use this terminal to follow the signal."
"You're amazing, Boruto-kun!" She breathed in delight. "But how do you suggest we bypass the Anbu?"
"Just leave that to me."
"Let me guess, that eye of yours?"
"Jōgan," he clarified. "And yes, with it I can get us to your mother."
"Woah, woah, woah. You kids can't be serious. You can't leave."
"He's right. Leaving this village without permission has serious consequences, ya know." A new voice said and all heads turned to find the Hokage entering the room.
"Lord Seventh…" Her father said.
"You're in no condition to be out there, Boruto. I can't afford for you to freeze up again on the field and risk the others or you getting hurt in the process." The Hokage said before shifting his attention to Yuna. "And this Ryuuji guy is banking on you to be there. The best thing for the both of you is to just sit tight and wait for the others to deal with the situation."
Yuna shook her head at him. "I can't just sit here and wait for him to kill my mother. I won't. Not when she needs me the most right now."
"Yuna," the Hokage said sincerely.
"Why? Why won't you let me?" She balled her fists in anger, nails biting into her palms hard enough to draw blood. "I figured you of all people would understand how I feel."
The Hokage's eyes widened slightly.
"I've heard many stories about you from the Kazekage," she said quietly. "He'd once told me that the two of you battled against one another. He was intent on taking away those precious to you. When you'd defeated him, you'd told him that you would anything to protect them, even if meant killing him."
"My mother is one of the many people who are precious to me," she continued. "And like you, I will take many risks when it comes to those I love. So I am begging you, please, let me go."
Her angry tirade was what Naruto needed to hear. He knew of this child's adoration for her family, comrades and this village. She was no different from him, and when combined with the fact that their current mission really did depend on this, he found he had little choice.
He gave a quiet nod, calm even in the face of her breathless rage.
"Alright Yuna, you can go."
"And furthermore, I'm sick and tired of…wait, what?"
It took the kunoichi a moment to register his words, and even then she wasn't sure she had heard correctly.
"You can go Yuna," Naruto affirmed with a small smile.
At first Yuna just stared at him blankly, rage evaporating instantly as the reality of what he had just agreed to sank in.
"Oh…um…ok."
"Yuna, the will of fire has been passed on to you," he said and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Follow your Ninja Way and do what you need to." He turned his attention back to Boruto.
"Even if I tried to stop you, you'd go anyway."
"Pretty much," Boruto replied with a shrug.
"Then I guess all I can do is let you go." His father said before walking toward him. "But! This is your last chance. Freeze up again out there and I'll have your time extended."
Boruto casted his eyes downwards to the tiled floor.
"Got that?"
Boruto closed his eyes for a brief second before meeting his father's gaze once more. "That's fine. I'll prove to you that I can do this. If not, you can do whatever you please."
"Alright. There's no going back on your word."
"Yeah, yeah," he said with a wave of his hand, and headed for the door, the Hokage following behind, leaving Yuna and her father alone.
"Daddy…" she said quietly, her teal gaze meeting his brown ones.
"It's okay," he whispered. The worryness in his voice tore at her heart. "I understand."
"Please don't be upset at me."
"I'm not."
She kissed him on the cheek and wrapped her arms around his figure. She felt his hand graze her back.
"Are you… okay?" he asked her.
"No," she admitted, feeling the tears start to come. "I'm not okay at all."
He gave a ghostly smile. "Did I ever tell you that I think you're beautiful?"
"Yeah," she said, sniffling. "You've told me."
"Well, this time I mean it."
She laughed helplessly through her tears. "Thanks," she said. She reached for his hand and kissed it.
"Do you remember when you were little?" he asked, suddenly serious. "You used to watch me train outside for hours. One day, I found you sitting in the backyard using a technique you had watch me used. You were only four years old. You always had so much talent."
"I remember," she said.
"I want you to know something," her dad said, gripping her hand with surprising force. "No matter how bright your star became, I never cared about the clan half as much as I cared about you as a daughter…I want you to know that."
She nodded. "I believe you. And I love you, too, Dad."
He took a long breath, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'll leave your mother in your hands, Yuna."
The words struck her with their full weight, unavoidable and direct. And in that instant, she remembered everything about the last several years. Images raced through her mind, one after the next, stopping only when she saw her mother sitting in her garden, beneath the large shade tree with her father.
And it was then that she knew what her heart had been telling her to do all along.
~MINE TO TAKE~
Boruto was leaning casually up against the wall just outside the door when she arrived. In his hand was her weapons pouch, he tossed to her as she approached.
"Ready?" he asked.
Yuna merely nodded, and together the two started down the hallway in silence. Her hands were curled into tight fists at her sides. As they were about to turn the corner, she was jerked sideways. With a firm grip of her arm, Boruto pulled her into a nearby storage closet. Her back hit the door moments after it closed behind them. She looked up into his blue eyes with confusion.
"What are you doing? We don't have time for this." she said. Though she could hear the sharpness in her tone, she couldn't help it.
"Let it out."
"Boruto, I really can't do this right now." She squeezed the bridge of her nose, trying to stifle her tears.
"You need to let it out now before we leave or you won't stay focused."
"What do you want me to say? That I'm pissed?" Her heart suddenly felt as if it were going to explode. "That I feel sick knowing that one person I love with all my heart is in life threatening danger? That I'm scared out of my mind? What do you want to hear?!"
She looked so small and frail despite the fact that she was quite a formidable shinobi.
"I didn't tell them about Ryuuji. I didn't want them to worry. But maybe if I had said something, she might not have gotten taken. It was my fault this happened. It was me!"
Tears fell from her eyes, cutting wet trails down her cheeks. Unsure of what to do, Boruto tentatively slipped his arms around her with uncharacteristic awkwardness. Even if it was a little strange, the feeling of her against him was rather nice.
"It's not your fault."
Her tears fell harder at those four words, and she finally collapsed into him. And for a long time, she let him hold her as she cried.
A/N: Okay, so we've yet to learn more about Boruto's amaaazing Jōgan. So I'm just guessing here. Don't hate. It's a fanfic. Ha-ha. (But seriously, I really do think it will have some space-time ability there.) Reviews, pretty please? :)
