Author's Note: Finally back. It was mainly writer's block that was killing me. I had trouble wording things a lot. Anyway, I'm sure you've all been tired of waiting so here it is. Enjoy!

"Hokage-sama," a woman dressed in the signature Anbu uniform and mask called upon entering the room.

Naruto averted his gaze from the window and to the woman. "Ah, what is it?"

She strode to his desk, a folder with papers sticking out of it under her arm. "I have the report on the damage to the Ninja Academy." The woman took the folder and held it out.

Naruto took it from her hand, his brow furrowed. "Oh, thank you. Why did it take so long though? I completely forgot about the vandalism for a while."

He couldn't tell, but under her mask there was a troubled expression. "We surveyed everything that had been damaged and at first, we thought it was just a childish prank. Then we did some extensive searching." She signaled for Naruto to open the folder and he complied, letting her flip through some of the papers to pull out a small stack of pictures.

The Nanadaime studied the photos, trying to see exactly what was wrong. "They're classrooms, each with minor damage." Naruto placed the one on top behind the rest after scanning it. His eyes widened slightly at the next. "This room has major damage."

"That is Aburame Shino's classroom to be exact. We spent a lot of time surveying that one. We eventually found this." She tugged another big photo out and placed it in front of the blond man.

"A filing cabinet?" Naruto voiced.

"All of the drawers were pulled out when we found it. I picked up every one of the files and looked inside to check if anything was missing. The good news is, none of the documents in the files were missing. The bad news is, it was discovered that three of the files themselves were no where to be found."

Naruto placed a hand under his chin. "They were stolen?"

She nodded. "Ah, but it's the people who the files belong to that we are concerned about." There was a lasting silence in the room after this, Naruto anticipating the names.

The woman cleared her throat and began with slight hesitation, "M-Mitsuki, Uchiha Sarada, and... Uzumaki Boruto."

Naruto's eyes widened as he straightened his back, his hands trembling a bit at his son's name. "All of Team Sasuke...? Did you gather enough evidence to point out the culprit?" he asked, a hint of urgency in his voice.

The Anbu member was reluctant to speak. "N-No we did not. Not yet at least, Hokage-sama. We cleared out and cleaned the rooms, taking whatever evidence deemed essential to the case and replacing it."

Naruto slowly stood up, a troubled frown present on his features. He turned to the window behind him and stared aimlessly into the blue sky through the clear glass. "So, if no one has been singled out yet, then maybe it could have been an attack from outside the village. How is that possible?" he contradicted himself. "Our security is top of the line."

"We aren't sure if the operation was conducted by people living in the village or from outsiders."

Naruto's frown deepened. "Why would they steal school records though? If they wanted more useful information, they could have broken into the village archives."

"It's suspected that they weren't capable enough to carry out a plan like that. That's why they went for school records instead."

"If they're planning some elaborate scheme concerning those kids, then I'm positive school records wouldn't be enough. They're definitely working under someone. The question is, what do they want with them? And who are they working for?"

The woman remained silent for a minute. "There were no traces at all that would have been helpful. No symbols or fingerprints, nothing."

"The person in control knows what he's doing then."

She relaxed her position and gazed through the window the Hokage was looking at. "Should I inform Uchiha-sama?"

"No," Naruto said bluntly, whirling around. "Sasuke has already taken care of many threats to this village and sacrificed much time with his family in the process. There's no way I'm asking him to take part in this just after his main mission has been finished."

"What shall we do?"

"Tell the rest of the Anbu to keep trying to see if there's something pointing to the culprits. At least figure out possible suspects. I'll look at the things you found and study everything in this folder. I'm also gonna take a trip to the Academy, check if there might be a missed piece of evidence. This case is not to be taken lightly," he finished sternly.

The woman gave a brisk nod. "As you wish." She was gone a moment later.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "So someone is after these kids. Someone is after my son... Why? Is it because they're our children?" The Nanadaime's thoughts came to Mitsuki. "What about him though? I don't even know much about the boy. The time he's been here, I haven't learned hardly anything. Nonetheless, whoever is after them has to have a reason for it. I have no choice except keep this information hidden from Sasuke. He's suffered too much, all for the sake of the village and his family. I'll take the lead in this one. Heck, I might be a little paranoid, but this isn't just some coincidence."

"Sakura stop. I look fine," Sasuke voiced, irritation and embarrassment evident in his voice. He repeatedly tried to pry his wife's hand away from his clothes and hair.

"You have to look nice for the team picture!" Sakura said, continuing to work on straightening his vest with one hand while using the other to pick at Sarada's hair.

"Kaa-chan seriously," the young girl complained, also attempting to escape from the woman's reach.

"Is this really necessary?" Boruto groaned as Hinata fumbled with his jacket collar. He noticed an amused Shikadai snickering at him from the opposite side of the room and the Uzumaki fired glares back at the Nara. It was Boruto's turn to jeer as Temari strode to her son and started to obsess over his appearance. Boruto and Shikadai always had somewhat of a friendly rivalry ever since they were little. The two continuously bickered at times in a joking manner, both trying to get the best of each other. They were still friends nonetheless. Boruto heard a chuckle and turned his head to the side, his blue gaze landing on Mitsuki.

Mitsuki stared at his teammates with great delight in his golden eyes. Boruto and Sarada growled at the boy, noticing how no one was reprimanding him about his appearance.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Sakura, Hinata, what's the point of worrying only about us when there's still someone else in need of help?" He pointedly cocked his head in Mitsuki's direction.

The two women shifted their attention to the pale boy and studied him. Sakura and Hinata gasped in unison. "Mitsuki-kun, your hair!" The pair immediately rushed to the male's side, attacking his light hair.

Sasuke smirked at the scene and dragged his gloved hand through the messy dark locks atop his head. Sarada and Boruto laughed at Mitsuki, flashing smiles at their team leader in the process. Everyone moved up as Shikadai's team was called, the women never ceasing to pick at Mitsuki's hair.

"Why are they making such a big deal out of a picture?" Boruto asked, crossing his arms.

"Women," Sasuke said. That should have been the only word needed for an explanation.

"Eh, I don't care about photos too much as long as I don't look like complete crap in them," Sarada voiced, shifting her glasses. She gazed at her father through the corner of her eye. She couldn't help but be a little suspicious since he kept hiding so many things from her. The girl also couldn't fathom the thought of him doing something so unspeakable that he would not even tell his own daughter. "Whatever it is," she shifted her gaze to Sakura, "Kaa-chan knows about it. By the looks the villagers give him, it seems like they know, too. Something happened before I was born, that's a given, but what? Now that I think about it..." Sarada remembered from some of her early days at the Academy when some kids avoided her. She recalled their whispers, hearing "Uchiha Sasuke" often. Back then, Sarada ignored the "bullies" and tried to focus only on her friends. Heck, it was impossible to ignore the rambunctious boy by the name of Uzumaki Boruto, always wanting attention.

"Hurry up Mitsuki! It's our turn next!" Boruto called, bringing Sarada back to reality.

"And... done!" Hinata and Sakura shouted simultaneously, stepping to the side. Mitsuki shamefully walked towards his team with tamed hair, out of his eyes and neat. Sarada and Boruto repeatedly exchanged glances, making a massive effort not to laugh at the pale boy.

Mitsuki innocently stared at Sasuke. "Sensei, what did I do to receive your spite?"

"What are you talking about Mitsuki? You look great!" Boruto said with a hand halfway covering his mouth, still trying to hold back his snickers.

"Next!"

"Oh, that's you guys!" Sakura said as she and Hinata gently shoved the team forward.

"Good smiles!" Hinata said cheerfully.

"Sasuke-kun, at least get that scowl off your face!" the pink-haired woman complained.

"Hn," he grunted, striding towards the man with the camera, the three Genin close behind. They wanted to get this over with just as much as he did. Mitsuki hurriedly messed up his hair along the way. He and his teammates pulled out their forehead protectors and tied them around their heads before the man set them in place. Sarada was in between Mitsuki and Boruto with Sasuke right behind, the traditional setup. The photographer strode back to his camera and the team put on their best smiles, the male Uchiha in the back attempting to make the corners of his lips rise a millimeter or so. Sasuke saw his wife flash a giant smile at his effort and silently sighed. She was so annoying... The others ignored the adults and also wished the man would hurry up and take the picture.

The old male behind the camera counted as slowly as possible. "One... Two... Three... Smile!"

The team heard the click of the camera and relaxed their positions.

"Wait! I think I blinked!" Boruto shouted in panic. He rushed over to the cameraman's side and worriedly asked to take a look at the photo.

Sakura gripped Sasuke and Sarada in a massive bear hug. "Aw, that was great! Sasuke-kun you're adorable when you smile! You looked cute Sarada!"

"T-Too t-tight Kaa-chan," Sarada squeaked out. Her mother released them and instead patted their shoulders.

"Sakura, it was just a picture," Sasuke said with annoyance and embarrassment as he rubbed his rib cage, cheeks radiating heat. His face grew even hotter when he noticed some of the other mothers, mainly Karui and Temari, giggling in amusement at his attempt to smile. Even Sarada chuckled a bit at him. Sasuke frowned deeply and motioned for Mitsuki to come closer. "Go get Boruto. New plans, we're going out for lunch as a team." He desperately needed to get out of there quick and he said the first excuse that came to mind. After Mitsuki beckoned Boruto over, the male Uchiha filled him in and they were off.

"Wait a second," Boruto said, making the entire group halt. "What's the rush?"

"His pride is hurt," Sarada giggled.

"The faster we leave the sooner we get to eat," Sasuke voiced, irritation evident in his voice.

"We're only going if you buy us whatever we want," the boy bargained.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes prior to sighing heavily. "Fine, brat..."

Boruto and Mitsuki high-fived and Sarada chuckled, shaking her head at her disgruntled father.

Sasuke gave a "Hn", setting out at a brisk pace into the village. Those kids sure were annoying and mischievous, but he couldn't help but like the brats. No way was he gonna smile after the picture, not for a while at least. A flash of orange in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Sasuke turned his head to the side to see a pair of Naruto clones traveling from the rooftops. Normally, the Uchiha would carry on with his business, but the serious look in the Hokage's eyes made him stop in the middle of the road. "His chakra is disturbed... Something is wrong... He's hardly ever like this..." Sasuke fully twisted around to face the direction the Nanadaime's clones were headed and started to jump off the ground in pursuit.

"Hurry up old man, we're hungry!" Boruto shouted.

Sasuke nearly stumbled as he remembered what his original intentions for journeying into the middle of the village were. He hadn't even noticed that his team had passed him and was all the way down the street. He smirked and sped up, shaking his head. Smirks, he decided, would always do.

Naruto pushed off on the roof's shingles, sailing over a couple buildings and repeating the action. He tilted his head to the side, looking at the other clone. "Look everywhere in that classroom. I don't doubt the Anbu, but there's still a possibility that even they missed something. The real us is gonna send more clones located nearby if necessary."

The other Naruto nodded. "So we're looking for anything as small as a single hair?"

"Ah, anything hard to spot."

"One of these, a handful of those, three of-"

"I don't know if I have enough money with me to pay for all this," Sasuke interrupted Boruto, his voice filled with irritation.

The Uzumaki pointed an accusing finger at the man. "Hey, you said we could get all we want!"

"I didn't say buy out the entire restaurant," the elder male argued.

Mitsuki and Sarada had already placed their orders, both as much as someone the age of thirteen would eat. Boruto however decided that he would basically ask for a year's supply of everything the burger joint displayed on the menu. Sasuke fished every bit of money he had with him out of his bag and slammed it on the counter, scaring the man behind it all the way to the moon. He shouted and jumped back, making his coworker drop a tray full of food and drinks behind him. Sasuke sighed and said, "Do you need any help cleaning that up?"

"N-N-No th-thank you s-s-sir!" they stuttered in unison.

Sarada took a glance at her father, who seemed to be unfazed. "The guy at the counter has been tense ever since he first saw my dad walk in. Tou-chan is pretty intimidating sometimes, but I've noticed that more people seem angry than worried when they see him. Not knowing anything is really frustrating..."

"Sarada, do you want to get a booth with me?" Mitsuki asked.

The girl was shaken out of her thoughts by the boy's sudden inquiry. "Oh, yeah." She walked alongside her teammate as they hunted for a booth. Not a lot of them were taken at the moment so they decided to take one in the back, a little more secluded than the rest.

Mitsuki sat down on the opposite side and fiddled with his robe. "You seem pretty distracted today," he said when she stared aimlessly at something behind him.

"I have my mind on something else," the young kunoichi responded, placing an elbow on the table and a hand under her chin. "Has someone ever kept a huge secret from you? Has it ever made you just wanna claw your hair out?"

"Ah, but I wouldn't go as far as to say pull my hair out though," he replied with a small grin.

Sarada opened her mouth to say something else, but never got the chance because Sasuke and Boruto arrived at the booth. The Uzumaki sat next to Mitsuki while the male Uchiha claimed a spot next to his daughter.

"I'm gonna starve before we get our food!" Boruto whined.

"Maybe YOU shouldn't have ordered so much," Sasuke argued. "I'm not even sure that it will all fit on this table."

"A deal is a deal old man!"

Sarada and Mitsuki exchanged a short glance, amusement in their eyes.

Boruto leaned back in his seat. "So how have everybody's lives been recently?"

"Having to put up with you all the time should answer that question," Sasuke snorted.

Boruto crossed his arms, a deep frown settling on his lips. "Hmph! Fine, be that way! Anyway, I've been doing pretty good for a while. My dad has been spending a lot of time with me and helping me learn cool jutsus! And at least I'm not afraid to smile for a picture. You don't have to act so dark and brooding all the time."

The Uchiha narrowed his mismatched eyes, holding back a cold retort. "You're the adult. You're supposed to be the mature one here. This brat reminds me of Naruto too much."

"What about you Sarada?" Boruto asked happily, shifting his blue gaze to the girl.

The young kunoichi placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head away, trying to hide the blush appearing on her face under his determined stare. "I-I'm doing okay. Just the usual routine lately."

Boruto narrowed his eyes and leaned across the table. "You're hiding something. You aren't looking at me."

Sarada turned to face the boy, an expression of sheer annoyance visible in her features. "That doesn't mean anything."

He innocently threw his hands up. "What?! I just wanna know if you're actually planning on doing something considered mischievous for once."

The young kunoichi peered out of the corner of her eye to notice Sasuke casting a suspicious yet disbelieving glance at his daughter. "He thinks I'm a goody goody too... It's better if it stays that way." She gulped while shifting her glasses. "No, I am not. Also, if I were going to do something mischievous, why would I tell with him," Sarada gestured towards Sasuke, "anywhere near me."

The Uzumaki chuckled. "So you're still living a boring life, huh?" he teased. An eye roll was her response. "Speaking of boring, how have you been Mitsuki? I hardly know anything cool that you do so I assume you're pretty boring."

Mitsuki appeared to be surprised at his friend's sudden inquiry. "Oh, nothing much. Training, reading, all of that."

"I know you've done cooler stuff than that!" Boruto shouted. His eyes widened slightly when he turned his head to look at the pale boy. "Actually, now that I think about it, I hardly know anything about you in general. Why did you move here a few months ago?"

Mitsuki gulped as all eyes were trained on him. Even Sasuke appeared to be intrigued. "Well, my mother told me to come here."

"She didn't come with you? I've never heard you talk about her. Is she living in the village?" Boruto asked, bombarding the male with questions.

The boy shifted his gaze to the top of the table, a frown settling on his lips. "My mother was murdered."

A deadly silence fell on the people in the booth. They stared at the boy in awe, his teammates shaken at the realization. Sasuke was unmoving, a stoic expression on his face. He was certainly curious for more details, but he would never pester the pale boy about something as sensitive as this. Sasuke was not that kind of person.

"S-Sorry," Boruto muttered in apology.

Mitsuki sighed with a bored expression, leaning an elbow on the table. "It's fine. I've never met my father, but I know his name and that he's still alive. I've heard bad things about him, but I'm not sure if he's still like that."

"Wh-?" Boruto began to ask, but was cut off when a pair of employees brought out multiple trays with food and drinks on them.

Sasuke eyed Mitsuki thoughtfully for a moment, studying his features. "He looks a bit like... No, that's impossible. It's just a coincidence. Bad things about his father, huh? Hm... I look into things way too much. What are the chances of that thing being related to him?"

"Have you found anything suspicious?" the Naruto clone asked the other clone of the Hokage. He pushed himself up from his crouching position behind the desk and eyed the male curiously.

"Nope. Not unless you count a bunch of empty bags of potato chips where I assume Chouchou usually sat," Naruto said with a defeated sigh. "How is it that they don't leave a single trace?"

The Hokage placed both hands on his hips. "I know. I don't understand it much either. The only clue we have to go off of is the fact that they stole Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki's school records. There are still many problems and questions that come from that though."

"Not a single strand of hair, no fingerprints, not even a bit of dirt from their clothing or sandals!" he responded, desperately throwing his hands into the air. "What now?"

Naruto remembered the Anbu member's words from earlier. "Some of the things that were destroyed or vandalized were taken by the Black Ops. We should go take a look at those."

"Right."

The two clones disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Meanwhile, the real Uzumaki Naruto sat behind his desk in the Hokage's office, taking into account what his pair of clones had discovered. The man frustratedly slammed his fists onto the table, a low growl rumbling in the back of his throat. "How?!" he whispered, barely suppressing a shout of anger. The Nanadaime closed his eyes and took deep breaths in order to regain his composure. "There's still the possibility of finding something from the evidence that the Anbu collected. Surely there might be some clue there. Even if they couldn't find anything, I still have to try." The Hokage cursed unconsciously under his breath. He began to think that he was being a little too paranoid. The man quickly shook the thought out of his mind. "These people are after those kids. No way will I let something happen to them!" Naruto couldn't stand envisioning anything bad happening to the people in his village, especially Boruto.

Sarada yawned and stretched her arms while continuing to walk along the streets of Konoha. The girl was exhausted from training with her father most of the day after the whole team had gotten lunch together. Sasuke focused the entire time on helping her handle her sword and basic techniques. Sarada had no idea how much there really was to using a sword.

The young kunoichi was currently by herself in the middle of the village, staring up at the twinkling stars in the clear night. A small frown was present on her features as she wondered. There were so many questions she desperately yearned for an answer to. Every time she threw them at her father, he'd figure out how to dodge the bullet unscathed. Sarada tried to wait, she really did, but it was just getting ridiculous at this point. Sasuke said to wait until they were both ready but, heck, he wasn't even trying to be "ready" at all! The female Uchiha outwardly sighed and shifted her glasses. How long could he keep playing this game?

"I need to occupy myself with some other thought. The only reason I'm out here right now anyway is to pick something up for Kaa-chan." Sarada looked ahead and took a deep breath, forcing a smile to reside on her lips. "Yeah, don't think about that. Think about, uh... Think about-" The Uchiha shook her head repeatedly and attempted to hide the blush settling in her cheeks at the image of Boruto smiling at her. The way he inhabited her thoughts these days was so annoying. She wondered why she even thought of him at all like that. The way she should be thinking about him was how much of an idiot he was. Instead, Sarada actually perceived the Uzumaki as sort of cute and she hated it. Or did she? Sarada slapped the side of her head, not caring that it drew attention of some of the villagers walking the opposite way. "Okay, new thought now. Nothing involving Boruto or Tou-chan." Sarada clenched and unclenched her fists until something else finally invaded her mind. "Hm, I wonder what all Mitsuki was talking about earlier. I shouldn't bother him about it though. He's probably been through some traumatic events if his mother was murdered."

Sarada had no more time to ponder on the subject as the shop Sakura had described came into view. The female Uchiha huffed in annoyance as she noticed a long line leading all the way to the next shop. The girl reluctantly stopped behind the last person waiting and crossed her arms. Her mother had asked her to pick an item up from this very shop after she had finished training with her father. Sarada complied with Sakura's request, deciding that a walk into the village alone would be nice. Having to wait in line for what looked like forever had not been part of the bargain. There were at least ten people in front of the female Uchiha. "I can't even remember what Kaa-chan told me she ordered. A special kickknack or something like that. I'm gonna be here all night." Sarada peered to the side and saw a shelf outside the shop that held other various knickknacks. She curiously began to look at the items. A whiff of alcohol caught her attention and the girl peeked behind her at the neighboring place. "Ugh, a bar. This line needs to move faster so I can get away from that. Why the heck is everyone out tonight buying knickknacks?! How many people are inside if there's a line?!" she thought with sheer annoyance. The young Uchiha secretly hoped a crazy drunk person would cause a disruption where she could go home and not stand in this line. She silently cursed herself for agreeing to retrieve the item for her mother. She was tired and wanted to hit the bed, but how could she say no to her mother? Especially because Sakura had that "If you don't do this for me, you're grounded" look in her eyes. Sarada guessed that she must've had an irritating day at work. The person in front of her moved forward, bringing the Uchiha back to reality. The girl began to take a step when a mention of her name filled her ears.

"Isn't that the Uchiha's daughter? Uh, Sarada I think is her name," a man in the bar asked the other male sitting beside him.

Sarada redirected her step so she instead went to the side. She then picked up a snowglobe that was on the top shelf, giving off the impression that she was just studying the object instead of eavesdropping.

"Yeah, I hear she's really nice and like her mother once you get to know her. Of course, I've never directly met any of them so I wouldn't know for sure," the male responded.

A chuckle. "Everyone in the village loves those two. Best medic we have and an amazing fighter as well. That one," he said, gesturing towards Sarada's turned back, "is taking after her mother I hear. Really skilled like an Uchiha usually is."

Sarada smirked and stopped fiddling with the object in her hands. It was normal for people to talk about her since she was the first Uchiha born after the massacre. She began to place the item back onto the shelf, but froze as the two men continued.

"Too bad her father has to be an egotistical maniac. I always wonder why he wasn't executed after the war. I don't care if he helped out, after everything that arrogant jerk did. I'm positive there's still more that we weren't told and didn't witness."

She shakily twisted the snowglobe around in her hands once more, trying to act casual. "What are they talking about?"

"Tch, I know right. He's a disgrace to the Uchiha name and this village. It's senseless how everyone used to put all their hope in him when he was around the age his daughter is now. The most known prodigy in all of the village back then, turned into a crazed psychopath just like that."

"Crazed psychopath?" Sarada thought. "Are they really talking about MY father?"

"I bet it was all an act, the stoic expression on his face nearly every second. There's no possibility that he could just be completely emotionless after his brother slaughtered their entire clan."

Sarada's heart skipped a beat. "What? Itachi-oji was the one that murdered the Uchiha clan...? N-No, that's not right. It can't be. Why would he ever do that? Tou-chan always says that he was one of the greatest men he's ever known."

"Shh! Keep it down!" the other man whispered urgently, barely loud enough for Sarada to hear. He released his grip on his friend's arm and sighed heavily. "But yeah, I think you're right. I remember when everyone in the village couldn't wait to see his match at the Chunin Exams, how girls swooned over him and how guys wished to be as cool as him. Now he's just someone that people want to stay clear of. I don't care if he does 'protect' this village now, what he did back then can't be forgotten as easily as it was."

Sarada took a small step closer to the bar so she could hear the two men better, still clutching the snowglobe. A couple of people cut in line, taking over her spot. The girl couldn't care less at the moment as she concentrated her attention onto the conversation. It was almost as if she could feel their sorrowful stares burning into her back.

"I wonder if she knows about her father. A lot of people won't tell their kids detailed events from the previous war or things such as the Uchiha clan massacre until they're around the age of sixteen. At the library most of the history books have been roped off into a separate section because of that fact. I and others believe it's also because they didn't want kids that Uchiha's age avoiding her or something. Her and her mother don't deserve to suffer for Uchiha Sasuke's wrongdoings. I sometimes wonder if he threatened his wife so she had no choice but to marry him."

"Hm, I dunno. I'm positive the Hokage would know if something like that happened though."

"True..."

Sarada did not hear the next part of the men's conversation. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. What in the world were they talking about?! "D-Does this have to do with anything involving why Tou-chan won't tell me much? He was on different missions for years at a time. Did something happen on one of them? What could Tou-chan have done to anger the entire village?"

"I know it's been a while since everything happened but I just can't get over it, especially after all the stories I've heard. Claiming that he'll murder everyone living in this village, then saying he'll become Hokage and 'save' the shinobi world or something like that. Heck, he planned to start doing that by killing all of the Kage."

Sarada's hands became extremely unsteady as they continued.

"I feel the same way about the entire situation. I can't let it go either. You know, I heard that he had a few confrontations with his team besides the war. In one, he tried to kill all of them including his wife more than once. I'm not sure if it's true, but I heard she tried to kill him a couple times as well that same day and couldn't do it."

Crash!

All heads turned in the same direction as the shattering sound filled the area. Everyone stared at the now busted snowglobe pieces settling on the ground, wondering what had happened.

Sarada was gone in an instant after dropping the knickknack on the ground. Her task of retrieving an item for her mother had drifted to the very back of her conflicted mind. The girl slid down the wall of a dark alley after coming to a stop, her mouth hanging open in horror. "That was my parents they were talking about... No, it can't be true. It doesn't make sense. It just can't be. They would have never tried to kill each other, ever." The thoughts of Sasuke continually dodging questions about his past contradicted her first presumptions. "Did he really threaten to slaughter the entire village and take over the shinobi world?" She honestly felt like crying at first. She silently yelled at herself not to be so gullible. "I don't know at all if what they were saying was true. They must have been really drunk. Yeah, that's it. None of that could possibly be true, right?" she tried to reassure herself. The young kunoichi shakily stood up and regained her composure, beginning her trek towards the Uchiha Manor.

Boruto read the question for the fifth time, checking the answer he'd scribbled onto the paper once more. He wanted to make absolutely sure that every answer was correct or at least seemed like it. He placed the paper on the table and rubbed both of his eyes tiredly. He leaned back in the chair and took a glance at his father, which morphed into a curious stare. He noticed that Naruto appeared to be tense, frustrated even, ever since he'd come home. "Maybe he had a bad day at the office. I'll just finish checking these last couple of problems and then I can get out of his hair."

Naruto looked at the wall opposite him with a deep frown, brow creased. He would get a chance to exam the evidence the Anbu had collected tomorrow and he was more than anxious to get his hands on the items. His chances of achieving a good nights sleep steadily decreased the more he thought and the more paranoid he became. Heck, someone might be watching them at that very moment. "If we can't discover any big clue tomorrow then I need to take precautions. Boruto will be fine under my watch. No way am I gonna tell Hinata and let her worry. I don't want to explain any of this to Sasuke or Sakura either. I regularly have people checking up on Mitsuki since he lives alone. I don't even know what exactly to do," he argued in his head. He sighed heavily and placed both hands on his face, groaning.

"Here ya go!" Boruto said, making the elder Uzumaki turn in surprise. He hadn't noticed his son because of the issue plaguing his mind.

The Hokage forced a grin onto his lips and took the test from Boruto's hand, scanning a few of his answers. "Looks pretty good to me. I can get your grade back after I come home tomorrow."

The younger male claimed a spot on the couch beside the Nanadaime. "Okay, I'll wait until then. Everything all right?"

"Uh," Naruto began, scratching his head, "yeah. I'm just a little stressed at the moment because of something that happened at work. Nothing to worry about. In fact, nothing serious at all!"

Boruto cast a strange look at Naruto. "If it's not very serious then why are you stressed?"

Naruto gulped. He wasn't very good when under pressure. "I-I better get to bed! Long day ya know! I'm about to pass out!" He jumped up and strode to the stairs, taking two at a time. "Don't stay up too late!" Naruto said before disappearing into the hallway.

Boruto kept his weird expression and stared at the place where his father had vanished. "Well that was odd. Maybe I should do some snooping. He's definitely hiding something. Ah, I'm too lazy tonight. It can be delayed." The boy flopped back and accidentally kicked something at the edge of the couch's leg. He huffed and rolled off the furniture, looking at the bag he had knocked over. Some of its contents had spilled out of the opening. Boruto crawled over to it, ready to fix it, then he froze. One of the things poking out of the hole was what appeared to be a file with his picture. He slowly tugged it out of the bag and peered at the photo. "Hm, looks like one I took while I was at the Academy." He peered around on the front to discover that his suspicions were proven to be true. "Why does Tou-chan have a copy of my Academy records?" he pondered. Boruto opened the file and saw copies of the tests he had taken while at the Academy. "None of the ones I've retaken are in here." The Uzumaki flipped through the pile of papers and cringed at the discipline report. He put that to the side and found the final paper in the stack, a slightly different color than the rest. It was his average, the failing one. He decided to take a peek at it and see how far he was from passing. Boruto gasped and brought the paper closer to his eyes. "What the-? This is clearly a passing grade. It says I passed all my tests! Barely, but still! Why did Tou-chan tell me I failed then?"

Boruto didn't know how to feel about this discovery. He double checked everything on the paper to make sure he wasn't mistaken. "So... he lied to me? Why would he do that about something like this though? Is that what he's hiding?" The boy shifted his gaze to the top of the stairs once more. "Okay, fine. I'll keep taking these tests until I find out what's up. I thought he'd stopped lying to me but I guess I was wrong." Boruto shoved the stack of papers back into the file and into Naruto's bag. He stayed stationary at his spot with his back against the couch. He stared at the floor with a frown, pondering over the situation. He was still torn over how he should feel.

Author's Note: Don't really know what to say so I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the support! Please review!