Implausible Tales chapter 11
Two kunai in hand and his black hooded cape whipping violently in the wind, Naruto trudged towards the new location that popped up. It had been so long since a new one arose. Years even. He wasn't completely sure as his sense of time was completely gone. He had definitely been here for years though. So many years.
Every single day he awoke and trained until he could no longer walk. He discovered new abilities he wasn't aware of from receiving the power of the sage during the war. Stuff of legends that he could now control to at least a basic sense. Every elemental affiliation, most of the sub elements and even, to some extent, wood release. None of it mattered as he lacked the necessary jutsu to perform anything with them. At the very least he could make a tree sprout and spew lava from his mouth, but other than that he was stuck with the same old techniques of his shadow clones and his Rasengan. It was a lot easier to funnel chakra into his prized technique however.
What's worse, he soon realized sage mode is out of reach in this world. He couldn't gather any nature chakra because there is no nature chakra here. Throughout all these years, he came to realize how lax things had been in the aftermath of the war. Without the need to evolve, he wasn't getting stronger. That's why Zetsu brought him here. That's why he placed a newer, tougher threat every now and then.
When he was awake, he was training, when he was hungry, he hunted, and when he was tired, he slept. Those were his only three tasks now. The only three objectives he's had in so long. When he explored all there was to explore, that was all he was left with.
Now, two new locations had arrived. The first was a massive mountain that was split at the very tip, just in front of the lowest sun. The second location was a barren field of some kind of black stone. For some reason, he was compelled to head there first. It was a pulling sensation that hit him as soon as it arrived. Also, from this distance, it seemed as though the black liquid was spreading, as though it was being made right now.
Pulling his feet through the soft sand, he could see the edge of the black stoned location a few yards away and true to his further perspective, it was spreading. Like a billion tiny spiders crawling across the ground, the edge of the black stone continued to expand until it completely solidified. He wasn't sure what it was he should be expecting, but he's been here so long, he was praying for the best, which in this case was also the worst.
When he made it, he paused at the edge. Looking around, there didn't seem to be anything completely out of the ordinary as of yet, but he remained cautious. Stepping onto the stone slowly, he began treading over the black surface and was surprised when he looked down to see it rippling, like water. Stopping a few feet later, he heard something behind him.
When he turned around, the visage of Obito stood at the edge of the sand, just staring at him. He looked him in the eye for a few seconds before peeking over his shoulder to see Madara. Hearing more footsteps from behind him again, he turned.
This one he knew was not a hallucination. Zetsu walked towards him slowly before stopping a few yards away. "Your time is up, Uzumaki." He said opening his eyes displaying the menacing eyes Naruto has seen in his past. The hybrid Sharingan and Rinnegan appearing on his forehead and the blank white eyes of the Byakugan peering into him. "I hope you haven't wasted it." He warned ominously.
Without a single word for the man, Naruto rushed forward, throwing his fist forward. Zetsu blocked it with his forearm and grabbed his other one before he could even swing it.
"You seem ready. That's good. But, I want to fight you at your best." He said as a white hand popped out of his stomach, ramming its fingers into Naruto's abdomen.
Naruto grunted and hopped back when Zetsu released him.
"Kid! Kid!? Can you hear me!?"
'Yeah, yeah I can.' Naruto responded. 'Glad your back.'
"How long has it been?"
'Four years, I'm assuming.' Naruto replied, staring across at Zetsu.
"So, it's finally time…" Kurama replied hollowly. "Let's give him hell kid." He growled out, funneling his chakra into Naruto's system.
His body erupted in that bright yellow flame pattern with his whisker marks darkening and his hooded cape replacing the chakra formed high collar cloak from the war. His eyes shifted into that unique pattern of his and four black orbs popped off the pattern of his cape, surrounding his back.
"You have your toys back." Zetsu said lowly. "You've been training for what probably felt like a lifetime, all for this moment… You're here now… What are you going to do with all that power?" As he spoke, every creature Naruto has come in contact with while in this world began surrounding them. The wolves, the snake, and even the panther which he had thought he killed. Along with those, more humanoid looking creatures of a variety of shapes and sizes rose from the black ground below.
Hanabi and Himawari walked into the suite to see it empty. Their appointment ran longer than expected, so they assumed they would be late for dinner. But, it didn't seem like anyone was home. "Hello!" Himawari called out eagerly, excited to show off her freshly sculpted nails to her mother.
"I don't think anyone's home, bunny." Hanabi said, looking around curiously. She headed towards the kitchen, stopping when she noticed that the balcony door was open. Walking out, her father stood there staring at the last sliver of sunlight that casted its glow across his face. "Father." she said standing next to him.
Hiashi nodded her way and looked back out to the horizon. "Hanabi. How was it?" he asked curiously.
She thought it over for a moment. "It wa-.."
"Grandpa!" yelled Himawari, sprinting out the door, finally locating someone she could show her nails off to. "We got our nails done!" she yelled happily as she was scooped up in his arms.
"Oh, I see that. They are very lovely." He appraised with a nod.
Himawari smiled in excitement, glad to hear his approval. "I got them purple. That's my mommy's favorite color." She said in a knowing tone.
"Of course it is. What's your favorite color?" he asked kicking off the never ending string of descriptions Himawari had for the colors and why she liked each one.
Hanabi smiled from the side, watching her babble on and on about the child friendly topic. Slowly, her eyes caught sight of a flash of light in the distance. The far distance, near the edge of the village. At the foot of the man-made lake. She tilted her head curiously. It would be too far for her Byakugan to see, but something was drawing her attention there.
"Hey, father? I'll be back in a bit." She said cutting into their conversation.
Himawari gave her a curious look. "Where are you going?" she asked.
Hanabi rubbed her back. "I'm just gonna go do some grown up stuff." She said in a teasing tone, making the little girl pout. Hiashi gave her a strange look, knowing something was wrong. Hanabi simply nodded at him as she headed back into the apartment.
With her gone, Himawari went right back into her childish bantering about their adventure. Hiashi somewhat zoned out as he looked around. Slowly, his eyes traveled over towards the lake. They lingered there for a second before his attention was called back to his grandchild.
-Cliff overlooking Kiri-
"So, you and Uncle Sasuke sealed her away?" Boruto asked curiously as he walked next to his dad upon a cliff overlooking the whole village. Naruto and he had left the Mizukage's office a while ago and opted to go for a walk. With the direction the conversation took with Chojuro, their conversation was now on the amazing tale of the three day war, more specifically the role Naruto played in it.
Boruto had his opening to bring the subject up when there were literally groups of young shinobi waiting outside the Mizukage's building wanting to meet their hero. His question was as blatant as it appeared in his mind. 'What are you so famous for?'
"Yeah." Naruto answered reminiscently. "Well, your Aunt Sakura was a big help. As well as Kakashi-sensei."
Boruto nodded in silent contemplation. "But… why did you two fight?" He couldn't understand the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke yet. It was strange for him to hear about.
Naruto smiled. "Because… that's how we understand each other." He said as they came to a stop and turned towards the village. "It was once said a long time ago that when two skilled fighters who are on equal grounds face off in battle… they can read each other's hearts without saying a single word."
Boruto's eyes were on the village, but his ears were listening intently. "Is that true?"
Naruto smiled and rubbed his head. "It's very true." He said. "You'll understand one day." With that said, they fell back into silence, just listening to the wind and the lively nature of the village.
With the validation of the things he did, Boruto felt a bit more content with who his childhood hero turned out to be. With mostly all of his questions answered, there was still one that was eating at the back of his mind. It weighed his heart down to even say it in his head and before he knew it, his eyes were tearing up. "Where were you?" Boruto's question cut through the silence like a kunai through a throat. Naruto blinked in confusion and looked down to him. Boruto's eyes were hidden beneath his hair as he held his head down. "Where have you been?"
The silence ate up whatever moment they were having prior to Menma's outburst. Naruto was at a loss of words. When he was younger, that question, in its present tense, was a reoccurring plea he held for parents that he didn't even know. In a way, he wanted to say he understood, but he didn't. His dad never came back. His dad had an excuse for being gone forever. He didn't have an excuse for not being fast enough.
Naruto shut his eyes with a sigh. When he opened them again, he stared up to the sky. The beautiful night sky filled with a million stars that danced within the light of the full moon. "The stars are so cool…" he said drawing Boruto's attention.
He looked up to him with his visage slowly morphing into an angry scowl, thinking he was blowing his question off. Before he could explode in anger and demand the answers he was looking for Naruto continued.
"There weren't any stars where I've been." Boruto's features visibly softened. "I've got another long story for you…" he said plopping down on his butt, gesturing for Boruto to do the same. "I didn't run off Boruto… I would never run off." From there, he began his tale yet again, this time finding it a lot more endearing.
By the end of it, Boruto understood completely. So he never up and left, he was simply taken. That was something forgivable. He was essentially a kidnap victim to someone way more powerful. The story itself sounded a lot like all the other tales he's heard, which of course by now he was expecting. He didn't go into too much detail about what happened when the four years of training were up, but it was enough tension to lead Boruto to believe it wasn't fun.
"The whole time there… Boruto, I never stopped thinking of you and your mom." He said softly.
Boruto's eyes were on the blades of grass between his legs. "What about Himawari?" he asked innocently.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "w-Well, Himawari was uh… she was c-conceived.. on the night I was taken… so I didn't even know about her." He said awkwardly.
"She was conceived?" He asked curiously. "Well, what does that mean?"
Naruto choked on his own spit trying to think of a way to explain that to him. "u-Uh, It's uh… Well, it's like when… a man and a woman.. who love each other very mu-.. How bout I tell you when you're older?" he asked receiving a shrug from the confused boy. From there, they sat in silence for a few seconds.
Then, again killing the silence with a heart panging proclamation Boruto spoke up. "I'm sorry I hated you." Naruto didn't say anything. Instead, he placed his hand on the ground between the two and to the shock of Boruto, a small tree began to grow before his eyes. When it got to a fairly acceptable height, an apple sprouted from it. Naruto plucked it off and handed it to him with a smile.
Walking back towards the hotel, Naruto waved at all of the night life adventurers of Kiri that called out to him in excitement. Boruto waved at them as well, feeling comfort from the bandaged arm of his dad draped around his shoulders. "Hey dad?"
Naruto looked down at him. "Hmm?"
"Do you think you can train me when we get home?" he asked curiously.
Naruto seemed confused. "You're still in the academy aren't you?" he asked curiously.
"Well, yeah but… all of my friends are already training… Like Sarada and Metal… That's why they're so much better than me."
Naruto was taken back. Of course he realized he was talking about the taijutsu tournament they had on father's day, but he thought he did great. "What? Come on Bolt, you're right up there with them." He said in shock.
He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I want to be as strong as you one day."
Naruto smiled and stopped him. He turned him so they were face to face. "You will be. You'll be so much stronger than I am one day."
"But, you're like the strongest shinobi to ever live." He said, restating the halfhearted statement said by Chojuro just a while ago.
Naruto smiled and rubbed his head. "There have been plenty of people stronger than me." He said as they continued on.
"Like who?" he asked curiously.
Naruto thought about it longer than he thought he'd have to. "Uh… well, like your grandpa."
"Grandpa is stronger than you?" Boruto asked in shock.
Naruto quickly realized he meant Hiashi. "u-Uh… yeah. Yeah sure, but I was talking about your other grandpa.. my dad." He said.
"Oh… the thhh-.."
"Fourth Hokage." Naruto said with a chuckle.
"Kakashi says you're way stronger than the fourth though. He said you were the strongest person he knows."
"Well, there's your uncle Sasuke too." He said trying to maintain some humbleness in the face of praise from the one person he didn't mind getting it from.
Boruto seemed astonished. "What? You're way stronger than Sasuke-sensei. You could have beat him and Aunt Sakura by yourself. You just didn't want to hurt them like you did Metal Lee's dad."
Naruto was actually very impressed. That was fairly close to the reason. It was more towards him not wanting to cause too much damage. Of course Sakura ended up doing enough for the lot of them. Boruto was very perceptive for a kid his age. "Yeah I guess so buddy. Well, hey about that training. How about when we get home w-…" he stopped and looked further down the road. Boruto wondered what happened until he saw a young woman they didn't know running down the street screaming his name.
"Mr. Uzumaki! There's trouble!" she yelled, completely out of breath. Naruto and Boruto began jogging over to her, trying to get the details. When they heard 'Your wife' no more words were needed.
"Please, take care of my son!" he demanded over the protests of the smaller blonde boy yelling out to him. He jumped away and took to the rooftops, his sage mode fully active and searching for everything, anything… one thing in particular.
Naruto was in complete panic mode as he extended his field of range, trying desperately to locate Hinata's chakra. It was nowhere to be seen, but he could feel Hanabi's along with someone else. Whoever it was had a very familiar chakra signature. Almost too familiar.
"Naruto. Be careful. I remember this chakra." Kurama warned within his head.
'So do I! Whose is it?" he asked, hoping maybe Kurama knew.
The beast grumbled lowly. "I don't know. It's distorted somehow."
'I can't feel Hinata!' he demanded, hoping Kurama could. To his horror, he remained silent. As they drew closer, another signature appeared, this one belonging to Hiashi without a doubt. They were now close enough to hear the sounds of the raging battle. "Rotation!" With that loud swirl of violently turning chakra, he finally broke through the trees and landed on the rearranged battle site.
Only three people remained. Two considering one of them was no longer breathing. Naruto landed and stared across at Hiashi and a hysterically crying Hanabi who was cradling the reason for his tightening chest.
"Hinata!" Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed to her side, frantically demanding answers. "What happened!? Wha-… Hinata!" The group of shinobi were all in an uproar by the time a group of medical shinobi dropped down from the trees along with their Mizukage.
Naruto was cupping her face in his hand, trying to shake her awake, praying she was just out cold. "Baby-baby, look at me! Hinata! Look at me!" With his sage mode activated, he stared at her body within his hands, but he refused to notice the fact that he couldn't feel her chakra. He noticed, he just refused to believe it. One of the medics plopped down on the other side of him, her hands glowing green as she tried to do what she could.
Naruto watched her with tears already falling down his face. The young doctor removed her shaking hands and remorsefully shut her eyes. Naruto still wouldn't accept that. "n-… No.." he gently laid her down on the ground and placed his own hands on her chest as if he were going to give her CPR. His body erupted into the bright yellow flames of his chakra cloak and carried over, flooding Hinata with a red hue as well. "No-no! No! Hinata!" he yelled as he began pumping her chest gently. "Come on… Come oon!"
The others watched in a mixture of shock and sadness, never imagining seeing someone like Naruto Uzumaki breaking down in such a way.
To their shock, the pattern on his back came to life and six black orbs popped out. One of them flew around in front of him and he grabbed it. When he did, it glowed a very bright white light and he thrusted into her body. Silence enveloped the area as Naruto pleadingly stared down at her body, as if he were expecting her to spring back to life. When she didn't, he broke down.
"Hinata! Please wake up!" the cracking of his voice making his pleas all the more heartbreaking, Hiashi stepped forward.
He placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. Naruto shrugged it away and continued pumping her chest over and over again, begging any and everything to bring her back. "Hinata! Hina-… Argh!" he yelled leaning down and placing his forehead onto hers. He turned his head so that her mouth was by his ear, trying to hear something that would tell him she was still here, but all he heard was silence.
"Mom?" A little quivering voice called out, drawing everyone's attention. Boruto came up slowly, not paying any mind to the eyes of the people on him. He was staring at his mother's hand that was far too motionless to belong to her. He took a timid step forward before he hit his knees on the other side of his father. He didn't even care to see how heartbroken the man was at the moment. His attention was held by one very pale face.
"Hiashi… Who was this?" Naruto asked, finally gaining some composure while in the face of one of his children. The Hyuga clan head seemed as though he were going to tell him to wait, but Naruto had no patients for that at the moment. "Who WAS it!?" he yelled out, his chakra flaring up dangerously, shocking everyone by its malevolent vibe. Even Boruto fell back in shock, now seeing the anger bubbling in Naruto's eyes as he stared down at the body of his wife.
Hiashi held his jaw shut and stared at the scene in sorrow. "It was Madara…" when that name left his mouth, a shiver ran down every single person's spine except for Boruto who wasn't aware of the severity or why it was so appalling. "He's alive…"
Naruto's unrivaled anger was replaced with pure shock and utter sorrow. That means that dream two days ago… it wasn't a dream. It was a warning.
"He came for you…"
With that statement hanging in the air, the area fell silent, no one daring to say anything. As he always did, Boruto cut through that silence with an incredulous question that stopped Naruto's heart cold. "h-… He came for you?" The quivering of the words making it all the more tear-jerking. Naruto's chakra cloak dispersed and his body went limp as he sat back on his heels, staring at Hinata.
Hanabi, who had finally gained control of herself came up behind the boy to help. "Boru-.."
"No!" he yelled pushing her hand away. He scrambled to his feet and pushed Naruto back and away from Hinata. "Get away from her!" He laid his body over hers protectively as he hugged onto her for what would most likely be the last time. The other's watched in shock at the hysterical crying of this ten year old child.
Boruto was shaking his mom's shoulders violently, begging her to open her eyes or say something to him. She did not. She remained there, lifeless as she had been. He shut his eyes tightly, crying against her chest until he heard footsteps, much lighter than any he was expecting. Opening his eyes, a red-faced Himawari plopped down adjacent to him, claiming her father's previous spot. She put her hand on Hinata's cheek for a second and in a moment of sheer childish innocence, she removed her necklace and placed it on her mother's stomach. "This will make her feel better Boruto."
Her own trembling lip didn't uphold the thought that she didn't understand however, and soon after tears began falling. Her silent tears grew until she was fully crying. She got to her feet and wiped her tears on the way to her aunts awaiting embrace.
Naruto had not moved from his spot since he was pushed by Boruto. All the same, Boruto's crying did not lighten. He scrambled to his feet again and leaped his mother's body. In a moment that shocked everybody, his fist connected with Naruto's cheek. Of course it did little else than bounce off, but the implication of it was a lot more painful for the blonde hero and a lot more shocking for the others.
Naruto didn't even seem as though he noticed he was hit. His eyes were still staring at the lifeless face of his wife, completely ignoring the anger filled gaze of his son directly in front of him. Boruto's tears continued and when he noticed he was ignored, he hit him again.. and again and again until his arms were captured by his grandfather, but he fought nonetheless trying to get out of his grasp, spewing words of pure hatred at the man still sitting on the ground.
"I HATE you! I… I HATE YOU! Why couldn't you just stay DEAD!?" He yelled out trying to kick whatever was around at him as he flailed around violently. "I WISH YOU NEVER CAME BACK! I HATE YOU! I WANT MY MOM! You should have died! Not her! Not her…" His string of heart puncturing insults grew dimmer and dimmer the further he was led away from the group, but the weight of the words clung to Naruto like glue. A broken heart was grinded to dust on this night, and the Mizukage and his medical staff were there to witness it.
-Konoha-
Through the new found technology, the news of Hinata Uzumaki's death made it home a few days ago. The outbursts were all expected reactions. Utter sadness for their fallen village heroine from those who didn't know her personally, and outraged demands for answers from those who did. As if the heavens felt the dread of the unwelcome situation, the sky greyed with a small drizzle of rain silently falling upon them all as they remained piled at the gate all adorning black attire in preparation for the immediate funeral that was already set up. Today was the day they were to return and the entire village was there to give their support.
The Hokage and his band of legendary rookies all at the forefront, completely silent. All that had to be said was finished. They were aware of what happened and they all had a collective idea of what their heartbroken friend was probably going through. They were just awaiting his return.
Sasuke stood next Sakura who was well into tears as were most of the others, the teary-eyed Sarada settled in front of them, sharing the remorse her mother felt. He didn't show it, but he could feel that pain Naruto was feeling. Even from the distance they were at, he could feel it. When the news of what happened and who was responsible reached him, he had immediately planned on going out to find his fellow clansmen. He was stopped by his wife who reminded him Naruto would need him here when he returned. That anger hasn't left him though.
As for Sakura, the tears wouldn't stop. Hinata was one of her best friends and now she's just gone. She almost felt to blame in a way, irrationally remarking to herself that if she and Sasuke had won that tournament again, this would have never happened. It was a selfish attempt at placing the blame on herself for no particular reason. The thought of how it would affect Naruto and the kids keeping her grounded in reality.
Sarada was mournful with this being the first time someone truly close to her died in which she could understand. They weren't necessarily close, but the fact that she knew her is what did it. The last time she was put in this position is when her mother's sensei died when she was younger. Back then, she didn't understand what death was and why her mother was crying. Now, just thinking of how heartbroken Boruto must be was enough to make her tear up.
The wait was so tantalizingly slow that she almost wanted to just run out there and find them. Looking around, she could see pretty much the rest of her classmates including Chocho, Shikadai, Metal, and Inojin standing along with their parents, most of whom were in tears. The entire village was here to greet the party.
She looked up when she felt her father's lone hand gently place itself on her shoulder. He was staring out to the road, drawing her attention there as well. Sure enough, there they were. The party of Hyuga clansmen carrying that white casket, a few Kiri shinobi around the group apparently escorting them back.
With them just a few yards away, the villagers split off to the sides, making a path for them to go through when they arrived. Still, no one said a word. The light rain was the only sound present. When they were in range, behind the casket was the crying family of Hinata Hyuga. Hiashi carrying Himawari whose face was tucked into the crook of his neck and Hanabi with her hand on Boruto's back, nudging him along. Behind them was the very sad looking Naruto walking silently alongside the Mizukage and his wife. His hands in his pockets and his eyes on the ground directly before his every step.
When they reached the crowd of awaiting villagers, their stride was not impeded by anyone and Naruto refused to lift his head. They walked and walked through that split sea of black gowned individuals all the way towards the gravesite. When they made it, her casket was laid to rest next to that of her cousins, Neji Hyuga. A new addition to the gravesite of heroes.
That night, Hanabi took the kids home, allowing Naruto some extra time at the gravesite. All day, he had been answering the questions of his friends as best he could. All the same, 'what happened?', 'how is Madara still alive?', 'what are we gonna do?' He answered them all systematically, finding the answers of any of that to be unexplainable. He didn't know what happened exactly. He couldn't even begin to guess at how the man was still alive. He didn't know what to do. He had no idea what to do anymore.
His world was gone now. The world he had fought so hard to make it back to was shattered into a million pieces by the man that had almost succeeded in doing so the first time. His mind again traveled back to the words of that wise old man all those years ago. How much more could life throw his way? He lost everything seven years ago, unsure if he was going to ever get it back, yet he did. And now it was gone for good.
He stood at the foot of that freshly filled grave with the new name resting at its head. His wife's name chiseled within it. The rain continued to pour, much more viciously now. Through all of it, that one presence remained, lingering far longer than any of the others could. Breathing in and out slowly, Naruto dropped down to his knees. From behind, his shoulders began to quake vehemently until hysterical crying escaped his muffled throat.
The pitter patter of footsteps behind him did not alarm him. The footsteps stopped right next to him and a hand touched his shoulder. No words were said, but he heard the man clearly. "i-… I couldn't save her Sasuke…" he spit out painfully. "All this…" he slapped himself in the face, harder and harder. "-FUCKING strength and I couldn't protect her!"
Sasuke didn't say a word. Instead, he watched as Naruto seemingly calmed down. He shut his eyes and seemed to steady his breathing. His face contorted painfully and when he reopened his eyes, he broke down again. The two remained there for about an hour until Sasuke decided to take Naruto home.
Laying in his bed alone for the first time, Naruto stared up at the wood of his ceiling. His chest aching painfully and his mind wandering in places he had never tread before. The week's events were haunting him already. If he had just heeded the warning then she'd still be here. She'd be right next to him right now. His bandaged hand fell flat on her side of the bed.
He was heartbroken and afraid. A son that hates his guts once again, a daughter that can't look at him without crying and those goddamned looks of remorse from the villagers. Those empty threats from his friends to fix the problem. He couldn't take it.
Rolling out of bed, he threw his clothes back on and grabbed his kunai pouch. Stepping out of his room, he walked down the hall silently, not the faintest of sounds to his movements. He creaked open the door to his daughters room. There she was laying in her bed, her face still stained red from the tears shed a few hours ago. In the light of the moonlight, he watched one shining droplet roll down her cheek, enlightening him to what it was she may be dreaming of.
He walked in and squatted down next to her bed. Gently, his bandaged hand stroked her hair while his other wiped the tear from her cheek. She nuzzled into the touch but remained fast asleep. With a heavy heart, Naruto leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently.
Leaving her room, he made his way to the next one. Opening the door, Boruto was facing the wall, curled up into a fetal position with the blankets pulled tightly over his body. Naruto walked closer to him nonetheless and stopped seeing a picture of Hinata from the living room sitting on his desk. He shut his eyes in an attempt to hold back those teary eyes. With a quaking sigh, he leaned over and gently rubbed his hair for only a second. "I'm so sorry buddy…" he whispered gently. On his way out, he didn't see the boy flip over and watch him leave.
Heading down the stairs, he made it to the living room to see Hanabi asleep on the couch, her face just as red as Himawari's. He felt much better knowing she was here for them if anything happened. He looked around the house for what felt like the last time. Having enough, he silently opened the door and left. On his way through the garden, he stopped seeing something that caught his eye. In the trash bin by the street was that black and red jacket he had bought for Boruto.
Pulling it out gently, he weighed it in his hands momentarily before continuing on. Unaware of the eyes watching him from the second floor of his home. He silently left the village, alerting no one. This was something he had to do alone.
