Chapter 12:
Boruto walked beside Neji through the bizarre fields and forests of this world. Even stranger beasts came nearby, forcing Boruto to retreat closer to Neji. Most of the beasts ignored them while some glanced Boruto's way, as if to sense he was not one of them. Boruto knew he didn't belong here and wanted to leave.
High-pitched bird calls sent Boruto reaching for Neji's hand and a flock of odd birds took to the foggy sky. Boruto couldn't tell if there was a sky in this world or not. The sky looked no different from the ground. Light penetrated the fog and another flock of strange birds flew past them. Their feathers sparkled like morning dew on blades of grass.
Boruto flinched when he heard a strange trumpeting sound and clung to Neji's arm, hoping he could mask his presence with Neji's body. He also didn't want to get separated from him in case one of these strange creatures attacked him again. He would be defenseless.
Then he saw what made the strange trumpeting noise and hid himself under Neji's arm. It was the biggest elephant he had ever seen. It was enormous! An adult elephant in the real world would have only come to this creature's knee. It was so big, Boruto couldn't see its head. Only its massive legs and its underside as it stepped over them. Boruto tried to pull Neji off the path to avoid being stepped on but Neji wouldn't budge.
"Don't worry," he told Boruto. "It's fine. We won't be crushed."
The creature stepped over them without a single glance their way and moved on down the path. They watched it go and continued on themselves. Boruto's heart was pounding with excitement. That was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.
"Ah!" Boruto ducked as a flock of fish flew overhead. Fish with wings the color of a rainbow that sent glitter down like sparkling raindrops. "Whoa..!" That was pretty amazing, too.
Then something else caught Boruto's attention and he stood gawking at the field below. A herd of strange animals were frolicking in the field, making a strange sound Boruto had never heard before. They sounded almost like laughing hyenas but these animals had hooves and antlers. Next came a herd of what appeared to be horses which crossed their path and ran into the field and raced away.
"Wow..!"
When these creatures weren't attacking him, they were pretty incredible. These ones weren't hostile at all. They were free and frolicking and amazing.
A herd of horses racing across the field, a pack of wolves chasing each other in play and yipping, birds taking flight, fish swimming in the air with sparkling scales and wings aglow. Boruto had never seen such things before.
"Oh, wow!" Boruto exclaimed, watching the animals below in the field. "Did you see that? Did you see that, Da-?"
He froze.
Neji looked down at him. Boruto loosened his grip and slipped his hand out of Neji's, turning away.
"Boruto..."
"Just shut up." Boruto took the lead, though he had no idea where he was going.
Neji went after him and pulled him down the right path. He pulled on Boruto's arm. "This way-"
Boruto ripped his arm free and glared at Neji. "Leave me alone! You don't know about it!"
Neji pulled back.
"You don't know what it's like!" Boruto snapped. "You don't know about me! What it's like..!"
His chest felt tight again. Boruto couldn't keep his emotions in check. He was angry and sad and afraid and worried and lonely.
"You..." Boruto squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears from escaping. "You don't know what it's like! Having a father who's never around!"
Neji allowed his emotions to get the best of him as well. "At least your father's alive!"
Boruto opened his eyes and looked at Neji. He looked hurt. He looked angry.
"I had a father, so I know what it's like not to have him around. Naruto grew up without parents. So he really knows what it's like to be alone. I'm lucky in the sense that I at least knew my father before he was gone. He died and I missed him so much. Naruto can't say that. He never knew either of them. His mother or father. You, at least, can! You can come home every day to a loving mother and you can see your father at some point. It's not like he's gone."
"But he's never there!"
"He has a whole village to keep safe. It's not all about you. You can't be selfish. Not only does he look out for your home and everyone in it, he's also helping take care of other lands because that's what the Hokage does. You wouldn't have a good home if he didn't do his job. Just because you don't see him doesn't mean he isn't there."
Boruto clenched his fists and his jaw. He felt an overflow of emotions again but he wouldn't let his sadness show. Only his anger.
"Is that why you did this?" Neji asked in a quiet but firm tone. "Did you go on this mission hoping to finally get his attention?"
Boruto's head snapped up, looking at Neji with wide eyes.
Neji kept his face serious but his eyes told Boruto that he understood. He already knew the answer.
"I see."
Boruto had to say something. "I didn't just do it to get his attention! I'm not some little brat!"
"You certainly act like one."
"He doesn't believe I can handle a mission like this!"
"I thought we went over that."
"I thought I could prove myself and get a little credit for once and show him that I'm just as good as he is! That I deserve a more advanced mission! That I'm strong enough to handle it! But instead... Instead he thinks I'm weak. Like I'm some kid who needs protecting or something. That I can't go on a mission like he does."
Neji listened and watched Boruto refuse to show his sadness. He only let his anger show through, but Neji could see there was more. Hearing Boruto speak the way he did, using those words and that tone, Neji understood.
"You want him to accompany you on a mission."
Boruto gasped softly, looking into Neji's eyes.
"I see. So that's part of your reason for doing this. You thought that if he saw you go on an advanced mission, that he could trust you with more advanced ones in the future. Ones he might go on. You wanted to go on a mission with your father in order to spend more time with him and show off your skills."
Boruto wouldn't let a single tear show. He wouldn't. He couldn't.
Neji was right. Back in the Hokage office, Boruto insisted on the mission no matter how many times Naruto refused to assign it to him. It wasn't just to wear him down into giving him the mission. Part of him wanted to persuade his father into coming along. He could picture it in his head, hearing his father tell him how dangerous it would be and that he had to come along to help him out. That's what he wanted to hear.
It wasn't just about being taken seriously. He also wanted to spend more time with his father.
The way he saw it, Naruto would have to come along with him on this mission if it was really that advanced, or Boruto to complete the mission and his father would be so impressed, he would assign more advanced missions to him that the two of them could go on together. No matter how he looked at it, he would get his way.
Once again, that was childish thinking. That wasn't really how it would have worked. Boruto didn't see the big picture and he chose to ignore the danger. He only saw a positive outcome and none of the negatives.
"Boruto..." Neji bent down to look into his face. From this position, Neji was looking up at him. "This is a childish way to get your father's attention. And it's dangerous. This isn't the way. You're doing more harm than good."
He could see that now. Him going on this mission, making those mistakes, it was all making things worse. Now he could see where he had gone wrong without having to be told.
If only he had let someone else have that mission, they would have gone and stopped the thieves before things escalated. By going on this mission himself, he got hurt, he lost his money, he lost his bag and all his supplies, injured an innocent man and even put the prince in danger. If Boruto had let someone else take the mission, the thieves would have been stopped long before they came to this land and were able to threaten the prince. The prince would have never been in danger if it weren't for him.
What was he thinking?
Neji took Boruto's hand, getting his attention. "It's ok."
Boruto was frowning but he wouldn't cry.
"You were resourceful and you had some good intentions. And you did well in protecting the prince. With your determination, good heart and a little more experience, you'll do fine. You're well on your way to becoming a great ninja."
"But I-"
"Everyone makes mistakes. That's part of experience. Now you know better for the future. I messed up in the past, too. I wasn't as strong as I thought I was. Naruto helped me see that."
"He did? How?"
"A combination of his words, his friendship and kicking my ass during the Chunin Exams. But I'm fine with that. He helped make me a better person and a better ninja because I was a better person."
Was his father really as great as everyone said? Boruto knew he was great. He knew it, but his bitterness for not spending more time with his father made him think he wasn't that great. Maybe it was out of anger. Maybe there was some resentment.
"Naruto might be an idiot, but he has a good heart and as it turns out, he does know what he's doing. His heart's in the right place." Neji stood up, still holding Boruto's hand. "Come on. We're almost there."
"What the..?" Naruto saw a man through the trees, trying to get off the path. "Is that one of them?" he asked Ryosuke.
"Yeah. He must be trying to escape again." Ryosuke's eyes were focused on something else. "I'm going ahead."
"Right."
They both sped up down the path. Ryosuke jumped down the hill and landed on the edge of town where the other man was located. The second one had fled into the forest.
"So this blasted forest was haunted all along," said the man in the forest. "I guess there are some nasty surprises waiting for us... So..." He struck a match and used it to set the branch in his hand ablaze. "So I guess the best way to deal with this place is to burn it to the ground. No more forest, no more trouble. Haunted or not, this place has given us enough trouble. It's best done away with as soon as possible."
The man raised his arm to set the trees on fire but something grabbed him from behind and held his arm in place.
"This forest his home to many animals, some of whom are my very good friends. I won't let you burn it down."
As the man turned to see who was speaking, he found a fist in his face. "Unh!"
Naruto released his hand and caught the torch before it could cause any damage.
"Screw the animals!" the man snapped, getting up. "It's not like they're people."
"And why should their lives matter any less?"
The man threw a knife at Naruto's head and got a nasty surprise when Naruto's body changed. It looked like he was cloaked in flames. A long arm blocked the knife's path from Naruto's back and held onto it. Another arm was sent forward and grabbed the man, snatching him off the ground and tossing him to where Ryosuke stood with the other human.
"Settle down, Kurama," Naruto said. "I could have taken him myself without the fancy show."
"I wouldn't mind being a little more involved. It can get pretty boring around here."
The cloak vanished and Naruto walked out of the forest and back onto the path leading into town.
"Rich, though. Saying how animal lives matter."
"They do," said Naruto. "I learned that from these guys and a lot more. They're my friends. I don't care that they're animals. They're pretty cool. That guy was just desperate anyway. Lighting the forest on fire. Please." Naruto tossed the torch into the dirt and stomped it out.
"And yet you still eat pork and chicken and beef and-"
"The foxes eat meat, too. And even they know animal lives matter. Wait a minute, why am I even having this conversation?"
"Just want to give you a hard time."
Naruto approached Ryosuke who stood over the two unconscious men on the ground. At least, they appeared to be that way until Naruto realized they were still awake but unable to move. Ryosuke had used an illusion to make them think they were bound and gagged.
"Hey, Ryosuke?"
"Yes, Naruto?"
"You said you were in the spirit realm before," Naruto said. "What were you doing there anyway?"
"I keep the peace with other spirits and creatures." Ryosuke paused. "But... Tonight, I was paying someone a visit."
"Oh?"
He nodded. "I was visiting Jack."
Naruto hadn't heard Jack's name for a while and hearing Ryosuke say his name made Naruto's heart skip a beat. Remembering Jack made Naruto feel both happy and sad. Being in this place, remembering what happened here many years ago, made Naruto's heart ache.
Jack, the horse that wanted to help his kitsune friends. The horse Naruto met for the first time when he was cursed, changing into a kitsune at night and becoming human again in the day. The one who befriended Naruto and told him how much he wanted to help his friends. The one who died many years ago while trying to do just that. Right here in this very town in front of that very forest below that very mountain.
Jack was dead and Naruto felt it was his fault for letting Jack out of his stall and allowing him to race to the mountain. Ryosuke had convinced him that it wasn't his fault and that he shouldn't think that way. That if Naruto hadn't freed Jack from his stable, he would have stood there and watched the battle rage on while he did nothing.
The first time his kitsune friends were in trouble, he wanted so desperately to help but couldn't being trapped in his stall. He had to beg Naruto to help the kitsune in his stead. The second time they were in danger, Jack begged for Naruto to free him so he wouldn't have to watch it happen while he did nothing. He was ashamed and sad that he wasn't able to help his friends the first time that he had to do something this time. He couldn't call himself their friend if he did nothing while they needed help. Naruto freed him and Jack was killed on his way to save his friends. He died just before reaching the forest.
Remembering that made Naruto's heart ache. He remembered the pain. The sorrow. The guilt.
Ryosuke had told him Jack died doing what he wanted. He was able to leave his stable and try to help his friends. If he had remained in that stable the second time their lives were threatened, he would have been beyond depressed. No amount of consoling would have made Jack feel better. It was something he had to do and Naruto helped him. He wanted to leave his stable and help the kitsune. He wanted to be there for his friends.
In the stable he was helpless, outside it he could do something.
Outside the stable, he saw the mountain at night for the first time and all the stars. He saw the town for the first time. He was able to run as fast as he wanted. He could finally do something.
Then a terrible tragedy.
Naruto wanted to help him. He wanted to help him help them. Because he let him out of that stable, he felt he had caused Jack's death. Ryosuke told him that was not the case. He knew Jack better than Naruto did. He knew if he had lived and been trapped in that stable, he would have been devastated and miserable. Though he died out of that stable, he was finally doing what he always wanted.
Though Naruto understood he wasn't to blame, he was still deeply saddened by what happened.
"Is Jack..?" Naruto struggled for words. "How is he? Is he doing ok?"
Ryosuke could see that Naruto was sad by the loss of a good friend. It effected him.
"He's happy."
A tear rolled down Naruto's cheek.
He was free.
Naruto wiped the tear from his face with a sniffle. "I'm glad."
Letting Jack out of that stable, granting his wish to help his friends was the right choice after all.
"Don't start bawling on me, you big wuss!" Kurama barked.
"I'm not!"
With the thieves defeated, the only thing left was to find Boruto. Actually, there was one final issue. If the thieves were here, where was the prince?
"Hoshi!"
Naruto looked down the street and saw a man running with two guards in tow. A boy came running with his arms outstretched and embraced the man tightly.
"Father!"
The two hugged each other in the street while the guards approached Naruto. They passed him as they went for their real target. They grabbed the two men off the ground and bound their limbs with real ropes and checked their clothing for weapons. Naruto then realized that Ryosuke had disappeared. No matter where he turned, he couldn't find him.
"I'm so glad you're safe, Hoshi." Then the man held his son at arm's length and frowned at him. "What were you thinking? Do you have any idea how worried I was? You weren't in your bed and the guards couldn't find you anywhere. I knew you went to the mountain again but this time was different. Those men caught you instead, didn't they? This is why we stay in the palace! It's too dangerous! What if you had gotten hurt? What if those men had killed you or taken you away? I may never have seen you again. And your mother. What would she have done? Hoshi, you have to think. You can't go running off like that. Something could have happened to you. Thank God it wasn't more serious than this."
Hoshi started crying. "I was scared! Those men grabbed me and they said these awful things and I thought I wasn't gonna see you again! I had someone with me but he fell off the cliff and he didn't come back. I thought he was dead but I looked and couldn't find him anywhere. It's like he disappeared. And then some other things happened and I...!" Hoshi sobbed, wiping his tears away with both hands.
Someone fell off the cliff and vanished. That must have been Boruto. Boruto was with this boy.
The man looked up at Naruto, seeing him staring at them without a word. "And who are you?"
"Uh?" Naruto cleared his throat and answered, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Hokage of the Leaf."
"Naruto?" The man stared at him for a while then his eyes lit up. "Oh, Naruto! I haven't seen you for so long."
Did he know this man?
"Your Majesty," said one of the guards. "What should we do with these men?"
"Majesty?" Then Naruto realized who this man was. "Your the king, aren't you? Akio, right?"
"Yes, I am." It had been so long, Naruto didn't recognize him at first. So many years had passed and Akio was much older. His hair wasn't as long as it was when he was younger but it was slicked back and he was taller. He wasn't as thin as he was the last time they met but that was only because of the addition of muscle. The robes he was wearing were expensive and beautiful, the embroidery shining even in the moonlight.
"Wow, you've really grown. You look so different."
"So do you, Naruto. It's good to see you." The king then turned to his guards. "Stick them in the basement for now. I'll find out where they came from and see how their people want to handle it. Their sacks seem to be full of stolen goods so I'm sure there are a few people who wish to deal with them personally."
"I can get you that information," said Naruto. "They were stealing from a place nearby and the people asked my village for help. My son took this mission on himself but ended up coming here by accident."
"It's fortunate he did. Otherwise, they may have never been caught, coming onto our land the way that they did." Akio looked at his son. "Hoshi, you said there was someone with you. Was it a ninja? Was he young? What did he look like?"
"He had blond hair and he said he was a ninja. That's why I asked him to accompany me to the mountain."
Akio looked back at Naruto. "It seems that I owe your son a great deal of thanks for saving my boy. I'm very grateful he was here. He protected my son." Akio turned back to his child. "But you wouldn't have needed protection or saving if you had stayed in the palace like you were told."
Hoshi sniffled, wiping away the last of his tears. "I just wanted to see the kitsune... The ones that live in the mountain."
Akio sighed. "Still trying to see them..."
"It's not fair that you get to speak with them and I don't. When you meet with them on palace grounds, they always run off before I can speak to them, too. I only saw one once and now every time I get close, they run off and won't let me see them."
Was that why Ryosuke had run off? Was Hoshi the reason he was no longer here? Naruto wondered why Ryosuke had left. He thought it might have been because his job was done or because kitsune weren't allowed in the town and had to leave before he was spotted.
"Hoshi, I've explained this to you already," said Akio gently. "I meet with them exclusively for business reasons. They are not social visits. And besides, I've told you before that the kitsune are frightened of humans. It was only through certain circumstances that one of them agreed to meet with me."
"But I'm sure once they meet me, they'll see how nice I am and want to see me, too. They don't have to be scared of me. And since my father's the king, I figured I'm entitled to see them, too."
"Just because you're the king's son doesn't mean you get special privileges. Not with everything. You can't just wave the prince card around and expect the get your way."
"But why can't I see them?" Hoshi asked. "Why can't they just let me come to the mountain and see them?"
"Because then every human would want to," said a voice.
Hoshi turned and saw something that made his eyes go wide. Ryosuke was standing beside him and the king.
"Humans have tried to kill us in the past which is why we want to keep our distance. Even if you are a kind human, that doesn't mean they are all like that. If they see you visiting us, then the humans who wish us harm with then try to do the same. And you should know that just because you have rules in place to prevent you from doing certain things doesn't mean you will obey."
Hoshi knew Ryosuke was referring to him sneaking out many times though he was forbidden from doing so.
"Also, we are not something to be gawked at by spectators," Ryosuke went on. "If you are allowed to see us, then everyone would want to try. It would cause many problems. No one would leave us alone and nothing would get done. If you are allowed to see us, you may try to show some of your friends where we live and then they will try to show others and so on. Even if you don't show us off, there will be jealous children who would wish to see us as well. This is why we must remain hidden. We are still animals, Young Prince. If we feel threatened or scared, we will leave this place and never return. Do you understand that, Young Prince?"
Hoshi had never thought of it that way. If he kept pursuing the kitsune, they may end up leaving the mountain and the land. He didn't want to kitsune to go away. He didn't want to be responsible for that. It was because of their protection that he was able to be rescued from the thieves and have the town unharmed. He was able to see his father again because of the kitsune. He didn't want to drive them away.
"There are many dangers in the forest and mountain as well. Climbing it is not easy. You could fall and get hurt or killed. If other humans see you trying to climb the mountain, then they will try and they may end up getting hurt, too. It is for your protection and the protection of others. If someone were to find out that you had seen us, then they might try to climb the mountain. They might fall. If that happens, humans would blame us and may try to drive us out of the area. We don't want humans to get hurt and we don't want humans thinking we encouraged a human to do something dangerous. We must protect each other."
Hoshi nodded. "I understand. I didn't mean any harm."
"I know you didn't. But we also have some young kitsune in the mountain as well who attack any human they see because they do not know better. Not until they are older. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. And if other older kitsune see you looking for them, they will think you are hunting them and run away. It is best if you leave us in peace and wait for us to come to you."
Hoshi nodded again. "I can accept that. I'm sorry for the trouble. Please don't go anywhere."
Ryosuke nodded. "As long as you understand that, we will stay. But please do not do anything dangerous like this again. It was a close call with those men. We almost didn't make it in time."
"I know." Hoshi bowed his head to the kitsune. "Thank you for saving me. And thanks for looking out for the town and everyone."
"It is not just me," said Ryosuke. "Your father looks after everyone as well. Including us. You would do well to listen to him."
Naruto had a feeling that Ryosuke wasn't serious about leaving the mountain and never returning if Hoshi kept his search for them. The mountain was too dear to the kitsune for them to leave it so easily. Ryosuke must have been trying to make his point in a way the young prince would understand.
Ryosuke walked away from the prince and the king, returning to Naruto's side. "I had to speak with the boy. He does this so often and this time was serious."
"So that's why you hid. You didn't want him to see you."
"Pretty much. It can be complicated. But you know the highlights, I guess you could say."
"I know enough. I don't need every detail."
Ryosuke grinned. "Now. Let's get your son back to this world."
"Good. How can you do that?"
"The portal can only stay open for a few seconds. It won't remain open for long. As long as he's near where he was when he entered, the opening should be there."
"I see. So as long as you opened the portal near the first place you opened it, it should be in the same area where he is."
"Correct. But if your son wandered, it may take some searching. If he isn't where he was when it was first opened, then I will have to go in and find him. Hopefully he's still there and didn't go too far. If that's the case, then we're fortunate." Ryosuke hesitated before saying, "The spirit realm isn't without its dangers. There are creatures in there that he would do well to stay away from. Another reason to hope he's nearby the opening he first entered."
Naruto swallowed. It seemed no matter what, Boruto was going to be putting himself in danger. Naruto prayed his son was alright. If he wasn't near the opening, things would get more complicated.
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