Chapter 29: A Sudden Departure


"Mitsuki. Your target is in Sector 2B."

"Roger. Sarada, your objective is in A2."

"Boruto, head to 9S."

"Got it."

"Ready? Break!"


"Great success!" Sarada cried as they joined together again, "Ah fresh meat! I haven't had a good meal in what feels like ages!"

"The fish is a real delicacy here in the Land of the Waves." Mitsuki smiled, "What a great opportunity."

"..."

"What's wrong Boruto?" Sarada asked.

"...Why did you send me to the salad bar?" Boruto frowned.

"Because you need to eat your veggies." Sarada said, taking a few lettuce for herself, "Come on now, don't look so glum. This buffet is for you too you know."

"I know." Boruto sighed.

"Come on. I'll give you some of my fish."

"I can afford to share some of my meat as well."

"Having fun there?"

"Ah! Yukikaze!" Sarada grinned, "The food here is great!"

"I'm glad." Yukikaze chuckled, "There hasn't been much reason for this country to celebrate so I'm glad we went all out."

"Are you sure this is okay?" Mitsuki asked, "What about repairing the damages to your village?"

"The Naruto Bridge wasn't destroyed and without the mercenaries scaring merchants away, we should be able to rebuild in no time. Plus, we're putting the captured mercenaries to work repairing everything. We're even forcing them to repair the flooded district."

"Does that include Zato?" Sarada frowned.

"Yeah." Yukikaze nodded, "He, Akuha and Akuka will be employed under the Hyogun as personal bodyguards and ninjas."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mitsuki asked.

"My mom knows how to handle ruffians like them."

"Ruffians huh?"

"What about you, Hanafuda?" Boruto asked, "What's going to happen to you?"

"I'm going to remain a ninja of course." Hanafuda scoffed, "I'm not going to let something like Zato happen again, especially since now we're going to have to work with him. So I'll definitely become stronger. Strong enough that the people won't have to fight anymore."

"That's good." Yukikaze smiled, "You'll need to be stronger if you want to be my bodyguard."

"B-b-b-b-Bodyguard?!"

"Everyone knows my face and identity now so I figured I might need a bodyguard. And after talking it out with my mom we decided that it should be you."

"M-M-Me?!"

"Don't want to?"

"N-No! It's an honor!"

"Good. Then let's both get stronger. I'm not going to stand aside and let something like this happen again either."

"Yes sir!"

"And since you're my bodyguard, make sure to stay close to me at all times."

Hanafuda jumped as Yukikaze wrapped an arm around her shoulder. It was clear that she wanted to push him away but her new duties seemed to already be in conflict with her.

"...Yukikaze."

"Yes?"

"That fox." Boruto said, "The one that gave me the power of Sage Mode."

"Shioi huh?"

"How is she?"

"She's well. Why do you ask?"

"Well Konohamaru...he ended up having to go to Mount Myoboku because he almost turned into a frog. That didn't happen to me so I figured that she might have taken some consequences for me."

"No need to worry about that." Yukikaze replied, "Shioi is a highly trained member of the arctic fox clan so her guidance was top notch. Although some praise must be said of you for being able to attain it in the first place. You didn't even have a contract with her."

"Yeah...say, where is the Hyogun?" Boruto asked.

"She's preparing for a little exhibition match between her and Zato. She said that this duel should be enough to make him fall in line."

"She's going to have a duel with Zato?!"

"Yep."

"Wow. Even after she took out the rest of his army, she's going to fight that guy?" Boruto smiled, "It's a shame but I wanted to thank her for her help. Both the Hyogun and the fox."

"Any debt that you think you have was repaid the moment you defeated Zato." Yukikaze smiled back, "Ah, I know. Hold this for a moment."

Yukikaze held out his tray. Boruto stared at it nervously.

"Umm...Boruto?"

"I can't."

"You can't..."

"Hold...it..."

"...Why?"

"...My hand is full."

"Use your other hand."

"...I can't."

"...Why?"

"..."

"Show us what's wrong with your arm." Sarada said sternly as she grabbed Boruto's other arm and pulled it out of his pocket. In shock, she dropped the blackened and bruised arm.

"So it turns out." Boruto laughed apologetically, "That the standard program and components for the kote's jutsu release cannot handle Natural Energy. So when I hit Zato with ZKS...it kinda exploded."

"You kept this from us for an entire night?"

"Celebrations were getting prepped. I didn't want to ruin it."

Sarada crushed her plate and the food with it, "Sorry Yukikaze. It seems like we have to leave early."

"I understand." Yukikaze laughed.

"Come on." Sarada said as she grabbed Boruto by the arm and began to drag him off, "We're getting you treated back in Konoha."

"But the party."

"We'll have one when you get better."

"But the Hyogun's duel."

"Mitsuki, send a message to Konohamaru sensei to meet us back in Konoha."

"Got it."

"But wait, the food."

"Bye Yukikaze! Bye Hanafuda! Thank you for all of your help!"

"We're the ones in your dept!" Yukikaze waved as they walked off, "Please, come visit us sometime!"

"Boruto, say good bye."

"Sorry about this! Whatever you wanted to show me will have to wait till next time we meet!"

"No it's fine! Forget I even mentioned it!"

"What?"


Yukikaze continued to wave as Boruto, Mitsuki and Sarada couldn't hear him anymore and they disappeared into the horizon.

"...Well I guess that was a failure." Hanafuda sighed.

"No, it would have ended like this anyway." Yukikaze chuckled as he sat his plate down on the ground and pulled out the thing he was searching for, "He would never have accepted."

"Shame. He would have made a fine ninja."

Yukikaze looked down at wave ninja headband in his hands.

"Yeah. He would have."