Chapter 55: A New Storm
Naruto jumped back as the machine suddenly began to activate. The blades of the rasenshuriken began to fold in over the rasengan and began to rotate. Chakra began to flow down pipes leading to further parts of the machine as it began to wake up. Plates closed over the rasengan and the chest plates began to close. A soft humming began as light came to the machine's eyes. The noise began to grow silent as the machine picked itself up from the ground.
"You...are..." The machine spoke as it stared at Naruto.
"I-I am Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto gulped, "I am the Hokage of Konoha."
"I see." The machine nodded, "That information is consistent with expectations."
"Expectations?" Naruto frowned.
"I see my creator isn't around. Although you are my creator's father. So that would make you...my grandfather?"
"G-G-Grandfather?" Naruto laughed nervously, "I'm not old enough to be a grandfath-wait a minute! This isn't the time!"
"Oh?"
"The village is in trouble right now!" Naruto explained hastily, "Your creator, Boruto said you could help!"
"I see." The machine said as it stood up, "Explain the situation for me."
"It'll be better to see for yourself."
"Black fire?" The machine frowned as it stood on the roof of the Uzumaki house, "Amaterasu?"
"You know about it?" Naruto blinked, "It can't be put out by normal means. If this fire continues the village will be nothing but ash."
"So my task is to remove the fire." The machine mused, "That's a daunting task to be woken up to."
"Can you do it?" Naruto gulped.
"In theory."
"In theory?!"
"I can explain on the way." The machine said as it leaped off the roof and began moving towards the center pillar of fire.
"Shikadai!"
"I'm fine!" Shikadai gasped as he ran away, "Everybody, don't stop running now!"
"We can't stop even if we wanted to!" The people cried with tears in their eyes as they followed Shikadai.
"No matter what happens, it's all your fault anyway." Shikamaru smirked as he ran behind the group, pushing them forward.
"Please release your Shadow Imitation Technique! We can run on our own!"
"No can do." Shikamaru replied, "If you slow down or trip even once, you're going to be consumed by that fire there."
"But we can't run as fast as you!"
"Think of it as a good workout." Shikamaru sighed, "Shikadai! Don't slip up on your technique!"
"I got it!" Shikadai called.
"Good." Shikamaru muttered as he looked over his shoulder. The fire of Amaterasu was already almost licking his heels, "If I get caught then you're going to be the one pulling these laggards to safety."
"Rasengan!"
Shikamaru stumbled as someone suddenly landed behind him and cracked the street, destroying the road as it's pieces fell into the sewer below, cutting the flames off from the others.
"We...we're safe?" The civilians gasped as they finally were allowed to catch their breath.
"Not yet." Shikamaru said as he recovered, "Once the flames start eating the buildings we'll be back to square one."
"That was close." Naruto said, "Good work on carry these people to safety."
"We're not out of the flames yet. Literally." Shikamaru smiled, "But you found a way out right?"
"Well...theoretically."
"Theoretically?"
Naruto turned to look at Boruto's machine who was standing at the edge of the hole and staring out towards the fire on the other side.
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked.
"Analyzing the composition." The machine replied.
"Analyzing the composition?" Shikamaru frowned as he stood up, "What do you mean? Isn't it just made out of fire?"
"All techniques are formed from the user's own chakra. As such, the techniques are made from chakra. Just transformed. Reverse those transformation and the techniques becomes chakra again."
"Reverse the transformation?" Shikamaru frowned, "You mean the shape and nature transformation? But people can't do that. Not even the technique's user can do that. Usually."
"But my creator's kotes were made to manipulate chakra. Without chakra of their own his kotes were made specifically to manipulate chakra no matter whose chakra is used as the base. It's a more complex concept than that but that's the gist of it."
"Your creator?" Shikamaru blinked.
"This is Boruto's creation." Naruto explained.
"Boruto created a robot?!" Shikamaru cried.
"Specifically I'm an autonomous doll fitted with highly advanced kote technology and programs." The machine replied, "There are many techniques that regular kotes cannot preform that are in my storage. The applicability of those techniques are still experimental though. There. Done."
"Huh?"
The machine's body began to shift as thin plates over its body began to shift, revealing a secondary skin below. Plates on the back began to shift as well, even revealing small spines poking out. Then it leaped across the hole and into the flames on the other side.
"Whoa wait a minute!" Naruto cried.
"Running Deformation."
Naruto and Shikamaru watched as the machine stood there. Amaterasu quickly latched onto the machine but the machine didn't react.
"Do...you think it feels pain?" Shikamaru whispered.
"How would I know?" Naruto frowned.
"I can." The machine replied, startling the two of them, "But the program seems to be working."
"It's working?!"
To Naruto and Shikamaru's shock, the flames over the machine began to shrink and disappear. Even the flames around the machine began to shrink.
"This is quite slow however." The machine mused, "Redirecting."
"Eh?"
The machine held out both of his arms. One of them began to absorb fire faster while the other one seemed much slower.
"What are you doing?" Shikamaru blinked.
"Running multiple applications of the Deformation program in one arm while directing what's left to defragment the base program and begin improving the program's functionality."
"He...can do that?" Naruto whispered.
"About the same as cooking while reading a cookbook."
"...I have a question." Shikamaru said, "What's your reason for helping us?"
"...Is it strange to want to save your hometown?"
As fire began to disappear around him, the machine moved forward, consuming more and more flames as it began to move forward into the city. Shikamaru and Naruto stared at each other for a moment.
"Shikadai, lead the civilians to safety." Shikamaru said.
"Huh? But-"
"We'll back-up the machine." Naruto added, "Well, not like we can do much to help."
"...Alright." Shikadai sighed. "Let's get going."
"What's that?"
Boruto looked up as Aoda continued racing across the country. In the sky there was a veil of blue light, shimmering and dissipating.
"...I see. I suppose the absorption would not be necessary." Boruto mused.
"What do you mean?" Sarada asked.
"Those lights are dissipated chakra." Boruto replied, "Just as I thought, deformation would be effective against Amaterasu."
"Defor-WHAT?!" Katasuke cried, "What do you mean?!"
"Deformation." Boruto repeated, "Techniques have a shape and nature transformation. Deformation undoes that, returning techniques into chakra."
"What?! I've never heard of this!" Katasuke scowled.
"It's an extension of chakra shifting." Boruto explained, "Well, I can undo shape but I still can't undo nature."
"You're undoing my Amaterasu?!" Katasuke howled.
"I'm not doing it." Boruto said, "My...no, the kote is."
"How...how dare you!"
"Yes, yes, quiet now." Konohamaru said, gagging Katasuke with a cloth.
"We're almost there." Sasuke reported atop Aoda's head, "You can see Konoha in the distance."
"Sasuke?!"
"Sakura. You're safe?" Sasuke said as he dismounted from Aoda.
"Yeah. Sarada! You're safe as well right?!"
"Of course I am!" Sarada cried as she embraced her mom, "I'm glad you're safe too!"
Boruto walked past the crowd outside Konoha's gates as he made his way in.
"You don't want to look for your family?" Mitsuki asked as he followed Boruto inside.
"...Dad would definitely have saved them." Boruto replied, "What about you? What about your dad?"
"Even if my dad died, he wouldn't be dead." Mitsuki laughed.
"..."
"Ah! Hey! Wait for me!"
Sarada, Mitsuki and Boruto made their way towards the center of their town. The further in they moved, the more damaged the town became with scorch marks littering the ground and buildings.
"How horrible." Sarada said, her voice trembling with rage.
"Yeah." Mitsuki said, "Katasuke's really done it this time."
"...Don't look at the damage." Boruto said, "Look at what's left. What can be rebuilt. Now that the town is safe."
"...Then why do you look so grim?" Mitsuki asked.
"..."
As the two entered the town's square, they spotted three figures standing over a chasm in the ground.
"Do you want a drink or something?"
"I don't drink."
"Naruto!" Sarada called out.
Naruto, Shikamaru and the machine all turned around. For a moment the six of them stood there, staring at each other until the machine walked up to Boruto.
"It's good to see that you're safe, creator."
"More or less." Boruto said, touching his sling, "More importantly, it's good to see you operational."
"..."
"...You don't look glad."
"..."
"Boruto?" Sarada said, turning to look at him.
"Boruto." Shikamaru said as he and Naruto joined them, "There's a lot of questions I want to ask you...but I suppose a report is in order first. The Amaterasu have all been dispersed due to...err...your kote's work. Congratulations are in order. Right?"
Naruto jolted as Shikamaru elbowed him in the ribs, "Huh?! Oh uh...yeah...you accomplished something that nobody else here could have. Con...gradulations."
"...I didn't do anything." Boruto replied.
The son and father both looked down as they struggled to find the words to say anything with the on-lookers all watching in worry. Finally Boruto took a deep breath and spoke up.
"I...I have a lot to apologize for. And...for each of those things I am...genuinely sorry."
"..."
Naruto smiled and took a shorter breath as he replied, "Me too. A lot happened on that day...a lot that I let happen...and a lot that I wished I could do...for both you and me. But what did happen was not something that I wanted to happen. N-Not that what you did was wrong. I-I mean it is-or rather, it was but what I did was out of line. O-Or rather it was overboard and-"
"Okay, bad idea." Shikamaru sighed, slapping Boruto in the back, "Just say what you want to say."
"...Sorry. I was your father and yet...I couldn't save you."
"..."
"Truthfully, I wanted to do this much sooner." Naruto said as he reached into his pocket, "But after everything that happened...well I just...want to give this back to you."
Boruto's eyes widened as Naruto held out a ninja headband. His ninja headband.
"If you would like to come back." Naruto smiled, "I would be proud to have you as one of Konoha's ninjas."
Boruto gazed hungrily at his old headband. There was no hiding how much that simple object meant to him but at the same timeā¦
"I-Isn't it great?!" Sarada said loudly, "We'd be able to go on missions together again! You can help others again! You can stop studying and staying locked away in your room."
"Sarada." Mitsuki frowned.
"N-Not that any of that is bad, mind you!" Sarada quickly corrected herself.
"You're just as bad as Naruto." Mitsuki sighed.
"...Heh."
"Hm?" Everyone turned as Boruto let out a small laugh.
"A long time ago...I would have done anything to have this back." Boruto said as he closed his eyes, "...But after everything that has happened...I'm tired."
Boruto reached out and took the headband from Naruto.
"Of this...and of this."
Boruto lifted his arm and looked at his kote.
"I'm exhausted." Boruto said, "For a short while...I want to just...stop. Stop remembering that day...and stop pretending to be a scientist."
"Boruto?"
"...But if I can make one request." Boruto turned to his robot and held out his ninja headband, "I'd be honored if you'll let him take my place as a ninja of Konoha."
"WHAT?!" Everyone cried.
"...Are you sure?" The machine asked.
"...Like I said, I'm tired."
"Who-wai-Wait!" Sarada cried, "Why?! You worked...so hard."
"Like I said." Boruto repeated, "I'm tired."
"You...want to quit?" Mitsuki asked, "Both as a ninja and as a scientist?!"
"Yeah."
"A-Are you sure you don't want to think about this?" Shikamaru asked hastily, "Maybe wait a few days? See what you want to do later?"
"...I've thought about it a lot. There hasn't been a single day that passed that I didn't think about what I'd do." Boruto said, "...I...don't regret what I chose to do. I genuinely wanted the kote to be something that helps people. But as I worked, as I poured everything that I had into that goal...nothing changed."
"..."
"No matter what I did. No matter what I changed or how I changed it...people didn't seem willing to accept it. I thought long and hard about what I was doing wrong...until I realized...the reason why nobody would accept it... is probably because of me. Because it was me, the disgraced son of the Hokage. The one who cheated in the chunnin exam with a kote. It was because of me that nobody accepted kotes."
"Boruto..."
"...So I thought...the only way for kotes to be accepted again...would be to distance themselves away from me. I...was the one dragging kotes down. That's why I created you."
Boruto looked at his robot.
"I wanted to create a kote that could be it's own person. So that this technology is not 'something that belongs to me' but something that can go forth and prove for itself that it has a place in this world."
"..."
"To that extent...I would be happy if you two would welcome him to Team 7."
The machine stared at Boruto.
"Sorry. In the end I failed you." Boruto smiled sadly.
"Failed?" Shikamaru said, "What do you mean?"
"I couldn't activate him." Boruto explained, "In order to activate him, I needed an immense amount of chakra to form what could be described as his heart. But no matter how much I tried, I couldn't do it."
"..."
"As expected of the Hokage." Boruto said, "You did what I could not."
Naruto looked away.
"My programming is not optimized." The machine said, "And there are a few maintenance ticks I would like fixed. You can shut me down and-"
"Those things can be fixed without shutting you down." Boruto replied, "You're not unwanted in this world. You just need to find your place in it."
"..."
The machine reached out...and took the headband from Boruto.
"..."
"..."
"...Alright then!" Sarada cried, wrapping an arm around the robot's neck, "You'll be working with us from now on right?! What's your name?"
"...I...don't have one."
"Wait. Seriously?" Sarada turned to Boruto.
"He can pick his own name." Boruto frowned.
"My selective parameters are not refined enough to pick one out." The machine replied.
"He's going to need a name in the meantime." Sarada hinted.
"Alright, alright." Boruto sighed, "I was thinking...if I could...I'd name you Ata-Arashi."
"Ata-Arashi?"
"It's a portmanteau of Atarashi (New) and Arashi (Storm)."
"...That's a horrible name." Sarada frowned.
"What?"
"That's a name of an appliance, that's for sure." Mitsuki nodded.
"Oh come on."
"So we'll just call you Arashi. Sound good?" Sarada grinned.
"Yeah." Arashi smiled, "That's sounds good."
"Is this fine?" Shikamaru asked Naruto.
"...Yeah." Naruto smiled, "It's weird. I've never been more disappointed...but I've also never been more proud."
Shikamaru smiled and patted Naruto on the back, "Being a father is a job like nothing else."
"Hey!"
"Hey!" Sarada waved as Konohamaru and Sasuke walked towards them with Katasuke in tow.
"There you guys are." Konohamaru grinned, "Who's this guy?"
"Long story." Mitsuki sighed.
"Naruto." Sasuke nodded stiffly.
"Yo." Naruto grinned, "I heard you got kidnapped."
"I was careless." Sasuke scowled, "That's all."
Katasuke cried out in muffled protest.
"Oh yeah." Konohamaru said as he pushed Katasuke in front of Naruto, "What do we do about this scum?"
"I already exiled you." Naruto sighed as he crossed his eyes, "But this is an act of terrorism. Maybe I'll have you put on death penalty."
Katasuke growled stubbornly over his gag as he glared at Naruto.
"Now now." Boruto interrupted, "Katasuke would die with a single regret if you executed him."
"Then what's your plan?" Naruto asked.
"Heh." Boruto smiled deviously as he turned to look at Katasuke, "...Hey Sarada."
"Yeah?"
"You still want to be the Hokage?"
"You bet."
"Then I'll support you."
"You'll what?" Sarada said blankly.
"I'll support you." Boruto smiled, "I'll be whatever you need to become Hokage. Aside from being a ninja. I'm sure there are somethings that you can't do without help from someone that's not a ninja."
"..."
"Umm..."
"T-Th-Thab means so mucb to me!" Sarada sobbed as she hugged Boruto, "Thangh you!"
"H-Hey now." Boruto said as he patted Sarada on the back, "I didn't think you'd be that happy."
"Hmm..." Mitsuki watched with blank expression on his face.
"Sorry, Mitsuki." Boruto smiled, "I can't be the Hokage you want me to become."
"That's fine." Mitsuki smiled, "I'm sure Sarada will become a great Hokage with your support. So I'll help you both."
"Thanks."
"Okay!" Sarada cried as she wiped away her tears, "My first order as your new boss!"
"Boss?"
"Make me a kote!" Sarada grinned, "I want you to make me the biggest and best kote you'll ever make!"
"...Well I already have someone I need to give a kote to." Boruto chuckled, "So one more wouldn't be that much of a change."
"I want one too." Mitsuki added.
"Eh?"
"I'm interested in getting one too." Konohamaru said.
"Eh?!"
"Do you think I can have one?" Arashi asked.
"You're already a kote!"
"It's okay if you want one too." Shikamaru chuckled as he poked the silently struggling Naruto.
"Okay, okay, I got it!" Boruto sighed, "I'll make a kote for each of you. Custom order. Just don't expect it right away."
"Yay!"
"Right then." Boruto sighed, "We have a lot of work to do now, Katasuke."
"Huh?" Everyone turned as Boruto ripped off the gag from Katasuke.
"What did you say?" Katasuke said.
"We have a lot of work to do." Boruto repeat with the most ominous smile, "Your punishment for your actions is to serve as my assistant."
"You...want me to serve as your assistant?" Katasuke repeated.
"Yep. Because if I'm going to be continuing to develop kotes, I'm going to need some genius level help, I'll need some genius level help."
"We...Well..."
"Well, the kotes will be published under my name from now on." Boruto added, "So if people begin to associate kotes with my name that'll be fine."
"Absolutely not!" Katasuke roared, "The kotes are mine!"
"Then you better work hard to make kotes for me, my little assistant."
"I'll make a kote so strong that it'll blow you into obscurity!"
"Bring it. My kotes won't lose to yours."
As Katasuke barked obscenities, Boruto turned to his father, "I assume this arrangement will be suitable punishment, dad?"
"...It's unorthodox but if that's what you want then I'll oblige." Naruto smiled, "I admit, his genius is one we could use. Besides, he seems to be suffering from the idea alone."
"I'll kill you in your sleep!" Katasuke snapped.
"You can try." Boruto sneered.
"I'll put my name on every kote I make!"
"Go ahead. It won't outsell my kotes."
"I'll go eat at Umaimaki Ramen!"
"Don't you dare! Ichiraku's is the best!"
The End
Thank you for reading The Boruto That Fell From the Sky
It's been a long journey but its finally come to an end. It may seem like an odd stopping point but I heard most people don't like adding original characters to the main cast so I figured I'll stop here with the implication rather than the implementation. It was a long and out of character for Boruto but I hope you understood every change and development that I wrote for the unpopular little ninja. There are some miscellaneous details I could add but I think there's been enough exposition. I said this story's end is due in part with Arashi's addition but in truth; This story began with a grand vision of what could have been and after imagining every arc in this fanfic, it always ended here. Here is where I feel like I exhausted every idea I had for this series and anymore would just slowly begin to feel disingenuous. This series was built on the most questionable basis ever. Starring what feels like the most disliked character in all of Naruto history, revolving around one of the most interesting but misused aspect that was left to be forgotten. So if by any miracle, you've not only stuck around to the end but enjoyed it, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
