Hello again! Welcome back to the final... well, it was supposed to be the final chapter... of "A Tale of Grace".
Sorry that I'm late again! I should really stop being too optimistic about my pace in writing hahaha sorry! XD

Now hold on, let me explain myself. Chapter 32 was actually supposed to be the final chapter of the book, but as often happens with me, ideas pop up and I write more details in it and now I end up with a chapter that might reach above 12000 words. And while I've had no problem with that before (literally, Chapters 24-26 are all twelve-thousanders!), I spotted a perfect opportunity to make a great cliffhanger... ;)

Another life update though: While I'm thankfully infected with coronavirus, over the past month, I found out that my hypertension had come back. My resting blood pressure was around 140/95, and it was mainly due to my stress and anxiety (crunching myself to make these self-imposed deadlines I keep promising and failing to meet), and also due to remembering traumatic moments from my Ateneo High School days. Back when I was ostracized and bullied and made into the butt of the joke of the class, back to when I hated my life, back to when I measured 180/120 because I was a ball of rage and fury... *sigh* =(

(I still hate most of my class, A2016, and I'll never go back to any of their parties or reunions, I swear to anything holy! I'd die before then!) Don't fret though, I've been eating less (as in a healthy less, not starving myself, I hope) and exercising more and writing even more so I don't remember my classmates and memories that make me angry or depressed.

Anyway, I hope you are all still safe and sound and healthy! Practice social distancing and wash your hands! Take care of yourselves, physically and mentally and emotionally, got it? I love you all! ^_^


Chapter 32: Torn Apart At The Seams

Warm running water spewed out from the showerhead and flowed down Delta's long blonde hair and slender body. She hummed an old tune while rinsing the soap and shampoo she had just scrubbed and lathered onto herself. As she did so, she remembered the fact that she is what most other people would simply call a cyborg, even though Amado would emphatically deny it. He reasoned time and time again that cyborgs were more robot and artificial intelligence than human, and that they would look and be distinct from normal humans by all the metal and glass sticking out of their bodies.

Instead, Amado would always call her a biotechnologically supplemented woman. He came up with the term shortly before Delta underwent her multiple surgeries in her eyes and limbs. Through his expertise in biotechnology, Amado ensured that Delta would still look and feel like a normal human being, and more importantly like her old self, albeit with a few surprises lurking underneath when needed in fights and self-defense, such as her eyes being able to absorb most chakra-based moves, or her limbs being able to morph into weapons.

Delta giggled to herself and mentally thanked Amado once again, just as she had done thousands of times in the past, for not transforming her into a walking pile of metal scrap.

She walked out of her shower, got a towel from the rack to dry herself, and brushed her teeth. After she finished drying her hair, she put on her white nightgown, before opening the door to the bedroom. To her surprise, it wasn't only her Kashin Koji inside.

"Guys? What's up?"

Koji, Amado, Grado, and Legretta all turned around from the table. Legretta smiled and waved hi, while Grado nodded and put his finger to his lips to silently tell her to keep her voice down, and Amado motioned for her to come to them.

Delta asked once again, although quietly this time, "What are you doing here? It's almost midnight." Once she got close enough to the fancy wooden table, she saw that Koji had summoned a dark-colored toad that was smaller than the palm of Delta's hand. Amado was strapping a tiny video camera and audio transmitter, both of which were black as the night, around the amphibian's back.

"This afternoon," Amado explained, "I overheard Jigen telling Kawaki to be with him later tonight. He said there's an important matter regarding their future plans."

"It would do us a lot of good to know what plans are in the works," Grado mused.

Delta agreed. "At the very least, we won't be blindsided by any secrets they might have."

Legretta added, "If this is big, then it's very likely that Urashiki will be there too. After all, he's the one coordinating the major operations of the Kara Outers. I'm sure Jigen would like to keep him informed."

"Correct, Legretta." Amado fastened the video and audio transmitters to the little toad. He then typed on his laptop, and the laptop outputted what the camera and the microphone were picking up. "We're ready."

Koji nodded approvingly as he waved his hands in front of the camera while looking at the screen. "So here, we can see what the toad sees and hear what the toad hears." He looked at his summon. "Matahimik, can you promise you won't get us all caught?"

"I'm the stealthiest toad there ever was and ever will be!" The black toad replied with its squeaky voice as it clambered onto Koji. "I swear on my life, master!"

It took all of Legretta's mental strength to keep calm and to do nothing aside other than stare at Matahimik the toad, as she had the almost irresistible urge to hug it and squish it. "It's… sooo… cute…"

Kashin Koji then opened the window without making a noise, and Matahimik leapt from his shoulder and landed on to the window frame. "One floor down," Amado began to tell it where to go, "and-"

"I know. Master already told me."

"Ohh, okay then. Good luck. We're counting on you."

Matahimik, camouflaged against the darkness of the night outside, climbed down from the window to the ledge outside and made his way to the room where Jigen and Kawaki stayed. Meanwhile, Amado took his seat on the table and kept his eyes on the screen of his laptop to make sure everything was still running smoothly, while Kashin Koji, Delta, Grado, and Legretta all stood and waited beside him.

After two minutes of careful and silent navigation, Matahimik arrived at the target windowsill and directed the camera and microphone into the room. The laptop screen blurred for a moment as it was exposed to more light coming from the room, but it normalized just as quickly. The group of five saw from the laptop that Jigen and Kawaki were both seated on their long table, that a purple portal was in the corner of the room, and that Urashiki, who was clad in white garments, had stepped out from it and was sitting down as well.

Amado said, "Legretta, you called it. He is here."

"I do have to say, Jigen," they heard Urashiki Otsusuki talk through the microphone, "you've made quite the home for yourself."

"This place is grand by human standards," Jigen replied, "but it is not even close to the level of beauty that the Celestial Halls and the Palace of the Gods have."

"Of course. Nothing these lesser beings make can ever match the creations of the gods, the creations our fathers and forefathers made. It's pitiful that they would even try."

Jigen nodded along, but Kawaki protested. "So I'm a lesser being to you? Just because I'm human?"

"Yes," Urashiki bluntly stated, "as of now. Your Karma seal may grant you the golden opportunity to achieve becoming an Otsusuki and gaining your immortality, but you are no Otsusuki yet."

"Now, back to far more important matters." He then turned to Jigen, while Kawaki stewed and bit his lip in anger. "How is the plan for the chakra farm coming along?"

"It is going much better than expected. In the chaos and confusion that followed our offensive, I sent several teams of my most trusted Outers to seek and capture the tailed beasts of this planet. We have located most of them, and captured the Two-Tails, the Five-Tails, and the Seven-Tails. More of them will pass into our control soon enough. I will send them off-world to your dimension once you are ready for them."

"Good to hear. I've been working for some time with the conceptual mechanisms for sustainable chakra extraction, and then how to funnel and convert that energy into the mass we need. I'm still unsure if any of the current designs, the ones that the others back home suggested, are even capable of handling the amount of energy we need."

Urashiki shook his head. "But enough of that. As for my current side project, where is this creature, Nue, which you spoke so highly of?"

Jigen sighed. "I do not know where it is, or if it is still alive."

"Where is its owner then?"

"Sumire Shigaraki? She died over a month ago, at the Battle of Mount Tirad, and that is why I don't know where the Nue is."

"How terribly disappointing," Urashiki commented.

Jigen scoffed. "And the fools at Konoha are now making a martyr out of her."

"But the fact remains," Kawaki defended her, "that she sacrificed her life for her friends. Not everyone in Konoha showed me anger and hate, father, and she was one of those few people who showed me kindness."

Jigen looked at his adopted son, and after a few seconds, he nodded and stopped making any more comments about Sumire. "Still, I'll send some of my people to search the area of Mount Tirad and the Mile-High Mountain Range for any traces or reports of Nue."

"Very well. Thank you for your time." Urashiki promptly stood up and walked back to the portal. "I'll inform you when my design is complete, and when the construction on the chakra farm will be underway. When I do, send me the tailed beasts you have." Before entering the portal and disappearing, he looked back at Jigen. "And if the Nue is still alive, give it to me as well."

After Urashiki left, and after Kawaki and Jigen both went to sleep, Kashin Koji commanded Matahimik through their telepathic connection to return. "We should look for Nue," the one formerly known as Jiraiya suggested. "If Jigen brings it up in the next meeting, let's volunteer."

Grado agreed. "If Nue is still alive, we must keep it from falling into the wrong hands, specifically the hands of Urashiki and Jigen."

"I think the five of us should go to make our search for Nue easier," Amado said. "Time and secrecy is of the essence here. And if or when we manage to find Nue, we must keep its continued existence hidden. We have to mask its chakra signature from the senses of Jigen and Urashiki. Let's just tell them that we never found it, that it likely died along with Sumire."

Legretta asked, "But what if it's dead?"

"Highly improbable," Koji responded. "I read the scroll manual of the Gozu Tennou that Tanuki, Sumire's father, gave to me. He claimed that through the Gozu Tennou, the Nue could survive its own self-destruction if it was able to spread its essence, its soul, and its chakra into other vessels. If that's the case, once there is enough of itself in vessels that are in close proximity to each other, it would be able to reconstitute itself."

Legretta's eyes widened somewhat. "That's amazing… But still, that's a big if. What if it is actually dead? What if it wasn't able to split and transfer its soul into other people? What if those people never meet again, or what if they die before that?"

Koji leaned back against the wall. "Then that makes it easier for us. As long as Urashiki won't be able to study the Nue, it's fine by me."

"But remember," Grado pointed out to Legretta, "in this business, you never assume someone or something is dead, at least not without seeing the body to confirm it."

Delta stifled a laugh and put her palm to her face. "That's definitely something only mentioned in fiction, not in real life…"

However, it did give Legretta pause. "Grado is right," she thought to herself. "We can't assume Nue is dead… Just like I can't assume she's dead too… I mustn't lose hope… Ainouta, my beloved daughter…"

"Legretta? Are you okay?" Interrupted from her thoughts, the brunette looked to see a concerned Delta patting her on the shoulder.

"Yeah," she nodded and responded, "He's right," referring to Grado. "I just remembered something from long ago-"

Grado interrupted, "Your long-lost daughter?"

Legretta was stunned. "How'd you know?"

"Amado and I read your file before you became part of our team, to see if you could be trusted, to see if you'd fit. And then we actually met you. It turns out you're much more than trustworthy. You might just be the best person of our whole bunch, really."

Amado concurred and promised, "Legretta, when we have the spare time and resources, we'll help you look for any leads on Ainouta."

"Thank you…"

At the same time, Delta thought to herself, "She has a long-lost daughter… Could it really be her? Or maybe I'm overthinking this…"

"Now," Amado kept the discussion going, "as for the Tailed Beast capture mission, I'm sure we were all caught off-guard there. Now, what can we do about it? Any suggestions?"

"Wait, hold on." Legretta glanced at all of their faces. "None of you knew about it? I'm confused. I thought Jigen would have told you all too, considering you've all been Inners for far longer than me."

Koji stroked his grayish beard and kept his eyes fixed on Legretta. "But you knew? How?"

"Cause I was one of them sent to capture the Tailed Beasts."

The surprise bombshell of a revelation stunned the room into silence. "So that's what you were doing," Grado put together, "before you returned to Ryutan and accepted your promotion to Inner status."

"Yeah. Jigen sent seven of us, one assigned for each free tailed beast. Only four of us came back, and out of us four, the other three gave Jigen the Two, Five, and Seven Tails."

Delta inquired, "Who were you assigned to?"

"Saiken, the Six-Tailed Slug."

"Did you find-"

A muffled, high-pitched voice interrupted Delta. "Hello there! I heard my name!"

Legretta reached inside her pocket and then pulled out a large, circular, silver locket. She stared at it for a second before opening it to reveal a larger-than-normal slug, along with some old and faded pictures of herself and of a baby girl. The bluish-white slug waved hi with its six tails.

Amado was dumbfounded. "You had the Six-Tails on you this entire time? Even when Urashiki was just one floor below us!"

"The silver of my locket hides its chakra," Legretta assured them. "And as you noticed, Urashiki didn't come to us. He couldn't sense anything."

"Yeah," Amado huffed and breathed easier. "You're right there."

Delta chuckled and admitted, "You had me worried for a bit. I thought that you became its jinchuriki."

"Ohh no, it simply chose to travel with me when I showed it I meant no harm."

"Mistress Legretta feeds me five times a day," Saiken mentioned. "She takes good care of me!"

"I'll feed you just before I sleep. And thanks for the compliment too, hehehe." The brunette gently closed her locket and put it back in her pocket.

Koji remained perplexed. "Why didn't you give it to Jigen?"

"He told us why they needed the tailed beasts, and I couldn't get a guarantee that they wouldn't be hurt or killed. So instead of handing Saiken over to him, I just told Jigen that all I found were false leads. Meanwhile, I've kept Saiken with me for two weeks now."

"And at the time, you weren't even aware of our faction, our plans, or our goals." Grado pointed out, "See? You really might be the best of us."

*******XXXXXXX*******

It was 5:15 am when Sarada's phone sounded its usual wake-up alarm tune, a song that began softly and calmly, but gradually increased in both volume and tempo. However, before it could get to its more upbeat chorus, Sarada reached out for her phone and tapped the screen. She made sure to disable the alarm rather than leave it on snooze, so it wouldn't bother her again that day.

"After all," she rued to herself, "it already interrupted my dreams."

Right as she said that, she felt a peculiar warmth on her shoulder. She quickly turned around on her bed, but she saw only the darkness of her room. Sighing, Sarada rubbed her eyes with the back of her fingers. "I must be working myself too hard."

"I know you work really hard Sarada, but I don't think you look tired or burnt out right now."

Sarada's eyes grew wide and her heart began to beat as hard as a drum as she recognized the voice. She opened her eyes once again, and even though her glasses were still on the table, she now saw that there was a familiar feminine figure, clothed in purple, right in front of her. She switched on the shaded lamp on the bedside desk, put on her glasses, and then looked back to check once again. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was Sumire who lay beside her, on the other side of her bed, similar to how it was during the last sleepover they had. She was smiling tenderly at Sarada, just as she most always did.

"Good morning, Sarada. Hehee…"

"Sumire…" Unsure whether she was still dreaming or not, Sarada knew one thing: If ever she was actually in a dream, she did not want to wake up just yet.

"Thanks for always being there for me, Sumire," Sarada replied as she played along, just in case it was indeed a dream. "I really can't ever thank you enough."

Sumire shook her head. "You're always there for me too. That's what friends are for, I'm sure. Anyway, what are your plans for today?"

Sarada stopped to think. "Well, the usual. There's studying under Lord Seventh in preparation to become the Lady Ninth Hokage, attending diplomatic and administrative meetings with Lord Seventh, maybe some espionage with Sai-sensei, though that's rare because he's often busy keeping Konoha safe. Now aside from the usual, I'm going to see Dad and Boruto off today."

"They're going on a journey around the continent," Sarada gave her best impression of her father. "Seriously though, I'm going to miss them so much. We don't even know when they'll come back. Mom and I will be living without Dad again, just like it was for years when I was younger. And worse, Boruto won't be there either."

"You won't be alone," Sumire assured her. "There's your mom, Lord Hokage, Mitsuki, Wasabi, Namida, Chocho, and all our other friends to keep you constant company."

"I guess you're right," Sarada conceded. "I also have friends from Ame and Oto that I talk to online. There's Kirakira, Velvet, Eleanor, Magilou, and Yan. Ohh, did I mention that Yan is coming over here soon? She got permission from her mom to commute to Konoha on her own by train, sleepover, and go back to Oto the next day."

Sumire giggled. "She sounds like your new best friend."

"She really is. She's so kind and understanding and fun to be with. You'll love her too when you meet her!"

"I'm sure I will. I'd love to in the future!"

"It's settled then! When she comes over… and…" It was only then that Sarada remembered what she witnessed back at Mount Tirad. "Sumire… can I ask you something?"

"Of course, ask away."

"Sumi… Did you really appear before Himawari? Did you help save Boruto, just like she said? Did it really happen? Was it real?"

"Hmmm…" Sumire took a few seconds to think. "If that wasn't real," she finally answered Sarada with a smile, "then how can I be here with you right now?"

"But… we saw you die… I saw you disappear in that flash of light… and when I went back to look for you, you weren't there anymore…"

"I still feel the guilt," Sarada continued. "I couldn't convince you to come with us. I couldn't save you. I couldn't protect you. How can I become a good Hokage if I can't take care of the people I love?"

Sumire's smile flattened slightly, but then she pulled her best friend into a tight cuddle. "Shhh… It's okay… Sarada, I told you, remember? You don't need to feel bad about what happened. It's all going to be okay-"

"No," Sarada insisted, her face pressing deeper into purple hair and white skin. "I… I just want you to be here again… as in really here… with me, with Boruto, with your team, and with everyone else…"

"One way or another… I'll always be here for you… and for everyone…"

The two girls stayed in their silent embrace, their shared company speaking all the words of comfort that were needed. Seconds may have come and gone, or maybe entire minutes, yet Sarada paid no heed to the passage of time. Sumire only broke the silence by changing the topic. "How have your dreams been lately?"

Sarada reflected, "Judging by this one, they've been more than great."

Sumire closed the gap between their faces even more, such that Sarada could feel the breeze of Sumire's breath on her face. "Well, what makes you think this is a dream?"

Sarada could not find the words or thoughts to reply with. But suddenly, a knock at her door grabbed her attention. She turned towards the door, and she heard her mother's voice.

"Sarada dear," Sakura reminded, "you should get ready soon. We're going to see your dad and Boruto off in an hour."

"Okay mom! I'll dress up!"

"Love you, darling!"

"I love you too, Mom!"

As she heard her mother's footsteps moving away from her doorstep, Sarada turned back to Sumire. The only problem was that she no longer saw Sumire on the other side of her bed. It was as if she had vanished in front of Sarada's eyes once again.

"Shit." The youngest Uchiha wondered her mind, "Am I going insane now? Or did I just daydream that entire thing?"

However, she thought she heard Sumire's voice reply to her thought, though whether she actually heard Sumire's voice or whether she imagined Sumire's voice in her mind, Sarada herself couldn't be sure. "Don't worry, I'm right here. You will understand in time, I promise. And I swear Sarada, we'll be with each other again, much sooner than you think…"

*******XXXXXXX*******

"I'll wait here for Boruto and Naruto," Sasuke told his wife and daughter as he stopped on the front porch of the Uzumaki home. "You two can go ahead to the north gate. We'll meet there."

Sarada asked her father, "Are you sure, Dad?"

He nodded. "I know you're probably hungry, so you can eat at the stalls over there." He then sighed and laughed a bit. "Knowing Naruto, he's either still getting ready, or he haven't woken up yet."

"I think Hinata woke him up," Sakura replied. "But if they're going to take a bit long, we can go eat some breakfast. How about you though? Are you not hungry?"

"I'll wait for lunchtime," Sasuke grinned. "Then I'll eat some of the food you packed for me. It smells delicious." Sakura giggled and closed the gap between her and Sasuke, giving him a kiss. Afterwards, The mother and daughter duo made their way through Konoha, which was beginning to bloom and buzz with activity in the early morning.

Once they got to the north gate of Konoha, after twenty minutes of walking and observing the city awakening around them, Sarada began to smell the fresh food cooked by the many roadside stalls. As she and her mother walked through the street, they saw candy, fried fish balls and crab balls, shawarma wrapped in pita bread, okonomiyaki, and steaming hot ramen, among many other delicacies. Sarada recognized some of the stalls, since they used to be in the central marketplace that she and her friends frequently went to. She then remembered that the reconstruction teams were still repairing the area, so the marketplace and all the stalls that come with it could not yet return to service.

After a short while, both of them decided to eat at a stall with a grill and a counter with seats, tables, and a TV at the side. Sakura ordered three sticks of classic pork barbeque, whereas Sarada ordered one skewered squid and two grilled chicken intestines. They then sat on the countertop and watched the TV, which was playing the morning news.

"Good morning everyone," the female broadcaster on the television said. "The date today is August 10 of the year 106 CE… The Land of Fire has been recovering from the losses it suffered during the devastating, large-scale, surprise Kara Offensive that happened over two months ago… Most of the rebuilding projects of Konoha are moving along quickly. Many areas of the city are now clear of wreckage, debris, craters, holes, and other forms of structural damage… There are still pockets of poisonous mustard gas left inside Konoha. Those areas, most of which were heavily damaged in the attacks, are still cordoned off from civilians and construction workers alike. Experts such as Shino Aburame estimate that the gas will be fully dissipated by the end of the week…"

"Here's your food," the waiter delivered their orders. Sakura and Sarada both thanked him, and he bowed in respect before taking down orders from other customers.

The two women began to eat their meals while watching the morning news program. "The majority of the repair and rehabilitation crews have since moved to other districts that still need urgent repairs… the Hokage Rock, the commerce and office districts, the central square marketplace, and some residential areas are all currently being worked on right now." The TV showed videos of the various parts of the reconstruction process, of teams of construction workers filling in the craters and potholes with concrete mixes, of civil and structural engineers testing the stability of the buildings still standing, of architects leading renovations and repairs of damaged skyscrapers and office buildings, of water and environmental engineers assessing the conditions and safeness of Konoha's water supply and green spaces, and even of doctors treating the last dozen or so patients still confined in the Konoha Hospital.

The program even showed ground zero at the marketplace in Central Square, as well as the Chemistry Wing of Konoha Academy, which high school students used for their science experiments. Sarada sighed in sadness when she recalled that those bombings were perpetrated by Kawaki, who had been driven to the edge by the discrimination and attacks he endured at the hands of Konoha's citizens only for having been part of Kara at one point in his life. She knew that while Kawaki's decision was wrong and that his deadly actions were vile, she also knew that there was also much fault with how many people in Konoha reacted. But she could not blame them fully either though, as their irrationality, fear, and even xenophobia was stirred by the likes of the fearmongering Gadon merely for political gain.

Sarada felt a seething rage against Gadon, the very same person who led a mob to kill Sumire, on her birthday no less, after it was revealed online that she was the daughter of Tanuki Shigaraki of the Root. Going back further in her memory, Sarada was also able to recall that Gadon demanded to Naruto that Ryogi, Sarada's friend and Shikadai's adopted brother, be kept in prison indefinitely. He labeled him as a rebel and a terrorist, and thus should never be released. Thankfully, Sarada noted, Naruto did not listen, and he let Ryogi go free after his two-year sentence had ended.

She began to wonder to herself why Naruto didn't put Gadon in prison for that assault on the day of Sumire's birthday party, where he and his men attacked Sumire, Sarada, and everyone else in her apartment at the time. But the answer occurred to her that if Gadon was jailed because it, he could manipulate the facts of the story and say that he was imprisoned for political reasons. Even if his story was completely false, Sasuke and Sai told her that he has some allies in several news outlets that love to give him time on their talk shows and space on their newspapers to spread his opinions. Even if they are controversial, or perhaps it is precisely because they are controversial, those segments and articles of his attract more viewers and more money.

"Not that a lot of people outside his fanatic base would actually listen to him," Sarada scoffed in her thoughts, "since an overwhelming majority of people still adore and love Naruto as the Seventh Hokage. But as Sai-sensei told me during our most recent lecture, we're in the middle of a Great Ninja War, and any unrest within The Land of Fire would make the whole situation even messier and difficult to handle."

"Sarada?" She glanced at her mother, who looked at her with concern. "Sweetie, is anything wrong?"

Sarada nodded and let out everything that she had been thinking about in the past few minutes. She told Sakura about how she still understood and felt empathy for Kawaki due to their friendship, about the suffering that he was put through in Konoha that led him to defect back to Kara, and about Gadon's efforts to screw Ryogi, Kawaki, and Sumire.

When Sarada finished her thoughts, Sakura grunted. "Gadon and whoever else supports him are just power-thirsty loudmouths and violent thugs. They deserve to be in Konoha Prison for what they did to you and Sumire and your friends. But I agree with what Naruto and your father chose to do, and I agree with the reasons why. Imprisoning them might lead to a false image of our nation having a flawed and suppressive system. It could lead to him calling out for justice by violent means, and even though only a few will side with him, now is the worst time for that, or for people to lose faith in Naruto and Konoha and the Land of Fire."

"So the only solution we have is to let them remain free?" Sarada sighed. "It's so unfair. It could make us look weak or indecisive."

"That's what seems to be the best solution, to let them rant and rave. The greatest show of strength a leader can have isn't showing an iron fist in using power, but showing restraint in using it." Sarada nodded along, and Sakura continued, "But at the same time, we also have to properly educate everyone, as many people as we can, about their deceptions, so they won't feel inclined to listen or join him. And that's what Naruto, Sai, and others are doing right now, trying to limit Gadon and his party's influence."

"Just as he promised to Gengania and the others who moved here," Sarada noted. Sakura confirmed that with a smile and a nod, and they went back to eating their grilled breakfasts and watching the news.

"Most of the south is still occupied and controlled by the Kara organization," the female broadcaster kept reporting. "Several days ago, in an international broadcast from the city of Ryutan, one of Kara's top leaders, Kashin Koji, declared that Kara's current territory now forms a new major state on the continent. He named the new republic, 'the Land of Change'. Its political capital is Ryutan, while other major cities include Tani, which they captured from the Land of Rivers, Saji, in the fully occupied Land of Waves, and Uzushio, captured from the Land of Fire's Whirlpool Islands territory."

"The Land of Fire and the Land of Change have since reached a ceasefire, mostly due to the ongoing Fifth Great Ninja War." The television presented videos captured from inside Yuu Liberte, a large city in the Land of Grass that was currently under siege by the Land of Earth. It showed buildings burning and the people trapped inside being rescued from windows by shinobi from the Shinobi Union Army and the Land of Grass contingent. It showed the battle at the frontlines, where both armies were clashing for strategic control of roads, buildings, and of the rooms inside the buildings. And it showed how the frontlines changed on the map of Yuu Liberte over the past three days. There it depicted a back-and-forth between the two forces in the northwest section of the city. The area controlled by the invading Land of Earth army swelled one day, but then ebbed the next day when Shikamaru launched counterattacks, and again made some progress into the city again in the day that followed.

Whilst watching the TV and finishing the last bits of her grilled chicken intestine, Sarada wondered to herself, "How can I help prevent this in the future? Especially when I become Lady Hokage, when I get the power to change things in the world?"

Her attention was recaptured by the television when she heard the broadcaster saying, "Later tonight, at primetime, we'll be showing an hour-long special documentary where we delve deeper into the life of Sumire Kakei, whom our Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, and other Konoha and Land of Fire officials are praising as a war heroine…"

All of a sudden, Sarada caught a glimpse of Mitsuki running towards the stall. "Mitsuki!" She called after her teammate and waved at him.

But he ran by.

"Mitsuki?" Sarada left the countertop and rushed after him. "Hey Mitsuki, slow down!" But he still kept running, as if he did not hear his teammate calling after him.

As they neared the north gate, Sarada finally grabbed hold of his blue and white kimono. "Wait," she pleaded while catching her breath. "If you're going to see Boruto off, don't worry! He's not here yet."

Mitsuki was out of breath as well. Sweat was rolling down his forehead, and parts of his kimono were drenched. Sarada asked, "Why are you sweating so much? Did you run all the way here?"

"Yes…"

"You should rest and eat first-"

"Sarada, there's no time for this…"

"Mitsuki," Sarada again asked as she blocked his path and held him in place, "what is going on?"

"Good morning Mitsuki," Sakura greeted.

"Listen, both of you… There's been another leak… Anonymous and online, just like what happened to Sumire…"

Sarada's jaw dropped as she realized what had happened. "Shit! Don't tell me… you were the target?"

Mitsuki nodded. "It revealed my parentage and origin… A lot of added information was false, but the point is… now everyone knows."

"We'll stand by you," Sarada assured him, "just like we stood by Sumire, remember?"

"Lord Seventh is on your side too," Sakura added.

"Doesn't matter. This is different. Once my father finds out that my identity is compromised, and it won't take him long to hear about it, he'll activate the self-destruct seal he placed on my heart and dispose of me."

Sarada was shocked. "But why would he do that?"

"Once people know who I really am, I become a liability to him. My father has made many enemies in his lifetime, and if they know who I am and where I live, they can get to me. If they know who my friends are, they can use them to lure me into a trap, and I don't want to drag any of you into this. They can use me as leverage, or they can dissect me to research father's cells, or they can hold me hostage-"

"Lord Seventh won't let any of this happen!" Sarada looked Mitsuki in the eye. "He won't let any harm come to you! And he surely won't let Orochimaru kill you."

"I don't want to take that chance. If father engages my killswitch, the explosion will obliterate the surrounding area, so no part of me would be retrievable or usable for anyone who wants his cells and DNA. So if you're wrong, a lot of people here could die."

"I'm positively sure about it! Lord Seventh will protect you!" Sarada turned to her mother. "Right mom?"

"I… I don't know what Orochimaru will do," Sakura admitted. "I think it would be best if we rush you to the hospital and surgically remove it."

"It won't work. It's useless to operate on it. Father designed the mechanism such that if it senses people trying to remove it, it will automatically trigger the explosion and kill them along with me."

Sakura stayed silent, while Sarada tried desperately to think of any solution. But Mitsuki continued, "I've resolved to get as far away from Konoha as possible with the time I have left. I don't see any other choice."

"No!" Sarada persisted, "There has to be something! At least wait for the others to get here so we can talk about it!"

Mitsuki shook his head in response. "Again, I don't want any of you to be hurt. And I really don't think there's anything else that can be done."

He then handed Sarada a key. "This is my apartment key. I'll leave it and my belongings to you. Donate the clothes, if you want. Oh and take care of my cat, Mikazuki. He's the white and black cat with the golden collar on his neck. Please, take care of him, okay?"

"Dammit! This can't be happening…"

"Master," the white snake of Mitsuki informed him, "your father just woke up. We have to go now. Time is of the essence."

"I have to run now to make sure I get far away from here, so no one gets hurt."

Mitsuki embraced Sarada, and Sarada, on the verge of tears, returned it. "Please… I don't want you to go…"

"I'm sorry. You're don't have fault for my demise. Relay that to Boruto and the others for me. I won't be able to say goodbye to them myself…"

Sarada hesitantly nodded into Mitsuki's shoulder. After a few more moments, Mitsuki gently pushed her away. "Thank you, Sarada. And you too, Aunt Sakura." He then sprinted off through the north gate and out of Konoha, soon disappearing from the view of Sakura and Sarada.

Sarada felt like her world was caving in on her. Her best friend Sumire was dead, Boruto was leaving, and she was bracing herself for the emotional impact of the latter. But the last thing she expected, not to mention the last thing she needed, was that this would also be the last time she would ever see Mitsuki. It was like her life, along with everyone and everything she loved and cherished, was being torn apart at the seams, and it hurt her and shook her to her core. She struggled to breathe, her hands were balled up, her shoulders were shaking, her eyes were bursting with tears, and her heart was sinking to the depths of despair. Distraught, she asked herself, "Why… why the fuck is all of this happening?"

She wanted to release all the emotion building up inside her of, whether it was through crying for the whole day or through smashing the pavement or through punching the high walls of Konoha or setting something aflame with one of her destructive fire-style jutsus. But she could not allow herself, since Boruto would be here soon, and she didn't want Boruto to see her like that. She felt that he didn't have to know, and more importantly for Boruto's own sake, that he shouldn't know about what was going to happen to Mitsuki. She knew full well that he was not anywhere near his right state of mind, as he still blamed himself heavily for Sumire's death and for the fates of their other friends who died that early morning high on the slopes of Tirad. And if Boruto were to find out that Mitsuki, another one of his closest friends, was going to die, and that he could do nothing to prevent it, she knew that his spirit would be broken, perhaps irreparably, and that any glimmer of hope that remained in him would likely be snuffed out.

Thus she resolved to herself, however difficult it would be for her, to not tell Boruto anything about Mitsuki's situation, and to not show any expression or emotion that might point to the fact that there was something terribly wrong happening. It took several minutes for Sarada to overcome the emotion, wipe her eyes, catch her breath, and fully regain her composure, so she could act somewhat normal in front of the others.

"Mom," Sarada finally spoke and looked at Sakura, "I won't relay Mitsuki's message to Boruto. We can't do that to him. The last thing Boruto needs is the thought that he's also responsible for what'll happen to Mitsuki."

Sakura replied to the affirmative. "We'll keep it secret from Boruto."

"Keep what secret from me?"

Sarada felt a brief surge of panic in her chest. She turned and saw Boruto and her father right behind her, both wearing large backpacks filled with clothes, food, water containers, weapons, and money. Naruto, Hinata, and Himawari were also walking towards them. "Aunt Sakura? Sarada?"

Sakura looked nervously at Sarada, who held her composure while trying to find the most appropriate response. And she quickly found it.

"Boruto," she began, and so Boruto looked at her. "Please stop blaming yourself for Sumire's choice. Sumi had her reasons… reasons that you don't know or understand yet…" She felt it was convincing enough because it really wasn't a lie.

"I… I don't know if I can do that yet…"

Sarada kept up her façade. "I know you can. You're you."

"Boruto," Hinata asked, bailing out Sarada and Sakura in the process, "do you have your food for the next week?"

"It's in my bag, don't worry mom."

"And your phone and your power bank is with you? You should call us once in a while… maybe once a week?"

"We'll call whenever we're at a town or city," Sasuke assured Hinata. "We'll check into a hotel with good signal and Internet connection, and we'll call home."

Naruto pat Sasuke on the back. "You're going to Oto first, right?"

Sasuke nodded. "After that, we don't quite know yet. We'll keep you updated on our travel plans."

"Big Bro, Uncle Sasuke," Himawari enthusiastically suggested, "can you send us videos of your travels and your training? I'd love to see where you guys go!"

Boruto gave a weak smile. "As much as we can, Hima."

"Boruto," Sarada hesitantly asked, "do you and Dad really need to go? I mean, we all need to stick together and support each other… now more than ever…"

But Boruto stood firm. "I need to go on this journey. I'll find the strength to protect you and all our friends. I won't ever allow any of the people we love to have their lives taken from them…"

"Boruto…" Sarada finally let the tears that had built up behind her eyes flow. She grabbed Boruto and pulled him towards herself. She hugged him as tight as she ever could, and he did the same. "Promise me," Sarada looked him in the eye. "Please… Promise me that you'll come back! Promise me that we'll see each other again! Promise me that you'll be by my side when I become the Hokage!"

"I promise, Sarada… I swear it."

Shortly afterwards, Boruto and Sasuke were on their way to Oto, with Sarada, Sakura, Naruto, Hinata, and Himawari all waving them farewell by the green gates of the north entrance of Konoha.

But just as Boruto and Sasuke rounded the bend in the road, Sai called Naruto on the phone. The phone call was brief, and Sarada and Hinata were close enough to Naruto that they heard what Sai was saying.

"WHAT?" Naruto exclaimed. "Tell him I'll be right there! Set up the video feed too!" With that, he dashed towards the Hokage Mansion, and Sarada ran alongside him as well.

*******XXXXXXX*******

Mitsuki was in the middle of a forest. He was still running farther and farther away from the city of Konoha, even though his muscles were now starting to ache. He was certain that the explosion of his self-destruction program would be deadly to anyone and anything in the immediate vicinity, but what he was unsure of was its radius and reach. His servant snake did not know the answer to that either, so he did not want to take any chances.

"Master…" Mitsuki's servant snake called out to him.

Mitsuki began to slow down, and he stopped by a large dark oak tree. "What is it?"

"Your father's heard about the information leak. He knows that you're compromised. He's working on activating your self-destruction seal."

"How much time do you think I have?"

"Maybe a few… Wait a minute! The Hokage just now started a videoconference with him… He's demanding that he let you live, and that he will handle the fallout from the leak… At the very least, this will stall your father for a while."

"Do you think father will listen to him?"

"Your father is still working on that seal, so… I don't think so."

Nodding grimly, Mitsuki leaned back against the thick brown trunk of the dark oak tree he stopped at. As he sat down on the dewy, mossy green forest floor, he felt a sensation that he had never experienced before. He felt his blood pressure spiking, the adrenaline coursing through his entire body, the hair at the back of his neck standing on end, his muscles tensing, his breathing short and quick, and all of his senses bombarding his brain with information and signals.

He asked himself, "Is this… is this what they call fear?"

In the moments that followed, he contemplated on the concept of inevitable death, something that he had never really thought deeply about before. "Is this what Siekei felt in his final moments? Did Sumire feel this way before sacrificing herself for me and everyone else? Is this what Udon-sensei and Metal felt while they were falling to their doom?"

Mitsuki compared his situation to having a bomb strapped to his body with no hope of getting it off, and the bomb did not have a countdown, so it could explode at any time and without any warning. "I think if it had a countdown," he reasoned in his mind, "it would actually be more comforting to me… knowing exactly how much time you have left… compared to not knowing and just being alive one moment and gone in the next… But if I can't do anything to prevent it, maybe I shouldn't be like this…"

"After all," he concluded, "if death is inevitable, why should I worry so much about it?"

Making an effort to calm himself and prepare for his coming death, he slowed his breathing, and he took in everything that his senses were picking up. He tried to truly experience everything around him, because whatever he saw, heard, smelled, and felt at the moment could be the last things he noticed or thought about in this life.

The seal inside Mitsuki's chest slowly started to stir, and when Mitsuki felt it on his heart, he sighed. He lamented, "I just wish I could have lived out the rest of my life… like a normal human being… with my sun, Boruto… with my moon, Sarada… with my other planets, all my other friends… and be happy with them… to find and to keep my happiness and purpose in life…"

"But what is my purpose in life? That's the same question that Siekei had for himself. Was it to be happy? Is that really all there is to life? And what is happiness anyway? Hmm… perhaps happiness is actually what I've felt all along with my friends…"

His thoughts quickly turned to Siekei. "Siekei… wherever you are… don't you worry. I'll be with you soon, dear friend…" He further noted, "Sumire, I'm sure I'll see you soon enough too…"

*******XXXXXXX*******

As Naruto and Sarada entered the Hokage Mansion, Naruto went straight to his office for the videoconference with Orochimaru, which Sai had already set up. He asked Konohamaru, Moegi, and Hanabi to handle the angry crowd congregating outside the doors. They nodded and went outside. Sarada also volunteered to help her senseis keep control of the crowd, so she split from Naruto and stayed outside.

Sarada stood on the highest step, just before the doors of the Mansion, while the three senseis were all halfway down the stairs, keeping everyone else from passing beyond them.

Sarada scanned the crowd. There were many old people in the crowd, and Sarada hypothesized that they were here against Mitsuki because they still remembered all the things that Orochimaru did to Konoha in the decades before. She also saw Namida's parents near the rear of the crowd, and it made logical sense to her that they would be here. In Wasabi's words, they were "a pair of old conservative assholes". And based on how they reacted to their own daughter, Namida, coming out to them and telling them about her sexuality and her relationship with Wasabi, Sarada had no reason to doubt Wasabi there.

But then she spotted Gadon pushing his way to the front of the crowd, with some people following close behind him. Sarada recognized them as other members of his group, which he called the Fascist Fist or FF, since they too were present when they struck at Sumire's birthday party. She narrowed her eyes in disgust and anger, and she took several steps down to join her senseis in the line.

"Mitsuki, spawn of that devil Orochimaru!" With a megaphone in hand, Gadon led the angry crowd, who cursed the name of Konoha's former foe, into a wild frenzy. "He must be dealt with! Kill him or exile him, we will accept nothing less!"

"Go away Gadon," Sarada countered above the noise of the crowd. "We have no need for you. You contribute nothing good to Konoha!"

Gadon engaged Sarada in a shouting match. "I'd much rather contribute nothing than produce traitors to my own city! Your father, Kawaki, Ryogi, Sumire, and Mitsuki, all traitors to Konoha! And who let them all stay here? None other than your dear Hokage, of course!"

"The last time you mocked my dad," Sarada warned, "he broke your face. So choose your next words carefully."

"Since your father's vicious assault on me, my face has healed nicely. And I heard he left Konoha with your teammate today? How does it feel to know they've abandoned you?"

"The real assault," Sarada pointed out, not taking the bait, "happened when you and your posse showed up uninvited to Sumire's birthday and attacked us. You got what you deserved, you fucker!"

"Wow," Orochimaru chuckled because he wasn't expecting Sarada to curse out an older man like Gadon, even though the man in question more than deserved it, in Konohamaru's eyes. "Go get him Sarada!"

"Well I'm glad your father is gone," Gadon smiled at Sarada as he retaliated with his own barbed words. "And I'll be honest with you, I'm even happier that Sumire Shigaraki is gone too!" Gadon guffawed, his face looking like it would burst out of sadistic happiness.

Both Hanabi and Sarada wanted nothing more than to tear the laughing man to pieces, but they were both held back by Moegi and Konohamaru respectively. Sarada pointed at Gadon and angrily promised, "The next time you mock her, the next time I hear you even say her name in disrespect, your friends will have to scrape you off the pavement!"

"As if you could do that," Gadon dared her, but then quickly turned to Hanabi. "Your brother-in-law is consorting with a known enemy of Konoha, Orochimaru!" The old people in the mob jeered the mention of Orochimaru's name. "How will you people twist the story to defend your Hokage this time?"

"The only people twisting the facts here are you and your followers," Hanabi responded as calmly as she could. "My father would say that those like you who think the world is just black and white, who act in absolutes, are the ones who are absolutely stupid."

"And I would tell him that you're more than stupid to act friendly with the enemies of the Land of Fire! You and anybody else who thinks that is okay must be retarded!"

"Enough!" Angered over his girlfriend being insulted, Konohamaru shoved Gadon away from Hanabi. He warned, "Leave, or else we will arrest you for trespassing. You aren't wanted here."

"I just wish you were dead or jailed for life," Sarada admitted. "I don't ever want to deal with you again, especially when I become Hokage."

Gadon was about to reply to Konohamaru, but when he heard Sarada, he just bellowed in laughter. "You're so easily offended-"

"More like everything about you disgusts me," Sarada corrected.

"No matter. I'm very confident that when you become Hokage, you'll fail too. And when you do, I'll be there to rub it in your face."

Sarada dismissively stared back at him. "You really think you'll be a better Hokage than me? You're just delusional!"

"I'm sure I'll be a better leader than you and your master, your dear Hokage. After all, I'm not a failure like you. Unlike you, I can take care of my friends. And speaking of friends," he taunted her further, "how's your bitch Sumire now?"

True to her word, the moment Sarada heard him mock her late best friend, she snapped. With a terrifying shriek, she lunged at him and tackled him. Both of them tumbled down the grayish stone steps outside the Hokage Mansion, bowling over many other people in the process. When they finally came to a stop at the bottom of the steps, Sarada regained her bearings and wailed on Gadon, raining blows down on him. "SHANAROOOOOOOOOOOO!"

She kept hitting the man she hated most in Konoha, opening up wounds on his face and bruising his chest and giving him a black eye. However, Gadon's followers suddenly surrounded and restrained Sarada, kicking her and throwing rocks at her. All the while, the mob had become even louder and more unruly. All hell began to unravel, and a huge brawl threatened to erupt. Quickly though, Moegi, Konohamaru, and several of the latter's shadow clones were able to push the crowd back to street level.

"Gentle Fist!" Hanabi single-handedly fought off the FF members attacking Sarada, while also somehow managing to keep Sarada from rushing back to Gadon, whose face was now filled with cuts and bruises like a boxer that took a heavy beating.

"Sarada!" Konohamaru left the line of his shadow clones and asked his student, "are you okay? You don't look like have any cuts, actually."

"Yeah, nothing really hurts."

"That's good to hear. And we can't say the same for Gadon, can we?" Sarada and Konohamaru chuckled in unison. "Anyway, we can handle the FF and the rest of this crowd. You go to Lord Seventh and try to help convince Orochimaru to spare Mitsuki, okay? I don't want to lose any more students…"

Sarada nodded. "Got it. But first…" Sarada stood up and showed her middle finger to Gadon and his friends, much to the guffaws and delight of Konohamaru, Moegi, and Hanabi.

Then she sprinted into the Hokage Mansion, up the wooden flight of stairs to the second floor, and to Naruto's office. As she stepped inside the room, Sai greeted her while still keeping the videoconference link up, as Naruto and Orochimaru were still in a tense conversation about Mitsuki.

"Listen," Naruto pleaded to Orochimaru. "I'll handle this. I'll protect Mitsuki. I'll have him under 24-hour surveillance if necessary. Mitsuki won't cause you any trouble. As long as I'm Hokage, you won't have to worry about anyone stealing your research or your son!"

"You won't be Hokage forever," Orochimaru replied. "So after you step down, what happens?"

"Either Konohamaru will become the Eighth Hokage again, or Sarada will become the Ninth Hokage. In both cases, both you and Mitsuki will remain safe. So really, there's no need to kill Mitsuki, you know? That would be an overreaction of epic proportions!"

"Please Lord Orochimaru," Sarada walked into view of the video and begged. "Please spare Mitsuki's life. I'll protect him no matter what! I'm going to become Hokage after all! You can trust me on both of those things!"

"Hello Sarada," Orochimaru greeted with a nod. "I assume you are aware of this situation?"

"Yes. Mitsuki ran from Konoha as soon as he found out his identity was leaked, probably by the same people who leaked Sumire's identity too…"

"So it must be someone from Kara…"

"But please Lord Orochimaru, Lord Hokage is correct. There is no real need to kill Mitsuki! It would indeed be overreacting to issues that we can easily solve anyway. And even though everyone will know who he really is, even though they'll know he's your son, I assure you that most of Konoha will still be on his side because the Lord Hokage will vouch for his innocence."

"You mean," Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, "just like they were with your friend, Sumire Kakei?"

Sarada could not immediately answer him, because she remembered how many people were terrified of Sumire after she became publicly known as the Shigaraki heiress. Not everyone treated her badly, and there were quite a lot of encouraging messages Sumire got from people who still believed in her goodness, but in Sarada's mind it seemed that the people who put their full faith in Sumire were outnumbered by those who hated her, those who feared her, and those who didn't give a damn about her.

"Lord Orochimaru," Sarada at last responded, "I know that right now, Mitsuki may be a risk to you. But no matter what happens, Mitsuki should be free to live his own life. We'll do what needs to be done to accommodate your needs too. You have my word, as the future Lady Ninth Hokage."

It was Orochimaru's turn to stay silent for a while. As he visibly pondered, Naruto stood up and patted Sarada on the head. He and Sai left the room to check on how Konohamaru, Moegi, and Hanabi were dealing with Gadon and the Fascist Fist outside, though Naruto promised Sarada that he would be back within a minute.

"Lord Orochimaru," Sarada continued, "please?"

Orochimaru finished his thoughts, and he looked Sarada in the eye. "Apologies, I was just reflecting on how successful Mitsuki has been as my son. He's been a wonderful experiment… no, a wonderful child for me. I've learned a great many things from him, like obtaining one's own will and adapting to circumstances and making genuine bonds of friendship and love."

Sarada exhaled in relief. "I'm glad you think of it that way. Again, I promise we will protect him at all costs."

"You care so much for Mitsuki, so I expect you to keep your word." Orochimaru smiled and ended the video call.

But after he did, he thought to himself, "I will also learn from all the missteps I made in this experiment… when I make another."

He activated the self-destruct seal on Mitsuki's heart.


If you liked this chapter, leave likes/kudos and comments and reviews! Hehehehehe =D
What did you like about the chapter? Any memorable quotes? (you can comment down below!) And try to predict what will happen in the last chapter! ;)

In short, this has actually has become the true penultimate chapter of my book, though the one that will follow, Chapter 33: Loved Ones Will Always Watch Over You) will be a "short" (if you consider ~3000 words short) epilogue of sorts! ^_^
I'm also beginning to write Book 2: A Spark of Hope, just for your information hehee ^_^

Anyway, see you in the next chapter! The final chapter of this first book! YEHEY! =D

Love you all! =D