Disclaimer: I honestly don't know guys
Arc 2:
Chapter 21: The Niece's Rage
Neji and Boruto sat together in Boruto's apartment, waiting for Himawari to finish getting ready for training.
"So, how's training going with Himawari?" Boruto asked Neji.
"It's going well," unlike Boruto, who leaned forward in his chair, Neji's posture was always straight. "She's progressing quickly."
"Whatever you do, just try not to piss her off," Boruto warned him, his eye glancing in the direction of Himawari's bedroom.
"What do you mean?" Boruto shivered, his shoulders tensing.
"When Hima gets really angry, she blacks out and becomes super strong. The first time it happened, she knocked Dad out for an entire day." Boruto explained.
"I still don't see the problem." Neji frowned. Himawari was his sweet little niece. If Naruto annoyed her enough to get knocked out, he probably deserved it.
"She was three."
"Himawari had awakened the Byakugan when she was three?" That had rarely happened in the Hyūga Clan.
"Yup. So just make sure you won't anger her and she decides it's 'bye-bye Neji-niisan'," Boruto shuddered.
From that moment on, Neji promised himself he'd never anger Himawari.
"Locked on."
Damnit! Neji watched helplessly. He couldn't move. Couldn't help his niece.
Himawari leaped onto the Akatsuki member, at a speed Neji had never seen her use. She struck with her palm, and the man blocked her with his sword, but it didn't help. The force she put into her palm still pushed him back several feet.
Himawari didn't stop there. She moved her arm back before pushing forward again, releasing an air palm. The gust of wind strong enough to make waves in the water. It was almost like she was a completely different person.
She disappeared and reappeared behind the man, kicking at his head. He swung his sword at her, pushing her up into the air. She flew up, but then changed her trajectory and started heading down, head first. She pushed her hand again, creating another gust. However, the man cut through that with his blade, swatting Himawari to the side. She landed on her side but got up, not even noticing the bruises quickly forming on her cheek or the slight tear in her hoodie.
Neji could barely hold his breath, and yet he willed himself to hold on. He should be out there with Himawari. And when he got out, he'd bring down hell on the Akatsuki member with the blue skin for bruising his niece.
Boruto blinked, faltering in his step and almost missing the branch.
Sarada glanced at him. "Is everything okay?"
"I don't know," Boruto sped up. "I just have a bad feeling."
Guy watched the young girl attack the Akatsuki member head-on and actually doing some damage. As a taijutsu user himself, he was rather impressed.
She had the Byakugan, that he was certain of now. But how she got it or why didn't matter. He needed to rescue his team, and if her having those eyes could help, so be it.
After being thrown to the side, she quickly recovered and moved to stand next to him. At least she recognized him as an ally because he wasn't sure how much else she recognized. It seems almost like she blacked out, seeing nothing but the target in front of her.
"This is the mighty blade known as Samehada," the Akatsuki man held his blade for Gai to see. "And it only allows me to use it."
Guy remembered the spikes that pierced his hands earlier when he tried to attack the man with the sword. "I guess so," he said. "I shouldn't have messed with an unfamiliar weapon." He opened his pouch and took out his nunchaku. "I'll just stick to my own then."
"Wragh!" He created a gust of wind with his weapon, moving the water.
The man smiled widely. "Well, well, well, this is going to be interesting." He raised his sword.
Next to Guy, Himawari got into a position he recognized from all the times he saw Neji do it. She was ready to strike.
The man pushed himself forward and ran towards them. "Now, what do you say we get down to business?" He yelled with a sadistic smile.
Guy and the shark man immediately engaged in a battle, with Guy cutting down all of the water jutsu thrown at him. The man had smartly incapacitated Himawari by having her constantly fight off waves coming her way. She broke them down as soon as they appeared, but it was clear they were annoying her.
"Wah!" Guy hit the sword with his nunchaku, creating an explosion in the water from the force. He gritted his teeth in frustration, seeing as it didn't make the man move one bit. Bringing his leg up, he tried to aim a kick at his head, only for the man to simply crouch down and avoid it. Guy used the momentum to turn around and kick again with his other foot, only to be blocked by the sword again.
Not too far from him, Himawari was swallowed by a wave, resurfacing again coughing. "Himawari!" He shouted.
She stood up on the water with her hands in the same position as before. Without uttering a single word, she waited for the next wave to arrive and began spinning around so quickly she created a shield of chakra to repel the water, sending them back towards the clones who held their teammates captive. Unfortunately, the wave died down before it reached the clones, but it was away long enough for her to move closer to the shark man.
The Akatsuki member used Guy's distraction against him. "You should really look at your opponent!" He yelled as he struck Guy away with his weapon. Himawari arrived just in time to duck under the blade and try to hit the man in the gut, only for him to kick her in the stomach. She and Guy flew back, and Himawari coughed up some blood but raised her head back as if it didn't matter, getting into position again.
She's acting purely out of instinct, Guy realized. She doesn't even feel the pain due to the adrenaline.
Guy attacked the man again, trying to nail his head. The man avoided it, and the punch Guy sent after it. Guy moved back and tried to gain some distance by using his nunchaku, but the man avoided them swiftly. Guy abandoned that move and instead tried to kick the man in the face, only to stop mere inches from the sword the shark man used to block him due to spikes growing out of it. The man chuckled maniacally, laughing at Guy's tension.
Himawari suddenly appeared above Guy, her hand ready to strike. "HA!" she shouted, but before she could strike the man turned the tip of his sword to block her. She reacted quickly and landed her feet on the tip of the blade momentarily before pushing herself away a second before the spikes appeared again. She gave Guy just enough time to jump back as well.
Guy started running in parallel with the Akatsuki member, spinning his nunchaku at high speed. He didn't break eye contact with his opponent for a second, knowing it could mean his defeat.
The one downside to working with Himawari right now is that she is unpredictable, he thought to himself seeing as the girl hasn't moved yet from the spot she landed in after distancing herself from the Akatsuki member.
Earlier, she entered that state of disconnection from the world around her right after their team has been trapped. Or, right after Neji was trapped. Guy remembered how she called out Neji's name in concern. So that was it.
Behind him, a water clone manifested, but he broke it with his nunchaku without looking. He didn't have time for tricks. His students were suffocating.
Attacking the shark man, he swiped his nunchaku at him, and then crouched down when the man swung his blade horizontally. Jumping up just as the man brought his blade back, Guy blocked the swing with a hit from his nunchaku, immediately ducking afterward so as not to get hit by the blade. He jumped back and started to swing his weapon again, preparing for the next round.
They both moved at once, creating waves from the force and speed they displayed. They met in the middle, striking each other's weapons before moving, meeting in the middle, and striking again.
Himawari stood still not far from them, her face blank. Her hand was located on her stomach, a soft green light emitting from it. Medical jutsu? Guy thought between strikes. She can't move because her body was in pain, he realized.
Tenten is fading, Guy noticed. He knew he didn't have much time before they'd all start to feel the fire in their lungs, and were not able to hold their breaths any longer.
The Akatsuki member threw his sword in the air, making quick hand seals and touching the water surface. "Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!"
A water shark emerged from the large swarm of water being him, flying directly to Guy with his jaws open, revealing it's many teeth.
Just as it was about to hit him, Guy felt himself being pushed away several feet, the bomb going off just as he landed a couple of meters away. He looked up to see Himawari standing there, panting. She had pushed him away from the explosion. The sword landed in the man's hand and he charged at Himawari, striking at her head. She swiped her palm up quickly, blocking his blade, but not the shockwave created by the force of his attack. Disoriented from the strike, she was not prepared for the kick he directed at her ribcage, sending her into the water a few feet away. She resurfaced, raising to her feet with the endurance of a true fighter, and got into her position once again. Guy couldn't imagine how much damage her body was suffering from those strikes.
The man then turned to Guy, jumping above him and lifting his sword above his head, swinging it at him. Guy caught the blade with the chain of the nunchaku, struggling to hold it back.
Such incredible power, Guy thought in amazement. Then something in his head clicked. "Hold on, I know you!"
"So you finally remembered, huh?" The man raised his fist. "Too little too late!" He punched Guy in the face, pushing him into the water.
Guy sunk down, reaching the bottom. He noticed the man had wounded him and internally groaned. I know I've met this guy before.
Feeling a disturbance in the water, he looked up to see five water sharks making their way to him quickly. He pushed himself off the bottom just as the first shark attacked, crashing into the boulder instead and breaking it into pieces in the process, missing Guy.
The second shark was luckier, rushing Guy so quickly that the force the move pushed Guy backwards. The third shark had grabbed Guy from the side with his jaw and carried him away, Guy fighting to get free of its hold. He punched a small gap between the shark's teeth and made it release him, but only slowing the shark down momentarily.
No effect, huh?
He didn't hear the forth shark behind him, but he did feel it ram into him and drawing blood from him before it swam away.
Guy was sinking into the bottom quickly, barely able to think with his back hurting. He hit the bottom with a boom and the sharks hit it right after him, tearing the ground into pieces.
Guy fought them. Kicking one in the teeth and elbowing another in the jaw. Using the Leaf Hurricane on two others. But whenever he managed to punch a hole in one of them, it would just regenerate.
He couldn't go on for much longer. Not with his injuries and the fact that being underwater for more time will make him drown. Kneeling down, he tried to assess his situation.
The sharks started circling him, the underwater vultures.
I'm out of time, he realized. I have to end this, now.
He glanced at the figure of Himawari, who was standing above water, still recovering. Whenever she was hurt, he realized, her body would stop for a moment for her to regenerate before she could attack again.
I can't rely on her, he figured. No other choice…
He placed his arms together and got into his stance. The Eight Inner Gates, First Gate, The Gate of Opening, Release!
Second Gate, Gate of Rest.
Third Gate, Gate of Life.
Forth Gate, Gate of Pain.
Fifth Gate, Gate of Closing, open!
He felt the chakra he released washing over him, radiating from him. The ground started to shake, and the water blew up into geysers.
"AHHHHHHH!" Guy screamed. "The Eight Inner Gates, Sixth Gate, Gate of Joy, OPEN!"
The wave of energy from him destroyed the sharks around him completely, not giving them a chance to regenerate. The water bubbled with heat, the geysers growing stronger, steam starting to come out of the small lake.
Guy stood in the middle of a tsunami of his own making, water pouring down on him like rain yet a small clearing of ground where he stood stayed dried enough, the water pushed away from it by him. Above him, the shark man jumped away, not wanting to be steamed alive.
Guy screamed, the force he released with his enhanced chakra breaking the ground he stood on like jagged lightning trails.
Neji waited for an opportunity to strike. Once Guy had opened the Sixth Gate, he knew there was no better chance.
Suddenly, Himawari had appeared behind the clone who trapped him, striking with an Air Palm and dispelling it, freeing Neji. He gasped, landing wobbly on his feet and tried to get his bearings. He coughed out a bit of water and wiped at his mouth.
Now free, Neji jumped out and moved into a stance performing the Eight Trigrams: Thirty-two Palms, dispersing the other clone that held Tenten captive.
Himawari struck a stance of her own. "Locked on!" She said, rushing the clone holding Lee and hitting him with such force he flew away before dispersing.
Neji caught Tenten, who groaned and gasped for air. "Tenten, are you alright?"
"Yeah," Tenten stood up shakingly. "Thanks, Neji. I owe ya."
"You saved us," Lee said to Himawari. "I am grateful."
Himawari didn't say anything, staring at him for a moment with a blank expression before turning and running back to where Guy was, her palm ready to strike.
"Himawari!" Neji called her, too weak to move after her.
Guy jumped up right in front of the blue-skinned man, but the bastard moved away before Guy could strike, jumping on the water streams.
Just as the Akatsuki member reached the end of the geysers, Himawari appeared next to him, striking him down back to Guy. Unfortunately, as he fell down he swatted at her with his sword, sending her flying into a large rock pillar, where she hit her back against and fell into the water, sinking down unconscious.
"Himawari!" Guy heard Neji's distressed cry but didn't have time to focus on it, trusting that his students would be able to take care of it while he deals with the Akatsuki fellow who was plummeting at him in great speed. He made sure to push himself up some more with the remnants of the geysers just as they fell back down into the water and struck a stance, both of his hands thrown wide to the sides, palms up and one leg folded.
The man moved to hit Guy with his blade, but Guy evaded it and kicked him up using his speed. Appearing again below him to kick him higher.
He appeared in front of the shark man, sending a swift flaming punch into his face, and then another in a successive barrage of them.
"ASAKUJAKU!" He yelled, delivering the final punch, setting the man on fire and sending him plummeting down to the water. The man hit the ground with a satisfactory splash and steam cloud, leaving Guy to pant as he landed down on his feet.
The water began to disappear, evaporating quickly now that the user who cast the jutsu was no longer able to maintain it. Somewhere to his left, Himawari's unconscious form had appeared, lying limp on the ground.
"Himawari!" Neji ran to her, Lee and Tenten following him.
Guy was worried about the girl who had aided him to take down the Akatsuki member, but he needed to make sure said member was gone before he turned his back. Waiting until all the steam and water were gone, Guy spotted the body, beaten and bloodied.
Finally able to breathe deeply, he turned his attention from it to his team, deciding to check it after he made sure they were all right.
Once he reached them, he saw the grim situation. All three of his students seemed to be barely scratched. Himawari on the other hand…
The girl's head was in Tenten's lap, her yellow hoodie jacket open and revealing several bloodstains on her white t-shirt, stemming from wounds that covered from her ribcage to her stomach, probably from the Akatsuki member's kicks. Her palms were worn out, the skin peeling in some places. All of her body was covered in bruises and cuts, a small stream of blood running down from the corner of her mouth.
Next to her, Neji gritted his teeth. "I should've done something," he said with self-loathing. "I promised to myself I'd protect her, yet I wasn't able to do a thing while she risked her life to save us."
"You couldn't have done anything, Neji," Tenten tried to comfort him. "You were trapped. None of us could move."
"I don't believe any of us could have stopped her," Guy commented grimly. "The moment she saw Neji get trapped, it was like she blacked out. Everything she did was out of pure instinct to protect."
It was a rage Guy had rarely seen in a shinobi. Taking over someone's actions and leaving them to fight with only their pure will. This girl was one formidable foe, and he hoped there would never come a day where he'd have to face her in that state.
Unknown to him, Neji had already known what that rage was called.
A niece's rage.
Neji squeezed Himawari's hand, checking her pulse. It was weak, but it was there, giving him some sort of relief. According to a quick assessment from Tenten, Himawari had a few broken ribs, possible internal bleeding, and multiple wounds and bruises. Neji couldn't imagine how Boruto would react to that knowledge.
"Neji…" Tenten started hesitantly. "How do you know Himawari?"
"What do you mean?" Even angry and distraught, Neji remembered to fake ignorance.
"Don't do that," Tenten scolded him. "Don't pretend you don't know what I mean. She has the Byakugan and calls you Niisan. We can put two and two together you know."
"It's complicated…" Neji chose his words carefully. "And it's not my secret to share."
Before anyone could say anything else, Himawari stirred, coughing water mixed with blood. Neji tensed, watching her eyelids flutter open. Her eyes were blue again, looking up at him, no trace of the Byakugan white. "Neji-niisan…?" She murmured in a tired daze, coughing up some more blood.
"Shh, it's okay," he tried to smile reassuringly at her. "Everything is alright now, Himawari."
"W-what happened?" She asked weakly.
"You mean you don't remember?" Tenten asked her and Himawari shook her head weakly.
"Why does everything hurt?" His niece asked in such a small voice Neji wanted to beat up the corpse of the man who hurt her.
"You and Guy-sensei fought the Akatsuki member with the sword and defeated him!" Lee told her excitedly. "It was a glorious battle."
Himawari blinked in confusion. "Did I really fight someone?" She asked Neji in confusion.
"Yes," Neji nodded. "You did very well. I'm proud of you, Himawari."
Himawari smiled tiredly. "Yay, Neji-niisan is proud of me." She giggled, but the giggling turned into violent coughing, making her shoot up and causing her shoulders to shake. She spat up some more blood into her palm and winced. "Ow…"
"We should get you back to Sunagakure for medical attention," Guy said, looking concerned. Himawari shook her head slightly. "No, take me to Sarada-chan." Neji hadn't heard her use that honorific in a while.
"Himawari, don't be ridiculous. You're hurt and in need of rest and healing." He rebuffed her request.
"Sarada-chan is a medic, and she's with Sakura-san," Himawari argued, giving him a pleading look. "Please, Neji-niisan?"
Neji was battling with himself. On one hand, he knew that taking her to Sunagakure was the logical thing to do. On the other…
Who could resist her begging face?
"... alright," he complied. "But if I see your injuries are getting worse before we reach them, I'll take you back to Suna myself."
"Thank you…" Himawari whispered before closing her eyes and falling unconscious to Tenten's lap. Neji watched her sleeping face for a moment before gathering himself and getting up. "Lee, will you be able to carry her?"
"Of course!" Lee gave him a thumbs up. "I will carry her with caution."
Neji nodded at him and crouched down, swiftly pulling Himawari into his arms. "We'd better get going," he handed her carefully to Lee, who made sure she was safely wrapped around his back while handing his bag to Neji to carry in his stead. "We've wasted enough time here."
"Right," Tenten stood up and dusted herself off.
"I want to check just one more thing before we go," Guy said, looking over to where the man they fought laid.
"It's strange, I got the feeling I've fought him before, but…" Guy looked at the corpse of the man in front of them.
"So you did not remember even meeting this man?" Lee asked him.
"That's weird," Tenten commented. "'cause from what he was saying, he knew everything about you Guy-sensei."
"Something's going on here," Neji said while looking at the body with his Byakugan.
Guy looked at the body again, tensing when he realized something was different. "His… his face…"
The man's face had completely changed. No longer the blue skin or sharp teeth, or the round eyes. It was someone else.
"Who is that?" Lee asked in shock. "Guy-sensei, what does this mean?"
"I don't know," Guy admitted. "But there's one thing that I am sure of," they all looked at him. "There's no way… I've ever met him."
"Was he using a transformation jutsu?" Lee tried to understand.
"No Lee," Neji deactivated his Byakugan. "This jutsu is on a whole other level."
"This means the real one's still hauled up somewhere, doesn't it?" Tenten asked, all of them knowing the answer.
Neji gritted his teeth, fists clenched. "Then Himawari got hurt for nothing?"
"Not for nothing," Guy placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "She saved me and all of you."
"Yeah, don't worry, Neji," Tenten smiled at him.
Neji nodded shortly before going back to the topic at hand. "I think it's safe to assume at this point that his goal was to gather information and stall us here for a while."
"If that is the case we have not a moment to lose!" Lee declared.
"Alright then, let's hurry," Guy decided they had spent enough time staring at a dead body.
Pakkun stepped forward. "The others are this way," he told them, running ahead. They all ran after him, on their way to the Akatsuki hideout.
Naruto and the others were moving in the trees when they sensed someone approaching.
"We've got incoming," Kakashi warned them.
Out of the trees to their left, emerged Boruto and Sarada, who looked like they were in a spar gone wrong. Both of them were slightly bruised and fatigued, their clothes a bit tattered and Boruto was wincing every other step.
"You're back soon," Kakashi noted as they joined the formation. "How did it go with Itachi?"
"Oh, um…" Sarada averted her eyes from him. "Once you left, we attacked him and he dispelled once I landed a punch. He was probably only there to stall us anyway."
"For them to send a clone to stall us, even for this long, could mean only one thing," Chiyo said in concern as she jumped to the next branch. "It's worse than I thought. The extraction of the Bijū has already begun."
Naruto, Sakura, Boruto, and Sarada turned to look at her in worry. Kakashi nodded at her words. "We're out of time. We need to get to Gaara right away."
"So wait, hold on," Sakura jumped closer to them. "What do you mean by, 'extraction'?"
"They're after the Shukaku," Chiyo explained grimly. "If they can draw out the Ichibi they can create a new Jinchūriki."
"A new Jinchūriki?" Sakura repeated after her, confused.
Didn't Boruto mention a Jinchūriki earlier? Naruto looked at the blonde, who was wincing whenever ever he took a high leap.
"I told you, didn't I?" Chiyo looked down. "How the Bijū possessed power beyond all reckoning? And how every land has tried to use them as military weapons?"
"The Jinchūriki is the name given to those who control that power." she looked up, her expression grim.
Sakura gasped. "But earlier you said the Bijū are huge concentrations of chakra, and that no one could control them!"
"Not for lack of trying," Chiyo corrected herself. "There were of course those who tried to harness that great power for their own purposes. Attempting to control the Bijū by sealing them away inside of people." Naruto's eyes widened. Next to him, Boruto's jaw clenched as if he remembered something unpleasant. "By doing so they hoped to suppress the Bijū's great power, and then bend that might to their will."
Naruto placed a hand on his stomach, where he knew the seal was hidden.
"And the ones with the Bijū inside of them, such as our village's Gaara, are known as Jinchūriki," Chiyo spoke as if she was telling a tragic story. "Jinchūriki wield unimaginable power, thanks to their resonance with the Bijū they carry. And if you count Gaara, then all told there have been three Jinchūriki in the history of Sunagakure thus far."
All the while she told the story, she was writing something in a scroll. Once she finished, she summoned a bird toy and gave it the scroll, sending it away.
Sakura's mouth twisted. "There were several wars fought using the Jinchūriki, weren't there?" She asked angrily, surprising Naruto.
"That's correct," Chiyo said.
"Then the people who've become Jinchūriki-" Sakura stopped when she noticed the painful expression on Naruto's face. "Alright then, how are the Bijū extracted?"
Naruto looked at her in surprise.
"A couple of things are needed," Chiyo counted. "A sealing jutsu, strong enough to counter the Bijū's power, and a lot of time. But were things to reach that point, then the Jinchūriki…"
"You don't mean…" Sakura didn't finish the sentence, but they all thought it. Next to Naruto, Boruto's shoulders trembled.
"That's right, dear," Chiyo said sadly. "Once the Bijū is extracted, they die."
Sakura looked away, tears forming in her eyes.
"You always were quick to cry, huh Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked Sakura. She looked at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Hey don't worry, I'm gonna save Gaara." Naruto smiled at her.
"But who's gonna save you?" Boruto mumbled, surprising them all before he jumped further ahead. Silence surrounded the group after the uncomfortable question on their mind was said aloud, no one knowing what to say.
"Boruto!" Sarada admonished him once she recovered from the surprise of his statement.
"We need to hurry," Boruto told them, taking off ahead into the dark woods.
"Boruto, wait!" Sarada caught up with him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't go breaking formation like that."
Boruto turned to look at her, and for the first time, Naruto noticed how his scar darkened his face. Boruto only ever used one eye, ever since Naruto met the guy. He seemed sad, hurt even.
"Are you okay?" Sarada asked in concern.
"Better than most Jinchūriki, apparently," Boruto said bitterly. He slowed down a bit like she asked, muttering things under his breath.
Sarada turned to them. "Sorry about him, he gets like this sometimes."
"It's alright," Sakura assured her. "But he sounds really distraught."
"I guess," Sarada looked at her friend's back. "Jinchūriki are a difficult subject for him."
"Really?" Chiyo sounded interested. "Why is that?"
"Oh, um…" Sarada bit her lip. "It's complicated."
"We're close!" Kakashi interrupted the conversation.
They were almost at the Akatsuki's hideout.
Neji noticed that Guy was faltering slightly as they moved.
"Are you feeling okay, Guy-sensei?" Lee asked his mentor.
"Are you kidding?" Guy smiled. "My battery never runs down, Lee!" He laughed, not noticing until he hit his head on a tree branch and slid down.
"Guy-sensei!" Lee called out in worry.
"I don't know, he doesn't look so good to me." Tenten examined Guy.
"What do you expect?" Neji asked her. "He just used the Asakujaku, didn't he? We need to let him rest for a while."
"Good idea," Tenten nodded. "I'll bandage Himawari while we're at it."
It was evening when Kakashi decided enough was enough. "Stop here!" He told them.
They all landed in front of him. "Why? What is it Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked him.
"We're taking a short break," Kakashi told them.
"That's a very wise decision," Chiyo said.
Naruto, on the other hand, did not think that. He ran up to Kakashi. "What do you mean? Come on, you were the one saying we couldn't waste any more time. If we just lay around here doing nothing Gaara's gonna be-"
"Naruto!" Kakashi stopped him. "Look around you," he gestured to Boruto and Sarada, who were both out of breath. Sarada looked the worst out of them, rubbing her forehead and wincing like she had a headache. Both of them clearly fatigued. From what he understood, Sarada and Boruto had also stayed up almost all night before they left, waiting for Himawari to return in addition to their earlier fight with Itachi's clone. They needed to rest. "If we take our time resting up now, we'll ultimately reach out destination faster."
Naruto looked like he wanted to argue, but said nothing. "Keep in mind," Kakashi drove his argument home. "Tomorrow we may end up facing the guys who kidnapped Gaara." He knew Naruto understood. "We need our full strength."
Naruto nodded, clearly not happy about it though. "Yeah, alright. I understand."
Neji watched the fire crackle as his teammates slept. Himawari laid on a field mattress near the fire and was covered by Neji's blankets.
Tomorrow it was most likely he'd meet Boruto and Naruto again. And even though Naruto wasn't Himawari's father yet, Neji still feared to reveal to them Himawari was injured under his watch.
They all then settled down, starting a campfire and leaning against the trees.
Sarada was bandaging Boruto's chest, him having a large black bruise on it from her attack earlier. He was starting to regret suggesting it in the first place. He winced when she touched it, trying to endure it by clenching his jaw. "Sorry," she apologized while applying some ointment to the bruise.
"It's okay," Boruto hissed when she applied a bit more pressure. "Ow, ow, ow…"
"I'm almost done," she told him, wrapping a bandage around his chest. "There."
Boruto rolled down his shirt. "Thanks, Sarada."
Sarada smiled at him before leaning back on the tree, pressing a hand with a green glow emanating from it on her forehead.
"Were you hit on the head?" Sakura asked her in concern.
"No," Sarada shook her head. "I just get these bad headaches recently. Doing this helps."
"You should rest," Boruto took off his jacket and covered her with it.
Sarada blinked in surprise, but then a yawn escaped her mouth and she nodded sleepily, settling on his shoulder and closing her eyes. Boruto continued to eat like nothing was wrong, not noticing the few raised eyebrows directed at them.
"Are you sure you're not dating?" Sakura asked him, fighting to hide her smile.
Boruto coughed on his food for a moment before clearing his throat and rolling his eye. "Pretty sure I'd know if we were."
He looked at the fire, entranced by the flames.
"Are you worried about Himawari?" Sakura asked him. He lifted his head, looking at her. "I have a bad feeling," he explained. "That something happened to her, and I couldn't stop it."
"I'm sure it's nothing," Sakura assured him. "You should get some sleep too, Boruto-san."
"Just Boruto," Boruto chuckled. "And thanks."
"We all should get a little rest," Kakashi told them.
"Right!" In front of Neji, Guy suddenly opened his eyes.
"Alright, break time's over!" His sensei rose up.
"Guy-sensei, are you sure?" Lee asked him.
"Absolutely!" Guy gave him a thumbs up. "I feel perfectly fine! All I needed was a little rest."
"Hngh…" Himawari stirred, focusing all of their attention on her. She rose up from her mattress and rubbed her eyes. "What…?"
"It's alright, Himawari," Neji smiled at her.
"Oh, Neji-niisan," Himawari looked at him. "What's going on?"
"We're about to move," he told her, getting up to check on her more closely. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," she nodded, removing the blanket from her legs. "I heal up quickly."
"I'm sure," Neji remembered Naruto's ability to bounce back almost immediately after being knocked down, and Himawari was his child. "But I'm still going to insist Lee will carry you until we arrive."
"Alright," she complied, still sleepy. "I'm in your care, Lee-san."
"Do not worry, Himawari, I will carry you without fail!" Lee gave her a thumbs up, but she fell asleep again on Neji's shoulder. The Hyūga chuckled. Sometimes he forgot, but she was still fourteen.
"Alright everyone, to keep to our schedule we're gonna have to move double time from here on in!" Guy informed them with a smile as if saying: "let's go to the store and buy snacks."
"Aww," Tenten groaned.
"No! Let us make it triple time!" Lee offered. "Then, we might actually arrive ahead of schedule!"
"Good thinking!" Guy nodded. "As a matter of fact, why don't we make it quadruple time?!"
"Quiet down, you two," Neji glared at them. "You're going to wake Himawari up." He scoffed. "Besides, what you're suggesting is not even physically possible."
"Will you guys please stop getting carried away?" Tenten asked of them.
"Uh, Sensei, I believe triple time would be enough!" Lee told Guy.
"Lee, I think even that's pushing it," Pakkun told Lee.
Kakashi sat on a branch, waiting.
"Alright, it's time."
He jumped down, walking into the light of the fire. "That's enough rest," he said. "We should get moving."
Chiyo nodded.
"Okay, you four, wake up!" He called the four teens who were sleeping soundly. Sakura and Sarada got up grudgingly, yet Boruto still hasn't opened his eye.
"Boruto," Sarada shook his shoulder. "Wake up, it's time to leave."
Boruto jolted and opened his eye. "Alright, alright, I'm up."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that because he could tell Boruto was acting. In fact, he doubted the teen had fallen asleep at all.
Naruto groaned. "Okay, in a minute," he turned on his side. "Just give me a minute more."
Kakashi was going to say something when he saw Boruto smirk. The teen walked up to Naruto and crouched down near his head. Boruto took a deep breath and cupped a hand around his mouth. "WAKE UP!" he yelled into Naruto's ear, making the other blonde jump up and throw the blanket away. He glared at Boruto while rubbing his ear, but Boruto just grinned at him. "Morning, Sunshine. Ready to save the Kazekage?"
Naruto stopped glaring at him and nodded. "You bet I'm gonna save him." "Naruto, not so fast! Wait up!" Sakura called after Naruto, yet Boruto had a feeling his young father won't listen to his teammate.
"Why is that boy pushing himself so hard to save Gaara?" Chiyo asked Kakashi. "He's not even from the same village." She narrowed her eyes. "What is he? What's that boy's story?"
Kakashi looked at her. "Naruto is a Jinchūriki as well. He has the Kyūbi sealed within him."
And there it is, Boruto saw the shock in Chiyo's eyes. He hated the fact that reacting this way was what was appropriate in this time. In the future, his father being the host to the Kyūbi was common knowledge, and it bothered no one.
"It's not that he has any special feelings for Sunagakure or it's people, but he and Gaara are both Jinchūriki. Naruto knows how Gaara feels better than anyone in Suna ever could. After all, those who are Jinchūriki have been treated the same way in every village." Kakashi continued his story, making Boruto clench his fist in anger. Next to him, Sarada placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, which he was grateful for. "That's why he feels this desperate need to save Gaara. It doesn't matter whether Gaara is from Suna or Konoha, or anywhere else. He's a friend. The only friend who's felt the same pain Naruto's felt."
Boruto remembered, when he was younger before his dad even became Hokage, Gaara would come to visit them when he was visiting the village for diplomatic purposes. Himawari was always a bit frightened by the man, but once he made her sand pandas in the backyard she always warmed up to him. Boruto used to sit with the adults as they reminisce and talk about their lives, wondering how two very different people like his father and the Kazekage managed to become friends.
Now he knew.
"Naruto's dream is to become Hokage. So the news that Gaara had been made Kazekage hit him pretty hard. He was frustrated, but at the same time, deep in his heart, he was profoundly happy for Gaara."
That made Boruto smile a bit. His dad was always a bit immature, but it was moments like these that made him think not all hope is lost.
"You see, Naruto has another remarkable gift; he doesn't need much time, or many words, to make a friend out of anyone he meets."
Neji landed on the water in front of the large boulder, waiting for Lee to land as well so he can check on Himawari.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her as he helped her get down from Lee's back and stand on the water.
"Much better," she said, then winced. Neji had a feeling she's been putting on a brave face since a while back, and now he all but confirmed his suspicions. She ignored his scolding look and smiled at Lee. "Thank you for carrying me, Lee-san."
"It is no problem, Himawari!" Lee gave her a thumbs up and a shining smile.
"So, this is the place?" Guy asked.
Himawari nodded. "This is where Pakkun and I tracked them to."
"Gaara's on the other side of that boulder." Pakkun, who was resting on Lee's shoulder, said before jumping down.
"It won't be easy to get past that barrier," Guy walked closer to it.
"What's the plan?" Tenten asked.
"We smash our way in!" Lee suggested enthusiastically.
"No, Lee," Guy turned to his protege. But before he could say anything else, another few presences appeared behind them. Guy smirked. "Late as usual, Kakashi."
"Well, you see, we ran into a bit of trouble along the way."
Neji turned around to see Boruto and Sarada land together with their team.
"Naruto!" Lee called them. "Sakura-san!"
"Wait a minute, by a little trouble you don't mean me, do you Kakashi?" An old lady asked Kakashi, but Neji's eyes stayed trained to Boruto, who was checking the surroundings.
"Onii-chan!" Himawari called her brother, getting all of the attention. They all turned to her, seeing her bandaged state before their gazes moved to Boruto, who stood with a frozen expression as he looked at his sister. "Onii-chan…?" Himawari looked at her brother, her smile fading as his expression morphed into anger.
"What the hell happened to you?!"
Author's note: the author was mean to her, Boruto.
Writing Himawari get hurt was physically painful for me, but endure it I shall. I was really nervous about writing the battle scene because as I've said before, I don't know how to. It sorta came out okay, so I'm glad. I have this headcanon that once Himawari blacks out she focuses on her target and doesn't care about anything else, including herself. It just sort of reminds me of how Naruto in the unstable Kyūbi form is.
Now, on a more serious note; I have been struggling with depression and stress lately, which isn't the most healthy condition for writing. I'M STILL WRITING THIS FIC! Don't worry, this isn't an 'I'm quitting' message. I have almost all of this arc written out, and I'm missing about 2 chapters before we move on to arc 3. It's just… I'm trying my best, but writing these chapters is a lot of work. To write one chapter, I have to sit down for almost three days with google docs open and play the naruto episodes related to the chapter over and over in order to get the dialogue correctly. Sometimes one scene can take up to two hours. So writing a chapter is committing to not doing anything else besides that for 3-5 days, and that's a long time. I've been pretty busy lately, and I have stuff going on for me besides this fic. I have an ongoing project in its diapers that takes up most of my time, and in the distant future, I might have to choose between this fic and that. Still, I'm doing my best to keep both ends up.
But seriously, I'm so swamped I haven't had the time to read any updates for fics I follow for the last two weeks, so yeah.
Welp, now that the depressing stuff is over, please review and tell me what you thought! It motivates me and helps me write.
Thanks for reading!
Beta Reader: AgresteBug, I don't know what I would do without you.