Chapter 1

Age of Technology – Year 452 Elemental Nations

A young man, around his mid-thirties was casually leaning back on his chair, working on his laptop, reading over documents which were mailed to him by foreign representatives. His clear blue eyes reflected on the screen, as he continued to scratch his leaf-shaped blonde hair in confusion. This man is Boruto Uzumaki, the tenth Hokage of Konohagakure. Beside him was an older man, holding onto a small child, around the age of three. This man is the advisor to the Hokage. He served seventeen long years during his own reign as the Seventh Hokage of Konoha, his name is Naruto Uzumaki, the saviour, child (man) of the prophecy, father of the current Hokage, father-in-law to the late-ninth Hokage, Sarada Uzumaki, and the 'boss' of the late eight Hokage, Konohamaru Sarutobi.

The little boy perched up from his current position, and looked at his father, "Daddy why woncha play with me!?" He asked with a pout, brows furrowed as he looked at his father.

Boruto smiled sadly as he continued doing his work, without looking bad he said, "Sorry champ, but daddy has some work to do," He looked at his father, and a silent conversation occurred between them. "Why not play with Pappy? I'm sure he'd love to play with you!"

Hitoro scrunched his eyebrows together, and gave a whimpering pout, "S'not the same when I play wih you daddy!"

Naruto quickly lifted Hitoro onto his shoulders, "Ah come on Hitoro-chan, give your ole' pappy a chance!" He paused, and continued, "Do you want to go to that amusement park that was recently built? I heard they give cotton candy!" The little boy perked up, a grin plastered on his face.

"Co'en candy! Comeon Pappy! Whacha wain' for!" He clapped on his grandpa's head twice before bursting out into giggles. "Let's do tha cool ninha thiny again!"

Naruto gave an eye smile, "It's Ninja, Hitoro-chan, and yeah! We'll do the 'ninja thingy' again. I know how much you love it."

Boruto looked questioningly at his father, "What is the 'Ninja thingy' tou-san?"

Naruto and Hitoro shared a smirk, "It's a secret!" They said in unison, as both burst out into laughter.

Just as Boruto was able to say something, Naruto quickly gave a two-finger salute. "Well, Boruto, ja-ne!" Naruto held tightly onto Hitoro as both of them teleported away with Naruto's Hirashin formula. They reappeared a few blocks down, still laughing. "We got your daddy good, didn't we Hitoro-chan!"

Hitoro gave a nod, and patted his grandfather's head. "Come on Pappy! You're not ge'in any olda!" Naruto barked out laugh, and lifted Hitoro from his shoulders, and held him firmly as one would to a babe. "Let'to Pappy! M' not a baby!"

Naruto lightly smiled at Hitoro, "You'll always be Pappy's little baby Hitoro-chan." He jumped onto a nearby building, and started running over the buildings with high speeds, when suddenly Naruto stopped. He heaved as he coughed on his free hand.

Hitoro looked at his grandpa in concern, "You okay Pappy?"

Naruto gave him a smile, his eyes betraying his mood. "Course I'm fine Hitoro-chan! Pappy's a ninja!" He resumed running across the buildings, but this time his speed started to dwindle, thankfully going unnoticed by his grandson.

'Don't bullshit Naruto.' Naruto quickly tensed as he heard his tenant, the Eight Tailed Octopus, Gyuki, speak to him in his mind. 'You're old Naruto. And near your deathbed, I can feel your life dwindling away.'

'No need to remind me about my age, Gyuki. I'm pretty sure I know it. I'm 69 years old, and not getting any younger, am I?' He replied to his friend, as he held Hitoro closer to him.

'We both know you wouldn't actually look your age if it wasn't for-'

Naruto quickly interrupted him before he continued, 'I told you this before Gyuki. I gave my lifeline to Hitoro-chan so he could live. Otherwise…'

'Otherwise he would've also died alongside Sarada when she was giving birth to him.' There it was again. The painful reminder.

Brief Flashback

Naruto was not there that day, when his daughter-in-law, the ninth Hokage was giving birth to her and Boruto's child. At the time, Boruto was the Anbu Commander of the Hidden Leaf Village. At the time of birth, he was away at a mission, leaving his old mother to watch after his wife. It was during that time Sarada had gone into labour, but the outcome was not desired.

There was a small coup, the Jounin Commander at the time, Shikadai Nara, was killed by a group of elite separationists as he tried to stop them from approaching the hospital ward where the Hokage was giving birth to her child. The room itself was guarded by several Blood Seals and wards which only a few people were able to cross. One of them was Shikadai. They mutilated his corpse and smeared his blood over the seals, and they ambushed the Anbu guards. Ironic, because it was like what happened during Naruto's birth. At that time Obito killed the guards, the Nurse, and Lady Biwako. This time around, the separationists killed both Sarada and Hinata. Across the village, Naruto was training, battling against his Sage Mode enhanced shadow clones, and when he felt the chakras of the ones he knew fade he had rushed towards the scene, but only to find them dead. Only two people were alive in the room. One was a perpetrator who was near-death, and the other one was Naruto's own newborn grandson, who was slowly dying.

Naruto put some of Gyuki's chakra into the man, to stop him from dying, and when he rushed towards his grandson, he found that the babe was not breathing. The only thing showing a sign of life was the newborn's broken chakra system, which was collapsing on itself, in failed attempts to keep himself alive. Naruto did his best to heal the newborn's chakra pathway, but it was not enough to fully heal the babe. He knew at the time, someone would die. Someone would have to die to keep the balance. That was the law. That was the rule. He knew he could not do much around it.

It was at that moment when Naruto took a deep breath and remembered his longevity, courtesy of the Uzumaki Clan. While Naruto himself would be able to live for a hundred more years with the lifespan remaining, the child would not. He made his mind up instantly, even if the child was just born, he would gladly give up his life for him. Using help from the tailed beasts – bar Kurama who died several years prior, he was able to stabilize the babe's chakra system. Next, he tapped into his Rikudou Sennin mode, and using that, and the Bijuus' aid, transferred a large portion of his own life into the child, prolonging his shortening life. The repercussions he faced were not pleasant. He aged. Fast. As in, when he first arrived he appeared to be a man in his mid-40s. When he transferred a portion of his own life, his appearance changed to match his age. He literally shrunk, his arms grew heavy, his eyes started to blur, his back ached, and his breathing got heavy. Constricted. Everything hurt. To him, the pain was unbearable, to change from the inside out. His insides, his mindscape were changing, everything was collapsing. In a state of panic, he managed to transfer nature chakra into himself, to help heal his body, working in sync with the Rikudou chakra, to save himself.

Medic Nin soon made their way inside, and that was after he had collapsed and went into the realm of unconsciousness. The next time he woke up, his daughter Himawari, wife to the late Shikadai was sitting on a chair next to his bed, dried tears on her face. He himself was unable to shed any tears, his eyes dry. He was unable to protect his own family, his wife, his son-in-law, and his daughter-in-law, who happened to be the Hokage. His daughter hugged him, and slowly lulled him back to sleep, evident that he was going through a pain greater than her own.

The next time he woke, he was discharged from the hospital, his unnamed grandson sleeping quietly in a crib next to his bed. He quietly picked the newborn up, and slowly made his way out. Along the way to his house, he saw someone. His son, Boruto. Boruto had just finished his mission, and had arrived back home. A large smile was on his face, the events which had passed had not reached his ears. When he passed by his father, he bid him good day, unknowing of the fact that the old man was actually Naruto. He crossed by and was walking towards the hospital when Naruto called out to him. Answering, he went towards his father, clueless about his identity. It was only after Naruto told him who he was that his eyes widened. Confused, that the father he left a few days back was young, and now here he was, looking like an old man. After questioning Naruto, Boruto fell on his knees. Terror struck, his face, arms, every muscle on his body shaking, and then he broke. He started to cry, crying at the loss of his wife. A wife who will never see her own baby. Crying at the loss of his mother, someone he would never be able to say goodbye to again, someone who was always there for him. And his best friend, his brother-in-law, someone he could share a heartfelt, yet funny conversation with.

He took his son from his father's arms and named him Hitoro, a happy child born from sadness. That is what he would be.

End of brief Flashback

'Enough of the depressing Flashbacks Naruto. You still have few years to live your life. To see your grandson grow up, to see him have a child. Think of the days that will come, not the days that had passed.' Gyuki told him sternly.

'The past is what makes us who we are Gyuki. No one can change that.' Naruto said, sagely, thinking about how his own past affected him, how it molded him into who and what he is today.

'That is correct Naruto. It is also true that one should not mope around in the past. It never leaves a bright future. Besides, you still have years to live - you can't die on me that easily, not yet at least.'

Naruto gave a light chuckle. 'Never knew you were one to give lectures, Gyuki.'

'Tch, you clearly don't know remember Naruto. I used to give them to Bee all the time.' Gyuki said, glad his friend was trying to come out of his self-induced depression. 'And besides, don't you have an Amusement park to go to?'

True enough, after being brought out of his conversation, reality hit him. His grandson was continuously beckoning him, asking whether he was going to move or not. "Pappy! Come on!"

"Oh! Sorry Hitoro-chan! Old Pappy was thinking about something!" Naruto said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Good! I thau' you were dead or somefin!" Hitoro stated, to which Naruto gained an ever brighter red tint to his face. "You were like that for, like, a hun'rer minutes!"

"Mah, mah, Hitoro-chan! I was thinking about something." Naruto said, reminiscing about the old days wasn't as fun as it used to be.

Hitoro looked confused, "Tinking? What were you tinking about Pappy?" Naruto gave a sad smile, which he immediately changed into a happy one.

"Ohoho! I was thinking about what rides we would go on!" This made Hitoro smile, he bounced up and down on Naruto's arms in joy, ecstatic about the Amusement Park… and the cotton candy.

"Come on Pappy! Go! We're gonna be late!" Naruto smiled at his grandson and bounded forward. As they soared over the rooftops, Naruto felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, instinctively he put his hand on it, and that's when he felt it – and unknown chakra, a fragment, but it was there, working its way into his chakra network.

'I don't know how that got there. I'm not even sure how it slipped through my senses.' Gyuki said immediately.

'Can you get rid of it?' Naruto asked, unsure if he could expel if from his body without harming Hitoro.

'Who do you think you're talking too Naruto? I'm the 8-tails. Such tasks are trivial for me!' Naruto inwardly smirked at Gyuki's self-boasting, the loss of Kurama had hit all the Bijuu hard, Gyuki especially. Their personalities evolved taking on some of Kurama's characteristics, 'I'll talk to you in a bit when I'm done, don't bother me untll then.'

Trying to get rid of the uneasily feeling, Naruto looked at his grandson, "So Hitoro-chan, which ride do you want to go on first?"

Hitoro showed his grandfather a big toothy smile, "The one tha' is fast! Oh! And scary! I wanna go on a scary ride!"

"Hitoro-chan." Naruto started, "Are you sure you can handle it?" Naruto asked him, unsure of how Hitoro would react if he was brought to a ride that could potentially scare him.

"Don't worry about me Pappy! I'm a big boy! I dun get scared easily! And I'm the son of two Hokages!" Hitoro said, giving Naruto a thumbs up. "Peepel will tink' I'm a kid, I hafta do this Pappy!" The boy said, as he clenched his fist and made a stern expression, as if wanting to prove his point.

"Hitoro, people wouldn't see you any differently. Besides, do I have to tell you again what happened when we went to the last Amusement park?" Hitoro blanched at the memory. It wasn't a good one. "You had a breakdown, and you were scared to go on any of the rides after that."

"That was ages ago Pappy! I'm old now!" Hitoro said, practically screaming at Naruto.

Naruto looked down at Hitoro with a stern eye, "Hitoro-chan. That was only a week ago."

"Xacly' Pappy! Ages ago! How long is a week? Like a hun'rer days?"

"No Hitoro-chan-" he said laughing, "And besides, we're here!" True enough, the amusement park was a few metres ahead, he could hear people screaming in delight, its eerie looking doors open to the max, with a large sign saying 'OKO' and beside it in smaller letters, 'The one Park you would never leave!'

Holding his grandson, Naruto felt something strange, the same type of feeling he had the day the day Pain attacked the village, the day Sasuke was killed by an unknown assailant, and finally, the day of Hitoro's birth. Something felt off. He wasn't sure what, but he knew one thing, never to let Hitoro out of his sight.

That's when he heard it, a high pitched scream as the Earth shook.

The sundering had begun.

Hey there folks! I had this story collecting dust in my stories folder, a plotline from start to finish developed - and going through a writers block, decided to work on it! This was actually sitting in my folder since 2015 - so I made some edits to the plot, and let my imagination go wild as I started typing it out.

Slight edits made, new chapter will be out on Wednesday April 28 (or maybe the 27th, if I finish typing it)