Chapter 36:

It was all Boruto could do to keep from crumpling to the floor. What were they going to do now?

He could no longer relish in the fact that Kai had been transformed into a donkey for eating the rice. Yes, Kai had been taught a lesson, but there wasn't a single grain of rice left, so was it really worth it? Kai didn't deserve a punishment that would leave the Genin at a disadvantage.

Boruto opened the purple pouch the servant handed him, hoping there would be something left. Just a single piece, half a grain, something to let Boruto know it wasn't over. He found nothing in the bag, not even dust.

Glass shattered and Boruto looked up at the donkey bucking wildly around the room, kicking everything it passed. Its robes began to tear, getting caught under its stomping hooves. Kai seemed to have realized what had happened and was now panicking. Another door opened and four servants came to investigate the noise, stopping and gasping at the writhing donkey braying in Kai's tattered clothes.

Sarada grabbed Boruto's arm and whispered loud enough to be heard over the donkey, "We have to go, Boruto."

He allowed himself to be pulled away, still in a state of shock.

The servant saw them attempting to leave and tried to stop them. "You can't leave. What am I supposed to do about this?"

"What can we do?" Sarada retorted. "We didn't see what happened and we don't wrangle donkeys. We don't know what to do about this."

"But we can take the pouch far away from here if it makes you feel any better," Mitsuki added.

The servant protested but the others in the room started yelling, trying to contain the wild beast and he had to turn back to help them. Sarada pulled Boruto away from the room and towards the front door, knowing they had to get out of here fast.

"We can't stay here."

"He ate everything, Sarada," Boruto mumbled.

"I know. But we can't stay here. We have to go."

More people hurried past them on their way to the dining room. The open doors allowed the sound to carry much farther. Soon, Kai escaped and was running down the hall on all fours, kicking and braying. Guards showed up to restrain him, passing by the Genin rushing toward the main doors. Some paused to question them only to get distracted by the sudden appearance of a donkey and left to contend with that issue.

The Genin crossed the drawbridge and only once the noises quieted behind them did they slow their pace.

"I can't believe he turned into a donkey," breathed Sarada, letting the event sink in.

"Do you think that would happen to any human who eats food intended for spirits?" Mitsuki asked.

"Dunno. Maybe…"

It was a frightening thought, to think a human could be transformed in such a way, possibly permanently, just for eating spirit food by mistake. What if a stranger had found it or if they had accidently switched the grains in the bag with ones from their rations? Of course, Kai took them by force even after being told repeatedly to return them and believed he knew what they were. Maybe it wasn't that he was human but the fact that he took them and ate them falsely after being told not to, believing they would grant him great power.

"I wonder why he thought they would give him the powers of a spirit," wondered Sarada. "What kind of logic is that? Ryosuke doesn't get his power from the food he eats but from his tails. Other spirits just have them because that's how they're born."

"Maybe Kai heard a story and took it as truth. Or he might have just assumed."

"Yeah, that could be. He could have heard something and filled in the blanks, making up results that best suited him. Who knows?"

Boruto gripped the purple bag tightly in his fist. "What good does any of that do us now? We don't have anything to give to the Sea King if and when we find him."

"It's ok, Boruto. I told you, we might be able to get somewhere just from having that bag. We can tell him a human took it for himself which is the truth."

"And if he's like the tiger spirit who hates humans? He might refuse to help us not just because we failed to deliver the rice to him but because a human took them and ate them. That'll reinforce their ideas about humans and won't help our case very much, you know."

"So you're saying we should just give up because we don't have the rice?" Sarada asked him pointedly. "We should abandon the mission and forget about saving the Hokage?"

How could Sarada suggest such a thing? Of course, he wasn't about to give up. There were too many people counting on him. Even if no one else cared, Boruto at least had to see his father again.

"No way," he said. "I'm not giving up. We'll stick with the mission and see it through, no matter the setback."

Sarada gave him a satisfied smile. "That's what I thought." She gave a short sigh. "Ok. Well, the way I see it, there are… What's that?"

The group grew quiet, listening.

In the distance, they heard people yelling. Loud, angry yelling. They could make out the words, "stop," and, "thieves," but the rest was garbled.

They turned around and saw about a dozen guards running from the top of the hill down to where they were, weapons brandished.

"They look pissed."

"I think they're after us. But what did we do?"

"Maybe what happened to Kai?"

"That wasn't our fault."

"Not according to them, it seems."

Mitsuki looked at Boruto and Sarada. "Maybe they're after us because of this."

He held up the damaged cane.

"Mitsuki!"

"Did you take that from the treasury?"

"I did."

"Mitsuki!"

Mitsuki gripped the cane tightly. "You think I should leave it here for them to find?"

"Even if you did that, they know you took it and will come after us."

Boruto pulled his friends down the street. "Just run!"

If they got captured, they would never finish the mission. Boruto didn't know what Mitsuki was thinking but he didn't seem all that apologetic about walking out of the palace with the cane. They did leave the palace rather quickly and seeing Kai's transformation was rather shocking. Maybe Mitsuki simply forgot he still had it and took it by mistake. Even if that were the case, the guards probably wouldn't listen to them.

Their run downhill through the city streets was easy. The guards hadn't gotten any closer. Then they noticed more guards trying to intercept them further downhill from other streets.

"This way!"

Their goal was the main gate at the bottom of the hill. No matter where they went, they had to keep going downhill and eventually they would find it.

A guard tried to grab Sarada but she jumped over the guard's back and kept going. Boruto slid between a guard's legs when he tried to block his path.

"Should we fight?" Mitsuki asked, still carrying the cane.

"There's too many."

Boruto growled in frustration. "If only we could use jutsu, this would be a cinch. We could easily transform or use a substitution. Sarada, do you have any smoke bombs?"

"I didn't pack any. I used the last of them on our previous mission."

"Then punch the ground so we can escape or something."

Sarada looked around. As they avoided the guards, she saw how a few shoppers were nearly trampled by the running guards. One child was pulled off her feet by her parents and into the store as a spear came her way. Others merely stopped to gawk, and more downhill had yet to notice what was happening.

"There are too many people around," said Sarada. "It's too dangerous. They could get hurt or I could level these buildings by mistake. Innocent people and homes, Boruto. I'm not taking that chance."

Boruto looked around. "Should we climb the buildings and escape that way? Does the wall-climbing technique count as jutsu?"

"I think it does."

"If you have to ask, I think it's best not to take the risk," said Mitsuki.

They tried to escape into the crowd of onlookers but the guards didn't care who was in their way. Boruto heard people yelling as they were knocked aside. They went around a building and on to a different street. No matter where they went, there were guards. They couldn't dodge forever and had limited options.

Boruto didn't know what to do. They needed help to escape. A distraction, anything. That annoying woman on the speaker announcing another commercial didn't help either.

"Looking to cook up something quick and delicious for dinner? Try our… docks… on sale today."

Boruto nearly stopped running. "Wait. Was that..?"

He could have sworn the voice changed in the middle of the announcement.

"It's back. Our by one, get one half-off sale is back at… docks… And while you're at it, our latest model… docks… Get one now."

Sarada heard it, too. "Was that Neji's voice?"

They couldn't see him but knew he was helping them. He was telling them where to go by manipulating the speaker.

"Thanks, Neji." With the message received, Boruto's group continued to run for the main gate but now knew where to go once they reached that goal. Neji wanted them to go to the docks.

They saw the stone tiles change to their reddish-brown color and knew they were close. There was the neon sign and the ballet studio. They were so close.

"Gotcha!" A guard grabbed Mitsuki. He could have been tackled by the other guards in close pursuit if Boruto hadn't kicked the guard in the face and sent him backwards into his comrades.

It was too close a call. They had to get out of here.

The trio dove out the main gate at full speed and kept running. Sarada looked back and, sure enough, they were still being followed. The guards slowed for just a moment so they didn't all get stuck trying to go through the gate at once. Now, out in the open, they continued at full speed.

"Why would Neji want us to go to the docks?" Sarada asked Boruto as they ran. "The open space? It doesn't make sense."

"I trust him," Boruto said honestly. He had no idea what Neji was planning or if there even was a plan but he had to put his faith in someone who promised to help them. Neji helped them escape danger last time, he could do it again.

The docks were mostly empty aside from fishermen retuning with their catch. There weren't many places to hide and no crowds to lose themselves in. A couple men hauling large sacks to the warehouse adjacent to the docks helped slow the guards a little as they swerved to avoid the salt-reeking bundles. A dog barked somewhere but Boruto didn't look around to find it.

Sarada let out a yelp as a hand closed around her forearm. Mitsuki stopped in his tracks, distracted by her cry, and was apprehended, too.

Boruto whipped around, unable to leave without his friends. He saw the guards coming for him next and there was little he could do. He reached for his kunai and this time Sarada couldn't stop him from drawing it. These men were bigger and stronger than they were and had more numbers. Without jutsu, Boruto didn't know how else to fight them.

"Watch out!"

There was an odd commotion to the right but Boruto was too focused on the guards in front of him to look. Neither did the guards.

Just as they were about to grab Boruto, the guards were swept away by something brown and rumbling.

He looked and saw wooden barrels rolling their way from the warehouse. Workers were rushing to catch them all but there were too many. They cried warnings to the people near the docks but the guards were too focused on their mission to pay any attention and were knocked off their feet by the rolling barrels.

Freed, Sarada and Mitsuki tried their best to avoid the barrels as the guards who grabbed them let go to keep their balance only to fail. Sarada jumped over the barrels as they rolled by and Mitsuki hopped from one to the next until he reached an open area and landed safely on the ground.

Before the guards could get up, Boruto led his friends further down the docks toward the lighthouse on the hill.

"You think Neji did that?" Sarada asked.

"Either that or he knew it would happen. Not sure how but I'm not a spirit so I wouldn't know," commented Mitsuki.

"Boruto, where are we going?"

"Up there." Boruto pointed.

"Why the lighthouse?"

"Just seemed like a good place. Maybe Neji will find us and open a portal like before."

He didn't know what to expect but he felt drawn to the lighthouse, so that's where they went.

The hill supporting the lighthouse was steep but the soft grass invited them, waving as the ocean pushed the scent of salt their way. Boruto stood at the top of the hill and peered down. There was a sheer drop below the grassy cliff. Below, rocks were swallowed by the waves and spat back out with a frothy shush. There didn't seem to be any way down without serious injury. The cliff sloped inward so there was nothing for them to climb down on.

Boruto looked around. "Neji? Neji, are you here?"

Neji appeared in his transparent form by the lighthouse looking haggard. The help he was giving them seemed to be wearing him out. It was no wonder he wanted to wait to use it.

"Are you ok?"

He nodded. "Yes." He wasn't very convincing.

"Can you open a portal for us like before?"

Neji didn't seem to hear the request. He hunched over, looking dizzy.

"Neji?"

He looked up and nodded again. "I'm alright. But… I'm not strong enough to open any portals. I needed help the last time."

"You're doing too much," Sarada realized after seeing how worn he looked. "Are you sure you'll be ok?"

Neji composed himself and stood up, nodding a third time. "Yes. Yes, I'm alright. But you have to get out of here." He pointed down at the docks where the guards had recovered and spotted where the Genin had gone, again in pursuit.

Sarada looked around but this was a dead end. The lighthouse sat atop a cliff and there was no way to get down the hill without running into the guards. Going inside the lighthouse would only trap them, which might have been locked anyway.

"Why'd you take us to the lighthouse, Boruto? Now we're stuck."

"We'll have to fight our way through," said Mitsuki. He was still carrying the cane.

Boruto looked at the approaching swarm and back at his friends. There was a good chance they were only after the one who took the cane. If he took it, the guards might follow him and forget about his friends long enough for them to escape.

"Mitsuki." Boruto stood beside him and held out his hand. "Give me the cane."

He looked surprised but didn't say anything.

"Boruto..?" Sarada began, unsure of what he was planning.

"They think you took it," Boruto said to Mitsuki.

"I did take it."

"Yeah, but they might not follow you anymore if you don't have it. I'll take it and run that way and you guys can find another way off the cliff."

"Boruto, no," Sarada protested. "They're after all of us. There's no guarantee that'll work."

"And there isn't that it won't, either. I'm just guessing that this cane matters to them so if I take it and run, they'll follow me. I have the cane and you don't, you know. There's a chance they might leave you alone while they come after me."

"And there's a chance they won't, Boruto. You can't sacrifice yourself on the slim chance they'll only go after the one with the cane. What if they don't? There's enough of them that they can split up and be able to corner both of us at the same time. There's no point in you doing this since the chances of them doing that are slim. If it was a smaller group then maybe but look at them all. You can't do that, Boruto."

"I'm just looking to distract them long enough to help you guys get away."

"And I'm telling you that it's too reckless of a plan. You're assuming they'll go that route. You can't make a reckless decision like that without more information to back it up. You're just making a random choice and it might not work."

"But we don't have time to plan for anything else." Boruto took the cane from Mitsuki. "I have to do something. Don't worry, I'll find a way back."

"No," Sarada said adamantly. "You are not doing something so reckless. We are not going to leave anyone behind."

Boruto gripped the cane tightly, hearing his words come from Sarada's mouth. Everyone in the group felt the same way when it came to leaving a man behind. No one was willing to do it.

His plan wasn't really a plan anyway. He shouldn't take the risk.

"Here they come," said Mitsuki.

There was no time to think of a plan. They couldn't get caught and they couldn't use jutsu. That was all they knew.

"We have to fight."

Boruto looked at Neji. "Is there anything you can do? Scare them, maybe?"

Neji raised his brow. "You want me to stand in front of them and say 'boo' like a ghost?"

"Well…"

Neji frowned.

"Considering how little the guards have noticed so far, they might not notice him even if he attempts it," said Mitsuki.

Boruto looked back at the cliff. "Neji, can you see if there's any way we can get down?"

Unlike the Genin, Neji couldn't die a second time.

He agreed and glided over to the cliff and over the edge.

Sarada saw how close the guards were getting and took a chance with her strength. There was a good possibility she could cause the cliff to collapse if she punched the ground where she stood or destroy the lighthouse, so she used it on the guards themselves.

The first one to come her way got a punch to the stomach and was sent backwards into another guard. The next one got punched in the leg and he fell to his knees in great pain. Mitsuki helped by dodging spears and blows with his lithe movements and agility. He almost resorted to his wind-style but refrained.

Boruto started to chuck shuriken at the guards to keep them from advancing but they were only slowed for a moment.

Neji returned and stood beside Boruto. "There's no way down without equipment or jutsu," he told him.

"Using the wall-climbing technique counts, then?"

"Afraid so."

Boruto looked back at the guards beginning to encroach on the hill. That jutsu limitation really left them at a disadvantage. Boruto didn't think there was a way for them to escape capture without using it. Sarada was holding back some of her strength just to be on the safe side, not that it could do much without being a double-edged sword in this case.

They started to retreat further up the hill. The guards advanced.

A spear was lunched at the Genin. And another one. The tip grazed Mitsuki, cutting his cheek. Sarada punched the ground but the tremor was only enough to shake the ground, not split it and the guards were able to remain standing.

Boruto kept backing up. There must have been a way out of this. Something they weren't seeing. He looked around for an answer. Jutsu would have been so helpful right now.

As he took another step back, Boruto's foot didn't touch grass. His body started to fall backwards. He had mistakenly stepped off the cliff.

Neji saw him tipping backwards and rushed to grab his hand on instinct. "Boruto!"

Boruto reached for the hand thrusted to him. His fingers closed around Neji's hand and passed right through it.

Neji's face was frozen in shock.

He couldn't touch Boruto in the human world. He had no tangible body.

Arm still extended, Neji watched helplessly as Boruto fell off the edge of the cliff.

"Boruto!"

His arm was still reaching out for Boruto to take it, even as Neji shrank along with the top of the cliff. Boruto couldn't hear Neji call his name as the wind drowned out everything. Boruto turned to see the ocean coming up fast along with the rocks.

He held the cane under his body and braced for impact.

Please review! ^-^