Chapter 37:
Boruto kept his eyes shut tight but didn't feel anything. He didn't hear a splash or a crunch as he hit the rocks. He didn't feel any pain. He believed for a moment that he was dead but the sensation started to come back to his limbs and his hearing returned, so he no longer believed that was the case.
He felt strange. Something wasn't right. His body felt lighter. Not only that, but he felt like he was being carried.
He opened his eyes with a groan.
"Boruto's awake," said Mitsuki. "Are you alright, Boruto? You've been out for a while."
Boruto started to sit up. His body still felt weird. "What happened?" he asked.
Then his jaw dropped.
Everything was blue and shimmering. There were no clouds in the sky and Boruto couldn't even tell where the sky was. The trees were strange, too, standing bare as they would in fall with such vibrant colors on their branches and trunks. The lanterns were odd, too, translucent and ghostly.
He gave a start when he saw a turtle fly right by them. A sea turtle.
That was when he realized he was underwater. Those trees weren't trees at all but coral and the lanterns were actually jellyfish. No wonder he felt so strange. This was the sensation of being underwater. No wonder his body felt lighter.
He looked at Mitsuki and Sarada, their hair and clothes waving slowly as if being blown by a gentle breeze. He and his friends were breathing just fine. They didn't even look wet.
"We're in the spirit realm, aren't we?"
"The sea portion of it, to be precise," came Neji's voice.
Boruto was confused. "How did we get here? Last thing I remember, we were being chased by the guards. I fell off that cliff, didn't I?"
"You did," said Neji. "Scared me real good, too. But just as you hit the water, you disappeared. A portal opened up on the surface of the water at that exact moment."
"Neji told us to jump in before it closed and we did," said Sarada. "Got us out of there just in time."
Feeling like he was moving, Boruto looked to see what he was sitting on. He felt an odd smooth skin under his hands. It was covered in spots that seemed to fluoresce. He couldn't tell what it was, but he knew it was alive. He looked over his shoulder and found Neji sitting with his back against a dorsal fin. A tail was moving from side to side over Neji's shoulder. A shark's tail.
They were riding on a whale shark.
"Where are we going?" Boruto asked the group.
"They're taking us to the sea palace," answered Neji.
Boruto assumed 'they' referred to the whale shark but that wasn't important to him right now. He was more concerned about going to the palace.
Chances were that the sea palace would have a king and what other king would they expect to find in the sea but the Sea King.
Boruto leaned closer to Sarada. "But we don't have anything to give him. What do we do when we get to the palace?"
She shrugged, looking troubled. "I guess we plead our case and hope for the best."
"But what if he's like the tiger spirit? He might throw us out without the rice or think we were insulting him."
"There's a chance he won't be," said Mitsuki. "Ryosuke's not like that."
"Yeah, but he's different. And he doesn't require a gift to help you."
"He also doesn't require an object to house part of his power and is picky about humans entering his domain." Mitsuki smiled. "Seems every spirit is different. Maybe we shouldn't expect the Sea King to be like one and not another. After all, we are comparing someone we've never met before."
Mitsuki had some very wise advice to share and it did make Boruto feel a little better. He was deciding someone's character before even meeting them. That wasn't very fair of him and that alone might anger the Sea King. He should give the Sea King a fair chance.
At the very least, he shouldn't agitate him, seeing as he was their best chance of finding the Hokage.
The whale shark dove and skimmed the sandy floor, sending up puffs of sand as it settled to a stop. Neji slid off the whale sharks back and thanked it for the ride. Sarada slid down first, then Boruto and then Mitsuki.
As Mitsuki moved away so the whale shark could take off, Boruto noticed he was still carrying the cane.
"You still have that?"
"Hm?" Mitsuki looked at the cane in his hand and smiled. "You were carrying it. I just decided to hold on to it while you slept."
Boruto frowned. "Whatever." He didn't understand why Mitsuki was still carrying it around. It was because of that cane they were chased in the first place.
"There's an equal chance you would have been chased considering what happened to Kai," whispered Neji as they walked along the seashell path. "They didn't seem to like how you were leaving without giving them any answers."
Boruto shrugged, considering this possibility. "I'm not even sure what happened. No matter what I told them, they might not have believed me."
"Fair point."
The pathway to the palace wasn't very long but the views were stunning. The red coral was so luminescent and the jellyfish drifting slowly above the path gave travelers a sense of wonder and joy. The palace itself was breathtakingly beautiful, looking like an underwater sandcastle made of glass and seashells.
The main doors were guarded by a pair of odd-looking seahorses. Neji stepped forward to announce they were there to see the king and the seahorses used their long snouts as trumpets to convoke a servant to come tend to their request.
The large doors behind them opened slightly and a man wiggled out to greet them.
"Welcome, welcome!" The man threw up his arms in welcome. His eyes sparkled with such merriment that both Boruto and Sarada were thrown off guard.
As he approached, they took notice of his appearance. This man had deep scars over his body, the worst of which they could see stretching across his face. It ran from his neck up his left cheek and over his brow, disappearing into his hair. The scar went over the entire left side of his face, leaving him blind in one eye.
It was a horrible scar, but the man's joyfulness made it less noticeable.
They became aware of another disability of his as he got closer. The unmistakable clopping of a cane brought their attention to the man's legs. Or rather his leg. The man only had one. To compensate, he leaned heavily on the cane he held in his left hand which was also scarred.
Despite having only one leg, he made the journey from the walkway to them rather quickly. Within no time, he was in front of them, smiling bright.
"Good to see you!" He clasped Boruto's hand with both of his, balancing on his only leg. "How was your journey? I hope it went well for you. You made it here in good time."
The man's hearty handshake jostled Boruto's whole arm. He could feel the groves of the man's scars on his flesh where he touched him. When the man stopped shaking his hand, Boruto was able to see how bad it was. He had so many scars on his left arm, they looked like veins. Boruto wondered what happened to this man in the past to give him such injuries.
The man held Boruto's hand tightly for a moment as he spoke. The warmth from his hands went up Boruto's arm and into his chest. He could feel the man's kindness through his hands. Then the man let go of Boruto and did the same thing to Sarada. As his handshake jostled her as well, she couldn't help but smile. Mitsuki expected a handshake as well and politely allowed the man to do the same with a slightly bigger smile than usual.
"You've been accompanying them, have you?" the man asked Neji, looking over their heads. "How good of you. Wonderful, wonderful! I imagine you ran into some trouble along the way. No matter. You're here now."
"Were you expecting us?" asked Sarada. The man's friendliness left her wondering if he had mistaken them for someone else.
Boruto wondered the same thing. This man greeted them like long lost friends. He was so forthcoming Boruto had to wonder.
"I can't say I certainly expected you so soon. I did suspect I would be running into you at some point. What with all that's been going on lately. I knew it was only a matter of time. Though I must confess that I certainly hoped." The man started laughing as if he had just told a hilarious joke.
Boruto and Sarada smiled despite themselves. The man was so kind and friendly, they couldn't help but be in a good mood.
Even Neji was starting to smile a little.
"Come on in!" the man told them. "Please, please, make yourselves at home. The journey must have been hard. Don't fret now. I can arrange a place for you to rest if you like. I insist."
"If you have to arrange it, then were you expecting us or not?" Boruto asked automatically.
"I wanted to prepare something on the off chance you did come, but so many people were taking bets on whether or not you were. Looks like I won." The man started laughing again.
Neji started laughing, too. He tried to hide it, but the more he tried, the more he failed. Caught in a giggle fit, he turned his head as if embarrassed.
This only made Boruto and Sarada start laughing as well.
"So you do smile!" said the man happily. "I knew it!"
Neji tried to calm down but seeing the man's broad smile only made him laugh more.
"Come now, don't be shy! You have a nice smile. Don't try to hide it."
Neji turned away, doing what the man told him not to do. Seeing this made the man laugh, which then caused all three of them to laugh more. The man's laugh was so pleasant it seemed to tickle. Laughter was considered infectious on its own, but this man's laugh made the effect even more powerful.
Neji tried to stop laughing but he couldn't. It took several tries before he was finally able to calm himself enough to face the man without laughing, but he couldn't get rid of his smile. That remained on his face.
"We ran into a bit of trouble back there and we were brought here without request. It was lucky, though."
"So you were in a fix. How dreadful. Well, no mind. You're here now. And I can assure you that this place is safe. The king has made sure of it. No creature would dare try something in his domain."
"I didn't catch your name," said Boruto. "What is it?"
The man turned to look at him. "Oh, you can call me anything you like."
"But what's your name?" he asked again.
"I go by many names. Some have even called me the Dancing Fish."
"The Dancing Fish?" Boruto asked. Looking at the man's robes, shimmering like scales in sunlight, he could see that.
"That's what I was called before my… accident." The man thumped his cane on the shell-covered walkway, drawing attention to his missing leg.
"How did that happen?" Boruto asked out of curiosity.
"I broke," said the man. "Fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. Of course, many tried to piece me back together, but some parts just couldn't be mended. My leg got the worst of it. It was never recovered. So…" The man waved his cane in the air. "The king gave me this instead. Works quite well, I must say."
"You shattered?" Boruto knew how that sounded. It sounded like this man was actually a statue. Only now he was human and could walk around. What sort of magic could have brought him to life?
"Sea King, please," Neji interjected, knowing they still had a mission to see through.
Boruto forgot they were pressed for time but without anything to offer the Sea King, Boruto didn't see the need to rush. He could only hope the Sea King would help them.
"Come," waved the man. "Come in. I'll bring you to see him right away."
The doors opened wide as the man approached and they all went inside the glittering palace. Boruto felt as if he were walking on round stones melded to the floor but when he looked, he saw that the floors were lined with pearls. Millions if not billions of pearls.
Oddly enough, pearls were used to pave the ground where people walked but the items on display were worth far less than the round glittering spheres. Things like discarded seashells, tapestries woven from seaweed and carvings of mermen holding fishing hooks instead of swords. Of course, fish probably considered fishhooks just as deadly as actual swords which probably explained the design choice.
The palace was very wide and, though there were plenty of windows, none of them had glass, allowing tiny fish to swim in and out as if exploring a plastic castle in a fish tank. Smiling servants passed them by with glittering flowing robes and guards standing at attention with very crustacean-like armor watched them from their position along the wall.
The man stopped in front of a pair of towering doors and looked to Neji. "The Sea King may wish to speak with them alone. Shall you accompany me this way for a time, please?"
"Uh…" Neji looked at Boruto and Sarada, hesitant to leave them.
"They'll be fine," the man assured cheerfully. "The Sea King won't eat them."
Considering they hadn't met the Sea King yet and this was the man's way of calming them, they probably shouldn't have taken it as a joke but Neji chuckled and looked away sheepishly, as if embarrassed to be seen laughing.
Mitsuki then said, "I would like to come, too." He looked back at Boruto and Sarada. "You want to meet with the Sea King yourselves, don't you? You don't need me for your meeting."
Boruto was surprised. Usually, Mitsuki didn't want to go anywhere without Boruto nearby if given the option.
"Don't worry," he said with a smile. "You and Sarada have been doing this together without me for most of it."
"You're not in the way," Sarada told him. "You're part of the team."
"I know," he said. "But…" Mitsuki glanced over at the scarred man. "I kind of want to stay with him for a bit. If that's ok."
Boruto wondered if Mitsuki felt drawn to this man for some reason and wanted to be with him. The man was friendly and Boruto did feel comfortable around him. Maybe Mitsuki felt these feelings more strongly and wanted to discover why.
Boruto nodded. "Alright, Mitsuki. We'll come find you as soon as we're done, ok?"
Mitsuki smiled. "Alright. Hope all goes well with the Sea King."
Now Boruto was wondering if Mitsuki chose to leave the meeting to them because he knew how important it was for Boruto that it go well and didn't want to risk messing it up for him.
Boruto shook his head and took in a deep breath.
This was it. They were going to meet with the Sea King.
He looked over at Sarada. "You ready?"
"Are you?" she countered.
He looked down, unsure.
If he waited too long, what would happened to his father, still waiting somewhere in the spirit realm for them to find? How much longer could he wait? If Boruto didn't take the chance and speak to the Sea King, he may never reach his father.
"Let's get this over with." Boruto drew in a deep breath and straightened his back. He had to do this.
With the slightest touch, the doors swung open and the two entered a wide throne room with tall sandy pillars and seaweed being used as drapery. The throne room was full of life and light chatter. Fish swam above their heads, hybrids scuttled along the floor and people in scale-like clothing lounged on the steps leading to the throne where the Sea King sat as servants brought him food and conversation.
Slowly, as Boruto and Sarada walked toward the throne, the chatter quieted. Some moved away from them and others stayed where they were and stared at the strangers.
They stopped in the center of the room and bowed before the Sea King. It was difficult for Boruto to keep his head down, wanting to stare at the man three times the size a normal human should be, but his size wasn't the only thing Boruto noticed. The man in flowing blue robes had a pair of coral-like horns sticking up from his head which made him almost look like a reindeer. The horns seemed to act as his crown, seeing as he didn't wear one, and the horns themselves seemed to command a certain respect and authority. The Sea King also had long sharp fingernails and a long silver beard. As he shifted in his seat to give them his full attention, they noticed he was hiding a long scaly tail behind his back.
The Sea King waved the servants closest to him away and they sat on the steps with the others, giving their ruler some space.
"You are strangers in my domain," said the Sea King. He spoke calmly but his size made his voice louder, allowing Boruto and Sarada to hear him easily. "A pair of humans. A strange sight around these parts but mortals are an even rarer sight."
Sarada urged Boruto to bow lower, unsure if the Sea King approved of them being there or not.
"I imagine you came here with purpose. Has someone told you to seek me out for a favor?"
Boruto, in a kowtow, reached into his pocket and took out the empty purple pouch and placed it on the floor in front of him.
"I'm sorry," he said humbly but his voice was shaking. "I don't have the rice anymore. All I have left is the bag that carried it."
The servants on the stairs started to whisper. Boruto shut his eyes as if that would be enough to drown them out but it only made their voices louder in his ears.
The whispering stopped once the Sea King shifted himself in his seat and started speaking again.
"You seem to know who I am," he told them. "Tell me, humans, who are you?"
Boruto swallowed. "My name is Boruto. And… and this is my friend Sara-"
"Sarada," the Sea King finished. "You are Boruto and Sarada, correct? Then… you are shinobi, yes? From the mortal world."
Boruto lifted his head with surprise, as did Sarada.
"You know us?"
"You've heard of us?"
The Sea King's eyes were wide with surprise and gratitude. He began to smile. "Of course, I have. My servant has spoken of you in high regard."
Boruto thought the Sea King was referring to the scarred man, who seemed to be expecting them. "Really?"
"Yes," said the Sea King. "He told me all about you and how you helped him."
"Helped him?" Boruto said with confusion.
"Yes. Nori."
Boruto sat straight up, eyes wide in disbelief. "Nori?!" The button-nosed boy looking for his coat. "He's your servant?"
The Sea King nodded. "His parents are members of my court. Little Nori's young but works diligently and is well-liked. He often goes to the surface once he finishes his chores to gather seashells and seaweed. He likes to observe the human market from time to time. He's never gone for more than a couple hours. When he didn't return, we got worried. We searched but couldn't find him."
Boruto could hardly hear the Sea King over the thumping of his own heart. Nori never mentioned he was a servant, never talked about where he was from and gave no inclination that he served the Sea King.
That young button-nosed boy Boruto wanted to leave behind.
"With all that's been happening with the sudden vanishings, we thought something had happened to him. I had the guards search everywhere with no luck. But then, after a few days, he returned, telling me how his coat was taken by a human and was rescued by mortal shinobi going by the names of Sarada and Boruto."
Sarada let out the breath she had been holding as a smile spread across her face.
Boruto, meanwhile, was too stunned to make any expression or breathe.
The Sea King smiled down upon them. "You have my gratitude," he said to them. "Thank you for helping Nori get back home."
"You're welcome. But, uh…" Sarada quickly bowed her head again, grabbing Boruto so he would do the same. "We were asked to come find you by another spirit. The reason we're here is we need to know the location of a spirit named Naosu. We were told you knew."
"I do," said the Sea King. "I know many creatures beyond my domain, friend and otherwise. That includes where they reside."
"Please," said Sarada in a humble kowtow. "Naosu has taken Boruto's father into the spirit realm and we must get him back. We don't know why he was taken but we do know the human he took doesn't belong here. Can you please tell us where to find him?"
The Sea King sat back in his chair, thinking. They could hear his long claws clacking together in contemplation. No one spoke. No one moved.
Leaning back in his throne, the Sea King spoke. "Normally, I do not grant such requests without an offering."
Such as the former contents of the pouch they brought, Boruto suspected. He hoped by bringing it, the Sea King could see that they had every intention of giving him something as payment, but the intent wasn't as good as the actual delivery, or lack thereof in this case.
Boruto kept his head bowed so no one could see him pressing his lips together, his jaw aching with stiffness. He expected the Sea King to decline their request.
"However," said the Sea King, leaning forward in his seat, "you did do me a great service, bringing Nori back safely. So I will make an exception."
The Genin looked up.
"I will grant you one favor. Think about your request and I will give it to you as a token of my thanks."
"Can you help us get my dad back?" Boruto asked automatically.
The Sea King rested his elbows on his knees. "He is not mine to take from another, even under such circumstances."
Ryosuke warned them that this might be the case. Even a king could not claim another's prize, even if it was ill-gotten. Since Naruto did not belong to the Sea King, he could not take him from another spirit, in accordance with their laws. As annoying as this was for Boruto, a part of him understood that this was probably to prevent spirits from playing keep-away with each other and prevent theft.
Naruto was no one's property in the spirit realm so no one could take him from another. The only one who had any claim to him was Boruto. A son looking for his father was well within the rules. Being mortal also helped have some pull.
"Then…" Boruto began, rephrasing the request. After all, they only had the one. "Can you please take us to where he is so that we can meet with Naosu?"
The Sea King stood. "I can. If it is your request, I shall."
"Then please," Boruto bowed his head again. "Take us to Naosu and where he's keeping my dad."
With a nod, the Sea King turned his head and gave a sharp roar. His voice made the floor beneath them vibrate. Two guards came and the Sea King gave them an order.
"Make preparations. I shall be taking these mortals to see Naosu at once."
They saluted and hurried off.
"It shall take but a moment," the Sea King told them. "Make certain that you are prepared as well. I can get you there but you must find a way to return on your own."
Boruto and Sarada looked at each other. It sounded like reaching Naosu was a one-way trip. Boruto didn't care, figuring they could remedy that when the time came, but Sarada was concerned they might be trapped there with no return.
Unless Neji could help them get back. As long as he was in their party, they could probably get back home somehow.
"There are two others in our group," Sarada told the Sea King.
"Fetch them," said the Sea King and the Genin hurried out of the throne room.
Boruto was still very numb, his body on autopilot as Sarada took him into the hall to find Neji and Mitsuki. His mind was racing.
They were nearing the end of their journey. They were going to where Naruto was being held. They were one step closer to bringing him home. The Sea King was going to help them without the rice. He was going to help them because they helped Nori.
Because they helped Nori.
Boruto nearly tripped when Sarada came to a sudden stop down the hall. For the first time since leaving the throne room, Boruto looked at something other than the floor.
Mitsuki was looking ahead with a smile on his face. He looked back to acknowledge Boruto and Sarada then looked forward again. He was watching Neji laugh uncontrollably at the scarred man's jokes and prodding. He poked Neji in the shoulder with his cane to get his attention and Neji responded as if it tickled him.
"I think I figured it out," said Mitsuki. "This man's joyfulness is infectious. He puts everyone around him in a good mood. Neji seemed to feel it more strongly but I'm not sure why that is."
Neji twisted away from the man trying to get a better look at him, still laughing. "Come now, boy. Your ribs shouldn't ache when you laugh in this state. Enjoy yourself. It makes you look friendly."
"I'm good, I'm good," Neji insisted between laughs but the more he tried to hide it, the more the man wanted to see his face. It became like a game parents would play with their toddlers, with the older one trying to see the face of the younger one attempting to hide.
Sarada smirked at the sight and put a hand on her hip. "Well, Neji did mention that, as a spirit, he tends to feel emotions more strongly."
"Something like that," mumbled Boruto.
Sarada interrupted the man's fun, telling him that they all had to return to the throne room as soon as possible. Neji was all too happy to leave the scarred man's side and hide behind Sarada. The scarred man waved to them with his cane and wished them luck.
"Thank you," Sarada said with a wave.
Mitsuki gripped the cane in his hands tightly as he watched the scarred man limp away, whistling a tune. His smile slowly diminished and turned to follow his friends back to the throne room.
Neji finally calmed down, looking relieved. He asked how things went with the Sea King and Sarada excitedly told him the good news. Neji listened to every word with a smile. However, when she mentioned that they would have to find their own way back, his smile faded.
He looked down sadly and said, "He, uh… While you were meeting with the Sea King… the scarred man checked on my condition and told me that I'm only going to be able to go into the human world one more time. What little I managed to do for you used up most of what I had and the tiger's protection is wearing off."
"Only once more?" Sarada hoped that they would go home immediately after seeing Naosu but none of them knew how that meeting was going to go. What if Naosu sent them off to find something for him in exchange for Naruto's safe return? This was why Neji wanted to save it for special occasions.
"Will you be able to help us return home?" Mitsuki asked, walking behind him.
Neji shrugged. "Even those times, I needed help opening the portal. I'm not that type of spirit, so I can't do it on my own. I can appear briefly but I can't really do anything."
"So even those times, you needed help to send us back into the human world and here?" Sarada asked.
He nodded. "It is so taxing on me, even without assistance. When we meet Naosu, I'm not sure I'll be able to get you back home. Either way, it'll be the last thing I can do for you in the human world. Once the protection wears off, if I enter the human world as I've been, I'll risk losing my mind and turning into one of them."
"But you said you can appear in the human realm briefly."
"Appearing is not the same as entering. It's hard to explain."
The group returned to the throne room and stood before the empty throne, waiting.
"I'll do what I can for you," Neji whispered.
Sarada shook her head, smiling up at him. "It's ok," she said comfortingly. "We made it this far and we finally got some good news. The Sea King will take us right to Naosu. This is a big help."
Boruto couldn't stay quiet anymore.
"Sarada… I'm sorry."
She turned to him, confused. "For what?"
He gave her a remorseful look as he confessed his feelings. "You were right. Helping Nori was the right thing to do. Under any other circumstances, I would have been on board but… I was just so worried about my old man. I wanted to leave Nori. You talked me into letting him come along. And if you hadn't done that…"
Boruto didn't know if the Sea King was only granting them their request because Nori was his servant or because they decided to stop and help a perfect stranger, not knowing who or what he was or the relation he had to the Sea King, and thought that deserved a reward.
They didn't know Nori's tie to the Sea King, didn't know they would need the Sea King's help and didn't agree to help in order to receive a reward. They just helped him because they thought it was the right thing to do and expected nothing in return.
"I was so angry when Kai ate the rice and left us with nothing and I blamed you for that," Boruto told her. "I thought if we had never gone to that kingdom, Kai wouldn't have eaten the rice."
"There was no way to know that and we were going on a hunch because we were stuck."
"I know, but…" Boruto frowned, searching for the words. "If we hadn't gone there, we would have still had the rice. But we did and Kai ate it. We didn't have anything, so if we hadn't helped Nori like you suggested, we would've been stuck. So… I'm sorry. You were right. It was a good thing we helped him."
He couldn't have foreseen this but the outcome was very fortunate.
"If we hadn't done as you said, we…" When Boruto thought of what might have happened, all he pictured was a failed mission, them getting trapped and Naruto never returning home. It was enough to make him shake and his eyes burn.
Neji put a hand on his shoulder, able to touch him in this realm. "It's ok, Boruto. It worked out."
Sarada wasn't used to seeing Boruto get so emotional about one of her decisions. Boruto must have really been shaken.
"Either way would have been fine, actually," said Mitsuki. "If we hadn't gone to the kingdom, we would have kept the rice. Helping Nori gave you another option, it sounds. However, even if he hadn't gone to Kai's kingdom and still had the rice, we wouldn't have found the Sea King's kingdom so quickly."
"So either way it was good going this route," said Neji. "I wouldn't have known the entrance was below that lighthouse. However, what still doesn't make sense to me is how the portal opened up in that exact spot exactly when we needed it. I suppose it was one of those that open at random but it's too much of a coincidence."
"Could you have opened it by accident when you reached for Boruto?"
Neji folded his arms, thinking. "Hm. I suppose I could have willed it to happen, but I would have felt something. I require assistance since I cannot open one on my own but I'm conscious of any portal I open with help. I don't think it was me."
Some servants came bustling into the throne room, signaling that the Sea King had returned.
Given that this was their first time seeing the Sea King, both Mitsuki and Neji craned their necks upward and stared at the massive horned man. This was Boruto's first time seeing the Sea King walking from the side and was quick to notice just how long his tail was, dragging behind him like the train of a gown.
As the Sea King instructed his servants, Boruto noticed the long claws on the ends of his fingertips and was instantly reminded of the creature that grabbed his father. He briefly wondered if the Sea King had some connection to the event.
The lizard spirit mentioned that Naosu went by other names. The Sea King hadn't mentioned his own name and Boruto doubted that his title was his name. The Sea King also knew who Naosu was and where to find him. Could it be possible that they were one and the same?
When the Sea King bent down to address a smaller servant, Boruto took careful notice of the ruler's hands, measuring. Then Boruto relaxed, realizing that they couldn't have been the same person. Though big, the Sea King couldn't be big enough to be the creature he saw that day. His hands were proportionate to his size and, after eyeballing the size, compared it to how tall his father was and knew they were not the same. That hand could pick Naruto up like a doll and the Sea King's hands weren't even large enough to wrap around Boruto. Even if the Sea King could cover his hands in scales, it wouldn't be the same. Aside from the size, the color was all wrong. Boruto assumed that the Sea King's tail was an indication of what the scales would look like if they covered his body. The Sea King's tail had blue scales and the creature had green.
The Sea King turned to them. Their heads only came up to his knee, which brought back faint memories of being a toddler next to a towering adult for Sarada and Boruto. Neji remained calm but Mitsuki looked upon the Sea King with great interest.
"I shall take you to where Naosu is," said the Sea King. "But that is all I can do for you. I wish you luck once you get there and some advice. Once you find your father, take him back to the human world. Take nothing else with you that you did not bring with you."
"Yeah," said Boruto with a nod. "We were told we can't leave human items in the spirit realm and that we shouldn't take items from here that haven't been given to us by willing spirits."
Mitsuki glanced at Boruto then looked down at the cane he carried in his hands. He held it to his body as if embracing a beloved toy.
"Is everyone ready?" asked the Sea King.
"Yup," Boruto answered for the group.
"Wait," said Mitsuki.
They turned in surprise and saw Mitsuki clutching the cane tightly. He stepped forward after a moment, eyes on the Sea King.
"The scarred man who brings joy to others… I noticed he has a cane to help him walk." Mitsuki gripped the cane tightly before extending it out to the Sea King. "I was thinking maybe he should have this. As a gift."
Boruto didn't understand why Mitsuki was still clinging to it in the first place and now wanted to give it to someone else. He didn't understand why Mitsuki had such interest in this cane, especially when it caused them so much trouble, assuming that was why the guards were chasing them.
The Sea King bent down to take a closer look at the offered cane and his eyes widened.
"Where did you get this?"
"I found it in the human world," answered Mitsuki. "It's damaged, though." He turned the cane around to reveal the crack running down the side of the shaft. "I thought the scarred man should have it because he is damaged as well. It seemed fitting, somehow."
Mitsuki honestly felt it would be a good match because of the similarities, but Sarada and Boruto both worried that Mitsuki's thoughtful intentions would be misunderstood as disrespectful and rude.
The Sea King took the cane from Mitsuki and stared at it. "You found this in the human world?"
"Yes."
The Sea King eyed the crack in the wood. "Why did you decide to pick it up and take it with you?"
Boruto and Sarada looked at Mitsuki, unsure of why the Sea King would ask such a question but knew it was important.
Mitsuki looked at the cane, giving it serious thought. "I'm not sure why," he confessed. "I just couldn't bring myself to leave it there."
The Sea King smiled at him. "It was good that you didn't. You did not know what this was and yet understand its importance."
Mitsuki didn't say anything but Boruto had to know what the Sea King meant.
"This is a spirit item," he explained, holding the cane between his thumb and index finger.
"It is?" Boruto looked at the cane, surprised.
Sarada cupped her hands together gleefully. If Mitsuki found this in the treasury, it meant she was right all along. Kai must have taken that cane without knowing what it really was, or knew and wanted it to help make the kingdom more powerful, as she suspected.
Neji looked at Boruto and then at the cane. It all made sense. Boruto was holding it when he fell. A portal opened underneath him when he held the cane out to help break his fall. He must have accidently used its magic to open that portal. Neji knew it couldn't be random.
"Your Majesty," Neji said to the Sea King. "Spirit items are often able to open portals. Is it possible for a human to wield such a power?"
They looked at the Sea King, awaiting the answer.
"Normally, no. Most spirit items are useless to humans. However, as you can see…" The Sea King pointed to the crack. "… this one is damaged."
"In other words, that means..?"
"When a spirit item is damaged, it becomes unpredictable," said the Sea King. "A human could use it without meaning to, but the results won't be consistent."
Boruto either got lucky or the item responded to how it was normally used, regardless of the wielder. When Boruto thrust it out, the cane took it as a command to open a portal, so it obeyed.
"Depending on its purpose, items such as these can activate at random after receiving damage like this."
Sarada moved forward, excited. "So if this cane was used to open portals, if it's taken damage, is it possible that it will open portals at random?"
The Sea King nodded. "I suppose so."
Sarada pointed at the cane as she spoke to her teammates. "That's it! That must be what's causing the portals to randomly open between our world and the spirit realm. It's the damaged cane!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on." Boruto held up his hands. "That might explain why we were able to get here when I fell, but that doesn't explain all the others. That portal opened in front of me while I had the cane in my hands. What about all those other portals opening all over the place?"
Sarada opened and closed her mouth. Having no explanation, she turned to the Sea King.
"Spirit items can open portals within a certain range of the item itself. However, a damaged one is unpredictable, as I mentioned. It could open portals near itself or elsewhere, but always within a certain area. It could also create half-portals, which aren't strong enough to be seen or sensed as its power leaks from where it's taken damage. There's no way of knowing for sure."
"That's not really an answer," Boruto commented. "Either it does or it doesn't. I mean, how..?"
"Spirits and spirit items go by different rules, Boruto," Sarada said, adjusting her glasses smugly. "Maybe we're not supposed to understand it."
"Yeah, but…"
"It is equally possible that the random portals are the result of the damaged item and original owner attempting to use their power to find one another," interrupted the Sea King. "On their own, they are not strong enough and are in two different locations. This could cause imbalance. A true portal is not able to open up, but all that power they are using has to go somewhere."
"And that power could manifest in different ways," said Neji, trying to understand. "Like when you use a bottle of air freshener. You can see the mist when you spray it but after a moment or two, it disappears but the scent is still there. Maybe that's what was going on when the item and owner were trying to reunite. A portal never opened fully but that energy lingered until it managed to reconfigure momentarily and some unsuspecting spirit stumbled through it before it could close."
"But there are no reports of humans entering the spirit realm at random. Only spirits into the human world," said Mitsuki. "If that cane was locked away in a room, it would explain why no human had been relocated. But what about spirits?"
"Hey, yeah," said Boruto. "Isn't it more likely that the item isn't responsible but the person trying to find it here in the spirit realm?"
"That power could be drawn from the cane to a point but the owner…"
The Sea King nodded, looking at the cane in his claws. "As with its unpredictability, the cane can only do so much on its own but still tries to serve its owner. If the owner moves from one location to another in this world, that could explain why portals are opened at random locations."
"Ok, so what does all that mean?" Boruto asked, getting very confused.
"It means there are a number of factors to consider, but everything played a small part to result in this," said Neji.
"Spirit items are complicated things," said the Sea King. "I doubt it would be something a mortal can understand. I alone am having difficulty finding the words to explain the possible phenomenon."
It really sounded like something they weren't meant to understand but Boruto was still trying to wrap his head around it. After all, if this was the cause of the random portals, he wanted to be certain so they wouldn't have to worry about this happening again.
"Basically," said Neji, sensing Boruto wanted a full explanation, "it comes down to one of two things. Either the owner of the item is so powerful that they need the item to channel that energy, so without it, their powers are leaking, or the owner is inexperienced and wielding an item more powerful than they can control as of now."
Boruto still wasn't sure how this explained the portals opening at random in various locations, but he accepted what they were trying to convey to him.
As he thought more about it, he decided to imagine it as someone attempting to use a teleportation jutsu but was unable to fully master it so a portal would open partway where they wanted to go but they never saw a portal open in front of them. That seemed to make the most sense. It made more sense than the description of expelled power gathering in random spots to create a half-portal no one noticed because it was invisible, but that was mostly because he was having trouble picturing it.
Mitsuki peered over at the cane. "Whether it's leaking power or has lost control because it's damaged doesn't matter, does it? Maybe it should be treated as those spirits getting confused as they enter our world. Their actions make no sense to us but once the situation is resolved, everything goes back to the way it was."
Boruto looked at Mitsuki, stunned. Did he just suggest they view the cane as a lost creature? Maybe he was right. They knew what the problem was, how it occurred didn't matter in this case. Perhaps a damaged spirit item was no different than a confused spirit in this case.
"Can it be fixed?" Sarada asked.
The Sea King looked over the cane and lowered his head in concentration. "I believe I can remedy this. Will take but a moment."
The Sea King placed his other hand over the cane, holding his palm over the crack. The Genin moved closer to see what he was doing. The Sea King took his hand off the cane, wedged the claw of his index finger into the crack and slowly ran it through the wound. As his claw moved away, the crack began to mend, a green light emitting from the crevice before closing. The Sea King's claw reached the end of the crack and pulled away. The light followed his claw then vanished, leaving nothing behind.
Holding up the cane in satisfaction, everyone could see the fully repaired shaft. It was as if it had never been damaged.
Mitsuki gave a tiny gasp, seeing the bird blink its eye on the head of the cane as if thanking him.
"Good as new," Neji said with a smile. He looked relieved, as if seeing the crack in the cane had been causing him pain as well.
"We haven't much time, humans," said the Sea King. "If you are going to meet with Naosu, best do it now."
"And the cane?" Mitsuki asked.
"I shall find its owner. You see to your own mission."
"We're all set," said Boruto. "Let's go."
"Very well." The Sea King knelt down, facing sideways. "Best hold on tightly. I'll be moving fast."
The Genin exchanged confused looks. Were they expected to ride the Sea King like a horse?
"His robes," Neji said, pointing. "Grab on quick."
Neji had rushed forward to grab onto the Sea King's flowing robes and the Genin hurried to do the same, worried they would be left behind if they didn't.
Though they looked soft and smooth as silk, the Sea King's robes were like scales in Boruto's grip. The silver embroidery was like hair, fine and soft.
With a loud roar, the Sea King shot up from the ground, leaping towards the open windows of his throne room. Approaching fast, the Sea King twisted his body, rotating like a corkscrew before shooting out the window as if being blasted from a cannon.
"Ah?!" When Boruto looked down at the Sea King, he found that he had changed into a long dragon with blue scales and silver mane.
Please review! ^-^