Hello everyone! Welcome back to A Spark of Hope! I'm sooo glad to be able to post again!

I apologize so much for how long it's been! I've just gone through so much drama over the past month with some friends (and some... no longer friends...) that's been affecting my mental health. I don't want to get into any more detail because it's private, but just know that I'm more than okay right now with those people who truly matter to me, and I can deal or accept the loss of the ones who left.

So I just want to thank my best friends who stick by my side anyway, in spite of everything. Kaina, Cheska, Kei, Dorothy, Yen, and others. I dedicate this chapter and this series to you girls! ^_^

Anyway, with that out of the way, here is Chapter 6! I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 6: Always By Your Side

The happy, melodic, and upbeat tune of a particular song emanated from one of the rooms of the Uzumaki home, the sounds echoing within its walls and seeping through the closed windows, such that people with very sensitive ears could hear it from outside.

It all began with a shirt drenched in glittering sweat
You were shining brighter than anyone else
I felt it was love at first sight
And my mind set off on a new journey

I ran like a summer wind after the rain
As if to overtake the blinding sun
Hoping to paint my world with the colors of love
I splashed its tones across the first page of a brand new chapter

Checking magazine horoscopes to see if the stars align
Hoping our signs will point to a future
This bruised heart of mine could not take another beating
Until your kindness and tenderness came to mend it

It was 5 pm, or so the clock claimed to Boruto, who was listening to Namida's song, "Always By Your Side". It was the most recent one she had completed and released. And she had sent it to him recently, though he couldn't quite remember exactly when.

And before I knew it, the wounds my heart showed began to fade
The moment it bore witness to your carefree, whimsical, everyday self
One of these days, when we talk about our dreams, your face will light up
Then we'll lock eyes and smile at each other

Our paces may differ, but we'll walk this path together
A winding road for us to take on together
On this white map, folded in two, I jot down a short answer
So that I may open up to you

My bluff is called and stops in its tracks
Leaving my heart full of questions
Having finally learned how you feel
I'm left speechless, tears springing to my eyes

Boruto had been listening to this same song over and over and over again. It had been on loop for over fifty, maybe sixty times now. He himself wasn't sure, for he had long since lost count.

This feeling I've been unable to express pours into the midnight sky
And falls down from above in a glittering rain
I notice a gentle breeze roaring through my heart
Letting the door to tomorrow gently creak open

With our harmony ringing out into my ears
I choke up, struggling to hold back my tears
I say to you, as ordinary as it may seem,
'I'll always be right by your side!'

For me, your words transcend time and leap into forever
Having unwaveringly persisted throughout the years
At the end of our long adventure, we'll find a place for the two of us
So we can nourish our love for the years to come

The song's melody was dying down once again as it reached the end. But for the first time in the last two and a half hours, Boruto paused it before it could loop back around again. He glanced towards his desk, and as he expected, he saw the woman with purple hair and purple eyes, clad in her usual purple and black clothes, sitting on his swivel chair, looking right back at him.

The woman he cherished. The woman he loved.

"Hey… do you remember this?"

"It was the first thing I wrote during our stay in the Rem Fortress. I was so happy when I finished it and read it, so I decided to try to write more. I ended up writing the other six as well."

Boruto nodded and looked out the window. For a couple of seconds, the only sound in the room was the silent hum of the air conditioner, which kept the room at a chilly temperature.

"Sumire," Boruto asked the one sitting at his desk, "you remember what Denki and Sarada told me? What Wasabi and Namida told me?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

The blonde smiled as his vision of Sumire once again confirmed what he had known for a while now: that anything he saw, felt, or otherwise sensed, she knew about too.

He then asked her, "Was it all true?"

But before she could answer him, there was a knock on his door, followed by the unmistakable voice of his mother. "Son? May I come in?"

"Yes mom. One moment…" He got up from his bed and unlocked his door to let Hinata in.

"That's Namida singing, right?"

"Yeah," Boruto replied as he sat back down on his bed. "That's her newest song."

"Her voice is pleasant to my ears."

"She's an amazing singer," he nodded. "And she made Sumire's writings into beloved songs too."

"Ohh, Sumire wrote those lyrics?"

"Yeah…"

Another few seconds of calm silence settled in, and it was only broken when Hinata asked, "Well, are your things ready for the trip?"

"No, but I'll pack light. Are you and Dad and Hima ready?"

"I'm done with my things. Your dad will pack his later. Your sister, I don't know yet."

Hinata then sat beside her son on the bed. "I… I heard you talking to her… Sumire…"

Boruto let out a sigh and a chuckle that immediately melded together. "How long have you been outside?"

"A couple of minutes?" She wrapped her arm around her son's side and pulled him closer to her, and so Boruto leaned his head onto his mother's shoulder.

"I didn't know her well," Hinata told him, "and I regret not getting to know her better. But based on what I know of her, on what I've heard from watching the documentaries and talking to Sakura and Sai and others who knew her better, she reminds me of your father when we were younger."

She sighed and collected her thoughts, as Boruto kept listening to her quietly. "An orphaned child, with such a dark and incredibly lonely childhood, carrying a dangerous beast inside her, one that was meant to destroy Konoha and herself in the process…"

Then a smile crept onto her face. "But with your help, and with the help of your group of friends, she was able to learn what it feels like to love, to empathize, to have friends and family who cared about her, and vice versa. She tamed the Nue and made it into a gentler beast, just as your father did with Kurama."

"If only things had gone a different way," Hinata concluded, "I would have welcomed Sumire anytime she went here, and I would have strived to get to know her as well as possible."

Once she finished talking, Boruto enveloped her into a delicate embrace, and she felt the warm wetness of a few tears falling onto her shoulder. "Mom… Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course… What is it?"

He whispered to his mother, "She's sitting beside me. If you have any questions for her, she says she's glad to answer them."

Hinata opened her mouth to speak, but for a few seconds remained mute, as she was so unsettled and unnerved by how her son was so convincing. Or perhaps, he was so convinced that his dear and beloved friend was somehow still alive.

Indeed, Sasuke had told her and Naruto that while Boruto was in all other aspects capable and sane, he saw and talked to Sumire a lot, both while asleep and while awake. Thus, he suspected schizophrenia caused by the trauma of that fateful night years ago. But Boruto preferred not to go to psychologists, instead requesting to be left alone whenever he would see her. In fact, there were even times that he snapped at Sasuke for insinuating he was seeing things that were not actually there.

The last thing Hinata wanted was to hurt her son by forcing the issue, by telling him that the Sumire he saw was not real. So she quickly decided to ask a few simple questions to play along.

"Okay," she finally nodded and focused on the spot where Boruto was looking. "Hmm… How are you tonight, Sumire?"

Boruto glanced to his side and nodded, as if he heard the answer. "She's comfortable and fine here, she says."

"Are you with my son everywhere he goes?"

Boruto quickly nodded in response.

"What were some of your favorite sights and places that you visited during the journey?"

Boruto waited for a few seconds to hear out the reply, a reply that only he could hear. "She says the hydroelectric dam near the giant statues at Valley of the End, Lord Orochimaru's research lab in Oto, the hot springs in Yu, and the defenses near Hush, where Shikamaru's army base is."

"Alright," Hinata said, a smile starting to show onto her face. "One more thing. Would you have wanted to be my daughter-in-law?"

"M-Mom…" Boruto looked away from Hinata in embarrassment, only for him to open his eyes even wider, as if he was witnessing Sumire furiously nodding her head and laughing. He sighed and then gently put his left hand on what seemed to be an invisible shoulder next to him. "She… She says yes… Yes, a million times over, in her words… Thanks Sumire…"

Another idea came to Hinata, who by this point was growing unsure about what to feel for her son. As a final check, she activated her Byakugan while Boruto was looking away and speaking to emptiness like schizophrenic people would do.

"If there's nothing there beside him," Hinata reasoned in her mind, "then I'll bring him to Sakura and Ino for diagnosis and treatment soon…"

Sure enough, there was nothing beside Boruto on his bed.

But she did notice something peculiar.

There was a foreign chakra that her Byakugan sensed. It was a chakra that she was indeed slightly familiar with.

However, it was not in the space beside Boruto, where he was looking, speaking, and laughing towards.

It was inside Boruto.

She focused more on the foreign chakra in her son, and with her Byakugan, she was able to determine that it was not a parasitic type, but rather it cooperated with Boruto in a mutualistic relationship. In this relationship, it complemented him, perhaps even giving him boosts in physical, mental, and emotional aspects, while in exchange, this distinct entity received shelter, continued nutrition, and safety inside him, a living host that it trusted.

Hinata could not believe her eyes. "She… she lives… in you…"

She once again wrapped her arms around her son's shoulders and embraced him as tight as she could. While doing so, she silently spoke her mind. "Thank you for still taking care of my son, Sumire… Truly, I would have loved for you to become part of our family…"

A seemingly random thought came to her head. It was so out of the blue that it was like it wasn't even her thought. "…Not many should know…"

Hinata paused in her thoughts, trying to make sense of what was happening, all while she kept Boruto firmly in her arms. Finally she spoke internally, "Keep taking care of him, as he'll keep taking care of you…"

This time, she was sure she now heard a faint response. "…Promise…"

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

Sarada was brushing her teeth and looking at herself in the mirror of her bathroom. One towel was wrapped around her chest, while another was perched on top of her head, draining out the water from her long black hair. She had just finished taking a long shower under warm water, which refreshed her sore body and tired mind. For her, today had been another long day of shadowing Naruto in his Hokage duties, following him wherever he went and sitting behind him in meetings.

As she spit into the white sink below her, washed it away, and gathered tap water in her hands, she noticed her phone light up beside her. She quickly rinsed and gargled the water in her mouth, spit once again, and then dried her hands before checking out the message she had received. It was from Yan.

Got off the Thunder Rail a while ago! I'll be there in 3-5 minutes tops! Prepare for the tightest hug yet! ^_^

A wide smile formed on Sarada's face, and so she quickened her pace. She rubbed the towels on her hair to dry it out quicker. She then did the same to her face, chest, back, arms, and legs to wipe away the water that still clung to her skin.

She was in the process of putting on her nightclothes when the doorbell rang. She heard the front door being opened, and downstairs she heard voices that she knew well. She soon finished dressing up, and leaving the bathroom and passing by the mattresses for the sleepover in her room, she hurried down the stairs.

As soon as she got to the bottom of the staircase, Sarada saw the opaque mirrors of the shade-like goggle-glasses of her friend Yan, standing by one of the sofas in the living room, conversing with Sasuke and Sakura about how she has been and how life was going.

"SARADA!"

"YAN!"

The two ran towards each other's embrace. As Yan had promised, she caught her in a bearhug, her arms clasped tight around her best friend's back and ribs. At first, Sarada returned the hug with the same force. But after a few seconds, they let their arms loosen and relax, and the hug mellowed down into rubbing and patting each other on the back.

"I've missed you so much…" Sarada mentioned as she shifted her weight from side to side.

"Love you too, soul sis…" Yan giggled and finally separated from the embrace. She then turned back to Sarada's parents and bowed. "As I was saying, thank you so much for having me over."

"And we love having you over," Sakura replied. "You've slept over here a lot of times. It's nothing out of the ordinary at this point. Anyway, dinner will be ready in half an hour."

Sasuke patted both of the girls on the shoulder. "Who else will come?"

"Chocho, Wasabi, Namida, and Hako."

"Okay, we have enough chairs at the table," Sakura noted. "I'll just make sure there's enough food for all eight of us."

Sasuke added, "What time will they get here?"

"In a few minutes, I think?" Sarada then excused herself and Yan. "We'll go upstairs to prepare my room and the beds, so it'll be tidy and spacious for everyone."

"Of course, go ahead. You girls have as fun tonight!"

The two best friends both quickly walked up the stairs and went back into Sarada's room, which was quite cool due to the air conditioning unit churning out colder air into the room. There were three mattresses leaning against the wall on the other side of Sarada's bed. Yan put her backpack, which held her belongings and necessities for the weekend trip to Ame and Mount Tirad, beside Sarada's vanity in the corner.

Afterwards, as the two of them began to place the mattresses on the floor such that there was enough space for everyone to fit, Yan asked, "Who will sleep where this time?"

"Same as last time… We'll sleep on my bed, Chocho has her own mattress to herself, Wasabi and Namida will share one, and Hako will take the one in between."

Together, they laid the three soft, white mattresses down onto the floor all around the raised bed where Sarada and Yan would be sleeping tonight. Then they worked together to fix the white bed sheets onto the corners and edges of the mattresses, secure the pillows into the silken pillow sheets, and finally the pillows and blankets onto each of the mattresses.

"It looks good now," Yan commented as she stretched her back and cracked her neck. She then sighed and plopped facedown onto Sarada's bed, hands outstretched, and her long peach-hued hair scattering onto her back and around her sides.

Giggling, Sarada swept aside Yan's hair and gently moved Yan's right arm before she lay down beside her. "It's these moments of peace and calmness that I miss," she said. "Free time to spend with people I love and care about, without having to worry about responsibilities and the future of the country… I don't get a lot of it nowadays."

"Maybe you need to get more rest?" Yan shifted to lying down on her side in order to face her friend. "Sarada, it's important for you to have enough time for yourself, to relax and de-stress your mind and body. Otherwise, you're surely going to burn yourself out."

"I know that, but I don't know if I can. It feels like I'm so busy all the time, and I can't catch a good long rest most nights. And there are nights that I can't feel motivated, or that I have nothing to look forward to the next day… When I feel that way, I could spend hours just lying in bed, sleeping or trying to go to sleep… My coping mechanisms aren't that good…"

"It sounds like burnout." Yan put her hand on Sarada's stomach. "Listen, I know that what you're doing is important. But it's just as important to take meaningful breaks, time where you're doing something that you enjoy. For me, it's playing games, chatting with friends, and going for long walks. What about you?"

Sarada sighed. "I don't have much time for any other hobbies. If ever I do have extra time, it's usually spent with other people. And even if I do have time for myself, I don't have the energy to do anything."

"Maybe you could give something up in exchange for more free time and energy for yourself?"

"Like what?"

"Now that, I'm not quite sure… Hmm… Maybe next time Lord Hokage gives you an early out, or even some time off, treat yourself out to a meal. By yourself or with others, it doesn't matter."

The doorbell rang twice, the front door opened, and more familiar voices echoed from downstairs, but the two girls didn't move off the bed.

"I'd go to a restaurant by myself?" Sarada thought about it. "That seems… sad?"

Yan looked at her, confused. "Why? Back at Oto, I'd treat myself to some black squid-ink ramen and sugarcane juice all the time. Of course I'd invite friends to go with me, but I go anyway regardless if they come along or not."

"Black ramen? Sugarcane juice? Sounds delicious!"

They heard hard footsteps fast approaching, and within a second, the door swung wide. "Did I hear 'sugarcane juice'?"

Sarada and Yan, as well as Wasabi and Namida who were behind Chocho, cackled at the first thing she mentioned.

While Wasabi and Namida waved to them, Yan replied, "Yeah, you heard me right."

"Now I'm craving for it, since you brought it up."

"Of course you would," Wasabi commented. "But it does sound appetizing, I won't lie."

Yan thus promised, "If ever you guys are allowed to go to Oto, I'd bring you to those restaurants! My favorite meals and drinks, bar none!"

"We'll hold you to that promise," Namida told her.

Sarada added, "I'll ask my parents and Lord Seventh if we can visit you in Oto eventually. Let's have a sleepover at your place, for a change!"

"HAHAHA…" Yan huffed. "I don't know about that. My parents may not agree. I've never really had friends come over to my house. But maybe once I get my own apartment, I'll invite you guys!"

As Wasabi, Namida, and Chocho placed their backpacks in the corner beside where Yan placed hers, the doorbell rang once again.

"That's probably Hako," Sarada concluded.

Sure enough, once she climbed the stairs and rounded the corner into the corridor, the gothic kunoichi opened the door to Sarada's room. "Good evening, everyone."

"Long time no see guys," greeted Tokenagi, her pinkish doll who was clinging onto the shoulders of her black gown like a backpack. As she placed her real black backpack, which she was wearing on her front, beside the other bags, the doll pushed off of her and began to float beside her.

Sarada pointed out, "Didn't you see us at the party last week?"

The sentient doll replied, "Yeah, that's a long time."

"…You have a point."

Hako then sat on her mattress. "Anyway," she began, "I was wondering… if someone else could join us tonight?"

The other girls stared at her, waiting for her to say more. Everyone but Wasabi, that is, as she nudged her and teased, "Is now really the time for your men? Are you that down bad tonight?"

"What? No it's not that!" She smirked and crossed her arms. "Besides, I'm not as horny as you and your girlfriend to fuck in someone else's house."

The entire room exploded into laughter.

Wasabi protested whilst giggling and blushing red, "We don't do that either… Well, not anymore… not since Namida moved out."

After the girls settled down, Hako took her opportunity to continue. "It's Enko."

"Enko?" Sarada tilted her head. "She didn't want to join us last week, when we asked."

Namida asked, "How is she?"

"I saw her this morning… She seemed… especially lonely today…" Hako further explained, "I could only imagine what she feels, being the only survivor of her team. And the situation between her and her family isn't so good either. From what I know, she blames them for her curse seal, for her lack of friends, and for what her life has become. And from our chat at the party, she wasn't feeling very happy about where her life's going either."

Yan sat up and questioned Hako. "So you want to give some time tonight for a counseling session of sorts? I'd be happy to help."

"Same here," Wasabi affirmed. "If we can get her to open up, I'm sure she'll feel much better."

Sarada thought about it for a few seconds more before nodding. "It is a bit of a short notice, but it's fine. If she's free and wants to come over, tell her she's welcome to!"

"Will do!" Hako pulled out her smartphone and began scrolling through her contacts.

Meanwhile, the voice of Sakura reached the room from downstairs. "Girls! Dinner's ready!"

Sarada replied, "Thanks Mom!"

She, and everyone else but Hako, left the room and went downstairs, quickly taking their seats at the dining table. Around the table were eight clean ceramic plates with their corresponding cups and utensils, while plates of rice, baked potato wedges, spicy chicken wings, fried squid calamari, and burger steaks crowded around the center.

As Sakura was placing one last platter, the dessert of sweetened bananas, at the very center, Hako hurried down and took her seat between Namida and Chocho. "Enko will come," she told her friends. "She said she'd be here as soon as possible."

Sarada asked, "Will she be here for dinner?"

"She hasn't eaten yet, so I think so?"

"We have a spare chair for her in case," Sakura assured them.

Hako bowed her head slightly. "Thank you Aunt Sakura."

Chocho went first in getting food. As everyone expected, she got at least three pieces of the chicken wings and burger steaks, and way more than three pieces for both the wedges and calamari.

"I'm happy my food looks so appetizing to you," Sakura said.

"Of course Auntie Sakura! Your cooking is always great for my taste buds! And my stomach too!"

Only when Chocho finished did Sasuke, Sakura, and everyone else start putting food onto their plates. They made sure to leave some for Enko, and they began eating. The metal spoons and forks echoed the unmistakable clanging against the ceramic.

Chocho asked, "What time will we wake up for the trip tomorrow?"

"We'll take the 10 o'clock train to Marumi," Sarada replied. "So we should be up at 8? Or maybe 8:30 if we need more sleep?"

"I'll set my alarm for 8 then," Namida added. "We'll meet up with the others at the train station?"

Sakura nodded. "By 9:45, we should all be gathered there. We'll all be in one train carriage."

"We'll get to Marumi by 11," Sasuke elaborated, "and then we'll have a stopover there for lunch. And then we'll go to Ame, which is a fifteen-minute train ride away."

"So we'll be there at Ame around noon?" Hako said after swallowing a piece of steak. "At least it won't be too hot, given it's always rainy in Ame."

"We're staying in Michishirube Tower again, as guests of Amekage Yahikonan, so we'll stay in the 9th floor rooms." Sasuke took a gulp of water with his one good hand. "His family will be there too, for once. I hear his two kids are excellent ninjas as well. They're training for the Chunin Exams in a few months."

"Ahh Michishirube," Yan gave a sigh of contentedness. "The Beacon Tower. I like staying there. It has a lot of history to it…" She took another spoon of rice and steak and quickly chewed and swallowed. She held back a smirk as best she could. "In case none of you knew… Sarada and I will be having a date tomorrow night."

For a few awkward seconds, everyone, including Sarada herself, froze in their tracks when they heard Yan's words.

Sasuke could only utter, "Wait, what?"

"Why are you… the way that you are?" Sarada attempted to deadpan, only to burst into laughter in the process. She clearly knew what Yan meant.

"I didn't say it was a romantic date," the light red-haired girl noted. She then explained, "We have a dinner date with Mitsuki and the others at Kirakira's house."

"Ohh that's what you meant," Wasabi nodded upon remembering their discussion last week. "You had us worried for a second."

Yan turned to Wasabi. "You're not coming with us, right? You already made plans?"

"Yeah, we're going night swimming at the Lake Ame beach. Myself, Namida, Chocho, Hako, and a few others."

"We'll be back by midnight," Namida assured them. She then trailed off. "I hope…"

Sarada turned to her parents. "How about you? What will you be up to tomorrow night?"

Sakura grinned. "We'll be having a date at a fancy restaurant. Lady Konan is friends with the owner and offered it to us with such a discount, it would have been disrespectful to decline it!"

"I'm sure it will be fun-"

Sarada was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Sakura stood up and opened the door. "Hello Enko! Come in!"

"I'm sorry if it was such a late call on my part to join," the brunette apologized as she entered. "Good evening everyone," she greeted, although her voice seemed somewhat subdued.

"Nice to see you joining us," Chocho greeted back. "It's rare that you do, so I hope you're feeling alright and not out of the loop."

"Don't worry, I keep track of events and info well," she explained as Sarada placed a seat for her at the corner of the table, between Hako and Chocho. At the same time, Sakura laid down a placemat, a plate, and extra utensils for the latecomer.

"Thank you so much," she nodded to them and sat down, placing her bag beside her chair. "Sorry again that I was late. I was resting after my shift when Hako called me."

"At least you had your things ready," Namida pointed out. She then questioned Enko, "Where do you work, by the way?"

"…Are you sure you want to know?"

Namida gulped her food partly out of nervousness. "Umm… Only if you're okay talking about it?"

"We're not going to judge you in any way," Hako assured her.

"She's right," Sarada added to the reassurance.

On the other hand, Chocho kept silent, for she had a very specific idea that came to mind: "Is she a stripper?"

Enko took a few seconds to decide. "Alright… Intel Division."

"You work at the Intel Division?" Chocho almost spat out her food. After first swallowing the calamari fully, she asked further, "How did we not know this? Why didn't you tell us? That's awesome though!"

"Is it really? Perhaps your idea of the intel division is based on those cool and suave spy movies…" Enko sighed and went on. "As for why you didn't know it, I don't really like talking about it, which also explains why I don't talk about it to anyone here…"

Chocho insisted, "But why don't you like it?"

"It's extremely stressful? Ever since the Battle of Mount Tirad, they've really been stricter on where information can be shared, and on where to focus reconnaissance and intel-gathering missions. Hell, there have been times when some people accused me of being the mole and getting my friends killed."

Sasuke asked Enko, "The mole hasn't been identified yet? The one accused of leaking the identities of Sumire and Mitsuki, and the mission plan at Mount Tirad?"

"No… Ever since then, it's gone quiet. Most likely, the sleeper agent's gone dormant."

"So," Namida pressed her questioning in a different direction, "what do you do in the intel division? Like, are you under Sai and Ino?"

"Sai-sensei is like a mentor to me, yes. But no, I'm not part of the sensor group where Ino is. I'm currently being trained in spying by Sai-sensei, and interrogation by Ibiki-sensei."

"Have you interrogated anyone yourself?"

Enko nodded. "Yeah, a few times now. Of course, Ibiki-sensei was there to make sure things didn't get too out of hand."

"What exactly do you mean by 'out of hand'?" Immediately after her own question, Wasabi then added, "Goodness, I hope you weren't torturing the person?"

"Torture?" Enko waved her hands. "No, no, torture isn't really a thing there anymore. I get it, it used to be, but since the sensor group can read minds anyway, torture isn't really necessary anymore. And neither is it humane or conducive to keeping people on our side."

Wasabi sighed in relief. "That's good to know."

"What I meant by things getting out of hand," Enko clarified to the table, "was that I might get angry or stressed enough to snap at the person. Once that happens, my curse seal goes off and I become a monster… You know that about me already…"

"And we accept you nonetheless," Sarada tried to reassure her. But Enko didn't acknowledge it, as she had gone back to eating.

After a short lull, Yan turned to Enko. "Moving away from the interrogation group, you said that you're also being trained as a spy?"

"Yes."

"Do you guys actively spy on other nations? Even on other Shinobi Union members?"

The brunette kunoichi calmly chewed and swallowed her food, then took a drink of ice-cold water, before she gave her answer. "Hmm… We don't really send our own agents to spy, but we do keep tabs on their internal events from some informants on the ground. So in a way, you could consider that spying."

"Spy networks," Yan nodded. "So I'm guessing you know a lot about the ongoing issues in other countries?"

Enko smiled and set down her utensils onto her plate. "Like what?"

"The blockade against Land of Snow, and the illegal occupation of the Land of Stone by the Land of Wind, to name a few."

"Yes, we know about those. Now my question is… How do you know about them?"

"I read a lot of trustworthy articles online."

"I can answer your questions then," Enko said, "Anyway, I'm highly sure none of you are secret agents for other nations. Firstly, the blockade against the Snow Daimyo is working to a certain degree. But it is also starting to backfire. The situation in the Land of Snow is worsening in that there's not enough for everyone because of the blockade, and the Daimyo and his forces are taking more for themselves anyway. The anger is growing amongst the populace, but it is not solely against the Snow Daimyo for his crimes, but it is also against the Shinobi Union for imposing and keeping the blockade up."

She drank another gulp of her iced water. "As for the occupation of Land of Stone, the people of that country are seeking international recognition of their infringed sovereignty. But outside of that country, all coverage of the occupation is being kept under wraps by the Kage Council, particularly because the Kazekage, and by extension, Lord Seventh, one of his most ardent allies."

"I'm not aware of Lord Seventh doing that," Sarada noted. "But why?"

"Because of the war," Sasuke answered his daughter's question for Enko. "Because the Fifth Great Shinobi War is currently raging, it is more important right now, at least in the eyes of Naruto and the Kage Council, to preserve the unity and cohesion of the Shinobi Union as a whole. They want to remain united against the enemy. Pushing this issue may only sow more divisions over these 'unimportant non-issues', as they'd put it. And if that happened, if the Shinobi Union were to fall into infighting, the war would be lost, and with it everything we've built up over the last few decades."

Wasabi added, "And how about the Heiyakage of the Land of Grass and his discrimination against the indigenous Ainu? Does that fall under the same 'unimportant non-issue' umbrella?"

Enko answered her. "Unfortunately, yes…"

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

It was past 10 pm, and Sarada, Yan, Wasabi, Namida, Chocho, and Hako were all seated around Enko, who was settling down and trying to get comfortable on one of the mattresses. However, there was a quiet knock on the door, and when Sarada opened it, she saw her mother standing there.

"Is there space for everyone?"

Sarada nodded. "Yes, Enko will just share her bed with Hako."

Sakura turned and caught sight of the girls huddled together around Enko, which seemed to her like it was a counseling session. "Ohh, everything okay here, girls?"

"Yeah, we're just going to have some girl talk."

"Ohh okay. I'm sure it'll be all good." She then kissed her daughter on the forehead. "And if any of you need water or a midnight snack later tonight, you know where to get it downstairs."

"Thank you Aunt Sakura," Chocho replied.

"Good night girls! See you all tomorrow!"

The girls all greeted her a good night as well. When Sakura closed the door behind her, Sarada locked it and went back to her place on her bed, sitting beside Yan and Wasabi. She asked Enko, "How are you feeling?"

"Go ahead and open up to us," Hako reassured her. "Please?"

Enko brought her hands close to her chest, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths to relax. "I feel… alone… every day… It's an intense loneliness that clenches my chest and makes it so hard to breathe. On some days, it's overwhelming…"

She sighed deeply and wiped her eyes, which had begun to tear up, with the wrist areas of her beige long-sleeves. "Because there are times that I can't think of anything else other than how… how little I'm able to connect with people… or how bad I am at maintaining those few friendships I have. It keeps me up at night… I only get a few good hours of sleep anyway… And I forget to eat meals and take care of myself…"

The tears now blazed their trails down the sides of her face and down the sides of her nose. "I lost Tsuru and Doshu… my teammates and… closest friends… I feel like a burden on you girls and the rest of my friends… And I'm sorry, I just… I feel forgotten, even here… Sometimes I feel my friendships are one-sided, because people rarely remember me… Hell, this is the first time in so long that I've opened up to people… And I wasn't even planning on going here until Hako called me…"

Wasabi rubbed her shoulder to comfort her. Meanwhile, Hako handed her a small face towel. "Do you want to talk about your home life? Maybe it would help us understand more?"

Enko glanced to Hako whilst trying to contain her sobs and dry her wet trails on her face. She nodded after a few seconds. "I live with my parents, but it's like I live alone anyway. They… don't understand the trauma I've been through since I was a kid… not to mention since Mount Tirad and my friends dying… Or maybe they think it's not as bad as what they went through?"

She leaned her head back against the frame of Sarada's bed. "So I live in their house, but I can't talk to them openly about much, like there's some sort of unseen barrier I can't cross, not unless I want arguments and shouting to start…"

"I'm so sorry," Namida told her. She knew just how horrible a toxic home environment was for one's psyche and overall mental health.

"I feel alone so frequently, and I'm very sensitive to thoughts of people not caring about me, and to thoughts of the people I love drifting away from me. But I can't bring myself to talk to you or just about anyone else about it because of my fucking social anxiety… I feel angry with myself for not being able to reach out to you girls for help…"

Just then, with her sharp eyes, Wasabi caught a glimpse of something strange and worrying. She gently took Enko's hand into her own, and then slowly peeled back the long sleeve to reveal scars on her wrist. Most of them were old or faded, but there was a pair of noticeably fresh ones that had not yet grown scabs.

"Yeah," Enko nodded in resignation. "Yeah, I cut myself on occasion."

"No… Please, you're not alone-"

"I'm not doing it to kill myself. No, no… It's just… when I'm in so much distress from my loneliness and anxiety and rage, the physical pain helps relieve my emotional pain…" She exhaled deeply, her head bowing as a result. "I know it sounds messed up, but it kind of helps me cope…"

"You might want to find a brand new coping mechanism," Chocho rebutted, her face grimacing. "Self-harm is never good."

Enko's eyes glanced to Chocho. "Like what?"

"…Eating? This is no joke, by the way. Eating more, or more regularly, usually helps people feel better. And you said you forget to eat at times? That could worsen how you feel, and make it harder for you to stand and fight against these negative emotions."

The girls were stunned at Chocho's advice, for they were not expecting such a deep response involving eating.

"She's right," Sarada agreed. "You must take care of yourself."

"Eating aside though," Yan added to the discussion, "maybe you could hang out with us more? Or if we're not available, then you could explore more hobbies and things you can do in your free time? Like writing? Listening to music? Gaming? I told Sarada about this a while ago too."

"Perhaps you can come with us to therapy sessions with Miss Saito," Namida suggested. "She's a professional psychologist, and she's such a big help to all of us!"

"I thank you for the suggestions, but those involve free time or money on hand, or both. Those are two things that I don't have a lot of." She then pointed out, "And you haven't given your reason why I should stop?"

"Your wounds can get infected," Wasabi told her. "Or you could end up cutting too deep, even by accident, and you could end up in the hospital. More fees to pay…"

"And of course," Sarada added, "we don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I always clean my kunai with disinfectant alcohol, before and after use. And I usually dress these wounds after… But I didn't have any time a while ago because Hako called…"

"That aside… Enko…" Hako pulled her into a hug. "You're not worthless, okay? You're our friend, and we value you and your friendship… You matter to us, don't forget that."

"Sorry if it seems like forget," Sarada added to console her, "or if you feel left out a lot. I promise, we'll be here for you much more, so you won't feel lonely."

Enko acknowledged them with a shaky nod. "I… I'd like to join you more too…"

"I can heal your wounds," Wasabi offered, "just to make sure that there wouldn't be any infections. I can also remove the scarring."

"Thank you, please do. But I'm thinking whether or not to remove the scars… I don't want to just gloss over my depression and the cutting, as if it never happened." She looked around at the girls. "I want to get better too."

"Well, I'll leave the scars then. But know that we're all here for you. Feel free to talk to us anytime when you're feeling sad, and hang out with us when you're free."

"By the way," Namida insisted, "Miss Saito's first sessions are tryout sessions, meaning they're free so you could get a taste of how it works and how it helps you. I know that therapeutic talking-out sessions aren't for everyone, but they could help you."

"For free… Alright, I'll come with you girls sometime…"

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

It was close to midnight, and the girls were winding down their conversation for the night.

"I'm glad we're still able to have these get-togethers and sleepovers like these," Sarada said. "Reminds me of old times…"

"I miss those days," Namida replied. "I miss hanging out with everyone, including Sumire… At least we'll get to visit her marker at Mount Tirad in two days."

"Yeah, we'll be able to say hi…"

Yan then asked, "Sumire used to sleepover here too, right?"

Sarada nodded. "On this bed too…"

"I… I hope you girls don't think of me as Sumire's replacement," Yan told them. "I don't think I can live up to that…"

"Of course not!" Sarada vigorously shook her head. "You're not her replacement! You're you… And that's all that matters."

"You're a different person from Sumire," Wasabi assured her.

Chocho added, albeit with a yawn in the middle, "That doesn't make you any less… of a bestie and a sister to us."

Yan smiled. "Thanks. I think I just need to be reminded of my own worth sometimes. I don't exactly have a picturesque image of myself, to say the least."

"We're all broken people here right now," Hako sighed. "But at the very least, we're all in this together."

That effectively ended the conversation, as everyone nodded and joined in a group hug. Afterwards, the girls went their separate ways in Sarada's bedroom. As Sarada turned off the lights, Chocho sprawled onto her solo mattress, pulled the blanket up to her neck, and put her blindfold-like sleeping mask into place.

Meanwhile, Hako and Enko shared a mattress, with Tokenagi tucking them before settling into Hako's arms.

"I remember you," Enko stated as she held the sentient doll's hand. "You carried me on your back to safety back at Rem Fortress…"

"I also remember you well Enko," Tokenagi replied with his playful, squeaky voice. "I'm glad you were able to share your feelings. I hope it made you feel better."

"It did. I'm still not feeling 100 percent good about myself right now, but it's progress?"

"As Master Hako says, 'any progress is good progress.'"

"And remember, you're not alone here. You're with us." Hako patted Enko and caressed her hair. "Now let's go to sleep. I hope you get a good night's rest. Sweet dreams…"

On the other side of the room, Wasabi and Namida were looking out the window, gazing on the stars above, albeit the partly cloudy sky and the light pollution made it hard for them to spot the fainter stars and constellations. Tonight they were content with leaning against the windowsill, compared to other sleepovers where the two of them would clamber up onto the roof.

"It's funny to think that three years ago," Namida told her beloved girlfriend, "I was in pure sadness over being disowned by my foster parents. Now, I feel pure joy. I'm free from them, and I'm with you."

Wasabi gently clasped her hand and interlocked their fingers. "When we do adopt kids, we'll give them much better parental advice than those old crazy fucks…" She smiled and continued, "Never seek approval from anybody when it comes to who you love. Nobody else's opinion matters there. Nobody should influence your decision, not your parents, relatives, or friends. It's just you and your significant other…"

Namida nodded and summarized it. "Do fall in love, don't fall in line."

Meanwhile, on the main bed in the room, Sarada and Yan were snuggling under the shared blanket. Yan, with her black sleeping mask now wrapped around her eyes, asked with a quiet voice, "You excited for the weekend trip? I sure am…"

"Definitely." Sarada placed her red-framed glasses on her bedside table, beside the black glasses that Yan always wore. She turned back and faced Yan once again. "Dinner with Mitsuki and Kirakira and the others, going back to Rem Fortress, and the commemoration of the battle… It'll be a busy couple of days."

"Yeah… Do you think we'll have enough time to ski at Spur?"

Sarada let out a silent giggle. "Depends on what time we get back from Mount Tirad. I know Wasabi and Namida also want to visit the Ainu community center, and Chocho wants to shop and eat at Spur's shopping center before we go back to Ame."

"What about the boys? Do they have plans?"

"I don't know for sure. They'd probably go skiing or snowboarding too, if we had the time? Or maybe they'd eat at the shopping center too?"

Yan yawned. "Let's ask them tomorrow if they want to go to the slopes… I haven't gone skiing in years…"

"Yeah, same here." Sarada yawned too, as if it was infectious.

"Sleep well, soul sis. Love you…"

Sarada smiled. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. The entire thing reminded her of how she and Sumire used to hang out all those years ago. Thus, she put her arm onto her best friend, like she was a sort of body pillow. "Good night. Love you too, sis…"

I hope you all enjoyed that. Please feel free to leave some comments or reviews, as well as likes, kudos, follows, or subscribes! And let me know what you loved about this chapter!

Side note, this chapter (especially the part where Enko opens up to everyone, but also where Sarada and Yan have their private convo) was heavily influenced by the feelings I've had over the past month and by a few conversations I've had with some of my closest friends. No, I didn't do what Enko did to herself, but I did feel like shit for a week because of me fucking up a friendship while not thinking straight, and it was talking to my close friends that helped me get through it. Now, enough of the venting...

That song that Boruto was listening to (Always By Your Side) is actually translated into English; it is called "Asu e no Tobira", which is well-known as it was used for Asagao to Kase-san (sung by the VA's of the two main characters too!), which is one of my personal favorite series and animes! It definitely deserves its own full run, not just an OVA and movie...

Also, we find out more about Enko, as she gets a big chunk of spotlight! What do you feel about her experiences? And what do you think about Sarada's struggles, Yan as a best friend, Chocho's advice, Wasabi and Namida reflecting on the past, and the sleepover in general? =D

The next chapter is Chapter 7: "Reconciliation With The Past". I'm currently working on it, but I can't promise I can upload it soon. I'll try for two weeks from now, and hopefully there won't be too much drama or hurt in my life, so I can focus a lot more of my time on writing as best as I can! See you guys soon! 3