Once upon a time, in a land very far away, there was a kingdom torn apart by a great war. The bloody struggle dragged on for generations and bread both great warriors and great sadness. In the end, it was a human peasant boy who became their salvation. His heart was as bright as the sun itself and all were drawn to him. Together, with the great Elven Princess, they were able to at last bring peace to the land.
The Hero married the Princess Hinata and the kingdom enjoyed unprecedented prosperity from that day forward. The people loved their monarchs and they were overjoyed when, three years later, the Queen bore an heir possessing the golden hair and bright blue eyes of his father. Once, the rare coloration had been considered unlucky but thanks to his father, they were seen as a beacon of hope. These positive features, combined with his mother's warm peach colored skin and pointed ears made him a strong and handsome young prince. They named him Boruto, after his Uncle, the late great war hero Neji. He was the perfect light to guide his people into the future.
A few years later, the kingdom celebrated again as they welcomed the little princess, Himawari, whose birth was considered a great positive omen. Boruto was the people's pride and Himawari, their joy. So, time passed on like a dream. The children grew and the kingdom continued to prosper; the young Prince Boruto was raised by all. The King saw to it that his children had the best of everything. When Boruto was of age, he brought in the best instructors from all the five lands to train his young son. The amount of raw talent the boy possessed was incredible. He excelled in all his studies without exception and by the time he was thirteen, there were very few left who could challenge the lad.
In addition to his impressive academic knowledge, he was very gifted with magic. He mastered wind magic with very little difficulty and even learned how to use his father's Rasengan spell in record time, but the place where he shined the brightest was on the sparring grounds. The boy was, quite simply, a genius with the blade. He was even able to combine his wind magic seamlessly with his swordsmanship making him a deadly opponent. His trainers still worked with him daily but they informed his father that there was nothing more they could teach him.
Without any new challenges to occupy his mind, Prince Boruto became both cocky and bored. For the next three years, it wasn't uncommon for him to be found in the city outside the castle walls, spending time with his friends or pulling pranks to annoy his father. For the most part, the townsfolk tolerated the prince's behavior with a simple smile and shake of the head or the occasional 'boys will be boys'. The only person who was not amused (besides his parents) and kept him under control (mostly) was his childhood friend, Sarada. The powerful young fire mage was the only daughter of the mysterious Sasuke, feared Dark Mage, right hand man to King Naruto himself and Boruto's personal hero.
Her father was often away on business so she had been raised in the castle alongside Boruto and Shikadai, son of Shikamaru, King Naruto's number one advisor. Boruto and Sarada's relationship was complicated to say the least. He hated her 'stuffiness' and she hated his 'carelessness'. Just as her father was his hero, his father was hers, which disgusted him to no end. The worst part was their families were very close so everyone assumed that he would one day marry the fiery girl; an assumption that deeply angered Boruto.
It wasn't that he hated her. Far from it. They loved each other in their own ways but Boruto just wasn't interested in romance and even if he was, the idea of being involved with Sarada was just weird; like dating his sister. Plus, he didn't think he could ever marry someone so bossy. She always had a habit of showing up uninvited and spoiling his fun. Her constant nagging made it so his pranks were just as much for her as for his old man.
When he really thought about it, he figured it was that expectation that made him the most irritated with her. If he were very honest with himself, that was the real source of his general discontentment. He was the Crown Prince. It was his duty to lead everyone and he was expected to do as his father had done and continued to do. He was becoming increasingly aware that he would never be free of his father's shadow. Even if he became the greatest who ever lived, he would be so because of his father. Brilliant swordsman? Well, that's what you'd expect from Naruto's son. Genius Wind Mage? You can tell he's Naruto's son. Learned scholar? Strong bloodlines, so no surprise there. No matter what, he would never be great because of his own strengths.
What grated on him the most was the fact that only he seemed to know how not great the 'Great' Naruto really was; clumsy, hopeless, clueless and too busy running every little thing about the kingdom to be bothered with his own family. Seriously, had the man never heard of the word 'delegation'? And what kind of father missed his own daughter's birthday? He watched as his mother suffered in silence from his father's neglect. She bore it all with a patient elegance, stoic and supportive of her husband as always but Boruto believed she shouldn't have to be. Just because she was strong didn't mean she should always be expected to be strong all the time. If his father truly cared about her, he would put forth the effort to be there for her.
Conveniently, his resentment provided an outlet for his boredom. Through it, he was able to ease monotony, punish his father, and irritate his nanny-friend all at the same time. Making Sarada chase him all over creation was always the highlight of his day. Every time he finished a prank, she would materialize out of nowhere to abuse him verbally and physically (if she could catch him) for his transgressions.
He usually dragged Shikadai along with him on his 'adventures'. Practical clone of his father and chronically lazy, Boruto was encouraged to spend time with him in the hopes that his 'laid back' personality would wear off on him or, failing that, he could at least keep an eye on the rambunctious Prince. To everyone's disappointment, Shikadai went along with Boruto's shenanigans more often than not. No matter how many times he complained that Boruto's ideas were 'a drag', he never let it stop him from going along with them. Boruto thought it was because he secretly enjoyed them just as much as he did but the truth was going along was the easier option, even if it did land him his own share of beatings from Sarada the Terrible.
As time went on, his pranks became more sophisticated until they were practically an art form. He had come a long way from throwing paint on the bronze statue of his father in the middle of town. A personal favorite was when he and Shikadai learned the illusion spell and used it to replace his father's crown with a dead rat halfway through a diplomatic audience. The thought of that day still brought tears to his eyes. His most recent masterpiece was the defacing of the great stone monuments with enchanted paint that changed colors and insults directed towards the king. That one was going to be hard to top but he had an idea.
It was spring again and his birthday was fast approaching. He was going to be sixteen and officially entering manhood, meaning that he was at last eligible to rule. The entire castle and town were abuzz with excitement and the preparations began a full week before the big day. There was to be celebrating all through the land and a great feast was to be held in the palace. Dignitaries from all the five lands were coming to help celebrate and the night was to conclude with a grand fireworks display. It was the perfect opportunity to embarrass his father.
Finally, the day before dawned bright with promise and Boruto rose with it, giddy with excitement. His plan was devised, all was ready, he just needed a couple of supplies. He dressed quickly in his signature pink and gold and crept into the hallways, keen on not being spotted by the servants. His presence long before his usual waking hour would surly raise suspicion. Luckily, he made it to Shikadai's room without incident. The other boy was still sleeping deeply as Boruto quietly closed the heavy oak door behind him.
Boruto smirked at his peaceful form and crept forward. He did it out of habit since Shikadai was a notoriously deep sleeper. Boruto figured he could tap-dance his way to the bed without disturbing his friend. When he was about a foot away, he paused and took a deep breath.
"Wake up!" He bellowed as he childishly jumped onto the soft bed with both feet, launching the other boy at least a foot above his mattress with green eyes the size of dinner plates.
"Boruto?! What the fuck?" Shikadai groaned as he landed inelegantly in a disheveled heap.
"I told you dawn, remember?" Boruto pouted, staring down at his bleary-eyed friend.
"This is such a drag..." Shikadai complained as he rolled onto his side away from Boruto.
"We have to go now or else Nanny-Sarada will catch us."
"Assuming you didn't wake her with your yelling." Shikadai grumped. Boruto laughed.
"Hurry up and get ready." He said as he playfully kicked his friend's back. Shikadai glared up over his shoulder at Boruto, then gave up and climbed out of bed.
"Get out of here so I can get changed."
"I'm not looking." Boruto said petulantly as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling and turned his back, still standing on the bed. "I can't stand outside or I'll get caught. Besides, I'm not interested in you." He teased. It earned him a pillow to the back of the head.
"I know that. Aren't you supposed to marry Sarada?" Shikadai said, knowing it would irritate the blonde. It served him right.
"Don't remind me!" Boruto huffed as he hopped and landed in a sitting position on the bed, his legs crossed and hands on his knees. "Everyone knows I don't like her like that. She doesn't even like me like that." Boruto didn't have to see Shikadai to know the sympathetic look his back was receiving.
"Maybe they think things will change-"
"They won't." Boruto cut him off, his tone firm, "It's my choice, not theirs." Great, now he was in a bad mood. He pushed it away with thoughts of his ultimate prank and soon he was smiling again.
"Are you done yet?" He said impatiently as he threw the pillow back over his shoulder halfheartedly. He heard a long suffering sigh, followed by a grudging 'yes'.
"Okay!" He cried as he jumped back to his feet and spun around to beam at Shikadai, "Then we go! Adventure awaits!" The heavy pillow hit his face this time.
"Get off my bed!"