A/N: It's been a while since I last updated this. University has been keeping me busy and I've been drowning in piles and piles of reading/ essays. Hope this does not disappoint! Enjoy!
"Let's do this!" Boruto heard Naruto say as the man (boy? it was hard to pinpoint the terms to refer to one scarcely on the cusp of adulthood) cracked his knuckles. "This guy is going down!"
Momoshiki gazed at them smugly and greedily, no doubt setting his eyes on the Kyuubi that resided within Naruto. "Oh you poor mortals, thinking that you stood a chance against me. Pathetic…"
"You won't win!" Sarada yelled, defiant. Her eyes betrayed no hint of fear, yet Boruto simply knew – call it a sixth sense if one must – that she was terrified on the inside. A sudden urge to wrap his arms around her, an inexplicable feeling of protectiveness, welled inside him. She was brave, very brave, he thought, for bravery isn't defined by one's lack of fear but one's ability to overcome fear. "And we'll fight you together."
"One, two, three, three hundred human beings – it doesn't matter," Momoshiki proclaimed. "I will end you all." With that, he conjured a gigantic vortex of fire. A pure, simmering figure of a phoenix emerged and launched itself at them. It flew with the speed of light – there was no way to avoid it, Boruto realised with horror.
Naruto's warm coat of chakra engulfed them - Boruto, Sarada, Kakashi and Mitsuki. It just was like last time. Spasms of déjà vu unwittingly coursed through Boruto's mind: the burning stadium, pillar collapsing all around them, civilians wailing, palpable fear coursing through the air. Momoshiki was just as unrelenting this time, hurling blasts of fire, water and ice all towards them in a blind frenzy. Naruto squirmed and wavered a little, but ultimately held firm. Sheer determination was what prevented any major falters - for the time being.
"You can't resist me for too long," Momoshiki continued his taunting, "Look, you're barely holding up against me even now."
"He can absorb ninjutsu," Boruto whispered to Naruto, "Be careful."
Naruto gave a tiny inclination. "I've fought men who could do the same."
A crack emerged on top of the Kyuubi's head; the barrages of justus were making their impression. [This won't last forever.] Defense alone won't save them, won't save this world from annihilation, for all it accomplishes is delay. Apocalypse now or apocalypse later – the difference between the two seemed too minuscular to matter. [Act fast – no, act strategically.]
Something else then. Take a third option.
Think like a shinobi. Boruto had no concrete idea of what that meant in the context of his current situation. The same old strategy like last time? An unexpected attack with his vanishing Rasengan? Either way seemed like a more useful application of his abilities than hiding under Naruto's protective chakra cloak.
The ground was crumbling beneath them, owinig to Momoshiki's whirlwind of destruction and conscious efforts to create an earthquake. Boruto felt himself shaking and turned around to see Sarada shaking too. "Hold on to me," he offered, extending his hand to her, "We'll keep each other rooted and hold our ground together." She accepted without a word of complaint; she squeezed his hand tight, her sweaty palms infusing with his sweaty palms. Seconds, silent seconds, passed between them.
"We need to go on the offense," Sarada finally suggested, a little apprehensively. "We can't hold him back forever like this. I don't know – I'm not sure how we're supposed to do this. But we can't keep going on like this."
It was like she read his mind.
Boruto nodded. "I'll form a distraction."
"No," Sarada rebuked him almost instinctively. "I'll do it – you're still –"
He rushed out before she could argue further.
Boruto was truly the biggest idiot she had ever met, a fool who would cast away his life like it meant nothing out of a desire to protect the people he loved. And that was why he was so precious to her. She was not as impulsive as him, yet she shared his fierce determination to see those she loved and cared about live safely and soundly, which was why seeing him jumping out of Naruto's protection, taking on Momoshiki and risking his own life pained her so, so much. She could not bear the idea of losing him, she realised. He meant something to her, something important. For most of her life, ever since the academy at least, he was always just there, boisterous, loud and cocky to an almost lethal level, never failing to induce laughter. Their friendship had undergone its fair share of rollercoaster rides, especially at this strange alternate dimension, yet she knew he would have always been there for her, just as she would always be there for him. To lose him… it was unimaginable…
"He's just like me in some ways – heh," Naruto chuckled with a hind of melancholy, as if pondering on how things could have turned out. "He really is my son." For a moment, he didn't look seventeen anyore.
Indeed, Sarada wanted to respond. But at present, all that she could feel was worry and rage at the utter bravery and stupidity Boruto had just displayed.
"Hey! Idiot! What are you doing? Come back!" Angry yells.
He didn't care. When it came down to putting one's life at risk, he would choose himself over Sarada all the time – and anyone else too, he assumed. Perhaps he had inherited his father's saviour complex. He dodged Momoshiki's jet of electricity in the nick of time before flashing the correct hand signs of the shadow clone jutsu, which then propelled themselves towards Momoshiki. (They were shortly dispatched, with minimal difficulty.) In the meantime, he molded his chakra onto his right hand, sensing its convergence and formation into an ever-spinning whirlwind. Locking eyes with Momoshiki's sneering face, he hurled his Vanishing Rasengan at the god.
"Pathetic," Momoshiki mused as the attack disappeared inches before meeting its target.
Bang. Momoshiki flew backwards, his mouth wide open, clearly indignant at the sheer effrontery of a mere mortal daring to fight back. Within seconds, he had recovered.
Bang. Boruto felt himself being blasted with a beam of pure, electrifying energy that threatened to tear apart every fibre of his body, his precariously fragile flesh vibrating at a frightening rate. Maybe he should have heeded to Sarada – no – he was stubborn in his own way. Nothing could have convinced him otherwise.
"Boruto you crazy idiot!" Sarada was screaming, on the verge of tears. The agony apparent in her expressions caused Boruto to wince in guilt, but he would fight on. Oh yes he would.
"You…" Boruto enunciated as he got up. "You'll never win!"
"How cute," Momoshiki drawled. "You humans are really quite delusional. Well, to spare you from your self-delusions – and I consider this a rather kind and charitable act – I'll end things quickly then. How would you like to die then, little human?"
"Boruto Uzumaki," Boruto corrected as he clutched his kunai tightly. "And as for your question… Hm… At the age of 92, happy and drunk and surrounded by hoards of children and grandchildren. And dango too."
He thought he could hear a snort from Sarada. You really shouldn't be joking at a time like this! Heck, he could practically hear her castigations.
His heart sank when he saw the gigantic whirl of black, fluid substance that emanated from Momoshiki's palms. It grew larger and larger, casting a dark shadow over him. When it was released, there was nowhere for him to go.
And then he was somewhere else. Hundreds of meters away from the decimated street and the recovering figures of Naruto, Sarada, Mitsuki and Kakashi, who took a residual hit when the coat of Kyuubi chakra dissolved upon contact with Momoshiki's powerful attck. In his original place, stood Sasuke Uchiha, stumbling with discomfort as his gigantic Susanoo's limbs and visage was reduced to a waxy, distorted pile of mess. He was saved – by Sasuke. Amenotejikara. That must be it.
"Sasuke?! Sasuke, is that you?!"
The man's dark eyes collided with Naruto's bright blue ones. Sasuke froze, unmistakably haunted. His gaze flitted tersely back to Momoshiki, not wanting to dwell on awkward reunion conversations. Boruto himself was surprised at the lack of malice present in Naruto's voice. Considerations of Sasuke's degree of remorse notwithstanding, if he was reanimated and had just met his killer, he was sure he'd be a little more pissed off. Perhaps – what was it that the Sasuke in his world, his mentor and friend, had often mused? – Naruto Uzumaki was too much of a saint for his own good. Or maybe his feelings were too complicated, too blurred, too confused for any coherent expression of indignation.
Sarada frowned as she saw the man that would have been her father manifest himself in front of the enemy. In spite of Boruto's numerous encounters with that man, in spite of the immeasurable pain he had inflicted on Sarada and the rest of Hi no Ishi, in spite of all the things she had heard about him, this was the first time she had met him, conscious, face to face.
"… Sasuke…" The man beside her was stunned, his mouth agape, undeniably shaken and emotionally gripped. His bright orange aura seemed to have dimmed. She didn't blame him; what was happening now, it must have been a traumatic encounter. Beside them, Kakashi was silent too. Mitsuki was deep in thought, just as she was.
"Naruto," Sarada unwittingly spoke up. Then, she hugged him. "I know this must be very hard for you – you too Kakashi. Mitsuki, I… oh God I don't know how…"
"It's fine." Naruto smiled – a false, strained smile. "Come on, it's time to take some action. We can't let my would-be son and Sasuke fight that creep alone!" He really was trying, trying to appear unperturbed. Concealment, an art perfected by the shinobi, yet Sarada saw right through it.
"Yes," Sarada agreed. The figures of Boruto and Sasuke and Momoshiki were getting further and further away as they spoke. "We'll go after them – all of us!"
"Go screw yourself, you creep!" Boruto roared as he charged towards the alabaster-skinned demigod, who deftly dodged his punch.
"Boruto!" Sasuke shouted, alarmed – this time, he didn't even bother hiding it. "Be more careful!"
"How adorable," Momoshiki cooed. "Humans, so concerned about each other. Interesting, isn't it?"
"Well, guess what? We're not callous assholes like you! For us – bonds – the relationships we forge – they actually mean something!" Boruto declared under gritted teeth. "That and we don't eat our dead comrades by making them into weird ass chakra pills."
Another cocky smirk. Oh how Boruto hated that face.
Unfortunately, his rather grandiose declaration did not seem to have gone well with Sasuke, who appeared extraordinarily… shaken. "Boruto," the man whispered frantically, "Not a time to go around proclaiming your heroics and love for humanity. Save it for less dire times." Could Boruto's statement, indirectly, have touched a nerve?
Sasuke grabbed him and they both dived out of the way. A close miss. The building Momoshiki struck was instantly vaporized, with only a handful of dust to commemorate its existence. Momoshiki was not holding back anymore. Fear, Boruto felt fear almost overwhelm him. [Calm yourself. He was beaten once, he can be beaten again.]
"Watch it, Boruto!" Sasuke hissed.
"Don't worry about me," Boruto naturally rebutted.
"Then don't get into this fight!"
"This is my fight, just as much as it is yours." The level of tranquillity in his voice surprised Boruto himself.
"Then – damn! Don't die, okay?"
"I try my best."
"Not by the looks of it. Oh, and a shinobi should never go into battle without his headband," Sasuke said with a thin smile.
"That's a bit rich coming from you," Boruto huffed indignantly while pointing at Sasuke's bare forehead.
"Young, inexperienced genins, I mean," Sasuke corrected himself with a quirk in his lips. [Smug bastard.] "Here, I believe this is yours," he uttered those words slowly as he pulled out of his pockets, Boruto's – his old headband. "You deserve it more than I ever will."
"I…" Boruto's streak of rebuttals faltered.
"Now don't get to sentimental, kid. This is for… purely health and safety reasons. Take it."
Boruto accepted it and quickly tied it over his forehead, rolling out of another sharp jet of wind's way. He caught Sasuke's gaze as the man blocked a fireball for both of them.
"Whatever you think. Look, my dad – I mean – Naruto – the one in this world – he's coming over, with Sarada, Kakashi and Mitsuki too. We won't be facing Momoshiki alone." Boruto stared at Sasuke intently, hoping to reach some form of understanding.
"That's the problem."
"You need help! –"
Another save in the nick of time. The ground beneath them collapsed, giving way to a dark, impenetrable abyss that Boruto most certainly did not want to fall in. This time, however, he had been fortunate enough to manage to pull himself out of the assault's way, preventing another round of paranoid and - no matter how hard the man tried to hide it – protective rants by Sasuke.
" – You need my help! You need our help! Look, I know about your past. I know who you are. I know you've done things – terrible things – that you've regretted and things you've still yet to come to terms with. Heck, maybe you're still awful and as self-righteous and self-justifying as ever. Guess what? It doesn't matter now. I'm in no position to forgive you – that's the business of Naruto, of Sakura, of Kakashi and all the people you used to know. They may or may not exonerate you for your crimes – but that's not the point. What I want to say is that you're actions, your choices now, the person you want to be now, the things you will do, they don't have to be determined by your past. If you – shit – this guy is fast. Thanks for pulling me out of harm's way… heh. Point is, to me, what matters is what you do now. You can stop being the person you know Naruto and… and your brother would have hated. It's all up to you." Boruto panted as he finished.
A small, barely detectable, yet rare and genuine smile.
"And grow a pair of balls. Stop avoiding eye contact with Dad- I mean Naruto," Boruto added with a cheeky grin.
"That's right Sasuke!" Naruto Uzumaki descended upon the right with a dramatic kick at Momoshiki, which was repelled. He landed effortlessly next to his former comrade, his killer, his – his best friend. "Let's finish this bastard here and now."
"Dear me, really? You humans, mortals, all so emotional, all so bound up in your petty feelings and relationships. I'm beginning to think I'm doing the universe a favour by getting rid of all of you," Momoshiki said, bored and recognizably irritated at the drama unfolding before him, all while casually casting dangerous blasts of Dust Release around them.
Boruto threw another Vanishing Rasengan. Momoshiki stepped out of the way in a blasé manner. "Really, did you really think the same trick would work on me again?"
Taking a deep breath, Boruto crossed his fingers and weaved an array of handsigns: "Ultra-Pornographic-Sexy-Jutsu!"
Poof. A hundred lithe figures, lithe and naked figures – of women in rather compromising positions, doing not entirely child-friendly actions with each other – manifested in front of Momoshiki, who, for the first time since their encounter, appeared genuinely baffled.
"What the-"
"Rasengan!" Naruto charged.
"Chidori!" Sasuke charged with Naruto.
"Gaaaahhhhhhhhhh Boruto. Why?!" Came Sarada's horrified voice. "Where did you learn that?!"
"Learn it? I invented it!" Boruto's eyes gleamed mischievously. Sarada looked like she was about to slap him in the face. She managed to suppress that urge but he knew that his comeuppance would come later - when they were no longer in such a dangerous and tenuous situation.
"Jiraiya would have been proud," Kakashi chuckled.
"Boruto, we're going to have a word about the books you've borrowed from my dad's lab," Mitsuki sighed.
"Your dad reads pornography?!" Sarada gaped. She was positively unwell. Granted, the image of Orochimaru being engrossed in tomes of erotica made Boruto lose his appetite too [and he was slowly realizing that he was, in fact, starving.]
"Never mind guys, let's focus on the battle in front of us. Oh and, also, I have an even greater masterpiece under my sleeve!" Boruto declared triumphantly.
"You're impossible," Sarada murmured.
"Expect the impossible," Boruto simply responded.
"At this age, it's expected of guys and girls to be a little … curious about the workings of the human anatomy and, well, reproductive biology. Some things will never change," Kakashi mused humorously.
"Focus on the fight," Mitsuki reminded.
"I'm on it!" Boruto ran towards the clashing figures of Naruto and Sasuke, who were engaging Momoshiki, cloaked in a stone golem made out of sizzling lava, much like last time: the two, even after all these years and all the heartbreak and death and turmoil, effortlessly conjured a gigantic cloud of chakra shaped like the Kyuubi, clothed by purple Susanoo armour. This time, Sarada went after him.
Even in the darkest hour, all of this made Boruto smile.
A/N: Sakura will arrive... soon. The fluffy, light-heartedness present at the end of this chapter was my attempt to insert some form of terrible humour - and to mimic Naruto's hilariously effective attack on Kagura. The part with Orochimaru's collection of erotica was spontaneously conceived by yours truly. Bear with me.
Next chapter will also contain a snippet of Sasuke's perspective, with insights into his feelings throughout the entirety of this story - so stay tuned! (It will be the most exicitng/ difficult things I've written so far.)
Also worth noting is that this story, having been written before most of the Boruto manga/ anime came out, would not be compliant to most of the content touched by the Boruto manga/ anime. Characters like Sumire, Iwabe and Denki will not be making appearances. (My opinions of them are irrelevant at present.)
Thank you all so much for reviewing, favouriting and following this story! It has 5 more chapters left so get your predictions coming in!
I'm also going to do a Q&A probably at the end of the story, where I will be answering any questions related to this story that you post in the reviews. Literally anything: my motivations, my reasons for characterising people the way I do, my favourite scenes, facts about the AU that I may not have covered in this story etc. Ask away!
Please leave your thoughts and comments in the reviews - I've realised that there has been a small decrease in them :( I know I haven't been the most consistent writer/ updater but they really encourage me to stay on track.
Yours truely,
Silverlight10243