Pin drop silence.
Amidst the myriad of thoughts flitting through her mind, that was the one which somewhat grew on her. Stretching before her was a barren wasteland, debris decorating the thick layer of dirt that had wrecked multiple picturesque buildings, cute little houses, familiar shops and in a sense, her entire childhood.
A tap to the shoulder made her look up, eyeing the blonde she had the misfortune of calling her best friend. "We need to get moving. Border patrol will be here in ten."
This was her life now. Running away from people she had once called comrades, friends... even her own family. Though she wondered, would things have been different if she remained unconscious of their reality? Knowledge was of two sorts — awareness and ignorance. Many would disagree, but she was a firm believer of blissful ignorance.
"Did you get everything?" She threw the question at him absent-mindedly. Right then, nothing seemed pleasant enough as her old bed, so soft and fluffy, and the comforting smell of miso soup, her mother's best dish and arguably the only decent one. But the same home was probably amongst the multiple that had been crushed by tides of the ripped apart earth.
"We're running low on med supplies", he answered, unfurling his cloak and throwing a beige one towards her. "We can stop at Suna for the herbs so that shouldn't be a problem", he continued, listing things off the top of his head.
The faintest of smiles cracked on her face. If they would've been residents of a world where peace came as easily as the sun towards a fresh dawn, perhaps they could have acted their age. At then end of the day, they were but measly teens — way too inexperienced in life. A couple of microscopic existences that amounted to nothing more than specks of dust in the vast universe.
They were playing pretend. Being a ninja was no honor, she'd long concluded. It was a title bestowed to spare the person from drowning in self-loathing, a façade to cover the heinous crimes one committed in the name of loyalty, to their village and Kage.
Bullshit.
If fidelity existed in this age, mass recruitment in militia and blatant glorification of felony wouldn't have been a trend. The morality they spoke so highly of was nonexistent. Otherwise, who'd push their kin into a system responsible for creating a mindless armada, thrusting them in the direction of every possible danger, both known and unknown?
Not someone fucking sane, that was for sure.
That being said, she wasn't proud of what she had become either. Sure, there were many excuses for how she turned out. 'Victim of circumstance' was her favorite out of many. But not one seemed to be accurate enough.
Ninja life was grueling, not akin to anything they could've been prepared for at the Academy. It snatched away one's identity to make them a part of a faceless, senseless and, most importantly, a heartless group of killers. And that wasn't the worst it went. And had she tried to mention every tidbit, her monolog wouldn't end very soon.
Stretching her legs and letting a yawn tear out from her mouth, a sigh left her lips at the sweet crack that resounded. Fastening the cloak that shielded her from the world, she nodded, returning his gesture. "Right. So that marks the fortieth week. Damn, we're getting old."
The blonde smirked, his whisker-like birthmarks accentuated by the uplifting of his cheekbones. "Still younger than you, Sachi. Want me to call you grandma?"
She scoffed. "What an insolent grandson I've got! Apologize, Boruto!"
"Yeah, as if!"