Chapter 9:

Mitsuki led Sarada to the meeting location and noticed that things were a lot different from the other day. There were craters in the ground from some sort of impact and broken pieces of wood and metal on the ground. Rocks and rubble everywhere they turned and blood stains on the grass and stone.

"Looks like a battle took place here," said Sarada.

"Still think we should have not investigated?" Mitsuki asked as he looked around for signs of their comrade.

Sarada picked up pieces of what appeared to be a broken wheel and tossed it aside. This damage was probably the result of some kind of explosion. These broken pieces weren't cut or snapped but blown apart. Some even had scorch marks.

If there had been a battle, Boruto was caught right in the middle of it. He could have been crushed by one of the rocks or captured by the enemy.

She didn't think Naruto and Shikamaru had also been captured, knowing how strong and skilled they were, but if it was to save Boruto, they might have done anything to protect him, even surrender.

She stood tall to survey the area, wondering what could have happened.

Mitsuki stopped by one of the rock formations and called her over, spotting something unusual. He pointed at the small opening between the rocks that had been previously covered. "Looks like the explosion opened this up."

Sarada looked down the dark hole between rocks, too small for an adult to squeeze through. "I can't see how deep it is, but I don't think Boruto's down there. It would be a tight squeeze for us."

Mitsuki bent down and held his hand over the hole. A white snake slithered from his sleeve and ventured into the opening to investigate in their place.

They sat back and waited. After a while, Sarada admitted she had her doubts about finding Boruto in the hole, only doing this out of curiosity. Mitsuki was doing this to leave no stone unturned.

The snake returned and there were no signs of Boruto. As the snake's tail disappeared beneath Mitsuki's sleeve, the boy stood and looked around, wondering where to search next.

"We should go back to the village," advised Sarada. "We can tell them what we found and have them look for us. They'll be better equipped and they'll have ninja hounds to track their scent. They'll do better than we can like this."

Mitsuki didn't want to turn back. He needed to find Boruto.

He hopped from one rock to the next, searching from a high perspective while Sarada followed from the grass. Every now and then, she would suggest they go back and ask for help and Mitsuki would ignore her.

He stood atop the largest stone he could find and looked out over the field, hoping to find the smallest trace of his friend.

Giving a small gasp, Mitsuki took off towards something.

"What'd you find?" Sarada asked, chasing him.

Mitsuki bent down over a body lying face-down among the rocks. It wasn't Boruto. This person was male but the hair was the wrong color and appeared taller than him. Sarada saw the person and tried to move them as gently as possible, thinking they were injured.

The moment she touched him, the body moved, looking up at them. He frowned, as if disappointed and pulled his slender arms closer to his body. "What do you want?"

"Sorry," said Sarada. This seemed like a strange reaction for someone in his position to have. "We thought you were hurt and wanted to help."

The boy, only a year or two older than they were, looked up again, this time in surprise. "You weren't going to rob me? Or beat me?"

"No, of course not." Sarada helped the boy into a kneeling position and looked him over for injuries. He was filthy but couldn't find any blood on him. His clothes were tattered and used a piece of rope to fasten his kimono shut. The kimono was short, showing off most of the boy's legs; the pattern so worn, she could not tell what it used to be.

If this boy was wearing a kimono, it was possible he was from a noble family. She couldn't see someone wearing such an outfit outside of special occasions such as a festival or a wedding otherwise.

Judging from the field, it looked like a battle had taken place quite recently. Mitsuki had mentioned spying on Naruto's meeting with a king. Knowing this, it seemed very likely that this boy was someone important. Perhaps the king's relative or a servant. Though, considering how dirty and well-worn his clothing was, that seemed less likely. This was damage that had taken quite a bit of time, not one battle.

There was no village around for miles and this boy clearly needed help.

"Why don't you come back to the village with us?" Sarada suggested to him. "We can help you better there."

The boy looked at her suspiciously and turned away with a scowl. "I don't need help. Just leave me alone."

"When was the last time you've eaten?"

He frowned harder. "I don't remember. A while."

Sarada tilted her body to one side to peer at the boy's face. "Please come back with us," she said gently to him, as if coaxing a frightened animal. "We want to make sure you're ok."

The boy looked at her, finding it harder to keep the scowl on his face. "The last time I trusted someone, they robbed me and left me."

"I promise we won't do that to you."

"From the look of things, you don't have anything worth stealing," added Mitsuki.

Sarada shot him a look.

The boy sighed. "You won't stop asking until I do, will you?"

Sarada answered by extending her hand to him. After a very long hesitation, the boy took her hand and was pulled to his feet. He staggered a bit, as if he hadn't used his legs in a long time and followed her shakily away from the field and towards the Leaf.

By the time the sun rose, Naruto and Shikamaru had only managed to put a few miles between them and the mountain. The kitsune who accompanied them kept to the forest during their travels and rarely revealed himself, but Naruto knew which one it was. He also knew that they would be the ones doing the majority of the work on this mission, not the kitsune.

"I knew this wouldn't be cut and dry, get it done in a day kind of mission," said Shikamaru as they walked. "But this will take longer than I thought it would. We shouldn't be away from the village for a long time."

"We're the only ones who can do this, Shikamaru. The people who have met the kitsune must be kept short. It would take too long to explain to people who know of them but haven't worked with them. We can't send others do it in our place."

"Yes, but the excuse I gave will only cover us for a brief time. I said you were leaving on important business, which is true. But they were led to believe it would be something akin to a meeting, which wouldn't take who knows how long," Shikamaru told him.

"By the time we go back, we'll have wasted valuable time and get swarmed with new work since that's what people tend to do when they see me. 'Good, you're back, now handle these.' It'll just waste more time going back."

"We don't know how long this will take and if it's anything like the adventure Boruto went on for you, it could be weeks."

Naruto remained steadfast, not bending to anything Shikamaru said. He wouldn't even let Shikamaru go back to the village, knowing he needed him for this.

"Ryosuke said their last known location was somewhere miles from here in a forest."

"Which doesn't really help us at all."

Naruto grinned. "He did give us a name, though."

"Not of the location itself but a town in the area somewhere around it. From years ago. Who knows if it still exists?" Shikamaru sighed. "But you're right, it is something."

Naruto heard rustling in the trees and smiled. "Good to have you on this mission, Seki."

"Ryosuke thought we'd work well together for this mission."

Naruto grinned, feeling nostalgic.

Seki was among the first kitsune he had ever met and even saved his younger brother from a rogue kitsune's curse. His younger brother, Reki, had assisted Boruto in his mission to rescue Naruto, so it seemed only fitting for him to join them on this one.

He thought Sonar would be sent on this mission, but he trusted Ryosuke's judgement in selecting Seki. Sonar was very good with direction and one of their best hunters. However, Sonar didn't trust a lot of humans and for some time even considered fighting against those who sought to harm them. Over the years, he seemed to become more understanding but if a human ever displayed themselves as a threat, there was a chance he would act aggressively, even if it was very slight.

The kitsune didn't get physical with humans, but they would use their magic to impede them in some way. Sonar would probably not bite a human but he would use his illusions to scare them or make them think they were hurt when they weren't.

When faced with an aggressive human, Seki would run and hide, avoiding conflict, which may have been why Seki was picked to come along. He had worked with Naruto in the past which was probably another factor in this selection.

Ryosuke, Seki, Sonar, Lunabell, Sammi, Superu, Ishi, Aurora and Egao. Those were the first kitsune Naruto had ever met and still felt close to them today. After defeating the bad kitsune and freeing his trapped victims, Naruto was introduced to several more kitsune who had been trapped in altered forms by the kitsune curse. Their family had grown since then, with the addition of a new generation of pups.

Several of his kitsune friends had become parents in the same way his human friends had.

Naruto remembered the first time Boruto called him 'daddy' and how it made him feel.

Taking in a deep breath, Naruto pushed himself forward, determined to get him back.

Sarada took the boy to the hospital first for her mother to give him a checkup. Sakura took the boy into a private room but he refused to cooperate. He wouldn't remove his clothes and he wouldn't let her come near him with any tools. He threatened to run at one point when Sakura tried to make him lie down on a table.

Fearing he may have suffered some sort of mental trauma, Sakura didn't push it. Instead, she tried a different approach, promising not to use any tools and not require him to disrobe. To this, the boy agreed and sat where he was told.

Sakura held the boy's hand in hers and slowly moved her other hand over his arm, inches away as she performed medical ninjutsu. The boy's eyes widened in surprise when he saw her do this and looked up at her in wonder. She gave him a smile and continued to work.

The boy looked at her hands, noticing something odd. "Your nails are green."

Sakura glanced at the pastel green nail polish on her fingers and chuckled softly. "Just had them done yesterday. My daughter has the same color."

The boy hadn't noticed because when Sarada offered her hand to him, her palm was up, nails pointed at the ground.

"You think pink would look better on me?" she asked him, making small talk. "I went with the woman's recommendation. I think it looks nice."

The boy looked at the hand holding his. "It's fine."

Sakura returned her hand to the boy's wrist and her palm stopped glowing. "And so are you," she told him. "I can't find any internal injuries and no broken bones."

He took his hand from hers and rubbed it against his other arm where her hand had been last as if to feel for any changes her hand might have done to him.

"Where's your home?" she asked him. "Your family must be worried about you."

He frowned, digging his fingers into his arm.

Sakura knew something must have happened but didn't think now was the time to pry.

"Can you tell me your name?" she asked, hoping this would be an easier question for him to answer.

He pressed his lips tightly together, refusing to answer.

Sakura sat back with her hands in her lap. It was usually good to ask these questions as soon as possible in order to help victims, but she could tell that now wasn't the time. This boy had been through something and, contrary to her training, she decided against pestering him. From personal experience, she knew people tended to shut down when pressed in these situations. The best thing she could do now was make the boy feel comfortable and hope he would eventually give them answers when he felt he could trust them.

"You must be hungry," she said. "Why don't we get you cleaned up and treat you to a meal?"

He looked at her and turned away slowly. "You don't have to. I'm fine."

"Please," she said, smiling gently at him. "It's what we do to show hospitality."

The boy sighed and turned towards her in his seat. "I suppose I wouldn't want to insult you."

She smiled. "If you'd like something private, away from a lot of people, you can come to my house. I have everything you need there."

He nodded, agreeing to this option.

Sakura drew him a bath in her home, providing him with everything he needed including clean towels. She handed him a basket to put his clothes in and closed the door to give him some privacy. He turned his back to the door, basket clutched in his arms, and looked at the bath water and the different soaps lined up along the side of the tub for him to use. He stood there for a long time before finally moving.

Sakura heard this and moved from the hall to the next room to talk to her daughter. She handed her some money and told her to go to the store and buy some new clothes for their guest. She had a feeling the boy wasn't willing to surrender the only outfit he had and couldn't throw it away without another option.

Mitsuki looked at Sarada as they made their way to the store. "You said we were going back to tell the adults what happened and get them to help."

"We're doing this first."

"Boruto could still be out there waiting for us."

"We'll get him help. The boy's more important right now. We needed to help him out first because he was right there. We'll find Boruto, I promise."

Mitsuki frowned, feeling uneasy. This seemed like a waste of time. Shopping like this felt leisurely more than necessary. Sarada even seemed to be taking her time, looking over the different outfits on the clothing racks and eyeing Mitsuki as she tried to gauge the boy's size based on her friend's measurements.

She managed to find an outfit similar to a kimono she thought the boy would like. It was similar to Mitsuki's outfit only the sleeves were much shorter and paired with matching shorts. It was a pale blue color with an overlapping white and blue circle pattern. Deciding this was probably a good outfit for the boy, she took it off the rack and brought it to the register.

"After this, we'll report what we found to the others and look for Boruto?" Mitsuki nagged her as she walked up the path to her house with their purchase.

"Yes, yes," she told him hurriedly. "Just a minute. Maybe this boy saw Boruto and knows what happened."

"Is that why we're doing this? To earn his trust so he'll tell us?"

"It's the right thing to do, Mitsuki. This boy's obviously been through a lot."

"What about Boruto?"

"He's important, too, but we can't abandon one for another, ok?" Sarada opened the front door. "I promise we'll check on Boruto right after this."

Sakura greeted them in the hall and took the outfit from the bag to look it over. She said the outfit looked cute and removed the price tag. She knocked on the bathroom door with the clothes in hand. "I brought you a change of clothes you might like. I'll just leave them here for you."

Mitsuki looked at Sarada. "Now?"

She was about to answer when her mother came back. "Sarada, thanks for doing that. I can't be away from the hospital too long, so I need you to look after this boy for me."

"I…"

"You don't have to stay here, but I'd rather he not be left alone. Take him with you if you go out. Maybe introduce him to some friends. Try to make him feel welcome."

"But…"

"He'll talk when he's ready." Sakura sighed. "Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do for him until he tells us more."

"Yeah, but we were just on our way to the Hokage-"

"That's an idea," Sakura cut her off. "You can go to the Hokage building and see if anyone's filed a missing person mission. That should help."

Sarada nodded. It seemed like she would have no choice but to do this. "Yes, Mom." Thankfully, it seemed they would be able to squeeze the boy in with their own mission.

Sakura gave Sarada a kiss on the forehead and gave her one last reminder of what to do before heading out the front door to go back to work.

Mitsuki gave Sarada an expectant look.

"We're going to find Boruto," she told him emphatically. "We can do both. Mom doesn't want him left alone, so we'll bring him."

"What if he doesn't want to go?"

"Then one of us will stay here and the other will talk to the adults."

"Why didn't you just tell your mother what was going on?"

"I tried. You saw," she said. "Mom's in a rush to get back and this boy thing was a big distraction. Both are important, but…"

The boy stepped into the room wearing the new outfit which fit him very well.

Clean, they could see the boy's features more clearly. The boy was nearly as pale as Mitsuki, the light blue outfit almost melting into his complexion. His hair was strikingly similar to the blue circles on his clothes with white streaks framing his face. His paleness made his dark eyes stand out even more, like two pieces of polished coal.

His appearance was enough to make the two Genin speechless for a moment and for Sarada to do a double-take.

"I, uh… see you're wearing the new outfit," she said hesitantly, caught off-guard by his appearance. "Do you like it?"

He tugged on the billowing sleeves touching his elbows. "It's serviceable." He looked around the room. "Where's your mother?"

"She went back to work. There's a lot of people relying on her, otherwise she'd stay."

He looked at the floor. "She's a healer. I get it."

"Did you happen to see a blond boy recently?" asked Mitsuki, getting right to the point. "He was going to the field where we found you."

Sarada glared at him. "Mitsuki."

"I didn't see anyone," said the boy.

Mitsuki was quiet a moment then said, "We're trying to find our friend. We don't know what happened to him."

"And you're worried about him."

"Of course."

Sarada tried a more gentle approach. "We were going to ask the adults if they could look for him. Did you want to come with us? It's not that far. You can see the village."

It wasn't that the offer was tempting. The boy didn't have anything better to do. Truth be told, he was actually more willing to come along because they gave him an option, not a command.