"Suzuno-kun is done taking pictures of the waterfall," Sarada announced, deactivating her sharingan.

Suzuno's hand was loosely attached to her vest, his figure hiding slightly behind her as they approached Boruto and Mitsuki. "Is it true that shinobi can walk on water?" Suzuno asked suddenly, making Boruto's eyes narrow.

Mitsuki nodded his head. "Would you like to see a demonstration?"

"I-If that's alright," Suzuno said shyly. "If not, we can go eat…"

Sarada gently removed herself from Suzuno's grasp and put a hand on Boruto's shoulder. "Boruto, I think you should show him."

At the mention of Boruto's name, Suzuno cowered further behind Sarada.

"I told you it's ok," she said softly, "if he tries to hurt you, I'll throw a shuriken at him to stop him."

"H-hey! That's not funny, I could die!"

Sarada raised an eyebrow. "You won't die."

At first, Boruto thought she was bragging about how good her aim was. But then he remembered. Even if they did die, it wasn't of any benefit to Hebi, so they would essentially get revived.

He looked up at Sarada wide eyed and slowly clenched his fist. "Got it… I'll go demonstrate walking on water. Suzuno, make sure you get lots of pictures!"

With that, Boruto dashed out onto the water's surface and stood with his eyes closed. He wasn't going to be manipulated again.

Suzuno took one last hesitant look at Sarada and Mitsuki before heading over to edge of the water. But as he raised his camera, he weaved signs with his hand. His mouth silently formed the words, "five feeding sharks," as he pressed his palm to the water.

To Sarada and Mitsuki, it simply looked like Suzuno was crouched down, taking pictures of Boruto running around.

What they couldn't see was the devilish grin on Suzuno's face and the sharks that were attacking Boruto.

He dodged as two sharks came up from the surface on opposite sides, narrowly avoiding their jaws. "Oi oi, this isn't funny! How am I supposed to beat five of these things alone?!"

A third shark swam up behind him and jumped, looking to devour his head. He quickly charged his palm with swirling chakra and thrust it towards the bloodthirsty creature. "Rasengan!"

But the shark's mouth came up and over his hand, about to devour him whole.

Just as three rows of sharp pointy teeth entered Boruto's line of sight, the shark was blasted backwards. "Shaaannnarooo!"

"Sarada!"

"Boruto, get out of the water!"

Boruto dashed forward. The moment his feet touched dry ground, he looked up to find Mitsuki restraining Suzuno with his arms. Knowing Sarada was airborne and likely getting attacked by sharks, he made the best call he could.

"Mitsuki! Switch!"

Mitsuki's long snake-like arms let go of Suzuno and reached out towards Sarada to pull her away. Just as Boruto was about to tackle Suzuno to the ground, he heard a bloodcurdling scream behind him. Mitsuki retracted his arms, or what was left of them.

Boruto's heart wrenched in his chest, but part of him suspected genjutsu was at play. Rather than turning around to check on the status of his likely injured teammates, he tackled Suzuno to the ground and pinned his arms behind his back. "You're not going anywhere."

"Hah," said Suzuno, turning his head to the side. "Do you think I used genjutsu on you again? This time your friend's scream was real. I guess this is the limit of Konoha's genin… All they can do is throw shuriken."

Boruto restrained both of Suzuno's hands with one arm while the other shoved his head into the ground. "You little… Make it stop, now."

"Why don't you turn around? It's already too late. She's dead, and your other friend is too injured to fight."

Boruto had never wanted to kill anyone so badly. He pulled a kunai out of his pouch and held it up to Suzuno's eyes. "What makes you think I'd turn around? I'd much rather put an end to you."

He smirked. "I'm just a traveling artist. You're the psycho who tried to kill me. Whose story do you think they'll believe?"

Boruto smirked. "You made a big mistake there. My name is Uzumaki Boruto. I'm the hokage's son. He'll believe my word over yours any day."

"Even if he sees me looking like a beaten and bloody mess, and you come out without a scratch?"

"What are you…"

"Kai!"

Boruto blinked. He was sitting on top of a log, holding it at knife point.

"That little… Where'd he…"

Boruto turned around. The sharks were swimming in a pool of blood. Mitsuki was next to him, panting, his kimono bloodstained at the arms. "Mitsuki…"

"Boruto!"

"Konohamaru nii-chan..?"

The author began typing hurriedly into their laptop. Looks like it was a mistake to walk away. I'm not dealing with someone on my side. Emerging from the tree in human form, a dome of feathers swirled around Konohamaru and Mitsuki, knocking both of them out. I guess ninjutsu in the game still applies… thank goodness for that. If Suzuno's appearance was an event in the actual story, they couldn't tamper with it. But killing off a main character and leaving the other severely injured wasn't within the jurisdiction allowed to the anime, so it shouldn't have happened naturally in the shadow. That being said… "You really are an idiot."

"Hebi-san?"

"Take a good look."

Boruto looked around. "Sarada… Where's Sarada?!"

"I wish you wouldn't take my power so lightly. What if I was lying to you?"

He got up onto his knees, scrambling towards the water's surface. And the sight he saw brought all of his stomach contents hurling from his mouth.

"You're lucky I came when I did," replied the author, typing another line of text into the laptop. "a few seconds more and... You really should be more careful."

Boruto caught his breath, wiping his mouth as his body trembled. "B-but Sarada has Sharingan," he said, choking back tears, his head tilting downward. "I… I thought she would be ok…"

"Sharingan vs four bloodthirsty water sharks? While she was airborne?"

His fists curled around the grass on the riverbank. "But Mitsuki could have used lightning jutsu on the water and…"

"Do you think he could use it when it appeared that Suzuno-kun was desperately rushing towards the water to save Sarada? And what were you doing? Attacking a log. Mitsuki got his arms bitten off before he reached her. No one was sure if Suzuno was the genjutsu user besides you, and for a civilian like him, a lightning strike could be deadly. What would become of the mission if Mitsuki killed Suzuno to save Sarada?"

Boruto punched the ground in defeat. He looked over and watched as Mitsuki's arms regenerated.

"This is your warning. Don't act so carefree as to let her die without even attempting to save her. Or I might not be able to revive her."

Boruto froze. "…What do you mean?"

The author sighed. "It looks like there's more than one of me here… Listen to me very carefully. From now on, there might be others from my dimension targeting your lives in attempt to ruin the mission. I can only act from things concerning your perspective… So if you don't see Sarada die, and she gets taken away somewhere and then killed, I won't be able to do anything about it."

"…What?" Looking down at his trembling hand, tried to make sense of what Hebi had said.

"Keep your eyes on her. Whenever possible. As long as you are looking, I will know what is happening, and I can come save you… Preferably before other people get involved. Genjutsu can only help so much in situations like this… I hesitated to say this before, but the less people that know about me, the safer you are."

The author paused as they watched Boruto's face darken, his body trembling more with each word that they spoke. I'd better explain this later… "Your mission is being put on hold for the time being," said the author, typing into their laptop. "For now… This is the best I can do."

Boruto turned his head and saw Sarada resting peacefully in the grass behind him. The tension in his body depleted as his eyes searched her to make sure she was in one piece. Lip quivering as his memory of the previous scene flashed to the surface again, he slowly pulled her up into his arms and held her against him, his entire body shivering in disbelief that she was really alive. All he wanted to do was cry. His heart felt like it was going to leap out of his throat along with his intestines.

But as he began to register her soft breathing and the feeling of her pulse against his arm, his own heartrate slowed. The sobs that were working their way up into his throat turned into silent tears.

The feeling of anger slowly bubbled up in his chest at the thought of the small boy that had been clinging to Sarada's vest only moments before. "What about Suzuno?" His voice crackled out from his throat, the leftover stomach acid threatening to burn through the lining of his esophagus.

"I am assuming that he was an assassin sent by one of my people… Fortunately, his identity remained unknown to anyone other than your father. I will disguise myself and inform Naruto of Suzuno's return to Amegakure… After I turn the river clear again."

"What about Konohamaru nii-chan? Why did he come?"

The author sighed. "It seems like he finished Naruto's errand and came to check on you. Luckily, I was able to stop the story before he saw anything graphic... He did see the blood on Mitsuki's Kimono, but don't worry. I'll replace them with cuts that will heal easily and blame this on a bandit."

"I see…" Boruto was silent, fresh tears still falling down his cheeks, his expression grey and dim as he gently laid Sarada back onto the ground. "Thanks."

The author couldn't help but watch in silent agony as Boruto's eyes drifted over her shoulders again and again. "…I wouldn't leave her alone too often if I were you. While it may have seemed like Suzuno was targeting you at first, I wouldn't be surprised if his real goal was her… And if you keep an eye on her, it will be easier for me to put a stop to my people."

The moment that Boruto relinquished his physical contact with her, his face contorted with grief. But he slowly nodded his acceptance. "…Why didn't you stop this before?"

"I may be all powerful, but I'm not omnipresent. It was my mistake, leaving you alone to investigate the possibility of one of my people entering this world…" The author averted their eyes. "Our paths rarely cross. It seems I chose an unlucky time to enter… But fear not, I will do everything in my power to hold them back."

Boruto's eyes drifted over to Mitsuki. "You can't just write them out of existence?"

"Unfortunately, no. They hold just as much power as I do… But it would help if I discovered their goal." And their chosen character, the author added mentally. "I'll take my leave now… But you may see me more often than I was hoping to appear."

Why? His fingers tangled into the blades of grass as he clenched them into fists. Why couldn't I save them? Why didn't I turn around? Why did she have to…

Forcing his mind to deregister the scene he had previously witnessed, he gently uncurled his palms. For someone who's so adamite about becoming hokage… You can't die this easily…

The author sighed from their hiding place. They pulled out their laptop and typed in a few lines of text. I guess I'll do him a favor and wake her up first… The poor kid needs someone to help him cry.

Sarada's eyes slowly blinked open, barely registering the blonde hair and blue eyes that belonged to the individual in front of her. "Boruto?"

At the sound of her voice, his blue eyes widened, a single tear dripping off the bottom of his eyelid. "…Sarada?" His voice still felt hoarse, the tightness in his throat depleting but still present.

"What happened? Where's Suzuno-kun?"

The moment she sat up, an audible sob worked its way into Boruto's throat. "I'm sorry," he cried, relief washing over him as he pulled her against him, his head burrowing into her shoulder.

"B-Boruto? Why are you sorry? What happened? Where is… Is that Konohamaru? Why does he look…"

But as Sarada talked, she realized Boruto was shaking. Not just his hands, his entire upper body was quivering. Her expression softened as she slowly returned his hug. "Are you ok?"

Despite the answer to that question obviously being no, Boruto managed a crumpled smile. He slowly relaxed, pulling back and letting his hands fall into the grass. "I'm an idiot," he mumbled, forcing himself to confirm her existence was real.

Sarada dropped her arms to her side, slightly bewildered at the pitiful expression on his face. Taking a handkerchief out of a hidden pocket in her vest, she offered it to him. "I think I knew that already."

He laughed through his pained expression. "Thanks."

"So," she began, watching him wipe his eyes. "Why are you crying?"

Pulling his knees out from under him, Boruto stood to his feet and pocketed her handkerchief. "Sarada."

"Hmm?"

"You'd better become the hokage."

"Huh? Of course I'm going to become the hokage." She stood next to him, her eyes filled with concern as he looked off into the distance.

"Good. Then there's nothing to worry about."

"Boruto?"

The breeze stung Boruto's wet eyes as he scanned the area for Hebi, putting aside the matter with Sarada. He didn't want to relive it. She was alive, that was all that mattered. As he looked around, he noticed Mitsuki's yellow eyes cracking open. "Mitsuki!"

"Boruto?" Mitsuki put his hand up to his head, pulling himself into a sitting position. "What happened?"

"Mitsuki! Your arms!" Sarada's eyes fell on the bloodstained kimono.

He looked down and furrowed his eyebrows, letting the sleeves fall up to reveal two small cuts. "This is nothing. It doesn't even hurt… And it seems like the bleeding stopped."

"Hebi healed you up a little bit," replied Boruto. "That creep Suzuno turned out to be an assassin… Looks like he was targeting our lives."

Sarada's eyes widened. "What happened to Suzuno?"

"He got eaten by his own sharks…"

Sarada eyed Boruto suspiciously. She put her hand up to her mouth as her gaze shifted towards the grass, deep in thought. Then her eyes widened. "Stupid Boruto."

But Boruto didn't hear her.

"Konohamaru-sensei?" Mitsuki peered in the direction of their teacher. "Is he… asleep?"

"Hebi was here until a little bit ago," said Boruto, "It seems like there's more than one of those weirdos. Lucky for us, we have Hebi as an ally… Mitsuki, what do you remember about earlier?"

He furrowed his eyebrows and thought. "Sarada released me from genjutsu, and I was holding Suzuno back… Everything after that is fuzzy. What happened?"

"I…" Boruto hesitated. He looked down, fingernails digging into his palms.

Sarada gently put a hand on his shoulder and stepped in front of him. "It seems like it's better that we don't know."

"Ahh…"

"Konohamaru shouldn't know much about what was going on," Boruto managed to say, "but I think Hebi's going to do something. So don't mention any of the details until he does."

In that moment, Konohamaru woke up. "Kids! Are you ok?"

"Konohamaru-sensei!"

"Oh! Kids. I'm glad you're alright."

"Konohamaru nii-chan, what happened?"

"Ah, well," he began, his hand scratching the back of his neck. "Boruto, you were under some sort of genjutsu attacking a log… Then some kid used a sleeping gas to put us all to sleep…"

Mitsuki turned to Boruto and smiled. "Attacking a log. As expected of the son of the seventh hokage."

"Mitsuki!"

"He was under genjutsu," said Konohamaru with a chuckle. "It couldn't be helped." Standing to his feet, Konohamaru stood triumphantly with his hands on his hips. "Well, I guess I'd better go report this to the seventh… You all should go home and get some rest."

Boruto agreed. "It's getting late… I bet mom's dinner by now." Not that I have an appetite to eat it, he added mentally.

"Ah!" Sarada dropped her fist into the palm of her hand. "I forgot, mom is working late at the hospital tonight! I have to make dinner…"

"I should get my arms checked out, just in case," replied Mitsuki, getting up off of the ground.

Boruto watched Sarada's back, his heart beginning to race in panic. Hebi said I shouldn't leave her alone… If she goes home right now, there won't be anyone there… What should I… "Ah!"

The three turned to him.

"Ahhhhahaha," he began laughing. "I just remembered something. You guys go on ahead!"

Konohamaru raised an eyebrow. "Boruto, are you feeling ok?"

"Of course," he laughed nervously, "never better."

"…Right…"

"Mitsuki, I'll walk with you to the hospital on my way to the seventh's office. Boruto, make sure Sarada gets home in one piece. Keep an eye out for any more bandits."

"…Ok."

Once they were out of range of hearing, Sarada folded her arms. "So? What did you just remember?"

Boruto looked off to the side. "…Since my stupid old man never comes home for dinner and eats cup ramen in his office, but my mom always makes enough for him anyway, and your mom isn't coming home until late…"

Sarada blinked a few times. "Boruto… Are you… Inviting me over for dinner?!"

"Ah! Forget it. It's nothing." She'll be fine on her own, thought Boruto, his face burning with embarrassment and regret. "Go make your stupid dinner."

She shook her head. "Actually, I feel really exhausted for some reason. I'd love some of Hinata oba-san's cooking right about now… I can make mom something else when I get home." She giggled. "To think the day would come when you would be considerate."

Boruto clicked his tongue and walked behind her, hands shoved into his jacket pockets. "This is a special circumstance. Don't count on it happening again."

"Yeah yeah," she retorted, a smile on her face nonetheless.