Disclaimer: I do not own Boruto or the Naruto Universe. I only own my OCs.
"Why can't I go?" Ayumi tugged her mother's hakama.
"We already discussed this, Ayumi," her mother replied flatly. "What will you do out there? You have a role to play here."
Ayumi frowned, drawing closer to the shrine doors. The sunset horizon called her name. "But, mother, I don't understand. I just sit there untangling the threads while Emiyo-nee is the one who does any braiding."
"You will understand that your role is intertwined with others, no matter how small."
"But mother, I've never left the compound-"
"Enough. Now, come."
oOo
"Konohagakure residence card. Exchange Student: Akamine Ayumi," Ayumi read aloud as she strolled through a red, slightly deserted walkway. She tucked the card back into her pocket single handedly. She paused at the side of the path to readjust her pile of documents in her other arm. She looked out to the square below her. She heaved a sigh, "Wow."
Her voice carried over the soft morning breeze but ultimately drowned out by the noise of the shopping square below. Even in the early morning of a weekday, Konoha bustled with life. Stores opened. Housewives made their way through the streets on their way to do some grocery shopping or meeting up with friends while children scurried to school. From a distance, Ayumi could hear the whistle of the first morning train.
Like every other day since she first came to Konoha, Ayumi basked in Konoha's life. With the warm sun rays shining down on her, she took her time walking. A tinge of guilt pierced her heart. How could she be enjoying her life here while her family remained on edge back home? How was it back home-
Ayumi's thoughts flew from her mind when she met the ground. Her papers scattered across the floor. A sharp pain erupted from her hip. She hissed as the cause of the collision groaned a few feet across her.
"That hurts." He grumbled. Ayumi scanned the crash before her. Sheets of her and Aunt Asami's documents littered the path. A rectangular device laid on top of them. The boy she ran into, rather ran into her, grumbled while slowly getting up. He brushed off dust from his green jacket before turning to stare at the scene.
"How troublesome," he drawled, snapping Ayumi from her daze. Indignation and irritation flared in her chest.
"You-" she began with a frown. She tightened her throat, not allowing herself to get mad at the stranger. One should not raise their voice especially in anger, her mother's voice rang in her ears like a piercing train whistle. She kept the rage in her chest. She sighed, resigned.
"I'm sorry," she muttered to him in a soft voice before gathering herself. She knelt beside the mess and took the gadget in her hands. Presuming he owned it, she handed it to him. The boy rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and took it from her with the other.
"Listen," he began slowly. Ayumi returned her gaze to the papers, piling the closest papers atop of each other. To her surprise, a pale hand held out a small stack of documents to her. She lifted her gaze from the hand to the face that owned it. Brilliant green eyes shone brightly.
"Here," he said. Ayumi studied him for a quick moment, blowing a lock of hair out of her face. He took the better end of their accident. Not a single hair out of place, literally. All his black hair was slicked back into a spiky ponytail. Slight awkwardness flashed across his eyes. "It was my bad." He cleared his throat.
Ayumi stifled an amused laugh, annoyance draining from her body. His slight unease looked largely out of place on his face like he isn't used to such emotion.
She gave him a small smile, taking the paper from him. She collected the last pieces of paper. Her hip stung from the impact. She settled into the bench beside them, flipping through the documents. They were all complete. She sighed in relief before peering up apologetically at the boy in front of her. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
His hand flew back to the back of his neck as he shrugged. "I guess I was too." He stood, staring down at his gadget. Ayumi recognized it from her walks through Konoha as what the rest of the kids her age played on as she went past. But she didn't know exactly what it was.
She cocked her head, "What is that?" The boy's head snapped up to look at her incredulously.
"Are you serious?" He stammered. Ayumi nodded, curiously inspecting the handheld object. "It's a game controller."
"Like what kind of game?" She leant closer. He stiffened before sighing. He sat down beside her. He rubbed his back, still aching from the fall.
"Like video games," he replied. He turned on his screen. His avatar knight stood ready. "You go on quests. Battle the computer generated characters. Get items. Win against other players." She stared at the game before withdrawing.
"It sounds really troublesome," Ayumi joked. The boy winced from the incident prior.
"About that-" The clock down at the square rang eight am. Ayumi glanced over her shoulder. She was late. Asami-oba was going to kill her. A chill ran up her spine at the thought of the raging older redhead. Not fun. She sprang up, causing the boy to blink at her in surprise.
"I'll admit that it is troublesome to run into someone," she shrugged. She beamed at him. The next words rushed from her mouth. "But it's nice to meet you. Try not to do anything bothersome soon. See ya!" And with that, she sprinted down the walkway.
"Where were you?" A voice called when Ayumi entered her new apartment. She flinched from the deathly stern tone.
"You see, Asami-oba," she stuttered as her aunt came into view. "I was rather… caught up with an accident. Anyway-" she continued before her aunt asked more questions. "Everything's good. I have all of our documents."
Ayumi handed her aunt the papers. Asami pulled on her reading glasses before humming in thought. "Formalities are in order. Now for the rest." Ayumi raised an eyebrow.
"I thought this was everything," Ayumi stated slowly. Asami chuckled lightly, placing the stack of papers onto the dining table beside her.
"For our legal documents, yes, my dear," Asami nodded her head before a mischievous gleam crossed her eyes. "There are… other things that require our attention." Although she didn't say it, it was blatantly obvious to Ayumi that they were going around the law. Ayumi sighed, dropping on a kitchen counter stool.
"I finished your homework," Ayumi said, drawing circles on the counter surface with her fingertip. "I have a list of possible exit routes out of Konoha and confirmed the only entrance of the main gates."
"And?" Asami moved to the kitchen counter to stare her niece in the eye.
"The seals around the village have been replaced frequently but it won't be enough," Ayumi said a bit grimly. Asami rubbed the younger girl's shoulder.
"It's nothing you can't fix. That's why we're here to give help and to get help."
Ayumi paused, gnawing her bottom lip in thought. "Asami-oba, you know who the kind of people he's enlisting. I'm not sure I can even rewrite seals to hold off an attack with that much firepower-"
"Don't dwell on that now, my dear," Asami waved her hand before gripping the ten-year-old's shoulders. Asami-oba caressed Ayumi's cheek with a calloused thumb as if to smooth the worry out of Ayumi's face. "We have time. And you won't be alone to meet his armies." Hopefully, the word hung in the air unspoken.
Asami patted the young girl's cheek. "Now, wash up. We're having a visitor soon. We must get ready!"
Ayumi blanched at her aunt. She thought that her aunt's string of love affairs was left back at the Land of Calm. "Already? What, like someone you're interested in? We've been here for two days-"
Asami shook her head. Scarlet red hair escaped from her bun. "Nonsense!" She huffed. "Flirting is on the bottom of my to-do list. Thank you very much. No, our sponsor's son is passing by."
"Sponsor?" Ayumi's voice hitched at the word. She scanned her aunt's face for any signs of a joke. When she found none, Ayumi's voice pitched lower to a whisper. "Orochimaru? His son?"
Asami clapped her hands together, "The one and only! Now chop chop. We must prepare!"