.
The smoke covering the entire area suffocated him while he ran senselessly deep into the woods. They shouldn't be too far from here. His mentor followed closely behind, making no attempt to stop him. Sasuke was yelling something to him but his ears were still too busted to understand a thing – that or he just didn't bother to listen.
Almost frantically, he looked around as he reached a clearing – nothing, just smoke everywhere from his own father's doing. Sasuke landed right behind him, firmly placing his hand on the young man's shoulders. Boruto quickly shoved him off.
"You can feel his chakra! Tell me where he is!" Boruto shouted, smoke quickly filling his lungs.
"I can still sense his chakra but I cannot locate him," Sasuke replied, trying to keep his voice steady.
"You were able to detect him from across dimensions before! Now you can't?" Boruto asked as he stepped closer toward Sasuke, his eyes scanning him for a sincere answer.
"I don't know why I can't, Bolt. Must be the barrier preventing me from tracing him," Sasuke mumbled as he raised both hands over his mouth in utter frustration. He could only imagine how his student felt – probably ten times worse than how he was feeling now.
Without realizing it, Sasuke began pacing. Boruto watched, slowly facing the fact that the most powerful man alive in the world right now, besides his father, was just as clueless as he was.
"Why would he do that?" Boruto muttered, not really waiting for a response.
Sasuke looked at his student, who was already staring dumbfounded at the ground. His heart sank. He remembered the night he felt most helpless as a child – the first time he suspected something was wrong as he raced back to the Uchiha compound. He remembered the feelings of foreboding swallowing him whole even before he found out what happened to his family.
Now he was watching as another child anticipated for the worst.
Blasts roared in succession like thunder, all of them coming from Konoha, and there was nothing Sasuke or Boruto could do except look up at the sky toward its direction. Whatever Naruto was doing, or saying, it was enraging Kawaki and he was taking his wrath out on what the Hokage cared for the most – the village.
"Go back to the village!" Sasuke yanked Boruto as his right eye turned red and three tomoes spun into place.
"What?! Hell no! I'm not leaving!" Bolt tried to pull away, his blue eyes glaring back at his mentor's sharingan. "If I refuse to go, what are you going to do? Force me to leave with your genjutsu?!"
"No. I'm not asking you to leave. I'm asking you to get backup – a search team. It's about time we inform the shinobi forces about what's really happening now, even without the Hokage's orders," Sasuke said, his features softening as Boruto's resistance relaxed.
The Hokage's son stared at Sasuke for a moment with the most despairing eyes the raven-haired man had ever seen. "Then I can come back? With them?"
"Do what you have to, Boruto. It is up to you. You know what's best for you," Sasuke answered sincerely, to which Boruto just nodded.
The young man said something to Sasuke before he ran but another set of explosions drowned his voice. As he disappeared into the woods toward the direction of Konoha, Sasuke thought he heard Boruto thank him for looking after his father.
Inside one of the abandoned monumental halls, over which the Hokage mountain towered, the people took shelter. What began as an unusual, isolated case grew rapidly; the incident that first occurred to strangers managed to reach their own homes, eventually victimizing their fathers, brothers, sisters, and children, although most of them were shinobi. The people took heart in the fact that the injuries being caused were far from fatal, although the resulting permanent lack of chakra was still very disconcerting. With the situation still intensifying almost relentlessly, no one had the courage to wonder what effect this incapacitation would inflict upon the village.
The children and the youth amongst those taking refuge watched in awe as the Hokage's wife calmly and sensibly relayed commands to the shinobi force in charge of gathering the people to safety, occasionally lending a hand to the medics whenever someone injured was brought inside. Hinata Uzumaki's gentle and composed demeanor stood out, quite contrary to the rest of the scene playing before them, and some people found it contagious – that seeing her manage herself well against pressure seemed to have a calming effect on the people as well.
"If any of you have experienced any form of discomfort, especially on your neck or on your face, today or yesterday, please report to our medics immediately so that you can be examined. This is for everyone's safety," Hinata announced as another crowd entered the hall.
Activating her byakugan, she scanned the chakra channels of everyone entering the hall, looking for signs of unusual activity. Those possessing the kekke genkai were able to detect slight inconsistencies in chakra flow caused by a dormant mark. The victims having the dormant mark were sent to Yamato's team where Sarada was, and were placed under observation – as expected, most of them, if not all, had their marks eventually activated. For this reason, those possessing the byakugan were disseminated all over the village.
For a long time, the situation seemed manageable – if you didn't count the fact that the intelligence and medical team could not figure out the mark. Corner the victims and contain the damage. However, as the number grew, havoc started tearing the village apart. Soon, the hostile sleepwalkers attacked in groups, targeting the foundations and structures of the village. Since the victims were once shinobi themselves, their physical strength and speed matched those of the shinobi force. The greatest weakness of Konoha's defense now was that there were only two people who could completely stop the attacks.
"I've checked on everyone's chakra channel. I have to move to the next area. At least three jonin need to oversee inside, and another squad needs to watch over from every way in. I need to talk to Shikamaru," Hinata said to the head jonin in the area. "Not everyone who has the dormant mark exhibits signs in their chakra channels. We can't spread this information however, or else the people will panic."
The jonin just stared, speechless as the First Lady spoke, carefully nodding to show that he had understood.
"I will choose the three jonin who will stay here inside. Most of the people in your squad have a dormant mark, I'm afraid, and that includes you," Hinata looked at him with an apologetic look on her face.
"I see," he tried to remain composed despite the sudden heavy feeling that was dawning on him. "I'll have to stay outside then. You're not sending us to Yamato's team now though, Hinata-sama?" he asked, surprised that he was still allowed to stay.
"No," Hinata replied, "not yet. If we send all of you there, we'll be lacking manpower. That can be problematic. Just make sure the hall is closed. As soon as we find replacements for you, I'll be sending you off to Yamato and Sarada."
"I understand. Thank you for your lending us your aid, Hinata-sama," the young man bowed.
"It is my duty, as well as everyone else's responsibility, to look after the village especially during a crisis like this. Thank you for your squad's efforts too," Hinata smiled, before adding "oh, and just call me Hinata next time." Taking one last glance over the people inside the hall, she made her way outside where she handpicked three jonin to stay inside the hall before it was locked. The rest of them devotedly guarded their posts outside the hall right after the First Lady had left.
The gates of Konoha had been flung wide open as if it were waiting for Boruto. Only dull yellow lights illuminated the entrance; darkness had already stretched over the village. He raced into it, his body barely able to keep up with his own feet. He stopped for a moment, trying to compose a façade for himself. He wasn't going to let his fear slip while he faced other people. This wasn't the time to raise their concern. Whatever was troubling him, the villagers didn't need to know.
As soon as he caught his breath, he scurried through the streets, looking for familiar people. Boruto was fully unprepared for the first person that greeted him.
"Boruto! Over here!"
Bolt turned to his left to see a number of people gathered, a rumbling noise could be heard from their midst. "Himawari," he mumbled in surprise, seeing his sister emerge right from the heart of the chaos.
"Hey, you look worn out," Himawari pointed out. She stopped right in front of Boruto, placing both hands on his shoulders, her eyes probing him as if to look for injuries. His brother's jacket was cut and torn all over, almost exposing the shirt he had underneath.
"I'm okay," Boruto replied, examining Himawari the same way to see if she had been harmed. After determining she was uninjured, he looked around. "I need to talk to Uncle Shikamaru."
"I think I know where he would be." Himawari grabbed his wrist and led him deeper into the village, passing just behind a crowded area. She continued to speak as she led the way. "Have you seen dad? Sarada told me you went with Uncle Sasuke so he could take you to him?"
"I - " Boruto's voice got caught in his throat. He felt his sister's gaze fall on his face. "Uh, yeah. I was with him."
"He's got a lead then? That's why you're here," she asked, shifting her focus back to the path in front of her.
"Uh, yes. They need assistance. That's all. I need to tell Uncle Shikamaru so he can send help," Boruto whispered as they ran.
"They've found the one responsible for this? What is their plan? It's becoming somewhat troubling, Boruto. Somehow we're already running out of people," she said.
Boruto had a bad feeling that Himawari would continue asking one question after another – questions he was not prepared to answer. "Looks like they have an idea but they haven't quite told me anything, really." Boruto heard Himawari sigh.
Neither of them found comfort in the silence that lingered between them as they wound their way deeper into Konoha. He knew she had a lot of questions to ask but rather didn't. She knew he had something to say but rather didn't. They let it stay that way.
They sharply turned a corner into a narrow street. Boruto quickly spotted his father's right hand man standing not far from a crowd. It took him a while to realize who was standing next him. "Mom," he said, slowing down as Himawari let go of her grip.
"Boruto, you got anything for us?" Shikamaru was the first to notice them. Hinata turned to look as her children approached.
"Message from Uncle Sasuke," Boruto answered rather restrictedly. His mind was fully unprepared to relay the situation – he didn't imagine he would be talking to Shikamaru at the presence of both his mother and his sister.
"Did he bring you to Naruto, Bolt? How is he?" Hinata asked, stepping forward to get a better view of her son. "And where did these cuts come from?" she asked as she traced the scratches on his hands lightly with her finger
"Yes, he brought me to dad. Um, I just… I fell - I tripped, rather. Multiple times," Boruto stammered. "Dad has figured something out but hasn't really said much to me. Not as much as he'd told Uncle Sasuke anyway, –
- But I've got word from Uncle Sasuke… to you." The young man eyed Shikamaru as he spoke, so as to say more but couldn't. He could feel his mother observing him intently.
"Is there anything wrong?" Hinata asked and Bolt could only stare back.
Shikamaru seemed to grasp Boruto's struggle almost instantly, much to the blonde's relief. "Is it something Sasuke only wanted me to know?" he interfered. Boruto nodded.
"I'm sorry. Go ahead, Boruto," Hinata said, carefully taking Himawari by the hand away from Shikamaru and Boruto.
Boruto headed toward an alley, away from the crowd with Shikamaru following closely behind. When he was sure they were out of earshot, he leaned against the wall and stared straight at the older man.
"What is it?" Shikamaru asked.
"Search team. Uncle Sasuke told me to fetch a search team to help us," Boruto spoke as he crouched forward. Bowing his head, he let his hands rest on his knees.
"Help you search for what?" The older man observed Bolt as he began tensing up, his hands balling into fists. "What's wrong Boruto?"
"My dad. Help us find my dad… and Kawaki," he answered, sighing heavily.
What Shikamaru heard didn't make any sense. He didn't know why they had to look for the Hokage, or why Sasuke would even need help. The name Kawaki sounded familiar but he could not really figure out who exactly it was. Shikamaru wanted to ask him further, but a better explanation wasn't something Boruto seemed prepared to give yet. Sensing the urgency in the boy's gestures, he figured he didn't need it now.
"Will you go into detail for me as we go? Just tell me as much as you can," Shikamaru said, glancing around the corner to decide which way they should take.
"Yes," Boruto muttered, before the two set off.
Judging by the speed and agility of his attacker, he knew this was once a fine fighter. Probably one of the best, he thought. Without his katana, Sasuke used his hand to tear against the sleepwalker's sleeve. The slit revealed a spiral tattoo on his shoulder. Anbu. Sasuke landed right in front of it and he let it approach. He'd allowed the victim to attack him, only to find out how strong the marked shinobi now were. If this Kawaki could activate marks on ninjas as skilled as the Anbu already, manipulate them into turning against the village, and render them fully incapacitated right after, the village was indeed in trouble.
The attacker leaped, preparing to lunge toward Sasuke. Effortlessly, Sasuke suspended him in mid-air. Deva Path. The rinnegan-wielder sprung to level himself with the assailant, activating the sharingan and releasing him from the mark's control. Immediately, the mark stopped glowing and the opponent went limp. Sasuke wrapped his arm around the body and brought it carefully to the ground. Just as he had expected - no chakra.
Although the bodies were merely empty vessels, the Uchiha could still sense their presence very well. Having encountered it himself, he was now aware of the mark's unique aura. It was very faint, but it was there. Six of them, Sasuke estimated those currently approaching. This time he didn't have to assess their abilities, he'd seen enough. He rushed toward their direction, making sure his right eye met with theirs. All six of them went limp as he passed through, falling to the ground with a thud. Sasuke couldn't let this pathetic scheme waste even a bit of his time.
He kept Naruto's and Kawaki's chakra in check all the time. There hadn't been any change for either of them. Good, neither has done anything careless yet. Maybe the dobe was trying his best to talk the young man out of it, like he usually did. Except, as far as Sasuke could determine, the young man was in no way capable of undoing the seal that had grown to that level of power already. And he still could not track either of them, damn it.
As expected, it did not take long before Shikamaru and his squad reached his location. "I've brought the best of the sensory nin from what manpower we've had left," he told Sasuke blatantly.
"Hn," Sasuke answered, watching his wife step forward from the squad.
"I had to be sent out as well. You might need a medic nin and you have only me. The situation had quickly changed before we left," Sakura explained, as she stopped a few feet from Sasuke. "The corrupted ninja suddenly fled to the outskirts of the village and eventually scurried into the woods. We could not figure out why."
"Maybe as distraction, I've met some of them along the way," Sasuke said.
"Yes. We've dealt with them along our way, too. Boruto took another squad with him, Hinata and Himawari included. They will deal with the victims we have on loose, keep them somewhat occupied until Yamato and Sarada have cleared the village and can join them," Sakura added. "That way we can focus on our search."
"Sounds like a decent idea - " Sasuke said, before he was cut off by Sakura.
"Sasuke, where is Naruto?" the pink-haired medic asked, her voice carrying concern more than curiosity or doubt. She wasn't asking where their teammate was; she was asking why they weren't together.
"I don't know and that's why you are here. He desperately separated himself from us," Sasuke hissed.
"Why would he do that?" Sakura asked. "He didn't tell you what his plan was?"
"No, he didn't. The dobe insisted we let him do what he can," Sasuke hissed. "But unless he can give me an acceptable motive for doing so, I'm not leaving him alone to it. This is fucking stupid."
Without sparing them a second glance, Sasuke strode past them, leaving with such speed they could barely keep up with.
"The Rinne Tensei or the Kisho Tensei? Which friend will most likely give his, or her, life for yours?" Kawaki asked, more out of desperation than out of insolence.
He stared in disbelief as a smile sadly played across the Hokage's face. "Eh, both are equally selfless. But I will not allow it to work on me. The kage needs to bear his own responsibilities alone if the circumstances demand. I was the one who swore into the position anyway, not them."
"You took extra measures then?" Kawaki asked, overwhelmed by the nobility he was witnessing in front of him. The scroll glowed lightly as chakra travelled toward where Sasuke's katana previously wounded him, attempting to heal the area.
"With the help of Tsunade and Kakashi – yes, I did. Only the both of them knew. My friends and my family would've disapproved. But for matters like these, I guess the kages share the same understanding of what our responsibilities entailed. The Fifth and the Sixth Hokages aided me in as much as they could," Naruto explained. "I will always be grateful to them for that."
Kawaki knew his plan was almost perfect, with the only flaw being that he chose to believe the Hokage would not go to such lengths to protect the village. What else was he expecting, though? He played with Sasuke's katana, swinging it around, trying to buy himself time to think. Realizing the only resolve he could think of right now was to bargain, he was infuriated. Maybe if he could make the Seventh use the nine-tails, he would get the chance to suck chakra right out of it.
Standing up, his tattoo glowed blue, connecting the scroll in his hand to his body. "Rasengan," Kawaki mumbled under his breath, as chakra flowed from the scroll in his left hand toward his body and out to his opposite hand. The ball of spinning chakra quickly grew massive, occupying almost half of the entire area enclosed by the barrier.
Naruto remained unfazed, but he moved nonetheless. He and two of his clones leaped into the air, one of them forming a medium-sized rasengan. He and the other clone went into opposite directions, so that Kawaki could not keep track of the both of them at the same time. With that size of the rasengan in his hand, Naruto knew Kawaki would not be able to move very freely. The young man concentrated on the clone's attack, aiming his own ball of chakra against the smaller ball of spinning chakra. As Kawaki jumped, he returned the scroll inside his vest and used this free hand to grab his weapon and hurl it toward the clone. The aim was futile and the clone disappeared right after it had released three seals behind Kawaki. Before the two rasengans collided with each other, the smaller one dissipated and the clone carrying it disappeared in a puff of smoke. The real Naruto appeared right behind Kawaki, knocking him downward with a kick on his back. Before the rasengan hit the ground, Naruto infused it with his own chakra and redirected it upward, so that it freely exited the barrier.
As the rasengan reached a majestic height, it ignited, lighting the sky up for a split-second before completely clearing up. A thunderous roar shook the entire area and Kawaki could only shudder. It was only through such desperation that he even attempted to use it. Angrily, his drove his fists toward the ground, his body shaking in rage.
The Hokage watched him. It was unbelievable, what massive jutsu this young man could handle at this point. Had this boy chosen to use this power against the village, many people would have died. Instead, his methods did not involve killing anyone. Whether this was out of fear or of conscience, Naruto figured it did not matter now.
"The manner I will use to counter your seal – I've made it clear to you, haven't I?" Naruto spoke calmly in almost a gentle manner. "Do you realize what position it will place you in? You'll carry all the blame and the hate. At this point, I've somehow assumed you have no intent to kill."
"You don't know anything about me," Kawaki retorted.
"That's true. I don't even know why you have no intent to kill. But given what the outcome will be, is it the life you wanted? You'll become a rogue ninja and a bounty will be placed on your head - "
"What difference would turning back do now? I'm not a fool, Lord Seventh. If I surrender, there's just so many consequences to face, so much to pay for everything I've so far caused. It's throwing away everything I've ever worked for. It wouldn't make any difference now," Kawaki sneered. "And don't ever think I will regret this. Even if I never did any of this, life will still have nothing for me besides the inequity of a society that values only the shinobi."
"We've had people, who had turned rogue and went so far as to become international criminals, given second chances after they've completely turned back on their ways - "
"Like who? Orochimaru, Kabuto, the Uchiha? Name one that is not as equally gifted and powerful as those three and let him convince me instead," Kawaki snarled. "You were right in saying I never had the intent to kill. I could, but it won't benefit me anything. I'm not that stupid. In the same way, causing your death isn't going to do me any good either."
Kawaki remained silent for a while, gathering his thoughts. Naruto let the silence linger between them. From outside the barrier he could hear explosions coming from afar. For now, he could only trust his comrades to keep everyone safe.
"I will spare your family, and other people close to you, then you won't have to lose your life. Just give me the chakra I need and I will leave Konoha," Kawaki bargained. His hopes weren't too high but it was his only chance.
"No chance, kiddo," the nine-tails growled, although he knew only Naruto could hear him. "C'mon, Kit. Use your taijutsu to knock some sense into that brat like what you did with the Uchiha. Reminds me of the days he'd gone insane."
"Kurama, stop it," Naruto sighed. Even though the nine-tails already saw Sasuke as a trustworthy comrade, the beast could still be very tactless about his past.
"But I am serious, Naruto. If you can't use chakra against this brat, might as well knock him out with your taijutsu."
"I don't know if you're kidding, Kurama. I can end up killing him."
"Then all the better," the nine-tails grunted and Naruto just scowled at him. "Bring him to me, Naruto."
"Wait, what?" Naruto asked in surprise.
"He wants me then let him into your psyche. Let's show him exactly what he's looking for," the nine-tails said, shifting into a serious demeanor.
Kawaki suddenly felt warm. Before he knew what was happening, he was burning. He squirmed in extreme discomfort as his whole body tingled everywhere. His senses struggled against the overwhelming sensation for a moment before it died down, and then everything was black. His eyes remained shut but somewhere he could hear droplets of water falling rhythmically, its sound almost calming him.
As he tried to move, he heard something roar. "I don't trust you, brat."
Kawaki jumped and he found himself staring right into the eyes of the nine-tailed fox.
"So forget about whatever you're trying to bargain us with. It's not going to work. You still have so much to learn, so don't go out there acting all high and mighty. We've seen that so many times before," the beast jeered, emphasizing every word. It didn't break eye contact with the young man sitting staggered before him. "Just be thankful for the fact that you'll most likely walk out from this alive."
Naruto remained silent behind Kawaki as he pondered over what was being said, knowing exactly what the nine-tails meant.
"We can ask you to tell us how much chakra will be needed to break the seal as our own side of a bargain, but I just can't see myself trusting you," the nine-tails said before he paused. His eyes softened as his gaze shifted to Naruto. "Knowing this Hokage right here, he'll weigh it – saving his life while risking the lives of many, there is just no way he will let that happen… I am sure of it."
Kawaki felt himself shrink as the beast scrutinized him. Behind him, however, the Hokage stayed still. Naruto could beat the hell out of him if wanted to - yell at him, torture him, make him suffer - but he didn't. Kawaki would never understand why.
"There is only one way this should end. We're all for forgiveness and redemption, but if life failed to teach you early on that for every action you do there are consequences you have to face, then I sure as well hope this time it teaches you exactly that,"the nine-tails spat, feeling itself burn with fury from the inside. "Whatever consequences you have to face for this, you only have yourself to blame, no one else. This is from your own doing, and not the world's."
"That's enough, he needs to go. We need to finish this now," Naruto interrupted. He could hear the commotion outside the barrier growing and he could not bear to let the village suffer any longer.
Naruto walked to face Kawaki before pushing him hard against the chest. The young man would never forget the look on the Hokage's face – a mix of despair and disappointment without losing courage and confidence. Kawaki silently wished he had known the Seventh under different circumstances. Maybe, just maybe… they could've shared the same dream.
As soon as he fell against dry ground, Kawaki pushed himself up, rushing toward where his weapon lay. Before Naruto could realize what he was doing, Kawaki raised the weapon and thrust it with full strength through his own abdomen. His hands were soon slowly drenched in crimson. This was his only chance left to make a deal with the Hokage. Naruto cursed under his breath as the young man fell to his knees; he rushed to his side.
"I would rather die than see my plan fail right before me. Your people will die along with me - " Kawaki said before screaming in pain, "Give me the chakra I need then I will heal myself."
Naruto glanced over the wound underneath Kawaki's hands. He knew it wouldn't be enough to kill him, but if the young man went any further, his death was certain. He could not risk that.
"Kit, it is time," the nine-tails growled.
Naruto found himself back in his subconscious again, probably for the last time. He stared at the fox, whose paw gently rested on top of the Hokage's head. Kurama was smiling, but the beast was also shaking.
"I can't," Naruto choked before he paused, his eyes diverting away from the nine-tails's gaze. "I can't thank you enough… for letting me do this with you, Kurama."
"Kit," the nine-tails chuckled. "No. Thank you," the beast lifted his host's face by the chin and looked directly at Naruto's eyes, "For having me. I know you didn't really have any choice but - "
Naruto and Kurama both laughed. Naruto brought his arms over his eyes, his sleeve suddenly soaked with tears. He could only imagine how pathetic he looked like right now – a grown up man with a badass cloak, crying. But Naruto could not help it. He was lying to himself when he said he was ready.
"If I could turn back the time to the day I was born, I'll still choose to have you here," Naruto said, pointing at his core.
"Would I have any choice?" Kurama sniggered.
"No," Naruto smiled back at the beast. He sighed heavily. "Well, I guess this is it," Naruto said, as he rubbed both of his palms together and his breathing became shallow. He was beginning to feel cold, or he was just nervous; he didn't really know. Butterflies surged into his stomach and he couldn't help but feel a little giddy. Naruto tried his best to keep thoughts about his family at bay. It was just too much to handle at the moment.
"I will also die, Naruto, but only for a while. I don't know how long, but in two, five, or ten years, I will be back. And I will remember everything as if it was just yesterday. The tailed beasts never forget," Kurama said sadly, his eyes staring at his own reflection in the water.
"Kurama? When I go," Naruto said, waiting for the beast to straighten up and look at him. "It will all be over for me. But you, like you said, you'll see the world again and that you'll never forget. Can I ask you a favor?"
Kurama looked at Naruto, "Anything, Kit."
"Everything we ever fought for – will you remember? Everything I did, one day it will be forgotten. But when that happens, you will still be here. Can you… look after them, for me? The children, the village… the future," Naruto sighed.
The beast nodded, smiling at Naruto. You truly are the most honorable person the world will ever speak of, Naruto. I am sure of that, he thought.
Without hesitation, the Seventh Hokage lifted his fist toward the nine-tailed fox with a big grin on his face, connecting with the beast for the very last time. He turned his back and took a deep breath, before conjuring a sign that broke the seal.
"Let's do this, Kurama!" With all his remaining strength, Naruto gave everything he had.
And then everything around him gradually faded to black.
No one missed the first explosion when it happened. The sky ignited in a powerful blast, its power rattling the earth to its core. Himawari and Boruto looked up, its flare reflected in their eyes.
'Was it - ?' Boruto wondered. It couldn't have been just his imagination. The nature of the blast felt familiar, like he'd seen it before.
"Find where that possibly came from," a familiar voice commanded over them.
Boruto turned to see Sasuke approach them from behind, with the rest of Shikamaru's squad following him.
"Nothing?" Boruto asked, feeling a bit disappointed that his mentor's group was just as empty-handed as they were.
"Nothing," Sasuke confirmed, his voice stern. "But that," he gestured toward the sky, "was his - the rasengan with his chakra written all over it. Find out where it potentially came from then we find them."
Right after Sasuke finished speaking, four figures surrounded them. Sleepwalkers had been pursuing Boruto's and Shikamaru's squads, but just one glance was enough to tell them that these people weren't the same. Their eyes were normal and they did not have the blue mark, the only tattoos adorning them remained on one side of their bodies and they closely resembled the tattoo Boruto had. Bolt and Sasuke also recognized scars and weapons similar to the ones Kawaki had.
"You're with him, aren't you?!" Boruto stepped forward, his hands balling into fists as he addressed them with contempt.
"Oh, so you've seen him… Kawaki, your friend?" One of them, a guy who appeared to be around Boruto's age, spoke. "Blonde hair, blue eyes… You must be the Hokage's son. Kawaki has told us many things about you - "
Before he could continue, Boruto leaped and kicked him squarely on the chest. As they both fell to the ground, Bolt tackled him before punching him twice on the same cheek. His opponent spat blood out at the impact and his nose started bleeding.
"I remember you," Boruto yelled, grabbing the other man's hair and yanking him up. "You were the coward in the alleyway the other night. Beating up an old lady right after you've robbed her! How fucking dare you show your face to me! Who do you think you are? Weakling," Boruto sneered.
"Let's see if you can still call us weaklings right after Naruto gives in to our commands - "
At the mention of his father, Boruto grabbed a kunai, pointing it toward the man's throat. Instantly, however, a woman appeared behind Boruto, who positioned a blade across the blonde's throat. In a puff of smoke, Boruto disappeared, only to reappear behind the woman. He landed a punch on her back, driving her across the woods for a few yards before hitting a trunk.
"Like I said – weaklings, cowards," Boruto emphasized.
"That's enough," Sasuke whispered to Boruto, as he grabbed his student's arm from behind and held it against the blonde's back. Sasuke kept him in that position until he felt the young man relax.
The Uchiha had spent a great deal of time with Boruto to know full well that he inherited neither his father's nor his mother's composure when angry. Although Naruto often still lost that composure when he was younger, he had nothing close to Boruto's vulgarity. You wouldn't want to deal with the Hokage's son once he was mad. Sasuke could somehow see his younger self in Naruto's son, and he was hoping their similarities ended with that.
"The seal is also connected to all of you, am I right?" Sasuke asked the one Boruto had tackled. He received only a smirk in response. "Do not kill any of them. Just incapacitate them or tie them up, whatever you want to do. Just don't inflict anything fatal," Sasuke announced, addressing Boruto's and Shikamaru's group.
"Incapacitate us? Heh, I don't think so," the third in the opponent's group jested - a dark woman with short, orange hair, who appeared to be around Konohamaru's age.
She placed one end of a straw between her lips and blew, sending several miniscule paper cranes swooping toward them in different directions. They gracefully dodged them, and it was only slightly difficult because there were too many.
The woman yelped as Hinata appeared right in front of her, landing a single gentle fist to her core and sending her flying to the ground. Before Hinata could aim the same attack at Kawaki's fourth member, a short stout man whose eyes had been heavily bandaged, her daughter's shriek alerted everyone in the area.
"Hima!" Boruto yelled, rushing toward his sister's side. Himawari placed on hand behind her neck, her face grimacing in pain as she fell to her knees. He caught her and she rested her head on her brother's shoulder. Boruto felt anger boiling to the point it never reached before. They'd marked his sister. "Uncle Sasuke!" he yelled.
Within a split-second, the Uchiha was right beside Naruto's children, gently lifting Himawari's face to look at him. "Look at me, look at my eyes." Himawari did as she was told. Sasuke shook his head, "Can't really do anything on a mark that hasn't been activated yet."
"What's gonna happen to her?" Boruto asked, fear etched across his face.
"I'll be fine," Himawari whispered, smiling at her brother. "Daddy's gonna make everything okay, right Uncle Sasuke?" Sasuke stared at her with eyes wide before nodding.
"It's about time, they should be here by now," the fourth member declared, right after seeing how they had managed to mark only one person in crowd.
They could only release cranes once after a while. It would take them a while before they could attempt to target Sasuke's group again. More than a dozen sleepwalking figures arrived, quickly surrounding them. Several of them advanced toward Sasuke and Naruto's children, separating the three. Once Bolt and Himawari were separated from Sasuke, all of them gathered around the dark-haired man, who then focused on deactivating all of their marks.
In Boruto's arms, Himawari trembled. "Hey," Bolt whispered, looking at her. A blue glow appeared on her neck, pulsating as it grew. Soon, Himawari was on her feet, her eyes blank, and prepared to lunge at Boruto.
As Hinata and Sasuke, having realized what was going on, attempted to dart toward where the children were, another violent force shook the earth. This time its intensity was even greater than the first.
Sasuke felt the vast, overwhelming surge of a tailed beast chakra - the nine-tails' chakra. He stopped on his tracks. The entire area was suddenly illuminated orange and the air grew warm. The sky roared and what appeared like fire loomed over the mountains. The explosion was blinding; Sasuke could barely recognize the outline of a fox that was ready to attack.
The crowd looked on. They'd never seen such demonstration of power on earth since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. The new generation had never witnessed such unimaginable existence. But as soon as it had reached the peak of its strength, it exploded, sending debris flying everywhere.
Sasuke shielded the children with his cloak and the commotion had barely died down when he heard Boruto yell. "Himawari! Your eyes… Hey, you're okay!" Boruto was hugging Himawari, who had a wide smile across her face. A laugh escaped Boruto's lips. "At first I thought you were going to attack me!"
"Ah, really? Of course I won't do that! But it's all okay now, isn't it?" Himawari asked.
Boruto looked around. Most of the perpetrators that had once gathered around Sasuke were on the ground, some of them rubbing their eyes or scratching their heads cluelessly. For some reason, the glowing marks that covered their bodies had gone. The four attackers that carried out Kawaki's schemes suddenly attempted to retreat, but Shikamaru's shadows prevented them from moving any further.
Hinata activated her Byakugan, checking Himawari first before the rest of those who'd been marked. To her surprise, none of their chakra channels showed any signs that they'd been disturbed at all. Hinata turned to Sasuke, the look in his eyes engraving itself into Hinata's memory forever as she asked him, "What happened? Is it all over now?"
Sasuke looked at her, his lips barely moving. "Naruto's chakra… it's gone."
AN: I am planning a major change in the plot from Reanimation but I'm still only 75% convinced about it. I really need to make up my mind. Anyways, feedback appreciated! Thank you for the reviews so far.