Thank you all so much for the follows, favorites and reviews! This one is a short chapter, but I wanted one more installment before finals began. Please leave a review if you have the time! Also there were some artistic liberties taken in this chapter that I hope no one will take offense to in regards to the Naruto universe. For further explanation, I will better explain these at the end of this chapter. Please enjoy and again thanks so much.

As soon as Naruto sat at his desk, Konohamaru stepped forward in trepidation.

"Well we may as well start somewhere," Naruto decided as he folded his hands ready to listen,

"Right," Konohamaru began, "our mission was to do reconnaissance around the border between the Land of Lakes and the Village Hidden in the Leaves due to increasing acts of violence and murder over the last few weeks. The specific area we were scoping is called none other than Nodoka Road (Tranquil). Ironic, I know. This road is or I should rather say was a most popular road for the weary traveler, merchant selling their wares, or farmer to move their herds for grazing. These assassinations have been without purpose, it has been nothing more than the senseless slaughter of civilians with no seen motive. That is until we showed up."

Sasuke was looking out the window, seemingly unfazed by all this news,

"Their motive was to bait hidden leaf shinobi, more specifically your son." Naruto's ears pricked upwards in alarm,

"What reason for Boruto? How would they have known that he would have come? We have codenames for a reason so that something like this couldn't happen." He reasoned.

"They couldn't have known that it was him, except that my daughter in her lust for your boy blurted out his name during the mission." Sasuke spoke matter-of-factly, a twinge of annoyance resonated that stung Sarada like a bastardly bee. Her cheeks burned and her ears were hot to the touch, but she remained quiet because she knew that she had made a mistake. There was a moment that night where she indeed forgot she was on a mission, and all she could think of was Boruto's welfare. This was the exact reason that they didn't allow couples on the same team, because the mission could always be under the threat of being compromised. Their affection and attraction had only grown in the years they were together. Swallowing her pride, she got to her knees as she bowed deeply. Her headband clinked as it touched the floor,

"I apologize for my infraction."

"Rise Sarada. It couldn't have been her fault, Boruto killed that shinobi and no one else was around to hear." Naruto reasoned. A silence fell. Konohamaru began again,

"That shinobi's name is Okino Morimasa, and he lives."

"How?" Naruto asked heatedly.

"It wasn't just the kunais that had seals on them. The Morimasa clan are experts and have seals that run up and down their bodies like tattoos for them to seal and denature their own bodies. On the outside he had the appearance of being dead, but in reality it was all a part of the act. Still cognitively functioning, he saw virtually everything. He saw Boruto take off his mask, saw you, the 7th Hokage take him to safety, and could hear Sarada speak his name out loud. We were doomed in this mission from the start. I take full responsibility for this, if I hadn't left the kid alone with Morimasa, the mission could have been successful." Konohamaru confessed.

"Not only that, but the knives that pierced Boruto weren't meant to kill him. The poison needed to seep for a few more hours, but it would have completely paralyzed his body so that he could not have fought back. The scars that will remain with him are a means of marking him. They will still come after him, and look for the marks on his torso," Sasuke added, still looking out the window.

"I still don't understand, why Boruto? What do they want with him?" Naruto asked solemnly.

"Rumor is," Sasuke began as he brandished his sword, "that the elder of the Morimasa clan holds within him the 11 tailed beast, a demon wolf named Katamo. He is elderly and has deemed none of his successors strong or worthy enough to carry on being its Jinchuriki. Boruto, being your son is seen as someone capable enough for the task. After all, you've been the 9 tails' jinchuriki since the day you were born. They have intentions of brainwashing him and molding him into their pet so that the Morimasa Clan may know greatness again after being banished by the 3rd Hokage for their dangerous sealing jutsu. They intend to take revenge on Konoha." A lot to take in, Naruto's throat felt dry as a dessert. Sarada couldn't believe what she was hearing,

"What is to be done? We must go on the offense and stop this immediately!"

"It's not as simple as all that," Sasuke contested, "the Morimasa use sealing jutsu to always hide their encampments. It took me a whole month to just listen in on this conversation two of its members had in town in the Land of Lakes. Nomad is an inadequate term for them; they move like shadows and leave no trace of their existence anywhere."

"We have no way of knowing when they may attack," Konohamaru added, "Lord 7th, I know you won't want to hear this, but I think it'd be best for Boruto to leave the village temporarily. It's far too dangerous for him here."

"No! You can't just send him away! Especially in his condition!" Sarada beseeched, "Where would he go? There's nowhere safer for him to be than Konaha!"

"Sarada," Sasuke scolded, "this is the first place they'd think to look for him. There's nowhere that's more dangerous than here."

"I won't let you make him leave! You can't just show up out of thin air and expect everyone to revere your advice and sagely wisdom." She turned on her heel angrily as she went to the door, "If any fucking Morimasa clan member thinks they can put another hand on him, I promise it won't happen…because I'll be the one to make sure they don't have hands." She slammed the door behind her. Sasuke sighed as he came over to the Hokage desk,

"You need to take her off this team. Her love for Boruto will be the blade that kills him if they stay together. She cannot disconnect her feelings for him when they are on Anbu missions together, she couldn't even do it when they were genin."

"Don't be so hard on her," Naruto spoke, "The truth is that no one is at fault here. Our kids are in love…but unfortunately this is a dangerous fire to control. Once we've figured out what to do for Boruto's safety, that's my next plan of action."

(Back at the hospital)

Moonlight crept along the tiled floor of the compact room, the curtains swayed in the easy summer breeze. The clock downtown chimed one o'clock harmoniously. A sweetness blossomed in the room as she snuck through the window, he watched her quietly glide to his side as she sat down on the bed next to him. She took his hand in hers,

"How're you feeling? I've been a bad girlfriend for only coming to see you now." Smiling he ran his thumb over her knuckles charmingly,

"Careful, we can't speak that way or else they'll separate us. These walls have ears, I swear." He whispered weakly. Tears stung her eyes, but she kept them at bay for his sake. It is because of me… I've ruined everything.

"How're you feeling?" She repeated as she massaged his arm gently.

"Like I've sparred with all the Bijuu (tailed beast) at once, and they played me like a child plays with their food." She chuckled, it was good to know that his humor wasn't tainted by the poison or blood loss. His eyes searched in hers,

"Your sharingans are capable of much, except hiding your sadness. What troubles you?" He asked softly.

"I don't want to talk about it," she dismissed him, "all I want is to stay with you tonight. I'll leave by the nurse's first rounds. You need your rest." Getting under the covers, she snuggled next to him; he wrapped his arm around her.

"You know Sarada," he spoke with closed eyes, his exhaustion seizing his body like soldiers to a fortress, "when I was laying on the forest floor, death was a breath away. My mind wandered between this world and the next like a swaying rope swing. I thought about us, and it was your love and warmth that saved me. Thank you." She turned toward him and gave him an innocent kiss. They enjoyed each other's company, even if it was spent in silence. For moments like this were nearly impossible due to the nature that their lives had unfolded. Sleep greeted them as dreams followed closely.

That is until the nurse came in for her 7 o'clock rounds, she noticed that the curtain embodied an atypical movement before she came to give Boruto his medicine. Little did she know that it was a raven-haired Uchiha who had leapt from the ledge before the sweethearts would be caught. It didn't matter anymore…her slip up during the mission was evidence enough for this. Bitterness fell sourly on her tongue…never would they go on a mission together ever again. The bastard she called father may as well burned that hope with his fireball jutsu. It lay incinerated, and then the blackened ash scattered unerringly to the wind.

*** I am very new to Naruto, so please no hated towards me. Constructive criticism is great, but anything hateful or rude will be deleted. Artistic Liberties taken: 1) There's an 11 tailed beast….I don't know if this is taboo or not allowed or what…but I did it. 2) I'm still not entirely sure of the limits or rather lack of as far as "sealing jutsu," is concerned. So I apologize if people are reading this thinking, "seals are not used in the way that the author is describing... this is totally not how/what seals are used for." 3) I'm sorry if you don't like the whole Boruto/Sarada pairing, but this is just how I imagine them in their teenage years. It's a young, sweet love.

Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'm thinking of changing the title to something else. Originally I was only going to upload the first chapter as that was the original idea…but then more ideas showed up and now it's turning into somewhat of a story which is exciting! Have a great day/night depending where you live! Again, thanks so much for reading.