Chapter 3: 28 Snacks Later part 2
The next morning, Boruto got up, had breakfast and got ready to head out. From the look of things, his father never came home last night. That wasn't uncommon, as he would pull all-nighters at the office to get things done. He wasn't too concerned but Hinata looked disappointed.
"I'm heading out," he told her. "We're doing training today and I don't want to be late."
"See you later, Boruto."
"Bye, Big Brother!" his sister called from the kitchen. She was helping her mother out with the dishes.
It was a beautiful day and the temperature was perfect. Boruto was looking forward to his training.
When he arrived, Konohamaru was waiting for him on the field. "Hey, Big Bro Konohamaru."
He turned around. "Boruto, I'm glad you're here. Do you have any more of those snack bars?"
"Huh?" Boruto wasn't expecting that question. "Um, no. And that was yesterday."
"Are you sure?" Konohamaru moved closer. "You had a bunch left over on the wagon when I saw it yesterday. You sure you don't have a box left? Something in the back? Even a single bar left over?"
"Uh… no?"
"Was that a question?"
"No."
Konohamaru bent down to be at Boruto's level. "I'm willing to pay double what I paid yesterday for one. Just make it happen."
This close, Boruto could see the dark rings under Konohamaru's eyes and his pale complexion. "Are… Are you ok?"
"Do you have them or not?" His sensei grabbed Boruto violently by his shoulders.
"Ow! No! We sold out. You're hurting me."
Konohamaru let him go, which seemed to take great effort on his part. "Sorry. I'm just… really hungry."
"Didn't you have breakfast?"
Konohamaru rubbed his shoulder, looking at the ground. "I tried, but… It didn't taste good to me. Nothing does except… It doesn't compare to…" He gave Boruto a crazed look and asked quickly, "Are you sure you don't have anymore?"
"I told you, we sold out. Get a grip, Sensei…"
"Then you can make more, right? A lot more. Plenty to keep up with demand."
"Uh, sure… But we're out of materials right now. We used them all to make the batch we sold yesterday."
"Then all you need are more materials. How simple. Then you can get the materials to make more. I'll even give you an advance." Konohamaru handed Boruto a wad of cash from his pocket. "Will this be enough? Even for just one? Yes, I'm sure it's enough. Now run along and make more of those snack bars."
Boruto dug his heels into the ground to push against his sensei's hands on his back. "But what about training?"
"Training? It's been canceled."
"Canceled? But-"
"This is more important. Now hurry up." Konohamaru shoved Boruto off the field and ordered him to get more snack bars made immediately.
Seeing his sensei's behavior was chilling. Konohamaru had never acted this way before. He must have been desperate to get his hands on another snack bar. "Are they really that addictive?" Boruto wondered to himself.
Come to think of it, he had never tasted any of the snacks they made. They used everything for the sale, figuring they could eat the leftovers. Maybe there was something wrong with the batch.
"If they are addictive, I'm glad I didn't eat any."
On his way into the shopping district of the village, Boruto heard someone call his name.
"Hey, Boruto." Sai stepped out from around a building and went over to him. "Do you, uh, have any of that snack bar stuff?"
Boruto's eyes were drawn to Sai's hands which were vigorously scratching his arms.
"Sorry, we ran out."
"Oh. I see." Sai scratched the side of his face, looking around nervously.
"If Ino's that big a fan of them, then I guess she can put in an order for more."
"Hm? Oh. Yeah. Ino. Right. She loves them." Sai seemed very distracted.
"You know, coming out of an alley and talking to me like this makes me feel like we're doing something illegal." Especially the way Sai was behaving. "Like drugs. That kind of thing."
"Yeah, sounds good," Sai said distractedly. He was still looking around. "You haven't seen those boys you were with yesterday, have you? The ones selling the bars."
"The twins? I don't know where they are but I can find them for you. They probably have to buy more materials to make the stuff."
"Yeah, that's great." Sai scratched his face again. "Listen. As soon as you get more, bring them to my place. Ok? I'll be there."
"Don't you have work or something?
"Good. Good." Sai looked around again. "Just bring them, alright? And hurry."
Boruto raised his brow, watching Sai stagger away, scratching his arms and face. "Guy's going to dig himself raw at this rate."
That was the second person he had seen behaving oddly. Perhaps there was something to be concerned about.
Deciding it was best to address this, Boruto immediately went to the twins' house and knocked on the side door where the wagon still sat against the building. "Guys, it's me. Are you home?"
The door opened and Boruto was pulled inside.
"Thank goodness, Boruto."
"I think we have a problem."
"What was in those snack bars?"
"Did you add anything different to the batch?"
"Huh? What? No. Guys, listen…" Boruto looked around the large kitchen which had all the curtains drawn and the lights out. Nothing was being cooked and it looked like the kitchen hadn't been used since they made the snack bars. "Are you guys pretending you're not home or something?"
"We went to do the shopping and were mobbed by villagers asking for more snack bars."
"They don't want to eat anything else."
"We offered some of our family's other stuff but they only want the snack bars."
"They keep demanding more."
"Same here," said Boruto slowly. "Two people I know were begging for more. Big Bro was throwing money at me to get some but…"
"Are you sure you didn't put anything weird in them?"
"Of course not." Boruto looked at the ground. "I guess, in an effort to make them tasty, we made them too tasty. We must have blended all the spices and things together to make something addictive. Now they all crave it. Anyone who's eaten them. Heh, well, we did want to get your family's name out there, right?"
"Not like this," yelled the twins.
"Well, aside from the customers craving the snack bars, is this really that bad?" Boruto said this while feeling himself sweat. "I mean, don't restaurant people want people to crave their food? That's business, right? Right?"
The twins gave him worried looks.
"Boruto…"
"Craving something and being addicted to it are two different things."
"It's worrisome that they won't eat anything else…"
"… even things from our family's business."
"Those snack bars are all they want."
"All they crave."
"Ok, let's not panic." Boruto started to pace the floor. "Ok. Um… Ok. The way I see it, we got two options. We can either give them what they want, or we can refuse and wait for this whole thing to blow over."
"I don't think it will blow over, Boruto…"
"Come on," he said with a grin. "I've had cravings before and they've worn off eventually. Usually after I eat the thing, but even if I can't get my hands on it, it still wears off, you know. We just have to do the same here."
"Again…"
"Cravings and addition…"
"… are two different things."
"And this whole twins finishing each other's sentences thing is starting to wear on my nerves." Boruto looked out the window but didn't see anyone. It seemed like their best bet was to wait for the effects to wear off. Eventually the cravings would subside and the people would get over it.
At least, that's what he hoped.
Boruto left the twins' home a short time later, thinking that his sensei had calmed down and could get on with his day. He passed by a couple fighting over something clutched in their hands. When he looked closer, Boruto discovered that it was one of the snack bars. It was the last one and the couple each wanted it for themselves. They weren't the only ones fighting over the last bar. Two children were bartering their own toys in exchange for the last bar, and another kid was doing tricks for a boy holding a bar over his head and laughing. It seemed people were willing to do just about anything for the snacks.
Something grabbed the back of Boruto's shirt and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Konohamaru was on his hands and knees with a desperate look in his eyes.
"Snacks… Need… snacks…"
"Big Bro, I…"
Konohamaru grabbed the front of Boruto's shirt, pulling himself up and Boruto down in one rough, fluid gesture and said through his teeth, "I need snack bars… Need them."
"Get a hold of yourself, Big Bro Konohamaru. You managed fine without them before. You don't need them as much as you think."
"Need snacks… Munchie crunchie snacks…" Konohamaru dragged Boruto down, pressing his forehead to Boruto's. "I need them. Need them!"
"Ahh!" Boruto broke free from his sensei and took several steps back. "Big Bro, you're scaring me."
Konohamaru crawled towards him desperately. "I need snacks… Give me snacks…"
Maybe it would be best to give them to him just to calm them down.
No, they shouldn't. If they gave in, it would only exacerbate the problem. These people needed to quit cold turkey.
"Big Bro, there aren't any more. And there never will be. They're gone, ok? Those snack bars don't exist."
Konohamaru wasn't accepting it. "Make more. I need more."
"There won't be any more snack bars. They're gone and none will ever be made again."
"More. More. I need more."
"Big Bro, there aren't any more. They're gone and no more are ever going to be made. Get it through your head." Boruto exhaled sharply in annoyance. "Sheesh. Now I know how Shikamaru must've felt…"
Shikamaru. He reluctantly bought a whole box of them. He probably ate one by now.
Which meant…
Boruto raced to the Hokage building to look for him. When he got there, the building was oddly calm. Except for the occasional phone ring and the muffled conversations in different rooms, everything was quiet. Barely anyone was in the hall, making for easy travel. Boruto went straight to the Hokage's office.
"Shikamaru?" he called through the door. "You in there?"
He knocked but no one answered. He tried the handle and the door opened easily. Boruto peered around the dimly lit room. The only light came from the windows behind the Hokage's desk.
"Uh, Shikamaru? I came to talk to you about yesterday." Boruto walked into the office, making his way slowly towards the desk. "You see, it seems that those bars I sold you weren't good for consumption after all. Despite the health inspection and all that. Ok, maybe the inspection had nothing to do with it. Maybe I had added something by mistake or we just blended so much good into the thing that it became too good. And well, you see, the thing is… It seems the bars you bought may have been…"
Boruto stopped, seeing the box on the edge of the desk. He lifted it up, heart sinking at the lightness of it. He turned the empty box upside-down and set it back on the desk.
"Shikamaru?" he called timidly. "You didn't happen to eat any of them, did you? Because if you did, we might have a problem."
There was a soft thud behind the desk and Boruto gulped, frightened to look. He stood on his toes to peer over the edge of the desk to see the hem of the Hokage's jacket. Was Naruto under his desk on the floor? Was he alright?
Boruto took a step closer and saw that the jacket was the only thing on the floor. He breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure what to expect but he was glad it wasn't something awful.
As he turned, Boruto let out a yelp, seeing his father's face towering above him. He had the same wide-eyed expression as Konohamaru and his lips were trembling.
"Snacks…" Naruto said in a raspy voice. "Need snacks…"
Boruto backed up into the desk, knocking over a stack of papers. "Dad! Dad, don't tell me you ate them, too. Is that why you didn't come home last night? You were here eating the whole box with…?"
A figure staggered from the corner of the room and into the light. "Snacks…" Shikamaru reached for Boruto with his hand. "More… snacks…"
Boruto moved away from him, knocking more items off the desk and onto the floor. "Guys, snap out of it. There aren't any more. They're making you sick."
"Give us snacks, Boruto…"
"We need them…"
"Lots more snacks…"
"Give them to us…"
Yelling, Boruto ran to the door and locked the two in the office. He backed into the wall, hearing the adults moaning and clawing slowly at the door. Unable to stop himself from shaking, Boruto gave in to his fear and ran from the building and back to the twins' house.
He pounded on the door and dashed inside as soon as it unlocked.
"Guys, I think we've turned our customers into snack-craving zombies."
"We know," said one twin.
"We had to barricade the front door," said the second.
"We couldn't do the shopping without being swarmed. Even when we told them we were getting things to make more, they didn't seem to understand."
"They pressed in all around us. Followed us everywhere."
Boruto heard a noise outside and looked cautiously out the window. Several shadows lumbered towards the house, moaning and murmuring eerily. The people recognized the wagon parked beside the door and knew this was where the snack bars originated. They converged on the building, rattling the knob and pounding listlessly on the walls and door, all moaning their desires to those inside.
"Snacks…"
"Snacks…"
"Want… snacks…"
"Give it to us…"
"Snacks…"
The boys backed away to the center of the kitchen, looking at the silhouettes in the windows. Their voices weren't loud but the abundance of them rang like an eerie chorus. Their arms pounded the walls like tree branches in a storm.
"What do we do?" asked one of the twins.
"We should get the Hokage to helps us," said the other.
"That won't work," Boruto confessed. "The Hokage's infected, too. He ate the ones I sold to Shikamaru yesterday."
"Then what do we do?"
"I'm scared."
Boruto tried to think. Hearing his sensei's voice outside the home broke his concentration. It was hard to hear his sensei speak in such an unpleasant tone. He sounded sick. Boruto was tempted to open the door and let him in just to help him but knew there was nothing he could do for him. If he let any of them in, they might attack them in their current state. They were irrational and, according to the twins, didn't understand that was said to them.
"Shino-sensei…" Boruto said, coming up with a theory. "He didn't seem interested in the snack bars so there's a good chance he didn't eat any. He also said that his bugs could break down poisons."
"But there's no poison in the food."
"If the spices act like a poison, maybe it's the same."
"But they're not poison," the twins insisted.
"I know that, but maybe there's still something Shino-sensei could do. I think I know where to find him. I'll go and get help."
The twins refused to stay behind, terrified of the door breaking down with no shinobi around to protect them from the mob.
Boruto had to sneak the twins out a bedroom window and around the horde closing in around the house. He couldn't travel as fast as he wanted to, looking after the two boys, but they made good time in getting to the school.
The building was dark except for a few lights emanating from the second and third floor windows. One of them was the teacher's office. This was a good sign that someone was in the office, possibly Shino. They hurried to the school building and up the stairs.
Boruto peered inside the open door, finding only one person inside. It was Shino and he had his back to the door.
"Shino-sensei, thank goodness," said Boruto stepping inside. "Listen, we need your help."
Shino didn't turn around, occupied with something on the desk in front of him.
"I think we came up with a recipe that's so addictive, it turns people into zombies. Not that we planned it that way, you know. I guess I'm a better chef than I thought. Not to brag, but…"
Shino still didn't turn around. His hand was moving, indicated by the constant bending of his elbow. Boruto couldn't see what he was doing but assumed he was either writing something or holding something.
"Anyway, we need your help. I already tried getting my dad and Shikamaru to help, but they're useless now. They ate the snacks we made and now they can't think of anything else."
Shino's arm stopped moving and his head picked up, something Boruto said gaining his attention.
"So, we need you to help us fix this. Maybe there's something your bugs can do to cure these snack-craving zombies, or you can…"
Shino turned around, crumbs clinging to his face. "Snacks…!"
Boruto jumped back in fright. "Not you, too! I thought you weren't interested in them."
Shino bumped against the desk, knocking the empty snack box to the floor. He raised his arms as if to grab Boruto. "Snacks… Snacks…!"
Boruto stepped back. His foot came down on something that slipped out from under him, tripping him. He fell on his backside and saw empty wrappers all over the floor. He also saw a face near his and screamed in surprise.
Iruka was on his hands and knees, eating snack crumbs off the floor. He looked up when he saw Boruto staring at him. "Snacks…" he said hoarsely, his hand reaching for Boruto.
"Ahh! Stay away from me!" Boruto kicked frantically, trying to get away.
Another hand reached for him. The plump hand of Anko was making its way around Boruto's wrist to keep him from leaving. "Snacks…" She had the same look in her eyes as everyone else.
Two more hands reached for him but these ones were smaller and trying to help him. The twins grabbed Boruto by his shoulders and pulled him back towards the door. "Hurry! We gotta run!"
Shino, as the only teacher on his feet, walked unsteadily towards the door, both hands reaching. "Tasty… snacks…"
Not bothering to close the door, the boys ran as fast as they could down the hall.
"What do we do now?" asked one.
"We can't go back to our house," said the other. "It's overrun!"
"My house," said Boruto. "We can hide there until the effects wear off. My mom and sister haven't eaten any."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
They ran into the street where several zombies were waiting for them. The boys avoided them by taking a different street. Running down the incline to the neighborhood near his house, Boruto nearly stopped short, seeing Ino and Sai in their path. The couple turned and reached for the boys, rasping the same tune as everyone else.
"Inojin's parents both ate the snack bars. Makes me wonder if Inojin's alright."
More desperate people had left their homes in search of the tasty treats they craved. There were less in Boruto's neighborhood, but they were leading the mob towards his house.
"This way!" Boruto and the twins rushed between town houses down the road and behind the buildings. He helped the twins over a fence and through a neighbor's yard before going over their fence and into his yard. "Mom!"
He yelled before he had even reached the sliding door of their backyard. He climbed onto the veranda and pounded the door with his fist. He kept calling for her to come open the door, knowing it would be locked by this time of night.
Hinata came rushing into the living room and over to the door, a look of worry on her face. He saw her undo the lock and, before she could pull the door open, Boruto threw it open himself and ran inside. The twins followed close behind and together they forced it shut and locked it again.
"What on earth…?" Hinata began.
Boruto pulled the curtains shut to keep them hidden. "Lock all the doors and windows. Hurry!"
The twins ran around the house to do just that as Hinata stood there dumbfounded. "Boruto, what is going on?"
"Mom, did you or Hima eat anything that looked like this?" Boruto pulled the wrapper off his shoe from the teacher's office and held it up. His mother didn't seem to be acting like a zombie but he couldn't be sure of his sister. Himawari wasn't a customer, but, for all he knew, a friend had offered her some they had bought.
"No, I've never seen that brand before," said his mother.
"Hima!" Boruto called into the house.
His sister came down the stairs, looking frightened. "Big Brother, why are those kids locking my window? I wanted a breeze."
She seemed fine.
"Boruto, what is going on?" his mother demanded.
"A bunch of people ate some snacks we made yesterday for the festival and it turned them into snack-craving zombies. I think we made the recipe too addictive and that's why they're acting like this."
"That's ridiculous," said Hinata. "You've been watching too many movies."
"No, he's not kidding," said a twin, pulling another curtain closed.
"Our house was completely surrounded and they wouldn't leave us alone."
"We couldn't make more for them if we wanted to. They wouldn't let us do the shopping or anything."
"Giving them more might make it worse anyway."
Boruto was in agreement. "I think our best bet is to wait this out. Wait for the effects to wear off then it'll be safe to go outside again. Eventually their cravings have to stop, right?"
There was a knock at the door and the boys flinched, moving closer together. Himawari froze on the stairs where she was, staring at the door. Hinata crept into the hall to look at the door.
"Don't open it," Boruto whispered, hoping the person would go away if they thought no one was home.
Hinata didn't answer the door, nor did she ask who it was.
The knock came again, slowly and sinisterly.
"Hi… na… ta…"
Himawari looked less concerned. "It's Daddy."
"No, it's not," said Boruto, rushing to prevent her from opening the door. "Not anymore."
The knocking came again. "Hi… na… ta… O… pen… the… door…"
Boruto looked at his mother and shook his head. The twins shook their heads as well, clinging to her dress while using her as a shield.
"Hi… ma… wa… ri… Let… Da… ddy… in…"
She started to move towards the door but Boruto held her back. "It's not really him. The snacks have made him crazy."
"But…"
The pounding came again. "I… know… you're… in… there… Bo… ru… to…" Naruto's fist hit the door, hard. "Give… me… snacks…"
Boruto refused to acknowledge him in the slightest.
"Snacks… Need… snacks…"
Another voice joined Naruto's. "Hinata…"
She looked up. "Shino?"
"Boruto has something we want…" he said eerily. "Make him give it to us…"
Boruto looked at his mother. "They ate them all and we can't make more."
"Hinata…" Shino called again. "It's me… Your teammate… You know me… I would never hurt you… Come on… Let me in… For old time's sake…"
She refused and Shino grew more agitated.
"I'm not like these guys, Hinata… I'm not… I can protect you… if you just… let… me… in…"
Hinata stood where she was. "Shino, you're just sick. Wait for it to pass. You'll feel better. Then I'll let you in."
"I'm feeling much better now…" Shino said in the same tone of voice. "Please, let me in…"
"I can't."
Shino threw his fists against the door. "Open this door… now!"
"Hi… na… ta…" came Naruto's voice again. It seemed to be difficult for him to speak. "You… must…"
It pained her to refuse him.
"Help… me… Give… me… snacks…"
Another voice came through the door. "Boruto… Boruto… Do you want to know what happened to Inojin? Open the door and you'll know. I'll tell you where my son is. All you have to do is let us in."
Ino's voice was more desperate and angry. "Open the door or else! If we don't get snacks, Inojin will suffer! Do you want that?"
"Just stop!" Boruto bellowed through the door. "Stop this! Those stupid snacks are making you insane! Just calm down. They're not worth this."
Their voices rang as one, all clamoring to get their message across.
"It is!"
"We need them!"
"They're all that matters!"
"We can't live without them!"
"Give it to us!"
"Give us snacks!"
"Snacks!"
"Snacks!"
Hinata crouched on the stairs with her daughter and the twins in her lap. Himawari had her ears covered, trying to drown out their incessant voices.
Boruto stood at the bottom of the stairs with his hands over his ears, trying to do the same. He had to protect his family and friends from these lunatics. He hoped and prayed and wished that the cravings would subside and the effects would wear off soon.
He wanted everything to go back to normal.