Author's Note: Yes, I know this story hasn't been updated in forever, and no, there is no real good reason for that. Hopefully, I can get back into the groove with this story and writing in general.


"Boruto?" Hinata called as she knocked on Boruto's door. "May we come in?"

"Yeah," Boruto cried, too engrossed with the video game in his hands to even bother looking at his bedroom door. He continued to play a little before adding, "Door's unlocked."

Hinata sighed before letting her, Naruko, and Jugo in. "Thank you. And would you please be courteous to our guests? It's rude to continue playing video games without even at least looking at them, don't you think?"

Boruto blushed before pausing his game, getting out of bed, and giving Naruko and Jugo a polite bow. "H-hello."

Naruko let out a tiny giggle as she hid a smile behind her fingers. "Why, hello you." She then leaned forward and said, "You must've been playing quite the game."

Boruto blushed even harder and scratched the side of his face as he looked away. "N-not really."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Boruto," Jugo said. "My name is Jugo."

"Jugo?"

Jugo nodded. "Yes. I suppose you can say that I am an acquaintance of your father."

"My father?" First Auntie Naruko and now Jugo. Boruto was meeting a lot of new faces that day and they all seemed to be related to his father somehow. He couldn't help but note how odd it all seemed.

Jugo nodded. "Yes."

"Boruto," his mother said, "Jugo is, um… a scientist, and, well… he would really appreciate it if you would allow him to run some tests on Auntie Naruko here."

"Tests? What kind of tests? Is Auntie Naruko sick?"

"No, nothing like that," Jugo reassured him. "I'm simply here to collect some things from her, like her fingerprint and a blood sample. Nothing too serious."

Boruto frowned. "Why would a scientist need somebody's fingerprint and blood sample?" he asked.

"Um, well," he glanced at Hinata for help, which she unfortunately couldn't provide, "it's for her records, you see. If your aunt is going to be living here, in the village, from now on, then she's going to need to provide the village with some basic information. Like her fingerprint, or her blood-type, or - "

"That sounds like something a doctor should be doing," Boruto flatly interjected. "Not some scientist in the middle of the night in someone else's room."

"A-ah, well, you see, I'm a… a health scientist. A health professional, you might say, so -"

"Still sounds like something a doctor should be doing," Boruto said.

"Ah, well, yes, but… you see," Jugo desperately glanced one last time towards Hinata for any kind of help, and, when he continued not to receive any, stuttered, "I… um… I'm here too late… and at your house, because… because," he quickly looked at Naruko, who, being as much in the dark as Boruto was, innocently looked back. Realizing that there weren't any good options, he tightly shut his eyes and clenched his fists before letting out an exasperated sigh and saying, "I heard of how beautiful your aunt was, so… I jumped at the chance to meet her alone in private."

"W-what?!" Boruto and Hinata both internally cried.

Naruko couldn't help but smile and giggle at the supposed confession. "Why, Jugo," she sensually began running her hand down the side of Jugo's arm, "how bold of you." She then wrapped her arms around the very same arm and gave it a cuddle before looking dreamily into Jugo's eyes, and whispering, "I'm flattered."

Jugo blushed. "Dang it, Suigetsu," he internally cursed.

"W-well then," Jugo said after awkwardly clearing his throat and gently removing Naruko from his arm, "now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, may I…?"

After taking a moment to recover from Jugo's unexpected answer, Boruto nodded and said, "Y-yeah, sure, go ahead. I mean, you're already here anyway, so might as well, right?"

"Yes," Jugo replied. "Of course. My thoughts exactly." And with that, Jugo immediately went to work, setting up and preparing all that he needed in order to obtain the samples that he needed to collect as everyone else watched him with varying amounts of curiosity and dread.

"H-hey, so, just to be clear, after you do this, it's not like my room is going to be infected, right?" Boruto asked. "Like, everything you're about to do is going to be perfectly safe, right?"

Jugo confidently nodded as he continued to make the necessary preparations. "Yes. You have nothing to worry about. By the time we're done, it'll be as if I was never here." He turned to Boruto and gave him a small and reassuring smile. "So don't worry. You could say that I was trained by the best."

Boruto raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Could?"

"Boruto," his mother chided, "please, it's late enough as it is. Let Jugo collect his samples so that you can get ready for bed."

"Aw, but mom!" Boruto whined. "Can't I stay up a just little bit longer? I mean, you and dad's friends are still here, so can't I at least stay up until they leave?"

Hinata frowned. "Absolutely not. You know that Himawari looks up to you. If she saw that you were still awake, then she'd want to stay awake right along with you, and you know as much as anyone that she needs her sleep, just like you need yours."

"Auntie Naruko!" said girl happily cried, running to give her aunt a great, big hug. "You're back!"

"Oh, of course I'm back!" Naruko gushed, immediately matching Himawari's enthusiasm as she hugged her back. "I just can't stay away from my favorite girl in the world for too long!"

Himawari giggled. "I was waiting for you in the living room, but papa and his friends came over and asked me to go back to my room. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to welcome you back home and play with you some more, but then I heard your voice coming from Boruto's room and I got really excited!"

Naruko gasped. "Did you now? Over little ole me? You shouldn't have!"

"But I did!"

Naruko giggled. "And for that, I'm so very grateful!"

Hinata sighed. "Himawari, please, do you have any idea how late it is?"

Himawari sheepishly looked back at her mother and answered, "Too late?"

"Very late," Hinata said, placing her hands onto her hips and giving her daughter a firm, but obviously concerned frown. "You know you should be in bed right now!"

"B-but -"

Hinata shook her head. "No buts, young lady. Now go to your room and go to sleep! You'll have plenty of time to play with Auntie Naruko tomorrow."

"Aww."

"Alright," Jugo said, holding up a syringe. "Naruko, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get a blood sample from you first."

Naruko looked apprehensively at the syringe in his hand. "That looks… very prickly."

Jugo frowned and gave the needle a second look. "Um, yes, I suppose it kind of is."

Naruko instinctively held her hands towards her chest and shrank away from it. "It won't hurt, will it?"

"It will, but only for a moment. Trust me, you'll barely feel a thing."

"I don't know…."

Himawari gasped. "Auntie Naruko is getting a shot?"

"Kind of," Boruto answered.

Himawari clasped her hands together and turned to her mother. "Mama! Can I stay and help Auntie Naruko get her shot before I go to bed tonight? Please?"

"Himawari -"

"It'll only be for a little bit!" Himawari reasoned. "And look! Auntie Naruko looks so scared! Remember how scared I was the first time I got my shots? And you helped me out then, didn't you? So can't I do the same for Auntie Naruko now?"

Hinata sighed. "Alright, fine. But just her shots and nothing more, alright?"

"Yay!" Himawari then rushed to Naruko's side and held onto one of her arms. "Don't worry, Auntie Naruko! You don't have to be so scared. I'll be right here with you the entire time!"

Naruko smiled at her. "That's so sweet of you, Himawari. Thank you."

Jugo smiled at her before holding out his hand. "Alright then, give me your arm."

"M-my arm?" Naruko nervously held out one of her arms to him. "L-like this?"

Jugo nodded. "Yes, exactly like that. Now," he pointed to where he was going to inject the needle, "I'm going to draw your blood from here, alright? Just stay calm and don't flex your arm and you should be fine."

"So… it won't hurt?"

"You might feel a slight prick, but as long as you don't pay too much attention to it, then you'll have nothing to worry about it."

"Don't worry, Auntie Naruko," Himawari whispered. "The needle may look scary, but," she gulped and inadvertently hugged her aunt as she stared at said needle, "it'll be over before you know it!"

"If the sight of the needle really bothers you, then maybe you should close your eyes," Jugo suggested.

"C-close my eyes?"

Jugo nodded. "Just take a few deep breaths to calm yourself down and just leave the rest to me."

Naruko blushed as she bashfully looked between Jugo and the syringe in his hand. "And you promise it won't hurt?"

Jugo nodded. "I'll do whatever I can to make sure it won't."

"Don't worry, Auntie Naruko," Himawari whispered. "I'll close my eyes too. That way, you won't have to do it alone."

Naruko nodded. "Right." She and Himawari both took a deep breath and closed their eyes. "Go ahead, Jugo. I'm ready."

Jugo gently held her arm and caressed it a little to help further calm her down. "Alright, first, I'm going to dab your arm a little with some alcohol, so you're going to feel something wet and cool touch your arm. There we go. Now, I'm going to insert the needle into your arm, so just stay calm and remember not to flex your arm in any way and you should be fine."

"R-right." Naruko took another deep breath. "Remain calm. Remain calm."

Jugo smiled upon feeling how relaxed her arm had become. "That's it. Good." Naruko let out a small sound of discomfort upon feeling the needle pierce her skin. "Just stay calm for a little while longer, and… that should do it."

"Is it over?" Naruko asked. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Just a moment," Jugo instructed. "Let me just put this away and wrap your arm for a bit, and… there. You can open your eyes now, Naruko. You too, Himawari. It's all over now."

"It is?" Himawari asked, before the two of them slowly opened their eyes and saw the gauze wrapped around Naruko's arm. Himawari gasped. "Auntie Naruko! You did it!" She giggled as she hugged her. "You were so brave!"

Naruko giggled as she hugged her back. "Only because you and Jugo were with me! Thank you, Himawari. I couldn't have done it without you." She then added, in a hushed tone, "But you promised your mother you'd go to bed now, right? Better hop to it before she gets upset. Besides," she winked, "pretty girls like us need our beauty sleep."

"Okay!" Himawari cried, giving Naruko a peck on the cheek before making her way to her mother at Boruto's bedroom door. "Good night, Boruto! Good night, Auntie. Naruko! I'll see you again tomorrow, right?"

Naruko cupped the very cheek Himawari had just kissed in stunned silence for a moment before nodding her head and answering, "Of course, dear." She waved at her. "See you in the morning."

Himawari waved back. "See you!"

Hinata smiled and mouthed a, "Thank you," to Naruko before following her daughter back to her room to tuck her into bed.

After they had left, Jugo collected the rest of his samples with relative ease. "And that should do it," he eventually said.

Naruko happily gasped. "Wait, really? That's it?"

Jugo nodded. "That's it. Thank you for being such a wonderful patient."

Naruko giggled. "Considering that this was my first time, I think most of the credit should go to my doctor."

"Health professional," Boruto corrected.

"Right!"

Jugo cleared his throat. "Regardless, since we're finished, this is officially my cue to leave. Don't worry, Boruto. I'll make sure to leave this room exactly how I entered it."

"Hey," Boruto whispered as Jugo began putting everything away, their backs towards Naruko. "Himawari and Auntie Naruko might not have seen it, but I did. When you were taking out some of Auntie Naruko's blood, nothing came out! What gives?!"

Jugo frowned and shook his head before answering, "I'm not exactly sure myself. I'll have to report this to my superior and ask him what he thinks. In the meantime, I'll have to ask you to keep quiet about all this. We wouldn't want anyone to get any wrong ideas. Not until we get all of the facts. Can you do that for me?"

Boruto frowned. "Not like I have much of a choice," he muttered.

"Hey," Naruko said, leaning towards them. "Just what are you two whispering about all of a sudden?"

"Er, well, I was just telling Boruto here how great of a patient you were, that's all."

Naruko pouted at him. "Jugo, if you wanted to give me another compliment, the least you could've done was give it to me instead of my adorable little nephew."

"A-adorable?" Boruto incredulously muttered.

"Um, yes, I suppose you have a point there. Sorry about that."

"Well," Naruko leaned closer to him with a mischievous grin on her face, "I suppose there is a way you can make it up to me."

Jugo gulped. "That way being?"

"You could tell me specifically how great of a patient I was. Like, was I one of the top ten? Top five? Top three?"

Jugo awkwardly looked away. "Er, well…."

Naruko frowned. "Jugo, don't tell me that you were lying about all that."

"N-no! Of course not! It's just… well…."

"Just what?" Naruko asked.

"I… um… well," Jugo scratched the back of his head, "it's kind of hard for me to rank you when you're technically the first patient I've ever had."

Naruko blinked in confusion. "Hmm? But I thought you said -"

"I know what I said," Jugo said. "It's just that… I spent most of my time training and assisting instead of actually treating patients myself, that's all."

"Oh?" Naruko said, a knowing grin spreading across her face. "I see. You were so interested in me, that you were willing to take me as your first patient."

Jugo winced. "Well, when you put it like that…."

Naruko giggled. "Jugo, the more I talk to you, the more I learn just how smitten you are with me. And to think, we've only just met!"

Jugo blushed. "Now, wait just a minute! You being my first patient has to do with a lot more than just me being interested in you!"

"Oh? And what exactly are those reasons, hmm?"

"I'd… rather not say."

Naruto gave him a disappointed frown. "Jugo, you can't just mention something and then suddenly make it a secret. It makes the other person feel unimportant, you know?"

"B-but you were the one who was prying."

Naruko pouted. "Prying? I just wanted to get to know you a little better. Is that really so wrong?"

"Er, well," Jugo took one look at Naruko's doe-eyed, pouting, and disappointed face before heaving out a sigh and saying, "fine. As long as you promise to keep this between us, then I suppose there's no harm in telling you."

Naruko chuckled. "My lips are sealed."

Jugo looked to the side. "The truth is, I have this… condition. And this condition, when it starts acting up, I go into an uncontrollable fit of rage. I turn violent. I hurt people. If someone strong enough isn't there to stop me, then worst case scenario, innocent people die. That's why up until now, I've been burying myself in whatever work my superior gives me back in his lab. I just couldn't trust myself to go out without hurting someone."

Naruko and Boruto gasped. "If that's the case, then why go out now?" Naruko asked. "What changed?"

"Nothing really. Even though I've been training all these years to suppress my more violent side, I've still never felt comfortable enough to go out and test myself out in the open like this. But when I heard that you were related to the Seventh Hokage and that we needed a few or your samples, I figured that I'd be the one to collect them. I figured that if things took a turn for the worse, then at least he would be able to stop my rampage, if nothing else."

Naruko smiled sadly. "I see. So when you told me that you came over because you were curious about me -"

"Yeah. That was a lie. I'm sorry."

Naruko shook her head. "Don't be. It's that lie that ended up leading me to the real you." She smiled warmly at him. "And I happen to like the real you."

Jugo blushed for a moment before shaking his head. "Thank you, but… you wouldn't be saying that if you saw me at my worst."

"Maybe," Naruko admitted. "But the fact is that I haven't seen that side of you yet. And isn't the side you're showing me now just as real?" She grabbed one of Jugo's hands and began playing with it with her fingers. "From what I can tell, Jugo is nothing but kind and gentle." She winked at him. "And a bit of stud too, if you ask me."

Jugo blushed even harder. "P-please. You're just saying that."

"Oh?" Naruko placed Jugo's hand against her face and began to rub her cheek against it. "Am I?"

"Hey!" Boruto cried. "How long do you plan on using my room to flirt?!"

Jugo gasped as he quickly pulled his hand out of Naruko's grasp and away from Naruko's face. "R-right!" Jugo haphazardly finished cleaning up before standing up, making his way to the door, and saying, "Sorry for all the trouble!" He pointed to the door. "I-I'll be heading out now, so…," he quickly bowed, "thank you for your cooperation!"

Naruko giggled. "See you around, Jugo! It was nice meeting you!"

"It was nice meeting you t - goodbye!" Jugo then very quickly left and slammed the door behind him.

Boruto gave his aunt a weary look. "You can be a real menace when you want to be, huh?"

Naruko looked over to him innocently. "Hmm?"

Boruto sighed. "Never mind." He then went to his door and took a look outside before closing it again and saying, "It sounds like dad and his friends are still talking down there. Just what are they talking about that it couldn't wait until morning?"

"Eh heh." Naruko awkwardly pointed at herself. "This is just a guess, but something tells me that they're talking about me."

"You? Why?"

"Well, I DID just sort of spring up out of nowhere."

"Yeah, but still…." Boruto thought for a moment before asking, "Hey, Auntie Naruko?"

"Yes?"

"Why exactly were you sleeping in mom and dad's bed this morning?"

"Hmm," Naruko said, closing her eyes, scrunching her face, and pressing her index fingers against her temples. "I really can't say. Everything before waking up next to your mother in her bed is just one, big, nasty blank."

"H-hold on a sec!" Boruto cried. "Did you just say you woke up next to my mom?! In her bed?! Without any clothes on?!"

Naruko frowned and nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Boruto sighed. "Never mind. Forget I asked."

"Oh, okay."

Boruto took a seat next to her on his bed. "So you really don't remember anything before waking up this morning?"

Naruko shook her head. "Nope. Nothing at all."

"That's so weird. And what makes things even stranger is that nobody else seems to know the answer either. But there has to be someone out there who knows where you came from, right? I mean, it's not like you just popped out of thin air, like you said."

"The way everyone is reacting to me right now, I might as well have." The two of them were silent for a moment before she asked, "So, I'm guessing that if all of your father's friends are here, then that must mean they're taking me being here pretty seriously, huh?"

"I guess," Boruto said, falling back so that he could lay down on his bed with his arms cushioning his head. "I mean, if all five Kage are in one place, then that has to mean something, right?"

Naruko tilted her head. "You're not too sure?"

"Well, it's not like it's ever happened before, you know? Especially in our own living room."

"I see," Naruko said. "So does that mean this is your first time meeting them?"

Boruto thought it over for a moment before answering, "Maybe Uncle Gaara, back when I was really young, but other than that, yeah, pretty much."

"Your father never introduced you to them?"

"No." Boruto scowled. "But to be fair, it's not like he's been doing a whole lot with me ever since he became Hokage."

"Huh?" Naruko leaned over so she could look directly down at him. "What do you mean?"

Boruto looked away. "Exactly what it sounds like. Ever since dad became Hokage, he's barely made any time for us." He folded his arms and rolled to his side. "It sucks! I mean, a part of me wants to be happy for him, to be proud that I have a father who's the Hokage, but all being Hokage seems to have done is take my father away from me. It's not fair."

"Ah, so that's what it is." Naruko gently began combing his hair. "You poor thing."

"Not poor enough, apparently." Boruto sat up with a huff. "Apparently dad's been through worse. A lot worse."

"Oh? You know about his past?"

"How couldn't I?" Boruto scoffed. "Everyone and their mother always jump at the opportunity to remind me. And every time they do, the reason behind it is always basically the same. 'Please, Boruto, try to understand!' 'Hey, Boruto, why don't you cut you old man some slack?' 'Just shut up, Boruto! Your father went through so much worse than what you're going through right now! He went through his entire life without a father! Why can't you be grateful that you still have yours?!'" Boruto clenched his fists. "Well, I'm sick of being 'grateful'! I just want my dad back! Is that really so much to ask?"

"…No, it isn't."

Boruto's eyes widened as he gasped before turning towards her. "W-wait, you… you actually agree with me? You actually think I'm right?"

Naruko smiled tenderly at him. "Of course. There's nothing wrong about a son wanting to spend time with his father. I'm sorry if everyone else made you feel otherwise."

Boruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You… you really mean that?"

Naruko nodded. "Well, of course I mean it! Why wouldn't I? Granted, I'm sure everyone who told you those things meant well, but that doesn't excuse them from ignoring your feelings, your father especially. He should know better than anyone how it feels not to have one's father around."

Boruto looked down. "He says he does, but… I guess he just loves being Hokage more than he does spending time with his family."

"I wouldn't go that far," Naruko gently corrected. "I imagine that being Hokage is just very demanding, that's all. I think the only thing your father is guilty of is getting too lost in his own work."

"But he can make clones! There shouldn't be any amount of work he can't do!"

"Hmm, that's a good point. Why doesn't he use clones?"

Boruto shrugged. "He never said, but mom says that it'd probably be bad politics if people found out they were talking to a clone instead of the real thing. But if that's the case then why does he keep saddling US with a clone?"

"Is that what he's been doing? Sending a clone to spend time with you instead of spending time with you himself?"

Boruto nodded. "Uh-huh. And every time we find out, it sucks! Doesn't he realize that he's basically telling us that we're unimportant to him?"

"Have you told him all of this?"

"Well, I've tried to, but it never really works out. Most of the time, I don't even bother, but even when I can, he just keeps making excuses or we end up getting into an argument."

"I see… and are you angry every time you tell him this?"

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I'm not saying that you shouldn't, I'm just saying that if someone comes up to someone already angry, it automatically makes the other person a little bit defensive, that's all."

"O-oh. I guess I never really thought about it like that."

Naruko giggled and bopped his nose. "So it seems."

"Well then, how AM I supposed to tell him? I mean, if the message hasn't sunken in yet, then what chance do I have?"

"Hmm," Naruko held her chin, "well, personally, I've always found that asking politely and sincerely works best."

"'Politely and sincerely'?"

Naruko nodded. "Uh-huh! I just clasp my hands together, look deep into their eyes, and just ask them as sweetly and as earnestly as I can, and it almost always works!"

Boruto frowned. "Yeah, I don't think that's really going to work for me."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Well, no offense, but you're you and I'm me. What works for you may not exactly work for me if I do it."

Naruko giggled. "'If'? So you admit that you don't know for sure?"

Boruto blushed and looked away. "I'm pretty sure."

Naruko brought her head closer to his. "But not absolutely sure?"

Boruto blushed harder. "Well, it's kind of impossible to be ABSOLUTELY sure."

"All the more reason to give it a chance, right?" Upon seeing Boruto's continued hesitation, she added, "I can help you, if you want."

"Huh? Help me? Help me how?"

"When you go and bear your heart out to your father, just tell me, and I'll be right there to support you."

Boruto's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-you will? You'd do that for me?"

Naruko tilted her head and smiled. "Sure! Why wouldn't I?"

Boruto couldn't believe his ears. For once, someone (an adult even) was on his side. For once, someone wasn't invalidating his feelings on the matter and actually reaffirming them. For once, he found someone who would help him rather than hinder. For once, he found someone who he could be himself around without fear of reproach or reprimand.

For once, he didn't feel so alone.

"Oh! Boruto, what's wrong? Your eyes are watering!"

Boruto gasped and dabbed one of his eyes with his finger, and sure enough, found it to be wet. "Huh? O-oh. Yeah, I guess they are."

"You poor thing!" Naruko said. "Was it my fault? Did I say something to upset you?"

Boruto shook his head and looked down. "No. If anything, what you said… it made me really happy."

Naruko blinked in confusion. "It made you… happy?"

Boruto nodded as he let out an audible sniff. "Yeah, I'm happy."

"So those tears… they're tears of joy?"

"Yeah."

Naruko let out a sigh of relief as she placed her hand over her chest. "Oh, thank goodness. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for a thing. You have every right to be as happy as you want. And even if you didn't," she smiled at him, "I love it when you're happy."

"Y-you do?"

"Of course! I just love you so much. Why wouldn't I be?"

Boruto gasped upon hearing the nonchalant, yet still wholly sincere confession before slowly beginning to cry. Naruko noticed this and immediately began trying to console him, but let out a gasp of her own when Boruto began to violently hug her and cry into her chest. After recovering from her initial moment of shock, she looked down at the sobbing boy tightly clutching to her before tenderly hugging him back, whispering soft reassurances to him as he continued to release all of the emotions and feelings that he had taught himself to bottle up inside. It was at this time that she began to remember how she had done so similarly with Naruto, how long ago it had been since the last time she had done this, and how much time had passed since Naruto stopped coming to her to bear his heart out just as his son was bearing his heart out to her now.

It was just like old times. Times so old that she had nearly forgotten. Until today.