Boruto lifted his heavy eyelids. Wooden walls with shelves of ninja scrolls surrounded him. An old game console lay by his feet. On his hand was a black triangular mark. "I'm... back?! I'm back in Konoha! Sarada, we're-!"

But when his eyes scanned the room, he found no sign of his teammates. "...Sarada? Shikadai?"

Maybe they went home without me...

It took quite the effort to pull himself to his feet, but he somehow managed. The sun was already starting to sink below the horizon... He could only hope that multiple days hadn't passed.

Imbuing his feet with chakra, he leapt out of the window and onto the street, landing directly next to Sakura.

"Yo, Sakura oba-san. Have you seen Sarada?"

Sakura paused and stared down at him, a bewildered expression on her face. "Hm? Sarada? Who's that?"

"...Come on Sakura oba-san, you're kidding right? Sarada. Your daughter. Where is she?"

"D-daughter?!" Sakura's face lit up. "I don't have a daughter..."

Boruto froze. He took a step back. His eyebrows furrowed atop his head. This had to be some sort of sick joke. Maybe Sakura had been sniffing a few too many medicinal herbs. Yeah. That sounded right. He would just ask someone else. "Sorry to bother you."

He ducked his head and ran away, straight into Shikamaru. "Shikamaru oji-san! Have you seen Shikadai? There's something I need to ask him."

"Hm? Shikadai? Who's that?"

"...What you do mean, who's that?" Boruto's world began to crumble. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. This isn't what he wanted. "Your son. Shikadai. Please tell me you remember."

His response was the same as Sakura's. "I don't have a son."

Boruto dashed forward, ignoring Shikamaru as he called after him. This was a joke. A very elaborate joke. Someone had to know who they were. Someone. Anyone.

"Boruto?"

His eyes shot up. "Mitsuki! Mitsuki, do you remember Sarada? Please tell me you remember Sarada! And Shikadai!"

"Hm? I don't recall anyone by those names. Boruto, are you feeling alright? You look-"

"Mitsuki please! Sarada's on the same team as us. She's got short black hair, and red glasses!"

"We're the only ones on your team," said a new voice, dropping down in front of Boruto. "Why are you so freaked out? And where have you been all day, huh? Your mom and little sister were worried."

Boruto shook his head, staring at Kawaki in wide eyed disbelief. His gaze trailed to the ground, hands coming up to his head. "This is wrong... This is all wrong! Orochimaru! Put me back!"

"...Why are you yelling at my parent?"

"He... He tricked me! This isn't how it was supposed to be..." He backed up and began jogging away. "Sarada! Shikadai... SARADA!"

"Boruto, calm down..." Mitsuki's hand came down heavy on his shoulder, his arm elongated to reach him. "Kawaki, check for genjutsu users in the area. Something must have happened to Boruto."

Boruto clenched his teeth. He angrily threw off Mitsuki's arm and ran back towards the old building as fast as he could. His heart was about to explode in his chest. Throwing himself through the window, he reached out towards the old game console and picked it up, desperately searching for some sort of switch or magic button. But no matter what combination of buttons he pressed, it did nothing. "Up up down down left right left right B A start. Come on. Let me in! LET ME BACK IN DARN IT!"

It was useless. His vision blurred, the scroll and console merging into one odd shape. "This isn't how it was supposed to be..." He curled his body over the top of the controller, tears dripping onto the scroll as his fist slammed into the wooden floor. "Dang it!"

Scroll in hand, he took off in the direction of his father's office, palm swiping the tears off his face. Someone in the cipher corps would be able to figure out what it said. And he would get back into the game if it was the last thing he did.

. . .

Sarada opened her eyes to shadows cast over stone. The scent of mildew emanating from the moss covered walls invaded her nose.

"Where..."

When she tried to move her arms, they were chained to the wall. Shackles bound her ankles as well. If only I could use jutsu... I could break these so easily...

The wounds from where the crow had pecked her ached and throbbed. She looked for an escape. But all she could see was a holding cell.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps. Keys jingled, a latch clicked, a door squeaked. Orochimaru made his entrance.

"Hmmm... It pleases me to see you in chains. Imagine, all of the experiments I can do on an Uchiha... Thrilling, wouldn't you say?"

Sarada shook. Orochimaru's bloodlust was something she thought she was used to. But this was on a completely different level.

"Too bad, your prince decided to take the easy way out. I bet he's suffering back in his world without you."

"W-What are you talking about?"

"Oh? You don't know, do you," he mused, taking a threatening step closer with his yellow eyes and snakelike grin boring into her soul. "I gave the prince a choice. I told him he could stay and finish the game, or go back to the village without you and your little friend. Of course, I may not have worded it exactly like that... But he chose to leave you. It was all over in a matter of seconds."

"What do you mean?" Sarada fought against the chills that ran through her body with her heartbeat. "Boruto wouldn't leave us behind... He isn't like that. What did you do to him? How do we get back?"

"That was an option available only to him... If you want to get back, you must clear the game, true to the story... But from this point, the level of difficulty will increase." He leaned over, eyes boring into the back of her skull, sending shivers from her neck to the tips of her toes. "You may be desperate to find answers. But without my help, you never will... So be a good girl and comply with my experiments."

The iron door squeaked open. Orochimaru stepped out. And with a metallic slam, Sarada was alone.

She shook. The anxiety and helplessness of the situation was only making her fear of Orochimaru increase. Sarada brought her hands up to her arms and shivered. Boruto... She swallowed down the lump in her throat. Whatever this true ending is... I'll figure it out. And I'll put an end to this cruddy game.

Whispers caught Sarada's attention. She looked up to see three fairies, one dressed in purple, one in green, and one in orange. It was Sumire, Wasabi, and Namida.

"Guys?"

"Aurora," said Namida, flying down to her feet. "We've come to save you."

"Save me?" Poison still ebbing her sense of feeling, she hardly noticed as the chains fell from her wrists.

"We don't have much time," Namida continued, transforming herself into her normal size.

"You have to hurry," said Wasabi, looking out the door to make sure Orochimaru was gone.

Sumire remained small and smiled at Sarada. "Take care of the prince. You're the only one who can save him."

Sarada's eyes widened. Save him... That meant he was still somewhere in the game. But she still had no idea what it was. The only person that did was Shikadai, and he was a horse. "I have a favor to ask... My horse... Can you free him as well?"

Sumire smiled. "We're on our way to do that right now. But you must hurry. Maleficent is a wicked witch. If you are found, you will suffer far greater trials than if you had stayed put."

"Here," said Wasabi, handing her a ninja tool pouch. "Take this. It'll come in handy."

Sarada's eyes lit up as she took the bag. Inside were several shuriken, a few kunai, some wire, and a smoke bomb. "Where did you get this?"

"We found it in the castle weapon supply," said Sumire, smiling at her. "Use it well."

With a curt nod, Sarada followed the three fairies out the door.

The moment they left the dungeon, the crow that had been standing guard cawed out a warning.

The three fairies hurriedly made themselves small once more and urged Sarada towards where Shikadai was chained.

Just before she could jump out the window, the gremlin-like henchmen came after her, throwing morning stars and other sharp objects. She dodged a few and pulled the smoke bomb out of her bag, hurling it at the ground. Amidst the haze, she was able to leap out the window and onto a mound of dirt.

But at the bottom of the mound, broken bridge blocked her from advancing any further. Shikadai neighed from below, hooves prancing. If it was with him... they could cross the gap.

She slid down the dirt remains with ease and grabbed ahold of his mane, heaving herself up. In seconds, they were galloping full speed. He leapt magnificently over the gap and landed safely on the other side, heading towards the castle exit.

The crow called out its battle cry overhead. They were still far from safe. More gremlins appeared at the top of a wall as they ran, massive boulders looming over their heads.

She watched as the ugly creatures pushed their full body weight against the rocks, hurtling them down, threatening to crush them both.

With a flick of her wand, Namida filled Sarada with the old and familiar feeling of charged chakra ready to disperse. Finally! She pumped her fist towards the sky and straight into the oncoming boulder.

"Shannarooo!"

The boulder smashed into fragments. It broke apart with such force that the other boulders were blasted out of the path as well. With a smile, she instinctively dug her heels into Shikadai's side and leaned forward as he galloped faster. In seconds, he was galloping full speed towards the gate.

Boiling water came rushing down just as they were about to pass through, but she sent a gust of wind blasting out from her palm. The wind split the water and gave them just enough of an opening to duck through unharmed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarada saw Orochimaru watching them from a balcony. Dark clouds swilled above their heads. Lightning jutsu?

She gathered chakra around her eyes and cast genjutsu, making it appear as though her and Shikadai were running behind where they actually were. Sure enough, lightning struck the illusion moments after she had created it.

The drawbridge that would certify their escape tilted toward the sky, but Shikadai used it as a ramp and leapt, barely sticking the landing on the other side.

Sarada's head turned again just in time to see a coffin coming out of the earth. Great, thought Sarada, he's reviving the dead.

Out of the coffin stepped none other than the first hokage. She watched as he pressed his palms to the ground. The white castle top that shone above the trees became tangled in thorns and branches, turning the forest into something much more treacherous.

Orochimaru left his perch and transformed into a giant white snake, leaping over the distance Sarada had covered with Shikadai in mere seconds.

Poison spewed from the snake's mouth. Sarada barely managed to block the acid from touching her skin with a fireball that exploded the bits of purple in the sky.

They ran through the forest, Sarada barely dodging trees, branches, and poison just in the nick of time with the help of her sharingan. The snake lurched forward, bearing its fangs. But Shikadai ducked under a rather large tree just in time, giving the snake a mouthful of wood.

Sarada looked in her tool pouch. She still had a few kunai, the shuriken, and some wire. Thinking fast, she looped the wire through the holes and began creating a trap for the serpent.

One kunai stuck in one tree. The next was thrown in a different direction. The third in yet another direction. A shuriken made its way towards the belly of the snake. Orochimaru dodged, only to fall right into Sarada's trap. Shikadai analyzed the situation and moved according to what she needed brilliantly.

Taking her final kunai that was somehow larger than the rest, she hurled it with extra force and imbued it with lightening. It struck the giant snake one right in the heart.

On a normal day, Sarada wouldn't have thought that a mere lightning imbued kunai could subdue a snake of that caliber. But thanks to the fact that this was a story, Orochimaru slithered. He writhed. And he stopped moving.

Sarada burning thorns out of the way Shikadai galloped through the woods. It was only a matter of time until they reached the place he had tried so desperately to guard.