Three months and two weeks.
Honestly, Boruto thought it would take him less time to master the Age Regression jutsu. Unfortunately, even while being a self-proclaimed genius, the technique was far too advanced for the blond to perfect right away, fueling his frustration towards his father. The old man would have been able to perform this technique in just a couple of days, if not less!
It was a humiliating learning experience, but nonetheless, the results had finally been accomplished and that was the important thing. Now it was only a matter of ambushing the current Hokage; however, with how much effort Boruto put into learning the jutsu, it would be a shame to only have his old man suffer the effects. This would probably be his one and only chance of performing the technique, so he figured, why not get Uncle Sasuke with it as well?
It's no secret to the citizens of Konoha that the Shadow Hokage was a neglectful parent with all the time he spent away from home, much like his own father. The only difference was that Uncle Sasuke was under strict orders to leave the Village of Konoha in order to protect it from foreign threats, risk his life on the front lines, and fight the hardest of battles to faithfully fulfill his duty as a shinobi; while his own father was not. No, the Hokage would rather stay in his office all day long, refusing to see his family, despite being a walking distance from home with no real incentive to keep away. It was a selfish action, a conscious effort to be neglectful, and that made all the difference in Boruto's eyes. Truthfully, he holds a deep admiration for the Uchiha clan leader. The tales of his prowess were almost mythical as a shinobi and he's always thought that the people who get their hands dirty for the sake of their loved ones deserved more recognition than some cowardly old man who does nothing but lock himself up in his office. The one they like to call "Hokage". It's infuriating really, that someone so undeserving could hold such an honorable title. Boruto thinks he will never understand.
Even so, the point still stands that Uncle Sasuke is rarely ever around, and while he is an amazing shinobi, he has not been the best father. Too many times did Boruto have to personally witness Sarada crying to her mother about missing her papa. Looking at it through that lens, Boruto's plan was perfectly justified. Besides, he was dying to meet a younger version of Uncle Sasuke! Hopefully, with the help of the Age Regression jutsu, he might be able to uncover a bit of his mysterious persona. As it was, Boruto knew almost nothing about the man he called his uncle, to the point that it was a bit hard to picture him as a child. The more he thought about it, the better the plan sounded!
There was only one problem. It would already be hard enough to ambush his old man with sufficient time to use the Age Regression jutsu, having to do so on the Uchiha Head as well would be near impossible. Without help that is.
If Boruto wanted his malevolent ploy to succeed he would need the help of a certain raven-haired kunoichi. Thankfully the boy was a master at the art of persuasion.
"Come on Sarada! You can't tell me you've never wished to know how your parents were as kids!" Okay, Boruto can admit that his line delivery and argument could use some work, but could he really be blamed?! There was something truly unnerving about talking to the young Uchiha heiress.
Immediately after his remark, the signature Haruno frown marred Sarada's features, and a look of skepticism took over.
"I won't deny my interest in the subject Boruto, but this really doesn't seem like a good idea."
Yes, it would seem Boruto's persuasion skills were a little rusty. But still, there was some hope, the Uchiha heiress hadn't said no…
"What's there not to like? Look, disregarding the fact that this is a forbidden jutsu, think about how much we could learn! I know you have been itching to know more about your father and the Uchiha clan; this is the perfect opportunity! Maybe the only one you will ever get, honestly. Because let's be real, Uncle Sasuke is secretive as hell and I seriously doubt that will ever change."
At the mention of Uncle Sasuke, Sarada froze and Boruto could only smirk in response knowing he had the kunoichi hooked. Works like a charm every time!
"Okay… You've got me there but that doesn't make the jutsu any less forbidden, not to mention sketchy! How do you know this technique won't backfire on us and end up causing harm to the village or our parents?!" Sarada was well aware of Boruto's fraudulent tendencies and she refused to be swayed away by a little bit of bribery here and there. If she hoped to become Hokage someday she would have to be stronger-willed than this.
"You don't have to worry about that, my old man wouldn't have this jutsu under lock and key if it wasn't effective-"
"It's precisely because the jutsu was under lock and key that I'm worried! Boruto, have you ever considered why it's illegal to use this Age Regression jutsu? Because it's dangerous, that's why!" Frankly, it concerned Sarada sometimes how much of a careless person Boruto could be, never thinking things through.
"You didn't even let me finish! I was about to say that I had Denki look into this jutsu and we even did some research at the library. According to all the texts we found, the jutsu doesn't cause any permanent damage, meaning that the effects are only temporary. The reason it was banned in the first place was because missing-nin used it to infiltrate the village. Not just ours but all the others as well, so in order to prevent further negative use, all Kage's abstained from teaching it in the first place. We won't be using it for anything like that, so it's fine."
There was a slight twitch in Sarada's eye, but Boruto could see her apprehension melting away at the mention of Denki, although he was certain that this was mostly because of her own desire to learn about the Uchiha clan rather than her trust in their fellow companion. Boruto knows her well enough and it was clear that she just needed some assurance to make her feel like it was okay to give into her inner desires.
"Well if Denki looked into this, perhaps it will be okay…."
Yes! But wait…
"What is that supposed to mean?! I did research as well, you know!"
"Yeah, but Denki is more reliable."
Well, one has to pick and choose their battles, at least Sarada has agreed to help regardless of her distrust in his "reliability".
"Whatever, as long as you are with the plan now…"
The raven-haired girl only huffed in response, already beginning to question if she made the right decision.
Immediately both teenagers began to kickstart the plan Boruto had been cooking up for the past couple of months. He had to ensure that his plan was fail-proof, which is why he made sure to schedule his attack perfectly, especially since he wanted to target Uncle Sasuke as well. As it turned out, the Uchiha Head would be making his return to the village today so as to report his findings; which is why Boruto thought it would be the perfect time to launch his attack. Quickly, he made sure to fill Sarada in with all the details. He simply needed her to ensure the coast was clear and keep any ANBU or other shinobi from intervening. They were still genin, so there was no way Sarada could win against the ANBU but with her Sharingan, she could definitely keep an eye out.
Luckily, to implement the Age Regression technique there would be no need to fight the targets, he simply had to catch them off guard in order to mutter the incantations with the proper gestures fast enough so the technique hit the intended target precisely. It would be hard to successfully go unseen by both the Hokage and a Rinnegan user, but Boruto was counting on the fact that even if his presence was noticed, it wouldn't be perceived as a threat considering he is Lord Seventh's son. Not to mention, that he made sure to incorporate more extensive stealth training into his practice routine, so he was fairly confident the plan would go through without a hitch,
It wasn't a high-risk mission by any means, as much as it was difficult, which pleased Sarada and alleviated most of her fears. According to the information Boruto gave her, he had spent months training to master the technique so she wasn't too worried about that aspect. The raven-haired kunoichi highly doubted Boruto would have wanted to go through with this plan if it was in any way life-threatening to his father. At least that is what she liked to believe. So more than anything, this self-imposed mission would only serve to test her kunoichi skills, and she has never been one to back down from a challenge. If all goes well, I will get to know more about Papa!
It was with that thought that Sarada began her infiltration mission.
Much like Boruto, she too was familiar with the layout of the Hokage building so it wasn't that hard to find a secure hiding place from which she could keep an eye out for any hindrances.
The blond genin, on the other hand, made quick work of breaking into the Hokage's office. He had taken a look at his father's schedule which had been left out in the open (typical…) and made sure to arrive a couple of minutes before the Hokage was set to begin his daily duties. That way he could raise his chances of hitting both Lord Seventh and the Shadow Hokage with the Age Regression jutsu by attacking them as they open the door. All Boruto had to do now was suppress his chakra signature and patiently wait for their arrival, hand gestures ready, words at the tip of his tongue.
What he failed to account for, however, was that a simple genin accomplice would never be enough to fight against the ANBU and make sure the coast was clear if they were to engage in battle. Unfortunately, such was the case. While poor Sarada was forced to fight a couple of shinobi guards and lead them away so as to keep them out of the Hokage's office, her attention was divided long enough for all of the legendary Team Seven to walk in through the doors.
And when Boruto heard the click of the door knob he made sure to do exactly what he trained for almost four months to do. The only thought in his mind being, This is it, you have to be fast!
Not once did he pause to actually confirm he was hitting the intended targets in his desperation not to get caught and by the time he registered the gravity of his mistake, it was far too late. Little twelve-year-old Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all staring at him with poorly concealed expressions of shock and outrage.
Fuck. Sarada is going to kill me!