Sarada was leaning against the wall, spinning a shuriken over her finger. She watched the points turn, round and round, until she was interrupted.
"Sarada?"
She yelped, clasping her hand around the shuriken and inadvertently cutting herself. She hissed out a curse under her breath, and jammed the shuriken into her pocket, plastering a smile at her visitor. She let it drop almost instantly. Just Mitsuki. No need to pretend.
"What's up?" She said, aware of how awkward she sounded. She knew Mitsuki wasn't particularly interested in her. Boruto was probably the only person he cared about, and without him here, well…
"It's our briefing. Konohamaru-sensei is already up there." Mitsuki said, raising an eyebrow at her.
Sarada winced, and glanced at the clock. Crap. She'd gotten distracted. She gave Mitsuki an apologetic look, and he gave her a small smile before turning back towards the stairs.
When Sarada found herself in the Hokage's office, she was a little shocked. Lord Seventh looked… awful, to put it mildly. He looked exhausted, with twice as many reports stacked up on his desk. But he still gave them a tired smile as they entered.
"You guys are gonna be on a group mission. Teams 5, 7, 10 and 15. It's pretty simple, but it's guarding a big shipment so they want eyes and ears everywhere. It's a C-Rank. Should only take a couple days, and you'll be leaving immediately."
Once Konohamaru had taken the mission files, they left. But Sarada was well aware, in the corner of her vision, of Lord Seventh tiredly thumbing through the stacks of paper on his desk, seemingly none bearing good news.
…
"His jacket?" Shikamaru questioned.
"Yeah," Naruto muttered, eyes locked on the evidence room door in front of them. "Found it in the woods. That's gotta be something, right?"
"Don't get your hopes up Naruto. It could be something, but there are a lot of somethings it could be." Shikamaru murmured.
Naruto pursed his lips. He rapped three sharp times on the door, and it was quickly pulled open by an ANBU member with a Monkey mask. He bowed quickly to them both, then led them over to a table where the jacket had been laid out. It had clearly been examined and scrutinised, and Naruto looked to the ANBU operative for an explanation.
Monkey cleared his throat. "We've had some of the people from Forensics check it over, but it's ah… it's clean. Completely. Barely even a trace of Boruto's DNA on it, just some skin cells and hair follicles. It's been wiped down, there's nothing that shouldn't be there."
"Where was it found?" Shikamaru asked, nudging at one of the scuffed sleeves with a latex-gloved hand.
"About twenty clicks north of the gates, sir. We've searched the area too. No tire marks, travel marks, nobody's seen any unusual activity either." Monkey quickly answered, rattling off as though from a list.
"But nothing?" The operative shook his head.
Naruto sighed. It was definitely Boruto's jacket. It even had the little patch of stitching on the shoulder where Hinata had fixed it after he ripped it during training. The prized Uzumaki family crest on the back and shoulder. He furrowed his brow, trying to remember exactly what Boruto had been wearing that night. This jacket, yes. Long sleeved white T shirt, black trousers. He'd been wearing his combats too. Surely, combats would leave footprints? He glanced back at the jacket. He'd find Boruto. No matter what.
He had to.
…
Shikadai stood with his hands crammed into his pockets, glancing around. Teams 5 and 15 were joking around, laughing. Shikadai guessed they probably hadn't heard the news yet. It'd only been last night, and the adults were making a serious effort to keep the kids in the dark. Shikadai wondered where Mitsuki and Sarada were. If anyone would question Boruto's absence. How would it be explained? The truth, or some glossed-over lie? Moegi-sensei stood a little behind him, arms crossed, pigtails coming loose in the wind. She was drumming her fingers sharply against her arms, watching the Hokage's office. Likely for Konohamaru. The two of them were going to be the only sensei manning the mission - unless Hanabi showed up. But she was helping in the search for her nephew.
Which is why Shikadai was especially surprised when he saw her walking down with Team 7. Konohamaru made a headcount, and they headed off. It didn't take too long before Boruto's absence was questioned.
"Uh… Konohamaru sensei? Hanabi sensei? Where's Boruto?" Denki had tentatively asked.
Both had froze. Konohamaru looked to Hanabi for support on what he should do, Hanabi had gone very still. She chewed the inside of her cheek, then glanced at Konohamaru again. He sighed.
"Boruto's… Boruto's missing." He mumbled.
The effect was almost immediate.
"What do you mean missing?" Sumire had asked.
"Is he okay?" Namida had questioned.
But it had been Wasabi and Iwabee who were spot on. "Did someone take him?"
Everyone had fallen dead silent at that. Denki's face seemed to lighten with understanding. Of course he'd know. He and Boruto were similar like that. Important fathers. Easy targets. But it was Metal who spoke.
"Why would someone take him? He's the Hokage's son!"
"Exactly," Denki mumbled. "Who else would you go after? They'll have Konoha in the palm of their hand."
Everyone went quiet at that. Denki was right, after all.
"Why aren't we looking for him?" Sumire questioned.
Konohamaru looked uncomfortable. "You guys are just kids. It's not your place."
"But-"
"No buts," Moegi cut in. "Leave it to the adults. They'll find him. He'll be back by the end of the week, trust me."
Shikadai wanted to, he really did.
…
Boruto wasn't sure whether or not he regretted smashing the glass. Sure, he'd gotten the shard, but had paid for it dearly. His cheek smarted something fierce, and he'd wound up locked in a closet with his hands cuffed to the rail above his head for his efforts. He wasn't gagged, though. He would take the little victories.
Not that having his mouth free seemed to do anything. He'd yelled himself hoarse and no one had come, not even Bastard. He could feel the shard in his sleeve, and the steady stream of blood dripping down to his armpit. He wriggled his hands, trying to see if he could reach it. After some awkward fumbling and cursing, he had the bloodstained shard gripped in his hand. He let the feeling of victory flood over him, but it was gone in a flash.
What was he even supposed to do with it? He couldn't pick the lock. He couldn't saw through solid metal. That left one option. Wait for Bastard to show up again, free him, and then stab him and make a run for it. Foolproof. So Boruto waited. And waited. And waited. He stared numbly at his watch, clicking the light on every few seconds, its green glow the only thing illuminating the tiny closet. Hours ticked by in silence.
Finally, the door was opened. In his haste to hide the shard, Boruto dropped it down his sleeve, cursing as it landed just between his wrist and the cuff. Boruto stared Bastard right in the face. Bastard just smirked at him and took the cuffs off the rail, freeing him but leaving his hands tied. He then dragged him out of the closet. Boruto bit back a curse as the shard dug into his skin, and he tried not to panic as little drops of blood dripped to the floor. But if Bastard noticed, he didn't care. Boruto was lead into the kitchen and forced down into a chair. It was then he noticed the smell of food, and realised how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten in close to 24 hours. But he wasn't going to beg. Not a chance. So he sat, staring stoically at the floor, while Bastard paced around the kitchen, whistling.
"Rabbit?" Boruto bit back a retort, still staring at the ground. The Bastard put a hand on his shoulder. "Rabbit… what was the deal we made yesterday, don't you? Or have you forgotten already? I can remind you if need be."
At this, the Bastard's grip tightened. Boruto flinched involuntarily. Fuck.
"I remember," Boruto said stiffly.
The grip loosened. Boruto let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.
"Good." The Bastard murmured. "Are you thirsty?" When Boruto nodded shortly, the man reached back up into the cupboard, producing a plastic cup. He'd learned, then.
"Can I have anything to eat?" Boruto mumbled.
"If you behave," Bastard said in a singsong tone. God, Boruto could punch him. But instead, he left his bound hands resting in his lap, fist clenching around the shard. Any minute now. Bastard turned to the sink, filling up the glass. Boruto could feel blood dripping down his palm. Not yet.
His eyes were burning into Bastard's back. He had to wait… wait for the perfect moment…
Bastard reached to switch off the tap. He didn't have a free hand.
Boruto took the moment.
