Like a Dream || borusara

10.

Boruto sauntered down the sidewalk, his hands casually resting in his pockets. The streets were relatively quiet that time of night, but he still glanced over his shoulder, blue eyes confirming he didn't have any pursuers.

He felt bad he wouldn't have time to visit Sarada at work like she had asked, but he had to go to the shrine when he knew she couldn't follow. He was actually rather amused that she had ditched class just to see what he was up to the other day, but her presence forced him to postpone the conversation he had been itching to have with his father.

The shrine grounds were empty and quiet, save for the sound of chirping crickets and the soft rustling of tree branches in the breeze. The moment he stepped inside the grounds, he exhaled a sigh of relief and allowed his shapeshifted form to release (it required a lot of focus and effort to keep his human form up constantly like he had been around Sarada).

His five tails lashed behind him, showing his anxious, frustrated feelings despite his neutral expression. Boruto approached the main building and bowed respectfully at his family's altar.

His attention turned to his side as a figure appeared from the shadows. Surrounded by an ethereal golden glow, his father stood before him, dressed in traditional robes. His presence was warm, his smile was soft, and his nine tails swayed calmly behind him.

"Father," Boruto bowed again in greeting.

"I'm very happy to see you. You've come to seek my guidance?"

It was a rhetorical question. Naruto knew that was exactly why Boruto was there. As a celestial kyubi no kitsune, his ascended state granted him omniscience, the ability to know all.

Boruto pursed his lips, unwilling to admit that he needed help on his assignment. But he was driving himself mad trying to puzzle together the situation. The facts just didn't add up.

"The girl, Sarada, she's obviously a target of evil spirits and yet there's no curse to be found. I can't seem to find any suspicious people in her life that would be likely to harm her out of spite or envy," Boruto explained. He had even spent some time looking into her friend, Inojin, but he knew he was grasping at straws.

He was beginning to grow desperate to solve this mystery. Advice or a little direction from his father was an absolute last resort plan.

"Perhaps you're thinking too narrowly, perhaps your perception has been clouded," Naruto hummed, a hint of judgment in his tone.

"Don't speak to me in riddles, Father, if you have something to say then say it," Boruto frowned, easily guessing what was coming next.

"You know better than to get involved with mortals to the extent you have with that girl."

His father's voice was stern and serious, but Boruto couldn't help the unamused laugh that fell from his lips. "That's rich coming from you. Was my mother not a mortal shrine maiden before you helped her ascend to the spirit realm?"

Naruto pursed his lips at being caught in his own hypocrisy.

"And you want to lecture me about getting involved with mortals?!" he scoffed.

"Your mother was blessed with the all-seeing eyes, her clairvoyance made her especially in tune with the spirit realm. She is the exception, not the rule," his father defended, but Boruto just rolled his eyes. "The mortals are not your playthings. It's this behavior that gives our kind a bad reputation."

"The mortals are much different than they used to be, Father. But can we please get back to my original point? She does not have a curse on her, correct?"

"That is correct."

Boruto ran his fingers through his blonde hair in exasperation. "Then why would such determined evil spirits be after her?! It doesn't make sense! Even with the protection charm, I have to be with her at all times to ward them off!"