The Future: Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 41

DESTINY BEGINS TO MOVE

Boruto takes a deep breath, doing his best to conceal it from Sarada. He looks out through the hole in the wall she has just made, noting that it is a clear and starry night. It is perfect, he had always hoped that it would be this sort of setting when he got to this most crucial part of his life. Naturally, he had also hoped rather that Sarada would be calmer than she is right now but everyone must make small sacrifices, mustn't they?

He looks back from the starry sky and into the eyes of his girlfriend and in his mind's eye there is very little change. To his left, the vast infinite reality of this universe, the sun, the moon, the stars and everything that lies beyond them. To his right, the infinite depth of the eyes of the Uchiha, and something that he can see even without his Byakugan, her unending potential, her ability to change everyone's world for the better.

"You see" Boruto begins with a wry smile, "I didn't tell my father about our relationship directly. I gave that as a backdrop to these questions I wanted to ask him, questions about you".

Boruto smiles as he walks closer to Sarada, ever more assured that she has calmed down. He is still wary though, he knows that he must watch his words. If there is one thing he knows about the last Uchiha, it is that she is very dangerous when she is angry.

"But why would you need to ask him about me" Sarada questions as she looks to the side for a moment before refocusing her attention on Boruto. "You know me probably better than anyone. There is no way that your father could know more about me than you".

"That's not true Sarada, not in some respects". Boruto turns to the side walking backwards and forwards, trying to burn off some nervous energy as he explains his situation. "I have always known you as an ally, Sarada. An ally, a companion, a partner, a loved one, I've known you in so many ways. However, I have never known you in the way he knows you".

"And how does he know me that you do not?".

"He knows what it is like to see you as a junior" the blonde shinobi clarifies. Boruto is the shadow Hokage, a man who almost everyone in the village looks up to, someone who protects the village in the dark but understands the lessons that world teaches cannot be integrated into society. Boruto is a guiding light for most people but one person he has never lead is Sarada, never Sarada.

"He sees you in the same way Konohamaru sensei did" Boruto explains, his voice cracking slightly as he references their deceased teacher. "He knows you in the same way your mother and father did".

The memories that come with the situation are difficult for Boruto. He has become accustomed to loss ever since their world was first invaded but the names he is mentioning now are among the toughest losses for him. His sensei. His master. Lady Sakura, a woman he looked up to.

He finishes. "I've only followed in your wake. I've only seen the path to Hokage that you have created. I have never done what they did, I've never been the one to show you that path".

Sarada pauses for a moment, removes her glasses and rubs her eyes. The memories are just as hard for her, memories of her parents. "That's not true Boruto" she refutes him as she puts her glasses back on. "You have walked beside me on this path. You are my most faithful friend and if it were not for you, I would never have made it to Hokage".

"No, you could have become the Hokage no matter what happened" Boruto modestly replies. It is not simply modesty, it is something he truly believes. "It's because you're amazing. You shine brightly like nobody I have ever seen before. It is because you are Uchiha Sarada".