Twisted

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Boruto sprinted, his full-length sword now properly sheathed and slapping his leg as he ran. The twisting in his gut had taken on a wretched pang as if he needed to throw up all of his insides and his tightened throat was just barely holding them at bay.

On his way to get his sword, he'd passed by Sakura and Tsunade. But despite the tears in the herbalist's emerald eyes, she looked at him with all of the resolve she could muster. Pressing a blood-soaked cloth to Tsunade's shoulder, Sakura bowed her head, not to him as a prince, but to him as her husband's prized student, as a knight of honor. "Please... Save my family."

Only for Sakura did he pause and take the time to bow his own head in return. "I promise on my honor as future king that I won't return without them."

And with that, he rushed off towards the stables where his father was headed.

"Boruto," Naruto yelled as he sprinted past the king's leisurely jog. "Tsunade might be in critical condition! You need to--"

"Sakura told me to go. And you promised."

Boruto ducked under the fence and unlatched the wooden gate, slipping into the pen of Inojin the thoroughbred stallion. They'd explored the kingdom together, run from Ino together, and now... It would be their first time going into a fight together. As the son of Ino and Sai, Boruto didn't want any other horse by his side.

"I did promise but I didn't say when! There is a life at stake!"

"There's more than one life at stake," said Boruto. "And you should know certain lives hold more weight than others."

"Chasing after them recklessly is only going to get you killed!" Naruto shouted, closing the gate with his foot. "Just wait here. Shikamaru and I will take care of things. Sasuke is probably holding them off as we speak!"

"He's actually not," Shikadai announced, his familiar dark boots thudding against the packed dirt littered with hay, Mitsuki trailing behind. "They said something about using him like they used his brother." Shikadai grabbed a halter and some reigns for a well-fed chestnut horse. "I saw where they went. I'm going too."

"Oh no you're not," said Shikamaru, slipping a jet-black bridal over Sai's long face and forcing the bit into his mouth. "You're staying here. What makes you think you can face off against people Sasuke couldn't defeat?"

"I never said anything about fighting," said Shikadai, pulling the horse away from his pile of hay and strapping the halter under his chin. "I just said I'm going with Boruto. I know what direction they went in. You need me."

"Ino can track them!"

"Ino can follow their trail. But if it's only following their trail, we might be too late."

Mitsuki climbed atop the only horse that would allow him to ride. A stark white horse of unknown origins with a jet-black mane. Anyone else who tried to get close was shoved into the wall or bitten. They tried to get rid of it, but when they opened the stable doors, it didn't run away. It just snorted towards the haystack, demanding to be fed. But it took a liking to Mitsuki, so now it was his.

Boruto narrowed his eyes, waiting for a very specific moment. His stomach wouldn't allow him to wait any longer. He knew his father wasn't as experienced with horses and needed to take the time to saddle them fully if he wanted to go any faster than a canter. His friends on the other hand...

Were on bareback with halters and reigns before Shikamaru could even throw on Sai's stirrups.

Boruto himself had so much experience running away in various circumstances that he didn't need anything other than a mane.