Time-Twisted Melody (Boruto - Twinkling Watermelon AU)

Chapter 43

Third Person POV

The Konoha Music Festival was alive with a vibrant energy, an annual pulse of laughter, and chatter filling the streets. Stalls lined the walkways, lanterns strung overhead lit with a soft, welcoming glow, and the mingling scents of sweet and savory treats curled through the air. People from every corner of the city gathered to celebrate, their anticipation building for the bands set to compete in a matter of hours.

Sakura, Ino, and Sarada moved through the crowd together. Ino's eyes sparkled with excitement as she scanned the festival grounds, eager to support her boyfriend, Sai, who would be performing. But Sakura and Sarada, both, wore nearly identical expressions: pure disinterest. Sakura's presence here was only due to the nagging thought of others mistaking her absence for cowardice, a mere token of her resolve against Naruto's ridiculous bet. And in her mind, that decision was made. She had no intention of ever dating him, festival performance or not.

Sarada, on the other hand, seemed lost in her own thoughts, her eyes flickering from one performer to the next, yet never really focusing. Since she'd overheard that cryptic mention of Boruto making a deal with Shisui, her mind had been spinning with questions.

'What kind of deal had they made, and why would Boruto need to be involved with Shisui at all?'

Ino, catching sight of Sakura's glum face, nudged her with a mischievous grin. "So, Sakura," she teased, "if Naruto manages to pull this off, you might just fall for him like you fell for Sasuke, right?"

Sakura scoffed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest, an unimpressed smirk pulling at her lips. "Please, Ino," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "There's no chance of that happening. I've already made up my mind about Naruto."

Ino raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by Sakura's dismissive tone. "Oh, really? And how can you be so sure?"

With a seriousness that surprised them both, Sakura's expression sharpened. "Because I already made a deal—with Boruto."

"...!"

Sarada's head whipped toward them, her eyes wide. 'Boruto made a deal...with Mama?'

The question hung in the air, laced with confusion and a hint of disbelief.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

The waiting room hummed with a mixture of excitement and tension as Naruto and his band gathered, each finding small ways to prepare for the performance. Naruto, never one to contain his enthusiasm, grinned from ear to ear as he proudly held up a green-and-red guitar pick decorated with a small watermelon slice, an unexpected but cherished gift from Hinata.

"Check this out!" he bragged, holding it up for the group to see. "Hinata gave it to me herself, ya know! Isn't it awesome?"

Meanwhile, Boruto sat slumped on the sofa, his expression clouded and distant. In his hand, he turned a black guitar pick between his fingers, the familiar white Koda symbol on it stark against the dark plastic. It was a pick Mr. Sasuke had given him—a parting gift of sorts. This pick was the only remnant left of the man who had once held so much meaning to him... Apart from Sarada.

Boruto's chest tightened at the thought of Sarada, and his mind drifted to his conversation with Shisui.

-Flashback-

"What's this about?" Boruto asked, keeping his tone steady even though he could feel a subtle tension building. "Why are you here?"

"I have something I need you to do—something that can't wait much longer. You have until the end of the festival."