The Hidden Leaf

The Anniversary

Boruto looked at his mom. She is roaming around the kitchen doing her usual daily chores, but something seems different with her. That is what Boruto is trying to figure out as he swallows the last piece of his omelete cooked by none other than, of course, her mother. Her unusually happy and giddy mother.

Hinata has always been happy doing her household chores and taking care of him and Himawari and his nonexistent daddy. He scowled when he remembered his busy Hokage father. Sure, after that incident during the last Chunin exam, his relationship with his father has been totally different. It has gotten back to that time when Naruto was not yet a Hokage. Their bond and closeness back then, it has come back.

Or maybe, he just understands him more now. He just knows how hard it is for his father to be away from them most of the time. But of course, as the Hokage, he has to do a lot of things that requires most of his time. That meant staying late at night for work, and even sometimes, staying overnight at the Hokage office.

Like last night. His dad didn't come home last night because... because... well, some reasons that he doesn't know. But he's pretty sure that it's because of work. His never ending Hokage responsibility. That's why he could not understand why his mother is very happy today.

"Here Boruto."

Hinata gave Boruto his lunch bento. As usual, he and his teammate have a mission today. A D-rank mission outside the village, since the Chunin exam was cancelled because of those Otsutsuki guys. So the three of them – Sarada, Mitsuki, and him – and their sensei Konohamaru are stuck with each other again until the next Chunin exam.

"Thanks Mom."

That's all that he can say, because until now he still could not decipher his mother's great mood.

"Take care, big brother!" Himawari cheered.

He looked at his sister. "Of course, I will!" He beamed a smile at her.

Until he's out on his way to their rendezvous, Boruto still could not get his mother's smiling image off his mind. It was really something he could not forget. It was different. It's like his mother is glowing, like the sun that's shining on the clear sky today. Funny, but it seems this is not the first time that he saw his mother like that. He just could not get it off his mind because admittedly, he likes seeing her like that.

His thoughts made him oblivious of Sarada's presence. She even had to yell at him to make him notice her.

"Boruto!"

"S-Sarada!" He was literally surprised.

A frown adorned her wide forehead that she got from her mother Sakura. "What's wrong? You seemed so lost in your thoughts."

"Nothing, it's just that... Mom..." He told her what's been bothering him the whole morning.

"Something good might have happened," Sarada said.

"Oh yeah, like my dad not going home last night because he's caught up with a lot of work again," he said sarcastically.

Sarada ignored his sarcasm. "Well, maybe today is a special day."

"Special day? But, it's not her birthday, or Dad's, or mine, or Hima's. I could not even think of someone celebrating their birthday today."

"Birthday is not the only special day in someone's life. It could be that something wonderful happened at this exact day last year, or in other past years. It could be the anniversary of something that's important to her."

Anniversary...

Something seems to strike Boruto with that word. Something important seems to be connected with that word.