You've got to be kidding me!

Wrong Path

"Today we're going to be talking about - Cursed Scrolls and Sealed Jutsus," their teacher, Shino Sensei said in his usual monotone voice. "That's because it is necessary for you to know it for future purposes."

He had taken his class out on a small excursion to the Library of Scrolls, just outside of the Hokage office. Since the class was fairly large, he couldn't keep an eye on all the kids at once - which of course had Boruto Uzumaki sniffing for trouble. He knew there were many cool things in the Shed of Scrolls as he called it. And he couldn't wait to get his hands on it.

But at the moment, he was trying not to doze off as Shino Sensei explained all the rules to them. He highly doubted anyone listened. Except maybe Sarada, who was very good at getting on the teacher's good side.

He started when Shikadai nudged him. "Pay attention Boruto!" he hissed. "We're moving!"

Boruto stood up quickly and followed after everyone else. He looked around and found Sarada walking on his other side.

"Hey Salad!" he said with a grin. She sighed. "For the last time Uzumaki, don't call me that," she said, looking around. Only people close to her called her that - including her mother, father, Naruto and Boruto. Aunt Hinata always called her Sarada-Chan, never missing out on the honorifics. According to her mother, it had taken a while to train herself out of calling her husband Naruto-Kun, instead of just Naruto. But she hated being called that in public.

Boruto grinned, but respected her wishes.

"Alright Sarada. Why aren't you at the front of the line like you usually are?"

"If you must know, it's to make sure you don't get into trouble!" she said with a toss of her head. Boruto gave her a cheeky grin and looked behind him where he saw Chocho and Inojin walking side by side, complaining about something nobody else really wanted to know about. Shikadai tapped him on the shoulder.

"Boruto, isn't that the painting of the Sage of Six Paths?" he said, gesturing towards a faded oil painting. Immediately intrigued, Boruto, Sarada, Shikadai, Inojin and Chocho gathered around it.

"It sure is," Boruto exclaimed. He reached forward to brush the dust off its surface when Sarada grabbed his wrist.

"Boruto! What are you doing?" she exclaimed. "This painting is ancient! The oils in your fingers could potentially break it down! Don't touch it!"

Boruto pulled his hand back sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The candle on the wall flickered and suddenly, the silence around them started to get uncomfortable. It was Chocho who noticed what was wrong.

"Um g-guys? We just got left behind!"

They all spun around and realised she was right. The whole class had walked on ahead.

"We'll find them!" Boruto said confidently. He took off running down the candlelit hall and he heard his friends running close behind. He thought he heard voices up the hall and sped up. Only to skid to a halt. There was a fork in the hall.

Shikadai groaned. "What a drag!" he muttered, rubbing his head.

"A fork?" Inojin said, confused. "Who even does that anymore?"

"Obviously the old bags who built this place," Boruto said with a scowl.

"Boruto! Show some respect! This building has been here for generations!"

"Sarada, we're deserted in the middle of a huge library without a map and no idea where to go! I don't think respect is the first thing on our minds!"

"Which path should we choose?" Chocho said.

"Go left," Boruto said, at the same time that Sarada, "Go right".

"I feel like we should go right," Shikadai said.

The others agreed and Boruto shrugged with his classic scowl.

They headed off down the hall again, the lanterns flickering in the breeze. The echoing of their footsteps down the hall was not exactly comforting, and the group were jumpy of the smallest sound. They turned a corner and simply stared.

It was a dead end.

And in that dead end was a shelf of endless, endless scrolls.

"I told you I was right!" Boruto said with a grin. He gave Sarada a teasing smirk and wiggled his hips in a very 'I told you so manner'. Finally, Sarada had had enough and karate chopped Boruto across the back of the head.

Suddenly, Boruto saw stars. Ignoring the gasps of his friends, he staggered in a dazed state and bumped into the shelf of scrolls. They all gaped in horror as the shelf trembled and all the scrolls rattled forward.... Before rattling back again. They heaved a sigh of relief and made to wipe the sweat off their heads - when a scroll rolled forwards, off the shelf and hit Boruto in the head.

They gaped again and with wide eyes, watched the scroll hit the ground and gradually roll open.

There was a blinding flash and they all fell to the ground, holding their faces. Despite both knocks to the skull, Boruto was the first to recover. He growled in Sarada's direction and crawled forward to read the scroll.

Opened by youths and the ones who came before you will match you in your age.

"What the hell does that mean?" Boruto grumbled, scratching his skull.

"I have no idea," Shikadai answered honestly.

"Look Boruto. That scroll is nothing but trouble," Sarada said slowly. "But It must have affected us in some way. Pocket it just in case anything drastic were to happen."

Boruto scowled at her again, and pocketed it. Just in time to hear murmurs coming from around the corner.

Shino Sensei rounded the corner with the rest of the class and raised his eyebrows from behind his glasses. "May I ask how you got here ahead of us?" Shino asked with an annoyed quirk of his lip.

"We apologise Shino Sensei. We were simply looking at an old painting and were left behind by the group!" Sarada said with an apologetic bow. "We tried to catch up, but must have accidentally taken the short way here."

"You didn't touch anything, did you?"

"No, we got here and decided moving would be a bad idea. We waited here for you to get us."

"Good job all of you," he said and turned to the class. "Now this is an example of what to do when separated from your group in a minor mission. Sit and wait for your Captain to come and get you."

They nodded and kept going, Boruto worriedly gripping the scroll in his track pants.