71 Arc 3: Phase 2: Finale



The heat of the sun was burning, throughout the rocky desert, at least for a certain light brown haired woman, who resisted or didn't even bother to feel the heat. She was focused on a more important matter right now.

Along with sheer determination and little worry, the woman stayed by the silver haired man's side as she placed her hands on his chest, attempting her best to heal him from his injuries. She was still glad that she still regained chakra when she first arrived back here. There was a cost for returning back to the world to where she formerly once belong.

Nonou Yakushi, with dedication and perseverance was the one responsible for saving her "Son" from the explosion. Before that, she had to go through a lot of trials and obstacles just to escape and by passed the strict and dangerous security of the Pure Land.

The whole place was chaotic to her, and she never wanted to be there anymore. Apparently, she had her own goals to pursue and one of them is to be reunited with the silver haired man, who she hadn't seen for a very long time. It was safe to say that she had achieved that goal and it took a lot of tough work to reach it.

How she had missed her son.

She coudn't count the number of tears that were falling from her eyes. Like any mother would do, she was doing what she deemed is right. Eventually, she might get caught by the Pure Land's authorities but she didn't even care if she gets punished for this kind of act.

"Mother?"

The silver haired man finally let a word out to finally break the silence. His voice was thin and weak as if he had just woken up from a coma.

Processing his first thoughts was a challenge for Kabuto himself, by the time he had opened his eyes, he was greeted by someone, who he hadn't seen for a very long time. The emerald green eyes and the light brown hair was definitely a giveaway.

His thoughts then would shift to doubt and confusion.

"H-How was she here?

"I thought she was gone for a long time?"

There were so many questions that continue to pour in. He wondered if this was indeed reality. There was no way that person was really his mother. She had been dead for many years already, unless he too died a violent death and found himself in some kind of purgatory or maybe heaven.

He really did felt relieved. All the pain that he was feeling right now was surprisingly gone. He felt as if his soul was really in heaven. This was the first time, he felt so peaceful. He then focused his eyes back on the woman, and he slowly reached his hand towards her.

As his hand reached her cheek, the silver haired man slightly gave a surprised expression. For the simple fact that he was able touch her and that she wasn't some kind of ghost or spirit.

The young woman held the silver haired man's hands in return. She was a bit speechless yet she was able to let out a few words of her own.

"Don't worry dear, Everything's going to be alright." She whispered.

"We are going to get out of this place." She added to her statement, not knowing that a presence was approaching the area and from behind.

Kabuto was confused and dazed. He heard what the young woman had said yet he couldn't process or understand what she was trying to say.

Sensing that there was no time to waste and also suddenly sensing the oncoming presence. Nonou fasten herself as she tried to take action. Although, as she was about to do her move by drawing out her own Kunai, she found herself being too late to react as a certain voice then suddenly prevented her from doing so.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do such a careless thing." It was a voice of a young man that said.

"Dropped the weapon and turned around." The voice then commanded.

Sensing that she was at the edge of the blade. She took a deep breath and dropped her Kunai on the rocky ground. She slowly raised both of her arms and then turned around to face the young man.

Sasuke's focus remained. He gripped his blade tight as he found himself facing a young woman to which he hasn't seen or met before. Based from his description of the person, she had light brown hair and green emerald eyes. She donned what appears to be an old Shinobi attire and a pair of square-shaped glasses.

"She looked as if she came from the leaf village as well." The Uchiha thought to himself as he continued to observed her.

There was silence that took over the area. The wind grew strong as the atmophere began to tense at the same time.

The young woman found herself facing the tip of the blade that could possibly end it all. She knew that she had to be careful on her next moved and moments later, an idea then came into her mind. She took another deep breath and began to speaking.

"Listen, you don't have to let someone lose their life today." She said towards the young man." We both know that fighting is not the answer to this." She added, while receiving nothing but silence.

For a few moments, Sasuke kept quiet and observant. Thoughts were running into his mind, wondering if this woman was telling the truth. He had just got back from the previous encounter with his former team and now he finds himself in another potential battle if anything goes to the extreme.

He took a deep breath.

"Then tell me, why should I trust you?" He asked. He still needed to send that statement as a final confirmation. If the person has shown hesitation or nervousness or any slight of suspicion, then that person is definitely a culprit.

Quietness took over for a few moments as the young woman gave the teen a very serious look."

"Because his life is at stake, including yours." She calmly replied.

Sasuke gave a baffled look. What does she mean when she said that his life was in danger? Could there be some kind of plot for him to be assassinated again? Did this plot secretly came from mercenaries or Orochimaru himself?

"What do you mean?" He asked once again.

For a few moments of quietness, The young woman slightly surveyed her surroundings to see if there were any suspicious eyes. Luckily, they were the only ones present in the area right now.

She then turned her eyes back towards the teen and spoke once more.

"Trust me, you don't know what's really going on."

(MEANWHILE)



"You looked so defeated and wet, Did something happened?"

It seemed that the streak of bad luck had continued to plague the young woman. Yuko had been smashed and thrown like ragdoll and got unexpectedly beaten by a bunch of nobodies. Now, she found herself receiving obvious comments from a certain individual in front of her.

It had been a very eventful day since the incident back at the hideout. All Tensai could observed was the young woman had met an unfortunate humiliation and now she was standing in front of him, possibly planning to whine, yet he received a different response.

Yuko gave a semi-sarcasic expression." Of course, something happened!" She replied before continuing." It's pretty obvious isn't?" She added, pointing to herself.

Tensai gave slight chuckle, before shaking his head." I told you so, don't ever underestimate underdogs." He said." They're really at surprising anyone." He added.

The young woman slightly narrowed her eyes." So...? I was just merely testing their skills." She explained." Although, I haven't got to interact with the main core, just the duck and that Otsutsuki." She added.

Tensai raised both eyebrows." Oh I see." He said, before continuing." Have you gotten information about them?" He asked.

Yuko gave a slight frowned expression as she really didn't want to recall previous events out of embarrassment yet she needed to. She took a slight deep breath and spoke." Well, it seems that the duck came from the Pure Land, and I'm not sure who is he working for." She explained." As for the Otsutsuki, I think his a prisoner who has somehow been imprisoned underground for years.

Tensai nodded in understanding." Oh I see." He said, before continuing." What has happened to them?" He asked.

There was silence that befell the young woman. She knew too well that her old killing tendecies can be a nuisance and it made her responsible for messing things up for a little bit rather than just capture the two alive. As a result, one of them had possibly died.

Tensai, on the other hand, was waiting with curiosity, based from his observations, the young woman seemed to struggling or hesistant to speak about the incident.

A few moments had passed and the young woman finally let her mouth opened." Well, I'm not really certain, I guess both of them managed to escape since luck is on their side." She explained, she too actually wasn't able to witness the final scenes since she was forcibly thrown away by the Mini-tailed beast.

Tensai nodded in understanding." Oh I see." He said, before continuing." It seems that the duck is in league with the trio." He replied, causing the young woman to project a certain expression.

"Oh you mean those new kids on the block?" Yuko asked, before scratched her chin." Oh How could I forget about them?" She commented sarcastically, " They're pretty nice to hangout with if you ask me?"

Tensai gave an amused expression." Well, I guess that's your mission for the meantime." He said, as he grabbed an empty basket and fishing rod.

"Hey wait a sec! What do you mean mission?" Yuko asked, with confusion all over her face." I thought you're gonna assign me and the others later at the meeting?" She added.

Tensai gave a slight chuckle." Well, wouldn't be better if you know the details now?" He said, giving a slight yawn." Besides, you're pretty good in blending yourself in society." He explained." I think you're the best fit for the task." He added.

Yuko stayed quiet for awhile, she thought about the possible scenarios that could happened. Blending in with society will definitely give her a chance to live as a normal citizen, a life to which she never had since the beginning. It will also give her time to explore the current trends of today's world.

She lived in times of war.

A playful smile then went across her face." Hmmm, Looks like I'll be having some fun." She said, folding her arms.

"See, I told you." Tensai said, now giving a slight serious look." Your goal is basically locate these trio of newcomers and get to know them." He explained.

The main issue about these trio is that they are unexpected pieces to the plan at hand. They already have done enough damage to slightly alter the course of the events and if they continued to do so, then there's a conflict right here. Another issue revolves around locating enemies and hindrances to the plan.

As for Yuko, she also had a little unfinished business with one of them. The raven haired lady with the red glasses.

"Guess I'm in for this." The young woman simply said as she gave her superior a confident smirk.

Tensai gave a small smile as the young man finally decided to head towards the lake. Grabbing his basket and fishing rod, he passed by the silver haired lady, without any more thoughts to ponder.

"Hey, what's with the fishing rod and the outfit by the way?" Yuko asked, finally noticing the man's simplistic outfit.

The young man gave a sigh and turned to the the young silver haired lady." Well, Just trying to relive the life which I once had." He simply said before finally heading out of the small forest.

As Yuko was left standing there, she took a quick look at the young brown haired man. What was so interesting about him was that he was not like the other members of the organization. He somehow had that respect inside of him, and he seemed to be an approachable person.

Yet still, no one knows about the man's past except for the fact that he died a tragic death and has been brought back and chosen to lead this group for the majority of the time.

At least for her, she didn't bother to revisit or talk about her past, since all of that was already dead to her to begin with. What she could only do know is write a new one for her own.

(MEANWHILE)

From the point of where they started their journey back towards the village, The whole team found themselves arriving at a very familiar area.

The vast sandy fields had been now replaced by the lush green forest. Something that everyone in the group had been expecting since the aftermath of the final confrontation against the Uchiha.

They were stepping their feets on the sandy grounds for hours now, having little struggles with the occasional sand storms across the land, and also having to deal with the problem of thirst. Apparently, the team's water supply had dropped into new lows, forcing them to cancel their occasional stops for breaks in hopes of reaching the green lands sooner.

It wasn't a joke to be honest, they were all exhausted and were now weary.

Eventually, they would overcome those struggles. For such as the sand storms never bothered them, the water shortages were temporary solved because of water orbs that Showtaro had to sustained the rest of their thirst. The rest were very surprised and amazed to see a duck with such supplies, although they just never chose to ask more questions along the way.

Since Yamato was weakened to lead the way, Naruto, Sakura, and Sai were the ones that took charged for the first time as they led the rest of Team 7 out of the sandy fields. The two rookies caught up as they remained behind the trio, conversing with Showtaro and Mitsue. As for their brown haired captain, he could managed his own.

The journey finally had ended with the rest of the team reaching the final stages. A faint of green could be seen from a few distances away. As they got closer, it was slowly being revealed into a wide mile of trees which stretched forth endlessly.

Slowly but surely, all of their faces were lit up. Hopes renewed and a sense of relief being felt afterwards.

"Yes! We finally reach the forest!"

As per Mitsue's triumphant yell. Everyone followed that victory as they all made their way towards the greener lands as fast as they can.

(LATER ON

"Looks like this should be the perfect spot to set up camp, Sakura-chan."

Naruto commented, stopping his tracks as he found himself observing his current surroundings which was revealed to be a round small lake located in an open area inside the forest.

Sakura nodded in agreement." Yeah, I guess so." She replied, also surveying her surroundings

The peaceful atmosphere of the area greeted the rest of the team. Boruto, Sarada, Mitsue, Showtaro, and Yamato emerged from the trees to find themselves at a certain place, where they can fully let go of their battle hardened selves and fully rest.



"You've got to be kidding me." Boruto muttered under his breath. He was a bit mesmerized the fact that they had been gifted with a place to loosen down their weariness." Such as place right, Sarada-chan?"

Sarada, on the other hand didn't said a word yet she gave a nod as a response, because she had her mind focused on one thing. Drawing a certain small rectangular-shape object, she immediately opened her smart phone, and secretly took a couple of photos.

Her blonde teammate quickly took noticed of what she was doing and his heart beated in nervousness. He took a glance at his left and saw that their brown haired sensei was approaching them.

Boruto widened his eyes as he immediately gave his teammate a tap on the shoulder." I think it would be best if you hide the phone first." He whispered to warn her.

"What...?" Sarada said as she then turned her eyes towards her blonde teammate and then Yamato, who was heading towards their direction. As soon as she noticed the brown haired man." Oh Crap!" She exclaimed in her mind as she immediately placed her phone behind her back.

As Yamato reached them, the two rookies quickly turned their full attention to the brown haired man.

"Yamato-sensei!" Both of them said in unison, slightly startling the man.

Yamato slightly widened his eyes in suprised." Well, you two seemed very excited." He commented, not sure what was the fuss all about.

Boruto gave a grin." Well, really can't wait to finally get back home sensei!" He replied, while his Uchiha teammate kept quiet.

Yamato gave a slight nervous smile." Yeah, You're right about that but..." He trailed off before focusing his eyes on the two." Is it okay if you can help me on a small favour?" He asked.

Both rookies took glances at each other before turning back to the man with an expecting look. What could it be?

"Sure sensei! What's the job?" Boruto asked with a smile.

There was quietness that took over for a brief moment and Yamato was wondering if this was the right thing to do. He was sure hell of a nervous because this could cost his job.

"Well, is it okay if you can assist me on my mission report to Lady Tsunade if when we get back home?" He finally relayed his worries to the two.

Both rookies gave a surprised. This was the first time that the man asked them for help. All they knew about him, was that he was strong and independent. Although, since he had come forward, they had no choice but to listen to him and do him a favour.

"Uhmm, Sure!" Boruto said." We'll do our best to help sensei!" He replied back with a grin before giving his teammate a little shrug.

In response to that, Sarada smiled." Yeah, we'll try to explain to Lady Tsunade about it." She said.

For a few moments, Yamato observed the two. He was takem by surprised when the rookies agreed to help him, which somehow a sigh of relief to him. He felt grateful and he'll make sure that he'll give the two something in return.

Speaking of the two, they really looked like a couple.

The brown haired man sighed." Thank you very much!" He thanked them.

Boruto and Sarada could only smile back as they were also glad to have a help. In that same time, the blonde teenager, decided to have a little prank and secretly snatched his teammate's smartphone from her.

"Catch me if you can!" Boruto exclaimed as he playfully tried to escape the raven haired girl.

Sarada, who on the other hand, was startled but immediately her irritation took over for the first time and she automotically raced towards the blonde in order to give him a discipline beating." This is not the time for games you idiot!" She said as she chased him through out the area.

Yamato, now left alone once more, watched dumbfoundedly.

"They're really are a couple."

(LATER ON)

As time passed on, the rest of the hours were allocated as the whole team had began to set up camp to prepare for the night.

Naruto and Sakura acted as the duo in- charged for the rest of the day, with the pink haired teen working together with the raven haired rookie as they plan the proper layout of the camp and physically implementing it with the help of their brown haired sensei.

As for Naruto, he sought out the rest of the boys in the group. Taking the blonde rookie, Sai, Showtaro and Mitsue to get wood for the bonfire, other necessary things needed later on and to also survey the rest of the surroundings.

As everyone was tasked to their jobs and now, they had a goal of making their evening comfortable and best as possible.

(Interview)

"When all these things are over, I am pretty sure that everybody could have that deserve rest."

-Boruto

(LATER ON)

The day continued on without any unusual events. Sakura, Sarada and Yamato began their task on setting up the camp. They had to load out each of everyone's sleeping bags, placing the bags into their respective positions, in a circular arrangement according to the planned layout.

As for the other group, Naruto's team returned back successfully carrying loads of wood. Every single member of that group, with the exception of Showtaro, were all carrying their own set of wood.

Apparently, Showtaro had been the one in charged of surverying and overseeing the rest of the vast forest surroundings, since he was a duck and he had the ability of flight and from his perspective, he could easily see everything from above.

Nothing happened during their search except for a few instances where a wild boar suddenly appeared out of nowhere and chased the whole group around the area. The funny thing is that none of them dared to confront the wild boar because of simply that they don't want to and they spent an hour being chased around until the boar lost interest and left them.

When they finally achieved their only objective, they emerged from the forest battered and exhausted as if they took on Rock Lee's hundred lap race challenge, which was really ridiculous until now.

Sarada could only gave a chuckle as she had to assist a very pale and exhausted Boruto, who apparently didn't had a great time running away from the wild boar. It seemed like a De Ja Vu for the poor teenage blonde and she remembered that he was chased by a wild boar last time when they first arrived in the past.

She didn't exactly quite recall everything that happened at that time but she remembered seeing the color blonde and the sun shining through the forest as the chase was still ongoing.

Sarada smiled as she cut the onions and garlic on a makeshift chopping board. She was now currently in charged of the dinner menu. Her mind was playing all the memories and she couldn't help but watched all of them regarding her certain blonde teammate.

"I wonder on how many times did he saved me?" She thought to herself. She was definitely a strong young lady with an accidental habit of getting herself save by her teammate in some occasions. She wondered on how does she even get herself in those situations?

(Interview)

"Well, I'm not the damsel in distress type of character. I am more of a clumsy girl, who sometimes get into those situations."

-Sarada

"Sarada-san?" Just then, a familiar voice called her name.

The raven haired teen snapped from her thoughts as she turned her attention to the pink haired teen, who was now looking at her with a little bit of concern and confusion. Apparently, Sakura had just gotten back from the inventory checking session, holding a small clipboard with a note.

"Is everything alright?" She asked the raven haired teen, who seemed to be daydreaming just awhile ago.

Sarada quickly snapped to back reality. She slightly shook her head and gave a small smile." Uhmm, Yeah." She replied back." Just figuring out on how my teammate managed to escape the wild boar." She explained.

Hearing that statement, Sakura gave a slight laugh." Oh I see." She said, before continuing." I was actually thinking about it just now." She explained." It makes you wonder how they even managed to get themselves into those kinds of situations." She gave a little chuckle.

Sarada smiled." Yeah you're right." She said as she thought about the blonde once more. no matter how many times the guy had faced challenges far more bigger and dangerous, he still ends up getting beaten by small obstacles such as this.

What a strange but colourful way to live a life.

Both of the two girls' attention shifted towards a certain direction where the two blondes were currently at.

(MEANWHILE)

The small lake was calm at this time in the afternoon.

Bringing their improvised fishing down the surface of the water, the two blondes found themselves trying to catch any fish, which will be part of the team's dinner later on aside from the usual canned food. It was actually the rookie's idea to fetch a fish out of the lake, to which was a new thing for the team especially, Naruto himself.

"This is actually cool Boruto!" Naruto commented, since he could really feel the peacefulness in the atmosphere. His jacket was unzipped revealing a black fish net type of t-shirt. Something from the past that the rookie wouldn't bother to tryout.

Boruto gave a small smile." Yeah, I guess this is your first time huh?" He replied, it seemed that his young old man had never been into kinds of activities such as this.

There was quietness that took over for a brief while as Naruto submerged into his deep thoughts before giving a smile." Well, it's actually not my first time Boruto." He explained." I've been into many fishing trips before but all those activities were just by myself." He said, projecting a sense of loneliness in his tone of voice.

"Really?" The rookie asked.

Naruto simply nodded." Well, I don't know how to explain this properly but whenever I go fishing, it's always been just myself, maybe a little bit with Kakashi-sensei and the guys back then, but it was all me." He explained, giving a slightl chuckle." I am just glad that I could fish with a sense of peacefulness." He added.

"Oh." Boruto muttered. He now understood what the other blonde was saying. He was just shocked and surprised to see how even in simpler activities, his old man was often by himself.

And then he remembered his grandpa Minato and grandma Kushina, bringing up a little bit of sadness to him.

"What about you?" His thoughts were interrupted as the rookie then turned his attention back towards the blonde." Do you always feel this sense of calmness whenever you go fishing?"

Boruto remained quiet for a few moments before finally speaking up." Well, uhmm, most of the time." He said, before continuing." And I have to thank a certain person for that." He added.

Naruto both raised his eyebrows in curiousness." Oh, who is it?" He asked.

"My Dad." The rookie simply said as he tried to focus more on catching a fish.

Naruto stared at the rookie for a bit, before continuing." Ya know, there's always something, everytime you talk or mention your dad." He commented, raising his interest on the subject.

"Is there something about him?" He added.

Boruto took the time to regather himself. Giving a deep breath, he spoke." Well, there's something." He said." Something that really lightens up the day." He explained, recalling memories where the whole family used to go on fun activities such as this. He remembered how his old man would do something silly and clumsy which would make everyone laugh their butts off.

"I guess you're dad is a fun person to hangout with!" Naruto commented." If I were have my own dad, I hope it would be like yours man." He gave a grin.

Boruto gave a sad smile." Well, it would be better if your dad would be a bad ass like a Hokage." He suggested." Who's your favorite Hokage by the way?" He asked.

Naruto was silent for a few moments." Hmmm, I always idolized the fourth when I was younger." He said.

It was very much a surprised for the rookie. An irony for his old man to mentioned and talked about the Fourth Hokage. His old man's dad and his very own grandpa, to which he never had met before in person.

Boruto nodded in understanding. "Oh I see." He said, before continuing." I guess you chose the perfect Hokage to idolized." He commented."

Naruto gave a little chuckle." Looks like it." He said, before continuing." Although, I never got to see him in person since...He died before I was born." He explained, going back into quietness.

Boruto gave a sympathetic look." Oh I see." He said, before continuing." He was a great person if you asked anyone." He added, to which the other just simply nodded.

"Yeah, it makes me wonder why the furball inside me keeps talking about him and-" Naruto trailed off.

At this moment in time, both of their fishing rods began to make noise as it finally caught something.

"Oh no Here it comes!" Boruto was the first to speak and react at the same time as he immediately grabbed the fishing rod and target rolling the handle.

As for Naruto, he was caught in a little suprised and being dumbfounded for a few seconds, his mind went on and took charged but before that, he suddenly sharp pain in his head.

The blonde slightly cringed in pain as he moved he placed his right on his forehead. Right after that, the pain itself slowly faded away and by the time he opened his eyes, he saw a vision of a little blonde boy and a lavender haired girl in front of him.

"Come on old man, stop daydreaming and help us catch big carp!" The blonde boy argued, yelling at him with excitement.

"Daddy, the big fish is going away!" The little girl also informed him.

"Hey, Naruto!"

He was suddenly brought back to reality as the blonde found himself staring at the rookie, who was giving him a concerned and serious look.

"Are you alright? You're fishing rod is might have caught something." Boruto informed the blonde, not noticing the brief headache experience scene.

Naruto blinked a couple of times before finally realizing what was happening. Now that he was aware of it, he immediately went towards his rod and began rolling the lever.

"Sorry about that, I was daydreaming just now." He gave a small nervous smile.

Boruto stared at him for a few moments before going back to his own task. He wondered if the guy was alright.

(Interview)

"He seemed to be in deep thoughts lately. I guess all that Hokage talk juggled up his memories about his past."

-Boruto

(LATER ON)



The afternoon had been great to the whole team.

The night shortly arrived after the sun had finally set in giving the responsibility to the stars above. The moon was on its way to finally shine upon the land and the forest.

Due to the free and uinterrupted time that they had, they were able to finally finished all their task at hand. The sleeping bags were all in properly stationed on their respective spots, all of the wood had been gathered and a bonfire was now born thereafter.

The comfortable heat in the middle was a fresh thing for the rest. The fire's job was to give them warmth and also cooked their dinner, which was revealed to be a set of grilled fish and fish, steamed inside a portable big pot. The cooks were none other than Sarada and Boruto, who worked together to bring out the best dinner for the night.

They were currently having dinner with the rest of the team, enjoying and having conversations together.

"I must say, this is the best fish that I ever tasted Dattebayo!"

"This is actually good!"

"Yum Yum!"

It was all for praiseful comments from the rest of Team seven including Mitsue. All of them were pretty much ravaged by the journey that all of their stomachs had been demanding for food for the past hours now. It was very satisfying for them to finally seat down and eat.

Boruto and Sarada were giving them humble grins and smiles throughout the whole time. They acted as if they were just back liners of the kitchen or just simple fellows, who just wanted to contribute their best. Both held their plastic plates, which contained their food.

"It's no big deal guys, We're just here to served!" Boruto replied, scratching the back of his head.

Sarada on the other hand also had the same statement." I am just an assistant."She explained, raising both of her hands." Believe me, my mother cooks better than me to be honest." She said, secretly taking a glance at the pink haired teen.

"You don't have to be so humble." Naruto replied back with a grin, before continuing." Just like I said before, You're part of the Team Seven family!" He added, trying to lift their spirits up.

"Uhmmm, guys?" A familiar voice then entered the conversation and everyone turned their eyes towards a certain Sai, who had a slightly nervous look.

"A-Am I also part of the Team Seven Family?" He asked, with a slight nervous tone of voice. He still wasn't sure if the rest of them have accepted him.

The others were very much silent for a few moments, which made the black haired teen's heart beat faster. He had a feeling that a question like this would kill the joyness. Yet, he knew it was the right time to asked the said question.

His eyes focused on everybody, waiting for someone to answer and it didn't took too long.

"Don't worry man, you're part of the team now!" Naruto was the one spoke, giving a grin. The rest automatically followed with slight cheers coming from the rookies and Mitsue.

Sai was taken by suprised as he was reduced to speechlessness, although he felt his heart being somewhat touched."T-Thank you!" He could only released a couple of words.

Naruto simply nodded." That's right, now give me a five!" He added, while raising his hand.

Sai, on the other hand was bewildered. He wasn't sure what the blonde had mean't. Is he going to give him a 5 ryo coins or something else. As he was about to speak up, his attention was suddenly brought towards Mitsue and Showtaro, who gave a little secret demonstration for him to understand the whole process.

After a few moments, Sai nodded and did what he had learned and he gave the blonde a simple but very important high five.

From Boruto and Sarada's perspective, they were very much surprised on Inojin's dad didn't knew all the social tools and even just a simple high five, he didn't knew how to do it. Although, they were amazed on how he had come this far.

As the conversation continued, Yamato also had something in mind.

"Speaking of memberships, Has Lady Tsunade promoted you guys to Chunins yet?" He asked the two rookies and both of them shook their heads.

"Well, Lady Hokage told us that we're going to need to participate in more missions in order for us to get to the Chunin Level." Sarada informed the brown haired man.

Boruto then stepped in." For the meantime, we'll be participating as observers." He added, before continuing." Which is a great learning experience for us to be honest." He gave a slight chuckle.

Yamato nodded in understanding." Oh I see." He too was surprised that the two hadn't been promoted yet. Although, considering their current situation, they really need to gain more experience.

"Then that means, I'm not left behind Dattebayo!"

Everybody's attention then turned toward the blonde, who was somewhat celebrating.

"What do you mean?" Sai asked, he wasn't sure what's going on with him.

Naruto gave a sigh relief as he proudly smiled." Well, as you all know, I am still a genin." He explained and continued." Which means that they are Genins just like me." He added." As matter of a fact, I am happy because I now have companions on this road to achieve the highest Shinobi rank of all time!" He finished with excitement.

"And what is that rank?" Sai added a question.

"To become Hokage of the village of course!" Naruto simply replied as he then turned his eyes towards the pink haired teen." And of course, when I became Hokage, I'll send you hundreds of flowers, Sakura-chan!" He added.

There was silence that took for a few moments, everyone had different reactions to his statement. Sai was loss for words, while Yamato was trying to be understandable, Mitsue was caught in the moment, while Showtaro was quiet yet he was listening.

Sakura rolled her eyes in annoyance." Oh please Naruto, don't do your proposals here." She said, as she ate her food. She wasn't expecting to be included in the topic.

As for Boruto and Sarada, they were just laughing their butts off. They too just realized that at this time around, the young seventh's heart was still going out on the pink haired teen. It was both a funny yet awkward issue for the both of them.

(Interview)

"We find quite funny for the old man. He wasn't aware that in a few years time, he'll be dating mom. (Chuckles)

-Boruto

"I thought the same for Mama, but seriously if Lord Seventh ended up with Mama, then we'll cease to exist."

-Sarada

(MEANWHILE)

As the night continued on more laughs and stories were exchange between, which means that everybody has finally reached the goal of having a peaceful evening for once. Once the dinner session had ended, everyone had went to their respective sleeping areas to finally rest for the night.

Showtaro stood alone near the shores of the lake as he gazed towards the beautiful night sky. This was the first time he had felt peace for once in awhile. All the stuff and events that he had gone through which led him to this, it was safe to say that this peace right now was worth it and deserving.

He gazed at the sky with his own controlled thoughts. His mind was trying to recapped the events that happened before. There were mixed emotions going around and he didn't know whether he should be crying, jumping for joy or just simply ignoring everything.

As he gazed towards the night sky, he wondered if all of this ordeals would finally end. He wanted to maintain his normal life to begin with and yet he still managed to get himself involved into the chaotic world of politics and a big conspiracy.

Would he still go on and continue the fight? or will he find himself one day locked in a chamber like Kaiga?

Showtaro shook his head as he took a deep breath. His recent thoughts were overwhelming him, so he decided to switch it to the more important things.

First of all, How was he gonna report all of these events to Miyuki? He needed to make sure that he would needed to connect all the dots the first.

"Hey, Showtaro!"

Just then a familiar voice called out to his name and turned around to see Boruto himself, whom he thought was asleep back at the main camp.

Showtaro gave a smile." Hey! you're still awake at this hour?" He asked the blonde.

Boruto simply nodded and smiled." Yup, simply can't sleep for now." He explained as he sat down on the grassy ground beside the duck and near the lake and while in the middle of the moonlight.

"Enough about me, but how are you doing so far?" Boruto asked his duck companion.

Showtaro gave a sigh." Well, same thing you're going through." He paused for a moment." and also trying to clear my mind and trying to organized it." He explained.

"Oh I see." Boruto simply nodded." I guess you went through hell, back at that hideout." He guessed.

Showtaro nodded in response." Yeah, it's been a hell of a ride." He commented." Now I know how it feels like losing a friend." He added.

Silence had took over for a brief moment. Boruto could only give a sad smile and sympathized. He had just recently found out that the Otsutsuki, whom they rescued, was killed in battle. The blonde thought about the identity of the killer, He/She must be having that Otsutsuki power up.

"Well, it was actually a member of that organization that was responsible for attacking us." Showtaro explained." A young woman to be exact."

Boruto gave a surprised expression." Really?" He said, before continuing." I thought there was only one?" He said, wondering on who could be that other culprit.

Showtaro simply shook his head." Well, I guess there's one that attacked you guys and another one that attacked us." He added.

Boruto nodded in understanding." Oh I see." He said." Can't imagine a young woman being part of that organization." He added, before remembering a certain theory. " Although, if they are from the Pure Land, then that must mean they are dead people as well?" He asked.

Showtaro gave a shrugged." We can't say that they are." He replied." There'll be lot of theories until an official finding could be concluded." He explained, while the other nodded in understanding.

"I arrived in this world with a goal of searching for answers." He explained." Back in the Pure Land, Everything is controlled by the council or we could say Authorities." He said, before continuing." Everybody is led to believed that things are still alright, when in truth, they are not."

Boruto found himself being surprised by the duck's statement. He already knew about the basics of what Miyuki had told them before but all of this was further expanded and detailed by Showtaro himself.

"When Kami sacrficed himself to save the world and the entirety of all existence, He made sure that nobody would ever get hands on any power." Showtaro explained, as he gazed towards the night sky.

"So what did he do?" Boruto asked, with curiousness.

Showtaro then took a deep breath." Well, as you Miyuki told you before, He gave his own power to keep the world alive so that you could all live." He said." The Essence that keeps this world alive is actually his own and that same energy secretly co-exists with the Pure Land." He said.

"Oh I see." Boruto nodded in understanding." So is chakra connected to that energy?" He asked.

"All I could say is that Chakra is just a part of that energy that goes around." Showtaro explained.

Boruto nodded." I see, but why do you think everything is in danger?" He asked.

There was quietness that took over for awhile. Showtaro took the time to think about where to start, He didn't knew how to explain this but he needed to inform the blonde at least.

"Because both worlds are dying." He simply said, before continuing." Due to the certain greediness of certain individuals much like the council members, they took interest in this power and with a little help of connections, they began to harness this power and slowly but surely the two worlds were dying.

As per Showtaro's statement, almost all of everyone in the Pure Land had been losing trust and hope towards the higher powers. With Kami gone, there was an ongoing struggle power, which caused a certain unbalance amongst the two worlds.

"Well, I have to say that a lot of people in this world, still believed that Kami is still existing." Showtaro commented." It still baffles me on why you still pray and ask for his help." He added.

Boruto gave a slight chuckle." I know." He said." Sometimes, you just wonder on why we still keep our hopes and faiths up." He explained." I guess it's a part of our nature to live and survive." He said." That includes strength our spiritual ties Kami, no matter what happens."

"I've lost my home, my family, friends and my former life, yet I still wonder on how am I alive right now." Boruto explained, as he gazed towards the stars.

"I still thank Kami everyday, that I am still alive." He added.

Showtaro was a bit amazed on how the blonde had responded. To be honest, this kid was different that he had ever met before and he could see all the determination in him.

"Say Showtaro-san?"

The blonde teen called up his name for one more time.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we are allowed to go to the Pure Land?" He asked, before continuing." Well, I mean if you could take us there to show us around?" He asked.

Showtaro then gave a small confident smile." It's possible for one to go to the Pure Land, while He/She is still alive." He said, before continuing on." Although, only Miyuki knows the process to be Honest and I think you should better ask her."

Boruto nodded in understanding." I will" He commented as he then laid on the grass to fully watch the stars." I guess that's a wrap for the night Dattebasa." He yawned.

Showtaro sighed as the duck decided to join the blonde and he let himself collapse on the grassy ground." Woah, I never felt this so relaxed!" He commented as he finally found the relaxation and peace that he was looking for all this time.

"Thank you!" He muttered.

In that moment in time, an Aurora appeared throughout the night sky and amongst the stars, it shown its beauty alongside the majestic moon. Both Boruto and Showtaro quickly took noticed of the wonderful scene and were in awe of it.

"I guess Kami is telling us to rest for awhile." Boruto commented as the blonde formed a smile on his lips while his consciousness faded away to slumber.

Same thing did go for Showtaro as the duck decided to go with the flow." I guess, you're right." He commented, finally realizing a certain idea.

"Maybe, Kami is still alive within us."

As the night continued on, it was now safe to say that they had finally finished the mission. The whole journey really brought them to the edge. The challenges that they faced, the many wins and losses that befell them and determination and perseverance that they fully gave to overcome this mission.

As for now, they truly deserved the rest that they have.



CHAPTER END

(Interview)

"The whole mission was filled with ups and downs, it really brought us the realization that there even more missions, which are more tougher than, to come in the near future.

-Boruto

"Aside from all that happened, we didn't get enough information regarding identity of this mysterious organization, and still we are back to the drawing board for now.

-Showtaro