What I Wouldn't Do

ANBU Ushi sped through the trees at a pace many would have found impossible to match. His feet barely touched wood, instead seeming to glide right over the branches as if he were skating in mid air. Willowy limbs swayed behind him, stretched as if poised to catch something. Every few kilometers a device inlayed to his glove would flash with a soft blue light. From a distance, it was designed to mimic the effect of natural light through leaves.

His team, a uniformed group of four, ran nimbly behind him. Their tread was silent as they bounded through the forest, and any fatigue they felt was ignored for the betterment of the mission. Bright moonlight filtered down through the trees, spreading their shadows behind them in a haunting visage. It would be midnight soon, and the team wanted to make it to the rendezvous point before it became too dark to see through.

“Coming up on the Valley,” Ushi said. “Formation 3.”

“Sir,” ANBU Kirin replied from his place at the rear. He took a leap backwards as ANBU Yagi and Rakuda spread outwards to form a diamond, and ANBU Uma drifted to the center. “Enacted.”

Ushi nodded. “Trace area.”

From his position, Kirin grunted. “Byakugan.” The forest flickered into grayscale. He could see the way chakra pooled in his teammates, and the faint threads of chakra in the trees, but nothing out of the ordinary. He held the sight for a moment more before turning it off. “No activity, captain.”

“Good. Rakuda,” he barked.

Without a word, a swarm of bugs flew out from under Rakuda’s cloak – hundreds of them spreading into the trees. When they had finally disappeared from view, Ushi tilted his head towards Yagi.

The woman dropped away from the group, falling to a lower branch, and extended her arm outwards to touch the trunks. With each tree, she released a seal that corresponded to the monitors build into her gloves. Every spike in foreign chakra would be recorded by the seals and sent directly to her.

“Approaching Valley in 20 kilometers,” Ushi declared.

The trees began to thin as the group ran further towards the border. Pockmarked land littered the area, and within minutes the forests had completely disappeared. Instead, the ground had transformed into a barren landscape only populated by a giant crater. A small pool of water was situated at the bottom, a lonely remnant of the falls that had once showered the area. The team slowed.

“Stop,” Nu’s leader signaled, lifting his hand. He dropped to the edge of the crater as his team followed behind, keeping their senses on alert. The debriefing they’d had on Oto tactics had stressed their proclivity for ambushing. Ushi motioned to Yagi. “Any signals?”

“Negative. Nothing out of the ordinary,” she said.

Ushi nodded and tilted his head towards Kirin. The Hyūga, his fists slightly more pronounced than was appropriate, activate his Byakugan. He again scanned the area before shaking his head. “Nothing, sir.”

“Good.” Ushi eyed him for a moment, his ox mask making for an unnerving stare. “Relax, Kirin.”

Kirin took a deep breath. “I apologize, sir. I’m trying.”

Ushi turned away. “Try harder.”

“Sir,” the Hyūga clipped, though the sound his teeth made as he gnashed them together echoed throughout the Valley. Uma laid a hand on his shoulder, soothing green chakra seeping from her palm.

“Uma,” their leader snapped, startling her. She didn’t visibly react, but Kirin could feel the fluctuation of chakra. “Save your reserves for later.” Uma reluctantly removed her hand, both admittedly missing the contact. Suddenly, Rakuda tensed.

“Captain, my kikaichū are reporting an anomaly,” he said.

The team immediately went on the defensive. Kirin activated his Byakugan, pathways pulsing behind his giraffe mask as he scanned the area. He pushed his sight as far as he could, almost giving up when a flicker appeared on his peripheral. It got brighter and brighter until–

“Yagi!” He shouted as the world exploded. His teammate’s shattered goat mask flew over his head. There were flashes across his eyes as exploding tags went off around them and a searing heat ran along his flesh.

Hands immediately shot out from under the ground, stretching so as to latch onto the fleeing shinobis’ legs. Yagi was caught and yanked downwards before she had time to react. The earth constricted around her, leaving only her screams behind. On the device in Ushi’s palm Yagi’s diagnostics faded before settling into a pitch black.

“Shit,” the captain seethed to himself. He tried to alter the frequency on his communicator quickly so as to reach his team, but it was a futile endeavor. Within seconds he was under siege. Another explosion nearby sent his ears ringing and he had no more time to think of his team.

In the chaos, Rakuda had managed to flee back into the forests. His kikaichū swarmed against a group of five indistinguishable shinobi. Blank, black masks covered their faces without even any eyeholes for them to see through, and Rakuda’s heart raced against his ribcage as they advanced. His mouth went dry. He dispatched more swarms of kikaichū in an attempt to drain his opponents so he could follow behind with his tantō, but whenever he got close his attackers would disappear.

With a burst of speed, he managed to separate one of the assailants from their head, but froze when the man didn’t drop to the ground. Instead, the body shuddered; dispersing into a mist that blended into the darkness before finally reforming, head once more intact. Rakuda’s surprise lasted for only a second, but by time he came back to his senses it was too late. One of the other men barreled through the swarm of bugs protecting him and ran a nodachi through his sternum. The ANBU gasped, choking as blood filled his airway, and plummeted through the trees in a lifeless slump. His camel mask shattered on impact.

Back in the crater, Kirin and Uma stood back-to-back. The Hyūga made an attempt to protect his team’s medic, but it was futile against the onslaught. There were just so many. A least a dozen shinobi stood against them. With the moon as their only source of light, the duo were at a disadvantage. The horse-masked healer was nowhere near the level of Tsunade or Sakura in terms of taijutsu; her skills lay more squarely in the field of medicine, and she was having a hard time against their more combat-oriented enemies. Chakra scalpels in hand, she whirled and sliced, attempting to hit something vital. Nothing worked.

“They don’t have any pathways,” Kirin shouted over the chaos. “It’s solid chakra!”

“What?” Uma exclaimed, keeping her attention on her opponent. She tried to kick aside one of the shadows, but his body just dispersed into air. Her eyes widened. A ball of panic welled inside her.

“They’re not–!” He yelled out before he was caught from behind by one of the men. Kirin jerked, grasping the man’s throat and tossing him over his shoulder. He fired a chakra-coated palm into the man’s face only for it to phase right through.

“W-what the hel–” But he was cut off as the flash of a nodachi appeared in his vision. Kirin ducked, feeling the frigid bite of air as the weapon sliced over his head. He pivoted to send a palm strike back when something warm splattered into his eyes. He staggered. Someone let out a scream.  

“Uma? Uma!” The medic’s body was collapsed in the mud, blood pooling from her neck. In a moment of stunned horror, Kirin realized her head was missing. One of the assailants took advantage of his shock to make a swipe at his feet, but his Byakugan caught it just in time for him to jump aside. He tripped over the carcass.

Crack.

Kirin blanched. He scrambled away from the body, warm blood slicking his fingers and vomit stinging his tongue. Something tumbled into the crater. Hysteria took over. They’re not real. This isn’t real. I have to-I have to–

His Byakugan shut down. The fight fizzled around him. He had to find Uma’s head. If she had her head she could heal herself. The surrounding shinobi stopped, seemingly content to watch him flail about in the mud. He didn’t even notice them until one strode forward and kneed him in the torso.

“Gah!” The force of the attack sent his mask flying. It landed with a plop into the water, but Kirin no longer had the mental capacity to lament its loss. He struggled to get air back into his lungs as spots danced along his vision. Sharp stones imbedded themselves in his wounds as he clambered about the rocks. The smell of smoke and feces burned his nose.

Another shinobi moved languidly towards him. He – It – toed him in the side and sent the hysterical ANBU careening into the crater. Kirin let out a scream that was quickly halted by the influx of water. He choked, hoping to expel the taste of salt and copper. His hand curled around a mossy rock and a crack echoed through the night at the force of his grip. Had he looked up, Kirin would have noticed one of his assailants pull out a kunai. Instead, his fingers threaded themselves into the curly moss. The air left his lungs. His eyes flickered downwards.

“Uma?” His teammate’s head lay under his hand, his fingers tangled in her hair, and her face frozen in an expression of surprise. The crack had been the sound of her nose breaking.

Kirin vomited.

Blood and bile spewed from his lips in a wet gurgle. The sharp acidic taste stung his tongue. Uma’s face seared into his retinas. Somewhere, he registered the sound of a whistle.

The crater exploded.

Heat lapped at his face, melding his skin to his cloak, and his eyes burned from the ash. He could feel hands – claws – digging into his shoulders. They pressed further, like sharpened knives into his flesh. Air ripped at his insides, burning him alive; he felt like he was being wrenched apart and only the sheer agony kept him from screaming.

He was cold.

There was a hole in his chest and his fingers felt wet from searching. The last firing of electrical signals to his brain noted his heart was gone. Everywhere was dark and his Byakugan wasn’t working.

Uma, he collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

Ushi watched as the last lifeline faded on his palm. He held in the curse that threatened to escape and reached out with his senses for any measure of safety. He could sense the enemy converging on his spot and reached out to delay them with a multi-layered genjutsu. It would only hold for a few minutes, but those few minutes were all he needed. He took the opportunity to burrow into the ground, hoping to catch his breath and think up a plan. First, he had to contact Konoha. They were no doubt aware of his teammates’ deaths; the seals placed on their skin had likely already relayed the lack of electrical activity back to ANBU headquarters. However, as mission captain it was his duty to send back as much information as possible before he too was killed.

He twisted the monitor on his glove, switching from Vitals to Relay. With blood-slicked fingers he typed out a four-character code and hastily transmitted them to Konoha. His breath sounded harsh against his ears and he squeezed his eyes shut just briefly – just enough to stop the world from tilting. When he opened them again, he attempted to type out as much information on their assailants as he could, but the ground shook before he had time to send it and Ushi found his air bubble dissolving. He quickly scrambled to move, but soon realized his feet had been cemented to the ground. Mud piled around him, closing in, and Ushi’s heart flew to his throat. He tried to scream, but dirt poured in, and he scrounged about for air.

He had to get out; he had to move.

His chakra wasn’t responding, his limbs wouldn’t react, the air was getting thinner. There was a grinding sound from above him and then air – glorious, glorious air. Had one of his teammates tricked the sensors?

No.

A black mask shadowed over him and Ushi’s world shifted. Blood drained from his face leaving him adrift in a sea of anticipation. A spike of rock appeared above him and the ANBU only had a split-second to register his fate. Then, there was a whoosh, pain, and a flash of red. Ushi’s mask shattered and his world descended into oblivion.

Back in Konoha, Kiba hung is head as the last of Team Nu’s vitals faded into nothing.

Hinata didn’t know when she’d fallen asleep, but when she awoke it was to find her face smooshed into the side of her son’s bed, her hands still wrapped around his and a blanket draped across her shoulders. Sunrise was just around the corner, the blue light of false dawn slowly streaming through the window. It reflected off her son’s face to pinpoint every angle and highlight upon the little color he had been able to regain overnight. He was still pale, but his skin no longer blended into the bed sheets and there was a modicum of rosiness to his cheeks that had been absent the day before. Hinata reached up her hand to brush aside a strand of blond hair.

“He hasn’t moved,” she heard from behind her.

Hinata sighed. “I figured as much, but I’d hoped…” She shook her head. “Never mind.” She shifted, stretching out the muscles in her neck so that she could face her husband. He was watching her from his place on the couch, a spread of documents arranged in his lap. His face was pale and drawn, and he kept pinching the bridge of his nose as if warding off a headache. “Did you get any sleep?”

“Enough,” was his terse reply.

“Naruto.”

“I needed to look over the reports.”

“You needed to sleep,” Hinata insisted. “What if–”

“Nata, please.” He gazed at her imploringly, begging her not to press.

Hinata’s face softened and she gently pulled her hand out from under her son’s. A tender kiss to his forehead followed, and then Hinata was gliding across the room to settle beside her husband. Prying a document from his grasp, she wrapped her small hands around his larger one and held fast. “You’ll do no one any good if you push yourself, you know.”

“I know.”

“Naruto,” she stressed, softly clasping his chin. “You need to sleep. You’re not doing Boruto any good like this.”

“I can’t."

“You can. You have to.” She pressed back against his legs. “The village needs you alert.”

“The village needs me to figure this out.”

“And you will. I know you will. But you can’t do that if you’re falling asleep on your feet.”

“Nata…” He looked away, and she watched his mouth pull into a line as the sky in his eyes clouded to a storm. Something twisted in her stomach.

“What happened?”

Rather than answer, he pulled his hand from her’s and plucked a small sheet of paper from the pile. Hinata stared questioningly at him for a moment before taking it and beginning to read. The message was short, barely even worth the paper it was written on, but that didn’t stop her heart from plummeting.

Ko. Stop. Ku. Stop. E. Stop. N. Stop.

Codes in Konoha worked on the basis of assigning random katakana to every situation a shinobi could potentially find themselves in. Generally, there was no rhyme or reason to the characters, as doing so would make them that much easier to crack. They changed at random times – sometimes a day, sometimes two– and shinobi were drilled even so far back as the first day of the Academy to learn how to memorize the list at first glance.

It was a skill that, no matter how long out of practice you were, you never quite lost.

Ko – Konoha shinobi in distress

Ku – Suspected enemy shinobi involvement

E – Reinforcements required

N – Conditions clear

Hinata’s brow furrowed. “Conditions clear?” That didn’t mesh with the rest of the message.

“I don’t know. We lost contact with Team Nu around midnight,” Naruto said. “Kiba received this not long after.”

“They haven’t been out for more than twenty-four hours.”

Naruto nodded. “And now they’re missing.”

“What could this mean?"

She watched as his lips curled, the edges of his eyes crinkling in worry. “I don’t know. They’re a new team, Hinata, but they’re not pushovers. And they were still within the borders. There shouldn’t have been any problems.”

“The recovery team?” She asked, voice so soft it was almost lost.

“Won’t arrive for another few hours.”

Hinata bobbed her head, absently. Of course, it would take time to get there, but by the lines on Naruto’s face and the way he hung his head there had to be something more. He knew he had to sleep, he knew there was nothing he could do for the ANBU from here, and yet he’d stayed up – why?

“Naruto. Talk to me. What is it?” She asked, wrapping her fingers around his arm.

He mumbled something, far too low for her to hear, and she leaned in closer. “Naruto?”

A heavy sigh. “I sent them out there. They were a new team, Nata. Kiba only just released them from training a few months ago.”

“You couldn’t know this would happen,” she soothed, trying to reason with him, but her husband was stubborn and she knew it.

“I should have,” he stressed. “I should have prepared for this. I should have sent more people. I should have–”

“Should have, should have, should have. Do you hear yourself right now?” Hinata asked, cutting him off. She cupped his face. “You couldn’t have prepared for this.”

“Yes, I could. I could have raised the guard around the village, or–”

“Or nothing,” she stopped him again. “You know as well as I do that raising the guard would have been impractical without cause. Taxes would have to be raised and the villagers wouldn’t have stood for that without good reason. Our shinobi would have been pulling doubt time and that would have led to discontent; we’re stretched thin as it is right now. Something would have given, Naruto, and whoever these people are would have exploited us that way.”

“I could have raised his guard, at least,” Naruto said, motioning toward the bed. “And Hima’s."

Hinata bobbed her head. “Maybe, but we can talk about maybes till the cows come home, and it won’t change what happened.” She glanced away. She couldn’t help it. Unfortunately, that put her in the perfect position to see her son’s comatose form. Hinata closed her eyes. “It’ll be okay, dear. He’ll be okay. He’s as strong as his father.”

Naruto’s lips twitched, mockingly. “His father doesn’t feel very strong right now.”

“He will soon. I know it.” She scooched closer to him so that she could comfortably rest her head on his shoulder and revel in the feeling of his arm wrapping around her. For a second, her world was okay.

“Do you know what you’re going to say to the Council?” Hinata asked after a beat.

She felt him shake his head. “No. We don’t have any more information than we did yesterday. Ino’s still going through prisoners, autopsy’s a mystery, and there were so many weapons recovered Tenten called Karui in. And now that we have this whole mess with Team Nu–” he broke off.

Hinata couldn’t think of anything to say that would help him. Any reassurance she might be able to offer would only leave a bitter aftertaste if not fulfilled. She bit her lip to stem her anxiety, but all it really did was break skin.

“And no word yet from Sasuke?”

“No, and Shikamaru will be here soon,” he said, peering at the clock above the door. “We need to go over the reports. There’s too much we don’t know and if we end up having to cover something up, better we know exactly what. We can’t have too much getting out.”

“And I need to speak with the clan,” she muttered, dread filling her at just the thought of that conversation.

“They can’t know anything, Nata,” Naruto said, regretfully. “Just what went out yesterday. You know what they’ll do otherwise.”

Hinata sighed. “I know, but we can’t keep mum either, not for something like this. Father and Hanabi are still in the capital, otherwise I could put it off, but the elders will be insulted if I don’t at least make an appearance.”

“Do you want me to come?”

Did she? Yes, but at the same time her husband was needed so many other places that she couldn’t justify stealing him away for something she could well do herself.

She shook her head. “No, I can do it.”

Naruto side-eyed her for a moment. He knew, as well as she did, that when it came to outside threats, the Hyūga Clan was fiercely protective. Any perceived slight could provoke them into anger, and considering the nature of this one, Hinata might not be in the right state to handle them. Granted, Naruto wasn’t exactly in tip-top shape himself.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said, momentarily cupping his cheek. “I’ll be fine. I know how to handle the elders. Besides, Shino placed a few of his bugs on me yesterday, so if anything happens he’ll know to tell you.” Her face lightened in remembrance. “I saw one crawl into Boruto’s hair last night.”

“Heh, good ol’ Shino.” Naruto remarked, the shadows under his eyes brightening for just a second.

“Yes,” Hinata smiled. There was a comfort in the knowledge that both her husband and her friend were watching over Boruto. Enough of a comfort that she should be able to handle anything the clan might do. “He really is a wonderful friend.”

“He is,” her husband agreed. “I wonder how he’s managed with Himawari?”

Hinata giggled despite herself. “I’m sure he’s done a wonderful job, per usual. Himawari really loves her Shino-ji.”

“That she does. We should probably rescue him before she starts asking questions, though.”

“If she hasn’t already.” Which Hinata seriously doubted. “I should go get her.”

“Do you want me to–”

“No, no you said Shikamaru was coming here. Best I go. We can switch later.” But even as she said it, the idea of leaving sent a sharp stab of pain straight through her heart. She didn’t want to go. She didn’t want to leave Boruto here without his mother. He needed her.

“Hinata?”

“Sorry, I’m being silly.” She shook her head. Boruto didn’t need her here. He probably wasn’t even aware of her right now. Besides, he had his father. It was perfectly alright if she left.

Naruto’s fingers brushed against her chin, forcing her to look at him. He searched her face for something – some emotion Hinata couldn’t fathom – before she felt herself being pulled into his embrace. She sank into it.

“You’re not being silly,” he whispered into her ear. “You’re being a mother and there’s nothing wrong with that. But we can’t just leave Himawari alone. Especially with these people still out there.”

Hinata choked. “I just want them both to be safe.”

“They will be,” Naruto insisted, tightening his grip. “I promise you, they will be. We’ll find out who did this and we’ll make sure they pay for it. But we have two children, Hinata, and our daughter needs her mother.”

“She needs her father, too.”

“I know.”

Hinata adjusted her head so she could see his face. She took in the sheen across his eyes and the way his skin lay pale and gaunt against his bones. There was a shakiness to his grip that he was trying to hide.

“You’ll tell me what Shikamaru says?”

“Of course.”

She nodded her head. If Naruto said he would tell her, he would; they were in this together. She placed her hand on his chest, right above his heart.

“I love you.”

Her words were soft, earnest. She just needed to remind him before he buried himself so deeply in guilt that he forgot.

A smile, so small that if Hinata blinked she would have missed it, curled around his mouth and he pressed his lips to her brow. She could hear a deep intake of breath as he took in her scent and his arms constricted around her.

“I love you, too,” he whispered.

Like always, her heart pattered against her breast forcefully upon hearing those words. Even all these years later, she still sometimes felt like teenager around him. It soothed her, the normality.

Hinata squeezed his arm before reluctantly pulling away. The earlier she left the more they could get done. Kissing her husband softly on the lips, she got up and moved lead feet over to her son. He looked so small in that bed; she hated to leave him.

But there was work to do and she didn’t have the luxury of staying. Brushing aside his matted blond hair, Hinata placed another gentle kiss on his forehead.

“Mama loves you, Boruto. You be good for daddy, okay?” There was no response from the boy and Hinata hadn’t expected one, though the knowledge did little to dull the ache. She kissed his forehead again, lingering so as to take him in. “I’ll be back soon.”

Hinata’s legs trembled as she fought her way up from the bedside and towards the door. Her feet were made of stone and moving forward was tantamount to crawling through molasses – heavy, slow, and left a bad aftertaste.

“Hinata.” Her body pulled taut, stopping just short of the entrance. Her head tilted towards her husband but she couldn’t bring herself to turn around.

“Yes?” The word stumbled as if it was ripped from her throat. If he asked she would stay.

There was a lengthy pause and just when Hinata was about to question him, he said, “Nothing.” Something like disappointment welled inside her. “Just…tell Hima daddy loves her.”

A smile ghosted her face. “I will.” Even though it was obvious that wasn’t what he’d wanted to say.

Hinata resumed her walk, her husband’s eyes trailing after her and burning into her back. She ignored it as she did the way her fingers dug into her palms. Everything was suddenly very loud, as if Boruto’s life support was trying to call her back. She ignored that too and stepped into the hallway.

With a soft click, the door shut behind her.

The silence hit her first. She hadn’t even realized how accustomed she’d become to the beeping and hissing. The whirring of Boruto’s ventilator was deafening in its absence and Hinata squeezed her eyes tight against the florescent lights of the waiting room, finding them abnormally harsh compared to the ones she’d just left. It was like stepping into another world, and she couldn’t tell if it was relief she felt, or guilt.

A nasty voice in her head said both had pretty good odds of being even.

The trip back up to the surface was no better. In fact, it wasn’t until she’d passed the last ANBU checkpoint that she realized she’d been walking at all. The general hubbub of the hospital was no different than any other day. Doctors went about their business as per usual and none of the patients appeared on the verge of panic. More than a few glanced at her with something akin to concern, but she wasn’t approached and was able to make her way unimpeded towards the exit.

Stepping outside was like being slapped in the face with a fish. Winter had arrived almost overnight and the loose jacket she was wearing did little to keep out the sudden chill. She shivered, taking in a deep breath that coated her lungs in ice and quivered some more. What she wouldn’t give for a cup of hot tea. A blanket too, would be nice, as would curling up in her bed and drowning out the world.

Stop it. Hinata mentally slapped herself. You’re better than this. You can cry later. Your children don’t need you weepy, they need you strong. You’re a kunoichi; act like one. She squeezed her eyes shut. Act like one.

But it did little to drown out the voice in her head that begged for a simple moment alone to process the mess that had become her life. She was lightheaded, her breaths quickening as she entered the market district. The overwhelming scents of spices and fresh fish wafted under her nose, sending her stomach roiling. She hadn’t even reached the main square before she found herself stumbling into an empty alleyway, hand pressed to her mouth in an effort to stifle the sounds of dry retching.

A masked shinobi immediately appeared beside her.

“Hinata-sama?” The ANBU reached out to steady her, but Hinata halted his efforts with a raised hand.

Shaking her head, palm still pressed to her lips, Hinata ushered him away. She needed space. Reluctantly, the ANBU shifted back before vanishing entirely into the shadows. His chakra remained at the edge of her senses, tingling in sequence with the rest of her detail, but it was enough that Hinata could at least pretend to be alone.

She inhaled deeply through her nose, willing her heart to slow. It beat wildly under her breast and her hands shook from adrenaline. Resting her head against the cool plaster behind her, Hinata steadied her breathing.

Calm down. Think. Form a plan. Hinata took in another deep inhalation. Form a plan. Himawari. Himawari takes priority. She’s too young to know what’s happening. She’s going to be scared. She’s going to have questions – ones I can’t answer. But I can’t just brush her off. She needs to know to be cautious. Just in case.

Hinata glanced heavenward. Neji-nii-san, please, please, if you can hear me, help me. Her hands moved to clasp together in something altogether too fumbled to be a prayer, but too deliberate to be anything else. Please.

She stayed in the alley for a few more minutes before willing her feet to move and bring her back into the throng of early morning shoppers. There were less civilians out than normal, but the shinobi population more than made up for it. It took all her training as a Hyūga heiress to keep her countenance relaxed and reassuring. The civilians were wary, and their whispers were not as quiet as they assumed. Hinata could hear the busybodies spreading rumors, no matter that they all inexplicably stopped the minute they noticed her. She was greeted politely, and given too many flowers to count – ones that she discretely handed to her guard to take home – but it wasn’t hard to notice the hopeful, hungry eyes of people juicy for gossip. Hinata picked up the pace.

The road narrowed as she exited the market district and she allowed her body to relax as the crowd thinned and the whispers faded. One of her guards stumbled imperceptibly against a roof ledge and Hinata’s lips tugged into a frown. They were getting tired. She didn’t fault them, and for now the slip wasn’t a concern; it was doubtful the assailants would return so quickly. If they were smart, they would wait until Konoha’s guard went back down. All the same, she would have to have a talk with Naruto about the ANBU rotations. It wouldn’t do for them to get sloppy. She didn’t mind so much with her own surveillance – she could take care of herself – but with Himawari and Boruto’s security – no. Hinata wouldn’t accept sloppiness there.

The children take priority. It was an unspoken, but understood agreement Naruto and she had come to on the day Boruto – and then Himawari – had been born. Her husband’s position as Hokage somewhat complicated the matter, but she had faith in Naruto’s promises. Before they were husband and wife, they were mother and father, and the children always came first.

But Boruto…he was attacked and we didn’t even notice. If they come after Himawari, they’ll have the advantage. Naruto’s skills are celebrated, but we have no idea what these people are capable of. And if they could take out Nu so quickly…

Her hands started to shake from something other than the cold and she stuffed them in her pockets to try and hide it. The ANBU aren’t going to be enough. They’re already tiring and it’s only been a day. Complacency has made us soft. Not that that was necessarily bad; she loved that they could live in a world where they were allowed to get soft. But right now it was a disadvantage; something their enemies could exploit. We have to get to them first. If we can head off another attack before they have a chance to regroup, Boru and Hima will be safe.

But Nu had already been slaughtered, and there was no reassurance that the retrieval squad sent to recover their bodies would find them, or even return at all. Can I condemn another team to death just to protect my family? Her childhood training said yes, but everything else about her said no. It was her family on the line. She couldn’t just toss more innocents into the fray. But she was just one person and Naruto couldn’t leave the village so soon after such an attack. She shut her eyes again, her shoe making contact with a loose rock and sending it scuffing down the street. Neji-nii-san, please, what am I going to do?

The soft scents of hellebore and Kaffir lily tingled at the edge of her senses as she entered one of the more traditional residential districts. In the distance, rose the conical domes of the Aburame Hive. The entire compound was situated behind a pretty wood fence that’s only real purpose was to let others know they were on clan land. Windows were generally left ajar even in the winter, and the only compound with more flowers belonged to the Yamanaka. Faintly, Hinata could hear the familiar sound of buzzing and smiled despite herself. She allowed her tumultuous thoughts to smooth over into something more positive; one couldn’t enter the Aburame grounds and not feel instantly soothed.

It was Shino who met her at the door, Himawari already dressed and ready for her. The little girl stood clinging to her uncle, fidgeting back and forth in an effort not to run right to her. Hinata could see her feet shuffling in indecision. After a brief spell, Himawari seemed to decide it wasn’t worth it and she let go of Shino’s hand to run into her mother’s waiting arms.

“Mama!” She yelled, the word coming out in a puff of visible air. Her tiny arms reaching out to wrap around her mother’s neck.

Hinata embraced her with just as much fervor. She briefly met Shino’s shaded gaze before burying her face in her daughter’s hair. The mother took in her child’s fresh scent and relished in the feeling of Himawari’s arms around her neck. Her carefully erected Hyūga façade started to break. Pressure built up behind her eyes, but she stubbornly fought against it. Himawari couldn’t see her crying.

To Hinata’s credit her eyes stayed dry, but her daughter was more perceptive than she gave her credit for.

"What's wrong, mama?" Himawari asked. The little girl’s soft hands palmed her mother's face and Hinata found herself trying to form words around empty air. Her daughter was so innocent. For a moment, all she could manage was a smile.

"Nothing, baby,” she tried to assure her. “I just missed you so much."

She hoped it took. She hoped Himawari just accepted it. But the tiny pout on the six-year-old’s face said she was reluctant to believe her. The child’s blue eyes – so like her father’s – flickered and twitched as if she was watching something. It made Hinata’s gut twist into a sickening knot and she tried to widen her smile.

It seemed to work. Himawari grinned. "I missed you too, mama. Is Boru-nii home yet?"

The blood drained instantly from her face. It left her dizzy and she missed the way Shino jolted forward as if to catch her. All she could see was her son – her broken and bleeding son who–no. She took a deep breath and shakily shook her head. "Not yet, sweetheart. Boru-nii got hurt yesterday and he can't come home right now."

"Oh." Himawari eyed her lap and Hinata’s heart broke just the tiniest bit. She felt her daughter’s fingers reach up to play with her hair. It was a nervous habit the girl had picked up from Naruto.

"When can he come home?" Himawari asked, and Hinata’s mind raced to find a satisfying answer.

"Soon, baby,” she said after a second’s indecision, more hopeful than truthful. “He'll come home soon."

"How soon?"

"As soon as Tsunade-sama says he can," she answered.

"He's with Obaa-chan?"

"Yes, sweetie. He's with Obaa-chan and daddy right now."

"And Obaa-chan is making him better?"

Something strangled escaped her. "Yeah, Obaa-chan is making him better."

"Can we go see him? I miss Boru-nii."

"I–" Hinata started. She tried desperately to find a way to answer her daughter without disappointing her. Almost pleadingly, she looked to Shino. Her old teammate always knew what to say. Everything, that is, except for something like this. The Aburame’s posture was rigid and she easily picked up on the way his hands disappeared into the folds of his robe; he was uncomfortable. Hinata sagged. "Maybe later, honey, but right now we can't."

"But I wanna see him now.”

"I know, but Boru-nii needs to sleep. You don't want to wake him up, right?"

"No." Himawari fiddled some more with Hinata’s hair. "But I can see him later?"

"Yes, we can go see him later." Much, much later. Like when Boruto was awake and those horrible, horrible machines were off and gone.

Himawari pouted. "Okay."

"Now say 'thank you' to Shino-kun," Hinata said, pointing her finger to the man who had very patiently waited for them to finish.

Himawari instantly brightened. "Thank you, Shino-oji-chan. I had lots and lots of fun!"

Shino inclined his head and a smile tugged at his lips. "You're very welcome, Himawari-chan. Why? Because we enjoy having you in our home."

Himawari giggled and Hinata felt just the slightest bit better. At least the girl was laughing.

"Thank you, Shino-kun," she said, pouring as much sincerity into the words as she could. She might not be able to see them, but she could certainly feel the ten or so Aburame guardsmen stationed strategically around Shino’s house.

"I was no trouble, Hinata-chan," Shino reassured. "Himawari-chan is always welcome here."

Hinata smiled. "I know, but still; thank you."

"You're welcome," Shino nodded. "Give our regards to Hokage-sama."

"You know he doesn't like it when his friends call him that," Hinata teased halfheartedly.

"He worked hard for it. It would be remiss of me to call him otherwise."

Hinata chuffed. "I'll let you take that up with him."

"I will. Perhaps it might help him remember me."

It was a good thing she knew him so well, or else Hinata might have mistaken his bland tone for seriousness. "To be fair, most of your face was covered."

"That is not an excuse."

Hinata chuckled in amused exasperation, when a tug at her blouse brought her attention back to Himawari. "Mama, what are you talking about? Why wouldn't daddy remember Shino-ji?"

"No reason, honey. It's just a very old joke."

"Joke?"

"Shino-kun…" Hinata shook her head ruefully. With another glance at her daughter, she said, "We shouldn't keep Shino from his day, though. Say good-bye, Hima."

"Bye-bye, Shino-oji-chan!"

The Aburame returned Himawari’s wave. "Good-bye, Himawari-chan. Have a good day."

"You too!"

Hinata reached forward to pull her old teammate a hug. Even after all these years, Shino was still rather uncomfortable with such public displays of affection, but they had been friends for long enough – and there was enough trust between them – for Hinata to get away with it. Shino embraced her back.

“Keep me informed," Shino whispered into her ear, and Hinata’s body stiffened despite herself.

“Shino-kun–”

"Just keep me informed.” He reiterated. “That is all I ask. Should you require anything…"

"I can come to you," she said, finishing the phrase each member of Team 8 knew by heart. Her eyes shut in a moment of relief, relishing the feel of her teammate’s unique comfort. Her boys had always looked out for her.

Her boys had always looked out for her. Quickly, she shook the idea away. No. She couldn’t do that to them. Not when it was so dangerous. But…

She retracted from the hug and gave Shino a grateful, if somewhat tumultuous, smile. Shino instantly caught it, but where Kiba might have pressed further, Shino allowed her the space to come to her own decision on what to tell him. That didn’t mean she missed the feeling of a few more bugs crawling into her hair.

Hefting Himawari up higher on her hip, Hinata bowed her head and turned to leave. Himawari’s ANBU squad quickly fell in with her own and, if she wasn’t mistaken, the Aburame clan members followed. In that moment, Hinata wasn’t sure whether to go back and hug Shino again or break down and cry. She did neither and allowed her daughter’s babble to keep her in check.

“Shino-oji-chan showed me the greenhouse, mama!”

“And, and Shiro likes Teenage Ninja Turtle Summons, too!”

“Sanko-oba-chan made dinner, and it was so yummy, but not as yummy as yours.”

And on and on and on, one thing after another. Hinata found herself latching onto the innocence pervading her daughter.

“Mama, are you listening?”

Hinata started, stopping in the middle of the street. “Of course I am, sweetie. You were telling me all about the stories you read.”

Himawari narrowed her eyes as if she didn’t quite believe her, but seemed to conclude her mother wouldn’t lie. She brightened. “Yeah! We read so many! My bum hurt at the end.”

“Oh, that is a lot.”

“Mmhm!”

The two continued into town, now filling with more people as lunch approached. If it seemed like there were more shinobi out than usual, well it was only to be expected. Hinata ignored the looks she got as she maundered her way through the market place. She made a couple pit stops to the grocer’s and the pharmacy, getting a few more items free than she intended, before hesitantly making her way into a red-roofed shop further out from the main road.

A ring resounded through the store as mother and daughter entered. No one else was there, though the front desk showed evidence of a recent purchase – a pen still situated with the cap off and a slightly mused stack of business cards laying haphazardly across the wood. A few kunai were missing from their cases. Hinata passed the aisles of equipment to the desk and, after a brief moment of indecision, rang the bell.

Thump, clang, bang!

Hinata’s eyes widened fractionally as the sounds echoed from out of the back room and she tightened her grip on Himawari subconsciously.

“Ow,” she heard someone mutter, along with a few choice curse words. Hinata’s lips pursed, and she chanced a peek at her daughter. Thankfully, the six-year-old was too busy admiring the weapons case to notice.

“Be right there!”

Hinata nodded, a light rose dusting across her cheeks upon realizing the caller couldn’t see, and let her eyes wander. Weapons sat displayed in their cases, out of the reach of over-eager genin, and only a few of the larger ones rested on the walls. There were a few shelves and bins situated around the shop, all of them piled precariously with non-lethal shinobi equipment. Pouches, bandages, wet stones, all arranged methodically on top of each other. A sign hung behind the counter advertising the various types of seals one could buy, as well as some of the services provided by the shop – sharpening, cleaning, miscellaneous weapon maintenance. Hinata almost snorted at the word. ‘Miscellaneous’ was really just a term used to give the owner free reign with someone else’s equipment.

“Tenten-oba-chan!”

Hinata attention shifted to see Tenten emerging from the back door. Her friend’s hair was mused and loosening out of their braids, strands falling in wisps around her face, and her clothes were wrinkled as if she’d slept in them. A streak of coal dust ran across one cheek. Her friend stopped as soon as she saw them, concern and sympathy warring on her face, but she quickly hid them under a bright smile.

“Hinata-chan, Hima-chan,” she greeted, walking over to embrace the two.

Himawari giggled from her spot squished between the two women and playfully tried to push her honorary aunt away. “Oba-chan~!”

“What? Do you not like my hugs, anymore?” Tenten teased.

“I was smooshed!”

“Well, I guess I can let you slide,” said Tenten. “Just this once.”

“You say that every time,” Himawari giggled, her little hands reaching up to cover her mirth.

“Well I mean it every time,” she replied, exchanging a grin with Hinata. Tenten rolled her shoulders. “So what can I do for you?”

“I just need to stock up,” Hinata said.

“Oh?” Tenten quirked an eyebrow. She gave her friend a critical once-over. “Which ones? Kunai, senbon, shuriken?”

Hinata took a deep breath. If she was really going to go through with this…“Everything.”

Tenten’s eyes widened and then instantly narrowed into slits.

“Right,” she muttered, and Hinata flinched under her gaze. “Just over here,” she beckoned, walking to the case beside the checkout counter.

Tenten crouched down to pull out a drawer and flicked through a few boxes before she found the ones she was looking for. Two scrolls filled with newly sharpened kunai and shuriken – fifty each – were placed on the counter, and quickly joined with a pack of senbon. It was a much smaller container, no larger than an incense box, and made of generic grey cardboard. Tenten checked the description on the side before handing it to Hinata.

“1590 ryo.”

Placing Himawari on the ground so she could grab her wallet, Hinata handed the money over. The exchange was brief, but just as Hinata made to pull away, Tenten’s hand whipped out to wrap painfully around her wrist. Hinata jerked, but didn’t back away.

Eyes flickering briefly to Himawari, Tenten pulled her friend in closer so that their noses were almost touching. Her breath tickled Hinata’s chin and the faint aroma of vinegar wafted off her clothes. Tenten must have been cleaning something.

“Whatever you’re planning, don’t do it,” Tenten hissed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hinata insisted, though the shameful heat along her cheeks betrayed her. She made a half-hearted attempt to take back her wrist without being too obvious, but Tenten’s grip set like a steel trap.

The shop owner rolled her eyes. “Don’t lie to me, Hinata. We’ve been friends too long for that.”

“I’m just taking precautions,” she said a little breathlessly, with a look on her face that was too expressionless to be truthful. “Nothing else.”

“Bullshit. Hinata, please,” Tenten urged, grip tightening and urgency coating her tone. “I’ve been up all night with those weapons. Something’s not right.”

Hinata’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” What else did these people have over them?

“Something’s just off. Please, just promise me you’ll wait before you go running off half-assed.”

“Mama?” Himawari asked from below.

“In a minute, honey,” Hinata said with forced nonchalance. She felt Tenten’s grip slacken and took the chance to pull her hand away. Leaning back in, she whispered, “Tell me later.”

“Hinata…”

Hinata wished she could tell Tenten what she wanted to hear. Tenten was her friend – had been her friend for years – and she couldn’t just lie to her, but there were other things to think about and her children’s safety took precedence over everything. “I promise not to do anything reckless.”

“Why doesn’t that make me feel better?” Tenten sagged, her face screwing up in apprehension.

Hinata had no response.

Tenten sighed. “I’m going to trust you against my better judgment. Don’t make me regret it.”

Hinata reached out to squeeze her hand. She took reassurance from the warmth and callouses on Tenten’s palm. “I won’t.”

“Mama?” Himawari’s high-pitched call brought her attention back to her daughter. She smiled down at the girl and picked her back up to sit on her hip.

“I’m sorry, honey. Mama and Auntie Tenten just had to discuss something, but we can go now. How would feel about going to see great-grandmother?” She asked, hoping to distract the girl from asking questions.

Himawari gasped, her eyes going wide. “We’re gonna go see Grandmei?”

Hinata nodded. “Mmhm. Mama has to talk to grandfather about something so you and Grandmei get to have some fun.”

“Watcha gotta talk ‘bout?”

“Oh, just some very boring grown-up stuff,” Hinata replied, not missing a beat. She saw Tenten move out of the corner of her eye so that the woman was no longer behind the table. “Now, let’s say good-bye to Tenten. We don’t want to keep Grandmei waiting.”

Himawari shook her little head and beamed up at the other woman who was now standing in front of the two, smiling as if she hadn’t just agreed to let the Hokage’s wife embark on a potentially fatal excursion.

“Come back and visit me soon, okay Hima-chan?”

“I will oba-chan! I’ll come every day!”

“Every day? Well, now I’m really excited,” she said. “Now come here and give me a hug.”

Tenten embraced the girl, consequently embracing Hinata in the process. If she held on for just a little bit longer than usual or just that much tighter, neither woman said anything.

“See you later?” Tenten asked, pulling away and sending Hinata a significant look.

“See you later,” Hinata promised.

The mother-daughter duo walked out into the bright sunlight not a minute later, the weapons burning hot against Hinata’s thighs. She did her best to ignore the corrosive feeling, but her mind was a mess trying to integrate Tenten’s warning with her own half-formed plans. What could be so off-putting about those weapons that it would put Tenten on edge? The older woman loved weapons; anything new or different was usually met with a round of gushing. But fear? No, Hinata had never seen Tenten afraid.

She released a sigh and allowed Himawari’s voice to sooth her. Hinata had never been so glad for her daughter’s age. Any older and she wouldn’t have been as easily assuaged. Even now, she wasn’t convinced the little girl’s babbling was just because she was naturally talkative. If she didn’t know better, she would think Himawari’s nonsensical ramblings were done on purpose.

“Do you think Grandmei will have a tea party with me?”

“I think she’d love that, Hima,” Hinata replied as they rounded the last corner out of the marketplace and into northern clan territory.

A sprawling fence was the first thing she saw, only the tallest peaks of the mansion’s roof emerging from behind the wooden gate. Two guards stood on either side of the main entrance and Hinata could easily sense more guards stationed at random intervals along the inner wall. Her own ANBU had settled around the mansion, their chakra flaring in a friendly pattern, letting the Hyūga on duty know their intentions. The Aburame had stopped further back around the perimeter, still on guard but respectfully keeping their distance. It wouldn’t do to make the Hyūga feel as if they couldn’t be trusted.

Both Hyūga on gate guard bowed as she approached, their eyes boring into her’s, searching for any sign of falsehood. Apprehension oozed off them and she watched their Byakugan flare to life. The clan must be more anxious than she thought. Despite everything, something akin to pride niggled in her chest.  

“Hinata-sama, Himawari-sama,” the one on the right said.

“Iroha-san.” She nodded to him, “Hoheto-san,” she said to the other. Pulling herself up straighter, Hinata said, “I need to speak with the elders. Please inform them that they are to meet me in the head office immediately.”

“Of course, Hinata-sama,” Iroha made a hand signal and immediately another guard hidden behind the wall shot off. “They will be waiting when you arrive, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

The men bowed again and stepped aside, allowing them entrance.  

Hinata took a deep breath to calm her nerves and walked inside.

If Naruto were a lesser man he would have slipped. Shaky hands reached up to brush aside blond spikes, as he leaned back against the sofa in exhaustion. His vision swam, his throat ached, and there was a constant pressure in the back of his eyes he could do without. The reports lay in a discarded pile beside him.

He had maybe five or so minutes left before Shikamaru arrived. His advisor’s chakra itched at the edge of his senses, like the ticking timer on a bomb. Shikamaru wasn’t moving particularly fast, so Naruto felt relatively safe in assuming nothing had changed. A part of Naruto was relieved. The part of him that wanted to coat his arms in blood up to his elbows was not.

Naruto sighed and pushed the thought to the back of his mind, wringing his hands compulsively as if to wash the imaginary blood from them. They felt heavy with it – almost sticky even – though he was sure that was just the fatigue talking. He hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep.

Oh, he had tried!

It was really just very hard to close his eyes when every other sound was the whirling of a ventilator or the beeping of a heart machine. He’d spent most of the time he should have been sleeping counting each whistle. Between that and repeatedly scanning the area, sleep just never came. After an hour of tossing and turning he gave up.

The reports had still needed some attending to. At the very least, immersing himself in the facts and technicalities of the attack helped to drown out the surrounding noise. For a few hours, he was able to pretend everything was normal; the victim on the sheet wasn’t his son and the beeping was just that new-fangled clock on his bedside he had yet to figure out. For the first time ever, Naruto found himself wanting to study.

It provided a much-needed emotional barrier.

But the barrier was crumbling and Naruto knew it. Before, with the sun down and Hinata there, it was easy to pretend. Now? Not so much. His eyes kept straying and he kept having to go back and reread the same sentence over and over again because he caught himself counting in time with the machines.

Naruto strangled a groan. Maybe if he went outside for just a minute he could concentrate more. He tilted his body, ready to roll off the couch and ease the soreness out of his muscles, when Boruto wheezed and he disbanded the notion entirely.

Kiba’s report wavered in front of his eyes, the words swimming. Team Nu’s last relay sat in bold in the middle of the page, standing out against the otherwise intelligible script – not that Naruto really needed to read it again.

Ko.

Ku.

E.

N.

He knew they were already dead and beyond his help, but even though Hinata said differently it didn’t stop the fact that he was to blame. He should have sent out a more experienced team. It didn’t matter that Nu was one of the most talented scout squads they had after Team 8. It didn’t matter that Kiba had personally vouched for their competency not even a week ago. The fact remained that they were a new team and he should not have let them go.

But even that – even taking all of that in together – hadn’t been what kept Naruto awake. He’d been a shinobi long enough to know how to deal with unnecessary casualties. It wasn’t something he liked, but he knew how to push the guilt aside to be dealt with later. No, the problem was with the message itself.

N – Conditions clear

Of all the codes in Konoha, why N? It made no sense. Why say conditions are clear when they aren’t? Unless he meant Na and just pressed the wrong character. Naruto tilted his head, considering. It certainly made more sense. Terrain unsafe was much more in line with the others than conditions clear.

A scowl slid across his face, stretching his whiskers.

But they’re trained not to make mistakes like that! You can’t relay wrong information and this is definitely wrong. So why use N?

Naruto’s vision blurred around the edges. It was simple katakana – much easier to use in life or death situations – and he couldn’t help thinking he was missing something obvious. It was probably the lack of sleep.

That’s no excuse. You fought a war for three days straight and then beat Sasuke. A few hours without sleep is nothing. He ignored the little voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Sakura telling him all about mental fatigue and a whole bunch of other useless information about stress and reading in dim light.

The katakana meshed together. Spaces shrunk and the explanations on the page disappeared. The entire document swam.

Naruto dug the base of his palms into his sockets.

Stupid eyes.

Why the hell had he wanted this job again? He never went home. He never saw his family. There was enough paperwork that even his clones couldn’t keep up, and now he had to deal with the niggling worry that perhaps he was to blame for Boruto’s condition. Naruto heaved another sigh and allowed his eyes to slide over to his son.

Maybe he was still too young. He was only twenty-seven. That wasn’t very old. And it wasn’t like he’d been Hokage long yet; there was still time to give the hat back to Kakashi. They could just leave his face up on the monument until he was ready to take the mantle up again. Say, when he was thirty. It would give him time to be a better father, give his son time to adjust. And if he weren’t Hokage he could just spend all his time in here, without having to worry about the logistics and the politics and the consequences of his title.

His resolve faltered. It had sound preposterous last night, but in the daylight it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. So what if it was childish? It wasn’t technically running away if he was still in the village, right? And Tsunade was already helping. Surely Kakashi’s retirement could wait three more years.

A knock at the door interrupted his musings and Naruto immediately stiffened. He shot up from his position on the couch and attempted to straighten out his clothes.

“Enter,” he called out once he felt more presentable.

The door opened and ANBU Tori stuck his head inside. “Hokage-sama,” and Naruto flinched at the title, “Nara-sama is here for you.”

“Let him in.”

Tori bowed and moved aside to let Shikamaru through. He walked in, shoulders painfully straight and face a study in control, and waited at attention a little ways before Naruto. The door closed, a brief glow emanating from the walls as the privacy seals activated, and at once Shikamaru slouched into a more comfortable position. Naruto gratefully fell back onto the couch.

“Shikamaru.”

“Hokage-sama,” the man responded. His eyes flickered to the boy on the hospital bed, and then back to the Hokage as if asking if he really wanted to have this conversation here. Naruto met his eyes steadily.

Troublesome.

Shikamaru took a deep breath and pulled up a chair. With his shadows, he dragged a table between them and handed over a small grouping of files. “The latest from the retrieval squad. They’re still a few hours out from the Valley, but have yet to find any remains of Yagi’s seals. We think whoever attacked Nu disrupted her sealing. I had them lay down a new set to see if they can pick up anything left behind, but reports so far aren’t promising.”

Naruto hummed in acknowledgement. “And what are these?” He asked, pulling out Sai’s notes.

“Sealing diagrams. The prisoners were tattooed in fūinjutsu, and Tenten found similar seals on their equipment.”

“Do they know what for?”

“No, and they can’t figure it out. Sai said they were breaking a fundamental law of sealing, but as it stands the seals are inert. Tenten’s recruited both Sai and Karui full-time to help her figure it out, and Ino’s keeping an eye on the prisoners to see if they activate anything.”

“Which law?”

“Apparently, the seals just stop, like they’ve been cut in half.”

“Cut in half? How did they not blow up?”

“Beats me. Fūinjutsu is your thing.”

“I’ll take a look later, then. It doesn’t make any sense,” Naruto murmured, eyes lingering on the diagrams. “Has autopsy found anything?”

“Nothing so far. With Shizune and her team in the capital, and Tsunade and Sakura busy here, the number of people available to work is too small.”

“Shit,” Naruto slid a hand down his face. “How many bodies do they have left?”

“Eight.”

“Eight?” Naruto stared disbelievingly. “They only had ten to begin with!”

“They’re too short staffed,” Shikamaru stressed. “You had this classified at A-rank. Without Tsunade, Shizune, Sakura or Ino, we just don’t have the numbers with that level of clearance.”

Naruto groaned. “Great, one more thing I need to talk to baa-chan about.”

“Could be worse.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

“We could have no one.”

Naruto snorted. “Yeah, I guess that’s something.” He pressed an eye with the back of his hand. “And Ino can’t get anything out of the people we have in interrogation?”

“Nothing substantial. Either they’re very highly trained, or muscle for someone else. The only concrete thing we’ve managed to extract is that Boruto was indeed the target. So if you were hoping for a case of mistaken identity you’re out of luck.”

“Good thing I wasn’t holding my breath.” Naruto parsed through the papers, lost in contemplation. “These files – how many of them have been digitized?”

“A quarter, give or take – nothing that wasn’t already released to the public. We didn’t want to risk it after what happened to Chōjūrō last month.”

“Hacking,” Naruto scoffed.

Shikamaru hummed. “Only a few years ago and getting classified information from a Kage required a skilled infiltration team. Now, people can do it from the safety of their homes.”

“I don’t like it, but I don’t like having all this paper lying around either.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t know enough about this technology yet for me to want to risk it. If someone has been amassing undetected for all these years then I don’t think it’s wise to go taking chances on faulty tech. Sticking to what we know may be our best option.”

“And these files? This is a lot of paper, Shika – a lot of paper that can easily get lost. Can we afford to take that chance, too?”

“For now? I think we have to. I’ll keep it all at my house if you want, but I’d rather them have to put effort into getting here than just handing over everything we have.”

“Udon’s been telling me they’ve figured out a way to trace hackers. He’s been working on it with the techs in Kiri.”

“And I’m even less likely to trust that. If it turns out we’re wrong and this really was just an attempt at a ransom then there’s no harm in digitizing, but I’m not taking that risk with Orochimaru in the cards.”

It would be good bait, Naruto wanted to reply, but the fact of the matter boiled down to whether or not unreliable methods were worth the risk of strengthening their enemy. Frankly, at this point, the answer was a resounding no. He tilted his head, acquiescing to his advisor’s point.

“Alright, you and I will split the files between us. Keep nothing in the tower. Seal them under your bathroom floor if you have to.”

“So, where I put all the other confidential material you give me?”

“Exactly.” He flashed Shikamaru a prankster’s grin.

The Nara clicked his tongue. “Troublesome. I’m going to be moving some of it to the kitchen at this rate.”

“Behind the cupboard. Then when anyone walks in you can pretend you’re just searching for a snack.”

“Learn that first hand, did you?”

“Course. The kids have a sixth sense for that kind of stuff.” Naruto turned soft eyes his the prone son, and his grin slipped. “Always in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Aren’t all kids?” Shikamaru tried to jest, but it fell flat in the sudden stillness of the room.

“Heh, I guess,” but it wasn’t said with any of his previous mirth.

Shikamaru held back a sigh. He pulled out a small scroll from his jacket and deposited it on the couch. “The minutes from yesterday’s council meetings. The reactions to our statement were…mixed.”

Naruto tsk-ed. “Mixed?”

“Most of them were in shock. Angry, too, and some panic on the part of the civilians, but nothing we couldn’t predict. The shinobi took it better, but they’re anxious for someone to blame, and you and I both know they won’t buy the ransom story for long – not if we want to keep up the heightened patrols. We’ll have to give them something soon, but I’m afraid of what might happen if we let it be known we suspect Oto before we have anything concrete. You know there will be at least one hardheaded idiot to go running off in some half-ass attempt at revenge. We don’t need another incident on top of this one.”

“How long before they start asking for more?”

“A week – two, maybe. We’ll have to raise taxes to pay the patrols overtime and compensate for the lack of missions. Without a reason as to why, people will start to complain.”

“Dammit. So what you’re saying is we have a week to figure this out or else lower our defenses and leave ourselves open to attack.”

“Pretty much. On the bright side, everyone is pretty riled up on your behalf. By time the statement went out, the clan heads had placed their shinobi on alert and the commanders had already drawn up the emergency rotations for your approval. We have shinobi volunteering left and right for extra shifts.” He waved the spreadsheet filled with names about and set them aside for later. “Iruka and I also agreed to shut down the Academy until Monday, just as a precaution.”

Despite the weight sitting on his chest, the knowledge that the village was so willing to help sent a wave of warmth tingling throughout Naruto’s body. “And the Assembly? How did they respond?”

“Panicked, as I said. They calmed somewhat when I told them those responsible were caught, but I’m afraid it wasn’t enough. That the emergency protocols haven’t been rescinded is making them nervous, and those nerves are making them tetchy. The Senju Preservation Society is chomping at the bits over the ‘environmental destruction of protected land,’ and the Builders’ Guild needs a detailed summary of the damages lest they start demanding a higher budget. With the lockdown still in effect, we’re also going to need to tell the merchants something that will keep them trading. At this rate, our economy is going to plummet because people are too afraid to leave their homes. On top of that, Ambassador Takehani is demanding an explanation for the daimyō.”

“This isn’t going through the ambassador,” Naruto stated.

“My thoughts exactly,” his advisor agreed. “I took the liberty of contacting Ikkyū an hour ago. He said he’d be happy to talk at your convenience.”

The Hokage ran a tired hand down the side of his face. “Thanks, Shika.”

“Oh, don’t thank me just yet. Reassuring the Assembly will be the easy part, but the news of Boruto’s kidnapping really shook the populace. We need something that will keep them calm. The gossip is getting bad.”

“How bad?”

Shikamaru’s face twisted. “Bad. Most of the shinobi with us yesterday knew to keep their mouths shut, but you know gossip. Enough always gets out before you can put the lid on. That we said he’s expected to make a full recovery helped, but from the way some people were talking you’d think it was the opposite. No one saw Boruto get taken and the theories are running wild. We have everything from Root’s return to the spirit of Senju Hashirama calling him into the forest. Now, I have Intelligence monitoring all communications, and no one’s been allowed to leave since you closed the gates, but we can’t keep that up for long if we want to maintain trade. Once we bring it down, those rumors will spread like wildfire outside Konoha.”

Naruto groaned. “That’s the last thing we need. How long do you think we can keep the lockdown for?”

Shikamaru shrugged helplessly. “Another day. Maybe.”

“Shit.” He grasped at his hair in frustration. “How could no one have seen anything? There has to be at least one witness.”

“The police force interviewed everyone who had contact with him yesterday and they all said there was nothing out of the ordinary. The bakery owner was the last person we could determine he had contact with. As far as he could tell, the only problem Boruto had was being short of change. He promised to come back and pay after school, but…” But he didn’t make it to school.

It sat heavy between them, hanging amongst the all too loud echoing of Boruto’s life support. The bakery – at least the one their kids liked to frequent – was only a few short blocks away from the Academy. It was in a largely residential area, filled with young families just starting out on their own. Any one of them could have seen something had Boruto been attacked there.

“So either Boruto was kidnapped on his way to school and none of them noticed–”

“Or someone did notice and allowed it to happen,” Shikamaru finished with the air of someone who’d long since come to this conclusion and it’s implications. Did a spy make sure there was no one else around or–? No, he wasn’t going to go there. There was no proof.

Naruto’s eyes hid storms. “We have a list of every spy in this village. What are the chances someone managed to slip by?”

“With your abilities, normally I’d say none, but we have seven people in prison, and ten bodies in the morgue. The likelihood of that many getting in without help is maybe one in six-billion.”

“And the possibility that it’s one of the spies we know of?”

“Even less. I’ve sent Ibiki the files on all the spies we actually know about, but none of them are from villages anywhere near Oto, nor have any of them shown any change in routine.”

“Our luck’s not that good anyway,” Naruto grumbled under his breath. “So it’s possible we’ve had a spy or a group of spies operating inside the village for gods know how long, planning gods knows what.”

“Sounds about right.” He clenched his teeth. How could they have let this happen?

“Fuck.” Naruto groaned, something between a sigh and a sob, burrowing his face in his hands with a great expunge of air. “What am I going to do, Shikamaru?”

“You’re going get up and finish figuring out what to tell the civilians. Then you’re going to figure out what to tell the other villages, and then you’re going to find these bastards and make sure they never see the light of day again. Sound like a plan?”

“Can we skip parts one and two and go directly to three?”

“No. So, the civilians?”

“We need to reassure them that their safety is our priority. Have squads Zu and Ja do a sweep of the major trading routes. Confirmation that the roads are safe should keep the traders content.”

“Ah, and if they’re not satisfied we can always offer our services to those hesitant to travel.”

“Push for it if you have to. I don’t want to have to go back to the daimyō asking for more money. If we can get the funds for the builders without having to rework the budget or go to Ikkyū, all the better.”

“We’ll have to limit it to C-ranks, then. We need the jounin and specialists here, and we can’t afford to take our eyes off the borders. If anything, this will be enough to show the council that increasing the patrols is worth the cost.”

“We’re already going to be stretched thin as it is,” Naruto sagged, flipping through the top folder containing the names of shinobi currently on active duty. “Combined with everyone already at the borders and on defense, we’re only going to have a thousand or so shinobi left. Knowing the merchants, it won’t be enough.”

“We could ask for help from the Union, and mixing in our genin will increase numbers. If we have them complete joint missions it will double the available shinobi and increase safety, not to mention reaffirm our trust in our allies. Plus, it might give those green-eyed brats some experience.”

“The genin have been getting restless.”

“I think you mean rusty. The last chuunin exams were embarrassing.”

Naruto’s lips twitched. “How would you know? You slept through them.”

“So did you,” Shikamaru countered, and Naruto just flashed his teeth unapologetically. “Though this does raise the question of how much we want to release to the Union. You know it’s entirely possible if we do have a spy it’s one of theirs.”

“Yeah, well I’m trying not to think like that.”

“Can you afford to?

“I’m not sure I can afford anything right now,” Naruto remarked, flicking a hand in emphasis. “But if I can’t trust them who can I trust? I have to assume they’re innocent, Shika, or it’ll only be a matter of time before we’re right back to how things were before the war.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Yeah, well I’m not exactly jumping with joy either,” Naruto groused. He rubbed at the whiskers on his cheeks. “Besides, I doubt any of them are behind this.”

So did Shikamaru, but that didn’t change the fact that the possibility was there. “I still think it’s important we keep some of our information close to the chest.” Like the fact that there might be spies in the village that they couldn’t account for – spies that, however unlikely, could belong to an ally.

Former ally.

Naruto was of the same mind. “We’ll keep any information on how Boruto may have been taken to ourselves.” Mainly because as of now they didn’t know how and that was a far more dangerous prospect should it get out. “If the spy is one of theirs we can’t afford to tip them off.”

Shikamaru agreed. “Once we know more we can reevaluate what we release to them.” He took a deep breath to center himself. “And…Boruto’s condition. How much should we–”

“It’s none of their business,” Naruto cut in hotly.

“They’re going to ask.”

“Let them. The only thing they need to know is that the attempt was unsuccessful. If they keep persisting…” it’s because they have stock in the information.

“I understand,” Shikamaru bowed his head, forcing himself to ignore the gooseflesh prickling his arms. One kidnapping attempt and their peace dangled by a thread. “You know if this goes the way we’re expecting it might be best to issue an Alert.”

“Shika– ”

“Specifically, it might be in our best interest to issue out a Yellow Alert. Whether a member village had a hand in this or not, it doesn’t diminish the help we’d be able to get otherwise. It would also reflect well on the minor villages if they felt they were being included on something of this magnitude.”

Naruto winced imperceptibly, but otherwise remained stoic. The Alert Protocol system was a relatively new procedure implemented after the war. In an effort to maintain the still tenuous peace, all suspicious activity targeted at a village was to be reported to the Union. Allied shinobi would be placed on standby to offer aid or information, while their respective villages would then be prepared to be put on the defensive should they too come under attack. The severity of the issue determined the level of the Alert. It was a symbiotic measure, but one Naruto, perhaps naively, never thought he would have to enact.

Idly, he wondered at what Kakashi would do.

“I’m going to have to call a Summit,” he said, talking through threaded fingers. “If we’re issuing an Alert they’re going to want more information. We can keep our suspicions about Oto from the Union – for now at least – but the Kage are another matter. We’ll need to tell them. If they found out we kept vital information like that it could be disastrous.”

It could prove more than disastrous especially if they were wrong and the other Kage were similarly attacked. “When do you want to meet?”

“Today if I can. We’ll have to forego meeting in person, but I can’t leave the village and I doubt they’re going to want to either.” He rubbed at his eyes tiredly. “Think you can arrange it?”

“Tch,” Shikamaru clicked his tongue. “Can a man sell sand in Suna? I can try, but don’t go expecting miracles. Unlike you, I can’t do the impossible.”

“If it was really impossible, I wouldn’t be able to do it,” Naruto replied with a brief impish grin.

“Troublesome,” Shikamaru drawled, disbelievingly. He stretched his neck and checked the clock. “I’ll try for noon. The time difference between Kiri and Iwa is going to make it tricky.”

“Whatever you have to do,” the blond conceded. “Thanks, Shika.”

“Thank me when it’s over,” he grumbled. “My next meeting with the Civilian Assembly is in two hours. If I can get in contact with the Kage before then we should just be able to make it.”

“The Assembly? I thought I–”

“Yeah, well I figured I could take care of them while you met with the shinobi.”

The Hokage started. “What? Shika–”

“I don’t know if you’ve realized it,” Shikamaru interjected, “but you look like hell. You’re more likely to scare the civilians in the state you’re in than reassure them. The Council will be more understanding. In fact, you might even spur them on if it looks like you haven’t slept.”

“I haven’t.”

“It shows.” The Nara scratched his head; he’d tied his ponytail too tightly this morning. “Look, you’re already bogged down and it’s only been a day. If you try to do everything, you’ll collapse and the village will collapse with you. I’m volunteering to do extra work. Take it.”

“You talk like you haven’t been running around, too,” Naruto muttered under his breath, but Shikamaru had a point. He was exhausted and spamming out shadow clones when the village could be on the verge of another attack was not a good plan.

“Yeah, but at least I slept last night.” Whereas it was plaintively obvious Naruto had not. “I’ll take care of the civilians. You deal with the shinobi.”

Naruto slumped in defeat, gratefulness warring with reluctance. “Alright, thank you, Shika.”

“Hm,” Shikamaru accepted. “I’ll send out a missive for, say, three hours? You still have to talk to Ikkyū, and it will give you at least another hour if we manage to contact the Kage.” He glanced up from his notebook to see if that was acceptable and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah. Three hours should be enough time.”

“Right.” He jotted the information down – more out of habit than any real chance of forgetting – and pulled the spreadsheet back out from underneath the pile. “The Command schedules. We have about sixty teams out on missions in the general forces alone. Sai and Soku have put all outbound missions on standby, but we’re still down six ANBU squads plus a whole company, and that doesn’t even take into account Nu, the retrieval squad, or those medics we sent with Shizune to the capital.”

Naruto hid a wince. “How long do we expect them all to be gone?”

“The general forces are too varied to count, and the money they’re bringing in is too valuable to risk recalling them. Of the others, Shizune indicated they had everything under control and can return within the next two days, so that’s one point in our favor, but Kyo Squad is out of reach on assignment with Kumo, and unless the Raikage is willing to hand over his dirigible, we’re looking at at least two weeks. Same goes for E Squad. On the other hand, Fu is finishing up in Nami and should return by week’s end. Ro Squad is with the daimyō, and both Yu and Ra are on rotation at Union headquarters. All are expected to return within the two-month allotment. Gamma Company has been on border patrol since last week and are scheduled to be gone a month. We’ve already placed them on high alert.”

“Who in Gamma was supposed to rendezvous with Nu?”

“Ku Squad – Team 3, but they reported no sightings or attempted communications. They asked if we wanted them to search for the remains, but I don’t want to leave the border unmanned. We’ve already had a breach and I’m not willing to risk it. The retrieval team will hopefully be enough.”

Or just more dead, Naruto thought, before quickly shaking it away. He couldn’t afford to think like that. “I can’t recall Ro without insulting Ikkyū, but maybe if I ask the Union very nicely they’ll let us switch details with another village.”

“You mean if I ask the Union,” Shikamaru interjected. “Or at least have Mibuna do it.”

“Mibuna? You think she’s up for it?”

“She was your genin. And we need someone we can trust to stay there and manage everything in the event things turn sour. I just need to go over the report with her and she can do the rest.”

“You sure? I can’t have you running on fumes, Shika.”

“Better me than you. And they’re expecting me tomorrow anyway. Might as well kill two birds with one stone. The only problem I foresee is time. We have to speak to the Kage first. If we can’t get them to meet today we’ll have to postpone informing the Union, which will only delay any help they might be able to give.”

Naruto groaned into his hands. “Almost makes me wish we could ignore that rule.”

“Seeing as Konoha was the one to propose it, I don’t think that would set a very good precedent.”

“No, but it would make me feel better.”

“Probably, but it wouldn’t do your image any favors. And considering your image affects your politics…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Good image, good politics, good work.” Not that he wasn’t proud of his work, it was just that maneuvering the world of politics would put the strain on anyone, something he really wished he’d known when he was younger. No wonder the Great Nations had adhered to isolationism for so long. Frankly, it was just so much easier.

“Exactly. And the more people who like you,” which, as far as Shikamaru could tell was the vast majority of the world, “the more people willing to offer you help.”

“And the more people willing to help the faster we solve this.”

“Right. So we follow protocol and speak to the Kage first, then the Union. Hopefully they won’t put up a fight about Yu or Ra, and if they do we might have settle for a compromise. Getting one back is better than nothing. We can’t afford to recall Gamma Company. Their intel could prove invaluable, and it’s been made clear that our borders aren’t as secure as we thought. But once Shizune returns, and we have Kyo, E and Fu back in rotation, it will be enough to ease up on the other teams. Right now our emergency plans have companies Sigma, Psi, Zeta and Upsilon alternating throughout the village and the surrounding area. That’ll be fine for a week or two, but the longer they’re out the slower their response time if something happens – not to mention all the missions we have pending,” and here he indicated to the village diagram showing the current distribution of shinobi. “Thankfully, once everyone is back we’ll have enough shinobi to assign three squads to each sector. We can then rotate them out every few days and free Psi and Zeta back up.”

Naruto nodded along with the suggestion, and Shikamaru took that as permission to continue. “Ga and We are circling the borders, and we can put Squads Ji, Zu, and Gu around the Academy and Clan districts for added protection.”

“And the hospital? Boruto?”

“O Squad. Did you want to add more?”

“No.” Naruto shook his head, deep in thought. O Squad consisted of three teams and even he knew that was excessive in light of their low numbers. “We can’t afford it. Who’s with Himawari?”

“Re-3 and a host of Aburame.”

Naruto’s head bobbed in thought and he stroked his chin. “Re-3 might be better stationed near the city. Are U-1 and 3 available?”

Shikamaru ran his finger down the list, stopping once he hit their names. “Both just returned from missions last week with no injuries. They should be good to go.”

“Alright. Place them on rotation. Have U relieve Re-3, and move U-3 over to Himawari. Hinata’s team can stay.” Mainly because Hinata’s team was his team and he trusted her skills enough not to bog down resources by giving her another one.

His advisor jolted down the changes and closed the file. With steady fingers, he removed the last folder from the pile and placed it between them, opening the beige flap. Pulling out two identical stacks and a redacting pen, Shikamaru leaned in. He pushed one group over towards Naruto and kept the other.

“The latest report from the Hunter Unit,” Shikamaru uttered, plucking out the five-page transcript from the pile. “I placed another copy in there for you, but–”

“Burn it.”

“What?” Shikamaru’s eyes widened.

“Burn it.” The Hokage’s gaze was piercing. “Tell Kiba to destroy his copy. Redact everything except dates, team formation, and time of death. We’ll go over it again once the recovery team makes their report. Restrict autopsy to Tsunade, Sakura, and Ino. I’ll keep Kiba’s report in the vaults.” He held up the much thicker document he’d received directly from Kiba earlier.

Shikamaru sat speechless for a moment, just staring at his leader. When it finally struck that Naruto was being serious, he gave his head a jerky bow and muttered, “Sir.” He tentatively reached for the copy he’d pushed forward earlier and, with a small katon jutsu, set the pages aflame. Within seconds, all that remained was a small pile of ash.

Naruto nodded, and handed over Kiba’s assessment for Shikamaru to read. He’d been through it too many times already and Shikamaru would have it memorized after a once over anyway. “Yagi’s seals may have been destroyed, but we know they made it to the rendezvous point. These people knew exactly where they’d be.”

“The spy?”

“Perhaps,” the blond muttered. “Or they were followed. Would make sense if there was more than one. The border patrol did say they never checked in.” He shuffled around with the papers, searching for something. “Do we have the barrier team’s latest assessment?”

“Yeah.” Shikamaru pulled out a small scroll. “Everything’s here. They recorded no unauthorized entrances or exits.”

“That’s not possible.”

“I know, which begs the question of how they got in–”

“And for how long.”

“–and for how long,” Shikamaru agreed, “and how they got out without raising any alarms?”

“Shikamaru, we can’t just–”

“It’s the only logical conclusion.”

“You’re not just talking about spies anymore, Shikamaru,” Naruto said with tense solemnity. “What you’re suggesting is treason.”

His advisor answered back with thin lips.

Naruto covered his mouth with the tips of his fingers. That was just the news he didn’t want to hear. “You’re sure?”

“No, but it would explain how no one noticed Boruto’s abduction. We could have a homegrown problem on our hands here.”

“Shit.” His eyes scanned the report. “Alright. Send the barrier teams’ files to Anko. Ino and Ibiki are too bogged down for them to go through them all now. If we have a traitor in the barrier squad or the ANBU, who knows how many unknowns have slipped in.”

“Or slipped out.”

“Or slipped out.” He buried his head in his hands. “If there is a traitor then they’re not only responsible for my son’s kidnapping, but the deaths of eight other shinobi.”

“Not only that,” Shikamaru said with dawning realization, “but if there is someone getting more spies passed the barrier then we can’t be assured information hasn’t already spread beyond our borders. I thought we had a handle on everyone who’s left the village recently, but if the barrier squad is compromised…”

“Fuck,” Naruto mumbled. His eyes clouded over and he stood abruptly from his chair, almost knocking over the table. “Fuck!”

“Naruto!” Shikamaru jolted forward, his eyes straying to Boruto in a subconscious bid to make sure he hadn’t been disturbed. The child remained unresponsive.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Naruto asked, though Shikamaru had an inkling it wasn’t actually directed at him. “If there are other spies…How am I supposed to keep this quiet? If the rumors get out–”

“If they get out then it’s only because they’re already out.” Shikamaru placed a calming hand on his friend’s shoulder. “We’ll rotate the barrier team. Rifle through the ANBU. We’ll make it seem like we need them somewhere else.”

“And if people know how easily we were infiltrated?”

“They won’t know,” he stated with conviction. “I will personally go through the barrier teams’ files if I have to.”

“And you think that will that be enough?” His hand flew about desperately towards his unconscious son. “I can’t have people knowing how badly he’s hurt, Shikamaru.”

“They won’t. I swear to you, they won’t.” Shikamaru regarded Kiba’s original report still resting on the table between them. He sighed. “Look, whatever’s going on we need to keep our heads cool. Stomping around isn’t going to help us.” He pointedly applied pressure to Naruto’s shoulder and waited until he felt some of the tension leave his friend’s body. “Now there weren’t that many people around when you told Kiba to send out Nu, and if there’s one traitor, then it’s possible there are more. Just say the word and I can have yesterday’s search teams sent to interrogation.”

The Hokage dislodged himself from Shikamaru’s hold and collapsed back into his chair, hands shaking. “No, not yet. If there is a traitor – traitors – I don’t want to tip them off. Have Anko and her team look through all their files first. If anything flags, send them to me.”

“Understood,” Shikamaru said, returning much more cautiously to his own chair. He then picked up Kiba’s report for a closer look at Nu’s information. He took in their names, their skills, their times of death, and paused. “Three minutes,” he muttered, horrified. “Who takes out a five-man ANBU team in three minutes?”

Naruto met his gaze, purple eyes sharp and searing. Something akin to iron settled in Shikamaru’s stomach.

“I don’t know,” he replied, “but I intend to find out.”

“Tsunade-sama set him up on a series of broad spectrum antibiotics early this morning. She found evidence of an infection setting in and is hoping to head it off before it evolves into full-blown sepsis.”

“Caused by the debris, no doubt,” Sakura remarked, as she checked the lab results Yajirushi had handed her. The stale air of her office made it hard to breathe, to the point where she’d had to loosen the collar of her blouse so she didn’t suffocate. Were she not dealing with confidential material, she would have gladly opened a window. “His healing factor is already working overtime. I’m not sure how well his body will be able to fight off a septic attack.”

“That was Tsunade-sama’s thinking as well.”

“How are his vitals now?”

Yajirushi’s mouth twisted unpleasantly as he ran through the chart in his hand. “As well as can be expected. His body temperature has leveled off to around 38 degrees Celsius, an improvement from his earlier temp of 39. Heart rate is a little low, and his blood pressure dropped during the night. Tests indicate it’s due to the infection rather than any of his injuries. We had to adjust his ventilator to account for the depression.”

“We’ll have to monitor that then,” Sakura mused, making a note in the margin of Boruto’s lab results. “If it continues to drop we’ll have to figure out a way to bring it back up without exacerbating his injuries.”

“Should I prepare a series of vasopressors?”

Sakura bit her lip, contemplating. She leaned back into the leather of her chair and mentally ran through the list of Boruto’s medications. “He’s already on antiepileptics.” She shook her head slowly. “No, not yet. They could cancel each other out and I don’t want to risk it unless we have no other choice.”

“Understood.”

The Head Medic began rifling through the pile, tossing a few miscellaneous documents onto the keyboard. “Do you have his recent thoracic scan?”

“Ah, it’s…” the nurse dug into the folders clasped under his arm. “Right here.” He placed the papers into Sakura’s waiting hand. “The effects of the blast lung are causing some concern. They’re not as bad as we’ve seen on some civilians, but considering his age and relative size…”

“Yes, I’m aware,” Sakura brushed him off, her attention focused on the scans. “I’m banking on his lowered blood pressure to keep him from hemorrhaging again, but that has its own complications.” She glanced severely up at her subordinate. “We need to keep a close eye on his blood pressure and oxygen levels, understood? If it goes down any further, alert me immediately.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She traced the outline of Boruto’s chakra pathway. Her brow furrowed and she sat up further. “What’s this buildup near the Death Gate?”

“Buildup?” Yajirushi leaned over to view the chart.

Sakura placed her finger over the diagram of his chest. “His chakra levels are too high around his heart.”

“Could it be due to the damage to his abdominal cavity? We know his pathways took the brunt of the explosion, and his heart suffered less damage than his stomach. It’s possible his chakra is starting to pool there first until his abdomen is fully healed.”

“If that’s it, it’s not good. Boruto’s chakra capacity is already above average for his age, and his regenerative rate is twice that of a normal shinobi. The pathways near his heart will be too small to contain the amount of chakra he’ll be producing. If it leaks through, his heart will be the first organ affected.”

“And his Tenketsu were already damaged. They’re still too weak to hold up under the strain.”

“Exactly,” Sakura said. “Make a special note to keep an eye on this. I don’t want to have to take him back into surgery so quickly, but if this gets any worse we might not have a choice.”

“It would help to bring in a Hyūga if that’s the case.”

“It would,” Sakura mused. She bit the end of her thumbnail. “The difficulty is finding a Hyūga with enough medical know-how to pinpoint any impending problem before it becomes too late to prevent damage. They’re not exactly known for allowing their family members into the medical corps.”

Yajirushi shuffled uncomfortably, indicative of a person about to offer up unwelcome advice. “Doesn’t Hinata-sama have a background in medicine?”  

Sakura’s fingers twitched against the desk. “Not extensively. Her area is mainly in herbalism.” Besides which, Sakura wasn’t about to involve her friend in something so personal. Knowing Hinata, the woman would keep her Byakugan on until she went blind, and that wasn’t even taking into account the emotional toll it would take on her. She was already under enough stress. At the same time, Yajirushi had a good point. Hinata was far more skilled in the area of medicine than most others of her clan, no matter that it wasn’t as refined as a real medic’s. She also had the required security clearance, something few in her clan could boast. Sakura let out a resigned sigh. “I will…broach the topic with Hinata. See if she’s up to it.” Which she undoubtedly would be. Sakura would if she were in her position, and she felt she knew her friend well enough to guess at her response.

She’d have to add monitoring Hinata’s health to her list of things to do.

“Has the swelling under his skull gone down at all?” She asked. The numbers recorded from the intracranial pressure monitor were not as promising as she’d hoped considering his healing rate, but neither were they especially bad.

Yajirushi appeared to share her sentiment. “Somewhat. The pressure is still too significant at this stage to make any assumptions, but if it continues to decrease at its current rate Tsunade-sama hopes to bring him out of the coma within the next week.”

“And the damage?”

“It’s too early to tell, Sakura-sama.”

“I thought so.” They’d managed to offset most of the damage while he was in surgery, but the longer the swelling remained the more they would have to account for when he woke up. Sakura didn’t relish that conversation.

“At least his bones are healing nicely. And his ears,” Yajirushi remarked, attempting to add some positivity to the report.

Sakura snorted, not reassured. “Yes, at least there’s that. Now if only I could say the same for the rest of him.” She picked up the oldest file on her desk. Its pages were yellowing around the edges and it gave off the distinct smell of musk that all papers seemed to accrue after years of obscurity. A light genjutsu prevented Yajirushi from seeing its contents. A the top of the page, right below the red CONFIDENTIAL stamp, was a title set in bold:

Newborn Report: Uzumaki Boruto

“Sakura-sama?”

“Has the damage to his eyes made any progress?”

“H-his eyes, ma’am? Tsunade-sama didn’t say. I thought they had been healed during surgery.” The hulking man swallowed harshly into the silence of Sakura’s thoughts.

She nodded absently, her attention fixated on the old report. “They were.” The problem was that Boruto was descended from a dōjutsu wielding clan, where any damage could prove catastrophic, and his newborn report indicated he was positive for the Byakugan.

It had lead to no end of bafflement for the medics authorized to view the test results. Boruto’s eyes were blue and pupiled, and showed no distinct signs of his mother’s dōjutsu. Tsunade-sama had even ordered the test be redone three times before accepting the results. The only real anomaly in the blood work had been a group of unknown markers that didn’t show in either Naruto or Hinata. They still didn’t have the technology necessary to interpret the genes, though Sakura certainly had a few theories of her own.

She could only wonder at what problems might arise if his eyes were damaged in any way.

The page began to wilt and she flicked it between her fingers to stiffen the paper, catching the document under the sunlight in the process. A slight glimmer caught out of the corner of her eye from the top of the document, and vanished as soon as the paper was righted. It was Tsunade’s signatory chop: the stylized slug with a five-

Sakura’s brow furrowed. She flicked the paper again. On unsure legs she rose from her chair and – much to the confusion of Yajirushi – strode over towards the window. Slowly, so slowly it was almost imperceptible, she tilted her hand so as to view the document in the sunlight.

She paled.

“Oh gods.”

Yajirushi stepped forward, hands raised to catch her as she stumbled back into her chair. “S-Sakura-sama!”

“Stop.” Her eyes were wild, flashing between the document and the window. She took a deep shaky breath, and focused green steel on her subordinate. Yajirushi stiffened. “Get the Hokage. Tell him it’s an emergency.”

“W-what?”

“Now.”