So, this was meant to be a one-shot, but Himawari's section got a little long, so I had to cut this into two chapters instead. I've had these headcanons ever since the series ended and am just now putting them out on paper. So many new ideas, so little time. So this is my way of honoring the end of the manga and my childhood. Despite the flaws, I liked how Naruto ended. Everyone is happy and that makes me happy.

I hope you all enjoy. I think I've caught most of the grammar and spelling mistakes, but I can never be a hundred percent sure. Anywho, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my headcanons and the plot.

Expectations

Part 1: Boruto

When it came to chakra, most people agreed that Uzumaki Boruto and Uzumaki Himawari were two of the luckiest people in the world. Born with the ridiculously large capacity of their father and the chakra control of the Hyuuga, both children were considered potential powerhouses even before they entered the Academy. It was expected that the siblings would aim for the Hokage title and become frontline fighters like their parents – taking dangerous missions and saving the world in fiery explosions and awe inspiring battles. This wasn't entirely wrong, but then it wasn't entirely right.

Boruto was the first to challenge this idea. Even at the young age of seven, he held some resentment towards the Hokage title. Oh sure, he loved his dad to pieces and was proud to be his son, but the position of Hokage was not one he thought very highly of if only because it limited the amount of time his father spent with him. So Boruto never even entertained the idea of taking up the mantle. It just was not a job he wanted. But still, he looked up to his parents and wanted to become a shinobi.

It was his innate control and chakra capacity that quickly let him live up to people's expectations of a powerhouse. While he wasn't the Rookie of the Year, he consistently remained in the upper tier of his class. Unlike his father in his youth, Boruto actually waited until after school to pull pranks. Gods only knew what his mother would do if he skipped. But while most of the kids in his class had an idea of what type of shinobi they wanted to become – ANBU, Hokage, teacher, etc. – all Boruto knew was that he wanted to be able to kick some ass and take some names. It wasn't his fault everyone equated that with wanting to become Hokage.

By the time he was placed on a genin team, he was quite honestly sick of it. He did not want to be Hokage, he never wanted to be Hokage, and if his dad ever offered him the title he would take the hat and throw it right back. Unfortunately, even his genin team didn't seem to get this.

"Alright, my name is Sarutobi Konohamaru and I'm going to be your jounin sensei until you either get promoted or die. So here's how this is gonna go. You tell me your name, likes, dislikes and dreams for the future, and I won't send you back to the Academy, kore."

"You would actually send us back to the Academy because we won't tell you what we like?" Uchiha Sarada questioned, incredulous. She was quite obviously not impressed by their teacher. Boruto couldn't really disagree, but then he had grown up with Konohamaru.

"I would send you back for not following your superior's orders, but thanks for volunteering to go first, four-eyes," the jounin said, smirking. His arms were crossed across his chest and he looked endlessly amused at the angered flush spreading across the girl's face.

"Fine," she huffed. "My name is Uchiha Sarada, not four-eyes. I like reading, studying ninjutsu, and sakuramochi. I dislike idiotic boys, people who make fun of my glasses," she glared at Konohamaru, "and when my papa is away for too long. Someday, I want to be as powerful as my parents and be the first Uchiha to become Hokage."

"An Uchiha Hokage, huh?" Their sensei smirked. "Well, we'll see. The impossible has happened before." Sarada glared, but Konohamaru had already moved on to the next child. "Alright, Lee-clone you're up."

"Yosh! I am Rock Tai," the bowl-headed boy announced, his arms pumping up in the air in excitement. "I enjoy practicing taijutsu and spending time with my friends. I do not like those people who do not work hard or look down on those who do. In the future I hope to become a splendid shinobi and pass on my knowledge and youth to the next generation."

Konohamaru nodded, looking as if he was torn between exasperation and amusement, but both Boruto and Sarada had to force themselves not to groan. They had heard it all before. Something about that green leotard had to turn people nuts, because if Tai wasn't going on about spreading the power of youth to the next generation, he was spouting off some drivel of becoming the next Green Beast. Honestly, Boruto was all for the opinion that that particular title should have ended with Gai. It was only pure luck that Tai knew how to use an indoor voice.

"Okay, so we have an Uchiha Hokage and a Green Beast. You're up squirt," the older man said, nodding to his blond student.

The boy crossed his arms and glared as his uncle, but it didn't so much as faze the man. If anything, it just made the jounin happier. Well, let's see him smile about this. "You know if you're gonna call me that, I'll tell mom you taught me the Har-"

His mouth was covered faster that he thought possible. "Whoa, okay there kiddo, no need to bring your mother into this, kore. Some things are just between us guys, right? Right?"

He pulled the jounin's hand away. "Don't call me squirt and we won't have to, 'ttebasa."

"Tch, you're a right brat, kore," the man grumbled. "Fine, for now I won't call you squirt. Just get on with it."

The blond sent his teacher a glare, not believing him for a second. Konohamaru had been calling him that since before he could remember and he doubted he would stop now. But Boruto was hungry and he wanted lunch so he would go along with it. "Alright, I'm Uzumaki Boruto and I like training with my parents and pulling pranks. I don't like when my dad is too busy to spend time at home and when people respect me just because of him. I want to become a famous kickass shinobi and show everybody just how awesome I am! I'll be even better than my dad, 'ttebasa!"

"Well, if you're my only challenge for becoming Hokage then it should be easy," Sarada teased.

"What was that, four-eyes?" Boruto growled, getting up in her face.

"You heard me, banana brain," she retorted. "If you're my only competition, then I'll be Hokage before you know it."

"Oi! What makes you think I even want-"

"Okay you two, knock it off," Konohamaru said, getting up and placing a hand in front of their faces.

"But-"

"First rule: you're teammates, start acting like it. Second rule: don't let words get to you; it will only screw you over. If you both want to be Hokage, you're gonna have to work for it. Got it, kore?"

"But I-"

"Got it?" The older man stressed, eyeing the blond.

Boruto could only slouch in defeat. "Got it."

"Good. Meet at Training Ground 7 tomorrow at nine and we'll see if you're actually fit to be shinobi." He waved to the trio before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Tai, looking very uncomfortable, quickly wished his teammates a good day before scurrying off to run laps around the village. Sarada hesitated just slightly, jerking a bit as if she wanted to say something to him before shaking her head and marching off in a huff. In seconds Boruto was alone on the Academy roof.

He looked around, somewhat downcast at how the meeting had gone and whispered, "I don't want to be Hokage."

Like always, nobody heard him.

For the next few months after passing their sensei's test, Team 12 alternated between training and missions. Were he on any other team, Boruto wouldn't have felt proud about winning just as much as he lost during spars, but even he admitted that Sarada and Tai were good. They made a good team, and evidentially Konohamaru-sensei agreed. Not even four months after graduation, the man requested their first C-rank mission.

It had been easy – just a simple delivery to a town on the border of Hi no Kuni. The only thing that even made it a C-rank was the proximity from the village. They even finished sooner than expected. So how had things gone so wrong?

Sarada was bleeding. She was bleeding, bleeding, bleeding. There was so much red and Boruto couldn't move and she was too small to hold all that blood. Something cracked under his shoe though he couldn't find the energy to pay it any mind. Konohamaru-sensei was shouting, but the words were a mere garble of sound overshadowed by the intense buzzing in his ears. Why wasn't she moving? Why wasn't he moving?

The world tilted.

There was red on his hands. How had that gotten there? A kunai was in his hand and it was red. Funny, he thought it was grey. Huh. The twelve-year-old jerkily moved his head around the field. Tai was on the ground. He was red too. Boruto thought he might hate the color red. It really was a very ugly color.

"Boruto!"

More buzzing.

"Boruto!" Someone was shaking him. "Come on, squirt. Come on, snap out of it!"

"Kono-Konohamaru-sensei?" The boy muttered, his tone distant.

"Yeah, yeah, it's Konohamaru-sensei," the man breathed out, relieved. "Okay, Boruto I need you snap out of it. You need to go help Tai, alright?"

"Help Tai?" Why did Tai need help?

"Yes, I need you to help Tai. He's hurt and I can only make so many clones." Oh, so that was why he was seeing double. Or triple. Or whatever number equated to five.

Three of the clones were fighting off the last missing-nin, while the fourth was over by Sarada attempting to get rid of all the red. Or was the fourth with him? He couldn't tell and it didn't really matter either way. He needed to help Tai. Tai was hurt.

"Tai's hurt," he mumbled again, his eyes roving over to look at his downed teammate and then again to the bloodied kunai. It hit him harder than Tsunade. "K-Konohamaru-sensei, what did I do?" He started to tremble. His mouth went dry and he felt close to vomiting. Did he –? He didn't…he couldn't...

There was another body on the ground. He didn't know who it was, but he knew the man was dead. You couldn't be that red and still without being dead. "K-Konohamaru-sensei!" The bile was rising in his throat and he was beginning to panic. He could feel himself starting to hyperventilate. His kunai fell to the ground and landed in a puddle with a thick plop.

"Boruto, get a hold of yourself! You're a shinobi – act like it," the man said, gripping his student's shoulders tightly. He shook the boy a bit harder than he meant to, but it was worth it to see Boruto squash down his panic. A second later, when the boy seemed more in control, Konohamaru said, "I promise we can talk later, but Tai needs help." A yell came from behind as the enemy killed two of the clones. "Shit," the jounin cursed. "We don't have time for this. Go!"

With that, Konohamaru was up and running back into the fray leaving Boruto to follow his orders. He had to squash down the urge to stare at the nameless man on the ground in exchange for running pell-mell over to his teammate. He didn't even want to think about the Konohamaru clone trying to keep Sarada alive.

Think about Tai. Worry about Tai. Don't think about Sarada. She'll be okay. We'll all be okay and walk home together as if nothing happened, he repeated over and over in his head. Just take it one step at a time. Focus on Tai.

But focusing on his male teammate proved to be much harder than he expected. Not that he wasn't trying, but he really didn't know where to start. It was all just so much. Tai's body was riddled with senbon, making him resemble a human pincushion, and Boruto could see a kunai buried deeply in his right shoulder. Blood seeped from the wounds to mix with what was already pouring out of a broken nose. His already wounded arm was bent and twisted in an impossible angle, and Boruto really had to work so as not to look away. Where was Tsunade-baa-chan when you needed her?

Why didn't I pay more attention to first aid in the Academy? He thought with frustration. The sounds of his sensei fighting were lost on the genin as he attempted to use his coat to stem some of the bleeding. Was he supposed to pull the senbon out or would that cause more damage? Fuck, he really should have paid more attention when his mother and aunts talked about medicine. Tai was going to fucking die and he couldn't do a damn thing about it!

Blood began to seep from the unconscious boy's mouth, and it was all Boruto could do not to laps into a panic attack. Oh fuck! Oh shit! Oh fucking shit! Why couldn't he do something? More blood fell from Tai's mouth as the blond franticly tried to position him in a way that wouldn't cause him to drown in his own blood. Goddamnit, they needed a medic! Boruto silently swore that if they all made it out of this alive, he was going to ask for some more first aid training.

It was supposed to be a C-rank! Hell, the mission was technically over. They were only a few hours from home. Was this how his father felt on his first real mission out of the village? He doubted it. The idea of his dad messing up this badly was ludicrous. He would have known what to do, or at least he would have managed to prevent his teammates from dying. If Boruto couldn't even do that, what good was he?

More blood dribbled out of Tai's mouth and the blond was beginning to suspect that there were more internal injuries he couldn't see. He hesitated for a moment, his mind rapidly trying to come up with a solution. There was only one thing he could think of that might work, but even then it wasn't a guarantee. Could he risk it? It would take a lot of chakra – chakra he might need.

Think Boruto! Think! He took a deep breath to calm himself. What would mom and dad do? It wasn't a real question. He knew what they would do. When it came to the people they cared about, his parents were ridiculously predictable. Their execution might be unorthodox, but their response never was – they would do whatever it took to help a friend. If Boruto couldn't do the same he had no right to call himself their son. Even if it didn't work, he would know that he tried.

Focusing on his chakra, Boruto attempted to drown out everything around him. He could feel the energy flowing through him, sluggish in his fatigue, but still strong. Once he felt he had enough, he pushed it all towards his head and waited. It hurt at first, an immense stinging sensation not dissimilar to that of a hundred bee stings pulsed through his eyes. The pain alone almost making him stop right then and there, but he would not allow himself to give up. The Byakugan might be the only chance he had. At least, he suspected he could use the Byakugan. He was about 93 percent positive.

Fortunately, 93 seemed to be the magic number. The clarity he experienced earlier when the shinobi first attacked returned, only this time it was with intensity unlike anything he had ever experienced. The world around him seemed so much clearer. He could see everything: a bird flying high up in the sky, his sensei fighting farther down the road, the clone trying to help Sarada – everything. It was all so much he found it hard to focus on the one thing he needed to.

Tai was getting worse, his breathing becoming shallow and irregular. At this rate, the green clad boy wasn't going to last long enough to get medical attention. His body was beginning to shut down. Boruto had a quick moment of panic when he saw the chakra system was being blocked by senbon, forming clots that looked ready to burst. His hesitation about pulling out the needles quickly dissipated with the knowledge that leaving them would cause far more damage.

Deft fingers pulled the needles out and it was with some relief that Boruto looked at his teammate's considerably eased chakra system. That was one less thing to worry about, though the boy was still losing a lot of blood. There were too many tiny holes to try and cover all of them. Nothing he could do helped and so he forced himself to focus just on the kunai wound. It was only shear luck that the weapon missed the axillary artery. Unfortunately, this didn't stop the kunai from causing some serious damage and Boruto didn't know whether to pull it out or not. Judging from the amount of blood already pouring from Tai's body, Boruto decided against it. Instead, he quickly removed his jacket and bound it around the object to hold it steady. Hopefully he wasn't making everything worse. That arm was already broken and turning Tai onto his side probably hadn't helped.

Of course, this brought up the problem of said broken arm. While his eyes did let him see the break, he could only vaguely recalled how to splint a broken bone. It didn't help the fact that he didn't have any of the necessary supplies on him. All he had were a few bandages and a ready-to-use antidote for common poisons. There were no thick sticks to be had to make a splint or ice to reduce the swelling.

Come on, Boruto! Think! He yelled to himself, searching frantically for something to use. His eyes highlighted upon Tai's nunchaku sitting innocuously some feet away. If he could sever the rope connecting the two, they might just work.

Boruto quickly moved for the weapons, picking them up and thanking the gods that Tai hadn't moved on to using kusari. It was much easier to break ropes than chains. He speedily broke the bond connecting the two metal rods and placed them on either side of the broken arm. Hoping this would help, the blond bound the arm and rods together in a crude, makeshift splint. With the arm somewhat immobilized, Boruto took this opportunity to look at his other teammate.

Sarada appeared to be less dead, even if she did look strange without her glasses. Konohamaru-sensei must have been able to stem the bleeding, though it was only now that he realized the clone was gone. He could see with his Byakugan that she was breathing a bit easier. Her chakra network was still a bit off kilter, especially around her eyes, but it didn't seem to be doing anything harmful. At least, not from what he could tell from all those lessons his grandfather made him and his sister sit through. While neither child showed any real hint of possessing the clan's doujutsu, Hiashi hadn't felt that was a good enough excuse not to educate his grandchildren on the chakra network. Boruto was certainly thankful for it now.

But without knowing more, the blond had unfortunately done all he could for the two downed twelve-year-olds. He didn't like it, this feeling of knowing he could help if only he had the ability. Boruto deactivated his Byakugan and clenched his fingers. His chakra control was the best in his class, better even than Sarada's. Considering his chakra capacity, it was probably one of the most impressive skills he had. He hadn't even had to work that hard at it! People with Hyuuga blood were generally good at chakra control simply through genetics. With this in mind he should have worked harder at practicing skills that required such precision. His mother had even offered to teach him some basic medical techniques because of it. Why the hell had he blown her off? So what if he could kill the guy that hurt them. If he couldn't prevent them from dying at the end of the day then what did it matter if the enemy was dead or not?

"If you guys die, I'll never forgive you. Leaving me alone with only Konohamaru-sensei is too cruel, 'ttebasa," he muttered. Maybe they could hear him; it would be nice if they listened to him for once.

But to the blond's dismay neither genin responded. All he could do was watch them, occasionally activating his doujutsu in order reassure himself they were still alive, and wait for his sensei to come back. Perhaps fifteen minutes later, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps broke the tense silence. Boruto quickly floundered for a weapon, his hand grasping around until it latched onto the still bloody kunai he dropped earlier. He positioned himself between his two teammates and prepared for an attack. Fortunately, no such attack came.

"Konohamaru-sensei!" He yelled in relief. It had to be the best thing he'd seen all day. "What happened to the other guy?"

"Dead," the jounin replied, looking the blond over with a critical eye. He must have been satisfied with what he saw because the next moment he was walking towards Tai and lifting him up. "We have to get these two back to Konoha. Are you alright to carry Sarada?"

"Y-yeah," Boruto nodded his head.

"Good. Pick her up gently, but be quick. I don't know how much time we've got, kore."

The little blond could only nod as he raced over to his childhood playmate and picked her up. She was a lot heavier than he remembered. It struck him as a bit odd that Konohamaru would ask him to carry her, but surmised that doing so meant his teacher needed to conserve enough chakra in the event of future attack.

"Got her," he said, racing back to the man.

Konohamaru nodded. "Keep your senses open for anything suspicious."

With that the two were off, racing down the path that lead towards Konoha. Boruto almost fell behind a few times, but he pushed himself forward. Now was not the time to be tired or weak.

It was with considerable relief that the group came upon Konoha's gates nearly an hour later. Not stopping to check in, both teacher and student rushed towards the hospital. Bursting through the doors at a considerable speed, they immediately had the attention of the hospital personnel. Boruto quickly lost track of what was going on as Tai and Sarada were whisked away for emergency treatment and he was taken to another room to be looked over.

"Uzumaki-sama, I need you to look at me for a moment. I'm just going to do a quick diagnostic to see if there are any further injuries," the medic said, his hand encased in green chakra.

Boruto could only nod, the adrenaline he had been running on rapidly decreasing now that the action was over. He could feel himself sag as the day's events caught up with him. Never before had he felt so exhausted. It was alright, though. They were in Konoha, Sarada and Tai were getting help, and no one had died.

A flash of red filled his mind's eye followed by a startled face. Boruto gave a start. He knew that face. It was the chuunin that attacked them. Why was he red again? It all came flooding back: Sarada fell and he was moving; there was a strangled cry as Boruto's kunai buried itself in the shinobi's skull. He remembered the blood that flew across his face as the man fell, and watching as the dark viscous liquid pooled oh so rapidly around the body. Boruto didn't even realize he was falling until he felt the medic's arms wrap around him.

"Uzumaki-sama! Uzumaki-sama!" Someone was shaking him.

"Boruto!"

"Hokage-sama! Sir, you can't be in here just yet."

"The hell I can't!" Larger hands were holding him, but the boy could hardly focus with everything going on. "Boruto? Boruto, look at me."

"D-Dad?" He shakily raised his head to look into his father's eyes.

The older blond nodded, obviously relieved, but the relief was overshadowed by a confusing mixture of worry and anger. Boruto could understand the worry, but the anger was unexpected. Was he angry at him? Did…did Sarada die? Tai? No. No, that couldn't be right. He just left them. They were right there. They were alive. They were alive!

He screamed.

"Sarada! Tai!" They were dead, they were dead. He failed; he killed them. "Sarada!" The name was garbled by a wet cough as he continued screaming.

He didn't even realize his dad's arms had wrapped around him in a tight embrace as he continued to yell his teammates' names. The events of the past day finally caught up with the twelve-year-old and no amount of preparation could have helped him handle it all. Within three hours, he almost lost two friends, made his first kill, and had his first brush with death. He thought he had been prepared for this. He wasn't.

"They're dead, they're dead. I killed them, dad," he yelled.

"No. You didn't kill anyone, Boruto," his father said, pulling him closer and sitting down on the hospital bed. The child didn't even notice the medic leave them both alone. "Sarada and Tai are going to be okay. Sakura-oba-chan and Tsunade-obaa-chan won't let anything happen to them. I promise, and I never break my promises, right?"

Boruto, shaking and grasping at his father's shirt, shook his head 'no'. As far as he knew, his dad had never broken a promise, but the boy wasn't stupid. His father could no more control death than he could the weather. Beside that, his dad was wrong about one thing.

"But I killed him, dad. I killed him," he choked out. The man's blood flashed before his eyes and the still bloody kunai felt heavy in his pouch.

"Who did you kill, Boru?" Naruto asked softly.

"That man," he whispered.

"What man?"

"The chuunin. He was gonna kill Sarada, but I moved and he fell and he started bleeding and-and it was my kunai. I killed him!"

Too caught up in his own emotions, Boruto failed to notice his father tense up at the knowledge of his son's first kill. All he felt was his dad lift him up to place him on his lap and press his cheek to the boy's head. Naruto's unbandaged arm calmly stroked his son's hair as he fought to find the right words to say.

"You saved Sarada's life, Boru. If you hadn't killed that man, all three of you might have died. Call me selfish, but I would much rather have you here with me than have that man alive."

"But you don't kill. You would have been able to get out without killing him," Boruto insisted, remembering all of the stories about his dad's ability to befriend anyone, even enemies.

Naruto gave a weary sigh. "Oh Boru. I don't know where you heard that, but it's not true. All shinobi kill at some point in their career. It's inevitable. I had hoped you wouldn't have to face this so soon, but we can't change that now. All that matters is that you're okay. You and Sarada and Tai are home safe."

"But-" he broke off as a clump formed in his throat. The little blond could feel tears building up in his eyes and he tried desperately to hold them in. Shinobi didn't cry. It was in the rules.

"Boruto." The boy didn't look up. He didn't want to acknowledge his dad's prodding.

Naruto sighed and ran his thumb across his son's cheek. He smiled sadly as his hand brushed away a few rebellious tears. "It's okay to cry, Boru."

The little boy shook his head vigorously, sniffing and wiping at his eyes to hide the evidence. "No it's not. Shinobi don't show tears."

"Shinobi Rule 25," the Hokage murmured. "A shinobi must never show their tears. Bullshit."

Boruto swiveled his head upwards and stared at his father in shock. Naruto never cursed, not in front of his kids at least. The genin could probably count on one hand the number of times he had heard his dad curse.

"W-what?"

"You heard me. It's bullshit. All shinobi cry. Even Sai has cried and he's the most emotionally stunted guy I've ever met."

"B-but, everyone says shinobi can't cry. Even Shino-sensei said shinobi shouldn't cry. It's a weakness."

"Ah, but did Shino-sensei say not to cry or not to cry before an enemy?"

"Umm," Boruto looked down in thought. "Not-not to cry in front of an enemy, I think."

"And there's the different. Even then, there are a few circumstances where crying before your opponent is okay," his father stated. "But crying in front of your family, your friends – it is not a weakness."

"It's not?"

"No" Naruto said, gently. "You're not weak for crying. Tears don't make you weak. I cried in front of the entire Shinobi Alliance and not once was I called weak for it. This is your first kill, Boru. I'd be surprised if you didn't cry. Gods know I did."

"You?" Boruto lifted reddened eyes to stare at his dad.

"Mmhm," he nodded. "I wasn't much older than you, only fourteen. Ero-sennin and I were ambushed by bandits. They were easy to dispatch, but it was still the first time I purposefully killed anyone. When what I did finally set in, I cried for three hours."

"Three hours?" His eyes widened.

"Yep," Naruto nodded. "By then Ero-sennin was getting sick of it so he wacked me upside the head, told me I was still alive, and that if I wanted to stay alive I had better get off my ass and continue training."

"Did it help?"

"Not really. I had nightmares for months. Still do sometimes. But you have to remember that by killing that man you saved your friends. They're alive because of you."

"But they were still hurt! They could have died and I…I was completely useless! Tai was bleeding and Sarada was dying. I saw it and I couldn't do anything," Boruto said, balling his hands into fists and gazing angrily at his lap. "What was the point of killing him if I couldn't stop them from getting hurt in the first place?" He choked as the question finally left his mouth and the waves of tears he tried so hard to keep in were let out.

The genin sat there in his dad's lap crying for what felt like ages, but couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes. All the while, Naruto just sat on the hospital bed, holding his son close and rocking him back and forth like when Boruto was a child. He didn't try to shush him or calm him down with meaningless platitudes. Boruto needed to let it out. Better here and now than later when the feeling had time to fester. It wasn't long though before the choking sobs turned into wet sniffles and his son's grip on his shirt loosened.

"Better?" Naruto asked, not unkindly.

Boruto gave another sniffle, but nodded against his father's chest.

"Good. Now, Boruto I want you to look at me," he said, gently lifting his son's face up until they were gazing eye to eye. "I'm going to tell you something I learned a long time ago. There was a point in my life where I wanted to become powerful enough to protect everyone. But there was a problem. I got so caught up in becoming stronger on my own that I forgot that my friends wanted to protect me too. By trying to protect them all by myself, I was insulting their strength. We are Konoha shinobi. We protect each other, but we also have to trust in our comrades. No matter how strong you are you can't always stop your friends from getting hurt." Neji's face flashed before him and he briefly closed his eyes. "All you can do is trust in them to survive."

Boruto didn't really like this. He didn't want his friends to die. Most of them had grown up together – Sarada and he practically shared a crib. The idea of them actually dying was too foreign to even prepare to contemplate.

"So I can't do anything?"

"Hmm, no. There's a lot you can do. Train and get stronger so the next time you'll be able to protect them. The better you are, the less likely to get hurt you become." A wry look passed his face. "Though, the more powerful you become, the more dangers you face. Give and take, ya know. Just make sure you have a medic on your team. Like Sakura-oba-chan! I can't tell you the number of times she's saved me, dattebayo."

Have a medic on the team. The thought reverberated through the twelve-year-old's mind. Hadn't he wished for a medic when trying to save Tai? If they had had a medic on hand his teammates probably wouldn't be fighting for their lives right now. But they couldn't add a medic to the team now, not unless one of his teammates decided to take up the profession, and, honestly, Boruto couldn't see Tai or Sarada doing very well in it. Well, okay, maybe Sarada, but she always seemed much more focused on attacking than anything else. She was more of a ninjutsu/genjutsu type. Iryojutsu had never been one of her interests as far as he knew.

Tai…no. Just no. He was determined to become the foremost practitioner of taijutsu, and medicine required a different type of devotion. It would probably be more than Tai would be able, or willing, to commit. Besides that, the boy's chakra was a little volatile. Boruto's was too, but he had the control to back it up. Tai did not.

So that left Boruto. Surprisingly, he wasn't completely against the idea. He couldn't say he ever really thought about it before. Doctors were always something abstract. They were other people, people his parents took him to when he was sick or hurt. And when he thought of combat medics all he could think of were Sakura-oba-chan and Tsunade-obaa-chan. Even then, the term 'medic' had just been another word to describe them, like how his dad happened to be Hokage. But the more he thought about it the more he found himself liking the idea. He had the control and capacity necessary for iryojutsu, so why not use it.

If he became a medic, he could protect his friends. They would always know he had their backs and he would never again feel as powerless as he had today. He could fix a broken arm, heal a stab wound, save someone's life. His friends would never have to fear for their lives again.

Of course, there was the Medic Code of Combat to consider. Tsunade-baa-chan bemoaned the idiots who tried to disregard it enough for him to pick up on a few of the rules. Boruto had no problem with the First Clause, the one about never stopping medical treatment until the patient was dead or healed. Even if his patient died, the blond couldn't say he would actually stop. The Second Clause, however, might prove a more troublesome endeavor. From what he could remember from one of Tsunade's many rants, it had something to do with no medic-nin ever being a front line shinobi. That didn't really sit well with him. Boruto may not have wanted to become Hokage, but he still wanted to be a kickass shinobi and surpass his dad. Fighting on the front lines was kind-of a requirement.

The Third Clause stated that medic-nins had to be the last ones on their squad to die. Like the Second, Boruto was a bit hesitant about this. If he was gonna die, he wanted to go out protecting his friends in some sort of blaze of glory, not because there was no one else around to die first, and he certainly wasn't going to let his comrades fight while he stood in the background. Was it possible to fight on the front and still be a medic? Sakura-oba-chan and Tsunade-baa-chan did. There had to be a loophole somewhere that let them disregard the second and third rules, so if he was going to do this then he had to make sure he became as great as them. No, he would be even better. If he became a medic, he would never lose a patient and still kick everyone's ass.

He couldn't remember if there were any more rules, but decided it didn't matter if there were because he had already made up his mind. He was going to be the best medic the world had ever seen. He would protect his comrades and never feel so powerless ever again.

"Boruto?" His dad's voice cut through the silence he had accidentally created and brought him back to reality. "Are you alright?"

"Dad, I-" he cut himself off. How could he tell his dad he wanted to be a medic? Every time someone said he was going to grow up to be just like his father, Naruto's face would light up. There was even a picture at home of Boruto as a baby in a shirt that said 'Future Hokage.'

"What is it? Did I say something wrong?" A slightly worried look crossed the older blond's face.

"No! No, I just…I was just thinking," he trailed off.

"Oh? Wanna share?"

"I…" he tried to start, but it was just so hard. Would his dad be disappointed? Angry? The boy shook his head at the thought. No, his dad probably wouldn't get angry. He was too nice for that. Though, he might be disappointed, which, to Boruto, was even worse. If there was anything he feared the most, it was letting his dad down.

"Hey," Naruto murmured gently. "Tell me."

Well, if he really wanted to know…

"Iwannabeamedic!" Boruto said, the words meshing together in an indeterminable mess.

"What?"

The boy took a deep breath and said a bit more calmly, "I want to be a medic."

"You…want to be a medic?"

Boruto nodded, determinately not looking at his father.

"Can I ask what brought this on?"

"If…if I can't stop people from getting hurt, then I can help them when the are hurt. I won't…I won't be powerless. I won't have to see anyone die," he said with rising conviction. He looked at his dad resolutely. "I know you wanted me to become Hokage, but…but I don't want to. I'm sorry, Dad."

"Sorry?" Naruto looked both stunned and confused for a second before his face settled into a sad sort of understanding. "Boruto, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"Wha-"

"Son, I've known for a long time you didn't want to become Hokage," Naruto explained, smiling. "I'm not upset that you want to be something different. Being Hokage was my dream. It was how I was able to protect my precious people. But you're not me, and I could never expect you to be. If being a medic is what you think is right for you, then you have my support."

"But everyone expects me to be Hokage someday!" Boruto stated, flabbergasted at his dad's response.

"Screw them, 'ttebayo!" The child stared in wonderment. Did his dad really just-? Yes he did! "Boru, people will say anything. My father was Hokage, as am I, so they expect you to follow. But I wasn't my dad and you aren't me. Make your own goals and follow through; don't stop until you've accomplished them. That's all anyone can ever ask of you."

"So, you're not mad or upset?"

"No. I'm not mad or upset. In fact, I'm very very proud of you."

"You are?"

"Yes. After all, saving lives is a lot cooler than smashing down walls, dattebayo," he said, grinning and leaning down as if to share an important secret. "Though, I can still teach you how to do that if you want."

"Yeah!" Boruto couldn't stop grinning. His dad was proud of him!

"Alright. I won't lie to you, though. Being a medic-nin is a lot of hard work. It's a lot of studying and practice. You'll probably have to read more books than you ever have in your life, and don't think I don't remember how mama had to force you to study in the Academy. With that said, do you still want to do it? There's no turning back once you've started."

The child looked at his dad's suddenly serious face and thought. He really did hate to study and he had never been particularly predisposed to book learning, but he couldn't let that stop him. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Instead, he thought of how much he could help, how many people he could save, and his resolve hardened. He didn't even realize his Byakugan had activated as he clenched his fists and grinned.

"I'm sure. I'll become the greatest medical ninja in history! I'll become so powerful, I'll be able to protect everyone, dattebasa!"

Naruto looked at his son for a moment, wonder and pride warring inside him. When did he grow up? Byakugan blazing and face determined, Boruto looked like a real shinobi. Naruto had no doubts he would succeed. The Hokage's face split into a big smile and he pulled his incredible little boy even closer. "We'll talk to Sakura-chan and Tsunade-baa-chan first thing tomorrow. I hope you're prepared."

"Don't worry, dad. I'll make you proud," he said, snuggling into the embrace.

"You already have, Boru. You make me proud every day."

And that's it for Boruto. I don't know why, but the idea of him being a medic just makes me happy. Perhaps it's my desire for him to be something more than just another Naruto. For whatever reason, the idea's not going away. I'm even debating on going back and writing a series of one-shots around it. Eh, maybe once my other stories are sorted out.

Himawari's should be up sometime tomorrow or this weekend, but it's proving to be a bit longer and more difficult. My headcanons for her are…strange. Oh well, I'm having fun.

I hope you all enjoyed. Please review and tell me what you thought. I appreciate constructive criticism, but flames will not be tolerated. Have a wonderful day/evening everyone!

~Alabaster Ink