There was always that one thought that would appear in her head every time her father's past was mentioned in conversation or when her mother told her stories of her younger self and her father whilst growing up.

What would Naruto Uzumaki be if he were to be given love and care from the very beginning as much as any normal person would get in their lives?

Would he be greater than he was currently- which in her mind was almost impossible to comprehend, or would he be less than such because the events that had occurred in his life were absolutely necessary for him to truly become the man he is today?

Whilst her mother Hinata Uzumaki kept the wonderful and heroic epics of her father PG-rated, Himawari was unfortunately well aware of the painful truths behind those glittery and gold-like depictions of The Savior Of The World she loved with all her heart. Instead of being loved and protected, he was hated and abused. Instead of being nurtured and taught, he was neglected and was held back. Instead of having friends and family, he was left with no one for almost 12 years of his life, the exception being the few who did care about him but were either too busy, too lax, too scared or too trapped in undesirable situations to show their affection for him as well as being there for him.

Her dear mother was among those very few, the reasons for her being so were her shyness, fear of rejection as well as her status as the clan heiress of the Hyuga.

Not that she blamed her mother for it- she loved her too much to do so. She of course was well aware of her difficult circumstances at the time. Unfortunately, Mama too was a victim of a cruel system that preyed on the gentle and kind-hearted.

The irony of it all was the fact that the Hyuga's most deadly form of combat held the word 'Gentle' in it yet their prior traditions and practices were far from so.

There was never a moment that Hiashi Hyuga, current head of the Hyuga Clan and grandfather to two adorable grandchildren- herself and Boruto- was not remorseful in reminiscence over his past sins and actions which had led to a great divide in his clan that even his own two daughters had no choice but to be reluctantly at each other's throats for most of their lives. The man had lost much of his so-called pride of his younger years and was now welcoming the coming days anew. It was he who told her the truth of it all, the facts and figures which had been hidden away very zealously by both her parents from herself and Boruto. In a way, Grandpa Hiashi saw it as a path to atonement for his many failures and misgivings of the before, teaching his grandchildren of humility and kindness which he was so against previously to the core.

Not that the two had ever announced the knowledge of the events they had gained from Oji-chan to their parents; no indeed. Instead, their love for their Papa and Mama only took to a further extreme. For Boruto it was through his Tsundere-ish ways- Himawari finds it cute that Boruto is oh so gentle and kind to their mother but tries his best to imitate his father at all costs, yet at the same time claiming to the world that his father is so "lame" and "baka-ish" while in reality a fistbump from the man would make him squeal and cry out of joy when no one was watching- and for herself, well, she was an odd sort with this regard.

Although she appeared to be super adorable and innocent-like to the respected onlooker, such was merely an illusion crafted expertly from her part. In truth, however, she was at least Mid-Jonin Rank in skill and had been trained to be so by multiple instructors, most notable being Kakashi Hatake, the Rokudaime and her father's previous team instructor as well as Maito Gai, Uncle Neji's previous team instructor and Legendary Green Beast who had fought Madara Uchiha on equal footing- she was well-aware of the events that had led to and occurred during the Fourth Shinobi War.

One would expect Boruto to be extremely envious of her sister's talents to which would eventually spiral into dangerous rivalry between the two siblings hence damaging familial bonds in the process, yet, unsurprisingly, the total opposite happened; from the very beginning, the older Uzumaki heir has always been extremely supportive of his Imouto-chan and would often ask her to teach him the skills she had learned beforehand if he had the chance. It wasn't to say that Boruto was not as great in skill as herself- her Onii-chan was ever a prodigy indeed, possessing far superior chakra control than her which he inherited from the Hyuga side of the family as well as a photographic memory to boot- but at his own choice, the boy wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and be the best he could at the academy whilst making friends at the same time.

On the other hand with regards to herself, she had never been a very social person preferring the comfortable presence of her family than outsiders in general, hence explaining her decision to stay at home with her mother and train away from others- no one other than her own family and the adults who were close to her parents were aware of the power she possessed. While her happy-go-lucky demeanor, kindness, and caring attitude was a direct result of being the daughter of Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki, the solitary and tribalistic mentality she possessed was a trait she had inherited from the Hyuga, mainly her grandfather Hiashi. In other words, she would do anything in her power to protect her precious people and make sure that they are happy and safe.

Anything.

She remembered the incident that led her into becoming a shinobi in the first place. It was the day of Papa's inauguration as Hokage, after an argument involving her bringing her panda plushie together to the ceremony, Boruto-nii had accidentally ripped her panda plushie apart which resulted in her getting mad to the point that she had activated her Byakugan at age 3- the youngest ever to do so in generations. While Papa and Oji-chan were solemnly against her training at such a young age, surprisingly however, it was Mama who convinced the two to allow her train, having taught her the Gentle Fist Katas the day right after the inauguration. Since she was a fast learner, it only took her two years to master them completely and by the time she was 6, she had already surpassed her Uncle Neji's level at the time he was taking the Chuunin Exams.

Now that she was 10 years old, she was already on par with Mama, Aunt Hanabi and Grandpa Hiashi in Taijutsu while her Ninjutsu library was very diverse in itself, having in her disposal three chakra natures- Fire, Lightning and Wind- as well as jutsus such as Uncle Kakashi's Purple Lightning and Rasengan too boot. Unfortunately, she couldn't do the Rasenshuriken due to the adverse and irreversible effects of the jutsu but she had recently gotten the Snake Contract from Aunt Anko hence with the help of Mitsuki and Grandpa Orochimaru she was on her way in being a Snake Sage- to the adorable shock of her Papa and the Toad Summoning Clan, of course.

While her training was caused by an early discovery of her talents, her inspiration and drive however was the thought of the mortally-defying sacrifices made by her Papa and Mama to ensure the peace of the world as a whole. If only there was a way to help them in their journey from zero to hero as well as to punish those who dared harm her parents in any way. She may be sweet and Kawaii, but there was one thing Boruto-nii knows very much is the fact that there was always more to what meets the eye.

Himawari Uzumaki is and has always been a Yandere. Cross on her once, she'll return it back with twice the amount of ferocity and a cute smile on her face. She was too much like her Grandma Kushina in this regard; except for the smiling part of course.

Returning back to the point, there indeed was a way to go back to where it all began. Boruto-nii had recently returned from a time travelling trip with Uncle Sasuke in order to save younger Papa from Kinshiki Otsutsuki. He had told her all about said trip to the smallest detail and his experience meeting their parent's younger counterparts. Himawari could not help but squeal at how cute her parents were. The fact that Mama was the only few to see the resemblance between Papa and Boruto-nii showed how much her motherly instincts could feel that Onii-chan was her future son. Even if the two looked the same, it seemed that even in the past was she ever in love with Papa to the point that she didn't give Boruto a single glance after their first meeting- only blushing and fainting in the presence of Papa even. She couldn't imagine the mess that would happen if younger Mama ever fell for Onii-chan.

She cringed greatly and was extremely disgusted at the thought.

However, the same could not be said for her anyway. She herself would blush shyly if she ever had the chance to meet younger Papa. Boruto-nii would often tease her for having a "dad-con" complex. She couldn't help it. Papa was just too adorable when he was younger and the stories that Mama put in her head about "the proud failure" who stood firm against the world, the same boy who took a blood oath using Mama's blood in order to defeat Uncle Neji and change the Hyuga made her infatuated with him even more. She recalled shouting proudly in front of both of them right before bedtime that she wanted to marry Papa when she was already a 'lady' at 5 years old. Mama had a bright closed-eyed smile on her face as she gave her an affectionate pat on her head after she said that while Papa was embarrassed and had turned red when Mama started teasing him about it.

Not that she would do anything about it though. She would never in her right mind taint the sacred bond that existed between her parents. The two were literally written to be soul mates for one another. Plus, she detested incesous relationships with all her heart seeing it as a violation against human nature and was the main cause for the Hyuga's close downfall, their population dwindling as the years passed. The inbreeding had caused birthing difficulties among Hyuga women as either they were infertile or would be more susceptible to hemorrhage during child-birth which was life-threatening in itself. Grandma Hitomi was among those that died due to said condition.

Himawari was very thankful that her mother was ever pink in health and her birth had been a very smooth one.

Again, with regards to the time travelling bit, it has always been Himawari's dream to go back in time to be there for her parents and spend time with them while they were 'free' of adult responsibilities. Due to the pressure and workload from being the Hokage, Papa has been extremely busy lately to the point that he would rarely come home from work for days even. This however had caused a huge rift between himself and Boruto who craved nothing more than their Papa's attention, her Onii-chan acting out against him through actions and words which seemed rather cruel to the elder Uzumaki. Although she understood Papa's position very well, she too was very upset with the circumstance, the man having no choice but to skip her birthday celebration due to an extremely important diplomatic meeting between the Leaf and the Demon Nation of the South.

The fact that he had sent a Shadow Clone to the party in his stead instead of attending himself was a rather painful slap to Himawari's face. She would rather have no celebration at all; no cake, no birthday dinner, no presents just for Papa to come home and be with Mama, Boruto-nii and herself. She remembered running back to her room that day, a fake smile of acceptance on her lips throughout the whole dinner until she returned back to her room, tears trailing down her beautiful face at the reality of being put aside by the man she admired most.

Thankfully after the whole Otsutsuki fiasco during the Chunin exams, her father and brother had reconciled, the relationship between the members of the Sunshine family closer than it had ever been before.

All was well after that of course, yet while reality was often kind and good to her family in this day and age, the trials and tribulations of Kami however will ever be present to those meant for a fate greater than others. After the time travelling trip, Boruto had been having strange dreams and visions of future events, most notable being the destruction of the Shinobi World and the Death of their parents and Uncle Sasuke at the hands of a horned man with strange tattoos on his body. While the dreams were recurring and worrisome, the final nail to the coffin was a very tragic incident that had happened recently to Papa, one which Boruto dreamed of often.

It all started 3 months after the trip with a sharp pain in the stomach; something normal for the man as he ate nothing but ramen cup noodles as a go to go snack. However, what seemed to be a routine turned out worse than it was supposed to be as the aches became too painful to ignore. When Mama heard of the frequency of Papa's abdomen pains after forcing it out of him, she had urged him to make an appointment at the hospital for a check-up but profusely, he had refused claiming to have no time due to work at the office and the little free time he had was meant for the family. In the end, he had eventually relented to Mama after she had threatened to immobilize him with the Jyuken, tie him up in chakra restraining rope and carry him there herself- although she preferred to take care of the household, when it came to power Mama was definitely no slacker. Fearing the worst, Boruto-nii and herself had accompanied their parents to the hospital hoping to Kami above that the visions weren't true.

Yet, reality was often disappointing indeed.

Papa was dying.

His chakra system was deteriorating rapidly making it extremely difficult for him to perform even the simplest of jutsus and the most menial of tasks.

It was like cancer with no cure, as confirmed by Aunt Sakura when she revealed the news to the family. Kurama-chan, her father's companion and battle partner, he knew the truth from the very beginning the moment the pains started to appear but refused to acknowledge it, in denial about the fact that his father's legacy was withering away like a mere mortal who knew not glory or greatness. Himawari remembered the hysterics of her mother- who was the epitome of calm and grace itself- crying like an orphaned child who had just lost her parents, Boruto-nii and herself doing their best to comfort her whilst failing to contain their own anguish as well. It was an extremely depressing day indeed for the whole family. She remembered the look on her father's face that day, it was a look of a man who had just gained everything he wanted only for it to be taken from him immediately. He tried to assure Mama, herself and Boruto-nii that everything was alright with that fake smile of his but that only served to make them feel worse as they continued to huddle on him giving him all the love and affection he deserved for everything he has been through. The future, it seemed bleak and hopeless if the Child of Prophecy wasn't there to save them all from an impending doom that came closer as time ticked forward.

Hence, such was her decision to do what she had to do.

She needed to go back to where it all started.

Even if it meant changing the very fabric of space and time.

For Papa and Mama.

…

"When is he coming Nii-chan?" asked a high pitched voice belonging to a girl well-loved and liked by those around her, annoyance prevailing in her tone.

"Karasuki will be here any moment now," answered the girl's brother, his voice alike like his father's with a hint of teenhood at the end of his speech.

The brother and sister pair were waiting silently beneath a tree in the dead of night, their breath visible as vapour-like streams as the freezing chill appeared ever-present in the atmosphere like fallen wendigo spirits of the Far North. Winter had arrived in the Land of Fire and Konoha was far from invulnerable from it's icy clutches as blankets of snow covered the lands below turning the once brown fields into pure white wonderlands. The younger girl was wearing a dark yellow winter coat with white fur sewn on its collar, cuffs and hems while her brother wore a similar coat albeit his was black in colour, endorned on their backs was a red whirlpool symbol indicating their status as members of the Uzumaki Clan. While her brother wore a snowcap over his to cover his blond locks from being exposed to the freezing air, the girl opted to wear pink earmuffs instead preferring to leave her hair be. Around both their necks was a beautifully-knitted red scarf- a family heirloom one might say, made by the hands of their mother who had won the heart of their father with a similar scarf in the past.

The scarf was a symbol of the deep love their mother had for their family and no other gift could compare to it.

Frustrated by the waiting, the younger of the two protested by sitting down on the snowy ground, her bottom settling comfortably on the frozen surface as she let out a huff of annoyance at their current predicament. For a turtle that could travel through time, it was ironic for him to be late when he could actually be here on time. The two have been loitering around the field for an hour and a half now, it was a miracle that no one noticed that they were gone from the village anyways.

"It's been an hour and a half Nii-chan! We need to leave as soon as possible. If Uncle Shikamaru catches word of what we're doing, all our plans will be ruined before they even start!" shouted the normally sweet girl in obvious anger at their current situation.

"Patience Hima-chan," said Boruto equally annoyed with the turtle as well. "He told me through our connection in the Jougan realm that he'll be here by midnight."

If it wasn't for the dire circumstances that they were in, it was almost humorous to see the roles between the two siblings switched, the normally patient and calm Himawari being the reckless and feisty one while he in turn became the mediator which itself was an oddity.

Looking down at her annoyed sister, Boruto could not help but sigh in exhaustion. They have been planning this for four months now, utilizing all their skills as shinobi in order to make their plans work smoothly without interruption. Papa and Mama together with Aunt Sakura, Uncle Sasuke and Uncle Kakashi have been out from the village for a month now visiting the Far Western Lands in order to find a cure for Papa's sickness while the village was taken care of by Uncle Shikamaru who was acting Hokage until they returned from their trip.

From backstories to contingency plans, the two have been very busy preparing for this day to come. While Boruto went with his teammates and sensei for training and missions, Himawari stayed at home or at the Hyuga Compound researching and memorizing to heart the necessary information and skills they needed once they arrived back in the past. After much questioning about the Hyuga's history from Grandpa Hiashi, they have decided the following backstory:

Himawari and himself were the children of Hanako Hyuga, a Main Branch member who had gone missing during a mission gone awry as she was attacked by Rogue A-Rank Missing Nin near the borders of Mizu no Kuni only to be saved by a blond-haired man by the name of Arashi Uzumaki, a half Uzumaki whose father was of Allemanian origin coming from Aare, east of Yuki no Kuni. The relation between the two and Naruto was that they were half-siblings, Naruto's mother, Gabrielle (her common tongue name would be Tenshi) after having been forced to divorce his father went to settle in Konohagakure as a baker knowing that she was pregnant. Now after the death of both their father and mother, Boruto and Himawari together with their Aunt Erika (her Common Tongue name being Yukihime) have travelled south to Hi no Kuni in order to find their long lost brother as per the will of both their parents in order to rectify the wrong made against Naruto's mother after a false accusation involving her and one of the nobles of Aare had forced their father to divorce her in reluctance and banish her from the realm.

(AN: Allemania and Aare are references which can be found in my other fanfictions)

The role of Aunt Erika shall be played by a Blood Clone, a new type of Clone Jutsu created by the siblings that relied on the blood of its user, a wide array of Fuinjutsu seals and a large amount of chakra equal to that of One-Tail of a Biju in order to work. The idea for the jutsu was patented by Boruto who after seeing the flaws in the Shadow Clone Jutsu sought a different method to strengthen it. Taking inspiration from the Six Path Peins of Nagato, he aimed to make the clone more sturdier than before without sacrificing the memory transferring abilities of the original technique. Miraculously, with his expertise in Fuinjutsu and Himawari's large chakra reserves, they had managed to make a completely revolutionary technique that if fallen into the wrong hands could spell out trouble for the Shinobi World.

And yes, Aunt Erika was the older Sexy Jutsu of Boruto with the clothes on. She was currently in a pocket dimension that Boruto had access to because of his Jougan as well as a scroll Himawari had in case she needed back up. The ability itself was relatively new, taught to him by the now liberated Toneri through his dreams. While the Kamui may be better with regards to intangibility, the Jougan was far superior in seeing through the rifts in the fabric of time and space.

Speak of the devil, he could detect a shift in the surrounding energies a few hundred metres away. Suddenly a blinding light had made its presence known, Himawari who was brought to shock fell on her back as she shouted in surprise to the amusement of Boruto. Helping his sister up, the two then approached the source of light with earnest knowing very well the cause of the phenomenon. Just ahead the both of them had noticed the peculiar portal in front of them- 'twas a rip in reality itself as colours and shapes of unimaginable proportions could be seen through it.

Karasuki had arrived.

"I apologize for the delay Boruto-sama but there was a problem with the energy fields at this moment caused by a neighbouring black hole close to this galaxy," said a robotic-voice as a floating turtle the size of the palm of hand exited the portal.

"It's okay Karasuki-san. Both of us understand, right Hima-chan?" said the elder of the too as Himawari puffed her cheeks in a pouting manner and dropped her shoulders in defeat at the excuse given by the turtle.

She wanted to give him a piece of her mind but unfortunately she currently had no reason to anymore.

"How is the mark given to you by Otsutsuki-sama acting up Boruto-sama?" asked the turtle in as much curiosity as a machine could sound like.

"There's been nothing lately, but every time I get another vision it activates itself. Ano.. Are you familiar with a group called Kara?"

"Unfortunately, other than being the first two syllables of my own name, said information does not exist in any of my databases or memory."

The two then began discussing about the happenings and conditions of time travel as Himawari was drifted away by her thoughts of her last moment with her father. Papa had lost much of his body weight and had to be supported by a wheelchair, his hair turning a sickly pale white from the once beautiful golden blond locks he was known for. He ate very little even to the point he wasn't able to eat three spoons of ramen- his most favourite food ever. She recalled the conversation she had with Kurama, asking him what was the cause of Papa's illness in the first place.

Flashback

"I'm so sorry Himawari-chan… If it wasn't for me this wouldn't have happened… I'm sorry…" said the fox in a tone full sadness, his regret over his past actions clear on his expression.

Himawari who was hugging the chest of the fox looked up to his muzzle, her eyes still flowing with tears as she gave a small sad smile to her Papa's tenant. She didn't blame him. This happened long before Papa and he became friends. However the pain was still there, the thought of her Papa dying… It was too much for the younger Uzumaki.

It seemed that the remnants of Kurama's Chakra before Papa's training with Killer B had been poisoning his system from the beginning of that moment. The Nine Tailed Fox's Chakra was both a blessing and a curse, acting as both a fast healing agent with the cost of the user's dependance on it. Due to the sudden change in the nature of said chakra from malice and hate to that of peace and acceptance, the cells in his body could not cope to the point that they could not function properly. The reason Papa remained stable throughout his life was because of the Rikudou Sennin's Chakra in his chakra system which acted as an inhibitor to the deterioration. However, Momoshiki's attempt to extract Papa's chakra from him had triggered the deterioration to happen once more and due to the slow regeneration of the Sage's chakra, the poisoning was imminent.

"Kurama-chan it's okay.. I don't blame you, it's not your fault alright?" answered the girl as she took in the comfort given by the fox.

The connection that they both shared was a little secret kept between the two unknown to both her parents and Boruto-nii. While Boruto inherited Papa's appearance he however received more of Hamura's chakra from Mama hence was incompatible to receive Kurama's chakra. She on the other hand was an almost perfect host for the Kyuubi's chakra thus Kurama has been giving her much of his chakra to cultivate inside her system ever since she had started her shinobi training unbeknownst to others. She was now able to use 3 tails worth of the Kyuubi's Chakra however said chakra had already been converted into her own therefore the aura of Kurama's chakra would not be detected.

Silence filled the mindscape as the two sought peace in the other's embrace, Kurama eliting a calming pur- something which he would never do in the presence of anyone else- as Himawari kept attentive at the fox's condition. It was a bonding ritual between pack members as Kurama had accepted the Uzumaki family as his own. As long as he still existed in the realm of the living, he would do his best to protect them at whatever cost necessary.

Yet, his host was dying and his presence was making it worse for his beloved 'son'.

"I… I have an idea Kurama-chan. But I need your opinion on it…"

Flashback end

Kurama had suggested many things on what to change and what not to change in the past. Unfortunately, he had stressed herself and big brother to change the path of their parents- Boruto-nii and her were allowed to tell them who they were to their younger counterparts without revealing much of the future- and certain events in favour of them. Therefore if they were to travel further back to when their parents were 5 or 6, saving the Uchiha was a big no-no due to the extremely dangerous change in fate of the whole world as the Uchiha had always been the main instigators of the armageddon-like disaster's of the Elemental Nations. However, befriending Sasuke and keeping him in the village away from revenge was alright.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Himawari then walked towards Boruto and Karasuki who were still talking about the rules of time travel and the type of time travelling they were doing.

"... so you're saying that the fabric of time and space is a conscious entity??" asked a surprised Boruto who could not believe what the turtle was telling him.

"Indeed Boruto-sama. Like a tree, although it appears to be inanimate, it performs the necessary task dictated by its function in order to play its part as a tool of reality. Such was ordained by a power far beyond that of anything imaginable."

"God, so we're using the third type of travelling right? To literally erase any changes made to the timeline based on what has been 'ordained' by fate?"

"Yes, like the Fate of the Uchihas and the Fate of your Father, these events are noted in orthodox terms as 'canon' and cannot be interrupted. Any sort of disturbance will result in an uncertainty to which will often lead to utter destruction and chaos. Other than that, you are free to do as you wish."

"So the thing with Urashiki and Uncle Sasuke it will-"

"It will cease to happen, yes. Call it a 'reset' of the timeline, you may."

"So what about Big Brother and me? How are we supposed to exist and be born from our parents exactly at the right moment and time if we are to be there for them in the past literally changing their fates?" interrupted Himawari after listening to the conversation between the two.

"Well, the interesting thing about this Himawari-sama is that it has always been both your fates to travel back in time in the first place," answered the android-turtle in mechanical fashion.

"What?!" exclaimed a confused Boruto. "What do you mean dattebasa??!!"

"Fate is a most peculiar entity Boruto-sama. While most assume time to be a two-dimensional creation, it is however not. There exist layers upon layers of factors which determine the exact moment of much of everything. Hence, while it seems that we are resetting everything that has already happened in truth however, we are just doing everything that was meant to happen anyway."

"That doesn't make a lick of sense dattebasa!!?" shouted Boruto as Himawari shook her head in confusion.

"Even my former masters, the Otsutsuki were unable to explain this phenomenon and they were the premiers of knowledge in this dimension. It is of the Unseen, enough said."

"So how are we supposed to be born then Karasuki-san?" asked the younger Uzumaki once more, her attention solely on the turtle who was floating around them.

"Well, when the time is right, no matter the obstacles, your parents will somehow have an extremely strong urge to mate with each other which they will do so anyways, then your current physical form will be transferred to your mother's womb where you will experience life as a fetus once more while the memories of your previous form shall be preserved in your beings and will be given to you when the time is right," answered Karasuki in a rather factual tone.

A flush of red made its way on the faces of the two young Uzumakis as the thought of their parents… doing that came to mind.

Himawari's shade of red, 'twas similar to her mother's when she was younger… thinking about Papa shirtless with a hungry gaze in his eyes, his strong hands stroking her back as he kissed-

No no! Bad thoughts Himawari. Bad thoughts!

Although she was 10 going 11 next year, Himawari had a rather mature mind indeed.

"S-so are w-w-we r-ready Hima-chan?" stuttered Boruto as he attempted to shift the conversation to the matter at hand.

"Y-yep. I h-have everything here hehe," the younger Uzumaki chuckled fauxly, she too wanting to not talk about what Karasuki said earlier on.

"Alright, if you both are ready we can enter the portal now. Mind you Himawari-sama, the experience is rather disorienting the first time," warned Karasuki as he floated right in front of the portal.

"Whatever you do, please follow my lead. Any error could send you to a different era entirely."

The two siblings gulped at the same time, not wanting to end up in the Warring Clan times of all ages separated from each other.

"Let us leave," continued the turtle as he pointed his head towards the rip in space.

Hand in hand, the two then entered the portal with Karasuki tailing from behind, the portal closing itself immediately afterwards. As soon as the portal closed, a blinding flash of white light had illuminated the darkness of the area, the trace of the three being there close to null. The field remained empty once more.

Colours and shapes of all kinds could be seen in the dimension as the two marveled at their surroundings, Boruto who had already been there was still in awe of the machinations of the place itself. This world was beyond that of mortal men, even the so-called 'gods' paled in comparison to the existence of the Unseen. Somehow even if there was no solid surface beneath their feet, the floor appeared to be rather flat and normal to walk on.

The two continued to move on in the odd place-between-places following the lead of the turtle who seemed to know where he was going. Finally, after what felt like hours walking, they had arrived in a region of space which appeared to have no clear significance whatsoever except for the fact that it had a calming aura surrounding it.

"This is where we'll be going," said Karasuki in a matter of fact tone. "The calming aura you feel indicates that this timeline is the most suitable for us to go with minimum interference to the 'canon' of fate."

"Ano how many years back is this timeline in?" Himawari asked pointing at the space with her right hand.

"By my calculations, this goes exactly 21 years 4 months, 11 days, 3 hours, 17 minutes and 54 seconds ago from where we left off."

Squinting his eyes in thought, Boruto then subtracted the age of his father with the number of years stated by Karasuki.

"That's when dad's 11. He became Genin at 12!"

"Indeed Boruto-sama," agreed the turtle. "Are there any objections to this specific timeline?"

Shaking both their heads, the two were in agreement that this was the best timeline at the recommendation of the time travelling turtle. In acknowledgement, the turtle then turned away from them and faced the open space. Karasuki then began to glow as the space in front of him began to rip apart like a tear in a cloth. Unlike the previous portal before, this rip seemed to be a spiral moving to an infinite point, vicious and violent like the tempest of the seas. For once Himawari felt scared for her own sake as she witnessed the spirals moving faster and faster, the fear of the unknown so present within her.

But she trusted her brother's judgement. She trusted Karasuki because he was created for this very purpose.

"It is best that you two hold each other's hands tightly. This is going to be a rough ride," said Karasuki, his android voice carrying a heavy solemnity in it.

It was very difficult to stay calm when the view in front of you was a trans-dimensional blender that looked threatening enough to rip you to infinite pieces. With deep breaths, Boruto moved forward, Himawari in hand. The two were ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the two people they cared above all else. Even if it meant facing certain death.

"We're ready Karasuki-san," Boruto confirmed, his eyes ever-determined with spirit so wise and mature beyond his age.

"Step into the portal Boruto-sama, Himawari-sama. I will follow you two from behind," said Karasuki.

...

.

.

.

.

.

One would assume all to be well; Boruto and Himawari managing to go back in time without problems, preventing their father from catching a terrible sickness, bringing their parents together earlier, saving the world, helping them achieve their goals with ease… Such would be a plan so structured and peaceful, no?

But Fate had other plans.

And Indeed; Glory to those who are patient in their trials for they are the best amongst men.

As soon as Boruto and Himawari stepped into the portal, his mark began to glow and grow causing him to scream in pain as the tattoo began to spread from his arm towards his Jougan eye.

"GAHH!!" Boruto screamed wanting to let go of Himawari's hand as the girl fought to hold it tight.

"BORUTO-NII WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Himawari shouted in panic as anxiety and worry kicked in overdrive, her survival instincts taking over immediately.

"THE MARK. IT'S SPREADING. I- ARGH!!!!"

"Himawari-sama don't let go of your brother's hand!" Karasuki said loudly in ordering fashion.

"I'm trying!!" Himawari shouted back, as she used all the strength she had to hold on.

Through the spiral the three were moving at speeds not achievable in common space, the principle of inertia affecting not their bodies in the slightest. Himawari was struggling to keep her brother close to her as he continued to spasm as if in an epilepsy. Of all the times to forget a rope, why did it have to be now? Why didn't they think of attaching each other to a rope in the first place? For all the planning they did, how could they miss something as vital as that?

Indeed, such was the nature of human error so ever present in man and his children.

"We're almost there Himawari-sama! Hold on!!" shouted Karasuki in a commanding voice.

As soon as he said that, a blue flame-like cloak had completely engulfed Boruto, the heat of the cloak having burnt Himawari's hand as she let go of him immediately due to the shock and pain caused by flames. A sudden flash of blinding white light had followed soon after as the pressure of an explosion coming from Boruto separated the two further away from each other yet no injuries had formed on either sibling as a result of said explosion. Himawari who was spinning and floating uncontrollably away from her brother felt extremely sick and light-headed as she fought tooth and nail to stay conscious. Not doing so was a one way ticket to Kingdom Come and she didn't want to go there anytime soon.

Due to the sudden leakage of foreign energy from Boruto, the portal was on the verge of collapsing as Karasuki tried his best to stabilize it from imploding in itself. When the explosion occurred, he then witnessed the two siblings flying away from each other and had acted immediately by sending hollow tendrils sprouting from his shell to catch them before they got away from his reach. Thankfully, his first attempt was successful as he had managed to wrap the tendrils around the two hence stopping their motion mid-flight. They were almost there, a few more seconds more and they will finally reach their destination.

The feeling of relief was soon replaced by dread as another explosion had come from Boruto causing the tendril to disintegrate, the boy flying towards the edge of the spiral as Karasuki sent another tendril to him as fast as he could. He needed to catch Boruto, lest the consequences for him failing would be severe.

But he wasn't quick enough.

He had failed.

"BORUTO-NII!!!!" screamed Himawari as she witnessed her brother disintegrating and disappearing without a trace the moment he touched the edge of the spiral.

The stress of the situation, it was too much for Himawari. Her Onii-chan.. he.. he-

Darkness soon followed. Himawari had lost consciousness.

...

A throbbing pain had made its way to Himawari's head as she felt a freezing cold sensation at the side of her right side of her face. Opening her eyes slowly, she was then greeted by the sight of snow and ice, the whiteness of the ground being the cause of the chill on her cheek and nose. Wanting to get up she then tried to move her arms but realized that she couldn't as they remained immobile to her failed attempts. She knew that both her arms were broken and that the only reason why she didn't respond to the pain was the many exercises she did with Gai-sensei and Uncle Lee occasionally which involved high-level Taijutsu.

Closing her eyes in concentration, Himawari then stayed still in meditation as she directed her inner self towards her chakra pool specifically the Kyubi's Chakra- the ones that haven't been added to her own reserves. She then pulled the chakra forth to the injured parts of her body, healing the damage that had been done to the very iota of her cells as she glowed a bright yellow similar to Papa's Bijuu Cloak when he was in sync with Kurama. Satisfied with the feeling of freshness anew, she then stood up and wiped the snow off her face while looking around her surroundings for her brot-

Onii-chan...

The feeling of dread and doom had instantly consumed the younger girl whole as the memory of Boruto disintegrating into nothingness played in her mind. In a state of shock, Himawari had then experienced a panic attack in response to said event, her body becoming numb to the point that she fell on her back while hyperventilating uncontrollably. It was all her fault. Boruto was dead. Boruto was dead.

Boruto was dead and it was all her fault.

The realisation was so overwhelming to the young Uzumaki that she had immediately went into fits of hysterics and sobs, her mind focused on the fact that Boruto was forever gone. She wanted to harm herself, hurt herself, kill herself, all to get rid of the horrendous guilt that occupied her soul at the moment. The pain of losing Boruto, it was clouding her judgement and driving her to irrational thoughts and actions which she would normally avoid doing at any given time.

"Himawari-sama! Himawari-sama!" shouted a familiar mechanical voice that shook the girl out of her spiralling stupor as she became alert to the presence of the caller, her eyes looking to the direction of its origin.

With much concern and worry a stoic android could muster, Karasuki had floated quickly towards the broken-looking girl and landed right on top of her chest in order to catch her attention and snap her out of her panic attack. Himawari who had finally gained a sense of what was happening had continued to bawl into tears as she struggled to express her thoughts to the android turtle who was trying to calm her down.

"Bo- boruto-nii.. he-he's g-g-gone and-"

"Hima-"

"and I don't- I just- *sniffles as she tries to explain herself* It's all-"

"-wari-sama please calm-"

"IT'S ALL MY FAULT HE'S DEAD. BORUTO-NII IS DEAD AND-"

As she was screaming hysterically at the top of her voice, she was suddenly halted by a mysterious force that engulfed her body in a white light, freezing it from moving save for her organs that kept her life processes going without fail. Her eyes then pinpointed to the source of her immobility, the turtle who was also glowing in the same white light as he looked to her in solemnity which held an unspoken command for her to remain calm. Taking in deep breaths, Himawari then applied all of her previous training with regards to keeping a level head during stressful times in her current situation in order that she may find solace in whatever the turtle was trying to say to her anyway.

"Now that I've got your attention Himawari-sama, there are a few important things you need to know of our present situation that may or may not ease your thoughts perhaps."

"With regards to Boruto-sama, he is still alive."

That one statement from Karasuki was enough to calm the Uzumaki child down as she felt the tension of her previous guilt and outburst disappearing completely as if it never happened in the first place. Acknowledging the fact that his young mistress had finally composed herself from her prior distress, Karasuki had released his hold on Himawari who had immediately stood up from her lying position with her gaze fixed on the turtle. She wanted to know exactly the whereabouts of her brother at the moment.

"Where is he Karasuki-san? Where's Boruto-nii?" asked Himawari with the utmost concern and curiosity.

"Based on my calculations, due to him venturing off from our destination prematurely, I estimate that he would be arriving in this timeline six to eight months from now depending on the energy levels of the cosmos at the moment. However, there is no guarantee that he will appear in the exact same spot as we did," answered Karasuki in his usual android manner.

Thoughts of Boruto appearing in the middle of Iwagakure or Kiri had invaded Himawari's mind as worry began to flood her heart. Both the locations were absolute no go zones for him to step in- the former might kidnap and kill him for being a look alike of the Yellow Flash while the latter was a horrifying warzone being one of the worst tragedies that had occured in modern times second to that of the Fourth Shinobi War.

She prayed and hoped to Kami that wasn't the case.

While she was caught in her musings once more, her train of thought was then interrupted by the android turtle who continued to reassure the Uzumaki princess that her brother would most probably appear in Hi no Kuni instead and the chances for him to appear elsewhere was very low.

"There is also a major issue that I have to address to you about-"

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME AHHHH!!!" shouted the voice of a boy interrupting Karasuki's speech short.

Almost instantly, Himawari had rushed to the direction of the screaming, her battle instincts on red alert at the prospect of an impending threat nearby. Although she had never been on field missions before, the situations she had experienced through Genjutsu simulations courtesy of Aunt Kurenai and Mirai-nee were enough for her to survive at least a B-Rank mission type of scenario. Hence it was no surprise for her to act flawlessly as a shinobi in this scenario.

However, never in her life would she anticipate what she would be seeing in just a few moment's time.

Running through the forest in extremely fast speeds- similar to that of Lee without weights during the his match with Gaara in the Chunin Exams- she had arrived in 10 seconds to find a cowering boy who looked two years older than her hiding behind a tree as if his life depended on it. As soon as she reached the location, the boy had noticed her immediately and proceeded to bawl his eyes realizing that help had arrived. His face was a pale white in colour carrying a look of fear and dismay. Whoever was chasing the boy was scaring him to death.

"What happened here? Are you alright?" asked Himawari in a gentle yet professional tone.

Just as she was about to get an answer from the older boy, a stray kunai had made its way towards the boy, missing him so ever slightly as it hit the tree trunk just above his head. Himawari who was brought to a momentary shock for a split second marvelled at the throw of the kunai- judging by the depth of the penetration of the kunai into the tree, Himawari deduced that the throw was too gentle for it to be a killing shot but was enough to cause serious harm to the one who was unfortunate enough to get hit by it. Such a grand display could only be done by one who had mastered the art of shurikenjutsu- something which could not be easily done except with the-

"If you wish to remain unharmed I suggest that you stay out of this," said a cold voice belonging to a girl coming from behind Himawari.

The Uzumaki part of Himawari was shouting for blood at the extremely rude threat she received from the unknown assailant but the Hyuga part of her commanded her to stay calm. First of all she needed to collect as much information about the attacker as possible in order to measure her threat level. One wrong move and she would be done for.

But that didn't mean that she would allow the threat to pass without a fight.

"And pray tell if I refuse to move an inch from where I stand what are you going to do about it?" replied Himawari with an equal amount of cold anger before turning herself towards the assailant behind her.

She gasped in shock, her heart skipping a few beats at the knowledge of who it was in front of her.

"Then for interfering with my business, I urge you to prepare yourself. I would like to assure once more, this will not end well at all for the both of you," the assailant continued her tirade with a murderous intent in her tone and demeanour, the cold gaze of her Byakugan-enhanced lavender eyes hard upon the whiskered girl who dared challenge her authority.

In front of Himawari was a girl of similar age in a familiar fighting stance with the same dark blue hair and soft facial complexion as herself yet, unlike the shy little girl she had seen of in photos she possessed at home, there stood in the shy girl's place was a lady of a noble House wearing a simple yet regal kimono with a look in her eyes so similar to that of her Grandfather that she couldn't believe it.

Mama….

"Gentle Fist: Eight trigrams sixty four palms!" shouted Hinata as Himawari went on the defensive almost immediately.

What the hell was going on????!!!!

Author's note:

Hello dear readers! EmetMehmet here with another story for you all. I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter of the Naruhina Protection Squad series. I was inspired to write this story aftsr watching the Boruto Time Travel Arc and a comic where Himawari meets young Naruto sitting on his iconic swing asking him to play with her and swearing to protect him from anyone who wanted to harm him with her Byakugan on scaring the crap out of Naruto and Kurama.

For those who are wondering, I am still writing chapter 4 of the Broken series as well as another story. I apologize for the delay! I have been very busy lately making preparations for furthering my studies in Germany and due to this I do not have the free time to write as freely as before.

Hopefully, once I arrive there I can continue with my other stories since I would be much more free there than I currently am in my home country.

Anyway do give a favourite and a review . If the story is not to your taste, I hope that you can leave a constructive review instead of the bashing type of comments.

See you later!