Final Opening - ROCKS by Hound Dog

In the Land of Fire there was a certain forest, full of trees tall and proud and healthy. Watching over it were six faces carved from a vast stone cliff; the monument had seen ages pass and withstood four world wars. Cataclysms that had wiped clean the surrounding landscape had left that mountain curiously untouched, and the hundred-year-old faces of the First and Second Hokage had never needed renovation.

Once, years ago, this forest had been Konoha in its entirety. Now it was a smaller district of a larger city, the majority of which towered in the bright sun atop the Hokage monument. The old forest had never been given an official name of its own, but the population largely agreed on either of two names. Some called it Old Konoha, others the Leaf District, and no one bothered to argue over which name fit better.

In its own way this place was also a monument, a mark of the era of shinobi as a whole, much like the great faces hewn from the mountain. The majority of those living in the Leaf District's hollowed trees were shinobi, or the families of shinobi, who had owned homes there since before the trees had grown. And slowly over the decades, the population had dwindled as more and more moved to the younger and more modern architecture above the cliff. Those who kept their homes within the Leaf District often thought of themselves as proud leftovers of the old guard.

In time Old Konoha would truly be an ordinary forest. It might take another hundred years, but the last of these homes would one day be left behind for newer structures. The hollows in the trunks would grow shut over the years, and it would be as though Konoha had always loomed over the mountain.

For now, the forest was quieter than the city above, but far from a ghost town yet. There was still plenty of energy left in the community, and the residents of Old Konoha would happily point out that the Hokage's office still stood at the foot of the mountain, as it had since the day Hashirama Senju constructed it.

Through the treetops moved a blur of indistinct black, moving too fast to be clearly seen. Onlookers might have spotted flickers of bright pink in the shadow, or perhaps not, for no one was watching.

Boruto Uzumaki had inherited his love of bright colors from his father. He came to a stop in the canopy of a tree facing the building that had once been the Shinobi Academy, and now served a wholly bureaucratic function as an extension of the Hokage's office at its peak. His clothes were neat and new, black with pink trim. Eyes wide and keen and bright blue watched the office complex, weighing options, scanning for a way in.

The front door had been an option at first. It would mean passing through his father's security to confirm he wasn't an assassin in disguise, and it would also mean the ANBU would call the Hokage and ask for permission to send him up. He would end up being escorted rather meekly into the office, which was far from ideal for Boruto's purpose today.

But it had been an option, at least until he had painted the stone faces of the Hokage in a semblance of garish makeup. The ANBU would be vastly less happy to see him now, so instead he crouched in a tree and tried to think more creatively.

X

Naruto couldn't see the monument from his office; the great open window faced the Tree District instead. But on his desk was an artwork in its likeness, black ink splashed on white cloth hastily yet with clearly great skill. Just to be contrary, the lone female Hokage's face had been left bare of makeup and given a thick beard instead of her male counterparts.

He wanted to laugh. Of course he'd have to do something about this, but Boruto hadn't yet revealed himself to anyone. All he could do for now was suppress the laughter, since the clicking of the keyboard at his desk would never cover it up. And maybe when the time came, he'd make a point to not take away whatever supplies Boruto had used to accomplish his mess.

It looked like spraypaint, but it was hard to tell from an ink drawing copied in haste. Back in his day, he'd hoisted himself up there with a rope and a gallon of red paint in a can. He was the Hokage and he was Boruto's father, he should have been livid about this but he just kept wishing he'd had access to spraypaint at twelve; the sheer mayhem he could've created with spraypaint and shadow clones and all the tricks Boruto had now...

And the irony of it, of the boy defacing the Hokage monument as a call for attention, twelve years old and so soon to be made a Genin, he couldn't help but find it funny. And even better, Boruto would surely have looked for help with this, and his first choice would be Sarada, a kindred spirit of his who happened to have a doujutsu. And of course she'd tell him no, tell him he was being silly and try to talk him out of it. He had heard the expression history repeats, but he'd never taken it seriously.

Boruto opened the double-doors ahead of Naruto at his desk. Instantly an ANBU emerged from somewhere in the room, as if stepping from shadow where there was none in the brightly lit office. He clamped a hand down on Boruto, but then his fingers passed through as the boy turned to white smoke.

The Hokage managed to wipe the grin from his face and call out to his agent. "Easy, Kiba. Boruto can't manage more than two clones right now, so the next one that comes through that door is probably gonna be the real thing."

The ninja turned, and blinked unseen under the mask. "But if he can make two, then why not send a second clone?"

"'Cause he knows I'm gonna make him clean up the mountain," said Naruto, grinning. "So he sent a clone to do the graffiti, using a cloned can of the spraypaint he's carrying. And when he dispels it, the paint'll go away too, ya know?"

Kiba turned and looked out into the hall. Boruto was approaching, and he looked rather sheepish. "Something tells me he didn't think of that until you suggested it."

"You're really gonna make me clean it up?" the boy tried to scowl but his embarassment showed through. "If you ask me it's an improvement!"

Naruto grinned. He knew Boruto was upset, and it was his duty as a father to cheer his son up just as it was to teach him not to do this again. "Y'know, when I was your age I painted that mountain too, and I had to clean it up. So I know you're right; it does suck." he glanced down at the inked artwork on his desk. "Honestly I think you did a better job though. Did you at least use water-based paint?"

Boruto nodded. "It'll come off if I wash it with a water jutsu, but even that'll take hours!"

"Which is exactly why you can't expect anyone else to do it for you."

The boy threw his hands in the air and groaned.

The amusement faded from the Hokage's face. "But you wanted to get my attention, and now you've got it. Kiba, could you give us a minute? It's important." The ANBU shrugged and vanished from the room, his place filled by a swirl of wind and a few scattered leaves. "I think I know what's got you so upset, Boruto."

His son stepped fully into the office and shut the door behind Kiba. "Look, I... I know you're busy, Dad, and I know you have a good reason to be stuck here. If it were just me and Mom at home, I think it'd be okay. But I've got a little sister, ya know?"

Naruto looked down. He saw the laptop sitting on his desk and shut it. "I talked to Hima last night, after the party. I told her I was sorry, and I'd make it up to her... You know what she said? She told me it was no problem, 'cause I was late but I still got there in time. I mean, I know that's not true, but..."

Boruto nodded. "She missed out on half of her birthday party 'cause she spent that time looking around for you. So if you're really gonna make it up to her, it needs to be something big."

"I didn't know it was that bad... you're not pulling any punches here, kiddo." Still peering down at the furnishings of his desk, Naruto smiled sadly. "But you're right, Boruto. I'll have to do something really special to make up for this. I already have an idea." He looked up. "I think if there's anyone I can tell about all of this, it'd be my family."

Boruto blinked. "I think you lost me, ya know? Are we suddenly talking about S-rank secrets or something?"

To his great surprise, Naruto nodded. "I've gotta talk to someone about this, Boruto. There's a reason I've been here in my office all summer." he gestured to a stool placed before the Hokage's desk, rather smaller than his own chair.

Boruto glanced over his shoulder at the door, shut but not locked, and hesitantly moved to sit down. "Dad, are you sure this is okay? If someone overhears us..."

"No one's gonna hear anything. This room is as secure as it gets anywhere in the Land of Fire." Naruto grinned. "Old-school stuff only really paranoid ninja would resort to. The only way someone would hear us is if they barged through that door." he scratched at the back of his neck, a sheepish gesture that had followed him his entire life. "But I'm still gonna get in trouble. The Five Kage are gonna chew me out so bad for this."

"Okay..." he was still on edge, but also visibly curious. "So what's happening? It must be really scary stuff if you've been pretty much sleeping under your desk all summer. Are we talking about another war or something?"

"No. There won't be a war." Naruto's voice was adamant, a slight frown flickered over his face. "Definitely not. But you're right; it's scary stuff. Ninja from the five major villages are all working together on this, including all five Kage, but none of us even talk out loud about the stuff I'm gonna tell you. We use ninshuu to discuss it telepathically, and I'll have to do the same with you."

The Hokage held out a balled fist across his desk. It took Boruto a moment to understand, and then he bumped his own hand against his father's.

X

The office vanished. Boruto hadn't felt his body move but now he was standing to make up for the chair's absence. Under his feet was a surface of dark brown stone, cut into hexagonal tiles and polished smooth. And wrapped around the two Uzumaki, there was a vast wall of orange fur surrounding them in a perfect circle.

Boruto looked up to meet the baleful gaze of the Nine-Tailed Fox, blazing like twin red suns. The monster loomed higher than the Hokage monument by far, and he stood almost directly above them. His lone tail, curled around father and son, twitched for a moment but otherwise remained still. "MY MY. IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE YOU VISITED, TWERP."

The boy's face lit up with a look of surprise, then a grin. "Kurama! Yeah, I missed you too!" he looked around at the stone floor, and the sky above lit uniformly dull red. "Is this what the inside of your seal looks like? It's kinda... empty, ya know?"

"I cleaned the place out," said the Nine-Tails, voice no longer booming like thunder. "We're about to have visitors, and it's serious business. The other four Kage are coming." Kurama frowned. "They're gonna be pissed that you're here."

Boruto frowned back. "The Kage? How are they gonna get in? I thought this was Dad's mindscape or something."

"I sent smaller fragments of my chakra to each of them. Those pieces are connected to me, and I'm connected to your father."

Naruto nodded. "I can feel someone coming through now."

The Demon Fox pulled away his tail, and just beyond it the Hokage and his son spotted a silhouette of red light. The man who stepped through was lightly built and dressed in dark colors, the clothing cut to fit him slimly and draw subtle attention to his slight stature. His hair was long and red and straight, and his eyes were blue of a very distinct shade.

Naruto wrinkled his nose, and Boruto noticed. "Son, this is Nagato Uzumaki. He's the Fourth Tsuchikage, and I'll tell you how that happened when you're older."

Nagato took a step forward. "I extorted the hat from Oonoki," he said dismissively. "He needed a successor anyway, and his other options weren't solid."

"You left out the part where your stupid coup almost started a Fifth War," said Naruto icily. "And Kurotsuchi would've done great."

"She would not!" the Tsuchikage argued. "We've had this talk a million times, Naruto!"

"And usually you had it right here," said another voice from another swell of light. Gaara stepped into the mindscape, dressed in the formal vestments of the Kazekage. "While all of us had more important things to discuss." His eyes, calm but alert, turned to the boy by the Hokage's side. "Boruto? What are you doing here?"

"I'm bringing him into the loop, Gaara. He deserves to know."

Gaara frowned. "Of course he does. But plenty of people around the world deserve to know what's happening here, and they don't. I haven't told my children because it would put them in danger, and the plan in danger. It might put them at ease to know why I've been gone, but that just isn't worth the fate of the world."

"I know. Believe it, I know." Naruto smirked slyly. "But you didn't say anything about not telling Tenten, and I sure as hell picked up on that."

Gaara didn't budge, but the slightest trace of pink touched his cheeks. "Tenten is one of the most powerful kunoichi in the world. If anyone could get our secrets from her, with force or clever tricks, then they could do the same to me."

The Mizukage stepped through another burst of red, instantly recognizable by the blue-marked hat she wore without the matching ceremonial robe. Bright red hair framed a youthful, pretty face with eyes of lively green that came to rest on Boruto. The Hokage's son was reaching a certain age now where he knew only one response to that look. He glanced away at nothing else in particular and began to blush.

"Gaara." she stepped toward the gathered Kage, smirking. "Speaking of clever tricks, you know perfectly well that's not why you shouldn't be telling anyone. The more people know, the more points of failure there are. The chances of Tenten leaking our secret are as slim as your own, but the risk for our whole group goes up because she's been added to it."

"Mei Terumi," Naruto introduced her quietly. "Fifth Mizukage. She's older than she looks."

"I'm sorry, Hokage-dono; I didn't quite catch that."

Naruto went white as chalk. "C-Catch what?"

She watched him sweat for a few moments longer, eyes like green ice, and then abruptly she turned away with a smile. "This whole conspiracy has just about served its purpose, I think. So while I do condemn Hokage-dono's actions, I don't believe they'll result in the end of the world. Now, where is the Raikage?"

"All of us arrived within seconds of each other," said Nagato. "His fragment of the Nine-Tails will surely have already told him that; he won't be long now."

Boruto nudged his father. "The Fourth Raikage, right? His name's A. Who names their kid A?"

"He actually stepped down a couple of weeks ago," said Naruto. "And it's a Kumo thing; his dad and grandfather were named A too."

Another blaze of red light opened up not far from the gathered shinobi. The Fifth Raikage stepped through, and he cut an imposing figure as he strode toward them.

He was tall and heavily built, dressed in a pair of loose white pants and a black vest worn open to reveal his chest. His skin was dark and his hair was pale, swept back into rows behind his head and paired with a white goatee. His eyes were hidden behind a small pair of sunglasses, and his expression was unreadable. The man was well over six feet tall.

He paused for a moment at the outside of the group, looking at Boruto. It was hard to tell behind the shades, but it looked as though he had blinked in surprise. Then his face lit up with a warm smile and he said, "Damn, there's no way you're not Naruto's kid! Met him at your age, and you look just like he did!"

Boruto glanced back and forth between the towering Raikage and his grinning father. Naruto had never mentioned anyone that would fit this man's description, no close living friends in Kumo at all, not since the Fourth War...

"Boruto," said Naruto. "This is Killer Bee, the brand-new Fifth Raikage."

And the shoe dropped. Boruto's eyes went wide; he played back what the Raikage had said and spotted a rhyme thrown into the sentence, but this just wasn't possible. "But you..." He recognized the name instantly; it was unmistakable. Unless families in Kumo always passed down first names through generations... but even then, this man had known Naruto since he was twelve. "...you died..."

"A long-ass time ago." Bee grinned and crossed his arms. "I'm back now though. Welcome to the conspiracy; and don't tell nobody."

The boy turned to his father, eyes huge. "Dad, what?"

"The world is about to change, Boruto. Chakra can do anything if you twist it the right way, even bring back the dead." A shiver went down Boruto's spine as he guessed what his father would say next. "And we've known that much for a long time. There are a couple of Konoha-nin we managed to bring back decades ago that are still with us today. On the other hand, the whole Fourth War revolved around the dead coming back to fight the living. But this is really different."

"I'm not here through some creepy Edo Tensei bullshit," said Killer Bee. "Your dad kinda opened the door for me, and I came through it. Minus the details, the short version is we have a new kind of jutsu. But if I can come back... you see the big problem, don't you?"

"If there's a door," Boruto murmured, "anyone could come through. Even Madara Uchiha... or worse."

"Not or worse," said Nagato. "And worse. Madara and Kaguya would be just the beginning... Hanzou the Salamander, Kabuto Yakushi, the entire Akatsuki for that matter. Every depraved missing-nin, every Uchiha who ever went mad..."

"You don't have to list 'em all," Naruto finished. "I don't even think you could. We're not talking about a war here, Boruto. If we do this and we don't get everything perfectly right, the world just... breaks, forever. We sent a message to Bee across dimensions, taught him a jutsu that let him reincarnate himself. So what we need to do is make it so that the jutsu won't work for people who would end up destroying the world. If we fail, if someone like Kaguya finds a loophole, the world ends. If we somehow killed her, she'd bring herself back. We'd do the same. The fight would never end."

Boruto shivered. "So why even do it? If it's really so dangerous, why...?"

"We have to," said Naruto with absolute certainty. "It's not impossible, we just need to get it right on our first try. That's why I've been gone so much. Every preparation has to be perfect; we've been at this for years and we're just getting close to finishing the jutsu. But in the end it'll be worth it, Boruto. Once it's done, no one will ever need to say goodbye to someone they love... and you and Himawari will get to meet your grandparents."

X

The Konoha standing above the Hokage monument was a drastic contrast to the one in its shadow. It had changed with the needs of its people, no longer a village but a city with wide paved roads and great skyscrapers of concrete and gleaming glass. No doubt the tallest of the towers were even supported partly by chakra, which in the absence of constant war was being given a new purpose.

Periodically spaced through the city were great open plazas, paved neatly with stone brick. Dotting each of these were many places where the stone sank several inches lower in a square, marked by a seal to call home a platform of steel and concrete from across the continent. It would sit flush with the rest of the pavilion, loaded with visitors from any of the ninja villages.

The world had changed. Or perhaps it was still in the process of changing, for Sarada Uchiha still knew by looking that things hadn't always been this way.

Her mother and father stood to either side of her, dressed in clothes subtly tailored to withstand battle between shinobi. The clothes were a few years old now, the slices of kunai stitched shut, one or two holes patched over. Sarada guessed they didn't make shinobi gear like they used to, otherwise her parents would have replaced their equipment instead of repairing it. Though the clothing wasn't threadbare either, so perhaps this was merely frugality.

It was enough to make her wonder about her own clothing. Her shirt and shorts didn't rustle or restrict her movement, and for a ninja that was enough. But her sandals might slip over unsteady terrain; she could fall from a tree or stumble in a fight. Her kunai holster could fail in any number of ways; it could tear or the clasp might catch, and the blades inside might shatter or miss a throw.

And yet she didn't feel unsafe in the slightest, not with her father to her right and her mother to her left, dressed for battle and surrounded by the bustle of Konoha. She could address her concerns later, replace her gear as needed, but for now she was hardly about to keel over and die because her kunai holster was slightly flimsier than her father's.

"Something on your mind, Sarada?" She jumped a bit and looked up; Sasuke must have glanced at her with the Sharingan. "You've got that look in your eyes."

She nodded. "I was just thinking... the demand on shinobi has gone down a lot, right? When you guys were younger there would've been a lot more violent missions, fights and assassinations and stuff, right?"

"Hn," said her father, and nothing more.

"Well I was thinking, that's not really how it is anymore. Shinobi don't fight each other the way they used to."

"That's right." Sasuke smiled a bit; he meant it as reassuring. "And I'm not giving away any classified information by telling you not even the ANBU see much of it these days. Back when I was your age, there would've been assassination contracts between villages, over a whole bunch of threats and arguments that just weren't worth all-out war. But it doesn't happen now."

Sarada kept silent for a moment. "Papa, do you two keep your older ninja outfits because the newer stuff isn't as good?"

"Yeah," said Sasuke. "So that's what this is about. You're worried that your own gear won't cut it?" From the corner of her eye she spotted a group of three ninja her own age, wearing headbands marked with Kiri's emblem. "And now you're thinking about fighting other ninja when the time comes for your Chuunin Exam."

"It's not about the Chuunin Exams," she admitted, and her hand brushed her kunai holster as she walked. "If I could get hurt there because my gear doesn't work right, I could get hurt anywhere else too."

Her father nodded again, looking thoughtful. "You're on the right track, thinking like that, but you're missing something. If you could miss a toss with your kunai, you could miss with one of mine. The chances are slightly less, but the point is nothing's perfect. Your weapon won't be perfect and neither will your aim."

She frowned, but he laid a hand on her shoulder and she looked up. "I'm not saying you should forget about it; I'm just saying you shouldn't obsess over it."

Sarada nodded. "Hn. Thanks, Papa."

Sasuke looked up over her head. "Sakura? You've been pretty quiet over there."

Her mother grinned. "You two were having a father-daughter moment; I didn't want to cut in." she looked down at Sarada and ruffled her hair. "But I guess I do have something to say... you're a Haruno and you're an Uchiha, baby girl. You could totally be the next Hokage when you grow up, and even if Konoha was invaded tomorrow, it'd take more than a busted kunai holster to bring you down."

Sarada began to smile as she listened. Huh. Sarada Uchiha, the Seventh Hokage. That could actually be pretty cool...

Her father chuckled. "You should've said something earlier; she's totally cheered up now."

Sakura winked. "That was a mother-daughter moment. I've gotta get some practice in before she hits that rebellious phase."

Sasuke laughed, but it sounded just slightly nervous. "That's a scary thought."

Her parents fell silent, looking straight ahead. Sarada followed their eyes and saw a boy her age standing at the far edge of the plaza, waiting motionlessly with hands tucked behind his back. Red light filled her eyes along with a pair of tomoe circling each pupil; she looked closely and saw the cut of his clothing was indeed shinobi. He wore no headband and she didn't recognize him, but he surely held some important position to be here.

She deactivated her Sharingan, more out of courtesy than to conserve chakra. They drew close enough that she could size him up without it, and so she did. His blue hair and gold eyes were odd enough by themselves, but together with the kimono-styled jacket in blue and white, and the way he carried himself, the way her parents looked at him...

This boy couldn't possibly be from Konoha. She would absolutely have known his face if he were.

"You're Orochimaru's agent?" said her father, with a tone of mild surprise. "I was expecting someone from Taka..." Sakura elbowed him over her daughter's head. "Never mind. I'm Sasuke Uchiha; welcome to Konoha."

The boy smiled. "Thank you. Orochimaru considered sending a member of Taka to meet you, but he thought you might be more at ease if you had a valuable hostage in your care. I understand Konoha and Oto have never been close friends."

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances. Valuable hostage? No honorific on Orochimaru's name? What? It was Sakura who turned back to the boy first and spoke. "Um. Who exactly are you to Orochimaru?"

"My name is Mitsuki," said the boy, smiling. "I'm his son."

"Orochimaru got laid?"

Sasuke coughed into his hand. "Well then, Mitsuki. For what it's worth, we won't be considering you a hostage. Only Orochimaru would suggest something like that to his own kid..." Sarada followed her mother's earlier cue and elbowed her father. "...Hn, forget I said that. It's nice to meet you."

Mitsuki inclined his head. "Likewise. Though for the record, I was born artificially and Orochimaru didn't... get laid to produce me." Again Sasuke coughed, this time louder.

Then the boy glanced at the girl, seeming to notice her for the first time. His gaze lingered on her eyes, black behind red glasses and devoid of chakra at the moment. "Will Sarada be coming with the three of us?"

She suddenly found herself standing several feet back from where she'd been positioned between her parents. Sasuke's faded black cloak had opened; his hand was now visibly locked around the hilt of the Sword of Totsuka behind his back. Sakura had lowered herself into a shallow crouch, with her fists balled and raised before her chest threateningly. With eyes gleaming red and green they glared at the boy. The temperature of the air had fallen dramatically.

"No, she won't." Her father's voice was soft, yet cold and harsh. Like thin flakes of frost grating together, the tone by itself was enough to make Sarada flinch. "How do you know her name?"

Mitsuki's smile faltered slightly. "I've spent some time around your friends among Taka; they've talked about her. I understand beating around the bush here will get me killed." Sasuke nodded; his gaze didn't waver from Mitsuki's own. "Orochimaru has no interest in kidnapping any members of the Uchiha Clan. That time has come and gone."

For a few moments longer, they both remained visibly ready to kill. But then Sasuke's grip adjusted on the weapon behind his back; he lightened his stance and pulled the weapon forth still in its flask-sheath. "I believe you. We'll hit the road in just a second."

He turned his back on Mitsuki, whom Sakura watched carefully but no longer with icy killing intent. He laid a hand on his daughter's shoulder, crouching before her with a smile. It was a sharp contrast to his previous expression. "Sarada, I think you're right. You should have ninja tools you can absolutely rely on; better safe than sorry."

He held out the gleaming metal bottle, capped with a hilt of delicately scrimshawed white bone. "I want you to have this." She gently took it, eyes wide and reverent, for she had seen the sword before. "We'll be gone a couple of weeks; get Itachi to teach you the basics with it. I'll take over for him when I get back, okay?"

Her eyes glistened, so she shut them firmly. For good measure she threw her arms around her father and pulled him close. "Thank you, Papa."

"Hn. Don't slice up your classmates with it."

She let him go, and as he stood he poked two fingers into the dead center of her forehead. Then he turned and followed Sakura and Mitsuki, headed north out of the village. She clutched the Sword of Totsuka to her chest, watching them go. Her Sharingan was inactive, but her eyes itched slightly.

X

"So," said Sasuke, only once they were well past the streets of Konoha and traveling a more open road. "Who the hell is this guy?"

"He's one of Orochimaru's test subjects from several years ago," said Mitsuki, keeping a few paces' distance now from the two Konoha-nin. There was a bit of a cold sweat on his face. "Calls himself Shin Uchiha."

"Well that's annoying," said Sasuke. "But you're saying he's not the real deal."

Mitsuki shook his head. "He has a unique mutation that allows organ and tissue transplants into his body with absolutely no chance of rejection. He worked with Orochimaru in a series of experiments to inject Uchiha DNA into his body, then reshape it to produce working Sharingan eyes."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Where did he get Uchiha DNA?"

Mitsuki hesitated, but there was nothing else he could say. "He harvested it from the battlefield of the Fourth War."

"I knew it," Sakura grumbled, more annoyed than outraged. "Son of a bitch; he probably took it from Obito."

"Go on," said Sasuke. "This man isn't one of Orochimaru's servants anymore. What happened?"

"He went rogue. Missing-nin, I should say, although Oto isn't really an organized village of ninja. We don't use that system." Mitsuki wiped the sweat from his cheek; the tension began to fade from his shoulders since the two Uchiha didn't seem intent on killing him.

"He awakened Obito's own Mangekyou Sharingan, and used it to steal all of Orochimaru's experiments with Uchiha DNA. That includes notes, cloned Sharingan, and a small army of Shin's own clones, all with their own natural Sharingan."

"The Mangekyou as well?" Sasuke pressed.

"We believe so. The clones weren't ready to be activated; all of them were in stasis when he stole them."

"This is sick," Sakura murmured. "You can't just clone someone and throw the copy in a glass jar or something. These are people we're talking about."

"That point isn't lost on me," said Mitsuki. "But you need to understand that these clones truly were incomplete. Like infants; they weren't ready to be born."

"Orochimaru wants them back," Sasuke realized. "All of them. These are a massive investment for him; a whole new Uchiha Clan with innate Sharingan eyes. They could pass their kekkei genkai on to their children one day... Orochimaru wants them under his thumb."

"Not exactly," said Mitsuki. "He would have sent Taka to assassinate Shin if that were the case. Instead, he answered when Konoha came calling."

"So you're saying this is a peace offering?" Sakura mused. "He's trying to mend fences with Konoha by letting us decide what happens to these clones."

"That's right. Of course, that's also part of why I was sent to Konoha, instead of a member of Taka. As long as I'm in your care, you have a hold on Orochimaru to keep him from threatening you." He smiled; they were listening and the tension between them was rapidly dying down. "And by the way," he added, "the arrangement is permanent. I've been transferred by the Hokage into Konoha's ranks, to become a Genin along with this year's graduate students."

X

Looming at the highest points of Konoha, towers of concrete and glass gleamed with the golden brilliance of a setting sun. Like mirrors, they reflected its light and seemed just as wholly luminescent. Below that shining city, the old Leaf District took in the sunset very differently. The forest caught most of the golden light, and as untold thousands of branches swayed in an evening breeze, the ground below was only dappled in a modest orange glow.

There was surely some symbolism there, but it was lost on the Hokage, who looked out the vast window at the back of his office and saw only a lovely view.

Boruto stepped into the edge of his father's vision, also peering out at Old Konoha. "You let Mom in on this whole thing, didn't you?"

"Um, well. Technically she was part of the original research team. We were kinda supposed to go with your uncle Neji when we needed a Hyuuga on the project; he's still got the sharpest Byakugan we've ever had. But I spilled the beans to your mother, totally by accident ya know, and the Kage are still mad at me about it."

"So they put her on the team instead of Neji," Boruto realized. "All about minimalizing security risks and stuff, right?"

"That's what I said," Naruto replied, "Only Nagato told me the word was minimizing."

Boruto paused, looking out the window, and thought for a moment in silence. "Nagato's a dick."

The Hokage giggled. "You have no idea."

The younger Uzumaki tucked his hands into his pockets, and shuffled a bit where he stood. "Hey, Dad? D'you think a month would be long enough for me to train for the Chuunin Exams?"

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Where's that coming from? It's a little early for you, ya know... you're still in the Academy after all."

Boruto frowned. "Thought you'd say that. Come on, I can already make shadow clones and I've got the Water Release. I'm probably ahead of the curve already! And didn't you take the Exams when you were twelve?"

"Yep," Naruto nodded. "But the thing is, I can't put you in the Exams just because you ask. You need two partners and a sensei who'll nominate your whole team." he grinned and clapped a hand to his son's shoulder. "Don't worry, your time will come. And when it does, you'll blow 'em all away."

Boruto grinned back, a bit sly. "And I guess I'm gonna need an awesome team to keep up with me, right? Doesn't the Hokage have a say in all of that?"

"The Jounin candidates have started sending me requests for teams. Almost all of 'em want both you and Sarada Uchiha," Naruto admitted. "And that's gonna be a mess for me to sort out."

Boruto pondered this. "Huh... if one Jounin actually gets the two of us, everyone else is gonna think you're playing favorites. Even if I go to one sensei and Sarada goes to another..." he trailed off.

"Yeah. No matter what I do, I'm gonna get a whole lot of complaints on my desk the morning after you graduate. If I even wanna look fair, I've gotta put the two of you with a sensei who asked for someone else."

He stopped and looked back to the horizon, a bit sheepish. "I wasn't supposed to tell you any of that, ya know. It's not a security risk or anything, but still, keep it to yourself."

Boruto grinned wickedly. "So I'll be on a team with Sarada," he mused. "We get along pretty well, and she's definitely strong... yeah, I think it'll work out. Only who could our sensei be? You said almost all of 'em wanted us, but there's someone who didn't. Right?"

"I'm not saying anything. Not gonna give you any more hints."

"I think I've got it figured out. Mirai-sensei and Konohamaru-sensei both wanted the Ino-Shika-Chou trio, right? So to solve that problem, you gave one of 'em me and Sarada."

"Bleh," said Naruto, sticking his tongue out at his son. "Naw tehrin."

"I'd put my money on Mirai-sensei," Boruto replied. "After all, her dad was your Jounin sensei and you'd probably go for that kinda nostalgic thing. You could probably even tell that to the other Jounin, use it as an excuse for why you did it at all..."

"Thtawpih!" said Naruto. "Stop guessing, dammit! Just... forget this whole talk, don't tell anyone, and I'll take you and Himawari to watch the Chuunin Exams from the best seats in the house. Yeah, how's that!?"

"Take us to the next one too, and you've got a deal!"

The Hokage sighed. "I spoil you, ya know."

"Nah. You probably wanted to take us anyway, right?"

"I did," said Naruto, "But I still really do spoil you."

Boruto shrugged. "So this Exam's gonna be here in Konoha, but where's the next one?"

The Hokage smiled. "Kumo. The new Raikage wanted to host this one instead, but it's bad enough A gave him the hat as soon as he got back. A Chuunin Exam right away would just be too much on his plate."

Boruto nodded along. "Makes sense, I guess."

And then there was a moment of silence between them, silence to an almost uncomfortable point in the soundproof security of the Hokage's office. It got annoying enough that Boruto spoke up just to break the tension. "It's kinda scary, isn't it? I mean, between all this peace and the stuff you've been doing here, how many more Chuunin Exams are we gonna have?"

Naruto shrugged. "Shinobi don't have much to do these days, but the world still needs us. Just not the way it used to. As long as there's chakra, people will be using it, and they need to know what they're doing for everyone's sake."

"Well, yeah. But I still think we're running out of time, ya know?" He fidgeted for a moment, hands digging in his pockets as though looking for the next word. "I keep thinking about Himawari, and the stuff she's doing with chakra even though she's not in the Academy. You gotta draw the line somewhere. One day there won't be Academies or Chuunin Exams or even hidden villages. So what, do we still call chakra-users shinobi after all that?"

"Doesn't really matter," said Naruto. "The name shinobi isn't the important thing; it's all about what the word means. And one day all ninja will have a different place in society, so maybe we'll come up with a new word for a new meaning."

He grinned a boyish, vulpine grin. "But I think the name is gonna stick with us. That name means a whole lot of different things, and there's some horrible stuff in there. But there's plenty of good too, things like the Will of Fire. Things like that are worth remembering, worth bringing with us into the future. I think a hundred years from now, chakra-users from Konoha will still remember the Will of Fire, and they'll still be called shinobi."

Boruto thought for a moment, and the silence began to creep back into the room. "I don't think I can be mad at you anymore," he admitted.

"I can help with that," said his father, and the seriousness was gone from his voice. He turned to his son with a grin wicked and gleeful, the spirit of a young troublemaker shining out of it. "Remember, you've still gotta clean up the Hokage mountain."

Boruto visibly deflated and a scowl crossed his face. "Seriously!? Come on, Dad!"

"Hey, I'm not doing it for you. I've already cleaned up enough graffiti for my own damn lifetime!" Naruto crossed his arms and tried to look stern. "It's getting late already, and it's on you to get it done. I'm your dad and I'm not supposed to be cutting you any deals, but listen. I'll be there when you get home, and we'll all have dinner together."

Boruto crossed his own arms and turned his gaze aside. "It still sucks."

"Yeah. Like I said, I get that." Naruto reached out and ruffled his son's hair; the boy shook his head away and stuck out his tongue. "But you can handle it. A shinobi is one who endures."

The boy huffed again, but glumly nodded. "Alright. See you, Dad."

He turned and left. The Hokage was left alone in his office, and he turned back to the glass overlooking Old Konoha. Silence weighed heavy in the air once more, but unlike Boruto, his father didn't mind it.

"You're right," said Naruto, though no one was there to hear. "Change is scary. The future is scary... but it's also full of so much hope." a light breeze swept through the room and gently lifted an ink painting from his desk to his waiting hand. He glanced at it, at the classical feminine makeup adorning five stone faces and a full shaggy beard plastered across a sixth. He folded it twice and tucked it away into a pocket.

"A shinobi is one who endures. The thing is, endurance is a virtue of all humanity. Not just ninja. So I think, maybe as the years pass, we'll stop thinking of ourselves as ninja and more as just people, no matter what some of us are called. It'll be as people that we'll endure the danger in our future."

"We'll overcome all of it, and the world will pull through. Whole and strong. That's what really matters."