After reaching for his son's hand beside him, Naruto squeezed lightly, his other arm prodding Sasuke for any wound or injury he might have caused.

Naruto could not understand, the tailed beast bomb did not seem to have caused any physical damage. His mind raced; his chest painful with each breath.

Nothing made sense.

He was sure Kansuke's control over him completely faltered the moment he discovered Sasuke was down. But why and how did it end up like this?

Naruto recognized the overwhelming rage he first felt on the bridge at the Land of Waves, so he turned to his son, to keep his emotions grounded, to remind himself that there was still someone he needed to protect.

Boruto coughed up a huge amount of blood on his own sleeve and Naruto pulled him close. He wrapped his arms around Boruto and placed pressure on the wound he'd created on his son's shoulder.

"Boruto, please, not you too," Naruto began to panic when the young man rested his head on his chest and his eyes started to close.

"Dad," Boruto called out his face lightening up in spite of the pain, "Don't worry, we'll be fine," he smiled.

"Hold on, please," Naruto barely whispered, his hand mindlessly ripping Boruto's sleeve in a hopeless attempt to attend to the wound. He began to channel Kyuubi's chakra toward it but Boruto had already lost too much blood. He was slowly struggling to breathe.

"Dad," Boruto called out again. "Maybe you don't really trust us, do you?" he said, although he was smiling widely enough for Naruto to know he was just joking. "No wonder Sasuke-san was mad at you," Boruto chuckled, bumping his fist lightly against Naruto's chest.

As Naruto stared, at a loss with what to do, "Don't... worry too much," Boruto muttered with his remaining strength, before his hand fell to the ground and he began to sleep.

Everything was on fire - her eyes, her face, her hands, and her core. Although her vision was still blurry, she could now recognize her surroundings perfectly, decently enough to fight.

If Mitsuki did not have sage mode, she would have easily broken out of his grip. But it seemed her teammate was determined to keep her in place.

If looks could kill, Kansuke was a dead man already. Ironically for Sarada, with her sharingan, looks could really kill someone right now.

"Listen to me," Mitsuki murmured clearly behind her, with emphasis on every word uttered.

Sarada gritted her teeth. How could she listen to anyone if her papa was dead?

"There's still something your dad needs you to do," Mitsuki added.

"How would he even know what's going on now, he's gone -" she hissed between clenched teeth.

"It's all going according to plan," Mitsuki said.

Sarada shook her head in disbelief, trying to make sense of everything. Nothing was going according to plan. How could this be the plan?!

"Remember what your dad taught you? The intense drills he had made you go through for months right after Kawaki's assault? The trainings he gave you with the crow?" Mitsuki asked, hoping Sarada would finally make sense of it. "When you said he was teaching you a technique you were not - and you probably would never be - ready to use?"

Finally, something in her mind clicked, how could she forget?

Flashback – December (Winter) Two Years Ago

Shikadai was the one who told her that her dad wanted to see her. She was supposed to carry out a task for the Anbu tonight as a candidate recruit, but since her dad's role as the Eighth Hokage had been made effective yesterday, his orders were now superior over the elite captains' orders. In fact, even if her dad had not yet been made Hokage, she doubted anyone would dare go above his requests.

No questions were asked by her captain and her teammates. She, however, had at least a few questions running in her mind.

Why did she have to go through an eye checkup under her own mom, outside of the usual clinic hours? Why did they have to meet at the old training ground and not at the Hokage's office?

The night was cold and it was eerily silent. Ever since the attack at Konoha several weeks earlier, the atmosphere in the village had been unbearably gloomy. There wasn't any trace of damage left but the village just wasn't done mourning the death of the Seventh. And by the looks of it, Sarada knew these feelings of hopelessness would continue to loom over the village for quite a while.

Even her dad's inauguration as the Eighth Hokage was done in silence. The council's unanimous decision was made public only through mailing the announcement to every household in Konoha and to every village leader in the Land of Fire. Not a face would be carved on the mountain as well, as her father had insisted. Besides Shikamaru, no one else questioned Sasuke's decision. To her dad, his inauguration as the Eighth was nothing more than the result of the tragic end of the Seventh's reign, nothing more than just a mere duty to fulfill.

When Sarada arrived at the training ground, there was someone else she was not expecting to see.

"Mama?" she uttered. Sakura was standing right next to Sasuke with her arms crossed against her chest and a soft expression on her face, as if she'd been waiting for her daughter for a while. "You are here too."

"Yes, your dad requested that I join the both of you, at least during the first few weeks of this training," Sakura explained.

"Training?!" Sarada exclaimed, not hiding her surprise to her parents.

Sakura looked with bewilderment at Sasuke. "You did not tell her?"

Sasuke just sighed. "I did not get the chance to tell her, and... I did not feel it was necessary to disclose that much information to Shikadai." When he noticed the uncertainty in his wife's expression, he added, "Kakashi, Shikamaru, Konohamaru, and a natural scientist know about this. It's not just the three of us," to which Sakura nodded and relaxed.

"Training... for?" Sarada asked hesitatingly, as walked closer to where her parents stood. "Is there a special assignment I have to do?"

Sakura just looked at Sasuke, as if giving him a cue to start. Sasuke started talking as he moved forward to meet her. "No... But there's this technique, which, after careful consideration with your mother and consultation with Kakashi, we decided was worth telling you about."

Sakura took a deep breath as she reassured Sarada with a smile.

"You are a..." Sasuke paused, diverting his gaze to the floor as he thought of the right words to say, "... very, very gifted child, and way more level-headed than we ever were at your age. Even if you never get to awaken it, you've earned the right to learn about it -"

Before Sarada could realize it, Sasuke quickly reached out and poked her on the forehead. "Although you are very capable, at your age, to use the sharingan, you cannot use this technique yet. Your eyes just aren't ready. There are certain circumstances that need to happen, which would enable your eyes to do so, but it makes no sense to wait for that since we do not even know if that will even happen."

"What do you mean?" Sarada inquired.

"The right time has yet not come for you to be able to use it. In fact, there's a chance you might not even be able to use it in your lifetime at all. It really depends. Personally, I haven't utilized it much, but mostly because I was not good at genjutsu-"

"If you weren't good at it, how could I -"

"You are a faster learner at genjutsu than I was. During this training you will learn more about it, and I have no doubts, that by the end of this, you'll know enough to carry this out when you have to," Sasuke reaffirmed her.

"Okay... I guess," Sarada murmured, half-assured and half-confused.

Sasuke examined her expression carefully. "You don't seem entirely convinced – but to make you feel better, we're getting additional help too..." he carried on.

From behind a row of trees came shuffling noises, followed by footsteps accompanied by a tall, slender shadow approaching them. Sarada stared with confounded eyes at the person approaching them.

"When you said 'natural scientist', you meant Orochimaru?" Sakura commented out loud, looking just as flabbergasted as her daughter.

"It was a last minute decision," Sasuke defended. "He has spent more time studying Itachi's and Shisui's abilities more than anyone ever did. Also, I figured I needed someone to monitor the reactivation of Shisui's Mangekyo, as well as to understand how it worked."

"Hello, Sakura, and you too, Sarada… Good to see you again," the serpent-like man smiled.

Awkwardly, Sarada shifted nervously and responded, "Nice to see you again too… uh, sir." Sakura just nodded softly to acknowledge him.

"Let's not waste any more time," Sasuke interjected, as he darted swiftly toward Sarada. "Mama will monitor how healthy your eyes are throughout the training. Ororchimaru will not do anything with you, do not worry. He's just here to see what he can contribute, since I've given him the task of inspecting other well-developed sharingan, under my very close supervision, of course."

Sarada, who was tensed partly due to the cold breeze embracing her tightly now, took a deep breath and tried to relax. Very soon, as expected, the training began.

For several months, they had the same set up during training. Although initially, Sakura was supposed to be present only during the first few weeks, Sasuke soon opted she stayed throughout. Orochimaru also never missed a training period.

In the last two weeks of training, however, something was different, Sasuke brought with him a tiny crow.

"Hey there, little fella," Sarada greeted, stroking the crow's tiny head which rested against Sasuke's palm. "He looks really tired."

"Newborn," Sakura clarified. "He's not tired, he's just sleeping."

After the usual endurance training with the sharingan, and the most exhausting genjutsu training Sarada ever had, she and her father entered each other's genjutsus.

"When one is under an ordinary genjutsu, like you are right now, the amount of time which lapses in here, for both you and I are the same, and is the same with the time lapsing for those outside of the genjutsu," Sasuke elaborated, something already Sarada knew. "Also, most highly trained shinobi would know they are being controlled or manipulated, even if they cannot do anything about it. Of course you can dispel this by now, but that is not the point."

Sasuke quickly dispeled the genjutsu, freeing Sarada who continued listening very intently.

"There are other superior forms of genjutsu - some either completely changes the way your enemy perceives time or would allow you to completely manipulate someone without them ever knowing," Sasuke described, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "None of which I can do."

He led her toward where the tiny crow was perched. "This crow right here possesses an advanced form of the Sharingan – the Mangkeyo. Although people who want a quick and effortless way to gain the abilities of the mangekyo would have it implanted, I would rather not, especially not on you, since careful observation by Sakura and Orochimaru, confirmed that you can awaken it."

Sarada gaped, before shrugging. "How? I don't even know – and how come the crow has it?"

"Quite a long story," Sasuke put it simply, "which dates back from way before I even knew anything about the sharingan. How do you activate it, you ask? I don't feel it is necessary to tell you yet," he said, just smiling at her. "However, the entire point of the training we just had was to increase your endurance at genjutsu, so that should you awaken the mangekyo, you can sustain it long enough to summon this crow right here. We've been training this crow to respond only to your genjutsu."

"So that I can summon it… so that I can use its eyes?" Sarada clarified, trying to comprehend the information all at once.

"Yes. However, you can only summon it once, for it only reactivates every ten years. You need to choose wisely when to use it," Sasuke replied. "Again, should you awaken the mangekyo, it would surely take you a long while to even know how to use it. In addition to that, it would also put considerable strain on your eyes, risking blindness," he added.

Sasuke placed the crow gently on his palm and brought it nearer to Sarada.

"The eye of this crow already has Shisui Uchiha's Kotoamatsukami. It does not need eye contact, and would let you manipulate someone completely for an extended period of time, as well as implant thoughts or memories on them, without your enemies ever realizing it."

As he passed on the crow onto her daughter's hand, Sarada's studied its eyes – it was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

PRESENT TIME

Hinata could tell that Sakura was already slowing down on purpose. She tried picking up her pace, so as to drag the other two quicker, but Sakura was the only one who knew the way and she was definitely reducing her own pace. The pink-haired medic also appeared to be lost in her own thoughts. It did not take long before she came to a sudden halt and jumped down a clearing underneath.

"Sakura? Is there anything wrong?" she asked, swiftly scanning the area for signs of enemies.

Sakura considered her for a moment before saying, "This is it."

Hinata was a bit puzzled. There were several trees which appeared to have only been recently uprooted, and there did appear to have been a slight commotion in the area. But other than that, there was nothing.

Suddenly, Sakura hugged her, which stunned both Hinata and Himawari.

"What is it, Sakura?" she repeated again kindly.

"I am sure, we're here," she whispered in a muffled tone, her embrace growing tighter around Hinata before releasing her. "Phew, my hands are cold and sweaty," Sakura chuckled, shaking her hands as if to shake the nerves off. "I know this has been confusing so far," she continued, "But there," she pointed to the direction they were heading at. "Can you look toward that way with your Byakugan, Hinata? Around ten kilometers beyond this point; tell me what you see."

For a few seconds, Hinata hesitated. Soon, she turned toward the direction she was pointing at, taking a few steps before activating the Byakugan.

At first she looked confused, and then she gasped, bringing both hands trembling over her mouth. She started to shake her head repeatedly while stepping backward, her Byakugan still activated.

"No - Who… How?" she whispered, barely audible for Sakura to hear.

"Mom? Anything wrong?" Himawari approached her, placing her hands over her mother's shoulder.

Sakura did not speak, not knowing exactly what to say, and wanted to give Hinata time to process it on her own. Hinata was trying to steady her own breathing, and it seemed as if her eyes were quickly welling up. But she managed to keep tears from falling.

"It's really him, isn't it?" she asked. Sakura nodded.

"Do you see Boruto?" asked Sakura. Still struggling between breaths, Hinata focused her Byakugan more intently on the scene before her.

"Yes, yes… he's… Boruto is hurt-" she paused, before her eyes suddenly widened and she started to dart forward, pulling Sakura's arm carelessly behind her. "Sakura! Sasuke is - Sasuke, he's – you need to go to him!" Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and continued tugging at Sakura, who tried to keep her stance firm right where she was standing.

"… Sasuke?" Sakura repeated, biting her lip, her eyes trying to avoid Hinata's questioning look. "It's not looking good, is it?" she asked. "Go to Naruto, take Himawari with you - "

"Naruto?! Dad?" Himawari questioned, obviously alarmed. "What do you mean – mom?!" she turned toward Hinata, who was still trying to plead with Sakura.

"I'll take care of Sasuke, and Boruto, do not worry," Sakura gently pulled away from Hinata and placed her hands around the dark-haired kunoichi's arms. "Take Himawari, go to Naruto; I will look after Sasuke and Boruto, okay?" She then turned to Himawari,

"I'm sorry I didn't say this earlier, but I figured I would tell you only once the enemy has been taken care of… Naruto has been reanimated, and you're reuniting with him now."

'Kurama…' Naruto called, trapping himself inside his own subconscious. 'Kurama!' He could feel his chest growing heavier, but the tailed beast only stared at him, desperately wanting to promise Naruto that things would be okay but knowing he couldn't.

'Kit, connect my chakra with Boruto, I will do everything I can to… at least sustain him long enough until proper help arrives,' he suggested.

The place instantly grew warm with what little remained of the nine-tails' chakra and Naruto was certain Kurama was already trying its best to reach out to his son outside. 'I don't understand,' Naruto stammered as his thoughts spun.

Everything happened way too fast and given how he was being manipulated the entire time, he was feeling totally helpless and out of control. No matter how much he'd wanted to bring his son and Sasuke back to the village, he could not risk being controlled by Kansuke again and placing more people at risk.

'As for Sasuke, I can't think of anything I can do for now. I did not know what happened either, Kit - '

'I don't get it! I don't -' Naruto clenched his fists and rammed them toward the ground. 'Why wasn't he fighting back? It doesn't make any sense.'

Naruto pushed himself out of his subconscious and back into reality, where the forest remained unnervingly silent, completely contrasting the chaos ensuing just moments before.

Boruto's breathing, although he was still unconscious, had grown steadier, probably only due to the help rendered by Kurama's chakra. Carefully, he lifted Sasuke and shook him gently. "C'mon, Sasuke, that was too simple. It does not end like this."

Suddenly, Naruto yelped and violently pulled away at his sleeve when he felt something bite. Whatever had coiled around his wrist did not let go. A pair of yellow eyes stared back at him, and it hissed with its tongue trying to reach Naruto's face.

"Mitsuki, where are you? And have you found Kansuke? I command you to summon help from the village now," he ordered, but the snake attempted to communicate in gesture only, which he could not understand. Naruto continued, "I can sense Hinata, Himawari, and Sakura approaching the area and it might not be safe for them to be around me so I am leaving. Call for reinforcements, for them, and make sure everyone returns safely to the village. Leave Kansuke to me, I will deal with him all by myself. I don't know how but - "

Naruto was rambling, completely at his wit's end, before Kurama interrupted him.

'Mitsuki is urging you to stay - '

"No, I can't. I am not even supposed to be here – "

'He is saying something about the Land of Waves - '

"Kurama, once Boruto is stable enough, concentrate your chakra on tracking Kansuke down –"

'We have taken care of Kansuke, Hokage-sama, and we urge you to stay,' Kurama relayed.

Naruto felt himself relax a bit. "Will it be safe for my family to see me now? We need to make sure-"

'They are approaching, Kit.'

"I know," Naruto brought his hand around Sasuke's shoulder and shook him again hopelessly, at a loss with what to do. "What do I tell them? How do I face them?"

'He is asking something about the Land of Waves, Naruto, and I think-'

"WHAT IS IT?!" Naruto yelled, obviously having lost his patience now.

'—I am getting what he is trying to say. The mission at the Land of Waves.'

Naruto sighed heavily. "The only mission I still remember at the Land of Waves was the very first one we had as genin, the very first mission we had as Team Seven outside the country, the very first mission where… I first used the nine-tails chakra, and –"

"—the mission where you thought Sasuke had died," another voice interrupted. Naruto stopped, knowing really well whose voice it was.

When he looked up, he was not disappointed. Sakura, along with Hinata and Himawari, had arrived.

AN: I had everything planned out on a notebook before but for some reason, during the lengthy months I was not writing updates for this fic, I lost what I had previously outlined and had to start over. I completely forgot how exactly I wanted things to play out from this point forward, so I determined what should happen in this chapter completely from scratch as I was writing it (Kotoamatsukami was actually not in the original plan).

Quite disappointed in myself, really. But I wasn't going to let that hinder me from finishing this fic. As promised, I am not going to abandon it. I am just lucky I had written and posted the most confusing chunk of the story already. :)) I was so disappointed I was mentally cursing myself whilst writing.

Anyway, to those still sticking with this fic even after ~9 months without updates, arigatou gozaimasu! Completely appreciate it. :) I've also recently 'edited' previous chapters but nothing major was changed. THANKS FOR ALL OF THE FEEDBACK! Good or bad.

DISCLAIMER: This fic was started in 2016, which means it is inconsistent, and will continue to be inconsistent, with the Boruto manga or the anime.