Only Time Can Tell

HOKAGE

CHAPTER 47

HOKAGE

NARUTO UZUMAKI

I couldn't believe what was happening. Neji had done his best to explain it to me, but none of it made sense. One moment Sarada was awake and swearing that she was okay, and then she had fallen unconscious again, like she had never even woken up. The still feeling in the air began to settle again. I tried to refocus and send my chakra into Boruto but everything felt shaky with shock.

I felt Boruto's chest heave under my hands. "Breathe." I commanded trying again to send more chakra into him. I didn't know if he would be able tto handle so much at once, but I had a strong feeling that this was what he needed. "Why did this happen to him?" I said to Neji, who was still trying to get Sarada to wake up again. He was just beginning to grasp that it was a hopeless cause. She was gone again.

"Well...he was captured by Orochimaru when he went to find Sarada. I don't know the details, but I think his chakra was taken from him. It's amazing that he's still alive." Neji said. He didn't know much about what had happened with Orochimaru since he had been here the whole time, and I could see the guilt in his eyes. I knew that he would have been there to help them if he could.

"But why would he do that?"

"Well...probably because...." Neji stopped midsentence.

"Probably because what?"

"Because he has the Nine Tails chakra." Boruto had been born with it thanks to me. If he were a normal kid, he could have gotten out of there unscathed. It was all thanks to my chakra that he was here...dying.

Something clenched in my gut. He's my son...I- "You can't blame yourself, Naruto." Neji said. "That wouldn't do any good. He's your son, and he knows that. He knew what he was getting into."

"How can you be so sure of that?" I said, closing my eyes. "He's my son and I was too slow to help him."

Neji was quiet. "You know, Boruto doesn't hate you. He'll say that he does...but, I can tell that he really doesn't hold much against you. You just have to say all of the right things, and I'm sure that he'll loosen up towards you. What you do in the future isn't your fault now."

"Do you really think so?" Back in the village...when I had talked to him...he seemed so angry. I still can't imagine myself as a horrible father but-

"You're a horrible dad. You're never around, you didn't even make it to Himawari's birthday. I don't understand you, and you won't take the time to understand me. You're a total ass in the future. You're just sooo busy beginning Hokage....You abandon us. Mom, Hima, and me especially. You sent us shadow clones instead of actually being with us. You sent me an email to congratulate me on my chunin exams. Seriously? You won't take the time to be a dad, and when you do, you're a complete jerk." I could see just how much saying the words hurt him. Whenever I would say something to defend myself he would instantly rebuff me. It was like I couldn't talk to him. And just when I was going to try again he just said. "Oh whatever. I'm heard your lame sob story a million times. Sure your parents died, but at least they loved you!!!"

I don't love my kids? I don't spend time with them? That just didn't seem like anything I would do. But the pain in Boruto's eyes said otherwise. Somehow...in the future I had failed as a father. I felt my hands clench on his chest as I tried to heal him. How could I do something like that? Sure your parents died, but at least they loved you?!

I felt my eyes begin to prick. How could I do this to him? Surely the future me didn't know. Surely I would have done something to help him. Surely I would have spent more time with him if I knew that he felt this way. But something in my gut said otherwise. I'm the Hokage in the future...maybe I don't have the time. If being the Hokage makes me a horrible dad...if it takes away from the time I have with my family...Hokage means everything to me. It's my ultimate goal. But if I fail at being a parent...

"You've just got to talk to him. He will forgive you eventually." Neji said jolting me back into the present.

"Is there anything I can do to change what I did?"

"I don't know. You're the past you...maybe if you change your ways now...you can change the way that you treat him in the future. Maybe by knowing what happened to him...you can undo it."

"Do you think that would work?" I said looking up from my hands.

"Maybe. I'm just worried that what we've done here will change the future too much." Neji said. "There's no telling if what we're doing now will change the future permanently... and not necessarily for the better. Maybe Boruto needs for you to be a bad parent to become as strong as he is now....there's nothing for certain."

The minute that he talked about the future...I noticed that something was missing. "Hey...where's the guy with the black hair and the smirk? His name was Sai, right? Where is he?"

Neji blinked. But he didn't answer my question. His eyes slowly shifted past me...just to the left. I turned to see what he was looking at and felt my lungs squeeze. There was a body...it was covered in Sasuke's cloak. That guy....

"He..." Neji said quietly. "He sacrificed himself for the mission. He was...KIA."

"No..." I said softly staring at the draped figure. I had watched them from the beginning...before I got lost. I began to like the guy. He told terrible jokes and he was a little bit socially rude but he made for a good leader. Everyone liked him. Even though I wasn't apart of their team...I felt like I knew him.

"Naruto...he's from the future. That means that his past self is still alive. Please...make sure that you become friends with him when the time comes. When you meet his younger self don't freak out...he will live out his life."

"That's...insane."

"That's just the way it happens. I didn't know Sai very well...but he said that he knew you. That he was a good friend of yours...and I know that he meant it." I ripped my eyes away from the body and back down to my hands. "He was very brave...until the end."

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry that you ended up here in the past and that horrible things happened to you when you tried to go back."

"So it goes." Neji said softly. We were both quiet for a long time. I began to feel lightheaded from all the chakra I was giving up.

"Is Sasuke waking up?"

"I think he is." Neji said reaching out for his wrist. "His pulse is getting quicker. I think that that's a good thing."

"Sarada told us to leave him alone...that he would wake up on his own. What kind of things do you think he saw?"

"I don't know much about Sasuke. But I think that he saw his clan being murdered. I'm sure that he has a lot of demons about what happened to his family. Somehow...Sarada knew that."

"Why do you think that she fell back asleep?"

"I don't think that it was intentional. I don't understand it..."

"Do you think that she'll be okay?"

"Sarada is strong. I have to believe that she'll be okay. She's-" There was a huge booming sound. The ground shook.

"What..."

"Was that?" Neji finished. He stood up slowly, his gate slightly lopsided. He stumbled out of the temple and I watched as a bright flash touched his shoulder. Before I could react to anything to zoomed over to me, and I brought my hands up to defend myself as it pushed me out of the way. Slowly everything came into focus, the breeze of it's approach hitting my face full force.

"Boruto." It said scooping up Boruto's body into it's arms. I looked up and blinked as I recognized the face. It was my own.