Childhood

The Kidnapping

"...Ok... Fine. I'll leave it to you. They went that way!" Cho-Cho pointed.

With that, Boruto took off running.

"Boruto! Wait!" His best friend called after him, not expecting him to dash off so suddenly. But the only thing on Boruto's mind was Sarada's panicked face and the strong guys trying to beat her up.

Boruto made a shadow clone and sent it in the direction of Sarada's house. There was something he needed to grab before he went to rescue her, but getting there came first. His clone could catch up.

It took him a while, but he finally heard small whimpers from an alleyway. He dashed around the side of the building, but the backs of two giant men made him freeze where he stood. Before he was noticed, he pressed his back to the wall and snuck around the side, desperately trying to come up with a plan.

"If you're going to run like that," said Shikadai, finally catching up to him, "warn me first."

"Sorry," said Boruto, peering past the corner of the building. Sarada was tied up with rope, a gag over her mouth, and the men were towering over her.

"Here's the plan," said Shikadai. He always had a plan. "You send a shadow clone in and confuse them, and I'll stop their movement. Then we get Sarada and get out of--"

He saw her struggle. Then he saw one man pick up his leg. And that was when his body moved without thinking.

Boruto wasted no time in putting himself in between Sarada and the connecting foot. He took a hard blow to the stomach, the breath leaving his lungs as his body flew backwards and crashed into the wall.

"What's this brat doing here? Now we've got the nine tail's son..."

With great efforts, he picked himself up off the ground. He could feel his shadow clone getting closer. "Don't... Touch... Her..."

"Hm? Someone's mad that we stole the Uchiha girl? Don't worry," he said laughing, "we'll give her back after we take her eyes."

Sarada whimpered behind the gag. It only fueled his anger.

Just then, both men stopped moving. It was as if they were being stuck to the ground by something.

"Heh," said Shikadai, holding his fingers in a hand sign, "Shadow paralysis jutsu complete. Hurry Boruto, I can't hold them for long!"

Boruto swiftly kicked both guys hard in the nuts. His shadow clone rushed to his side and dropped a shiny metal object in his hands: one of Sarada's Shuriken. It cut through the rope that bound her wrists in a single motion. He was glad he was being careful, or he would have sliced right through her hand.

"Hurry," he heard Shikadai say, "They're starting to break out of it..."

The second the rope and gag were free, Boruto grabbed Sarada's wrist and tugged her forward. "Come on!"

But Sarada didn't move. She was shaking, staring at the men behind him in front of them with wide eyes. 

Kneeling down, Boruto took her arms and heaved her onto his back. "We've gotta get out of here!"

Shikadai released the paralysis jutsu and ran alongside them. The other two kidnappers slid shuriken out of their bags, their eyes gleaming with malice. "You're not getting away, brats!"

Throwing the real shuriken towards the man, he hit him square in the eye. He put his other clone in between Sarada and the second shuriken. It disappeared into a puff of smoke the minute it was hit, but it still managed to protect her in time.

"Now you've done it..." The deep voice of the man growled from over their heads.

But Boruto didn't turn around. His primary concern was getting her to safety.