Saruto | The Celestial War (Part 2)

Chapter 28: Brother

"I'm sorry..."

I looked to my side to see Sarada with her hand over her mouth. As she cupped her whimpers, her eyes began to well up as Boruto darted to her side and held her. She grew weak as her knees buckled and they both dropped to the ground from the hallway of the hospital lobby. Diving into Boruto's chest, she cried.

Looking towards the hallway where Sakura had emerged from, I grimaced at the failure that she had done at her job. Analyzing her, I saw her head hung low avoiding our gazes, she cowered. On the bench, I saw Lord Seventh comforting Konohamaru as he sat with his head in his hands. All failures.

I remember Mitski and the kindness that he showed me during my years feeling confused with the shinobi and their ability to keep this world safe from the Otsutsuki. And now... now he is gone.

Looking at Boruto who cradled Sarada's head, he met my disappointed gaze. Shaking my head, I walked out of the lobby, seeing Boruto struggling to reach out to me. I didn't want his excuses. None of their excuses.

As I walked out the doors, I felt conflicted by my hurtful thoughts, passing Shikadai, ChoCho, and Inojin, not meeting their gazes.

All disappointments.

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Standing on the hill, it was cloudy. Everyone circled around a headstone in the graveyard of every fallen shinobi in the village. I watched as Sarada spoke to everyone, the wind muffling her words. Seeing the back of Boruto's head, I stared at it wondering what he was thinking. Was he just as disconfident with the choices of the Shinobi that have led to so many deaths before Mitski.

Narrowing my eyes at him, suddenly he turned around to look at my position on the hill, not wanting to see his pleas or excuses, I turned and walked away out of view. I knew what I needed to do. I could no longer put my faith in the shinobi. As I get a few steps away, I feel a shift in the air from behind me. Stopping my tracks, I let out a sigh.

"Kawaki," Boruto said with compassion, "Where are you going?"

This was annoying. Turning around to see him standing there. Both of us out of the prying eyes of the village. It was like walking on eggshells in this village.

"I can no longer put my faith in the shinobi," I spoke with malcontent.

His eyes then widened, the blue contradicting the gray of the sky.

"There was nothing more they could do," he excused himself, "with Orochimaru dead, Mitski...he..."

Suddenly, a boiling rage of years of holding back my opinions and disappointment with the village boiled to surface. I couldn't take my silence any longer.

"Boruto!" I angrily responded, "There was! But you said to leave it in the hands of Sakura! The medical shinobi! We could have done more for him! Found another way! But you and your faith..."

"Kawaki, she tried. I really thought..."

Seeing his disappointment with himself, I calmed myself down.

"Well, you thought wrong. And now Mitski is dead because of it." I cursed.

Mitski had an illness for a while now and we knew he didn't have much time. With Orochimaru gone, we didn't have the tools to give him the help he needed. We only relied on the option of the medical shinobi caring for him. We didn't even try to find another means to help him. And for that I hate him for it.

"Kawaki... I..."

Boruto then tried to look for the right words to say to me. But all I was left with was more excuses for the shinobi. I couldn't face him knowing he had failed me. My own brother had let me down.

Turning away, I begin to walk in the direction of the gates of the Konoha. I needed time to figure out who I was because I couldn't be a shinobi anymore. Boruto, noticing my intent, began to reach out to me.

"Kawaki, you can't," he said out of sadness but I continued to avoid his gaze, I couldn't face him, "What about Sumire... What about Kyurei, your daughter?"

I frowned thinking about her. Thinking about Sumire. I couldn't live here knowing that someone else I care about will die. It would be for the best.

Turning around, I looked at him from the side.

"Take care of them for me,"

In an instant I disappeared into the wind of the leaf, leaving Boruto standing on the hill above the graveyard. Alone.

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Seeing my daughter walk in the leaves below the trees, I smiled at how much she had grown. From my branch, I was ready to leap down to have our monthly talk about her life and how she was doing, but as I saw her face, all I could see was distress.

In an instant, I leapt down. Grabbing her shoulders, I didn't see her normal gaze of delight to see me like all those times before. Meeting her eyes, her purple hair waved in the wind of the leaves. Tears fell down her face, as she looked to meet my gaze.

"Father," she croaked.

I looked at her with concern as I grabbed her chin, signaling her to tell me what made her so sad.

"Boruto," she spoke and my heart immediately sank, "he was killed. H-he's gone."

A pit in my stomach that lingered from the day of Mitski's funeral 11 years ago grew heavy. My eyes widened as an engulfing sense of self-hate consumed me. As I looked at Kyurei, I saw her trying to read me and what I was feeling. I hated myself for never reconnecting with him. For never making things right with him. I thought about Sarada, Hima, Lord Seventh, Hinata, and Saruto. I failed them.

I failed him.

Looking over to where Kaushiki held Lord Seventh and Hima suspended in the air. I glared down at him as a boiling rage mustered in that pit in my stomach.

This was the monster who killed Boruto. Who killed my Brother.