The guest that day was the man currently shaking the world up: Uchiha Sasuke. He was always so insistent on carrying out his work in the shadows, so the fact that he was appearing on a daytime talk show was unprecedented. Everyone whispered and wondered, certain that he would explain away the recent events to escape the recent barrage of criticism.
“So you’re saying the Lord Hokage had absolutely nothing to do with the current situation with Himeno Lily?” asked the host.
“I acted alone.” Sasuke’s reply was brief, simple, straightforward. Every one of his replies was crystal clear, as he unwaveringly maintained that he was responsible for his actions, no matter what angle the host came at him from.
Was he trying to keep the fire from spreading to the Hokage by using himself as a shield? Boruto glared up at the large screen in frustration.
“Himeno Lily hasn’t been seen in public since the commotion, which has a lot of fans worried. Did you know that?”
“I can’t answer questions about Himeno Lily herself. This matter is classified by the village.”
“Some people are saying that you went too far by cancelling the concert.”
“There was a risk of danger to the village. It had to be done.”
“It had to be done? It’s that sort of vagueness that Lily fans are likely to get upset about.”
“It’s the truth.” Having said his piece, Sasuke abruptly ended the interview. He stood up and walked off screen.
“Oh! Umm. That’s our show for today.” The host quickly pulled herself together to end the program.
“Why won’t you just tell them?” Boruto muttered bitterly.
“It was a mistake in our judgement,” Mitsuki said in agreement. “When Lily came to us, we should’ve reported to the Lord Seventh instead of accepting the job.”
“Aah,” Boruto sighed. He was the one who had said they should take the job even though Mitsuki and Sarada had been against it. He’d wanted to succeed in the mission and get Sasuke’s approval, but it had turned out exactly backwards. He’d only made trouble for Sasuke. He turned a gloomy face on Sarada. “Old Man Sasuke hasn’t been home at all?”
Sarada shook her head. “He’s been gone this whole time. Mom’s not worried at all. She keeps saying he’ll be fine.”
Boruto looked up at the large screen resentfully. The camera was showing Sasuke’s face in profile as he was on his way out of the studio.
“Whoa! It’s Uchiha Sasuke!” A young man passing by said, eyes fixed on the screen.
The man with him frowned. “Uchiha Sasuke’s so annoying. I mean, everyone was so excited about that concert and he just goes and cancels it. Just ’cause he’s kinda hot doesn’t mean he can do whatever he wants!”
Boruto was about to chase after the sneering men, but Mitsuki caught him by the arm and he pitched forward.
“What’re you doin’, Mitsuki?! Let me go!”
“If I let go, you’re going to go punch those guys.”
“Of course I am!” Boruto yelled, but when Mitsuki stared hard at him, he dropped his arm in defeat. “Fine, dammit. The way they’re talking, though… They don’t even know a thing about it!”
“That’s why you can’t punch them. Calm yourself down,” Sarada said, her voice excessively quiet, and glared at the men’s backs as they walked away. “Dad wouldn’t care what guys like that said to him. It bugs me, though.”
It was a week later when Boruto woke up to the sound of something beating against the window at three-thirty in the morning. A hawk was pecking at the glass, looking exceedingly grumpy.
When Boruto opened the window, the bird dropped a piece of paper onto the floor and flew off.
Four a.m. in front of Warehouse No. 3, Old town.
“Four?!” Boruto headed for his closet in a total panic to change out of his pajamas. It was so like Sasuke to use a hawk to send orders in this day and age. He had only half an hour until the clock struck four.
“That bird was wasting its sweet time somewhere!” Boruto complained as he stepped out of the house, leaving his sleeping family behind. It was still very dark out. The full moon sat low in the sky, ready to sink to the bottom of the night at any moment.
When he arrived at the address on the note, Mitsuki and Sarada were already there. If her bedhead was any indication, Sarada had been awoken abruptly as well. Mitsuki looked the same as he always did.
“Where’s Old Man Sasuke?” Boruto asked.
“You’re all here then?” Sasuke appeared from the shadows behind them. “Mission time. The Shigetsukyodan extremists are on board a cargo ship that’s leaving for the Land of Water in an hour. It’s very likely Lily’s father, the holy master, is with them. They’re probably planning to regroup with their comrades in the Land of Water. We won’t get this chance again. We arrest the entire group tonight.” He turned on his heel as if to declare their immediate departure.
“Wait a second!” Boruto hurriedly called out. “Old Man Sasuke, you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“The whole TV thing, the public pile on. Because of us…” Boruto clenched his hands and lifted his face. “Sorry. This whole thing was because we messed up.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s nothing serious.” For all it had taken for Boruto to muster the courage to apologize, Sasuke brushed it aside in a millisecond.
“But everyone’s calling you names and criticizing you,” he insisted.
“Much better than having your names come out,” Sasuke replied. “Come on. We have to hurry to the port.”
The look of gloom didn’t leave Boruto’s face. Sasuke let out a small sigh.