Boruto: Sacrifices

Chapter 14. Tears of Regret

Naruto was reading the complete report on the interrogations, Shikamaru standing beside him, neither of them speaking. With each word he was reading the blond was feeling his heart getting heavier.

"I... absolutely, completely messed up..." he mumbled finally, shaking his head.

"Naruto..." his advisor began with a sigh. "Don't be so hard on yourself..."

"And how can I not?!" he exclaimed as he jumped to his feet and began pacing back and forth. "It was my responsibility to keep that child safe! And I failed, I couldn't protect him from those bastards..." There was a pause before the Hokage painfully added. "Or from the villagers..."

"You couldn't have known..."

"Shikamaru." Naruto gave him a knowing look. "Lame old excuse, and you know it."

The Nara didn't say anything else to that. Naruto paced for some more, and turned again to look at him.

"I want to hold a second meeting. Inform the clans and tell them that attendance is mandatory, we will tolerate no excuses."

Shikamaru nodded. "Any preferences of when?"

Naruto thought about it for a minute. "I would've loved to have them dragged out of their beds right now, but let's have it at sunset. Everyone will be present by then."

"On it."

Just as Shikamaru walked towards the door, it opened suddenly, making him come to a sudden stop. Seeing the person standing in the doorway, Naruto immediately walked over. "Sasuke..."

"Lord Seventh." Shikamaru bowed his head slightly before walking out.

As soon as he was out, Naruto asked in a low tone. "Where is Orochimaru?"

"I followed him, like you wanted." the Uchiha said seriously. "He went to his son's apartment, and he didn't come out."

The hokage was still tense. "That means he saw those graffitis..."

"Oh, he did." The look in the obsidian eyes hardened. "He stared at them for a good while, too. He decided to take no action, but I don't know for how long this silence will continue."

The blond closed his eyes for a moment and let out the breath he didn't know he was holding until then. "We have to keep an eye on him. If he decides to strike..."

"It is not like he doesn't have good reasons." At the look his friend had given him, the man huffed. "But in any case, I am going to keep close tabs on him. I will keep you informed."

The hokage nodded. "We will have another meeting at sunset."

Sasuke didn't say anything, simply nodded. When he opened the door, he almost bumped back into Shikamaru.

"Naruto..." the advisor said, almost breathless. "The trackers are back."

The blond's eyes widened for a moment, and before he knew it, he was already pushing through his advisor to get out of the room.

In front of the office building, he found out that already a dozen people had gathered. And indeed, the trackers were approaching, Konohamaru in the lead, carrying a... He wasn't sure if she was unconscious or dead, but he was carrying a woman, and something about the look on his face... made Naruto almost cringe. There was also another prisoner as far as he could see...

He walked forward to meet them, his eyes on the woman who was on her feet. "Is she...?"

"No." the answer came from Konohamaru, and hearing his voice... the blond now knew that something was indeed wrong. "Yoshida Suzume was this person." he indicated the woman he was holding.