Borusara: Blood Secrecy

"Aomi"

The members of Team 7 journeyed the long stretch of dirt road for what felt like an eternity. Although their destination was only a day trip, the air was hot, humid, and made it feel far longer than intended.

"Gahhhh, damn it!" Boruto cursed. "Seriously.. Why couldn't dad have assigned this mission to a team of Genin or something..." His voice was loud enough to disturb the surrounding area. The pathway was serenely accompanied by an overgrowth of healthy trees that domed over, a buffer for the abundant wildlife that appeared untouched by human civilization; they were frankly in the middle of nowhere.

Team 7 was assigned to ease the burden on the people settled in a small hamlet that had recently suffered a horrible fire, now having nothing but a pile of ash and rubble to call home.

"You should be thankful to be assigned any mission at all these days.. Crime is low." Sarada reminded him in a flat voice with a trace of annoyance.

Mitsuke nodded, "Careful what you wish for, Boruto." He said coyly, but with a forced smile. He was a spitting image of who he was before, only taller a stitch more intimidating.

"This is the perfect mission chosen for you specifically by Lord 7th." Konohamaru spoke up, "You understand that two years is a long time to be out of practice." He reasoned, hoping that Boruto would understand. Although he'd been off training the last two years, he hadn't done so with a team to also look out for.

Out of practice? Seriously? Boruto knew they were right, he could admit that much. But something that hadn't changed over the span of two years was his stubborn attitude. In a way, he missed the action pact life alongside Sasuke Uchiha where it felt like there wasn't a second to rest, and every corner offered something new and exciting.To him, the mission felt lethargic and unimportant, but he would soon know better than to judge a book by its cover. "I'm just saying.." He grumbled, walking with his head at a prolonged tilt.

"Anyways." Sarada sighed, "They didn't give any details as to who or what started the fire in the first place." It could easily turn into an A or B-ranked mission if things were to go south. She tried to reason with him, but he seemed almost distracted.

"Yeah.. Guess so." Boruto hummed nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets, his eyes were half closed as if he might fall asleep.

She found herself mindlessly staring at him as they walked on. His features were less round and more distinct than she remembered; his chiseled jawline joined together at the point of his chin, framing his face. His blonde hair brushed over the top of his head carelessly, a few stray hairs often falling into his eyes. She noticed the vertical scar over his right eye—she dare not ask. But, one thing that hadn't changed was that his eyes were still indeed bluer than Lord 7th!

A dark cape draped off his broadened shoulders; she wondered if he took inspiration from her father in that regard. Boruto was tall, and Sarada had to look up to him now rather than with a level head. Most of all, he exuded confidence; a casual morale, as if he hadn't noticed it about himself.

So much was different about Boruto that Sarada couldn't help but feel inferior next to him. She now had a fully awakened Sharingan, but did that even compare next to Boruto's ongoing legacy? Her eyes glinted with emotion and she tore her gaze from him, glancing to their surroundings once more. Heat had risen into her face, but it wasn't out of anger. She felt.. Weird... And it only ever happened around Boruto.

"I think I'll scout ahead." She said without giving anyone a chance to respond. It was unlike her to be so abrupt, and even when someone called out to her she didn't turn back.

Sarada had been so in her head that once the hamlet came into view, she nearly ran right passed it. The place was a scorched wasteland, and only one building stood unscathed compared to the rest. The air had a musky, pungent scent to it, making it hard to breathe even though the fire had long been put out.

She skidded to a halt, heart thudding against her chest when a handful of people looked her way with startled faces. Her tongue felt swollen in her mouth, and she couldn't seem to gather her words.

"We're the ninja sent by the Hidden Leaf Village!" Someone took the words right out of her mouth; it was none other than Boruto's himself. She softened her gaze, sending him thanks through her eyes.

An older man approached them, he had salt and pepper hair, a failing posture, and what looked to have once been a movie star smile, but now embedded in a fury of wrinkles. "Thank god." He dropped to his knees with his nose to the dirt.

"P-Please raise your head!" Sarada said to him, brows knitted together. She crouched low beside him, staring intently at his face. "We're here to help." A sympathetic smile formed across her lips.

Boruto observed Sarada for a long moment, head tilted. She always did so well in caring for others, being so responsible, prepared, and considerate of everyone around her. Maybe Sarada had been looking forward to this mission, while Boruto sat there complaining the whole time.. He realized might have made her feel bad.

A crowd formed around them, people that looked both relieved but drained at the same time. Mitsuke and Konohamaru arrived soon after, studying closely the village collapsed in ash.

Sarada enabled her Sharingan to get a better look at everyone around her. In an instant, she gathered that most of them were malnourished, all suffered from an assortment of burns, welts, bruises, they appeared very poor compared to their neighboring settlements. Perhaps the real issue was beyond the fire itself.

Konohamaru stepped forward then, "Who is your leader?" He asked, but there wasn't an immediate answer.

The old man stepped forward after some time, "Our leader died fighting the fires. I am Obe, the camp elder." He extended an arm behind him where a young woman emerged from the crowd. She had a huge head of curly brown hair, one side plastered down by a bandage soaked in blood; her eyes were bright hazel and glistened gold in the sun rays, but they were also puffy like she'd been crying. "This is Aomi, our heir." He introduced her, and she bowed her head in a shy way.

"But.. She's so young..." Boruto commented, to which Konohamaru shot him a scolding glance.

"She will be seventeen this Autumn," Obe assured him with a small frown.

Aomi started to sweat, unable to meet Boruto's gaze. A sad smile formed across her lips, "If you would please.." She tilted her head over to the one remaining building, standing tall compared to the other homes turned to rubble, it was scorched with flame and bending awkwardly at its hinges.

Her dark eyes scanned over Boruto as he followed close behind, ripping her gaze away when he looked back at her. The rest of Team-7 followed close, Sarada being the last to enter the small dwelling. Her shoulders were tense as she walked, and all the way up until they were seated.