1 Starting Line

A gentle wave of cool air rolled through the trees. The wind shook the tender baby leaves, teaching them the ancient lullaby only to be composed and enjoyed in forests.

Underneath the greenery, a mother bird ruffled her feathers, shifted, and buried her body deeper into the nest to protect her unborn hatchlings from the cold.

The same surge emerged from the forest and soared cherry blossoms over the defensive wall and down the streets of the village named hidden behind the leaves.

The scent of leaves and flowers got carried to the noses of dogs, cats, and humans who lined the streets.

The air was welcomed through open windows into the houses and apartments, bringing a sense of freshness to the owners.

An old couple sat cozily on their couch in the living room. They slurped their afternoon tea and watched a show unfold on television.

The spectacle on display was the live podcast of the opening ceremony of the villages' latest installment. An indoor shopping facility named: 'Deleaves.'

The mall had been in the building for a year now. The shopping facility stretched over a thousand square miles and had three floors. Clothing stores, beauty salons, those new electro markets, restaurants, cafes, and many more shops were all encased in a stylish asymmetrical skin of glass, steel, and green-painted concrete. According to the newspapers, the building's advantage, apart from its vastness, was that it would always be air-conditioned no matter what the weather was outside. It promised to make shopping an adventure.

The party took place not far from the pair's abode, but the old bones in their bodies would make it hard to navigate through the tumult of the thick masses of young adults and running kids.

"Young people these days."

The man scratched a withered scar on his wrinkled face. He watched as the camera zoomed in on the back of the one man who made such grand displays of delight possible and smiled contently into his teacup.

"These are indeed different days. Don't you think so, dear?" The man asked his wife absentmindedly.

"Hmm."

The wife reacted to her husband's musings. She watched as the camera zoomed in on the back of the one man who made such grand displays of delight possible and smiled contently into her teacup.

Naruto Uzumaki stood in the center of a raised wooden stage. The blonde man's height reached nearly six feet, but his upstanding reputation and the iconic orange suit made him a towering figure, seldom missed by the masses with or without a raised ground. He was sturdy like the already eight-layered tree on whose roots the village was founded over a hundred years ago.

With an over-dimensional large silver scissor, he clipped the shining red band, the symbol for the conclusion of the lengthy opening ceremony. Naruto's white cape swayed due to his movements, proudly showing in bold red treads his well-eaned title as the seventh shadow in the fire to the onlooking masses.

Done with the deed, he gave the scissor to a woman in a suit who stood on his right side. He turned to face his people, and the everpresent smirk widened into a face-splitting grin as he waved his hand, consequentially fanning the crowd's spiritual flames even more.

Thousand clapping hands erupted like thunder after a lightning strike. The people yelled, whistled, and called out their praises to their Hokage and his associates.

The atmosphere was electrified across the whole plaza, which sent vibrations against the skin of a young boy in the middle of the setting.

The outer energy resonated with Isui's internal chakra. The feeling overwhelmed his senses and made him feel slightly dizzy.

To the many eyes of the public, the boy's facial features were nothing short of adorable.

A spiky mess of black hair crowned Isui's head. Some of the strands were so unruly not even his mother could bend the hair to her will. His eyes resembled polished black flintstones. The light sparks reflected in them were comparable to the fiery sparks needed to send fireworks flying into the unending abyss. A thick fan of lashes completed the look and made any other features of his face pale in comparison.

He almost could be mistaken for a girl if it were not for his twin sister Sarada, who extinguished any illusions by delivering a model of how those traits looked on a natural-born female.

Everyone the little boy knew claimed the physical resemblance he shared with his father was astounding.

"He is a miniature shadow clone of his father," his honorary Uncle Naruto Uzumaki liked to joke at family gatherings.

"Apart from his lips," his mother always defended her pride, igniting lighthearted chuckles from everyone listening. The following banter would make Isui and Sarada blush until Sakura flipped the script and teased her best friend about Boruto's uncanny resemblance to him.

Isui smiled broadly, showing off a half-grown tooth in the upper corner of his jaw. The six-year-old stood with Sarada and Boruto at the front of the crowd. They just managed to wrestle their way there to witness the band being cut.

"We almost missed the best part." Sarada jelled over the loud masses in Boruto's ear. She was frustrated with Boruto. Again. The boy with blonde hair appeared indifferent. Sarada always found a way to brandish him as the bane of her existence.

"You have to agree that those mochis begged to be eaten after they made a show of beating the crap out of them."

Sarada lifted her fist.

"Be happy I am not beating the crap out of you."

"I do not believe he would taste half as good no matter how hard you work him, nee-san."

Over the years, Isui had learned to smile most of her tantrums away since they were not serious anyway.

Puff. The explosion of a confetti canon ended all bickering of the trio as Isui, Sarada, and Boruto were doused in a colorful rain. Isui more than to other two.

"What the..."

Isui swallowed the swearing fit, threatening to leave his mouth as he had pride in his advanced speaking skills. He stroked the flimsy paper bits of his face and frame. Unfortunately, the results were less desirable than wished. It left him wishing he could burn the tiny scraps that refused to loosen off his shirt off him with his eyes alone. He turned to the stage and quickly located the source he was searching for. The perpetrator did not even try to hide the amusement on her face.

"HAhahaaha."

Mirai Sarutobi towered over them. The elder girl laughed her ass off. The large canon she had used stuck out like a sore thumb as she held it behind her delicate frame.

"Sorry, Isui-chan, it meant to hit Boruto."

Isui wanted to reply, but Boruto beat him to it.

"You are so mean, Mirai-nee-san." The blonde stomped forward and rudely pointed his finger at her. "Going after the younger ones."

Boruto had put a frown on his face, but the rainbow freckles on his face made it impossible to take him seriously.

"Hihihihi..."

Mirai broke out in another fit of giggles. She threw the canon away and held her stomach.

"That was the revenge on the paint bomb in my locker at the academy."

Isui remembered the prank. They snuck away from a tour through the ninja academy they would attend in a year. Boruto had planned the whole thing and had set it up while Isui stood to watch out for other people.

"Looks like you have to do more target practice, then. The missile hit the wrong target." Isui said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Na."

Mirai skipped closer to Isui and ruffled his hair.

"Boruto is lucky I only managed to snatch away one canon. Otherwise, I would have chased him through the crowd. "

"I would have escaped you, dattebasa."

Mirai ignored Boruto. She started to comb paper bits out of Isui's hair. An action he reluctantly permitted because it would be a pain to remove all of it on his own. Although, it did not stop the heat from rising on his face.

"And what have I to do with it." Sarada piped behind Isui.

"Nothing, you were collateral damage."

"Yek." Sarada let out an offended high-pitched jell, followed by a laser-sharp glare through her red-rimmed glasses. Her hands formed fists, and her body shook. She looked ready to explode. Even the rainbow confetti paper bits jumped off her frame in fright.

Mirai only smirked over Isui's head, anticipating Sarada's outburst with devilish glee.

"What is going on here." a stern feminine voice asked.

At once, the group of children turned to the source of it. Sarada forgot her anger as she saw her mother arrive on the scene. Behind her walked Aunt Hinana. She held on to the four-year-old Himawari, who jumped up and down, seemingly on the lookout for a certain someone.

Both mothers had a hint of amusement written over their faces as they inspected the children.

"Just a little prank Sakura-sensei."

"I see. Good to see you, Mirai."

Other confetti canons went off in the distance, and the music swelled. The masses started to move in one direction.

"Looks like they opened the center," Hinata said.

"Otou-chan." Himawari jelled and pointed at the stage.

Near Sakura, Hinata and the group of kids stood Naruto at the rim of the wooden platform.

He waved at them, and all of them waved back.

Naruto caught the loving graze of his wife, who looked up to him with Sakura and the kids at her side. They all waved at him, looking happy.

Feeling accomplished, he lingered longer. His heart absorbed the moment before he plopped out of existence, sending his memories to the original sitting in the Hokages tower.