Chapter 5: Trip to the Hidden Mist Village

Chapter 5

Time Skip 2 years

As Iraia sat in class listening to Shino-sensei's lecture she couldn't help but wonder what Izaya was up to.

I wonder where papa is this time? After he brought Zen back to the village he stayed here for a few days before taking Zen to explore the other villages and the continent. While papa was out with Zen he would teleport back home every few days to keep us company. This went on for a few weeks until he brought Zen back to the village. He and mom went on vacation for a month and when they got back papa helped watch over mine and Hiroshi's training. He helped Hiroshi improve his Taijutsu a little, but right now it's still hard to say whether he's better than Boruto or not. Papa also helped Hiroshi practice to better control his chakra usage when utilizing his Wood Style. Papa also helped me gain a deeper understanding of my Lava Style. I never knew there were so many different types of Lava Style, and by understanding the principles behind each Lava Style I can alter my chakra to match which form best suits the situation. Papa knows so much. I hope I can become a shinobi just like him one day. Papa actually decided to stay for a whole year this time when he came back! But after that papa left again on his mission. I don't know where he went but I hope he comes back soon.

Iraia was snapped out of her thoughts as Shino said, "Alright. Now this may be your final year here at the academy and you may only have a few months left but that doesn't mean you can slack off. Anyways, having said that I must say this. I am so incredibly proud of each and every one of you! As you all know during your last year at the academy you must pass a series of milestone exams before you can take the graduation exam such as the written knowledge test, walking on water and tree climbing test, and performing the Clone and Transformation Jutsu test. You all can take these as many times as you need and want to during your final year to help you pass, but already everyone in this class has already passed their milestone exams! That means you all qualify to take the Graduation exam. But! Like I said, just because you all are eligible to take the Graduation exam doesn't mean you can slack off. You must still attend classes and pay attention to the rest of your lessons."

Boruto smirked as he chimed in, "Easy peasy! Shino-sensei, since we all passed can't we do something fun instead? Sitting around in class all day is boring."

Shino just let out a sigh before saying, "Well...Actually there is something I need to tell you all. We are doing something that hasn't been done before. The academy is conducting a class field trip outside of the village to the Land of Water. So all of you need to exercise extreme precaution and be well behaved. After all, you all will be representing our village. Don't cause any trouble." Shino then turned to look toward Boruto and Hiroshi and said, "Really. ABSOLUTELY don't cause any trouble. PLEASE."

Boruto and Hiroshi just turned to look at each other and smirked.

Shino sighed and continued, "If anything does happen, you all can consider the trip cancelled and we will return back to Konoha early. Now...It's time to select a class leader for this field trip. Any volunteers?"

The classroom was completely silent as no one looked Shino in the eyes. Shino just sighed. "No one huh?"

At this moment everyone had the same thought. Please don't be me! Please don't pick me!

Sarada broke the silence first as she raised her hand and said, "Shino-sensei, I think Uzumaki Boruto would be a good leader for our class trip."

At that moment Shikadai widened his eyes in surprise at Sarada's quick thinking and said, "Oh, sensei I agree! I think Boruto would be a great class leader!"

Boruto widened his eyes in shock and disbelief. Just as he was going to say something he was cut off as Hiroshi said, "Yeah! I think Boruto would make a great class leader! He's cheerful and has a lot of energy! He's easily likeable and he's skillful! He'd be perfect!"

The last person Boruto had thought would nominate him was Hiroshi so he stared at Hiroshi with complete and utter shock and confusion. Hiroshi just smiled mischievously at Boruto's reaction. Heh. Sorry Boruto but I understand what Sarada and Shikadai are doing. Since you and I kind of get into trouble a lot they want to nominate you as leader so you won't go off on your own doing something crazy. If I don't nominate you then they might try to nominate me! I'm not trying to be in charge of this class of misfits. Too much work.

It wasn't long before everyone in the class agreed to naming Boruto as the class leader so Shino nodded and agreed. Boruto just stared in disbelief at everyone completely defeated. Class ended right after as Boruto and the others walked around the village. Shikadai broke the silence and commented, "Kirigakure is a rural place I hear. I wonder if there'll be anything to do over there."

Boruto just smirked. "Heh. Don't worry about stuff like that. Since you all nominated me as class leader you all better listen to me. Besides, with me around I'll liven things up no matter what the situation!"

Sarada looked doubtful as she interjected, "Liven things up? Hmpf. You're more likely to stir up trouble. Don't tell me that's how you plan to liven things up?"

Boruto's eyelid twitched in annoyance at Sarada's remark. "Oi, have some faith in me will ya?"

Iwabe simply clicked his tongue. "Tch. Don't get all carried away. Don't you know? Kirigakure used to be called the Blood Mist Village. There's nothing good about the place."

Hiroshi tilted his head to the side and thought for a moment before responding, "True...But that was all in the past. My dad took me to visit Kirigakure a long long time ago so I don't really remember what it was like, but according to my dad Kirigakure is pretty modern now. He says it's actually very pretty there. In fact if I think about it two years ago the Five Great Games were held in Kirigakure."

Boruto gave a confused look and asked, "Five Great Games? What's that?"

Shikadai gave a thoughtful look before saying, "It's a friendly competition hosted by the Five Great Nations that lasts for 7 days. Apparently only Jonin and Chunin can enter the competition and they must be entered as a team. In a single team there will be one Jonin and three Chunin. Just like a four man cell. At most only 3 teams can be entered at a time from a single nation. It also isn't limited to just the Five nations. Any nation can enter a team as long as they officially register a valid team before the deadline. Those that register must sign their name in blood on a contract in order to participate in the games. The competition is made up of 5 total games. Every registered member is given a reverse summoning tag so that if they wish to quit or if they feel that their life is in danger then they can activate it and escape. That's why they must sign their name in blood on a contract before they can participate. If memory serves I believe a team from Kirigakure won the very first Five Great Games competition."

After hearing what Shikadai said everyone started thinking to themselves as they were immediately intrigued about the games. Mitsuki chimed in at this moment, "The Games sound interesting, but how come I don't really hear anything about it?"

Shikadai rubbed the bottom of his chin as he said, "Well, from what I know only 1 official Game has been held so far. It's a new thing that the Five Great Nations are working on. The Games are only held every 2 years so back then we weren't really paying much attention to it since we had school and stuff to focus on. But if I remember correctly my dad said that it was Lord 6th Hokage who invented the Games."

"EEEHHHH?" Everyone exclaimed with surprise. Even Hiroshi didn't know that his dad was the one who created the games. Boruto had a thoughtful look as he said, "Uncle Izaya did huh? Sounds like uncle Izaya did a lot of amazing stuff during his time as the Hokage."

At that moment the familiar voice of Shikamaru could be heard. "Of course Lord 6th did amazing things during his reign as Hokage. After the 4th Great Ninja War every village lost half of its military strength. Economic output and input was at an all time record low. The infrastructure of the village was in shambles. And practically each of the Five Great Nations were left in ruin. It was thanks to Lord 6th's leadership that allowed the village to not only stabilize, but to prosper. He created the current education system that we have here in Konoha which all the other Five Great Nations have now adopted the same or a similar curriculum. He was also the one to solidify the foundations of the ASF HQ. And finally, before he stepped down from his position as the Hokage he created the system of the Five Great Games. It pays to know your history you know."

Boruto was unknowingly intrigued, but in the end he awkwardly scratched the side of his face thinking to himself. Ehhh...If uncle Izaya did all that while he was the Hokage then I wonder what dad has done as the Hokage?

Everyone was snapped out of their thoughts as Shikamaru mumbled something about being late and dashed off. Shikadai just stared awkwardly at his dad's retreating form in the distance and Hiroshi turned to look at his dad's face on the cliffside of Konoha in deep thought.

Dad. I knew you were awesome, but everytime I learn more about you it just seems like you get more awesome. How am I supposed to catch up at this point? Seems I need to train harder. Even though dad helped watch over my training I need to try even harder! I only have good control over one of my Kekkei Genkais right now. If I want to be as awesome as dad then I have to work on controlling my other Kekkei Genkais too!

The next day everyone boarded the train from Konoha that led them out of the village and all the way down to the portside of the ocean where they all took a giant ferry heading towards Kirigakure. As everyone was off doing their own things Iraia, Sarada, Chocho, and Sumire stood on the edge of the rails taking in the beautiful sight of the ocean. Sarada took in a deep breath and relished the feel of the ocean breeze on her skin. "Amazing isn't it?"

As Chocho ate her chocolate bar she responded, "What is?"

"Beyond this ocean are several other lands and villages."

Sumire nodded. "It's hard to imagine. I wonder what the other lands are like."

A moment of silence passed in peaceful silence between them all before Chocho said, "Eh? Wait, Sarada, Iraia, don't both of your dad's travel around the world alot? They must have told you what kinds of places they've been to right? Give us some details."

Sarada furrowed her brows a bit as she thought about it but in the end she shook her head and replied, "Papa doesn't say too much about it. What about you, Iraia? Does Lord 6th say anything about the places he's been to?"

Iraia simply nodded her head. "Papa has told me a little bit about the places he's gone. He says that the other Great Villages have become more modern and developed like Konoha, but they each have something different to offer. Papa also said that in this world there are two great continental divides. The divide we live on and the divide on the other side of the world. Our continent is called the Six Paths continent and the other one is called the Sage continent."

Sarada, Chocho, and Sumire widened their eyes in great shock at the revelation that there was actually an entirely different continent and it was on the other end of the world. Sumire looked on with great interest and asked, "Then, Lord 6th has been there before. To the Sage continent. What did he say it was like?"

Iraia slightly flinched as she momentarily remembered her experience when she visited as a child, but she quickly shook it off and said, "Papa says that it's a very wild and dangerous place. The natural energy on that continent runs wild and so it experiences many different kinds of natural disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, and more. On top of that these natural disasters are much more powerful there than here due to the wild natural energies fueling them. There are people who are native to those lands that live there as well, but their lands and villages and towns aren't modernized like over here."

It was then that Boruto walked over and interrupted. "Oh? What are you guys doing over here? Sounds like you guys are talking about something interesting."

Sarada smirked and said, "Heh. What's wrong? Came to join us cause we're more fun to hang around than the guys huh? Well, too bad, girls only."

Boruto gave a deadpan expression at Sarada's comment. "Oi, I was just curious. I overheard Iraia say something interesting that's all."

"Heh, so you were eavesdropping then."

"AH! I was not! You guys were just talking too loud that's all."

"Well, you can go away now."

Boruto smirked. "I want to look at the ocean from the deck too you know."

Sarada just smiled and turned back to look at the ocean when Boruto remarked, "You've been pretty spirited lately."

Sarada fixed her glasses and responded, "What, is that a problem?"

"No, it's totally fine. You know I'm not interested in becoming Hokage."

"You're the only one in the entire village who can't see how great Lord 7th is."

"Heh. And I'm the only one who sees how much of a loser he is." He then turned towards Sarada and Iraia. "I hear people say that your dad was incredibly strong. I also heard people say that uncle Izaya was super strong. Isn't that way cooler than trying to be Hokage?"

Sarada smiled. "We aren't talking about my dad. And besides, aren't you forgetting that your uncle was the 6th Hokage? Besides, I want to become a shinobi like Lord 6th and 7th!"

Boruto simply gave a disinterested look. "Eh...really? Well, what about you, Iraia?"

Iraia simply stared at the ocean in silence for a moment before answering, "I want to be a shinobi as great as papa one day." Boruto raised his eyebrow in wonderment.

"Then...does that mean you also want to become Hokage one day?"

Iraia shook her head. "No. I'm not interested in something like that. I just want to become a shinobi like papa."

Boruto just scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Hmmm...that seems a bit confusing to understand. But I suppose."

Sarada smirked. "Hmpf. A boy like you obviously wouldn't understand."

Boruto furrowed his brow. "And you do? Why'd you nominate me for class leader anyways?"

"So that you wouldn't run off on your own causing trouble for the entire class. That way we can all have fun on this trip."

"Ah! That's underhanded!"

As Boruto and Sarada dashed around in playful arguing banter Chocho, Iraia, and Sumire just stood on the side watching in awkward amusement. Day turned to night and night into day again as the ferry finally reached Kirigakure. As everyone lined up in front of Shino and Anko who were the two supervisors from Konoha for the trip Shino said, "Alright everyone lineup and stick together. Our guide from the Hidden Mist will arrive shortly.

As if on cue a handsome shinobi with short messy gray hair parted to the side of his face clad in black pants, striped purple shirt, green long-sleeved vest, black gloves, and a wooden katana strapped to his waist approached as he said, "Welcome everyone, to Kirigakure. I'll be your guide for the duration of the trip. My name is Kagura. Karatachi Kagura."

Many of the girls in the class were immediately infatuated with Kagura as Anko whispered, "He's a close aide of the 6th Mizukage. He's only a few years older than you all and a candidate to be the next Mizukage."

Immediately Shikadai narrowed his eyes as he was staring at the familiar face of Kagura, but he couldn't remember where he saw him. Then it hit him. "Oh?"

Hiroshi and Boruto noticed Shikadai's reaction and asked, "What?"

Shikadai simply responded, "I've seen him before on TV. He's part of the team from Kirigakure who won the very first ever Five Great Games competition."

"EEHHH?" Boruto and Hiroshi exclaimed with shock. At that moment Kagura walked up to Boruto and Hiroshi and said, "I'm very honored to be the one to welcome both the son of the legendary Uzumaki Naruto, the 7th Hokage, and the son of the legendary Karasuma Izaya, the 6th Hokage. Oh, and of course your classmates!" He then bowed making both Boruto and Hiroshi feel awkward. But it was then that Kagura took note of Iraia's presence hidden behind everyone else and instantly widened his eyes in shock.

W-Who's that? She's beautiful! W-Wait! That's the daughter of the 6th Hokage! How could I have missed her! I accidentally greeted only Boruto and Hiroshi and failed to properly greet the daughter of someone as esteemed as her! I made a fool of myself. How will Lord Chojuro see me? No...How will she see me?...

Kagura quickly snapped out of his thoughts as he walked over to Iraia and knelt before her. "My apologies. I failed to properly greet you. It is a great honor to be the one to welcome you to Kirigakure. If I am not mistaken then you are the daughter of the 6th Hokage correct?"

Everyone in the class turned to look at the scene and was instantly at a loss for words. Even Iraia didn't expect this. She didn't care that Kagura had not greeted her earlier. In fact, with the way he greeted people she would have preferred Kagura to not greet her. She thought his greeting was a bit excessive towards Boruto and Hiroshi, but now she was completely dumbfounded because he took his excessive greeting even one step further towards her. A few moments of silence passed through the area in awkwardness before Iraia simply nodded.

"A pleasure."

She then slowly walked around Kagura and over to Sarada and Chocho with an expressionless face. Boruto nudged Hiroshi in the shoulders and whispered, "Umm...Hiroshi, shouldn't you say something?"

Hiroshi just awkwardly scratched the back of his head and coughed. "Ahem." He then walked behind Kagura and slapped him on the back amiably shocking Kagura out of his nervous state and said, "Well Kagura, it's uh...It's nice to meet you! I'm Hiroshi. That was my twin sister Iraia. Don't mind her. So, wanna show us around?"

Kagura breathed out a sigh of relief as he was momentarily saved from his act of foolishness and nodded. "Right, let me take you all around Kirigakure." As Kagura showed everyone a bit of the village it wasn't long before everyone went off to explore on their own. Sarada witnessed Iwabe walk off on his own and frowned as she immediately had a bad feeling so she lectured Boruto and Denki to go find him. As Hiroshi was walking around he noticed that Boruto, Denki, and Iwabe were nowhere to be seen so he ran off to find them. Just as he turned a corner behind the dark alley of some buildings he caught sight of the three of them standing off to the side as two Hidden Mist shinobi were walking away. He simply tilted the side of his head confused and ran up to them. "Hey, Boruto, Denki, Iwabe, what are you guys doing in an alley like this?"

Boruto just scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Nothing. Iwabe took off on his own so we went to get him. Anyways, let's just go back."

Hiroshi could only shrug at his cousin's answer.

The next day everyone was introduced to the previous 5th Mizukage, Terumi Mei. And they were also introduced to the current 6th Mizukage Chojuro as Chojuro began to give a long lecture of introductions and welcome. It wasn't long after Kagura took them around the village again. This time he took them to take a look at the academy of the village. As everyone stood on the balcony they watched as a large pool of water filled the surface below while several academy students sparred with wooden swords in hand. Hiroshi and Iraia looked on with great interest as Hiroshi thought about his own dad's sword skills.

Dad is always carrying around that katana he calls Muramasa by his side with him. I asked dad about it before but he just says that it's an incredibly dangerous weapon that requires absolute focus and skill to handle. Dad said that he would never unsheathe his blade in the presence of the villagers. Something about the sword having its own unique aura that could put the innocent in harm's way. I once asked dad if I could hold it which he let me. But for some reason I could never unsheathe the blade from its hilt. One thing is for certain though, dad once showed me his skill with the sword and it left me speechless. I couldn't even see how he cut the tree before it was already cut. They say that Kirigakure is the birthplace of the 7 Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and that they all wielded incredible power being strong enough to destroy an entire nation. They also say that the 6th Mizukage is one of these swordsmen and wields the great blade Hiramekarei. I wonder how the Mizukage's sword skills compare to dad's?

At that moment Hiroshi was brought out of his thoughts as Chojuro appeared out of nowhere and said, "So, what do you all think?"

Asuka turned around at this moment and replied, "Pretty good. Konoha has a really good Taijutsu curriculum but our Kenjutsu curriculum isn't as good as this."

Boruto nodded in agreement. "Right! It looks pretty cool!"

Chojuro smiled. "Would you like to try?"

Boruto grinned excitedly, "Would that be alright?!"

Chojuro simply nodded. "Kagura, please be his sparring partner."

Kagura had a complicated expression on his face as he replied, "Are you sure?"

Once again Chojuro nodded. "You're both shinobi. To become friends it's not bad to know each other's strengths."

Hiroshi grumbled at this moment. "Aww man...I wanted to spar."

Boruto simply smirked in victory. "Heh, better luck next time Hiroshi." However, Chojuro interjected. "That might be possible. Kagura, what do you say? Are you okay with taking on both Boruto and Hiroshi in a spar at the same time?"

"EEEHHHH?!" Boruto and Hiroshi exclaimed in shock.

"Are you sure that's okay? I don't mind going after." Hiroshi commented.

Kagura took a moment to think it over as he carefully studied both Boruto and Hiroshi before nodding his head. "Very well. It would be my honor to take you both on."

Boruto and Hiroshi could only glance at each other and shrug their shoulders as they and Kagura made their way down to the training arena. Inojin commented at this very moment on the balcony, "That Kagura guy seems pretty confident. Taking on both Boruto and Hiroshi."

Shikadai quickly replied, "Didn't you hear what I said before? Kagura was part of the team that took first place in the Five Great Games. That means his skills aren't anything to laugh at."

At that moment Boruto and Hiroshi stood opposite of Kagura on the water's surface as they each held a wooden katana in their hand. Immediately they all took up their prospective sword stance, however at this moment Kagura narrowed his eyes in focus and surprise as he noted the difference between Boruto and Hiroshi.

That's interesting. Boruto's sword stance shows that he's not trained in Kenjutsu, however Hiroshi's sword stance shows that he is. That means I need to be more careful against Hiroshi.

Chojuro gave the signal to start, but all three of them remained standing completely still as they each tried to find an opening to attack. As Boruto frowned and struggled to find a weakness in Kagura's stance Hiroshi quickly calmed his mind and thought back to the basic movements Izaya had taught him in Kenjutsu. While he knew Kenjutsu wasn't his greatest skill, he was still trained in it and familiar with it nonetheless.

Boruto couldn't take it anymore and simply charged forward as he splashed the water in front of Kagura to block his view before dashing to the side and swung his sword. Kagura moved back and repositioned his body so Boruto was in his view at the same time ensured that he wouldn't lose sight of Hiroshi. He then expertly parried, countered, and disarmed Boruto's katana from him. Boruto held his hands up in complete defeat as he remarked, "Aw man! You totally got me. You're strong, Kagura."

However, Kagura remained silent as his grip tightened on his sword for a moment. The blood raging through him as a hidden bloodlust behind his sword strike welled up inside. Hiroshi narrowed his eyes as he didn't miss the hidden bloodlust behind Kagura's sword, but in the end saw that Kagura controlled it and calmed down. Kagura then turned his attention to Hiroshi and asked, "Why did you not attack together with Boruto?"

Hiroshi smirked. "That would be dishonorable. You may be strong, but we aren't enemies. There's no need to resort to exploiting tricks and cheap tactics just to give us the edge. Since Boruto's out it's just you and me."

Kagura narrowed his eyes in focus as he and Hiroshi stared at each other creating a formless pressure in the atmosphere. After a few seconds passed between them Hiroshi dashed forward and swung his sword downwards. Kagura defended with his own sword and used it to parry Hiroshi's attack before counter striking with a stab at Hiroshi's chest. Hiroshi expertly sidestepped and used his katana to knock Kagura's sword to the side before stabbing at kagura's neck. This forced Kagura to tilt his head to the side to dodge and duck below Hiroshi's sword as he swept at Hiroshi's feet with his katana. Hiroshi quickly jumped in the air and performed a backflip arriving behind Kagura as he slashed downwards at Kagura's head. Kagura quickly raised his katana behind him blocking Hiroshi's attack before knocking Hiroshi's blade off balance. This forced Hiroshi to loosen his grip on his katana allowing Kagura to put some force into his swing and knocked the katana out of Hiroshi's hands ending the match.

Kagura's eyes trembled as it seemed to reflect a desire for blood. His breathing grew rapid as his chest rose and fell itching to do more than spar. However, as he turned to look at Hiroshi and Boruto his senses quickly came back to him and he reigned in his emotions.

Chojuro nodded in approval before he declared the match over. Kagura put his wooden sword away as they all walked back. He then praised, "That was a great fight. You both were quite skilled. Boruto, your feint attack shows that you're incredibly creative and intuitive in battle. And Hiroshi, your skills with the blade are quite excellent. I'm sure many of the students at this academy would struggle against you in Kenjutsu. If Ninjutsu had been allowed then I may have lost."

Boruto just shrugged and replied, "Heh, sure sure, your facial expression shows that it didn't take much effort at all."

Everyone took a break after and explored the beach and the village some more before night fell where they all had to return to their hotel rooms. It was then that Hiroshi frowned and looked at Boruto, Inojin, Shikadai, and Mitsuki. "Oi, have you guys seen Denki? I haven't seen him for awhile."

They all looked at each other confused but a loud splashing noise hit their window at that moment. Boruto frowned as he opened the curtains to reveal a giant splatter of blood as it formed a message which Boruto read aloud. "We have your friend. If you want him back then come to pier number 4."

Hiroshi frowned. "They kidnapped Denki?! What for?"

Boruto snarled, "Damn it!"

It was at that moment that Kagura walked in to check up on them and saw the message. "W-What have they done!"

Boruto turned to ask, "Just who are they?"

Kagura frowned. "It's Hachiya Tsurushi. He was a Genin in my class back in the academy. He hates the fact that our village has turned into a major tourist destination."

Boruto frowned. "Let's go save Denki."

Kagura shook his head. "No, we should first inform Lord 6th Mizukage."

Boruto disagreed. "No, if we do that our trip will be cancelled. We can't ruin the trip for everyone."

Mitsuki chimed at that moment. "Hey, aren't you strong Kagura? If you help us out we should be able to solve this without any help from the adults." Kagura turned his head in contemplation.

"But-" Before he could finish Hiroshi cut him off. "Let's not turn this into a huge commotion. Denki is our friend so we need to go save him. But if we go to the 6th Mizukage for this then it's likely going to turn into a village wide search and everyone will know about this incident. That could have some sort of political ramifications between the Leaf and the Mist. Besides, it seems these guys are targeting us. That's why they kidnapped Denki and sent us this message. If we fight it out and end up getting caught, if we play our cards right we can just turn it into us kids as having a squabble. But if the adults get involved then it becomes a much bigger deal."

Kagura furrowed his brow to think about it for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright. I'll lend you guys my aid."

Kagura, Mitsuki, Boruto, Inojin, Iwabe, Shikadai, and Hiroshi soon made their way to pier number 4 as the message instructed. It wasn't long before a group of Mist shinobi turned up along with a tied up Denki. Boruto frowned and yelled, "Let Denki go!"

A Mist shinobi with blond puffy hair who happened to be the shinobi Kagura talked about, Hachiya, simply smirked and replied, "Oh? Sure sure as long as you all get on the floor and bow down obediently."

Kagura frowned. "Hachiya, what's the point of all this."

Hachiya smirked. "Heh, stay out of it Kagura. You lapdog for the Leaf. This is a war between us and the Leaf shinobi."

Inojin just gave a doubtful look as if he were staring at idiots. "A war? In this day and age? That's a bit far fetched don't you think?"

Hachiya smiled sinisterly. "We'll teach you to fear the shinobi of the Blood Mist Village!" He then formed some hand signs and shouted, "Crimson Mist Barrier Jutsu!" Instantly the area became completely surrounded in thick fog blocking the view of all those on the outside as Hachiya said mockingly, "Now no one will be able to see and come help you all. Hahahaha!"

Hiroshi smiled and stepped forward. "Who says that we need help from anyone? We're more than enough to take you lot on."

Boruto smirked and nodded. "Yeah! This is actually convenient for us. If others were to find out we were causing trouble that'd be a problem for us. Your barrier is actually helping us out. Thanks!"

At that moment all the Mist shinobi began their attack, however Hiroshi and the others easily defended and started making quick work of them. It wasn't long before all the Mist shinobi were defeated and they were able to free Denki.

"Denki! You okay?" Boruto questioned.

"Mn." Denki replied.

Mitsuki simply stretched his arms and commented, "These were Mist Genin? Their skills were subpar at best."

The rest of the night went on without incident, but that night solidified Kagura's newfound resolve to take up the test for becoming an official member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist as the master of the great blade Hiramekarei. As the next day rolled around Hiroshi decided to simply relax and enjoy the ocean air as he laid down on a couch situated on the hotel balcony. Iraia joined him as she sat on a chair reading a book. They both didn't feel like walking around the village today so they simply lazed the day away, however, as night time fell they caught sight of Boruto, Sarada, and the 6th Mizukage Chojuro sneaking away into the night and off into the distance. Completely intrigued Hiroshi was just about to follow them when Iraia chimed in, "Hiroshi!"

Hiroshi smirked mischievously and replied, "Come on Iraia! I know you're just as curious as I am. You know Boruto, it's probably something troublesome. But you also know Sarada. If she's tagging along then you know it's probably serious. What if they need our help? Let's at least go take a look. Besides, even the 6th Mizukage is going. What would require the Mizukage's attention that he would tag along with Boruto and Sarada?"

Iraia frowned and thought for a moment but let out a sigh. "Fine."

Hiroshi grinned at his success in convincing his sister and dashed off following close behind Boruto's trail while Iraia simply followed. It wasn't long before they discovered Boruto and Sarada as well as Chojuro by a large memorial obelisk containing the names of the notable fallen shinobi of the Hidden Mist. They also took note of 7 Mist shinobi wielding the 7 great swords of the Hidden Mist. At that moment Boruto widened his eyes in shock as he exclaimed, "Hiroshi? Iraia? What are you two doing here?"

Hiroshi smirked, "What? You were going to have all the fun for yourself? Save some for me."

Boruto simply grinned. "Heh. Well we were just getting started."

Iraia stared at the 7 Mist shinobi opposite them and asked, "Who are they?"

Chojuro simply sighed at the appearance of Iraia and Hiroshi, but remembered what Boruto said saying how if they treat this as a squabble between kids then they could avoid major political ramifications. He then answered Iraia's question. "Those 7 are Mist shinobi who don't agree with Kirigakure's current way of life. Their names are Hoshigaki Shizuma, Fuefuki Kyoho, Hebiichigo, Kurosuki Buntan, Oniyuzu Ichirota, and Onomichi Hassaku."

Iraia tilted her head a bit confused as she asked, "Then...How come Kagura is with them?"

Kagura flinched when he heard Iraia's question and felt extremely conflicted at that moment. He couldn't help but feel his emotions slightly stir from hearing Iraia's voice, however Shizuma interrupted at this moment and shouted, "So, not only the son of the 7th Hokage, but the son and daughter of the 6th Hokage have come! Well then this is the perfect opportunity! We'll begin our revolution by killing the children of both Hokage's!" He then proceeded to activate the Crimson Mist Barrier creating a thick fog in the area.

Without missing a beat the 7 Mist shinobi attacked splitting up Iraia, Hiroshi, Boruto, Sarada, and Chojuro.

At this moment Iraia stood perfectly still and completely calm as someone approached her. It was precisely Shizuma. He stood before her smirking sinisterly and said, "Well. I never knew that the daughter of the 6th Hokage was so beautiful. It's almost a shame that I have to kill you. How about it, become mine. I can grant you anything you want."

Iraia kept her expressionless face as she stared at Shizuma and the sword he carried and commented, "That blade. If I'm not mistaken it's the great sword Samehada."

Shizuma slightly frowned at the fact that Iraia ignored his proposal. He scoffed and replied, "You know your stuff. That's right. This is Samehada. This is your last chance. Come join me. Stay by my side. You're a rare beauty after all. And being the daughter of the 6th Hokage surely you're a rare talent as well. It'd be a waste for you to die here."

Once again Iraia ignored him. Shizuma immediately widened his eyes in shock and surprise as he stared at the changes that happened to Iraia. At that moment Iraia had activated her Byakugan in her right eye and her Sharingan in her left eye. Shizuma narrowed his eyes in complete focus as he finally realized that the beautiful girl in front of him was no pushover. With Iraia's Byakugan she easily saw through the fog and took notice of everyone's situation. Boruto was engaging Kagura in combat, Chojuro was being held up and having a discussion with Kyoho, Hebiichigo, and Hassaku, Sarada was locked in combat against Buntan, and Hiroshi stood face to face against Ichirota.

Shizuma frowned and shouted, "If you won't come with me willingly, then perhaps I'll just force you!" He then dashed at her with a crazy expression on his face and slashed Samehada right at her, however Iraia saw this coming thanks to her Byakugan and Sharingan and expertly shouted, "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" Before Samehada could make contact with her she blew it away with a powerful air thrust. This left Shizuma's body vulnerable to an attack as Iraia expertly performed a quick spin and struck out with her palm. Shizuma widened his eyes in complete shock at this unexpected turn of events and quickly shouted, "Water Style: Water Gun Jutsu!" From his mouth he expelled a powerful water bullet straight at Iraia to which she quickly paused in her attack and dashed to the side successfully avoiding the attack.

Shizuma frowned in seriousness and remarked, "You dodged that at near point blank range. Your Taijutsu skills are greatly superior to anyone I've seen before. Your Sharingan lets you see the most minute of movements and helps you predict the trajectory of an attack and your Byakugan lets you have a near perfect 360 degree view around you. In essence, should one fight you simply using Taijutsu then they would indefinitely lose. I have to hand it to you. Not only are you a rare beauty, you really are a rare talent. Indeed worthy of being the daughter of the 6th Hokage."

Iraia frowned at Shizuma's statement and replied, "You have no right to speak about papa as if you know him. But if you admire my skills so much then I'll show you just how skillful I am. Everything I know was taught to me by papa. We'll see just how much longer you can keep that smug look on your face."

Shizuma simply grinned in excitement as he and Iraia re-enganged in a fierce battle.

Meanwhile Hiroshi was facing off against the Mist shinobi Ichirota who was utilizing the explosive great sword Shibuki. Just as Hiroshi backflipped away from Ichirota his sword smashed the ground causing a giant explosion. Ichirota smirked and said, "Heh! Hahahaha! Kid, give up! You're outmatched."

Hiroshi just sighed to himself. This guy uses the sword to produce explosions. It's got a bunch of explosive tags in it. What a pain. I could do the same thing you bastard! If I trained more in my Kekkei Genkai that is.

Just as Ichirota rushed forwards with his sword Hiroshi simply smirked and said, "You should never underestimate your opponent you know. Especially me! Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu!" Several large wood tendrils erupted from the ground beneath Ichirota immediately halting him in his tracks and caused alarm bells to go off in his head. Before he could get ensnared he smashed his sword downwards blowing up the wood tendrils and then dashed backwards to create some distance.

"Y-You possess the Wood Style Kekkei Genkai?"

Hiroshi just smirked, "What's wrong? What happened to all your bluster?"

Ichirota frowned and slowly stepped backwards disappearing into the fog. Hiroshi smirked at Ichirota's move.

Heh. Man did you make a mistake trying to hide in the fog. I told you not to underestimate me.

Without waiting for Ichirota to make a move Hiroshi quickly activated his Byakugan which appeared on his left eye and easily saw through the fog. He spotted Ichirota in the distance and grinned as he formed the Ram and Snake hand signs shouting, "Wood Style: Grand Garden Emergence!" Instantly a small garden of wooden vines, small trees, and bushes erupted from the ground as they hindered Ichirota's movements. The bushes, small trees, and vines easily restricted Ichirota's movements before finally capturing him in a tight hold. Hiroshi grinned at his success and quickly formed the Snake sign saying, "Wood Style: Wood Snake Jutsu!" A wooden snake dashed out from his arm with great speed and easily wrapped around Ichirota before biting into his arm forcing him to release his hold on the Shibuki blade and also suppressed his ability to mold chakra.

Ichirota remained completely ensnared and baffled as he struggled to speak. "H-How? How did you find me through the fog? W-What is this Jutsu? Why can't I mold chakra?"

It was then that Hiroshi revealed himself and walked up to Ichirota showing off his Byakugan. "Obviously I saw you with my Byakugan. No matter how thick the fog, don't underestimate the power of my Byakugan. As for my little garden, it's not even close to what my dad can do. I still don't have enough chakra so this is my version of dad's Deep Forest Emergence technique. And my wooden snake. Heh, dad taught me this one. You see while I may not have enough chakra for the wood dragon or even the powerful wood snake that my dad can use, I can make a small scale version of the wood snake. It's one of my most powerful tools in my arsenal meant to suppress my enemies chakra. As long as they don't possess overwhelming chakra it gets the job done. Not bad huh?"

He then turned to look with his Byakugan at how the others were doing.

Bang! Boom! Bam!

Iraia was still currently engaged in battle against Shizuma as she dodged, parried, struck, and countered against his ferocious attacks. She performed a flip in the air and expertly dodged a water Ninjutsu attack of his at that moment before quickly landing on the ground.

Tsk. He's got way more chakra than I do. He's physically stronger than I am but he's slower than me. My Taijutsu is better than him but he won't engage me in close quarter combat. Plus, that blade of his is Samehada. He already unsealed it from its cloth form and that blade absorbs chakra. If I get hit or grazed by it like earlier then it'll just make him more powerful. I suppose Ninjutsu won't really work against him. I can't fight him for too long or else both my Byakugan and Sharingan will drain all of my chakra reserves. I'll need to trap him, slow his movements, and disarm that blade from his hands. That means I need a Jutsu that'll be difficult for him to absorb. And I know just the one thanks to papa's training.

At that moment Shizuma pointed Samehada right at her as it shot out from its hilt at great speed with its sharp teeth and mouth wide open trying to eat her. With her Sharingan she expertly dodged at just the last second and threw out several shuriken at Shizuma. Shizuma grinned and shouted, "Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" A giant burst of water gushed out of the ground beneath him and intercepted the shuriken, however Iraia was inwardly elated at her success and quickly formed the hand signs of Hare, Ox, Dog, and Snake shouting, "Lava Style: Quicklime Jutsu!" She quickly spit out a cement like sticky substance missing on purpose as it landed a few feet behind Shizuma.

Shizuma laughed and commented, "What was that? I admit I was extremely shocked just now. Not only do you possess the Byakugan and Sharingan, you can even perform the Lava Style Kekkei Genkai. But it seems you need more practice. Your aim isn't very good."

Iraia simply kept her expressionless face as she commented, "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Immediately Shizuma noticed that he was fooled and caught in a trap. The cement like substance Iraia had used mixed with the water that had pooled around him when he activated his Water Style. The water helped spread the cement further and had now completely covered his feet making it extremely difficult for him to lift his foot to move. Just as Shizuma was momentarily distracted at what was happening beneath him Iraia didn't miss this chance of opportunity and shouted, "Lava Style: Rubber Rope!" Instantly a long tan colored rubbery rope wrapped around the hilt of Samehada and tore it from Shizuma's hands causing him to widen his eyes in shock. Without missing a beat Iraia formed the hand signs of Ox, Dog, and Snake and shouted, "Lava Style: Rubber Seal!" She took a deep breath and spewed out a mass of tan rubbery liquid that covered Shizuma's entire body effectively trapping him inside a rubbery net. Just as she finished she plopped on the ground completely exhausted. Her Byakugan and Sharingan were involuntarily deactivated as she no longer had enough chakra to sustain them. She panted heavily as sweat dripped down the side of her forehead. Some blood stains marred her left shoulder, upper left thigh, and left cheek from her fierce fight against Shizuma, but she involuntarily lifted her lips into a slight smile as she stared at Shizuma trapped inside her Jutsu screaming and shouting as he tried to rip himself free from the rubbery net.

It was then that the fog around them cleared up. Chojuro had successfully detained the three Mist shinobi who engaged him in combat, Sarada had successfully defeated Bunta, and Boruto had managed to successfully convince Kagura to stop what he was doing breaking him free from Shizuma's psychological control. In the end everything ended peacefully. Boruto, Sarada, Chojuro, and Hiroshi stared at Shizuma yelling and screaming as he struggled to free himself before turning to look at an exhausted Iraia in shock and wonderment.

Hiroshi was the first to break the ice as he questioned, "S-Sis! You can change the attribute of your Lava Style?! Since when?"

Boruto and Sarada snapped out of their thoughts and turned to Hiroshi as they said, "You didn't know? Aren't you two siblings?"

As they bantered between themselves Kagura stood off to the side and felt as if he had been freed from a chain that had been weighing him down since long ago as he was lost in his own thoughts. Thank you. Boruto. Sarada. Hiroshi. Iraia. You four, despite everything that has happened, you didn't abandon me and still treat me as if we are friends. I won't ever forget it.