"What… what the hell is going on here?"
Sarada struggled desperately against the restraints of the cross, but it was all in vain.
Boruto watched her, a faint smile curling at his lips.
Sarada, you think you can shake me off? Keep dreaming.
"Sarada… you're mine! Even if Jesus came, he'd have to be nailed to the cross obediently! That's what I said!"
He paused slightly, then added with a cold grin, "So, next…"
At that moment, Sarada was still struggling when she suddenly heard a familiar voice calling out.
"Sarada, why are you here too?"
She turned her head in surprise — only to see Boruto, also nailed to a cross. It was another Boruto — one conjured inside the Tsukuyomi space.
"Boruto… why are you here too?" Sarada's voice trembled, filled with confusion and disbelief.
"I fell under the genjutsu of this mysterious Masked Man and ended up here," the fake Boruto explained.
Sarada's eyes widened even more. "How could that be? Even you fell under his genjutsu?"
"His power is too great. I'm no match for him," the fake Boruto said helplessly.
At that moment, a long blade suddenly appeared in Boruto's hand. He pointed it straight at Sarada.
"This scene is exactly like when I fell under genjutsu that night," he said calmly.
Sarada immediately understood everything. "So it was you! You're the one who cast that genjutsu on me that day!"
"Who the hell are you? Mangekyō Sharingan… Is your goal to force my eyes to awaken — and then dig them out?"
Boruto sneered. Digging out eyes? What is this, Itachi's old trick? How outdated and boring.
He turned toward Sarada, amusement dancing in his eyes. "That's right, your eyes are beautiful. I like them very much."
"But I won't dig them out now. I'll wait until they evolve to a higher level before I act."
He raised the blade. "So… let's begin."
Seeing that, Sarada tightly closed her eyes, bracing herself for what was to come.
"Stop! If you have the guts, stab me! What kind of coward stabs a girl?!" the fake Boruto shouted.
Sarada's eyes snapped open.
"Good! You've got guts," Boruto said with a cold snort. He turned his blade and plunged it deep into the fake Boruto's abdomen.
A piercing scream echoed through the space. The fake Boruto's stomach was impaled, blood gushing out.
"Stop! Don't stab Boruto! Stab me!" Sarada cried out, voice breaking.
"Stab you? Of course, I'll stab you — but not now," Boruto replied with a twisted chuckle.
The fake Boruto lifted his head weakly and said, "Sarada, it's okay… this is just a genjutsu world."
"Even if it hurts, it won't affect reality."
Sarada felt slightly relieved but still worried for him. "But…"
Boruto didn't let her finish. He stabbed the fake Boruto again, drawing another groan of agony.
"Boruto! Are you okay?!" Sarada shouted.
"Stab me! Stop stabbing him! Please!" she begged the Masked Man before her.
Boruto simply shook his head. "Begging won't help you. I can't stab you yet."
"No! Stab me!" the fake Boruto yelled again.
Boruto grinned and drove the blade in once more.
"Sarada… I'm sorry…" the fake Boruto managed to whisper through his pain.
Sarada's eyes filled with tears. "No… I should be the one saying sorry, Boruto…" she choked.
After what felt like forever, her emotions went numb. Suddenly, the entire genjutsu world shattered with a deafening roar.
When she came to, Sarada found herself standing in a massive crater — one she had created with her own punch.
"Has it been lifted…?" she murmured.
She looked around, but the Masked Man had vanished without a trace.
His chilling words echoed in her mind:
"Wait until your eyes evolve to a higher level… then I'll dig them out."
A shiver ran down her spine. "Mangekyō Sharingan… can it still evolve further?"
"Oh, right—Boruto!"
Panic struck her heart. She activated her ocular jutsu, Heavenly Spin, sending ripples of space outward — and in the blink of an eye, she reappeared at home.
Without a second thought, she jumped out the window and dashed toward Boruto's house.
Even though it had just been an illusion, she still feared something might have happened to him in the real world.
Racing through the familiar streets, Sarada finally reached Boruto's doorstep.
Just as she was about to knock, a voice came from behind.
"Sarada? Why are you here?" Boruto asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
Sarada spun around — Boruto stood there, unharmed, eyes bright and calm.
She examined him carefully, and only after confirming that he was safe did the weight on her chest finally lift.
Without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms.
"I… I was worried about you," she said, her voice trembling as she breathed in his familiar scent — as if it could erase her lingering fear.
"What's there to worry about? I'm fine," Boruto said softly, trying to comfort her.
Sarada frowned. "Fine? You didn't fall under the genjutsu of that Masked Man?"
"Masked Man? Who's that? My dad's the Seventh Hokage — who would dare use genjutsu on me?" Boruto said nonchalantly.
Sarada blinked in confusion. "No…? So the Boruto in that genjutsu world was fake?"
Her expression grew serious. "Wait… I must've missed something. The Masked Man, the Mangekyō, powerful genjutsu… Why was it targeting you — not me?"
A horrifying thought surfaced.
Dad has the Mangekyō Sharingan… he's a genjutsu master… he's always away… and he's kind of annoyed with Boruto lately…
"Could that Masked Man… be Dad?"
Sarada shook her head, refusing to think further. She sighed softly into Boruto's chest. "Dad, you're such a pain…"
Meanwhile, far away in Kaguya's dimension, Sasuke suddenly let out a big yawn, sensing something. "Huh… feels like my little peanut's thinking about me."
That night, in Boruto's room, Krab had just returned from Sarada's place.
"Master, the mistress said she's not coming," he reported.
Boruto frowned. "Not coming? Fine then… I'll go."
Over in Sarada's room, she had just lain down when spatial ripples shimmered again.
She sighed tiredly. "Krab, I told you already, I'm not coming—"
"Then I'm coming," Boruto's voice replied from the darkness.
"Boruto?!" Sarada sat up in shock. "What are you doing here?"
Boruto stepped forward, pressing a hand over her mouth and whispering with a grin, "Shh… quiet, Sarada. You don't want Aunt Sakura to find out about us, do you?"
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Boruto: Growing Up as Naruto's Son is now on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you for your support! 💙