Sarada's hands glowed green as she healed Boruto. Boruto's hand was still shaking. The experience he had gone through was terrifying. The feeling of losing himself was something he had experienced whenever he tried to gather Nature energy, but him becoming what felt like an embodiment of hatred was truly terrifying.

‘That was Kurama Sensei.’

Maybe not an embodiment of hatred, but becoming such an immense being was scary. When he thought about it being Kurama Sensei, the fear subsided a little. Although Kurama Sensei's had explained what kind of beings the tailed beasts were, Boruto did not think they were so immense. He was not surprised that there would be people worshiping the Tailed Beasts.

“That was very stupid…. why?”

“Yeah, I thought I had it, well I did, I just didn't think I would invoke Kurama Sensei.”

“You were already training with the Fox Form, weren't you? How could you not expect it? And why the hell would you do it in the forest?”

“The Fox Form was for when I would be learning Six Paths, and it is pretty safe here. Mizumi's Mother would have saved me if I was in trouble.”

“No, no. I don't believe you. No. Why would you endanger your Gennin promotion? And what if your Senjutsu interfered with the tag?”

“Hey, I thought I'd lose it if I took too long. And how long was it going to take if I lost it? Mitsuki…”

“Oh so that's it. You wanted to play catch up. It bothered you so much that Mitsuki was stronger than you that you didn't mind putting yourself in danger just to catch up!?”

Sarada stood up and looked down at him. Boruto felt like he was being scolded by his mother or something. Boruto thought about it for a moment and felt like he had been hasty. He looked up at Sarada, he thought about denying it but he ultimately thought it was not such a big thing.

“... Yes. I would not mind if it was you or Himawari, you know? It's just that Mitsuki… I don't know, I just don't like it…. And wait, how do you know about Mitsuki?”

Boruto had not mentioned the fight Mitsuki had with Kazumi Sensei. Boruto thought he saw Sarada's cheeks reddened when he asked that.

“I saw him fight Kazami Sensei. And don't change the subject. I am still asking you about your recklessness.”

“Eh… wait, so did you see me too. I was watching the fight too?”

“I said don't change the subject. And no I didn't see you. Where were you anyways?”

“I was right there you know. He he he, guess I am just that good. Hey how come I didn't sense your Chakra?”

“Why would I broadcast my Chakra in a forest full of Chunin? And you're still changing the subject haah?”

“Ehhh, but you were the one who asked me where I was.”

“Eh. I did, didn't I?... He ha ha ha ha.”

Boruto didn't think it was all that funny, but Sarada's laughter was infectious. He laughed along all the while not being sure what he was laughing at. He finally relaxed from the fear he felt. Sarada laughed for a while. she had been holding her hips when she was scolding him, now she folded her hands sloppily, her posture collapsing. After she had laughed for a while she stopped. She looked at Boruto all over and became serious.

“You are never going to do something like that again, right?”

Boruto didn't actually know if he would do it again. If he was sure about something like he was about this, he thought he would again. When he looked at Sarada he promised himself that he would at least double check his thinking.

“Yeah, never again. I promise.”

“Alright, let's go to the centre of the forest.”

Sarada held out her hand. Boruto took it and got up with Sarada's help. He checked his condition, although he was low on Chakra, Sarada had healed him well enough.

“I am low on Chakra. Can I recover for a while?”

“I thought you were recovering while I was healing you? Alright, try to be quick, I'll wait for you.”

Boruto sat down and recovered his Chakra. He had exhausted more of his Chakra than he realized. As he was recovering his Chakra he thought about his conversation with Sarada and realized something.

‘Come to think of it, how did she come by so fast?”

Boruto thought it was not all that urgent so he continued recovering his Chakra. When he felt like he had recovered as much as he could he got.

“Did you recover? Then let's go.”

“Yeah, by the way how did you know I was in trouble?”

“Oh that, your Nature Energy formed a gigantic fox in the sky.”

“What? Then we have to go, the Chunin could be here any second.”

“Don't worry about it, the only ones who know about it are Rock Lee Sensei, Anko Sensei and… Aunt Karin.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, those are the only teachers that reacted to Mitsuki's Nature energy snake, so I think you are safe. And besides I don't think many people would be able to pinpoint your location even if they sensed the fox. Afterall I have very good eyes.”

“Oh okay. Thanks again.”

“Don't worry about it.”

Boruto and Sarada moved through the forest towards their objective. Sarada's eyes bled scarlet as they moved through the trees. Boruto's mind was spread out into the environment around them. Every now and again Sarada would change their movement through the trees. Boruto hallucinated shadows all throughout the forest. Each of them looking, combing through the forest for prey. Sarada weaved through all these shadows. His hands trembled as he felt his insides boil and bubble. Boruto dreamed of a shadow of himself, clad in a red mantle, slit eyes burning scarlet. As he moved through the forest he sometimes sprung forward with a tail that he was sure didn't exist. His feet gripped to the branches with claws that did not grow out of his feet.

“You okay Boruto?”

“I don't know, I think I need a rest.”

“If that's the case then why are you going so fast?”

“Hmm, I do need a rest after all, if I don't even know at what speed I am going?”

“Well it's already a bit late, let's setup camp.”

Boruto stopped and closed his eyes. On his eyelids he saw red. With every breath, he heard a roar resound throughout his body. He shook his head and set up the barrier. He took out the scrolls and put them on four trees around the campground. He then used Yin Transformation to hide it like he did last time.

“So what is going on?” Sarada said after sitting down.

“I feel like I am having a vivid dream. Do I have a tail?”

“Of course not, what are you talking about?”

“Can you use your Sharingan? I feel like something is going on.”

Boruto didn't know how to explain it. He felt a strangeness with how he moved.

“More Nature energy is around you that I have ever seen, is this the benefit of going into Sage mode?”

“I don't know, something is wrong and I don't know what, I'll go to sleep early. Maybe my mind is taxed from that Sage mode thing.”

“... Ok, it's still pretty early so I'll stay up for a few hours, if I see you having trouble I'll have to call the teachers.”

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“Yeah, do that.”

Boruto didn't even eat his mom's lunch. He just took out some of the milder food pills and then set up his tent before going unconscious.

Boruto didn't sleep well. He dreamt of nine tails breaking mountains. A breath erasing armies. Claws piercing flesh. He dreamt of being submerged as he saw himself go against a forest. The forest guardian a sky reaching tree with three faces, two kind and one cruel, himself being puppeted by a many eyed pillar of flame. He dreamt of being a gardener, removing rotten branches and weeds from an ever growing garden. He dreamt of a whirlpool with a red eye in the middle. The whirlpool with waters both old and young. He dreamt of sleeping and growing. His dreams became peaceful when he dreamt, finally, of an old man.

‘Six Paths.’

Boruto felt like his thoughts were finally his. He jumped out of his sleeping mat breathing heavily. When he thought about yesterday he felt cold sweat running down his spine. So many strange things had happened, but the only one he realized was strange was the tail. Claws, his red shadow, and those shadows throughout the forest. How could one contact with Kurama Sensei's form have shaken him to this extent?

He got out of his tent expecting it to be night, but he found Sarada sitting outside, the smell of morning all around.

“You are finally up? I was really going to call the teachers if you took any longer.”

“Yeah, I was really in trouble. I made a huge mistake yesterday. Well I think I am ok today.”

“... So what was wrong?”

“I don't know, maybe it's Kurama Sensei's thoughts or memories. I saw the Six Paths Sage.”

“What?”

“... I did say I don't know. But yeah I think I saw the Sage.”

“Wait, what?? What do you mean, you somehow saw the Sage through Senior Kurama's memories?”

“I don't know. Maybe I saw the actual Sage, well he did feel incredibly real.”

Sarada's mouth was open in speechlessness. Boruto himself didn't know what to even say.

As Boruto and Sarada were moving through the forest, Boruto felt his senses clearer than ever. His image of the forest was many times clearer than when they were beginning the exercise. He could sometimes gleam why Sarada made certain turns through the forest. As they headed to the middle of the forest, he could sense that there were many more Shinobi around them. Teachers and students alike were in a denser arrangement, and he could sense more of them.

‘I still can't believe you saw the Six Paths Sage.'

‘I said I don't know if I really saw him, besides, I don't even know if I saw his face or not.’

‘What do you mean, you say you saw the Sage, but you don't even know if you saw his face?’

'I told you didn't I, it felt like I saw Kurama Sensei's memories, while the Sage felt real, at that moment I don't know if I remember seeing his face or if he actually turned to look at me.’

Boruto and Sarada used hand signs when they realized how many Shinobi were in this part of the forest. Boruto was a little relieved, this last stretch, they had to complete in one go since, according to the map, Chunin patrolled around here. Boruto looked at Sarada and suddenly realized something.

‘She has a similar aura as the Sage… strange.’

‘Dad too, and uncle Sasuke, and Aunt Karin.'

Boruto realized that the aura she had was stronger than Aunt Karin's but maybe not his father. He thought that it was equal to uncle Sasuke's, but he didn't remember much about uncle Sasuke's aura. Boruto asked himself why the aura of Six Paths was so strong on her when it was not that strong on him or Himawari. It was denser on her than it was on Mizumi and Mizuchi, even when considering their curse marks.

‘Hey Sarada, wanna learn Sage mode?’

‘Why would you ask that? You know I still have the Hundred Seal to complete. Besides that I don't think it would be as useful to me as the Hundred Seal.’

‘Yes, Normal Senjutsu would not be helpful, with your Sharingan, Hundred Seal and Wood Release, but you know you have to learn Six Paths at some point. I think you should start trying to learn.’

‘I… I don't know, Mom said she and Granny Tsunade wanted to find a way to use the Hundred Seal as a core for some form of Six Paths. I could waste my time if I study Senjutsu, just for them to complete that technique.’

'Well, I feel like you wouldn't be wasting your time. Maybe you could be the one that completes the technique. You could even look at the blueprint and study Senjutsu from there.’

‘Why are you pushing me to learn Six Paths anyway?’

‘I just kinda feel it. I've just kinda realised you are the same as Dad.'

Boruto's reason for lying was faint. He wanted to see if the grown ups in the village knew Sarada's connection with the Sage. No matter how Sarada's Mother reacted, Boruto didn't know what conclusions he could make. He also felt awful manipulating Sarada the way he did.

‘She is similar to Dad in that they share an aura to the Sage, so it is not an outright lie.’

Boruto felt better when he realised that although it was manipulative, it was not lying. Sarada's adoration of the Hokage, his Dad, was amplified by her wish to become Hokage.

‘I’ll ask Mom.’

Boruto and Sarada's combined vigilance took them all the way to the tower in the middle of the forest without meeting a Chunin or aunt Karin's summons. When they got to the tower they found Anko Sensei sitting behind a table with her eyes closed.

“Oh you formed a team? I thought you'd have arrived yesterday at the latest.”

“Hello Sensei, where do we put the scrolls?”

“I am the collector, there is no trick, you don't have to try that.”

“He He. Just making sure.”

“Here's the other scrolls. You are the fifth and sixth, after Ino Shika Cho and Mitsuki. You can head back, or stay with me for the night and head back tomorrow.”

“I think we'll head back.”

“Come back to school in two days for your scores.”

“Thank you Sensei.”

Sarada had been talking to Anko Sensei, as Boruto stood there not knowing what to say. Boruto couldn't wait to see his family. After handing the scroll to Anko sense, they went outside the tower to head back home.

As Boruto and Sarada were outside the tower, Boruto looked at Sarada.

“What, you wanna race?”

“Body flicker to the clearing?”

“Oh, sure.”

They looked at each other and exploded with their Jutsu.

*Boom*

*Boom*

Boruto and Sarada moved through the forest at a way higher speed than they had used when using stealth. Sarada had known what Boruto wanted when he looked at her. Boruto felt freer than when he still had the scroll.

Boruto and Sarada couldn't talk since they were going so fast. Boruto looked back and saw Sarada's eyes scarlet, her one Tomoe seeming to spin within her Sharingan. She smiled when she saw him looking at her and increased her speed. No wonder she could keep up with him even when he had so much improvement.

Boruto picked up speed as the forest around them seemed like a blur. Just when Boruto thought if they would disturb the test, he felt as if the world slowed down as they passed by Kazami Sensei.

'You little…’

Boruto almost heard his eyes shout. They didn't stop, in fact they picked up speed. Boruto regretted that he couldn't open his mouth when performing body flicker, otherwise he would be laughing. They also passed Raiga moving stealthily in the forest, he seemed to raise his head as they passed him by but ultimately, he didn't see them.

A few hours later Boruto and Sarada emerged out into the clearing. Boruto saw Aunt Karin with the scroll still on the ground, looking directly at them. He looked beside him to find Sarada standing there all cool.

“Hey, who won?”

“Eh, how would I know, I think it is me though.”

“No way. You were never in front of me.”

“Eh, if you think you won, why are you asking me?”

“You have the Sharingan, I thought you'd have seen.”

“If you care about who won so much, why weren't you looking?”

“Alright, alright. Let's just deliver our tags.”

They went to a Chunin teacher and tried to give back their tags.

“I can't extract them, for that you need to go to Miss Karin.”

“Thanks.”

They went to Aunt Karin to get their tags removed.

“Hello Aunty.”

“Hey, little guy, you really are daring aren't you?”

“Uhm, ehh, I uhm, what do you mean?”

“Oh, did you do something else incredibly dangerous while I was not looking?”

“No.”

“Then you know what I was talking about?”

“....Yeah.”

“What do you say?”

“... Sorry. I won't do it again.”

“You are lucky Sarada was there, otherwise… Now give me your hand.”

Boruto held out his hand. Karin rubbed the skin where the tag was as a corner of a paper suddenly appeared. She then pulled on the corner of the paper as it seemed to grow right out of Boruto's hand. After that Sarada also stepped out as Aunt Karin did the same with her.

“You did well saving Boruto.”

“You would have saved him anyway right?”

“Yes, but marks would have been subtracted from his final score.”

“How would you have saved me anyway Aunty?”

“Boruto, you can't tell me you didn't see the connection between the tags and the scroll right?”

“Sarada is right, I don't use the tags just to see where you are, I can summon you here using this scroll if things get dangerous.”

“Oh yeah, now that you mention it…”

“You are telling me you didn't even know how you would be saved and still took chances like that?”

“Hey I already said I was sorry.”

Sarada seemed angrier to find out that Boruto wasn't even sure how he would be saved and still took that much of a risk. Aunt Karin stayed quiet as she finished extracting the tag.

“When are you gonna visit, Little guy?”

“Yeah, I'll come this weekend with Himawari. Sarada wanna come?”

“... Ok, you know I hate you sometimes.”

Boruto just smiled. He had been working so long to bring them together, it seemed to be working.

“Aunty, do you know what is happening with Mizumi, Mizuchi and A.”

“I know they are fine, they haven't used their stage 2 since they have been on the mission.”

“That is a relief. Well good bye, are you going to be here on Friday?”

“Yes.”

“Will you be fine? I thought using the Rinnegan put your life in danger.”

“I’ll be fine, Lord Sixth gave me some of his Chakra.”

“Oh, okay then. Goodbye.”

Boruto and Sarada passed by the tent as they headed home. Boruto wondered why they weren't going to school first like with Guy Sensei.

‘Maybe they have Shinobi along the way home.’

“Sorry about that, I just don't think you should treat Aunt Karin how some of the adults treat her.”

“... I hate you. Never do that again.”

“... I think I'll do that again, sorry in advance.”

“Wanna fight?”

“Okay I'll let you beat me up.”

They stayed relatively quiet as they entered the village and headed home.

“Tomorrow, all Ninjutsu, me and you.”

“Yeah, sorry again.”

They separated as they headed to their individual homes. Boruto thought about getting beat up tomorrow.

Boruto and his class were on the clearing outside the village, the same place they had started the outdoor portion of their exams. Boruto looked around to see that at least 5 of his classmates were not around. He wondered if they were still in the forest. He tried not to rub his neck when he thought about how Sarada had beaten him up yesterday. Her punch was much more devastating than Boruto realised. Boruto had thought that was the case when she blew up the ground with a single punch, but feeling it on his body was something else. If he had not reinforced his neck with Chakra and rode the punch's momentum, he was sure he would have been at the hospital now.

“Miss Uzumaki, can you bring back the kids still in the forest?”

“Sure thing. Principal Ebisu.”

Aunt Karin slammed her hand on the scroll and her Chakra peaked in intensity as a cloud was produced. Four of Boruto's classmates were standing there a bit later. Kosuke appeared with a bandaged leg and arm. Another one also seemed injured. While the last two were wearing leaves.

“There are more of you that did not finish the exercise than I had hoped for. In fact I hoped for all of you to finish the exercise, but some of you were injured enough for Miss Karin to have to interfere. Kosuke, you were injured often enough to hinder you but not seriously enough to be summoned back. There was only one of you that tried to interfere with the tags, that is an automatic failure. You know yourself. Many of you either did not understand the letters we sent to your parents, or did not read them at all, fortunately for you, you were impatient enough to rush to the tower. Unfortunately for some, they have a great amount of patience, hence wearing leaves to hide themselves to sneak to the tower. All these things go into your final evaluation, hopefully we can pair you with a teacher who can help you grow out of your weaknesses. Jonin teachers step forward.”

Boruto watched as Anko Sensei, Miss Mirai, Lee Sensei, Ms Maruboshi, his elder cousin Hizashi and elder brother Konohamaru. He thought for sure he was going to be part of Konohamaru's team. Dad always planned for him to be his Sage mode teacher on missions.

“I will be announcing your teams. Keep in mind that if you are not called up can mean that your teacher is still on a mission, you failed or you have been recommended for anbu training. Of course anbu training is optional, so you can always refuse the call and join a Jonin squad later. I personally don't recommend going into the anbu now, maybe after passing the Chunin exams, not now.”

Principal Ebisu let his statement linger grimly in the minds of the students before moving on.

“Team 10, Teacher Miss Mirai Sarutobi. Genin Inojin, Shikadai and Chocho.”

“Team 9, Teacher Miss Maruboshi. Genin Amado, Katasuke and Deruta.”

“Team 8, Teacher Hizashi Hyuga. Genin Raiga, Fū and Yurozu.”

“Team 7 Teacher… Anko Sensei. Genin Boruto, Sarada and… Mitsuki.”

Boruto was so surprised that he almost missed the next announcement. How could they be on the same team?

“Team 6 Teacher Konohamaru Sarutobi. Genin Naobito, Yamagi and Tsumiki.”

“Team Lee, by request of Rock Lee Sensei. Teacher Rock Lee Sensei. Genin Kosuke, Minami and Utsume.”

“You will discuss with your teacher about any follow up tests they might have after dismissal. You are dismissed.”