Natsuki's P.O.V

Here we are.

The second round in the Chunin Exams.

We're split into our teams and our goal is to capture the rival team's flag.

It appears we've been pitted up against the surviving team from Kirigakure.

"Alright, Sarada and Mitsuki go and get the flag, Natsuki and I will defend." Boruto immediately said.

"Wh-" I was about to protest, but the other two agreed on the plan immediately. Sarada pulled me aside.

"You need to have a good talk with him, Natsuki, you can't just go on hating him because of something he said, like, a month ago. He's my dad's pupil now, so he's most likely not going to follow in Nanadaime-Sama's footsteps anyways." Sarada told me.

I looked down and glumly nodded.

"Alright, we're ready, let's go." Sarada told the rest of the squad.

I perched on the highest point of the building, bow drawn.

"Whoa, nice bow, where'd you get it?" Boruto asked.

I ignored him.

"Natsuki? Hello? Are you gonna answer me?" 

"..."

"Tsuki? Earth to Natsuki!" Boruto appeared in front of me and snapped his fingers in front of my face.

"I got it from my dad." 

"But your dad's a swordsman?" 

"He got it made from Tenten." 

"Oh. Makes sense."

"..." I sighed.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh, I don't know, why don't you ask yourself that question?" I snapped bitterly.

"Come on, you can tell me, I'm your friend, you can tell me anything!" He kept trying.

"Except there's nothing wrong." I muttered.

"Obviously something's bothering you, I mean, I can tell just by looking at your expression." Boruto pressed on.

"Yeah, and that something is you!" I yelled in frustration.

"M-me? What did I do?" Boruto asked.

"Ask yourself that question."

"Is this about my stupid old man again?" 

"What do you think?!"

"Alright, truth be told, it's not that I think he doesn't care about his family, but I just... want to spend more time with him, ya know? I mean, you have your dad all the time, and look at him! He's the freaking hago-shakage of the Leaf Village! Sarada's dad recently came back to the village too! And then there's my stupid old man, who can't even come home to spend time with his family!" Boruto complained, "Sometimes I just wish that he never became the hokage, because if being the hokage means you barely get any time to spend with your family, then I'd rather be the hokage's right-hand man. If Sarada wants to be hokage, fine, I'll let her be hokage, I just don't understand why people always seem to think that I want to become hokage because my dad is one." 

"There we go, now you're starting to get it."

Suddenly, the Hidden Mist shinobi appeared around the flag.

I tensed up and let loose on the string of my bow, nailing one of them to the ground by the shoes, I aimed well to make sure that the arrow didn't hurt them.

Boruto stood to attention and summoned a few shadow clones.

I noticed that he can now summon four shadow clones instead of three.

However, the Mist shinobi summoned their own shadow clones.

I flew above the building, hailing arrows from above, picking off the shadow clones one by one, but eventually Boruto got overpowered.

I clenched my teeth, I was about to throw the mist ninja off the building but before I could, Boruto unleashed a water style attack.

Since when could he do water style?

Then he closed his fist, plunging a lightning release into the water, electrocuting the mist shinobi.

His sleeve flew up and I noticed a metal band around his right arm.

I dropped down to the ground and looked at Boruto questionably.

"What?" He asked.

"Since when could you do water and lightning style?" I voiced my earlier question.

"I've always been able to, I've just been mainly using wind style." He replied with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Really? Then what is that on your arm?" I asked.

He looked around frantically, then brought a finger to his lips.

"Oh, I see, you're cheating." 

"I'm not! Well, I am, but it's for a good cause! I'm helping Katasuke do his research!" Boruto protested.

I buried my face in my hands.

"Boruto, why? You know that those things aren't allowed in the Chunin exams." I sighed.

"Yeah, but I just... can't bear to lose, okay?" 

"Doesn't mean you could cheat your way through it! Look, I understand that you want to help others, but promise me, promise, never to use that thing again unless you absolutely need to, and don't go overboard with it, doing something you've never been known to do before, alright?" I pleaded.

"Yeah, yeah, alright, but I don't want to lose." 

"I'm not saying you have to! Just try to win with your own abilities instead of taking the easy way out, okay?"

"Hmph. Alright." He said, securing the scientific ninja tool.

Suddenly, Sarada's voice boomed over the intercom.

"Is everything alright on your end? We were faced without any defense whatsoever," Sarada asked.

"Yeah, the four kids came to our side immediately, don't worry, we took 'em out." I answered.

"Good, we can't lose now." 

"Yeah, yeah, just get the flag and get back here."

I watched as Sarada and Mitsuki returned to our side with the flag, Sarada took one look at the unconscious bodies of the mist shinobi and turned to us.

"What did you do?!" She asked.

"Electrocuted them." Boruto said simply.

"That was you?" Sarada asked in shock.

"Yep. Kinda cheated a little bit, seeing as Natsuki helped out with the water release, but yeah, I did that." 

"Natsuki, is this true?" Sarada then turned to me.

"Yep, I only provided support, he was the main force who took them out, he had to go five on nine, which was quite impressive, though he did get overwhelmed after a while of struggling." I shrugged, going along with Boruto's smooth lie. I mean, half of it was true.

Sarada then turned to look Boruto in the eyes.

"Uh... Sarada?" I asked, uncertain of what she was doing, all I knew is that she kept leaning forwards, and Boruto kept leaning backwards, eventually, Sarada spoke.

"I knew it."

I'll admit, I panicked a bit, I thought she had caught onto the lie.

"Your eyes are bluer than Nanadaime-sama's." 

What. The. Fuck.

"Sarada, do you study other people's eyes in your spare time?" I muttered.

"Okay, that sounds bad when you put it that way, but really, Boruto's eyes are bluer than his father's, which I've always found interesting, because his eyes honestly should be a paler blue than his father's, given his heritage..." Sarada trailed off when she caught me smirking.

"Natsuki!" She yelled and gave chase. For the nth time that week.

"Hehe, catch me if you can!" I giggled, and tossed several marked shuriken out there, and disappeared to one.

Sarada spent the rest of that day chasing me.

A/N: Well, that was something. Natsuki is such a tease. The next chapter is only going to entail Natsuki's fight and the final fight with a free-for-all between four shinobi.

Yes, if there are four left over, there should be three more matches, but screw that. It's my story, I do what I want.

As always, don't forget to vote, comment, and follow for more! Peace out, everybody, goodbye.

Shadowflame 95, signing out