Enraptured was he as he leaned forward — blue eyes shining like diamonds. He’d never have the time to go to the gravesite but when he did, it was always late. Where no one watched him — it felt better to him, no one looking at his tear-streaked face, no one around to hear his frustrations. Just him and his Uncle. He didn’t know why he talked to a gravestone, but he needed someone to talk to lately, someone who wouldn’t constantly worry nor jump up at the chance to tell.
Right hand clenched tightly creating a small crunch sound. The diamond on his palm felt as if it were burning a whole through the bandages. the more he listened, the more he hurt on the inside. the more he hurt, the wider his smile became. Boruto would do the same for his kid sister, protect her until hi last breath but he knew that she could very easily handle her own. The kid experienced it firsthand.
Sub-consciously his hand came up to grasp the bolt necklace that hung around his neck. He remembered his parents giving it to him, telling him it was extremely precious. Down-turned blue eye’s gaze fell to the floor as he began fiddling with his necklace. the prodigy’s grin faded a bit and he stuttered.
“ y-you think that…d’ya think that i s-soiled his name, kaa-san? with the chunin exams…i wasn’t — i didn’t really care about my skills because i knew i wasn’t strong enough, ‘ttebasa…d-do you think neji-ossan would be upset with me…if he were still here? ”
( Do you think he’d understand about fate? Do you think he’d understand about my mark? )
Words left unsaid for he would never, in his entire life, will think about telling his mother something like this. He didn’t like seeing her worried — she was their family’s sun, what they all orbited and the lst thing he’d want to do was tell her about that incident.
Hinata watched her son carefully throughout it all, for he did hold quite a name for himself. Named after her late cousin, whom surpassed so many and took the title of a prodigy with an equal sense of pride and humbleness. And Boruto having both the blood of an Uzumaki, Hyuga, and Namikaze clan. He showed so much promise that he was deemed a prodigy too. But she was sure he was still very upset about what had occurred the day of the Chuunin Exams.
Her heart ached to see her child in such a state, but he inherited her’s and Naruto’s stubbornness and wishing to not burden others with problems and weaknesses. That necklace, the one she and her husband gave to him when he was still very young, yet keeps it on his person always. His words of self-deprecating himself about what happened... Would Neji be upset with him? Had Boruto soiled such a name?
“No. He would not and I’m not saying this as your mother. I know he would not be upset with you, Boruto. Neji would have taught you so much and maybe is the only person who you can feel confident in speaking to about certain things that you wouldn’t want to tell me.” With Naruto so busy, and there being things he probably didn’t want to speak to Hinata about, Neji would be someone she knows Boruto would go to for everything.
Maybe if he was here, things would have been different. None of those things that happened would have existed the way it had, and her son would not feel lost without a male figure to look up to. She took his hand that wasn’t clutched around his necklace, and placed it on her lap, with the other hand brushing his blond locks.
“Besides, I know he would have loved to be able to see that you grew to believe in your abilities as your own and as a team even more. He’d be proud to see you carrying his great name.” She placed a comforting kiss to his forehead. “Would you want to hear more stories?”
