You are Uzumaki Shiki, son of Uzumaki Naori and her partner Ryūzetsu, living proof that the powers of natural energy and ninjutsu can overcome just about any obstacle. Lately you’ve been studying abroad at the academy in Konohagakure, a tentative ally of your own home Amegakure, as part of a diplomatic effort spearheaded by your mother Naori. At the moment however you find yourself embroiled in the internal problems of Kirigakure, an even shakier ally of Ame and Konoha, where a bunch of twenty-somethings have stolen the infamous “Seven Swords of the Mist” in an effort to turn back the clock to a time when students killed each other to graduate and there was a constant state of war between nations.

“Boruto’s off fighting Kagura-kun,” you tell Sarada upon being questioned, “so I guess we should go over there.”

“Why do you sound so nonchalant?” Sarada demands.

“This way,” you point as Buntan-senpai rejoins you, having passed a scroll to the Mizukage before leaving him to secure her former ‘comrades’. “It’s because it’s the type of fight that won’t end quickly.”

As you head in that direction, Buntan-senpai chuckles. “I see, so Kagura-kun made a friend... that’s good.” Buntan is the current wielder of Kiba, one of the Seven, and has until recently been pretending to help the would-be thieves. You’re actually kind of interested to see how exactly she’s handled the situation all this time – she told you herself that a part of this is because she hated the idea of someone else stealing her father’s swords, but you also suspect she’s been hard at work making sure that when she finally revealed her deception she had enough to work with to put her former allies away for good.

“What part of this is good?” Sarada demands.

“Kagura’s... well, he’s the type who’s easily manipulated,” Buntan-senpai clarifies, “and Shizuma’s the manipulative type. So what Kagura really needs is a friend he can trust – and then he’ll probably stop listening to Shizuma.”

“It’s a good guess,” you sigh, “and it’d be nice if it turned out that way. But it’s not going to be easy.”

...

When you finally arrive Shizuma and Boruto seem to be arguing quite pointlessly over whether the current Mizukage has ordered the assassination of political enemies within the Land of Water – Boruto insists despite not knowing the man at all that there’s no way that could be true, while Shizuma insists without evidence that not only does he do it all the time that under the new leadership he proposes that won’t be the way things are done anymore.

“There you are, Shizuma,” Buntan-senpai muses aloud.

“Ah, Buntan...” he replies with a short pause. “I’m afraid I don’t understand whatever it is you intend by bringing those two runts here alive.”

“So it’s the ‘alive’ part that bothers you?” you grumble.

“Buntan-san?” Kagura barely manages to gasp.
>1/?