The darkness is retreating, but not completely.
Boruto leaned against the cold stone wall with his eyes closed, but he did not fall asleep. His breathing was steady, his heartbeat was regular, and his body entered a state of rest, but his consciousness was always floating on the surface, like a fallen leaf floating on the water, unable to sink.
Sarada was sitting opposite him. Sharingan had closed her eyes, but her eyes were still very bright in the darkness. She was not sleeping, but was just resting her mind, unconsciously rubbing the bandage on her left forearm with her fingers.
Naruto is in the other corner of the room, really asleep. His sleeping posture is very regular, with his hands folded on his abdomen, and his breathing is long and deep. Seventh Hokage's sleep quality has always been very good. This is a skill honed over many years of battlefield career - you must fall asleep when you can, because you don't know when the next opportunity will be.
Boruto opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the crack in the ceiling. The crack extended from the southeast corner to the center, like a dry river bed.
"You can't sleep either?" Sarada's voice was very soft, fearing to wake Naruto.
"Hmm."
"What are you thinking about?"
Boruto was silent for a few seconds. "I wonder what it feels like to be 'empty'."
Sarada turned to look at him.
"It's not pain, it's not itching, it's not any kind of specific discomfort." Boruto continued, his voice low as if he was talking to himself, "It's just... there used to be something there, but now it's gone. It wasn't poached, it was left voluntarily. So there's no one to hate."
"Sounds like a... tender loss."
Boruto was stunned for a moment, then laughed softly, "The loss of tenderness. This is a really strange term."
"But accurate."
"Yes, accurate."
The two fell into silence again. The chirping of birds outside became louder, and light filtered in through the cracks in the window, cutting the floor into stripes of alternating light and dark.
"Boruto."
"Huh?"
"The information Shiki left you," Sarada considered the words, "How are you going to deal with it?"
"Compile it into a report and give it to Five Kage. I said."
"I'm not talking about this. I'm talking about... is there any part about himself in that information?"
Boruto understands what she means. Most of the imprints left by Shi are technical data about the operation of divinity, but are there any personal items mixed in? Is there anything about the Ōtsutsuki Clan's history, about his personal memory, about those past events that have never been mentioned to Boruto?
"Yes." Boruto admitted, "But not much. Most of it is technical, like an instruction manual. There are only a few fragments... like notes written casually."
"What kind of annotation?"
Boruto closed his eyes and searched deep in his consciousness. He has become more and more proficient in that ancient indexing method, as if he was using a foreign language. It was jerky at first, but gradually became fluent.
"There is a paragraph about the original use of the 'wedge'." He said slowly, "It is not the reincarnation tool we understand, but something more ancient. In the original design of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the 'wedge' is a... knowledge Inheritance device. It is used to pass on the experience of one generation to the next generation, rather than to seize rebirth."
Sarada frowned. "Then why did it become a tool for reincarnation?"
"Because of the war." Boruto's voice became a little distant. "The message left by Shi said that Ōtsutsuki Clan once experienced a civil war that lasted for a long time. In that war, the 'wedge' was transformed from a Inheritance tool into a weapon. The reincarnation function was added later, and the original design was overwritten, but not completely deleted."
"So your relationship with Shiki..."
"Theoretically, it's closer to the original design." Boruto opened his eyes, "He is passing on knowledge to me, not replacing me. Although he may not realize this himself."
This discovery made Sarada silent for a long time. The light outside the window became brighter and brighter, and the crack on the ceiling became less obvious.
"Is there anything else?" she finally asked.
"There is a paragraph about the stars." Boruto's mouth raised slightly, "Shi is very knowledgeable about astronomy, or in other words, Ōtsutsuki Clan is very knowledgeable about astronomy. They travel across the stars, and the stars are their road signs. He left a note about a certain constellation, saying that the constellation will point to a certain holy place of their clan in a specific season."
"Holy place?"
"It should no longer exist now." Boruto said, "Shi's tone is very plain, as if he is stating a fact rather than expressing regret. But that kind of plainness itself..."
He couldn't speak any more.
Sarada didn't ask any questions. She stood up, walked to the window, and pushed the window open a crack. The morning air rushed in, carrying the smell of earth and vegetation.
"It's almost dawn," she said.
Boruto also stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders. He walked to Naruto, squatted down, and whispered in his father's ear, "Dad, get up."
Naruto opened his eyes and entered a state of wakefulness without any confusion. He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. "What time is it?"
"There's still a quarter of an hour until sunrise."
"Yamada Is there any news over there?"
"Anbu is still asking questions." Boruto said, "But I plan to go there now."
Naruto glanced at him, with questions and worries in his eyes. But he didn't ask, just nodded. "I'll accompany you."
"No. I want to talk to him alone."
"Boruto--"
"It's not trying to be brave." Boruto interrupted him, "There are some things that can only be said when there are no observers. Do you understand?"
Naruto looked at him for a long time and finally sighed, "I understand. But Sarada will go with you and she will wait at the door. This is the bottom line."
Boruto thought about it and accepted this condition.
The interview room Anbu temporarily requisitioned was a basement. It might have been a place for storing food. Now it has been emptied out, with only a table and two chairs. Yamada sat on one of them, with his hands on the table, and his posture was relaxed, not like a prisoner, but more like a job applicant waiting for an interview.
Boruto pushed the door open and went in. Sarada stayed outside and closed the door.
Yamada raised his head and saw that it was him, with an unknown smile on his lips, "I thought it was Hokage who came in person."
"He is tired and taking a rest." Boruto sat down opposite, "And what I want to talk about has nothing to do with him."
"What's the matter?"
Boruto didn't answer immediately. He took something out of his pocket and put it on the table - it was a Forehead Protector. The Leaf mark was clearly visible, but the edges were a little worn and the strap was old.
"Do you recognize this?" he asked.
Yamada's eyes fell on Forehead Protector, and his expression changed obviously for the first time. It was not surprise or fear, but a complex, almost painful nostalgia.
"... light." he said.