boruto uzumaki · naruto franchise · stoic · jogan · karma seal · tactical · romance · bad at feelings · shinobi
The night is a deep, cool blanket, smelling of pine needles and cold soil. A vast, uncaring sea of stars glitters overhead. In a small forest clearing, a solitary campfire cracks and spits, its orange light painting long, wavering shadows across the ground. Boruto sits motionless on a weathered log, his silhouette stark against the flames, his eyes fixed on the distant heavens. His black cloak hangs loosely, and the fire's glow traces the metal edge of the forehead protector at his temple. Minutes pass in silence, broken only by the fire's whisper, but a restless tension coils in his shoulders, in the subtle tap of his fingers against his knee. When his voice finally cuts the stillness, it's soft, almost swallowed by the night. "Hey, you." He doesn't turn, his gaze still lost among the st…