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By nightfall, the weather had turned bad. Konoha inevitably plunged into a gray, cold darkness, and within minutes, a cold downpour came down with violent force on the deserted streets, mercilessly pouring icy water on the village. It was already late, just about the time when most people were sleeping peacefully in their cozy beds. However, the little heir to the Uzumaki family couldn't sleep. Waking up from the noise of the rain, he couldn't fall back asleep, sitting on the bed cuddled up with a blanket. It was at times like this that fear crept into his small, sensitive heart.
Lightning flashed outside the window once more, illuminating the gloomy room for a second with bright light and forcing him to crouch against the wall in fright, crumpling the blanket in his hands. After a few agonizing seconds of silence, an unusually powerful roar of thunder rang out, causing everything inside to shudder and shrink with fear. Tears streamed down the little blond boy's face. He had never been so scared in his life. From fear, the boy is even afraid to move, but suddenly realizes that his whole body is trembling and there's nothing he can do about it. A gust of cold wind blows through the window, sending shivers down his spine, making his already shaking body twitch.
It's like there was a fog in his head that prevents him from thinking clearly and as a result, all that the boy now felt was fear and loneliness. As soon as this lonely and sad word sounded in his mind, the picture of his parents immediately surfaced in his memories: his mother tenderly embracing and kissing a crying baby, and his father embracing both of them. A hug. That was what the boy wanted to feel most right now.
Without even thinking, he crawls out of the bed and quietly steps on the cold, wooden floor with his bare feet and walks into the corridor. Looking out the door, he saw a dark corridor, the gloom of which was broken by one small ray of light coming from the far room. Dark. It was dark and scary as ever. But beyond this seemingly insurmountable gloomy abyss of darkness, fear, crazy childish imagination, and the sound of rain, a ray of light was seen.
Suddenly a flash of lightning struck the house again, illuminating the dark corridor with a cold, gloomy light for a second, and then a deafening thunderclap that makes him step back frightened and cry again. Hot tears stream down his face, dripping onto the floor, and his hands tremble. He's frightened. But the fear of loneliness is much stronger, and unbearable, which is why Boruto finally finds the strength to walk slowly down the corridor, treading the floor with such caution, as if a death trap or an infinitely deep chasm awaits him at every step.
When the boy finally reaches the door, only a few seconds had passed, but they seemed to him to be too long and painful minutes. Opening the door, he peeks into the office and finds his father sitting at a table with a stack of papers. The room was lit only by one table lamp, giving the room a stingy beam of yellowish, occasionally flickering light. Outside the windows, the rain intensified, drowning out the sound of small footsteps.
"Dad."
Not expecting to see anyone in the silence of the empty office, Naruto flinches and immediately looks up from the papers.
"Boruto, what are you doing?" Noticing the tears on his son's cheeks, the man immediately changes his face to one of concern and confusion. "Come here, what's wrong, son?" rounding the table, the boy ran up to his father and strong arms immediately picked him up and sat him on his lap, hugging and holding him tightly.
"I'm scared." the boy buried his face against his father's chest, crumpling his orange jacket in his little hands, and burst into tears. For the first few seconds there was surprise on the older man's face, which was then replaced by a kind parental smile, tender and loving, the kind that the most loving and caring parents give their children.
"Don't be afraid, I'm with you," Naruto answers quietly and affectionately, stroking the child's back.
Lightning flashes again outside the window and a strong thunderclap immediately breaks out, hitting his ears painfully and causing the whole house to shudder. The boy snuggles even closer to his father, squeezing the clothes on his chest tighter and immediately feels a warm touch on his neck. It was as if his father was trying to shelter him with his arms, protecting him from the outside world.
Naruto saw himself in him, just as weak, small and defenseless, and when he felt that way he wanted more than ever to surround his child with love and care, which he himself lacked so much in childhood.
After calming down a bit, Boruto finally stops whimpering, turning his face toward the light and gazing into the steady flicker of the desk lamp. Why did he always feel so calm around his father? Even in the most difficult moments, if he was there, his soul felt at peace.
"Dad, do you love me?" his timid, tearful voice sounds quiet and somehow embarrassed, which makes the older man smile with tenderness again.
"Son, don't be silly." His sparkling, weeping eyes turn to his father, searching the dim light for his bright blue, sparklingly clear gaze. A soft, warm palm rests on his little face, wiping away the remnants of tears.
"I love you more than anyone else in the world, because you're my child and I will always be there for you, no matter what happens."
From these words, something cracked in Boruto's little heart, its beating pouring a pleasant and warm feeling throughout his body, settling with a light blush on his cheeks. His heart beat faster again, only not out of fear, which had completely disappeared, and even the stirring thunderclaps seemed less deafening and frightening.
Watching his son's reaction, Naruto smiles again. Well, how can you not smile here, when such a small and cute miracle is sitting on your lap with big bright blue eyes wet with tears and pinkish cheeks, either from embarrassment or surprise?
The older man's palm, resting on the striped cheek, slides up and touches the bangs, gently pulling the blond strands aside and immediately touching the small forehead with soft lips, after a second Naruto pulls away and watches as the barely visible blush on Boruto's cheeks becomes a bright pink shade, and his embarrassed eyes avert their gaze from him. But his embarrassment was immediately interrupted by his father, who hugged him again and pressed his small body to his chest. Never had Boruto noticed how good it was to feel his warm hands, his measured breathing, his calm heartbeat, all that the boy could feel and experience now, and what he enjoyed so much in those sweet moments.
A large, parental palm gently passes through the unruly hair, stopping at the back of the head. Naruto feels how hard the little heart is beating in the chest and how it gradually calms down, accompanied by a quiet, barely noticeable sniffling of his son lying in his arms, so carelessly falling asleep in the soft and warm embrace.
Naruto sat there for a long time, listening to the quiet, even breathing of the boy, which was occasionally interrupted by ragged sighs; to the measured beat of the little heart; looks at the peaceful expression of his sweet face, the way his plump little lips would open in a restless sigh and how during the sighs four black stripes flicker on pinkish cheeks... The man didn't want this night to end. He wanted to always sit with him in his arms, guarding him, so that no one would dare even touch his beloved son, disrupting his carefree, sweet sleep.
But he still can't get that silly question the boy asked out of his head.
Love... As he grows older, the word takes on a different meaning from that simple and naïve childish feeling. But every time Naruto looks at his son, a pleasant, long-forgotten feeling blossoms in his soul that can't be compared to anything else, even his love for Hinata can't be equated to what he feels next to his child. And even if one day his love lost its innocence too, overshadowed by the cruelty of life, Naruto wouldn't love him any less. He will love him always no matter what happens...