A fight was unavoidable. Sarada could feel it. Those three years had to mean something and she had to know that Boruto didn't spend that long doing nothing. If he was going to return, he had to be stronger and that meant she had to be stronger or she couldn't keep up. That was not going to be something she could live down. They made a promise three years ago that if one of them was weak, they would be a liability. What exactly worked about their friendship?
Nothing major. It just did. They just happened to enjoy making fun of people when they were young. They just happened to enjoy picking on Inojin when he fell asleep during their early missions. They didn't always have compliments to tell each other but if one stepped in to save the other, that was enough for both of them. Like their parents not too long ago, there was only one way they knew best how to communicate and that was through the power of a good punch to the face.
Sarada was Sakura's kid, not too violent but she hit like a truck. Lots of people didn't like that. Her mother didn't like that she had no friends as a result. What exactly did she expect? Dad wasn't exactly Shinobi of the year and though he's spent his years trying to mend his past, there is always that feeling of knowing when Sasuke came home. It had been years up until this point and yet, Sasuke never felt at home. Sarada took a bit after that. Sakura had a lot to say about Sasuke, a bit too much information, Sarada concluded. Her mother loved her father and her father loved her.
Sasuke almost never returned home but when he did, it was as if he was preoccupied with overcompensation. He would spend a few weeks and almost all of them had him in exactly three places; either the Hokage's Office talking with Naruto, at home awkwardly attached to the hip to his wife and the rest was training with Sarada. Sarada loved those days the most. She just couldn't find the words to tell him and hoped in his own way, he understood. Sasuke practically forgot everyone existed when he was around Sarada. He would vehemently reject any missions unless they came from Naruto without a second thought. If a man was in a burning building, he would walk right past with Sarada resting on his shoulders.
But fun as it was, it was also brief and for a while Sasuke was all Sarada had. Until she was eight. She met Boruto one day as she went to practice. Sarada had one 2-Tomoe Sharingan. Her left eye couldn't access the power no matter how hard she tried. She quickly gave up on using the Sharingan altogether. She wasn't going to be like her dad after all. She wasn't a real Uchiha. Boruto however, changed that. He came right in her space and she hit him and sent him flying. He crashed near a tree. Good. Hokage's Son or not, nobody gets in her space. She had known Boruto before then since her parents would often visit Naruto's home but she never cared to know more about this boy.
"Ho, you looking for a fight?" Boruto said, excitedly.
This stunned her for a bit. She was used to people mostly walking away after a rude encounter. But she recovered and nodded her head.
"You're gonna fight me?" Sarada asked.
"Sure. If you want, of course."
Sarada had a thin smile and approached Boruto and Boruto easily slapped most of her attacks with Hyuga style of Taijutsu. She pulled back and took a moment to consider her next move. She rushed in, leaped in the air and dove for a heavy punch and he swiftly caught her arm, deflected it and directed her weight past him towards the ground. He laughed.
"Did you really think that would work? You get that being airborne limits your movement a lot, right?"
That got her annoyed, all right. Enough for her Sharingan to instantly power up. Boruto instantly activated his Byakugan in tandem. They walked in a circle, measuring each other's stride and chakra. Sarada fished out a kunai, had her index finger play with it for a moment then steadied the blade in her palm and rushed for an attack. The speed rush forced Boruto to begin taking note of his surroundings. She would feint a left swing, wait for his block to shift the blade to her right to attack but he caught on. She used speed to her advantage, going for any place she felt she could see an opening in time and Boruto was barely keeping up. She then blitz past him and tried to go for an attack behind him. Boruto waited for the blade but she instead jumped back and formed seals for a familiar Uchiha jutsu.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu"
Boruto leapt out of the way in time only to find Sarada behind him. He barely deflected her powerful kick in time and was sent flying. He hit the ground and Sarada jumped to attack him. He evaded and the she punched a huge rock, splitting it in two.
"I hope you aren't trying to kill me," Boruto tried to joke.
"What's the matter? Can't keep up?" Sarada chided.
"Alright. You asked for it."
It was barely a draw. Boruto survived mostly by defence but it was too lucky a break.
"You're not getting that lucky next time," he announced.
"You keep fighting like that, you won't get a next time." Sarada was tired. She had never been forced to work that hard for a win before. Ever since the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, less shinobi were able to access Ninjutsu so outside of her father, nobody was that tough. She had respect for Boruto but there was no way he was going to know that. But today, she used her Sharingan and she liked it. There was something deep in her heart that awakened, a passion to want to use her power again. Boruto allowed that to happen and so even though she wasn't very comfortable with the idea of talking to him ever again, he was a hope.
They had lots of fights after that and slowly, she came to really feel like she was an Uchiha. Even if she couldn't use both of her eyes, she felt that she was that much closer to her dad. So out of some deep emotion she couldn't identify, she chose to wear her hair like her father, covering her left eye. She also heard that the Sixth Hokage also used to do it but he was doing it instead to hide his Sharingan. She had to finally talk to the Sixth.
"Heh! You want me to train you?" Sarada was now 11 years old. Hatake Kakashi, who hadn't been Hokage for long and decided Naruto should take over as soon as Boruto and Himawari, his younger sister were able to walk so Hinata would be less constrained.
"You don't want to?"
"Both you and Boruto will be Genin soon. As soon as you've had one or two years, get back to me. I'll train you then." Sarada simply nodded, conviction in her heart. Immediately after graduation, Sarada asked Konohamaru for the toughest mission they had and Konohamaru laughed.
"I seem to remember someone who was that eager to prove themselves. But then again, this Team 7 seems to have much potential so I don't see why we can't ask," Konohamaru winked and Sarada rolled his eyes. Sarada now had a pair of glasses from the Konoha Scientific Division that her mother personally worked on. It allowed her to channel her Sharingan power into them so she didn't have to use her newly acquired Mangekyou Sharingan, that she awakened from a very nasty mission. She hated every second of having it. Even Sasuke was not able to coarse her to use her Base Sharingan due to her fear of having to use Mangekyou. The glasses however was able to give her the ability to channel Sharingan in the same way her clan used to, with both eyes. They were strong but not invincible so she had to protect them.
So here they were, three years later. Ready to test each other's strengths once more. The cold evening air drenched the rooftop they were both on, bathed in the yellow of the setting sun. Sarada's glasses activated Sharingan mode and Boruto awakened Sage Mode. Boruto took a stance and Sarada unsheathed a familiar sword, feeling the warmth of her father's hand. Lightning cackled on the blade sending small stray sparks off of it and she took her own stance.
She flowed with the lightning, speeding towards Boruto. Boruto took out two kunai and rushed towards her, expecting a rough swing. Boruto then quickly witnessed as she flashed before his eyes briefly, then disappeared and his kunai were halved, small sparks jumping out from them. He quickly threw them away and turned to see her back. both arms clutched to her sword. Boruto noticed a small but clean cut on his shirt.
"That was a warning. Take this seriously," she said, coldly. He nodded, ran towards her, made a clone that immediately created a Rasengan and leapt towards her. She sped, narrowly glided past the clone and sliced him away. Boruto threw two kunai past her and one grazed her cheek and she ignored it, moving close to Boruto only to see him pull at what was clearly chakra threads. The kunai transformed into clones and he pulled them towards her with the threads. They too had Rasengan and she flashed out of his eyesight, appeared before the clones and swatted them as well.
"I warned you options are limited on air once," Boruto smiled and threw a large shuriken and that too transformed into a clone. She clutched her sword, expecting another Rasengan when the Boruto clone grinned as he made familiar seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu."
A large fireball danced dangerously close to Sarada and in confusion, she quickly made a shadow clone of her own and leapt off of her like a spring towards Boruto, letting the clone get wiped with the flame. Lightning cackled and Boruto felt her behind him, sword on his throat.
"You almost got me. Not bad."
"Too soon to celebrate." Boruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke. A clone. Sarada turned a second too late to see Boruto hit her with a...
"Rasengan!" The impact sent her flying off the building and Boruto's smile turned to fear. Konohamaru was ready to instantly transport when Boruto made a clone and threw himself at her in mid-air, caught her, unhooked a seal that released a gentle wind, breaking his fall to the ground. Ino and Sakura ran towards the scene.
"Are you okay?" Boruto's voice broke.
"Could you.."
"Yeah..."
"Could you let me go now?" Boruto released her and she fell to the ground.
"Not that quickly, you idiot!"
"Sorry." Boruto was still dazed and Sarada saw a lost boy in his eyes and her expression softened as she looked at the ground. Sakura hit Boruto hard on the head and Ino had to stop her from doing more.
"I get you kids have your way of communicating things, but can you find a way to not be so violent?" Sakura said.
"I'm okay, Mum. Don't be such a baby."
"Don't get me started on you, young lady. When we get home-"
"Here we go again."
"You ruined your kimono for a stupid fight. I mean, do you think those things come cheap?"
"She hears you, Sakura. She hears you. I'm sure the kids have a lot to think about now." Ino helped an agitated Sakura walk away. Boruto offered his arm and Sarada just looked at it. Boruto understood and took it back. Sarada woke up.
"Clearly you've gotten stronger. Don't be too hung up on it. I'm okay, alright? Besides, I can heal myself now so even if it was bad, I'd be fine," Sarada reassured.
"I don't know."
"Boruto, don't forget why we're friends. I don't need you pitying me. Do it for me. Get over it, please." She pats his shoulder and walks away from him. Konohamaru walks over to Boruto.
"You're gonna be alright?" Konohamaru asked.
"Yeah. She asked me to so I'm going to do it. Going to need some time alone though."
"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow." Boruto walked home in silence.
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