Ignorance
-He was always there. He always comforted her whenever she had problems. His prescence was always soothing. He was always there for her whenever she needed someone. And... she was the only one who could see him.
*.*.*.*.*
The first time she saw him, she was four. Her mama didn't seem to notice he was around. And he'd disappear whenever guests were in there house.
He was just like the long haired man that followed Boruto and Himawari around. The one that looked so much like her auntie Hinata.
But this particular man, was always just in the corner.
So Sarada didn't care.
That was until she fell off the stairs. Her mama was outside doing laundry, oblivious to what happened inside. Sarada cried at the growing pain in her legs.
"Hick...uh...wah!" She wailed. The man who was always there approached her and kneeled.
"Aw, did you hurt yourself Sarada? Are you okay?"
"hick... I-It hurts." She wailed even more. The man smiled at her and stood up.
"Come on, lets get that wound treated."
"But mama is outside."
"I'll help you. Your mama will be proud of you if you manage to treat your wound by yourself."
"Really?"
"Yes. Now come on."
The long haired man took her to the small room where her mother usually kept all her medical supplies. "Now Sarada..." He looked at her before pointing towards a bottle in the closet. "You need that antiseptic right there. Its the big white bottle in the middle. And you also need the small green bottle." Then pointed to a small drawer. "Then the cotton and bandages are right here."
"..Okay.." She nodded cutely before climbing in a small stool to get the bottles. "What's antiseptic?" She asked.
"Its a disinfectant. You need it to clean your wound."
"What's the green bottle then?"
"Its betadine. It helps your wound heal."
"Okay." After grabbing the cotton and bandages from the drawer she looked at him. "What do I do now?"
"You put some on the cotton. Use the white bottle first." Sarada removed the cap of the antiseptic bottle and placed some on the cotton, some liquid spilling on her hand.
"Ah!"
"Its fine, its just antiseptic. Now, rub in near the wound, not directly on it, just around it okay Sarada?"
"Alright..." She did exactly what the man said and coated her skin with it. "What now?"
"Now you use the green bottle on your actual wound."
After coating a cotton with the weird brown liquid, Sarada placed in on her wound and flinched.
"Ah! It hurts!"
"Its fine dont worry. Just lightly tap it." Doing what the man says, Sarada bit her lip before patting the cotton. "Good. Now you see that small band aid, do you know how to apply it?"
She nodded before throwing the cotton she was holding in the trash. Unwrapping the bandage, she placed in on her knee.
"Is that it?" Sarada asked.
"Yeah that's it. Very good Sarada." The man smiled at her.
The two then heard rustling outside the room.
"Sarada? Where are you?" Sakura's voice echoed throughout the house.
"I'm in here mama..." The little girl replied. Footsteps became louder and louder until teh pink haired woman appeared by the door.
"What are you doing there?" She asked before her eyes landed on the small bandage on her knee. "What happened to you darling?" Sakura kneeled, levelling with her daughter.
"I fell down the stairs."
Sakura touched the back of her daughter's knee before taking a look at the small wound and smiled. "Well it looks like you patched yourself up real good. You did this all by yourself?"
"Actually..." Sarada turned to look at her side only to find nothing. The man was gone.
"What is it?"
"...Nothing mama..." Sarada looked confused then locked her eyes with her mother's green ones.
"Well since you know how to patch yourself up, do you want some ice cream as a reward?"
The little girl immediately beamed. "Mm!"
"Alright, I'll go get some." Sakura stood and walked to the kitchen, Sarada following suit. Just as Sakura reached the kitchen, Sarada saw the man by the door.
She smiled brightly at him before mouthing a "Thank you".
The man returned her smile and she entered the kitchen.
*.*.*.*.*
That night, Sakura tucked her into bed and kissed her goodnight.
...Only thing was, Sarada couldn't sleep.
When she turned her head she saw the same man, sitting on her little chair.
"What's your name?" She quietly asked.
"Hm?" The man looked from the window to her. "My name is Itachi, Sarada."
"Ah... why are you always in our house? Do you live here too?"
"Hm... I guess so." Itachi thought about it. His little brother lived here, and his little brother's family too. It was practically called an "Uchiha House" which meant it was his house too. "Yeah I live here."
"Why doesn't mama talk to you then?"
"Ah... that's because she can't see me."
"Does she know you?"
"Yes she does. She... visits me from time to time. She gives me flowers."
"Ah... Why does mama do that?"
"Just because."
"Ah..." Sarada pouted. "If mama can't see you, then why can I see you?"
Itachi smiled at her. "Because your special Sarada."
*.*.*.*.*
Sarada doesn't tell anyone about the man named Itachi. He asked her to keep it a secret. And she doesn't wonder why. Itachi found it cute how the little girl immediately trusted him.
One particular afternoon, he warned her.
"Listen very carefully Sarada-chan. I was a special case, but you shouldn't trust other people you just met okay? Especially strangers."
"What makes you different Mr. Itachi?"
"Its because I'm special." He smiled.
"Yeah you sure are special Mr. Itachi." Sarada returned to playing with her dolls. "You don't eat. And you just stay in the corner to watch me and mama."
Itachi chuckled.
"Why do you do that though?"
"Do what Sarada?"
"Watch us."
"Hm... Because when I watch you, I protect you."
"Why do you protect me?"
"Hm..." Itachi pondered for a second. What does he say? That he wants to protect her because she was an Uchiha and a lot of people were after her? That he silently promised his little brother that he would watch over his new family? "...Because..."
"Because?" Sarada pressed.
"Because I'm a superhero. And superheroes protect people."
"Really? Mr. Itachi is a superhero?!" Sarada beamed. "Do you have powers?"
"Yes I do. I can blow fireballs through my mouth."
"Really? Like a dragon?" Itachi loved how her eyes were shining. It was so cute.
"Yes, really. Do you want me to teach you?"
"Oh please!"
Itachi chuckled once again. "Alright come on."
He led the little outside. He silently thanked that the Uchiha Household was a lot closer to the training fields, and that Sakura was at the hospital at the moment, and left little Sarada alone at home for him to play with.
"Can you show me your fireballs Mr. Itachi?"
"Oh... I can't show them to you now Sarada-chan. Its too big and it'll destroy a lot."
"But... how will I learn?"
"Hm... do you feel that small little energy in your tummy?" The little girl placed her hand on her stomach. "Its called chakra. Its what you use to create a fireball." Itachi then sat down in front of her, slowly forming hand signs. "These are the hand signs you use to make them."
*.*.*.*.*
Sakura panicked when found the house empty. She was only five minutes away from the hospital, and asked her neighnor to look into Sarada every ten minutes.
Where was she now?!
When she felt he daughter's faint chakra by the training grounds, she immediately rushed.
...Only to find burnt grass and trees, and a panting Sarada.
"Ha...ha..." She breathed.
"Sarada!" Sakura yelled as she approached her daughter. "What the hell are you doing all the way out here?"
"T..T-Training..." She managed to pant out. "Check this out mama."
Forming the hand seals, she placed her hand near her mouth, "Katon : Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Blowing a massive fireball that Sakura had seen so many times before, her eyes widened. "I can do a fireball justu now mama!"
"..." Sakura had a hard time understanding everything. Her little girl, four years old, managed to do a massive jutsu that not even chunins can achieve?
Better yet, how did she learn it?
Sakura, who trained under the Godaime herself, knew a lot of jutsus. But she was no Uchiha blood, just by marriage. And she did not remember ever teaching her four year old daughter a traditional Uchiha jutsu.
And only one person came to mind.
Kakashi.
But he was nowhere near. Nor was he responsible enough to be teaching her daughter jutsus like this!
Who on earth taught Sarada?
A loud thump caught Sakura's attention once again. She turned to look at her daughter, who was now splayed across the ground. Rushing to her daughter, the pink haired medic calmed down a bit to find that the little girl was just exhausted.
Carrying Sarada on her back, she took her back to the Uchiha Household.
*.*.*.*.*
Sarada woke up to find that it was already night time. How long had she been out for?
Turning her head, she found a cloaked man by the corner, watching her.
"Hehe... I did it Mr. Itachi. I did it just as you taught me." She said tiredly. "You didn't tell me it was gonna be so tiring..." She blinked again, trying to adjust her eyesight. She reached out to her night stand, where she usually kept her red glasses and put them on.
Though she was surprised at who the person it the corner really was.
It wasn't Itachi, but her father.
"Papa? What are you doing back?" Sasuke approached her bed and sat down, placing a hand on Sarada's head.
"I just got back from my mission." He answered her. "I heard from your mom that you did something quite big today, Sarada."
"Ah! I managed to do the Fireball jutsu today papa!" She sat up and beamed at her father. "I learned it!"
"Hn." Though the one worded answer, Sasuke's eyes visibly softened. "You should go back to sleep Sarada."
"Okay papa." Sasuke tucked her in and kissed her forehead before leaving the room.
He wasn't surprised that she was able to master the Fireball technique, she was an Uchiha after all. But what surprised him was how she learned it.
"..." Sasuke thought back on the words she said right when she woke up .
'I did it Mr. Itachi. I did it just as you thought me.'
*.*.*.*.*
"Sarada, come here for a minute." Sasuke called. He could here his daughter's footsteps get louder until she appeared in the doorway. He pulled out a thick album from the shelf.
"Papa?"
Taking a seat in the couch, he patted the space next to him, gesturing her to sit. The little girl did so and looked at her father questioningly.
"This is a family album." He opened it and began flipping through its pages.
"Ah! Is that you as a baby papa?" She asked. "You looked just like me!"
"Aa." He flipped to another page. This time it was just him and a twelve year old Itachi. "Sarada, have you... seen this man before?"
"Hm..." Sarada tilted her head. He did look a bit familiar.
A flash of black caught her attention as she looked in the corner. Itachi was there, and he was smiling at her.
"Ah! He looks like..." She pointed at the long haired man. Sasuke turned, only to find nothing.
To Sarada, she saw him though. She saw him come closer until he was next to her and pointed at the picture, then pointed at himself.
"...Its Mr. Itachi..." She whispered and looked at the book again. "But why is Mr. Itachi with you here papa?"
"..." Sasuke looked intently on his daughter before speaking. "Itachi... is my brother, Sarada."
"Eh?" She looked confused at first, but then smiled. "So that's why!"
"...?" Sasuke raised a brow at her.
"He said he lived here papa! That's why he's always around, and he also said mama gives him flowers too. It makes sense now!" The little girl nodded to herself. But confusion washes over her again. "But then... why can't mama see him? Papa, how does mama give him flowers if she can't see him?"
Sasuke felt heavy inside as he looked at his innocent four year old daughter.
"Sarada, Itachi's dead..."
"...Eh?" It took a minute for what Sasuke said to register in her mind. "No he's not papa. He's right there. And and... he... he taught me the jutsu! A-and he looks after me too! He's not..."
Sarada looked at her uncle. He too, wore the sad expression her dad did.
And before she knew it, she was crying. "No..." Brimming with tears, she ran to her room.
Sasuke sighed.
"Must you really tell her now?" Sakura emerged from the kitchen. "The poor girl's heartbroken."
"...I should go explain things to her." Sasuke stood up and was about to walk, but was stopped with his wife's hand on his shoulder.
"No. You should let your brother comfort her." She smiled. "I think it'll be better if he explained everything."
*.*.*.*.*
In her room, Sarada sat on her bed, with her knees pulled up and her arms hugging herself.
By the corner of her eye, she saw Itachi settle himself down on the edge of her bed.
"...Why didn't you tell me?"
"Aa. You were bound to find out sooner or later, little Sarada."
"You were my uncle."
"Aa. I am." He smiled at her, though that only made her cry more.
"Why did you die?"
"...To protect your father. And the village."
"Superheroes don't die Uncle Itachi..." She clutched her knees closer to her chest. Then, she felt warmth envelop her.
"Little Sarada." Itachi called. She looked up to find him smiling her her. "I didn't really die. I'm here aren't I?"
"But..."
"And I love you. Just as I love your father." Itachi moved to poke her forehead. Sarada felt it. It was just a light tap, but she felt it. "And the ones who love us, never really leave you know. I'm right here." He pointed at her heart. "Always. That's why you can see me."
"Why can't papa see you?"
"Oh Little Sarada, he might not see me, but he knows I'm here." He chuckled. "And I told you didn't I? You are special. That's why you're the only one who can see me."
"Uncle Itachi..." She sniffled. "Are you... still going to teach me jutsus?"
"Of course I will." Itachi smiled sincerely. "And I'll continue to watch over you. Everyday. Always."
"Really? You promise, uncle?"
"I promise."
He was surprised to find her pinky pointed to him. "Pinky swear uncle. So that you wont break your promise." He smiled again.
Sarada felt a bit of warmth by her finger.
"Are you gonna tell me what happened to you?" She asked innocently.
"When you become a chuunin."
"Eh? But I'm only four!"
"That's why you have to work hard Sarada-chan. Do your best." Itachi told her. "Make your parents proud."
"Okay Uncle!"
*.*.*.*.*
Outside the girl's room, stood her parents. Hearing everything their little girl said, her mother smiled.
"He would've made a great uncle to her Sasuke-kun."
"Aa."
"Sounds like he would dote on her the way he did to you."
"Aa."
Sakura giggled. "Come help me with dinner darling." She walked away smiling. And her husband, satisfied with what he heard, followed his beautiful wife.
...
I have another ItaSara fic, its called Vision, please check it out!