There she was, standing before him, readying herself into a fighting stance: Uchiha Sarada, the overnight sensation and unexpected dark horse that was at the forefront of being crowned the winner by unanimous public acclaim of the entire Chunin Exam Tournament. She had appeared at Chunin Exams like any other Genin, with no notable distinction, nothing special, nothing extraordinary, but after several Genins advanced the second round and it was deemed necessary to hold preliminary rounds to cut the excess numbers, a small diamond mark appeared on Sarada's forehead. The Jonins administering the exam uttered a collective scoff of disbelief. At twelve years old, she had acquired the Strength of a Hundred seal. Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage of Konoha, had acquired hers in her early twenties. Uchiha Sakura, Sarada's mother and disciple of Tsunade, had acquired hers at seventeen. All were in awe to witness what Sarada would be able to accomplish with hers at twelve years old.
In the preliminary rounds, Sarada stood before her first opponent and was indifferent to his heckling words. He had already been to the Chunin Exams three times before and it was clear that he had mastered Chunin-level jutsus, but upon unleashing several earth and fire attacks, he found his efforts nullified by the visible rib cage of Susano'o wrapped around Sarada. The ribcage wasn't perfect. There was a clear strain on Sarada's face as she struggled to maintain and stabalize the jutsu. But she persevered. She quickly ensnared her first opponent in a Genjutsu and forced him to resign the match. Her second opponent, Miko Uetmatsu, the heavily favored Shinobi that all assumed would win the Chunin Tournament, fared much better. A Taijustu and Genjutsu user, he managed to ensnare Sarada in a protracted Genjutsu that lasted ten minutes. Fifteen years old, he was older, more experienced, and by all accounts, more powerful, but with sheer iron will Sarada managed to stave off all of the full blown negative effects of Miko's Genjutsu. Miko had only managed exhaust Sarada's chakra preventing her from ensconcing herself inside Susano's ribcage. And so, the hand-to-hand combat began.
Bolt, who had been seen the fight from the sidelines, was able to visibly see how Sarada channeled chakra into her fists. Sarada had been trained very well by her mother. All it took was one well-calculated hit to the jaw. And the fight was over.
It was then that Bolt knew: Uchiha Sarada had inherited all the powerful jutsus of the Uchiha Clan thanks to her father, Uchiha Sasuke, and her mother, Uchiha Sakura, had trained her to be a top-notch medical specialist.
And now, in the Chunin Tournament Finals, Uzumaki Bolt had Uchiha Sarada standing before him.
The rancorous roar of the crowd overwhelmed him. It was deafening. And up on the stands, in the main gallery, Baruto knew that his father, Uzumaki Naruto, was looking down at him. Baruto felt Naruto's eyes on his back. The Hokage stood side by side with the other four Kages. It was inevitable: there was a palpable, hair-raising electricity in the air. Baruto could feel the vibrations in the earth as the spectators stomped their feet in anticipation for the match.
"Damn," Baruto said. He had to win the match. One way or another. He had to win. If he ever intended to surpass his father, if he ever intended to have his name known across the entire shinobi world…
Sarada took of her glasses and began to wipe the lenses with the outer edge of her shirt.
"Give up, Baruto," Sarada said. "You know as well as I do that you're outmatched."
Baruto bit his lower lip. Anger swelled inside him. His wounded pride raged within.
"Shut up," Baruto said. "I'm just getting started. I'm going to become Hokage one day and my journey to that goal starts here, today."
Sarada adjusted her glasses on her face and looked at Baruto directly into his eyes.
"That's funny," Sarada said. "Last time I checked, Hokages weren't royalty. Your grandfather may have been Hokage. Your father may be our current Hokage, but it's time that an Uchiha served Konoha as its Hokage. Your family's monopoly needs to end."
Baruto reached for a kunai.
"Let me guess," Baruto said, "you want to become Hokage?"
"No," Sarada said. Baruto quickly noticed a look that Sarada made. It lasted less than a second, but it was a contemplative look, a look of regret, a look of hesitance. "Being Hokage is a responsibility that I do not want to take upon myself, but I am my father's daughter. I have to rebuild my clan's legacy. I have to rehabilitate the Uchiha name. This is a burden that you cannot even imagine what it's like to carry. Face it, Baruto," Sarada said, "you're spoiled. You wasted all your years at the Ninja Academy trying to impress your father, trying to get under his skin so he could shower you with his attention. Well, now you have his undivided attention, but you know as well as I do that you're not ready to face someone like me."
"Shut. Up."
Enraged, Baruto could've killed her at that moment, but the Proctor had yet to start the match.
"I won't hold back," Sarada said.
"Good," Baruto said. "So when I beat you, everyone here will know who is the better ninja."
Sarada glanced at the ground.
"I'm sorry," Sarada said.
"For what?"
"For what I'm about to do."
Sarada weaved a hand sign. The seal on her forehead began to glow and black markings quickly escaped the Strength of a Hundred seal and began to envelop her entire body. The markings radiated in an effervescent purple.
"I'm ready," Sarada told the proctor.
Baruto was at a loss. What could he do? He then noticed that the proctor gave the signal to start the match between Uzumaki Baruto and Uchiha Sarada.
Sarada clenched her fists and lunged towards Baruto. She was attacking him recklessly. She was no longer trying to avoid a direct hit in spite of training for the majority of her time at the Ninja Academy as a medical ninja. No, Sarada could get in a direct line of attack now because Baruto knew that no matter what technique he used against her, Sarada could and would instantaneously heal herself.
Baruto had to think quick. He had to move. He had to find a way to stop her. Limit her. Constrain her. He had run out of time. She was already less than three feet away from him. It was time.
The match had begun.