Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to the author.
After having an hour of staring at her room's ceiling, the girl of the house quietly left without waking up Uchiha Sakura and walked up the stairs towards its final exit. Upon entering, Sarada heavily sighed at the cool air as her dark eyes gazed upon the dark starry sky. Though late, she could not bear to lose her uneasiness in her sleep or training. She closely leaned against the rusty railings on the rooftop as she calmly, yet tiredly listened to a mental echo.
"I gonna show everyone everything I learnt from Sasuke-occhan in the exams dattebasa!"
The Uchiha tiredly slided her face into her crossed hands that were also resting against the railings. Boruto's words continued to echo in her head despite of the party being ended an hour ago. Her hands gripped on the sleeves tightly and her own obsidian glinted upon the moonlight in worry. To her knowledge, all her friends have been training with their parents since the great incident with that mysterious alien. What was more was that Boruto still trained under her Papa's wing in addition to Konohamaru-sensei's.
While she was extremely happy that her childhood rival was making a big change in his shinobi life and attitude, Sarada began have these questions in head as she realized that her Papa rarely trained with her. Yes, she was happy with Uchiha Sasuke training her but they were only in taijutsu and shurikenjutsu, things that she is extremely well-off with her Mama's training. Nevertheless…
"Papa, can you teach me any ninjutsu? Like the black fire or the gigantic purple figure you created?"
"…Not now, Sarada. That's something that can be taught later."
Her eyes visualized the little detail of reluctance and fear in Papa's eyes. Was it really because she was too young to learn them? Was it because of her immaturity? Or was it…because he does not have enough faith in her?
"Maybe…I should think of a ninjutsu myself…but how…"
Without her realization, a figure has been watching her back for a while before breaking his own patience to do the same on her painful silence.
"Can't sleep?"
Sarada gasped and turned to her back. Seeing him was a surprise, although it was quite a routine that it immediately wore off her shock.
"S-Same to you. Mitsuki?"
The blue-haired boy did not answer but stood next to Sarada and glanced upon the Hokage Monument with Sarada and the breeze as his accompanies. The silence remained in the air before the Uchiha broke through.
"What are you doing here, Mitsuki?"
"Hmmm, don't know. Maybe being the tragic heroine's helping hand?" Mitsuki joked with his signature eye smile that shaped like the sharp crescent moon tonight.
"Ha…again those words…." Sarada sighed with a hint of relief from her worries. Her eyes glanced at the boy's clothes which seemed dusty and torn at the sleeves. She there realized the things he did before the party and expressed her simple gratitude to her teammate.
"Thanks for coming over today."
"No problem. It's a special day for your family so, it's alright." Mitsuki said again before he remembered something he told himself to do beforehand "Sarada, take a look here."
Curious, the Uchiha faced Mitsuki and watched his thumb bleed from a bite of his.
"…!? Mitsuki, what are you…!"
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Mitsuki called in his summon with a slam on the ground. Much to Sarada's surprise, a snake of her size appeared nowhere within the white smoke. It was the first to see an animal summon aside Katsuya the slug.
Mitsuki could feel her admiration and amusement in those dark eyes behind the glasses that were cautiously identifying every detail on the snake. Those eyes easily reminded him of the night sky with those bright stars. Surprisingly, Mido did not seem to mind the stare as she quietly kept her form on ground.
Sarada eventually realized her actions and backed off to retain her composure. Mido then turned to Mitsuki who only relayed his unspoken message with a smile. Reading it as a thank you, the snake disappeared in thin air with a puff of white smoke.
The Uchiha then asked the blue-haired boy "W-When did you learn that and how did you even get a summoning contract?"
"Hmmm, just this morning with the scroll given by my parent."
Sarada gasped "Parent…as in Orochimaru?"
As Mitsuki nodded, Sarada realized how compatible both son and father are towards snakes. His captivating golden eyes may be shaped like an average person but for his parent's case, there were definitely snake eyes at the first sight. But for Mitsuki, they were definitely captivating and attractive, gold as the start of a sunrise.
"Feel better?"
"EH?" Sarada released such a word after realizing that she has been staring at Mitsuki's eyes "Don't tell me…that you learnt it to…" Her cheeks were quickly reddened by such realization despite having to spend some time with him.
"As if. I did want to show you and Boruto in the party but I guess the hype there was quite overwhelming." Mitsuki spoke, ignoring the rare stare and blush from his Uchiha friend.
"Liar." Sarada thought with a smirk. During the time when Boruto was 'rebellious' in teamwork, it was Mitsuki that always calmed the two and toned the mood down. In fact, Boruto's unreasonable remarks had Mitsuki to side Sarada and Konohamaru-sensei more often. In the team, sensei was the sky that supports the elements. If Boruto was a fierce lightning, Mitsuki would probably be the calm after storm.
Then, what would she be in the team?
"Is something bothering you, Sarada?"
"Eh?...Mitsuki…have you even felt…pathetic or lousy during the invasion 7 months ago?"
"Why you ask?"
"I…I really felt useless then. Now I think about it, Boruto was really brave. Not only he stood up to protect me, he even went against the enemies to save Nanadaime. But…all I did was to sit in fear and watch both Nanadaime and Boruto to risk their lives."
"Isn't that expected from Nanadaime and Boruto as Nanadaime's son and Fourth's grandson?"
"THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT!"
Despite the outburst, Mitsuki kept his cool. It was his intention to say those words that Sarada hates to hear. Doing so may harm their closeness but it was his aim to help his friend to break through this wall called insecurity.
"I was…pathetic. For someone who wanted to become Hokage, I could only watch my friend's back in fear. I…" Sarada's fingers were trembling against their grip onto the railing as her emotions were overwhelming her body.
"So, does that mean that anyone who did not face the enemy was all pathetic? Including me, Konohamaru-sensei and…your mother?"
Hearing that infuriated the Uchiha to the point of turning her fist in grabbing the boy's collar. Her eyes immediately turned into the famed dojutsu, Sharingan, in reaction to her intense emotions. "Don't call my Mama pathetic! I…!"
"Then don't think yourself as one too." Mitsuki calmly interrupted the girl. Gasped at the comment, Sarada realized her utter mistake, released her tight grip from the collar and looked down in disappointment.
Mitsuki frowned at her reaction and tried to convince "There's nothing wrong to be afraid of something, Sarada. Anyone would be afraid, including Boruto. It's just that maybe he knew that someone has to take care of his back and trusted you then."
Sarada raised her eyebrows at annoyance and asked with her deep voice "Was that supposed to make me feel better of myself, Mitsuki?"
Mitsuki smiled and that just earned him a sneer from the Uchiha. That smile was always contagious as it easily wore off anyone's expressions into nothingness. Sarada exhaled in calming her nerves while recollecting her thoughts. With a cycle of filters, her mind was finally fixed to the main point of her concerns before the pale boy cut in.
"How's training so far since your father was away since last week?" Mitsuki asked.
Sarada's expression changed into the one similar to the time he saw in the party and Mitsuki frowned at that. She looked away to have her dark eyes facing the grey buildings and spoke "Frankly, not that great. With Mama resting now, I could only improve on my taijutsu and shurikenjutsu that Papa taught me."
"Did he not teach any ninjutsu to you? My parent told me that he is a ninja that focuses greatly in different types of ninjutsu, compared to Nanadaime." Mitsuki uttered out of curiousity.
"…He did but only the so-called traditional Uchiha fire jutsu. Papa said that it would be better for me to focus on taijutsu, as long-range ninjutsu doesn't suit me. But in our team, there isn't anyone who's great in close-range ninjutsu and we need that in the exams." Sarada proclaimed her thoughts that were collected throughout her past research on the participating teams in the last Chunin Exams.
The boy placed his chin onto his hand, as a thinking gesture "I see. To defeat a long-range ninjutsu user, we would need a close-range ninjutsu or taijutsu user. Isn't your superhuman strength going to be enough?"
"I…don't think it's enough, Mitsuki. Somehow, it feels like there's something missing in my abilities." Sarada spoke with great frustration in her ninja skills. She did not despise her current abilities that were carefully ripening as the fruit of Sakura's training. Among their group, Sarada's taijutsu was actually second to Metal Lee's, only to lose in strength and speed.
Nevertheless, the kunoichi could feel a void in her tightening fists.
"Maybe you should ask someone to help you out?"
"Maybe…"
While staring at those fists, Mitsuki heard a loud shout from the bottom of the flat. The two children looked down from the railings to see two adults playing a children's game. That caused Mitsuki to question their mentalities, especially of the ones who were extremely notable to anyone in the village.
"…That's it!"
Mitsuki was shocked, not only to hear those words but to see Uchiha Sarada, in her casual clothes climbing onto the iron railings with a confident smirk on her face. What was astonishing was a sudden change in her onyx eyes; they were full of hope.
"Sarada?"
"Come with me, Mitsuki!" Sarada last spoke before jumping from one balcony to the other as her platform to the bottom. The boy sighed and followed after her, while understanding her intentions on the way.
In the dim lane between the flats, two vastly different men were walking side by side after a long dinner. One was a man with thick brows in the wheelchair while the other was a tall man with grey, spiky hair. The latter appeared to be tired in his eyes, while the former's eyes were fired up by something. The air around the two was so intense to the point where avoidance would be prompted, comically.
"JAN! KEN! PON!" The man in the wheelchair shouted out his heart with his hand thrown in the scissors form.
Unfortunately, Hatake Kakashi did not give in. The sight of a stone had Might Gai moaning in desperation.
"ARGH! DAMN IT! Kakashi, one more time!"
"Ha? It's getting late, Gai." Kakashi groaned for the last time against his good friend for his slumber.
"Kakashi, don't let the darkness of the night overshadow your youth! Night is only the beginning for youth!"
The former Hokage sighed. A part of him regretted winning against Gai during their dinner and all he needed was something to cut the flow right now.
And that sudden chakra behind him has saved his day.
"Who is it?" Gai called out at the nearest alley after sensing a change of wind movement.
Not wanting to be seen as annoying or harmful, Sarada and Mitsuki came out together and faced the two legendary shinobis of Konoha. Kakashi's dark eyes glinted at such sight and his mood was lifted.
"Isn't that you, Sarada? It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"H-Hai, Rokudaime-sama." Sarada replied with great respect to the adult. His smile behind that mask eased her nervousness. She was fond of Hatake Kakashi due to the many stories from Sakura and his random visits to the house. She knew him as a man who can be both a joker and a leader to her parents and Nanadaime.
On the other hand, Kakashi instantly remembered all his moments with the young Uchiha since her infancy. He could remember his body and mind enveloped by shock after seeing Sasuke and Sakura with an infant after their journey of a year and the times he spent with the mother and child during the father's absence. Kakashi, at then, truly admitted his admiration on Sakura for her content of the situation. He thought of how much she has grown over the years and how Sasuke changed too. Looking at this child granted him a satisfaction as both a teacher and a father.
"She really has grown a lot." "What are you doing out here so late, Sarada? Won't your parents be worried?" Kakashi asked while eyeing on a certain someone behind her.
The Uchiha pursed her lips and began her request "Rokudaime-sama, please train me until the upcoming Chunin Exams!" Sarada immediately bowed down.
The sudden request shocked everyone at present. Mitsuki did not find that coming from her. He felt that him asking her to find a mentor and her seeing them was more than a mere coincidence.
Same went to the two elite Jounins. Gai, in the wheelchair, switched his cheerful mood to the one akin to his status and turned his eyes to his friend. There, he saw him contemplating the request seriously. After thinking a short while, the silver-haired shinobi let out a breath and Sarada was tensed upon the reaction.
"Don't tell me…" Sarada's expression reflected perfectly to the worst possibility.
"Sarada, first of all, how can I be your sensei…" Sarada's head fell to the ground.
"…if you keep on calling me Rokudaime-sama? Sensei would be fine." Kakashi relayed with a welcoming smile.
"R-Really?"
Watching Kakashi's constant smile and quick nod, Sarada's face was lifted by happiness and jumped to her joy with her fist in the air "YATTA!"
Mitsuki smiled in respond to her happiness. After the jump, she realized that she was still in front of the elites and held her hands together in embarrassment.
Unbothered, Kakashi continued "But if you don't mind, Sarada, I would want this young fellow to kinda of assist me in training you?"
Kakashi's eyes were fixated to MItsuki, who noticed it and returned the same, only with less intensity in them.
"Not at all, Roku...Ah…Hatake-sensei!" Sarada spoke before the shocked Mitsuki even realized.
"Sarada…"
"Don't worry, Mitsuki. It'll be fine." Sarada gave him an upbeat expression which washed off Mitsuki's worries.
"Well then, you two better get some sleep and hope to see you at 7 in the morning."
"Hai! Thank you very much! I won't disappoint you, Hatake-sensei! Good night!" The girl enthusiastically spoke out.
"Thank you very much for the offer. Have a good night sleep." Mitsuki followed after Sarada who was happily expressing her excitement to him. Even though it was not something he had in mind, there was something that he wanted to witness in Sarada's training after seeing that positive expression of hers.
Somehow, he just wanted to be there.
After watching the two genins leaving into the darkness, Might Gai finally spoke up "I didn't think you would be teaching again after Team 7. To think that you're teaching someone who happens to be the daughter of your students…it must be the aftermath of the flame of youths!"
Kakashi sighed at his friend's usual acclaim "Ha…same here…I thought it would be the end of my shinobi career after retiring but…"
"But?"
"I just can't help but not to ignore this urge to even use chakra." Kakashi muttered with a heavy heart.
Understanding the meaning, Gai grinned with his thumbs-up. His expression then changed "I understand if it's Sasuke and Sakura's daughter but…isn't that boy…"
"Ah…even now, I still can't understand that person's intention for putting his son back to the village he once hated. For now, I just want to keep an eye on his personality and abilities since he is in the same team with my students' children."
"I see. Anyhow…Kakashi…"
"Hm?"
"Let me come to the training tomorrow then!"
Kakashi gave his last sigh of the night before retiring for the big day.
In the far north of Konohagakure, a dark-skinned man was sitting in a lazy manner; his legs on the desk and arms on the armrests. Overall, it was his expression that did not match the entire ambiance of the building and his title.
The door immediately burst out and a large woman with a fairly large bust stepped forth towards the intruder.
"This is the Raikage's office! Could you at least…?"
The intruder ignored the supposed threat as he walked pass the blonde and passed a scroll onto the man's desk. The two exchanged glances and seriousness overwhelmed the office. Without turning his head, the man on desk gave his first order.
"Samui, send out the message to the four Kages."
The woman straightened her body and responded with a militarized tone "And what would the message be, Raikage-sama?"
"Tell them that it's urgent and meet at Konohagakure. Quickly!"
"Ha!" Samui disappeared with a Body Flicker Jutsu. The man, Raikage, finally opened the scroll and his expression changed to a deep frown.
The blonde intruder then said "This is not normal. The entire village was massacred. Nothing was stolen and searched around."
"…Those people are just making fun of life, aren't they? C, secure a platoon and a messenger in each small village. Have them to respond if they find anyone or anything suspicious."
"Understood." The blond man disappeared similarly, leaving Darui alone in the office. He glanced through the scroll and photos attached inside. Aside from the bloody scenes of death and destruction, his eyes were particularly focused on a circular symbol with a triangle inside that was seemingly drawn by blood. A single drop of sweat on his forehead was visible to his senses. He knew it.
That something will happen soon. And blood will be part of it.
Several cloaked shadows were having their sights from a hilltop onto a particular village. One of them stepped forth and approached their leader.
"Kaku-sama, one of our team has successfully returned. However, they did not find that person." A feminine voice came out.
"…I see. I guess…I'll have to step in this time."
"Kaku-sama, there's still time…"
"I know that…but time is all we need." The leader grinned as his icy blue eyes glanced upon the large village in front of him.
Thanx so much readers for the favs, follows & reviews^^
Sooo what do u think? Sarada being insecure about her skills but found the possible solution by training under Kakashi. From Gaiden, she seemed to be someone who thinks too much on everything...but that's what makes her interesting. Here, I'm portraying Mitsuki to be a friend who likes to be curious in others, especially his close friends like Boruto and Sarada. Rather than alone (unlike just Kakashi & Sasuke then), just wanna put Kakashi with the two together. Just imagine him trying his student's & former enemy's children...even he won't imagine it well...
NEXT STOP! First training & Gokage meeting (I hope)...
Hope u guys would fav & follow the story. N pls review this chap & story while u can^^
Hope u enjoy this week!