The following day, Himawari had guided her people to the embassy in the village hidden in the grass with relatively little issue. Some demons had attempted to attack but in too small numbers to be of any threat to a group of this size.
"This is a lot better than you told me, there is space for everyone here." Sarada turned to her colleagues, to which Inojin shrugged off. This wasn't the first time they had used an old embassy as a base, in the days before the invasion a shinobi would stay in embassies like these if they had nowhere else in that specific village to stay, although with how close some of the villages were back then it hardly seemed necessary. They were actually ideal, they possessed beds for sleeping, real offices for working and planning and often they had stocked weapons. Due to being on Boruto's team as a genin Sarada never had to stay in these establishments in the great nations, they always ended up staying with a friend of Naruto's. Serving on Boruto's team, Sarada got to see just how many people Naruto had connected with in his life. She had stayed with the eight tails jinchuriki, the leader of the hidden rain village and she had even stayed in the Kazekage mansion. On one mission, not even to a shinobi land, a small family let her team stay with them. All of this felt like a thousand years ago now but she could still remember taste the fish delicacy that Inari made her in the back of her throat.
Sarada made her way into her new office space, she laid out the maps they had of the region.
"So, what is our next move Sarada?" Jinsho entered behind her, although he seemed to be asking a question, more often than not with him he was really there to give his own thoughts on a matter.
"The people are rattled, we need to offer them a sense of victory, and if possible we need to make this place more secure in order to prolong our stay here." Jinsho continued, not waiting for her to answer his original question.
"You're right, Mosaru has people panicking as well. Ok let's…." She stopped, she reached out to the map but noticed the trembling on her hand. She was suddenly unable to truly focus on anything, even Jinsho who was only a few feet away from her.
"Sarada?" At first she didn't seem to respond to him, she just looked in his general direction after a moment.
"Take some earth style users, I trust you to choose the right people for the job, have them build walls and trenches at key strategic points around the base. Shikadai will probably already be assessing them as we speak. The insect user stared at her for a moment, his version of showing concern, before leaving. Sarada quickly reached into her bag pulling her medicine out before it tumbled out of her hands. She fell down alongside them, taking the pills into her mouth. She waited a few minutes as the trembling stopped and everything came back into focus.
"So, another successful relocation done by the great Himawari Uzumaki!" Shota teased, acting like some sort of showman.
"Hehe, please don't do that…."
"It's true Himawari, without you we wouldn't be here. Without you or Sarada." Yaku was tailing along behind them, as was Mito who was as silent as always but it seemed to be a happy silence.
"Without Sarada Uchiha? I actually think we would be better off." The group of young ninja turned to see Mosaru with several others at his side.
"Mosaru… what are you doing?"
"What am I doing? I am putting an end to this farce we have been living with for the last three years." Himawari looked at him closely, she could still see the grieving brother but it was as if he was wearing this new rebellious determination over his grief.
"Farce? What farce? What are you…." Himawari found the answer to her impending question coming from behind Mosaru.
"Oh no…"
"Sarada Uchiha!" Sarada heard the shouting from her office, as she walked out and down the hall she could see the people gathering. They had gathered around the spot where Mosaru approached Himawari. It wasn't long before she seen what was going on. Shuhei was with Mosaru.
"There she is everyone! Our savior! Our leader!"
"Mosaru, what is this about?" She asked, worryingly.
"Knocking you off of your pedestal before you get us all killed, like my brother." Sarada looked at his sides, something had changed in the people following him they seemed terrified. She turned her attention to Shuhei, who seemed more scared than all of them, he seemed to cower behind Mosaru.
"How long are you going to stare at the kid Sarada? You know what this is about."
"Would you mind letting us in on that Mosaru? Some of us have family to care for." A young woman, Haru's sister asked.
"Hmm, it's lucky you have any family left since we having been following her for so long."
"Mosaru, you're brother's death wasn't Sarada's fault." Chocho entered the debate.
"Wasn't it? If she was a true leader, she would have forced Himawari to rest more instead of letting her lead a scout exhausted instead of giving her special treatment from the rest of us."
"Special treatment?" Chocho seemed confused, she looked at Himawari who seemed equally confused but for some reason she couldn't make eye contact with Sarada, as if Sarada was denying her it.
"What are you talking about? Sarada doesn't treat me any different from the rest of you, she always looks out for the group first off." Himawari protested.
"Grow up Himawari, if she hadn't been sleeping with your brother then you would truly be in the same boat as the rest of us."
Himawari span around to look at Sarada and as their eyes met she felt a massive awkward weight fall between them. It was if, in that moment, an endless sea had emerged between the two young women. She could see from the guilt ridden sweat on Sarada's face that it was true.
"Wait… you didn't know?" Mosaru laughed in disbelief.
"You didn't know that the woman whose orders you've been following, the woman whose secrets you've been keeping and whose lies you've been telling was sleeping with your brother?" Himawari looked at Sarada to say something, but she didn't or maybe she couldn't.
"Wow, that's great. It must sting to know that the woman who ordered you're brother to die was sleeping with him." He continued to mock but before it could continue he found himself flung back against the wall. Sarada held him by his throat over her head. As Mosaru gasped for his breath he looked down at Sarada and he seen the altered pattern of her eyes.
"Say. That. Again." She spoke, slowly with a voice flooded with killing intent. Members of the Kōyō backed away from the scene somewhat, seemingly frightened by Sarada.
"I dare you. Say. That. Again." She tightened her grip on his throat before meeting his eyes properly and pulling him inside of an illusion. Mosaru found himself surrounded by a dark cold and wet wind, while he could feel his insides burning up as if his blood had been boiled. Mosaru began to squirm against the wall, sweat pouring from every inch of skin as his eyes began to quake.
"Go on. Let it out, open your mouth and let it out." Sarada quietly and someone still fiercely demanded of the male ninja.
Himawari looked at her older friend and barely recognised the girl she knew from the hidden leaf village. Instead all she saw was the same hate filled survivor of this nightmare she witnessed after her battle against Seph. It was shortly afterwards she heard some other members of the Kōyō whispering in fear of her friend.
"Is that really Sarada…" Those were the words that stood out the most.
"Sarada, calm down. Mosaru doesn't mean what he is saying. He is just upset." Inojin slowly approached Sarada, who didn't seem to hear him.
"…Yes…I do… you stupid bi…" Sarada pulled her fist back aiming it straight at his gut. She prepared to plough her fist straight into him but as it began to move she collapsed over in pain. She felt her stomach pulsing inwards in pain and she could feel the same pain rising up through her chest. She began to cough, Sarada quickly let go of Mosaru dropping him to the ground and unintentionally dispelling her own genjutsu. Bringing her hands to her face a current of flowing blood crashed into them and continued to flow between her fingers.
"Sarada!" Himawari, Inojin and several others shouted rushing to her. Mosaru took advantage of the moment and went at her with a knife. Himawari saw his intent and using Kurama's chakra sped up to intervene.
"Inojin, Iona. Take Sarada to the medical office!" Jinsho commanded, as he and Tokuma drew their own blades as Mosaru's followers gathered up around him.
Those who had not taken a side looked between the two groups of ninja in confusion and fear, until one of them spoke up.
"Mosaru… what did you mean before? About Himawari keeping Sarada's secrets…" Mosaru turned to the young female who addressed him. He was still in pain from the genjutsu but he found the words he needed.
"Oh, that. It turns out, this apocalypse isn't that Sarada had us believeing it was. It wasn't some random demon race invading our reality. There is an intelligence behind them, something Sarada and her damn inner circle have been calling the humanoids. And they are what killed the five kage."