Welcome back to another chapter of A Spark of Hope!

Life Update: I got through my thesis presentation and my finals these past two weeks! Hoooooraaaay! I still have a few requirements for college (like the final draft of thesis manuscript, a group project, etc), all due by the 25th, so I'm whittling them down one by one! Then the plan is to have a graduation shoot with friends at a studio on the 28th (hopefully?), and I'll be free afterwards to focus my energies on writing this story! ^_^

Enough about me though, and onto the chapter! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! A few more familiar faces appear, some from the anime and some from the first book! Maybe you'll recognize them! ;)

Chapter 3: Slow-Healing Wounds

"Namida said, 'Go to CSS'," Sarada told Boruto as they walked along a wide, leaf-strewn street in the university. The large and leafy trees along the road provided some relief from the rays of the afternoon sun. "That's where they are right now. We're almost there anyway."

"CSS," Boruto thought about it. "College of Social Sciences? We passed it a while ago, right?"

Sarada nodded. "Yes, on our way to Physics building. We'll meet there after… the…" Sarada trailed off. "Woah, that's a lot of people."

As the two got within sight of the College of Social Sciences, they witnessed a crowd of hundreds of students gathering on the grand perron, the wide reddish front steps leading up to the building's entrance, as well as on the street crossing below.

There was a microphone stand on the topmost landing of the brick-red perron. Several large speakers were set up before the microphones and along the sides of the steps, and they were pointed to all corners of the crowd. They were currently playing some music, heightening the excitement of the waiting crowd.

Boruto asked, "What's happening?"

"It's election season in Konoha University," Sarada noted as they reached the edges of the still-growing mass of students and bystanders. "This is for the University Student Council."

He sighed. "I'd rather visit our old Academy building than listen to speeches by students practicing to be future politicians. I'd get to remember and reflect on our school days, on simpler times…"

"Well sorry, but we're staying here," Sarada insisted with a smirk. "Hehehe, I'm excited to see how the next student leaders are shaping up, you know? They are the future, after all."

"You just sounded so much like dad."

"He's taught me so much, after all. I can't help but sound like Lord Seventh at times."

As Sarada pulled Boruto along through the crowd and onto the sides of the first few perron steps, a beautiful woman wearing a red shirt and a matching red skirt descended from the building entrance down to the landing with the microphone.

"Hello Konoha University! On behalf of my entire party, the Democratic Socialist-Environmentalist Alliance, I thank you for waiting…"

Amidst the sudden chorus of supportive shouting and waving in the crowd, Boruto recognized her face and her voice. He turned to Sarada. "Hold on, isn't that Gengania?"

Sarada merely smiled and cheered along with the crowd.

"You all know the one I'm introducing… Don't worry, it's not me this time, I already had my speech a few hours ago." An eruption of laughter followed and echoed through the speakers.

"She is the current Student Council Vice President from the College of Medicine, running now for Council President." There was another wave of cheering that rippled through the assembly. "So, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've been waiting for. One of my best friends, a straight-honors student from College of Medicine, a war heroine, and a person I trust with my life…"

Gengania gestured back to the entrance where she had come from a minute earlier. "Wasabi Izuno!"

Wasabi, clad in a white shirt, an open green jacket, and long maroon shorts, walked down from the entrance of the College of Social Sciences building. She waved to the people present at their election rally. Students and professors alike who were present in the crowd cheered at the top of their lungs and clapped their hands as hard as they could. It was such that all the combined sounds at the front steps sounded like thunderclaps during a typhoon. Some waved red and green banners with the party logo, while others in the crowd waved red and green handkerchiefs in the soft breeze.

Meanwhile, Boruto stood there in stunned silence, mouth and eyes agape. As the crowd around them began to settle down to listen to the speech, Sarada turned to Boruto, the biggest possible smile plastered onto her face. She bit gently on her bottom lip, struggling to hold herself back from bursting into guffaws and potentially causing a scene that could distract her friend Wasabi.

She managed to ask Boruto, "You sticking by your comment earlier? About students just practicing to be future politicians?"

"I… I didn't know…" Then it hit him. "So this is what you meant earlier! About Wasabi having to do a speech before she could meet with us," he pieced together. "I thought it was for a class, dammit!"

"It was for the best though. Your reaction was epic!"

"Good afternoon everyone!" Wasabi grinned and looked around. "I know you've all waited a long while for this to start. I did too. But before anything else, I'd like to note down the people I'm running alongside, fellow members of the Red-Green party, my friends whom I trust wholeheartedly." She pointed to two of the people standing at the front row. "There's Geng, the one who just introduced me! She's running for College of Linguistics Representative! Next to her is Panga, running for the representative seat of the College of Engineering. Then there's Tomoka, who's running for College of Sports, and next up is Yamada who's running for Institute of Biology. The two of them aren't here right now, they have an ongoing classes…"

While Wasabi was speaking, Boruto nudged Sarada with his elbow. "How many candidates are running? How many seats are there to fill?"

"Hehehe, so now you're interested."

"Well yeah! Now that I know it's our friends who are running, of course!"

"True," Sarada nodded with a slight giggle. "Wasabi told me that the student council has 18 seats, one for each of the sixteen colleges and institutes, and then two more seats for the Council President and Vice President. Meanwhile, there are three main parties, each with their own identities. Each party usually fields a candidate for each college seat."

"What are the parties?"

"It might be better if you ask Wasabi about them after she's done. I don't want to give you any wrong information by mistake."

"...These wonderful men and women, "Wasabi said of her running mates, "have already highlighted in their speeches our visions and our planned programs for the school. We've already begun them in the past school year. Free tuition for all college students, mental health programs and more accessible professional help, the university-wide gun ban, more holistic education and diversity in the new revitalized general education classes. We want to continue these, to expand on these, to make them even better."

"This coming school year, my friends and I will also lobby for new foreign language classes, critical thesis study areas, and language revival projects for the Lipino and Ainu languages. We will suggest new outreach programs and charity collaborations for the poor. We will organize for them, and for Lipino and Ainu speakers to come visit Konoha University and share their experiences and cultures. We will push for more public displays and appreciation for the fine arts and visual communications fields and courses, and greener policies to take better care of our environment."

She paused and looked around as another wave of applause rippled through the colorful sea of students that were listening to her.

"But let us not forget that as the leading center of knowledge and learning in our country, as the institution that molds us and brings about the future of our country and of our Shinobi Union, we must not be afraid to speak out. We must let our voices be heard on the issues we see and read about, not just the issues that affect us directly. We should stand firm against abuses of power and the oppression of the poor and marginalized. I'm talking about Sotto, the influential landowner and member of the Elite Council of the Land of Water, who has still not yet been punished in any way for his role in the massacre and rape of Paloma Town. I'm talking about the Sixth Mizukage, Lord Chojuro, for either passively turning a blind eye or actively protecting Sotto, his close friend, from any consequences. I'm talking about the Land of Frost's Daimyo, his rampant abuses of power and extrajudicial killings against his own people. I'm talking about the hostile takeover and illegal occupation of the Stone Nation by the Land of Wind under Lord Kazekage Gaara. And I'm talking about the Shinobi Union and some of our leaders for not doing enough about it. I urge Lord Seventh to use his powerful and far-reaching influence by just a little more, to help right these wrongs."

As the crowd's roaring cheer echoed along the street, Boruto noticed that beside him, Sarada had an unsure look on her face. "I agree with everything else, and I admire that she has the courage to call out those influential politicians from other countries," she explained once she saw he was looking at her. "But that last bit sounded as if she was criticizing Lord Seventh for not doing enough."

"I didn't see it that way," Boruto replied to her, his arms crossed. "It sounded more like a healthy suggestion than a criticism."

Sarada paused, and then shrugged. "You're probably right. It's not like she's against Lord Seventh or anything like that…"

"Now, some people, particularly the old and conservative ones, will say that we're too young and idealistic to understand how government should be run, how society should be, that we should just keep our mouths shut, that we wait for our turn to clean their messes up. I don't think so! We are the youth! We are powerful! We are more interconnected by our social media than any other generation before us! Our generation is the future of our world, and I believe we, our generation, can do amazing things! In the future, we can limit poverty drastically and help spread the wealth around. We can ensure affordable and quality healthcare for everyone. We can bring an end to discrimination based on gender and sex and economic class and skin tone. We can bring an end to these devastating wars! We can do all of these and more; I just know it! Yes, we're still young. Yes, we're still learning. We're not in charge of the Land of Fire, not yet. But we still must be active in helping our nation into the future."

"Now more than ever, our nation and our Shinobi Union need us to continue to learn, to seek truth and knowledge, to keep speaking out against the injustices that we see around us. My running mates and I, we encourage you to keep studying, keep solving, and keep learning. And remember, our learning is not merely confined within the four walls of a classroom, but rather it is defined by our willingness to listen, to analyze, to speak out, and to stand up for those who can't. Thank you very much!"

Wasabi waved and walked away from the microphone to her friends after concluding her speech, while the crowd of students, teachers, passersby, and supporters serenaded her with a harmonic ovation of cheering, whistling, clapping, and praising.

"Fucking amazing!" Gengania pulled her into her embrace, one that Wasabi returned with just as much vigor.

"Thanks, Geng! And you too, Panga!"

"You did great! Congratulations!" Panga wrapped her arm around her shoulders. She then looked off to the side and informed Wasabi, "Hehee, here she comes."

Wasabi turned around, and they watched as Namida ran down from the building, where she had been watching from the balcony of the floor above. From the top of the entranceway, she leapt down five steps and made a beeline for her girlfriend. She enveloped Wasabi in a hug, her arms snaking around the small of her back, and kissed her chastely, leading to friendly giggles and pats on their shoulders by Gengania and Panga. "You did fantastic! Everyone with me on the balcony was cheering!"

"You'll be President of the Student Council," Panga assured Wasabi, then turned to Namida and continued, "and you'll be her First Lady."

"I'd love to see that." The four girls turned to see a smiling Sarada approaching them. "I'd definitely support you girls."

"Sarada!" Wasabi greeted her warmly. "Thank you! I'm glad you were able to…" She lost her words when she saw and recognized who was standing beside her. The other three women had the exact same reaction.

"BORUTO?"

"Hey everyone," he waved to the four of them, his friends whom he last saw nearly three years ago, around the time he left Konoha with Sasuke.

Without another word being said, they moved towards Boruto and Sarada and pulled them both into their group hug. "You're…" Wasabi uttered, "You're actually here…"

Boruto replied, "I've missed you guys so much too."

"It's been a long time," the dark-haired Gengania noted, to which Panga and Sarada nodded in agreement.

"It really has," Namida sighed. "Two years, eleven months… How the time flies…"

The warm embrace seemed to go on for hours, though in reality it only lasted a few seconds.

"That really was a nice speech," Boruto told Wasabi as the six separated from the hug. "You got the crowd pumped up and ready to vote for you."

Sarada joked, "Yet Boruto didn't want to listen at first. He thought you were all just playing politics."

"Hey! That was before I found out Wasabi was going to speak! I thought it was going to be some random student I didn't know."

"It's alright!" Wasabi laughed it off. "I'd understand, I was just like that when we were younger…"

"Ohh, the time…" Panga nudged Gengania. "It's almost 3 now. Should we head home?" She nodded, so Panga then tapped Wasabi and Namida. "We need to go now. We'll meet up with the others and prepare for tonight's dinner party!"

Sarada smiled and asked, "All eight of you are coming?"

"You bet! We'd be crazy to snub an invitation from the Hokage!"

"And we're going to celebrate the anniversary of our defections," Gengania added. "It's coming up, our third year of calling Konoha home. We'll be drinking tonight, hehee!"

Boruto crossed his arms. "What will you bring?"

"We… don't quite know yet," Panga sheepishly replied. "Ivyred ordered some bottles of jalapeno honey wine online, but it might not be delivered in time for tonight. That's why we might go shopping for drinks and gifts before we dress up for the party."

"We'll bring some malt beer," Namida told them. "Or the vodka. Maybe both? We'll see."

The linguistics scholar pumped her fist. "Nice! Panga and I are excited for tonight, and so are the rest of the girls! See you guys later! I hope you three have a good, relaxing therapy session, okay?"

"Thanks! We'll tell you about it later tonight!"

The two groups hi-fived each other and then split at an intersection, with the two girls heading down a side street towards their apartment unit to the south, and the four childhood friends walking down the main street of the campus, heading to the campus gate in front of the Academy Building.

"How are you feeling, Boruto? Is it good to be back in Konoha?"

Boruto nodded to Namida, who was walking in front of him. "I've missed it a lot, you know? I'm happy to be here again, which is probably a huge improvement over the last time you saw me."

"That's wonderful!" She smiled back to him. "Honestly, I'm still shocked that you're here. We didn't know you'd be coming back today!"

"I was so surprised too when I ran into him earlier," Sarada told them. "I thought at first I was hallucinating!"

Wasabi thought out loud, "I don't suppose you coming back and the party tonight at your place are connected?"

"Yup, I'm supposed to be the secret surprise, although some people already know about it, like both of you, Sarada, Denki, and my sis. How about you two? How have you two been? Still going strong?"

"Definitely," Wasabi quickly answered. "It's June 28, right? Today marks four years and eight months for us."

"That's so cool!" Sarada then followed up by asking, "Do you still celebrate each monthsary?"

"Oh no, not anymore!" Wasabi chuckled. "It became a hassle to keep count after 30 months, so we just keep track of our anniversaries now."

The group of four passed through the gate and turned right on the street, which led towards the west side of Konoha. The heat of the three o'clock sun, shining through a wide gap between slow-moving clouds, was enough to make them start sweating. But they paid no attention to it, since they were engrossed in their conversation and in each other's company.

"Hey," Sarada nudged Boruto. "You had a question for Wasabi, right?"

Boruto looked back at her. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"During her speech? You were wondering about the university's political parties. It's the one I couldn't answer because what I know might be a bit outdated."

Wasabi answered quickly, "There are three main parties in Konoha University. There's my party, DSEA, which stands for the Democratic Socialist and Environmentalist Alliance. Then there's our usual coalition partner, the PMM, or Progressive and Multicultural Movement. And lastly, there's our civil and friendly opposition, the Liberal-Libertarian Pact, LLP."

"Red and Green for our party," Namida added, "Blue and Yellow for the LLP, and Pink and Violet for the PMM. Each party has their safe colleges, sort of home bases that they're entrenched in, like how we are in College of Social Sciences for example. So the election will come down to those swing colleges that will decide how the council will look like."

"Wait," Sarada said. "I heard from Uncle Sai that there's a fourth party trying to make headway. The youth or student wing of the Fascist Fist?"

"Pffft…" Wasabi puffed dismissively and shook her head. "At best, they're not even going to garner a few dozen votes. If there were an election in the Land of Fire as a whole, then I'd worry about one or two councilors netting them a little representation. But they're not winning anything here."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because most students in Konoha University aren't stupid." Wasabi continued, "We know how disgusting their core beliefs are. We know how dangerous it'll be if they grasp hold of power. They'll corrupt it into their image of purity." Her voice became firmer, more serious. It was not angry, but it wasn't relaxed either. "They think inequality isn't just unavoidable, but desirable! They only spread disinformation and hate and division. We've even had some young followers of that bastard Gadon harassing Namida and me, when all were doing was walking down the street hand-in-hand."

"I've also seen those followers mocking me and Sumire," Sarada informed them. "I actually fought them an hour ago, which is when I ran into Boruto. He stopped me from kicking their asses more."

"I was afraid you'd get into trouble, you know?"

"Hahaha… What are they going to do about it?"

"They… They might sue?"

"There's no way Lord Seventh will let that happen."

"That is true," Namida added in reply. "I remember that melee we had with Gadon and his lackeys, the one at Sumire's apartment on her last birthday. Lord Seventh us cleared of any wrongdoing… in spite of several deaths we kind of caused…"

"I agree," Wasabi told Sarada, "nothing happened to us back then, and nothing will happen from that too." She then continued. "But going back, not only do we and the professors let the students know what the Fascist Fist does, and what they want to do, but they themselves make no secret of the fact that they hate the arts, the academia, even higher education in general. It's so ironic then that they're trying to run in our university, and most if not all students know it. That's why I'm highly convinced that not a single representative running for the Fascist Student Front will get elected."

"Oh, not to mention," Namida further expounded, "they bragged about their connections to modern weapons sales and sellers… the day after the school shooting. Not a good image they're setting for themselves."

Boruto asked, "What school shooting?"

"At the Academy," replied Sarada with a deep and somber sigh, "two weeks ago. Eight young students died. Thirty more students and teachers were wounded."

Boruto stopped in his tracks. "…What?"

The three girls stopped walking as well. Namida asked him, "Oh, you haven't heard about it?"

"No! What happened?"

"A high school student named Adarlo had a nasty feud with some of his classmates," Wasabi began explaining to Boruto. "It boiled over two weeks ago, and he got ganged up on and beaten up in a fight. The next day, he brought his parent's gun to school. He went berserk. He shot those classmates of his, and then he shot at other students passing by."

"That's terrible… I… I'm just shocked to hear all this…"

"I heard he was mentally ill and had severe anger problems," added Namida. "It could have been the reason he was bullied so bad? I really don't want to judge. It's just a terrible situation, all around."

"Thankfully," Sarada continued, "Anko-sensei and a brave student of hers charged at him, wrestled with him, and knocked his gun away. They all ended up falling over the concrete railing onto the staircase below. The shooter broke his neck and died when both Anko-sensei and her student fell on top of him when they landed on the steps."

"That night, when I heard about it," Wasabi shared, "I stopped reviewing for my medical exam and drafted the resolution that would ban students from bringing any guns or similar assault weapons into campus grounds. My friend Lea, the outgoing student council president, formalized it into a bill, and then sent it to Headmaster Umino. He signed it into university law last week."

Sarada nodded in approval. "We can only hope that going forward, it'll help prevent similar things from happening…"

Afterwards, they began walking anew. Soon, Sarada realized that they were only two streets away from Miss Saito's apartment office, where their therapy sessions happen. She reminisced about the very first time she had a session with Miss Saito, when she tagged along with Sumire several days after her birthday party, the one that was marred by the violent skirmish with Gadon's mob outside Sumire's apartment.

She remembered the pedestrian overpass that she, Wasabi, Namida, and Boruto were to pass under in a few minutes. It was the bridge from where several citizens of Konoha threw obscenities, spit, shit, rocks, and scissors at her and her best friend.

She remembered seeing the utter fear and hatred that they, the very people she would have to serve one day, had in their eyes towards the sweet, gentle purple-haired kunoichi… Towards Sumire, one of her closest and best friends, someone she loved dearly, someone she was happy to have gotten to know, someone she was happy to have called a friend.

Sarada slowed down, as even though her eyes were open while she sauntered along beside her friends, she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. Her focus was on pondering a now-familiar question.

She wondered if she really wanted to serve and protect those people, the ones who abused Sumire, the ones who attempted to harm her or kill her, the ones who spread falsehoods and hatred against the late heroine of Mount Tirad, the ones who until now willfully remain ignorant about Sumire, her heroism, and her sacrifice.

She asked herself if she could somehow reconcile her love for her friends Sumire, Mitsuki, and even Kawaki to a certain extent, with her goal of becoming the Lady Ninth Hokage and representing those same citizens of the Land of Fire who show nothing but hate to her friends.

"I… don't know…"

"Sarada? You okay?"

Sarada glanced towards the sweet voice and quickly realized that Namida was concerned for her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You looked like you were deep in thought."

"I was," she admitted. "Don't worry about it though, I'll tell you more about it during our therapy."

"By the way," Namida offered, "Wasabi and I would love to have you over to our place after our session. There'll still be a lot of time until the party later, so we can have some snacks and catch up more there. What do you say?"

"Ohh, I'd love to! I haven't been there in a while, so count me in!"

Boruto agreed with Sarada. "I want to see how your apartment looks."

Wasabi described, "It's high up on Foci Towers, so we can see a lot of the city from there."

"Where is that? I haven't been there yet."

"The Foci Towers, you mean? It's a kilometer and a half southeast of the University, so it's a fifteen minute walk."

Namida proudly added, "We also converted one of the small rooms into a recording room, with soundproofing, acoustics, recording equipment-"

"A recording room?" Boruto cut in. "What for?"

"I sing and vlog for a living! I post my singing videos and vlogs on StreamTeam, and I get to rake in the income to pay our bills while Wasabi studies to become a doctor and leader."

"Amazing!" Boruto asked, "How much do you get for it? Is it enough?"

"It's way more than enough to support the two of us," Namida replied. "I get in the range of tens of thousands of ryo per month."

"Woah, really?"

"Yeah! It's connected to the monthly views I get for my videos."

"Your songs are quite popular," Sarada noted. "Your first song recently crossed five million views, didn't it?"

"Are you talking about Embrace?"

Sarada thought for a moment. "It's the one that goes, 'In our story that's just begun, I want to know more about your world…' Right?"

"Your singing voice is pretty good," Namida giggled, to which Sarada blushed slightly. "That's Embrace, all right. And it crossed five million views… two months ago, I think? But yeah, I guess it's pretty recent!"

"It's so cool, really! We're all famous, in our own ways."

Namida laughed softly. "I never thought I could get this much from singing and making videos of daily life in Konoha. Seems so simple, right?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I used to think that being a kunoichi would be the way I'd get enough savings to leave home, live independently, and pay rent, but the money I'm getting now is so much more than what we used to get from doing missions. And the income's more consistent too!"

"Maybe it also helps that a lot of people know your story?" Sarada suggested. "You know, as a child abuse survivor, a war heroine, a veteran, and a survivor of the Battle of the Hod and Feres Passes?"

"You might be right there," Namida replied with a smile.

"But more importantly than that," Sarada pointed out, "you're doing far better now without your foster parents than you were before you left them, right?"

"Before I was disowned, you mean?"

"You left on your own terms too, right? Didn't you shatter all the glass there with your sonic scream jutsu? Not to mention, their eardrums?"

Namida ruffled her hair. "Hehehe… I did do that…"

"Totally agree with Sarada," Wasabi added, the pride for her loved one apparent in her beaming grin and her tomboyish voice. "You're happier and more confident nowadays. And not only do I rely on you for the financing, you give me a lot of morale support too, especially when I get stressed out over requirements for med school and student council."

"But more often than not," Namida admitted, "I'm the one leaning on your shoulders. You're the one encouraging me, and doing other things to make me feel better…"

Boruto snickered. "I wonder what those 'other things' could mean?"

Wasabi turned towards Boruto, her face flushing quickly, her expression a mix of embarrassment and slight annoyance. Meanwhile, Sarada playfully smacked Boruto on the shoulder. "No need to ask that!"

Boruto squeaked in laughter. "I know, I'm just kidding!"

Suddenly, Namida stopped walking.

Boruto, who had behind her, nearly crashed into her. He managed to stop in time, stretching out his arm in front of him and gently placing it on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that-"

"It's not you," Wasabi whispered to him while taking Namida's hand and glaring at the path ahead. "It's them."

Boruto and Sarada followed Wasabi's eyes. They saw a family, two middle-aged parents with their two toddlers in baby strollers, only a short distance in front of them. The two older adults were now staring straight back at Namida.

Sarada's eyes bulged wide. "Oh no…"

Boruto had a bad feeling. He whispered back a question. "Are those… her parents?" Sarada nodded silently.

Meanwhile, Wasabi noticed Namida was breathing heavily. Namida's hand, gripping around Wasabi's wrist with all its might, felt clammy and freezing cold. She looked to be frozen in place, unable to walk away from where she stood.

Wasabi recognized those telltale signs of panic and anxiety. So, she wrapped her arms around Namida's waist and gave her a kiss on her cheek. She did this, knowing full well, and not caring one bit, that she did it in full view of Namida's homophobic former adoptive parents.

"It's going to be okay," she reassured her. "We're not going anywhere. Let's go-"

"You ugly wretches! You have no shame!" The woman screeched and pointed straight at Namida and Wasabi, making a scene that attracted the attention of people passing by. "How dare you show our children your sodomy? You defile their innocence! You disgrace the Suzumeno family name with your vile, disgusting sexuality business!"

Wasabi tried to keep herself between Namida and the adults harassing her. But Namida steeled herself and gently nudged her girlfriend aside, so that she could look the person she had once called her mother in the eye.

"I'm not a Suzumeno anymore. I'm an Izuno now."

Boruto then joined Wasabi in getting back in front of Namida, wanting to make sure that nothing got out of hand. As he did so, he saw the two kids in the strollers looking at them. They bore no resemblance to Namida, instead bearing much similarity to their parents.

"What is wrong with you two?" Sarada questioned them, shaking her head in disappointment. "You're hating Namida for being who she is!"

Wasabi added, "Nobody is born to hate. They are taught to hate."

"As our fathers taught us to do," the man spoke up and took a couple steps forward. "We'll teach our children to do so too."

"I thank the gods out there for giving me the chance to raise real children," the woman smirked and scoffed at her former child. The implication of her less-than-veiled insult, that they never really considered her as their real child, was not lost on Namida. She now raised her voice. "We can teach them right. We can get actual grandchildren, unlike any of the ones you'll adopt!"

Sarada shouted back, "Enough! My parents taught me that if you have nothing good to say, keep your mouth shut! "

"You're just a waste of our effort," the man whom Namida used to call her father said to her, totally ignoring Sarada in the process. "A waste of space, a waste of sperm, a waste of life!"

He quickly spit in between Boruto and Wasabi, the sludge-like mix of thick phlegm and warm saliva striking Namida near the bridge of her nose. She reflexively recoiled, but she could not avoid tasting his spit that flowed down to the corner of her lips.

Wasabi resisted the powerful urge to slap the man, instead pulling out her towel-like hanky to wipe her girlfriend's face. But as she pulled her away from the growing confrontation, Boruto shoved him hard, nearly causing him to fall back over the kid strollers that housed his young children. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was his wife catching him and holding onto both strollers.

"Apologize," Boruto demanded.

"To the likes of you, you enablers of Konoha's moral decay? Never! None of you deserve any praise. May the gods rain shame and destruction down upon you!"

"Leave now," Sarada warned the two adults with a half-threat, half-bluff, "or I'll call on the police to escort you to their precinct. I'll charge you with harassment. And just so you know, they may not be as gentle or peaceful as you might think."

A tense few seconds of silence settled in before Namida's former parents backed off and returned to the toddler strollers. But before they went on their way, the woman turned to them one more time and said, "We hope that you all perish fighting in this pointless war."

The four friends watched on as the family walked away, crossing the street and disappearing around the corner of a building. Boruto sighed in relief, and so did Sarada and Wasabi. But Wasabi quickly heard a hitched breath coming from Namida. "Baby-"

"No, don't worry about me…" Namida wiped a few tears from her eyes. "I refuse to let them ruin my day with what they said about us. There's nothing in the world that can convince me that loving you is the wrong thing to do, especially not because we're both girls. Everything they said is simply bullshit." She sniffled. "I… I just feel so bad for those kids… They're going to teach those kids to hate us, and people like us, just for who we are inside."

"I also wish we could help teach them right when they're older," Wasabi replied.

Sarada patted Namida on the shoulder. "I could ask Lord Seventh to put them under surveillance, just to check on the wellbeing of the children. If there's any sign of abuse, we can take the children away from them."

"That sounds like a good idea…"

*******XXXXXXX*******

Sarada gently knocked thrice on the door of Miss Saito's fifth floor office-apartment. A voice from inside quickly replied, "Coming!"

Within a few seconds, the door opened, revealing the woman who was slightly taller than Sarada, with her long Titian-orange hair, light brown skin, and her striking blue eyes that hid behind her thin glasses.

"Hello! Sarada, Wasabi, Namida!" She stepped aside and motioned for them to come in, which they did. "Great to see you all again! And oh, you brought Boruto Uzumaki with you as a guest? I didn't know you were back."

"I only returned today," Boruto said. "I'm assuming that they told you I was away?"

"Yeah, your name comes up quite a bit! Anyway, feel free to take a seat and take a listen to us."

She turned her attention to the three kunoichis, who were relaxing on the soft white and brown sofas. They were enjoying the soothing classical music that played in the background, the cold air coming from the white air conditioner, and the overall stress-relieving atmosphere.

"How are you three feeling?"

Sarada went first. "I'm feeling like I'm close to burning myself out. And I had a rough time today, getting into a bral with some assholes that openly mocked Sumire's death and Lord Seventh and me. I'll talk about it more later when we really start."

Wasabi followed after. "I just came off of a speech for Student Council Presidency. I was pretty nervous while speaking, but thankfully I'm starting to relax now. But I'm more concerned for my girlfriend here."

"Why?" Miss Saito turned to Namida. "Did anything happen?"

"A lot… Nightmares, seeing those people I used to live with again, some trauma coming back…"

"We can start with you then," the psychologist suggested with a gentle, reassuring smile. Namida nodded and sat down on the reclining couch beside Miss Saito's desk.

Miss Saito grabbed her pen and notepad, preparing to take notes for her sessions today. "Ohh and by the way Boruto," she asked the blonde shinobi, "after they have their turns, do you want to have a trial session? First time is always free!"

"I… I don't know. I'm not sure. How does your therapy work, if you don't mind me asking?"

Miss Saito smiled. "Don't worry, a lot of people ask me that. What is therapy? Well, therapy is whatever you want it to be. You can get help for motivation, depression, anxiety, stress, and dealing with insecurity and relationships matters. It's all that and a lot more. It's not just stereotypical lying on the couch in this office thingy, as some would think. Also, seeing me or any other therapist doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. It could be that you're just seeking clarity, working through complex emotions or traumatic experiences, challenging thinking patterns, learning new coping mechanisms, or focusing on your own personal growth."

She summarized proudly, "Therapy is, in essence, investing in your one greatest asset: Yourself. In you and your mental and physical wellbeing."

"That sounds so cool," Boruto replied. "I'd love to observe first how it goes for everyone. Maybe I could save my free first session for another time, if that's alright with you?"

"Of course it is!" Miss Saito giggled. "The girls come by weekly, as much as possible. You can join in for free the next time!"

She then turned to Namida, who had reclined the sofa. Her hands rested on her stomach and were clasped together, a sign that was ready to begin. The psychologist sat down beside Namida and opened her pen and pad. She also pulled a file on her desk closer to her. "You can start any time you want."

"I've been having terrible nightmares these past few weeks," Namida began. "Like earlier this week, I had the nightmare where Wasabi and I were targeted by homophobes." She paused and took a deep breath. "And then last night, I relived one of my traumatic childhood memories, the one where I was whipped with the belt buckle? I've told you about these before."

Miss Saito exhaled deeply and nodded. "Parental abuse, right?"

"Yeah… I feel terrible and angry that I was so naïve back then. I really thought they cared for me, that it was their own way of showing how much they loved me, and how much they wanted me to stay on the 'right path'." She leaned her head back on the sofa, her eyes pointed at the ceiling. "I didn't realize until after I left them that it wasn't love. It was abuse."

Miss Saito opened her file folder and read previous pages. Then she jotted down notes on her notepad. "You've had these particular nightmares many times… About the ones that are like flashbacks, these are what we call replicative posttraumatic nightmares. It's one of the manifestations of your PTSD. They're intense, threatening, frightening dreams where you, the dreamer, re-experience traumatic events. They're characteristically marked by intense negative emotions, like fear or anger, and they can cause a whole lot of distress because they're similar to having unwanted replays of the traumatic memories in your head."

"That sounds like it… Is there any medicine or treatment for it?"

"Unfortunately, in many cases, replicative nightmares can persist years or even decades after the trauma was inflicted. There are some people who try to overcome it by training their lucid dreaming abilities. You know, the type of dreams wherein you're basically a god manipulating every aspect of your dreamworld. But this kind of sleep therapy is still being investigated, if it works to lessen nightmares in general."

"As for you," Miss Saito continued, "have you had any good dreams recently, like in the past two weeks or so? Any that you were able to remember and enjoy?"

"Well yes, I do have dreams where Team 15 would be in action, where Sumire is with us, where Wasabi and me and Sumire and even Tsubaki would hang out and spend time with one another…" She paused for a long moment. "I wonder how Tsubaki is now, back in the Land of Iron."

"You're not in contact with her?"

"No, not regularly," Wasabi answered Miss Saito's question. "She doesn't really use social media, so we haven't chatted since the winter holidays last year, when she last went here and visited us."

"Hey, she does send us handwritten letters every once in a while, Sarada pointed out. "Her cursive penmanship is so nice too."

Miss Saito asked, "Well, going back a little bit… These dreams of yours, are they like memories?

"Umm," Namida thought about it. "Not exactly. They feel like memories, like real life, but as far as I can recall, they never actually happened. With these dreams, it's more like I was living new experiences out, not just reliving old ones. It's not like the trauma of childhood memories, or the trauma of getting shot."

"Maybe you're actually close to lucid dreaming…" The psychologist noted as she again flipped back and forth between the pages in Namida's file. "Hmm, you said before that from time to time, you still feel your bullet wound, even though they're completely healed up now? Do you still feel that? Have you felt it recently?"

Namida nodded. "It's not happening as frequently as it once did. But sometimes, I feel that same sharp pain coming from that particular spot in my back and radiating towards my breast." She stopped and exhaled deeply. "Even if the wound isn't physically here inside me anymore, it still bothers me… more than what my parents did or said to me…"

Miss Saito wrote down more observations and thoughts on her notepad. "On the topic of your… former parents, you said a few minutes ago that you had a confrontation with them? When did that happen?"

"On our way here."

"Yikes! I'm sorry to head that. May I ask what happened?"

"We were near the pedestrian overpass next to your place when we passed by them. We didn't want any trouble, especially because they had their baby children with them. But they screamed at us, at me, saying that they were thankful they got new kids to replace me. Then he spit on me…"

Namida let out a shaky breath in order to calm herself. "I worry a lot for the new kids… my siblings, in a way…"

"Thank goodness you weren't alone," Miss Saito sighed in relief. "Now let me assure you, Yoichi and Seira are the problem, not you. Seira told you they made new babies to replace you? And Yoichi spat on you? That just goes to show how immature and insane they are."

"She's right, "Wasabi reiterated, "It's not you. It's them. They're horrible people, and you're way better off without them."

"But to think parents like them exist," Boruto huffed angrily. "They disowned you for something you shouldn't change about yourself? That's the complete opposite of good parenting!"

Miss Saito lamented, "Judgmental enough to regard us as subhuman… because we're different from them…" Wasabi nodded in agreement with her.

"It's because they follow their damned religion! They believe in the Conductor, the guy who claims to be able to see the future, or rather the guy who tells his followers the things they want to hear about their future."

"I don't care about the religion," Boruto said, "but can he really see the future? Hehehe, I want to see how that works."

"Nope," Namida flatly replied to him. "No you don't. I grew up there. I was raised with that religion. And you know what I think? They're a bunch of backwards-thinkers and crackpots."

"…On second thought, you're probably right, you know?"

"Your parents are part of Camp of the Saints?" asked Miss Saito.

"Yes, you're familiar with it?"

"I have a couple of patients who were former members." She scrolled through her smartphone until she got the files and information she needed. "The Camp of the Saints," she read verbatim. "The Conductor reads his Score and sees the future for whomever he is focusing on in that moment. He tells us our futures, anything from good fortune in the coming days, to something grim to look out for, to some life-changing event, and how we should act and live our lives accordingly 'lest the morals and order of the world go to ruin…'"

The psychologist put her phone down. "Following fundamentalist religion and nonsense. Not a shining example of critical thinking, but I digress." Turning to Namida, she asked, "Is there anything else that you want to talk about?"

"Hmm… you're turning thirty in two months, right? Are we invited to your birthday party again?"

"HAHAHAHA…" Miss Saito cackled for a good five seconds. "Wow, what a way to call me old. Joking aside, of course you girls can come! We've known each other for three years now, not to mention it was fun last year!"

"Shot, shot, shot," Wasabi quietly chanted, leading to more mirth between the women.

After a while, Miss Saito settled down as she ripped the written notes and stuck them inside Namida's file. Namida thanked her, and so she patted her loyal patient on the shoulder. She then turned to Wasabi and readied her pen and another page in her sticky notepad. "Wasabi, you're up."

The relaxed cat-like kunoichi reclined in her seat. "As usual, I still have a tendency to lose myself in my studies and my Student Council work. It's enough to forget to function. Sometimes I even forget to eat, and if it weren't for Namida pulling me to the table, I could miss our dinners."

"I understand, med school is so hard," Miss Saito empathized with Wasabi. Nonetheless, she reminded her, "But hopefully you don't neglect your own health too much. If you work too hard, or you don't get enough sleep, or you don't get enough food or water in your system, you risk both burning out and getting sick."

"I told you guys this before," Wasabi noted. "I used to live on four to five hours of sleep. I thought it was cool, that I had so much time for other things, that I was being more productive. But you were right, Miss Saito. I was really just burning myself out, spending all those nights burning the midnight oil."

Miss Saito grinned. "I'm glad I was able to make a positive difference in your lifestyle."

"Hehehe… I mean, I still sleep late, but at least I get the full 7-8 hours of sleep."

"And that's okay! As long as you get enough sleep, even if it's from 4 am to 12 noon or something like that, your body will adapt and heal up."

Wasabi listened and nodded, but then looked to the side. "But there's something else that has been bothering me recently."

"What is it?"

"I… I admit that I was born privileged. My family is upper middle class, more or less well off. We have the luxury of living comfortably. And when I was younger, even up to just three or four years ago, all I cared about and dreamed about was becoming rich and living a good life for myself and my family and my loved ones. That was my first motivation to become a kunoichi, to rake in the cash while also helping Konoha in my own way."

Wasabi looked her friends in the eyes, a contemplative look visible in her own green orbs. "That ended when Namida, Sumire, and I met Trajano, when we saw for the first time the oppression that he fought against, what the Scattered Ashes peasant organizations continue to fight against…" She sighed deeply. "When I was exposed to the countless issues that still plague our societies today…"

"I regret my apathy when I was younger. I know I've changed, and I'm glad I was able to change for the better, but…" She spent a few seconds looking for the right words. "I… I don't know if I'm doing enough… I wonder if I'm making a difference…"

Miss Saito wrote on her notepad for a few more seconds. After she finished, she stood up and sat beside Wasabi and Sarada. "You're doing great," she told Wasabi and embraced her. "And you'll continue to do wonderfully, as long as you keep on that path. It's because of youth leaders like you and Sarada and your friends that I'm so hopeful and optimistic for our future. I think our generation will lead our world to a better future."

"Agreed," Sarada beamed a smile. "It'll be up to us to make better what the previous generation gave us."

"But remember not to burn yourselves out," Miss Saito added as a final reminder to Wasabi, "and keep things in perspective. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the little battles if you forget to look at the big picture."

Miss Saito turned to Sarada and gestured for her to start. "I've just been exhausted from these past few weeks; all these Shinobi Union conferences, Great Kage councils, and military and intelligence briefings that I've had to attend with Lord Seventh. There have been so many organizations and companies we've had to deal with too. My sleep has been erratic. My dreams feel weird. And I'm just stressed out a lot of the time… I'm wondering if it'll be just more of this when I do become Hokage…"

Sarada paused, and Miss Saito opened her mouth to chime in her thoughts, but the young Uchiha continued. "Of course, I still care for the people of our city, of our country. I still think of how to help out, now and in the future. But I also think of the times they treated Sumire after her identity was leaked."

Her voice became deeper and angrier. "I still see the hate they showed her with their glaring eyes. I still remember them showering her with spit and rocks. I still hear them wishing for her death. Hell, a while ago I beat up those fuckers who kept slandering Sumire and Lord Seventh. They were mocking her death, belittling her sacrifice, as if it meant nothing at all."

"I remember how those people harassed her. I remember how they abused Kawaki and drove him to turn against us. And I remember how they would have attacked Mitsuki too, if he didn't flee Konoha for Ame…"

Out of the corner of her left eye, Sarada saw Boruto looking at her intently. "Dad told you about it, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded quickly. "Uncle Sasuke filled me in on it when we reached Oto, about a week after we left Konoha."

"Okay. Anyway, I've been wondering how I can really give everything I can in leading and serving all of our people as the future Lady Ninth, if even some of them have the gall to treat my loved ones that way."

Miss Saito closed her eyes. "Hmm… It may be hard, but as they say, we need to separate the bad fruit from the entire harvest. Even though there are a few ignorant people who would mock them and mock you, and I believe them to be a tiny, insecure, and insignificant minority, while the rest of the country is sane and smart and respectful, or at the very least, decent. From the studies and polls I've read about, the clear majority of the Land of Fire view Sumire as a true heroine, and view the Lord Hokage very favorably. It's the same for the majority of citizens in the Shinobi Union countries. So for me, we should work for them, the people who will work with us, and we'll leave behind those who choose to remain behind."

Sarada took a few seconds to process what Miss Saito told her. "You have a point. I'll try to think of that more… Though Lord Seventh doesn't like the mindset of leaving anyone behind." She chuckled. "He works so hard for everyone, even those who oppose him. He fights for every life…"

"He can only go so far," Miss Saito rebutted, "and he can only do so much. But I digress. It's only what I would do if I were in your position."

I hope you liked the chapter! Feel free to leave some likes, kudos, follows, and most importantly, comments on what you liked, or what struck you and stuck with you!

Perhaps Wasabi's speech? Her running for Student Council President alongside Gengania and Panga and the others? Namida's parents, Yoichi and Seira (finally named!), along with their new children? The therapy sessions for Namida, Wasabi, and Sarada, and the words of the psychologist Miss Saito? ;)

Next up (maybe next week? Depends on how busy I am this week...) will be Chapter 4: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again. There will be both wholesome scenes and tearjerking scenes in that chapter, so I hope you're all excited for it! ^_^