Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Boruto nor its characters.

Quick Note: Please read Author's Important Note Below! It's regarding UPDATE SCHEDULING and MINOR CHANGES.


"Now then." Kakashi said as he stood up, stretching his arms as he walked towards the spacious training ground. "It's still early. And there's one last thing I want to assess you on now that I know your mind has been cleared a bit."

Sarada quickly stood up after. "S-Sure…" She stuttered, "What is it…?"

"It's nothing too difficult. It's to help me get a closer assessment of your current skills." He had said, and as he got into a fighting stance, Sarada could've guessed what it was, but she didn't think for it to be true until he told her. "It's combat. Treat me as the enemy, and don't hold back."


The next thing Sarada knew, the sound of Kunais clashing against one another began to reverberate loudly around the forest.

Don't hold back.—his words were reverberating in her head too.

She wasn't holding back. She didn't plan to. Her opponent was the Sixth Hokage—who now decided to be her sensei—and the last thing she knew she should do was to underestimate him and the last thing she wanted was for him to underestimate her. She was going to give it her all.

Not to mention, after the mess of her earlier Kunai and Shuriken throwing demonstration that she had showcased to him caused by her troubled thoughts, she felt a great urge to prove herself to him. Especially now, when her mind wasn't as clouded as before.

Kakashi could tell this. He could tell she was no longer as troubled as before in regards to her clan and her Sharingan. After all, her movements and retaliations were smooth and quick. There was absolutely with no hesitation. And for one reason or another, it reminded him of Sasuke during his young Genin days.

He never really held back.

Sarada had activated her Sharingan from the start of her fight, and with each strike and counter that Kakashi shot at her, her eyes would absorb and analyse more information. They would search for openings. A chance to strike.

An opening… She thought as she blocked his strike. I need an opening. And her eyes widened when she finally spotted one. At his arm.

Over there! She thought. Without a moment to lose, while one of her hands busied with preventing Kakashi from landing a strike, her free hand reached in her back pocket, drawing out another Kunai as she swiftly swung it to his opening spot.

Or to what she thought was an opening.

"Nice try, Sarada." said Kakashi, who at the same time took out another Kunai as well to block hers. Sarada didn't even see that coming, her eyes had been too focused at only the opening. And now she was faced with the consequence of having to hold back both his Kunais.

Kakashi watched her Sharingan eyes shoot a glare at him, and he couldn't help but scoff. And to think she was all nervous and flustered earlier when I said I'd become her personal sensei, he thought with a sigh. Then again, I did tell her to treat me like an enemy…

He briefly thought back to the time when he had conducted the Genin test for her batch at the academy. At that time, he didn't manage to have a one-on-one with her unlike Boruto. And unlike Boruto at that time, he could tell she wasn't taking her opponent for granted.

But even so, she still has ways to go… He wondered. Anyway, it's about time she—

Kakashi quickly cut his thoughts off the moment he noticed the young girl's glare intensify. He immediately lifted his leg up to give her a kick to her chin, only for her to dodge and retreat back.

"Were you about to trap me in your Genjutsu when I got close enough?" Kakashi asked as he noticed a fleeting look of disappointment cross her face. "You've got to be quicker, and less obvious of your next move for that matter." Having battled previous Sharingan wielders, and having previously owned a Sharingan, it hadn't caught him by surprise when Sarada tried to pull off a Genjutsu on him. Not when they were trapped in that position where their Kunais trying to hold the other off, when she was close enough to meet his eyes.

Sarada remained silent, gripping both her Kunais tightly. She was thankful that her eyes saved her from that ruthless kick of his, but was upset that she wasn't able to use them to get him under a Genjutsu.

"You have to remember, your enemies might know that you're an Uchiha, a wielder of the Sharingan. And if those enemies are skilled, they'll be even more cautious and prepared as compared to me when encountering you and your eyes—the ones famous for a Genjutsu." He told her, "So be more subtle. It wasn't a surprise for me when you tried to use it on me earlier when I was somewhat trapped in that position."

Before Sarada could've had the chance to mumble a word of acknowledgement in regards to his advice, a few Shurikens came flying towards her face.

Unhesitatingly, she took out a few Shurikens of her own, throwing some at the ones approaching her to deflect them while dodging the others as she charged towards him.

To think she was struggling earlier to aim them properly with both her eyes opened and focusing on her target. Kakashi pondered, now her gaze doesn't even linger more than a second at the Shurikens flying towards her before dodging or deflecting them.

While charging towards him, Sarada began to weave some hand signs. "Lightning style! Lightning ball!" And the next thing Kakashi saw was a large lightning ball hurling towards him.

So she knows lightning style? He thought to himself, his hands already weaving signs to formulate a Jutsu to counter. Then teaching her that shouldn't be difficult.

"Earth style! Mud Wall!" He exclaimed once he finished weaving all the signs. A large mud-wall came rising from the ground, blocking the Uchiha's lightning attack. Albeit, it crumbled a little from the impact.

On the other side of the wall, Sarada was already preparing for her next attack as she ran towards where Kakashi supposedly was.

Don't hold back, he had to her.

But she did wonder, was he holding back? It wouldn't surprise her if he was. Even she, herself, was aware of the fact that she still had more to learn, more to master. There was absolutely no way she could beat him now, not at this stage, right?

Even with the Sharingan, she had learnt throughout all her missions that it wouldn't necessarily give her an edge. Not to mention, she was still stuck with one tomoe. After two years, she was still stuck with one in both her eyes.

She pushed those pestering thoughts aside before they could spread and cloud her mind once again. "Don't think about that now, Sarada…" She mumbled to herself as her hands rapidly weaved signs, "Just give it your all!" Upon reaching the other side of the wall, she was about to release her Fireball Jutsu that her father had once taught her, but stopped when she realise he was no longer there.

Damn it! She cursed in her mind as she turned to her left, seeing a familiar figure in a distance getting smaller as he jumped onto the trees leading west. Not wanting to lose him, she went for the chase.

Even if she was aware of the high possibility that she wouldn't be able to beat him this time round, she was still filled with the fiery spirit of not giving up, not wanting to lose.


It had been almost two minutes since Sarada began chasing him, and she still couldn't pinpoint the exact reason why he was running away from her.

He wasn't exactly in a vulnerable position so as to retreat, so that reason didn't make sense. Was he leading her into a trap? Or was he just trying to wear her and her Sharingan out? Or worse, was that just a shadow clone to trick her?

She couldn't tell, but decided it was best to remain a fair distance away from him for now until she could formulate a better strategy.

Leaping from branch to branch with her guard up, she reflected back to the earlier fight she had with Kakashi. To say that he was skilled was probably an understatement. Even with her Sharingan, it still took quite an effort and time to finally spot an opening.

There wasn't much to observe from his fighting style and technique with the Kunai that he displayed earlier. She thought, quickening her pace just slightly when her target did. He dodges and strike whenever he sees an opening… I don't see any pattern so far.

She pondered on briefly if she should use her Fireball Jutsu now, before he had the chance to pull any tricks on her. The forest was dark after all with all the large trees and its leaves blocking the sun —a great setting for him to pull something—and it wasn't getting any better as they ventured deeper into the woods. Plus, given the fact her Fireball Jutsu had improved to a great extent, there was possibility that its large flames could force out wherever the real Kakashi was hiding if the white-haired man in front of her turned out to be a fake.

At the same time, she knew she also had to factor in the other possibility that he was expecting her to use the Fireball Jutsu that he wanted to trap her.

He was the Sixth Hokage. The Ninja who became Chunin at the age of 6, and Jonin at the age of 12. The Ninja who had an especially important role in the great ninja war, so she heard.

And he was a Sharingan user who was also once both her parent's sensei. He knew her eyes' weakness, and maybe even an Uchiha's weakness at that.

It was risky to use the Fireball Jutsu now—Sarada was aware of that. But she wasn't sure what other options she had left. She could throw her Shurikens and Kunais at him, but she knew he'd be able to dodge them all. She could follow him to wherever he was going, but she didn't want to become a hunter turn prey if he were to lead her successfully into a trap.

I might as well force him into a fight, she thought. I need to see if he has any other weakness. Running isn't going to solve anything… and it's too late to hide myself…

"Sometimes you just got to leave it all to chance!" For one reason or another, Boruto's voice began to chime in her head. "Ya know, play it by the ear!" At that time she refused to ever become a person like that. A person that "played it by the ear". But in her years of training, she came to learn that there were times where it was a must to take uncertain risks.

"Tsk." She clicked her tongue agitatedly, her hands already moving on its own. I hope you're right, Boruto.

When Kakashi suddenly jumped off, and down from the branch, Sarada unhesitatingly followed after. Confidently, she exclaimed. "Fireball Jutsu!" before blowing out fire towards her sensei's direction.

Only for him to counter back with water.

"Water style! Water wall!"

Eyes widening, Sarada swiftly managed to catch her balance, landing on the lake itself as she focused her chakra on the soles of her feet. Steam began to emerge from the water and fire colliding.

There's a lake here?! He was leading me… damn it! She cursed as she shifted her legs a little on the water, readying herself for the next hit as she got into a fighting stance. I should've been more careful… no, if only I could have made up my mind quicker then maybe I—

Her thoughts were cut off by the sudden sound of buzzing, of electricity. It didn't take her long to figure out what Kakashi was planning—especially when her pair of Sharingan eyes caught sight of the water droplets falling around her after that water style counter.

She had been lucky enough to get herself away from the water in time and back on the land, before the lightning—that now used the droplets of water as its medium to conduct its flow—could electrocute her. If it hadn't been for my Sharingan I…

She bit her lip in agitation. It didn't take her long to figure out that she had fallen prey. Perhaps it had been carless of her to listen to Boruto's words, but the more she thought about it the more she found herself blaming herself for her earlier indecisiveness. If she had made the decision earlier to use her Fireball Jutsu when she saw Kakashi, then maybe she'd have some chance.

She hated this. This wasn't like her at all, and she knew that. Even after clearing her mind and erasing her troubles so she could truly showcase her abilities to her new sensei, she still found herself at the losing end and she hated it.

Was it because she was nervous? No it's not that.

Was it because her worries from before were creeping back? No it's not that either…

Or was it just because she was weak?

She bit her lip tighter at the mere thought of that. She didn't want to be weak. How can she be the Hokage if she was weak?

That aside, she didn't know how long this was going to last. Granted, she still had a fair amount of chakra left, but if he were to put her in a spot where she'd be forced into something exhaustive, she wasn't sure if she could hold up.

There must be something. She pondered, her hand clenching into a fist. I…

Her eyes trailed to her clenched fist, and that's when it hit her.

That's i—

Her thoughts were cut off when her eyes caught sight of something bright amidst the steam, hurling towards her. She recognized it in an instant. A Fireball Jutsu. She had anticipated this, of course an ex-Sharingan user would've used this famous Jutsu before. And fortunately for her, she had a perfect counter in mind.

Automatically, her hands weaved signs that her eyes had memorized earlier. In a second, she instantly exclaimed, "Earth Style! Mud wall!" And the ground rose to become her shield before the flames could scorch her skin. She wasn't sure how well it would hold up, it had been her first time attempting something earth-style related. If only I knew some water-styled Jutsus… she sighed.

This will buy me some time for that, at least. She thought, before fleeing. This has to work.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Kakashi's Fireball had penetrate her mud wall for the most part. Quick reflexes, he thought as he noticed her disappearance. Albeit, it didn't really faze him so much. Well, it's my turn to find her.


As Kakashi ran in the forest in search of the young Uchiha, he reflected back to the skills she had showed to him. And unlike Sarada, he didn't think any less of her despite the fact she hadn't landed a successful hit on him. There had been a few close calls, though.

If anything, he saw good potential in her—A Shinobi potential— a potential that was maybe even more than what he saw in Sasuke back in his young Genin days. And this was mostly because unlike her father back then, her heart wasn't corrupted with hatred to the extent it'd blind her from making the right choices. She wasn't seeking revenge. She wanted to become Hokage. Even if she were to find out about her clan's dark past, he doubted she'd be consumed by the Curse of Hatred, right?

After all, she was Sakura's daughter—and that pink-haired woman had nurtured her with so much love during her father's absence. And when he had returned back home, a father's love was what she received.

As of now, he wasn't worried about this Uchiha in regards of her straying away from the Will of Fire. The only thing he was worried so far was about her opinion of herself. He hoped she wouldn't beat herself too much over this, if she were to lose to him.

She was only thirteen, and she still had many years to grow and nurture her strength.

For all he knew, she could possibly surpass Naruto—who she seemed to look up to as she walked the path of the Hokage.

He was aware that while the vast majority of Konoha had forgiven Sasuke and his sins, there were a few who were still sceptical, but kept their silence due to their respect for Naruto. As for the villages outside of the leaf that had been either indirectly or directly affected by Sasuke's past mistakes, he wasn't so sure.

On a different note… I wonder how far she ran off to… He thought with a sigh, I could be reading Icha-Icha while I search for her. Then again, I've reread it so many times that I practically have that whole series memorized…

The faint rustling sound of the trees had cut off his thoughts, and had made him halt in his chase. He took a glimpse at his surroundings. "Come out." He said nonchalantly, as he leaned against one of the tall-standing trees. "I know you're here." He spoke, "There's no wind blowing here blowing the trees after all."

And the next sound he heard once again was the clashing of Kunais. Upon having her hiding spot exposed, Sarada had left the camouflaged space provided by the large leaves of the trees, and shot herself towards Kakashi's back with a Kunai in one hand—only for it to be countered with his own.

"If the wind had been blowing, you might have caught me off guard. Be more careful next time." He commented as he swung his Kunai towards her, for her to only dodge and attempt a retaliation. She didn't reply, her eyes that flashed her Sharingan only focused on the Kunais that battled one another. She thought of placing him under a Genjutsu, but it was a struggle given how fast he was moving, how fast he was retaliating.

Kakashi didn't hesitate to bring up her sudden change in style, "Your fighting is becoming a little hasty." He remarked. "Just like how Boruto was during the Genin exam." He sighed, recollecting how that child was brimming of overconfidence. Although, he sure he wasn't so hasty anymore, right? It had been two years after all.

"Don't compare me to—" Kakashi's abrupt kick to her stomach that had sent her flying towards the tree had cut her off. "Don't just focus on the Kunai." He spoke.

"T…Tsk…" She clicked her tongue agitatedly, rubbing her eyes a little as she forced herself to stand up. And right before her eyes, Kakashi had vanished.

"Where did he—"

"Earth style! Head-hunter Jutsu!"

"What the—?!" was the first thing that left Sarada's lips when she felt something wrapping around her leg, and a loud yelp soon followed after when that something pulled her down into the ground, leaving only her head on the surface.

"You're suddenly being quite careless, Sarada." Kakashi said, emerging from the darkness as he walked towards her, looking down on the Uchiha who had a familiar look of frustration like her father when he had gotten trapped too. "You were doing well at the lake earlier… I—"

The smirk that slowly grew on her face had cut him off, raising some suspicion. However, before he could've gotten the chance to react, he heard an awfully familiar voice shouting. "Don't underestimate the Uchiha!" Another Sarada came forth towards him, and the buried one disappeared. It had been a shadow clone.

With her fist clenched, Sarada aimed her fist at the ground. Mama, give me strength. She thought silently.

And once her fist came into contact with the ground, everything came falling, breaking, and destroyed— all with one monstrous punch.

Small dirt and dust particles floated and filled the air. Even if Sarada was sure that that punch to the ground definitely caught Kakashi, her guard remained up as she walked through the dust, avoiding the new large cracks on the ground that her fist had caused.

Taking a few steps forward, she spotted Kakashi lying on a tree that had fell due to Sarada's punch and its impact.

"You got your mother's strength alright…" He groaned, briefly recalling the time he nearly suffered Sakura's fist, directly. Nearly. And now here he was, facing the impact from a 'Mini Sakura'. He slowly sat up. "Honestly—"

Sarada—or rather, her Kunai—had interrupted his reply, with it nearing his neck. "Had this been your plan along?" Kakashi queried, shifting his head backwards away from the knife, to only be stopped from going back any further by the tree behind him. "You told me not to hold back." Sarada responded calmly, her grip tightening on her Kunai slightly. Despite her 'victory' she didn't seem too overjoyed. Something just felt off.

Taking a risk, her Sharingan eyes glimpsed towards her right a little, and widened in fright.

No—!

She turned, about to counter, but to no avail. Her Kunai flew in the air briefly before dropping down a distance away from her on the ground. And now, it was Kakashi's Kunai against her neck.

The one behind her had been a shadow clone. And she had spotted and sensed the real one's chakra a second too late.

Carefully, Sarada quickly reached for her Shurikens in her back-pocket, only for Kakashi to take a step back and spoke, "That's all for today."

Huh?

"I had enough of a close view of your abilities, Sarada." He smiled. "Besides, any more fighting, and the whole forest might be destroyed." He joked light-heartedly.

"Oh…" Sarada bit her lip slightly, as her eyes reverted back to its black colour. "Yeah…" She replied to his little joke, albeit a little sullenly.

Kakashi raised a brow. He would've asked her what the matter was if he hadn't know the answer. "You done well today." He spoke, and it was the honest truth. "I had expected for you to be a little more frazzled when facing a Jonin like myself, let alone by yourself, since for the most part you worked in teams more often to take down a criminal or criminals. However, you proved me wrong."

"Of course, there are some areas of improvement that you can still make—but you're only thirteen, and still a Genin. You will make mistakes along the way. It's natural. And once you mend those mistakes, you'll eventually be a great shinobi in due time." He assured.

"I know… it's just…" She hesitated briefly, debating whether she should lower her guard and share some parts of her vulnerability to her new sensei. Eventually, she did. She wanted to build trust with him. Plus, it wasn't like it was a mystery to him anyway. And she had already opened up to him a little earlier. "Two years, and my Sharingan is still like… this. Under-developed. Only one tomoe in each eye. If I had two… or maybe even three, then maybe I wouldn't have struggled so much in the beginning…maybe—"

"Maybe," Kakashi interrupted, as he shifted to stand in front of her. "You shouldn't reduce your self-worth to just your Sharingan, Sarada."

Sarada's eyes widened. What Kakashi said, about her reducing her self-worth to just her Sharingan, had just dawned upon her. It was as if she had just finally been made fully aware of it. But even so, that dissatisfied feeling lingering within her stayed stubbornly. And unknowingly, she expressed a troubled sort of look.

"If that had been me instead of a shadow clone, that fist of yours would've killed me." He joked, upon noticing her troubled look. His eyes had softened slightly. "You are more than your Sharingan. I know that you want to improve, especially in the areas regarding your Sharingan… but you mustn't think that it is all your power is worth." He said. "Many Ninjas who were born without gifts, have succeeded well in their life—have proved their worth. Take your mother for example."

A soft sound of bells jingling echoed around. "Remember these?" Kakashi queried, having taken out the bells he used for her batch's Genin test. "Just between us, Naruto and Sakura were successful in retrieving the bells from me. Sasuke… hadn't had the chance." From how her expression changed from troubled to surprise, Kakashi figured she hadn't expect her father to not be able to retrieve the bells when the other members of the original Team 7 could. Of course, he hadn't been there to take the test due to some… circumstances. And the reason for Naruto and Sakura's victory was because they used his beloved Icha Icha against him…

Though, she didn't need to know any of that, because that fact still stood as the truth. And although he wanted her to embrace the eyes she was gifted it, as well as have her hone its skills, he didn't want her to grow so absorbed of it to the extent where she'd go… crazy.

Before Sarada could respond, Kakashi gave a pat on her head. "You done well today. Better than the Kunai throwing you showed to me before." He praised once again, "Well, that's it for today. I'll see you tomorrow, 9.30 a.m. sharp on the bridge." With that, Kakashi left.

Sarada stood there quietly, her hand reaching out and resting to where he had patted her head, watching the Jonin disappear into the darkness that the forest provided. Her mind briefly drifted off, pondering on what life and fate now had in stall for her now that Kakashi was her new sensei.

Sensei. Another thought came crashing in. Konohamaru Sensei.

How was he going to react to this? Or had Kakashi informed him of this already? And if he hadn't, what was she going to say to him?

It was no doubt that Konohamaru had been an amazing mentor to Team seven, to her. In the two years, he had indisputably helped the whole of Team 7 in their growth of being a Ninja. She was afraid that he might think he wasn't good enough if she told him that she accepted Kakashi as her new mentor—another sensei, to personally train her. A sensei that wasn't him. Moreover, there was already another member of Team seven that had another mentor to train him, another mentor that wasn't Konohamaru.

How would he feel? Thought Sarada. About his own students and team members wanting to train with someone else too…? I mean, it's not that I look down or doubt Konohamaru-sensei… but for my Sharingan…Kakashi-sensei would be the… but will he feel sad? Disappointed with himself? About the fact that his own team, own students are looking to others for guidance…?

"I tell ya Mitsuki, Sasuke-san is tough! I'm surprised he even let me off early today." Speak of the devil.

Turning to her right, she spotted two familiar figures walking towards her direction. Boruto and Mitsuki.

"Well, you did tell him you wanted to—oh, Sarada." Mitsuki noticed, greeting the Uchiha.

"Eh? Sarada? What are you doing h—" Boruto had cut himself off, upon noticing the destruction that surrounded Sarada, the destruction that was caused by her deathly fist. "What happened here?! Did someone attack you?!"

"It's nothing. I was just training." Sarada reassured with a sigh following after as she walked past the blonde.

"T-Training?" Boruto murmured, stuttering slightly as he grimaced at the damage she caused. He internally prayed that he wouldn't have to one day face the wrath of her fist.

"Afraid?" Sarada turned towards him a little, a small smirk that had spread across her lips upon noticing his stutter. She found her mood lightening a little after playfully taunting him, albeit she didn't know why.

"Am not!" He defended.

"Then why are you being so defensive?" She pestered, taking a step closer to him.

Feeling slightly intimidated of her—or maybe more so of her fist—he instinctively took a step back. "I—"

"You two make a good couple." Mitsuki cut in, smiling a little more when he noticed both of their cheeks reddening. Even after two years… that opinion of his had always remained the same. And neither Sarada nor Boruto could think of the reason why. However, before either one retort or dispute, he continued, "Anyway, Boruto and I were going to visit Konohamaru-sensei. Since you're here, you should come along—you're a part of Team 7 after all."

Sarada's cheeks were fast to fade back to its original skin colour when Mitsuki brought up Konohamaru-sensei. She managed to not express her earlier distressed look when she had been thinking of how Konohamaru would react to this new news. "Sure." She managed to reply, a smile forcing its way to her lips.

She had to tell Konohamaru-sensei sooner or later anyway, should he be unaware of Kakashi being her new personal mentor—sensei. Plus, she did want to check on him and how he was recovering. "Let's go then."


Author's Notes: Finally done! Sorry for the wait. Please read the entire Author's notes, it's regarding changes made to previous chapters and update scheduling.

Firstly and importantly, I changed Sarada's age (14 to 13. My dumbass thought she got her sharingan at 12 and not 11 smh…). I will also be changing a few of the interactions in the previous chapter. But fret not, nothing too severe.

Secondly, a lot of stuff happened in my personal life (don't worry, it's nothing really serious. Trivial stuff. But I'm an emotional person so lmao GG.) and thus updates might be slower. As a result of those events in my life, my motivation for writing died (but I'm very slowly getting it back), and plus my current school life is going to be busy soon enough. Regardless, I'll try my best to update this ONCE A MONTH. TRY.

I have a tumblr account (Account name: rosaline-kei). So if you don't see me reblogging there or posting there, it'd probably mean life's being shit and updates will be slower. You can also ask/request fics or whatever there. (I'll try my best to do the requested fanfics, I'm trying to build back motivation lol.)

Anyway thanks for reading this! I hope the fight between Kakashi and Sarada wasn't shit. I'm not good at writing fighting scenes. I didn't mean to make Sarada weak! Albeit, I do believe she still has lots to learn. I also hope I didn't get any Naruto/Boruto information wrong… if I did, please inform me, and I'll make changes right away!

Please Leave A Review! Constructive Feedback would be nice :)