Now, don't get her wrong but Uchiha Shouko wasn't the biggest fan of the shinobi system. While it was a trend in Konoha, one of the largest providers of assassins and spies, to her though, it was a severely glorified mess right to the boot.
Over the centuries, Konoha had spewed out countless plausible and capable shinobi, had pages dedicated to themselves in history books and managed to wiggle into the limelight of being one of, if not the most, advanced village despite being fairly new for a settlement. For many of those who chose to work as shinobi, Konoha was their pride and joy, home to legends and familiarity at it's warmest form.
In retrospect, there was nothing wrong with good old fidelity but what perturbed her was something else wholly. "Child soldiers. The media is advertising utility of child soldiers across the nation!"
Her black-haired companion sighed for the umpteenth time in the short span of their walk as the gates to the venue of the Welcoming Ceremony came into view. "Ai, it's standard for shinobi to start training at the age of six, if not earlier than that. Take Mama for an example. She says her training started when she was four. Four!"
The purplenette huffed, fiddling with the strap of her bag which crossed over her chest. "I know that. Doesn't mean it's necessarily right. Children should just be...y'know, children. They shouldn't have to worry about politics or war. Plus, it's an Era of peace. What do they need shinobi for?"
To that, Sarada had no answer. She shrugged, "There's no harm in taking safety measures. If the kids can atleast defend themselves when a crisis arises, the others can fully focus on the battle."
"But—", Shouko's words died down when a third voice entered their conversation. "Yo, Sarada, Shouko! You guys excited for the classes? I wonder if there'll be any cute boys in our year."
Chocho Akimichi was, simply put, a strange individual. Her symbolic potato chips were clutched in her hands, long orange hair flowing with the wind. People often mistook her chubby appearance as lack of training but don't let it fool you. She was one of the strongest amongst their group of friends— no, group of familiars, already adept at using her clan's transformation jutsu.
"I doubt it", Shouko sighed dramatically, accepting a peice of the snack handed to her, "I saw the attendee list yesterday since Mama received a copy from Naruto-san. There are the obvious ones like Boruto, Shikadai, Metal and Inojin. Oh, Kaminarimon company's heir is also there. None of them are remotely cute."
Sarada, who walked quietly, hearing the odd chatter between her sister and best friend, looked grossed out. "Are you attending to ogle at boys or to actually learn something?" Chocho smiled unnervingly, "Why pick one when you can do both?" "My point, exactly!" Shouko cried, nodding. "Also Koi, you need to dial it down. It's just the first day. No one expects us to duel infront of Hokage-sama."
The ravenette flushed, crossing her hands over her chest, "Whatever. Anyway, we should hurry. Lineups are starting." Following her gaze, Shouko rubbed her eyes as they made their way through the crowd of bubbly tweens. No one wanted to stand at the front of the group, probably having conjured up some ridiculous expectation having to be met, so getting that spot was easy.
"What's the point? I bet you a thousand yen that Boruto will be late."
She wasn't wrong...technically speaking. Only, even her wildest imaginations couldn't dare her to associate being late with crashing the Thunder Train into the Great Stone Faces, specifically into Nanadaime's. Walking up to the small convergence of three — Naruto, Konohamaru and Boruto, she flashed a goody-two-shoes smile at the dispersing Hokage. She had to play the part when it came down to it.
That left the other two, the older brunette having placed a hand on the younger blonde's shoulder to prevent him from running off. Shouko thumped the Uzumaki boy's shoulder, slinging her arm around his shoulder, "If it ain't Naruto-san's precious son." The nickname bore fruit immediately, his face turning an almost concerning shade of purple.
"Why you—", he tried to claw at her face before being held back by his big bro. It wasn't like he didn't already hear it from his father and his mother probably wouldn't let him out unscathed when, and it surely will, news reached her. He didn't need to hear it from the Uchiha nuisance #1. "Piss off already."
The smirk on her face only seemed to widen and Konohamaru totally wasn't concerned or anything. But Shouko's mind was buzzing for completely different reasons. She wanted to rub it in his face because she knew her Mama had a half-hearted bet with Aunt Hinata about who amongst them would end up getting suspended first. Boruto took the win home without the first class even starting and that was a great feat in its own right. "Why? I thought your entry was super cool. Very impactful indeed."
Boruto turned his nose up in the air, looking smug. "Heh, told ya I'm still the Prank King of Konoha. No one can take that title." It was true, only if partially.
Shouko wouldn't deny that the boy had wits, even if he used it to lure attention to himself. If she were to pick, the 'pink protein' was probably the most beautiful out of all his schemes; the workers at the poultry were washing paint off of chickens and the eggs for weeks, all the while the people of the village were fretting over pink meat and pink egg whites. It even made it to the local news!
"Eh~ Is that so?" The lilac-haired girl drawled out. "Last I checked, I'm not the one always getting caught performing said pranks." That was true and as Iruka-san said : 'Lying is only a skill if the liar isn't caught'.
A tinge of red coated his cheeks as Boruto floundered, "That was one time!"
"Two, actually", she corrected. "Today is not out of the counting, you know."
Gritting his teeth, the blonde accepted his fate as he saw no feasible counter to the words but it wasn't long till his cockiness returned, "Fine. We extend the deadline to the end of the month. Whoever has the most 'Clear's will be the top Prankster in the village."
Raising a brow at his extended hand, she took it merrily. Adding a little chakra to her grasp, she smiled contentedly as his expression faltered, "Game on."
"You two...", a grim voice intercepted. Shouko looked over her shoulder to find Sarada...an especially irked Sarada. Pushing her glasses further up her nose, she didn't hesitate to slam the troublesome two's heads together, garnering loud cries — "Ouch!" "Koi!"
"I'm not having you breaking any rules on the first day. Boruto," she addressed the boy who was furiously rubbing his head, "You're already suspended for two weeks. Have some decency not to cause more trouble." He stuck his tongue out, receiving a fist to the head. "And Ai," she started.
"Yes, sissy?"
Sarada gave her a look, "Stop playing along with Baka-Boruto's stupid plans."
Shouko sighed as Boruto proceed to chortle that neither he nor his plans were stupid. Sarada disagreed. Boruto called her a slimy toad, Sarada named him orangutan. He called her a stuck-up nerd, she argued that he was a jerk.
From the corner of her black hues, she could see the Yamanaka heir jogging towards them. He came to a stop next to her, quirking his brows at the bickering pair. She didn't know why he was fazed at this point, considering the time he had known them for. "Shouldn't you head inside? Shino sensei is our teacher this year, by the way. Half the class in inside already."
Looking around, she found the courtyard infront of the Academy mostly empty with the exception of some worrywart parents hesitant to part with their children. Scanning the area, one particular pair caught her attention, their voices loud enough to be coherent.
"I'll be fine, Dad! It's not like I'm going away forever", a redhead girl whined loudly, trying to pry her father from hugging her closer. Any more and she'd suffocate if Shouko has to bet.
The man, dressed in a chūnin attire, sighed and reluctantly let go. "I know but that doesn't mean I don't worry. Just take care, please. My days here weren't the best but I want you to enjoy yourself. Make friends and have fun. There will be time later to worry about grown-up stuff. And..."
"Earth to Shouko!" A hand waving infront of her snapped her back to her senses. Inojin stood infront of her, hands placed on his hips. "Seriously, what has gotten into you?"
Shaking her head, she wanted to drop this topic of conversation as well as bid goodbyes to the strange thoughts that popped up in her head. "Nothing. Where's Sarada?"
"She went ahead with Chocho."
A pout adorned her face at that, "She didn't even wait for me. It's confirmed, Sarada hates me."
"How childish", Inojin scoffed before they both ended up giggling. Then he checked his watch and his eyes widened a got lot, "Uh, we need to go. Like... right now!"
It was well over eight when Shouko returned home, finding the door already unlocked. The hallway was dark but the living room was humbly lit, the faint sounds of a T.V serial coming through to her. Slipping off her sandals, she placed them on the shoe rack beside polished pairs of heels and other unconventional footwear. She desperately needed new shinobi sandals as her current ones looked ragged, the fastening strap close to tearing off.
"Ma?" She called out, bouncing towards the couch when she spotted a familiar rosette on it. She fell next to her mother on the leather furniture, picking up the remote and changing the channel.
"Hey! I was watching that," Sakura whined playfully. "Kobe-kun was about to confess to Makoto."
Shouko clicked her tongue, chiding her mother as if talking to a child, "Mother dearest, I need my daily dose of Doraemon."
"Aren't you a little too old for cartoons?"
"Aren't you a little too old for— I- I mean", she stuttered midway, gulping at her mother's glare. Never bring up age infront of Uchiha Sakura, noted.
The woman took a sniff of the air, gently placing the back of her palm on the side of her daughter's head, "Take a shower before you go to sleep."
Shouko assumed a devious glint in her eyes, "Why? Do I smell bad?" The yes was the trigger as she buried her face into Sakura's neck, tickling her sides rapidly.
"AI! S- STOP IT- AHAHAHA! Ai!" She spoke between gasps of air, her stomach starting to ache from the giggles and shrieks falling from her lips. When the purplenette stopped, Sakura quickly caught hold of her in a headlock, ruffling her head fondly. "Oh, no you don't! C'mere chipmunk."
Finally the laughter died down and the mother-daughter duo focused on the animation playing on the screen before them, the slurping of tea on Sakura's part accompanying them as well. The woman absent-mindedly played with Shouko's hair — interestingly, it was also a recessive gene but Sakura knew not where the wavy texture came from — untangling stray knots.
Noticing the tween picking on loose threads from her trousers beside where her head lay on her lap, a tiny frown evident on her face, Sakura lowered the volume of the program.
All twelve years of raising her daughters and growing and learning alongside them, Sakura never saw Shouko being a quiet kid. Sarada would be the one to be less whiny, cried less and often kept to herself in regards of her emotions. She took after her father like that.
Her twin was the exact opposite, though. Shouko was more fiery, expressive and threw temper tantrums as if the world was about to end. In that sense, she was more like Konoha's head medic herself — not shy to make her emotions known loud and clear.
"Ai, is something on your mind?" Sakura spoke quietly, looking for any changes in her expression. Unfortunately, Shouko had mastered the art of hiding behind the visage of calculated smugness and mischief. Aside from the slight darkening of her eyes that Sakura only caught because these little quirks of hers seemed too similar to her husband's, there was nothing else.
"Hmm?" Shouko hummed, not looking away from the TV. Inside her mind, however, there was a whirlwind of thoughts. The factor of telling or not, then there was the question of sounding silly or too desperate, everything needed an answer before she could form the words to say. Slowly, her eyes averted to her mother's cyan ones, "Mama... did Papa ever take me and Koi to school?"
For a second, Sakura's mind read blank. Not a single thought plagued her mind. Ever so slightly, the corners of her lips quirked up. "You don't have to say anything. I know I sound stu—", cutting off Shouko's rambling, she squeezed her daughter's cheek. "Where did this come from?"
The younger girl blushed, frantically waving her hands infront of her, "Just a random question. Nothing more, I swear!"
The pinkette was deep in thought for a moment. Truthfully, there weren't many memories to account for but any and every memory of those four years, she cherished them all. Suddenly an all too familiar scene played on her mind.
"Alright everyone! Time for a 'first day of school' photo. Sasuke-kun, can you sit on the couch with the girls? I'll take the picture," A young Sakura stood before the coffee table with a polaroid, one of the beta models she had received for testing.
"Hn. What about you?", the ravenette took a seat, a four year old Sarada sitting still on his lap, playing with the hem of his shirt. She looked up, flashing a gummy grin towards her mother, "Mama should be in photo."
"Mama in photo!" Shouko cheered from beside her father, still trying to put the peices of building blocks into her mouth, convinced they were chocolates for sure. With an unamused huff, Sasuke pried the toy from her mouth, grimacing as the saliva on it was now smeared onto his fingers. "Don't try to eat it, Ai."
"Ready?" Clapping her hands, Sakura clicked the shutter and set the ten second timer on. Hurrying into the frame, she sat Shouko on her lap, nudging the girl's face toward the camera on the stand. Glancing at her family, she wore a bright smile, "Everyone, say 'cheese'!"
"Chweese!"
"Peas?"
"Hn."
"Mama?"
Breaking out of her reverie, Sakura couldn't keep the smile off of her face. Composing herself, she ran her fingers through Shouko's hair, massaging her scalp only for the girl to nuzzle into her touch akin to a feline. "He did. Whenever he wasn't on a mission, he would insist on walking you two. But he never said it outright."
"Papa seems a lot like Sarada", the tween giggled.
"Right?" The rosette agreed immediately. "He was always giving excuses like not having enough tomatoes when the fridge was filled with them only to stand outside the kindergarten's playground with his Sharingan activated."
"How did he not get a restraining order?" Shouko questioned rhetorically, garnering laughter out of her mother.
"Good question! We should ask him when he comes back."
Turned out, she had nothing to worry about at all! Sure her father wasn't there to receive the father's day and birthday gifts every year or attend her parent-teacher meetings but he was there, showing her that he cared by sacrificing his time with them to protect them, protect the happiness of every son and daughter across the Fire country, to let them spend as much time with their dads as they desired.
It was a little unfair because she too wanted to know him, his favorite colors, his hobbies and maybe even show her that she was worthy of being his daughter, that she too loved him very much. But it was okay. She understood.
She didn't want to judge him based on his absence because it wasn't intentional. A mission was a mission, the Hokage's orders being absolute. She wanted to get to know her father one day, but for now her mother's stories would suffice. She hoped the day could come soon, though.
Little did they know, from the hallway leading to the bedrooms, small sniffles escaped one Uchiha Sarada. She heard the tale her mother narrated, mindful not to make a single noise. They seemed so happy, Shouko was satisfied with their mother's words, Sakura gleefully answering her plethora of questions. But how come Sarada wasn't?
She didn't want to come off as a brat but where was their father? Why did he never contact them or visit once in a while? Did he even care for them — his family?
Whenever Sarada asked their mother, she would get so nervous but when it came to Shouko, how come she could talk this freely? Had it not been for the photo frame shattering just a few hours prior, Sarada wouldn't have dared to have certain doubts. But they seemed to be proved true with every moment's passing.
Was the mother she had all her life even hers at all? Sarada bore no resemblance to Sakura and not even to Shouko who was supposed to be her twin! None of them had glasses and Sakura couldn't remember if her father had any.
All her life, had she been living a lie?
—
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