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


Much to the wolf's dismay, Sarada instantly ceased her movements and smirked at how the foolish beast fell for the bait.

Now is my chance!

In a flash, Sarada's hands swiftly switched course. With each hand sign differing from the initial setup, she released the nature element the shadows cowered under the most. "Lightning style: Lightning ball jutsu!" She exclaimed as a series of electrifying shaped spheres hurled rapidly towards the wolf from all directions; with one of them striking the wolf successfully in spite of its fluid movements that had allowed it to dodge the rest.

Nonetheless, that singular strike was enough to cause some disruption to the beast's senses.

Sarada jumped back immediately after, placing a suitable distance between her and the enemy. The only thing that separated them was a pond.

Her fighting stance remained firm and unwavering, ready to strike twice for she knew it was too early to call it a victorious defeat.

And she was right.

While the wolf quivered as ribbons of lightning cackled around its form, it was soon made excruciatingly clear to Sarada that the effects of her lightning strike was nothing more than a temporary one. It was not enough to tie the wolf down forever as it forced itself back up; its black fog somehow snapping away threads of yellow. Her lightning was too weak—Sarada had this realisation when she noted how the wolf didn't dissipate away as it did previously when Kakashi had strike it, nor did it shrink in size.

Lightning is definitely its weakness, Sarada thought, her hands already in motion as it casted its next jutsu; a more defensive one where chains of lightning now caged Sarada, acting as a barrier against the monster. But the intensity…

The lightning jutsu she had picked up from one of her previous battles was nothing compared to Chidori—where the amount of lightning concentrated in one's palm was enough to bring a mountain down with a single strike if the user tried hard enough. What she had now was more or less sufficient to momentarily disrupt the wolf's force. Albeit, it was certainly not enough to kill; especially so when the beast in front of her had already regained most of its strength despite having some remaining sparks of electro lingering within the pitch darkness of its fog.

"Don't make me use Chidori!" Sarada threatened—an empty threat, but an effective one nonetheless as the purpled-eyed beast jumped back, eying the Uchiha with equal contempt and caution. "Surrender and leave us be if you don't want to get hurt."

While the wolf remained wary, it still bared its fangs in front of her in its own attempt of a counter-threat. Confidence still brutally stirred within the creature, one that Sarada assumed was rooted from the fact that she had yet to prove the threat to be true.

The shadow was willing to take its chances.

Another one? Sarada's head snapped to her right the moment she heard the rustling of leaves once more. Panic rose to her stomach, an uneasy feeling swelling from within at the thought of having to deal with two abnormally sized beasts that were heavily resistant to her lightning.

However, given the shadow wolf's sudden growl, she doubted the source of the sound could be from the rest of its pack. A flicker of hope brushed past her nerves as she prayed to the heavens that whoever it was, it would be Kakashi.

Except it wasn't, and that same flicker of hope was instantaneously put out at the shocking sight of Raku's mother—out of all people—wobbling out from the bushes with some scratches and bruises grazed onto her skin.

Sarada could feel her nerves just burning. "What are you—"

"Raku!" She cried out, running towards Sarada upon recognizing her to be her son's protector. She must've lost her senses somewhere along the way here as she appeared to be completely unaware of the nearby danger who was presently snarling at the newcomer. "Have you seen Ra—"

Seizing the opportunity, the wolf pushed itself off the ground and aimed its jaws towards the vulnerable woman; unprotected and without a lightning-fuelled repellent.

"STAND BACK!" Sarada shouted, as her hands started to weave signs furiously. "Thunder funeral: Feast of lightning!" She screeched, lightning intensifying around her body before it channelled the rest of its shocking force to the shadow who now fell backward, squirming and convulsing in agony.

"Behind the tree! No—Urgh!" Sarada felt her chest tightened as she concentrated more lightning into the wolf's form, in hopes that its intensity would be able to bring it down for good.

She took it as her body's first warning at the amount of chakra she was depleting. She knew what she was doing wasn't sustainable. Because once again, her futile hopes were crushed when she noticed how regardless of the amount of lightning she exacted onto the wolf, it wasn't going away at all. And if it was, it wasn't anything noticeable. It was simply not enough.

She glanced to her left and noted that Raku's mother obeyed her commands without hesitance, which provided her some level of relief.

Turning back to her predicament, she noticed that the colour of the wolf's eyes jumped haphazardly from a dark purple to green which left Sarada to speculate that it most likely—that it hopefully—lost some of its raw strength.

But whether that would be enough for Sarada to finish it was a different question all on its own. Because that was a question of one's stamina.

"You—" Raku hadn't had the opportunity to express his utmost shock upon seeing that woman's face. He had been cut off by her sudden embrace. She had clung onto him tightly, desperately as if she feared letting go would leave her at a loss.

However, there was no effort made on his part to return the gesture. His arms remained by his side, and his whole body went stiff. Then, he found the strength to push her away when it occurred to him what her presence here meant.

"What are you doing here?!" He gasped, his glare practically boring a hole right through her chest. It hurt. "Did you distract Sarada?!" He had heard a shriek somewhere in between Sarada's battle with the shadows. What he didn't know, much less expect, was that it was because of his mother's awful timing.

"There's no time for this Raku!" His mother gripped his hand before Raku could retract them. It felt more desperate just as much as it was forceful when comparing it to her embrace. Raku hated it, and he hated what she dared suggest next. "We have to run away while we still have the—"

"Run away?" Raku was indignant at the very idea. His hand squirmed, trying to pry away from his mother's grip, but alas his efforts were futile and his mother appeared relentless in her wish to retreat. "We can't just run away! There might be more monsters there! And Sarada hasn't lost—"

"She's going to—"

"And whose fault is that?! Why did you have to show up!" Raku cried out, "Sarada's in trouble now because you showed up, right?! Why did you have to disturb her! She was doing fine until you—"

"Raku." His mother took a deep breath, refusing to let Raku's words plant guilt in her heart that would've otherwise deter her from her main objective. "I came here after I heard that you were in trouble! Do you know how hard it was to get away from that enemy to come and find you?! So that I could make sure that you were okay?

"I cannot lose you, Raku. I know you don't want to listen to me right now after everything… and I'm sorry. I'm sorry and I'll apologise to you a million times over if you want but right now, please," She pleaded as her eyes welled and swelled with equal pain and vulnerability. "We have to run before it becomes too late. People like us can't fight against whatever thing that is… we aren't Shinobi, unlike them. Staying here wouldn't make a difference other than increasing our chances of us dying here. We need to run and get help."

In case anything happens to me, I need you to be strong and run to go get help, okay?

Raku had promised Sarada that. And while Sarada was yet to fall in battle, the most logical thing to do would be to go get help now instead of waiting till the last minute for a miracle to come forth and save them all.

Wait.

Sarada said she wanted him to go get help—but for who exactly?

It couldn't be for her. It would've been too late by then, wouldn't it? If it… got to that point.

'Shinobis always put others before themselves.' Sarada had said once. Surely… she didn't mean—

"Argh!" The wolf had burst free from the lightning blast Sarada had projected and sustained (albeit, no longer) towards its way. Its freedom came at the cost of Sarada's whose throat was now trapped between its claws. "Is… Is this your way of threatening me to give away the location of the 'Chakra'?" Sarada spat derisively as the wolf growled.

Sarada wasn't sure how much chakra of her own she had left. And that was what made this situation even more hazardous. Fatigue was what made her movements slower. Fatigue was her sharingan's weakness. And being slower forced her a step closer to death.

But she would not let her fatigue drag her intelligence. If she let it, it'd be an instant loss. And thus, a plan of escape was already being strung together in the young ninja's head.

Observing her surroundings, it appeared that the pressure from the electrifying and violent fight caused water from the pond to splatter out, littering their surroundings with pools of murky puddles. And Sarada would be a fool to not use that to her advantage.

A little closer. Sarada thought. Just a little more. The beast was barely a few centimetres from the puddle

"Too bad…" Sarada taunted. "Do you really think I'm that cowardly to give it aw—" The wolf choked her before she could finish. Its murderous eyes did not shy away from making it known to Sarada that words weren't the only thing it planned to cut up if she did not concede. Regardless, Sarada fiercely maintained eye-contact with the animal as her hands, beneath and hidden from the wolf's line of sight, began to cast its signs—though a lot slower than she liked; running the risk of the wolf's purplish eyes from catching sight of her underlying tactic.

Come on. Move. Move! Hurry!

Alas, her body would not comply. Whether it be weakness or her oxygen supply being close to being cut off by the wolf's claws, she simply couldn't—

"O-OI! You… You monster!" Raku screeched, having slipped away from his mother's weakening grasp as he raced towards Sarada with nothing but a stone clenched within his fist, pathetically throwing it at the wolf to get its attention. "L-Leave her alone! I-I… I know where the C-Chakra thing is! My Dad told me! So back away from her!"

"Raku?!" Sarada gasped as the wolf's paw departed from her throat. Air rushed back into her lungs as she inhaled sharply, but nonetheless her heart still palpitated at a dizzying rate when the wolf took a step towards Raku.

"Lightning Style: Lightning ball jutsu!" She hollered before it could get closer to him. Even if it was a little, she gained back some momentum as her hands weaved the signs and casted a small ball of lightning towards the puddle where the wolf finally stepped in.

No matter the size of the lightning ball— a catalyst was still a catalyst, and the moment it came into contact with water, it intensified and stunted the wolf who collapsed. This time it began to convulse, with fragments of its misty figure coming undone, fading to the winds as it finally shrunk in size.

More than relief, Sarada found herself to be petrified.

It took… that much to reduce its size? Wait. Sarada frowned, and she felt terror zapping her insides the instant her eyes caught sight of a small fog of black accumulating behind Raku.

That thing didn't simply shrink.

"RAKU! GET OUT OF THE WAY NO—Ack!" It was only then did it come to Sarada's attention that the pressure from wolf's claws earlier had cut open a strip of her skin around her neck, leaving an ugly crimson mark. The cut wasn't that deep to be fatal but it was enough to kill her speed more than fatigue could, even if it were just for a second.

And a second was what that monster needed.

"H-Hu—AH!" Startled, the boy fell back onto the ground and froze when he saw the black fog shaping to be the wolf's paw; while smaller in size compared to its previous large figure, the claws that soon came to shape were not in the least bit less frightening as it was before.

Tears streamed down Raku's cheek. He quivered. He trembled. But he could not move away.

He was going to die.

No. Sarada's heart raced as she ran. I can't—no,nono, I need to make it in time. I have to—

No matter how strong her resolve, her exhaustion betrayed her as the monster finally struck—

At Raku's mother. It struck at Raku's mother who launched herself forward to shield her beloved son.

"M-Mother?!" She didn't respond to the crying boy; all her energy was channelled into holding him so tightly so that that beast wouldn't have the chance to steal him away. Even if her back bled a dangerous amount, even if she could feel the life draining out of her into a pool of red, she refused to let go.

Sarada would not give the wolf a second chance to strike.

She now stood in between the fog and its victims, her eyes a ferocious red with a kunai in one of her hands as she watched more of the black fog piecing itself from the paw; gradually coming back together. There was no end to it, was there?

I failed. Sarada glanced at Raku's mother, noting how she was close to going unconscious; and would perhaps teether on the edge of an early demise if she could not wrap this battle up quick enough. It's not enough.

The wolf that re-appeared in front of her was smaller in size, which proved to Sarada that her lightning had its effects in weakening the creature. But not enough to destroy it. It's not enough. Sarada gritted her teeth and the wolf bore its fangs once again. Chidori… I have to use…

But, do I have enough chakra left?

Sarada knew very well using a technique above her current abilities would kill her more than it'd save them. At the very least however, it could buy them time for Kakashi to arrive.

Unlike Sarada who struggled with her indecisiveness, the wolf took its chances and pounced. Almost immediately, Sarada swung her kunai towards it; catching it between the wolf's jaws as she summoned a little string of lightning that cackled around the blade.

It definitely shocked the wolf given its flickering eyes that jumped between purple and green, but it remained unyielding just as much as it was violent— its jaws cracking the Kunai just slightly.

Sarada was running out of time. If she had to estimate, she had approximately 40 seconds before her kunai broke and the beast devours them whole if she could not decide.

I have no other choice—! Wait. She had 25 seconds, and she was very well aware of that. But something caught her attention. Its eyes. She realised. They flickered.

She found herself another way out. The chance of death was significantly lower but only if her theory proved to be true. It made perfect sense in her head. So why did she hesitate?

She had 10 seconds left when she realised it was the lack of faith she had in herself. Why was that? Because she failed to save Raku's mother in time? Because her lagging behind her teammates was still haunting her? Because her not being able to use Chidori effectively led her to be in this horrible circumstance?

Stop. This needs to stop. She had 10 seconds left before her kunai shattered and they die.

"I am Sarada Uchiha…" She took a deep breath and counted to three, all the while her Sharingan focused on the beast's wavering orbs. "And you will fall!"

Exclaiming this, the kunai broke the same time Sarada casted a genjutsu on the animal the moment its eyes blinked green. And it screeched—trapped in an illusion created by her eyes, the beast stumbled back, whimpering almost like a desperate pup being suffocated by a nightmare.

Sarada had been right in her theory: The beast was not immune to genjutsu. It's "purple eyes" merely acted as a shield against tricks like this. But now, with its green hues naked and exposed, Sarada had the advantage.

However, she failed to exploit it in time.

Abruptly, a roaring howl rippled through the forest. It was a call—or perhaps, a cry for help. It was loud enough to shatter the illusionary cage Sarada had thought she had it locked in; to drag it back to the gruesome reality of a bitter surrender.

Too weak to get up despite breaking free from Sarada's grasp, the shadow let itself disperse; fade back into the black fog to be carried away by the winds—and ultimately, disappear from her.

Not once did it even glance back at Sarada.

"Hey!" Sarada grunted, ignoring the pain that throbbed in her forehead upon having exerted herself a little too much. "Where do you—Ack!"

An arm abruptly extended in front of her, blocking the young Ninja from pursuing the enemy any further. Clicking her tongue in frustration, her head snapped to the left in fury at whoever obstructed her path. "Who—"

It was Kakashi.

Since when did he arrive…?

"Let them go." Kakashi said calmly before he nodded towards Raku and his unconscious mother, whose back still bled red from the claws that had torn through her skin. "They didn't manage to get what they want. Right now, Raku's mother is our priority."

Sarada's eyes relaxed back to a familiar shade of grey as she started to compose herself. Her shoulders shrugged back as she retracted back from her fighting stance. Along with her own set of pain from the bruises sustained, the questions that swirled around her head about what had occurred at Kakashi's side was swallowed down.

Retaining back her focus of their primary objective now, she nodded, "Understood." She agreed as she went to Raku's side while Kakashi went to carry his mother.

"W-Will… Will she be alright…?"

"She will." Sarada reassured the sobbing boy, before bending down for him to get on top of her back. "Hop on."

"B-But…" He stuttered, shaky eyes looking at all the scratches and fresh wounds that were tattered all over her. His heart clenched in guilt. "You're hurt—"

"I'm a Ninja." Sarada replied, flashing him with a soft smile to cover any lingering ache she felt. "This is nothing… so come on now."

While distrustful of Sarada's so-called honesty, Raku decided to shelve any more protest he had. The faster they left, the faster his mother could get the help she needed.

Sniffing, he nodded. "Okay…"


"So the shadows can only shapeshift to animals?" Sarada queried as she and Kakashi walked out of the medical room once she had her wounds attended to. Fortunately, she sustained nothing that was a major cause of concern. Although, Kakashi believed he would have to do some explaining to her parents about the bandage wrapped around her neck.

"It appears so." Kakashi sighed, as the two now waited in the hallway for the news of Raku's mother's current state. "Nonetheless, they were still a pain to deal with back in the castle… she practically conjured a zoo back there." He scoffed, shaking his head at the horrid memory.

"Luckily for me, the animals she sent my way weren't as large as the wolf. I assume she had prioritized taking Raku as hostage to compromise me… well, shame on her for underestimating you; who didn't even have to use Chidori to shock that beast, hm? Must've been a shock to the user as well." Kakashi laughed lightly.

Sarada raised a curious brow. "How are you so sure that I didn't use it?"

"Because you're here, still standing and in-tact." He answered. "That and… I had faith in you. For the most part."

"'For the most part'?" Sarada scoffed.

"I'm just being honest. Your generation can be so reckless…even more so than the previous ones." Kakashi reasoned, but alas all it earned was a sarcastic chuckle on Sarada's part who didn't believe him one bit. But she didn't blame him for it either. If she hadn't noticed the shadow's weakness, who knows what she would've done?

"But my doubts are cleared." Kakashi added on with a smile. "Right now, I do have faith in you, Sarada Uchiha."

It was strange hearing Kakashi say something like that. It was also equally satisfying and maybe even… touching.

All the while Sarada had been wondering if he had as much faith in her as she thought when he first taught her the very basics of the Chidori. When she found out she couldn't even use Chidori at her stage, she had been devastated; and perhaps if she hadn't held Kakashi up so highly, she'd have thought he had been mocking her.

Then came the test of her self-restraint of using Chidori which came in the form of a question Kakashi posed upon her. Perhaps now, she had an answer.

"Actually… Kakashi-sensei, about the Chidori—"

The sound of a door creaking open halted Sarada's speech. It was Hikaru who exited the room, and he appeared to bear some news. "Ah there you are." He said upon spotting the pair. "Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting—"

"Don't worry about it." Kakashi assured. "Any updates on Raku's mother's condition?"

"Ah right." Hikaru nodded. "Nothing serious or permanent. She'll wake up anytime soon… I really have to thank you—the both of you—for helping out. If it weren't for the protection you provided us with, I'm sure that other Ninja would've spread the chaos over to the city."

"Well, I don't think she'll be back anytime soon if that is your concern. Shinobis like them don't tend to meddle in nations that don't have a strong Shinobi culture… unless, of course, there is something they want." Kakashi said, gesturing to the Chakra that sat on the chair next to him.

"But, if you wish for extra protection, I can request for Naruto to send some Ninjas over here to oversee any disruptions caused by other Shinobis in the meantime, until the tensions quell." Kakashi offered. "I'm sure Naruto wouldn't mind. The both of you are friends after all."

Hikaru's eyes widened. "Really? That'd be—"

Moving aside, Sarada drowned out the rest of their conversation, seeing that it did not involve her. She determined that it'd be better to continue the rest of her question when her and Kakashi were alone; perhaps during their journey home.

If it hadn't been for a curious little boy whose head peeked out from the door, motioning for her to come in, she'd probably have let herself drift off to a land of momentary peace. Although, seeing Raku appearing to be well was a definite better type of peace; one that relaxed her heart, erased the pain from her healing wounds and made her smile as she approached the boy.

"Raku?" Sarada called as she entered the room, to find his mother resting, with Raku sitting next to her.

"… Is there something wrong?" The sullen look he had on was what made Sarada ask, albeit she did have an inkling about whatever that was going through Raku's head, and even more so, his heart.

Hesitantly, Raku shook his head. "No… I just didn't want to be here all by myself… when she wakes up."

"Ah." That wasn't all, and knowing this, Sarada prompted him. "And…?"

"And… I don't know what to do." Raku admitted. He was comfortable enough to open up his heart to her. And Sarada made sure to receive this tenderly as he continued, with tears welling his eyes, "…I also don't understand… why she protected me… and after everything I said to her…? I don't… I don't get it."

Both of her hands reached out, wiping away the tears that finally fell. "Because she's your mother."

"But that doesn't explain—"

"And you are her son." Sarada added softly, "The both of you are family… there's no stronger reason than that."

"…But I…" Seeing the little boy tremble, Sarada gently pulled him into a hug and Raku didn't waste any second in clinging onto her. He held onto Sarada tightly as more sobs spilled, out of confusion, out of everything oh so overwhelming. And when he finally calmed, something akin to guilt crawled up to him. It wasn't exactly guilt, no, perhaps it had to do something with him being so unsure of what to think of his mother now. But it was a horrible feeling as he came to admit, "I never really treated her like family…"

"It's not too late to start now." Sarada said, rubbing circles on his back in an effort to soothe him. "…But… is that what you want?"

What exactly did Raku want? For her to be a part of his family now? Or would he want to continue the way he had always treated her? Because realistically, Raku did not owe her anything. Not even forgiveness; as cruel and unfair as that might be, not everyone receives a happy ending. This was something Sarada could not intrude, even if her core beliefs revolved around family.

After a while, Raku found an answer. "I want… to have a normal life."

A normal life where people could see him as Raku, not as his mother's mistakes from the past.

A normal life where he could have friends.

Just a normal life.

And Sarada did not have the power to give him something even as simple as that. "…Raku—"

"Ah! I just remembered something…" Raku abruptly sat up and scrambled through his pockets in search of something. Sarada wondered if he only thought to bring whatever it was up now as a momentary distraction from the difficult situation they were in. She did not make any comment about it though, and just watched as the boy pulled out a necklace that had a wooden crescent moon carved.

He presented it to Sarada excitedly. "This is for you! I made it myself."

"For me?" Sarada said, surprised as the boy reached forward and put the necklace on her over her head. "Since when…"

"Sometimes Grandma Amayo visits me… one time she helped me make this and told me to give it to a very very very close and treasured friend when I made one. I asked someone to help me retrieve it while we waited…" He explained, and his eyes only sparkled as he watched Sarada look at the necklace he made in awe. That was all he needed.

"Raku I… thank you." While the amount of time they spent together was little, it evidently meant a lot to him and that touched Sarada's heart. "I'm sorry I don't have anything—"

"It's okay." Raku reassured. "Your strength was enough… and well…" His cheeks went a little red, a little bashful as he continued, "I… wish you were my sister… it'd have been nice to have you around."

"Aww… Raku, you… It'd have been nice to have a little brother like you too… even if…" Her hands reached out and pinched his cheeks teasingly. "Even if you are quite a mischievous boy… most times."

"Heyyy!" Raku whined, and Sarada laughed as he pushed her hand away. She laughed even more as Raku crossed his arms in an attempt to look tough; his little pout, however, failed his efforts. Was having a little brother really like this? If only…

"That's not true—"

"Mmf..." Interrupting them was Raku's mother who groaned quietly. She was gaining back her consciousness and judging from the colour returning to her face, Sarada was sure she was about to wake up anytime soon.

And that alarmed Raku; whose crossed arms now began to quiver as his hands gripped onto each side of his arm. It wasn't as if he wasn't relieved about her survival. Rather, he was just… nervous.

"It seems like she's finally coming to…" Sarada slowly stood up. "I'll take my leave."

"E-Eh?" Raku panicked, his hands immediately sprung onto her, gripping onto her sleeves tightly, desperately. He didn't believe he could do this alone "B-But I don't know what to say!"

But Sarada thought otherwise and smiled. "You will." She pointed to his heart. "As long as it comes from here."

"B-But!" Raku held onto Sarada. "But… what if… I still don't know what to feel? What… What should I feel?"

"That… that is something I cannot decide for you, Raku." Sarada answered, and the disappointed expression of his said it all. "Although… it is something you do not have to decide now, too. But…"

"But…?"

"But you waited here, in this room, where your mother was resting this entire time. You stayed by her side… was there a reason?"

"I…! I…" Raku looked away. "I just… didn't want to leave her alone."

"And do you still feel that way now?"

"…Yes." That was what his heart wanted. It must be. Because that singular epiphany relaxed his nerves enough for him to let go of Sarada. "I do." He sounded even more sure of himself when he continued. Then, with ready eyes, he looked back up. "I think… I think I understand now…"

Sarada smiled. "That's good—"

"One last thing!" She was cut off by a hug from the boy who knew this would probably the last time he'd see Sarada for a while. "Don't forget me… okay? If you ever come again, I promise I'll be big and strong by then so that I can protect you… so…so!" He squeezed her even tighter and continued, "So come again, okay?"

"…Honestly…" Sarada eyes softened, a giggle leaving her lips as she returned the embrace. Then, pulling Raku away, her fingers reached out to give a little tap to his forehead. "I'll look forward to that."

"Ah…" Raku wasn't exactly sure what that gesture was, but… it did provide him with comfort.

Waving her a goodbye as she left the room, Raku turned to face his mother. Taking a deep breath, he approached her just as her eyes started to blink open. The first thing she must've felt was panic, given how her eyes started to search frantically around the room for her son who she wasn't sure if he had made it after she passed out.

"Ra…! Ra… Rak—"

"I'm here, mom…" Raku quickly grasped her trembling hands, and held them close to his cheek. "I'm here."


"It seems like the boy grew on you." Kakashi remarked, having noticed the new accessory around Sarada's neck that she had been admiring for quite a while, which he had assumed was a gift from Raku.

"Yeah… he's like a little brother."

"'Little brother', eh?" Kakashi hummed.

After settling everything and bidding their farewells, Sarada and Kakashi had set off back to Konoha. Presently, they sat in a carriage that was graciously provided by Hikaru, riding off to the next stop where they'd have to continue the rest of their journey by boat and then foot.

The sun was setting, and the serenity of the orange hue cast over the land reminded Sarada of her exhaustion. With her current peace of mind, her exhaustion no longer frustrated her as it did before in battle; now, all she wanted to do was melt away to the land of dreams—after she clarified one last thing.

"About… earlier before we got interrupted." Sarada said, "Your Chidori question… I think I may have an answer."

"Oh?" Kakashi raised a curious brow, crossing his knees as he rested his chin on his palm. "What is it then?"

" 'Confronted in a situation when you 'need' it, what will you do?'" She repeated his words before continuing, "Rather than a question… was that meant to be more of a mindset?"

Kakashi nodded for her to continue.

"What you imposed on me wasn't a question. Not completely." Sarada said, "You presented me with a situation, test… a mindset on somewhat of the extreme ends of those who, as you've said, focus too much ahead while forgetting about what they learnt from before

"You wanted to see whether if I'd have rejected or succumbed that mindset—of thinking that such a powerful move that is currently above my capabilities would be an easy answer… even if the repercussions were severe, even if it compromised me…" She looked up to him, eyes narrowed. "You wanted to see if that mindset would cloud the rest of my abilities…"

"But why?" Sarada didn't understand that one part. "Why did you find it necessary to test me of such a thing? I may want to be stronger but…"

Kakashi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I've lived for quite some time… I've seen for myself how a thirst for power can corrupt when you least expect it. I've seen many ninjas down-spiral because of it as well.

"And even with a new generation born in more peaceful and less warmongering times as compared to the past, I believe such impatient traits still exist. History may as well repeat itself if we fail to nurture the new to steer clear from that path.

"While I don't think the current 'you' is as power-hungry and obsessed as those who have walked a much treasonous and treacherous path… I merely feared what your discontent could potentially spiral to. I'd much prefer to avoid the absolute in the early stages.

"So yes, a mindset was what I presented; a temptation. I wanted you to have that realisation for yourself upon breaking free from that mindset… plus depending on what you'd have chosen and risked, what would happen next in our training would've differed."

"…Was that why you were there?" Sarada asked. "To stop me if I had chosen to use Chidori?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I only arrived there just as you were about to chase the enemy. I'm not as cruel as to leave you by yourself."

"…Frankly, I had some doubts in the beginning, as I've told you earlier." Kakashi continued honestly. "I initially thought of asking you and Raku to follow me when you saw my Chidori successfully working, even if Raku following might have up the pressure and stakes. But then I saw how much you cared for that child even though you've only known him for a short while… and I figured you'd not have made an unnecessary risk nor let that mindset cloud you for fear of leaving him defenceless."

"That sort of gamble sounds riskier than me using Chidori." Sarada scoffed.

"Perhaps." Kakashi chuckled. "But, I'm glad to see that my intuition was right to let you go off with Raku. My faith in you wasn't wasted. I only regret ever having a miniscule of doubt within myself for you. My apologies, Sarada. For imposing such a frustrating test on you."

"Treat me to a drink and I'll think about forgiving you." Sarada huffed.

Kakashi laughed at how bold she had become. If this had been the Sarada when they first started training, she wouldn't have dared even making a request like that. Though it wasn't anything Kakashi regarded as bad, if anything he found it to be an interesting development of her character.

"Yes, yes…"

Silence swelled.

"… about those Ninjas that let their hunger for power overcome them…" Sarada murmured tiredly, feeling her eyelids gradually becoming heavier by the second. "Do you know what happened to them?"

"Well… some of them went completely astray… never to be heard of again," Kakashi never liked that ending. It always left a bitter taste on his tongue. He once heard a saying that people were inherently selfish, and that in the Shinobi world, such selfishness made them vulnerable to falling into the darkness that was ever-so tempting in quenching their own thirst for power, vengeance, satisfaction—regardless of the consequences the innocent may face. A desire so deep that it'd push one to madness—and everyone knows how an evil like that would end.

However, that wasn't the only ending. "Some of them…well, to put simply," Reminiscing a little bit, Kakashi couldn't help but smile at how everything turned out. Things were for sure better now for him—for them. The only thing he wished was that all of it— the painful path they had to walk on to reach such a peaceful ending— could've been avoided altogether. Albeit… he supposed there were some things that were unfortunately just inevitable, no matter how much you changed the past. "…They managed to return home after a good wake-up call."

"Is that so?" Sarada yawned. "That's nice… to hear…"

And as the sun finally came to a rest, so did Sarada who fell asleep shortly after hearing the bittersweet end of the short story Kakashi told. He wondered how she'd have reacted instead if he had told her it was her father's story—but, no.

That wasn't his story to tell, although it was certainly a story she deserved to know.

That day would certainly come, and hopefully soon. Curiosity could only be suppressed for so long, after all.

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Author's Notes:

Hello! Sorry for the very late update, I had hit a huge writer's block for this fic after my exams and all. I hope this chapter was still okay, I feel like my writing style has kinda downgraded after a while lol. But anyway, I do hope to update the next chapter by next month ;-; but I'm not so sure since I've been busy with other things and work aha… plus, finding motivation is difficult these days. Oh but side note, I have not been keeping up with the Boruto (anime) so I do apologise if anything here is contradicting with that :')

With all that aside, to the readers who are still reading this, I thank you for your patience. It really means a lot to me and I do really hope I can update soon. Do let me know in the comments of what you wish to see? Haha

Please leave a comment! I accept constructive criticism as well don't be shy (for those who did leave them, I appreciate it a lot too!) thank you for reading thus far :))