Thursday was normal. No one was late, everyone had rides, everything for the student council was turned in and up to date, the teal and white color scheme had won popular vote, they would start decorating next week, so it was a relatively normal day.

Until, after school Shikadai got threatened by a senior to a drag race and of course all his idiot friends, including Boruto, were egging him on.

It had all started with the Sunday meetups in the local grocery store parking lot. All the cool kids with their overly-expensive fancy cars went there weekly to show off their new modifications and roar their engine for a bit. Basically, it was for the sole purpose of boosting the ego, and Shikadai and Boruto had attended this past Sunday. One of the seniors only saw Shikadai as a useless wannabe, thus sparking a rivalry, then Iwabee had to go and make it twenty times worse.

Apparently today, he had been taking Shikadai's WRX for a joy ride around the parking lot and dented that same senior's back right fender when pulling back into the lot, which in turn, caused the heated fight.

It was absolute mayhem in the parking lot – people from all grades were slowly trickling around to watch the argument. Sarada had been cleaning the classroom in preparation for student council when she had looked out the window and saw the crowd slowly growing. She sprinted out the school entrance and pushed her way to the front.

"Your car can leave him in the dust, so stop being a pussy!" Iwabee said to Shikadai. He looked rather miffed being in the middle of all this.

"Race him with your own car!" Shikadai snapped. "You're the one who gave him a fender bender."

"No, I'm racing with you. Since you think your car is hot shit." The senior, Sarada was sure his name was Benny, said. As he took a step closer to the group of boys, Boruto and Mitsuki stood between Benny and Shikadai.

"Shikadai could murk you. Just cause your WRX has pinstripes on it doesn't make it fast." Boruto said. Benny raised an eyebrow.

"Iwabee, just pay for it! Stop trying to make him race!" Denki insisted.

"You're all being so unreasonable," Inojin said.

"No! He parks like shit so he deserved it! Shikadai just do it!" Iwabee shouted back.

"This is such a drag." Shikadai said.

"You're just scared I'll beat you!" Benny said.

"Actually, his mom would kill him if she found out, that's why." Boruto cackled, making Mitsuki smile. Shikadai rolled his eyes.

"Aww, the wittle Nara is scared of his mommy." Benny mocked. A vein in Shikadai's forehead pulsed. Oh dear. Sarada had seen this before. Truly, no one knew the fierceness of Temari, so when someone took it lightly Shikadai was immediately offended. She was one woman to never be trifled with. Only his true close friends were allowed to make fun of his fear for his mother. And Benny did not fit that criteria.

"Hey, Boruto, get in the front seat."

He turned to Shikadai in complete shock, letting out a confused noise. The look in Shikadai's eye was no joke, and Boruto did as he was told. He made eye contact with Sarada before stepping in, and Shikadai followed, roaring his engine to life and reversing through the parting crowd. He pulled up next to Benny.

"End of eighty-nine back to the school parking lot." He said barely below his breath, then rolled his tinted window up. The crowd was exploding with excitement and everyone stampeded to the sidewalk where the race would end, pulling out their phones to record the scene as Shikadai's car disappeared from the view. Oh god. This was such a horrible idea, Sarada felt the wind being knocked out of her.

Benny cackled "watch this" and hopped in his own car and followed with great vigor. She got a text shortly after.

Boruto

Sorry I'll be late today! Shikadai's showing me how to do manual real fast

Sarada smacked her head. This was hardly the time for Boruto to be learning how to use a stick shift. Why did Boruto need to be in the car? If they were racing wasn't it easier to race with just one person? That text seemed so...weird.

There were minutes of complete silence, everyone waiting to hear the sound of the engines echo to signify their start. Phones were recording and ready, everyone was on edge, and soon the sound hit their ears, everyone began chattering excitedly.

Eighty-nine was the main road to their school with no stop lights and a straight shot, so it was the perfect racing course...when there were no other cars around. Unfortunately, it was patrolled by officers frequently, so they would either be safe this time or very unlucky.

The sound came closer and closer until she could see the dark blue and black cars coming at an incredible speed. She was shocked at how quickly they were coming to the finish line, and everyone's cheers and screams got louder.

Shikadai's car seemed to slow down significantly towards the front of the school, and suddenly, Benny swerved into the right lane, causing Shikadai to slam on his breaks. The tires screeched against the pavement causing a sound worse than nails on a chalkboard. Sarada winced, and Benny raced past the finish line.

Shikadai's car had spun a full one-eighty, so slowly, he drove back into the parking lot as Benny came to an abrupt stop.

"Bitch ass Nara!" He shouted, sitting halfway out of the window frame, "Don't let mommy get you a car you can't even drive!"

"What the hell was that?!" Boruto got out of Shikadai's car in a rage, hair disheveled, breath uneven, and slammed the door. "Swerving into the other lane like that, you tryna get us killed?"

"I won fair and square!" Benny said, and his friend stepped in and shoved Boruto. A full blown fight then broke out. By now, the teachers and the campus security had shown up and began pulling everyone apart. Security was yelling at everyone to go home, and quickly people were cramming into their cars and driving off, not wanting to get in trouble.

Although it was none of Sarada's direct business, she was part of the student council with Boruto and therefore felt somewhat responsible that she hadn't stopped him, so she followed the group of teachers and security that had Boruto, Shikadai, Inojin, Denki, Iwabee, Mitsuki, and Benny's whole group in a herd. Mr. Aburame tried to convince her to go home, but she insisted she stay.

Parents were called, and in less than an hour some were able to show up like Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sai, but most others couldn't due to such short notice. Due to the mass amounts of people, they had to move to the teachers lounge, and Naruto and Shikamaru looked disappointed. Boruto and Shikadai didn't look afraid, though, and Sarada immediately was suspicious.

"Mr. Uzumaki, will you please explain what is going on here and why my faculty is always dragging you and your friends to me." Headmaster Tsunade said. Poor woman. She'd had so much stress this year already.

"Ma'am, in all honesty, we had nothing to do with this." He said, staring her straight in the eye. "The bell rang, and I figured I had some time before student council so Shikadai could show me how to drive a manual. So, we were simply taking a drive around the school block when Benny cut us off. Shikadai had to slam on his breaks and I swear we were gonna crash."

"You liar!" Benny stood up, his dad looming behind him. "Iwabee crashed the car into mine and then dared to race me so he wouldn't have to pay for it!"

"You let Iwabee drive your car?" Shikamaru leaned down to Shikadai. He frowned and shook his head.

"Dad, I swore to you and mom I wouldn't let anyone else drive it. I know I let Boruto in the front seat, and I'm sorry for that, but I usually give him rides in the morning anyway and he's a good passenger."

Sarada's eyes widened. Were they serious…

"No! Iwabee was driving!" Benny insisted.

"Dude, why would I want to drive a WRX? It's trash." Iwabee said. He had a Jaguar, so nothing compared to his car.

"You crashed into my car!"

"More like you were going seventy on a thirty-five and decided to cut us off." Boruto snapped back.

"So who was driving when the crash happened?" Tsunade asked, a finger placed on her temple.

"Me." Shikadai said evenly. "He cut me off, hitting my bumper and his fender, and I slammed on my brakes."

"Why did you cut him off?" Tsunade turned to Benny. His face looked pale.

"We were racing! Check the school cameras, you'll see we were! Everyone has it on video!"

"Why would Shikadai race you with another person in there? Let alone at all? That's not him." Mitsuki said. Benny looked absolutely furious.

"You're all liars! Look!" He grabbed his friend's phone. He had started recording from the time Shikadai's car had disappeared from view, Benny had said "watch this" and pulled out of the parking lot. Soon enough, the engines were heard in the background, and it truly did look like Benny planned to go cut Shikadai off. Sarada put a hand over her mouth. Benny's face fell, and Shikadai and Boruto resisted the urge to smirk.

"So what this video is showing me is that it was planned." Tsunade said, and Benny was absolutely speechless.

"N-No, someone has to have the full video, we were all arguing before! Guys?" He looked to all his friends desperately, but they had all been too preoccupied cheering for him that they never filmed anything before he got in his car. Other people may have more footage, but they weren't here to vouch for him. Benny looked to Headmaster Tsunade, and Naruto and Shikamaru folded their arms.

"Interesting." Naruto said, and Benny trembled.

"Wh-Why would everyone be there unless we were about to race?!"

"Cause school just got out. Duh." Iwabee said.

"W-W-Well, sometimes more weight helps with racing! So Boruto wasn't really learning manual!"

"Actually, I was. You can even ask Sarada." Boruto said, and suddenly all eyes were on her. She gasped, her throat constricting. Oh God. That's what that text was for! And now she was supposed to lie right now? This was definitely a position she didn't expect to be in, nor wanted to be, but being involved with Boruto came with repercussions, and this just happened to be one of them. She was completely frozen.

"Is this true?" Tsunade asked. Sarada bit the inside of her cheek. Her reputation was golden; she never lied, she got good grades, she was early to school, always turned her homework in on time, never caused trouble, and for the first time in her life she was having to cover up a lie someone else dragged her into. Boruto was right about himself. He wasn't good news.

But, it would be pointless to try and discredit everything, since their elaborate lie had already been proven true on camera and Boruto was looking at her with pleading in his eyes, so Sarada nodded.

She pulled out her phone and showed Mr. Aburame the text. No wonder it had seemed so cheerful and misplaced. Shikadai had planned this from the moment he asked Boruto to get in his car. He even made sure the "crash" happened right in front of the only camera in the front of the school grounds. He was too freaky genius.

Mr. Aburame nodded to confirm that he was in fact telling the truth, and Benny's face fell. His dad gripped his shoulder tightly.

"Better get a lawyer." Iwabee sneered, but Naruto hushed him.

Everyone was excused from the room. Benny's dad pleaded to Shikamaru and Naruto not to open up a legal case, and that he would cover any damage out of pocket or anything else they wanted. Shikamaru accepted the payment for the bumper and they filed a claim for insurance purposes, but declined all his other offers. Sarada was, at minimum, glad it all got figured out, but was absolutely fuming. Boruto watched her storm out of the room. He got up from his chair and chased after her.

"Sarada! Hey–" He practically tripped down the stairs, his shoes scuffing against the floor as strained forward to grab her arm. "Hey, hey, I'm so sorry I got you involved, okay? That wasn't cool of me."

"Next time you want to come up with some stupid lie, I don't want any part of it!" She yanked from his hold and kept walking, but he grabbed her again.

"Sarada, really, I'm so sorry. It was a tiny white lie, but now we're not in trouble–"

"That's not the point, Boruto!" She scowled. "Point is you took advantage of my good reputation and had me lie for you and your stupid friends, and now Benny has the whole blame. I don't like him either, but to humiliate him like that in front of everyone was a horrible thing to do. You were all acting like idiots, so to put it all on him to protect your shitty reputation was selfish."

Boruto's arm fell to his side.

"I'm...sorry."

"Don't say sorry to me." Sarada kept her glare even. After a moment of silence, she said, "Student council is cancelled today. I'm going home."

Boruto watched her walk out the front doors. He fucked up again.

A few beats later, Mitsuki approached him from behind.

"Benny was making such a scene after you left...so to make it fair, they put all of us on probation. So you don't have to worry about going to student council for now."

Boruto kicked the trashcan over as he walked out.

XxX

Sarada had temporarily joined the other homeroom's student council for Monday and Tuesday, since Boruto and his friends were put on probation indefinitely. It was crazy how much more productive she felt being around others who were as motivated as her and not feeling distracted or having to overthink all the time. By that Friday, the teal and white decorations had gone up nicely and the entire gym looked like a winter wonderland. Sarada was proud of herself for working so hard.

The weekend was relaxing just having time for herself. Dealing with all the drama about how she was doing student council without Boruto, when was he going to be off probation, and so on was really getting to her. They had taken so many steps forward in their relationship, but now it felt like they had been pushed back twice as much. She didn't know what to do.

In retrospect, it really wasn't that big of a deal since everyone got punished, but Sarada was still upset that Boruto so easily dragged her into it just because he knew she would defend him no matter what. It was stupid, but Sarada couldn't let it go. Boruto had disrespected her, and it was making it difficult for her feelings. She had really been starting to like him a lot, but after that, it was a slap in the face as to remind her that who Boruto was capable of being and who he was right now were two completely different people. She was holding onto false hope and potential that she saw in him.

Having her judgement clouded was nothing Sarada ever enjoyed. In fact, she couldn't stand it. So, after being much overdue, she paid a visit to the park right behind her house. It was sunny with barely a wisp of flurries swirling through the sky, and some little kids were out playing on the soccer field while their parents watched from afar.

Dumping the small puddle of water off the swing, she sat down and pondered on her life, school, and most importantly, how she was going to handle Boruto. There were only three days of school this week, then the dance Wednesday night, and then it was officially winter break. She could finally catch a break. Praise the lord.

Getting asked formally to a dance was something Sarada never experienced, so she had signed up to be part of the security crew again. It was nice because she still got to dress up and look cute and even go and have a few dances, but she also got special privileges and could report any suspicious activity without being labeled a tattle.

Sakura wasn't able to take Sarada shopping – her first reason was she was busy going with Sasuke to a bunch of business meetings, then it turned into she was just too busy in general – so Sarada had to pick something from her own closet. It was a pale blue dress from a few years back from a Christmas event years ago she went with her parents to (and funnily enough the Uzumaki family) and miraculously it still fit. It was quite ironic, but it was all she had.

Taking heels, a fluffy jacket, and makeup from her mother's room, the following Wednesday Sarada got ready and Itachi picked her up half an hour before seven. He complimented her as she stepped into his Mercedes.

"You look lovely."

"Thanks." She grinned. "I honestly wouldn't be going if I wasn't part of the safety committee all night."

"All night?" Itachi questioned. Sarada nodded.

"Since Boruto's on probation I have to pick up the slack for the shift he can't cover."

"Ah." Itachi mused. "When is he off probation?"

"No idea." Sarada blew a hair out of her face indignantly. She chose to straighten it tonight instead of her usual curls, and her extensions still went down to the middle of her back. It was a change, but a good one.

"Well be sure to tell me what time you want me to come pick you up." Itachi said, pulling to the front entrance. Sarada hopped out. "Oh, don't forget your coat."

She grinned. "Thanks!" she said, then ran into the building.

The DJ was testing the speakers, the chaperones were gathered in the gym, and other student council members from each grade trickled in slowly. Most people didn't show up until almost an hour after the actual dance started, so there was still tons of time to perfect everything.

After Sarada had fixed all the little details of the decorations, it was seven o'clock. A new group would come in every so often, but it was still a small crowd. Overall, looking around the gymnasium she reflected on all her hard work despite losing her male counterpart. Even in trial she was still capable, and that was the most rewarding feeling.

Around eight, most people had shown up by now so the room was getting crowded. So far it was a pretty good outcome, but Boruto still hadn't appeared yet, and for some reason that made Sarada sad. Even though he was on probation, he was still allowed to attend dances, right?

She quickly tried to brush it off, though, and focused back on her duties. Why did it matter if he showed up? She was supposed to be upset and mad at him. He was annoying and troublesome anyway. Just because she was all dressed up for once didn't mean he was obligated to approve. This was the worst feeling ever.

"Sarada Uchiha caught wearing a dress from a Christmas party four years ago? I'm shocked."

Sarada's eyes widened. Speak of the devil; she whipped around to see Boruto, his hands placed in his pockets, lips curled to the side in a smirk.

"Boruto!"

"Long time no see." He grinned. He was wearing a fitted gray tuxedo with his hair slicked to the side. It looked phenomenal on him, but then again he looked good no matter what. Sarada fumbled for words.

"You–how did you–"

"Anyone would remember that train wreck of a dress. At least you threw that outdated foxtail over it to add some pizzazz." He smirked, and she blushed profusely.

"Sh-Shut up! It was all I had!"

Boruto cackled, "I know. It looks great on you."

Sarada couldn't help the wave of embarrassment that washed over her. Boruto liked the dress...even though it was from when she was twelve. Now that he was here, she wasn't quite sure what to say. The buildup had been more anxiety-ridden and heart pounding than actually standing in front of him. This was normal for them. She didn't know why she thought it'd be any different than any other time they fought. It was always awkward for a few days, then suddenly Boruto would randomly insult or flirt with her and they would go back to where they were.

Well, at least there was one thing he was consistent with.

"Did you come with your friends?" Sarada fiddled with her fingers.

"Just Mitsuki. The others wanted to pregame."

Sarada rolled her eyes, but then took a moment to internalize. Boruto wasn't pre-gaming with them? Why not? He was always the life of the party, and probation from school duties didn't mean he couldn't drink outside of it. She opted not to say anything, and instead walked with him over to the punch table where Mitsuki was already chilling. He had his usual neutral expression on his face.

"Hello Sarada." He greeted. She smiled.

"Hi. What do you think of the decorations?"

"Phenomenal. Amazing how you did this by yourself."

Boruto glared at him while Sarada giggled.

"No, no, I had lots of help!" She said.

"Yeah, Mitsuki, so shut up." Boruto chided, and his friend cracked a smile.

"Did your playlist get picked?" He asked.

"I actually don't know." Boruto said.

"It did." Sarada smiled. "We all voted that yours had the best mix."

Boruto beamed with confidence. "Oh hell yeah! Too bad you guys have no taste and picked teal and white. I'm disappointed."

Sarada shook her head, laughing. A loud mass of people walked in, and immediately Sarada knew it was the rest of Boruto's friend group. She sighed deeply as Boruto skipped over to them, and Mitsuki glanced at her.

They were all clearly tipsy – especially Iwabee, and for some reason Chocho was hanging around them too – but Boruto didn't seem to hold any distaste on his features. He truly was a master at faking. He acted so fluently around people he couldn't stand, lied elegantly through his teeth while looking someone dead in the eye, and talked to people like they had never done him wrong.

That made Sarada beg to wonder. Did he lie to her too?

"What's on your mind?" Mitsuki asked. She was taken aback that he was speaking to her – he tended to be quiet around anyone but Boruto and Shikadai – let alone inquiring about her current head space. She sighed.

"I mean, you know Boruto better than anyone, and I was just wondering how he's able to act like he doesn't hate certain people when I know he does. 'Cause like me? I can't lie to save my life."

Mitsuki smiled. "It's just how he is. He doesn't like causing drama so treats everyone the same."

"Like an asshole."

"Exactly."

Sarada snorted humorously. "I just see how fake he is with other people and I can't help but feel like he's faking with me too."

"He's not, I can tell you that." Mitsuki leaned against the wall. "He talks about you sometimes when we're playing Xbox."

Sarada raised an eyebrow. Her heart thudded, and she hated that. "Really? What does he say?"

"Just things that are super casual, mostly about student council or that you're way smarter than he'll ever be." Mitsuki smiled at Sarada's beaming expression.

Sarada swirled her drink. Now, she didn't have brothers or close cousins, but growing up she was always aware that the Xbox Live chat for guys was a sacred space. Boys didn't just talk about anything there. So the fact that her name was even brought up at all was crazy. Boruto talked to Mitsuki about their student council experiences together.

"I tried to ask him more about it one time but he changed the subject. So that's how I know it's different with you."

Sarada felt butterflies swirling in her stomach. She quickly brushed it off. "W-Well, what about all those other girls he has?"

Mitsuki gave her a look. "The only girl still trying is Chocho, but even then he doesn't give her the time of day. You know this."

At the mention of her name, Sarada looked over. Chocho had dragged Boruto to the dance floor, swinging him around and laughing even though it was a sweet, slow song. Looking at him, a feeling ignited in her stomach that felt...warm. But, seeing him with Chocho only brought back memories of Chocho's birthday party and the inevitable downfall of their friendship. To be honest, Sarada still felt bitter that they were having a silent war over a boy – one Sarada had originally hated too. It made absolutely no sense.

"So he doesn't hook up with a bunch of girls anymore?"

Mitsuki grinned. "He never has."

Sarada stared at him. "What do you mean?"

Mitsuki was about to speak, but Boruto trampled over to them, grabbing Mitsuki as a human shield.

"Please save me. Drunk Chocho is twenty times worse than regular Chocho."

Mitsuki smiled. "Shouldn't have talked to her."

"Shut up." He snipped. "I need some air."

He and Mitsuki made their way outside and Sarada stood in her place. Mitsuki's words were still ringing in her head. He never has? What does that even mean? For years girls had talked about their experiences with Boruto in bed, and he would never deny it. That womanizing image from middle school followed him to high school where it was even more rampant now. So what did Mitsuki mean that he never has hooked up?

"Hey. Are you coming?"

Sarada broke from her stupor. Boruto was looking at her inquisitively. He wanted her to go outside with them? She felt her stomach swirl. Oh God she hated when she felt mushy inside.

"I-I'm on security tonight."

"Yeah, and you need to check outside to make sure no one is dabbing behind the dumpsters. So c'mon." Boruto grinned impishly at her. Sarada smiled and bounced after him.

The cold slapped against Sarada's cheeks, but it felt nice compared to the hot, humid gymnasium. She relished the fresh air and Mitsuki was already admiring the sky. It was colored midnight black with stars glittering past the moon to infinity. The scene was beautiful, but then a thought interrupted her meditation.

"Wait, what's dabbing?"

Boruto smacked a hand to his face. Mitsuki looked fairly amused. Sarada was genuinely lost.

"It's weed." Mitsuki answered.

"Oh." Sarada said. How would she know? She'd never done drugs in her life.

"Silly, silly girl." Boruto said flatly. They began to bicker, and Mitsuki let his gaze rest on them.

Yeah, Boruto was most definitely his realest when he was with her.

Sarada had to later attend to her duties, which left no time for any more chit chat. She had found a few couples making out in empty classrooms and the bathrooms and kindly asked them to leave. The dance was going smoothly – everyone was having a good time, the punch bowl was still full, and most importantly no one had broken out in a fight.

Boruto was with his friends all night, sometimes standing off to the side, other times dancing with random girls who went up and asked him. Chocho was hanging on him and Iwabee interchangeably, and everytime Sarada would walk past them, Chocho would give her a dirty look. Stooping to her level was never Sarada's intention, but it started to get on her nerves.

Later towards the end of the night when everything was shutting down, Sarada was walking through the barren dark hallways when she heard the echoes of two voices coming from a classroom with a cracked door. Last time she had been in this scenario, it had caused the biggest fight between her and Boruto and also damaged her self-esteem, so she was tempted to turn around and leave it be. But, she had been instructed to make sure all the classrooms and hallways were clear so the administration could lock the school. She had a job to do.

Tip-toeing gently, she stood by the wall to listen in.

"–with me?"

The response was hard to hear.

"I don't understand why."

"I'm just not." The voice was Boruto's, that was clear as day. The other voice she couldn't quite make out.

"What does she have that I don't?"

"This isn't about anyone else."

Sarada heard shuffling around the room.

"Then what?!" It was Chocho.

"We've already talked about this."

"Yeah, only 'cause I offered to suck your dick."

Sarada felt a coldness run down her spine.

There was an elongated pause, and then a sigh. "What do you want from me, Chocho?"

"You to dump whatever rebound bitch you're messing with and realize no girl has ever been as down for you as I have. With your reputation, who would even like you as much as I do? And not just to sleep with you?"

"I can name one." Boruto murmured. Chocho fumed.

"Who?!"

"Our last kiss was the very last time." Boruto said sternly. "You don't get to know my business anymore. We had a thing, we talked, but it didn't work out. Now can you accept that and leave it alone?"

Chocho was quiet for a very long time. Sarada was trembling with anxiety. So many thoughts were swirling around her head. When was the last time he and Chocho kissed? Had they still been messing around in secret? Why was she still standing here eavesdropping? God, her life was turning into a bad soap.

"If you tell me who it is I will." Chocho said quietly.

Boruto gazed at her. "Guess I'll still hear from you then."

His footsteps headed towards the door, and Sarada almost fell over in a tizzy. She scrambled in circles. There was nowhere to hide, she could pretend to be walking down the hall, but it would still look suspicious. The door slid open completely and she was a deer in headlights.

Boruto froze in his steps, and Chocho stopped behind him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, looking from him to the hallway. Sarada stood there and stared, and so did Boruto. Chocho's eyebrows raised, then she looked from Sarada to Boruto, and it clicked.

"Oh…" She muttered quietly, a sinking look fell upon her face. Boruto looked to the floor, and Chocho lowered her head. So that was it...

"Um, the dance is almost over, and they're going to lock the doors, so…" Sarada trailed off. Disregarding the dirty looks earlier, she now didn't understand why Chocho was looking at her so...shocked. What was happening?

Boruto turned back to her, smiling. "Thanks. Your uncle coming to pick you up?"

Sarada was surprised by his sudden change in attitude, but she quickly smiled back. He began walking down the hall, and she followed in suit. Her shoes clicked softly in resonance to his own. "Yeah, he said if you were here he'd drive his Ferrari down to show you real quick."

"Oh hell yeah! That would be awesome."

Chocho stepped out into the hallway, watching the two as they walked towards the staircase. Boruto and Sarada, huh? That was definitely unexpected...and it hurt. Her own best friend beat her at her own game, and she didn't even do anything special. Sarada Uchiha was so...plain. Chocho invented her, and her makeup, and her clothes, and her fake hair. Yet Boruto looked at her like she was a rainbow after a cloudy day.

He looked so happy and relaxed next to her, it was obvious by the way he smiled and laughed at her jokes. Not once had Chocho ever seen him like that with anyone else, not even her. For Sarada to crack Boruto Uzumaki...there had to be something going on behind the scenes. Chocho glowered.

Whatever it was, she'd get to the bottom of it.