Sarada felt her mouth twist into a frown and was in deep thought. What if there's something awful about my parents that I'm not supposed to know? What if that's why Mama won't tell me anything?
Sarada bit her lip and continued walking toward the Konoha library, determined to find anything out. I just can't be in the dark anymore, she thought to herself. Even if it's something bad, I have to know. I have to know where I come from, why things are the way they are and why Mama is always so secretive about it.
The loud, playful screams of kids coming from her right brings a playful smile to her face as she continues walking down the cobblestoned street. She takes the notebook in her hand and crumples it slightly, not realizing how tense she had been; and puts it back in her bag.
Sarada felt the knots in her stomach tighten as her mind ran rampant with the possibilities that there could be a secret she might stumble upon. Her legs continue in spite of the fact that her brain and legs aren't seeming to connect with each other. Her mind is foggy and thoughtful but she presses on until she reaches the bridge that leads directly to the library.
Konoha Local Library
She was here. She took a few deep breaths and headed inside.
"Excuse me?" Sarada asks the busy librarian.
The woman barely turned her head in acknowledgement but this gives Sarada a reason to continue speaking.
"I'm looking for records on Sasuke Uchiha and anything on the history of Konoha during that time." Sarada meekly says. Feeling a sheen of sweat on her forehead. The library was tall and dark and didn't have many windows. It made Sarada feel uneasy.
"Name?" The brisk librarian asks, still not meeting Sarada's gaze.
"Sarada Uchiha."
It's as if the librarian just realized who was standing before her and quickly she apologizes. "Oh, miss Sarada! I do apologize, I didn't realize who you were at first." She says with panic.
Weird. Sarada thought, why was she acting so strange?
"That's okay," Sarada starts, weirded out at the way the librarian shifted in personality. "I was hoping to find some information on my family. I don't know much about the Uchiha at all or any of my past."
"Oh, yes, I suppose a child ought to know about her family," the woman gingerly starts. "But I'm afraid all I can give you on the Uchiha clan specifically is a book of records, the rest is restricted and I'm unable to give it out."
"Restricted? Why?" Asks Sarada incredulously. A lump began to form in Sarada's throat. She knew there was some reason her mom must've not wanted to tell her anything. She noticed the librarian take a sharp breath and leaned away timidly. But she remained silent, never answering Sarada's question.
"What about history books? Like around the same time my father was here? The Great fourth Shinobi world war?"
The librarian's lips pursed in a tight line and grabbed a book from under the counter. She began flipping through until she landed on something toward the end of the book. "Ah, there we are. The Great Fourth Shinobi war. I have a book on that somewhere." And with that, the librarian disappeared around the corner, leaving Sarada in the creepy library.
Her thoughts yet again, going off into a million different directions. She's deep in thought when interrupted by the librarian again.
"Here we are, dear." She hands Sarada two massive books. One with the Uchiha crest and the other blank besides the letters GFSWW on it.
"Thanks," Sarada mutters. "Oh, what's your name-?" The woman was gone. Must've gone behind the counter somewhere again, Sarada thought with a shake of her head. Everyone is acting strange today.
She was all alone in this great big library and she had to admit, felt extremely creeped out. She felt as if someone was watching her. She pushed up her glasses before opening the dusty Uchiha book. She coughed when the dust from the book became overwhelming but adamantly continued.
It read, "The noble Uchiha clan, it's bloodline ranks among the most vulnerable. Many high skilled ninja hail from this family. The ability to wield the Sharingan is considered their greatest trait. Even among the clan, the Sharingan awakens in the eyes of very few members. Enabling them to see through taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjutsu. The rare mangekyo Sharingan manifests itself in a pattern different from the others.
"The Sharingan? I've heard a few kids at school talking about the power and legend of it. I didn't know it was a family trait. I wonder if it ever manifested in my dad" She sighed and continued reading.
"And furthermore, the Sharingan awakens as a result of deep emotional trauma."
A few tears escape Sarada's face as she thinks about what her dad was like, if he had this Sharingan, if it awakened because of something truly awful. She had to keep reading, if she stopped now, she might never get the courage to continue. She bites her lips and continues on.
"Acute emotions cause the brain to release a unique form of chakra that affects the optic nerve and transforms the eye into the Sharingan."
Sarada flips over to the next page and her breath is almost taken away completely.
"Due to grave misfortune, the Uchiha clan nearly lost it's entire lineage. At the present time, the only known family members still alive today to carry on the bloodline are Sasuke Uchiha and his daughter, Sarada Uchiha."
What? She thought frantically. She knew she didn't have many family members, but her mom never gave her any details, never explained why. She only ever visited family on her mother's side. Never her fathers, not to mention she never actually saw her father that much. Tears began to flow freely now, dotting the pages with salt water stains. Instinctively, her hands clutched at her glasses and wiped her eyes. Putting the book aside, she decided to read from the GFSWW book and learn more about the history of Konoha, and if she was lucky, her parents, too.
Exhaling slowly, she prepared herself for what she might read in this new book. Determined, she opened it up. There was a dusty picture of a bunch of people Sarada recognized. Auntie Ino, Auntie Hinata, Uncle Naruto, Uncle Kakashi, Uncle Lee, and almost unrecognizably were her parents. Her mama and papa. Her mother looked pretty much the same but she had a meekness about her, an almost shyness to her, something she doesn't associate with her mother often. Her father on the other hand… he looked dark and had a very contorted scowl on his face. She had never seen him like that, the brief times she was able to see him.
She continued on to read, looking around the library and noticing the librarian had not come back yet. "Huh." She whispered. "Weird."
She flipped through multiple pages on how the war began, where it originated and why. But Sarada was losing the little patience she had. She had to find out more specifically about her parents, before her mother came out looking for her. She knew she had limited time.
"Ahah!" Sarada exclaimed. "Found something!"
"Shhh." The librarian who had suddenly reappeared said.
Feeling dazed, she silently nodded to the woman and continued reading.
"Many allied shinobi were unsure of what to do next, facing opponents such as Madara Uchiha, Obito and ten tailed Jinchuuriki. Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno of the Legendary team 7 were face to face with another of their teammates, Sasuke Uchiha, rogue ninja of the leaf. Together, they formed the three way road block, summoned the snake, frog and slug respectively and were able to, for a time, hold off the monsters that ran amok."
Sarada couldn't believe what she was reading. "Rogue ninja." She stated aloud. What the hell did that mean? She wondered. She never heard anything about her dad being a rogue ninja. But here it was, plain as day on the book. She was in complete disbelief. Rogue… Why? She wondered again.
She decided she'd keep reading. She needed to figure out all of the secrets. Enough was enough.
"Many skilled ninja died during this battle, and it almost claimed the lives of the teammates of team 7."
For some reason, she had a hard time continuing. She felt an uneasy presence and decided she'd take the book home, deal with whatever her mom had to say and go up to her room and read. But she knew if her mom saw the book, she'd never let her read it. Which makes the whole thing just that much more suspicious. She thought.
Getting up from the table, Sarada snapped the book shut and rose with the heavy books in hand.
"Here you go, ma'am." Sarada half smiled at the librarian. Sarada handed her the Uchiha book but kept the other one firmly grasped in her hand.
"Wanting to take that one home, are we?" The librarian queried.
Sarada felt heat rise in her cheeks for no apparent reason, other than maybe she felt a bit uneasy at the way this woman asked that question, like she was suspicious of me.
"Uh… y-yes." Sarada stuttered. "If you wouldn't mind?" The librarian's eyes squinted and she folded her arms. Why was everyone being so weird today? She thought numbly.
"Not at all." The woman responded curtly. She handed Sarada the book and immediately disappeared again behind the corner. Sarada ran out of the creepy library and the hot sun immediately made her feel light headed.
Heading toward the bridge again, Sarada notices a figure in the distance, close to the tree, a distance away from the bridge. Maybe I should ignore it. Sarada thought, feeling very concerned.
Maybe if she just walked straight past it without acknowledging the figure, whatever it was would leave her alone. Feeling a sheen of sweat gather on her forehead, Sarada went to wipe it and heard a voice calling her name.
"Sarada." The mystery voice called.
Her brows furrowed and she worriedly began to run past the tree, hoping to avoid the woman who had called her. She pulled her falling glasses once again to her face and ran like she never had before. It's not that she felt scared, she just felt uneasy. She knew it wasn't her mother. Sakura would've just busted into the library and confronted her. No one else in the village would do this sort of thing if they had something to say to her. She found herself wondering who it could possibly be calling her name.
"Sarada." The woman called out for her again. Her sweet voice piercing Sarada's ears as she ran.
Is she close behind me? Sarada thought. I'm running pretty fast, I didn't think anyone was following me. The history book Sarada had been carrying was falling out of her bag and she struggled to put it back while continuing to run. She peered behind her but didn't see anyone. She relaxed, if only for a minute.
"Sarada, please wait. I won't hurt you." The voice said again.
With trembling fingers she clutched onto her bag and began backing up, not knowing where the voice was coming from or who it could possibly be. She started to feel calmer when she remembered the voice said she wouldn't hurt her. Not that she could necessarily trust that, but what other options did she have? She couldn't run much further.
"W-who are you?" Sarada queried. Her legs were wobbling now, she had backed up into a tree and continued to search for someone she didn't see. It was the middle of the day, if someone was here, she would see them. Wouldn't she?
"I'm a friend, someone safe." The woman said behind what Sarada now recognized as a tree. "You needn't be afraid. I know you've been wanting to know more about your history, your past and your mom and dad. Isn't that right?"
Sarada felt her hands begin to tremble now. She dropped her bag by the tree and sighed. What did this woman want? Confused, she answered tentatively. "Well, yes I do. But how did you know that? And why are you hiding behind the tree?" She wondered.
"I didn't want you to see me just yet, not until you agreed to let me help you. Let me show you what your parents were like, what their history was like." The woman explained. Her voice was light and kind. A very inviting voice, indeed.
A sigh escaped Sarada's lips. She firmly placed her hands on her hips and replied, "I seem to have no other choice. My mom won't tell me anything and my dad's never around," Sarada replied with a shaky voice.
"I just… I just want to know more about them and why I'm not important enough for my mom to talk to me and my dad to see me." She breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Sorry, I guess I needed to talk about it. Didn't mean to unload all of that onto a random stranger." She felt herself laugh a bit.
"Of course you do dear," The woman's face looked sad, somehow, like what she had just said affected her deeply. She began to appear from behind the tree and leaned into Sarada.
"Oh, um, hi… you're a bit too close for comfort," Sarada half joked.
"You're just like your-," The woman frowned. "Well, let's go then. I want to show you what you've been dying to know."
This woman was beautiful, Sarada thought. She had long raven black hair, long lashes and the fairest skin she had seen. She was wearing a winter dress, even though it was summer. A long, white dress that draped long past her feet. And a very kind smile. Sarada instantly felt safe in the presence of this stranger.
"Who are you?" Sarada asked, suddenly acutely aware that this was a total stranger that she had met not five minutes ago.
The woman's lips turned upwards into a small smile. "I'm a protector, a watcher. I've been watching you for quite some time, Sarada. I've always been here to watch over you. You don't need to worry about being around me. I'll keep you safe and return you to Konoha just as soon as you get the answers you seek. But you can call me Mikoto."
"Mikoto," Sarada repeats the name. "Well, okay then, Mikoto. But how are you going to show me my parents' past?
"I have a special ability. Just for today, I can take you with me." Mikoto smiles. "Shall we go then?"
Sarada takes a quick look around, making sure no one else was watching. She walked over closer to where Mikoto was standing and grabbed the hand Mikoto had out for her. "I'm ready." Sarada said with great determination.
I'm ready, mama and papa. I'm ready to learn more. She thought.