The tactic Kakashi devised against Gaara puzzled him a bit. He had a month to prepare Sasuke for the main matches, and pulling a genin to that level in such short time was nearly impossible. But Kakashi got lucky. His student was a Uchiha genius, so the insane training plan could well pay off.
But on the other hand, Kakashi almost regretted that Sasuke, not Sarada, faced Gaara in the third stage. Because preparing Sarada in a month would be far more realistic.
Kakashi reluctantly admitted Uchiha Shisui was right. For learning Chidori, the girl had everything. Unlike Sasuke, she had already mastered nature transformation, her chakra control was excellent, and while Sasuke was just learning to gather enough chakra in his hand, Sarada's palm already sparkled with something like the future technique. Seeing the girl's success, Sasuke gritted his teeth and fumed silently. He said nothing, but Kakashi perfectly understood his hidden rage. Even before Sarada joined, Sasuke had started mastering Chidori basics and apparently didn't fully believe he'd succeed. Sarada's example snapped him out of it. No more excuses: if she could, he could too.
But Chidori was dessert. Main training time Kakashi devoted to taijutsu. Watching Lee's fight with Gaara gave him the idea to focus on speed. Plus, speed was integral to Chidori itself. And here the kids didn't disappoint. Sasuke had copied Lee's taijutsu elements with Sharingan—who knows when, but very timely—and during spars with Sasuke, Sarada mastered them too; she had Sharingan after all.
Sharingan was a mandatory Chidori element. Kakashi had learned that on his own skin in his youth on Minato's team. Without Uchiha dojutsu, the technique wasn't complete, as the user became vulnerable to counters, but Sharingan allowed dodging each one. Thus, the only ones in Hidden Leaf who could master his technique were Uchiha heirs: these kids and potentially Uchiha Shisui, but he had his own fighting style and didn't need Chidori.
A little while later, Kakashi concluded that the girl reminded him of an overgrown garden. Sasuke picked everything up on the fly, but Sarada was even faster. Astonishing talent and superb genetics. Kakashi was even a little envious. Nature hadn't shortchanged him on talent, but back then, without Obito's eye, he hadn't felt nearly as comfortable. If Sarada had devoted all her time to training from childhood, she might now rival the best of her clan: Itachi and Shisui. But until recently, she clearly hadn't had the motivation, or a good teacher. Or both.
Watching the girl closely, Kakashi caught himself thinking that she was damn similar to Itachi, and that was strange. As far as he knew, Sarada wasn't a close relative of the brothers. The illegitimate daughter of one of the Uchiha men and some unknown civilian. So where did the resemblance come from?
One of the Uchiha men. She had lived with Fugaku-san's adoptive family. Was that because the mysterious father was Fugaku himself? Otherwise, why would he adopt someone else's child? But even if so, probably neither Sasuke nor Sarada knew. And no one else did. Only Itachi might know the full truth—it would be just like him.
And yet Sarada resembled Itachi more than Sasuke. Sasuke was a bit different, rougher and more aggressive, while Itachi's and Sarada's movements were graceful and precise. And very soon Kakashi understood why his former subordinate—now listed in the Bingo Book—focused mainly on genjutsu in training her. Sarada didn't have much chakra. For her, it was most rational to trap opponents in illusion rather than engage in serious combat; that would save both strength and chakra. And while Sasuke, making up for lost time, could use Chidori twice, Sarada's chakra, combined with Sharingan, was enough for only one.
****
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in one of the rooms of the Hokage's Residence, gazing at the portraits of the Hokage. There they were, from right to left: Shodai-sama, Tobirama-sensei, himself—still young and not so bald. And the last one: his grandstudent, Minato Namikaze.
The thick smoke made his throat itch. The Third exhaled and swallowed to chase away the unpleasant sensation.
After the war, he had stepped down and thought it was forever. The Will of Fire had passed to the new generation; the Hidden Leaf was now led by a young hero—the Yellow Flash of Konoha. Smart, talented, staggeringly strong and skilled.
"Minato..." Hiruzen whispered.
He shouldn't have died so young. If the Yondaime Hokage had survived, perhaps the Uchiha clan tragedy could have been averted. And... what was brewing now.
The door behind him opened. Without turning, Hiruzen sensed Anko's chakra.
"Hokage-sama..."
He remembered her as a child, like all the other current shinobi. A small talented girl, also a grandstudent like Minato. But Jiraiya had always treated his students more tenderly than Orochimaru.
And in every generation, there's always one who prefers the path of darkness over the Will of Fire...
He turned his head slightly.
No longer a girl—a woman. The frail skinny figure had become the sturdy body of an experienced Kunoichi. But to Hiruzen, she was still a child, like all the other Chunin and jonin.
"Anko?"
In the dim room, the girl lowered her face.
"Forgive me. If only..."
Hiruzen turned away, wearily closing his eyes, and finished for her:
"You blame yourself for returning alive from the Forest of Death?"
Anko fell silent.
"Enough foolishness. You're no longer tied to Orochimaru. There's no shinobi in Konoha who can face him on equal terms right now. Not even... not even I could."
Whatever Hiruzen said, he wasn't entirely convinced by his own words. "No shinobi capable..."
"What about Shisui?" Anko said timidly.
"Mm?"
Hiruzen turned with interest. He had been thinking the same and hadn't expected his thoughts from this girl's mouth.
He hadn't missed how much interest Shisui had shown in Orochimaru. It had taken force to drag the guy off Training Ground 44, and even then the Uchiha had resisted as best he could, refusing to leave the Forest of Death despite collapsing from exhaustion.
"A capable young man," Hiruzen replied. "You think he could do it?"
Anko looked away and answered after a pause:
"I think so."
"That's a serious claim."
He himself doubted it. An Uchiha who had awakened Mangekyo was capable of much. Hiruzen remembered Shisui bursting into his office six years ago in a rage. The power of his eyes mesmerized and overwhelmed, even if the youth intended nothing. Since then, he had grown even stronger and, as promised, remained loyal to the Leaf. But defeating Orochimaru wasn't so simple. Too technical, too cunning and slippery.
"I saw him fight Orochimaru in the forest," Anko admitted. "It was... incredible. He's as fast as..."
She glanced at the leftmost portrait.
Hiruzen grinned.
When the young come to replace us, it's always hard to believe in them.
It had been the same with Minato. Many grumbled that the Yellow Flash was too young to take command of the village. And it took very little time for him to prove himself a worthy Hokage.
Now they walk, look at his portrait, and think: "If only Minato were with us." And I involuntarily think the same. About who will come after me and whose portrait will hang fifth in this gallery.
****
"Hey, you stuffed yourself?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Naruto turned and instantly froze.
"A-a-a! Pervert! You tricked a kid! I thought you were treating!"
It was the worst kind of dirty trick, leaving him alone to pay at Ichiraku.
"What a fool. No one agreed to 'treat,'" the hermit grinned, hands on hips.
"And you call yourself an adult after that? An adult?!"
Naruto started pummeling the pervert's springy belly.
"By the way, Naruto. Do you like any girl?"
"Huh?"
He stepped back from the hermit in surprise. The pervert was acting weird. Said they needed to risk their lives, but instead... Dragged him to hot springs, then Ichiraku ramen. Now this. What about training? Training?
"I'm saying, do you have a favorite girl?"
"Well... kinda... sort of..."
Naruto blushed and thought. Sort of Sakura-chan. He'd always clung to her to not lose to Sasuke. But when he tried to say her name, the words stuck in his throat.
Naruto pictured Sakura again: her wide forehead, pink hair, green eyes. She was attractive, and the fact that Sakura chose Sasuke over him bruised Naruto's male pride. But recalling Sakura, he felt only emptiness in his soul. She lacked something for the ideal, and Naruto was surprised he hadn't noticed before. Say, keep the face the same, but hair not pink, but black, and not so fluffy. And black eyes too. And glasses would suit her. Like Sarada's.
A terrifying realization hit Naruto.
Damn... Do I like nee-chan... like... a girl?
"Na-a-ruto!" the hermit-pervert pressed. "Yes or no?"
But Naruto was too shocked by his discovery. Falling for Sarada seemed so unnatural and impossible that he hadn't even considered what strange feeling had inspired him the last month.
"Uh... turns out... Sarada. Yep! Sarada-chan!"
His cheeks burned.
Pervert, why do you need this, dattebayo?
"Excellent! Go hug her, right now!"
"Wha-at?!"
Naruto jumped.
"This... why, dattebayo?! Is this part of training too?"
"Well... you could say that," the hermit stammered.
"Oh..."
Naruto deflated. Hugging Sakura would be easier; he'd get hit for it, but not the first time. But Sarada was different. You couldn't just grab her like the hermit-pervert suggested. Somehow you couldn't. Naruto perfectly remembered hugging her as a kid, hanging off her legs and arms, choking her neck, burying his nose in her short hair. But now Sarada was forbidden territory, and touching her felt almost criminal. You had to earn it, touching Sarada! And damn, what if she thought wrong, got even more disappointed in him? But no, it's for training! If it helps training and he beats Neji, he'll restore his reputation no matter what!
Naruto muttered all this aloud, and the hermit-pervert hovered over him, puzzled, scratching his white mane.
"Training requires sacrifices. I must! No... What will she think..."
Finally, the lecherous teacher tired of his waffling and kicked Naruto heartily in the butt.
"Just go already!
****
The Rokudaime, whom Sarada had grown used to calling Kakashi-sensei, announced a hour-and-a-half break, and she and Sasuke headed back to the village center. Training had started at six a.m., and her body already ached from taijutsu.
In just a few weeks, the Rokudaime had improved her more than Itachi or Shisui had in the same time. Those two had trained Sarada only in their free time, while Hatake Kakashi drilled them with Sasuke from dawn to dusk, postponing all missions. No wonder—Dad had to fight the future Kazekage in the third round.
The thought made Sarada uneasy. The world had changed; no guarantee Dad would survive the fight. And she'd already felt how Gaara fought firsthand. She'd barely held him off with Mangekyo, and Sasuke didn't even have Mangekyo! But Kakashi-sensei had devised his own tactics and was confident in what they were doing. All she could do was hope it would help Dad in the main matches.
"Sasuke?" Sarada asked, glancing at his shoulder.
"What?" he snapped irritably.
"What's that mark on your shoulder?"
"Back off."
Sarada bit her tongue. That interesting pattern had appeared after the second exam stage, when Sasuke left the hospital. She'd been afraid to ask directly and went to Shisui for answers, but he'd said roughly the same as Sasuke now, just more politely and at length.
They walked the crowded street looking for a snack spot when Naruto's orange outfit flashed in the crowd.
Sarada hadn't crossed paths with the Nanadaime in weeks. He'd stopped guarding the entrance, she'd trained with Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei around the clock, and it had been peaceful. Instead of soul-eating questions about the future, her head spun only with thoughts of implementing Kakashi-sensei's advice, catching up to Dad in taijutsu, and what to do with her meager chakra reserves.
The Nanadaime spotted them. Meeting Sarada's eyes, he flinched and straightened.
Sasuke tsked. On his break, he clearly wanted quiet rest, and Naruto's energy was hard to tolerate. Sasuke reluctantly approached and stopped before his teammate.
"Usuratonkachi, what're you doing here?"
Naruto looked unusually preoccupied. Sweaty and flushed, he anxiously eyed Sasuke, then Sarada, fidgeting and nervously scratching his head.
"S-Sarada-chan..." Naruto stammered. "I... uh... I need to..."
Sasuke gave Sarada a meaningful look, then Naruto, and apparently reached some unpleasant conclusion. Irritation flashed clearly in his eyes.
Sarada knew: he was truly tired, all his thoughts on the exam. Sasuke was nervous, bottling it up, and she felt it best not to bother him now. But Naruto seemed oblivious and kept mumbling incoherently.
"Idiot!" Sasuke exclaimed. "Fights in four days—train! How long will you harass Sarada?"
Any other time, Sarada would've thanked him, because the pull toward the future Hokage made her feel guilty, and less contact seemed better for everyone. But now the Nanadaime looked so excited and desperate at once that she pitied him.
"Sasuke, don't."
Sasuke exhaled and shot her a furious glare.
"You too? Ch-ch-damn it. You're both annoying!"
He roughly shouldered Naruto and walked off without waiting. Sarada sighed and wasn't even offended. She'd grown used to Dad's odd communication style and finely sensed his mood. Sasuke had snapped, and on the eve of the third exam stage, it was forgivable.
"Sarada-chan," Naruto muttered, a bit bolder, scratching his head. "We... uh... step aside?"
"What is with him?" Sarada wondered puzzledly but didn't object and followed.
Naruto led her farther and farther, his cheeks still flushed. Stopping by a tall wooden fence, he blushed and fidgeted, glancing at her indecisively. Sarada felt a bit uneasy.
"Sarada-chan, it's like this, dattebayo..."
"Na-ru-to, what's going on?"
"Sorry, it's for training."
"What is?"
Naruto stepped closer, squeezed his eyes shut, and suddenly pressed his whole body against hers.
Sarada froze and instinctively hugged him back.
The Nanadaime was so close she felt his wildly pounding heart against her chest, and his hot sweaty cheek against hers. Her first impulse was to push Naruto away, but she got tangled in her thoughts and feelings.
"What are you doing? You can't let him! He should be with Hinata-san!" her conscience screamed.
"Your decision, whatever it is, probably won't help those Boruto and Himawari..." Shisui's thoughtful voice echoed in memory.
Meeting no resistance, Naruto didn't hurry to break the embrace, and Sarada greedily inhaled the scent of his hair and went mad.
They stood, afraid to move.
Sarada didn't know what to think. Naruto had hugged her often in the past, but then it was normal. He was a kid. She was almost a big sister. That's how it should be. All natural, all right.
But then why did it feel so strange now?
Six years had passed for Naruto. But for her—only a few months. Not long ago, she'd visited a hyper little boy at home, but now...
The hug dragged on.
Whatever it meant, whatever the Nanadaime had cooked up and whatever his motives, with each second the situation felt stranger and even indecent to Sarada.
She removed her hands from Naruto's back. He flinched and pulled away. Stepped back, staring at her in panic, so lost and disheveled.
"It's for training... Had to."
Sarada watched stunned as he vanished around the corner.