Chapter Text
Sarada Uchiha was a smart 5-year-old child. You could ask anyone and they would tell you the same thing (except for Boruto but he was just jealous so his opinion doesn't matter anyway). Her Uncle Naruto would always tell her that she gets her intelligence from her mama rather than her father. Sakura would always chuckle after that and would get very quiet like she always did when her father was brought up. Yes, Sarada was very smart and she learned very quickly to never, ever bring up her father if she could help it. She didn't like to see her mama sad but she couldn't help but have questions. Was he a good man? Was he strong? Uncle Naruto said he's a bastard, but what does that mean?
Sarada Uchiha was stuck. She had so many questions and nowhere to put them. She laid in the darkness, all tucked in bed. Her mama came in and read her a story an hour ago. Sakura was barely keeping her eyes open to finish the story, so Sarada knew that she was already softly snoring in the next room. Sarada sighed loudly and stared at her ceiling. The light from the full moon cast the shadows from the tree onto her walls. She watched them mindlessly dance on her walls, thinking about her father. She was alone.
And, then, she wasn't. A man was sitting in the chair that her mother had left a short while ago. He sat ramrod straight, a hand on each of armrest. His eyes were red with swirling black dots. She sat up sharply, breathing quickly. She tried to wrack her brain for what she should do so she did what she always did when she scared, she opened her mouth to scream for her mother. "Wait," the man said. His voice was soft and kind. "I'm not here to hurt you. You can see me, right?" His long hair fell briefly in front of his face, which he impatiently flicked behind his ear.
She swallowed and nodded. "Who are you?" She was terrified but she had yet to see Sakura look frightened.
"You don't recognize me?" His voice sounded sad and a little far away. "Has my foolish little brother not told you about me? Surely he has at least one photo."
Sarada cocked her head and furrowed her eyebrows. She slowly shook her head.
"Well, that's not surprising, I suppose. It's a dark story for someone so young," he nodded.
"Sorry, but who is your brother? Why should he have told me about you?" Her voice sounded frustratingly young to her ears so she tried to put on her best serious face. It was her imitation of her mother's face whenever she fell and needed a bandage.
The man smiled widely, an expression that filled Sarada up with joy. It was like watching a flower bloom in front of her eyes. "Your father. I'm your Uncle Itachi."
Sarada gasped quietly. She hopped from under her covers, sitting upright. Her feet were swinging off the edge of her bed. "Father? You know my father? Can you tell me about him?" Her heart was pounding in her chest. If what this man said was true, maybe he could tell her about her father. He did not look sad when he talked about him.
"What do you mean? He has not died, has he?" With this sentence, his voice and face changed. Though his voice was calm, there was a danger detectable to someone even as young and untrained as Sarada. It was scary, like a frozen river. One wrong step and she was certain she would drown.
Though, the question confused her. Shouldn't his own brother know that he's still alive? "No," Sarada said carefully.
"Then, where is he?" His face betrayed no emotion. Sarada became increasingly nervous.
"I, um, I don't know," she admitted, hanging her head.
This bewildered her uncle. He blinked several times, the tomoe in his eyes spinning wildly. "You are an Uchiha, yes?"
Sarada beamed. This was one thing that she was sure of. "Yeah! I'm Sarada Uchiha. Mama says that we are the strongest clan ever."
A laugh escaped from the stoic man's lips. "Did she? And, who, may I ask, is your mama?"
"Sakura Uchiha," she said proudly. She loved her mama a lot.
"Sakura, hmm?" Itachi leaned back and closed his eyes. "Good for him."
"Can you tell me about my papa now?" Sarada asked nervously.
"Sarada, why don't you know about Sasuke?" Itachi sat back up, his eyes trained on the young girl. Sarada's eyes widened.
"Sasuke?" She whispered to herself. "Is that his name?" She exclaimed.
His jaw clenched. "Sarada, why don't you know your father?" His voice was no longer calm. It was angry.
Sarada swallowed. She felt ashamed. "I, um, I h-have never, well," she stuttered out. She took a deep breath and, as quickly as she could, said "I have never met him." Tears began to well up in her eyes. She desperately tried to get rid of them. Only babies cry and she didn't want her uncle to think that she was a baby.
Itachi's nose flared. "What do you mean you have never met him?"
Sarada awkwardly wiped a tear falling from her cheek. "Mama says that he's protecting the village. She says he loves me very, very much but he has to stay away." She bit her lip as another tear fell.
Itachi stood up quickly and began to pace. His footsteps were soundless, only the wind creaking through the nearly empty house could be heard.
"Uncle Itachi?" Her voice was soft.
"Hmm?" he hummed without looking at her. He continued to pace back and forth.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down.
This stopped him. He stared down at her. His red eyes intimidated her. "What for?" His face softened at seeing her tear soaked face.
"Well, Uncle Naruto says that papa is gone to protect me. Which means that it's my fault he's gone," she sniffed and looked away.
"Sarada Uchiha," his voice commanded her to look at him. He knelt down beside her bed, eye level. Sarada was alarmed by how he looked. His eyes, though terrifying, were so tired, like he had been woken up from a nap he desperately needed. "Listen to me. You have done nothing wrong. Your father should know better than to leave an Uchiha unprotected in Konoha."
His comment irked her. She didn't like that he was underselling her mama's strength."I'm not unprotected. I have mama!" she exclaimed defensively. "And I can protect myself. Like, today, Boruto pushed me so he could get to the swing first and so I punched him and he cried." She smiled.
Itachi smiled softly. "Boruto?" He asked.
"Mmhmm," she nodded. "I don't like him but I have to share my toys with him when I visit Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata." She pouted.
"Ah, the jinchuriki had a kid, then. With the Hyuga heiress, no less," Itachi nodded, standing back up.
"Jinchuriki?" Sarada asked.
"Mm, ask your Uncle Naruto about it later." Sarada nodded in response. "Sarada, I can't stay much longer."
"Wait, you're supposed to tell me about my papa. Is he strong? Is he a good guy? Is he nice? Is he funny? Can he-?" She rambled.
Itachi smiled sadly. "Sarada Uchiha. Your father is one of the best men I have ever met. When he comes back, be gentle with him, okay?" Sarada nodded.
"But-" It was too late. He was already gone.
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Two weeks later and she was sure it was a dream. She had never heard of another Uchiha and certainly never heard of a man with red eyes. She knew there was a teacher somewhere who had red eyes but she was a woman and was definitely not an Uchiha. So, she decided that she was dreaming. She was, after all, very smart for her age.
Of course, that was all until she saw Uncle Naruto again. She was supposed to stay the night for a play date with Boruto who she hated. Really, her mama had to work an overnight shift and did not want to leave her all alone. Sarada had learned what these "slumber parties" were a long time ago.
Her papa had been on her mind all day. She sat on the living room floor, bored, as Boruto played on his dumb game system. The front door creaked open, announcing Naruto's arrival home. "Hinata?" a deep voice called out.
Her Aunt Hinata smiled brightly. "Naruto? You're home already?" She placed the dish she was washing down in the sink to run to the hallway. He met her there, picking her up and spinning her around with a kiss. This was the ritual they did every time Naruto came home from a long mission. Sarada always found that to be very romantic but always watched the scene with a stone in her stomach. She wanted this for her mama.
Naruto glanced in the living room, leaving a blushing Hinata in the hallway. "Boruto, come give your old man a hug," he commanded playfully. Boruto popped up, dropping his system on the ground.
"Dad!" He squealed, jumping into his arms. He hugged him tightly. Naruto placed a few kisses in his hair.
"Oh, I missed you, so much." He squeezed.
"Daddddd, you're squishing me," Boruto whined.
"Sorry, sorry," he laughed, setting him down. He glanced at the young girl sitting in the middle of his floor. "Ah, Sarada! How are you doing, kiddo?" He affectionately ruffled her hair.
"Fine. Thank you," she responded while trying to straighten her hair back in place. Her mama taught her manners, unlike Boruto who was rude.
"Ah, it's so scary when you're formal. You sound just like Sasuke," he laughed. Her face fell and Naruto quickly began to panic. He rubbed the back of his head with his bandaged hand. "Oh, Sarada, I mean-"
"Uncle Naruto?" Sarada swallowed.
"Hm?" He looked at her nervous expression. "What's wrong?"
"What's a jinchuriki?"
A glass broke in the kitchen. Naruto jaw clenched. The playful expression was gone from his face. He had his adult face on. Boruto looked confused. "Where did you hear that word?"
Sarada blinked and bit her lip. "My Uncle Itachi," she answered truthfully.
Hinata gasped in the kitchen, walking to the living room slowly. Sarada did not like all the attention being on her.
"Sarada, honey, did you say Uncle Itachi?" Hinata asked softly. Sarada nodded. The two adults exchanged a look.
"What do you mean, your Uncle Itachi told you?" Naruto asked carefully.
"Wellllll, a while ago I was in bed and a man was in my room." Naruto's expression suddenly turned downright scary. Waves of anger and disgust rolled off of him. "Um, he, um, said that he wasn't going to hurt me and that he was my Uncle Itachi." She barely managed to finish in a whisper, looking anywhere but Naruto's face.
"Naruto. Calm down, you're scaring her," Hinata whispered. "Sarada, what did the man look like?"
"He was tall and had black hair. It was long. He had lines on his face. He had red eyes with black dots that spun around a lot," Sarada explained. "He was kind of scary but he was nice to me."
Both adults stared at her for a minute. Sarada became increasingly uncomfortable. "She's lying," Boruto announced, unhappy that no one was paying attention to him.
"Shut up, I am not!" She said punching his arm as hard as she could. He moaned in pain and made a mean face towards her. "I swear, Uncle Naruto."
Naruto barely spared Boruto a glance. "I believe you, Sarada. What did he say to you?"
"Hmm," she hummed as she thought. "Nothing really. He wanted to know about papa and mama. He thought that papa might have died because I didn't know him. He wasn't very happy that he left me alone in Konoha, but I told him that I have mama so I'm not alone. I told him I could defend myself because I hit Boruto and made him cry."
"YOU DID NOT, YOU BIG LIAR!" Boruto screeched but neither Naruto nor Hinata looked away from Sarada.
"Then, he wanted to know who Boruto was so I told him that Boruto is someone I have to share my toys with when I visit you guys. And then he said that the Jinchuriki had a baby with the Hyuga heiress. And that's where I got the word from. He wouldn't tell me what it meant and that I had to ask you." Naruto looked different than Sarada ever remembered him looking. He looked dangerous, a stark contrast from the fun-loving goof she was used to.
"Hinata, I need to go talk to Kakashi-sensei and Sakura. Watch the kids." And, then, he was gone.
"Wait, dad, what's a jinchuriki?" Boruto yelled at the thin air. Sarada looked worriedly at Hinata but she just smiled motherly.
A couple of hours later, Naruto came back into the house with a bang. "Sarada," he called. Sarada looked up from her book.
"Yes?" she answered walking to the hallway.
"Get your shoes on, the Hokage wants to talk to you." Naruto looked agitated.
"Am I-Am I in trouble?" She asked quietly, sitting down to slip on her shoes.
He smiled. He looked like her fun uncle again. "No, silly. He just wants to talk to you." Looking at her face, he quickly realized why she was so worried. "Don't be scared. He's old but he isn't scary. Actually, he's lazier than Boruto, if you can believe it."
Sarada giggled at that. They exited the house, holding hands, and began walking to the Hokage office. She had never been before but her mama always pointed it out on their walks. It was a tall red building. She got more nervous the closer she got. She clutched her Uncle Naruto's hand tightly. He smiled down warmly at her but when he looked up, he looked serious.
They entered quickly and she was ushered into a large room with a lot of open windows. It was already dark outside so the lights of the buildings lit the streets. She swallowed, looking at the man in front of her. So, this is the Hokage, she thought to herself. She swallowed again, squeezing Naruto's hand tighter.
Kakashi smiled down warmly through his mask. "Ah, you must be Sarada. My, my, you've grown. You look just like your father," he exclaimed happily. Sarada frowned. It wasn't like she wasn't used to this. Anywhere she went, people always compared her to her father. Usually, they just cooed over how much she looked like Sasuke. But, even a child as young as Sarada felt the heated glares of people in the streets. She never built up the courage to ask her mom about why people seemed to hate her so much before she even talked to them.
But, again, there was another person who knew her father better than she did. It seemed like every person in the village knew her father. She felt a deep sadness welling. Shouldn't she know her father better than an old man behind a desk? Shouldn't she know her own father better than the woman at the tomato shop? Shouldn't she?
Naruto glanced at the downhearted young girl. As much as his heart ached for her, there were more important things to discuss. "Yeah, uh, why don't you tell Kakashi-sensei what you told me, Sarada," he offered, pushing her forward.
"Uh," she began. Before she could get any farther, the door to the office cracked open, nearly bursting off the hinges. Sarada jumped and turned. Her mother stood in the doorway, her chest heaving. Her green eyes examined every inch of her daughter in front of her. She kneeled down and hugged her deeply, standing up. She turned on the dime and faced Naruto.
"Naruto, you idiot! You don't leave a message telling me that my daughter has an emergency! And! Not! Tell! Me! What! The! Emergency! Is!" Each word was punctuated by a punch. "I thought she died, you moron!"
"Sorry, Sakura. I guess I should've worded that better, huh?" He chuckled rubbing the back of his head with his hand.
"Ah! It's just like old times!" Kakashi exclaimed. Sarada just watched the scene curiously. It's not usual to see her mother so childlike.
At the sound of Kakashi's voice, Sakura turned and stood by her daughter. "Hey, what is this about?" Sakura directed her attention to the Hokage.
Kakashi crossed his fingers in front of him. "Well, young Sarada here was just about to tell us."
So, Sarada recounted what happened again, doing her best not to stutter. None of the adults looked away or smiled at her. She was very nervous, her heart in her throat.
"Well, Kakashi-sensei? What do you think?" Naruto ventured.
"Hmmm," Kakashi hummed in thought. "Well, Sakura, is this the first you're hearing of this?"
Sakura nodded, glancing at her daughter and back up to the Hokage.
"I thought it was a dream," Sarada explained, guiltily. She didn't mean make her mama worry.
"Did he say anything else?" Kakashi asked. Sarada shook her head quickly. "Did he ask about the village?"
"No," she responded. "Just about me and papa and mama."
"Sarada, honey, did he try to touch you at all?" Sakura looked anxiously down at her daughter. The room suddenly felt like the air had been sucked out. Kakashi's eyes narrowed and Naruto sucked in a breath. Sarada didn't really understand.
"No. Not even once. He just sat in the chair and paced, mostly." A silent sigh of relief resounded through the room.
Kakashi sat in silence for a moment. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. Naruto, send word to Sasuke."
Naruto nodded. "Should I tell him to come back?"
Sarada's heart began to pound. He could come back? "That's not necessary," Kakashi waved it away. Just as soon as she had her hopes up, they were squished back down. Sarada tried to not look disappointed. Sakura began unconsciously to run her fingers through Sarada's hair.
"We are going to have ANBU circle through for a while, for...protection." He worded his sentence very carefully. Sarada was annoyed at the level they were taking care to make sure she didn't get scared. She wasn't a baby.
"Sarada, if he comes back, you must let us know. For now, operate as though it were a dream, do you understand?" She nodded. "Tell no one else about this. Sakura tells me you want to be a ninja." Sarada nodded enthusiastically. It was her dream. "Well, a big part of being a ninja is keeping secrets. This will be good practice. Promise?"
Sarada smiled a toothy grin. She could do that.