Lost Fledgling (I)

Chapter 22: The Lost Fledgling (Part 1)

Library.

A bewildered Sarada had come here to research information about Sasuke and the origins of the Uchiha.

From the second floor of the library, Boruto leaped down, landing right next to Sarada, who was deeply engrossed in pondering the secrets of the Sharingan.

"Yo, Sarada, researching your dad?" Boruto asked in a low voice.

The sudden sound startled Sarada, and she turned to see Boruto. Immediately annoyed, she said, "Boruto, this is a library. Tone down your carefree attitude and be a little quieter."

"Hehe, I'm here to borrow the scroll on 'Rasenshuriken' training. It's a pretty powerful S-rank ninjutsu!" Boruto boasted smugly.

Sarada immediately retorted, "Let's not even talk about whether you can borrow an S-rank ninjutsu. With your abilities, you think you can learn a ninjutsu of that level? There's a limit to wishful thinking. Face reality, Boruto."

"Heh," Boruto scoffed. "Someone who can't even use the basic 'Chidori' is criticizing me."

"You... when I see my dad, I'll definitely have him teach me some amazing ninjutsu!" Sarada retorted, unwilling to back down.

"Sasuke Uchiha? It's been years since he came home. Even Sakura is starting to forget what he looks like. Oops, shouldn't have said that."

"What do you mean?!"

Sarada's emotions surged, and she glared at Boruto with an unfriendly expression.

"Nothing. I just want to meet Sasuke, too. I hear he's a powerful ninja, no less than my dad," Boruto said wistfully.

"I'm going to find my father," Sarada said, choking back tears, her voice filled with stubbornness.

Seeing this, Boruto looked nonchalant. "Suit yourself. I hope you reunite with your father soon."

With that, Boruto left, using the Transformation Technique in front of Sarada to go to the front desk and borrow the S-rank ninjutsu scroll.

"Shameless. I'll report you next time!"

Seeing how easily Boruto did it, it was clear that this wasn't the first time. Sarada wondered what the Seventh Hokage would think if she told him the truth.

In the end, she watched Boruto walk out of the library with the elaborately bound ninjutsu scroll in hand. It was then that she suddenly realized that while Boruto's behavior was shameless, he had earned his ninjutsu skills through his own hard work.

Because the way he acquired the ninjutsu couldn't be revealed, he couldn't ask anyone for help when he encountered difficulties in his training!

"Boruto...?" Sarada was more confused than ever.

In the afternoon, Sarada, unable to contain her emotions any longer, finally mustered her courage and asked Sakura in the backyard, "Mom, why doesn't Dad come home? Mom should know where he is and what he's doing, right?"

Sakura, who was busy hanging up laundry, replied, "What is he doing...?"

Hearing this, Sarada clenched her fists. "You always say you don't know. Is that what a couple is supposed to be like?"

A sudden gust of wind blew fiercely, causing the freshly washed sheets to flutter in the wind. The wind carried Sarada's angry voice: "Mom, are you really Dad's wife?!"

"What's gotten into you today? You keep asking strange questions," Sakura said.

"What's strange is you, Mom. As a couple, your relationship always raises suspicion, because I've never even met Dad!"

Then Sakura couldn't hold back her emotions any longer and violently punched the ground. Under her monstrous strength, the ground immediately cracked, and the clothesline collapsed, causing the clean bedding to fall to the ground, covered in mud and dust.

With no more obstacles in the way, Sakura finally noticed Sarada's emotions. Her eyes were slightly red, tears were streaming down her face, and her expression was full of grievance.

"I'm sorry, Sarada. I shouldn't have yelled at you," Sakura said, stepping forward to comfort her. "Your dad will be back when he finishes his mission."

"Okay."

Just as the two were making amends, the house behind them suddenly collapsed, turning into a pile of rubble.

This time, it was Sakura's turn to cry. "My house... I haven't even finished paying off the mortgage..."

Afterward, Sarada went to the ruins of the house, trying to find something important: a family photo.

But... inside the broken frame, there was another photo tucked away. It was an old photo of Sasuke, with the members of Team Hawk.

But Sarada saw Karin in the photo, with the same hair color as her mother and wearing glasses like her. She was standing close to her father. Could she be her real mother?

At this moment, Boruto arrived quietly, staring at the photo in the frame with a look of amazement. "I heard the commotion here and came over. I didn't expect to see even more explosive news."

"Boruto!" Sarada shouted.

"You look upset. What, do you think the woman in the photo is your biological mother?"

Sarada was stunned, her thoughts exposed, and she silently lowered her head, unable to respond.

"Well, it's hard to say. If you're really curious, why not go and find out for yourself? Find Sasuke and confront him," Boruto suggested, but it sounded more like coaxing.

Sarada suddenly looked up, her eyes shining as she stared at Boruto. "That's right, as long as I find Dad, everything will be clear!"

"Want to go together? I'd like to meet the so-called number one in the Shinobi World, too," Boruto said.

"Yes!" Sarada nodded emphatically.

"Alright, tomorrow morning at seven, meet at the Konoha village entrance," Boruto said and then disappeared.

Sarada stared blankly at the place where Boruto had disappeared. Was it a Shadow Clone? When did he become so helpful?

A series of unanswered questions left Sarada to visit Sakura at the hospital alone in the evening.

Under the gloomy sky, a sharp-eyed eagle soared, flying straight towards the Hokage Building.

Outside the village, Sasuke emerged from a space-time portal, his expression stern as he surveyed his surroundings, as if wary of something.

In the jungle, a White Zetsu, completely cloaked, flashed into view and ambushed Sasuke with a scythe-like weapon.

Sasuke reacted instantly, drawing his Kusanagi Blade to parry the attack. The weapons clashed, and the two were momentarily frozen in place. Within the cloak, a scarlet Sharingan with three tomoe faintly glowed, launching a series of strikes while Sasuke was momentarily stunned.

But Sasuke evaded with a Substitution Jutsu. Recovering, he retaliated with a slash of his blade.

After a brief skirmish, the White Zetsu fell. From a space-time vortex, another smaller figure emerged, identifying himself as Shin Uchiha's associate, and retrieved the fallen White Zetsu.

Sasuke pondered, then gave chase. The purple glow of his six-tomoe Sharingan easily captured the disrupted space-time, and he sent a message via carrier pigeon to Naruto, detailing everything that had transpired.

Far away, Boruto silently observed the events unfolding. He mused that Shin's eyes seemed quite impressive, wondering if he should claim them for himself.