— Is it really that surprising that we became friends?
Sarada's hesitant question, coupled with her complicated gaze directed toward the corner where her friend had disappeared, made the pink-haired raise an eyebrow.
It was clear that the relationship between the two was more interesting than he had initially thought.
— I'm more surprised that you haven't been captured by the ANBU yet.
However, that had nothing to do with the youngest of the Harunos.
Faced with Yashin's mocking reply, the Uchiha's pensive expression immediately turned to one of disgust as she turned to confront him.
— Why would the ANBU capture me for something like that?
— Are you seriously asking that? The evil Uchiha approaching one of the demon foxes. The real question is, why haven't they done anything to you yet?
— How childish. I never thought you'd be one of those who believed that kind of rumor, too.
Despite her complaint and sullen expression, Sarada sank down beside the pink-haired boy.
— The Uchiha aren't evil, and Natsuki is far from being a demon.
Instead of answering, Yashin paused to gaze at the girl's delicate profile before turning and fixing his gaze on the members of the Uchiha military police patrolling the streets in the distance.
Perhaps because of her glasses, Sarada couldn't see the villagers' apprehension every time one of those arrogant monsters passed by them; still, it was better to let the girl live in her fantasy rather than force her to open her eyes and face the ugliness of her clan.
If the Uchiha didn't have evil in their blood, then Yashin himself was a saint.
— Natsuki, even though she's a little unfriendly—besides Mikoto—is the kindest person I've ever met. She just needs to make a few more friends. I'm sure that if you become her friend, you'll understand that too.
The image of the Uchiha's innocent smile, with her bangs falling and obscuring half her face while the sun illuminated the other half, made the pink-haired boy's apathetic heart race abnormally for a few moments.
— Look, brat. I don't know what you're up to, but you'd better give up this nonsense. My patience is limited.
— What do you mean?
The mischief in the girl's eyes and her question didn't go unnoticed by Yashin.
This time, he was really starting to feel exasperated.
On top of Sakura, he found it hard to come to terms with the fact that the brat in front of him was also so difficult to deal with.
A natural talent of the Harunos, he thought, before taking a deep breath and speaking again.
— Stop putting on an act. A few weeks ago, you didn't even dare to look me straight in the eye, and yet now you've got the balls to mock me. Don't think I'm such an idiot that I don't realize something's wrong.
Finally, Sarada's smile faded.
Even so, her dark eyes showed no trace of hesitation as they remained fixed on Yashin.
— When Iruka-sensei had us write down on a piece of paper the name of the person we'd want to spend the last moments of our lives with, if the world were about to end, who did you choose?
Taken by surprise, Yashin stood there with his mouth half-open and one eyebrow raised for several seconds.
…
"Hey, hey. Is there something wrong with this brat's head? Why else would she start babbling about weird stuff out of nowhere? Besides, when the hell did you answer a question as stupid as that? You'd better call some bugs to scare her off. Who knows if her stupidity is contagious."
…
Although the pink-haired wasn't as clueless as the voice in his head—he did, in fact, remember the day his ridiculous teacher asked that question—after all, one could say that aside from the Kyubi disaster he'd witnessed from his crib and later in the arms of a terrified Kizashi, the day Iruka asked that question was the first canonical event in which he'd participated.
Although, to tell the truth, the youngest of the Harunos wasn't the least bit happy about that.
After all, just remembering that awful movie where that scene appeared made him feel sick.
Sooner or later, he'd have to go to the moon to get that shit out of his system.
After letting out a sigh, Yashin finally decided to break the silence and answer the question.
— To the Sage of the Six Paths. Just imagine dragging that old bastard along to show him that his ideals of peace mean shit when the fucking moon is about to fall right in his face.
Although, son of a bitch—if he's more than just the soul of an old voyeur who enjoys watching the romance of his children's reincarnations while masturbating in a secluded corner of the Pure Land, he could surely stop that cataclysm; however, it would be just as satisfying to spit in his face as it would have been if he hadn't intervened—his fantasy world would have ended without him ever realizing his talk was total bullshit.
Even after his rambling ended, Sarada was still stunned.
Although she was preparing to address a serious topic, the pink-haired's response was so… unexpected that she had to take several seconds to catch her breath and gather her thoughts.
— Now I understand why Iruka-sensei gave us extra homework that day.
Despite his lanky appearance, Yashin still lifted his chin and puffed out his chest.
Once again, the Uchiha had to take a deep breath; however, in addition to her exasperation, deep down she also found her classmate's attitude somewhat amusing.
— But I suppose an answer like that is best for everyone. At least that way, no one will feel uncomfortable. As for me, I chose my parents.
Finally, Haruno's smug expression turned into a strange grimace.
Setting aside the countless things that were wrong with that choice, why on earth was she telling him that of all people?
Had he discovered that he was her uncle?
Was this an attempt to strengthen their family ties?
Before the pink-haired could summon the nearby creatures to scare the girl away—thereby wasting the little chakra he'd worked so hard to recover—her next words put that idea to rest, though at the same time they confused him even more.
— A silly answer for an orphan who doesn't even know who her parents were, don't you think?
The Uchiha's self-deprecating laugh stirred something inside the pink-haired.
— But your words that day and the way you treat me—even when you say I'm a nuisance… You really do know something, don't you?
Although she was trying to sound firm, her statement still carried a hint of doubt—and hope.
After all, how could her partner possibly know who her parents were, when not even the members of her clan could say for sure?
But why would he mention her parents, when to the rest of the world she had always been Izumi's younger sister?
Perhaps his comment was nothing more than a cruel joke.
He was upset with her, and the best way to get back at her was to bring up an orphan's parents.
Given the youngest Haruno's personality, that was the most likely option; however…
— Why can't you just tell me?
After so many years of longing to know who her parents were, she was willing to cling to any glimmer of hope, even if it came from a classmate who, on the face of it, shouldn't know anything.
That was better than having no hope of ever finding an answer.
The two children stared at each other in silence for several seconds.
— … Do you really want to know?
The solemn tone of the question made Sarada's heart skip a beat.
For the first time in the past few weeks, Yashin seemed to be taking her seriously, rather than turning his head away or running from her.
Despite her complicated emotions, she managed to keep her composure and nodded in response.
Even so, a faint blush could be seen on her pale cheeks.
— You shouldn't answer so lightly. Think it over carefully and tell me if you're really sure.
— Yes.
Seeing the black-haired girl's impatient affirmation, Yashin's solemn expression could no longer hold.
— No, no. Don't rush into this. Imagine that your birth wasn't the result of love, and that you're simply the result of someone's obligation to continue their lineage.
Before a stunned Sarada could even begin to process his words, the pink-haired continued his chatter, his mouth curving into a smile.
— Or worse yet, that you're just a cover-up for your father's homosexual relationship. That would shatter the whole illusion, don't you think?
Immediately, the blush on Sarada's face gave way to a sickly pallor, while her bright eyes behind her glasses dimmed.
Yashin barely noticed those insignificant details.
At that moment, it was far more important to use a little familial psychological violence to teach the manipulative Uchiha a lesson.
Otherwise, he was certain the brat would grow up just as wayward as her father.
— Like your uncle, I can't be that cruel. It's better for you to remain in the dark.
The more he spoke, the darker the Uchiha's expression grew.
Her long bangs—the result of not having a mother with short hair to influence her—were enough to hide her features; however, the slight tremor in her shoulders and the outline of her pursed lips made it clear she was on the verge of tears.
— After all, it's better for them to mock you for not having parents while you know nothing about them than to know the truth. If you don't believe me, ask Iruka. He was teased, too, after he became an orphan. I'm sure the insults that hurt him the most were the ones that hit the mark.
Although the tone of his voice and the curve of his mouth made him seem intoxicated with delight at humiliating the other person, in reality the pink-haired didn't particularly enjoy it—but it was entertaining nonetheless.
What pleased him most was the fact that after this, the annoying girl wouldn't bother him with stupid questions anymore.
— Imagine how you'd feel if…
Before Yashin could continue, Sarada lifted her face.
Instead of finding the tears he'd anticipated, what he saw before him was a very angry face, similar to his sister's when she loses her temper.
— You…
He immediately tried to back away, but given his condition, the fact that he still had the energy to banter with the Uchiha was impressive enough.
— Shānnarōyo.
With nothing he could do, the shadow of her delicate fist loomed before the pink-haired's eyes.
That violent brat even had the same verbal tic as her sister.
What else was missing?
Her strength?
He should've known—provoking a damn Haruno wasn't a good idea.
All he could do was grit his teeth and pray to Hagoromo.
His hippie bullshit was the only thing that could save his ass in that situation.