As the afternoon sun shone down on Konoha, Yashin lay sprawled on the grass, one side of his face slightly swollen.
Not far from him, Sarada sat leaning against the base of a tree, her expression stiff and her arms crossed over her even stiffer chest.
— Your words went too far in too many ways. Even I, who was already prepared, never imagined I'd hear such cruel things… Anyone else would have cried.
The pink-haired didn't even bother to turn his gaze toward the Uchiha.
He wasn't interested in her words or the slight vulnerability hidden in her tone.
The throbbing pain in his cheek warned him that this might very well be another one of her tricks.
It was better to focus on recovering his chakra and getting as far away from the brat as possible, before she tricked him again.
— If you didn't want to say it, you should've just kept quiet. Sooner or later, it wouldn't have bothered you anymore. Being that mean will only end up isolating you from everyone.
Sarada, seeing that her sincere words were going in one ear and out the other, felt her annoyance flare up again.
But even though she reached out her hand to try once more to make him see reason, in the end, she stopped herself halfway.
As much as he deserved it, it wasn't right to hit her friend's brother. Especially since she knew Sakura had always had a complicated relationship with him.
It was hard for the Uchiha to understand how her adorable friend could have a twin as vile as Yashin Haruno.
However, the fact that those two clashed and got along so well at the same time was even more baffling.
— If you keep up that attitude, not even Sakura will be able to put up with you forever.
— So what? As if I care what that brat thinks.
Despite the sharp reply, a smile played on Sarada's lips.
However, before she could taunt the pink-haired, he continued with his own tirade.
— Look, Uchiha. I don't know—and I don't care—what's going on in that twisted little head of yours, but what you're doing is dangerous. So stop fucking with me, or you might end up like that nobody who died right in front of your eyes a few weeks ago.
Whether it was the flat tone of his voice or the darkness behind Yashin's green eyes, a chill crept up the back of Sarada's neck.
Even the refreshing scent of the grass and flowers in the park suddenly turned nauseating and metallic.
— Do you understand?
The curt question, though it brought her back to reality, also heightened her dread.
Even so, somehow, the girl's face managed to remain stoic.
Just as Yashin was about to refocus on refining his chakra, thinking that his words and intentions had finally sunk in with the black-haired girl, she opened her mouth again.
— No. I don't understand. You caused the death of one of our comrades, and yet you weren't punished at all. The village laws say that harming any other resident of Konoha is a crime, and yet… even though I asked Itachi-oniisan, all he told me was that I'd understand when I got older. But what am I supposed to understand?! Are there really reasons that justify killing a comrade?!
Although her voice had been restrained at first, by the end her resentment had caused her to explode.
Yashin, though surprised, didn't react to the pale Uchiha's outburst.
He simply watched the black-haired girl breathing heavily, wondering if the vibrant veins standing out against her sclera were some kind of precursor to the Sharingan.
After a couple of seconds, Sarada regained her composure, her face flushed with blood.
— I… don't know what to think of you. I don't know what to think of the others or the village.
A smile spread across Yashin's face as he witnessed such delicate vulnerability.
— Then why don't you become Hokage?
— …Huh?
Unable to comprehend, Sarada fell silent, her mouth half-open and her eyes staring into space.
Meanwhile, the apathy on Yashin's face had completely vanished.
In its place, a twisted amusement began to take hold as he sat back up.
— Why are you so surprised? I once overheard you talking to my little sister and Yamanaka. You said your dream was to become Hokage, didn't you? To ease the village's conflicts with your clan, to become the first woman and the first Uchiha to hold that position, to protect everyone in the village, and to never be isolated again.
Immediately, the blush on Sarada's face intensified to a whole new level.
— T-t-that… I didn't…
Her arms began fluttering all over the place, just like her words.
— You were probably just spouting nonsense to outshine them, after they said they wanted to become Kunoichi like Tsunade. Or maybe you were just repeating the nonsense spouted by your Itachi-oniisan. Either way, instead of letting that dream remain nothing more than words, or acting like a responsible, strict little brat—as if that would do anything to help you reach the highest position in this rundown village—why don't you start really putting in the effort so you can change the things you think are wrong?
Yashin, unconsciously, reached out to stroke the Uchiha's hair.
He wanted to see it.
Konoha under such an idealistic and rigid Uchiha.
Her or the village—which would break first?
But more than that, if Itachi, the parricide, were to hear this brat's silly dreams, would his heart soften enough to let her live?
As far as Yashin knew, the relationship between his niece and the guy who was screwing the author of the original work to gain new powers wasn't as simple as that of siblings-in-law.
Itachi saw the girl as a younger sister—perhaps not on the same level as Sasuke, but certainly as someone close to him.
Perhaps that could become a new source of turmoil for the already troubled Uchiha's mind.
And even if he eliminated her, how could he find peace after killing an innocent girl who seemed to share his ideals?
— No criminals go unpunished, no discrimination. Imagine it. You'd have the power to set right everything that's wrong.
Yashin said no more and continued to stroke the absent girl's silky hair.
Sarada's mind was elsewhere.
On Itachi's words, on the contradictions she saw in Yashin's case; on the authoritarianism and pride of some clans, on the villagers' distancing themselves whenever they saw the military police crest; in the incomprehensible arrogance of the other children in her clan, in the way children from outside her clan looked at her—which ultimately left her isolated.
Finally, after an indeterminate amount of time, she snapped back to reality.
Immediately, despite her complicated emotions, when she felt the pink-haired boy's gentle caresses, shame overcame everything and made her swat his claws away with a slap.
— Y-you… What do you think you're doing?
Yashin limited his response to a simple smile.
— Shānnarō. Stop making that face. This is unbelievable. I never thought you were a pervert. Mikoto-nee was right. All guys are dangerous.
— Mikoto-nee? Is that really what you call a woman over thirty?
— Shut up. Mikoto-nee will always be young. Besides, talking about a woman's age is rude.
Instead of continuing to argue pointlessly with the brat, the pink-haired settled himself against the base of the tree before closing his eyes again.
— You… are hopeless. Once I become Hokage, I swear I'll make you pay for all the bad things you've done. And just to be clear, what you said has nothing to do with my wanting to become Hokage. That's been my dream for a long time, so…
— Ungrateful brat. Even though I just gave you a reason to live, you dare to threaten to lock me up.
Yashin's muttering was completely ignored in favor of the endless excuses Sarada had to make.
However, just as he was relaxing, ready to continue refining his chakra, one of the Uchiha's many mutterings caught her attention.
— Wait, what did you say?
— That I'll put all the nasty things you said to me behind me? You don't need to thank me. If I want to be Hokage, I have to be magnanimous and not hold on to…
— Shut up. I'm talking about the other thing.
— Hmph. What? Are you that worried that I've decided that from now on I'm not going to take my eyes off you to stop you from doing any more bad things?
Whether it was because of his twisting guts or the budding headache caused by the intense sun, Yashin was struggling to come up with a suitable answer.
— Since I want to be Hokage, the least I can do is solve the problems around me.
— W-wait, you brat… I mean, Sarada. You've seen how unpleasant I can be, and I don't like you all that much either; so, instead of wasting time on something so pointless, why don't we just go back to the way things were before?
The Uchiha's mocking snort only amplified Yashin's unease.
— Keep dreaming.
The past few weeks had been enough for Yashin to realize just how annoying it could be to have that girl's attention.
The fact that she was now declaring she was going to be stuck right behind him like a total stalker was a matter of genuine concern, even more so considering how maniacal and obsessive the Uchiha were.
— You… if you dare to…
— Don't even try to threaten me.
The way Sarada lifted her chin and puffed out her flat chest made Yashin want to discipline her.
Why did all the damn Harunos have to be such a fucking nuisance?
No. It was surely because of her Uchiha blood—that brat was even more unbearable to him.
— I know full well you won't do anything to me.
— Really? What makes you so sure?
— Tell me, how many times did you threaten that kid before you threw him at the Hyugas?
The pink-haired's contemptuous smirk froze.
He was speechless.
How many times had he threatened Shouen before getting rid of him?
He didn't even need to think about it.
Besides, why did the Uchiha's tone sound so flippant when she pointed that out?
Sarada, seeing her friend's stunned expression, couldn't help but laugh.
— Looks like I was right. But I wonder if it's just because I'm friends with Sakura, or if there's something else. Either way, don't think I'm not going to take advantage of this.
— Y-you…
He couldn't say anything else.
The black-haired girl's smug expression made him swallow his words.
Intimidating her with more chatter made no sense, and his chakra at that moment wasn't enough to give her a good dose of… discipline.
…
"Why don't you call back the bugs from the park? If you use them to scare her and stimulate her hormones at the same time, you're sure to leave her with permanent trauma."
…
Yashin didn't even consider the suggestion from the voice in his head.
Traumatize her in broad daylight—and then what? Deal with his sister's endless complaints and the Uchiha lunatics close to that brat?
Worse yet, that would make him waste the little chakra he'd managed to recover.
He didn't want to stay out in the unbearable sun any longer.
Sarada, seeing Yashin's increasingly conflicted expression, laughed again.
This was the perfect moment to get revenge for all the mean things he'd said to her.
— It seems that, in the end, you really are just like Sakura said: all bark and no bite. I'm sorry I didn't figure that out sooner. If I'd known that deep down you were a total wimp, I never would have let you act like a troublemaker at school. Or was it after you got sick that you mellowed out? Well, either way, a puppy without fangs—no matter how arrogant and loud it may be—will never be anything more than a cute, defenseless little animal deep down.
Although the pink-haired wanted to curse his unreliable sister, he decided he'd deal with that brat later.
For now, stopping the Uchiha's torrent of nonsense and convincing her that harassing him was a terrible idea was much more important.
However, there wasn't much he could do.
Yashin was starting to feel depressed.
His niece was definitely an evil Uchiha.
Unable to find a suitable solution and seeing that Sarada was ready to continue ranting, the pink-haired decided to take the initiative and change the subject.
However, before he could open his mouth, a woman's calm voice diverted both children's attention.
— Sarada.
— Mikoto-nee.