Sarada never really hated being a ninja. It's not that her scores are bad in school. Her scores were that perfect actually, but they were never really that high as people thought they would be. The thing was, she just never cared about it. She never understood the sole purpose of being a ninja, and she didn't want to try and understand it either. This whole ninja thing with the Will of Fire had somehow ripped apart her own childhood.

She stole glances when Chouji came and brought foods for Chouchou. And she glared in jealousy when The Seventh Hokage kept coming to Boruto whenever he pulled out his antics. She noticed when Ino and Sai would hug Inojin a little too tight for the boy's liking whenever he aced his exams. And Shikadai despite being a brat he is, he had received so much love by his dad too.

Sarada wasn't a stupid child. She knows exactly where this went to.

She is, in fact, jealous.

She felt more solitude than anyone in her class. It was just not fair. Their parents were ninjas, what does that make any different from her father? Why must her father abandon her and her mother for years without even contacting? She wanted to know why. She needed some reasons for her not to hate her own father. She needed a reason to convince her that she is not an orphan whom Sakura happen to pick out somewhere. And so here they are.

Secret Operation : Digging Uchiha Sasuke's secrets.

"I still cannot comprehend why I'm here," Inojin mumbled under his breath.

"The exact question applies to me," Mitsuki pushed a piece of cardboard in front of him, which in return was pulled back in place by the young girl.

"Oh, come on. I promised you guys a treat, didn't I?" Sarada hissed under her breath, attempting to hide behind the cardboard again.

"To sneak into the Hokage's room?" Mitsuki frowned slightly. "Not to be rude, Sarada. I'm very sure these people and Hokage would find this out in no time," he poked the cardboard in front of him which is supposed to serve as their hideout.

"It's the basic of infiltrating," Sarada hissed again angrily. "This cardboard is of the same tone as the wall, it shouldn't be a problem. Do your job well, shannaro!"

"Why didn't you just bring Chouchou along?" Mitsuki asked, not even bothering to mask his presence.

"Because you two are better infiltrators than anyone!," Sarada's answer came exasperated. "At least Mitsuki can reach anything far out of our reach and Inojin can help the infiltration."

"Thanks," Inojin muttered simply. Mitsuki frowned at his male companion then rolled his eyes. Seriously, what are they even trying to do?

Tiptoeing inside a room, Sarada drag the cardboard of the wall background with her. Gasping occasionally when she saw Mitsuki somehow walked too fast exceeding the cardboard cover. Not like Mitsuki cared anyway. He was very positive that they made it this far coz the adults are letting them in.

Pulling a book out of it's place, Sarada started to read the information about the Jounins in their village. Her interest is just one; Uchiha Sasuke. She was flipping hastily, and Mitsuki and Inojin looked at each other wondering why Sarada was looking so desperate about this.

And then she stopped at one page of the ninja records. "Uchiha Sasuke Retrieval Team?" Sarada read aloud.

"Huh?"

"Why did my father need to be retrieved?" she scanned the page.

"Shikadai's dad is the team leader," Inojin squatted down to peek in the page. This suddenly rose his interest.

"Chouchou's dad is in the team too," Sarada added. "Uncle Kiba and even the Seventh."

"Who is Hyuuga Neji?" Mitsuki interrupted.

"Boruto's uncle," Sarada said. "I remember Himawari visited his grave quite a lot."

"He's dead? Is it during your dad's retrieval mission or something?" Mitsuki guessed.

"Our story isn't that shallow."

The three gasped at the new voice, scrambling to their feet to face the intruder—well, they were the one who intruded though. Sarada reached for the cardboard in another futile attempt to hide but Mitsuki snatched it away. She gave him a murderous glare, making a mental note to kill him later.

"Uncle Shikamaru," Inojin remarked with a straight face, as if he didn't do anything wrong.

Shikamaru grinned slightly at the apparent spitting image of Sai in front of him. It was amazing how these kids resemble their fathers so much that it brings nostalgia to him. Shikamaru approached them, picking up the book and stared at the page. There was a red stamp at the bottom of the whole information; mission failed. How time flies. He remembered that first mission he was assigned as the team leader, and how he had almost given up being a ninja.

"I hated being a ninja back then," he gave a slight pat over Sarada's head.

The young Uchiha quickly looked up at the Hokage's advisor, eyes widened in shock. "Really? You hated it? Then why are you doing it now?"

The eagerness of the little girl didn't go unnoticed by Shikamaru. He let out a soft chuckle. "You might look so much like Sasuke, Sarada-chan. But you are so different than him back when he was young." Sasuke was a ninja in thirst of revenge. And Shikamaru couldn't possibly respect him way back then. Of course, things had been so different now.

"Well, I'm glad you're not like Sakura either," Shikamaru had meant that as a joke, considering how Sakura was so love struck and immaturely in a love rival with the girls particularly Ino. But it had ticked Sarada the wrong way.

Is she really not Sasuke's or Sakura's child? Is Sasuke and Sakura even really married? Who are her real parents? Who is she herself?

The last question had left her broken. How pity of her, not even knowing who she is.

"Does that mean I'm not their daughter?" Sarada almost mumbled the last part.

Shikamaru heard her nonetheless. And it certainly rang a bell in the genius head. What's this? Sarada is feeling insecure about her own parents? It must have been due to the fact that Sasuke wasn't able to come back because of his mission. Kids and their issues. Shikamaru grumbled inwardly. This is so troublesome.

"Your dad is a very notable ninja, Sarada. A great one too. And certainly the one I'd die for," Shikamaru started. He didn't lie. After all, he was put into a lot of near death situations because of Sasuke. And never once he backed away. "Of course, I'd die for your parents too, Inojin, Mitsuki," he quickly added before the other kids start to complain of Sarada getting all the special treatment.

Sarada huffed, turning away from Shikamaru. "Then why isn't he here?"

Now, now, things are getting even more troublesome. There's no way in hell Shikamaru would leak the village's top secret to a kid. He patted Sarada's head another time. "Sometimes, letting go of precious things is a way of showing care. Someday you'll understand."

She never understood.

Not even up until she met her father. And until the revelation that Karin was probably her real mother. She never understood. She probably would never go down her parents' path of being a ninja.

It's just pointless.

"Bonds aren't merely made up of just time and blood. There's something even stronger than both of those," the Seventh Hokage said. "And that's love."

She loved her parents, and despite doubting who her real parents are, she did receive love. Sarada felt her heart constricting in pain. Why is she the only one unable to achieve this happiness? Is it her fate of being an Uchiha? She never wanted to be one. She just wanted a good life. Is that so much to ask for?

"We're going to have a heart to heart talk after all this over," Sakura reminded her daughter. Sarada is her only daughter after all. No matter what happen, Sarada would always have this soft spot inside her heart.

Sasuke glanced at his wife cluelessly—mainly because he wasn't at the village, and he had no idea what was going on in his daughter's mind. He saw the glimpse of solitude on her face. The one he probably had when Itachi massacred his clan and left him alone. But Sasuke wished his daughter would understand something—he loved her with everything he had. He wanted to protect Sakura and Sarada with all his life. And even if it must be hard for her, he never left her parentless—for he knew Sakura was there. And if it took all his solitude to protect them, he would bear the heavy feeling of missing his two favorite girls back in the village if that means their safety. It was his best way of showing his love; Sasuke's style.

Too bad, Uchiha Sasuke was never good at expressing himself.

"Sarada was searching about her father?" Shino asked as he submitted the result of the ninja academy graduation exam. The news Shikamaru had confided in him came quite shocking to him. He always knew Sarada had always feel lonely. But never once it striked in Shino's imagination that the young Uchiha would take Sasuke's absence in a clearly different level. Perhaps she missed Sasuke so greatly to an unimaginable extent. The power of youth, is what Lee might say.

"Yeah," Shikamaru grunted. "Which is why she chased after Naru—I mean, Seventh on his way to Sasuke. And she hasn't come back yet. This is so troublesome. I need to contact Naru—Seventh and find out what happened."

Shino stared at his comrade for a while. I see. That explains why Sarada missed the exam in school. He signed a few papers on Shikamaru's desk before shrugging. "Just let them be, Shikamaru. If Seventh is with her, I'm sure nothing could go wrong."

"Huh?"

"Sometimes, it takes experience to understand life," Shino added before pivoting his heel. "We, of all people, should understand that better," he paused at the door, tilting his head slightly to get a glimpse of Shikamaru's silhouette. "Someday when the Seventh is here—and Sasuke too—let's go out for some tea. I mean all of us, of course," Shino said with his straight face before disappearing.

Shikamaru blinked as the door closed after the Aburame prodigy exited his office.

Well, he was right, probably. It had come to that age when they will be the one protecting the offspring—the King, if the late Asuma may say. Because no matter how long of a story tale they may tell the kids, they would never understand until the go through it. Shikamaru sighed, leaning back on his chair, massaging his temple lightly.

"Oh well," his lips curved into a soft smile. "Fly, young ones. This time, it is your turn."

A/N: I confess Shikamaru is my most favorite character, but I swear I didn't use him here on that purpose. It's just that Shikamaru and Shino are probably the one in contact with Sarada the most aside Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. Btw, I believe Sarada is Sasuke and Sakura's daughter as of the moment. And not because I'm biased, in fact, I'm not a SasuSaku shipper—I'm an absolete ShikaTema shipper. But I think based on what's happening so far, I am convinced Sakura is her mother. Not that I'm complaining. LOL Sakura is a great character. I wish people can actually see the beauty of SasuSaku in more depth—not that their fandom isn't big though. xD