Chapter Text
Sarada took a deep breath the moment she, Boruto and Kawaki stepped inside of the chancery. The room was vast and nearly empty, save for the multiple stone chairs scattered around like relics of a forgotten age. The high, arched ceiling loomed above them, and the walls were adorned with intricate carvings depicting the history of the Kingdom. At the far end stood the King, his advisor, and Sarada’s father. Their presence seemed to absorb the light, casting long shadows across the marble floor. Nobody else was present, making every footstep the three teens took echo like thunder, reverberating off the cold, hard walls.
The moment the King’s eyes landed on his son, they narrowed into slits. “You’re getting far too old for these childish tantrums, Boruto.” he hissed, his voice low and venomous.
Boruto crossed his arms over his chest and bowed his head, his mess of blonde hair falling into his eyes. “I’m getting far to old for you to be telling me what to-”
At the same time, Sarada and Kawaki elbowed him in the gut from each side, both clearly trying to get him to just shut up and listen. Boruto coughed at the hit but instantly snapped his mouth shut afterwards, for once making the right decision.
Naruto sighed, the weight of the situation evident in his hunched posture. “Boruto, listen…I know this is not ideal for you, believe me. Your mother and I would love to let you carve your own path, marry who you want to. But things are changing. This decision is the best one for the Kingdom, for our people. It’s bigger than you, bigger than all of us. You need to start thinking about the people around you.”
“Maybe I would if you told me what’s going on.” Boruto sounded desperate, but Sarada could understand. Even she did not understand what it was the King was trying to say. Her eyes flashed towards her father.
Every time he returned from a mission, Sasuke seemed even more tired. His long hair, which now brushed his shoulders, was beginning to grey, and even in the dim light of the room, each silver strand caught in the light. Dark circles bordered his eyes, which were slightly sunk in from what Sarada could only assume was exhaustion, though he would never admit he was tired. The bridge of his nose and tops of his cheeks were burnt from sun exposure, standing out starkly against his otherwise pale features. New wrinkles etched the corners of his eyes and forehead.
Sarada often wondered what exactly he did that weathered him so much, but he was secretive about what he did outside of the Kingdom’s borders, always leaving her and her mother in the dark. There were nights he would return home battered and bruised, with his cloak torn and stained from battles he refused to speak of. His sword, once pristine, now bore nicks and scratches, testaments to the conflicts he endured. It had bothered her for the longest time,not knowing. Growing up, she would often lie awake, staring at the dark stone ceiling that rested above her, imagining the dangers - and the excitements - that her father faced, the enemies he fought, and the reasons for his endless journeys.
Over time, Sarada had come to accept that there were parts of her father’s life that were shrouded in mystery, parts that she might never understand. She learned to read the subtle signs he left behind; the way he meticulously cleaned his weapons, the occasional faraway look in his eyes, and the cryptic conversations he would have with her mother and with the King. She had eventually gotten used to his secrets and the dark closet he kept them in. Some things were better off hidden, she supposed.
Sasuke’s dark eyes met hers for a brief moment, but the stern twitch of his eyebrows told her to keep her questions to herself, at least for now.
“I can’t tell you everything,” the King responded, his brows furrowing. “Not right now. But I promise you, that if there was another way to do this…”
Boruto’s head fell backward, and he groaned.
“Boruto…please. Just meet them. See where things go.”
“Yeah. Sure. Fine…I’ll meet them. But I’m not marrying anyone until I know what’s going on.”
Sarada’s gaze met her fathers once more, and this time he nodded his head backward, motioning to the door behind him. He swiftly turned and exited the room, his long black cloak fluttering silently behind him like a kite in the wind.
Sarada stood still for the briefest moment as the King and his son continued to banter in front of her. Then she too quietly slipped away, following her father into the corridor.
He stood just outside, back pressed against the wall, waiting for her. The moment the door closed behind her, he spoke in hoarse whispers, the urgency in his voice palpable.
“We must go somewhere more private.”
Sarada said nothing, only nodded, and they both made their way briskly through the palace, passing a few King’s guards and a few handmaidens on their way. Sasuke kept his head down, as if often did, and Sarada tried her best to do the same, but her incessant need to be kind to others caused her to flash a few of them the odd smile.
They navigated through the labyrinthine halls of the palace, wrapping around one particularly dim corner. Sasuke tucked himself into a room no bigger than a broom closet and quickly went to open the thick blinds that flooded the room with darkness. He tugged them roughly, and as Sarada entered and closed the door behind her, she almost choked on the dust that floated through the air, as thick as snow.
Covering her mouth with her hand, her face scrunched in discomfort. “What is it you wish to talk about?” she asked, voice muffled by her hand.
“You mustn't share with anyone the information I’m about to share with you, is that clear?” Sasuke demanded, leaning closer to his daughter, as though the walls themselves had ears and were trying to listen.
Sarada lowered her hand; she could feel her brows knitting together with confusion. “I won’t.”
Checking one more time for unwanted intruders, Sasuke’s dark eyes shifted from side to side before continuing.
“The King wishes for his son to marry.”
Sarada nodded slowly. “Yes, I’m aware of that.”
“He does not want to.”
“That, I also know.”
Sasuke sighed deeply in a way that put Sarada on edge. What exactly was he trying to get at?
“If he does not marry one of the princesses who will be visiting The Kingdom of Leaves during the Banquet, it could bring unwanted consequences, not only to the palace, but to the entire Kingdom. You are his friend, and more often than not, it is you who holds him to his duties. You must try to convince him.”
“What exactly is going on?” Sarada asked before she could stop herself. She was just as in the dark as Boruto himself. The King, nor the Queen had ever shown interest in marrying off either of their children, even though they were both at marrying age. Clearly there was a reason that fell deeper than what she was aware of; the King and her father had even said as much. “Why is the King so insistent? What are the consequences of which you speak of?”
Sasuke hesitated, his one hand reaching up to his brow to wipe a few beads of sweat away. Sarada stood in front of him, her eyes sharp and searching. She had grown accustomed to her father's silence, his evasive answers, and his tendency to deflect conversations. She knew better than to expect straightforward answers, but it didn't stop her from hoping each time. As she waited, the silence between them grew heavy.
Finally, Sasuke spoke, his voice a low, measured murmur. “You don’t need to concern yourself with that.”
She frowned.
“And yet you want me to help convince my friend, who does not wish to marry, to marry for that reason.”
“If you do not wish to help, then I will convince him myself.” Sasuke leaned away and began to walk forward towards the door. Sarada stepped in front of him, swiftly blocking his path.
“That’s not fair!” she almost shouted, her frustration beginning to boil over. “Why is it you really brought me here, father? I highly doubt it was just to ask me to convince the prince to marry. You must tell me something! I can handle…whatever it is.”
He looked down at her from a height that she was not used to. Sasuke had always been tall, but in recent years, Sarada had grown and her head now reached the top of his chest. She could remember the days in which he towered over her like the very pillars of the castle walls, they didn’t seem so long ago.
His gaze softened slightly, the blackness of his eyes seeming less dark for a moment. She knew that he could sense her frustration, that everyone still treated her like a child, even though she had proven herself time and again. She had excelled in every discipline she had undertaken - archery, arithmetic, stealth, linguistics, riding, swordsmanship. Her mastery was such that even the King himself had once remarked that she could probably best all the new recruits for the King’s Guard, including his own two sons. Despite all of this, the shadows of her father’s overprotectiveness and the courts reluctance to see her as more than a young girl still loomed over her.
She needed to know the truth, no matter how daunting or secret it might be. She wouldn’t tell a soul. Understanding the full picture would only help her to better serve their cause.
“No,” he spoke quietly. “No, I suppose asking that of you isn’t the only reason I brought you here.”
Sasuke rolled his shoulders back, straightening his posture. Sarada waited.
“The truth is, Sarada…well, to be honest with you I’m not quite sure of the entire truth myself. But while I was on my last mission, I found evidence that the Otsutsuki are reawakening. If the Kingdom of Leaves is to stand a chance against them, we require all of the allies we can get. Especially ones as powerful as the Princess of Sight, and the royal arsenal of the Kingdom of Flowers. With just one of them on our team, our chances of survival, and theirs, will be much higher.”
Something about the information she was receiving caused Sarada’s mind to refuse to process it. The Otsutsuki - a name she had always associated with fairytales meant to keep children from wandering too far from the borders - were said to be a flight of all-powerful dragons who had been lying in wait for the last two thousand years under a tree that had stood since time immemorial. Nobody knew what they looked like; how could they? Yet, the legends painted a vivid picture. They were said to be as long as the River Mist. Their scales were as thick as stone and as white as snow, and though their eyes were clouded and seemed as visionless as those of any blind beggar who walked the streets, they could see more than any other creature.
According to legend, all those years ago, they had ruled the entire world, patrolling the skies, consuming everything in their path. The Otsutsuki were feared by all who lived near them. Human civilizations cowered under their reign, unable to find refuge from their all-seeing eyes and devastating power. Until one day, a brave soul discovered a way to destroy them - or at least, to contain them beneath the ancient tree.
It had been a long time since Sarada had heard the story, a long time since she had thought about it, so the details were mostly forgotten to her. She remembered the sense of awe and fear the tale had instilled in her as a child, the way it had seemed both wondrous and terrifying. But now, here was her father, telling her that it wasn’t just a story after all.
“You mean… the myth?” she questioned after thinking about it for a while.
Sasuke nodded his head, his expression serious. “The Otsutsuki are no myth, although I understand why you’d believe that. The truth has been obscured by time and by those who wished to protect the world from panic. But the evidence I’ve been collecting points to their reawakening, and we must be prepared.”
Sarada stayed quiet for a moment longer, her mind continuing to race. The enormity of the revelation was overwhelming.
Looking up at her father, she swallowed. “How long do we have?” she asked, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her.
“It’s hard to say. Years, months, perhaps. The signs are subtle, but they are there. We must act as quickly as we can. And you must make sure to keep what it is that I told you to yourself. Letting out the smallest amount of information could cause panic they we do not need.”
Sarada nodded slowly. “I understand,”
“I know this is a lot to take in, but I believe in you, Sarada.”
She took a deep breath, drawing strength from his words. “I won’t let you down, Father. I’ll do what I must to get Bo- the prince to agree to marrying one of the princesses.”
Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder, his grip firm, yet gentle. He said nothing, but the light squeeze he gave her shoulder spoke volumes.
He moved around her and opened the door to leave the small, dimly lit room. The creak of the old hinges sounded louder than usual in the heavy silence that followed their conversation.
Sarada stood still, listening to the door click closed behind her. She was left alone with her thoughts, which now swirled through her mind like the motes of dust suspended in the stale air.
Her thoughts drifted to Boruto, and the challenge of convincing him to marry for the sake of their alliance. She knew it wouldn’t be easy; he was as stubborn as she was. But she had to find a way. The stakes were too high, and the threat of the Otsutsuki too real to allow personal desires to interfere.
Drawing in another deep breath, she steeled herself. There was no room for doubt or hesitation. A few years, or even months, Sasuke had said would be all it took for the Otsutsuki to awaken.
She had to act quickly.
