LOSS [ sarada uchiha ]

03

TW: blood/gore, violence, and major character death

have your tissues ready besties <3

     Sarada's lungs burned with a raw intensity as she ran, beckoning her to rest and to nourish them with oxygen. The young Uchiha had always been a formidable shinobi; she was at the top of their class—alongside Uzumaki Boruto and Nara Shikadai—back when she was a student at the academy. Her test scores and sparring skills were almost perfect, being the daughter of Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura provided her with tremendous advantages. And yet, in this very moment, Sarada felt that all the blood, sweat and tears she spent into training, into growing stronger, had all been for naught as she fled from whoever was after her.

     Her feet carried her to the old training grounds, which haven't been heavily utilized for over fifteen years. Her Mama and Papa have taken her there many times to train privately, but most shinobi resided with the newer, and larger, property across town. Sarada hardly trained there, as it was usually crowded by the eager genin and their teams. The wind whistled in her ears violently as she sprinted, finally reaching the thick canopy of trees implanted at the very end of the lot. This area, while currently prohibited, was Sarada's best chance at taking cover. The condensed forestry as well as the darkness of the night would serve to cover her thoroughly, giving her plenty of time to strategize and figure out how to reach her parents without endangering her friends.

     When Sarada's legs finally, finally gave out, she collapsed to the ground, her chest heaving as she fought to replenish her lungs. Not wanting to stop, she decided to crawl, inching towards the large tree trunk that had a hole large enough for her to fit inside. Squeezing her way through the nooks and crannies of the trunk, Sarada was able to fit her entire body within the tight crevice. There was little to no space for her to adjust, and it was severely crammed and uncomfortable, but it was enough to hide her, just for now. Just as she started to conceal her chakra signature, a nefarious laugh resounded throughout the forest.

     "You can run, but you cannot hide, Uchiha Sarada," the sinister voice was no longer ringing throughout her subconscious, and Sarada took this as a good sign. However, the stranger was frighteningly close, meaning that he had successfully been tracing her. In that moment, Sarada wondered if shoving herself inside a tight space was really the best idea, as it would take a sufficient amount of time for her to escape should he find her. "I can smell your fear."

     Sarada clamped a hand over her mouth to conceal her heavy breathing, fighting to remain calm. In situations like this, the best thing for her not to do was panic. She was smart, she'd find a way out. She had to. Heavy footsteps echoed from nearby, and Sarada was shocked that he managed to find her this quickly, and she briefly wondered if he was a sensory nin like Karin-san.

     "Here, kitty kitty," His voice sent violent shivers down Sarada's spinal cord as she struggled to fight the onslaught of tears gathering at her waterline. The ruby of her necklace remained clasped within the center of her palm, and she wanted nothing more than to surge her chakra and summon her father, but if her theory about him being a sensory type was correct, he'd find her within seconds. His footfall resounded from behind her, and Sarada's eyes squeezed shut as she hopelessly prayed that he wouldn't find her, but when a wicked chuckle fell from his lips, she realized that she was doomed. "There you are."

     Seconds later, the trunk was splintered in half, her entire being fully revealed to the stranger in the soft glow of the moonlight. Sarada's instincts kicked in, and she pumped chakra into the heels of her feet to jump several feet in the air, her hands rapidly forming the seals to her Katon. Inhaling deeply and focusing the chakra in the center of her chest, Sarada expelled the breath from her mouth, a large orb of roaring flames surged towards the enemy. The orb was tremendous; much larger than it was when she was a genin, further indicating her improvement and growth as a shinobi.