Childhood

Expectations

Shortly after their birthdays, Naruto replaced Kakashi as the Hokage. Villagers whispered about Boruto being "Naruto's kid," or "the Hokage's son." He wasn't just Boruto anymore... At first, it was alright. But after a little while, it got annoying.

What was the "Hokage's son" doing playing pranks? Didn't the parents know how to raise their kid? Was the "Hokage's son" with the advisor's son for the sake of a political relationship? Or were they really friends?

Boruto usually ignored them and went to Sarada's to train. But no matter how many times he tried to mimic her kunai throwing skills, she was always the best.

He tried a few times to tell Sarada about the shuriken, but the timing just never seemed right. He started, and then something inside of his chest would ache, and he changed the topic.

One day while they were walking to his house for lunch, a random villager looked at Sarada with scornful eyes. She just ducked her head and kept walking.

"What was that for?"

"Mm... Mama said it's because of papa... Some people think papa was a genius, and others don't really like him... I don't get it, but he's on an important mission right now. Mama said he's doing important things for the village. She said if I'm an extra good girl, they'll all be nice to me."

Boruto blinked a few times. It wasn't fair. For people to get treated a certain way just because of their dad. Of all people, he felt like he knew that best. "You're not your dad, you're just you. Besides, isn't he on a secret mission? I bet the other guys just don't know how amazing he is."

"Secret mission?"

"My old man said your dad was out keeping the village safe from some weird dudes that start with an O... Otsu... Otsukiki?" Boruto's face twisted as he tried to pronounce the word.

"Papa is on a secret mission..."

"Yeah!" He grinned at the sight of her excited eyes. "So... So if anyone else looks at you like that, just tell them your dad is too amazing to be in the village." He decided not to tell her about the Shuriken after all. It would just make her sad... And unless he had a good reason, he didn't want to fight with her anymore.

That was, until Cho-Cho showed up. "Ah- Sarada!" She smirked. "Out on a date with Boruto?"

"It's not like that!" They said at the same time, faces reddening.

"We just ran into each other... Right Sarada?"

"Mmm... Right."

"Well, if you're not doing anything," said Cho-Cho, linking arms with Sarada, "then come with me to get lunch! Papa just gave me some spending money, and that red-bean soup at the dango shop is calling my name!"

"Ah, but..."

"See you later, Sarada," said Boruto, waving her off with a nervous smile.

After that incident, Boruto was wary of walking around with her in public. They didn't have much to do in their houses, and Boruto was fed up with training. And so, the two childhood friends slowly drifted apart.

Cho-Cho hung out with Sarada more often than not, dragging her out to eat and through various clothing shops (although it was rare for her to buy anything). Boruto hung out with Shikadai since he was the only one who was willing to suffer the consequences of his ridiculous pranks.

But that didn't mean Sarada was always with Cho-Cho, and Boruto wasn't always with Shikadai either.

Sarada was used to playing by herself. She sometimes preferred it to the company of others. But every so often, she would go on walks. A breath of fresh air was always nice, and in order to raise her reputation in the eyes of the villagers, she needed to be friendly with them.