Shikadai's Realization

SNEAK PEEK IS OUT! SARADA IS GETTING SOME ACTION Y'ALL CH 10 IS BOUTTA BE FIRE! This was originally a crackoneshot, but it's got a little bit of seriousness to it. I hope you enjoy!

There was something about Boruto's return that rubbed Shikadai the wrong way. He'd been nothing but helpful to the village. He only tried to go after Code, and his father's actions were increasingly suspicious. It didn't take much to know that he was hiding something from him. And while Shikadai usually didn't directly pry, he did snoop around in places he wasn't supposed to be from time to time, hoping to catch word of a clue as to why he felt the way he did. 

His best friend Kawaki that cheated death and loved Kaminari Burger had essentially disappeared three years ago. But Shikadai chalked his sudden shift in personality up to nothing more than an aftereffect his father's death, or perhaps Sasuke's departure and Sarada's new attitude towards him.

Kawaki always had a soft spot for her since they were kids. He'd pout and reluctantly listen to what she said instead of blowing her off like he did the rest of them or trying to convince her it was a good idea anyway. Not many people wanted to mess with Sarada, but just a few carefully aimed words sprouted into heated yelling matches of hurt and trauma between the two of them, both stuck in their ways but still understanding each other. Sarada was the one he called when Kawaki seemed hurt... Because Shikadai couldn't relate to his pain like she could.

But ever since Boruto deserted the village and killed the seventh, Sarada's attitude towards Kawaki had been nothing short of murderous. Most surprising was that Sarada seemed hell-bent on covering for the traitor. 

They hadn't been particularly close before that. She didn't seem like the forgiving type, but Sarada still seemed to care about Boruto even though he was an outsider who'd only been there for a few short months. Maybe it just proved her tenacity as someone who aimed to become the future hokage, but Shikadai thought there was more to it than that. People didn't just change, especially not Sarada. 

She fought for Boruto every time his name came up, asking her father to hear him out instead of treating him like a traitor. Everyone knew that's what she wanted from the beginning when she chased after him straight from Eida's, but after Boruto killed the seventh... After he tried to kill Kawaki, her childhood friend... How could she forgive him? How could she fight so strongly against the acting hokage, his dad? How could she refuse to become a chunin, specifically because she didn't agree with his ideals when her aim was to become the Hokage? How could she ruin her standing over a traitor, sending her own father after him to save him even though everyone knew she treasured her time with her dad more than anyone else in the village? 

Something was wrong. And while Shikadai decided to leave well enough alone, it sometimes pricked the back of his mind, especially when something didn't quite add up. 

And so it was that he looked through mission files at night when everyone was asleep, using the guise that his dad sent him to retrieve them. He studied them carefully, especially those containing Boruto. He watched Sarada's eyes flare red when she looked at Kawaki...

And then he had the chance to encounter Boruto the murderer. 

Seeing Boruto in person was much different from hearing about him. Shikadai and his team were ready to fight to take him down. He still looked like the same depressed orphan with a bad attitude, but there was something about the way his cold gaze softened when he looked at Sarada's back when she stood in between him, yelling at him to leave Boruto alone if he cared about Konoha. Something about the tone of his voice that told her it was alright before he made a sign and disappeared. And something very off about that bracelet on his wrist. 

He always thought it was odd that Kawaki lost it. He'd been wearing it since they were kids. It was a sign of their friendship. So why did Boruto have it? Just as soon as the thought came, it went. Kawaki already said he must've misplaced it. The one on Boruto's wrist looked a little different after all.