MANA [Sarutobi Konohamaru]

Chapter Fifty-Six

"Mana-Basan."

Turning from what she was doing, Mana faced five-year-old Sarada. Smiling, Mana placed the knife she was using to cut vegetables and knelt down before Sarada to be the same height as her niece, not bothered by her eight months long pregnancy belly.

"What is it, Sarada-chan?" Mana asked.

"Can you tell me anything about my Papa?" Sarada asked.

"Your Papa?"

Sarada nodded. "When is he coming home?"

"What did your Mama say?"

"She said that he can't come home right away because he's doing really difficult work." Sarada said. "But I never seen Papa..."

Mana sighed. Sasuke-Niisan, please come home... Sarada needs you...

"You have to understand, Sarada... your Papa has a lot of responsibility..."

"Doesn't Papa care about me and Mama?"

"Sarada! That's not true –"

"Then doesn't he ever come home? Why haven't I seen him?!"

Tears fell from Sarada's eyes, a sob came from the girl. Mana reached to her niece, took off Sarada's glasses and wiped away the tears.

"Sarada-chan... your Papa loves you and your Mama so much, that's why he's always away."

"I don't understand, if he loves us then why does he have to be away? Why can't he just come home?!"

"Your Papa has a big responsibility to the village... you'll understand when you're older." Mana said.

"But... how could I be sure that he still cares? He hasn't... I don't even know if he and Mama still..."

"Sarada, your Papa treasures you both deeply..." Mana said. "He loves you and your Mama, and that's all that you need to know..." When Mana saw that her words still have no effect the child, she thought of something to at least give her niece something to hold on to. "Sarada, when you were born, I've never seen your Papa so happy..."

"He was?"

"Of course, he was." Mana chuckled. "I know that you wouldn't understand now, but one day you will... but right now all you need to know is that your Papa loves you and your Mama, alright?"

Sarada nodded.

Seeing that her niece was still pouting, Mana poked her at the forehead, slightly shocking the girl.

"No one treasured love more than the Uchihas." Mana said. "Remember that, alright?"

Sarada smiled.

"Hai."

~*~

Two Years Later

"Kazuto-kun! Ohayo!"

"Hai, ohayo." Kazuto said, slightly blushing in embarrassment.

As Kazuto was being fawned on by some of their former, Sarada stood at the side and watched as her cousin be crowded by his admirers. Kazuto didn't have admirers before when he started at the Academy, he was just their classmate who had no explanation why he started the Academy a year early, that was until Kazuto had a spar with Iwabee at their third day. Kazuto showed excellent style in Taijutsu, it was obvious that he had adopted his mother's way of fighting, it gained the praise and awe of his classmates, especially when he accidentally activated his Sharingan and copied the moves of Iwabee and used it against him and was victorious at their battle. And to add to that, Kazuto was now also carrying the Uchiha name.