Chapter 7: Sparring

***

After reaching the house with Sarada, Boruto went to the door and knocked loudly. It took at least a couple seconds before there was some movement inside. The door opened and a slightly out of breath Sakura appeared on the doorstep.

- Oh, you're early. - She smiled welcomingly and stepped sideways, letting them into the house. - How's your...what have you been up to?

- Of course you've been practicing, mom! - With her arms at her sides, Sarada snorted dismissively. - I'll need a lot of strength to become Hokage!

- Is that so? - Sakura smiled again and suddenly raised her hands up, clenching her fists as if to show off her muscles. - Show me where the strongest shinobi of the new generation are!

- Here!

Sarada, followed by Boruto, who had long since gotten used to playing the youngster, hung in the woman's arms. Sakura, smiling through her thirty-two teeth, twirled around the room, riding the kids like a merry-go-round.

- Hey! Hey! That's some grip you got there! Now, how about this?

- Mom! It's not fair!

- Aunt Sakura, are you really an adult?

***

The fun continued for a couple more minutes before the three of them sat down at the table and began to eat their hastily prepared dinner. Only Boruto and Sakura talked during the meal, while Sarada was too busy absorbing the calories she needed to eat. Conversations between the married woman and her friend's son, on the other hand, were surprisingly innocent. About the weather, plans for the coming days, relationships with other children, and very little about the life of the Uchiha family. Surprisingly enough, Sakura was trying to keep a low profile, but under the influence of Boruto's "alpha status" she simply couldn't ignore his careful questions.

"Where's your husband?"

"Why doesn't it take so long to show up?"

"What's it like to live in a house alone?"

And so on and so forth. The purpose was very trivial, firstly to pump up the submission, by convincing him of the need for answers. Secondly, Boruto genuinely wanted Sarada to hear those answers as well. The love for such a "beautiful" father as Sasuke Uchiha, the guy tried to eradicate as diligently as possible.

- Phew, thanks, mom. - Finished with the food, Sarada leaned back in her chair. - It was delicious.

- Confirmed and fully supported. - Boruto did the same, pushing the empty plate away from him. - Aunt Sakura, you're a cooking goddess!

- Well, what else is a housewife like me to do? - Smiling, Sakura stood up from the table and quickly put her plates in the sink, arms at her sides. - You know, I was thinking about something...since you're all so mature and have been practicing for quite some time...how about a sparring session, huh?

- Mom? Sarada's eyes widened. - Didn't you say it was dangerous and all that?

- I think Aunt Sakura just wants to beat us up. - Boruto whispered in a low voice. - Don't worry, it's just age, I've heard that it can happen to adults....

- Hey! I can hear everything! - Sakura smilingly shook her fist at him. - Don't worry, I'm not going to hit you, I just want to see what exactly you've managed to learn on your own...

The two teens looked amongst themselves and nodded almost in sync.

- Okay, we're in!

Sakura, Sarada, and Boruto stood in the courtyard of the house. The three of them, Sakura, Sarada, and Boruto, were standing in the courtyard, where they had removed the clotheslines and were looking at each other.

- Mom seemed to be very serious. - Sarada shifted from foot to foot a little nervously.

- Yeah, she's in a pretty combative mood. - Boruto grinned briefly and added, but to himself. - "That's what happens when a woman finally gets a sexual release...too bad it won't last long, she'll need the next 'dose' soon enough..."

- Hey! Are you just going to stand there and talk?! - Sakura rubbed her fists together defiantly. - It's not like we're going to be standing around until tonight!

- Your mother is a natural provocateur. - With a hum, Boruto folded the desired seal at his chest. - Shadow cloning!

Three more figures appeared next to the two young shinobi with a distinctive "puffing" sound. They all looked like Boruto, but it was him, only in the form of a chakra clone.

- You know the plan. - The guy turned to his doppelgangers and smiled slyly. - The main thing to remember... we are very serious!

- Whatever you say.

- I won't let you down.

- Yeah, you got it!

The three clones responded with short nods and simultaneously turned toward Sarada standing nearby.

- Let's go! (x4)

At the same second, the four teenage silhouettes rushed forward, but about halfway through, they split up abruptly. The four Boruto split into two groups and ran around the girl's sides, throwing themselves towards Sakura in a semi-circular trajectory. While Sarada herself stopped in place for a second and folded her seals around her mouth.

- The element of fire: fireball!

A rather impressive sized blob of fire burst out of her mouth and streamed towards the still standing Sakura.

The four Boruto, however, had already reached their opponent, a bright purple lightning bolt curled in the hands of two of them.

- Element of Lightning: Lightning!

A brief flash and three elemental projectiles flew at Sakura at once: a fireball and two lightning bolts. However, just as they were about to reach their target and strike the kunoichi, Sakura abruptly ducked to the side. The last thing the three Boruto clones saw was the woman's neat fist coming straight at their faces.

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