Arranged marriage (ItaSaku) COMPLETED

Chapter 18

"Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition, but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express." - Joseph Addison

An explosion was heard feom the Hokage's tower, gaining people's attention and making them gasp. Pieces of the stone that the tower was made off started flying into the air. A thick black smoke was raising. People from the crowded streets stopped and looked at the terrific scene in front of them.

"Dad!" Boruto shouted panicked, wanting to run towards the building, but Konohamaru caught his arm, stopping the reckless kid.

"Let me go, dattebasa!" the blond kid shouted at his sensei.

"Boruto, your father is fine. He can handle trouble." the brown haired man told the impatient kid. Sarada sighed.

"Never underestimate the Hokage."

"Sarada, Mitsuki... You know the procedure in emergency cases. We have to lead people to safety in case of attack so you two go east and split on the two main roads. Me and Boruto will go west. And keep in mind: children first."

They both nodded. "Hai!"

They ran through the streets and panicked people. Sarada took the second main road and Mitsuki the first. She saw an old lady with her grandkid, holding him tight in fear. The black haired girl approached her.

"Hey, you two have to come with me to safety. There will be more ninjas to protect you." she tried to calm them down. The old lady nodded and started following her. They hardly kept up with her.

A huge bear summoning with big claws charged at them.

"Fast, go to the right." Sarada instructed the two of them, sending them to a smaller road.

"Shanaroooo!" she screamed punching the bear in the face, sending it into uncinsciouness.

"Why there are always bears?" she sweatdropped.

She started running towards the direction where the grandma and her grandkid headed but a masked ANBU man landed in front of her. A shiver ran down her spine. Something was off.

"Oi, what are you doing here? Why aren't you out there helping people?"

A dark chuckle escaped the man's lips. He wore a black cloak with a hood that covered his head.

"You Uchihas are always so eager." he mocked the little girl. She felt her blood boiling in her veins.

"I am gonna crush your bones!" she chaged at him but the man made some hand seals, releasing some thick chains which wrapped around her tiny body, sqeezing the life out of her. She fell on the ground breathing heavily.

"Always so full of confidence." he commented.

The girl was terrified.

In a flash, she felt the chains loosening around her and a clash between two weapons was heard. She opened her eyes and saw a man with long, black hair fighting the masked man. His kunai clashed against the masked man's sword.

"You..." he gasped.

The masked man disappeared in a puff.

The man that she met some weeks ago, turned towards her worried. His black eyes studied her face to check if she was hurt. Luckily, he found only fear. He unwrapped the chains from around her, throwing them carelessy on the ground.

Sarada got up.

"Arigato." she looked at him in awe. He was even stronger and faster than her uncle. He intrigued her and made her admire him.

"Hn. This is not a safe place for you. Come, let me take you to safety." he bent down and offered her his hand. She blushed.

"Sure."

He held her hand while they walked and he felt strange. They looked so much like a father and a daughter, he thought. Sadness took once again over his features. He never had the chance to have a child, probably this is why he was so drawn of this child. She had black hair and black eyes. He chuckled. She could really look like his daughter.

"I haven't seen you these weeks around the village?!" the little Uchiha asked skeptically, looking up at him.

"Hn. I am not living in the village." he told her truthfully.

"How so?"

He frowned, debating if he should tell her or not.

"I did bad things..."

"But you seem like a nice guy." she told him confused.

"I did what I did to protect someone dear to me... and the village."

The black haired girl didn't know what he was talking about but she chuckled.

"Your girlfriend?"

He smiled sadly, remembering her.

"My wife."

Sarada gasped and suddenly, she felt his pain.

"Then you are excused. My uncle says that everything that is made for love is honorable and should be praised because not everyone has the courage to sacrifice everything in the name of love." Itachi felt his chest clentching at her words.

"Your uncle is a wise man." he concluded, making her nod.

"Well, I will leave you here. I can go no further, otherwise, people will attack me too." they both giggled.

"Hey..." Sarada blushed. "Can you... Can you train me? I wwant to ve better than my uncle but he is among the best and Lord Hokage is too busy to do so."

Itachi rubbed his chin, thinking.

"Sure, but it will be tough."

Sarada jumped happily, her face lightening up. The black haired man bemt down to be on the same level as her.

"Meet me in three days in the forest. Two miles away from the gates, straight forward is a meadow. I will be waiting."

Sarada nodded with a big grin. Itachi raised two fingers, touching her big forehead.

"Until the next time."

He vanished when a thousad of crows surrouded him. She touched her forehead with her own fingertips.

"Sarada... Thank's Kami that you are safe." Sakura came running and hugged her daughter tight.

"Too tight, mama!" she mumbled into her shoulder.

"Oh, sorry. Please go to safety. I have to help the injuried."

Her daughter nodded and obeyed.