Boruto Light Novel 4

Part 4 (Buntan's Grudge)

Throughout history, times were not as peaceful as Sarada knew them to be now. Wars were fought. Raged. Won. Lost. As countless battles dragged on, the larger ones earned a title: the Great Shinobi Wars. However just before Sarada was born, the Fourth Shinobi World War took place. It was different from the others in that it was not a battle between villages or countries. Instead, this war was fought between allied shinobi forces and an organization referred to as the "Akatsuki."

The Akatsuki was an organization that contained rogue ninja from each of the hidden villages. Their military strength was said to be even greater than that of the five great countries combined. The war itself was vicious, nearly destroying the entire world. It ended in victory for the allied forces, but not without heavy losses. Nearly twenty percent of the participating ninja lost their lives.

Sarada was told that her parents, Sasuke and Sakura, as well as Naruto, contributed greatly to that victory. But the truth of the war lay deeper than that... At the center of the Akatsuki.

The founder of the Akatsuki was a man named Uchiha Obito: a former Konoha ninja. He hid himself in a certain village to gather strength for the organization. That village was none other than the Hidden Mist Village, which was better known as the Bloody Mist Village at the time.

Uchiha Obito manipulated the fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, in order to gather resources and build up the Akatsuki. Funds. Information. Supplies. Other shinobi. It was unknown exactly how much was stolen from The Bloody Mist in order to further Obito's goals. But there was no doubt that the village was placed under a regime of terror to compensate for the stolen resources.

As a result, hundreds and thousands of lives were lost. The situation became so dire that six of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen deserted the village.

Exactly how much of the village's strife came as a direct result of Obito's manipulation remained unknown. Karatachi Yagura was said to be a meritocrat with an arrogant personality. But at the same time, he was apparently also someone who knew what needed to be done and was willing to lend a hand to the people he liked.

While the full truth wasn't quite understood, it didn't change the fact that the Akatsuki existed, and their leader and mastermind was Uchiha Obito. An Uchiha, just like Sarada. And Kirigakure was greatly harmed by his conspiracy.

After the Fourth Shinobi War, all of this came to light. And after peace was achieved... It was buried.

Those who are accustomed to peace tend to forget the misery of war. When misery is forgotten, forgiveness does not come as quickly, and oppression begins. Those who are oppressed fight to overturn their circumstances. This is a common chain of events that just so happened to be occurring in Hidden Mist Village.

But this seemingly common and logical chain of events had a tragic effect on the people involved. Namely, Kagura and Buntan.

"I don't understand how Kagura can laugh as if everything's perfectly fine when he's around you all. You Konoha Shinobi! You Uchiha! You've made a mess of our village. If Uchiha Obito hadn't taken control of Yagura, there would've been no need for me to grow up without ever seeing my father's face!!"

Sarada's eyes widened. ...So Buntan also... **

Buntan didn't miss the opportunity created by Sarada's shocked reaction. Jumping out like a clap of thunder, she closed the gap between her and Sarada in an instant.

Sarada blocked with a kunai enveloped in lightning. Unlike the previous attack, this one lacked subtlety, likely due to all of Buntan's stored up anger and hatred bubbling under the surface. If Sarada didn't see it coming, she wouldn't have been able to block it.