The main focus of this chapter was on Sarada Uchiha, AKA Salad. (Seriously.) Back in Chapter 700 we saw this kid being raised by Sakura, with her father Sasuke nowhere to be seen. This raised all sorts of reactions about Sasuke being no good and Kishimoto being unfair to Sakura for sticking her in a single housewife role, but you know, shounen. Everyone also took this as “SasuSaku canon!”, though there were a few people who said “Wait Sarada kind of looks like Karin that’s weird”; in general, though, most people moved on and accepted that Sarada was Sasuke and Sakura’s kid.

So now we get the first chapter of the spin-off. Sarada is about to graduate the ninja academy (making her about 12), and she has never once met Sasuke. Not once. In twelve years. The worst part about this is that there are still fans who are defending Sasuke, but this matter is sort of overshadowed. Sarada starts asking Sakura questions about Sasuke, even questioning if she is really his wife, causing Sakura to accidentally destroy the house. Later Sarada goes back to the house on her own to recover some things, such as a framed picture of Sasuke and Sakura. Except, when she removes it from the broken frame, she finds that it is actually a separate picture of Sakura put in front of another picture of Sasuke.

Sasuke and Karin.

I have nothing to say about this as a shipping matter, that aspect is one I don’t have any stock in one way or the other. I do, however, take issue with the possibility that Kishimoto decided to have Sakura potentially give up being a ninja so that she could be all by herself raising a child that isn’t even hers. It’s entirely possible that this is a false lead and Sakura really is Sarada’s mother, in which case I’ll return to a lower level of disappointment with the situation, but if this is true, then what the actual freaking karz I mean seriously! At this rate it’ll take longer for Kishimoto to let Sakura be happy than it took AZ to redeem himself to Floette.

Anger.