Sarada has been struggling with a crisis of confidence in her abilities as a ninja lately. This stems in part from a traumatic defeat that she and her Team 7 squad suffered at the hands of a dangerous foe named Joker, who is part of the villainous Kara organization.
The battle left her teammate Mitsuki gravely injured and Sarada shaken after witnessing the deaths of ninjas from other lands as well as the severe injuries inflicted on her seniors Mugino and Konohamaru.
Realizing they need to radically improve their skills after this eye-opening defeat, Sarada is inspired to train with her father, Sasuke, after seeing her teammate Boruto begin intense training under the guidance of the legendary ninja Kakashi.
As father and daughter work together, the reasons underlying Sarada’s comparative weakness despite her Uchiha lineage are revealed – she has not activated the full power of her Sharingan abilities yet.
This stems from her peaceful childhood, lacking intense combat, which conditioned previous generations of Uchiha clan members and unlocked their ocular powers.
With patient guidance from Sasuke, though, Sarada now has a chance to push past these barriers and reach her full potential as a ninja warrior.
Sarada Uchiha’s Awakening and the Potential for Greater Ocular Powers
The Sharingan is a special visual ability passed down through genetics in the Uchiha clan, originally derived from Indra Ōtsutsuki, son of the legendary Sage of Six Paths and descendant of Kaguya.
For generations, this ocular power has given the Uchiha clan an edge in warfare. However, it normally lies dormant, only activated through intense emotional triggers related to trauma or battle.
Sarada first awakened a basic, single-tomoe version of the Sharingan when overwhelmed with excitement at seeing her father Sasuke return after years away from their village of Konoha.
But such triggering moments are rare for her generation of Uchiha, who have enjoyed relatively peaceful lives.
With the clan more unified now, Sarada has not faced the intense combat situations that conditioned her ancestors and unlocked greater Sharingan abilities.
Her development reflects how the bloodline power remains mostly latent despite her lineage, waiting to be stimulated into its full majestic form through focused training to push her limits.
Sharingan’s True Potential Through Intense Emotions and Traumatic Experiences
On the other hand, Sasuke explains to Sarada how intensely negative experiences can also awaken the Sharingan’s power. Severe emotional and physical trauma has often catalyzed its evolution among Uchiha clan members over the generations.
This relates to the so-called “Curse of Hatred” that has plagued the Uchiha bloodline, arising when they lose a loved one or are forced to kill.
Sasuke describes how impactful distress and pain unlocked higher levels of the Sharingan for predecessors like Madara, Obito, Itachi, Shisui, and even himself earlier in life.
He tells Sarada that she likely cannot push her ocular abilities to greater heights without going through similarly scarring battles or traumatic emotional triggers.
Unlike the joyful excitement that first activated her basic Sharingan, experiencing profound grief, rage, or suffering may be the only way to fully stimulate the dormant power still lying within Sarada’s genetics.
For better or worse, Sasuke suggests that overcoming severe loss, hardship, or conflict could hold the key that unlocks her true visual prowess.
Sarada Uchiha’s Struggle for Advancement in an Era of Ninja Cooperation
Sarada longs to be considered a ninja prodigy like many exceptional Uchiha shinobi before her. However, in the past, Uchiha children were made to fight wars and battles from a very young age as the clan served as the military force of Konoha village.
This intense combat exposure enabled them to swiftly awaken advanced forms of their Sharingan eyes out of emotional necessity.
Despite Sarada’s desire for rapid development, Sasuke insists she cannot shortcut the natural progression.
Ironically, the current era of cooperation amongst the Great Shinobi Nations means large-scale war is scarce. Young ninja-like Sarada, do not train as relentlessly or take on as many perilous missions.
With no major external or internal threats facing their village, Sarada does not encounter the degree of hardship Sasuke’s generation did.
So, while she lives in comfortable, safe times of peace and stability, this shields her from the painful triggers that conditioned her ancestors and accelerated their Sharingan growth through necessity.
For Sarada, this double-edged reality hinders her rate of progress despite her potential. She must find alternative ways to push herself rather than relying on the intensity of combat.
