'You could be in danger if that happens. Do you understand? '

What did he mean by that?

With a start, Sakura sat up on her soft bed. She had been pondering his words all night and had barely gotten any sleep.

Could he know anything about Danzo?

Of course, the main reason Sakura was so secretive about her training was the

esteemed

Elder himself. She could always shove her abilities behind the fa 'ade of a prodigy, but she didn 't want to deal with him any earlier than she strictly had to.

She had already decided that she would keep her new timeline as similar to the one she came from as possible, in order to avoid any unnecessary unknowns. She 'd try to prevent the massacre, of course, and she would find a way to bring Danzo 's crimes to light and stop the Fourth Shinobi War in time, but beyond that, her plan 'was still in the works.

And coming out as a prodigy alone would have the Elder breathing down her neck, not to mention the Hokage, and pretty much everyone else of note.

But what was Shisui 's motive in keeping her secret? And if he did know about Danzo, what information did he have exactly, and how much?

She groaned, letting her head drop back on her pillow. Peeking outside her window, she could see the sun painting everything with its early light. Shaking her head, she got up and quickly dressed in order to join her parents for breakfast.

Once again, she asked them to enroll her at the Academy the following year and once again, they refused. She told them about Ino, like she had in her original time, and they seemed intrigued, then, enough to consider her words. She was aware her parents would only allow her to study at the Shinobi Academy for her to have her fun, because they thought it would appease her before she inevitably came to her senses and opted for a career switch.

It had been the same the first time around. They never thought she 'd like to stay a ninja and live a life rife with danger and death. They had been so proud of her when she'd been made the Hokage 's apprentice, when she'd earned her medic's license, but they had still held some hope she 'd sooner or later give up on doing missions and choose to be permanently stationed at the hospital, safely inside the village.

But then came Pain. And matters turned worse when the Fourth 'Shinobi War rolled in right after. Her parents had died at the start of the war, along with many civilians; collateral damage, and nothing more.

She was certain they would abide by the same logic this time around as well, so she let them think on it. They likely wouldn't inform her of their decision until tomorrow at the earliest, anyway.

After they were finished with their food, she accompanied her mother to their shop. Her father, being a well-respected merchant, was usually the one who went on business trips outside the village, while her mother ran the shop they owned in the general marketplace area.

An hour later, Sakura decided to head to the library and do some light reading on more medical ninjutsu. She 'd have to train again, much to her dismay, and she needed to solidify her image as self-taught. The librarian could certainly vouch for her, as she often discussed the complex books Sakura 'took home with her. In addition, Sakura always made sure to subtly greet any shinobi she 'd see at the library ' usually those she had met in her original time ' ' 'and ask questions she seemingly had some trouble understanding the answers to in regards to her genjutsu and ninjutsu books.

After spending a good three hours in one of the quiet rooms, Sakura began 'craving some dango.

'Maybe I should get more than usual and go find Naruto. '

'Why not? He 's barely eating anything other than ramen. We should arrange for our parents to meet him and invite him over for dinner sometimes. '

She smiled brightly at her Inner 's idea.

'We should. Maybe even today. He 'll definitely be at the park and I can ask kaa-chan to come with me. '

'Get Ino too. '

'Do you think Ino and Naruto will like each other? What if Ino 's afraid of him or

'

'

'Hey. Calm down. You know Ino can 't stand injustice if pushed, and Naruto won 't let an opportunity to make more friends go to waste. '

That 's right. With a determined nod, she crossed the road and skipped towards her favorite dango shop, which neighbored her parents ' store.

She greeted the old lady at the counter cheerfully, and asked for half a dozen mitarashi dango and a full dozen anko dango sticks. The lady chucked, and started on Sakura 's order at once.

Sakura had already pulled her little purple wallet out ' ' 'a gift from her mother for her fifth 'birthday ' ' and took out the right amount of money, laying it on the counter in front of her. The old lady stacked the boxes inside a plastic bag before turning to the little girl with a warm smile.

'Here you go, Sakura-chan, ' she said.

Sakura noticed there were three boxes instead of two, and raised her head with a questioning look.

'Ah, ' the old lady smiled again, 'I added a couple goma dango for Mebuki-san. Don 't worry, it 's on the house. She 's been working too hard lately. '

Sakura smiled brightly at the lady 's thoughtfulness. 'Thank you so much Mayu-baa-chan! I promise I 'll come over to help you out 'with the shop sometime soon! '

'You don 't have to do that, Sakura-chan, but I 'll be happy if you do. Now go to your mother, and then go find those new friends you were telling me about, ne? '

Sakura nodded excitedly, holding the plastic bag and the book she had borrowed from the library in one hand and waving with the other. 'Bye-bye, baa-chan! I 'll come by tomorrow too! '

Her cheerful giggles were cut short when her small body collided with something firm. She stumbled backwards, but someone grabbed her and held her in place.

Opening her eyes, she was immediately startled to see the person before her. Taking a step back after she found her balance, she cleared her throat, trying to suppress the blush rising to her cheeks.

'Shisui-san! I 'm sorry, I wasn 't paying attention, ' she mumbled bashfully.

'Seriously, you 're a goddamn

shinobi

,

Sakura! Get. A. Grip. '

'Shut up, '

she retorted.

The boy regarded her with something akin to amusement, and after a moment he bent down to ruffle her hair. 'That 's quite a lot of sweets you 've got there, Sakura-chan. Is it healthy to eat that much? ' he asked, chuckling at her pout.

'I 'm not gonna eat them all by myself, you know. I 'm bringing some to mom and to my friend at the park. '

'Ah, the park? ' he asked. 'I 'm taking my baby cousins there. '

Shisui moved aside and Sakura froze as she got a look at the two kids who had been standing behind him.

How the hell did I not sense them? My sleep deprivation sure isn't doing me any favors...

'Sakura-chan, meet my cousins, Itachi-chan and Sasuke-chan, ' Shisui smiled, pointing at each of the children, before he rested his hand on top of Sakura 's pink hair. 'Say hello to Sakura-chan, ' he told them.

Sakura was at a loss of words.

Sasuke-kun

'

How long had it been since she'd learned of his death at Kaguya's hands? How long had it been since she'd last seen him, simply

seen

him, even just from afar? She didn't know.

She looked at him now, at this little boy with soft cheeks and softer eyes, and wanted to crumple and cry. He was adorable enough to break her heart. His open face was alight with curiosity, and she honestly couldn 't remember if she had ever so much as glimpsed such an expression on him before. He seemed so indescribably

different

, clinging as he was to his brother 's side, a slow blush creeping up his neck. She was used to his stoic, irritated, venomous facade; she wasn't used to the innocent sight of his humanity.

She had of course known she would likely see him soon, but she hadn't been prepared for their re-introduction to occur so unexpectedly.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she willed her eyes to travel on his brother. Uchiha Itachi couldn 't be older than ten. She had seen him only a few times in her original time. Sakura vaguely remembered he 'd come to the Academy after classes to pick up Sasuke in their first year, but she had naturally grown to associate his face with that of a murderer and a missing-nin later in life, with pitch-black cloaks and blood-red clouds.

He 's just a kid now

, she thought to herself.

'We won 't let him kill his clan and leave Sasuke this time, Outer. Get a hold of yourself and smile. '

And she did. After the initial shock wore off, she gave them both the brightest smile she could muster. 'Hello, my name 's Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you, 'boys! '

'Hi, ' she heard Sasuke 's timid greeting.

'Oh 'Kami, he 's so CUTE! '

Inner squealed, squeezing her own cheeks.

Itachi gave her a small smile, accompanied by an inclination of his head. 'Hello. I am Uchiha Itachi, and this is my brother, Sasuke. '

She smiled again, staring straight at Sasuke. His hair was already sporting that same duck-like tilt towards the back, and it almost made her giggle, but she composed herself. Turning back to Shisui, Sakura tugged on his sleeve.

'Would you like to come with me to the park? I could introduce you to my friend and we could all play together! '

'Score! '

Inner said,

'Naruto and Sasuke will meet and we get to preserve our I'm-a-normal-kid image! '

'Well, Shisui knows bits of the truth. '

'He thinks you 're a prodigy like his cousin, but your acting was good last night. '

The oldest of the three Uchiha gave her a cheerful, 'Sure! ' He then lowered his head and voice, but Sakura was certain that the other two could still hear him. 'To tell you the truth I was hoping to socialize them a little, so that'll work out 'perfectly. '

Sakura chuckled and nodded.

'Ah, wait a minute, I need to get us some dango. '

Sakura quickly caught his hand. 'No need, Shisui-san, we could share mine! I 'm afraid you were right, ' she said shyly. 'I did get too much. '

'Oh, I don 't think they 'll be enough for Itachi-chan. He has a dango

addiction

. '

'Shisui, ' the other Uchiha sighed in 'warning, likely to distract from the heat taking over his cheeks. His older cousin merely laughed and walked towards the counter, leaving Sakura with the two brothers.

'How do you know Shisui? ' Itachi asked her.

Sakura paused. His blank expression was quite unnerving, so she averted her gaze. 'I 've only met him once, when I was out training, but I think he 's nice, ' she told him honestly. 'Are you a shinobi like your cousin, Itachi-san? '

He remained motionless for a long moment, but eventually nodded. Sakura felt her hands twitch, but quickly adjusted her grip on her purchase and focused on little Sasuke.

'How old are you, Sasuke-san? '

'Five, ' he said, still somewhat hiding behind his brother. So, young Sasuke was shy and not all too confident or assholey. Interesting.

Sakura bounced on the balls of her feet. 'Really? Me too! I turned five a couple months ago, and my friend is also around that age. I think he 'll like you! '

Well, I

hope

he will...

Shisui made his way back to them then, and they exited the shop, heading towards the park. Sakura asked them if they 'd mind dropping by her parents ' store to give her mother the dango Mayu-baa had packed for her. They didn't object, so she skipped down the street, greeting some of the passers-by that knew her on the way.

Haruno Mebuki was sweeping the sidewalk right outside her store when Sakura 's gleeful call came. She propped her broom up against the wall behind her and knelt down until she was eye-level with her daughter.

'Did you have fun at the library, Sa-chan? ' she smiled, pushing a few strands of Sakura 's hair back.

'Yeah, I read about medical ninjutsu. I want to become a combat medic just like Tsunade-sama! '

Her mother laughed good-naturedly and pecked her on the cheek, 'You 'll have to train really hard then. '

'Of course I will! ' Sakura said, with as much severity and determination as she could afford to show.

Mebuki then noticed the three boys standing some 'ways away as they waited for her daughter. Her eyes widened as she realized they were all Uchiha, and she looked between them and Sakura, clearly puzzled.

'Ah, kaa-chan, these are Shisui-san, Itachi-san and Sasuke-san. We 'll be going to the park to meet my friend, okay? You can pick me up from there when you 're done. '

Sakura smiled innocently, though her mother seemed even more baffled. 'Um, yes, okay. Be careful, Sakura-chan. '

'You worry too much, ' she waved her hand in front of her. 'Oh, here! ' she took the smaller box out of the plastic bag and offered it to her mother. 'Mayu-baa-chan sends these and says to take it easy. I also promised her to help her out at the dango shop someday soon, if that 's okay. '

Her mother gave her a warm smile and stood up, clutching the box of goma dango to her chest. 'That was very considerate of you, 'sweetie. You can help her out whenever you like, 'just make sure to warn her ahead of time. Now go have fun. ' Her jade eyes 'fell on the three Uchiha. 'It was nice to meet you, boys. Come by anytime!"

All three of them gave her mother a low bow, leaving Sakura and Mebuki gaping at them. 'Oh, no, don 't be so formal! ' Mebuki laughed and approached them, patting each one on the head. 'I 'm Haruno Mebuki, by the way, but call me Mebuki-ba-chan, ne? Take care of my little Sakura. '

'Kaa-chan! ' said girl whined, 'I 'm not a baby,

please

. '

Shisui bowed again. 'Leave Sakura-chan to us. It was a pleasure meeting you ' Mebuki-ba-san. '

Mebuki simply laughed at him, her eyes creasing at the corners. She shook her head, 'Any of you Mikoto 's kids? '

Sakura 's head whipped around at the speed of light.

What? Mom knows Uchiha Mikoto?

'Yes, ' Itachi replied, 'Sasuke and I are her sons. '

Sakura watched her mother 's expression soften as she looked at the boys. 'Oh, but

of course

you are, you're both her spitting image! Send her my regards, will you? It 's been too long since I last saw her. '

'I'll make sure to tell her, ' Itachi promised. Sakura, meanwhile, was having a full-blown conversation with Inner about this turn of events. They agreed on one thing: Sakura had to ask her mother just

how

she knew the Uchiha matriarch.

They said their 'goodbyes and began their 'walk towards the park. They got some curious glances here and there, but Sakura attributed it to the Uchiha heirs' presence at her side.

As they passed the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Sakura looked around for Ino, but she couldn 't spot her anywhere. '

Maybe she 's home or at the greenhouse. '

'Or training with her father. '

'Hmm, yeah, could be. '

Lost in her thoughts about Ino and how she wouldn 't be able to introduce her two blonde best friends to each other that day, she hadn 't even noticed the conversation taking place right above her head, until Shisui placed his hand on her shoulder.

'Sakura-chan? ' he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sakura felt her cheeks warm, 'Um, sorry, did you say something, Shisui-san? '

He chuckled and pointed at her book, 'Medical ninjutsu, huh? ' Sakura nodded, thinking about how she could believably explain her rather advanced 'interests. 'So, your parents agreed to let you attend the Academy? '

'Well, no, ' she replied, eyes downcast. She knew she had the other two boys ' attention as well by now. 'But I think they 're warming up on the idea. '

'You do seem quite persistent, ' he simply said, and Sakura laughed, agreeing with him. 'Stubborn' certainly was one way to describe her.

'You 're gonna be a shinobi? ' Sasuke asked excited, suddenly losing any trace of his 'previous shyness. 'I 'll be one too! '

Sakura perked up at that. 'We could be classmates, then! And maybe even be placed on the same team once we graduate! '

'You sound really smart. If you 're strong as well, I wouldn 't mind, ' he smiled happily, and something in Sakura 's chest melted. She had never seen him smile, 'had never seen him happy. Neither had he ever complimented her so genuinely. War left its 'captives with little time to spare for love and all the time in the world to 'dwell on loss, but there had been another, earlier time when her love-struck self would have positively combusted at hearing him say this.

'I 'll work hard! ' was all she said, and she would. She would train her butt off. There was so much to change, to fix, and her determination had to rise to the occasion. And it did.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Shisui 's smile, and even Itachi 's affectionate expression as he looked at his younger brother. How someone who clearly loved Sasuke so much could hurt him as he had, Sakura didn't know.

'Things are not always as they appear. Sensei always used to go on and on about looking "underneath the underneath" and all that crap. There must have been more to it all than we're aware of. '

Sakura agreed, but her thoughts were quickly cut off when she saw Naruto on the ground, tears welling in his beautiful blue eyes as yet another angry man loomed over him.

'Hold these, please, ' she said through gritted teeth, thrusting her bag into Shisui's unsuspecting hands.

He took it, throwing her a curious look. 'What ' '

She didn 't stick around to hear him out. Instead, she dashed forward, as fast as her little legs could carry her to Naruto 's side, and forcefully pushed the man away from him.

'What the

hell

are you doing? ' she shouted, 'not caring that she was obviously making a scene.

The man sneered at her. 'Fuck off, brat. That boy is a monster, and better off dead. '

Sakura 's eyes widened, before narrowing into dangerous slits. Taking a step closer to the sneering man, she clenched her fists. 'Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones,

scum

. '

'Sakura-chan, it 's okay, ' she heard Naruto sobbing from behind her, then felt his shaking hands gripping the hem of her shirt, trying to pull her back. 'Please stop, he 'll hurt you! '

Glancing back at him, Sakura felt the blood boil. His hand was bleeding, most likely because of the man in front of them. 'Naruto, do you see those three boys with dark hair and eyes over there? ' She nodded in the direction of the three Uchiha, who were now approaching. 'Go to them, please. '

'But ' '

'Please, Naruto, ' she said, a bit more aggressively, and watched as he stood up, trying to wipe his tears away, still clutching at her shirt. But as he made to move, the man 's arm snatched his hair, pulling painfully. A gut-wrenching cry escaped Naruto 's lips.

'Oh no, boy. You stay right here. I 'm not done with you. '

Faster than she even thought she could move in this body, she leapt behind the man, raising her leg to kick the back of his knee. Taken by surprise, he fell to the ground and Sakura lost no time, tugging him down into the dirt by the 'collar of his shirt, foot digging into his left shoulder blade.

'Touch him again and I 'll

flay

you, ' she hissed. It wasn 't even a threat. She would kill him. Heck, she could snap his neck in two right this instant if she truly wanted to.

Next thing she knew, her small body was tightly locked inside an embrace, both of her feet dangling in midair. 'That 's enough, Sakura-chan, ' Shisui told her with a small, strange smile, before turning to pin the man with an impassive stare. 'I 'd leave before an ANBU squad shows up if I were you, sir. '

The man was rubbing at his neck, glaring daggers at Naruto and Sakura. Then he huffed. 'She

attacked

me. That girl is insane. '

'You attacked Naruto first, ' Sakura pointed out calmly, but there was venom dripping from her every word. 'Let 's see how that goes down with the authorities, shall we? '

'Sir, please leave," Itachi warned.

The brute stood up slowly, face contorting with malice, but scurried away without another word.

Shisui 's hold tightened, and he looked down at Sakura with a stern expression. 'That was reckless and unnecessary, Sakura, I

told

you ' ' '

'Let me down, ' was all she said. 'Shisui-san, let me down

now

, ' she repeated when he didn 't move. She could see Sasuke rooted to the spot, face slack with shock, and Itachi giving her and his cousin worried looks.

Eventually, Shisui sighed, closed his eyes, and complied with Sakura's wish. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she dashed to Naruto 's side, gripping his shoulders gently.

'Naruto, what happened? Are you hurt? '

The young Jinchuriki took one look at her jade eyes, so full of concern for him, and broke down crying, clinging to Sakura for dear life, holding her arms and hands and hugging her tight like there was no tomorrow.

'Sakura-chan! ' he wailed, burying his face into her neck.

Sakura hugged him back with everything she inside of her. She poured all her love and worries for her friend into this one embrace, and began stroking his hair soothingly. 'Shush, Naruto, I 'm here now and no one 's going to hurt you, okay? Calm down, ' she kept repeating, trying to ease his pain and fear.

Green eyes turned to steel as they travelled up to the trees where the ANBU assigned to guard Naruto were hiding. She didn 't care if they knew she knew they were there. She was mad, she was beyond furious. It was their job to protect him, and they had just stood there, doing absolutely

nothing

while Naruto was enduring

abuse

under their noses.

It 's so unfair

, she thought as her own tears burned her eyes. So unfair that Naruto had to suffer through this daily. She squeezed the blond boy in her arms. He kept saying her name, and that he was sorry, and she shushed him every time, showering him with affection and reassurances.

She could feel the Uchiha boys' eyes boring into her back, and she knew the ANBU operatives were watching closely as well, but she didn 't care. She wanted to uproot a tree with her bare hands, to shatter the earth and level an entire training ground. She needed to release her anger, but her focus never strayed from her friend.

They stayed like that for a few minutes. Around them, she could hear whispers from the mothers and children at the park, but she didn 't even glance at them. Once Naruto had calmed down, Sakura eased her grip and started rising to her feet.

Naruto 's hold on her didn 't loosen, and he looked up at her, eyes begging her to stay. He whimpered when she removed his hands, but she simply gave him her warmest smile in response.

'I 'm not going anywhere, Naruto. I brought something for you, just wait a moment, ne? ' she 'carefully wiped his tears and went to take the boxes of dango, then returned to sit next to him.

'It 's my favorite dessert. I don 't know if you 've had it before, but it 's really tasty, ' she told him, passing him a stick.

She watched as Naruto munched on the first dumpling, and laughed when his eyes lit up with glee. 'It 's good! ' he exclaimed, biting on the next.

'Oh, by the way, I 'd like you to meet Sasuke and his brother, Itachi-san, ' she gestured towards the Uchiha, 'and this is Shisui-san, their cousin. '

The Jinchuriki eyed the boys with trepidation, before scooting closer to Sakura, his free hand finding hers. 'Hello, ' he said timidly. 'My name 's Uzumaki Naruto. '

Sakura felt a bit nervous. She wasn 't sure whether or not the older boys would hold a grudge against Naruto for what they had likely experienced during Kurama's attack on the village, but she sincerely hoped not. She could see the childlike curiosity in Sasuke 's eyes as he looked at them, and had to wonder if he had any friends. Well, he certainly had many cousins to play with at this time, but the Uchiha, she noticed, were rarely out and about the village, unless clad with Konoha 's Police uniform.

Shisui was the first to step closer, carefully, almost as though he was approaching a wounded animal. Then he grinned, and Sakura was startled to 'see just how much his smile resembled that of the Naruto 'in her memories. 'It 's nice to meet you, Naruto-kun. Would you mind if we joined you for today? Sakura-chan told us that you 're the same age as my baby cousin over there, and Sasuke could use some more friends, ' he said lightly.

Naruto nodded shyly, never moving far from Sakura. Itachi and Sasuke came over and sat down with them, 'then.

'Have you been friends for a long time, Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun? ' Shisui asked, munching on his own dango and trying to sneak some into Sasuke's hands. The youngest Uchiha had refused to take even a single bite, saying he didn 't like sweets.

Almost an entire lifetime

, she thought sadly. 'We met a couple days after my birthday this year. '

'Ah, you seem very close. '

'Sakura-chan is my best friend, 'ttebayo! ' Naruto exclaimed with a wide grin, bright enough to rival the sun.

She felt warm inside. Even though this wasn 't the Naruto she had grown up with, he was still Naruto, and hearing him say that suddenly made everything else insignificant. She smiled back at him, green eyes already glistering with happy tears.

'Hey, ' she said, trying to compose herself, 'do you want to play tag? '

Naruto perked up, rising to his feet and bouncing up and down. Sasuke seemed interested too, but kept glancing at his brother. Once Itachi nodded, he followed suit, and the two boys started discussing the rules of the game.

Sakura watched them interact with an overpowering rush of nostalgia. It reminded her of her time with the original Team 7. Memories flooded her mind, and once more she thought of how things could have turned out differently, of how they could have perhaps all been happier if she had tried harder to be a better person and ninja earlier on.

Her reverie was interrupted by the steadily climbing decibels of their voices, and their trademark insults of 'dobe ' and 'teme ' being exchanged. She wanted to laugh. Sasuke and Naruto would always be the same, no matter the age or the circumstances.

With a deep sigh, she moved to them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. 'Boys, no fighting, please. Now, Naruto, where did you hear that word? '

'Sorry, Sakura-chan, ' he said, scratching the back of his head. 'Um, some kids in my dorm were saying that, so um, I ' '

'Doesn 't sound like your friends at the orphanage are a good influence, Naruto. '

He stared at her, eyebrows furrowing. 'Infu 'what? '

'Influence, it means the effect one person or thing can have on another, ' she explained patiently, like she always did whenever Naruto asked her about something he wasn 't aware of.

He nodded, smiling. 'Oh, I get it. Don 't worry Sakura-chan, they don 't have an

in-flu-ence

on me and they 're not my friends. I only have you. '

Squeezing his shoulder firmly, she smiled back. 'We have each other. Unless Sasuke would also like to be our friend? ' she asked innocently, and yet she couldn't contain the hope in her voice. 'Sasuke blushed and looked down.

'Um, I don 't mind. '

Sakura could tell that Naruto was once again on the verge of happy-crying, but she had had enough of seeing him cry for one day. She quickly clapped her hands together to 'capture the boys' attention.

'Alright, let 's play! Shisui-san, you 're 'it ', and you have to run after us and tag us, okay? '

'Whaaaaaaat? ' he whined, 'Why do I have to go first? '

Sakura chuckled as she approached him, 'Okay, I guess I can go first. ' Raising her hand to push her hair back, she suddenly extended it and touched Shisui. 'You 're it! Boys, run! ' she exclaimed and dashed away, as did Sasuke and Naruto. Shisui sat in a slight daze for a couple more seconds, but then got up and started chasing them around one of the playgrounds, laughing loudly.

Shisui was of course way faster than any of them, but he kept an even pace so as not to ruin their game. Naruto 's squeals of joy rang through the park, and even Sasuke had some carefree chuckles to spare. Sakura couldn 't remember the last time she had had so much fun, even as a kid.

At one point, while Naruto was 'it ' and running after Sasuke in deliberate, giggly circles, Sakura approached Itachi, who had been sitting on a nearby bench, reading the book on medical ninjutsu Sakura had borrowed from the library.

'Itachi-san, you don 't want to join in? '

He looked up at her with an unreadable expression, his dark eyes fixed on the other boys. 'I don 't know how to play, ' he told her.

'Well, you can observe what we 're doing. Come on, it 's fun, and I 'm sure Sasuke would love it if you joined us! '

He stared at her and closed the book, placing it down on the bench. 'I 've never played before, ' he explained, folding his hands in his lap.

Sakura 's eyebrows furrowed. 'You 've never played this game, or you 've never played with your friends? ' she asked, to which he replied with a soft "Both."

'Not even when you were younger? '

He shook his head; Sakura felt bad for him. She knew he was a genius and a boy-wonder, probably already of chunin 'rank at age ten, but she just felt

bad

. 'Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

'There 's a first time for everything. Come on! '

He was reluctant at first, and would hesitate when she told him to start running, but then Sasuke skipped over to his brother, laughing uncontrollably, and touched his arm, telling him he was now 'it '. Sakura saw Itachi smile, before she had to run away as he rushed in to chase them down.

For about an hour, Sakura forgot who she was and what she had to do. She simply kept running, covered in sweat and dirt, cheering like a true child with no responsibilities or worries. Maybe Itachi and Shisui were doing the same, and just for this limited window of time, chose to live like normal children.

Soon enough, the younger kids became too tired from all the running and yelling and dropped down onto the grass, panting heavily, utterly content. The sky was changing color as the descent of the sun began bathing everything in rosy shades of orange. Sakura closed her eyes, basking in this feeling, hoping it would last a bit longer.

Alas, time never truly stopped flowing, and when she heard her mother 's voice calling her name, she quickly rose to her feet, just in time to see the woman stepping closer to them.

'Kami, have you been rolling in the dirt? ' she said, patting the dust and grass off of her daughter. 'Did you have fun, baby? ' Sakura nodded enthusiastically and her mother chuckled, looking at the rest of the kids, 'Well, I 'm glad, but we have to go home now. Ino-chan isn 't here? '

'No, and I didn 't see her at the flower shop today, either, ' Sakura told her, then turned to grab Naruto 's hand, pulling him closer. 'Kaa-chan, this is Naruto, the friend I 've been telling you and tou-chan about. Naruto, this is my mother. '

Mebuki seemed shocked for a brief moment as she looked at the blond boy. Then her eyes grew sad, just as Naruto bowed his head, avoiding eye contact.

'Uzumaki Naruto? ' she asked, her voice heavy.

Sakura was confused. Her parents had never told her to stay away from Naruto, neither in this timeline nor her original one, not when they became classmates or later on when they were put on the same team. Although, 'now that she thought about it, she could remember her parents looking at Naruto in that same way when they had met him during her Team 7 days. It wasn 't pity, just raw melancholy.

But why would they be sad? She was used to people looking at her friend with contempt, or in anger or fear, and although Sakura was glad her parents had never behaved unjustly towards Naruto, she still found it odd.

'Yes, ma 'am, ' Naruto said quietly, lower lip quivering.

Sakura 's mother sighed and lifted the boy 's chin with her fingers gently, 'I 'm Mebuki, Naruto-kun. It 's good to finally meet you. '

'What? ' the blond boy sounded confused, but Sakura squeezed his hand and smiled.

'See, I told you my parents would like you. Seriously, Naruto, who

are

you? '

He seemed even more perplexed and Sakura could feel her mother tense along with Shisui and Itachi beside her.

'Um, Naruto? Uzumaki Naruto? '

'No, baka, ' she poked his head lightly with her knuckles, 'You 're the future Hokage and a Hokage shouldn 't be self-conscious, right? '

He nodded slowly, before a bright smile stretched his lips, 'Yeah, I 'm gonna be Hokage one day, dattebayo! '

'

Dattebayo

? ' Haruno Mebuki repeated, laughing a little. 'Oh, Kami, you 're just like her... ' she whispered the words so carefully that if Sakura hadn 't been a trained ninja, she wouldn 't have caught them. But she was and did, and made a mental note to ask what her mother had meant by that later.

'Anyway, I have to go now. Will you be okay walking to the orphanage by yourself? '

'Yeah, ' Naruto told her, 'I 'm going to Ichiraku 's first, 'though. Um, see you tomorrow? '

She nodded and hugged him, before turning back to the three Uchiha, 'I had a lot of fun today. We 're here almost every day and if we 're not, we 're at the ramen stand opposite the post office, so if you want, you can join us anytime! ' she told them, mainly addressing Sasuke.

'I 'd like to come again and play with you, but I 'll have to ask my mother, ' he replied.

'Ah, tell Mikoto-chan to come by the store one of these days and we 'll both accompany you to the park, okay? ' Mebuki said, smiling some more. Sasuke smiled back with unrestrained glee, and Itachi nodded.

Sakura made to pick up her book from the bench and noticed Shisui coming over to stand right beside her. He took the remaining dango and, in an appropriately low tone, turned to speak to her: 'See you tonight at the forest, Sakura-chan. Take whatever equipment you can carry, and don't forget to bring some water and rations as well, okay? '

She nodded, looking around to see if anyone had overheard him, but fortunately, no one was around. Even the ANBU guards had stayed put, observing from the trees.

With a last round of goodbyes, she followed her mother home, where she was immediately led to the bathroom to take a shower while her parents prepared dinner together. After a short nap to replenish her energy levels, she got dressed in comfortable casual clothes she wouldn't need to change out of later.

Her father was already sitting at the table, pouring himself some beer as her mother laid the food out. Sakura kissed her father 's cheek and helped her mother, and all of them sat down.

Mebuki discussed her run-in with the Uchiha boys and Sakura's newfound friendship with them, and Kizashi listened to his wife with rapt attention, but Sakura didn't pay them much mind. The promise of a proper training session ' and, consequently, of getting to know Uchiha Shisui better, of figuring out his motivations ' 'left her giddy and distracted, and for once in her life, she didn't mind.