The day before the start of her first year at the Academy, Sakura found herself enjoying some dango with Itachi as they walked leisurely towards the hospital.

Her mother had been supposed to take him there and introduce him to Nozomi-san, a nurse at the hospital and wife of one of Kizashi 's fellow merchant friends. However, Naruto had woken up with an upset stomach and she'd stayed home to tend to him, while her father had headed off to the store, so Sakura was asked to go in her mother's stead, since she knew Nozomi-san well enough.