Haruno Household
"I'm home."
Pushing open the front door, Sakura carried a bag of fruit she'd bought from a street vendor and stepped back into the home she hadn't seen in far too long.
The place looked almost exactly the same as when she'd left. At the genkan, she slipped off her shoes and set them neatly in the cabinet.
"Sakura's back?!"
A familiar voice rang out from the kitchen. What surprised her, though, wasn't that her mother Mebuki was cooking—it was her dad, Haruno Zhao.
"Eh?"
"Dad?"
"Where's Mom?"
Like any kid coming home, her first question was about her mother's whereabouts.
"My little Sakura!"
"You must've suffered so much out there!"
"Let Daddy give you a big hug full of love!"
With Zhao's words, a figure with a starfish-shaped head and an apron tied around his waist came barreling toward her like an unidentified creature!
Sakura's reflexes kicked in; she planted a hand on Zhao's face and held him at bay.
"Seriously, you're not a kid anymore—stop acting so immature."
Watching her rejected father burst into crocodile tears gave Sakura a headache.
Her good-for-nothing dad really hadn't changed a bit.
As far back as she could remember, he'd always been this unreliable.
"Waaah~~ Sakura's all grown up and doesn't need Daddy anymore~~"
"Sakura's not cute like she used to be~~~"
"You used to love your old man so much!"
You're lying—I did not!
Seeing Zhao throw a full-on tantrum, Sakura twitched at the corner of her mouth as a bead of cold sweat slid down her forehead.
"...If you don't get up, the pot's gonna burn."
?
!
Her words instantly revived Zhao at full health; he scrambled back to the kitchen in a panic.
"Ah!"
"My loving dinner for Mebuki!"
Amid Zhao's wail, Sakura set her things on the living-room coffee table.
Just then, Mebuki emerged from the bedroom.
But…
The sight of her mother stopped Sakura in her tracks, shocking her for a solid century.
Her mom… had a belly!
"Oh, Sakura's home~~"
Mebuki gazed at her daughter with a woman's unique gentleness.
"Th-this… what is this?"
Sakura stepped closer, reaching out to touch the swollen stomach.
"Well?"
"Surprised? Unexpected?"
"You're going to have a little brother or sister soon."
Mebuki's gentle facade cracked in a second; she struck a triumphant pose at her daughter.
Holy dou!
Someone's gonna fight me for the inheritance!
Hm?
Wait a sec.
Do we even have an inheritance?
Oh, right—no inheritance. Never mind.
Sakura rubbed her mom's belly, pursed her lips, and asked:
"How many months?"
At the question, Mebuki tapped her chin.
"Six months~~"
Sakura immediately guided Mebuki to the sofa with care, then placed her fingers on her mother's wrist.
Feeling two pulses, Sakura sighed helplessly.
So she really is pregnant…
"Why the sudden decision to have another one?"
Sakura eyed her mom's stomach and asked.
"Emmm…
"If I had to say why…
"It's because raising Sakura gave me zero sense of accomplishment."
???
Raising me gave zero accomplishment?
A giant question mark popped above Sakura's head.
Why don't you go ask around Konoha—who doesn't know the name Haruno Sakura?
I took down the Raikage, the Kazekage, the Mizukage—and you say zero accomplishment?
"Because Sakura's too independent. You never needed me to worry about anything—from the moment you were little until now. I never got that parental sense of fulfillment."
Mebuki raised a finger and spoke with utmost seriousness to her baffled daughter.
......Whatever makes you happy.
Sakura was utterly helpless against Mebuki's reasoning.
Still, if diaper duty ever came up, Sakura would "coincidentally" be busy every single time.
Night
Steam clouded the air; warm light filtered through the mist inside the bathroom.
Sakura lay fully submerged in the tub, every ounce of exhaustion from the past days melting away.
"Quack..."
A bright yellow rubber duck bobbed on the surface amid the splashes.
Staring at the ceiling light, Sakura zoned out.
The old man had originally planned for her to accompany Naruto in his Nine-Tails chakra training.
But the mission ahead forced her to shelve that for now.
Besides, Nine-Tails training was urgent for Naruto too.
Sakura could already picture herself rushing straight to Turtle Island the moment she returned from the Land of Snow.
"What a headache."
Splash~~~
She slapped the water; the duck flew out and landed on the floor.
Ignoring it, Sakura turned her thoughts to what lay ahead.
Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure had all been crushed. After a war like that, the shinobi world was bound to enjoy a long stretch of peace.
That included the Akatsuki.
This wasn't wishful thinking.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, was already dead.
With his death, the Three-Tails inside him had entered its revival countdown.
If the Akatsuki wanted to collect the tailed beasts, they'd have to wait for the Three-Tails to respawn.
No one—not even Sakura—could predict what might happen in the meantime.
Three years? Five?
The current shinobi world was completely different from the original story.
But one thing was certain: Konoha was far stronger than in the original.
And it was all because of Sakura's arrival.
A single tiny butterfly had flapped its wings and unleashed a storm across the entire shinobi world.
Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, Sakura stood up in the tub. Water cascaded down her skin; the freshly bathed girl glowed with healthy pink.
Of course, this part is censored.
She scooped up the rubber duck, tossed it back into the tub, and stepped in front of the mirror.
Wiping the fog from the glass, she stared at the pink-haired girl reflected there.
Damn, I'm hot!
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