Chapter Text
The tranquil silence that surrounded the clan compound early in the morning was suddenly broken by the loud creak of wood followed by its groan as a part of the main clan house suddenly collapsed. Dust, wood, and debris mixed in the air without showing signs of settling down any time soon. Loud and frantic cries echoed through the compound as the nearest clan members rushed to help assess the situation.
A woman with long red hair and translucent green eyes ran towards the collapsing part of their house. Her eyes were filled with panic and worry, her mouth slightly open as she took in the damage that was happening. However, the only thought in her head was what happened to her daughter.
“Surya… Has anyone seen Surya?!”
“Sati-hime! You mustn't! It’s dangerous to go there!”
The woman shook off a well-meaning hand that restrained her to no avail. Her eyes blazed hotly mixed with indignation and agitation.
“That’s Surya’s room. How can I not go there?!”
“Sati-hime! We… We also worry about Surya-ojosama, but the Head would murder us if we let anything happen to you right now! You’re expecting a child! We cannot have you risk yourself.”
“I know my own body! Don’t lecture me! And Surya is only a child! She’s four years old… I can’t… What if she’s…. I need to be there… I need…”
“Sati-hime… You…”
“Let go of me, this instant.”
“I can’t Sati-hime, this is for your own good.”
“Let go of me or I’ll kill you. You know I will, Totosai.”
Her eyes glowed even brighter and the hand restraining her slowly let go. The other clan members took a step back when they saw the dark and heavy aura that the woman was emitting from her lithe body. When she finally saw them make a way for her towards the still crumbling side of the house, she felt her heart slightly stop beating. She paled slightly as she rushed towards it, using what little of her chakra she could use without harming the growing life inside her to stabilize the situation.
Her sharp senses caught no scent of rust and copper, and a part of her calmed down at the thought that no wound Surya may have sustained were serious enough to bleed. Regardless, it was not enough to completely quell the panic that she was feeling as she meticulously expanded her chakra to feel out for her daughter’s chakra signature.
Her head pivoted towards the middle of all the chaos where a large amount of overwhelming chakra presence suddenly made an appearance. Her heart dropped down to her stomach when she realized what had happened.
Surya, her precious innocent daughter with her pretty brownish-red hair and black eyes was standing in the middle of the chaos, her face a mix of confusion and blankness. Her hair was turning a different shade of red, far too dark and too vivid, closer to the shade that was her clan’s signature hair color.
“Surya…”
The child turned towards her and a muffled sob escaped the woman’s partly closed lips. Her daughter’s eyes had slowly bled out the dark and inky color, replaced by the translucent and vivid green ones that were far too alike to her own.
“No…”
She murmured as she slowly approached her daughter who was looking fairly unharmed save from the sudden change of her coloring.
“Mama…?”
“Surya…”
She reached out carefully and held her daughter’s small and delicate hands with her own slightly larger ones. Tears slowly fell out of her eyes as she took in the way her daughter seemed far too lost and innocent despite the sudden changes happening around her.
“Oh, Surya… I never wanted this to happen.”
Moonlight filtered through the glass windows that were partly covered by black curtains. The small gap where the curtains were parted had allowed the dim and mellow light to illuminate the dark room, filling it with an eerie but ethereal glow. The sound of gentle snores echoed softly throughout the room paired with the occasional sleepy sneezes and whimpers that the puppy that was curled up on a fluffy and large burrow bed.
The bed that was large enough to fit an adult eclipsed the small size of the child sleeping on it. Her body was swallowed completely by the blanket and dwarfed by the large pillows she had around her. The moonlight was enough to illuminate her sleeping face. Her pink hair looked even more otherworldly, like the halo of an angel. Her pale face looked as if the moon had kissed her, making her glow ever so slightly.
A hand gently reached out to touch her face, softly caressing her plump cheeks before moving on to touch the soft and silky pink strands of hair. A sad and quiet sigh was released by Momoshi as she took in the sleeping child’s form. When the child moved slightly, she reflexively moved a way, guilt and sadness pooling over her eyes before it was hidden and tucked away in the shadows of her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Sakura…”
The rest of the words went unspoken. Her eyes were filled with reproach and hate before it was replaced by guilt, sadness, then indifference once more.
She stayed in place for a few more minutes, gently watching over the sleeping child. A small fond smile was etched onto her face. Sakura looked so much like ‘him’ that it was sometimes physically painful for her to see her smile and laugh. Her thoughts would sometimes betray her, asking if things would have been any different if she had been stronger, if she had been better, if this child had not been born at all.
But looking down at her charge, the sleeping form looking so much her age, she knew that she had to keep the promise she made.
‘Protect her. Make her strong. Stronger than you, than me, than us. She must be strong, Momoshi. ’
She closed her eyes as the memory assailed her and the inadequateness of her own strength to give this child a normal life made her nauseated. But in this world of theirs, in this village that rejected people like them, weakness would kill her. Weakness would cost them everything.
Regardless of how cruel it may seem, of how inhumane she has to be, she would ensure that Sakura would grow up well, strong and capable. This child, in the future, would carry upon her shoulders a burden unlike any others. And if to be strong enough to not fall down from that weight meant she had to grow up surrounded by the stench of death and decay, touched by pain and kissed by ruthlessness, Momoshi would not hesitate to drown herself in this quagmire of sin.
“He’d be so proud of you, Sakura.”
Her voice was small, smaller than a whisper, enough that it was nearly inaudible to anyone who would be listening. The warmth in her eyes were slowly withdrawn and veiled by the shadows of the night. She glanced at the sleeping child, tucking the small and pale arms inside the blanket.
Without another word, she stood up and quietly arranged the curtains so that the mellow moonlight would no longer filter through the room. Darkness immediately filled the room as the black curtains blocked out the moonlight. Almost as if by reflex, Momoshi’s eyes glowed a vivid yellow green, the darkness not even impeding the way she navigated the room with ease.
Passing by the burrowing bed that was slightly moving up and down in rhythm to the sleeping puppy’s breathing, she stopped for a moment and gave it an appraising glance. Crouching slightly, she reached out her hand and gave the sleeping puppy a light pat on the head, whispering a soft yet full-of-hidden-meaning message to him.
“Grow up well and healthy, Fuwa.”
A slight chill was present in the air as the tail end of autumn slowly faded away to welcome the coming of the winter season. The leaves of the deciduous trees were falling out at a faster rate than before as if in preparation for the blanket of white snow and frost that were due in the future.
The whistle of a slight breeze sounded throughout the whole park as if it was humming a lullaby to put the world slowly into sleep. The occasional rustling of leaves could be heard accompanying the shrill tone of the wind as it circled around. The skies were filled with fluffy white clouds, floating sedately throughout, covering the blue, blue skies and the bright sun. Sometimes, the sound of scurrying and falling nuts filled the silent gaps in between the whistle of the breeze and the rustle of the leaves.
“Sakura-chan!!!!”
The harmony of nature and the silence of man was broken suddenly by the loud exclamation. A blonde boy with blue eyes was towing a slightly taller man who was wearing the official ceremonial robes of the Hokage - the red, full-length kimono tied with a white sash and the customary red hat with a white half-veil that covered his head down to the shoulders aside from the front view of his face.
Sakura startled slightly from her seat as she took in the person that her friend of almost five weeks now was slightly dragging towards their position. She blinked once, then rubbed her eyes as she made sure that she was not seeing an illusion.
“Ne, ne, Sakura-chan! Remember the jiji I was talking to you about for so long? Ne? Ne?”
She nodded her head, sparing the ‘suspected’ Hokage (because she had yet to prove he was really the Hokage despite the look of his clothing) a cursory glance. Naruto let go of the man’s hand and started jumping slightly in place, his hands clapping in rhythm to his jumps.
“Well, guess what, Sakura-chan?”
“...What?”
“Ehhhhhh, guess who my jiji is, Sakura-chan!”
Sakura gave her friend an unimpressed glance, her eyes barely looking over the newcomer yet her attention was never fully removed from him. Naruto pouted slightly and crossed his arms while his eyes narrowed like a fox’s.
“Aww, come on Skaura-chan, hehehe. Guess who, guess whooooo?”
“I don’t know.”
“Ehhhhhhhh.”
Sakura gave Naruto an irked look before knocking his head with a knuckle. Naruto groaned and whimpered while holding the abused part of his head and glaring at Sakura with narrowed eyes, looking so much like a petulant and spoiled child with his pouting lips.
An amused chuckle escaped the person’s lips and his eyes that were veiled by the hat was slightly revealed when he moved his head back in laughter. Amused brown eyes clashed with vivid green eyes and bright blue eyes.
In an instant, Sakura felt something warm trail down her cheeks the moment her eyes met with his. Her heart beat slower and slower while her blood felt as if it was magma coursing through her body. Naruto noticed the tear and worriedly approached her, forgetting about his earlier ire at Sakura not humoring him.
“Ne, ne, Sakura-chan?”
Sakura wiped the tear away and gave him a reassured smile while waving her other hand around.
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just got dust in my eyes earlier.”
Naruto looked unimpressed, wanting to know who made his friend cry but the sudden onslaught of a slight breeze caused dust to enter his eyes too. He yelped and furiously wiped at his eyes, wanting to have the foreign object out of his eyes. When that was done, he glared unimpressed at their surroundings.
“Ugh, this is why I hate dust, dattebayo! This always happens to me!”
“En, you should just use your goggles to keep the dust out then, Naruto-kun.”
Naruto pouted again. He perked up though when he realized that there was another person aside from them both. He turned to the person and smiled brightly as he held the larger hand in his smaller ones, swinging it slightly.
“Ne, Sakura-chan, you’ll never guess the identity of my jiji. Heheheh.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah! This is my jiji. He’s the Third Hokage and he’s awesome!”
Sakura stared at the person and blinked a few times, her frown visible as she tried to put a finger to her earlier reaction. The Third Hokage stared back at her, his eyes warm and gentle, as if looking at his own grandchild.
“Uh… Hello, Hokage-sama. I’m Haruno Sakura and Naruto’s my friend!”
“Hello, Sakura-chan, I can call you that, can I?”
Sakura’s frown deepened slightly before nodding hesitantly when she saw Naruto nod his head vigorously as if in encouragement.
“I’m the Sandaime, but you may simply call me the same way that Naruto-kun addresses me.”
A small but gentle smile was etched on the Third Hokage’s face. He looked unassuming, just as if he was a grandfather who could hurt no fly. Regardless, Sakura still had the urge to rip the smile off his face.
“I understand, Sandaime-sama.”
She smiled inwardly in triumph when the smile dimmed slightly.
Hiruzen noted that the Haruno child was shy. Very shy indeed as she kept her face covered with her long bangs and refused to address him as ‘jiji’, as Naruto would fondly do. Although he supposed the small frown of disapproval on her face when she first saw them could be attributed to childish jealousy of having their friend’s attention taken away. Naruto certainly made that face throughout the course of this conversation quite a few times when he was ignored.
“Ne, ne, Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, why is Fuwa not with you?”
The Haruno child, Sakura - he reminded himself, shifted her gaze towards Naruto and the frown slowly melted away into a gentle gaze.
“Mama said she’ll be taking him to the vet to get shots.”
“What’s a vet?”
“That’s the animal hospital.”
“Oh? Animals also get hospitals?”
“Yea.”
“Woah! But aren’t shots scary? What if Fuwa cries?”
Sakura frowned slightly and tugged at her hair. They were a light pink and if they were hit by the lights from the peeking sun just right, Hiruzen could almost swear he was sent back to the past just a bit. Her green eyes were brighter but sometimes, if the bangs casted shadows over her eyes just a bit, he could almost feel the same gaze that he had feared all those years ago.
“Ehhh, what’s dango?”
“It’s good food.”
“Better than ramen?”
“What’s that?”
“WHAT?!”
“...”
“Ramen is like the yummiest food in the whole world! It’s…”
His face slowly morphed into a curious and appraising one as he watched the two children converse. The name Haruno was uncommon and also common at the same time. There was a whole civilian district where the Haruno merchants were known. However, they rarely had the coloring of pink and green and had favored the less conspicuous coloring of brown and black. The fact that Haruno Sakura was registered as a civilian despite her coloring could only be due to two possibilities. One was her father was from the uncommon Haruno name and had married her civilian mother. Two, she took her coloring from her mother who had a darker peach-colored hair that was closer to orange than pink and was diluted by her father’s coloring.
Out of the two possibilities, he was hoping it leaned more towards the second one. If it was the first one… His eyes slightly darkened in thought.
He was suddenly brought out of his reverie when he felt several tugs on the sleeves of his haori and saw Naruto peering at him with his blue eyes. The other child had moved behind Naruto but was still keeping a safe distance away from him.
“Ne, jiji, Sakura-chan says she never tasted ramen before. Can you imagine that, dattebayo?!”
He chuckled and patted Naruto’s head that was full of blonde hair reminiscent of his father’s own slightly untameable hair.
“Well, if Sakura-chan hasn’t tasted ramen before, maybe we can treat her to one then. What do you say?”
At the words ‘treat’ and ‘ramen’, Naruto’s eyes turned to hearts and his mouth slightly watered while his stomach made a ‘gulu’ sound.
“Yosh! Sakura-chan, you’re gonna love ramen for sure! Ichiraku ramen is the best, dattebayo!”
The child smiled and poked Naruto’s arms before replying, her voice light and cheery.
“I’m sure dango still tastes best.”
“WHAT?! SAKURA-CHAN!”
The two stuck their tongue out and chased each other in circles as they poked each other, demanding that they accept that their favorite food was the best. Hiruzen slightly relaxed and looked up at the clouds, sighing wistfully. He would be taking a gamble by encouraging Naruto’s friendship to develop with his new friend. He could only hope he would not regret it.
“Mama.”
“Sakura. How was your day?”
“It went well. Naruto-kun introduced me to his jiji and treated me to ramen.”
“Oh? How did that go?”
“His jiji was the Sandaime.”
Momoshi stopped to glance at Sakura who was seated on the sofa and reading through one of her lesson scrolls. Her hands slowly caressed the sleeping Fuwa’s fur as she observed Sakura’s expressions.
“I see.”
“Mama.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know why I wanted to rip his smile off his face.”
Momoshi’s hands stilled and Fuwa groaned in disapproval at the sudden lack of the warmth from her hands. Sakura was still focused on her scroll, her face remaining neutral and concentrated as if she had not just confessed to wanting to maul someone’s face on their first meeting.
“That’s not surprising.”
She smiled toothily.
“I would want to do the same if I met him too.”