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There was a reason why Mama never let her go out to play by the river with Ino and the other children when she was younger. Sakura was eight years old, when she was looking down at her legs. Or lack thereof.
“Mama!” she screamed. “Mama! My legs are gone!”
At which, Mebuki swung around the door frame of the bathroom, and she widened her eyes for one moment, and then she said nothing for a beat.
"Mama, I have a—"
“Ah,” she said. “It’s about time.”
Sakura squinted at her unnaturally calm mother.
“What do you mean—‘It’s about time?’” Sakura shrieked.
“Sakura-chan,” Mebuki said, unperturbed by her daughter’s splashing, as she took a seat by the bath tub. “It’s time we talked about your father's kekkai genkai.”
.
When she was twelve, she had the biggest crush on Sasuke-kun, but she had the biggest dilemma in the world. That he would think of her as very freaky!
Then, while Naruto and Kakashi had gone off for the day during guarding duty for Tazuna, she had somehow fallen off the bridge and into the water.
When she had been missing underneath the surface for a good minute or two—Sasuke dove in after her.
He just didn't expect Sakura to be swimming up towards him around with a long—
.
“A mermaid. Your father was one. So it makes sense that you end up being one too.”
Sakura slapped her pink tail around in the bathtub.
“We’re a what—?” she asked indignantly.
Mebuki wiped her face with a towel. "A mermaid. Your body transforms when submerged in water."
.
When her fishtail turned back into her legs, Sakura was terrified of his reaction. But Sasuke didn’t say anything. They were both sopping wet, and Tazuna passed them with a sniff of his nose. She buried her head into her knees.
“You probably think I’m some sort of freak, don’t you?”
Sasuke didn’t say anything for a long time. Part of his face was buried into his collar, before he turned to look at her.
“What’s so bad about it?”
Her jaw shuttered open, before she closed it with a sniff. “It’s so… weird.”
“You can probably swim really fast in water, can’t you? Breathe underwater?”
“I guess I could—?”
“Naturally good at water-jutsu too,” he said.
“I guess so?”
He gave her a look which was so Sasuke-kun, like he couldn't quite figure out what she was saying.
“So, what’s so bad about that ability?”
At which, her eyes teared up.
“I just didn’t know what people would say if they found out I was a m-mermaid?” Sasuke took a step back, looking mortified. “You try being part fish! Ino would have a field day if she finds out! I’ll be fish-tail instead of forehead!"
.
Turns out you could keep a secret from the whole classroom, but not from your team. The water-walking training exercise went wrong. They were supposed to be standing atop the lake, and that's when Naruto started fooling around when he got it right. He bowled into Sakura, who fell in. The pair of them spluttered to the surface.
"SAKURA-CHAN IS GETTING EATEN BY A GIANT FISH!"
"I can explain," she whimpered as she swum towards him. Kakashi glanced over his book at them with a bewildered look. Her tail flapping behind her. He was flapping away from her, splashing madly away. "Wait! Naruto! You idiot! You're going to drown!"
"She's a mermaid, dobe," Sasuke said as if he was reciting an textbook fact. He was elegantly perched on the shore, away from their shenanigans. "She transforms when she's submerged for too long."
And Naruto and Kakashi turned to look at him.
.
Kakashi, upon learning that Sakura had a very strong affinity for water, decided to teach her the Water Bullet technique. He also gave her a stern talking to about being a more confident kunoichi in her kekkai genkai.
She used the water-bullet technique in a spar against Sasuke, and when he spat out his clan's signature Fireball technique.
She drowned him.
No, to be exact, when the steam cleared, Sasuke stood there, water dripping from his hair and clothes, and elsewhere, Naruto was bowled over with laughter. Sakura stared at him wide eyes.
We just took out Sasuke-kun, shannaaroooo! Inner screeched.
He pushed some wet hair up, smiling at her briefly as he did. Her heart fluttered. Then he turned and sent a shuriken Naruto's way.
.
"Sakura."
"Sasuke-kun?"
"Do you think we could spar underwater?"
"W-what?"
"I was thinking about Itachi," he said very seriously. "If I want to beat him, I think having the advantage of fighting under water would be good."
"Huh?!"