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Chapter Text

1

Haruno Sakura has a secret. She is four years old.

She just nodded symbolically, as if she didn't understand. She hid the existence of her ghost friend Tobi from her parents and others, which made her feel frustrated, because Sakura wanted to prove to her parents that she was not lonely. She had a very happy life and read all kinds of interesting books in the room with her friend Tobi. Obviously, it is much better than the experience of being inexplicably isolated by other peers in the park.

Hey! You see, Tobi won't be as mean as Ami to make fun of her big forehead.

Tobi is her best friend and only friend.

Tobi told her seriously that you don't have to be friends with people who comment and attack other people's appearance at will.

So, four-year-old Sakura plucked up the courage to tell her parents about it.

Oh no, of course, it doesn't mean to inform Tobi of the existence, because this is her first appointment with her ghost friend! At the same time as her first friend, Sakura attaches great importance to the friendship bond between her and Tobi and the little finger agreement -for example, she extends her cute little finger to the empty air, bends her fingers after feeling coldness, and nods solemnly promises.

"I promise, Tobi, I won't tell anyone else!"

Her ghost friend lowered his head and stared at her with red eyes, with some transparent light flashing inside.

Therefore, in Haruno's warm family dinner as always, Sakura learned to straighten her back like her friend Tobi and tried not to stumble to answer her family's concerns and suggestions - which is very cute to adults. Tobirama's reaction is the same as Sakura's parents, Kizashi and Mebuki, his eyes are full of little pride, although not so obvious.

"K, kaasan, I want to go to the library or stay at home, I don't want to go to the park... 

Well, there are more and more worries in the eyes of Kizashi and Mebuki.

"Sakura, don't you want to make friends?"
"Yes! Friends will make your life rich and colorful!"

Her parents both stopped their dishes, and took this episode of life very seriously.

But, she already has Tobi!

Sakura really, really, really wanted to say this sentence, but she still held back and kept the air little finger agreement with the ghost friend, so she told her parents the second and third reasons that were arranged in her heart.

"The others there... they, they don't like my big forehead, and Ami often makes fun of me." Sakura said honestly. Although her voice was small, Mebuki still could hear and hissed softly, Kizashi subconsciously clenched his fist.

The kind Haruno couple looked distressed at their four-year-old girl shrinking up again and covered her cute forehead with long bangs……!?

Ami? The child of that very rude woman? How dare she dislike our little cherry blossoms?
Mebuki gave Kizashi a very sharp look.

It's the woman who picks up the bargain, who often bargains very shamelessly in our store.
Kizashi understood Mebuki's eyes and nodded.

"Then, I want to help in the store, or go to the market and the library." Sakura lowered her head and didn't notice the interaction between her parents' eyes. She continued to say her third reason, which actually had some personal reasons, because she and Tobi preferred to go elsewhere than the park.

She likes reading, and so does Tobi. She likes to go to the store to help, and so does Tobi. She prefers to wander in the sea of people in the market and learn about the source information of various circulating commodities through the patient introduction of Tobi or her parents.

The big forehead is full of strong curiosity. 

I don't know where Sakura inherited the curious forehead from, maybe it's Tobi?

It's hard to say. It may also be influenced by the civilian father Kizashi, who loves to work as a businessman and runs around, or by her mother Mebuki, who likes to understand various stories and customer needs to fulfil tailoring inspiration and ideas, because they love Sakura more than Tobirama, love The time is also the longest. 

"Oh! Sacchan!"

Kizashi stood up decisively and interrupted his daughter's subconsciously tidying up her bangs.

"Ah! Otosan!" Sakura subconsciously pushed her father's little hard scum, but soon did not resist. Kizashi's very funny facial contact quickly made her giggle, and then happily made a flying circle.

Tobirama and Mebuki doted all this together.

"Well, Sensible Sacchan!" Kizashi lengthened the ending and gave his daughter's cute forehead a very loud kiss, which was exchanged for Sakura's little hammer shameful action. Kami , Kizashi, who retired from Genin, rarely had the impulse to kill the mean child Ami.

There is obviously a proud Forehead! 

His four-year-old daughter was so cute that Kizashi couldn't help kissing her again. 

Kizashi put the half-empty sakura back on the stool and promised her that he would go shopping together in the store market tomorrow, and Mebuki directly showed her understanding that Sakura did not go to the park. She used chopsticks to pick up more tempura and put them on the rice she had piled up, and at the same time Say the same words as a friend who is not interested in anyone around her.

"The kind of person who casually criticises other people's appearance, Sakura, Ami is not worthy of being friends with you."

"You deserve better."

Mebuki made a small tempura rice bowl for her, her love was as stable as Tempura Rice Mountain.

Sakura nodded in surprise, confidently returned to her straight back, and then gave a little happy look to her imaginary friend Tobi, who was saying: Ah! Tobi! You and my okaasan said the same thing!

She was happy to eat, and the frustration of the park experience quickly dissipated from the bottom of her heart.

Kizashi and Mebuki didn't care about Sakura's eyes, because there was her favourite doll, Mr. Red-eyed Rabbit, on the stool - Sakura said she wanted Tobi to sit here.

"Otosan, Okaasan, this is my friend Tobi!"

Is this just a little cute child's wish? Why can't Mebuki and Kizashi, who love their daughter, satisfy her, so they prepared four stools, and an empty exquisite cup was placed in front of the rabbit Tobi-san.

"Slow down! Slow down! Sakura!"
Mebuki said gently in a tone pretending to be angry.

Sitting on an empty stool opposite Mebuki, Tobirama inexplicably wanted to reach out and rub her hair, and then combed her bangs to her ears. Fortunately, kizashi filled his regret.

"Hey! Sacchan! Have a good meal! You are about to lose sight of the dishes carefully prepared by your okaasan!" 

Kizashi braided two pigtails for her, which is very skilful.

Tobirama held his chest with both hands and raised his chin. First, he was satisfied with Sakura's forehead, and second, he found the answer to the unanswered question of why Kizashi could maintain a strange five-braided cherry blossom and resist gravity hairstyle.

Tobirama didn't say anything. He continued to sit, silently enjoying the dinner atmosphere of the Haruno family, and occasionally thanked Sakura for filling his cup with tea.

Rabbit Tobi-san?

Oh, Tobirama doesn't think that Sakura violates the little finger agreement at all. On the contrary, he thinks that Sakura is very honest and keeps his promises, and even smart and sharp. Really, the four-year-old girl simply and perfectly resolves the contradiction of how to share friends with her parents and not reveal the existence of ghosts.

He gave Sakura a series of highly high evaluations in his heart.

Sakura no longer needs to secretly look at him in the corner or behind her parents' backs, but looks at him openly, but her eyes should be lower. She always forgets that she should talk to the rabbit Tobi-san instead of talking to him himself.

Vigilance and cover-up behaviour need to be improved.

Tobirama added silently in his heart and nodded to thank Sakura for the tea.

"Ah! Otosan! This is for Tobi! You can't take it!"
"Oh⋯Sacchan, but I have to wash the dishes. I thought Tobi-san had finished drinking?

"But...Tobi?"

Tobirama nodded again, then tilted her head. he didn't understand Sakura's sudden low curling of her lips, but she quickly returned to her usual expression, took the cup, finished it, handed it to Kizashi.

"The tea is delicious, Tobi. This is a special product that Dad brought back from the tea country before. It's very fresh! It's the smell of jasmine! Not bitter at all!"

Sakura said with a serious face, and tried very hard to accurately describe the complex flavour of tea.

Tobirama realised the low point in an instant, and there was a small lump in his dead throat.

"Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura smiled and cheered up from the little depression. She picked up the rabbit Tobi-san and talked endlessly about the history of the tea country told by her father Kizashi. Tobirama occasionally adds other knowledge points of tea with kizashi and Mebuki, and then sakura will ask for more.

"Otosan! Please continue to speak!"  

Then, the Haruno house was once again full of excitement and vitality, which was quite comparable to the noise of his brother Hashirama, but Tobirama did not hate it.

Tobirama admitted that he was glad many times that Hashirama was in the Namikazi-Uzumaki’s house instead of the Haruno’s house.

.........

Well, in fact, it's not a bad thing for the noisy and annoying brother Hashirama to join, but Haruno Sakura, who is still four years old, has to have a second secret that she can't tell her parents.

"Hashi!"
"Kura!"

Hashirama from Namikaze-Uzumaki's house is still the same annoying. He keeps wandering around, showing off his political marriage and sweet love with his sister-in-law Uzumaki Mito to the surrounding ghosts. Even Sakura said that it was not anko dango's fault that she had worm teeth, but Senju Hashirama's fault.

"How can you blame me so much! kura!"
"Anko dango are not wrong! Hashi!"

Tobirama sighed helplessly, but also agreed that it was Hashirama's fault.

Unlike the excitement of Hashirama finally interacting with Sakura, Tobirama has been frowning.

Three months ago, he was obviously Sakura's only ghost friend. She met him in the woods of the park, but now, Sakura, who can only see his ghost, can now see Hashirama? What if it takes some more time? To what extent will this kekkei genkai, which is suspected to be able to see ghosts, develop?

Tobirama's mind is full of all kinds of suspicions and concerns. 

「...Who are you? Are you also here to make fun of my forehead?」
Three months ago, Sakura saw him for the first time.

No.

Tobirama was originally waiting for Hashirama there. Near the park, his brother always likes to run around, apart from chatting with ghosts or looking for a certain uchiha tirelessly, Senju Hashirama likes to see Konoha's children in peace. Playing and interacting during this period is a life that they didn't have in their childhood.

He waited patiently in front of a tree planted by Hashirama, ghost always had unimaginable patience.

He knocked on the blue armour several times, counting how long it would take for his brother Hashirama to arrive, while enjoying the rare tranquillity without a loud voice. However, all this was soon interrupted by Sakura's little crying. Tobirama witnessed the children's native and ignorant malice not far away. He thought in place for a long time.

His thoughts were interrupted until Sakura asked that question.

Why should I make fun of your forehead? That's very rude.

He subconsciously denied the answer, and got Sakura's careful head, and the tearful green eyes hidden behind the pink bangs, Tobirama realised that there was a reflection of him in Sakura's eyes.

Haruno Sakura can see a ghost.

Three months later, he and Haruno Sakura were inseparable.

At first, Sakura came to Tobirama every day, and now, Tobirama stays with Sakura every day.

「Tobi, would you like to knit a wreath with me?」
「Tobi, do you also like to go to the library?」
「Tobi, I want to invite you with okaasan and otosan to dinner? Because you are my best friend.」

He admitted that he was curious about Sakura's green eyes to see ghosts, curious about the strange ability of the suspected kekkei genkai, and more curious about why she couldn't see his brother Hashirama, who finally arrived next to him and made a fuss. Now he is more curious about why she can suddenly see Hashirama? Will we see more in the future?

Haruno Sakura can see ghosts.

Tobirama can't say that he has an irritable loss in his heart.

Tobirama needs time to understand this small and undeniable loss.

Chapter Text

2

Haruno Sakura has two secrets. She is only four years old.

She looked down at all the dolls taken out of the cabinet - those was masterpieces made by her tailor mother Mebuki herself, so Sakura cherished every doll, and specially chose a rabbit doll named Tobi-san, which best fits her ghost friend image, the same White fur, the same red eyes.

Sakura stared at the fluffy translucent fluff on Tobirama's armour, and the fact that she couldn't touch it made her very tickle - her rabbit doll tobi-san didn't have such fluffy hair, only short soft hair and cotton.

She stared for a long time, and So did Tobirama.

Ghosts don't need to blink all the time, ghosts don't need to breathe, and ghosts don't need to drink water. Obviously, Sakura, whose eyes quickly became dry after a minute, quickly lost in this staring game. With a oar, she fell on the bed, and was very reluctant to give the unfair victory to the white-haired ghost who was expressionless but actually funny in his heart.

"I want to touch you, Tobi!"

Sakura is very stubborn and insists on her wish.

"okay."

The ghost without substance said without any hesitation.

Sakura straightened up, got out of bed, and sat on the floor next to the empty futon. Her curious green eyes would not miss any detail of her translucent ghost friend at all. She almost looked at it from head to toe. Obviously, her curiosity about Tobi was getting stronger and stronger.

Sakura saw all kinds of clothes from her tailor mother Mebuki, but this was the first time she saw the clothes from the Warring States Period up close - this was told by the white-haired ghost in front of her.

"Why are you different from other shinobi-san's clothes, Tobi?"

"......Because this is the equipment of the Warring States."

Wow, so he has a cool and cool hard blue Warring States armour, one, two, three... six, seven, nine.

Sakura counted the number of nails on it in her heart.

His shoes are not like the current ninja costume, and the ins of his feet are relatively exposed, like otosan's flip-flops?

She is wondering why he doesn't wear split-toe socks? To protect the skin and toes?

Then why is the first thing we do when we come home is to take off our shoes and socks?

Oh, Tobi doesn't like stuffy bondage socks either.

Sakura looked up and was determined to observe Tobirama's face before looking at his white fur.

It's really familiar. Have you seen it somewhere?

She stared at the ghost's special silver forehead and the three scars on her face.

Do you feel heavier than the usual forehead protection? It's almost all metal.

She thought of her father's Kizashi's idle genin cloth forehead protector, which is easier to carry.

A very special forehead protector and three scars, which makes his face look very small and delicate?

She suddenly realised and finally reached out.

In this long wait-and-see process, the expression of the white-haired ghost did not change, just like the hard rock head in the distance.

Haruno Sakura is observing him carefully, and Senju Tobirama is also analysing her.

The ghost just admitted his nervous fingers.

Of course, Tobirama would not know the four-year-old girl's comments on his fashion. He waited patiently for a long time, tensed his body, and finally waited for the pink-haired little fairy to reach out, and then relaxed her body again because of the fact that she couldn't touch - seriously, he couldn't be sure that whether Haruno Sakura's suspicious kekkei genkai will make progress because of her desires, this is a hypothesis in many speculations in his mind.

At present, there is only the eye part, so will this be an evolved eye like Uchiha’s?

Will the situation change because of emotions or desires?

Tobirama stared at the girl's green eyes carefully, and his blue-gray shadow was clearly reflected.

It's a shadow, a translucent virtual body.

Tobirama squinted, Shinobi's good eyesight could see everything in Sakura's eyes.

So he looks like this? A ghost with a transparent gradient - from head to toe, his feet and lower body are the most transparent, perhaps because it is close to the ground entity - and so on, why does Sakura stare at his toes? What does she want to do? Why didn't she do anything?

Will she wrap her nails and colour it with phoenix flowers like Tsunade when she was a child?

Tobirama held back the movement of trying to twist his neck, because he didn't want to interrupt Sakura's immersion.

The pink-haired fairy finally looked up and stared at his face for a long time, with slightly wrinkled eyebrows.

Does she feel familiar? Or something else?

He sometimes wants to know when Sakura will recognise him.

Under the silent gaze of the green eyes, Tobirama flashed a nameless emotion in his heart. It was not expected, but it was very close. In his mind, he uncontrollably guessed what Sakura's next sentence would be, which would be - ah! Tobi! Are you familiar? Have I seen you somewhere?

Unlike the predicted results, the pink-haired fairy stretched out her hand.

Tobirama didn't move, he held back.

No, not just the eyes, it's not a Doujutsu - because he clearly saw Sakura's empty fingers, accompanied by a slight instinctive tremor, did she feel cold? Does the ghost have a temperature? Normally, most people don't feel anything. He still watches Maito Dai run with his son Maito Gai every day in konoha.

Ghosts can't touch people and won't affect people.

His body became transparent before it was touched.

Whether it's the closest living Maito Gai, or the Maito Dai who runs through several people as a ghost, Tobirama only sees hot sweat and... inconspicuous green spandex clothing on Gai, and no one else had the same reaction as Sakura.

There are many ghosts in Konoha, but people don't feel as cold as Sakura.

Even Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito, who stand on the memorial monument every day, are often surrounded by ghosts and do not feel any cold - if they feel it, Tobirama is sure that they will make up a new lie, the reason to be three hours late for going to Hokage or T&I.

Without waiting for him to ask, Sakura's words took the initiative to confirm his guess.

"You are a little cold but untouchable air ghost friend. Tobi, okaasan and otosan can't see you."

The four-year-old girl once again honestly expressed her true feelings, which happened to block Tobirama's question, which also aroused a sudden guilt in his heart?

Tobirama knew that he would make Sakura no longer lonely, but she was still alone.

"They all know that you have Tobi-san."

Sakura raised her head, and Tobirama tried to bend the corners of his mouth to give her a gentle face - he tried hard. Although his brother Hashirama's granddaughter Tsunade would still retreat when she saw him when she was a child, and other children in the village would also bow their heads, including the gentle apprentice Hiruzen Sarutobi and Uchiha Kagami will be stiff for a second.

Tobirama is not like Hashirama. His brother is almost the king of children in the park.

"Yes! Tobi! I have a friend!"

Huh, Tobirama maintained the curve of his mouth and felt a little relieved to be able to provide emotional support to Sakura - the pink-haired little fairy picked up her rabbit tobi-san to make up for the loss of not being able to hug ghost friends.

Is this the child you expect to grow up in peacetime? Anija?

Tobirama doesn't have to analyse it at all. The four-year-old Sakura's body language is so straightforward.

"Oh! Tobi-san!" Sakura suddenly remembered something, stood up quickly, and then went out of the door. Tobirama subconsciously and instinctively followed - whenever his niece Tsunade sneaked out to play, the speed was like this. After all, children would suddenly do something, which was confusing.

Hashirama almost lost his granddaughter several times and was scolded by Mito, because Tsunade has the best chakra control, which makes her sense of existence like a slug or a squirrel. Hashirama has to ask Tobirama, who is a sensor, to help find and pull He participated in Tsunade's hide-and-seek game.

Tobirama quickly followed and watched Sakura run into her mother Mebuki's studio.

"Kaasan, Kaasan!"

"What's the matter, Sakura?"

"Can you make a dress for Tobi-san?"

Tobirama stopped and stood outside the door of the studio without going in.

So, Haruno Mebuki took the drawing paper handed over by her precious daughter and quickly changed from a mother to a professional tailor - making a blue fur coat like the armour of the warring States for the red-eyed rabbit Tobi-san. Sakura was finally satisfied with Tobi- San fluffy fluffy fur.

Although Mebuki couldn't help muttering about this costume, she reacted to Sakura's rabbit's tobi-san name - strange, why is it so familiar? Which guest did she make it for?

Mebuki quickly forgot the question.

However, when Mebuki recalled this question again, Sakura had an extra tree doll named Hashi-san.

.........

Three months, 91 days.

Senju Hashirama actually jumped in front of Sakura for 91 days.

Tobirama has the urge to hit his brother's brain almost every day, but he can't.

Ghosts can't be touched. Ghosts have no flesh, ghosts retain the demeanour of death, and ghosts are the third existence that does not belong to the world - Tobirama believes that there is a pure land and hell in this world, or no. He still hopes that his brothers kawatama and Itama go to the pure land. Or reinarnate into the next life.

He and Hashirama stayed in Konoha for a long time and did not see their younger brothers.

The younger brothers died too early, and their faces have become blurred in their minds.

Tobirama sometimes goes to Namikaze-Uzumaki's house with Hashirama. Namikaze Minato is Konoha's fourth hokage. He sometimes invites his friend Uchiha Fugaku to be full of deep Talking about politics in the silent seal's room, Tobirama will also be there, talking about current affairs and the national situation with his brother, and others - Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna.

When he looked at Uchihas, he still couldn't think of the appearance of his younger brothers.

Tobirama only remembered the feeling of not waiting for his brother to come home.

When he came back to his senses, he was arguing fiercely about the peace and future of Konoha with Hashirama, Madara and Izuna.

He occasionally thought, when will he disappear? When will Death come? And all this after Sakura saw himself, his thoughts became frequent, and he began to worry that Sakura could not accept his departure - would he leave?

Ghosts are dead people, not frivolent.

Tobirama still didn't tell Sakura that he was one of the dead Hokage on the rock head.

Can Haruno Sakura really bear the weight of death?

Can Haruno Sakura understand the meaning of the existence of ghosts?

Tobirama's memory drifted to three months ago, that is, the first day Sakura saw him. The four-year-old pink-haired fairy had been doubting whether Tobi-san was the friend she imagined. Then she ran with her little feet and took the initiative to ask Kizashi and Mebuki, who was hugging her with open arms.

「Kaasan, Tosan, do you know the invisible man?」

To be precise, it can no longer be regarded as a human being.

「I've seen it! Sacchan! Do you want to hear the story?」

「A long time ago, there was a lonely little ghost of sheets here...」

He is not a little ghost on the sheets. He is old, too old - he explained this to Sakura for a long time.

「So you are an old and lonely ghost? I also feel lonely. Can I be friends with you?」

Tobirama opened his mouth, but he couldn't make a sound.

So the second day three months ago, Sakura came to the park again, looking for him in the woods while avoiding the mean girl who made fun of her forehead. Tobirama finally ended the hiding before the four-year-old girl was sad alone. Silently acquiesced to Sakura's repeated and careful and timid friends Seek.

「Tobi! Let's go to the library together!」

Now, she is much more confident and cheerful, but Tobirama has more and more scruples.

She hasn't killed anyone yet. She is now an ordinary and carefree civilian child. What if she is determined to become a Shinobi? What should we do when the war comes? How can she face her blood-stained hands and the tired and confused ghost in front of her? Then she began to realise that this was not the sheet ghost in the story at all?

Tobirama thought for a long time, it was far away.

He sighed, rubbed his eyebrows, and was once again full of scruples about his brother's dreams and beliefs.

"Hey! Sakura! I'm Hashi! Senju Hashirama!"

"You can see me and Tobi every day on that rocky mountain!"

Tobirama covered his face in despair, and his secret identity of the dead man was quickly exposed by his own brother.

Chapter Text

3

Three months ago, Sakura met her first best friend Tobi.

Three months later, she became friends with Hashi and realised that Tobi was Nidaime.

How could I not recognise him at that time?

"Sacchan? Sakura? SAKURA?!"

Four-year-old Haruno Sakura accidentally fell into a whirlpool of memory because of Senju Hashirama's self-introduction. She did not hear Shodaime's doubtful call to her, and did not respond to Nidaime's panicked shout, but returned to that sleepy period. In the memory of confusion, helplessness, and panic.

The memory that she tried very hard to forget.

She shrank and cried under the shady branches. A few minutes ago, her ears were filled with the girls' mean and sharp laughter - Sakura didn't understand how they could be so happy and happy. Why did she joke with her forehead? Is her forehead really this big? Sakura should have been proud of her forehead, because her parents, Kizashi and Mebuki, both like to kiss her forehead before going to bed, and she can feel the love of her parents through it.

Ami, Sakura doesn't like Ami.

Ami made a mistake, made fun of her and isolated her, so Sakura hated her.

But Sakura didn't do anything, Ami and other children hated her for no basis.

Just because of the forehead?

Sakura cried out in the girl's joyful laughter. Her originally combed pigtail hairstyle disappeared, and her messy bangs covered her beautiful forehead. Her narrowed and prepared body was obviously completely different from other children's boldly showing off their ignorance and malice - That's all Tobirama saw with his own eyes.

Tobirama can't do anything. Look, what can a ghost do?

He stood, just lost in thought.

Sakura didn't know how long Tobi had been standing there or watching. Anyway, she only remembered that there should be no people in this forest. The air in her ears was quiet. Ami and other girls had already left because of boredom.

Birds, insects, and the wind.

The rustling sound of leaves and grassland.

After the surrounding environment fell into a comfortable and harmonious tranquillity, Sakura's crying gradually calmed down.

Well, how did you tell Okaasan where your pigtails went?

Blown by the wind?

Otosan will continue to go out to work tomorrow, and you have to come to the park for a day.

Well, then I'll play somewhere else...

Sakura, What if they ask if you have made any friends?

Friend, uh, friend...

Sakura wanted to say that it's good to stay alone on the ground and play sand castle, swing or make a wreath?

Then wait for Okaasan to come over and see that you are isolated by other children?

Sakura had the urge to cry again.

No! If okaasan sees your red and swollen eyes, it will be over!

Sakura tried to hold back the tears that kept rolling in her eyes and did not let them fall on her clothes. She tried to wipe it off gently with her hands. She could not cry anymore, otherwise her eyes would be under high pressure, which would lead to the expansion of blood vessels around her eyes, and then blood circulation would accelerate blood sedimentation in the surrounding tissue, and her eyes would become It's very red and swollen.

Wow, that's so smart. I finally understand the meaning of this sentence. Practice is always the best way to learn.

Sakura felt that the impulse to cry was getting smaller and smaller.

Well, the eyelids are still a little swollen to the touch. Will Okaasan notice it?

...Can I try to massage around my eyes to relax?

Give it a try.

Sakura finally stopped choking, and the dried tears left some white marks on her little hands - is it salt? She has seen in a book in the library that tears contain 98.2% water and a small amount of inorganic salts such as sodium, potassium, chlorine, etc., as well as protein, immunoglobulin A, and complement system--

What is immunoglobulin A? Why don't I understand the following words?

Sakura plans to go to the library again for a good look.

So this white mark, oh, remember to replenish water and salt.

Sakura remembers that her mother will make kalta soup today.

Sakura massaged her eyes and felt less swollen. However, when she was about to raise her head to look at the surroundings, she saw a pair of feet standing in the distance, which made her want to cry again - has anyone been there all the time? Why didn't he make a sound? Did he see the whole process?

Don't! Don't cry! The eyes will really be as swollen as walnuts!

That foot is the foot of an adult! He is not Ami and other children.

...But he didn't do anything.

Without a response, Sakura's inner stopped speaking.

Her life today is bad enough. Even if Ami leaves, there are other people watching her cry, which leaves a childhood memory that she wants to forget - Sakura really doesn't understand why they do this. Is she a drama joke? Is everyone looking at my big foreheads?

"...Who are you? Are you also here to make fun of my forehead?"

"No."

"Why should I make fun of your forehead? That's very rude."

Sakura froze , and slowly raised her head in disbelief.

Tobirama-san is different from the image of the friend she expected in her heart at the beginning.

.........

"To, Tobira? Tobi...rama-san?"

"Tobi?"

Tobi told her the first time she met that he was not a friend she imagined out of thin air because of loneliness, not the voice in his mind, and not the ghost who ran around wearing sheets to make friends in the story. Tobi just...

Is he just a simple Tobirama? There is no surname.

Sakura looked at Tobi standing there, motionless.

He was wearing a strange shinobi blue armour, which was a little outdated and outdated. He was an adult - or maybe an old man, because his hair turned white, his face was pale and haggard, his body was tall and translucent, covered with dust and damage marks, as if the wind would disappear without a trace... ......

A ghost? Do ghosts look like this?

Sakura immediately thought of a cute ghost image covered with sheets and cut with two empty holes.

"I'm not the kind of little ghost. I'm older than you think."

Why does he speak so softly? It's strange. I can only be sure that he moved his mouth. Is the ghost's voice so fluttering? Is there a little creepiness? By the way, how old can he be?

Sakura did feel the sudden cold wind and goosebumps.

Just as she rubbed her arms up and down and felt confused, the ghost in front of her changed. Sakura saw that his white eyebrows deepened and his red eyes became fierce. He immediately turned his head, faced an empty space, and opened his mouth and said loudly, "Hashirama! You've been late for a whole hour and four minutes!"

There was only the rustling of the trees in response to him.

Wait, does that mean he stayed here for an hour? Why didn't I notice it when I came in?

Did he really see the whole process of my crying?

"Tell me, are you really going to find Uzumaki instead of Uchiha?"

Strangely, the tree on the head seems to have become listless...?

One ghost is talking to another invisible ghost, which is extremely strange.

"...Don't answer my question with questions. I'm not blind and deaf, and I'm not stupid."

Sakura somewhat agreed that he had become deaf, blind and stupid, so that he would not notice the embarrassed appearance of her crying.

"Oh..."

Sakura heard the broken and light sound of the white-haired ghost in front of him and a string of long and helpless sighs. Sometimes his anger turned into a heavy magnetic point - who was he talking to? Ha...hashi...?

Very interesting solo crosstalk, which is very similar to us, isn't it?

Sakura nodded silently in her heart.

He seems to be an old and lonely ghost. Do you want to be friends with him?

Sakura hesitated in her heart.

She followed the sight of the white-haired ghost to look at the tree. It was just an ordinary, strong and healthy tree. So she tried to take a step back and look at the green shade on the tree or the open space behind the texture. There was nothing. There was no other ghost. There was only one tree. Could it be that this tree was hashi?

"Are you... quarrelling with a tree?"

The white-haired ghost's expression became strange. He narrowed his eyes into a red line, and even approached Sakura for a brief look. Sakura felt that her whole body was thoroughly observed by the ghost, and then she felt the cold wind and coldness behind her neck, and got goosebumps uncontrollably.

"You can only see me."

The white-haired ghost said the conclusion of his observation.

"What's your name and which clan? Is this your kekkei genkai? Is it still developing?"

Kami? Why is he so aggressive?

"--Kura!"

A familiar loud and strong voice came from the distance, interrupting the ghost's light and broken words.

This made Sakura a little anxious. She quickly answered the ghost's question.

"I! I'm Haruno Sakura! I'm four years old! I'm a civilian! Aren't you really a sheet ghost...?”

"——Sakura! Where are you?"

"I said I'm not the kind of person in the story--"

Mebuki's voice overlapped with the ghost's words.

"Oh, So you are an old and lonely ghost? I also feel lonely. Can I be friends with you?!"

The air was quiet for a second, and the ghost opened his mouth wide, but there was no sound.

Sakura looked at the retreating ghost, a little lost and hurt.

"HARUNO SAKURA!"

Here's my advice - run, I think Okaasan is going to be angry.

Sakura quickly ran out of the shade and did not dare to look back. She quickly ran from the cool shadow to the bright and warm sunshine. The sun was warm. She could clearly feel that the cold wind and coolness on her back were left behind, and finally dissipated in okaasan Mebuki and otosan Kizashi in the open and broad embrace.

"Ah! Sacchan! Have fun, but you make Okaasan very worried. She almost thought you were lost or lost or something. If you slow down for a few more seconds, we will go to find the Uchiha guard--"

"Kaasan, Tosan, do you know the invisible man?"

Mebuki and Kizashi were stunned, and their words were quickly covered by Sakura's anxious curiosity.

Are you really smart? In this way, they won't ask you what happened in the park.

"I know! Sacchan! Do you want to hear the story of the Invisible Man?"

Sakura nodded very hard.

Kizashi immediately picked her up with a smile and put her on his broad and strong shoulders. When he was a child, he grew up with the warriors of the Iron Kingdom, worked as a Genin, and also took over the C-rank of travelling around the world. After retirement, he was able to carry all kinds of heavy items purchased by merchants, let alone It's about the little cutey Sakura.

Mebuki, who was smiling next to her, did not forget to tell her to hold her head and sit firmly, with a little gentleness in the severity.

Oh, Kaasan didn't scold us! We've caught up!

But Sakura didn't know it. Her parents could see the traces of her crying at a glance.

Her inner voice also thought that her parents didn't find out.

"A long time ago, there was a lonely little ghost on sheets here..."

Mebuki's hometown is from kirigakure. She has sharp teeth and a shrewd and capable personality. She is used to using her own fast pace to complete her tailoring work. However, after getting married and meeting Kizashi and giving birth to her child Sakura, her pace slowed down unconsciously. The tone of voice also changed from a rapid waterfall to a gentle stream.

"The ghost are terrorising others everywhere, hoping to attract their attention..."

Sakura listened carefully, and before leaving, she couldn't help but look back at the woods behind her.

"Lonely and lonely little ghost, I hope to be friends with human beings..."

"After the humans lifted the sheets, they were all scared away, and no one could see the ghost..."

Sakura was immersed in the story of Okaasan Mebuki's gentle humming. The tone of the story seemed to be stained with a little dampness and fog. While listening to the song, she stared at the tree behind her crying in the distance - was it so big?

"The lonely ghost still put on the sheets and continue to look for human beings who can be friends..."

Sakura saw the white-haired ghost stay for a moment. She blinked and found that there seemed to be nothing there.

What if I want to be friends with that ghost?

You can have a try, Sakura.

.........

That day was an opportunity. When Sakura returned home, her mind was full of white-haired ghosts. She held the doll in her arms tightly. For the first time, she felt that the night was not terrible. She could completely count how many twinkling stars there were in the sky.

There's nothing to be afraid of. The ghost is even more terrible.

Actually, I'm more afraid that Ami will appear in the park?

Ami? No, no, no, you don't have to be afraid of her--

"Sacchan? Don't you need to turn on the light?"

Kizashi, who came to check whether his baby daughter was asleep, opened the crack of the door. He didn't expect that it was dark after opening the door. It was strange that Sakura, who had been afraid of the darkness, didn't turn on the light? The idea surprised Kizashi, and he began to realise that there had been some major changes in Sakura that he did not know about.

"How are you? Sacchan? Did something happen in the park?"

Kizashi immediately ran to Sakura's bedside, and his voice was full of worry.

He turned on the night light on the bedside table and saw the hesitation on Sakura's face.

"Can you whisper to me? Sacchan?" Kizashi put his hand to his mouth and said softly, "Your Otosan, have been a person who used to be shinobi! I promise with my loyalty that Haruno Sakura's secret will not be leaked!"

Sakura was amused and gave him a naughty look.

"Even Kaasan ?"

"Even if it's Kaasan - really? Are you serious? Do you want to talk about the major secrets related to Mebuki-sama? Kami, no, she will really threaten my throat with her teeth--"

"No, Tosan, it's about the park!"

"Can't you tell Okaasan?"

"No, I just didn't know or ready how to talk...?"

"Oh, it's okay. Take your time, Sakura."

Kizashi's eyes became more and more gentle. He stopped talking, but entered the state of a listener. He would not ignore the words, which was one of the reasons why Mebuki fell in love with him.

"I... I met a sheet ghost in the park, tosan."

Sakura tangled her fingers and sorted out her thoughts. Her father could only breathe softly to encourage her to continue.

"In the story of Kaasan, the ghost is very lonely."

"The ghost in the park is also alone, I want to be friends with him."

"But, tosan, is he different from the friend I'm looking forward to? Is this normal? By the way, how do you know that the other person is a good friend? If you want to be friends with a strange ghost, what should I say?”

Sakura opened the dialogue box one after another, and Kizashi nodded and listened carefully.

"It's normal, Sakura."

"Well, in fact, being friends with each other is also a process of learning to accept differences. Your okaasan and I are also different from what I expected. We also quarrel at first. Your okaasan has a temper and is easy to get angry. She talks straight like a sharp dagger. If I don't pay attention and listen carefully, I can't help but be hurt.”

Sakura opened her eyes wide and stared at otosan Kizashi's gentle blue eyes.

"But I began to learn to accept her. We became friends, and then when I understood why she did that, I realised that I had fallen in love with her. I fell in love with Mebuki, who was not what I expected, but the real, temperamental, and dared to defend her rights directly with her own words. ”

"You can try to contact, Sacchan, just follow your inner thoughts."

I just said--

Try it, Outer.

Chapter Text

4

Sakura followed Inner's advice, and tried to find the ghost.

On the second day after she met the white-haired ghost, the daily life of Haruno's house was still the same as usual, such as getting up, dressing up, brushing her teeth and washing her face, and finally going down the stairs to help Okaasan place plates and pick up chopsticks - which was a little laborious. Her head was just above the table, and she needed to stood on her feet for putting the plate, and then her otosan will be very happy to thank her for help, reach out and gently rub the pink hair on her head.

Compared with yesterday, there is no change today, but Sakura's mood has become uneasy and anxious.

She got up very early today and didn't stay in bed. She woke up before the alarm clock went off.

Last night's determination and otosan's encouragement made her want to do something quickly.

When choosing clothes, she was a little indecisive. Yesterday, she wore a mint green shirt and pink trousers. Today, she wanted to wear blue high-neck long sleeves and gray trousers - it was very similar to the colour configuration of the white-haired ghost's clothes, but Sakura was still entangled. She was anxious that the ghost would not recognise her after changing her clothes. .

Will he feel offended?

Sakura has seen her kaasan troubled by this. Mebuki is a skilful tailor with a fixed source of customers, but other people come to express dissatisfaction and then argue - because some clothes are too similar, causing them to mistakenly think that the other party is imitating them and getting angry.

Making clothes requires unique inspiration. The distressed Mebuki sometimes asks Sakura to help her draw. The child's travelling is conducive to her making better clothes to satisfy customers.

What should I do? Inner?
She looked at the two sets of clothes on her hand.

Well, I don't think he will hate it? Outer.

You see, didn't Tosan and Kaasan like us to dress up like them before? It will be okay, and there is a big difference between your clothes and his armour.

But he is a lonely old ghost with a little eccentric temper?

Oh... Are you worried that he may be like the mean oba-san before?

Yes, I'm afraid he's the kind of bad adult.

Sakura immediately remembered the experience of helping in the Haruno store. She was very young, only four years old, and there was no one around her to take care of her. So she either went to Okaasan's tailor's studio to paint or read, go to the park under the supervision of Shinobi to play, or just Following otosan's busy thighs, curiously looking at the colourful goods on the shelves while listening to how they are introduced to the guests.

"Haruno, isn't this a coupon? Why don't you give me a discount?"
"Sato-san, our discount activities are every Wednesday, and today is Thursday."

She is sitting on a small stool under the cash register, and her little hand is helping Kizashi organise the shopping bag.

"But this will expire next week!"
"To be precise, yesterday was the deadline, Sato-san."
"Can't you be flexible! Haruno! I thought it would expire next Wednesday!"

She stood up, and her head had just reached the counter plane. She needed to stand on her feet to deliver the shopping bag to Kizashi's hand, and then blinked - oh, the customer in front of her bought so many things that one shopping bag might not fit - Sakura looked up at Kizashi who was sorting out the goods. Tosan seems to be very distressed and helpless?

Can you understand his complicated expression? Outer?

Well... For example, the clothes made by kaasan are all very beautiful, but I have to choose one?

Oh, I see.

Sakura squatted down for a moment and stood up again. As soon as she saw that the shopping bag was full, she immediately handed the new bag to Kizashi in time.

"Thank you, Sacchan!" Her otosan took a little spare time to enthusiastically respond to her help. Unfortunately, Kizashi soon returned to the confrontation with the oba-san who used a particularly rude voice.

Sakura doesn't like her voice. It's too loud, which is very annoying.

Does she want to have strength in her speech? A loud voice is not a good way.
Our kaasan can convince people with soft whispers and a little grinding of teeth.

Sakura agreed with Inner's voice with a proud silence.

"I'm sorry, Sato-san, this is the rule of our store--"
"Okay, okay, I got it, Haruno, you don't have to take my money for the shopping bag."
"Sato-san, I'm afraid this won't work..."

"Huh? Who is this sensitive little girl? Why haven't I seen it?"

Sakura opened her green eyes wide and looked up in confusion. She didn't understand at all how the smoke of the bargaining price war continued to her.

She stood helplessly, her eyes kept moving back and forth between the gentle Kizashi and the rude Sato-oba-san - Huh? What's going on? Why do you suddenly talk about me? I also helped in the store before? This is not the first time we have met. Why does this oba-san look at me with a curious expression?

"This is my daughter. You have seen her before."
Kizashi answered the rude woman with a smile, but there was no smile in his eyes.

"Oh, I feel like I haven't seen her for a long time! She has grown so big!" Sato-oba-san squeezed her voice and said with a smile - what is she doing? Why is this voice even more ugly than the previous loud voice?

"What a lovely pink hair! She will definitely marry a kind and good man like you in the future!"
"Thank you for the compliment, but my daughter is still young, so I don't think about that."
"Really?! My husband and I are anxious about our children every day. If we don't hurry up, good men will be taken away!"

What is this oba-san talking about? Outer?

I don't understand either, Inner.

Sakura had to continue to ask her otosan for help with confused eyes. She didn't like that the old woman kept looking up and down at her sharp eyes. This was the same as other guests who came to the Haruno grocery store for shopping. They all used this kind of eyes to choose the goods they wanted to put in the shopping basket, but, Sakura is a human, she is not a commodity.

She subconsciously grabbed Kizashi's apron tightly with her little hand and tried harder to hide behind his thighs to block the uncomfortable eyes and peeping.

"Your daughter seems to be very shy? Haruno, she will be a good wife--"
"Excuse me, Sato-san, I still have guests waiting for the settlement."

"Oh, then you don't have to charge me for the shopping bag."

Sakura looked up hesitantly. Did she just hear Otosan make the same gentle grinding sound as Okaasan? But otosan said he didn't have that kind of sharp teeth?

"Thank you for your patronage. Please take your time, Sato-san."
"Hmm, Haruno."

The woman turned around with a triumphant gesture. Her expression was as proud as the coupon she got last week, and with satisfaction, she took away the cloth shopping bag that Kizashi had packed for her - a recyclable handbag.

It's not free. How can she not pay!

It was sewn by Sakura's mother Mebuki stitch by stitch. It is very strong and loved by nearby residents. Kizashi decided not to use plastic bags in the store. First, it is too easy to break and not environmentally friendly. Second, the performance of the cloth shopping bag is more convenient. The Haruno’s logo was printed on it ,it can also attract guests to come and publicise the popularity.

Sakura quietly touched the white silk thread on the sturdy linen cloth, and there was a round of hollowed-out circle on it.

"Sacchan?"
Kizashi interrupted her daze with a soft sound - ah! Another customer who needs a shopping bag is here!

Sakura, who was caught distracted, couldn't help blushing. She took the new bag and sent it to Kizashi in a panic. Then she envied her father who organised the goods at an invisible speed and put them perfectly into the shopping bag.

"Thank you, Haruno-san -- Huh? Pinky! Who are you?"

She hid behind Kizashi and was shy again. because the guest was very beautiful. He had dark curly hair and a forehead protector. Wait, he was a Shinobi! is he about thirteen to fifteen years old?

He even wore the vest used by chunin and jōnin!

"This is my daughter Sakura, Uchiha-san."
Kizashi smiled sincerely. His eyes were different from those of the rude Sato-oba-san, and there was more respect in it.

Uchiha?
He is a Uchiha?

Sakura's green eyes are also full of awe.

"Kami! You have a lovely little fairy! Haruno-san!" Uchiha chunin (or maybe jonin), who is really too young, praised him very cheerfully. His expression was unexpectedly rich: "Oh, if only my little cousin Sasu-chan was as cute as her!"

Sakura still carefully hid behind and blushed because of the praise, but she could feel the joyful laughter on Kizashi's chest shake to her hand - her otosan always had endless gossip topics, and he always liked to talk to guests, of course, except for that mean Sato-oba-san.

"Haha! If he comes to the store, I will give him a discount for his cuteness!"
"It's a word for sure! Haruno-san!"

The Uchiha teenager, who was very communicative, waved his hand and turned around, and Sakura saw the red and white fan-shaped badge behind him.

Uchiha......

The teenager disappeared in the blink of an eye, using a certain gesture with one hand - rabbit?

Sakura decided to go back and read the 《Introduction to Shinobi》to confirm.

She stared at the invisible place of the Uchiha teenager, unconsciously imitated him to raise one arm, then put down her thumb, the ring finger and the little finger, combined the index finger with the middle finger - what to do next? Activate Chakra? But where is this energy? How to perceive? How to get 130 trillion cells from the body to produce it? This is too abstract!

Sakura didn't know how to use it, and her big forehead was suddenly filled with questions.

Stop - ask Tosan specifically when you go home.

Well……I also want to know the stories of other clans in Kononha.

She knows some of the differences between civilians and clans, which can be seen from the living environment. Konoha Village is a huge village where ninjas and civilians live together. She knows that Haruno's store and her home are located in the civilian area. There are few ninjas coming and going here, except for the Uchiha guards who often patrol the neighbourhood and resolve various disputes.

Shinobi protects the people, defends the homeland, and guards konoha.

The four-year-old Haruno Sakura began to want a reassuring and wide back like the Uchiha teenager. She wanted to have strong arms to embrace her family like Tosan. Occasionally, she would dream once or twice that she was wearing a green vest, then there will be the Haruno family logo sewn by Kaasan herself on the back of the vest.

The dream of becoming shinobi is one of her many fantasies.

By the way, Outer.

Didn't the ghost ask some strange questions yesterday? He thinks you come from the ninja clan and have kekkei genkai.

Sakura blinked, and Inner's words reminded her to shake her head to get rid of memories.

She looked down at the blue dress and mint green shirt in her hand, followed by a white circle pattern - in fact, every piece of clothing in her wardrobe had the Haruno family emblem sewn by okaasan Mebuki.

Tosan said that Haruno is a commoner clan of merchants originating in rice fields.
She answered Inner in her heart, and her hand finally chose blue long sleeves.

You can see a ghost, Outer.

There are also other people who can see it, Inner, such as the author who wrote the story of the little ghost wearing sheets.

Sakura thinks that ghosts are like ants or pollen hidden in the grass. They are too small to see - no, the description is not right. They should be living glass and air or invisible transparent people. They are just easily ignored by humans. Otherwise, the ghost on the sheets will not feel lonely.

Right? Inner?
……Inner?

Inner has no words, only a long hum to express her thoughts.

Go down first, Outer. It took you a long time to choose clothes. Okaasan will urge you to go down right away.

"--Kura! Did you get up?"

As Inner said, Mebuki's sharp voice quickly came from the bottom of the building, which made Sakura a little flustered. She began to take off her pamas. A second later, she put on the gray trousers, quickly folded the clothes sloppily and put them on the bed, and then broke out of the door. On the way, her slippers have been left behind several times.

"Here I go!"

Except for the first day, she hasn't had the excitement of going to the park for a long time.

"Are you going to the park today? Sacchan? Or a different place?"

For some reason, Kizashi, who should have planned to go out, was a little hesitant, as if he wanted to confirm something. Even Mebuki, who had always been very reassed about his sensible and quiet daughter, hesitated. Sakura easily grasped these small details.

Tosan, what's the matter? And Kaasan?

...Maybe they're afraid we won't be able to make friends?

Under Inner's timely reminder, Sakura realised that Kizashi had shared last night's conversation with Mebuki.

Last night? What did i say last night? How to make friends with a lonely ghost... Oh no, I'm so stupid, so stupid! How could I not notice it? Doesn't it mean that I haven't had any friends this week? Did Tosan and Kaasan also notice that I was isolated by other friends? How will they view the fact that I am hated and bullied by others? Will I be disappointed because I am not confident enough to open up? Obviously, kaasan has been teaching me how to be strong and protect myself! Tosan also likes the powerful kaasan——

Outer! Stop!
You think too much and too far!

Tosan and Kaasan will not deny their love for you because of this!

"Sakura? Are you all right?"

Look! They care about you! So those ideas are too much! 
Don't think about it. Aren't you determined to make friends today?! Let's do it!

"W,well, I'm fine, Tosan, I want to go to the park!"

Sakura only paused for a second, she raised her head and responded to the concern of Kizashi and Mebuki with a smile.

Under Inner's suggestion, she tried to divert her attention to distract herself from her sadness, or didn't think about anything. Yes, don't think about it but do it, but what do it? Breathing? She can observe how many seconds she breathes. She knows how many seconds she can hold down underwater. In the bathroom, she can do this.In the summer, Tosan and Kaasan will even compete to see who can hold their breath in the water for how long.

Obviously, every time tosan loses to kaasan--

"Sakura, breathe, your face has turned purple."
Mebuki gave her daughter a worried look again.

"Oh, oh! OK!"

I'm really baka! They are even more worried!

That's good, What if you really suffocate?

"Are you nervous? Sacchan?" Kizashi rubbed the bangs that were hard to block her forehead, and it was messed up again: "Hmm? Your hair is not suitable for bangs. It's too long and will block your way.

Kizashi squatted down. After making a mess, he arranged her hair again. His rough and cocooned hands were unexpectedly delicate. Sakura only felt the gentle touch on her face, and finally a bright and open vision - her forehead was exposed again.

"Look! She has another oversized forehead!"
"Oh! Lovely Sacchan!"

Kizashi's gentle words and Ami's mean comments overlap.

But why are bad words always more deeply rooted in people's hearts than good words?

Sakura tried to swallow the lump that would come out of her throat from time to time. It was very painful and difficult to swallow. She would only feel better when she cried, but no, she couldn't cry. She didn't want Otosan and Okaasan to know that their foreheads were hated, and she didn't want them to know that their girl who was left aside without anyone playing.

Outer, they love you and won't hate you, they won't leave you alone.

...I know.

Besides, if they are not here, I will accompany you.

Thank you, Inner.

.........

After coming to the park and waiting for her parents Kizashi and Mebuki to leave for work, Sakura immediately left the swing and ran into the deeper and farther woods to find yesterday's white-haired ghost.

She became eager to make friends.

"Hey! Big forehead! Let's play together!"

She wanted to make friends with the sheet ghost who was also lonely.

"What are you running for! Big forehead! Hey guys! Go and catch her!"

She ran and kept running. Sakura had never run so fast when she came out. She looked up anxiously to find the biggest tree. After finding the direction, she continued to run. She wanted to get rid of the smiling girls behind her. She had to run forward. After running, she had a friend!

Outer, stop.

Sakura following the words in her heart. She stopped steps and came to the place where she cried yesterday.

She saw the same tall tree. Its branches were very strong, and the arms of the four people seemed to be unable to surround it. Its branches and leaves were very dense and green. The whistling wind made the leaves rustle constantly, which sounded like saying 'Oh, hello! We meet again!'

There is also the creepy coldness and dampness that can cause goosebumps in the shade of the trees, coupled with the familiar cold wind coming to the face - could it be Hashi? Another invisible ghost yesterday?

But there are no white-haired ghosts here.

There are no a ghost,

No.

Why isn't he here? Inner?
Outer......

Doesn't he want to be friends with me?
Maybe……he hasn't come yet? After all, you didn't agree on the time and place yesterday with him?

"Hey! Big forehead! Where are you! When I find you, you will be finished--"

Sakura came back to her senses from her loss. Fear and fear controlled her body again. She panicked and looked around to see if there was a place to hide. There was only a tall tree here, and there was no open space nearby. There was no place to hide at all. She didn't want to run further. What if she got lost?

Tree! That tree!
You can hide on the tree! They won't see you!

Inner's words woke her up.

When she thought of doing it, she immediately ran to the tree, and then used her hands and feet and tried to climb up little by little. Kizashi once taught her so that Sakura could see the unique and beautiful scenery of konoha on the tree.

However, she climbed ordinary trees and never climbed such a tall tree in front of her.

When she was out of breath and finally ran to a main branch, Ami and other children happened to come, so Sakura quickly hid herself in the deeper leaves and curled up like begging. Oh, the leaves were really dense, which could completely block her bright pink hair, and the thick branches would not she made a creaky sound because of her own weight.

"Where on earth did the big forehead go!"

Sakura didn't want to listen, but she subconsciously covered her forehead with bangs again.

"Ami, why don't you invite her to play with you?"

"How can that ugly guy deserve to play with us! My mother said that her forehead is big!”
“Hm……Forget it, don't chase her, let her hide alone, and don't play with her! Go, go!"

Sakura was heartbroken. She realised that other children in the park would not play with her.

She noticed that the lump in front of her throat came up again. Every time she was sad, it was like this. Sakura had learned about it from a book in the library. The title of the book was ‘How Emotions Affected You’. She knew that when she was crying or scared, the glotty gates would open, making breathing faster, heartbeat faster, blood pressure rising, and out of control. Inhale more oxygen——

If it takes a long time, it may lead to thyroid nodules, plum nuclear gas and liver depression, pharyngitis and rhinitis...

Outer! Outer!
Do you think Hashi is here? Another invisible ghost?

Inner's anxious call made her finally notice the rustling leaves and the cold wind blowing from nowhere, which kept blowing on her face—Wind? Will there be wind inside the leaves?

Sakura carefully poked her head out of the leaves and found that only the leaves near her place would rustle, while the leaves on the other distant branches were not there. They didn't move, as if she was really the only cold wind here.

"Ha...Hashi?"
She asked with hope.

The feeling of familiar goose bumps came again.

Sakura suddenly became at a loss. She shrank back into the leaves, and her back was tightly attached to the strong branch. She didn't even want to cry. Although the throat lump was still there, the cold wind still continued to soothe her arms? she didn't know how to communicate with an invisible ghost, and only the white-haired ghost could see it.

That’s smart, Outer, You have found a way!
Inner?
You can turn around and let Hashi find the lonely old ghost!

But, will Hashi help? Is Hashi really here? Sakura was still worried that the cold wind around her was just her own illusion. She thought negatively: What if Hashi was the fantasy of the white-haired ghost? What if he exists like you? Inner? His solo crosstalk is very similar to ours.

Inner paused, Inner rarely hesitated.

Sakura continued to be depressed and silent. She put her chin in her knees.

She didn't cry. For some reason, she couldn't cry, and she couldn't feel any emotion, because her throat lump was gradually dissipating. At the same time, she could feel that the wind was no longer blowing, there was no chill, and everything around her became quiet in an instant. Sure enough, the existence of another ghost was just an illusion.

I still don't have any friends, Inner. I don't want to come to the park again.

...It's okay, Outer.

It's great that you're still here, Inner.

I know, Outer.

How do we explain to tosan and kaasan? I can't lie to them again today. I can't even lie to myself. Oh, I'm actually the ghost of the lonely sheets in the story, right? There is no friend, and the ghost does not exist at all. Yesterday may have been an illusion I imagined - is my brain sick?

I don't think so.

Sakura felt the wavering in Inner's voice.

I don't think so! Outer, what should we do all day today? Do you want to hide in the tree all the time?

No, Sakura doesn't want to stay on this tree, but it's too high, and suddenly it's terribly high. Just looking at it on the tree, her feet are already weak. What if she falls down by mistake when climbing down? Then she will have a concussion, cerebral loss of blood and a broken spine, and the hospital will ask for a high amount of treatment! How can she get to pay for the hard-working tosan and kaasan. In case, in case she die? Tosan and Kaasan will be very sad.

Sakura couldn't stop thinking nonsense, and tears began to roll in her eyes again. Even Inner couldn't stop her.

Outer——

"What are you doing?"

Ou——

Inner's voice suddenly stopped.

"So, you can't climb down from the tree?"

Sakura nodded slightly, was silent, and stared at Tobirama, (he finally introduced his name, no surname ), the white-haired ghost standing on the tree with his feet in front of him, and then the leaves around her began to rustle again, and the temperature dropped. Tobirama was confirmed that there really was an invisible ghost there, and it was his brother Hashi.

Inner is right. Hashi really found him.

"It's okay. I'll tell you how to climb down safely. It's not scary."

Tobirama's expressionless face, and his cold tone will make people think it's a very, very small thing.

Sakura felt that she was not so anxious. Seeing a ghost gave her a hard-won sense of security.

She watched Tobirama from sitting to standing up, and then walked down - WALK?

Sakura stared straight at the feet of the ghost Tobirama. Although it was translucent, the point was that the white-haired ghost was standing steadily on the tree, as if it was not a branch at his feet but on the ground. Can ghosts violate gravity? Wait, do ghosts have weight?

"How do you stand vertically on a tree?"

Sakura pointed curiously and found that the white-haired ghost was stiff for a moment. He looked down at his feet thoughtfully, as if he could not find a reasonable explanation for Sakura.

"Is it because you don't have weight? Can you feel gravity? Or it’s as light as air, so you can stand on the tree?"

Tobirama's expression still hasn't changed, but there are more things in his eyes that she can't understand.

"I did what I wanted to do. I used to be a shinobi. This is a habit that cannot be changed. Walking through trees with chakra can make us run around the forest conveniently and quickly."

Sakura's eyes lit up in an instant. She didn't notice that the ghost used the past tense, but caught the word that he was a shinobi - wow, A ghost who became a shinobi! could she take this opportunity to ask him how to extract and use chakra?

"Can I walk like you? To, Tobi, Tobira...ma-san?"

"...If you think my name is a little difficult to pronounce, Tobi is fine." The white-haired ghost put his hands on his chest and still patiently explained that for some reason, he didn't seem to be as aggressive as yesterday: "Your chakra is too small to walk on the tree, and then it needs a certain amount of chakra control. Climbing down is the best way."

Sakura looked at the distant ground and her feet were weak again. She was still not confident and even a little sceptical.

"You don't need to look at your feet. I'll tell you how to use your hands and feet."

Sakura chose to believe him.

She moved her body slowly, trying not to look down. Under the guidance of Tobirama, she grabbed the nearest branch, and then wrapped her feet around the tree. Her body was close to the bark to increase friction, and finally slowly slid down inch by inch.

Whenever she slid down a little, Tobirama also took a step down with her.

"How far is it?" Sakura asked tremblingly. She didn't dare to look at it.

"You just need to repeat this action ten times."

Tobirama measured the distance, and then continued to tell her not to scratch her fingers too hard, take her time and relax...

Sakura found that she liked the words he chose, not the vague words such as 'fast' or 'very close', but specific, and the data of the results could be observed, but is this true? Is it so fast? Then why did it take longer and effort for me to climb up? Am I really just one step away from the ground?

"Because gravity is down, you climb a tree against the direction of gravity, and the strength consumed by your muscles is much more physical than climbing down." Tobirama saw Sakura's doubt at a glance. No way, is her expression so easy to read?

"Well, this is the last time."

Sakura obeyed Tobirama's instructions. Strangely, it was like following Inner's words.

Hey! How can you trust him more than me? Outer?
No, no, sorry! Inner! that's not what I mean--

Sakura's feet finally touched the solid ground.

"Can I come to you again tomorrow? Tobi?"

At that moment, Sakura almost blurted out, then she quickly became withdrawn and cautious, because she felt that she seemed to leave a troublesome impression on the ghost in front of her.

But she wanted to insist on her decision, carefully repeating it.

"I, I want to be your friend? May I?" 

Tobirama didn't say anything, but Hashi seemed happy? Sakura looked at the tree she had climbed before, which was constantly swaying its branches and fallen leaves. The tree looked like it was dancing.

Tobirama did not show any refusal, Sakura assumed that he had acquiescence.

Chapter Text

5

Sakura finally made a friend, but Tobirama is not a typical friend.

"What do you want to play? Tobi?"

The pale ghost looked at her, with no emotion and squinted strangely.

Sakura was instantly nailed in place by his straightforward observation, curled her shoulders nervously. The ghost's strange sight line looked like she had a second head - no, she only had one head, and the atmosphere was awkward! She also wants to know how other people make friends? How should they get along happily? Why can the mean girl Ami have fun and be very comfortable with other children?

They are all the same age, Outer.

Under Inner's reminder, Sakura subconsciously kept her back straight.

She tried to raise her head to make up for the height gap between herself and the ghost, then blinked quickly. And tried to see through the transparent face of the ghost - this is the careful listening trick she learned from her own otosan Kizashi, okaasan Mebuki always poured out some heavy voices with him.

「Sacchan! If you want to hear the other party's sincere response, you need to be more patient.」

Her eyes began to move up, from the red scar on the ghost's chin to the red eyes. She waited for the ghost's answer with a little expectation, then got a small eyebrow from the other party, and a stiff expression.

Tobirama also lowered his head slightly. They looked at each other in bewilderment.

Tobirama is a very, very old and lonely ghost. He has white hair and a pair of sharp red eyes with vicissitudes of fatigue. He is so old that he refuses to reveal its age himself, but this contradicts his face without wrinkles. Therefore, Sakura had to hesitate repeatedly between the titles Tobi-san and Tobi-oji-san, finally chose to remove the suffix of honour.

Tobirama is her first friend. Friends should be equal.

"It's up to you to decide."

In front of a pair of bright innocent green, the ghost finally sighed silently and withdrew his choice, but this made Sakura distressed.

What does it mean to make friends with a ghost？

In the past days when Sakura didn't make friends, she used to secretly watch other children's play in the corner of the park, and then felt lonely, envious, confused and followed by a lump in her throat. She often imagined what kind of picture it would be like? if she had friends—Will the uncomfortable lumps dissipate?

The ghost was still awkwardly silent next to her, Sakura didn't feel a lump.

She felt creepy.

The reality is that, her ghost friend Tobi can't do the same thing as others, and even all the facilities in the park can't be used. Tobi has no way to push a swing for herself and let her fly to the high blue sky; Tobi can't build a sand castle with her on the ground, and she can't help the sand was handed to him like an hourglass. Tobi really couldn't touch anything, including the small wreath she made for him herself.

Sakura blinked doubtfully, the pale ghost remained as stiff as a stone.

She quietly gazed at the wreath which fell on the ground, at the same time, the ghost seemed to be guilty and embarrassed.

I thought he could wear it, just like the ghost in the story wearing sheets?

He said that he's not at first , Outer, he couldn't touch anything now.

"But why can Hashi move the leaves?"

Sakura curiously pointed to the tall tree next to her, which was constantly making a happy rustling sound. The crisp sound from the trunk and bark seemed to be showing off - she could see that the ghost's pale face in front of her quickly turned black, and his expression was as ruthless, but his clenched fingers were making a throbbing squeaking bone sound, it’s like the old man who lived in the neighbor next door, he also made such an uneasy sound when he stretched his waist.

"That's a tree which my brother planted with chakra. It has some senses that can convey some of his emotions."
Tobirama's bland explanation and the timely whistling wind sound of the trees aroused Sakura's curiosity.

"Can you do it? Tobi?"

To her frustration, the ghost shook his head.

Sakura touched her chin and thought - she was planning whether to go to the market to buy a small seedling, or a simple small potted plant. Then Tobi can planted it with Chakra? And there is another way for them to interact. She asked Inner to move it to one of the to-do lists later, so that she would not forget.

Besides, I also want to plant trees. It's cool!
You are only four, Outer, not a Shinobi.

But we will do it! Inner!
...Well, let's try it together.

Sakura made up her mind in her heart.

She bent down, picked up the blue wreath which had fallen to the ground and put it on. However, this was originally a customised size for her friend Tobi, so the wreath on her head quickly turned into a wreath on her neck. After that, Sakura gave the ghost a comforting smile - it doesn't matter. She will continue to find a suitable way for her to play with Tobi. She wants to cherish this hard-earned friendship. The ghost is her only friend in the park full of children.

A big tree behind her which seemed to be dissatisfied with being ignored,  its drooping leaves became more listless.

"Of course! Hashi! You are also my good friend!"

Sakura immediately gave it a big hug, and the leaves became energetic again. She decided to play on the top of the tree every day, This will be the best secret base of the three of them. She not only can interact with Hashi's leaves in the process of playing with Tobi, but also can Ami no longer find herself and laugh at her big forehead.

"Tobi? I want to walk like you, can you teach me?"
"Tobi, can we play ‘You Ask Me and Answer Guess Boxing’ today? If you lose, you have to answer a question."
"Tobi! Do you like reading, too?  Can we go to the library next time?"

"Tobi......Oh？Hashi?"

Sakura came to the park every day, but she still couldn't learn to walk the tree. Because Tobi didn't give in, he said she needed to meditate and exercise to accumulate chakra first, so she climbed the tree every day, and climbed to the top to watch the sun of Konoha. Another truly transparent and invisible ghost friend Hashi was staying there, who was Swaying leaves to welcome her.

She sat alone in the tree crown and staggered the play dynamics of other children under the tree. She tirelessly repeated the 'stone, scissors, cloth' guessing game with the ghost. The winner could ask a random question, while the loser had to answer a question - Sakura satisfied her curiosity about ghost in this way. She and he are getting more and more familiar.

Tobirama is a knowledgable and versatile old ghost, he is great!

He doesn't deserve to be lonely.

Sakura likes reading, Tobi is the same. Sakura likes to observe things around her than ask several questions, Tobi will seriously answer her curiosity one after another. If Sakura wants to know more about the origin and development of the Shinobi clan, Tobi will really introduce Konoha every clan’s story for her in detail—

"The blonde girl comes from the Yamanaka clan, which can bring flowers and poison technology. Their family ninjutsu is related to the mind, so most of the Yamanaka clan will engage in psychological counselling and confidential interrogation business."

She hid on the top of the tree ,  peeked at the yamanaka girl below - she was quarrelling with Ami, then threw the poisonous but not deadly flower accurately into her mean mouth.

The mean girl is finally quiet!
Yamanaka is so strong and confident. Sakura saw that Ami ran away from the other children.

"The boy lying down and watching the clouds nearby is Nara. Most of Naras are very smart, which allows them to act as strategists and captains in the Shinobi team. Their family ninjutsu is related to shadows. The boy sitting next to him is Akimichi, and the family ninjutsu can make the body huge."

"The Nara clan brought deer and forest herbs, and the Akimichi clan brought a variety of delicious recipes."

Sakura looked at the lazy Nara boy and the Akimichi boy who was eating potato chips. They interacted with the Yamanaka girl, the three seemed to be good friends with each other.

"Ino-shika-cho is a typical Shinobi team match. When they grow up, they will become a trustworthy partner behind each other in the future."

Sakura saw that the Nara boy continued to lie back on the grass to sleep, and the Yamanaka girl seemed to be stomping her feet in anger because of his laziness.

"You know a lot! So many! Tobi! How did you know?"
"...There are history books in the library, which record every detail of the establishment of Konoha.”
"Wow..... then how about we go to the library tomorrow? "

"That is——"

Before he finished speaking, the leaves above their heads suddenly rustled rhythmically, and then shook off a large area of leaves and branches in anger, which were not as gentle as usual - It is strange, Does Hashi have anything to say? Why is Tobi's expression more disgusted? And there is still a hint of pride in it?

Without any hesitation, Tobirama decisively finished the answer to her.

"OK."

Then more and more leaves fell on Sakura’s pink hair.

Today, Kizashi and Mebuki found that a little cherry blossoms who had just returned home were particularly excited. There were several undiscovered leaves on her head, and she looked like she was having a good time with her friends.

Just as Mebuki picked out the leaves in her hair for her, Sakura made a new request.

"Tosan! Kaasan! “
”Can I go to the library tomorrow?"

Kizashi was shocked when he heard her words. His body shook so exaggeratedly that he was almost unsteady. At the same time, his mouth muttered incredibly intermittently - this would start from a certain day, about a week ago, their precious little daughter Haruno Sakura began to change! They try their best to keep up with this pace of change.

Kizashi can't be sure whether this is a good or bad sign of growth.

Sakura doesn't turn on the light anymore when she sleeps. She is not afraid of the dark.
She took the initiative to go to the park. She said that she had made friends.
She is getting happier and happier, The smile replaced the sadness on her face.  

Her's back is gradually straightened, and her manners are slowly getting better--

For the last change, Kizashi was very, very puzzled. He had talked to Mebuki several times in private, guessing whether their little cherry blossoms had met a clan heir child? Because before Sakura was born, he saw many pregnant women during Mebuki's pregnancy, whether between the Shinobi clan or the civilians.

For this significant change, he will start with the Namikaze-Uzumaki family.

At that time, the Third World War had just ended, Konoha's village had just been calmed down, but kirigakure was a little restless, especially the wild three-tails Biju swaying everywhere, and coupled with the tight political high-level situation - therefore, Mebuki, under the strong recommendation of her brother, who decided to immigrate to a safer Konoha life with Kizashi. In order to avoid the risk of death of civilians being dragged into the war.

At first, immigration was a little bumpy.
Some Konoha shinobi don't like Kiri very much.

But they still began to take root in konoha, and start a business to run the Haruno store.

Kizashi finally ended his career as a wandering merchant. From the country of iron, the country of tea, the country of snow, the country of waves, he married Mebuki in Kirigakure, and finally returned to settle in Konoha to nurture a new future little life together - Their little Sakura.

Before Mebuki was pregnant, Konoha's Hokage was Yondaime.

After Mebuki was just pregnant, Kizashi accompanied her to the hospital for an obstetric examination, and then found that the hospital was busier than usual. In the process of waiting in line for the doctor's examination, they chatted a little with other staff. Finally, they realised that it was Hokage's wife who was pregnant.

Namikaze Minato is the most popular and supported Hokage. The important point is that he is a commoner. So There are many commoner couples who worship him, and want their children to be born in the same year as hokage's children. On the other hand, there may also be a political influence here, because the Shinobi clan also appeared many pregnant women.

But Kizashi and Mebuki didn't care. There was only a little life in their hearts that had not yet been born.

"We promise."
"We will give her the best."

So, Haruno Sakura came to their side crying on March 28th - kami, who is still a little angel with pink hair and green eyes! Before that, Hokage's son Namikaze Naruto was born on October 10 last year, and almost the whole Konoha knew his birthday.

From now on, the stable peace has continued to this day.

Today, Kizashi is quietly watching Sakura, who is concentrating on reading Konoha’s history book. Recently, she doesn't often go to the park but goes to the library, and borrows books which can fill a whole cart. At first, he was a little worried  Sakura would not finish reading and could not return the books within the time limit, but his worries It soon dissipated, and has become a bigger, more complex sweet burden, kami.

Their daughter is a precocious little genius.
She is only four! She can read a lot of books!

She even asked what immunoglobulin A was - Many adults can't read this word!

Mebuki was very emotional about this, she said that children always grow up in an instant in the blink of an eye. On the one hand, they were all proud of Sakura's sensible and early wisdom. They soon fell in love with the cute and curious forehead. On the other hand, as a novice couple, they were also busy, for beginning to contact and consult, Asking for more suggestions, just to make simply all the plans for Sakura's future.

"Sacchan? What do you want to do in the future?"

Kizashi had asked her seriously many times, and the answer he got was from 'I don't know' at the first, it quickly became 'flying birds and fish swimming in water,' then there were tailor, farmer, blacksmith,  doctor, businessmen. He still remembered last answer was 'a strong and sharp-toothed woman as Okaasan' - she even overcame the bitter toothpaste, brush her teeth diligently every day.

Now, she wants to be 'a Shinobi who can plant trees' ?

“Tosan! Kaasan! Can I plant trees in the backyard?”

Kizashi was very very confused. He accompanied his precious daughter to the mall. When he came back, he was still confused with a small seedling. Sakura planted it in the backyard very carefully, and murmured to herself that she wouldn't have to go to the park in the future? Why doesn’t she want to go to the park? Why dose she want to become a Shinobi who can plant trees?

After hearing this, Mebuki expressed her concern. According to this development trend, she was worried that Sakura's answer would suddenly become Godaime Hokage one day, because the only a Shinobi that can plant trees is Shodaime.

.........Godaime.....
...Hokage?

In fact, this is possible?

Kizashi’s fantasy is reasonable, because Namikaze Minato is also a civilian-born Shinobi. He happens to know a friend of a Namikaze who can make delicious bread.

Kizashi and Mebuki sighed silently together.

Kami, it's really a huge sweet burden for every parent, isn't it? In any case, they will keep their vows - to give her the best everything possible, as long as Sakura can grow up happily. Mebuki had previously expressed concerns about their daughter's experience in the park, as Sakura became less confident and didn't want to go to the park. She didn't want to cut off her long bangs, even said she wanted to look as cool as Kaasan's hairstyle?

Mebuki knew at a glance that Sakura hadn't spoken the truth.

“Do you want to try Tosan's hairstyle? Sachan! I guarantee this is cooler than Kaasan.” Kizashi couldn't help but tease her, Imagine if the cute Sakura had a cherry blossom hairstyle——

“No!”

Oh, Kizashi's heart was hurt. He pretended to faint on the sofa in exchange for the pleasant laughter of Sakura and Mebuki.

Now, Sakura is the happiest, and this is the most important thing. They are very happy that their little cherry blossoms have made friends. Mebuki said at the dining table that she can invite friends to come and play at home, Sakura nodded.

"Tosan! Kaasan!"
"This is Tobi-san and Hashi-san!"

Little Sakura, who is about to be five years old, ran over and excitedly introduced her best friends.

Kizashi and Mebuki greeted their daughter's doll friends seriously - at the same time, they also wondered why Sakura didn't invite her good friends in the park to their home, but they didn't think much and didn't urge her. They just wanted her to have a happy childhood.

"Hello, Tobi-san, Hashi-san."
"Welcome to the Haruno family!"

They solemnly held the hands of the dolls,  swayed them up and down.

They were all strangely familiar with the names chosen by Sakura's rabbit dolls and tree dolls.

"I'm not a tree! I just can moukuton!"

"Tobi, why didn't you tell her--"

Leaving aside the rabbit Tobi-san, the reason why Sakura chose to be a tree doll to refer to Hashi-san is that — she used to really think that Senju Hashirama was a soulful tree.

"Tobiiiiiiii—!!!”

The white haired ghost quickly gave his older brother, who was growing mushrooms in frustration in the corner, a sharp look and said, 'What's the big deal? Don't complain it.' His own image is still a cute little red eyed white rabbit. Besides, it was handmade by Sakura, Hashirama cannot complain.

”When will she be able to see me?”

Senju Hashirama has been persistently interacting with Sakura. Since she was able to see Tobi but couldn't see himself , he started saying hello with his loudest voice every day, gently patting her pink head, curiously poking her cute and chubby cheeks with his transparent hand. Eventually, he received a warning look of murder from his brother Tobirama.

“She can't see you, Hashirama, you might as well be a tree. ”
“Tobi! I also want to talk with Sakura-chan! ”

No one can see ghosts, no one can take away ghosts, they are lonely and confused existence , they have stubbornly stayed on this land for more than fifty years.

Over the past fifty years, Hashirama has seen some old ghosts leave without reason, perhaps to the Pure Land or Hell, and he has also seen some new ghosts arrive unsurprisingly, exchanging pleasantries with each other, then finally continuing to follow every sad living person - this is the obsession that ghosts cannot let go of in their lifetime.

“I don't know how Tsunade is doing? Mito often asks me. ”

“Dan and Nawaki are accompanying her. ”

Gato Dan and Senju Nawaki were Tsunade's fiance and younger brother, respectively. They had already died in the third war and chose to leave Konoha, they were silently following the Slug Princess who suffered from phobias and war psychological trauma,  constantly traveled and gambled around. Hashirama cannot give his wife Mito an accurate answer about whether Tsunade will return to Konoha. Their granddaughter has already gone through too much and needs time to heal.

If asked Hashirama what his obsession is, it could be his unsettling granddaughter, and the future of Konoha.

If asked what Tobirama's obsession is, it could be a student who has taken the wrong path, as well as the future of Tsunade and Konoha.

Now, these two ghosts have a new obsession.

Sakura was the first person, who came into contact with their existence in fifty years.

Unlike Tobirama's instantly tense state, Hashirama's eyes were filled with excitement and curiosity, and his mind screamed like a ghost in the story: Ah! Someone can see us now! It's a living person! It's a living person! She also is a very cute little fairy, maybe she can find Tsunade who has been wandering outside——

Tobirama needed quiet thinking, so he drifted away, while Hashirama waited in the park for a day.

Ghosts have no sense of time, ghosts have unimaginable patience. It's only one night, dawn and dusk come one after another. Hashirama finally saw the pink haired fairy running over panting — Sakura was confused and staring at a tree which he had planted before, looking around for his brother Tobi.

She climbed up the tree, Hashirama with her and heard other children's harsh words together.

He also heard Sakura's heartbroken voice, the sensitive tree already sensed her sadness.

Hashirama tried to comfort her by touching her, but Sakura looked up in confusion at his clumsy embrace.

“Ha，Hashi？”
She knows him! She can perceive himself!

The leaves above his head rustled with excitement.

But soon, the leaves became quiet quickly, Hashirama listened to the gentle whispers of the trees in confusion - Sakura was still very sad, her green eyes were almost teary, her mouth was pursed into a line and kept trembling, which made him panic. Hashirama flew over in almost a second and found Tobirama.

Tobirama couldn't stand his loud voice. There's no other way, the ghosts that can't be touched only have monotonous verbal interactions.

Sakura stopped the accumulation of tears, after seeing Tobirama.

Hashirama saw the cute interaction between his brother and the fairy beside him.

“Hurry up! agree to her, Tobi!”
“Why aren't you saying anything?”
“Oh no, don't refuse, because we are all old and lonely ghosts, and we really need a cute pink haired fairy friend! ”

Tobirama turned his head, firmly ignored him.

Fortunately, he didn't refuse, Hashirama knew that his brother Tobi couldn't stand the cute green puppy's gaze either. Silence was his answer, Sakura accepted it and came over every day. However, she could only see Tobi, so Hashirama had to cheer loudly almost every day to make Sakura notice her.

“Hashi! You are also my friend! ”

Sakura hugged the tree he planted before his death - Kami. How could she be so cute? Her small embrace only hugged one-fifth of the thick tree, Sakura still tried to express her appreciation for friendship.

When stiff Tobirama couldn't respond to Sakura's wreath, Hashirama did.

He kept urging the tree to shake off more leaves, let them fall on Sakura's head, while his brother beside him had already killed him ten thousand times with a very angry red gaze.

“Hashi, you've been dead for fifty years, why can't you mature a bit? ”

“Because we're all dead, Tobi. ”

“This is not a reason, you must treat this matter rationally! No one has ever owned a kekkei genkai who can see ghosts before! This is unusual! She even thought our existence was as normal as human existence, a ghost of a sheet! ”

“Look! Tobi! She is making me a tree doll! ”

“Are you listening?”
“What did you say?”

...Tobirama took a deep breath, gave up, he helplessly closed his eyes. And his hand gripped the bridge of his nose - although ghosts don't need to breathe, they really can't let go of their past as humans, they need use these habits to express their emotions.

Beside she, Hashirama felt alive, he believed Tobirama felt the same way.

“Oh? Hello? Who are you?”
“Why are you wearing the same armor as Tobi?”

Finally one day, Sakura saw him.

“Hey! Sakura! I am Hashi! Senju Hashirama！ ”
“You can see me and Tobi every day on that rocky mountain! ”

But when he saw a little girl, who was only four years old , suddenly daydream and fall into the same flashback as his granddaughter Tsunade, Senju Hashirama felt for the first time that he would be sent to hell by his brother.

Tobi will kill him.

Chapter Text

6

Uchiha Obito was late again.

“I’m Sorry! Minato-sensei! ”

“I ran into a lost little girl on the road! Now she has now been safely sent home.”

His busy day began at six o'clock in the morning, ever since the face of the brown haired girl in his dream became increasingly blurry, her voice also became more and more empty, when her kind features began to be replaced by pitch black, there was a large hole in her chest, however, Obito could no longer sleep, he lifted the wet bedding and immediately jumped out.

It seems that his back is covered in blood instead of sweat.

He took a shower, brushed teeth, washed face, finally opened the refrigerator, then prepared a few eggs to make thick egg stew and miso soup. He didn't specifically learn cooking - he learned it without a teacher. Uchiha's kekkei genkai is very convenient, as he just needs to stare and copy all the movements and processes. Since he first awakened his Sharingan and was able to do so, Bakashi later sneaked into a restaurant to observe how to make salted grilled saury.

Hatake Kakashi, He lost his left eye in the war.

Obito gave him his an eye as a gift.

He paused, silently breaking the egg, quickly mixing it with chopsticks, adding some salt and sugar for seasoning, and  pouring it into the heated square kitchen utensil - something he had never intended to do before, after realizing he would die.

Six years ago, Obito’s team was commissioned to destroy the kannabi Bridge. He was crushed by a giant rock and his life was in critical condition. He thought he would die, so he asked Rin to transplant his an eye onto Kakashi.

Rin……

His right half of his body was almost completely destroyed, he was crushed by a huge rock and couldn't move. He couldn't feel anything, couldn't lift his hands, couldn't move his toes, his spine must have been damaged, including breathing, which was so difficult. His lungs were also pierced by ribs, and the thick dust almost isolated his entire skin. The pain also hindered his nerves and touch, and his brain kept shouting to him: 'You're dying!'! You're almost dead!’

“Obito! Don't die! ”

But he still felt the warmth of Rin's tears clearly.

The gogok in his red Sharingan spun rapidly, recalling Nohara Rin's crying face for him.

Rin…Rin……
I miss you so much.

The memory abruptly came to an end, because Obito could no longer see anything. Anyway, he only remembered a pair of very, very gentle hands reaching into his an eye socket. The girl's delicate fingers were carefully wrapping around his an eyeball, he felt the nerves and flesh of his an eye being quickly cut off. Then he felt a strange pulling sensation, his favorite girl painlessly dug it away.

Rin... she always makes gentle decisions like this…

Finally, Kakashi reluctantly accepted his gift, that Baka.

Oh, no an Uchiha would do this, no an Uchiha would easily leave important eyes to outsiders. Their eyes are a precious heritage of the clan and the foundation for political power in Konoha Nin Village. Think about it, if a foreigner Hatake could use Uchiha's an eye? So some senior members of Konoha's parliament will definitely not hesitate to issue orders to exterminate the entire Uchiha clan, after noticing their coup intentions.

Obito, who woke up from a long surgery and coma, saw Fugaku-oji-san's serious face at first sight. It took his brain a long time to realize the delayed pain.

"You, are you dead too? Oji-san?"
“I’m not, Obito, you're still alive. ”

His uncle almost spoke in a tone of indifference, as hating the iron that cannot be made into steel.

Uchiha Fugaku can understand Hyuga's caged bird approach. He knows that the interests of the clan are absolutely higher than those of the individual. And protecting the Uchihas’ Kekkei Genkai can definitely give the whole clan more initiative. However, he will not use that seal to separate his family - until Obito suddenly gave it to Hatake as a surprise gift.

What does a Hatake with Sharingan prove?

Prove that Uchihas can be replaced.

Hatake was very aware of this. He almost stood outside the operating room every day. For begging the doctor to replace his left eye, but the doctor said he had to follow the patient's wishes - Obito refused to have his eyes back, that was originally his last wish, and it also was difficult to transplant back, which greatly increased the risk of death and infection. After hearing that sentence, Hatake immediately stumbled back, he stood in the cold corridor for the whole day. He finally fainted due to chakra exhaustion.

“I will talk to the elder.”

Chief Uchiha ultimately chose to respect his decision. Because of this, Obito still feels guilty for adding pressure to Fugaku-Oji-san's tense shoulders.

He couldn't help but let out a long sigh, turned off the fire, and a thick egg stew with a perfect shape finally came out fresh and hot - he told Itachi and Shisui the usage of the Sharingan for cooking. The two children, who were raised as young soldiers, never thought that Sharingan could do this. They were shocked and didn't even realize why Mikoto-oba-san, who used to be an Anbu, would make all the dishes. What? Do they think all mothers in the world are born skilled at cooking?

However, Uchiha Mikoto does enjoy cooking. Since her retirement and marriage to Fugaku-oji-san, during her pregnancy, she often studied cooking with Hokage's wife, who is also her best friend. Oh, by the way, Itachi also worked hard later and wanted to fry a perfect poached egg for Sasuke, the little brat.

Obito skillfully picked up the knife, evenly divided the thick egg into several pieces, nodding in satisfaction with the perfect distance and thickness.

The knife is a weapon for killing, the knife is also a tool for saving people.

He returned from the battlefield for the first time and was covered in blood and dust. There was a short period of duration when he dared not hold a knife or a weapon, occasionally he would vomit when he smelled the smell of blood.

At that time, he cried uncontrollably. Shinobi was a tool for killing, Shinobi should not shed tears. However, he cowered in an empty corner of the room, trembling and trembling. After the crying stopped, he walked out and let the other Uchihas see his red eyes - whether it was awakened Sharingan or bloodshot whites. Obito once hoped they could say something, because the wet tears on his cheeks had not yet dried up.

But no one will say anything.

No one will blame him, no one will angrily curse him. On the contrary, his Uchiha clansman only have silent proud gazes and suffocating sympathetic eyes, ignoring his tears and saying: 'Oh, congratulations, Uchiha Obito, you are now a qualified Konoha Shinobi, you are no longer a Uchiha waste without Sharingan.' His Uchiha relatives who are related by blood have not supported anything.

On the contrary, his teammates have supported a lot, such as Rin and Bakashi, one of whom is Nohara, and the other is Hatake.

…….Rin…

After truly becoming Shinobi, Obito cried again. Killing made his soul feel incomplete, but it was also a complex pride like Sharingan, half happy and half painful, because he had the ability to protect his teammates, his the most important friends and companions. So tears have no advantage on the battlefield, enemies will not give you a chance to escape because of this.

He took off his goggles, wiped away his tears, ate the celebration dinner that Minato-sensei had arranged for him. Yile Ramen was really delicious, and he liked the taste enhancing food best. During the meal, he and Rin still failed to see the face under Bakashi's mask, they still did not know whether Minato-sensei had seen it.

Rin……

At that brief moment, Nohara Rin was still alive.

Shinobi should have been a ruthless tool, Shinobi should have been no different from a knife.

But Obito washed the knife clean, he carefully put it back in its original place. He buried his head in the delicious thick egg stew and miso soup which he had made himself - well, next time he can try adding more salt, good, the temperature is just right.

Cooking made him feel alive as a person, not as a killing tool holding a weapon, and holding a knife made him feel the preciousness of life again, not the heavy fear of blood.

Instead of assassinating or cutting the throats of different people with a knife, Obito actually prefers to use knives on various ingredients, and cooking has become his new hobby. When sending Itachi and Shishui home, he was always asked by Fugaku-oji-san to stay for dinner (actually a small secret room conversation between the two), and then went to the kitchen to help Mikoto-oba-san handle the ingredients.

Sometimes he goes to Minato-sensei's house to wear the same apron.

Uzumaki Kushina is busy with more village protection seals and seal drawing work, coupled with the constantly mischievous four year old Naruto - oh, Naruto is so lively, he often plays pranks, even Sasuke has never done this before! Who dares to anger the mothers? In short, Kushina is too tired, and the child has almost absorbed all of her strength. Therefore, Minato-sensei, who has free time, will help her with some household chores, and he also enjoys cooking.

It's hard to imagine, isn't it? The fourth Hokage, Yellow Flash, who once coldly killed hundreds or thousands of people in the Third Ninja War, is actually a gentle and fragrant family husband?

“Obito! I have a new recipe! Choza told me! Do you want to learn tomorrow? ”
“Hai，Minato-sensei。”

Namikaze Minato is very powerful. He is the most popular Hokage of all time, even surpassing Sandaime's favorite student Orochimaru and councilor Shimura Danzou in fame. He knows almost everything, even though he doesn't have Sharingan, he has an unknown culinary talent - although he is always humble and shakes his head to indicate that it's nothing, saying that he just learned everything from his ordinary family who make bread.

“How about calling Kakashi over tomorrow night? Don't be late together. ”
“Hai，Minato-sensei。”

He quickly filled his stomach with breakfast, tidied up his dishes, and prepared to go out to the mission desk to receive some single D-level tasks, take care of some elderly people in need, then go to the Yamanaka flower shop, and finally stay at the memorial monument with Hatake Kakashi for a while. In the evening, he will fulfill the cooking agreement he made with Hokage-sama yesterday.

Rin………

“Ok! Tobi is leaving!”

He rallied his spirits, tried his best to abide by the agreement.

Sakura almost broke the agreement.

She felt very cold now, very cold. This familiar and goosebumps of cold reminded her of the embrace of her ghost friends Tobi and Hashi, but she couldn't find their figures in her sight. There was nothing in front of her, only a strange and silent darkness, strange? Why didn't she see anything? It's dark and cold here. Although she felt at ease, loneliness made her want to leave.

This is a little dark room, a place where can replay your memories.

Sakura blinked, and looked back at her voice. She saw a four year old girl with pink hair and green eyes just like her.

“Another... me?”

Who else could it be?

Sakura saw another cheerful smile on her face, a tiger tooth smile similar to Kaasan Mebuki's. She crossed her hand over her waist, straightened her back, and made a graceful hair shake movement similar to the previous Yamanaka blonde girl. Then her pink bangs were all combed to both sides of her cheeks, revealing a beautiful and smooth forehead with the word 'Inner' engraved on it - her inner self seemed bolder and more confident than her appearance. This is the ideal that Sakura wants to be.

You will do it, Outer. 

Her Inner smiled, gently hugged her, holding up her hand and cheering for a moment, then without hesitation, grabbed her hand and walked towards a dark direction.

“Where are we going, Inner? ”

Sakura did not resist Inner's sudden hand holding gesture, only had doubts. She has always believed in and followed her Inner, because Inner has been guarding her and considering her.

You've been triggered to flashback, Outer. I'm going to take you out. I've been watching you immerse yourself in Ami's harsh words and sad memories just now - to be honest, she's just an unworthy little bitch (a word Sakura heard from Kaasan Mebuki) , so there's no need to keep her in your heart, okay? I really can't take it anymore. Every time I have to kick out her words repeatedly, like this!

Her Inner made a cool mid air kick, showing impatience with Ami's memory.

Sakura couldn't help but chuckle as she watched, The corners of her mouth became more and more curved, then she felt moved and satisfied.

“Thank you, Inner. ”

I Know, Outer。

Inner continued to hold her hand tightly, Sakura noticed that the darkness around her began to take on color and shape. In the darkness, more and more intangible things became tangible, such as a tatami under her feet and a pitch black night above her head. Then, Inner led her around a familiar rocking chair furniture, but she walked very quickly. As she passed by, the rocking chair quietly changed its position, as if it had come to life, and finally kept shaking in the direction they left, which was very eerie and creepy.

“Is this……my memory?”

She looked at the rocking chair that was shaking without anyone, feeling very familiar. There should be someone sitting on it - who was it? Why can't she remember?

Inner, who could hear these constantly questioning thoughts, unconsciously slowed down his pace.

“What happened?”

Sakura noticed something unusual and couldn't help but ask Inner, her hand touched the nervous sweat - Inner was still holding her.

That's something you wanted to forget before, Outer。

Inner didn't turn back, but the grip of the hand became tighter and tighter.

“Is it a painful memory?”

Yes, you have lost your grandmother.

“But I don't want to forget my grandmother.”

Yes, you haven't, what you want to forget is death.

…... death?

Sakura finally stopped walking in the darkness, and at the same time Inner, who sensed her latest thoughts, also stopped. At the other same moment, shadows even darker than the darkness appeared under their feet, constantly elongating and elongating—— “What have I forgotten? Inner?” She couldn't help but ask herself.

Inner remained silent, her head slowly turning around with a hesitant and worried expression.

In a period of unresponsive silence, the constantly elongated shadow under her feet finally reached the rocking chair behind her. The swaying wooden rocking chair abruptly stopped due to the sudden invisible weight, and then quickly let out a piercing sigh, which scared Sakura. She could have been scared and quickly hid behind her other self, while Inner immediately hugged her tightly, constantly caressing her back to make her feel at ease.

It's okay, it's okay, Outer.

Grandma promised to protect us, and I will protect you too.

While Inner comforted, the shadow on the rocking chair also stood up stiffly and slowly.

At that moment, Inner decisively placed hand in front of her face and urged her to close eyes quickly, but Sakura still saw the true features of the slender shadow through the gaps in her fingers. What was that? A white mask? What kind of shadow carries a cold and indifferent noumen?

That's death, Outer, you can't accept it yet.

Go back, I will help stop it.

“Death? Have I ever seen death? But my grandma——“

Go back, Outer！

“SAKURA！”

The darkness in front of her was finally cleared away, five senses and light returned.

Firstly, Sakura was acutely aware that the first thing to come back was the tactile sensation. Her shoulders and back of her head sensed the chilling coldness and intangible yet elusive weight of the ghost; Next was hearing, with the urgent call of ghosts Tobirama and Hashirama's huge ethereal voice lingering in her ears - Oh my god, the sound is really loud, that’s why Tobi's neck and temples inexplicably protrude blood vessels every time.

"How are you? Is there any discomfort?"

"I, I'm fine, Tobi..."

“Do you know me?”

This is another unfamiliar voice.

Sakura suddenly widened her eyes, and the light stung her pupils, causing them to shed tears.

Her sense of smell came back first than her sight. There was no scent on the ghost, but she smelled the same faint oil fume aroma as Okaasan, which was very familiar. Yes, she remembered that this was the same scent on her own Kaasan Mebuki every time she made sweet flavored thick egg stew and miso soup. This was the breakfast aroma that could only be smelled when she asked for a hug and leaned in her shoulder.

“Hmm? Are you using a sniffer to smell me, Puppy?”

The unfamiliar voice laughed, his deep voice was not as ethereal as a ghost's.

Her vision was the slowest to come back, her tightly closed eyes needed time to readjust to the glaring light and tears. Sakura quickly reached out to wipe it away, but when her blurry eyes finally focused on what was in front of her, she stiffened in place again, realizing that her tears had wet a Shinobi's shoulder vest in front of her, leaving a small light colored mark.

“Do you need help, kid?”
“Don't worry, I'm not a bad person, I'm a police officer.”
“My name is Obito! Who will arrive on time wherever anyone needs help! ”

“Uchiha。”

Sakura accidentally caught sight of her ghost Tobirama slowly squinting his eyes, standing up nervously, with serious eyes as if staring at a dazzling time bomb. Hashirama beside her also stopped making a fuss and pointed at him with a surprised finger, saying, 'Ah, it's him!'! It's the child that Madara wanted to brainwash and manipulate before! Mito often mentions him!‘

“Is there anything behind me? Puppy?”

The Uchiha police in front of her watched her gently and patiently, with some shrewd observations hidden deep in his worried gaze.

Sakura quickly withdrew her gaze from the interesting reactions of the ghosts in a panic, and looked back at Shinobi who was caring about her - then she was stunned and couldn't help but feel confused, she felt curious about his half face scar and black eye mask.

“No, no, thank you, Shinobi-san? ”

She chose not to call him the name he provided.

“So, are you lost? Little puppy? Where is your home? How about I take you back?”

Sakura doesn't understand why he keeps calling herself 'Puppy' - she just couldn't help but sniff it with her nose! really Can she hold back her tears by burying her head in his shoulder before? That would suffocate! She didn't just smell other people's puppies everywhere, and as soon as she smelled them, she felt a little homesick. Suddenly, she wanted to go home and eat Kaasan Mebuki's food and return to Tousan Kizashi's embrace.

“Wait, did I cry?”

“I also want to ask it. Little puppy.”

Obito was amused by her reaction, he couldn't help but mess up her pink hair with his hands. “Hmm? Pinky? Seriously? ”

“Why do you always give me nicknames, Shinobi-san. ”

“Oh, sorry, sorry! Because your hair color is very unique and beautiful!”

Sakura hesitated and looked up, unable to confirm if this was Obito's sincere words.

“Thank you? Shinobi-san. ”

“No need to ‘thank you’, little elf.”

Obito changed his name casually again, placed his hand on lap and crouched down, looking at her at the same level. This made Sakura panic and take a step back, until her back touched the cold air behind her before calming down. It turned out that her ghost Tobi had placed one hand on her shoulder, while the other ghost Hashi was accustomed to placing his hand on top of her hair - Familiar tremble, she bet Hashi did it every day.

“Do you need help? Kid.”

Sakura shook her head.

“But you cried on my shoulder for ten minutes.”

She was shocked, incredulous as she looked at the visible facial tears on the other person's shoulder. Her face slowly turned red, and the ghosts came out in time to remind her to remember to breathe —— Ten minutes?? Did I cry for ten minutes?! She immediately buried her head shyly under the gaze of the other person - Kami? Am I really crying on a police’s vest?! Why don't I have any memory?

You were triggered to flash back, Outer.

Inner's reassuring voice has finally returned.

Do you remember? You can see Hashi now, then he suddenly tells you they are Hokages on the rocks, and with a bang! You have returned to the memories of our first meeting with Tobirama and Hashirama——

“Hey, kid, are you still listening - puppy? Fairy? Elf? Pinky? ”

Who is this guy? Why did he give you so many nicknames!

“Are you sure you don't need any help?”

“Sorry! Well, I was listening! I don't need it.” Sakura shrank her head and explained her distraction.“Uh, my, my name is Haruno Sakura, Shinobi-san, Not a puppy, not a fairy, not an elf or Pinky, so…that’s why I didn't know you were calling me. ”

“Oh! "He suddenly realized.

“Haruno? Are you a Haruno? So do you know Mebuki-oba-san? She is truly a skilled tailor! Some of the Uchihas I know are her customers, and many elderly people use her sturdy handmade shopping bags. I also have them! Because buying groceries is really convenient, wait, wait a minute! You're not her daughter, are you? Right?”

He talks too much!

Faced with a sudden barrage of words, Sakura could only nod in confusion.

“Let me take you home. Little cherry blossom!”

Obito, who chattered incessantly, still gave her a new nickname.

Different from Uchiha, who has always been over enthusiastic about talking, Sakura has been worried about the silent ghosts following behind. She has turned her head several times secretly. Her friend Tobi has not said a word since just now. Hashi is eager to talk to her, but every time he wants to communicate, he will be interrupted by Tobi's fierce eyes.

The poor ghost Hashirama, his negative emotions soon affected the nearest tree nearby, the branches and leaves of the tree fell down one after another, leaving several withering leaves.

Sakura just realized that was Hashirama's silent interaction with her before.

"That tree is a bit strange, isn't it?"

"Ah?"

She didn't have time to take back her worry about the ghosts Hashi and Tobi. She didn't expect that Obito was much sharper than her parents, then was flustered for a while - take it easy, Outer.

"Can you... See that?"

She asked vaguely. The fingers not only refer to trees, but also to ghosts.

"It's more about feeling than seeing." Obito held his chin and closed his eyes. "Some trees here which don't grow naturally. They are planted by chakra of Shodaime, so there are some strange life consciousness activities, which are easy to distinguish, such as the death forest - in other words, do you know what chakra is? Can you understand me? ”

Sakura nodded, she couldn't help opening her eyes wide, curious eyes clearly wanted Obito to continue. But she got his jaw dropping expression.

"You really, really, really understand the word ‘chakra’?"

“Hai，Shinobi-san。”

"But you are only four!" he said with four fingers.

"Five years old in a week!" she also reached out and raised her thumb to turn it into five fingers.

"Five? Almost the age of Bakashi's little prodigy?” Obito pauses and pouts for a moment. "Well... Surprise questions! What is chakra?"

"Hai! An, answer? ”

Sakura was confused by his sudden questions, but she still recited the contents of the book carefully, including some small knowledge points added by the most intelligent ghost friend Tobirama. "Chakra is the core energy source of Shinobi's Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Genjutsu. It is produced by the integration of mental energy and body energy. Everyone has chakra in his body, but some people are small or can't use it. They can't be a Shinobi, so they are engaged in more civilian work. ”

She recited it word for word, Obito exaggerated his only an eye.

"So, Shinobi-san? Can you feel the emotion of that tree? Can you also plant trees? ”

"Also? Who else?" his tone suddenly fell.

"Just like Hashi……Hashirama? ”

"Hn, almost." he slowly relaxed and shrugged.

Hn? A Uchiha who can plant trees? I thought they could only breathe fire.

but he still can't see our ghost friends.

Sakura looks back at the tree, a depressed ghost becomes happy once she gets her eyes. Then the tree seemed to be rejuvenated.

Obito took a strange look at it.

But he skipped the topic of trees, just continued to take her hand to the direction of Haruno house - he unexpectedly knows the location of our house! He has been chatting all the time on the way, from today's weather conditions to his two precocious talented cousins, one is two years younger than him and the other is six years younger than him. His topics range from the North vegetable market on the street to the south of the fruit Dim sum shop, he even can tell all the vegetable types and every Dim sum name!

So far, Uchiha Obito is the strangest person who she has ever met.

"Wow, I am more and more like an Akimichi than a Uchiha recently. ”

Compared with Akimichi, he is more like a walking cooking encyclopedia.  

Sakura was surprised that he could list the production ratio of sugar and flour for different desserts.

"Hi, Tanaka-oji-san! How is your body! ”

I think he will be able to chat with our tousan.

He even got to know our kaasan.

"Wait? What, eagle? No! Sensei urged me? ”

... he said he was a policeman?

yes, Inner。

"I'm sorry, kid! Tobi's going to be late! Tobi accelerated first! ”

Tobi？

He occasionally uses the strange third person to replace the first person in his words.

To be honest, at the moment when Obito claimed to be Tobi, Sakura almost couldn't help jumping up, thinking that the other party could also see the ghost, especially wanted to immediately turn around to check whether her ghost friend Tobirama was still there, but then thought she couldn't expose their presence, only be anxious, try to keep her stiff neck, listen carefully to the confused voice floating from the distance of the ghost Hashirama. Otherwise, Obito would definitely ask questions because of her wandering eyes, then she could see the secrets of the ghosts would be exposed.

"Don't worry, Tobi is fast! ”

OK......Sakura is very, very, very hard to use her whole body to not look back at Tobirama behind her. She was suddenly curious about Tobi's expression now, because she heard the loud exclamation of the ghost Hashi several times.

“Tobi? That Uchiha's name is the same as the one Kura gave you!”

"Please don't talk, Hashirama, you didn't help. ”

"Little cherry blossom? Don't you come up?"

Obito, with his back to her, crouched down and urged, showing his wide back and the Uchiha badge on waistcoat.

Sakura hesitated a bit, but she finally managed to sneak a glance back at the ghost friends she had been worried about. Tobirama nodded slightly at her, he remained expressionless as usual, indicating safety. Hashirama happily gave a thumbs up and revealed a shiny eight toothed smile, but just as he was about to make the tree wave its leaves to say goodbye, he was interrupted by Tobirama's anger and severity.

She waved to the ghosts in a small way, made a sign language of “see you at home.”

Learning sign language was Tobirama's suggestion, because if someone is nearby, the act of talking to the ghost will definitely cause other people's different views.

Until she met Obito, Sakura couldn't help but quietly compare which one was more strange between him and her.

"I, I came up?"

"Hold my neck."

Sakura did so, hugging the thick neck which like tousan Kizashi, but her hands felt more rough and uneven scars, she did not dare to hold too hard, so she could only gently cling to him, and Obito also gently and forcefully fixed her legs.

"Good! Tobi is going to take off! ”

Her first reaction was that he could fly like the ghost Tobirama.

"Wow! So fast!"

This is flying? Seriously? Does he have any misunderstanding about flying?!

Hashirama's voice and Inner's voice were quickly replaced by the whistling wind.

It's different from the flying way of Tobirama, the ghost, which is light and not affected by gravity. Obito is a human, he is a living person, and follows the attraction of gravity. His so-called flying way is to open his legs to carry out a section of Ninja Parkour. Sakura had to hold his neck tightly again to prevent being really blown away by the gale coming from the face. The speed is really fast. In a blink of an eye, she has passed through a street, and the dust formed a small dust storm behind.

"Yo! Are you also throwing youth sweat today! Obito! ”

"Gai! I'm sending a little girl home! ”

Sakura tries to open her eyes, stick out her head along the loud sound source, squint to see the two green shadows closer to the opposite side. They are constantly shuttling through dense houses and people, and the surrounding environment has become a virtual shadow. Can Shinobi run so fast? Is this also the role of chakra?

"Say it! Gai! Where Bakashi is! ”

"I saw him not long ago! Obito! He just left the monument! ”

"Just left? Oh! Thank you! Guy! ”

"You are welcome! My friend!"

The green Shinobi also compared with a familiar thumb, and then showed a smile that was even more brilliant than the ghost Hashirama. Sakura had to gape at his thick eyebrows - how could someone leave such a pair of thick eyebrows! And the strange green one-piece on him! It was one of the weird clothes that kaasan Mebuki had to spit out almost every day.

"Hi! Hello!" he obviously noticed Sakura's complex vision, and loudly introduced himself: "I'm Gai! Maito Gai ！ ”

"I’m Sakura! Haruno Sakura!”

She tried to stand up from Obito's back, and also tried to reply to him loudly, but in the contrast of the roaring wind, her voice was obviously more like nothing.

"God! It's a young flower! Youth!"

But Gai heard that. He was moved and said.

Sakura didn't understand why Gai could immediately cry two wide tears, but she was very happy, holding Obito's neck and giggling - it was a magical experience, unbelievable! She did Ninja Parkour on Shinobi's back! She also ran and chatted with two other green Shinobi! The surrounding landscape and people's screams were left behind with the dust, and only the four of them happened to meet in the ever-changing crowd.

Yes, four.

Sakura forgot to say hello to another Shinobi.

"Hi, another Shinobi-san!” So she used a louder voice, put her hand on her mouth to form a loudspeaker, and looked at another green shadow beside Gai and asked, "what's your name, please!"

"I'm Maito Gai! ”

The response to her is still the previous Shinobi, his loud voice almost spreads to the whole Konoha.

"Can you hear me now! Young flower!"

Sakura put down her hand, wiped her dusty eyes with confusion, opened them again, and looked at the green Shinobi who was running with Gai but didn't respond from a distance, looking at each other with confused expressions.

Another Shinobi similar to Gai didn't blink. On the contrary, he ran and stared at Sakura's eyes, didn't leave for a moment. He didn't realize what happened until finally. His mouth began to slowly expand, then expanded, and finally turned into a round O shape. The thick eyebrows, which were almost the same as Gail’s, began to rise, and the whole person's expression finally became funny and incredible.

"My god! You can really see me!”
“By the way! I, I! my name! I'm his father Maito Dai --"

"Goodbye, young flower!"

Maito Gai's solemn and powerful voice covered Maito Dai's ethereal scream. Next, Sakura could only tightly hold Obito's neck and watch the two green figures getting further and further away. One of them accidentally ran into someone. She saw that Dai’s body began to change and soon became as transparent as her ghost friend Tobirama.

It's not possible.…

We just met the third ghost?

Sakura finally came back from the long shock.

Later, Obito safely sent her to the front of Haruno's house. He looked at Sakura who was limp and walking and grabbed his hair uneasily in conclusion, finally, he rushed to realize his late agreement under the impatient call of Minato-sensei's eagle.

Is Ninja Parkour too much for a child?

That was Obito's last thought when he left.

Chapter Text

7

Maito Dai brought more ghosts.

While inadvertently penetrating a living person, Dai stopped running for the first time. He stood in place, watching his son's rapidly shrinking figure from afar. If there were ghosts nearby who knew him, they would be surprised and ask in confusion: What's wrong with you? Dai? Are you feeling tired? No, ghosts don't feel tired, so why not continue to work hard and sweat with your son? This is not like you! You have never missed every day and every step of Gai's growth since you died heroically alongsidethe Seven Swordsmen of the Mist!

"Are you all right? Did something happen to Gai?"

After the green figure which was still running finally disappeared from sight, Dai wiped the tears in his eyes that were about to overflow due to guy's hard work. His tears disappeared before it landed. He slowly turned his head to his undead friend who was worried about him, closed his eyes and shook head. No, nothing happened to his son. On the contrary, it was him, the ghost who had been dead for more than ten years, who discovered some rare new changes.

"Someone alive saw me, Sakumo."

After hearing the response, the silver-haired undead withdrew his usual lazy posture, slowly straightened up seriously, he looked around cautiously, silently stood with Dai in the busiest market of Konoha, where was crowded here, and the lively shouts of merchants were mixed with the happy conversations of children and adults.

Hatake Sakumo didn't move, unlike Dai, he was not used to shuttling through any living person while running. On the contrary, he never touched anyone, he just couldn't accept his transparent body and palms. He hated that he became invisible and helpless, and couldn’t even give a hug to his son who often had nightmares.

No one can see ghosts, no one can touch ghosts. They are lonely and stubborn beings.

When seeing a child happily coming out of his bloody belly, Sakumo decisively moved to the no-man's corner and continued to watch a Jonin who was reading a book in front of the bookshelf from afar - oh no, his son's hand quickly reached out to the newly published novel of Jiraiya-sama. Recently, many ghosts have come to him to complain, saying that his son is reading lewd books in a daylight day and in public.

In this regard, Sakumo really can't predict and interfere with his son's future growth trajectory. After all, he has died when his son was eight years old, he even can only help but witness Hatake Kakashi becoming the youngest genius and soldier in the war.

"Could it be an illusion? Dai."

Sakumo kept staring, the young silver-haired Jonin still didn't notice his blatant ghost gaze.

"No, definitely not." Dai insisted on standing in the torrent of crowds. Contrary to Sakumo, he did not resist the living people like that. Because his death was complete and there was no limb disability, he died of physical fatigue after opening the Hachimonn - tonnkou, so wave after wave of people penetrated his repeatedly transparent air body.As always, people still ignore an undead standing alone in the centre of the market, the boundary between life and death is so clear.

Except for a child with pink hair and green eyes.

The big and curious eyes accurately focussed on the undead, just reflecting the same transparent green colour.

"Hi! Another Shinobi-san! what's your name, please!"

For the first time, Dai clearly saw himself and his son’s figures in the eyes of others.

He stood for a long time, facing the direction where Guy's back disappeared, then raised his eyebrows and was shocked, as if suddenly thinking of something. He immediately floated to Sakumo's side in a panic, then stretched out a finger in disbelief and pointed to Kakashi, who was still leisurely reading an unspeakable adult novel.

"Didn't he just leave the memorial monument?! Now he should go to Minato's house with Obito!"

"Why did he go to find Minato?" Sakumo was puzzled.

"Didn’t Obito tell him?"

"What did Obito say?"

Dai opened his mouth to explain, and then put down his finger: "I met him when I was running with Gai, he asked where Kakashi was. Rin-chan also chatted with us for a while last night, saying that Minato wanted them to learn to cook together recently?"

Obito has been obsessed with cooking recently, but Kakashi still can't take good care of even a plant.

“Maa……” Sakumo opened his mouth, he stared at the silver-haired Jonin, who was reading adult publications, and thought - there was indeed such a thing. He occasionally listened to Rin happily talk about Obito's recent situation, she said that boy was slowly becoming stronger, gradually getting out of the shadow of death, and not only began to learn to live alone better, joining the Konoha’s police force, but also getting familiar with the neighbours of the whole street.

Now, Uchiha Obito is the Shinobi with the most single-person D-rank tasks in Konoha, many civilians will ask for the appointment of him when issuing a mission commission.

The ghosts watching silently nearby, who could almost predict the birth of the first Uchiha Hokage.

"That careless child has grown up." Sakumo sighed, obviously, the previous Obito was always hairy and did not do things very well. When using Katon, he would accidentally burn his mouth, and he was always late in the task, then the indifferent Kakashi despised him and directly said that he was not suitable to be a shinobi.

Obito is still late now, but he is different from the past.

Since Nohara Rin became an undead.

Sakumo was really sorry, he was silent for a long time. Rin died too early, her death had brought too much from Obito and Kakashi, she didn't even have time to grow up. This third war also had brought a lot of dead - if he hadn't done that kind of behaviour at that time? Won't the war break out? Is it possible to save hundreds of lives that should not be lost?

Sakumo took the initiative to bear this inappropriate guilt and self-blame, he did not dare to face other floating ghosts.

Even when he went to the memorial monument, he also stood alone in the distance, letting his transparent body melt into the corner.

There are a large number of undead in the cemetery, there are idle ghosts who keep gossiping in front of the tombstone.

In order to follow his son Kakashi all the time, Sakumo also comes to the memorial monument every day. At first, he did not dare to interact with other ghosts, but now, he always is forcibly called over by different undeads every day, for sharing some secrets that only the deads can do. However, the cemetery is not dead and silent, nor is it a place for solemn and sad memories, on the contrary, every tombstone here is full of chirping and lively ghosts.

Most of them were unknown Shinobi who died, their bones could not be reminisced, the undeads were making a lot of noise here about the dirty things buried by Konoha.

The cemetery is dead and silent, the dead are the best at keeping secrets.

But Sakumo accidentally learned the truth of his death from the mouths of other ghosts.

The cemetery is indeed dead and silent, these undeads can't swear to the living.

Sakumo could only wait patiently in front of the tombstone, silently cursing the rotten roots under Konoha with other ghosts. Then, these undeads tried to bless Obito and Kakashi with the best possible, for returning the companionship time which came to comfort the memorial every day.

"But I didn't hear Obito talk to Kakashi about it." Sakumo shrugged his shoulders, and turned his head to continue to stare at his son, who had been lazy all day today, hoping that he could put down adult novel publications in public places where there were still children.

"...Did Obito forgot it again?"

"He absolutely forgot."

Dai nodded with sympathy. As he said, a hurried eagle's call immediately broke the momentary silence between the two ghosts. Usually, only Kage from various countries can use this kind of eagle. They are not only used in important diplomatic and political occasions; they also show that Hokage needs Shinobi privately. Come immediately and arrange some confidential and dangerous private tasks; or someone is too late, and Hokage can't wait any longer.

Hatake Sakumo really didn't expect that, Hatake Kakashi had grown up to be the one he despised most when he was a child.

He learned a lot from Obito, including being late.

"Hey, do you think Obito did it on purpose?" Dai looked at Kakashi, who was being pecked by the impatient eagle. The young Jonin was obviously confused by the urging of Hokage, which was not a mission. It seemed that Kakashi did not understand why Minato-sensei told him to buy some vegetables quickly.

"Maa... It's hard to say..."

"It may be that he really forgot."

They smiled helplessly, bending his eyes.

The ghosts stood there, the ghosts kept standing and staring at them, they were lonely beings who longed for the warmth of their families and hoped to interact with them.

"...I want to find the living person who can see me later, for confirming, are you coming? Sakumo."

"Of course, what’s the name?"

"Sakura."

Haruno Sakura couldn't help sneezing, and rubbed her itchy nose in doubt.

Strange, I didn't have a cold, did I?

Maybe it's dust.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders inadvertently, continued to look up for a book.

After accidentally gaining the names of Uchiha Obito and Maito Gai, the first thing Sakura did when she returned home was to the room. She ignored her okaasan Mebuki's doubtful call, climbed onto her otosan Kizashi's bookshelf, and kept flipping through the history book of the Konoha clan’s origin, finally turn the page number back to the beginning of the title page which is easy to miss.

<The Relationship between the Shinobi Clan and the Civil Society>

[The first author:]

[Senju Tobirama]

People are always used to pursuing the details of the content in the book, but often ignore the author of the story.

Sakura is no exception.

She didn't say anything, her little fingers just rubbed the familiar and strange name on the paper. After a long time, she looked up again and turned her green eyeballs, soon, her object of observation is no longer the black and white words on the book, but the hokage head rock mountain standing quietly outside the window in the distance. However, Two of the expressionless hard faces were recognised by Sakura.

I know! how could he be so familiar! We can see it almost every day when we look up!

Sakura's Inner finally solved a long-standing mystery.

So, our ghost friends... are one of the founders and Kages of Konoha?

Sakura did not respond to Inner's sigh. She was thinking. The invisible sense of discord in her mind began to become stronger and stronger, becoming clear and specific, including an inadvertent vague small detail, a look, an expression, and even a name. These details witnessed the funny expression of the third ghost and After the eyebrows dance, it becomes unnegligable.

"You can really see me! Me, my name! I am his father, Maito Dai——"

Sakura deeply memorised Dai's name and funny eyebrows.

"I'm Hashi! Senju Hashirama!"

She also memorised Hashi's name and dazzling smile.

...But what about Tobi?

Sakura just realised it. Tobirama did not introduce his surname at first.

She was confused, very confused, so that her big forehead immediately turned the unforgettable memory out, which of exchanging names with ghosts under the shade of the tree. At that time, she still remembered how carefully shrank her head, how to introduce her tone from hesitation to courage, including how to stumble to explain her name and surname from the civilian merchant clan Haruno, and finally clearly express her whispering friend needs.

In this end, the pale ghost just loosened his chin, and there was no sound.

So the next day, under the rustling sound of the leaves, Sakura asked the ghost's name again.

In order to avoid Ami's meanness, she was stuck on the top of a tall tree. Because it was too high, her feet couldn't help softening. Due to she had heard some sad words before, so her heart had been broken once, and the white-haired ghost appeared in time before her tears were about to collapse.

"What are you doing?"

The ghost's cold and almost harsh tone made Sakura couldn't help hiccoughing.

"Haruno, do you need help?"

The ghost who still remember her name with a cold expression, so that Sakura didn't want to cry so much.

"I, I don't know your name yet?"

She tried the best to respond, but the lump in her throat made voice like crying.

The white-haired ghost slightly opened his squinting red eyes, paused for a moment, and finally squeezed out three words.

"I'm Tobirama."

"..............."

"........."

Is it gone? Is that all?

Sakura waited patiently for a long time to wait for the ghost's next sentence, for the silence feeling puzzled, until she found that it was Tobirama's whole response.

Is it a strange thing not to have a surname? No, Sakura knows that some of the guests or relatives and friends received by his parents do not have surnames, or they have abandoned their past, such as some wandering warriors and travelling businessmen who warmly greeted by her tosan Kizashi, and the condolence envelopes sent by her kaasan Mebuki's brother. None of them have announced all their true identities.

It's not a strange thing not to have a surname. Sakura didn't take it to heart. In fact, the unfamiliar stumbling name made the ghost agree to the abbreviation.

"Well, what should I do next? Tobi?"

After exchanging names, she carefully climbed down the tree step by step under the patient guidance of the white-haired ghost. When her feet returned to the peaceful grassland, she repeated her friend's request again.

"Can I be friends with you? Tobi?"

The joy of making friends and the fact that she is no longer lonely made her leave the strange fact - which she could see ghosts in an instant.

Unlike another ghost friend Hashirama, who had been boldly expressing his emotions through leaves, the introverted ghost Tobirama will only standed in the shade of the tree for a long time. He was almost integrated with the inconspicuous shadow. His standing back was almost as straight as a branch, with his hands which were holding his chest. He was completely He can stand motionless all day, only the slightly moving gaze showed the fact that he was silently observing, silence was his language.

Whenever Sakura was tirelessly piled up into a small sand castle on the sand, the white-haired ghost would respond to her interaction with a complex flashing look, a little stiff. If there were more and bigger movements, it was walking. In order to avoid other children in the park, wherever she goes, the ghost will silently float behind her back. Where, and then continue to watch her quietly weave a wreath in the corner.

For the masterpiece completed in her hand, the invisible ghost just nodded, which seemed to say:

"I have seen it, Sakura."

Well, it's very frustrating. Sakura can only wear the blue wreath woven for Tobi around her neck. Sometimes, she feels more and more that she is not facing a special ghost friend but a grandfather or elder.

Even without the honour of 'san', Tobirama still unconsciously plays the role of the guardian and the person in charge in the game interaction.

He is a little boring, a little bit.

This is an erudite old ghost, Outer, I bet he is older than our grandmother.

Sakura hummed softly, a little glad that she didn't bet. After all, Inner had won her victory.

She quietly looked at the Hokage Rock Mountain in the distance. Her ghost friend was older than the history of Konoha's village.

Well, Senju Tobirama is really old, which can explain the fatigue and vicissitudes of his face (Strangely enough, there are almost no wrinkles). Apart from the inexplicable details of his appearance, the age in his bones is actually older than that of his parents Kizashi and Mebuki together. He is older than her elderly grandmother who lived to be 70 years old. How old is he? Ninety? One hundred? He is fully qualified to be Sakura's great-grandfather Tobi-ojiji-san.

Our grandmother is also born with white hair. Maybe it's possible.

But there is no record of his descendants in the book.

Sakura continued to hum in a small tune, with her arms and chin on the window, moved eyes slightly.

She set her eyes on the face of her ghost friend on the rocky mountain, and her eyes slid from the first to the fourth.

Unlike Nidaime, who is not married, the other three kages have the kind of successful and beautiful marriages in the romantic love story. For example, the princess from Uzushio married Shodaime. The sealing technology she brought almost stabilised the foundation of the whole Konoha, so that Uzushio's logo was on the back of every Shinobi's vest, and her granddaughter Senju Tsunade was even more famous. The slug princess of one of the ninjas and the kunoichi who invented the great medical ninjutsu.

Although there is no Uzushio no longer on the map, Sakura still tries to remember its general direction in the world - look, it is really a small country, only the size of a nail cap! The famous sealing technique makes other countries feel afraid and admired.

In addition, Yondaime's wife is also an Uzumaki. It is said that their son has been playing pranks on others in the village recently.

Because of the more gossip among civilians, now, Sakura has a partial first impression of Namikaze Naruto. Even if she has never seen he, but she has learned some of Naruto's 'glorious' deeds from the gossip of other villagers - Kami, who would paint a turtle on his father's face with colourful paint?! Or on the rocky mountain that everyone can see when they look up?

Tosan doesn't mind us doing ink graffiti on his face, Outer.

But kaasan scolded us, Inner.

Is that so? How do I remember that she was enjoying it?

Inner giggled at some beautiful memories that came to mind, Sakura also curled the corners of his mouth, she held her cheek and continued to be in a daze, continued to diverge from the four heads on the rocky mountain.

Hn, which head of us are missing?

The third.

Oh! Sandaime... Unfortunately, Sakura really doesn't know much about this old man's avatar. He only knows that he is the teacher who trained the legendary Sanren, and the marriage situation is also very complete. Some civilians nearby who like gossip politics say that his son seems to have just been promoted to Jonin, and now he is going to be a daimyo’s bodyguard.

Among these four kage, only Nidaime has no descendants.

Maybe you can ask him later? Why doesn't he get married?

it's not good, is it?

Are you afraid?

....a little bit now?

Sakura doesn't know what's going on. Since she learned that her invisible ghost friend is the famous Nidaime in the book, she has more inexplicable emotions in her heart. Are she afraid? Nervous? Curious? Or fear? She never knew what attitude to take to face him.

I think your concern is unnecessary, Outer.

But——

Tobirama is still Tobirama. I doubt that he has always been like that, but he has done nothing. Why did you change yourself first?

Sakura was silent about Inner's questioning.

...So, Tobi is still our Tobi?

Of course, our good ghost friend who are old, knowledgable and talented.

Yes! He really knows a lot!

Sakura subconsciously nodded in favour. Unconsciously, some of the troubles in her heart were relieved and began to relax her shoulders. Her attention quickly floated from the rock head to the book spread out on the floor.

<The Relationship between the Ninja Clan and the Civil Society>

No wonder he knows so much about other Shinobi clans.

Sakura really envies and admires her knowledgable and versatile ghost friends. Really, the knowledge brought by Tobi is almost more detailed and easy to understand than the outline introduction in the book. Tobi also patiently explained some information and knowledge points in the book that could not be disclosed or blackened, this greatly satisfied the never-ending curiosity on her forehead.

However, why doesn't Tobi introduce himself as Nidaime?

Why didn't he say that he was Senju Tobirama?

If it hadn't been for Hashi's reminder, when would she have found out? Hashi! Hashirama is a few years older than Tobirama, maybe four or five years old, but unlike the white-haired ghost who only responds in a plain and patient tone, Sakura can reap fresh happiness and surprises from the constantly dancing leaves every day--

Kami, of course he can plant trees!

Who can plant trees except Shodaime?

We didn't put all this together!

Because we thought he was a tree with feelings.

Sakura muttered a few words in annoyance and buried her big forehead in her arms. Obviously, she was frustrated that she didn't find such an obvious fact.

"Kura? Sacchan?"

The familiar coolness came from the head, and then a large area of creepy goose bumps appeared on the arm instinctively.

Sakura looked up with the sound, and her head penetrated the ghost's transparent palm without any surprise. Then she saw the ghost Hashirama, who showed a warm smile and was wriggle uneasily, and Tobirama was standing on the branch not far away without saying a word. The transparent figure of the two was the Rocky Mountain scenery in the distance, echo each other with the two familiar hokage faces above it.

Well, our ghost friend is really one of the founders of Konoha.

The legendary figures in the history books are really standing in front of us!

Sakura became nervous in an instant. Such important titles such as the God of Shinobi and the Founder of Ninja Village couldn't help but make her sit up straight, and subconsciously showed a respectful attitude towards her elders and grandmothers - Hey! Outer! Have you forgotten what I just said?

"Sho, Shodaime-sama? Nidaime-sama?"

The ghosts' faces changed, and their expressions instantly became as hard as the head of the rocky mountain in the distance, as if they could not accept something that should not be changed.

"Hashi/Tobi is fine, Sakura."

Seeing, what did I just say!

Inner's cheerful soft hum once again explained her truth.

Until the sound of flipping books came again from the silent and quiet closed door, Mebuki exhaled slowly.

She moved quietly, left the door carefully, and returned to her tailoring studio. In fact, she waited for a long time before she finally heard Sakura's self-talk and giggle - is that a good sign? Her daughter seems to be as happy as before? Neither being bullied nor isolated?

Mebuki really doesn't want to be self-deception.

She has always been honest. Her bold character and straightforward personality determine the fact that it is impossible to lie. She has always said whatever she wants to say loudly, and never hides her inner emotions. The experience of growing up in the humid foggy village makes her hate the covered fog very much - kami, because her brother always uses fog-related Ninjutsu came to unfairly steal the victory of the hide-and-seek game.

The invisible fog, the untouchable fog, can cunningly hide the impending storm on the sea.

Mebuki hates fog, and feels restless about some rumours in their country. Whether it is a turbulent coup covered by thick fog, or a war smoke that will break out at any time to add more fog, that truth is, without the power of Shinobi and no clans to rely on, the civilians at the bottom can only Spend every day in the unknown with care.

So under the persuasion of her brother who was going to participate in the coup, she ran out of the fog and moved with Kizashi.

Mebuki hopes that one day she will let her daughter meet her brother, who is also Sakura's uncle.

Her brother is still cunning and cover-up. The envelope sent to him hides some stained blood very well. He always refuses to meet with the reason that he has not yet settled down. He says that he is too busy with work. In short, it is a lot of political shit that can't be refused, FOOL, he still has to step on this shit to change his hometown to better.

Before marrying Kizashi, Mebuki always quarrelled with her brother.

After marrying Kizashi, Mebuki learned to slap first and then give a candy.

One day, she will take Sakura to Kiri to see and hum some secrets of the sea for her.

Mebuki wrote without hesitation, directly expressing the hope that her brother could deal with the shit under his feet quickly, so that she could take Sakura and Kizashi to the beach to swim and play - alas, hometown is really a noun that is difficult to remove. It is not only as deep as a fine needle. Deeply rooted in the inner wall of the heart, it also blends into the hot and boiling blood vessels like water, so Mebuki will unconsciously admit the fact that she misses Kiri in the letter.

In the last letter, she shared some trivial things in life with her brother.

「Uh-huh, I bet your daughter must look like you. I can't wait to see her sharp teeth.」

Does Sakura look like her?

Mebuki didn't know, but she kind of hoped that her brother could win the bet. In fact, it didn't matter if she lost the bet. She just wanted Sakura to grow up happily and healthily, so that she could become the ideal appearance without regret, instead of starting to cover up some secrets in the fog with cover-up behaviour now.

"Kaa, kaasan, can I not go to the park?"

Her daughter used to cover her forehead with bangs and said that she wanted this hairstyle.

"Kaasan! This is my friend Tobi!"

Her daughter began to make a red-eyed rabbit doll the fourth family member on the table.

"Can I go to the library today? My friends will accompany me!"

But Mebuki learned from Obito that Sakura was crying alone.

"Obito-kun? Why did you come early? Is it the guest's request to advance the time--"

Her voice was interrupted in the next second, because she saw Sakura slipping down from her back and staggering.

Sakura didn't seem to hear her call, but ran into the house shyly, leaving her in the porch. Mebuki had to restrain her strong anxiety and ask Obito more questions: For example, what's wrong with her? Where did you fall? How are her other friends?

"Ah! I think she might be lost, don't worry! Mebuki-obasan!" The young police officer immediately calmed her panic with both hands, but the next sentence caused more contradictions and confusion. “Her friend? No, when I was passing by, I happened to see her in a daze under a tree, and then she cried. When I comforted her, she said, ‘Huh? Strange? Did I cry?'”

Mebuki froze, and the voice of Officer Uchiha kept lingering in his mind over and over again - no way, Sakura still hasn't made friends? Is she lying? But the happiness on her face was real. Yesterday, she could still talk endlessly that one of her friends knew some knowledge that was not in the book. She also said that another friend specially made a leaf wreath for her and patiently instructed her how to plant trees, the evidence was a healthy sapling in the back garden.

Sakura can't lie about these things. She is only four years old, and she will only be five next week. Even if Mebuki and Kizashi patiently asked why she didn't want to go to the park before, she still honestly pointed out the fact that there was a mean child Ami in the park.

But... Mebuki really doesn't want to deceive herself.

She and Kizashi have prepared everything as much as possible, such as preparing more bowls and children's chopsticks in the cabinet, preparing extra snacks and checking the food supply in the kitchen at all times, and having cameras on standby at any time - they have almost everything ready, and their hearts are full of eager expectations. Just to participate in and commemorate Sakura's precious growth experience of bringing friends home for the first time.

"This is Tobi! This is Hashi!"

But their daughter took out two dolls.

Sakura's birthday is coming next week. Mebuki still hasn't seen the two friends, only the two dolls are quietly lying on her daughter's bedside table. While cleaning Sakura's room, she once stared at the two dolls quietly for a while, and she didn't know what she was expecting and waiting for. Finally, she had a headache.

How could this be? How could the plush dolls speak?

The child's naive imagination created their special friends. The understanding Mebuki and Kizashi respected Sakura's fantasy friends. Until today, Sakura, who came back early, was still alone in the door with her fantasy friends, where from time to time there were some repressed exclamations and laughter of only one person.

As time gets longer and longer, fantasy friends become more and more real.

Listening to the inaudible movement in the distance at the end of the corridor, Mebuki, who was in a dilemma, still held back from opening the closed door. She did not force Sakura's privacy - is it better to interrupt her and urge her to meet a real friend? or let her continue to immerse herself in the overly real fantasy fog?

Because the fog on Sakura's body is the source of her happiness.

The women, Mebuki, still remembered the hide-and-seek with her brother when she was a child. Even after he used the dirty and unfair stealth technique, she did not interrupt and blow away the annoying fog, because it really made the game more fun.

She hates fog, but she has long been accustomed to staring at the scenery on the calm waves of Kiri with damp fog.

She sighed, and focussed on the unfinished clothes on the workbench again. With a pause, Uchiha's badge on it suddenly came into her sight, which seemed to provide some fleeting inspiration.

Mebuki caught it in time, and she remembered the invitation of the owner of the clothes not long ago.

"Haruno-san! I like your clothes very much! Do you also have a child?"

"We can talk about some fashion topics and parenting topics in private. What do you think? After sewing the clothes, why don't you come to my house to enjoy dinner? Actually, I want to tailor some clothes for my sons Itachi and Sasuke."

"Would you like to come over? The colour in our wardrobe is too monotonous!"

Mebuki was thinking that maybe she could try to take Sakura there, because she really couldn't get away. On that day, Kizashi was also busy buying goods with others and could not come back until later. The fact that who would cook dinner for Sakura became a problem.

She is not sure whether the decision is good or bad.

So at today's dinner, she asked Sakura about the intention to go to the hostess of the Uchiha clan for dinner - at first, her precious daughter was a little confused, turned her head to look at the rabbit doll Tobi-san and the tree doll Hashi-san on the table (Oh! The tree doll appeared on the table for the first time!)

in a series of rich expression performances, Sakura finally nodded excitedly.

"Hashi said he wanted to go too! Tobi... doesn't seem to be willing?"

Mebuki silently thanked in her heart, for Sakura’s fantasy friend Hashi-san.

Chapter Text

8

Sakura knows that her kaasan is a wonderful women.

"We're about to start off! Kura!"

Her kaasan, frank and sharp kaasan, Mebuki, was gently holding her little hand tightly at this time, which was different from the experience of tousan kizashi taking her out before. For example, Kizashi would hold her with his strong arms to make her child's limited vision become the scenery in the eyes of adults, therefore, Sakura could take a bird's-eye view of the hustle, and bustle of the whole konoha market with the generous shoulders of tousan Kizashi.

Her tousan will take her to deal with intermediaries while transporting goods, and also chat with other customers. During the process, Sakura likes to put her hand on Kizashi's muscular back, and use her skin touch to sense the dull laughter that can shake the earth.

Kizashi was easy-going and cheerful, Mebuki was comfortable and secure.

Sakura slowly followed the slow pace of her kaasan, her clothes today are particularly cute and chosen by Mebuki. Although all the clothes in her wardrobe are very cute at present, having a mother who is a tailor means that there will only be more and more cute new clothes in the future. ( For example, today she was wearing a red floral dress, with a big red bow on the head.)

"So cute!"

Ghost Hashirama and Mebuki screamed at the same time.

Of course, Sakura also brought her transparent ghost friends, a tree doll and a rabbit doll, Mebuki specially prepared a new set of clothes for them, even carefully retained the red and blue colour characteristics.

Hashirama was moved to tears, Tobimama gave the most solemn thanks.

"Hashi and Tobi like your clothes very much! Kaasan!"

"Is that so? That's great! Sakura."

Sakura immediately responded to her kaasan with a big smile. Soon, her curious big green eyes moved to the bulging woven bag on Mebuki's arm. Obviously, she came out to work with kaasan today, and then they would visit several customers who commissioned them to make clothes. The tailor must use a ruler to customise the most suitable clothes for her guests.

The first guest was a civilian woman about the same age as Mebuki, she was very enthusiastic, and also made a sharper cry when Sakura bowed to greet him.

She happily ate the black tea cupcakes prepared on the children's table, quietly watching the dazzling magic in her kaasan's hand, which was a process full of creativity and fashion.

"What do you think of this fabric? Silk from suna, guaranteed to be practical, Yoshida-san?"

"Oh! I like its smooth texture! Haruno-san!"

"Purple or green?"

"Purple!"

"What kind of neckline do you want?"

"V-neck!"

"Let me confirm, the length of the skirt you want is over the knee, right? Long sleeves?"

"Yes! Haruno-san!"

"I have designed some sketches. Which one do you like?"

"It's all beautiful! Haruno-san, i want the second one."

"Okay, then I'll measure your body circumference, Yoshida-san."

When heard the dialogue here, Sakura quickly reminded her ghost friends to put away their stunned expressions and asked them to turn around with her - it was impolite to stare at the guest's body when Mebuki was measuring the size, even if no one could see the ghost.

"Your kaasan is awesome! Kura!" The ghost friend Hashi sincerely sighed.

Sakura proudly raised her chin.

"Are there any other kinds of silk?"

She nodded, she patiently introduced the origin of each fabric to her bookish ghost friend Tobi.

"That's great. Now everyone can wear the same clothes as Mito." Hashirama touched the damaged Warring States armour and tattered cow clothes on his body. "The quality of our clothes at that time was not as good as it is now, mainly linen, but your fabric looks smooth and comfortable! And it's convenient!"

Mito?

Uzumaki Mito.

Sakura decisively lit up her eyes, she was immediately interested in Hashirama's words, and wanted him to tell more about the story of the hime of the Uzushiogakure in the history book. Of course, Hashi did it. He talked endlessly about some daily trivialities in the Warring States Period,  the big-mouthed ghost opened more dialogues without reservation under Sakura's curious gaze.

After listening to the story, Sakura felt that the black tea cake in her mouth had never been so sweet.

It's soooo sweet!

He is definitely the same type as tousan.

She saw the same spark of parental love in Hashirama's eyes.

"You can see me now! Kura! Maybe you can see Mito too! I'll try to call her over next time." Hashirama said excitedly, the happy eyes on his face overflowed, and there were some floating small flowers in the air, by the way, it's ghost flowers. This emotional ghost occasionally planted some strange ghost mushrooms in the corner of the wall when he was depressed.

"Hmm! I also saw another ghost!"

Sakura, who was also infected with happiness, responded softly that she also wanted to see more other ghosts, maybe she could make more friends.

"The other one? When?" Tobirama asked quickly.

"When Officer Uchiha sent me home last week."

"Did you see the ghost around him?" Tobirama frowned slightly and continued to ask.

"No, he was running with a green shinobi, who was really fast! I didn't know that ghosts could run so fast!" Sakura did not exaggerate the facts. She talked about the whistling sound and small dusty sandstorms behind Maito Dai and Maito Gai running. Although those dust storms were caused by Gai alone, she also asked if all Shinobi could run as fast as Gai. 

"Have you met Maito and his son? They are really energetic!" Hashirama said, he added to Dai and Gai's diligence, telling that they would run several laps around Konoha  every morning, and especially pointed out that Dai and Gai were the only people in the village who did not run with chakra.

"Maito......"

Tobirama didn't make any statements. He just rubbed his own chin and thought.

The pink-haired little girl, who was listening to the ghost Hashirama's words, did not notice the red eyes of the white-haired ghost, he was inadvertently turning his slender red eyes beside him, and more unknown inquiry emotions were revealed in the flashing eyes.

It is an unquestionable fact that Haruno Sakura can now see more ghosts.

He thought silently.

Kekkei genkai of continuous progress? What exactly is the variable? Why can she see ghosts?

Why is Sakura?

For this situation, the worried Tobirama will only have more and more questions and speculations in his mind. After all, no one has never been able to see ghosts before, and no one can touch ghosts. They have died on this land for many years,  the details of their tragic death stories have begun to be faintly forgotten by the world, just only leaving some glorious deeds on the book, the living people they knew before they were alive began to become old, and the ghosts realised that more than 50 years had passed.

Tobirama had long forgotten the pain of his death.

Excessive fatigue, chakra vacancy.

Sickness, fever and infection, this was the cause of his death.

A shinobi soldier who was almost tired of fighting all his life on the battlefield, a kage who handed over the future to the students, finally took the initiative to become a bait and died gloriously in the woods after a war. He was defeated by kumo's Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

He was defeated and finally rested in peace.

And what about the fifty years after that? Tobirama didn't feel anything. From confusion to anxiety, from anxiety to numbness, he really became a ghost with almost no emotion. He was floating in the village doing nothing. Part of his perception was gradually lost with the death of his body. He could not be touched or seen. After becoming an undead However, it was so empty and ethereal, and even the perception of time is getting more and more dull.

In the blink of an eye, after the completion of each brick and tile.

Fifty years later, Konoha's rapid development had become a strange appearance that he never expected.

Tobirama silently followed Sakura's back, once again carefully looked at the brand-new Konoba.

After his death, the student Sarutobi Hiruzen fulfilled his last words, took the initiative to take over the hokage hat and became Sandaime, and soon, Namikaze Minato became the now Yondaime wearing the Hokage hat.

The change of power is as fast as the development of Konoha.

Namikaze is very smart. He is a kage who is beyond qualification and is becoming excellent. Tobirama appreciated this young man. At first, he first saw the shadow of his past on Kato Dan. Later, he saw it on Minato many times, but he also didn't understand his terrible humour and naming ability many times. It was too bad that it made him speechless, wanted him to shake his hair and laugh, Namikaze exactly has the strange natural nature.

However, now, he saw it on a civilian child again.

Haruno Sakura is so smart and witty. Tobirama didn't expect Sakura's eyes to be so bright and dazzling. There is no doubt that there is a brighter curiosity in those big green eyes than Namikaze. Once they are targeted, it will be difficult to refuse. ( Especially after being spoiled and showing a puppy look)

"Sho, Shodaime-sama? Nidaime-sama?"

The shining green eyes was full of all kinds of worship, envy and curiosity.

There was also awe... and hesitation.

"Hashi/Tobi is fine, Sakura."

There was no need to keep that kind of caution.

Before Sakura learned that he was Nidaime and Hashi was Shodaime, Tobirama was worried many times that she would be traumatised by the grave. The undead could never be compared with the cute sheet ghosts in fairy tales. The dead were definitely the most Shinobi's nightmare. 

So after that, he warned his brother very seriously again, Hashirama immediately nodded with a guilty and serious head.

If he could do it, he might send his brother to the hell.

Fortunately, the pink-haired fairy fairy still didn't seem to realise the cruel truth of the nature of death. Perhaps it's because Sakura was a civilian and a kid. She hadn't crossed that line yet. She just innocently thought that they were all old and lonely ghosts who need friends, but that's enough.

After the establishment of Konoha, Tobirama, which established and planned the shinobi school system, left more childhood to future children.

Kawatama, Itama...

Children don't need to go to the battlefield, at least in peacetime.

"Wow! You are so awesome! Tobi!"

He, Senju Tobirama, an undead man, a dead man who should stay in the grave and sleep with his eyes closed at ease, his soul should go to the Pure Land or Hell to meet other brothers. It should be like this, instead of waiting alone and silently for the arrival of death in Konoha. He has repeatedly Tired of the fact of becoming a ghost, he could only feel better when he silently expected the unknown development of konoha, focussed on a student who went the wrong way, and waited for the latest news from Tsunade.

"So! Did you plan and build everything about Konoha with Hashi? That's awesome! Could you tell me more? I want to know how you did it?"

He, Senju Tobirama, a knowledgable ghost friend behind a civilian innocent little girl, who should not be a lonely ghost covered with sheets in fairy tales. She should not see him, and he should not follow her. The boundary between the living and the dead is absolutely clear. Once crossed At this boundary, it must take on more serious moral responsibilities and think about the serious consequences of the future. Orochimaru is a vivid example, Hiruzen should not be soft-hearted, he made some wrong choices.

"Tobi! Hashi!"

"It's great to be friends with you guys!"

In fact, Tobirama knows more about the boundary between life and death than anyone else.

"So do we, Sakura."

Because he was the first person to cross this line.

Sakura looked at the increasing number of Uchiha family emblems around her, which could be seen everywhere, finally realised that she had entered the land of the Uchiha clan.

Konoha's Shinobi clan was very large and concentrated, not scattered like the Haruno merchant clan. Sometimes, she would occasionally meet Kizashi's cousins at home to visit. After staying for two or three weeks, they left this Konoha and dispersed to kiri, suna and kumo continued to travel, and the Haruno people, as merchant and commoners of clans, have taken root and survived around the world.

So when Tobi asked Mebuki about the source of various fabrics, She answered him with this answer.

Tobi, the learnable Tobi, and the enthusiastic Hashi.

Sakura looked up at the increasingly happy ghost friend next to him, it was strange. The happier Hashirama was, the more serious and quiet Tobirama's expression became. His frown showed this.

I remember it was said in the book that he seemed to hate Uchiha.

But Tobi said that those were wrong?

In the last week, after learning the true identity of the ghosts, she also specially took out a thick history book to verigy her ghost friends. In this long process, Hashirama told the history of why he established Konoha with Uchiha, Tobirama also carefully listed the wrong information in the history book, honestly saying that he did not reject Uchiha, but was wary of and respected their Kekkei genkai ability.

Sharingan.

Sakura was curious about the eyes of this special ability to copy many techniques.

The big forehead was so curious, not only for Uchiha, she also was really curious about each shinobi clan. Starting from the historical records of the Warring States Period, in order to save their lives and survive, each clan had worked hard to develop their special abilities and irreplaceable status, until the later establishment of Konoha, their abilities were closely related to the lives of civilians and had not died out with the development of peace. Such as Inuzuka's ninken, Aburame's bug, including Nara's herbs and deer mentioned before, Akimichi's recipes and Yamanaka's flowers.

In addition to the above shinobi clans continuing to be closely linked with civilian activities, some other powerful clan tribes such as Uchiha, Hyuuga, Sarutobi and Hatake have joined the army and became Shinobi on the front line, guarded to defend civilians.

Later, Uchiha and Hyuuga grew stronger and stronger, while Uzumaki and Senju gradually died out.

Unlike the disappearance of Senju, which is scattered into various clans, Moukuton technology has almost become a legend (except for Uchiha Obito, who is suspected to be able to use this ability), but Uzumaki is very special. Their clan technology is still powerful, too powerful. Well, this brought about the Uzushio's downfall.

There are a few immigrants from Uzushio in Konoha now. They established a small neighbourhood, most of whom are civilians. They retained some of Uzushio's traditional cultural activities - Hokage's wife hosts this event every year.

Sakura secretly looked at the expressionless white-haired ghost friend with the afterglow, worried that it would be too unreasonable to ask him to accompany her, because when Mebuki proposed to go out to the Uchiha patriarch's wife's house for dinner, she noticed the ghost's stiff expression, and it quickly turned into a blank mask that could not be seen. .

The establishment of konoha was originally founded by the two clans, Senju and Uchiha.

Today, there is only one lonely slug hime left in the Senju clan.

She occasionally heard Tsunade's name from Hashirama, he always said that he wanted to know how his granddaughter was doing now.

She could never forget the complicated feelings in the ghost's eyes, which was indespeakably complicated.

"Kura, we're coming."

Mebuki gently shook her hand to remind her, so that she could get out of her inner thoughts.

"You should pay attention to etiquette later, okay?"

"Hai, kaasan."

What kind of clan is Uchiha?

When stepping on this clan land, Sakura did not relax her nervous shoulders and neck, which was different from the morning experience. The first and second guests were easy-going civilians, and the neighbourhood was also the most natural and comfortable. But Uchiha, there was more tension and silence in the air. It could be seen that there were more Shinobi coming and going here, and there were more and more black-haired and dark-eyed characteristics in the crowd.

Unlike the bustling civilian area in the morning, there were not many people on the streets within the Uchiha clan, and there were not many civilians. Most people had recognisable red and white fan family emblems on their backs, and they all casted their keen eyes, some people even stared at them very bluntly.

There were specialised clothing stores, specialised fruit and vegetable stores, specialised weapons stores for shinobi.

She was puzzled, because the quality of the clothes displayed at the clothing store counter was almost comparable to Mebuki's craftsmanship, so why did they need her kaasan to come here?

There was even... a specialised dessert shop!?

Her eyes lit up in surprise, looked at the wide variety of counters incredulously, kami! The dango there alone has several flavours and colours, and even other desserts that have never been eaten look exquisite and beautiful!

As passed by, Sakura couldn't help but feel thirsty, she couldn't help stretching her neck, but met the eyes of a Uchiha, she couldn't see anything in his dark pupils at all. She was so scared that she quickly turned her head and silently pressed against Kaasan's thigh, with a little bit of the same hands and feet.

"Kura?"

Mebuki noticed her stiff pace.

She was still young. She was just five years old a few days ago, and her height was not even half that of Mebuki. What can a child do? Adults just touch her pink and soft hair casually to say hello. They rarely squat down and look at her eyes or introduce their names seriously, finally, they quickly ignored her, they didn't care about her. After giving her a candy, they sent her to other places to play.

Except for Kizashi and Mebuki who did not do this, only Uchiha Obito, who was not a civilian.

She realised that Shinobi was very sharp.

Sakura was still in awe of Obito's half-face scar and one-eye blindfold - he must be very painful. She was also shocked by his keen exploration - Obito can even sense the emotions projected by the ghost Hashirama on the tree!

She subconsciously held the doll tightly, held Mebuki's hand tightly, and Mebuki quickly pinched it back gently.

"Don't be afraid to be nervous, Kura." Mebuki said softly, "Do you remember what I told you? Uchiha is a policeman who protects the village and people of Konoha."

The ghost friends who heard Mebuki's words also changed some of their behaviours. For example, Hashirama is really getting more and more enthusiastic, and he keeps talking about the history of building a village with Madara and his childhood experience, (Really? Uchiha Madara?! The villain who left the village in the book??), Tobirama followed her silently, and he almost never left Sakura's side.

"It's all right! Everyone is very friendly!"

Sakura hesitated for a moment about Hashirama's words, but still nodded slightly and chose to believe him.

Uchiha is very friendly, Uchiha is very friendly............?

Finally, she and Mebuki came to the door of the clan patriarch's courtyard together, the two Uchiha guards standing by the door quickly checked her seriously and indifferently, one of them raised his eyebrows, and the other had a cramp in his left eyelid, their eyes seemed to question her whole body colour - How can it be so conspicuous and colourful?

"Excuse me, I'm Haruno Mebuki, who made an appointment with Uchiha Mikoto-sama."

"I'm here to customise clothes for her. This is my daughter. Because of the inconvenience of life, I brought her to visit."

One of the guards nodded, and the other continued to stare at Sakura. To be precise, his cold eyes seemed to indicate that he had included an innocent pink-haired fairy holding two cute plush dolls in a list of suspicious threats.

Uchiha is very friendly, Uchiha is very friendly............

Inner kept meditating loudly in her brain.

"Hi, I'm Sakura."

One of the guards was expressionless and continued to stare.

"C,Can my friends also come in? They are Tobi-san and Hashi-san."

The two guards stiffened for a moment in unandidually.

After getting the agreement and entering the door, for some reason, Sakura felt that the two lines of sight behind her back were sharper. She felt as if she had been on the list of unknown threats listed by someone and topped the list.

The Uchiha patriarch's yard was very large, and it would take a period of time, which completely refreshed Sakura's past understanding. Whether it was carefully trimmed green plants or very spectacular and beautiful beams, all the decoration here was almost comparable to the mansion of the daimyo. Even if the hime comes, she will say she wants to live here.

"Haruno-san! You're here!"

"Hello, Uchiha-sama."

Kami! There really was a Hime living here!

"Only Mikoto, please."

"Please call me Mebuki, too."

Sakura wriggled nervously, her arms holding the two dolls were getting tighter and tighter, and her cheeks and ears were getting redder (even the comfort coldness of the ghosts could not fade away). It was not until the beautiful black-haired Hime squatted down and looked at her eyes gently, and her cheeks finally turned into hair, the same bright pink colour, the usual fluent words unexpectedly began to stutter.

"You must be Mebuki-san's daughter, right? Hello! I'm Uchiha Mikoto."

"I, my name is Haruno Sakura! Uchiha-hi, sama!"

She panicked and withdrew the voice that was about to be revealed, and the stumbling words were exchanged for Hime's giggle.

"Oh, Sakura-san, please remove sama, which will make me feel old."

"No! it's nothing! You're beautiful!" Sakura said seriously, "May I call you Mikoto-hime?"

Uchiha is very friendly! UCHIHA IS VERY FRIENDLY!

At the first meeting, Sakura's very sincere words unexpectedly won Mikoto's surprise and blush, as well as the silent smile of Mebuki and the ghosts, and finally Inner's silent excitement and excitement.

Unlike the previous guests, she had an unspeakable feeling about Mikoto-hime.

I feel like I'm going to fall in love with her --

She didn't know how to describe this feeling of joy from the heart, but she still sat obediently on the soft futon prepared by the Uchiha patriarch's wife, drinking the prepared jasmine tea, and her eyes kept turning. In addition to constantly peeking at the beautiful Mikoto, the most behaviour she did was which she felt curious about everything in the courtyard with the ghost Hashirama, Tobirama was unexpectedly quiet this time.

"They are also continuing to grow well! Kura!"

"Did you grow it? Hashi?"

After realising the unusual sharpness of shinobi, Sakura did not make a sound this time, but began to communicate quietly with the ghosts in sign language.

"Yes! In fact, half of the houses and green plants here were built by me." Hashirama explained patiently, "When the village was built and the land area was planned, Uchiha moved here, and Senju moved to the other side of the village. 

Senju laid the foundation for Uchiha in Konoha.

Sakura finally withdrew the curiosity that kept spreading out, she was satisfied to appreciate some of the historical traces preserved in the clan compound, which was not as modern as Haruno's house, their house was small, warm and comfortable, and the colours were also diverse and colourful. While the Uchiha compound was solemn, it stayed elegant traditional classical style, they were decorated with pure brown wood.

"Great! Mebuki-san, I've always wanted more colours!"

"I assure you that they will not conflict with your traditional style."

"Can you innovate and modify the style of clothes?"

"As long as you want, I will do it, Mikoto-san."

Sakura didn't take this dialogue to heart much. Unlike the ghosts who listened very carefully, she quietly enjoyed the red bean dango prepared by Mikoto - it was really delicious! The taste was a little more delicate than usual, it was also sweeter, the mellow flavour of the red beans in dango had been well highlighted and strengthened.

"Is it delicious? Sacchan?"

Hashirama carefully poked Sakura's bulging cheek with a transparent finger, inside her mouth was a complete dango after she opened her mouth and bit it.

"Hmm!" Sakura nodded and continued to chew the delicious dessert in her mouth.

"What colour do you want? Mikoto-san.”

"We have always been traditional blue, Mebuki-san, I hope to add other colours to decorate."

"Is there anything you want to innovate in the style?"

"The neckline and sleeves are looser to facilitate the movement."

"What do you think of this material? From kiri, it is more fireproof and warm.

"Very perfect!"

"I'll show you the drawings later. When will your children come back?"

"They are still on the training ground. Itachi and Sasuke will be a little late."

"Then how about I measure the size for you first? Mikoto-san?"

"Please, Mebuki-san."

Sakura reluctantly swallowed the last dango. After drinking the refreshing tea, she left the room quietly with two plush dolls in her arms, Mikoto-hime told her that if she was bored, she could play outside the yard for a while, kaasan also needed a certain space to complete the work, Sakura needed to take away the ghosts to ensure their privacy.

However, the yard was too big.

Sakura didn't know where to go for a while.

She wandered around in the yard aimlessly. At first, she went to the pond to play in the water for a while, watching the koi swimming in it do nothing. After a while, she followed the ghost Hashirama and listened to him introduce each plant in the yard. He told her what each plant liked, how to grow and develop, how to coexist with each other and draw sunshine and nutrients in nature - now, the seedlings in the backyard of Haruno's house are growing healthily and vigourously.

"You can also talk to them, Kura! they can hear you!"

The ghost Hashirama made the loudest shout first, and the big trees in the yard immediately echoed one after another, shaking off some fallen leaves.

After that, Sakura also said hello seriously, and a vigourous four-leaf clover on the ground swayed the leaves.

The four-leaf clover seems to be a little happy, the dew on the leaves is crystal clear, and its leaves vibrate as if responding to 'Hello'.

Sakura smiled happily. She was careful not to step on any grass (this kind behaviour decisively hit Hashirama's heart, it also got Tobirama's small smile). She hummed a song while jumping on the flagstone road, finally jumped to the end of the road and stopped, developed a strong interest in an old man who resting in the sun and a shogi boardboard in the doorway corridor.

Is he sleeping?

He seems to be waiting for someone who can play shogi with him.

This was Sakura's first impression.

The ghosts floating in the distance did not keep up, only stiffened for a moment.

"Oops? Where did the little fairy come from?"

The old man opened his eyes first. His curly and short hair had turned white, and the wrinkles on his face and hands elegantly announced the long years he had experienced. The small scars proved that he used to be Shinobi, old age did not make his eyes cloudy. On the contrary, his dark eyes were still as clear and bright, and undoubtedly explained the fact that he was also a Uchiha.

Uchiha is very friendly, Uchiha is very friendly --

Inner's words made Sakura move first.

"Hello? I'm Haruno Sakura. I'm sorry to bother you."

"Oh! What a sensible little fairy! It doesn't matter, I'm Uchiha Kagami."

The old man smiled kindly and friendly at her solemn posture like an adult, waved her over with a smile. "I just finished my rest. Are you a guest of Mikoto today?"

She nodded and walked up.

"Are you bored? Would you like to play with me for a while?"

"But I don't know how to play shogi, oji-san."

"Hn, you’ll know when you play, how can you know without the first time?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment, then she saw that the ghosts who interacted in the whole process finally floated quietly and slowly behind her -- Hashirama sat on her left first,  Tobirama sat on her right. They were upright and strangely quiet, and they all patted her shoulder with transparent and cold hands, silently encouraging and pushing her to have fun, so that her curiosity about shogi continued.

"Yoroshiku onegai shimasu, oji-san"

"Yoroshiku onegai shimasu, Sakura-san."

"Sacchan! So! Did you really beat my grandfather in shogi—"

Well...? the development of things is a little too sudden...?

Sakura forgot for a moment why she was sitting here.

The exquisite and beautiful three-colour dango, delicious and rich sashimi sushi, including the matcha provided, are of the best quality. The just-right foam and fresh fragrance on it are constantly stimulating the tip of her nose - she couldn't help moving her nose, but she was still carefully holding the cup in her hand. She lowered her head and tried to ignore the surroundings. Even the comfort of the ghosts behind her could not stop her panic from the bottom of her.

She hesitated for a moment, wanted to look up and take a sneak peek, but she quickly lowered her head, after getting the sharp gaze of a group of Uchiha.

She tries to focus only on the sashimi in the bowl, hoping that it can jump up and attract and divert the attention of others.

Kami! Why did it become like this?

I don't know--

"Have you been defeated by a little girl?! Kagami-jiji?"

No, no, it was Tobi! Tobi did it!

Oh, my God, we shouldn't let Tobirama play--

"But I, I've lost many times before, Uchiha-san." Sakura whispered. At the same time, the expression of the white-haired ghost beside her showed a trace of guilt - Tobirama stretched out his transparent palm and patted her back up and down. The ghost's unique cold temperature soothing action undoubtedly made relax her tight shoulders, and Hashirama helped to call on the other Uchiha ghosts in the room to stop their blatant gaze.

"Don't be modest! Sacchan! You need to know! Even Nara can't defeat my grandfather!"

"Boy, don't get too carried away. Do you think I can't hear the smug tone in your words?"

"Jiji! I'm really praising Sakura!"

"Oh, really?"

"Really! I swear I'm definitely not saying that the great Uchiha Kagami who even Naras can't beat was defeated by a five-year-old cute pink fairy--"

"Shisui, breathe, eat, and stop humiliating Kagami-ojisan."

"Hai, Tachi-chan."

"Shisui."

"Sorry, Itachi."

The noisy dining table finally quieted down easily, but Sakura became more and more restless.

She tried to lower her head, lower her head again, and bend her neck again, so that the fragrant rice in the bowl could fill all her vision - in this way, she would not have to receive glances from all directions, especially the sharp eyes of the white-haired old man on the opposite side, which seemed to see through her whole body from the inside out or thought she had two heads. Therefore, It was difficult for Sakura to combine him with the image of an amiable humourous old man not long ago.

"Sakura-san, your shogi skills have improved so fast, I haven't been defeated for a long time."

"Th,thank you?" She blushed.

Kagami smiled gently, but his eyes stil were looking at another person through her.

It's over. He definitely equalised you with Tobirama in his mind.

Stop talking it... Inner...

It's over - it's over - you see! Their eyes seemed to be about to cut our skin alive!

Sakura, who wants to go home quickly or find a crack in the ground alone, can only concentrate on eating, kami, this should have been a normal episode! But she messed up, she really messed up. That's it. Sakura can never stop the increasing suspicion in Uchihas's eyes and the horror gaze of other strange ghosts. Obviously, she saw more Uchiha ghosts, and even more terrifying!

In the room where the temperature is getting more colder, she struggles to overcome the instinct of her body to tremble.

Hurry up and finish it, Outer! Let's go with Kaasan immediately after eating!

Sakura accelerated the speed of swallowing the rice, which attracted Mebuki's strange eyes.

"Don't gulp, kura, take your time." Mebuki was puzzled, she held out a handkerchief to gently wipe off a grain of rice on her precious daughter's cheek. "Do you want to add another bowl of rice?"

Sakura immediately shook her head in panic. She patted her stomach and said she was full.

Leave quickly, leave quickly--

"Huh? Don't you eat a little?" The teenager called Shisui once again opened his favourite dinning table to greet and chat kindly, the overly cheerful Uchiha even had the courage to make humourous jokes about his grandfather and cousin. “You see, my cousins Sasu-chan and tachi-chan both ate two bowls of rice? Sacchan! You children should eat more to grow up!"

The other two Uchihas at the table, who were offended, immediately gave a warning look of 'Shut up quickly'.

Oh no, we really don't have any extra thoughts or stomachs to eat!

Although I really want to grow taller, I really can't eat it...

Sakura continued to shake her head. She explained that she ate a lot of desserts and snacks in the morning, and the delicious dango prepared by Mikoto-hime in the afternoon, of course, there was a lot of panic after that, her cramped stomach from time to time really couldn't stuff anything.

"I've finished eating, too! Why don't we go out together!"

She was shocked about Shisui’s sudden invitation, and immediately shyly hid beside Mebuki. She shook her head again slightly in exchange for the merciless laughter of Kagami and Shisui's exaggerated sad dramatic reaction - the boy pretended to cover his injured chest and wiped two false tears that did not exist at all.

"You scared our guest, Shisui-nii. She thought you were a weirdo."

"Hey! Hey! Thank you for your comments! Sasu-chan!"

"There is no 'chan'! Shisui-nii!"

"Sasuke-chan!"

The table was getting more and more lively, but no adult interrupted this warm family clip. Even the most serious Uchiha Fugaku and the indifferent-looking Uchiha Itachi had acquiesced to this phenomenon - maybe too many times have happened - so are they used to it? Anyway, Sakura quietly grabbed the corner of Mebuki's clothes, and pressed against her thighs to ignore the ghost-like gaze of Kagami and the observation of the other strange ghosts in the room.

Kami, how on earth did this happen?

The old man, Kagami, still continued to stare at her in a trance.

Sakura can only do her best to avoid Kagami’s gaze.

Everything, everything, all the sources should start from shogi.

At first, she didn't know the rules of the shogi game, Kagami patiently explained the basic rules to her - he not only was a kind oldster, but also a merciless opponent. In the first match, she lost unexpectedly and lost very quickly.

But Sakura was very smart.

How smart is she? Can you read more than a dozen books in a day like her? Can you understand all kinds of obscure words in the same age?

The clever Sakura found some tricks and mastered some methods. In the second round, she still lost, but not so fast. The third round, she lost slower and slower. She began to get used to the pace of the other party and keep up with the speed. Her thoughts and eyes were so focussed, and her big forehead under the pink bangs was It is a very shocking progress to quickly think about the next step and the next step of the shogi piece. Who can believe that this five-year-old child has just played her fourth shogi? Who else can do it except some terrible Nara, who is naturally clever?

The old man slowly raised his eyes, there was an indescribable astonishiment inside.

The faces of the ghosts staring silently next to them are full of pride. ( Please! Sakura is their cute little prodigy!)

"General."

"Ah - I lost again!"

"But this is a very exciting competition. I had a great time, Sakura-san."

"Then can we do it again? Kagami-oji-san?"

"Oh, please let me rest for a while. I'm old and need to stretch a little."

As soon as the words fell, Kagami immediately stood up from the futon that he had been kneeling on. The crisp squeaking sound from his bone hair made Sakura a little worried. Even the ghosts who had been watching next to him frowned uneasily, but Kagami did not show any discomfort. He was like a lazy Like a cat, it slowly stretched out its arms, and the back-stretched waist continued to make more crisp creaks, he even gave the stunned Sakura a sly and smug smile.

"I'm a little thirsty. How about I get some tea and dango?"

"Oh! Oh! Then I'll get it for you--"

"No, no, you are a important guest, Sakura-san." Kagami decisively pressed the shoulder she wanted to get up and casually touched her soft and delicate pink hair. He left quickly, even using Sakura's way to come here - he imitated Sakura's humming song, then jumped from the end of the slate road to Mikoto's house, but this time there was no bone creak. The sound, not even the sound of footsteps was emitted at all. Obviously, the Shinobi method was used.

Sakura and the ghosts around her stared at the process in a daze.

The ghosts were silent for a long time before they burst into laughter.

"He hasn't changed much! Tobi."

"I thought he would be more mature when he was old, Anija."

The ghosts looked at each other and smiled, their faces were full of nostalgia. Sakura, who didn't know what had happend, could only look at their heads back and forth over and asked curiously: "Huh? Tobi? Hashi? Do you know him? Is he your friend?"

"Uchiha Kagami used to be my student." Tobirama said.

"He also learned shogi from Tobi!" Hashirama added with a smile.

"He was the best at learning, neither Hiruzen nor Homura could catch up with him. I remember he pulling Torifu to Naras' place every day to make a fuss. One day, he finally stopped because he defeated most of Nara."

"But he still no way to defeat Tobirama-sensei in the end! Right? Tobi?"

"That was before, Hashirama, i didn't have a chance to compete with him later."

Sakura looked at the ghosts in amazement, it was the first time she saw them so excited, which was rare, it was even different from the usual atmosphere in the park, the ghosts' posture was slightly relaxed and their demeanour was much calmer - especially Tobi. Sakura only saw his unchanged dignified posture, the indifferent expression rarely changes. Although he also smiled, the emotions projected by him to Kagami were obviously unique.

Happy, calm, proud and nostalgic.

However, Sakura caught a trace of silence and regret on her friend's face.

Tobi said that Kagami played shogi with many people, and even defeated almost all of Nara.

Hashi said that he still couldn't defeat his sensei.

Tobi said that there was no chance to play shogi later.

But Kagami persisted, he was old, not like Tobirama's face without too many wrinkles (He explained that time had frozen his appearance). Kagami was slowly becoming old, his wrinkles and age spots were clearly visible on his face. He just sat in the corridor and sunked lazily, just waited and pulled casually, the old man continued to play shogi to spend the rest of his time.

Until now, he has found Sakura.

Sakura, who was confused and clueless, had a strange impulse in her heart, and she opened her mouth without hesitation.

"Tobi! Come and play with him next time!"

Sakura smiled, she continued to smile, she just looked at the shock and hesitation in the eyes of the ghost friends. She continued to smile, looking at Tobi's constantly relaxing eyebrows and the downward corners of his mouth, Hashi also said loudly next to her - "This is a good idea!" In the end, Tobirama also responded with a small smile, he regained his indifferent expression as usual and finally nodded, the flickering red eyes were hard to hide the gentleness and seriousness - oh, Sakura successfully guessed her friend's mind.

"Sakura-san, I brought dango here--"

"Kagami-oji-san! I want to play the last game again!"

The last shogi game.

Uchiha Kagami still failed to defeat his Tobirama-sensei.