"Laughing? You're still laughing?!"
"I'm telling you, you haven't even realized how serious this is!"
Mebuki Haruno rubbed her temples, exasperated, as she watched Sakura, who was shoveling rice into her mouth and suddenly bursting into inexplicable giggles.
Her precious daughter was perfect in every way: looks? Strong as hell. Strength? Strong as hell. Talent? Strong as hell. Status? Strong as hell.
But she was too damn perfect. Who could possibly catch her eye in the future?!
She wouldn't end up like Lady Tsunade, a legendary leftover warrior, would she?!
The thought alone sent shivers down Mebuki's spine.
Seeing her mom gearing up to launch into another lecture, Sakura set down her spotlessly clean bowl and bolted.
It was absurd to even think about. In her past life, she was nagged about marriage in her twenties. Now, in this godforsaken ninja world, she wasn't even thirteen, and they were already hounding her to get married!
Utterly demonic.
Marriage?
Let someone try catching her Gold-Clad Staff or her Hundred Strength Technique first.
And in the future, add Sage Art Strength, Yang Release Strength, and Yin Release Strength to the list!
Watching Sakura vanish in a puff of smoke, Mebuki let out a heavy sigh before turning her glare to Kizashi Haruno, who was cautiously picking at his rice on the other side of the table.
"And you!"
"You didn't even back me up just now?!"
Kizashi's heart skipped a beat. He'd been trying so hard to stay invisible, yet he still got caught in the crossfire.
"Uh, well, Sakura's matters… they don't really need our meddling anymore," Kizashi replied tentatively, treading carefully around his wife.
Kizashi had always been self-aware.
He knew his talents were mediocre, so he'd settled into a quiet, honest life as a warehouse manager in Konohagakure's logistics department. Decades later, he'd only climbed to Chunin through sheer seniority.
He'd thought his life would pass by uneventfully, but who could've predicted that his chaotic, petty household would produce a phoenix?
The day Sakura became the Hokage's disciple, Kizashi's already cautious nature doubled down. When colleagues he hadn't spoken to in years suddenly invited him to dinner, he politely declined, terrified of causing trouble for his precious daughter.
Aside from two or three childhood friends, Kizashi's social circle hadn't changed in years.
Now that Sakura was shining brightly through her own abilities, Kizashi felt that, as her father, he shouldn't interfere too much.
Sakura had been brilliant since she was a child, and Kizashi didn't think he was smarter than her.
If Sakura were just ordinarily exceptional, Kizashi might've bragged about her to friends and colleagues. But she was too exceptional.
That made him even more reserved and careful with his words.
"You!"
Seeing her usually obedient husband take a stand against her, Mebuki's temper flared.
"Look, you need to let go," said the man with the perpetually goofy starfish hairstyle, sighing as he set his chopsticks down on his bowl.
"Sakura's not like us. Compared to these trivial matters of romance, she's only twelve. Let her do what she wants."
"Meddling too much will only hold her back."
As Mebuki opened her mouth to argue, Kizashi's expression turned slightly stern. "Or what, Mebuki? Do you think you're more exceptional than Sakura?"
Mebuki stared, stunned, at the husband who was usually all jokes but now looked so serious.
"Fine, fine, I was wrong, okay?!" Mebuki snapped, crossing her arms and plopping onto the couch in a huff.
"Huh?" Kizashi grinned. "How could my dear Mebuki-sama ever be wrong? I just meant Sakura's grown up now, that's all."
"Come here, let your hubby give you a kiss~~~"
Seeing his wife sulking, Kizashi shuffled over with a cheeky grin, puckering his stubbly lips as if to plant a kiss.
"Eww~~"
"Get lost~~~"
Mebuki shoved him away, half-disgusted by her middle-aged husband's exaggerated attempt at cuteness.
"Heh heh, Sakura's too independent. I don't even get to feel like a dad! So, how about, while we're still young~~~"
"You pervert, get to the bedroom~~~"
Mebuki's heart fluttered at Kizashi's sleazy grin. Glancing at Sakura's tightly shut bedroom door, she let herself be half-pushed, half-carried by her husband, who scooped her up and headed for the bedroom.
This house was uninhabitable!
Sakura sat at her desk, staring at a scroll about Yang Release, unable to focus.
Middle-aged couple PDA was disgustingly sweet!
Did they think a single door could block her senses?!
Was that door some kind of Uzumaki clan barrier?!
Even without using the Canopy Array, Sakura's ninja-enhanced hearing picked up every rustle of clothing being removed!
The more she tried to tune it out, the louder it got.
Pushing open the window, Sakura leapt out into the night.
The cool evening breeze sent her pink hair fluttering as she bounded across Konohagakure's rooftops, aimlessly wandering.
It was late. Most homes had their lights off, and even the usually bustling Konoha Main Street was nearly deserted, with many shops preparing to close for the night.
Walking along the street, Sakura sighed as she passed darkened storefronts.
It was so late—surely she wouldn't end up homeless for the night, right?
Her emerald eyes scanned the surroundings, catching a glimpse of light at the end of the street.
Ichiraku Ramen.
It suddenly hit her. In all her years in Konoha, she'd been so busy—skipping grades at the Academy, then getting assigned to ANBU—that she'd never visited this place.
As a 5A-rated Konoha landmark, how had she never checked in at Ichiraku?
Time to fix that.
Warm yellow light spilled through the gaps in the door curtain. Sakura pushed it aside, and the wind chimes above jingled pleasantly.
"Welcome~~"
A cheerful teenage voice greeted her. A girl, about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a white uniform, stood behind the counter and beamed at Sakura.
Spotting Sakura's distinctive pink hair, Ayame paused for a moment but quickly recovered with a smile. "What can I get started for you? The menu's on the wall!"
Sakura didn't mind. Her pink hair made her recognizable not just in Konoha but across the ninja world.
No one else in the village had a head of hair like hers.
"A tonkotsu char siu ramen," Sakura said, glancing at the menu on the wall as she took a seat.
"Got it! Just a moment!" Ayame replied energetically. For a first-time customer like Sakura, she was full of enthusiasm and delivered a steaming bowl of ramen in under five minutes.
Sakura eyed the appetizing dish, picked up her chopsticks, and took a bite of the noodles.
Not bad. Better than most ramen she'd had.
As she dug in, the wind chimes jingled again.
"Welcome!" Ayame's cheerful voice rang out once more.
"Sakura?"
The newcomer recognized her immediately, mid-slurp.
That voice…
"Naruto?"
Sakura swallowed her noodles and turned to see a dusty, travel-worn blond.
But one look, and she nearly went blind!
Who the hell was this?!
Blond hair, check. Whisker marks, check.
But dressed in the same green spandex as Might Guy?!
Tenten, I told you to look after Naruto, not this?!
"Heh heh, it's so late! What's Sakura doing here?" Naruto plopped down beside her, grinning. "I don't think you've ever been to Ichiraku before, right?"
What, was she supposed to say she ran away from home in the middle of the night?
And could he please change out of that eye-searing green spandex?!
Sakura was pretty sure she was developing a permanent squint.
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