Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The third stage of the exams had ended, and tonight was the closing ceremony. She, along with her teammates, had gotten promoted. As the iryō-nin, genjutsu mistress, and tactician of her group, she had to play to her advantages. She certainly had some ninjutsu in her pocket, but considering their team was for infiltration and rescue, she knew her job was to showcase her specialties. 

Meaning, she used little to no taijutsu, even though it was something she specialized in more than her teammates. Her chakra control allowed for speed and strength to mean nothing in the face of stronger opponents. 

Such a decision left many questioning her worth when she accepted her flak vest. Her team, the Suna Team, and the Konoha teams were the only ones to pass immediately. The other villages' genin would find out back home. 

In particular, one particularly loud and snooty newly minted chūnin from Konoha, clearly an Uchiha by the looks of him and his clan kamon, felt the need to say what everyone else was thinking or whispering about.  

“Excuse me?!” Sakura growls, fists clenched. 

The asshole Uchiha looks down at her, eyes unimpressed, “You’re deaf as well as useless?”

Haku and Chōjūrō step closer, well aware of her temper. A righteous thing in Kiri that very few ever dared to risk. Kisame-sensei has told them to behave or he’d make them swim back to Kiri. 

The blonde and other pale-looking boy stepped back, clearly wary of the vein throbbing in her forehead. Though the Uchiha wasn’t, or thought he could handle her. She could see Kisame-sensei across the banquet hall, speed walking in her direction with another jōnin sensei. The man had gravity-defying silver hair. 

“I said you’re annoying. I doubt you can even throw a punch,” He sneered, looking down at her, literally. Sakura is very small, but that doesn’t mean she’s about to let this disrespect slide. 

Haku and Chōjūrō, spying her fist tighten and flex, step even closer, their faces pale. But Sakura isn’t looking in their direction. 

The Uchiha, clearly thinking the conversation has ended, turns around to his teammates, about to leave. 

Not one to let this blatant disrespect and dismissive nature get her down or let the ass think he won, Sakura stomps forward. 

“Sasuke-kun?” She calls, voice sweeter than sugar. 

When he turns around, Sakura’s fist is already in motion, a blur far too fast for him to see. Especially without his precious dōjutsu on. 

Her fist makes contact with his nose, crunching under the pressure her chakra-less fist packs. He flies between his two teammates and crashes into a cocktail island. Several drinks splash over him, and he has a few scorpion fritters in his hair and collar. 

His head sways as he tries to recalibrate and figure out what happened. 

“How’s that for a punch, asshole!?” Sakura growls, being held back by her teammates. 

The blonde on Sasuke’s team is howling with laughter, “That’s what you get for talking shit, teme!”

The other pale one smirks as he walks over to his teammate, “Princess, I’ve told you multiple times. You need to watch what you say.”

“Fuck you, Sai,” The Uchiha slurs, hand drifting to touch his broken nose and black eye.

“Sasuke.” A deep voice sighs in exasperation and reluctant acceptance. 

“Sakura…” A deeper voice growls as she finds herself lifted up by the back of her flak jacket. 

Sasuke, being helped to stand by his teammates, and Sakura, dangling in the air by her new flak jacket, simultaneously huff.

“Hmph!” Sakura crosses her arms and points her nose in the air, unbothered.

“Hn.” Sasuke glares in a different direction from her. 

They don’t see the look of commiseration that their senseis share. 

“I’m sorry about my little guppy,” Kisame-sensei apologizes, forcing Sakura to bend down at a perfect 90-degree angle. 

“No worries. My pup is the one in the wrong. You’d think with how scary his mother and aunt are, he’d know better than to insult a kunoichi.” Replies Hatake fucking Kakashi, who also forces Sasuke to bow down at the same 90-degree angle. 

They stand outside the gates of Suna, in one large group. Though Kakashi’s team stands away from the rest of the Konoha team. 

The blonde Uzumaki and Haku bond so fast, Sakura gets whiplash. Chōjūrō and Sai watch them amused. 

“Are you ready to apologize, guppy?” Kisame-sensei phrases it like a question, but she knows it's an order. 

She stands up, scowling at the Uchiha, who is glaring at her heatedly as well. 

Both spit out an insincere contrite, “I’m sorry,” and duck beneath their senseis’ hands to go join their teammates. 

And when Sakura gets closer, she understands why her eyes keep going back to the blonde. 

He looks like my cousins on mama’s side and feels similar too…

“Haruno Sakura,” Sakura greets, smiling at the blonde (whose name she still doesn’t know) and Sai.

“Hiroshi Sai,” Sai responds, nodding with an amused look in his eyes. 

“Nice to meet ya, Sakura-chan. Thanks for punching, teme. I can’t wait to tell Mikoto-ba and Fugaku-ji! My name is Uzumaki Naruto!” 

Sakura pauses and furrows her brows, “Uzumaki?”

Understanding her confusion, he grins bright and wide, “Yeah! My kaa-chan is the Uzumaki Clan head, and she married my tō-chan. Even she was surprised by the blonde in my hair. But tō-chan jokes that the Namikaze genes are just as strong as Uzumaki.”

Sakura’s eyes widen, “Did you say ‘Namikaze’?”

Naruto opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by a shout from one of the four Konoha jōnin standing a ways away. All six of them turn to look at the adults. 

“Gather up! Time to head out.”  

Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke turn to look back at Sakura and her team, with varying expressions. 

“See ya! It was nice to meet ya, 'ttebayo!” Naruto exclaims, jogging back to the Konoha group. 

“Likewise, Naruto-kun!” Haku calls out. 

“I hope we meet again soon, I have not had such a riveting conversation in a long while,” says Sai before he nods at their group and turns to walk after his blonde teammate.

“It was nice meeting you, Sai-san.” Chō-nii nods.

Sakura and Sasuke get in a glaring contest, but Sakura beats him to any farewell, “Bye, Sasuke-kun. Hope your eye heals quickly.”

He glares at her harder and scoffs, strolling back to the Konoha group.

“Is ‘Namikaze’ important, Sacchan?” Haku asks as they watch the Konoha shinobi take off in the distance. 

Sakura tilts her head in contemplation before turning around to walk back to where Kisame-sensei is waiting for them. They won’t leave until next week.

“Namikaze is my mother’s maiden name.” She shares. 

Both her teammates look at her shocked.

Chapter Text

The beauty of being from Kirigakure means, while she has no official individual specialization, she is skilled in many things. One such thing is tracking. As her team was groomed for infiltration, rescue, and hunter-nin, Sakura’s memory aided her team. Her vast amount of knowledge made sure they never starved, never got lost, and were not taken advantage of in unfamiliar territory and villages. 

As such, it is easy to use these skills to disguise herself and track down the whereabouts of the Slug Princess. 

The one woman in the world that Sakura wanted to teach her. 

Chakra control so precise, she used it to enhance her already staggering strength. 

A miracle healer who could further Sakura’s already high iryō skills. 

Someone who would look at Sakura and not see her limits, but limitless potential.

A woman that Sakura had read plenty about as a child and budding kunoichi, but never thought more of. Simply because she focused on catching and keeping up. 

But one off-handed remark from an old bitter iryō-nin , puppet and poison mistress in Suna, suddenly cleared the fog clouding over her eyes. The fog that had been present all throughout her post-graduation life. The fog that threatened to settle after that ass Uchiha had blatantly disrespected and disregarded her.

Chiyo-sama had called the Slug Princess, Senju Tsunade, a one-trick pony past her prime. 

But Sakura has seen her fair share of one-trick ponies. 

Hell, she is one. 

But that one trick is something she mastered, so she could become a jack of all trades to better support her team. 

So, Sakura didn’t hesitate to storm Yagura-sama’s office with her politely worded request (demand).

Sakura finds the last Senju and her only apprentice six weeks after her search begins. Her tails have led her around Hi no Kuni and into more tourist attractions. The Slug summoner having taken to leaving her birth country more often now that there is no war. 

Sakura finds the woman in Yugakure no Sato. No longer a shinobi village but now just one giant tourist attraction, it is a common hot spot in the fall for those who want some peace and quiet, but a little fun on the side. 

As such, Sakura easily finds the Slug Sannin one day in the village. 

Following the trail of bars empty of alcohol and gambling halls with broken doors, it is easy to track Tsunade down at her inn's lounge. 

She’s in a yukata that barely closes around her insanely large chest, and her bare legs barely hold her up as she demands the bartender to bring another round of sake bottles to her table. 

Green eyes glance to the table in the back, where she spies a brunette who looks deeply concerned, holding onto a cute little pink pig. 

The blonde stumbles back to the table, and the brunette immediately starts to fuss over her. Sakura walks up to the bar and drops a bag on the counter.

Keeping eye contact with the bartender, she says, jerking her head in the woman’s direction, “I’m covering her tab.”

The handsome man grins at her with a raised brow and nods, before handing her a platter with another bottle and three saucers. Sakura winks at him and strides to her destination.

The brunette looks up at her, confused and obviously trying to place her. Not that she could, since she is wearing a henge that makes her hair the same color as her mama’s. 

“Can we help you?” The brunette asks, wary and definitely ready to go to bed and not entertain the drunk any longer. 

Sakura pulls up a chair and casts an area-wide genjutsu on their table while also dismissing the one on her hair. Her Kiri hitai-ate comes into view. 

“Hi, my name is Haruno Sakura. A chūnin from Kirigakure-”

“The fuck does a brat from the Chigiri want from me? I ain’t healin’ anybody for you or the Mizukage, pinkie.” Tsunade cuts her off with a sneer and glare. And if Sakura weren’t so smart and observant, she’d think the woman was actually drunk. But while her face is flushed and her body temperature radiates heat, the clarity in her eyes gives her away. 

Iryō-nin had the capabilities to be monsters, given the right tools and motivation. Senju Tsunade is proof of that. 

That’s why Sakura ignores ‘brat’, ‘pinkie’, and ‘Chigiri’ insults and continues speaking as if she hadn’t been interrupted, “and I would like to become your apprentice, Tsunade-sama. I would like to be more than just an iryō-nin.”

The brunette (Sakura really should get her name) and Tsunade gape at her. The former in absolute shock, and the latter, blankly before erupting in unabashed and mocking laughter. 

Sakura keeps her face blank and neutral, waiting to see what the older woman has to say before responding to the taunt. 

It takes the blonde a few minutes to stop laughing and wipe her tears, but eventually she does. 

“Fuck off,” She says, deadly serious. 

Sakura narrows her eyes, “No.”

“I ain’t teaching you squat, kid.” She sneers, leaning forward, pressing a manicured finger into her chest.

A green eye twitches at the action, “What do I need to do to prove I’m worthy enough?”

Tsunade scoffs and drinks straight from the bottle Sakura bought for the table, “Ha! Besides being an actual Konoha shinobi or unaffiliated with any village? Chakra control in the 80th percen-”

“97.” Sakura cuts her off. 

Both women look at Sakura in shock, like they can’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. 

The brunette stutters to ask, “97? What is 97?”

Sakura leans back and crosses her arms, “My control. Before I left to start my search for you, Yagura-sama had me tested to prove I could put my ryō where my mouth is. My chakra control is in the 97th percentile.”

“Bullshit,” Tsunade says, glaring, “Mine is in the 95th and been that way for years. No one has had any higher since my grandfather.”

Sakura raises a perfect pink brow in challenge, “You got a crystal or a fuinjutsu test?”

The two keep their heated staring contest. Tsunade snaps her fingers, “Shizune!” she barks. 

The newly named Shizune pulls a turquoise crystal out of her hidden holster on her thigh and gives it to Tsunade. 

The crystal is pinched between the Sannin’s pointer finger and thumb. Tsunade’s amber eyes never once leave her evergreen ones as the crystals' black lines light up white, up until only five lines are not.

“95th.” Tsunade confirms, not even looking away from Sakura. 

She tosses the crystal to Sakura, who catches it with one hand. Putting the crystal on the table, she touches it with her right index finger, just lightly. Seconds go by until only two lines aren’t glowing. 

Shizune gasps, clutching the pig tighter. Tsunade is staring at the crystal beneath Sakura’s finger in shock. 

“Would you look at that? It went up one percent. Probably because of the long-term henge I’ve implemented to travel for the last few weeks.” She says nonchalantly, flicking the crystal back at the blonde. “What other minimums do I need to be your apprentice?”

“A level-two trauma surgeon-”

“I’m level-three. They finally promoted me after I passed my exams.”

“Poison knowledge-”

“Chiyo-baa-sama gave me a gold star after I found an antidote for her rogue grandson’s poison.”

Tsunade’s eye twitches at being interrupted again and again. Anything she says, Sakura will provide proof she can do it or has. Some miserable drunk won’t stop her from thriving. 

“I’m not teaching you, gaki. Impressive as you are. And while I might be on leave and am not an active Konoha shinobi, I have enough patriotism not to teach my skills to a kid not from Konoha. Let alone one not affiliated with one of her known allies.”

Sakura glares harder and grits her teeth as the blonde chugs the rest of the bottle. Judging by the grimace on Shizune’s face, the blonde means those words. The compliment and the dismissal.

“I didn’t beg my Kage for this chance and a two-year leave of absence to be told ‘no’.” Sakura growls, standing up and placing her hands on the table, “Chiyo-baa-sama called you a one-trick pony past your prime.”

Tsunade’s chakra flares in indignation.

“I don’t care about that. In fact, I find her words insulting. Because I am a one-trick pony. And that one trick has let me bring my teammates back to the village healthy and whole more times than they can count. Helped me master genjutsu and make my own style, I’ve become deadly. But I refuse to be pushed to the side because of some arbitrary labels and limits. I’m not settling. Tell me what I have to do to prove I am worth your time and education.”

Shizune is once again looking shocked, as her eyes dart from Sakura to Tsunade. Beneath the shock, she can make out the respect. Hell, Sakura can see it in Tsunade’s eyes right now. 

But it seems it’s not enough.

“Fuck off, gaki. I'm not taking on some Kiri kid. I'm exiled, not stupid. Hell, I'd sooner bet I develop mokuton before I decide to take you in.” Tsunade slurs tiredly.

But Sakura.

Sakura blinks, biting back a feral grin.

“If I recreate mokuton, will you take me on?” Sakura asks, standing up straight and putting her hands on her hips.

Tsunade no longer looks impressed. Just tired and a bit affronted with this conversation, “Kid, if you recreate mokuton, I'll follow you back to Kiri and fill out the apprentice paperwork myself.”

“Deal,” Sakura agrees, turning around. But she stops and looks over her shoulder, “How much longer will you be staying in this village?”

Tsunade furrows her brows at her confused, but Shizune responds warily, “About four more days?”

Sakura nods, “I’ve paid your tab. Have a nice afternoon, ladies.”

Sakura is a nerd. She is an iryō-nin. She is a kunoichi (though she wants to be a shinobi, and becoming Tsunade’s apprentice would help with the transition).

Haruno Sakura is a civilian.

A second-generation shinobi, but civilian nonetheless. 

Because her papa is the head of the Haruno merchant group, and while her mama used to be an active shinobi during the Second and Third Shinobi Wars, she is retired. 

Which means Sakura does not start the academy with the same foundations as her shinobi-bred classmates. 

Classmates who’ve been training in katas and clan jutsus since they were three. Kids who have reserves that double, no, triple hers from the beginning. 

She does start the academy with an IQ of 160 and all the books available to the public of Kiri (2,569) in her mind, though. 

Which means she has dozens, if not hundreds, of meditation methods memorized. Katas she can recall in perfect clarity, but no means to properly train in them.

The reason Sakura has such high control is because, as a child, she had little to no chakra. The reason it's stayed this high is because she dedicates several hours a day to meditation to improve her reserves and keep her control. 

By the time she graduated, though she kept it smothered, she had the same reserves as an elite chūnin. Now, as a chūnin, she has enough chakra to be an ANBU captain. Kisame-sensei had been extremely shocked when she revealed she had been hiding the depths of her real reserves.

But what she needs now isn’t more chakra. 

No, Sakura needs to better understand her elements. 

Dual elements often lead to new releases.

Like how doton and futon made santon (sand). 

Futon and suiton made hyōton (ice).

Katon and doton made yōton (lava). 

Suiton and katon made futton (boil). 

Of course, there are other genetic qualifications that affect the likelihood. Such as reserves, whether the releases are equal or if one is more dominant, or if a hidden (clan secret) third piece is needed to complete it. 

Sakura has three releases. She has equal suiton and doton. She also has an excess of Yin, but most people don’t count it. 

(Fools really. It’s her excess in Yin that makes genjutsu and iryō ninjutsu easy for her.)

She’s mastered suiton due to her home. And staying in Suna for nearly two months and traveling through the mainland for another two certainly helped her improve upon her doton. And typically, combining doton and suiton leads to deiton (mud). 

But Tsunade unknowingly gave her a piece of the puzzle that is the infamous and deadly mokuton. And she highly doubts the woman is aware of her dual natures, or at least how equal they are.

It is well known that Senju Hashirama had suiton and doton and that he used the two to utilize mokuton.

What most people didn’t know, though, it seems, is that Senju Hashirama apparently also had insane chakra control. Sakura is willing to bet that the overstimulation of the mokuton greatly contributed to his superior healing ability and what led to the expansion of iryō ninjutsu.

Something Sakura discovered in her journey to shinobi-dom is that one does not just have an excess amount of chakra control, unless especially necessary, for biological and physiological reasons.

Her chakra control is so precise because of her abundant amount of Yin energy. While she was mostly docile, she had a quick and hidden temper as a child, which she felt she had to hide. Suppressing her emotions all the time simply served to improve that control. 

Yin energy is one of those releases where little control leads to big problems. Usually, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.

But there is one other release that requires precise chakra control or a channeling tool, Sakura muses as she sits on her bed, cross-legged. One that demands it lest the person turn to stone, in fact. 

“Senjutsu…” She murmurs, looking down at her hands. 

She thanks the Sage and all the deities that she was born into an affluent family. The room she rented in the inn had a person onsen surrounded by native flora. She sits in her binding and athletic shorts, barefoot atop the onsen water. She will be in this relatively expensive suite for at max, a week. But it needs to be done. She needs a safe and secure place with elements from both her affinities to practice.

Sakura has read hundreds of methods about meditating. Many of which give basic information about sage training and senjutsu. All of them specify needing a channel, usually a summon.

But Senju Hashirama didn’t need one. He mastered mokuton before he became a sage. 

Sakura was determined to do the same. 

Sitting in a lotus pose, Sakura inhales deeply, drawing deep into her mindscape. Letting the smell of the onsen sulfur clear her sinuses. The wind dancing between the bamboo chimes in the distance, and the warmth and fluidity of the water beneath her ground her. 

On her exhale, she conjures suiton in her right hand and doton in her left. The two natures meet at the tips of her touching fingertips, and Sakura experiments with the amount of Yin and senjutsu to add. 

She finds Tsunade and Shizune three days later. Judging by the way the women are dressed, they intend to leave the village today and go to the next spot. 

Unfortunately for them, they’ll be following her to Kiri. 

The Sannin spots her first and groans. Shizune gives her a sympathetic smile as she strolls up, her satchel across her back as well. 

“What do you want now, gaki?” Tsunade groans, “I thought I made it clear I won’t be teaching you.”

Sakura pulls out a chair and casts a genjutsu over their table, much like she did days earlier. Her fingers tremble as she attempts to grab a pitcher of water to pour herself a glass. 

She had come very very close to turning to stone multiple times. Each time by a minimal degree, but close enough. It wasn’t until the second day did she realize she should be using the neutral frequency of the Shōsen Jutsu to act as a mediator between the three elements as she tinkered with the right amount of senjutsu. 

But she did it. 

“You guys heading out now? Thought you still had another day or two..” Sakura says instead.

Tsunade furrows her brows, clearly having expected a rebuttal.

Shizune is the one to respond, though, “That was the plan, but Tsunade-sama feels she’s lost all her luck in this village. It was nice to meet you, Sakura-san. I wish you the best of luck in your path as a combat iryō-nin, though.”

Sakura blinks at the mature brunette. She slowly takes in the adorable pig in her arms before looking back at Tsunade and blinking slowly. 

“We made a bet,” She says in lieu of accepting the well wishes, staring at Tsunade unblinkingly. 

Tsunade snorts, “Kid, no one can recreate mokuton. Well, not without a lot of horrible, unethical, and inhumane experimentation.”

The last part is said in barely a whisper, harsh and disgusted. Which, Sakura thinks, is something to discuss another day. 

“Well, fortunately for us all, I value my license as an iryō-nin too much to due something so drastic and unforgivable.”

Both women furrow their brows at her nonchalance, and Sakura will forever savor and look back on this current memory whenever she’s depressed or in a funk. 

Raising her right hand from the tabletop, green leaves begin to grow from the wood. Flower petals bloom to life slowly, revealing a blooming multicolored gladiolus. 

The rowdiness of the bar they are in is drowned out by the deathly silence that befalls their table. 

“Oh my sage..” Shizune murmurs, shellshocked.

“What the fuck?” Tsunade chokes out, sake spilling from her lips and from her bottle, onto her top. Her face goes from ashen to gray to green. “How the fuck..?”

Sakura, extremely smug, but nearly chakra depleted because she hadn’t rested nearly enough to grow such a hybrid plant and thanking every deity in existence she didn't turn into stone, asks, “Ready to follow me to Kiri, Hag?”

Tsunade groans, “Oh fuck the sage.”

Chapter Text

“Well now… This is certainly an interesting place to set up base.” Tsunade muses as they stand atop the choppy water. 

Before them is an island, large enough for a mid-size clan. The trees are tall with thick, dark leaves. The bushes are a dark green with thorns, and they can be seen from atop the ocean. And while the shore is sandy, there are sharp boulders and stones scattered around. Roars and growls echo from inside the flora, hidden behind shadows and golden eyes. 

Shizune, holding onto Tonton, has a manic look in her eyes as she adds, “I wonder how many poisonous plants are hidden in there…”

Sakura nods, used to their behavior, only a week into this apprenticeship.

“Let's get started then, shall we?” 

Tsunade and Shizune smirk at her as they walk toward the sandy shores.

“Oh my… what a lovely jungle. This will be perfect for us to train, Sakura-chan,” The somewhat large fucking slug says, slithering about and around the clearing Sakura has made her main base. 

One year into her apprenticeship, Tsunade-shishō allowed her to sign Katsuyu-sama’s scroll and begin forming her Byakugō no In. Because Sakura was already an accomplished iryō-nin, the Sannin hadn’t done much but refine her skills to a neurotic level and brainstorm with her over new innovative methods. 

The past 12 months had really been an intense course on fuinjutsu. For the pinnacle of medical fuinjutsu was not just a storage seal, but a channel anchor. How did one go about creating it? By inscribing a god awful amount of brain-melting fuinjutsu to the skull with chakra. And it had to be your chakra in the inscriptions. Otherwise, it wouldn’t hold. Hence why you needed to be an iryō-nin with insane control to attempt it lest you blow off your head in the process. 

Only after swallowing every book and scroll Tsunade had given her (Sakura doesn’t ask how or where she got the scrolls from), did Tsunade allow her to attempt to draw the fuinjutsu on paper. Only after 100 perfect straight in a row attempts at the paper drawings was she allowed to do the real thing. 

And man did it hurt like a bitch. The chakra drain that followed took her back to her toddler years. 

The eye stalks twitch in different directions, and the slug goes quiet for a moment, clearly soaking up the energy of the jungle. 

“You can feel that energy as well, Katsuyu-sama?” Sakura asks hesitantly. Since she stepped foot on the sandy beaches, the island seemed to thrum and vibrate through her skin. The flora moved out of her way. The animals steered clear of their path. 

“Indeed,” the noble summon nodded, “The island- this jungle specifically- feels like my summoner realm. The natural energy in the air is potent. It will certainly aid in your practice of mokuton and becoming a Slug Sage. But.. hm…”

The effeminate slug was turned toward the waterfall in the distance. The crystal-clear blue water and white foam made for a pretty picture. And Sakura had already long since confirmed it was fresh water, not salt. Somehow.

It was just Sakura and her new summons on the island today. Tsunade and Shizune had donned henges and went onto the mainland to uproot and fix their entire hospital system. Shizune-senpai having taken to teaching poison lessons and doing surgery. Whereas the hag had taken to teaching the medics, old and new, new skills. Refining their old skills. 

Sakura stepped forward as she watched the slug slither atop the water and towards the roaring falls.

“Katsuyu-sama?” She called after the slug, more curious than concerned. 

“Come along, Sakura-chan,” She responded. Then, in an airy tone of voice, “I think I know where the source of this energy is coming from.”

And well, Sakura wasn’t about to deny the noble summon her request. 

Walking across the river and towards the waterfall alongside the large summon was as easy as breathing for the Kiri-born Sakura. Yet, the closer she got to the wall of water, the more something throbbed deep in her chest. Her pace, steady and confident, slowed down to wary curiosity. Katsuyu-sama, not at all bothered, glided across the water and through the waves. 

“Walk behind the falls, Sakura-chan!” 

 And Sakura walks.

“Katsuyu-sama.. Is this?”

“This looks like a shrine… Hm… judging by the smell and the energy, this is home to some sort of feline.”

Sakura cautiously walks around the destroyed statue with a whole but covered in moss and vines scroll on top of a cracked ema.

“Oh my.. It seems they have a summoning scroll.”

Sakura snaps her head to look at the large slug. She has finished her inspection and rests just a few paces away from Sakura and the broken statue.

“A summoning scroll?”

“Indeed. Though judging by the state of this cave, no one has ever found it before you.”

“Do you think I should try and sign it?”

The eye stalks tilt, as if curiously, “I don’t see why not. The jungle would not have let you get this far if it felt you were unqualified.”

Sakura blinks at that, shocked.

The slug laughs airily, “I already mentioned this place feels like my Shikkotsu Forest. It feels alive, and I have no doubt that the animals attached to this island and scroll are already aware of you and simply waiting.”

Sakura nods, absorbing the information, “Will you follow me to their realm? Will I be given a test?”

Katsuyu chuckles and vibrates as if she were shaking her head ‘no’, “Unfortunately, I will not be summoned with you into their realm. Unless they extend the invitation to me as well, though, once you are summoned there, I will be able to locate you and travel there. And you will be given a test. Though far different than mine, no doubt. These summons seem more… combative and ferocious. I have a good feeling all three of us will get along, though, should you pass.”

She smiles brightly at the confidence the slug has in her. With careful hands, she removes the moss off the scroll and allows her mokuton to slip into the vines to help them unravel.

With patient and reverent fingers, she unrolls the scroll. True to what Katsuyu-sama said, not a single name is written on the scroll. 

A bite to her pointed finger to draw blood, she hovers over the scroll for one more question.

Giving the noble and ancient slug a side glance, she asks the slug, “Will you tell shishō where I’m going?”

“Of course, Sakura-chan. Take your time. I highly doubt they will kill you, if only because they will be able to sense me and I am not a force they’ll wish to anger by killing you.”

That final comment gives Sakura even more confidence, and she effortlessly signs her name, Haruno Sakura, at the top of the scroll. 

Her fingers go through the motions of Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram. 

She feels a pull in her center, blinks at the nausea, and clenches her eyes tightly at the combined sensation. 

When she opens them, she’s in the same cave, but the broken statue is repaired, judging by the added height. Where it was still midafternoon in her world, the moon was high in the sky, making it nighttime. Inside this new but familiar cave, she has no light and can’t tell what the animal is, but by the paws, teeth, and tail, she knows it's a feline of some sort. 

Sakura stands up and walks back to the entrance. The roar of the waterfall is just as peaceful, even at night, in a new realm. 

Walking around the waterfall and across the river, Sakura knows the prickling sensation of being watched by an apex predator is not her imagination. 

The feeling of a dozen hungry eyes on her mocks her every move, but she doesn’t let it deter her. Already, she’d been here for a few minutes, and not a soul had come to greet her. By dragging her through the dirt or with a ‘hello’.

Fine, Sakura grins sharply into the dense forest of hidden predators. You won’t come to me? I won’t come to you. I can wait however long it takes. 

It takes 12 summoning world days for the summons and Sakura to clash. 12 very long, mind-numbing days. Days, she was certain, that meant her original world was moving fast without her.

In that time, her hair has grown to her butt. She had built a hut through mokuton by willing the trees to bend to her will and suggestions (she doesn’t have any scrolls to learn from). She’s fished for one of every species in the river to test for edibility. Tried every vegetation for poison. Her clothes were practically rags, so she’d taken to walking around in her bindings and biker shorts while barefoot.

Was she bored?

No.

She spent the majority of her day filling her Byakugō no In and experimenting with mokuton. She practiced her katas and kept detailed notes of plant life she found by mashing berries to make an ink and writing on palm tree leaves.

In the first 10 days, she had seen exactly 24 glimpses of the large felines stalking her, 10 of those glimpses being four of the same ones according to the trees.

It was the 11^th day when Sakura finally decided she had enough chakra in her seal to take the risk of going to greet her stalkers.

Stalkers who had been absent for the last two days.

It is remarkably easy and simultaneously hard to find the summons.

Tracking is second nature for Kiri shinobi. Spotting false trails and hidden ones is part of the basics. With her chakra control, redirecting chakra to sharpen her ears, eyes, and nose was as simple as breathing.

And while it took her a whole day to find them at the summit, it was no more work than normal, considering she went at a leisurely pace to make sure she didn’t miss anything in the unfamiliar and dangerous terrain.

Through a swamp, prickly bushes, past a group of furry animals with a large behind, and several more detours, she made it to the foot of a mountain.

Which she of course climbed after resting.

Only to jump into the opening, because it hid another smaller forest of much larger trees. The scratches that decorate her arms as she plummets face-first were secondary to the thrill of the wind in her hair.

With a wide smile on her lips, it was pure adrenaline that made her grip a sturdy vine and swing from vine to branch to vine to branch.

A brief spark of sensory chakra through the trees and ground has her swinging south, further into the center of the forest. Where a majority of the signatures she had become accustomed to rest. Waiting.

No animals or summons attack her as she gets closer, though she can feel the eyes and amusement at her excited giggling.

When she leaps above the clearing, she completes a rotating tuck, landing solidly but silently onto the stone ground. Careful not to damage the ground lest it be important or ceremonial. As she rises, the afternoon sunlight shines through the tree canopies, lighting up the area.

Sakura slowly turns in a circle, taking in every large feline she can make out. Several are clearly cubs, but the grown ones… The grown ones she knows. She is an avid reader, and zoology and biology books are some of the many she has memorized.

The physical features coupled with the broken statue she first found and the summon environment, she can now name the creatures that surround her.

That called her here.

That has been waiting for her.

Sakura turns back to face the largest feline lying atop a stone throne before her. Its coat is pure black with accents of grey and white. Their eyes are brilliant emerald. So much so, it almost puts her jade eyes to shame.

Keeping eye contact, she dips her head, “Jaguar-sama. Thank you for allowing me into your home. My name is Haruno Sakura.”

The jungle of jaguars all growl and roar as one, as the largest jaguar sits up to stare down at her.

With a low but feminine voice, the jaguar speaks, “Welcome, Haruno Sakura, summoner of the jaguars. My name is Kurumi.

Sakura blinks at the jaguar’s words and smiles uncertainly, “Come again?”

Kurumi chuckles, “You heard correctly, Sakura-denka. We have accepted you as our first summoner. We jaguars are a proud species. To be one with us, you must have strength, power, courage, and ferocity.”

Katsuyu-sama wasn’t exaggerating when she said that they seemed ferocious.

A jaguar with albinism steps forward, “To be a member of our prowl, one must be connected with the natural world and the spiritual world.”

Sakura stares at him, “So my elemental affinities and newly recreated mokuton made me eligible?”

Another jaguar steps forward, their coat is primarily red compared to the traditional orange. They tilt their head contemplatively, “Your primary elements made you eligible. We would have taught you mokuton ourselves since you already had the foundation for it. Coupled with your chakra control, we were certain sage-hood was not far off.”

Sakura sputters, “I CAN BECOME A SAGE?”

“Indeed,” Kurumi-sama interrupts, “We do not have a jaguar sage. We will teach you how to become a sage of the moon and night. A sage of the fertile and mystical. A moon sage can see all and live in the two realms simultaneously. Your suiton and doton affinities mesh well with our temperament. Not to mention, your excess of Yin chakra will be a contributor to your Sage training.”

Sakura’s eyes widen, “That’s why this summoning realm is a reflection of the island…”

Kurumi purrs, “Exactly. Now step forward, Haruno Sakura, and receive our blessing and mark. Because you are our first summoner ever, the Panthera onca family will be tied to your bloodline. Transference will happen, but we are unsure of how it will affect you.”

Stepping forward, she offers her hand to the pure black cat. Kurumi, as if possible, raises an impressed brow and leans forward to bite her palm. Blood immediately spills from the wound, but neither Kurumi nor Sakura flinches. At the bite or the taste of her blood.

Though Sakura does furrow her brows at the intense onslaught of sensory information bombarding her.

“Rest, Sakura-denka. When you wake, you will be back in your realm.” Kurumi soothes. “Rejoice, prowl! We have a new member of the family.”

Sakura’s head throbs, and her vision spins as she feels herself slipping into unconsciousness.

When Sakura wakes up, it is to growls in indignation and arguments about how to treat her.

“She’s been missing for nearly 14 months! We need to examine her in the hospital and make sure her health hasn’t been compromised.”

That’s Tsunade-shishō, Sakura thinks distantly. Her mind easily putting the length of time to the back of her mind.

“It might have been 14 months for you, Slug Princess, but in our realm, only 13 days had passed. Long days, but days nonetheless. She is fine. Sakura-denka is very self-sufficient. Her training thus far has made her very resilient and strong. Mentally and physically.”

That’s the albino jaguar… whose name I never learned.

The familiar preening huff of Kisame-sensei is what lets Sakura know she is not hallucinating.

So, she lets out a groan to showcase her dissatisfaction at the volume.

“Ugh… please… lower your fucking voices. My head is pounding.”

The brief reprieve of silence is quickly discarded when she hears several gasps and the scuttle of feet coming closer.

“Gaki! Fucking scared the shit out of us. Disappearing like that and for so long.”

“Guppy! How are you? What do you need?”

What do I need? Sakura repeats slowly in the comfort of her mind. Her situational awareness is slowly coming back to her. Judging by the rushing water she can hear not far from her and the softness beneath her, she is in the home she built on the island.

But that is all secondary to the one thought she has been swallowing since she first learned the summons would be a feline.

“Toe beans..” She groans with a dry throat.

“Toe.. beans?”

“Tummy huffing.” Sakura croaks, trying to open her eyes.

She ignores the whispered “What the fuck?” someone in the back lets out.

“I demand kitty cuddle time.” Sakura opens her eyes, squinting at the bright light. She has managed to lift her arms up to show she can and will be hugging an apex predator feline, or so help her sage, she was going to lose it.

She survived 13 days/months in a foreign realm with nothing but the clothes on her back and chakra. Before she did a damn thing, she was going to give into her cat lady instincts.

Chapter Text

Sakura is shocked to admit it took about a month for her jaguar instincts to relax.

When she woke up again after giving her report to her Kage, sensei, and shishō it was not because of hunger. 

Not because she was no longer tired. 

No… 

She woke up choking on a mouthful of blood and what could only be every tooth in her mouth. 

The way her tongue ran over her empty gums only verified this realization. 

There was only one acceptable response to such a situation. 

Screaming bloody murder.

The scream that echoed on the island woke up every soul. 

“Wut da fukh!?!” she bawled, tears falling down her cheeks. The pounding in her head from her scream was secondary to this realization.

CRASH

“Sakura? What’s wrong?!” Kisame-sensei broke through her bedroom wall with Samehada raised and ready to strike. 

Tsunade and Shizune right behind him, fists glowing and senbon raised. 

What they found was a 16-year-old girl on her knees bemoaning the loss of her perfectly healthy teeth. 

Cradled in the palm of her hands were all of her pretty white teeth, soaked in mucus and blood. 

A large jaguar (one whose name she learned is Sara and is her personal summon) nudges her back with their head, purring. Trying to calm down the kunoichi. 

“MA TEEF~!”

Her sensei, shishō, and senpai stand at her door, watching her with varying degrees of disgust, exhaustion, and intrigue.

Kisame-sensei, being the only one of the current group to understand her current situation, is happy to explain to her that-

“It seems like the Jaguars are now tied to your bloodline, chum.” He explains, holding the sniffling girl in his lap. He handed her a teething ring as well. Why he had one on hand, she does not question.

The statement, though? That she questions.

“Bwoodwine?” She mumbles through the frozen ring, thankful for the reprieve to her aching gums. She can already feel new, sharper teeth slowly growing in her old teeth's place.

Her sensei nods, “Yup. Like how sharks are tied to the Hoshigaki clan.”

Sakura’s eyes widen, and the blue man laughs. 

“Judging by how serious the transference is- all those teeth you lost, eyes, hearing, and smell- I'm guessing it's affecting your entire bloodline on a genetic level. So while not all big cats are under your contract, everyone in your family, children, and those closest in relation to you, can sign the Jaguar contract and get the same benefits. This island is quickly about to become your clan home, guppy. Might want to clean up that shrine you found that scroll under.”

Sakura nods slowly, absorbing details, then her thoughts derail.

“EYES?!”

She soon finds out that while her eye shape has stayed almond in nature, her pupil has gone full feline. Vertical slit shape to wide dilation and all. 

Sakura finds that the green of her eyes also became more… reactive to her emotions. 

She also learns relatively quickly that she has to keep her olfactory receptors and ears under a coat of chakra, almost always because she can smell colors and hear bees flapping their wings across the island. And that information does not need to be a constant in her brain. 

Though it is funny sneaking up on runaway patients or her teammates when it comes time for physicals and check-ups. 

Haku paints her nails, giddy as can be that she's joined him for a mani-pedi. 

She used to always keep her nails trim, short, and polish-free. But her new instincts dictate that she have razor-sharp nails at all times. 

So, if she’s going to have long, deadly nails, she’s going to make them cute. 

If she paints them red to match Tsunade, that’s Sakura’s business. 

No matter the giggle from Shizune or the amused snort from Tsunade.

Sakura loses her virginity at the ripe age of 17. 

She had tolerated her first… estrous cycle alone. As the Jaguars suggested. 

She needed to let her body fulfill the final stages of the transference in peace. Undisturbed. 

She quickly decided she never wanted to do such a thing ever again. And while the prowl had been a steady presence, allowing her to simply let go and not be constantly on edge, their presence did absolutely nothing for a majority of the symptoms. 

The pain.

The fever. 

The aching. 

No amount of masturbating could abate the primal hunger resonating deep in her soul and on a cellular level. 

Thankfully, after that first heat, one month and six days back into the real world, the transference finished, and her body found a balance. 

She no longer needed a heavy chakra cloak over her olfactory or ear receptors. No longer needed to wear sunglasses for even the smallest amount of light. Sakura no longer bit her tongue or cheeks on accident due to her newly acquired extreme dental work. Seamlessly and flawlessly worked with her new sturdy and pretty nails. 

It seemed her body shape had also drastically changed. And she wasn’t the only one to notice it. That sense of power gave her a feminine rush of confidence she hadn’t really ever had or touched, so focused on being a good ninja. 

But now?

While her height had always been tall for her age, but underdeveloped. A late bloomer, she knew herself likely to be.

After the transference, however, her bust, while nowhere near Tsunade’s insane size, was finally more than a handful. Her hips, while always wide, had a far more…. Linguid silhouette to it. 

Her ass? She’s confident no one had a better one in the Elemental Nations. 

Yes, she retained her muscle mass. Strong shoulders and forearms. Long legs with thighs rippling with power and calves that could crack a diamond. 

But now she had taken to wearing clothes that showed she knew she had power and beauty. 

Mei-sensei and shishō were more than happy to take her shopping for a new wardrobe. 

Long gone were her shinobi pants, wrapped at the ankles with standard sandals. Her muted red qipao crop top and green arm warmers no longer felt right either. 

Now? She wore black Lycra shorts and a sleeveless  chest armor. The chest piece was part mesh, part leather. All black. Atop that, she wore the traditional Haruno red as a qipao with the sides cut out. The only thing keeping the silk together was buckles that rested on both sides of her hips. Three white circles adorned the front much like her mother’s qipao, with a single white circle centered on the back. 

The emerald green haori with white trimming, Tsunade gifted her with the word “strength” embroidered on the back, hid her black elbow-length fingerless gloves from view most of the time. Her kunoichi boots went thigh high and were made of the same chakra-resistant material as her gloves and chest armor.

Sakura stood in front of the floor-length mirror, taking in her new appearance with wide, excited eyes. 

“This is perfect. Your movements won’t be constricted and your body temperature won’t overheat thanks to your new biology.” Mei hums with approval. 

The jōnin woman, who had taken Chōjūrō under her wing for an apprenticeship, stalked around Sakura in a predatory circle. Her long scarlet-orange hair fluttered about as her visible jade eye flashed with dark approval. If Konoha had Tsunade and Yūhi Kurenai for femme fatales of the generations, Kiri had Terumī Mei. 

Her drunk shishō nodded in approval from the chair, delicately holding her sake saucer. 

“Now you look like a kunoichi who means business,” She agreed, amber eyes sharp. 

Unable to help it, Sakura rolled her eyes, “Thanks, Mei-sensei, Hag.”

Mei cackles and Tsunade growls, “Gaki!”

Her new attire shook the Kiri shinobi community in one afternoon. Word had gotten around that little bookworm Haruno Sakura wasn’t so little anymore. 

By the time her next heat came, she was ready and more than willing to spend it with someone instead of suffering. 

After agreeing to go to a bar frequented by their age mates, with Haku and Chōjūrō, she left with Hoshigaki Gin. A man from three academy cycles above her own and a frequent face even when she had been a genin. 

He smiled at her with his Hoshigaki smile from across the bar, so she flashed him a grin with her new jaguar dentals.

Her sharp feline eyes did not miss the way his pulse jumped or the way his Adam's apple bobbed when he dry swallowed.

Her brothers in all but blood simply took one look at her dilated pupils, the direction they were trained in, nodded (in approval, of course), and let her get up to leave. 

Gin, 22, a respected jōnin, nowhere near as large in height as her sensei, met her in the alleyway not a second later. 

Sakura didn’t wait as she grabbed his shirt collar and shunshinned them to the apartment she still kept on the mainland for emergencies or when she was on call. 

Silence seals had been in place since before she left for the night, and the fridge was stocked.

Chapter Text

As heir to the Yuki clan, Haku has many little cousins whom he considers as younger siblings. He spent a large part of his childhood acting like the older brother to many, if not all, of them. So, he is intimately familiar with the heavy dose of older brother protective-ness that hits him when one tiny, six-year-old Haruno Sakura is introduced to their class. A class of eight-year-olds, mind you. 

Just as he is familiar with the protectiveness he feels looking at the pink-haired child at the front of the room, he is even more familiar with the look in her eyes. Bright green, sure. But frigid and analytical in nature.

The eyes of a genius.

A prodigy in the making. 

The hunger for the world is barely hidden within those viridian irises.

He knows it because he sees it every morning in the mirror when the ice threatens to consume him. 

It is at that moment that Haku knew for a fact, in all his eight-year-old wisdom, that Haruno Sakura was destined for great things. And she’d devour anything or anyone who stood in her way. 

He simply hoped it wouldn’t send her down a path of no return. 

At 23 years old, he’s known Sakura for 15 years. Of those 15, 11 of them were spent in close quarters. From a team of genin to chūnin, Chōjūrō, Sakura, and he had been inseparable. Kisame-sensei stood sentinel, watching over them at every crucial junction. And despite the year, nearly two years' absence of Sakura (hunting for Tsunade then dipping to the summoning realm), they remained close. 

Even as he went to Zabuza-shishō and Chōjūrō went to Mei-sensei for apprenticeships, Team Kisame had an unbreakable bond. A bond that followed them into their jōnin career path. 

In those years, all those moments, it wasn’t until her teenage years that Sakura really discovered her sexuality and femininity. 

And where, at one point, he and Chō were worried that the transference from her new summoning contract would make her insatiable, their worries were for nothing. 

Sakura stuck to two, maybe three, sexual partners over the years. None of which developed into something more romantic. 

“I can just tell, Haku-nii. We’re compatible for sex, sure… but they’re not my mate. Not that jaguars mate for life… but something just tells me it wouldn’t be worth the effort unless I felt otherwise.”

Sakura was sitting by the riverbank by her island home. Her feet played in the running water, and her eyes looked far away. Her bubblegum pink hair sat atop her head in a high ponytail and reached way past her back. Her forehead, while covered with frontal bangs, had a dark purple diamond that peeked through with the wind. At 20 years old and a jōnin, she had transformed into a matriarch of sorts for her clan. 

The Harunos now had an official shinobi branch, now that five other Haruno children had graduated from the academy since she had come back from the summoning realm. She had built several more homes on the island. Spaced out from her house, but close enough for emergency contact. The children had taken one look at Sakura, her prowl of jaguars, and the eager cubs and decided they wanted to make being a shinobi work. Not just something short-term.  

She had also built a dojo, a proper shrine, and several obstacle courses throughout the island. Sakura looked regal whenever she was with those kids. Powerful. 

Like she had finally found a missing piece. 

And Haku could see it. 

She wasn’t complete yet, but someday soon, she would be.

Those words came to the forefront of his mind as he watched his little sister act bashful and blush around an equally bashful but preening Uchiha. 

Haku remembers when he and Chō had walked into the Mizukage tower, stopping when they saw a blushing and frantic Haruno Sakura purposefully striding towards the exit doors. 

Her cheeks aflame, pupils dilated, fingers twitchy. 

“Sa-chan.. Are you okay?” Haku asks, grabbing her arm to still her when it becomes apparent that in her currently flustered state, she wasn’t fully cognizant. 

The look she gave them, when she finally noticed them, had both young men taking a step back. 

Because, yes, she was blushing, but not a bashful blush. 

Because, yes, she was frantic, but not because of nervousness. 

Because, yes, her pupils were dilated, but not from being scared. 

No, her eyes had hunger brimming in them. A need so sharp, it made the ring of green around her eyes glow. 

Her frantic fidgeting was not fidgeting at all. It was twitches of attempts at controlling herself and her baser instincts. 

The blush on her cheeks was heady in nature. They could smell the arousal and pure, unadulterated lust oozing off her person. 

Her hands shot out, grabbing their arms with an iron grip only she could create. It bordered on painful, matching the level of manic want in her face. Her smile, all her jaguar fangs in full view, was positively feral. 

What came from her lips was a purr so powerful that they felt it reverberate from their head to their toes. 

“I found him~”

Now, watching her blush like a civilian girl as Uchiha Shisui gives her a school boy grin, equally bashful, he realizes she had been right. 

He had come to her office during her lunch break with a box of dango. Haku had come to deliver a message from Yagura-sama and stayed for tea. 

(He deeply regrets staying.)

His only concern is her reaction when the Uchiha has to leave. 

Though, he muses, we’ll be here for her if anything.   

Chapter Text

Shisui looks best when he is laughing. Unabashed and free. 

“Jaguars can swim? I thought cats hate water?” Shisui asks, peaking over the edge of the waterfall they currently stand at the top of. Below, several cubs are learning how to hunt in the water, and some older members lie on the riverbank watching. 

Sakura raises a brow, not so subtly appreciating his perfect physique. Very few scars. A testament to his speed, no doubt. Broad shoulders and long legs. 

“Jaguars aren’t just any cat. They’re the cat.” Sakura teases before she pushes him over the waterfall.

He goes with the motion easily, laughing wholeheartedly. 

Sakura jumps right after.

He hits the water before her with a giant splash, and she dives in seconds later. 

Under the water, his curls dance in the waves, and his eyes seek her out without a second thought. The grin on his face is absolutely devastating. 

I love him.

She loves him when he plays with the kids.

Sakura took him and his team members to their academy. 

He and Shikamaru had been through the official guided tour. One given to parents or guardians. 

But Sakura took them on a personal tour. 

To the classrooms where all the kids jumped up to rush her. 

To the cafeteria, where they ate with the chūnin instructors, as kids giggled and screamed in delight as they ate around them. 

To recess, where he helped them practice their tracking and teamwork skills. 

“Catch the Shisui” was certainly going to be a favorite game of the children for years to come, and she hoped the instructors improved their shunshin when he left.

“Sakura-sama!” Several children cry out as they run up to her.

She looks down at them with a smile, “Yes, fingerlings?”

“Help us catch Uchiha-san! He’s too fast!” One of the girls, a Hozuki by the looks of it, exclaims. Her eyes glitter with joy, and her smile is wide. 

Several others around her giggle and voice their wishes for her to join as well.

She looks up to see Shisui dodging children with the ease belonging to a veteran shinobi and smiles. The Uchiha looks up at her, as if sensing her stare. 

He beams and waves a hand at her. 

“I suppose I should even the playing field, shouldn’t I?” Sakura teases.

Cheers follow her statement, and she shunshins to Shisui, just missing catching his shirt by inches. 

“Ah ah!” Shisui tuts while waving a finger in mock reprimand, “You’ll have to be faster than that if you want to catch me~”

Sakura laughs and begins to help the children in earnest.

I love him.

She loves him especially when he has that blush on his cheeks. 

They are walking through the market, enjoying the domestic atmosphere between them, when an older man comes up to her asking for help.

“Sakura-hime! Please, we could use your assistance. The freezer is far too heavy for us to lift or push out. I got a new one, ya see.” 

Sakura simply smiles and walks into his shop. The freezer in question is one of those large freezers meant to hold desserts and ice cream. This man is popular amongst the children for his variety of sweets. Many academy students ran to his shop after class or visited during break.

“Of course I can help, Tanaka-jii-chan,” Sakura chirps. 

She steps forward and into the shop, Shisui right behind her. 

“This is the freezer, Sakura-hime. It’s unplugged and empty.” He frets and reassures in the same breath. 

Sakura nods idly and lifts the fridge over her head, holding it horizontally with one hand. 

There is applause, cheers, and gratitude around her that she humbly accepts.

But it’s the near-silent squeak and smell of attraction that has her turn around slowly. 

Shisui stands outside the doorway, hands clutching his pants and vest with a death grip. The flush across his cheeks is dark, and his sharingan eyes watch her with intense focus. 

Sakura flashes him a fanged grin, and her eyes zero in on the way his Adam’s apple bobs and skin flushes darker.

I love him…

“I love you,” He whispers into her neck as he thrusts into her. Her bare back scratches the walls of her living room, but she couldn’t seem to find a care.

Not when her legs are wound around Shisui’s hips so tightly. Not when his hand massages her breast and flicks the pierced areola, sending a shiver down her spine. She clenches around him and he hisses, pace faltering for just a moment before picking up. 

“I love you,” Sakura purrs before she bites his shoulder lightly. 

Shisui growls deep in his throat, hips jerking harsher, as he pinches her pierced nipple tightly. Sakura lets go of his shoulder and throws her head back against the wall. One of the arms she’s wrapped around his neck slides down to rub against her engorged button to push her over the edge right with him. 

He slams into her one final time before he releases into her. Sakura’s vision went white at the sensation and her own orgasm. She distantly feels him kissing her lips softly, and she savors the feeling. 

“I love you,” Sakura groans as she bounces atop Shisui. 

He lies flat on his back, looking up at her like she hung the stars in the sky, and she relishes it. They hold hands as she rides him. The slapping of their skins, the squealch of their mixing body fluids, and the lovestruck look in his eyes sends her over, keening all the way. 

When she collapses forward on his chest, breathing heavily and humming as he continues to rut into her, he kisses the top of her head and says, “I love you.”

They are both crying as he hovers over her, rocking into her slowly, sensually. His sharingan is blazing, memorizing every detail of tonight. His lips are bruised and his skin is decorated in her bites, scratches, and hickies. She hopes they stay permanently. She will not heal them or the ones he made on her. 

His hand caresses her cheek, and she leans into it with watery eyes and what she hopes is a radiant smile. The tears in his eyes fall to her cheek, and she blinks away her own. Her fingers rake through his curls, pulling him closer so she can kiss his breath away one more time. 

I love you, she cries silently in her head, angling her head to kiss him deeper.

“I love you, Jungle cat.” He whispers after kissing her forehead. The sun will rise in a few hours, but she tries not to think of that as she snuggles into him further.

She wraps her arms around his waist and doesn’t bother hiding her tears as she rubs her face into his chest. 

“I love you, Songbird.” She replies, voice nearly lost but no less reverent.

Sakura is walking with her first patient of the day and her surgery team to the operating room. She passes a window that happens to face in the direction of where the main gate to the village is. 

Where Shisui and his team will be. Preparing to board a boat back to Wave. 

Her team continues on, but she doesn’t notice. Placing the palm of her hand against the glass, she closes her eyes and leans her forehead against the window.

“I love you.”

A near-silent whisper that disappears, unheard in the midst of the morning hospital rush. 

Sakura stands up, brushing the stray tear from her eye as she does so. With purposeful strides, she accepts the chart from her nurse, who holds the theatre doors open.

Chapter Text

Haku and Chōjūrō find Sakura at her favorite sweets shop. The sign on the front door says closed, but Haku can sense Sakura’s suppressed, distressed, and depressed chakra signature from inside the building. 

After coming back from Wave, they checked her island, Bermuda, for any signs of her on the way back. Having figured she’d been finished with her surgery by now. 

She wasn’t there. 

They checked the hospital to see if she was working away her sadness. The nurses and staff all said she left hours ago. 

Which left only one place. 

Because, for all that they told Shisui, that Sakura is a mature girl, she also wears her heart on her sleeve. Training with Tsunade helped her weaponize her emotions into more conductive releases, but that didn’t mean her breakdowns were that effective. 

And while they are thankful she didn’t adopt her shishō’s love for alcohol and gambling, Sakura has a stress activity nonetheless. 

Binge eating sweets. 

Kana-chan, Sakura’s favorite waitress, opens the store doors with a wry smile but worried eyes. 

The lime-green-haired teen steps aside to let them in, and they are greeted with the unavoidable sight of their surrogate little sister sitting on the floor, empty plates and bowls tower around her. In her hand, she holds another bowl of half-eaten anmitsu. 

Sara, her main summon of the jaguars, lies on the floor with her, leaning heavily against the petite woman. Sara has typical jaguar markings but viridian eyes exactly the same shade as Sakura’s. 

“Haku-kun, Chōjūrō-kun,” The large feline greets, voice somber. 

Both men help clear away the plates and bowls for a thankful yet worried Kana-chan. Once the floor is clear, both plop down in front of their teammate.

When Sakura finally stops stuffing her face with the dessert, she looks up at both of them. And their hearts ache.

Her usually peach complexion is a furious red with thick tear trails and salt. Her nose is dripping, and her lips wobble. But it's the absolute anguish in her emerald eyes… the glassy look of someone struggling to hold on… not at all like their loud, proud, ruthless, and confident teammate, that has them both grappling her in a hug.

“He-He…” Sakura hiccups, “I love him!” 

Her first heartwrenching sob causes Chōjūrō to pick her up and set her in his lap. She cries into his shoulder, her sobs basically become howls. The swordsman rubs her back consolingly. 

Haku takes the elastics out of her pigtails and combs through her hair with his fingers softly, “We know, Sa-chan. We know.”

Sara drops her chin into Haku’s lap, no doubt distraught over how to help her summoner. 

“I can tell he loves you too,” Chōjūrō states with conviction in his low voice. 

Yes, Haku and Chōjūrō don’t hate Uchiha Shisui. How could they when they saw firsthand the anguish at the fact that he was leaving? Going back home to Konoha. Where he would likely have to do what was ordered of him by his clan and village, instead of staying here with her. From the moment they left the dock to they parted at Wave, Shisui’s eyes stayed east, in the direction of Kiri. 

But they can admit to regretting giving the two a chance if this is the aftermath. 

Chōjūrō rocks Sakura in his arms as she sniffles, and Haku hums songs. 

After paying Kana-chan, Sara unsummons herself and they leave.

They take Sakura to the Hoshigaki compound and to Kisame-sensei’s house. He opens the door for them before they even knock. 

Sharing a knowing look, he lets his guppies into his home. 

They all agree that not only should Sakura not be alone right now, but that she wouldn’t be okay on her island. Not when they spent the majority of their time together there. 

The four adults cuddle on several pushed-together futons Kisame has gathered. Sakura is squished between Haku and her sensei, and Chōjūrō spoons Haku. 

Her tears never stop, but her breathing does even out. 

She mumbles his name in her sleep, and her teammates hold her tighter.

Chapter Text

It took exactly three weeks for Tsunade to catch him. Since he’d been back, he’d taken back-to-back ANBU missions to avoid thinking about a certain rosette. To no avail. She catches him because he gets stabbed through the thigh for his negligence and lack of attention. 

So, it is to be expected when she walks into his ANBU suite at the hospital, facial expression as unimpressed as ever. 

Her youthful features belie her true age, and he knows many people find themselves not caring about her age so long as she looks young. But Shisui can’t bear to look at her. Not when her forehead is on display and that purple diamond mocks him. 

“Tsunade-sama,” He greets nuetrally. 

The Senju heiress pulls out the chair by his bed and plops down in it. With grace somehow. 

Shisui can feel her amber eyes cataloging everything about him. From his physical appearance and how despondent he looks, to his injuries. 

“This is becoming a routine thing with you, kid.” She says in lieu of returning his greeting. 

He bites his tongue and doesn’t comment. Every mission he’s been on since coming back has left him with injuries and required him to recover in the hospital. His lack of sleep and distracted mind were the biggest contributors to this dilemma. 

But how could he sleep in his bed when all he wants to do is reach over and pull her closer? 

How can he slumber knowing she’ll haunt grace his dreams and leave him aching?

At least if he gets injured, the neutral frequency of the iryō chakra can help him pretend it’s her healing him. Even though all the medics lack her finesse or distinct minty flavor.

“Thank the sage for our iryō-nin then.”

He doesn’t have to lift his face to know she’s giving him a flat look. 

“Kagami-nii is worried about you.”

Shisui flinches and hunches his shoulders. Of course, his jii-chan is worried. The man could easily tell that Shisui hadn’t been sleeping. Hell, he’s barely been eating. After he spoke to his jii-chan about Sakura, the older man held him while he cried. Sang him lullabies he loved as a child. Obito-nii had been called in as well. He took one look at Shisui and simply sat and listened to him practically wax poetic about his jungle cat.

But still Shisui lies, “He has no reason to worry. I’m fine. Just been off my game is all.”

Tsunade scoffs, unimpressed, “Mhmm. It has nothing to do with the fact that you dated my student in Kiri and now you’re falling apart without her? Why you can't look me in the eyes?”

This time, Shisui’s head snaps up to look at the sole female Sannin in shock, “She told you about our relationship?”

Tsunade snorts, bemused, “Hell no. But her letter has exactly one sentence about you. Asked me to make sure you don’t overwork yourself.” 

His cheeks redden in embarrassment at her words and shame. 

“See, I was going to ignore her comment. Thinking I was imagining things. But in her letter, she called me ‘shishō’.”

Shisui’s brows furrow, looking for the relevance, “... And?”

A perfect blond brow raises (and his heart aches at the glimpse of purple he sees) as Tsunade deadpans, “That gaki only ever called me ‘hag’.”

His eyes widen and go glossy. He bites his lip to keep from crying. 

Tsunade leans forward and pokes him in the forehead with a manicured nail, “She only ever calls me ‘shishō’ when she's serious, wants something, or both.”

He bites his lip harder to stop it from wobbling, though judging from the understanding look in her eyes, it doesn’t work. 

“You love her, don’t you, kid?” Tsunade asks with a sigh that leaves him shaking.

Shisui smiles something broken, “I don’t think I will love another the same way. I don’t know how to tell the clan either. I-I can’t marry someone else. I refuse too.”

Tsunade crosses her arms beneath her bosom and leans back in the chair she commandeered.

“You leave your elders to Kagami-nii and me,” She says with finality. Tsunade plucks some tissues from the box beside his bed and holds them out to him. It’s then he realizes he’s been crying. “You just focus on healing physically and slowing down your death march.”

Shisui sniffs as he wipes his eyes and blows his nose. 

The slug princess hands him a glass of water and waits until he’s finished drinking it to speak again.

“So tell me, kid… how’s my ain’t shit apprentice?” The blonde woman grins at him and Shisui?

Shisui chuckles and begins to tell her about the Haruno Sakura he met.

Chapter Text

Kizashi and Mebuki come back to Kiri three months after Shisui leaves. They had been on an anniversary getaway in Hana no Kuni. All expenses paid thanks to a client of Kizashi. When they checked back in at the front gate, they were immediately escorted to the Mizukage’s office, where Kisame, Haku, and Chōjūrō filled the familiar couple in on Sakura and her new concerning behavior.

The Konoha delegation. The mutual attraction between Uchiha Shisui and their daughter. Their whirlwind but short-lived romance. The obsessive dedication Sakura has towards work. How she hasn’t stayed on Bermuda for more than a few moments to check on the jaguars and shinobi branch clan members who are currently residing on the island. 

Haruno Kizashi and Mebuki take in all this with solemn faces.

With a shared look, the couple decided on their next move.

“Mizukage-sama and everyone,” Mebuki speaks, brow furrowed. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. As it turns out, I have decided to meet with a long-lost cousin on the mainland. Would you like us to deliver anything for you?”

The Mizukage and the others in the room blink at the abrupt segue, clearly lost. 

But Yagura is nothing if not adaptable, so he asks, “That depends.. Where will you be going?”

The married couple smiles sharply, and Kizashi answers next.

“Konoha.”

They immediately go on the hunt for their daughter. They find her, quite predictably, eating a ration bar in her hospital office. One wouldn’t be able to tell if they hadn’t been looking for it, but it’s obvious Uchiha Shisui’s departure had an adverse effect on her. One that she had been hiding well by wearing baggy scrubs and her doctor's coat.

But Mebuki and Kizashi are her parents. And they hadn’t seen Sakura this thin and depressed since she first became a chūnin.

“You look like death warmed over,” Mebuki rebukes, stomping into the office. Kizashi is a steady presence trailing behind her.

Mebuki takes it as a good sign that her daughter doesn’t jump at her presence.

At least she still has her wits about her… or it’s the jaguar instincts.

Sakura’s usually bright green eyes, lighter in color than Mebuki’s dark green, have completely lost their shine. Her irises look faded and murky green. Like a swamp. 

Which is apt considering her physical and mental state, Mebuki frowns.

“Mama, Papa.. welcome back. How was Hana ni Kuni ?” Sakura asks, voice mild but tone dull. Dead. She never stops moving her pen or flipping through paperwork.

Mebuki and Kizashi share prolonged eye contact. Both agree that small talk is the least of their concerns at the moment. 

“Start cleaning up your major tasks, Petal,” Kizashi says gently with a bright smile.

Sakura stops writing to look up at her father with a furrowed brow, “Why?”

Mebuki smirks and crosses her arms, “Mizukage-sama has said you’ve been overworking yourself, and it’s high time you started to go back on the mission rotation. You and your team will be guarding our next merchant caravan to the mainland.”

Sakura glares and makes to argue, but Mebuki raises a hand to silence her.

“This isn’t up for discussion or debate. Yagura-sama has already signed off on it. Our next caravan heads out in six weeks,” Mebuki stares her daughter down before spinning on her heel to leave the office. Kizashi holds the door open for her, and she throws over her shoulder, “Have all your things delegated by then because we’ll be gone for about six months.”

Kizashi chuckles at the frustrated growl they hear their daughter belt out as they walk away.

Chapter Text

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Chapter Text

“Purpose of your visit?” The chūnin with nose bandages asks with a bright grin.

Sakura watches her Papa grin widely as he pulls her mama closer. 

“My Mebuki-chan is here to visit her cousin! We heard he was alive and well in Konoha and decided to make this caravan trip slightly familial.”

The chūnin with a bandana hitai-ate grins, “Well, we’re honored to finally have some business from the Haruno merchants. Your goods are top-tier items, no matter the village we go to.”

Mebuki smiles, “Thank you, sweetheart. By the end of this trip, our store in Konoha will be finished. So please do stop by. We brought some Mizu and Kiri specialty items.”

Both men's eyes glitter in an excitement only shared by shinobi and their love for weapons.

The nose-bandage one laughs, and finally looks at Sakura and her team. The smile on his face never wavers, but the look in his eyes gets sharper. Sakura recognizes the look well. Her team, well, Sensei and Chōjūrō are renowned due to their weapon choice.

“These shinobi escorted you, I assume?”

Mama hums, “Exactly.”

Papa laughs loudly, “Got a good deal since it’s our little blossom’s team!”

The man ruffles Sakura’s hair, and she doesn’t fight the pout as everyone chuckles at her. 

Sensei steps forward with his shinobi ID tag, prompting the team to follow suit and do their official check-in. 

As Sensei hands him the scroll given by Mizukage and partially paid for by the Hokage, the bandana one asks, “Is your family name not Haruno, Mebuki-san?”

Mama, in the midst of reorganizing her bag, looks up and smiles brightly, “Ah. Yes, my maiden name was-”

CHOKE

Everyone turns to the nose bandage one. His hands tremble harshly as he holds the extremely important scroll. His face pales and his eyes shake as he seems to read and then reread the names on the bottom of the scroll, indicating mission requestor and Kage approval.

“Uh.. Um… I’ll go ahead and escort your group to the-”

“No need, Kotetsu!” Everyone in their group whips around to stare at the new person with wide, shocked eyes. It was an incredible feat to sneak up on a Kiri shinobi. Not something many could do.

What stands before them, Sakura knows immediately, is an Uchiha. Her heart aches because the grin on his face and the unruliness of his hair spark a longing in her. He wears the typical Konoha jōnin fatigues and the cloth of the hitai-ate on his forehead stretches over his right eye.

His bingo book entry doesn’t do him justice, Sakura muses with a wry smile. Shisui and his cousin could pass for brothers .

The Uchiha before them is well known, often in conjunction with one Hatake Kakashi. 

Phantom Obito is an anomaly of great renown. Like Mei- sensei , he is next in line for the Kage-ship. Said man stands tall and grins at them with his arms crossed. 

“ Sensei asked me to escort his family to his office ASAP,” Obito continues, unbothered by the second choke from the bandana gatekeeper. “Said it would attract less attention if I went.”

Her team members come to stand at her shoulders, a steady presence helping to keep her heart in her chest and out of her throat. 

If she notices the interested and amused gleam in Obito’s eye as it flickers to her, she doesn’t mention it.

Their group finishes check-in and begins their escorted walk toward the center of the village. Kisame- sensei’s presence is directly behind her and is grounding as she tries to smother her nerves. 

Unfortunately, that feral voice in the back of her head is howling and scratching at the bars of the cage she’s pushed it in since he left. She can only shiver as the voice breathlessly croons yet snarls for Shisui.