The Sakura Legend

Born amidst the falling cherry blossoms of spring, she was named Sakura Haruno.

It was the morning of March 28th, in the 48th year of Konoha.

A baby with pink hair opened her eyes, letting out a wail of "Wah~~~~!" She looked around, but everything was blurry. She could only vaguely sense that she was being held. Then, she heard people talking nearby, but couldn't understand a single word.

"Come on, say 'Daddy'."

Sakura stared blankly at the man with the star-shaped hair in front of her, and at the long-haired woman beside him, who she assumed must be her mother. Even though she couldn't understand what he was saying, she recognized the man: Kizashi Haruno. And the woman was undoubtedly Mebuki Haruno.

How could I possibly know them? Because they're Sakura Haruno's parents, of course! And that star-hair...it's impossible to forget. A certain guy thought to himself, remembering the movie Road to Ninja.

So, that means I'm Sakura Haruno. And I'm in the world of Naruto. I've been transmigrated... and into a girl's body, no less.

The guy looked down at himself, and a faint wave of melancholy washed over him.

"Thump!" A fist landed squarely on Kizashi's head. "Idiot! Sakura's only two months old; how could she possibly talk?" It was Mebuki Haruno. "Look, you've scared her so much she won't even look up."

"Haha, maybe our little Sakura is a genius," Kizashi said, laughing sheepishly and rubbing the spot where he'd been hit.

"Even if she is a genius, she gets it from me. It has nothing to do with you," Mebuki huffed. Then, she picked up Sakura and started to rock her to sleep.

Sigh, the only word I understood was 'idiot.' I don't get the rest at all. I wonder how all those other transmigrated protagonists manage to understand Japanese right away. Were they all Japanese majors before they got here? Sakura lay in Mebuki's arms, gazing at the woman she should now call 'Mom.' Mebuki was looking at her with such tenderness.

It's not so bad, I guess. I'll just learn it slowly. Babies pick up new things quickly, so maybe I'll learn faster that way. Sakura felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier. Slowly, she closed her eyes. Being a baby is such a hassle. So sleepy all the time.

Year 50 of Konoha.

Sakura Haruno was now two years old. Thanks to two years of dedicated effort, the little girl, who possessed the soul of an adult, was learning the language at an extraordinary pace. She had even, at her own insistence, begun to learn to read and write.

Because this world was completely foreign to Sakura, all of its customs and culture were vastly different from what she once knew. She needed to understand this world as quickly as possible – this world of supernatural power. In the world of Naruto, human life was cheap. Without a deep understanding, she could easily die.

Sakura didn't believe that just because she was ostensibly a main character, she was guaranteed to survive. Because of her transmigration, the Sakura who should have existed didn't. The soul that should have been Sakura Haruno's had never been born, all because of her. Therefore, Sakura couldn't be sure she could follow the original course of history and survive. After all, she wasn't the real Sakura.

Even if she tried to follow the plot, she couldn't possibly replicate every detail the original Sakura had done. Besides, it had been so long, she couldn't clearly remember some parts of the story. Her arrival in this world had already created a ripple effect, changing things. At this point, the main story hadn't even started yet. As time went on, the plot would deviate even more.

Unlike other transmigrated characters, Sakura wasn't thrilled to be in the Naruto world. It was a dog-eat-dog world, where one misstep could cost you your life. And in another dozen or so years, there would be god-tier bosses wreaking havoc. And herself? She still hadn't discovered any transmigration perks. No cheat codes, no wise old mentor. Her very existence had erased the original Sakura. Could she really make it to the end...?

And she'd become a girl, to boot. If she lived to the end, would she have to marry Sasuke and have his children? Naruto was all about bloodlines. What bloodline did Sakura Haruno have?

Her chakra natures were only Water, Earth, Yin, and Yang. Could she combine them to create Wood Release?

But using Wood Release required a massive amount of chakra and mastery of Yang-style nature transformation. It seemed like you also needed the Senju body to use it at Hashirama's level. Wood Release seemed unrealistic. She'd transmigrated, and in the end, she got nothing. And her main character halo was about to disappear. This was a real world. Sakura didn't think she had any main character protection. Every time she thought about this, her life seemed bleak and hopeless.

Staring blankly at a crow outside the window, Sakura felt completely devoid of any desire to live. This is basically playing on hell mode. If only I could fly like a bird. If I met an enemy I couldn't beat, I could just fly up high, and no one could touch me. Fly... huh? I do have the Earth affinity. Maybe I could learn the Ultra-Lightweight Rock Technique someday.

Just wishful thinking. How could the Tsuchikage's signature technique be passed on to an outsider? Sakura sighed helplessly.

"Sakura, dinner's ready! Come wash your hands!" Mebuki's voice called from the living room.

"Coming!" Sakura replied.

There was no point in dwelling on those distant concerns now. Her parents weren't ninjas, just ordinary civilians. They couldn't teach her how to refine chakra. She'd have to wait until she enrolled in the Academy to learn that.

No, not necessarily. The Konoha Library must have information on the basics. She just didn't know if her parents would help her borrow the books. And it seemed like refining chakra too early could be bad for her physical development. Chakra was a combination of spiritual and physical energy. She probably wouldn't be lacking in spiritual energy – she was an adult, after all. With spiritual energy covered, that left physical energy.

Sigh, I'm only two years old. What a pain. My meridians probably aren't even fully developed yet. I'll wait another year and see. If I don't want to die in this chaotic world, I need the power to protect myself. I'm not saying I'll challenge the Six Paths, Madara, Obito, or Kaguya. But if I could handle the likes of Sasori or Deidara, and then hide during the Fourth Shinobi War, I should...probably...maybe...hopefully...be able to make it to the end. The two main powerhouses would be there anyway, I don't think sealing Kaguya will need my extra punch. I should also figure out how to fly. If i slack a bit, I can make it to the end, right? I don't have many expectations. It is not expected that I can become a female ninja who is powerful in the ninja world. As long as I get through the four wars, there will probably be more than ten years of peace. I have not watched Boruto, and I only know the cover. That is Boruto. I grew up fighting, um, the sky is falling and there is a tall man holding it up, so why bother my little girl...ah, bah, little boy.

Ah, ah, ah, it's a pleasant decision. From now on, please call me Slacker Sakura.

Time for dinner! I wonder what delicious things Mom made today. The "old man" in a young girl's body skipped and hopped toward the door, ready to eat.