The Sakura Legend

Early in the year 57 of the Konoha calendar.

The streets and alleys of Konohagakure were filled with the joyous atmosphere of the festival. It was a day to celebrate after a year of hard work, and the village was a scene of bustling merriment.

"Today's the day I'm supposed to go to Naruto's for dinner. I'll head over closer to evening. He'll probably sleep in until noon, anyway," Sakura thought as she helped her mother prepare lunch in the kitchen.

"Sakura, what are your plans for today?" asked Mebuki Haruno, watching her daughter assist with the meal preparations. "You used to spend every New Year's training. You seem pretty happy these past few days. Do you have something planned?"

"Ah— Yes, that's right. Didn't you tell me to make more friends, Mother? I'm going to a newly made friend's house for dinner today," Sakura replied, snapping out of her daydream.

"What kind of friend? Won't you be intruding on their family's celebration by going over today?" Mebuki asked.

The annual celebration in Naruto differed slightly from real-world New Year traditions. On this day, ninjas would finish their missions and return to the village to relax. There wasn't a custom of having a family reunion dinner like in the real world; it was simply a day off for everyone. Villagers would spontaneously organize various events, and street vendors would set up stalls. There were all sorts of activities, especially since ninjas were generally quite well-off. This was the day when the most ninjas were present in Konoha.

"It won't be a bother. He's a classmate of mine. He's an orphan and lives alone," Sakura said, vaguely describing Naruto's situation to Mebuki. After all, Mebuki wouldn't want her associating with the village pariah.

"An orphan, you say? Well, then use your own judgment," Mebuki replied. Hearing that Sakura's friend was an orphan, she assumed Sakura was talking about Sasuke Uchiha. The events of six months ago were known throughout Konoha, and Sasuke was in Sakura's class, so it was a natural assumption.

"Sakura, you've always been so smart. I'm truly proud to have a child like you."

Sakura's heart warmed at her mother's words, reinforcing her determination to become stronger, to protect her family in the future.

"Knock, knock, knock"

"..."

"Knock, knock, knock"

"..."

"Naruto, are you home?" Sakura knocked on Naruto's door, but he was slow to answer. "He couldn't still be asleep, could he? It's almost dark out."

Sakura raised her hand to knock again when the door suddenly creaked open a crack. Naruto didn't appear, though. Confused, Sakura pushed the door open and found the inside pitch black. She stepped inside, groping along the entryway, searching for a light switch.

Suddenly, with a loud "POP," the room's lights flashed on. The sudden brightness forced Sakura to squint.

"POP~~~~POP~~~~~ Welcome to my house, Sakura!"

Sakura heard Naruto's voice. Her eyes adjusted to the light, and she saw Naruto holding a party popper, grinning foolishly at her. The room was decorated with an over-the-top banner that read, "Welcome, Sakura!"

Sakura felt a wave of mixed emotions. She almost wanted to turn around and leave.

"Naruto... what are you doing?"

"Welcoming you, of course, Sakura-chan! You're the first friend to ever come to my house, so it has to be special! I spent the whole day cleaning up," Naruto said excitedly.

Hearing this, Sakura looked around the room. It was indeed quite clean, showing considerable effort. But the more Naruto acted this way, the more her heart ached for him.

"You really didn't have to do all this, Naruto," she said, walking further into his apartment. "Where's the kitchen?" She'd bought a large amount of groceries on the way, mostly things she liked to eat. Naruto, she figured, would be fine with anything besides ramen.

"Over here," Naruto said, leading Sakura into the kitchen. "Sakura-chan, let me help you."

"Sure. Do you know how to cook?" Sakura didn't refuse Naruto's offer. If it weren't for the fact that Naruto probably only had ramen in his house, she wouldn't have bothered cooking at all.

"Sakura-chan, you're underestimating me! I've been cooking for myself all this time, you know," Naruto said quickly.

Sakura tilted her head and stared at Naruto for a while, until he started to blush slightly. "Making instant ramen also requires skill, you know. Don't look down on instant ramen," he finally added.

"Pfft," Sakura couldn't help but giggle. She didn't argue with Naruto any further and carried the groceries into the kitchen. Naruto followed her.

"Um, Sakura-chan?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I know why you invited Sasuke the other day," Naruto said, fiddling with the vegetables in his hands, his head down.

"Oh? Then tell me, why did I invite Sasuke?" Sakura asked, curious. Naruto couldn't possibly know her real reason for inviting Sasuke; only someone who had watched Naruto would know that. But Sakura wanted to hear Naruto's own interpretation.

"About Sasuke's family... I heard about it yesterday at Ichiraku Ramen from Teuchi-ossan. Sasuke, he's... he's... alone now, too, right? He must be really lonely right now," Naruto continued, his voice low. "I can understand how Sasuke feels right now, because he's just like me now... we're both alone."

Sakura wasn't surprised by Naruto's answer. The incident had spread throughout Konoha, after all. It was probably because no one ever talked to Naruto that he had only just found out. But, Naruto, you only understand part of Sasuke's feelings. His feelings aren't just about loneliness; they're also about hatred and betrayal. If you could truly empathize with Sasuke's hatred and feelings of betrayal, then you might gain his acceptance.

But Sakura didn't plan on telling Naruto this. Those feelings could only be understood through hardship. Telling him in advance and having him deliberately pursue them would be counterproductive. Those feelings couldn't be understood just by talking about them. Because Sakura knew Sasuke's situation, she could no longer truly experience those feelings. If Sasuke really did fall into darkness in the future, it would be up to Naruto to pull him back.

"Haha, so now you know why. What are you going to do about it?" Sakura asked.

"I'm thinking of going to see Sasuke later," Naruto replied.

"Go see Sasuke? But Sasuke might not even acknowledge you. You're just a dead-last idiot, after all."

"No, it has nothing to do with grades. I'll earn Sasuke's acceptance. That feeling he has... I've... I've experienced it for years. I can't just stand by and watch Sasuke go through the same thing," Naruto said firmly.

Looking at Naruto's determined eyes, Sakura felt a sense of relief. One down. Let's see what kind of changes Naruto, who in the original story pursued Sasuke much later, could bring to the current Sasuke. Hopefully, it would have some effect.

"Then good luck. I look forward to the day you and Sasuke become brothers," Sakura said, her words sincere at this moment.

"Yeah, I'll do my best, Sakura-chan."

After dinner, at Naruto's insistence, Sakura went with him to Sasuke's house.

To be honest, Sakura didn't want to interact with Sasuke right now. After understanding Sasuke's state, she knew that for a short while, Sasuke would continue to view everyone around him with the utmost suspicion. The current Sasuke was too sensitive, too extreme. Only time could calm him down, and that time might take years.

"Sakura-chan, hurry up! The Uchiha clan compound is just ahead," Naruto urged.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Sakura replied, resignedly following behind Naruto.

Looking at the buildings ahead, Sakura couldn't help but marvel. The Uchiha clan was truly a large clan; their compound was so vast and imposing. It must have taken quite some time to kill them all, she thought grimly.