The Sakura Legend

Year 51 of Konoha.

Sakura was three years old. This year, according to her plan, she'd focused on learning written characters first, to facilitate her future study of ninjutsu. After a year of relentless effort... well, she still hadn't finished learning all the characters. "Sigh, I guess it really is impossible to master the written language in just one year," Sakura grumbled, sprawling on the sofa in a classic "Ge-You slump," flipping through a Japanese dictionary.

"Click." The bedroom door opened, and Mebuki Haruno walked in, carrying a piece of clothing. Seeing Sakura's unladylike posture, her eyes immediately narrowed. "Sakura, how many times have I told you? Sit up straight! Act like a proper young lady. Don't just learn your father's bad habits all the time. You're a girl! Girls should behave like girls, not... well, you should..."

Sakura, seeing Mebuki enter, immediately straightened her posture. She sat with her legs together, placing the book on her lap and pretending to read diligently. But she couldn't escape Mebuki's inevitable lecture. In this house, Mebuki kept both Kizashi and Sakura in line. When Mebuki spoke, Kizashi didn't dare disobey, and neither did Sakura, really. Sakura understood that Mebuki cared for her deeply. "But the thing is, I'm not a little girl," Sakura thought to herself, a feeling of helpless resignation.

Because she'd shown signs of precociousness from an early age, and occasionally displayed some of Kizashi's bad habits, Mebuki had declared, "My daughter is so smart, you've taught her all these bad habits! Until you change those bad habits, you're not getting into my bed." As a result, Kizashi had been separated from Mebuki... for quite some time.

Sigh, it's not that I want to throw Dad under the bus, it's just that these are decades-old habits! They're not so easy to change. She'd been forced by Mebuki to learn many ladylike manners. To avoid Mebuki's nagging, she'd reluctantly suppressed her discomfort and learned those girly etiquette lessons. But the moment Mebuki was out of sight, her decades-long true nature would instantly resurface. And, of course, Mebuki had just caught her in the act.

Mebuki, seeing Sakura immediately correct her posture upon her entrance, felt a familiar sense of helplessness. Aside from nagging, there wasn't much else she could do that seemed to have any effect.

This daughter of hers had been precocious since birth. She'd picked up all of Kizashi's bad habits. In front of her, Sakura acted like a perfect little angel, but out of sight, she was practically a miniature Kizashi. Was it really appropriate to say, "like father, like daughter"? Hmph. Suppressing her resentment towards Kizashi, she said to Sakura, "Sakura, tomorrow is the Summer Festival. I bought you a kimono. Come try it on."

"Summer Festival? Mom, I still have studying to do tomorrow. Can I skip it?" Sakura looked up at Mebuki with wide eyes.

"Sakura, you should go out more, make some friends. Don't just stay inside all the time. You can always study after you start school," Mebuki said. Although Sakura was a good student, she rarely went out to play with other children her age.

At an age when kids were usually at their most playful, Sakura was always buried in books. Mebuki was a little worried. Fortunately, other than not going out to play, Sakura was much smarter than most children her age. She learned things instantly, never needing to be told twice. Sometimes, she even said things that made Mebuki think, "Wow, that's actually quite insightful."

"Come on, put the book down and try on this kimono. I bet Sakura will look adorable in it."

"No way, what's so fun about playing with little kids? Reading is way more interesting... Wait, is that the kimono? It's so pretty! I'll go try it on!" Seeing the warning signs of Mebuki getting angry, Sakura immediately changed the subject, jumped up, put the book aside, and grabbed the kimono to change.

"Sigh, this child. She's smart, that's for sure, but she doesn't like making friends. I really worry about her social circle in the future. She's so bright, I wonder what kind of husband she'll find. I'm so excited!" Mebuki muttered to herself.

"I'm ready, Mom!"

"Come here, let me see. Wow! It truly is my genes at work. Sakura, you look so cute!"

Looking at herself in the mirror, Sakura had to admit she did look pretty cute. Little Sakura was actually quite adorable, after all. But the thought of being a girl, and all the limitations that came with it, brought another wave of familiar melancholy.

"What's wrong, Sakura? Don't you like the outfit?" Mebuki noticed the disappointed expression on Sakura's face.

"No, Mom, I love this outfit. It's just... I really don't want to go to the Summer Festival tomorrow. I still have so many characters to learn."

"Sakura, even though you're very smart and might feel like you don't have much in common with other kids your age, people can't live without friends. Eventually, you'll need to have your own friends, your own social circle. Even the most brilliant genius, if they only bury themselves in work and don't interact with the people around them, will eventually become isolated from the world. It was because of friends, because of bonds, that the First Hokage and the various clans were able to establish the village of Konoha, and enjoy peace in this turbulent world. So, I want you to make at least one friend before the Summer Festival tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, alright, I understand. I'll go tomorrow. Now, I need to get back to reading. Mom, go make dinner, I'm hungry!" Sakura quickly agreed, and using both her hands and feet, she pushed Mebuki to the doorway and closed the door. Turning around, she leaned against the door. "Phew, I can't take it anymore. She's truly a nagging goddess."

But a warm feeling spread through her heart. After all, it had been a long time since someone had cared for her so deeply. Since arriving in this world, Sakura had carefully and cautiously rejected everything around her, deeply afraid that her unintentional changes would bring about hidden dangers in the future. This world was too dangerous. She relied on her blurry memories of Naruto from her past life to survive cautiously in this world, terrified that even the smallest change she made could alter the plot.

She carefully tried to recall the Naruto storyline, but no matter how hard she tried, the memories were vague and ambiguous. Sigh, my parents, my friends from my past life... I wonder how you're doing... ... ...

"Wait," Sakura's eyes suddenly widened, filled with a look of terror. "Those faces... the familiar faces from my past life... how... how... they're so blurry... Why can't I remember them? Dad, Mom, my older sister... what did those people... look like? Why can't I remember?"

"No, this can't be happening."

Sakura once again tried to recall the details of her past life. Suddenly, an inexplicable terror crept over her. "I'm gradually forgetting the memories of my past life."

Sakura thought, her face filled with horror, as if an invisible force was gripping her throat, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. "Is this the price of transmigration? Gradually forgetting the memories of the past, slowly assimilating into this world?"

"Heh, other people get all sorts of perks when they transmigrate. But me? Not only did I become a girl, but I'm also losing my memories as a transmigrator," Sakura thought bitterly, slumping to the floor.

"If I forget the memories of my past life, then who will I be in the future? Sakura Haruno, or the transmigrator? But 'my' consciousness will still be there, just with a portion of my memories missing. So, I'll still be me, not the original Sakura Haruno. After all, the original Sakura Haruno never existed in the first place. So, I am both Sakura Haruno and still myself. But... the gender's wrong."

For the first time, Sakura felt lost and uncertain about her future.