The Sakura Legend

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, are you in there?" Mebuki Haruno's voice called from outside the door.

Sakura suddenly snapped out of her terrified state. Hearing Mebuki's calls, she turned and opened the door. Mebuki was standing there, a worried look on her face. After the door opened, Mebuki looked at Sakura.

"What were you doing in there? You even locked the door. Sakura, why is your face so pale? Are you sick?" After opening the door, Mebuki noticed Sakura's extremely pale complexion. She reached out and touched Sakura's forehead. "Huh, you don't have a fever. Sakura, are you feeling unwell somewhere? Tell Mom."

Sakura looked up at the young woman she was supposed to call 'Mom,' and for a moment, she didn't know what kind of emotions she should feel towards her. When she first arrived in the Naruto world, even though she knew this person was the mother of this body, because of her memories from Earth, she didn't acknowledge this woman as her mother in her heart. She still considered herself someone from another world, a transmigrator to the world of Naruto. Calling her 'mother,' and the man who should have been her father, was just a temporary compromise.

But the blurry memories from earlier had suddenly reminded her: was she really someone from another world? Had the original Sakura Haruno's soul truly never been born? Or was she just a fragment of memory? Once the memories from the other world were worn away, would she cease to exist? Then who was she now? The transmigrator or Sakura Haruno?

Sakura was now confused. She didn't know her place in this world. Was she a fragment of memory, or did Sakura Haruno's soul actually exist? Was she Sakura Haruno, just having received the memories of another world, causing her to mistakenly believe she was a transmigrator?

"Sakura, why aren't you saying anything? If something's wrong, tell Mom," Mebuki continued, still looking at Sakura with concern.

Sakura snapped back to her senses, her complexion slightly improving. "It's nothing. I'm fine. I'm not sick. I just remembered something," Sakura replied perfunctorily to Mebuki. Having realized she might not be who she thought she was, and trying to prove her own existence, she was no longer willing to call Mebuki 'mother.'

"You say you're fine, but your face was so pale just now. Come here, let Mom take a look," Mebuki said, reaching out and pulling Sakura into a hug. "You're such a clever child. Ever since you could talk, I've felt like you've had so much on your mind. I've been your age too, you know. I might not have been as smart as you, but I've also experienced the ups and downs of life. You can try sharing your worries with me. As parents, it's our responsibility to guide our children onto the right path when they're feeling lost."

Looking at Mebuki's sincere and caring face, Sakura would be lying if she said she wasn't moved. The personality from her memories wasn't cold-blooded. But the problem she was facing was probably something no one in this world could answer.

Was she really herself? According to that memory fragment, this seemed to be a philosophical question. Sakura had always thought this kind of question would never happen to her. Those esoteric problems seemed like something people with too much time on their hands would ponder. But at this very moment, she was truly and profoundly experiencing this philosophical problem.

If that memory fragment disappeared, then who would she be? She could feel herself alive in this world, but was she the transmigrator? Or Sakura Haruno? Without that memory, who would she be? Sakura Haruno? Was the 'me' from that world really 'me'? Her definition of herself was shaken.

A wave of annoyance washed over her. She forcefully pushed Mebuki away. "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. I just want to be alone."

"Sakura... Dinner's ready. Let's eat first."

"You guys eat. I'm not hungry. I want to be alone. Don't bother me."

"Sa-ku-ra Ha-ru-no, go-wash-your-hands-and-eat-now," Mebuki said, her anger rising at Sakura's tone, each word enunciated clearly.

Sakura gave a cold, indifferent look at the person who had been so gentle just moments before, now turned furious. Despite her body being only three years old, she somehow found the strength to push Mebuki out the door and lock it. "I'm not hungry. Please leave me alone. I want to be by myself."

Looking at the locked door, Mebuki didn't try to force it open and drag Sakura out. How could a three-year-old possibly have the strength to push an adult? So, this is the trouble with being precocious.

She's so young, yet she has so much on her mind. What will she be like in the future? Never mind, I'll just starve her for a couple of meals. She's still just a child. When she gets hungry enough, she'll come out naturally. After confirming that Sakura wasn't sick, but perhaps just had some worries, Mebuki decided not to disturb her. However, she thought that the look Sakura gave her, in the end, was so very cold, perhaps this time the troubles in Sakura's mind were significant. "Well, I'll wait until Kizashi gets home tonight and have him talk to Sakura."

That evening...

"I'm so tired today. Did Mebuki make dinner?" Kizashi Haruno returned home after a long day of work. "Hm? Where's Sakura? She's usually so eager when it's time to eat. Where is she?"

"Sakura's in her room. She... seems... to have something on her mind." Then Mebuki told Kizashi everything that had happened that day.

"I see. Alright, I'll go talk to her. It seems even geniuses have their own troubles. I need to have a good talk with her," Kizashi said, walking towards Sakura's bedroom door. He was about to knock when the door opened. Sakura walked out, her face expressionless. "I'm hungry. Is dinner ready?"

"Ah, Sakura, you're finally out. It's ready. Come eat," Mebuki quickly said. "Go wash your hands first."

But Sakura didn't go to wash her hands. She went straight to the dining table and started eating. Mebuki was about to get angry, but Kizashi gestured for her to stop. "Let's eat. There's truly nothing better than eating with family after a long day at work," Kizashi said to Mebuki with a smile. "Let's eat. We can talk after dinner."

After dinner...

"Sakura, how many more characters did you learn today?" Kizashi asked, stopping Sakura as she was heading back to her room.

"What's it to you? I'm going to bed," Sakura replied emotionlessly, about to leave.

"Stop right there. Come here, sit down," Kizashi said sternly. (Even though Mebuki was usually the more dominant one in the house, Kizashi could be quite intimidating when he got angry.) Sakura's three-year-old heart was startled, and she obediently sat down on the sofa.

"Sakura, I don't know what's troubling you so much that you're acting so listless. Honestly, you're the smartest child I've ever seen. No other child your age has so many thoughts. But no matter what thoughts you have, you're still our child. We're your strong support. We'll always love you. Even though you're very smart, don't try to bear everything alone. We can share your pain. We're here to help you with your worries as you grow, because you're our child, and we'll always be your strong support," Kizashi said sincerely to Sakura.

Sakura looked at the sincere Kizashi in front of her with her emerald green eyes, and somehow, she felt he was incredibly reliable. Perhaps this was the feeling of being connected by blood. But her problem wasn't something an ordinary person, who wasn't even a ninja, could answer. After thinking for a moment, Sakura said, "If your memories were gradually disappearing, then on the day your memories finally vanished, would you still remember who you are?"

"Memories disappearing? Are you...?"

"No, this is just a hypothetical question. I'm asking you, if your memories disappeared, could you still be sure that you are you? Could you be sure that you ever existed in this world?"

"So, this is the question that's been troubling you all day. Sakura, a person's existence cannot be denied by themselves. Your friends, teachers, parents, even your enemies can confirm your existence. But if you deny your own existence, then even if everyone around you affirms it, you'll fall into an abyss. A person's existence is their own affirmation of themselves, and the affirmation of those around them. It's like a spiderweb, connecting you to your companions, friends, teachers, and the world. Memories cannot negate a person's existence. The things you've done will leave traces of your existence. If you lose your memories, these traces, and the friends around you, can help you find yourself again. A person cannot survive alone. They need a series of connections, bonds, to live in this world." Kizashi said to Sakura earnestly.

"And you are our most precious, most treasured child. We will always prove your existence and protect you with all our might."