The Sakura Legend

A long silence.

Sakura Haruno stared blankly at Kizashi Haruno. Although it wasn't some rousing, inspirational speech, Kizashi's words were permeated with a father's love for his daughter, causing Sakura to be slightly stunned. A feeling she hadn't experienced in many years, a feeling of to be moved, flowed through her heart. Even in the memories of her past life, she had never been a heartless person. Kizashi's caring words deeply moved Sakura.

Perhaps her previous thoughts had been too extreme. Originally, Sakura hadn't expected to get an answer to her question from this ordinary civilian, who wasn't even a ninja. But he had unexpectedly given her a great deal of insight.

"Yeah, I am me. I'm the one who's truly alive. The transmigrator is me, and Sakura Haruno is also me. It's really stupid of me to deny my own existence. I can clearly feel the blood flowing through my body. I can feel the pain of being hurt, and I can feel the love and care of my family. I am a real, existing person. Even if the memories of my past life continue to fade, everything I can feel is 'me.' How stupid of me to question my own existence," Sakura thought, shaking her head with a wry smile.

"It would be great if I had a boy's body, though. After all, there are so many beautiful girls in Naruto... Hinata, Ino... What a shame. I can only look, but I can't have them," Sakura mused, her mood clearly improved after resolving the issue that had been plaguing her for a whole day. Naturally, she started to dwell on the matter of her body again.

"Aaargh, but I guess I'll be stuck with this body problem for the rest of my life," Sakura thought, feeling utterly dejected.

"I'm sorry, Dad, Mom. I shouldn't have treated you like that today. I disappointed you." After solidifying her sense of self, Sakura apologized to Kizashi and Mebuki. They were the ones who truly cared for her, her parents. They had indeed helped her. To the current Sakura Haruno, they were family. She felt deeply remorseful for her behavior today. After all, she wasn't some angsty teenager... or, well, she wasn't an angsty teenager, so after figuring things out, there was no need to act all cool and rebellious.

"Haha, Sakura, it's good that you've resolved your inner conflict. I'm proud to have such a smart daughter," Kizashi said with a hearty laugh.

"That's right, Sakura. The way you were acting today was really worrying. It's good that you've worked things out. You truly are my daughter; you got the good genes from me," Mebuki said proudly.

"Hey, hey, hey, wasn't it me who talked her through it? Why does it seem like you're taking all the credit?" Kizashi protested to Mebuki.

"What, you have a problem with that?" Mebuki shot back, glaring at Kizashi.

"Hehe, no, no problem at all..." Kizashi replied sheepishly, smiling at Mebuki. All traces of the sternness he'd shown to Sakura earlier were gone.

Watching her parents' loving banter, Sakura felt a warmth spread through her heart. "These are my mom and dad. This is my family." This heartwarming scene was deeply etched into the mind of the three-year-old Sakura Haruno.

"Okay, I've decided. In this world of Naruto, where war is constant, I will protect this scene," Sakura silently vowed. And then... "Dad, tomorrow, could you borrow some books from the Konoha Library for me? Books about chakra refining and its principles?"

"Oh? Sakura, do you want to be a ninja?"

"Yes. I read in books that ninjas have great power. I want to protect you and Mom, so I want to become a strong ninja."

"I see. Sakura, you're very talented. We were actually thinking of sending you to the Ninja Academy when you're a little older. Even though I'm not a ninja, I know you're still too young. Refining chakra can be harmful to your body. And your mom and I aren't ninjas, so we can't guide you. Wait until you're older and go to the Ninja Academy to learn." Kizashi was earnest.

Talented, she was. Sakura knew her own situation. The soul of an adult in a three-year-old girl's body. Even if she tried not to show it, people who interacted with her often would notice her intelligence. As she got older, this gap would gradually shrink, and even be overtaken. Just thinking about those two, Naruto and Sasuke, and how they would be in a dozen or so years, it was incomparable. So, Sakura, in order to have the power to protect her family, needed to seize every moment to learn, to do everything possible to increase her strength. Otherwise, she wouldn't even survive Pain's invasion.

"Dad, since you're planning to send me to the Ninja Academy, I can learn some of the basics beforehand. That way, I can improve my strength even faster later on, right?" Sakura said, not giving up.

"Alright, then. I'll go buy you some materials tomorrow. The bookstore should have books on the basics. After all, if Sakura is going to become a ninja, she'll need those books anyway," Kizashi said, looking into Sakura's determined emerald eyes and giving in.

"Okay, thank you, Father."

After saying that, Sakura returned to her room to continue learning written characters. Now that she had set a goal, she would strive towards it.

Late at night...

"Mebuki, did you notice what Sakura said today, about that hypothetical situation?" Kizashi asked, lying in bed.

"You mean about forgetting memories? Do you think Sakura has amnesia, and that's why she's questioning her own identity?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. Tomorrow, go to the Konoha Hospital and ask about it. Explain the situation in detail. But don't take Sakura with you."

"Huh? Why not take Sakura? If Sakura goes, the medical ninjas can examine her," Mebuki asked, puzzled.

"..." Kizashi was silent for a moment before speaking. "Never mind. Don't take her. Sakura is a smart child, but sometimes, smart people have the most troubles."

"Okay, I understand."

The next day...

The next day, Kizashi went to work early. After breakfast, Mebuki also left for the Konoha Hospital. Only Sakura remained at home, studying characters and preparing for the Summer Festival that evening.

There was no rush. The Summer Festival wouldn't start until the evening. First, she should think about her future development. Right. Sakura pitter-pattered around the room, rummaging. Finally, she found a diary. "I should write down the plot points I still remember, before I forget them. In case I really do forget later, I can look at this diary. Hmm, I can't let anyone else see this. I'll write it in Chinese. Besides, I can't write in Japanese yet anyway."

She wrote and drew until noon, finally jotting down almost everything she could remember. Then, she found a hidden place in her room to stash it. "Okay, done," Sakura said, clapping her hands and wiping the nonexistent sweat from her brow.

After lunch, Sakura picked up the books her mother had given her: History of the Ninja World, Basic Chakra Refining, and Applications of Chakra. They were all introductory books, just explaining the origin and principles of chakra, and how to refine it. Perfect for her. However, since Sakura hadn't learned all the characters yet, she had to consult the dictionary constantly, learning characters while studying the chakra books.

"Why are all those other transmigrated protagonists so familiar with Japanese?"