Ninja World, Konoha Year 63 – Haruno Residence
"Home sweet home!"
The familiar scent of her room instantly calmed Sakura's heart.
She pulled out a storage scroll and released Leviathan.
"Ooh~ So this is~ Sakura's house~"
The nimble Night Sparrow zipped around the room and landed on her vanity.
"Kinda small~ Doesn't look~ as cozy as my belly~"
Leviathan lazily lifted a wing to rub her stomach.
"Well, we're not sailing for a while, so I'll show you around the village. We'll have fun."
Sakura stood, playfully flicking the beak of a certain jealous little bird.
She changed into comfy home clothes, flopped onto her bed, and was out like a light in seconds.
Leviathan kept sneaking glances at the girl on the bed, then flapped over, burrowed into her arms, got comfy, and closed her eyes too.
The next morning.
Seeing her mom in the dining room after so long, Sakura threw her arms around her in a big hug.
"Morning, Mom!"
"Whoa, what's with the clinginess today?"
Mebuki eyed her daughter suspiciously, heart skipping a beat.
Don't tell me she burned something in the house again…
Blissfully unaware of the house-wide search her mom was about to launch, Sakura finished breakfast in high spirits.
As she ate her fill, two masked ANBU popped up on either side of the table.
"Haruno Sakura. The Hokage summons you."
Sakura casually tossed each a Flying Thunder God kunai.
They caught them, gave a slight bow, and vanished in a Shunshin.
Sakura stood. "Mom, heading out! Won't be back for lunch!"
Flash!
Flying Thunder God light flared in the ordinary home. Sakura melted into the space-time pathway.
Next instant—she materialized right on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk, scattering his neatly stacked papers everywhere.
Hiruzen: "…"
Sakura: "…"
"Not my fault, old man! You're the one who left your Flying Thunder God kunai on the desk!"
Seeing his face darken, Sakura quickly shifted blame.
"Get down from there!"
Grumbling, Hiruzen shot her a glare but knew he was in the wrong.
A few minutes later, office tidied, he walked around the desk and sat on the couch across from her.
"Know why I called you?"
He pulled out his pipe, packed the tobacco, and lit it.
"Chunin Exams?"
Sakura leaned back, getting comfy.
"Jiraiya told you? Cough cough."
Hiruzen looked surprised, choking on his first puff.
"Guessed. My sensory ninjutsu picked up way too many unfamiliar chakra signatures in the village today."
Sakura said it like it was no big deal—like casually scanning the entire village was just another Tuesday.
The nonchalant vibe made Hiruzen grind his teeth.
"Do that stuff discreetly. Don't let others catch on." After a brief pause, the old man with the pipe gave a warning.
"No worries~"
Sakura flashed an OK sign with three fingers.
"Back to the exams. Four major nations, sixteen minor ones."
Hiruzen's expression turned serious, tapping ash from his pipe.
No wars in the past decade. Peace had made smaller nations restless—they were getting bold in actions and diplomacy.
The big countries wanted to flex on the small ones and scope each other out, so—joint Chunin Exams.
Fire, Earth, Lightning, and Wind Countries were in. Sixteen smaller nations too. Water Country, as usual, was playing hermit and ignoring everyone.
"Rare chance. The other big villages will definitely send top-tier genin. Stay sharp."
Hiruzen gave Sakura a kind, grandfatherly look and slid a file from a hidden desk compartment toward her.
Sakura skimmed it. Holy crap.
- Granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage, special explosives corps member
- Disciple of the Fourth Raikage, Lightning Chakra Mode inheritor
- Son and daughter of the Fourth Kazekage…
Yeah. The big four villages had a silent agreement to steamroll the little guys. Wonder how crushed the small-village genin would feel this year.
"Hm?"
The last name on the list made Sakura's brow arch.
—Sabaku no Gaara.
"Something wrong?"
Hiruzen took the list back, looking puzzled.
Old man, you seriously didn't see the giant "Jinchuriki" stamp on that name?
"Sand's sending their jinchuriki. The village doesn't care?"
Sakura gave the old fox a flat look.
Don't tell me Konoha somehow doesn't know Sand's jinchuriki intel. That's nuclear-level info—totally transparent between the Five Great Nations.
"Well… they're not the only ones with a jinchuriki."
Hiruzen flashed a crafty grin, mental abacus beads practically bouncing off Sakura's face.
Got it. This old geezer's planning to throw Naruto in too. If things go south, Sand takes the diplomatic heat first.
Cough. "The exam requires three-man teams. You and Naruto are classmates, so… mainly to make sure you can participate smoothly."
Hiruzen coughed, face reddening under Sakura's judgmental stare.
"Fine. You're the Hokage, your call. But heads-up—"
"If the One-Tail goes berserk in the village and I kill it, causing a diplomatic mess? Not cleaning that up."
Pink-haired girl lounged on the couch, legs crossed, radiating pure pirate swagger.
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened. He puffed his pipe brighter.
This kid's confidence… she's really at that level?
"No problem. If you can kill the One-Tail, diplomacy's the least of our worries."
Hiruzen waved a hand, fully backing her plan.
"Cool. Anything else? I'm out."
Sakura waved, chakra flaring.
"Wait!"
Only Hiruzen's still-sharp senses let him stop a Flying Thunder God user mid-teleport.
Sakura steadied her chakra, shooting him a confused look.
"Sakura… uh… everything okay at home? Money tight or anything?"
"Spit it out, old man, or I'm gone."
Used to pirate bluntness, she rolled her eyes.
Sigh. "Naruto's been improving his chakra control. Could you help Kakashi train him a bit?"
Hiruzen exhaled a cloud of smoke, looking guilty but hopeful.
"That's it?"
Flying Thunder God light flashed. Sakura vanished into the void, but her voice echoed back:
"Sure. Tell him to come find me at my training spot later."
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