Chapter 2

Sasuke placed his bag of tomatoes on the kitchen counter before sitting by the dinner table, the frown still in place. Fugaku looked up from his mission report and raised his eyebrows at the look on his youngest's face. Usually he loved going to market with his mother and always came back in smiles.

Fugaku shifted his attention to his wife, who was unloading the rest of the groceries on the counter for tonight's dinner. Catching her attention he raised his eyebrows before nodding to their youngest child. Mikoto washed and cut one tomato into slices. She deposited the plate in front of Sasuke before moving over to her husband and kissing his cheek. "Our son has made some new friends today," as if that explained everything.

"They're not my friends!" the 4 year old shouted indignantly. Fugaku blinked, another rarity in his son's behaviour. He listened as his youngest continued arguing the points for why he wasn't friends with a pink-haired girl and a blond-headed clown! He glanced back at his wife to catch her signing the names Sakura and Naruto. Ah, Kushina and Minato's child.

"And then, and then! He had the nerve to call me-" Sasuke abruptly ceased his ranting and settled his face in a pout, glaring at the tomato slices like it did him some personal wrong. Even more curious now, Fugaku turned to his wife as she leaned into his ear and whispered, "Duck butt."

The patriarch's eyes widened and he turned to assess the physical state of his youngest. He nodded to himself, I can see why. "Son, finish your snack and later, perhaps, you can ask someone to teach you how to brush your hair properly," Fugaku remarked. He watched as Sasuke's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed with slight embarrassment. If you combed your hair as often as Mikoto or Itachi did, you wouldn't have garnered such a silly nickname.

Mikoto laughed again as she disappeared into the kitchen. Oh dear, you must have forgotten your younger days. The state of his hair cannot be fixed with simple brushing.

Sasuke munched on his tomato slices while he mulled over his father's words. I'll definitely get back at Naruto for this!

x

Inuzuka Tsume was a fierce woman. Alone, she held together an entire clan of humans and partnering nin-ken. Her daughter, partnered with ninken triplets, would soon take the test to graduate the academy. Tsume believed in hard work, but a little good luck wouldn't hurt.

And that was how she found herself walking up to the steps to the Ookami Shrine, her trusted companion Kuromaru following just behind her.

Once at the top she headed to the purification trough and cleaned her hands and mouth before walking before in. At the offering hall, she rang the bells, threw a few ryou into the box, bowed twice, clapped her hands twice and bowed once more before praying for her daughter's success in the genin test. And hopefully she gets put into a good team, with good teammates, and a good instructor, and may she and the triplets not cause too much trouble as they learn and grow.

She kept her head lowered as she mulled over any other additional prayers she should thrown in there. After another minute or so she raised her head and opened her eyes, content that she included everything that should have been said. She turned around and headed towards the ema, just in case I should write on the wooden plaque too…

Out of the corner of her eyes, a flash of pink and darker pink caught her attention. She shifted her gaze and landed on the head priest Kizashi with his daughter by the large sacred tree. Kizashi looked up in that moment and met eyes with her. "Tsume-san!" he greeted as she came up to them. Sakura politely greeted her father's friend, "Good afternoon Inuzuka-san."

Sakura looked up at the lady dressed in shinobi uniform and then at the big dog behind her. This was her first time seeing the lady's canine companion. He (she assumed) was missing the left ear and wore an eye patch over the right eye. She tilted her head as she looked at the dog and Kuromaru stared back.

While the adults engaged in light conversation, Sakura continuing her staring match with the canine as she moved forward into his space. Coming almost nose to nose, she finally blinked before she held out her hand. "May I pet you, ninken-san?" she asked politely, a little afraid he might shun her.

Kuromaru regarded the child carefully. A young pup she was, but her scent was clean and smelled a little like her namesake. She was certainly brave, to hold eye contact with him, or foolish, so he took no slight in her actions. It's not like she understands acts of dominance at such a young age.

He liked her, so he dipped his head and leaned into her hand. Sakura's eyes brightened as she ran her hand under his maw, eventually scratching lazy circles on the side of his neck just above his chest.

Kuromaru cursed inwardly. This child was good. Leg, don't you dare start thumping! As it was, his tail was already starting a slow wag. Tsume will never let me live this down. I am a seasoned nin-ken, dang it!

Sakura was enthralled by the cause and effect of her actions. She smiled a little shyly, "May.. may I touch your ear?" Kuromaru responded by lowering his head even more, until it was on top of her shoulder. Taking that as permission, she lifted her hand and felt his lone ear. It's so warm!

She gently rubbed it and then scratched behind it, and Kuromaru was sure he was going to die of embarrassment if Tsume looked down at this moment. He had never allowed another human besides Tsume to pet him so fondly. Not even her own children, who were honestly kind of scared of him. Just a little.

But this child. Something about her made him cave to her will.

Kizashi, curious, looked down at Sakura and was astounded. This prompted Tsume to look down as well, and she was equally as surprised. "Tsume," Kuromaru tried to sound gruff, "I just might end up leaving you for this child." The woman let out a sharp bark of laughter.

"Why am I not surprised that your daughter has my nin-ken enthralled with a simple ear rub, Kizashi?" Kuromaru grunted, let's not forget the neck scratch…her belly rub might be the death of me.

Kizashi chuckled, "Our associations leave us closely related in everything except blood after all." He briefly glanced up at the sacred tree as if there was somebody lying on its highest branches looking down at them.

Sakura looked up at Tsume, "Inuzuka-san…dad says that you have kennels. Would I be able to visit them one day?" Because surely there would be lots of puppies she could play with.

Tsume looked down at the girl before sharing a quick look with Kizashi. "Perhaps not the kennels, pup," Sakura looked dejected, "But you are always welcome to visit the main house. We have younger dogs, and it's a more controlled environment."

Sakura looked up at the woman in delight. Tsume didn't have the heart to tell her the girl couldn't be near puppies and newborns in case a bonding happened. Not for that fact that she wasn't an Inuzuka, but because her own clan had plans in place for her already.

If, after the fact she still wished for a nin-ken and happened to bond with one… then well, the world couldn't really say no to that.

x

Ibiki was a hard man to impress. Actually, he was just a hard man in general. If his stoicism or body structure, or plethora of scar tissue was anything to go by. But when a little blond-haired punk makes the interrogator's mouth twitch, heavens forbid it bloom into a smirk, all those in range would surely take notice.

And that is exactly what happened one afternoon when Ibiki, out on a quick grocery run after not being home for the last two weeks, caught sight of the blond terror haggling with a fruit vendor. His brows even raised a little when he realized a couple of things in that brief moment.

First, the fruit vendor (clearly civilian) was a equal parts impressed and horrified. Impressed with the tiny blond, and horrified with the adult blond. Second, the adult blond was a woman who Ibiki knew for fact was not Naruto's mother but clearly held influence in the child's life. And possibly in the vendor's life too. Third, the blond woman displayed an incredible proud air and occasionally through in a word here or there to give the boy's words more vantage.

He watched the transaction action take place when the vendor finally handed over a bag of apples for a sum that, Ibiki counted the coins, was less than the advertised price suggested it should be. Naruto walked away grinning and didn't notice the woman slipping the vendor enough coins to make up the discount given, thanking him out of earshot for his co-operation.

The blond was so busy looking at his haul that he almost bumped into the tall man. The large shoes caught his attention and then he raised his eyes as he followed the span of grey on grey until he arrived at Ibiki's face. "Sorry, sir."

"Uzumaki," Ibiki addressed the boy and nodded down at him. "It seems you have a way with words," he gave the apples a pointed look.

"Nah, I'm nothing," he leaned a little closer and lifted a hand to his face and stage whispered, "You should see Mama Haruno, she could make the whole marketplace fall to her knees if she wanted to." Then he widened his eyes as if in alarm, "Maybe even the whole Fire Country!"

Ibiki quirked an eyebrow. How did the little punk manage to form ties with the matriarch of the Haruno clan? Despite being a civilian, she had power in all the right places that could either raise or destroy Konoha's economy, outside of missions income, and he had made it a point to know all the power players.

Clearly the boy was intuitive if he could understand that much of the woman, even if he had meant it as a joke. Last he checked the boy's presence was enough to send most civilians into a darker, more piss poor attitude. But as Ibiki took a quick scan of the marketplace, he noted not a single person scowled or glared or had any negative reaction to the boy in front of him.

"And how long have you known Mrs. Haruno?" he casually asked.

"A few months. Or at least I hope it has been, and I'm not going to wake up or snap out of a genjutsu and realize it's only been a minute or something," Naruto replied.

Ibiki made an obvious show of looking around, "These mundanes' opinions of have changed. They no longer outwardly hate or fear you. Is it because of Mrs. Haruno's influence on the vendors?"

Naruto looked up wryly at the bigger man, "Why would they be scared of me when you're the one with the scarier face between the two of us? I'm just a kid." He added a one shoulder shrug.

Ibiki's eyes narrowed a little as he stared at the boy. Trusted, intuitive and deceptive and or deflective. His lips tugged a little at the corner. "Boy, you just might make a good shinobi one day," he said as he walked away.

Maybe one day he could interest the brat to try out T&I.

x

Fugaku was a stern man. He held the position of clan head and was responsible for not just his own family, but also their extended family. His shoulders held many burdens, his head heavy with constant aches. The biggest ache of all were the clan Elders. A group of the eldest Uchiha clan members, 'survivors' of the Third Great Shinobi War.

Fugaku had to add the quotations in his mind when he thought about them because although a few may have fought in the war, others had found ways to avoid the draft despite being then still capable fighters. Sometimes, it was hard to keep up the pretence of respect for a group of old bats who did nothing but bicker at clan meetings. And now was one of those times.

"Silence!" Fugaku amplified his voice around the room with a bit of chakra to his vocal chords. He resisted the urge to rub his temples. This is getting ridiculous.

"But Fugaku! We cannot allow this to continue! We have been sequestered by the Hokage and Konoha for too long! Why should we allow ourselves to be ruled by those who clearly hate us?!" one Elder did his best to continue his argument.

Fugaku sighed and looked at the man, "We are not being sequestered, Mizuchi. Every clan has a place in Konoha and they all have their preferences that suits the needs of the clan. Fire element jutsus are a staple in our style, therefore we placed ourselves by the Naka River. Would you rather our ancestors have asked for the land that is now the Nara Forests?"

The Elder sputtered indignantly.

"I didn't think so. Just like how the last five times we have had to discuss this. I grow tired of your repetition. If it is a matter of your age and declining health, perhaps you should remove yourself from clan meetings for the time being and address such matters with a physician."

The Elder looked like crossed between throwing a fit or having a heart attack.

Another chose that moment to bring up the possibility of a coup. Fugaku shut it down before that idea could even take flight. He levelled a look on the senile bunch and laced a little killing intent in his next words.

"Esteemed Elders. Lest us not forget that you are Elders due to age and tenacity to cling to life, and Advisors because it is believed that wisdom comes with age instead of experience. Time is not stagnant. Things and people forever change. I am the current Clan Head and one day my sons will inherit the position. The viewpoints of generations differ vastly. The values of generations differ vastly,"

Fugaku stood from his seat and made his way to the door. He turned back to look at the men with their slack jaws. "If you wish to be free from the Village, from the Hokage, from it's governing, it's economy, peace and security," he paused for a brief moment, "then as Clan Head, you have my permission to renounce your ties to the Clan and the Village, to leave the walls of Home and establish your own little village in whatever country is to your choosing. I hear Lightning Country has a certain soft spot for doujutsu bloodlines."

And then he left. He was done with their pathetic excuses and snivelling. Perhaps they would invest themselves in a different and useful hobby.

Fugaku heaved another long sigh before returning to his home, leaving his burdens as Clan Head at the door.

He entered the dining room and saw his sons at the dining table. Itachi reading a novel and Sasuke doodling with purpose on a large piece of paper. His eyes met his eldest's in a question. Itachi merely shrugged his shoulders and smiled in amusement. Clearly Sasuke was up to something. Mikoto was preparing tea in the kitchen.

Fugaku walked up to boys and set his hand on the top of Sasuke's head, and gave his unruly hair a quick ruffle. "What are you working on, son?"

Sasuke was concentrating hard, his tongue stuck out a little in the corner. He put down a few more doodles before pausing to answer his father. "I'm working on a trap!" the four year old declared with enthusiasm.

His father peered down at the parchment and tried very hard to make sense of the doodles in various coloured crayon. "I see."

He ignored Itachi's snort. He felt the eye roll and ignored that too. Fugaku cast Itachi a glance, I'd like to see you make sense of it, genius.

Itachi coughed and returned his attention to his book.

"And what is this trap for, son?"

Sasuke drew a few more boxes and arrows as a spark flashed in his eyes, "Payback! I'm gonna get back at Sunflower Head for calling me duck- duck.. ugh!" The doodles increased with a renewed determination.

Itachi's attention strayed from the book at he looked at his father again. Duck butt, the man mouthed to him and Itachi buried his face in the book, heaven forbid he laughed at his little brother and earned his ire next.

Mikoto chose that moment to bring out the tea and inform Itachi of his little brother's new friends. "They're not my friends!" Their mother teased Sasuke for a few more moments before laughing lightly and settling across from her eldest. When Sasuke returned back to his parchment, Itachi looked at his mother.

Mikoto cast one more loving glance at her youngest before her gaze was drawn to her eldest's. Sakura Haruno and Uzumaki Naruto, she mouthed to him before drinking from her cup. Itachi's brows raised in surprise. He was aware of who Naruto was, and had even shadowed the boy a few times at the request of the Hokage. He looked at his mother again, asking with his eyes, will this be a problem?

The woman laughed lightly again, and gestured for him to be at ease. Everything's going to be okay.

"Son," Itachi turned to his father when he was addressed, "When you have time, I would like you to report to the Hokage that the Elders have been put in their place." Itachi nodded and was pleased that everything really was going to be okay.

x

Fall was approaching in Fire Country. The forests turned the most beautiful blends of reds, oranges and yellows. And on such a day, Genma Shiranui and Hayate Gekko found themselves slated for a C-class escort mission.

They had to wonder though, why two newly minted tokubetsu jounin were being assigned a C-class. Hokage-sama told them their client had paid a substantial fee to ensure the best possible protection for herself, her daughter, and their carriage as it travelled to the port city and back.

A business trip for the clients, and an easy C-class escort for the shinobi. But because of the position the client held in Fire Country, there was a possibility of danger for herself and her daughter, and it could escalate to B and possibly even A-rank. So the client had paid the fee of an A-class despite it being classed as C.

Genma and Hayate waited at the eastern gate for their clients to arrive. When they did, they were surprised that the daughter had pink hair.

The mother and daughter approached the shinobi and greeted them politely. "We will be in your care. Please take care of us." The merchant carriage being pulled by horse, behind them. Together they left through the gates; the women in the carriage and Genma in the front and Hayate in the back.

The woman made light conversation with the men, letting them know that business trips were normal and there has never been trouble of any kind during travels "except for that one time a wheel got stuck in the mud."

"My husband is a bit of a worrywart and I must admit I'm a little worried as well if my daughter's presence throughout of the trip will change things," she offered her daughter a comforting pat on the head.

Sakura knew she was not at fault for anything, as her mother had carefully explained to her last week when she invited her daughter on the trip. Mom and Dad are just worried about my safety.

Sakura looked to her right where one of the men was walking beside the carriage. He wore a bandana over his head and had a metal needle sticking out his mouth. She wondered if it was like a giant toothpick. She kept sneaking glances, trying to chalk up the courage to talk to him.

Genma noticed the curious looks on the girl and turned to offer her a wide grin, "What's up kid?" He watched her eyes widen, surprised at being addressed by a shinobi-san and so casually at that!

"Shinobi-san-"

"Genma."

"Genma-san, why do you have a long metal toothpick in your mouth?"

Genma cast a glance at his partner at the rear of the car and could have sworn he heard something like, "why Genma what sharp teeth you have." But the coughing made it hard to tell. He turned his attention back to the little girl, "it's a senbon.

He proceeded to teach her what a senbon was and its general uses but shook his head when she asked if she could hold it. He was pleasantly surprised that her mother didn't do anything to discourage her child from asking about the shinobi ways. Not something you see often in civilian families.

The trip to the port city was peaceful. Sakura took turnings taking her questions to Genma and Hayate and they both found talking to her to be quite refreshing and relaxing. They weren't known to be talkers but something about her big green eyes and her innocent tone made them more than willing to participate. Seeing her happy made them happy.

Hokage-sama knew we needed a break from the darker missions, I'm sure of it.

They arrived in the city by nightfall and stayed at a decent inn. The women had one room and the shinobi had another room beside them. Hayate was pleasantly surprised by the accommodations. It didn't scream "finest luxury" but it was certainly more than what a shinobi would willingly pay for out of pocket. The men shared a look, just who is our client? But at the end of the day it wasn't their business.

They convened on the main floor for dinner before taking full advantage of the outdoor baths of the inn. The steam and salts of the baths made it easier to breathe for Hayate than it had been in a while. He also noticed that he didn't cough as much afterward. Perhaps he'd even be able to sleep peacefully for a while.

Genma wouldn't mind doing escort missions for their client from now on if the accommodations were always going to be this good.

The next day, the left the inn as a group and headed towards the harbour. Haruno Mebuki had various appointments today and at a junction in the road decided to part ways with the other three. "I'll be fine on my own, just boring Haruno business meetings back to back. You wouldn't want to sit through that. Instead could I ask you two to kindly guide my daughter around the city and keep her occupied for a few hours?"

The men nodded their heads, this technically was a C-class and their client was primarily worried for the safety of her daughter. That surname does ring a bell though.

"Excellent, I will meet up with you back at the inn around 4 o'clock. Sakura," the woman lowered herself to Sakura's height, "Be on your best behaviour now, and despite what Naruto has taught you, I hope you remember to keep out of trouble." The girl nodded quickly.

"Good," Mebuki handed her child a bag of coins. "I'm sure you'd like to buy back some souvenirs. There should be enough for that and a lunch for you three. Spend wisely."

Sakura nodded again, "Just like you taught me."

The three left after they watched Mebuki enter a building further down the street with a wave.

Genma and Hayate walked on either side of the girl, sometimes Genma would walk a little further ahead to point out a building or statue to the girl. They found their way to the local marketplace. A lot of people had their wares lined up on a tarp on the ground.
Sakura walked slowly from seller to seller, taking in their selection of goods. Eventually her eyes caught on a bracelet of sorts. The band was made of leather, the ends meant to be tied together to be secured. Between the straps was a round piece of metal with a familiar design etched into it.

She stared at it for a good second before looking up at her companion's jackets and realization dawned on her. The seller took note of her interest in the piece, "Ah, you're looking at a friendship bracelet, child. The symbol is of a village lost long ago, Uzushiogakure, but forever remembered by their dearest ally, Konohagakure."

The old man glanced briefly at the flak jackets too before returning to the girl. "A gift for a friend perhaps," Sakura nodded, she was sure Naruto would love it. The symbol was on some of his shirts. She briefly wondered if he knew what it meant, or if he thought it was a symbol of his namesake.

She was happy to find that the trinket was inexpensive and eagerly paid and accepted the purchase. She tucked it into her bag before returning to browsing, hoping to find something for her father. She eventually found some prayer beads that she thought he might like.

She continued on until she stopped abruptly before a display of figurines. She knelt and swept her gaze across the tarp until it landed on a tiny wooden carving of a wolf. Compelled by some indescribable feeling, she picked it up to better examine it. The wolf stood tall, as if overlooking a hill, its tail in a relaxed state. She bought it without hesitation. As well as another one of a dog that regarded her of Kuromaru.

Satisfied that she had purchased what she wanted, the trio left the market and made their way to a teahouse. They ordered tea and refreshments.

"Hey Hayate-san," he turned his attention to the girl, "Are you sick? You're always coughing."

He explained that he had been coughing for a few months now. He wasn't sure if he was sick, but he knew he didn't have the signs of a cold or a fever. The cough simply refused to go away, but it did not bother him. Sakura nodded in understanding.

The group returned to the inn, and Mebuki returned shortly after, pleased with the results of the business meetings. Sakura briefly wondered if she would take her mom's place on day when she was older.

They stayed another night and checked out the next morning, eager to return home. Following the main road back, they didn't encounter any problems until they were well away from the city.

Bandits surrounded them, a clear attempt to outnumber the group of four. Mebuki was calm as she pulled her daughter close and eyed the thieves. Genma was behind her, Hayate in front of them, facing the apparent leader of the bandits.

"Don't suppose you'd lot like to walk away from that carriage now. Leave it be with the horses and we'll spare ya your lives."

Genma resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He scanned the group in his field of vision and noted they were civilian-level, and perhaps on Hayate's side were Genin at best judging by the signatures. He was almost, almost relieved to have some action.

Hayate stared at the man who spoke. "The carriage has no goods for you to pilfer, the horses are slow and cannot be bred for stock as they are male. Perhaps it would be in your group's best interest to leave." He had yet to reach for his sword, it wouldn't be necessary for this.

The thug smirked and gave a signal for a select few to attack. Genma and Hayate made quick work of them and it eventually turned into an all-out brawl when the rest of the gang joined in. The jounin almost broke a sweat, seeing as they couldn't kill the bandits (they were after all, just civilians. Ill-intended ones at that.)

One of them managed to get past Genma, using his buddies as a distraction and headed straight towards the women. Mebuki saw this and pushed Sakura behind her and waited until the thug swung his arm out with a knife before she shifted into a self-defensive maneuver and unarmed him.

She twisted the thug's arm at the shoulder and then curled it inwards toward him before knocking him down, him shouting in pain all the while. His shouts distracted the rest of his group and Genma and Hayate dealt with the stragglers quickly.

Sakura was in awe. She knew her mama was a strong woman in all senses, but to see the woman defeating a full grown man so easily, she was a little starstruck. And not to mention those shinobi-sans! She could barely follow all the action with her eyes but she was amazed.

"Now then," Mebuki looked down at the man, her knee pushing his head further back from his shoulder, causing more pain for him. "I don't see the need to call the authorities on you, so I will appreciate it kindly if you take the suggestion to run along."

"Leave us be. No harm to you, no harm to us. Deal?" She pushed his head back just a little more and the thug eagerly agreed. She removed herself from the man and stood, backing away and pushing her daughter with her. Genma and Hayate were by their side now. The thug struggled to stand and called for a retreat. The group of four watched as they men picked themselves up and their comrades before limping down to the road back to port city. Probably back to their hiding place.

The group waited a fair bit after the thugs were out of sight before they continued travelling again. Genma eventually broke the silence and asked where Mebuki learned self-defence.

Mebuki laughed lightly, recalling some of her fondest memories. "When I first met my now-husband, I was a bit of a delinquent. My strikes her sharp and he encouraged me to sharpen my mind as well. We became quite the compatible pair, as you can see," she made a gesture towards her daughter.

"At his insistence, I trained for a while at his family's dojo. It assured him some that if I was going to get into trouble, I could at least protect myself and my friends with proper techniques instead of swinging my limbs around," Mebuki chuckled again.

"I never managed to pick up the family style that used the shakujo," she explained, "as my husband's family also runs temples throughout the continent, but I am very deadly with a frying pan."

The men chuckled at that.

They arrived back in Konoha just after the sun set. Passing through the gates, the men signed in with the guards and bid their farewells to the women. Sakura walked over to them and handed them a small package each from her bag.

"It's honey lemon konpeito," she withdrew her hands and bowed politely, "Thank you for keeping us safe. I hope it helps with your cough Hayate-san!" And with that she ran back to her mother and waved at them before parting ways.

The men made their way towards the tower to report their mission successfully completed. Genma opened the packet and popped a piece of candy in his mouth while Hayate looked down at his own packet. "She's a good kid."

Meanwhile the ladies made their way back home, hand in hand. Sakura was silent for a moment, thinking about a lot of things. She eventually looked up at her mother, "Mama, I...I want to be strong like you! Can you teach me?"

"Why do you want to be strong, dear?"

"Naruto says he's gonna be Hokage one day. We're friends, I have to be strong if I want to stand by his side when he does. If he protects the Village, somebody has to protect him!"

Mebuki smiled at her child, her path just became a little clearer.

"Very well Sakura, let's talk to your father and see if he can help you train."

Sakura beamed.

x

Author's Corner:

It took me a while to write this chapter. Besides the full-time job, I was imaging scenes in my mind and trying to figure out who to plug in where. I'm, obviously, still world building at this point. I had originally intended to have Sakura meet Hinata and then use the Hyuuga Affair where Sakura by happenstance would be kidnapped along with Hinata and the events would lead her to want to become a ninja and make friends with Hinata.

Alas I realized that the wikia stated the Hyuuga Affair happened when Hinata was three, and I already started leading the first chapter with Sakura being four. So it was either delay the Hyuuga Affair and then explain away Neji and Hizashi, or make Hinata one year younger than the other rookies which wouldn't have worked out later on in the Academy days, or just drop this point altogether and do something else.

Which is where Sakura's trip with her mother comes in. I admit, when I first saw Mebuki's appearance in the anime, her hairstyle seemed very Japanese stereotype yankee to me. Probably the way her bangs were styled. She seemed like a tough woman. She did take someone out with a frying pan in a filler episode I believe. And just because she's a merchant, I didn't want her to be weak or untrained. She heads a business, she travels, the world's a dangerous place. It made sense for her to know self-defense.

As for Ibiki meeting Naruto. Well. I kind of like Ibiki and a bunch of the other minor Konoha characters that never got a lot of screen time or pages in the manga. I inserted that one on a whim, and maybe it will be of use to me in the future. You never know!

I'm also more of a reader than a writer. No lies. When I don't think about my own chapters when I should be sleeping, I'm usually reading a novel or somebody else's fanfiction that's like 40+ chapters long and like 200k words. It's motivational.