Fire Country, Konoha

W 62, 03.12.09

Itachi cajoled Sakura to the meeting with promises of books and sweets to no success. Luckily, Sakura conceded to going out of curiosity.

"Hi-hi! I'm Sakura ❤~! This is Mimi! Mimi, say hi!" The cheetah growled ferociously at the council. "You don't want to say hi? Okay then. Who are you?"

"You don't remember us, girl?" Danzou asked.

"Hmm… Nah." She pointed at Hokage-sama. "That guy seems important."

"You are addressing the Hokage, girl."

She looked down at Mimi. "Hokage? Mimi, stop growling." Mimi gave a final growl before climbing into Sakura's arms.

Hokage-sama sighed. "Why did you summon a meteor?"

"It was fun!"

"Is it a genjutsu or ninjutsu?"

"Of course, it's a genjutsu!"

"Undo the genjutsu."

"Undo ( •᷄ὤ•᷅)？" She looked down at Mimi. "Aha (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧! I can make things normal if you want!"

"Then do so," Koharu ordered.

"Wait." Itachi knelt down to her level. "Sakura, what do you mean by 'make things normal'?"

"I just… make things normal ( •᷄ὤ•᷅)？You tell me what normal is like and I make normal!"

The room froze at the realisation. Sakura… Sakura didn't know how to undo her genjutsu. To correct her mistakes, she layered genjutsu on top of genjutsu. How many times had she summoned giant hello kitty balloons and rainbow fireworks? Ten? If so, there were 20 layers of genjutsu in the Konoha sky. More pressingly, it meant she couldn't undo the damage.

"Is everything you cast a genjutsu?" Itachi asked.

"What's the difference between genjutsu and ninjutsu?"

"Genjutsu is cast on the mind, ninjutsu is cast on the body."

Sakura frowned. "Tacchan, make a ninjutsu fire."

Itachi removed his hands from her shoulders and lit his palm on fire. Sakura did the same and held her palm beside his.

"I don't get it. What's the difference?"

"One is real and one isn't."

"Silly bunny! We're already in a genjutsu!"

"What do you mean?"

"How old is genjutsu? 200 years? 500? 1000? No one knows! There've definitely been better genjutsu users and many would probably like casting worldwide genjutsu! The chances of us being born under some kind of genjutsu are super high. Maybe I created you and I'm created by someone who was created by someone and on to infinity ~! Genjutsu? Ninjutsu? Both are just as fake ~!"

Koharu scoffed. "We are not here for esoteric arguments. Undo the genjutsu."

"Utatane-sama, for your own safety, please watch your words," Itachi advised. "Sakura, do you know how to undo a genjutsu?"

"Nope ~!"

"What on earth are the Uchiha doing?" Danzou posed. "Breaking genjutsu should be taught before casting."

Itachi wasn't too pleased with the slight. "She was self-taught."

"You make books on creating meteors available to 9-year-olds?"

"We have no such books and our book logs are carefully kept. I cannot say the same for the Konoha library."

"What are you implying, jounin?"

"Merely that our clan takes as much precaution as any other in protecting our knowledge. Sakura could've been born into any clan."

"But she was born into your clan. She is your responsibility."

"Perhaps she was."

Danzou looked down on him contemptuously. "The Kurama have always been… imaginative."

"Where Uchiha Sakura is concerned, nothing is out of question."

There was a small stare-off between the two. Mimi yawned and rubbed up against Sakura.

"Come on, let's go, Mimi."

Danzou's contemptuous gaze fell on her. "You have not been dismissed, girl."

Sakura ignored him and turned around.

"Girl!"

Itachi placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Sakura-chan. Can you stay a while longer?"

"Why?"

Danzou interrupted. "Respect must be given to one's betters. A child without discipline is no different from an animal."

Sakura stared at him curiously before giggling. "You're right. Bow."

"Excuse me?"

"You're a lot weaker than me. Bow."

"The world is not governed by brute strength. Your childish naivety is showing."

Sakura looked at Itachi. "I thought he was smarter. Why-" Mimi meowed. "-I see! He thinks he can break my genjutsu! That's why he's acting dumb! Meh, I don't really like him anyway."

Danzou vanished. Completely. There were no chakra traces, nothing. Sakura skipped to the door.

"Uchiha Sakura!" Koharu demanded. "What did you do to Danzou?"

She was ignored as Sakura left.

His father… his father had offended Sakura, hadn't he?

Fire Country, Konoha

W 62, 05.03.10

4 months later

Sakura watched as Itachi trained, gracefully leaping, throwing shuriken and breathing fire.

"Tacchan, you really believe in your art."

Itachi stopped his routine. "I was bred to breathe fire. Ninjutsu is more than art, it is my way of life."

She frowned, staring at him blankly. "Tacchan, do you think the world is real?"

"… As a genjutsu master, the thought has occurred to me several times but it was theoretical. A 'what if' that I didn't take seriously. After meeting you…" He closed his eyes. "There are thousands of genjutsu layers over Konoha. You can change memories, nullify existences. You can make very concrete, very real things like a whole person disappear. I'm in constant doubt as to whether my desire to help you is real or not. I shouldn't want to help after what you've done." He opened his eyes. "But it doesn't matter. Unlike you, I am not powerful enough to change the world with a thought. Only those with power can reject the present and birth something new. I am weak and have no choice but to accept this reality. That is why I practice ninjutsu as well as genjutsu. Ninjutsu presents a far easier path to power."

Sakura giggled and tackled him with a hug. He tensed under her touch as Mimi strolled to him and rubbed up on his legs.

"Tacchan isn't stupid. I like Tacchan. Go forth and change the world ❤~!"

Fire Country, Konoha

W 62, 13.03.11

1 week later

Itachi was awoken by the sliding of his door.

"Itachi-sama?" Itachi sat up to see his maid. Mother's decision to hire one sparked huge controversy with accusations of duty negligence.

"What is it?"

"I apologise but Sakura-chan has been switching the sky's colour for the last ten minutes. You have orders to make her stop."

"I understand."

The maid bowed and left. Itachi got dressed and went to find Sakura.

Sakura laid down on the Uchiha main house's private training ground. The sky shifted from midnight to pink to green to sky blue to brown to yellow to red to-

"Sakura, why are you turning the sky into a disco ball?" Itachi knelt beside her.

Sakura pouted as she looked up at his face. "I'm bored! I'm tired of reading book after book of theory and messing with people is too easy. I have nothing to do. I've never felt such a huge power imbalance."

"How about learning ninjutsu?" The Yamanaka recommended increasing her Yang chakra. Apparently, an overabundance of Yin could cause psychosis.

"Ninjutsu? But ninjutsu is just a weaker version of genjutsu!"

"But has using genjutsu all the time made you happy? Is having everything you want really what you want? You can't distinguish between ninjutsu and genjutsu. In the regard, every ninja in Konoha is better at you. Won't learning ninjutsu be challenging?"

"Hmm Σ(-᷅_-᷄๑)… ٩(•̤̀ᵕ•̤́๑)ᵒᵏᵎᵎᵎᵎ That sounds fun! I wanted to do the Yamanaka hijutsu but I couldn't use it. But breaking people is super easy so I never bothered."

She…! "You know the Yamanaka hijutsu?"

"Yep! I went around collecting for a while then I got bored."

They'd also ready known she was behind all the mental breaks but the only Yamanaka mental break had been Yamanaka Itsuki by Kurama Sakura.

"You used to be Kurama Sakura?"

"I think so. I remember Natsu and Kens 1 through 1000."

"How?"

Sakura smiled. "Teach me ninjutsu."

Fire Country, Konoha

W 62, 09.05.11

2 months later

Teaching Sakura ninjutsu was frustrating. He had to start from the ground up and reteach many basic concepts but Sakura grasped concepts and theories well. The main problem was her psychosis. It was extremely difficult to tell whether Sakura was using ninjutsu or genjutsu to mimic ninjutsu when no one could differentiate her illusions from reality and Sakura herself couldn't tell the difference. She had no idea how to access her Yang chakra and all ninjutsu required Yang chakra.

In the end, all Itachi could do was get her to do the Clone jutsu over and over with the vague instruction of 'it'll feel different'.

Sakura burst into his study. "Tacchan, Tacchan! I did it!"

Finally. After two months. "How did it feel like?"

"Strong. Grounded. Physical. I can see why people get addicted to ninjutsu and smart people believe the world exists. It's a faith, a visceral feeling. I don't like it but it's very interesting! I want to tame it!"

Sakura's enthusiasm and optimistic attitude were reassuring. If they could ground her… "After you clear your desired E and D-rank ninjutsu, we should increase your Yang chakra. Which means physical training. I know someone. I think you'll like him."

"Really? Yay! A new friend! I'll go to the library and tell you when I'm done!"

"Don't teleport. Run."

Sakura pouted. "I guess training is like that." She left the house in a normal fashion.

It was about time Sasuke returned home.

Fire Country, Konoha
W 62, 14.09.11

4 months later

"Hi-hi! I'm Sakura ❤~! This is Mimi! Mimi, say hi!" The cheetah, now a year old, walked up to a tree and sat under it. "You don't want to say hi? Okay then. Who are you?"

Itachi kept a neutral face as Gai flashed a sparkling grin. "I'm Maito Gai! I will be your taijutsu sensei!"

Beside Gai was Sasuke who ignored Gai's antics and rushed over to Itachi. "Nii-san!"

"We will be training when we get home. We will see if you've progressed."

Sasuke beamed. "I've gotten a lot stronger!"

"We shall see."

Itachi paid more attention to Sakura and Gai's interactions. They were hitting off very well and doing goofy cat impressions together.

"No, no! Mimi sounds like this!" Sakura made a low purring noise.

"Like this?" Gai tried imitating her but it sounded much deeper and more aggressive.

"No! That sounds like you wanna fight! Like this!"

Itachi interrupted them. "I shall take my leave." He bowed. "I apologise for troubling you and thank you for educating my clansmen. You are welcome in the halls of the Uchiha."

Gai grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "No problem! I'm always free to teach the youth of Konoha!"

"I leave Sakura in your care with great trust and confidence."

Fire Country, Konoha

W 62, 20.03.12

6 months later

Itachi had just gotten some sleep when his window slid open. He activated his sharingan. It was Sakura as she climbed into his futon and snuggled next to him. Mimi laid down on his other side and started licking his neck with her rough, painful tongue.

"Why are you here, Sakura?"

"My Yang chakra is growing. It's growing every day."

"That was the point of the training."

"I feel stronger. I feel warmer. I can feel better. I can feel other's chakra and it feels real. But it's not real. It's dangerous to think that way. I hate it, Tacchan."

"You're afraid of believing a lie?"

"Truths are believable lies. I love genjutsu. I will not give it up for ninjutsu."

"Increasing you Yang chakra will not decrease your Yin. Feeling the world is real will help you understand others. It'll help with your genjutsu."

"I'm still bored, Tacchan."

"I doubt you'll find any genjutsu opponents but ninjutsu is a different story. I've heard from Gai that you reached D-rank on taijutsu and C-rank on ninjutsu already. It's only been a year since you started training."

"That's what you'd like, isn't it? For me to treat the world as real?"

"… It is an ulterior motive, yes."

She looked up into his eyes, studying. "Whatever. Maybe I'll find inspiration there. General ninjutsu isn't doing it but one of its thousand subcategories should vibe with me. I can create clones."

"If it'll make you feel more comfortable, you could start with the academic and Yin-heavy disciplines like medical ninjutsu. You could create hundreds of clones with only a drop of Yang chakra each if they're only going to sit and read."

"You would like that, wouldn't you? I wouldn't be learning how to 'actually' burn down Konoha."

"Does it matter?"

"… It shouldn't but it does. I like Tacchan. I want Tacchan to like me too. But you don't work that way. Maybe I'll wipe Konoha. I'll wipe your clan, I'll wipe your precious Sasuke from your memory. Would you love me like you love him then?"

His blood froze, his breath stopped and his heart fluttered. He hugged her tighter and tighter, suffocating her in his embrace. "Please, please, no. I promise to love you, Sakura. You can't. Please. I won't be me without them, please."

"Konoha and your clan are your duties. Sasuke is your precious child. The conflict in your duty to all three causes incredible agony, right? If your loyalty is with me and I become your one and only, the child you love more than anything else, the three will be united and the conflict will be gone. You might be happier off like that. I won't make you kill anyone and knowing the world isn't real, you won't care about world peace because it's meaningless when I can accomplish it easily. I might even create world peace to keep you happy."

"But if I'm fake, the feeling is irrational, isn't it? I feel the same way about Sasuke. Please. There is nothing I can offer you but if you care for me, please. The me in your head, in your dreams, may be happy with such a fate but I am not. Please, Sakura."

"What defines 'you'? Your loyalties, your loves? If you fall out of love with Sasuke, will that change you? What if you fall out with dango? It still changes 'you', just with different intensity. If that's the case, does that mean before Sasuke was born, there was no 'you'? To say that there is no 'you' without Sasuke is ridiculous. There is no permanent 'you' because 'you' are always changing. A 70-year-old has almost no resemblance to their infant selves be it physically or mentally. They are two separate people. 'You' is just a present state of being, constantly subject to change. In the end, it doesn't matter. You exist only in my head."

"Do you know what my clan is planning?"

"The coup? Yeah."

"Do you know of Shisui's jutsu?"

"Kotoamatsukami? The one that can bend reality?"

"Then you know there is an easy way out. But I refuse to use that jutsu. I would sooner kill my clan with my own hands than use it. Do you know why?"

"I know. The Uchiha's hate is a fundamental part of them. Take that away and you kill who they are. Say, Tacchan. If I made you hate Konoha, made you tear apart everything you love, what would you do?"

"I would commit suicide."

"What do you think of me, Tacchan? Be honest or I'll erase them."

"I… I think you need help. I used to think you were sick but there's nothing I can say when I've begun to think the same way. But to hold ultimate power like you, to almost be a God forced to walk amongst mortals is extremely agonising. If you were willing to throw away that power and accept a place in this world, you would be happier."

"You feel sorry for me."

"In a way. But… there is a part of me that still hates you for killing my father."

Sakura stayed silent for a minute before she slowly got up. "I want Konoha's knowledge and Konoha is the best at jutsu production in the world. I won't burn it down. I like the current Tacchan. I suppose changing you too much might be a bad idea."

She hopped out of the window and Mimi followed.

Fire Country, Konoha

W 62, 17.08.12

5 months later

Shisui knocked on his window. Itachi opened it. "Sakura is currently in the hospital due to exhaustion. There's talk of killing her but Gai and Mimi are standing in the way."

Itachi left through the window and the two of them raced to the Hokage Tower. He was allowed into the Hokage's office. The council and Gai were gathered.

"Itachi!" Gai exclaimed. "The council wants to kill Sakura!"

"She is a danger to the world," Koharu argued. "Who's to say the meteor won't fall on us the next time? She has killed innocent civilians!"

As expected. He had to stay on Sakura's side. "I am a ninja. If killing Sakura is best then I shall do so. But there've been attempts, two carried out by jounin. She didn't even notice them. Mimi did the work and is probably Sakura's genjutsu. It protects her from threats she isn't aware of. Her balloons were indestructible and Mimi is likely so. Should she realise the Konoha council ordered her death, she may decide Konoha shouldn't exist. We have no way of neutralising her and attracting animosity is unwise."

"We cannot pacify her forever. How long before she snaps? Before someone displeases her? Who knows when we'll get this chance again?"

"With Maito-san's regime, future incidents are inevitable. When someone displeases her, she gets rid of said person. Unless she believes Konoha itself is to blame, she is unlikely to erase Konoha."

"Where Konoha's existence is concerned, 'unlikely' is not enough."

"Indeed. Just as an assassination attempt is unlikely to succeed. Even if it did-"

Mimi hissed and spat, dashing past them as she leapt through the window.

A long, loud, piercing beep sounded. He looked at the heart monitor. It was a flat line.

Poison.

Fire Country, Konoha

W 62, 28.05.13

9 months later

"Hi-hi! I'm Sakura ❤~! This is Mimi! Mimi, say hi!"

Koharu stopped in her tracks and snapped her head towards the sound. There stood Hatake Sakura, purchasing meat from the vendor.

This was horrible. The girl had helped Hatake Kakashi out of depression and kept him sane through the deaths of all his teammates. Hiruzen was a sentimental fool when it came to children and his loved ones. He would never touch her.

With Danzou gone, the title of Konoha's Shadow fell on her shoulders. Unlike Danzou, she would not compete with Hiruzen or seek power. She would be Konoha's protector when Hiruzen was blinded.

Fire Country, Konoha

W 62, 30.05.13

2 days later

Hatake Sakura laid on the grassy private training ground in the Hatake compound, looking up at the pink sky. On her lap laid her faithful dog, Mimi.

"You're not real, are you, Mimi?"

"Ruff!"

"Did I create you? I forgot. You've always been with me."

"Ruff!"

"Kakashi is nice but the Hatake don't have much left to offer. I don't like dogs that much, Mimi."

"Ruff!"

"You're always the same. You never change."

"Ruff!"

"I am alone, Mimi. Alone. Everyone is."

"Ruff!"

Sakura continued looking at the sky, stretching her hand out as if she could grasp the clouds. "Mimi, let's make the sky pink. I'll do one more body swap before leaving. I haven't quite gotten taijutsu and ninjutsu down in all these years. I need to be a little more grounded it seems. Everything seems real. It always does. It hurts, Mimi."

She sat up, Mimi still in her lap wagging her tail. Sakura pulled out her kunai.

"You are not helping."

She slit Mimi's throat.

Fire Country, Konoha

W 62, 01.06.13

1 day later

"Hatake-senpai."

Kakashi didn't move from where he knelt before Sakura's grave. "Uchiha Itachi. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Itachi placed a bouquet of flowers before her grave. "Sakura had great thirst for the knowledge of others. It was something she couldn't create. She was in a constant state of boredom, delusion and euphoria. She loved and hated as she wished, unconcerned for what others might think for nothing existed but her. I recommended her medical ninjutsu before she died. She took to it with great ease along with sealing jutsu, curse jutsu and a multitude of hijutsu she stole. She was cooped up in her little world, in her little hell and she couldn't be helped because she didn't think she needed help. The world was her playground after all, what more could she want?"

"… That was your Sakura?"

"That was my Sakura. And Kurama Natsuki's Sakura."

Kakashi couldn't draw his eyes away from her grave. "Maybe she wasn't a Hatake. That doesn't make anything she's done for me any less important. She was my daughter. She was my child."

Itachi placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. "I know. It feels real, doesn't it? Everything feels real."

Fire Country, Konoha

W 62, 03.06.13

2 days later

A team of ANBU ROOT stood before Koharu. Fifteen top-rate jounin had been driven insane but they had succeeded in killing Hatake Sakura.

"Haruno Sakura attends the Academy. You are to assassinate her. After doing so, you are to check the village records for anyone named Sakura and report them to me. You will most likely have to kill all of them. After you're done with the village record, comb the national records. From now on, you will be permanently stationed in the birth registry to check and recheck records for any mysterious appearances of girls named Sakura."

As expected, the ROOT accepted the mission without a flinch. She had sentenced every girl named Sakura to death solely based on their misfortunate name and the name Sakura had risen to popularity in recent years.

Many toddlers would die in the coming year.