The sun was shining brightly by the time she deigned to make her way back home, the streets and marketplaces coming alive as she strolled away from the half-destroyed training ground she'd left in her wake. It had felt good to work off some of the sheer annoyance which'd been simmering under her skin ever since her precious sisters had been taken – stolen away on Orochimaru's orders for an hour or two at most, but that didn't eliminate the fact it had still happened. She needed to be able to protect them, especially since their mother wouldn't be able to defend them from threats like that… not to mention their father was out of the picture. They were on their own. Her family was all she had. Sweat rolled down from her forehead, arm wiping away at it, uncaring as she left streaks of dirt across her alabaster skin. Sometimes she really hated her newfound paleness. The sensitivity of her skin to sunlight was new. Sure, before she'd had relatively pale skin, but she'd tanned before, nowadays she just burnt. It wasn't even close to summertime and she was already dreading it. Groaning, she navigated her way through the back alleys, unafraid of the shadows as she hurried home. They were the same streets she always walked, but the hairs on the back of her neck were raised, and they'd been that way ever since she'd bumped into the strange pink-haired man.

Dirt scuffed under her sandals, a loud sigh escaping her lips as her body instinctively took her the long route home, ducking into a building that wasn't home, a quick chain of shunshin between various houses and abandoned buildings before she finally reached the backdoor to where they stayed. It never hurt to be overly wary, especially with her instincts twitching the way they were. Better safe than sorry. Cautiously, she pushed open the heavy door, hurrying soundlessly up the stairs, blinking as she ran smack bang into Tomoe.

"Sakura-chan… where'd you come from?" she asked, bending down to greet her. "Your kaa-chan is looking for you… she's in a right tizzy. Come on… Let's get you upstairs."

Blinking, Sakura stared around the stairwell from her new vantage point, small arms wrapped around Tomoe's neck. Sometimes she hated being a temporary midgit. Her footsteps were loud against the staircase, unlike Sakura's silent ones, floorboards creaking as her self-appointed aunt carried her up.

"Was just exercising, oba-san," she said, voice muffled by the collar of Tomoe's robe.

"I heard about that." A finger prodded at her cheek. "Someone told me little missy here wants to be a shinobi… and if my guess is correct, then it seems you'll be taking after your tou-san in more than just looks."

Sakura blinked. "Who'd you think he is?" she asked, staring up into Tomoe's dark eyes. "Kaa-chan never talks about it…"

"Let's see…" She tilted her head, staring off into the distance as they paused, halfway up to the attic rooms. "Nearly six years ago… well… your kaa-chan snuck out into the garden a bit… though I always heard her talking with someone. They seemed to get along fairly well, but he didn't drop by too regularly… in fact, he hasn't been around ever since your youngest siblings were born… something about not wanting to get too attached…"

Sakura pouted. "That doesn't give me any clues as to who it was."

"Misa!" Tomoe called, barging into their living room, cutting off the conversation right then and there. "Look who I found on the stairwell."

"Sakura…" Her mother was at her side in an instant. "Sweetheart, don't scare me like that again, OK?" she whispered, pulling her into a hug, taking her from Tomoe in the blink of an eye. "You ran off last night… right before I had to work too, so I couldn't look for you."

"I'm fine, kaa-chan," she grumbled, folding her arms, ignoring the warmth curling in the pit of her stomach as well as the faint blush on her cheeks. She liked being hugged, not that she'd tell anyone that. "I'm gonna be a shinobi so I gotta be strong."

Misa set her down, hands on hips as she stared down at her. "You've still got a lot of growing to do before you become one, missy."

Sakura scowled.

Her mother crouched down, pressing her lips to her forehead. "One step at a time, Saku-chan… one step at a time…" she murmured, stepping back, wandering back over to the little kitchenette tucked in the corner of the room. "Don't be in a rush to grow up."

Sighing, Sakura stared at her back, admiring the long silky hair that fell to her waist, pushing down the part of her that made grabby hands at it. Her hair used to be like that… until Obito had been a complete and utter idiot. She threaded a hand through her spiky mane, poking at all the various bristles. Truly, the number and pointiness of them were incredible, but they still had the horrible effect of ensuring she'd never be able to style her hair properly. All she could manage was a ponytail or a simple braid. Most of the time though, she couldn't be bothered to deal with the mess that was her hair, so she left it down and very Madara-ish. It was only ever generally on display for her family though, so she doubted word would get back to the nosy git that was Uchiha Izuna.

"Kaa-san…" she began, thoughts eating at her brain as she tried to get some answers out of her mother. "Do… do you have any siblings?"

Misa paused in front of the stove. "No… why do you ask?" She turned around, green eyes narrowed, and if Sakura's instincts were right, there was worry written there too.

"There was some strange guy who asked if I was Misa's daughter," she said, sitting down at the table, her gaze flickering over to her bedroom door – where she knew her sisters were safely behind, no doubt about to wake up to the smell of their mother's cooking. "He had pink hair, but it was darker than yours… and his eyes were—"

A loud clatter made her Sakura's head snap around, shards of a broken plate littering the floor around her mother's feet. "—green," her mother finished, shoulders sinking. "Shit." Her hand ran through her hair, eyes narrowed as she strode across the room, hands resting on either of Sakura's shoulders as she stared down at her intently. "Sakura… what did you say to that man?"

"I said that you were kaa-san's friend." She folded her arms, eyeing her mother cautiously. Something was going on, and her mother knew exactly what. "That's all."

Misa breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank kami-sama…" she whispered, resting her forehead against her own. "It's lucky it was you… You know, I've never been more grateful that you take more after your father than me…"

"Misa…" Tomoe emerged from the bedroom she'd vanished off into. "Everything OK here?" she asked, eyeing up the broken cutlery.

Her mother simply grinned, most of the traces of earlier worry vanishing in an instant. "Everything's fine, don't worry. Just a simple case of butterfingers… but Tomoe… would you mind if I asked a favour of you?" she questioned, a sharp glint in her jade green eyes that made Sakura shiver. Something was wrong. Very wrong… and somehow she doubted her mother would tell her – curse her undersized body.

"Sure. You've done plenty for me over the years," Tomoe said, glancing at Misa curiously. "What's so urgent that you need to spring this on me right now though?" Her gaze darted over to Sakura. "Want me to ask Saku-chan to play with her sisters for a little while…?"

"No." Misa shook her head. "But would you mind taking them over to your place for a few nights? Things might be getting… a bit hectic around here soon, and I'd rather not have them getting caught up in work business…"

"Alright…" Tomoe said, staring at her friend suspiciously. "But one of these days I want a full explanation out of you."

"Saku-chan… you and your sisters can play house with Tomoe for a few days, right?" her mother asked, smiling down at her. "You need to pretend Tomoe is your kaa-chan, OK? For a little game, alright…"

Sakura stared at her flatly. "Kaa-san… what's going on?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, sweetie," she said, ruffling her hair. "You just need to play that little game with Tomoe and your sisters, alright? I'll bake cupcakes when everything's over… so go and pack your things and let your sisters know what's going on. You'll be taking all of your belongings over, and that includes your futons, understand? Leave nothing of yours in this apartment, OK?"

Her heart thudded in her chest, mouth dry as she nodded. She could pester her mother for answers later, she supposed. Clearly she wasn't in the right state to be answering all of Sakura's many questions. Sighing quietly, she wandered over to her bedroom, where she knew all the rest of her sisters would be waiting – sprawled out across the floor in various stages of sleep. She'd woken up next to them far too many times to be certain of anything else. Yawning, she slipped in, the barely audible click being the only sign of her entry as she moved through the room. Her eyes narrowed, falling on the forms of the other two of her triplet group. Akira and Mio. She bit her lip, knowing they'd be no doubt bombarding her with questions the minute they woke from their unintended nap. It was certainly going to be fun, trying to explain it all to them, ensuring they kept the little sharingan situation under wraps. Nobody could find them out. Nobody could know. After that was dealt with, she had to convince all of her sisters to start calling Tomoe kaa-san and ensure they all made it safely over to where they'd be staying for the next few days. Her teeth ground down harder, her head pounding as she tried to think in the short little while she had until her sisters started stirring.

Misa was hiding something. Something big. Sakura had no doubts it was likely a family matter of some description. Why else would their mother be trying to get them all out of the house? Out of danger… her mind echoed, fear making her heart pound again. She wasn't some weak little naïve civilian girl anymore. She was an awesome shinobi in the making with a lifetime of other memories stuck in her head.

"Saku-nee?" Sleepy black eyes peered up at her, Akira all but leaping to her feet to tackle her in a hug. "You came for us!" She blinked again, glancing around the room. "We're… home…" she mumbled, slumping into her embrace bonelessly.

"Shh, imouto…" she mumbled, nuzzling her cheek against Akira's equally warm one. "You're safe."

"Those scary bad people took us and Naru…" Akira trailed off. "Naruto? Where's Naruto-kun?" she asked, head turning furiously as she searched for any sign of the blonde mop. "You got Naru back too, didn't you?"

"He's safe back at his home… besides… I had help getting you all back," Sakura said, releasing her sibling from her death grip. She was there. Home. Safe. "But you two aren't going anywhere without me for a while, OK?"

Akira nodded viciously, biting her lip before she turned into her bubbly self once more. The transition was welcome, if oddly alarming. Then again, kids tended to be better than adults at bouncing back from things. "Nee-chan… when those bad men had us…"

Her eyes narrowed, resisting the urge to bare her teeth and growl. Those bastards had taken her sisters out of their precious safety net. "What? What happened?" Her hands were on Akira's shoulders, firm but not threatening. She was saving the threatening for the next set of imbeciles who dared to touch her siblings.

"My eyes went funny," she mumbled, chewing on her lower lip, staring at the ground nervously. "Mio-nee said they were red and pretty before she went sleepies… Mio-nee's eyes were like that too though! The bad men said something about an Uchi-something and a shari-something… It was really confusing."

Sakura prodded her forehead, smiling as her sister started complaining quietly, having noticed the rest of their siblings still quietly sleeping. "Uchiha and sharingan," she mumbled, sighing quietly. There was no getting out of the explanation then.

Akira clapped her hands. "Yep! That's them! That's what they said…" She peered closer, face unbearably near until Sakura prodded at her forehead again. "Ow! Dammit nee-chan…" she said, rubbing at the spot she'd just poked, pouting before she unleashed her secret weapon – the one she knew Sakura was weak against: puppy eyes. "So… Nee-chan… what is Uchiha and sharingan?"

"I think you mean what are the Uchiha and the sharingan," she said, folding her arms as she avoided looking into her sister's pleading eyes. She hated it when they were unbearably cute… it was almost impossible to deny their wishes. Almost.

"Huh?"

Sakura sighed. "The Uchiha are one of the founding clans of Konoha, our village," she said, lifting a finger as she educated her sister on some of the information she'd need to know, especially if they wanted to all pass the induction tests for the academy. "They're notable for their use of fire jutsu and their dojutsu – the sharingan."

"Do…jutsu?" Akira stared at her curiously.

"A visual jutsu found in the eyes. There are many different ones, but the sharingan is one of the strongest," she explained, trying to keep everything as simple as possible so her sibling didn't get too lost. She was far too much like Naruto in that regard, which was probably part of the reason why they got on so well.

"The pretty red eyes were the sharingan?" Akira asked, tilting her head cutely as she tried to process the information.

"Yes."

"And the Uchiha… Clan? Oh! Sasuke is an Uchiha… we can ask him!" She smiled brightly. "Kaa-chan can take us to the park, and we can ask Sasuke-kun and Sasuke-kun's brother – the ponytail guy!"

Sakura shook her head. "No."

Akira reeled back. "Huh? Why not?"

"It's dangerous." She folded her arms, her expression serious. She needed to drill the warnings into her sibling's head. Nobody could ever find out they were Uchiha… not if the massacre was still scheduled to take place… Her hands curled into fists. Nobody would hurt her sisters, especially not on the village's orders. "Those bad men would come back for you instead of Naruto… Not to mention people would probably try and separate us – from each other, and from kaa-san. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Akira paled, stumbling back, and Mio finally sat up on her futon, careful not to wake a peacefully sleeping Seiren curled up against her.

"Why?" Mio stared at her, voice lined with sleep as she stared between them.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "About damn time you stopped pretending to be asleep."

"Eh? You knew, Saku-nee?" Mio blinked.

She poked her forehead in retaliation. "Of course, idiot," she grumbled, looking away. "Your breathing gave you away. It was too shallow and quick."

"Oh." Mio pouted. "But nee-chan, if the sharingan is so awesome, then why can't we tell people? If it's so awesome then we should be able to stop those bad men."

"Yeah," Akira added, throwing her fists into the air. "We can—"

"You two can't." Sakura sighed, brushing her spiky locks behind her ear so she could stare at her two sisters without being poked in the eye by her own haphazard hair. "Why do you think you both passed out?"

She was met with two incredibly blank looks. Sure, she'd explained chakra to them all those months ago when they'd asked her to train them, but she hadn't really gone particularly in depth. She hadn't needed to. They weren't trying to pass Advanced Chakra Theory in an exam. She was far busier trying to teach them how to survive – and for the most part, it meant physical training. They were too young to start properly manipulating their chakra. Mistakes could be fatal at their current age, Sakura knew that well, and that was precisely why she'd kept to the basics when teaching them about chakra. She hadn't wanted them trying to do anything stupid, like attempt jutsu, behind her back.

Shaking her head, she relented her silent stare, giving them the answer. "You don't have enough chakra to keep the sharingan active… you'd probably drain your reserves trying to switch it on… and using too much chakra can kill you. There's a thing called chakra exhaustion, and in kids our age, it can be fatal."

"Wow…" Akira stared at her. "Saku-nee, you're so smart! How'd you know all this stuff?"

Sakura felt her eye twitch. "Did you not understand a word I just said?" she hissed, hair bristling like a cat as she glared at her two sisters. "You can't use the sharingan just yet, even though you've awakened it, and that means you can't protect yourself with it. So… don't tell anyone we have it, otherwise bad things will happen, OK?"

Mio teared up, eyes watering, and Sakura scowl faded ever so slightly as she was met with an armful of mildly spiky pink hair. "I'm sorry, nee-chan…"

"Hn. Don't be. It's not your fault," she grumbled, patting her sister's slightly fluffy hair. It was a different texture to her own – less fluff and more silky smoothness.

"So we can't use it… and we can't tell anyone 'bout it…" Akira mumbled, watching as Sakura nodded determinedly. "Awww… that's no fun."

"Would you prefer to die, or worse, be taken away from us?" Sakura questioned, staring harshly at her sibling, jaw setting into a grimace at the thought.

"Nonononono…" Akira sputtered. "Sorry nee-chan… I won't tell anyone. Promise!" She puffed up her chest. "I'll protect our secret, no matter what, 'kay?"

Sakura nodded. "That's right."

"Wait." Mio pulled back from her embrace. "You said we! You said that we have the sharingan… Nee-chan…?"

Sakura sighed again, eyes flickering red, three tomoe spinning as she stared at her sisters. "We have the sharingan, and it's our secret." She glared at both of them. "We protect that secret with our lives, understood?"

Akira's face loomed in front of her own, making her blink as two small hands cupped her cheeks, black eyes staring curiously into her red ones. "Huh… They're red… and pretty! Like those red gems!"

"Rubies," Sakura supplied.

"Yeah!" She nodded. "But Mio-nee only had one of those black dots in the red bit."

"They're called tomoe," she explained, pulling her face away from her sister's prying hands.

Akira grinned. "Like Tomoe-oba-chan!"

"Yeah… like that," she mumbled, red fading into black as she pulled her chakra back.

Mio pressed her fingers together, biting her lip before she finally voiced her thoughts. "Nee-chan… didn't you just say we wouldn't be able to use them? Were you lying to us? You just used them."

Akira squinted suspiciously at her. "Yeah! How come you get to use them and we don't? Show us! Show us!"

Sakura poked both of their foreheads at the same time, smirking as they recoiled in pain, irritation flashing across both their faces. "I can use the sharingan because I currently have far more chakra than either of you."

Akira pouted. "Aww. Why?"

She folded her arms, glaring at both of them. "Because I'm the oldest, obviously," she said. "Some people are born with more chakra than others." Some people also happened to cross dimensions and wind up de-aged, but Sakura wasn't going to tell them that. That conversation would be better saved for a later date, or ideally, never at all. "Now let's hurry up and wake the rest of our sisters… Mum's cooking breakfast, and she's got something to tell us."