Only four days later as she was searching the pet shop did the Hidden Cloud Village receive a few unlikely visitors, Chojuro, Utakata and Gengetsu, they'd already been to see the Raikage and announced their presence.
But when the blue haired teenager had led them to the apartment complex that he knew the girl had lived in the place was empty "I wonder if they moved" Chojuro frowned heading for the manager of the apartments to ask.
Meanwhile Sakura had found a large glass aquarium in a round shape, she looked it over with glinting emerald eyes "This one will do" the pinkette announced, it was only 9 in the morning, Hidzuke was off to the Academy as were the others.
Except for Shikke and Shimetta, but those two were being entertained by Karui and Omoi, while Irakusa got her stall set up in the market and Nagato used the summoning scroll to jump between Leaf and Cloud to further his, Yahiko and Konan's organization.
While simultaneously starting up a branch of the Akatsuki Organization as they'd named it in the Hidden Cloud Village "Are you gonna buy a fish" the one behind the counter asked incredulously "Or multiple cause that will fit a lot" he continued.
"Nope I have something special in mind for this particular aquarium" Sakura quipped, planning on re-sizing it with one of her seals that made things become smaller than they seem, a special seal was for Isobu it would merge with his brain and let him change sizes on a whim.
The man behind the counter grimaced but accepted the money at the same time wondering what the hell the girl was going to do with such a large aquarium as she sealed it into a storage scroll and headed from his shop.
Continuing her shopping, next on her list was getting groceries, to restock the house with fresh food "Out and about already huh Sakura-san" Amai asked with a smile as he popped up randomly at her side like usual.
Somehow always finding her while she was out shopping "Yep I'm not one to sit idly after all" she grinned lightly looking around the market and choosing a starting point, buying all manners of vegetables, fruits, non-perishables and other food related items, and coffee grounds.
In abundance "I heard from Cee-san that you were poisoned I know it was over a week ago, but you aren't experiencing any unnatural fatigue are you" the brunette looked her over carefully trying to discern any signs that she wasn't doing half as well as she said she was doing.
"Nope I'm good Amai-san, my Mom's pretty good with antidotes, not to mention I have been resting" Sakura explained as they stopped at another stall and shifted through it looking for the specific kind of meat she used in her stir-fries.
He nodded in understanding "By the way those fellows from Mist, Chojuro-san, Utakata-san and that odd one Gengetsu-san are here, looking for you, I saw them go into you're old apartment, guess they don't know about you're house huh" Amai said suddenly.
And Sakura paused in reaching for the five packages of turkey meat, then spread out her senses, the first one she found was predictably Utakata, as Saiken's chakra was noticeable, followed by Chojuro and then Gengetsu, they were wandering around aimlessly near the academy.
"Thanks for telling me Amai-san guess I'll have to leave my clothes shopping for a little later" she sighed sealing away her groceries for the house, gave the brunette a wave and hurried down the streets, passing Irakusa's stall along the way and greeted the woman with a smile.
Before vanishing down a side street, the academy was nine blocks away from the market and fifteen blocks away from her house, it didn't take her long to reach the trio "What are you three doing here" Sakura boomed from behind them.
Causing the Mist Shinobi to jump and turn to face her "Don't do that again" Utakata scowled hand over his heart as it pounded, the girl merely flashed him an innocent smile "We've been looking all over for you" he scolded.
"Indeed the apartment manager said that you simply moved one day and didn't tell him where you were moving to" Gengetsu offered "Plus we wanted to see what the Cloud Village was like" he admitted lightly.
While Chojuro nodded quietly "True Karui, Omoi and I moved, but if you look up you'll see my house" her lip curled and their gazes raised to the cliff that was behind them, over fifteen blocks away, their expressions morphed into distaste "Yeah" she rubbed her forehead.
He was extremely confused "But why the..there Sakura-san" the blue haired teenager asked as they all started forward, though they noticed she wasn't leading them straight away to the house, but back towards the market.
"Didn't really have a choice on that one, the house was simply built, and then while I was gone on a mission to Stone the guest house on the right and the other house on the left for some family who's moving to Cloud was built, not only that but we have a training room" Sakura rattled out.
Utakata was the one to ask "So is there a reason you're leading us to the market instead of those monstrosities you call home" he would never admit it, but those houses were hideous, like seriously they weren't even cool.
"Ah you kind of interrupted my shopping, I was in the midst of buying groceries and still have a few things to get along with new outfits" she quipped in a matter of fact tone searching the stalls for the remaining items she needed, such as creamer, sweetener and dark chocolate.
With that her list of groceries were finished "You just said that you had clothes shopping to do, yet you're leading us away from the market now" the blonde in the group raised a curious brow as they walked leisurely down the streets of the Cloud Village, for only two blocks.
Until they reached the base of wooden/stone steps "That can be done later, here come stand on this mat Utakata-san, Lord Second Mizukage Sir" Sakura gestured to the rubber mat and both males did as requested.
Though they were wary when she went through a set of hand signs and placed her hands upon their shoulders before they were gone in matching plumes of smoke "Where did you send them Sakura" Chojuro was immediately worried.
"Just up there Chojuro-san, we don't use the stairs anymore, their to dangerous, so I made some self summoning seals and carved it into rock slabs one at the top of the stairs in the house and one down here" she explained as they stepped onto the mat themselves.
Going through the same hand signs as earlier, before both she and Chojuro were in the house safely behind the door "You always that creative with seals or something brat" Utakata asked at their appearance.
She didn't have a chance to speak as Shikke and Shimetta simply launched themselves at their eldest cousin "Hold us Sakra-chan, pwease" they pleaded up at their cousin with their purple/blue eyes and matching grins.
"A few minutes Shikke-kun, Shimetta-chan, I've got things to put away, and yes Utakata-san, I get pretty creative with seals, having one could mean living another day" Sakura patted the Uzumaki twins on their soft red hair, before moving past them and through the dining room.
Omoi and Karui on her heels to help her put things away, leaving the three year old's alone with new people "Such cute little ones you are" the blonde was the first one to try and get the children to warm up to them.
The twins shrunk back a little "Shikke, Shimetta, their nice, don't be afraid" their cousins voice hollered from the kitchen, it was all the duo needed as they raced forward and started chattering up a storm at Gengetsu.
"Still good with you're cousins and siblings h..huh Sakura-san" by this point there was no reason to continue stuttering as horribly as usual, everyone knew he was faking it and Chojuro was getting tired of putting on the act and standing in the background.
Sakura smiled from her spot of putting things away "Yep, and I've got another family member on the way to" she snickered, filling the coffee machine with coffee grounds and starting it up to have a cup of coffee, that had been sorely missed that morning.
By not just her but Karui to, Omoi wouldn't touch the bitter drink, now there was a surprise, as Gengetsu, Utakata and Chojuro sat down on the couches, somewhat entertaining the two children that were in the living rooms as well.
Until Sakura, Omoi and Karui returned "No kidding, I'm sure it won't be long before you have a new Uncle or Aunt on the way to, what with the way Tobirama-san seems to enjoy being around Kyusai-san" the red head laughed.
"Naruto might also have a new sibling on the way to, man this world is filling up with children" Omoi leaned back on his personal couch, Sakura seated next to him like usual, hardly anyone batted an eye at them any longer.
Chojuro sighed inwardly seemed those two were still going strong "I wonder if Raikage-sama or even Darui, Cee and Atsui will ever find someone to settle down with" Karui mused picking up Shimetta at her demand and twirling her.
It was so easy to interact with the children, "Probably not Karui-chan, though it would be a surprise if they did, it probably won't ever happen what with the way the spend most of their time babysitting us" the white haired boy scowled lightly.
"Why would the Raikage have to babysit you guys, aren't you Chunin now" the brunette in the room spoke up curiously peering down at Shikke as the little red haired three year old stared up at him with the eyes of an innocent child.
A little disconcerting but he didn't try to make the boy go away like he would any other child "That's because Sakura-san, Omoi-san and Karui-san run into trouble more often than not on a mission" Chojuro piped in helpfully.
"Exactly and I nearly once again died on my recent mission, I was poisoned, but thanks to this summoning seal tattoo, my Mom came to the rescue, made an elaborate antidote to" Sakura wrinkled her nose up in remembrance.
None of the males that had come from Mist knew what to say "Sakra-chan, Sakra-chan ma..may we go to th..the pa..park pwease" Shikke and Shimetta suddenly were in front of their cousin wearing matching hopeful expressions.
"Well I suppose since you two have been good there's no harm in it" the pinkette relented with a smile "However we must put on your coats, socks, gloves and scarves" she stood heading for the door that connected to their house and a short hallway, Sakura was gone for all of five minutes.
Returning with the articles in question, Shikke and Shimetta sat absolutely still for their eldest cousin as first she put on their socks to keep their toes warm and matching black boots, followed by their coats, which were zipped up, scarves, hats and finally gloves.
And with that the lot of them traipsed towards the door "Oi those stairs are slick because of the ice" the gold eyed girl called out in warning, but it was to late, Shikke had already thrown open the door and was tumbling down the steps.
Everyone jolted and Sakura was gone in a flash already at the bottom of the stairs and catching the twins, Omoi was the next one to fall as he was worried as all hell "That hurt, but are you two okay" he looked the twins over.
There were tears in their eyes and the Uzumaki twins let loose with loud wails just as the others carefully picked their way down the steps not wanting to fall like the others "Hey, hey, hey it's okay Shikke-kun, Shimetta-chan" Sakura rocked them.
Looking them over carefully for any broken bones, thankfully there were none and they just had a couple of scrapes "A..Are we gonna die Sakra-chan" Shikke cried even louder and she blinked at him in shock.
Before smiling in light amusement "No you silly goose, you just got some scrapes, you'll be alright" she assured hands glowing green to their awe "Just next time wait for me okay, then we can avoid this whole mess alright" she scolded lightly.
Knowing they truly were sorry "We promise Sakra-chan are you gonna tell Daddy and Mommy" Shimetta looked even more upset at the thought of being forbidden from leaving the house by her parents understanding that when she and her brother did bad they got punished.
"I'm going to have to Shimetta-chan, something like you two falling can't be kept from you're parents" Sakura stated lightly finishing up with healing her littlest cousins and standing them on their feet once more.
So that she could check Omoi over "What the hell were you thinking running out the door like that you bigmouth, what would have happened if you'd gotten seriously injured to" Karui had no qualms about tearing into her teammate with a mega scolding.
The white haired boy winced "I know, I know, but first Hidzuke falls and now these two, who's next, I'm beginning to think we should just get rid of that door and have it covered so that it can't be thrown open anymore" Omoi frowned looking up the steps.
He didn't know that his girlfriend had already thought of that "Perhaps once winter fully ends that can be a project you three work on in you're spare time, for now why don't you just place a barrier seal that blocks anyone from opening the door" Utakata suggested.
Giving Sakura new idea's "What a great idea, I'm sure with Sakura-san's skills in fuinjutsu she'll be able to come up with something to prevent anyone else from getting hurt" the blue haired teenager nodded in agreement.
"Come to think of it weren't we going to the park" the blonde in their midst reminded and once again Shikke and Shimetta got all hyped up in excitement, took their cousin by the hands and charged off down the streets to the park, incident entirely forgotten.
When the lot of them returned to the house, it was lunch, so Omoi and Karui did the honors, afterwards Shikke and Shimetta made Sakura take them back to their house so that they could crash in their beds in their room.
"Those two always have a lot of energy" the pinkette flopped down in her chair utterly exhausted "And I have to repeat all of that with Hidzuke-kun" she sighed softly pulling out one of her books that she'd gotten from the Hidden Stone.
Now there was a surprise "Hidzuke-san, what does you're little brother have to do with anything" Chojuro prodded wanting to know what was going on, ever since Sakura, Omoi and Karui had become Chunin a lot of things had changed.
"Ah Hidzuke-san is going to the Cloud Academy, he wanted to be a Cloud Shinobi just like Sakura-chan, so he lives here partially and goes to visit Leaf, or the kids come here" the red haired gold eyed girl spoke up from her spot on her couch.
They each had their own piece of furniture the rest everyone else could sit on "Must be a full house sometimes, so what's up with that extra house over there" the brunette with pale gold eyes inquired wanting to know.
"Guest house, we frequently have visitors from other villages, that's on Sakura-chan though, but we host them anyway, it's not all bad, we have good times" the white haired boy waved his hand lightly getting ready to take a nap.
Thoroughly amusing responses it seemed as Gengetsu threw his head back and laughed "What the generation of shinobi can accomplish today" the blonde chuckled liking this group of teenagers as they all settled in for a long break.
Until a plume of smoke filled the air from behind them "Hey Sakura-chan" Naruto flopped down on one of the extra couches looking positively miserable "My Dad and that lady are at it again" he sulked completely put out with his father.
"I thought you wanted a little sibling Naruto" Sakura didn't so much as look up from her book "Lets not forget someone to call Mom again" her eyes flicked across the pages, this was a conversation they'd had multiple times since the start of her break already.
Naruto pouted even more "Yeah but that doesn't mean I want to he..hear that through the walls of his office or right next door in my room, she's living with us now in the house, her name is Yokina, she's got orange hair and silver eyes" his shoulders slumped.
Still yet Sakura didn't lift her gaze from her book "Use a soundproofing seal in you're room knucklehead, I've told you that what like seven times already, you know how to make one put your skills to use" she snorted lightly.
"Mean you know I suck at writing legible seals, it's not as if I practice every single day still" the blonde looked even more miserable than before, until he caught sight of the smirk forming on her lips and he had this sinking feeling.
That she was about to say something mean "Ask you're father then" Sakura leveled him a flat look pink brow raised and lips pressed together tamping down on her urge to cackle like a mad person at the horror in Naruto's baby blue eyes.
As the blonde jumped up and fled "Every single time we have that conversation you say that, why are you so mean" was thrown over Naruto shoulder as he sped hastily through the hand signs for the self summoning scroll to return to the Leaf Village.
"Baka don't know why he even asks" she rolled her jade eyes lightly finally relenting with her urge to laugh prompting Omoi and Karui to laugh a little and shake their heads in amusement and she simply returned to flipping through her book.
The older males had watched and couldn't help but chuckle themselves "So Naruto-san's the same as ever then" the blue haired teenager said while relaxing before eyeing the bookcase, he didn't think Sakura would mind and stood to retrieve one to read for awhile longer.
It was only 1:27 still a couple hours away before the academy let out "If he has the necessary skills to write seals why was he asking you" Utakata asked suddenly three minutes later after letting the silence settle around them.
"He also knows medical ninjutsu, but those two things are things he hardly uses, always coming to me because he claims I'm better at them, I won't lie I am better, but Naruto can be smart with seals and medical ninjutsu to" Sakura explained turning to the next page.
Looking up simultaneously to answer the question that had been asked "What sparked the start of using seals for you two, it takes a lot of training to become a fuinjutsu master after all, I know that much and you aren't an Uzumaki" Gengetsu prodded from his spot.
Sakura breathed out "No I'm not and my Dad actually, it was something that had been required for me to learn in order to be here and still live partially in Leaf, if I'm anything I'm from the Otsutsuki Clan and a direct relation to Hagoromo Otsutsuki" there she said it.
"Before you ask how that's possible or impossible, Sakura-chan was sent here via time travel jutsu that was devised by Gamamaru one of the toad elders on Mount Myoboku and Hagoromo" Omoi announced from the couch he was on.
"Finally found the courage to tell everyone huh, what happened while you were in Stone" Chojuro didn't like this at all if she was going around telling people her origins, chances were that someone was going to come after her eventually, as if someone already wasn't.
It was the red haired girl who answered "A person named Black Zetsu, who was created by Kaguya Otsutsuki knows who Sakura-chan is and tried to kill her with deadly poison" Karui glared at the floor with her gold eyes.
"Precisely why we all have to be more careful from now on and I'm working on updating the seals that I carve into my gems, I have no way of knowing if one of my friends is in danger after all" Sakura snapped her book closed gently and rose from her chair.
Chojuro was horrified guess there was no point in keeping the secret anymore after all "Why does it have to be her that ensures our protection" the brunette scowled lightly as the pinkette vanished down the hall to wherever.
No one gave him an answer and even more silence settled around them until at exactly 2, Irakusa entered the house having used the stairs for once carefully though "Where's Shikke and Shimetta" the soft red haired woman looked around for her children and didn't spot them.
Karui and Omoi pointed at the door "Taking a nap huh, you guys must have worn them out" Irakusa smiled softly and hurried to her part of the house after several hours of working at her stall down at the market.
Sakura chose that moment to return with a bag and a scroll in hand, then unsealed what was in the scroll "Got a big enough aquarium there Sakura-chan" the white haired male perked up in interest "Are you getting fish or something" he asked.
"Something like that Omoi-kun" her lips quirked up in a small smile before she focused on her task of pulling out glass stainer in typical black color, opened up a book, a fuinjutsu book to be precise and pulled out her brush to get started.
With careful and neat strokes "What are you making there Sakura-chan, pretty interesting actually" even the red head that was still in the room was curious about what was up with the large glass aquarium that was round.
It was quiet for a few more minutes as Sakura worked hesitating on answering "I'm going to make a safe haven for the last remaining tailed beast, Isobu" she finally managed to say and just as she thought every eye was on her.
"Does that mean you know where he is then" Utakata narrowed his pale gold eyes on the pink haired girl, who'd once said she was going to become Isobu's Jinchuuriki, he didn't know that there was a sound proofing seal up courtesy of a missed hand sign.
The pinkette nodded silently "Yes, Isobu got in contact with Kokuo, he wants to hear what I have to say on how I'll ensure his protection, this will be my answer, making use of fuinjutsu" Sakura gestured to the glass ball aquarium.
Chojuro clenched his hands into fists "Sakura-san you aren't planning on becoming his Jinchuuriki are you" the blue haired teenager was immensely concerned, not to mention the turtle had previously been part of his village.
"No, originally yes, but that girl Fu from the Chunin Exams made an interesting suggestion, this seal here is to either enlarge or shrink, I'll give one to Isobu that will become part of him so that he can change size at will and fit in here" she explained.
Surprise after surprise with this girl it seemed "And what about food, surely the tailed beast will need to eat correct" the only blonde in the room was the one to ask the question and she looked up at him with a thoughtful expression.
"Perhaps that's something I'll have to ask Isobu, I don't even know what he likes to eat, but I'm sure we'll figure out the rest of the details" Sakura smiled lightly focusing on her task once more and for another hour things were quiet.
It was nearing 3:34 when another plume of smoke filled the house "Nee-chan, Nee-chan I'm home, please help me with my homework" Hidzuke launched himself at his sister not seeing the glass aquarium that she was working on.
"Hidzuke stop" came the order, he paused less than a foot away and he blinked his onyx eyes finally seeing that there was an obstruction between him and his sister, Hidzuke smiled sheepishly and walked around it slowly to stand at her side "Disaster averted huh" she laughed.
He nodded quietly "Sorry Nee-chan I was excited, I got an A on my jutsu theory test and wanted you to help me on my homework" he admitted pulling out said test from his backpack to present it to his sister, who ruffled his hair.
Reminding her "Ah that's right you asked for a souvenir from the Stone Village, I nearly forgot" before pulling out the leather notebook in a deep burgundy "For notes, what do you think cool huh" Sakura grinned as she handed it over.
Those onyx eyes of his lit up "Oooh wicked Sakura-onee-chan I love it" and Hidzuke promptly crushed the notebook to his chest expression one of total happiness and adoration for his big sister who always cared for him no matter how annoying he got.
Content for the time being Hidzuke forgot all about having asked his sister to help him with his homework and merely sat down and got started humming all the while in his own little world for the moment to everyone's amusement.
"Really amazing how easy it was to bribe him into calming down" Utakata snorted quietly thinking that she'd done that on purpose to get the boy to settle down and leave her alone and stop asking for help.
Sakura shook her "Not bribery Utakata-san it would cause discord between us, now move over you little rotted monster" she nudged her brother over who blinked up at her in surprise, suddenly remembering he'd asked for her help.
"Do you mean to say you call him a monster, that's kind of adorable I guess" Gengetsu nodded with a smile on his lips, this whole day had been extremely amusing so far and he wondered what the next two weeks would bring for them.
The pinkette opened her mouth to speak "Here comes the other little monsters" Karui piped in with a grin as a large plume of smoke filled the house to reveal three more children, as if they didn't already have enough.
"Onee-chan we're staying for dinner is that okay" Momo sat down nervously eyeing the males in the room before turning her back on them, she didn't address anyone else and Sakura straightened in her spot next to Hidzuke.
As Joki and Ketsuro found a spot around the table as well "Is something wrong Momo-chan you usually say hello to me by now" Omoi also noticed the unusual tension in the young girl, who tensed imperceptibly.
Worrying the others especially her sister, it was Joki who spoke "We got a new academy sensei few weeks ago his name is Mizuki-sensei, but he keeps staring at Momo-chan and it makes her uncomfortable" the orange haired boy piped in helpfully.
They all had a bad feeling "Has your sensei done anything to you Momo-san" Chojuro asked dread pooling in his stomach as she grew increasingly rigid before the white haired girl nodded just barely in answer.
Fury swamped the room "Did you tell Mom or Dad" Sakura stood up a cold calculating look in her emerald eyes "Or anyone Momo, what did he do to you" despite her anger, her voice was soft and words light.
Ketsuro who had been seated on her other side scrambled back in fright "Sakura-chan's mad" she whimpered huddling into her brothers side, she'd never seen her cousin so angry before, excluding that time when Kankuro was still being mean to them.
Momo shook her head "He hit me on my bottom" the tears were swelling and spilling over now, the room grew colder in response as Sakura forced down her anger and the two girls left the room for fifteen minutes only the pink haired girl returned.
"I'm going to the Leaf Village, Karui, Omoi keep an eye on them, Joki, Hidzuke, Ketsuro behave please" she looked absolutely livid, then she was gone in a plume of smoke, when it came to children, any harm that befell them she didn't take to kindly.
And in a matter of moments she was stood in the house all the way in Leaf "Hey Sakura-chan what are you doing here, we thought those kids would keep you busy for awhile" Hashirama was seated on the couch with his new wife Nama.
But when the brunette and electric green haired woman turned their heads they spotted the fury plastered all over her young face "Sakura-chan are you okay, did they make you angry or something" Nama asked lightly, she didn't think that was the case.
Her teeth ground audibly for the two adults ears "No, did you two sense anything off with Momo-chan" Sakura forced herself to calm down wanting to find out if they'd picked up on anything unusual with her little sister.
"You know come to think of it, she was a little tenser than usual and she wouldn't even hug me, is she mad at us or something Sakura-chan" the brunette frowned looking visibly upset at the thought of having done something unintentionally to his great granddaughter.
Sakura shook her head lightly that was enough for her and she already had evidence "I'm going to go see Hokage-san" she forced a smile to her lips and then stalked out the door, she wasn't going to let that bastard ever touch her sister again.
Along the way Kiba and Shino silently joined her "Looks like you're on the warpath Sakura, did something happen" the Inuzuka Heir questioned as Akamaru yipped onto of his head in agreement to his partners assessment of the girl.
"Something happened alright and I'm going to get that damn Mizuki the new academy instructor for ever laying a fucking hand on my sister, I've got evidence, he left a bruise on her flesh" she wasn't going to lie to the boy.
Even the Aburame Heir was stunned at the accusation "Do you have pictures, why because it will be crucial in helping you and probably the academy in jailing the man" Shino nodded that was something that couldn't be allowed to go on.
"I do and I admit that this is partially my fault for not being around to notice those kids count on me I feel like I let them down" she felt utterly devastated to think that an adult no less had harmed her baby sister when she could have stopped it.
But she'd been all the way in Stone when the man had first started working at the academy and Hidzuke hadn't picked up on the tension either in his second sister "Well good luck Sakura" Kiba grimaced sensing this wasn't going to be fun in the least.
"Quite, though Kiba and I must really be going, why because we have a mission" the Aburame Heir pushed his sunglasses up his nose to block the rays of light, as he and Kiba headed off in the opposite direction as they came to a stop at the base of the stairs.
That led up to the Hokage Tower, Sakura quickly climbed them though she was going to put a stop to the abuse of her little sister and probably any other child that had suffered when that Mizuki character had showed up at the academy.
She grit her teeth still positively enraged, but she put a lid on it, she would have to keep her cool during this meeting otherwise she would mess everything up "Sakura-san what a pleasant surprise, normally you don't come visit me here" Minato looked up upon calling out for her to enter.
"My apologies Minato-san, no I'm not here on a pleasure visit, I'm coming to you as Sakura Haruno of the Cloud asking that the Hokage listen to what I have to say" her face was thunderous and Minato had a bad feeling form in the pit of his stomach.
He pushed all his paperwork to the side and settled serious ocean blue eyes on the pinkette "Then please sit Sakura-san and speak I'm all ears" he gestured to the chair that was sat before his desk and she quickly sat.
Fiddling with some pictures she pulled out of her pouch upon doing so "As you know I've been gone for a month to the Stone Village, so I was unaware that the academy acquired a new instructor in Iruka-san's classroom" she began.
Minato nodded, he'd met the new sensei briefly and he knew about the treaty between Cloud and Stone "Go on Sakura-san I have a feeling that what you're about to say isn't going to be good" the blonde frowned.
Especially when her hands clenched into fists "Just earlier when Momo, Joki and Ketsuro showed up to work on homework and eat dinner with us, we all noticed an unusual tension in Momo, Joki supplied an answer that sickened me to the core" Sakura had to get through this.
Dread hit him like a sack of rocks, what could be so serious that she had to come here and tell him "And just what would that be Sakura-san, what did Joki-san tell you" Minato leveled his most serious look at her in hopes she'd tell him.
"That Mizuki-san stares at Momo and it makes her uncomfortable, not only that but apparently today he pulled her aside into an empty classroom and struck her, here's the evidence he left a bruise on her flesh" she sat the pictures she'd taken on his desk.
He picked the photographs up looking over each one carefully and knew they weren't faked, they were real "You did the right thing in coming to me Sakura-san" the blonde couldn't believe that such a thing had gone on at the academy, how had anyone not noticed.
She nodded quietly "What are you going to do Minato-san, I can't bare the thought of my little sister of ever going through something like that again" Sakura felt horrible, it was her duty as a big sister to ensure that her little siblings grew up in a safe world.
Yet here she was doing such a bang up job of it, why couldn't she protect them "First we're going to pay a visit to Inoichi, as a sort of guardian over Momo and the one to present the evidence of abuse, you must come with me to get Mizuki" Minato stood from his chair.
Understanding was in those jade eyes of hers "Right I got it Hokage-san, because Inoichi-san is a Yamanaka and he can look inside Mizuki-san's head for the rest of the evidence" she caught on quickly as the blonde nodded.
And they left the office together anything to make sure that her sister and cousins were safe, she'd do it "After this you should tell Tsunade and Jiraiya, that is not something that should be kept, they would be able to help Momo feel better about everything" he ordered lightly.
This time she didn't speak as they entered the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Aiko and Ino were out front "Oh my Sakura-chan, Hokage-sama what brings you two into our shop" the Yamanaka Matriarch bustled out from behind the Counter.
While Sakura headed towards Ino leaving the two adults to talk "Why are you with Hokage-sama Sakura-chan, has something happened, did you get in trouble" the younger blonde asked pulling her friend into a hug.
"No but there's going to be trouble I'll tell you next time I come by alright Ino, now isn't the time" Sakura kept her eyes focused on the adults and waited patiently leaned against the counter beside her friend.
Before finally Inoichi emerged from the back "Minato has something happened, are my skills required" the Yamanaka Patriarch got the sense that something was going on and he had a bad feeling forming in the pit of his gut.
The blonde Hokage nodded "Yes I've gotten word of a mishap at the academy I need you to look inside the man's head for further confirmation of what has been brought to my attention" Minato explained glancing to Sakura.
"Guess I'll see you next time Sakura-chan" Ino waved and got a small distracted one in return "What do you think is going on Mom" she looked up to her mother, who looked deeply disturbed by what she'd been told.
Aiko shook her head however "That is not my right to tell you Ino, it's up Sakura or even the victim in questions right to explain what has happened" she picked at the frayed edges of her apron for a few minutes before busying herself to keep occupied.
Meanwhile, Minato, Inoichi and Sakura had continued on their way to the academy "Can you tell me what it is I'm exactly looking for and what has been brought to you're attention" Inoichi inquired not liking that he was in the dark partially.
Minato glanced to Sakura "More proof that the new academy sensei Mizuki struck my sister on her bottom without permission, not that he should have ever touched her in the first place Inoichi-san" she stated.
Inoichi was horrified as they came to a stop at the academy gates, the sensei should still be there cleaning up, just their luck as they entered the building and walked down the halls to Iruka's classroom that the two Chunin were still there.
"Oh heavens Hokage-sama, Inoichi-san, Sakura-san what are you three doing here" Iruka was shocked to see them let alone what it meant that they were together or why they were visiting the academy at the same time.
The blue haired male that could only be Mizuki however looked nervous "Very suspicious don't you think Iruka-kun" he edged backwards subtly only to ram into a clone of Minato's and be held in place with a strong grip to his shoulders.
Sakura stood back letting the adults handle things "You're under suspicion Mizuki for striking an academy student, harming a child when you are supposed to look after them and care for them" the Hokage finally spoke in a thunderous voice.
Disappointed in the man "Striking a student, harming a child, what do you mean, what did you do Mizuki" the brunette rounded on his friend and dual sensei of his classroom, with confused onyx eyes, he didn't like where things were going.
"I haven't done a thing I swear" Mizuki tried to lie but Inoichi was to quick and was delving into his head moments later "Fine the little brat was getting to cocky so I punished her" he snapped out derisively only to get hit in the face with a blast of angry chakra.
The pinkette looked positively livid but she held her tongue "He did more than just strike her Minato, did you see anymore bruises on her Sakura-san" the Yamanaka Patriarch turned to her in the next moment "Her neck perhaps" he prodded.
Her face became stony in response "You know I thought I did see something, but the other bruises were more worrisome and she wouldn't talk anymore than what she'd already told me" Sakura glared right at Mizuki fury in her jade eyes.
The brunette in the room shook his head in disappointment as Mizuki was dragged away by Minato and Inoichi to the cells at T&I HQ, while the pink haired girl he'd once taught for four months gave him a simple wave and an apologetic smile for causing trouble.
Before dashing out of his classroom, now she had the lovely task of informing her parents and needless to say neither Jiraiya or Tsunade were very happy, but to learn that Mizuki had been taken care of was a relief.
"Keep her with you tonight and tomorrow, I'll write a note, it will be hard, treat her gently Sakura" Tsunade finally announced, deciding it would be better that way if Momo was away from the village and not surrounded by a whole bunch of people.
Even Jiraiya nodded "Right we trust you Cherry and thank you for letting us know and handling the situation like a pro" he flashed her a small thumbs up before sending her off, she couldn't be gone to much longer or Momo was bound to get even more upset.
In all it had taken 33 minutes to get everything settled and hopefully back to normal the following days and Sakura didn't waste time in going back to the house, simply connected her chakra to the amethyst Karui had on her and was all the way back in Cloud.
"Kami Sakura-chan don't do that" Karui jumped a foot in the air at her friends reappearance considering how abruptly she'd left after all it was a surprise to see her back so soon "At least when you use the summoning seals we know when you're going to come back" she said.
At the sight of her the white haired boy on the couch sat up "Those kids except for Momo went to visit Amai-san, did you get everything taken care of" Omoi peered at his girlfriend with a serious expression, would it be safe for Momo to go back.
"Mizuki's out of the equation he can no longer touch my sister in any way shape or form" her lip curled upwards as she remembered what else had been revealed during Inoichi's search of the blue haired Chunin's head, then Sakura vanished down the hall to her room.
Leaving behind five very uncomfortable people "Poor girl to be put through something like that has got to be traumatic" the only brunette in the room shook his head lightly feeling pity for the young child who'd been abused by an adult.
"You're right but if anything Sakura-san will make sure Momo-san is comfortable" Chojuro smiled carefully feeling bad for the white haired nine year old with honey eyes, to go through that would probably leave a scar on her heart.
Gengetsu nodded quietly "Indeed for young Sakura seems to have a way of soothing children's worries away so that they may continue to be innocent for however long is needed" that was one thing he understood about the pinkette.
Down the hall Sakura peeked her head into her room hesitantly, Momo was still laying on her bed where she'd left her, but upon entering the room fully the white haired girl sat up tears shining in those honey orbs "Am I in trouble Nee-chan" she wrung her hands nervously.
"No, no Momo-imouto-chan, you're not in trouble" Sakura enveloped her little sister in a bone crushing hug "Dad and Mom know though and Mizuki-san has been thrown in jail, also you're spending tonight and tomorrow night here K" she smiled gently.
Letting her chakra wash over her and seep into her sister calming her from anymore worries "Eh Mizuki-sensei is in jail but how" Momo looked confused as to how all of her problems had practically vanished in less than an hour.
"See big sister came to the rescue, those pictures I took gave proof to the accusation and when Ino-chan's Father used his jutsu to search Mizuki-san's head, we got even more proof, I went to Hokage-san, everything's taken care of, though…" Sakura trailed off.
Checking Momo over a little more thoroughly than before and found bite marks on her neck "He bit me to Nee-chan, I don't understand why would Mizuki-sensei do something like that" she was clearly still very upset.
Sakura sighed softly and pulled her little sister even closer "Because Mizuki-san was jealous of the attention Iruka-san bestowed upon you for being one of the top students, Iruka-san praised you lots didn't he" she understood that much.
"Yeah but that's because I always turn in my homework and answer questions that he asks us, but I'm not the only one Joki-kun gets praised to and so do all of our classmates" Momo frowned, wondering why she'd been singled out.
It was truly awful "Sometimes guys don't need a reason Momo-chan but jealousy and envy was definitely a factor in this situation, there are some bad men out there that hurt girls just for fun and you are very pretty" Sakura held Momo tighter.
Her eyes widened as she realized what her sister was trying to say "You mean Mizuki-sensei did that not just cause he was jealous but because he thought I was pretty and wanted to do…that with me" obviously she still didn't quite understand.
But that was okay "Don't worry about it Momo-chan for now know that he can never touch you again that is something I and everyone else can promise" she pulled back in the next moment and smiled a gently smile for her little sister.
The little white haired girl nodded quietly, though she did have one more thing to ask "Because Mizuki-sensei bit me on the neck does that make me a slut like Kankuro-ni once called you" Momo asked in innocent confusion.
Her blood froze in her veins as fury filled her like never before "Absolutely not Momo-chan, now you get some rest and I'll bring you dinner in here if you don't feel up to coming out and stuff" Sakura stood needing a moment to calm down and hastily retreated from her room.
Nagato chose that moment to appear via self summoning scroll "Heard what happened is Momo okay" the red head glanced at the doorway that led to the hallway the rooms were connected to his adopted niece came flying from.
"I'm gonna murder that Mizuki bastard do you know what she asked me, she asked me if she was a slut kami I don't think I've ever felt more livid in my entire life" she wasn't paying anyone any attention as she ranted and raved and paced madly back and forth.
Omoi sat up straight on the couch "How could Momo think that" the white haired teen frowned in confusion "I mean it's not as if what happened was her fault right, she didn't provoke him" he grimaced not liking this situation in the least.
His girlfriend rounded on him "That bastard did more than just slap her on the bottom, he touched her inappropriately, she has teeth marks in her neck and I want to hit Kankuro right now to for ever, ever mentioning that word around my sister" Sakura was just a step away from flying off the proverbial handle.
~All the Way in Sand~
Kankuro sneezed "You aren't catching a cold are you" Temari asked looking her brother over in concern and amusement, they hardly got sick, but it was a possibility now because many civilians were getting the flu.
"No, someone must be talking about me, probably a girl who likes me" the brunette rubbed his nose and resumed staring out the expanse dessert they called home, why were they always being stuck on guard duty, Kankuro didn't know how wrong he was though.
~Back to Cloud~
"Wait you mean he put his hands on her like that, a fully grown man" Utakata was sickened, the situation was a lot worse than they'd all originally thought and he was kind of glad the other children weren't here to see their cousin and sister go batshit crazy.
Her hands clenched into fists and her nails punctured her palms until blood was dripping steadily on the floor "Ah Sakura-san you're bleeding" Chojuro eyed his friend worriedly as she continued pacing, he knew she adored those kids, but this was probably maddening for her.
"I'll heal myself in a moment Chojuro-san, right now I'm not sure I'll be able to mold my chakra properly because of how angry I am" Sakura glowered at the wood flooring of her house pissed off to the max.
On the opposite couch from Omoi, Karui shrunk back and watched her best friend pace back and forth some more with wary golden eyes "Is Momo going to be okay" she asked hesitantly not sure if she would get snapped at.
Sakura managed to calm herself down in the next moment "She'll be alright, wary of guys for awhile, but with a little TLC I'm sure she'll overcome what has happened" she flopped down in her chair wearily.
Finally healing her hands from the nail puncture wounds, "Well I'm going to go check on Irakusa, Shikke and Shimetta, try not to fly into a rage Sakura-chan, you're scary when you're angry" Nagato teased lightly, not sure if she would appreciate his attempts at this particular moment.
Of trying to lighten the tense atmosphere, for his efforts though he earned a small smile and then he hurried through the door that connected this house and the hallway to his house to check on his own family and children.
"Who did you go to, to make sure the situation was properly taken care of" Gengetsu inquired in the ensuing silence as Sakura sat there in her chair looking utterly exhausted, such an expression didn't belong on someone so young after all.
She lifted her head and peered in his direction "The Hokage, he regularly reviews the academy and it's sensei's after all, so he was the only logical person to go to first and inform him of what had gone on" Sakura explained.
Leaning back in her chair for a few minutes longer before rising and fleeing to the kitchen to get started on supper, less than four minutes later, Joki, Hidzuke and Ketsuro appeared in the house using the summoning seals.
Immediately they could sense that their oldest cousin was back "Onee-chan can we come into the kitchen we promise not to steal any of the food" Hidzuke called wanting to be close to his sister, and being serious as he promised not to try and swipe some of the prepared food.
"Yeah Sakura-chan, plus we want to know how Momo-chan is doing" Joki spoke up next hesitantly because he was still worried that she might be angry, they'd never seen her like that before and it was admittedly very scary.
Before Sakura could respond "And we promise to sit in the chairs and not bug you" Ketsuro piped in last, though she kept close to her own brother as they got permission to come into the kitchen and sit with their cousin/sister.
Until dinner was finished and they all sat down to eat minus Irakusa, Nagato, Shikke and Shimetta, Momo ventured out and kept glued to Sakura's side the entire time, though she did greet Omoi and the others, she was still very frightened.
Afterwards Sakura disappeared to the other house to inform Nagato and Irakusa of the little incident with Shikke and Shimetta that morning, only to find out that the twins had already told their parents.
When she returned to her, Omoi and Karui's house, Joki and Ketsuro stood gave her hugs and then left via self summoning seal, leaving Momo and Hidzuke curled up on the couch "Right so guest rooms, we have two here and uh eight in the other you can choose" Sakura turned her attention on the three males.
They quickly chose the guest house, and disappeared through the door that led through it to get set up with Omoi and Karui's help, that took nearly an hour, before the lot of them settled down for the night to get some rest, though Momo slept in Sakura's bed with her sister.
