Sharingan.

She had the damned sharingan.

Sakura fought the urge to swear, reminding herself she was biologically a child – her reflection was proof – and there was a roomful of impressionable children, as well as her mother next door. She wouldn't introduce her precious siblings to swearwords and the like just yet, if ever.

And there went the protective instincts again. She let out a sigh. It was probably just because she was the eldest… and likely Uchiha by blood now, if she could deactivate her sharingan.

She blinked at the mirror, pulling her chakra back to her core, watching as red faded into black almost instantly. Swaying on her feet, her hand went to her head, an odd wave of exhaustion flooding through her. Her body was too young to support the immense chakra drain, especially considering she had mangekyou sharingan. Obito's Mangekyou. And all the blindness that entailed.

Her eyes slammed shut, and she held her breath, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Like the creak of a rooftile, or the muted thud of a sandal as it hurried off. She pulled at her small puddle of chakra, larger than what she'd had as a genin but still a bit shy of what she'd had as an adult. Not by too much though, and it rather alarmed her. She wasn't used to having so much chakra in a tiny little body. And larger amounts of chakra made puberty worse, or so she'd heard. Sakura barely swallowed her groan when she realised she'd have to go through that. Again.

There were no sounds. Nothing out of the ordinary. No one had seen her sharingan – her fully matured sharingan, which Sakura supposed she deserved, given all the trauma she had received and recalled whilst being shoved into a tiny little half-Uchiha's body. Clear. She was in the clear, along with her siblings. She was a triplet too, and she was four-years-old. That meant he sisters could awaken the sharingan. Become targets for dojutsu thieves, and people like Danzo, given they were living outside the Uchiha District.

They were in danger.

But then there was the Uchiha Massacre to consider, and her blood ran cold. Judging by her age, she had been sent back before that particular tragedy had rocked Konoha. They couldn't be found, she decided right then and there. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest at the thought of losing her siblings, that same vicious monster in the back of her head stirring, and Sakura found herself wanting to rip something apart. Well, she had always been a ball of rage and anger when she'd been a child, thanks to all those bullies picking on her. She had just held herself back because ladies didn't raise their voices or hit anybody. Sakura sneered at the memory. A fat lot of good that had ever done her.

She was done trying to be a lady for Sasuke. There were more important things for her to focus on, like saving the world for one and staying off Danzo's watchlist. Orochimaru wouldn't be in the village still, so he was less of a concern – not that she was about to forget the threat he posed. Danzo was the more problematic one.

Sakura fought the urge to rip out her new spiky locks. If only there was a simple way to deal with ROOT. If only the idiotic Hokage had done something about him rather than being a sentimental old fool, as Tsunade had called him once she'd learnt exactly what Danzo had gotten up to over the years.

A harsh breath left her lips, body sagging ever so slightly as she walked over the messy futons, silently reminding herself she'd need to start making the beds. Like her parents had always nagged her back when she was still a Haruno. There were ten of them in total, and that meant they'd probably generate ten times as much mess as she had back when she was a single child.

Chakra cushioned her footfalls like silk, years of creeping around in a barren, silent world coming to haunt her. Her chakra moved slightly more turbulently than before, no longer the constant steady trickle like a tap. Instead it was like a jet, a high-powered one, and it was only her memory of the tight grasp she'd had over her old trickling chakra which let her control her newly fast-flowing chakra. It was only a reasonable amount of control, something which irked Sakura, and silently she prayed she could claw her control back.

Not possible, that voice in the back of her head whispered. Her control had been in the ninety-ninth percentile. The fact she couldn't control her chakra as well as she originally had, and she could only improve her control so much. It was how she had ended up in the band of people with prodigal control in the first place.

She wouldn't be in that band anymore.

Her hands curled into fists. There would be no Yin Seal for her this time around. Her fighting style was ruined. But it wasn't like that was the end of the world. Her fighting style didn't make her who she was, so she would move on and adjust. She'd had to pay something for acquiring the sharingan, and the universe had obviously decided on her chakra control.

She would have preferred her chakra control.

At least she'd still have her monstrous strength, if only because that didn't take as much chakra control. Still, she'd miss that familiar diamond on her slightly too large forehead. Though her forehead was no longer all that large anymore. Give and take, the universe liked to. Sakura could only be slightly grateful it was somewhat consistent with what parts of her it messed with.

"Saku-nee!" The door slammed open, and Sakura whirled on her feet, vision clicking and the world suddenly became so much sharper. Mio, one of her triplet group, bounded into the room, a smile on her face which vanished in an instant. She stumbled back, yelping all of a sudden, which soon became clear as she screeched for their mother. "Kaa-chan! Something's wrong with Saku-nee's eyes!" Mio yelled, running out of the bedroom and back into the main one.

Oh. Sakura blinked, gaze flickering over to the mirror where two shining red pools met her stare. Uchiha instincts to activate the sharingan when something surprised them, and the instincts of several years of being hunted apparently weren't the best mix.

She had failed in her be unremarkable scheme already. Sakura was only thankful she'd messed up around her new family rather than strangers who'd gossip about it and spread rumours all over Konoha. "Sakura…" Misa sprinted into the room, hands shaking as they came to rest on her small bony shoulders. She really needed to start building some muscle, she decided. "Oh no." Misa closed those green eyes which reminded her so vividly of her old set. "Sakura, sweetie, can you turn them off?" she asked, worry painted all across her face.

She switched them off in an instant, swaying once again on her feet as the chakra drain hit. The sharingan was exhausting to her little self, and she knew she'd have to supress her urge to activate it when startled. If she didn't there'd only be one trouble after the next. She refused to get her siblings, and herself, tangled in the mess that was the Uchiha Clan before its downfall.

"Is nee-chan gonna be OK?" Akira, the other of her triplet group peered around the door, and Sakura felt her heart swell. Her sisters were so cute.

"She'll be just fine," Misa said, ruffling Akira's hair before sending her on her way. "Go and tell your sisters not to worry," she called after her, before turning back to Sakura.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably on her feet. How exactly was she supposed to get out of this? she wondered.

"Come with me, Sakura," Misa mumbled, running a hand through her hair as she took her smaller one in her own, leading her over through the main room and into her bedroom instead. The door clicked shut behind them, and she shivered at the serious look on her mother's face. "We'll need to have a little talk."

"About what?" she chirped, playing the part of an innocent, clueless child. She had no right knowing about the Uchiha Clan and their infamous dojutsu at her age. Especially since she was just a little civilian girl with no connection to a clan.

"Your eyes, silly girl," she explained, sitting down on the edge of the bed, patting the space next to her. "Or don't you wonder about why they've changed?"

"Oh, the sparkly red?" she queried, swallowing nervously as she debated how best to explain things. She doubted her civilian mother would believe her if she said she'd hopped dimensions, so it was up to her to successfully pass for a little pink-haired child.

"That's the one," Misa said, hand coming to ruffle her hair, and Sakura couldn't resist the temptation to lean into her side. It felt nice not to be the only one. Well, aside from a grumpy Uchiha who hadn't been offering out any hugs or form of comforting touch. "They're very special eyes, you see," she began, and Sakura struggled to hide the soft smile which wanted to pull at her lips. "But"—a poke on her nose snapped her attention back to the present like a rubber band—"with all special things… great power comes with great responsibility, and even greater people who might want to steal it away to claim it for their own."

Sakura blinked. She had been expecting the 'with great power comes great responsibility' though she hadn't quite been prepared for her mother's rendition of it. "Oh," she mumbled wisely. "Uh…" Silently she fumbled for an appropriate question, nearly slumping in relief when it popped into her head. "Do you have the sparkly red too, kaa-chan?"

Shaking her head, her mother sighed. "That comes from your tou-san, sweetie," Misa explained, and Sakura leant forwards, legs swinging back and forth eagerly as she pounced on the opportunity to learn more.

"My tou-san?" She stared pleadingly up at her mother, an expectant smile on her face.

Misa chuckled. "I'll tell you about him some other day," she murmured, something akin to panic flashing across her face before her expression settled back into a faintly amused one. "But you feel a bit tired, don't you?"

Sakura nodded vigorously.

"Those eyes of yours are what's caused that, since they use a lot of what's known as chakra – which I can tell you more about at a later date – and if you use too much, then you might get really sleepy and not wake up, understand?"

"I understand," she sung petulantly. She was a medic. She had been drilled extensively on why it was a very bad idea to wind up with chakra exhaustion. Even more so when one had an angry Tsunade looming over them.

"Good." Misa nodded, hand moving to ruffle her hair yet again. "Why don't you stay in here and have a nap until dinner? You must be tired after all of this."

"But—"

A finger was pressed to her lips. "Hush," she ordered, standing once more. "Get some rest, OK, sweetie?"

Sakura puffed out her cheeks, folding her arms sullenly. She wasn't a little kid—oh wait. She was, if only by technicality. "Fine," she grumbled, letting out a sigh and uncrossing her arms as she pulled back the covers of her mother's bed and sank into the soft sheets. It smelled faintly of lavender, she realised, noting the purple colouring of the blankets. Maybe it was her mother's favourite colour… Sakura stared back up at the ceiling. She'd have to find out in the coming months.

She would be a better daughter this time around. And not just because she had so many cute siblings looking up to her… A blush crept into her cheeks and she pulled the covers up to hide it. Though that was certainly good motivation.


"I don't know what to do, Tomoe," the voice which rang out took Sakura a moment to place as she rubbed at her sleep crusted eyes. "She's got them," her mother continued. "Her father's eyes." A choked sob escaped Misa's lips, and Sakura found herself pushing back the covers and creeping over to the door.

The light was on behind it, spilling under the slight gap in the door, and the curtains were drawn, signalling it was later than when she'd drifted off to dreamland. Cautiously, Sakura made her way over, wary of any creaky floorboards. This was her chance to learn more about what was going on. What Misa thought she couldn't tell her because she was a child.

"Tell them if you're so worried," an unfamiliar lady spoke, and Sakura's brow furrowed. It had to be 'Tomoe' whoever that was. "They could protect them, and they'd have the entire clan to back them up…"

Soft laughter broke the air. The hopeless, broken kind. "They were never supposed to be born," Misa said, and ice shot through Sakura's chest. She cast her eyes to the ground. It wasn't as though she hadn't suspected that fact – single mother of ten children… who would plan for that? Though it didn't mean the truth hurt any less. "Sakura and the other two were accidents… The twins because I didn't realise why they weren't working… and then I thought maybe…" Misa choked on her tears. "Maybe I could undo what's been done if I gave them children which they could love."

"You really should have told them sooner—"

"Told them what?" Her mother's voice rose in crescendo. "Why I had their children? What clan I come from?" Misa snorted hopelessly. "That really would have gone down well. They might have killed me on the spot!"

"You're allowed to be scared, Mi," Tomoe whispered.

Misa laughed – a hopeless sound. "Now I'm a single mother, and I'm avoiding the fathers… I'm a coward, Tomoe."

"At least you tried to do something," her mother's friend said, and Sakura's brow only furrowed as she tried to get a gist of what in the pure lands her mother was going on about. "That's more than the rest of your clan have done…"

"They've suffered enough." Misa sighed. "But how am I supposed to tell them I think that… You know how suspicious they can be… They would jump to conclusions as to why I got close to them… but the truth is that I was just… a friend to them. Someone who fit with them for a time… someone who blended in with them. If they found out I wound up pregnant because of them… that I didn't tell them about who I am… and that I kept the truth about their little bundles of joy from them… I don't know what they would do."

"They might take them away," Tomoe said grimly. "I guess there's a chance of that happening."

"They might hate them," Misa said. "That isn't what I want…"

"That too."

"I'm selfish," Misa mumbled, and Sakura set her hand on the door, wishing she could go and hug her mother. She sounded so sad. Yet she was learning more and more about the situation with every moment. So eavesdropping unrepentantly it was. "It's all the worse because of that damned kekkei genkai…"

"The sharingan, huh…"

"That's the one," Misa murmured. "Each of them could awaken it… I forgot that multiple births are only to be expected when away from the clan. It's the only reason we survived."

"They could accuse you of kekkei genkai theft," Tomoe remarked, and Sakura silently wished she could bash the woman's head against the wall. She was supposed to be cheering up and supporting her mother out there. "Their clan elders probably would."

Misa snorted. "Clan elders are the worst…"

"Still, it's better to tell them sooner rather than later." The shadows under the door shifted, floor creaking slightly as they moved about outside. "They're shinobi. They'll figure it out eventually… after all, your eldest is pretty much the spitting image of her father."

Sakura twirled her long spiky hair around her finger, pudgy hands going to press at her cheeks. Who exactly was her father, she wanted to know. Eyes narrowed. It had better not have been Obito. Otherwise she'd have to do something drastic… to make his life a misery. She smirked at the thought. That would undoubtedly be very satisfying. The pranking, not the identity of her father, that was.

"If you discount the hair colour and the baby fat," Misa said, letting out another sigh. "Some of the younger ones take too much after their father too."

"Whatever you decide to do, I'll support you," Tomoe said. "I'm your friend, and you've got plenty of others too who'll help. Don't forget that."

"I won't," Misa mumbled. "It's just… I'm… me… and they're… them."

"Well, I guess you could wait a little while, but don't delay things too long," her mother's friend continued, voice stern. "Nothing good comes from waiting."

"I know."

"Though, on another note, it smells as though your dinner is ready…"

Sakura sprinted back to bed, chakra cloaking her slightly too loud footsteps as she all but dived back under the covers. The door clicked open moments later, and Sakura caught sight of brown hair fluttering behind the lady as she walked out of the apartment. "Kaa-chan?" She tilted her head, blinking owlishly at the backlit figure of her mother.

"Dinnertime, sweetie," Misa chirped, coming to hover by her bedside. "You feeling better now?"

Nodding, Sakura pushed herself out from under the covers, cheeks reddening as her stomach growled noisily.

"Ah." Misa chuckled. "Seems someone's hungry… Could you go and get your sisters? Tell them dinner is about to be served."

"Sure thing!" she all but sang, wandering out of her mother's nice room, through the main room, and back into her own bedroom. Which she now shared with nine others.

She barely managed to open the door before she was assaulted. "SAKU-NEE!" Akira, the other of her triplet group, screamed. Small arms locked around her chest, and Sakura hit the ground with a light thud. "You're alright!"

"I told you your Saku-nee would be fine, dear," Misa called from the kitchenette, the sound of clinking plates and cutlery telling Sakura her meal would soon be served. And it smelt wonderful… so much better than ration bars.

She'd probably be sick if she had to lay eyes on the carboard-tasting meals she had been surviving off for years. Sighing softly, she stared up at the ceiling, her view of the light only blocked when small faces peered down at her curiously.

"Saku-nee?" Mio questioned, eyebrows raised for a few moments before she rounded on Akira – who was still happily sprawled atop her. "Idiot! You tackled her too hard!"

"I'm fine," she mumbled, pushing herself to a sitting position despite the weight latched onto her chest. "Aki just surprised me."

"See!" Akira cried, looking smug and satisfied as she pushed herself to her feet. "I can't hurt Saku-nee by hugging her. Nothing can, especially now she's got cool eyes!"

"Akira," Misa called sharply, jade green eyes narrowing on the child in question. "You remember what we talked about before, don't you?"

Akira pouted. "Family secret," she grumbled, folding her arms petulantly.

"Correct, now – all of you, to the table!" Misa demanded, and Sakura didn't wait to obey. She made her way to the overly-large table, kneeling down at the place she'd sat earlier that very same day. It had only been a matter of hours since she'd arrived. Yet it was so very confusing… and somehow, she was already adapting to everything.

Black eyes stared at her out from underneath spiky hair, though not quite as wild as her own new locks were. Mio noticed her stare, a wide smile stretching across her face as she sat down next to her. Akira sat on her other side, grabbing her hand in her own as she hummed a child's rhyme her… Mebuki had often sung to her back before.

Sakura glanced down at their joined hands, enjoying the warmth her sister's hand radiated. Alive, it whispered to her. Here.

She wasn't alone anymore.

She had things to protect this time around.

And the thought terrified her.


The leaves were falling from the trees, most coloured a burnished red, so similar to the colour of blood which had been spilt in her memories. It was autumn, soon to be winter, and she would be turning five-years-old in a matter of months. And she could start at the academy if she so desired to in the coming spring. Sighing, Sakura pulled herself away from one of the two windows in their attic room, casting her eyes back on the sight of her nine new siblings. She still could hardly get her head around the number. The side effect of a kekkei genkai? Or one itself? The probability of having two sets of triplets and twins was astronomical, and Sakura was better at betting than Tsunade ever had been.

Though, speaking of bets, she was awfully worried about what would happen the day it became legal for Akira to gamble. She took after their mother in most ways aside from the potential gambling problem. It was actually kind of scary how fast she'd learnt to play cards and win at it. Sakura chuckled lowly, blinked at the difference in her laughter from before and after. It sounded very Uchiha in nature now. Sakura blamed Obito.

Even if he was likely her father. He'd had spiky hair… which probably would have turned into her current mop if he had let it grow out. Sakura bit her lip. But Obito should have been presumed dead by then. A close relative of Obito's then? But Obito hadn't had much family. He'd told her so himself on the rare occasion he'd been feeling chatty.

Something was wrong. Her eyes narrowed. And she intended to find out exactly what.

A loud huff had her attention focusing on Akira's sprawled out form, and she sniggered again. The building tension in her stomach had dissipated at the sight of the little pink-haired girl lying across two futons like a starfish. Her long, silky, pink strands were spread all over Mio's legs. The same locks which made Sakura feel a bit jealous. That hair would be easy to get a brush through. Her own new spiky locks however… that would be a different story entirely.

Mio might have suffered along with her, but something told Sakura she'd be able to brush those slightly spiky locks with ease. The rest of her siblings likely wouldn't have an issue, given their hair was shorter on the whole. Well, at least until Akane grew up, or until Sora decided to grow out her hair. They both looked to have pink spikes of some degree – though until they grew them out… Sakura would suffer on her own against the perils of hairbrushes and thick, fluffy spikes.

"Nee-chan?" Sleepy black eyes peered up at her from the closest futon, one of the twins born roughly a year after her glancing up at her. A hand tugged at her pyjama bottoms, ensuring they had her attention. "Sleep." Seiren patted the space next to her, budging back to make a place for her between herself and her twin, Sora.

Sakura smiled, yawning shortly after. It was about time she got some sleep, so she wasted no time in tucking herself in between them. "Sleep, Ren-chan," she mumbled, ruffling the hair which sorely reminded her of Sasuke. The traditional Uchiha duck butt. The thought made her stomach flip, and a fond smile spread across her face.

It was surprisingly easy for her to fall asleep there, even with two unfamiliar bodies pressed against her in some mockery of a hug. The pair were the next oldest, at the nice solid age of three, though they didn't act like it. They were twins, yet they were always at each other's throat. Sakura was fairly sure they would be tussling in their sleep just like they had at dinner without her there in between them.

Apparently, they unconsciously knew better than to attract her ire by beating her up in their sleep. Sighing, she snuggled into the pillow underneath her. It was comfy, and not hard-baked earth, so she was happy.

She could get used to this.

Or not, she mused, clutching her stomach minutes after being woken up by an overenthusiastic Ran jumping on top of her. She had scrambled for a weapon for a few moments before she'd recognised the tiny feet as a nonthreat. Kaguya would have killed her in one blow, before she could even wake up. But she wasn't back in that wasteland.

Instead, she was with her siblings. Including the awfully quiet Ran who was apparently quite the little terror when given the opportunity. Her eyes slitted open, locking on the slowly growing out pink duck butt which put Seiren's to shame with its volume and length. "Ran-chan," she sung, throwing back the covers, hands at the ready. "You know this means war, don't you?"

Ran yelped, turning to run, but Sakura was already looming over her, tackling her gently down on top of one of the futons laid out across the floor. "Nee!" she choked out, giggling as Sakura's hands attacked her very ticklish sides. "Nee-chan," Ran gasped, and Sakura smirked. "Shtop!"

"Not until you say mercy!" Sakura declared.

Ran giggled.

"Breakfast is ready, girls," Misa called, appearing in the doorway, a fond smile on her lips as those jade green eyes wandered over them. "You can play after… though Tomoe will be over soon, and we'll be taking you all out to the park."

It was practically a stampede to get to the breakfast table thanks to that tidbit of information.

Sakura hung back, smiling as a smaller hand slipped inside her own. She loved having siblings, no matter how much her stomach hurt.

Breakfast was over before she knew it, a brown-haired lady arriving – whom Sakura vaguely recognised from the evening before – who soon introduced herself as Tomoe. Though they were allowed to call her oba-chan.

"You girls ready to go to the park?" Tomoe called, and Sakura could only chuckle as all of her sisters ran towards the door. "I'll take that as a yes," she mumbled. "Right. Time for all of you to put your coats and shoes on. I won't be having any of you catching a cold, not with winter just around the corner."

Sakura went to the peg with her name, quickly pulling on the fluffy black coat which had undoubtedly seen many uses. Her boots followed just as quickly. It wasn't like she could wear sandals, since it wasn't quite summer and she wasn't supposed to be able to circulate her chakra to keep her toes warm.

"Nee?" A tiny hand pulled at her sleeve, and Sakura turned to find one of her youngest siblings holding out a tiny coat.

"Oh," she mumbled, hurrying to help her adorably tiny sister put on her coat. She buttoned it all the way to the top, humming in approval when she stepped back and surveyed her warmly wrapped sibling. She wouldn't be getting sick from the cold anytime soon.

Nozomi smiled up at her, short pink hair falling straight, making Sakura struggle not to be jealous of those short straight locks. The comb had felt like it was tearing out most of her hair earlier.

"Whose going to be walking with Akane and Nozomi?" Sakura demanded, glaring up at Tomoe. They were tiny and couldn't be left to their own devices, she decided right then and there. Mother hen, a sly voice in the back of her head reminded, and Sakura supressed the blush. She was just a little overprotective of her siblings, but that was perfectly natural. For a traumatised baby Uchiha.

Tomoe smiled down at her. "I'll be staying with them, Saku-chan," she said. "Don't you worry."

Sakura scowled, folding her arms as she glared up at her self-proclaimed aunt. "Don't you dare take your eyes off them for a second, understand?"

"Aww," the older woman cooed, pinching at her cheeks before she could make a hasty escape. "Saku-chan, you're so cute when you're being a protective older sister."

Twitching, Sakura scowled at the woman – which just made her coo all the harder – until she let go, seemingly ignoring how she was quietly seething. She wasn't supposed to be cute and cuddly, aside from when she was alone with her siblings, of course. She was meant to be scary and intimidating. That was the look she was going for, especially with her wild hair and scary face which did not come from her new mother. She had inherited most of her father's looks, aside from the pinkness, and Sakura couldn't help but feel slightly grateful for that fact for when it came to intimidation.

A doe-eyed little girl with silky straight pink hair would never be able to strike fear into the hearts of whatever enemies she came across, whether they be bullies or rogue shinobi. A sharp-eyed, spiky-haired, flame-spewing pink-haired girl on the other hand…

She would make her legend.

No matter how many idiots she needed to beat up.

Obito, coincidentally, was at the top of that list.