Surprisingly enough, it wasn't the fact they left the village without permission, nor the fact that they decided to track down an unknown number of shinobi without back up that got them. Instead it was something rather simple.
"You… threw a tree… at people…?" Izuna mumbled, staring at her, blinking in confusion. "Like… a whole tree? Or are we talking about a stick here, because that makes far more sense."
"I can confirm she threw an entire tree, roots and all," Minato interjected, sitting back in his office chair, a slight tint to his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head. "It nearly interfered with my fight… and this was after I specifically told her to leave the fighting to me."
Sakura kept her facial expression fixed on the unrepentant setting. She wasn't about to apologise for rescuing her sisters. Shivers ran down her back, no doubt thanks to the red eyes fixed on her back, scanning her curiously from head to toe.
"Chakra enhanced strength…" Tobirama mumbled, biting at his thumb. "Well… she'll be taking the academy tests in just over a month, so we can keep an eye on her from there on in. I'm sure they'll be no more mishaps until then."
"Let's hope so," Minato said.
She shrugged. "No promises."
Shisui sighed. "Saku-chan, that was the part where you were supposed to nod your head, and say sure thing, like a good little shinobi," he muttered, patting her on the head yet again as he stood directly behind her, leaning on her head as per usual. "He's our Hokage, and Tobirama-sama is in charge of the Academy, they know what they're doing…"
Sakura scowled. "What am I supposed to do if it happens again? Sit back and wait while idiots faffle around and some git runs off with my sisters?" Her teeth ground together, hands curling into fists at the thought. Adults hadn't been that much help in the war. They'd been the ones who'd died first, rushing forwards, blinded by anger and hatred. Idiots, the lot of them. "They're my sisters. My responsibility. Mine. Not yours! They're… the only thing I have…" Tears pricked at her eyes, hands going to her hood, pulling it further over her face as her tears started to fall. They were the only thing she had left in the world… she'd lost everything else. She couldn't lose them. She wouldn't lose them. "You can't take that away from me!"
Shisui reached for her, patting hand at the ready, but someone else beat him to it.
"Shhh." A hand rubbed at her back, the other pulling her into a warm hug as arms swept her off her feet. "It's OK, Sakura-chan."
She stiffened, eyes wide as her face found itself buried in the high collar of his navy shirt. Her tears soaked through the soft fabric, hands fisting in the silky material as she hid herself away from the prying eyes of those around her. She hadn't meant to start crying. She hated crying. It always took her back to the times when she'd been horrifically weak… how she'd pleaded with Sasuke… how he'd been alive and well… but he was gone, and her sisters were unconscious. It was all too much for her undersized body. She wanted to go back… wanted to take it all back… go back to blissful naivety… but then there'd be nobody to protect her sisters. Nobody to protect her. She couldn't rely on others. Other people had only let her down… it was why they were all dead – thanks to their weakness, and her own incompetence.
She wouldn't be incompetent again.
"Shhh," Izuna whispered, hand warm against her back as her sniffles died down. She was done crying. Done being weak. "There, there… Nobody's going to take your sisters away from you."
Sakura rubbed her sleeve over her face, mopping up the last of the tears.
"The information leak that led to the break-in has already been dealt with," Minato said, his voice softer than it had been only moments ago. "Your sisters won't be in danger again like they were today."
"See?" Izuna looked down at her, face alarmingly closer than usual. "Everything's going to be just fine."
Sakura folded her arms, the soft cooing voices reminding her that to them she was only four-years-old, though that number would be five in a matter of days. "Fine. Put me down," she grumbled, eager to escape their piercing stares. The longer they stared, the more nervous she got. What if they saw? What if they magically figured out she was Uchiha from one glance…?
"But—"
Tobirama sighed. "Put her down, idiot Uchiha."
Her feet met the ground again, wet sleeve and puffy eyes the only evidence of what had happened. "You saw nothing," she said matter-of-factly, turning her head to one side. "Absolutely nothing."
"On the contrary, Saku-chan, we saw everything." Shisui poked at her cheek. "But it's OK. We won't tell anyone that you cried."
"I wasn't crying." Sakura crossed her arms, staring determinedly at the wall. "There was just… some dirt in my eye. That's all!" She did not just cry. She wasn't a cry-baby. Not anymore. A hand patted her on the head, and she didn't even need to look to know whose it was. Her teeth lashed out, chomping down on the appendage, a satisfied smirk appearing on her lips at Shisui's cry of pain. He deserved it, the sucker… patting her head like she was some sort of… lost puppy.
"Violent…" he muttered, eyeing the bite mark marring his pale skin. "So violent…"
Itachi stared at him, one eyebrow raised. "You're only just working that one out?"
"Shush, 'Tachi."
"Shisui-kun," Minato called. "I trust you can escort Itachi-kun back home. It's late, and he needs to be at the Academy tomorrow."
"What about—"
Sakura blinked, scowling as she was tucked under someone's arm for the second time that evening. "Don't worry, Shi-kun, we'll get these three home," Izuna said, ignoring the daggers Sakura was sending his way as she hung there.
"My sisters—"
"—are fine," Tobirama interjected, two small pink-haired bodies tucked into his chest. "They'll wake up tomorrow morning maybe slightly more exhausted than usual, but they'll be fine."
"Hn."
"Let's get you home…" Izuna mumbled, jumping out of the window without a second thought. Rooftops blurred underneath them, Sakura occasionally pointing in the direction they needed to go, and all too soon they were standing atop the roof of her current home. Sharp ears left no doubt as to what exactly they were stood on top of. "You… live here?"
"Problem?" She folded her arms, jumping down from his hold.
"No… just… unexpected…"
"You've walked us home before, in case you forgot."
"Saku-nee!" Little feet padding against the rooftiles were the only warning she got before she was tackled by two slightly smaller bodies. "You're back!"
Sakura stumbled, blinking as an arm kept her upright, eyes darting to meet Izuna's ones. Oddly enough, he wasn't staring at her like he usually was. Instead, his eyes were fixed on Seiren's duck butt of a hairstyle. Her heart thudded in her chest, nervousness clawing at her. While she might be the only one of her triplet group to carry the distinctive Uchiha looks, the twins were different. They'd inherited their father's eyes, down to the very shape, and the pale skin and high cheekbones to match. "What are you two doing on the roof?" she asked, concern overpowering her fears of being discovered. "Wait, how did you even get up on the roof? You're supposed to be in bed! You need your sleep."
"You didn't come back." Sora pulled at her hoodie, biting her lip. "You went away and you didn't come back…"
"Well, I'm back now." She stepped back from their warmth, eyeing them from head to toe.
"We worried." Seiren pouted. "Kaa-chan said she'd go to the KPF or something if you weren't back by morning."
Sakura sighed, two fingers at the ready on each hand as she prodded her sisters' foreheads. "Idiots. I'm back now, so let's get you to bed."
Sora huffed.
Seiren rubbed her forehead. "Saku-nee, that wasn't nice."
She prodded them again for good measure, wrapping an arm around each of them as she carried them back to the open window they had to have climbed out of – a matter she'd be addressing at a later date. There'd be no dangerous roof climbing without her to supervise.
"Through here then?" Tobirama inquired, following her through the window, landing without a single sound inside the darkened room.
"Obviously," she said, eyeing Izuna as he came through. "Just put them down. I can handle everything from here."
"It's…" Izuna glanced around the place. "Cosy?"
"Keep it down, idiot," Sakura hissed. "My sisters are sleeping!"
"You have more sisters?"
Sakura glared, ushering her siblings towards the bedroom, taking Akira and Mio from the white-haired Senju, carrying them to their beds. She was well-versed in the art of tucking her sisters in, so she was in and out of the room in a flash, turning to face her two guests with her hands on her hips. "Well, you've dropped us home." She folded her arms, looking pointedly towards the window. "Shoo."
"Well I guess I'll see you in just over a month," Tobirama said, completely unfazed by her rudeness. "You'll have to take the Academy tests after everything you've just been through, even if it's just so we can keep an eye on you. Don't make me drag you there."
"You could try," she grumbled, tapping her foot against the floor. "But I wanna be a shinobi, so hurry up and get out. I do want to get some sleep tonight, you know. Looking after my siblings is a fulltime job."
Izuna grinned at her from the windowsill. "See you at the Academy, baby pink-haired Tobirama!"
Sakura slammed the window shut behind them, scowling at the moon, irritation rolling off her in palpable waves. Kaguya. She shook her head, pulling her eyes away from the sight which always reminded her of that damned Rabbit Goddess. She needed sleep. There'd be a lot of things to deal with in the morning… far too many things. Sighing, she silently padded into their bedroom, stripping off her clothes, yanking her pyjamas on, eyeing her numerous siblings sprawled across the mattresses gathered together in the centre of the room.
"Nee-san?" Sleepy black eyes peered up at her, Yumi pushing herself to her elbows. "You back?"
"C'mere," she mumbled, settling down in the space between two of the younger set of triplets, sighing as warm bodies attached themselves to her like leeches.
She closed her eyes, patiently waiting for dreamless sleep to come. She never had nightmares when she was with her sisters, and Sakura couldn't be any more grateful for that fact. It meant she got a somewhat decent night sleep before she woke up at the crack of dawn to begin her daily exercise routing.
Nothing would touch her sisters again. She'd make sure of that.
Her body woke itself up just as the first rays of light hit the curtain, her sisters making small noises of protest when she carefully extracted herself from the odd sort of puppy pile they always formed. Their mother was fast asleep in her room next to theirs, the entire place utterly silent as she crept out of the house to train. The streets were quiet, barely anybody moving about, aside from the occasional blur on the rooftops. Sakura wandered through the place silently, hurrying towards the training grounds she'd started to use. Her exercises were getting noisier and noisier, so she didn't particularly want to be the one who woke her sisters up. They needed their beauty sleep.
"What to do today?" she mumbled, stretching her arms out as she reached her preferred training ground. It was empty as per usual, nothing but the wind that yanked down her hood all of a sudden… and someone's hand pulling at her hair. Sakura stiffened, spinning around to face whoever had snuck up on her. That wasn't an easy feat to pull off, especially not after all her training over the last months… but of course, she was meant to be a cute little four-almost-five-year-old. "Excuse me?" She folded her arms, puffing up her chest as she glared at the man crouching beside her. "Could you let go of my hair please?"
"Aren't you a polite one?" Dark pink hair fell in front of jade green eyes so much like her mother's that she stumbled backwards.
"Kaa-san says never to talk to strangers."
Pink locks fell back in front of her face. "Your kaa-san probably also says not to wander around this village by your lonesome," he said, eyes narrowed, chills running down her spine the longer she stared into those coldcoldcold eyes. "Might I get the name of your precious kaa-san? It wouldn't happen to be Misa-chan, would it?"
Sakura kept herself still, deliberately unresponsive to his words. Something was wrong. Her instincts were screaming at her to keep silent, heartbeat thudding in her ears as she stood there, blinking. One hand was tucked behind his back, clenched around something. He was suspicious. Incredibly so… and why did he know her mother by name? In fact… he looked somewhat similar to her… but kaa-chan had never said anything about having relatives. "Oh," she said, a smile lighting up her face as her brain came up with a solution. "You mean Misa-oba-san? My kaa-san is bestest friends with her. Why? You know her?"
His hand came out from behind his back, empty, and mussed her hair. "In passing," he said, backing away from her slowly, waving over his shoulder. "Have fun training, baby Madara!"
Sakura twitched, yanking her hood up over her head, pulling it down to cover her face. She did not look like Madara. She refused to. Her hand slammed into the nearest training post, blinking when it crumbled into pieces. "Oops." Sighing, she shook her head, pink mane safely tucked and tied away in her hood. Nobody could compare her to that man again… even if he wasn't the same person who'd obliterated most of what she'd loved. He still had the same face, and that was enough to haunt her.
