Akira was pouting by the end of their mother's explanation. Her lower lip trembled – a deadly move for most, but their mother was well versed in all their manipulative ways. "But why, kaa-chan?" she asked, staring imploringly up at their mother. "You're our kaa-chan… why do we need to pretend Tomoe-oba-chan is?"

Mio nodded furiously, echoing her triplet's words.

Sakura fought the sudden urge to grin. Her triplet was voicing all her many questions, but she'd be more likely to wheedle answers out of Misa. Sakura, unfortunately, didn't have Naruto's tenacity, and she knew when it was best to cut her losses and wait. Akira was alarmingly like her old Naruto, so she wasn't accepting any of the little deflections Sakura would've noted. She was young, compared to Sakura, especially in mentality, and with that came a kind of naivety about the intricacies of the adult world. Still, Misa was their mother, and she was trying to protect them from something. Something big, if her instincts were still anything to go off. She was trying to get her and the rest of her siblings out of the house, which meant the enemy might be stopping at their house at any moment. That was probably why the curtains were pulled shut, Sakura mused. Either way, it'd be best for them to stay away from their mother until things blew over and it was safe for them to return. No matter how much training she'd been doing, she couldn't be watching after each and every one of her sisters, especially if a fight broke out. They'd be in danger.

She stood to her feet, hurrying around to the head of the table, replacing her mother's desperate words with her own. The ones she knew would make her sisters actually want to play the little game of play pretend. "We're playing a game of ninja, OK?" Her eyes met each of her sisters' matching ones. "Kaa-chan is our mission leader, and we've been given an assignment." She folded her arms, watching on with a small smirk as Akira and the twins perked up in excitement. "We're gonna be infiltrating the house of Tomoe-oba-chan. Kaa-chan is just testing us. She wants to see if we've got what it takes to go to the academy. Hn."

"Really?" Seiren grinned, and her twin Sora perked up. "Is kaa-chan testing us?"

"Yep," Sakura said, looking on proudly at her siblings as they listened intently to her words… well, aside from Akane and Nozomi – but that was only to be expected. They were both only a two years old, and they had the attention span of a goldfish. Sakura doubted they'd notice their mother missing all that much. She was the one who took care of them most of the time, with Tomoe-oba-chan chipping in a bit.

"So… it's a game?" Akira tilted her head. "Kaa-chan isn't leaving us?"

"Of course not, sweetie," Misa mumbled, patting her head comfortingly. "Infiltration can be a big part of a shinobi's career, though it can sometimes be very dangerous… you have to be cautious about these things, OK?" She stood, hurrying over to the kitchen cabinets, rustling through them, a slight smile on her lips when she finally found the box she was looking for. "Treat this as your first bit of homework," she said, setting the large tin box down in front of them.

"Home… work?" Tora asked, practically standing on her cushion as she tried to get a peek inside the mystery box their mother had set down in front of them. "What's homework?"

Sakura smiled. That was one things she certainly hadn't missed. Still, it was nice. There'd be no time for homework if they were at war. Peace was nice. "It's work our future sensei would make us do at home," Sakura explained, deciding to give their mother a break from the constant stream of questions thrown at her by each of her siblings. She looked stressed and worried enough as it was.

"Is it fun?" Tora stared at her cutely.

She scratched the back of her head. "Well… maybe?" She grinned sheepishly. "I think we'll have to wait and see… but don't worry," she said, reaching over to hug her counterpart in the younger set of triplets. "Saku-nee will help when it gets to your turn to do it… well, if you still wanna be a shinobi by then." Her hand mused the short straight hair, her smile widening at the soft, smooth texture. She could stroke Tora's hair all day long. It was sort of ironic. Tora the cat's fur had been the same, but Sakura would've never dared to try and stroke the rabid feline. Her sister was a far better replacement for the cat. They even shared the same name.

"Un." Tora nodded, sitting herself back down, still eyeing up the box curiously.

Sakura peered at it. "What's in the box, kaa-chan?" she asked, watching as their mother pulled the lid off the nondescript box, revealing a few stacks of paper with familiar squiggles on them, along with sets of what Sakura knew to be contacts. Her eyes narrowed, spying the rows of kunai and shuriken neatly placed inside one of the box's compartments. Why would their mother have the tools of a shinobi hidden away inside their house – somewhere only she'd be able to access them? Sakura swallowed while the rest of her siblings looked on eagerly, unable to read their mother's mood. They were too young to understand all the possible implications of everything Misa had just revealed.

"This'll help you with your little… mission…" Misa said, avoiding what Sakura knew to be the explosive tags. She'd seen enough – used enough – of them to know the seals that made them off byheart. She'd studied enough seal work and made enough of her own to hazard a guess at all the other possible uses of the other seals. "But this little box needs to be kept as a family secret, understood?"

Akira's head snapped around, eyes locking onto hers. "It's OK kaa-chan. We can keep family secrets," she said with a wink.

Sakura resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands. Akira was not subtle in the slightest. A soft smile pulled at her lips. Just like Naruto.

"Ooo." Mio peered at the box, taking the seal their mother handed to her with a strange amount of reverence. "These are seals, aren't they, Saku-nee?" She held the slip of paper up to the light, unflinching under Misa's curious stare. "Nee-chan taught us some stuff 'bout them in the garden. It was super cool!"

"Yeah!" Yumi nodded. "They can make things go BOOM if charka—"

"Chakra," Sakura corrected automatically.

"—chakra is put in it," Yumi finished off.

"But that's not what these ones do, otherwise kaa-chan wouldn't have let us near them," Sakura said, looking on as their mother smiled and pressed the seal tag to Mio's back. A little buzz of chakra later, and Mio was no longer pink-haired. Instead, a small, slightly spiky-haired brunette looked back at her as she sat in the cramped room.

Ran watched on quietly, eyes wide, but Sakura knew better than to be fooled by the outward look of calm. The youngest of the second set of triplets was a quiet menace who loved jumping on her to wake her up. Though as of late, Ran hadn't been able to catch her waking up, so her stomach had been saved from any possible abuse, and for that Sakura was grateful.

"Me next! Me next!" Akira jumped up and down, looking up at their mother pleadingly. "Pretty please?"

"The dye will wash out in a week's time, but that should be long enough for your little mission," Misa mumbled, applying the next seal to Akira's back, smiling slightly as her daughter admired her new hair colour.

"It's the same colour as Tomoe-oba-chan's!" she sung, wrapping her similarly coloured sibling in a bear hug.

Sakura smiled, settling Akane down on her lap, stroking the slightly more reddish spikes on her head. Out of all her siblings, she was the only one who had a similar sort of hairstyle to her own. She supposed it was possible they had the same father, despite being the oldest and youngest sets of triplets and twins respectively.

"Kaa-chan! You forgot Saku-nee and Akane!" Akira's voice sounded, bringing her attention away from her second youngest sister, and onto the rest of the room where a load of brunette children milled about.

Sakura prodded her forehead as soon as she was in poking range, smiling as Akira pouted. "Not all of us can have our mother's new hair colour," she said, ruffling Akane's hair in the next breath.

"Saku-nee, that's not fair," she grumbled, huffing as she folded her arms. "Why doesn't Kane-chan get poked too?"

Sakura grinned, setting their other sibling back on her cushion, reaching out to ruffle her triplet's hair instead. "Don't worry," she mumbled, sneaking in another poke, much to her sister's dismay. "I'll be sure to poke her plenty once she's a bit bigger."

"Sakura-chan…" Her mother came to her side, holding out a very familiar kind of scroll. "I'm going to leave you in charge of this… since you seem to know the most about seals," she said, watching as she took the sealing scroll and tucked it in her pocket. "It's a sealing scroll, and I've put all your belongings – including your futons inside it. Don't unseal it until you're over at Tomoe's place, OK?"

She nodded, pulling her hood up until it covered her hair and face as per usual. "OK."

"Tomoe…" Misa glanced over at their self-proclaimed auntie. "I'll leave them in your care for the next few days. Keep an eye on them, for me, won't you?"

"Sure thing." Tomoe nodded, swiftly taking charge of the situation. "Now, follow me kiddies… It's time you saw your oba-chan's apartment—sorry, your kaa-chan's apartment," she corrected under Misa's severe gaze. "Come on." She herded all of them towards the coat rack, watching as they all pulled their socks and shoes on before grabbing their coats from the hangers.

Sakura trailed behind them, pulling on her sandals, watching as Tomoe guided or carried the rest of her sisters down the stairs before she finally turned to the sole person left standing in the room. Her stomach was in her toes, heartbeat echoing in her ears as she heard Tomoe shout up thanks for the sleepover. Sakura resisted the urge to smile. It seemed they were all getting into character.

"Misa-oba-san…" she mumbled, the words feeling heavy on her lips. "You'll tell me what's going on when we get back, won't you?" She pressed her lips together, relief flooding through her at the slight nod of her mother's head. She'd get her answers soon then… "Promise?"

"I promise, sweetheart," Misa whispered, stroking her hair back from her forehead as she knelt down in front of her. "The next time you come here… I'll tell you everything… about my family… about all your possible fathers…"

Sakura felt her voice crack. "Really?" She was going to get her answers as easily as that?

"Why would I lie to you, Saku-chan?" She tilted her head, staring down at her softly. "You've already grown up far too quickly for my liking… so I think it's about time I at least told one of you the truth…" Misa trailed off, glancing towards the windows. "Just in case something happens."

Her small hand bunched in the fabric of Misa's kimono. "Don't forget," she muttered, wondering what the sinking feeling in her chest was as she stared up at her mother, heart beating furiously in her chest.

"Before you run off after your kaa-chan though…" Misa smiled. "Can I get you to promise me something?"

"Sure." Sakura grinned, pushing the dawning feeling of dread to one side as she smiled up at her mother. Something was wrong. Something was about to go horribly wrong. She swallowed the dryness in her throat. "Anything."

"No matter what happens from here on in," she said, the smile vanishing from her face, replaced by the utmost serious expression Sakura had ever seen on her mother. "Promise me you'll take care of all of them. Promise me you'll look after your sisters, just like you've been doing already. Please, Sakura…"

She scowled, looking away from her mother's severe face. "Of course," she mumbled gruffly, shifting on her feet as Misa continued to look at her. "They're family… just like you… and I take care of my family." She always would.

Sakura blinked, staring at the kimono fabric her face was smooshed against, wrapping her arms around her mother as she was hugged tightly. It was warm, she realised, snuggling against Misa. She loved hugs, not that she'd admit it. She was an adult. They weren't supposed to need hugs… still, it didn't mean she couldn't enjoy them… especially those given by her family. "You're going to be an excellent shinobi one day, Saku-chan… and whoever wins your heart is going to be the luckiest person alive…"

Heat rose in her cheeks, a grunt escaping her lips as she turned her face away, desperate to hide her blush. Shinobi weren't supposed to blush. She wasn't supposed to blush over every little comment, no matter how warm and fuzzy they made her feel inside. "Hn."

"I love you, Saku-chan…" Misa whispered, setting her back down, handing her over a decently sized tin, all but throwing her out the door seconds later with strict instructions to catch up to her Tomoe-kaa-chan.

It wasn't all that hard to locate a gaggle of brunette children and one pink-haired child in Tomoe's arms. There was no point in hiding her hair, nor Akane's. Their enemy had already seen her pink locks, so dyeing them would only increase suspicions. Sakura sighed, praying the pink-haired man would leave her and her siblings alone now they were off with Tomoe. No doubt her mother was hoping for that scenario too.

"Saku-nee!" Akira waved as she caught up to them. "You came…"

Sakura folded her arms with a huff, the tin Misa had given her tucked safely under one arm. "Of course I came. I'm your big sister. It's my job to take care of you."

Yumi grabbed her hand, tugging her forwards so they were close on the heels of their pretend mother for the week.

"What's in the box, nee-chan?" Mio glanced over at the tin.

"Dunno." She shrugged, but she certainly had her suspicions. It was, after all, their birthday tomorrow. They'd finally be five – finally be old enough to try out for the academy along with the other kids. It didn't matter to her that it'd most likely be clan kids attending in the first year before the large majority of civilian students trickled in. "We should probably open it tomorrow though…"

"Awww," Akira groaned.

"It's a surprise for tomorrow," she explained, hiding the smirk at the excitement which soon spread across her sister's face.

"You think ka—oba-san made us cake?" She bounced up and down on her toes. "Really? Really? K—Misa-oba-chan always makes the best cakes!"

Mio grinned next to her. "Can we see it?"

Sakura shook her head. "Save it until tomorrow."

"Aww… but we wanna see it now!" Akira pouted, unleashing the puppy dog eyes. "Pretty please. Pretty pretty please?"

Sakura prodded her forehead – it was right there in perfect poking radius – shaking her head as her sister reeled backwards. "No," she said, tucking the cake safely under her arm away from the two sets of eyes staring hungrily at it. "We're going to eat it tomorrow, on our actual birthday… otherwise it'll be gone knowing you two."

"So mean…" Mio grumbled.

"Hn." She grunted. "You'll be thanking me tomorrow when you can enjoy it."

Mio huffed. "Fine."

"Promise?" Sakura puffed her chest up, looking between the other two of her triplet group. "If I come out at any point between now and tomorrow and find that you've eaten the cake, there'll be trouble, understand?"

"Pssh." Akira deflated.

Sakura glared. "I will hang you by your ankles from the nearest tree. Naked," she warned, staring at the pair of them, letting them know she wasn't joking in the slightest. Years of learning under Kakashi-sensei had improved her creativity when it came to threats.

Akira and Mio shuddered as one. "We understand, nee-chan," they chorused as one.

"Good," she mumbled, watching as Tomoe led them up a set of metal steps, having already led them further away – right to the very borders of the red light district, rather than smack bang in the centre where they'd been before. It was a small place, ever so slightly larger than where they'd been before – the kitchen and living room more spread out now they weren't cramped together in the attic. There were two moderately sized bedrooms, the one assigned to them large enough to fit all nine futons in, packed tightly together. The entire floor had become one large mattress, and Sakura knew they'd all be sprawled out in a tangle of limbs later that night as they usually were.

As it was, it was already late afternoon, nearly evening by the time they were settled in their new room. It didn't smell right, but Sakura supposed it didn't matter too much. They were only there for a week, anyhow. Yawning, she eyed Tomoe behind the stove, hurrying over to help with dinner as much as she could. It was only fair, after all the work their mother had suddenly lumped on her.

"You're a good kid, Saku-chan," Tomoe mumbled, ruffling her hair as they loaded up all ten of the plates. "I don't know how Misa manages all of you…"

"I help," she declared proudly – because she did. She always tried to help with dinner – her sisters needed carefully balanced meals, especially with their new exercise regime – and she always made sure to tuck them all in at bedtime to ensure they got all the sleep they needed.

"Let's call your sisters over then," she said, setting the plates out across the same table they usual ate around – they'd been forced to switch tables, with all nine of them coming over. No other table would fit them all comfortably otherwise. Ten-seater tables weren't easy to come by, not to mention they could be a bit pricy. "Girls! It's dinnertime!" she called, and Sakura smiled as she heard the tell-tale sound of feet pattering towards them.

"Made it," Seiren muttered, sliding onto her preferred cushion.

Sora scowled. "Hardly! I was here first!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was! Too!"

Sakura poked their foreheads, interrupting their little stare off, smirking as they gave twin groans. "You're both here, and that's all that matters… now let's wait for the rest of them…" She trailed off, watching as Akira and Mio stumbled out of the bedroom together, each taking their seats right next to her usual place. They liked sitting next to her… trying to copy her slightly more refined table manners. They were adorable. All her sisters were.

"You think ka—I mean Misa-oba-chan will be OK on her own…?" Akira mumbled, pushing her food around her plate, eyeing the nicely cooked mackerel with disdain. "We've never been away for long…"

"She'll be fine, Aki-chan," Tomoe said, smiling at her. "She's a grown adult, unlike all of you—" Sakura snorted. She was totally a grown adult too – she was just trapped in the body of a child. "She can take care of herself for a few nights… in fact, it'll probably be a nice break from all the work she usually has to do to take care of you."

"I'll check on her later, 'kay?" Sakura whispered, trying to assuage both her sister's fears, and her own. It had felt like Misa had been saying her goodbyes earlier, and Sakura didn't like it in the slightest. Nothing bad was going to happen to her family. Not yet. The universe could hold out on the curse of Team Seven for another few years at least, couldn't it…? Her sisters were already dangerously close to becoming traumatised thanks to the kidnapping. Her family didn't need any more misfortune.

"You will?" Akira stared at her, a big grin on her face. "Really?"

"Of course," she muttered, looking determinedly away from the sheer happiness on her sister's face at those words. She liked her sisters' smiles. She wanted to keep them smiling for as long as possible. They deserved happiness… unlike her. She didn't have time to enjoy herself – she had jobs to do. Lots of them. Everyone was counting on her, including her sisters. She had to live up to their expectations, whether she liked it or not.

"Can we come too, nee-chan?" Mio looked at her, those big dark eyes watering, the puppy dog eyes most definitely activated.

"Fine," she grumbled, knowing it would be best not to deny them that much. Besides, they'd barely been gone for an entire day… trouble couldn't have found Misa already. She'd just need to ensure they all kept out of sight. It'd be good training in stealth at least.

Sakura sighted, shovelling her food down, smiling at the taste. Even if it wasn't particularly tasty, it still tasted better than the ration bars she and Obito had been forced to live off for months following Kaguya's arrival. If she had to eat another one of those in her lifetime, she was fairly sure she'd throw up… she'd probably ought to try and save up for the Akimichi ones if she ever had to take some on a mission. The dry taste of the Konoha standard ones would make her hurl otherwise.

"So… when we going to visit ka—Misa-oba-chan?" Mio leant forwards, ignoring Tomoe's piercing stare focused on them and their conversation, no doubt ready to interrupt them and say they couldn't go. Sakura stared right back, eyebrow raised, a smirk on her lips as their precious new kaa-chan left them to their own devices. "We can't go out too late."

"After the sun sets," Sakura informed, taking another bite of her rice. "Wear something dark. We'll be sneaking through the back alleys – so you'll need to stick close. I don't want to have to go looking for you or have to rescue you from any weird situations, OK?"

"Sure thing, Saku-nee." Akira nodded, Mio copying her every action. "We'll be awesome at sneaking out – just you watch! Nobody will know we're there."

"Yeah." Mio nodded for a second time.

Sakura sat back eyeing her sisters. "We'll see."

Akira puffed up her chest. "Yeah, you will," she declared, sticking her finger in her face. "Come on Mio." She marched off to their bedroom, where all their clothes were stored. "We need to figure out what we're wearing."

Sakura resisted the urge to grin. Her sisters were so cute. She sipped at her glass of milk, silently watching the sun set as she sat at the dining table. She was already dressed ready for their little excursion – wearing her usual black hoodie and shorts, hair braided into plaits as neatly as she could manage with her fluffy hair – so when the sky was finally turning a lovely shade of midnight blue she was waiting by the door, blinking as four of her sisters appeared out of their room. They were dressed in dark colours, Akira and Mio having cute little dark hats over their dyed hair. Sora and Seiren stood slightly behind them, hands firmly gripping onto their sibling-of-choice's clothing, faces set in determination.

"Right." She folded her arms across her chest. "If you want to come along, then you have to listen to me no matter what I say and follow me as closely as you can. I don't want any of you getting lost or wrapped up in a fight. There's only one of me, and there's four of you, so I can't be everywhere at once." She looked between the four of them. "We're using a buddy system, so partner up, and don't let go of each other's hands unless it's absolutely necessary, OK?"

"Mio-nee." Seiren held out her hand. "You with me."

"Pssh. Akira-nee is better," Sora muttered, grabbing her straight-haired sibling by the hand.

Sakura sighed, prodding both of them smack bang in the centre of each of their foreheads. "I think you mean Sakura-nee is the best… you know… because I'm the one taking you all out," she said, turning around to crack the door open. "Tomoe-oba-chan is out, so I'm taking the key… so once again… don't get separated from me, otherwise you won't be able to get back in… if all else fails and you do get lost, try and make it back here. If not, I'll find you." She pushed the door open, tucking the key into her pocket, ensuring there weren't any holes in the damn thing. "Oh, and if anyone tries to kidnap you, then scream or shout and I'll come and deal with them… you got all of that?"

"Yes, nee-chan," Seiren said, nodding as Mio led her out into the cold night air.

Akira and Sora followed close behind, Sakura shutting the rest of their sleeping siblings inside. She already ensured they were fast asleep and all electrical items were switched off and unplugged. Nothing could happen to them while she was out checking on their mother.

Yawning, she jumped down to the ground from the railing, earning four sets of excited stares as she landed soundlessly on the hard-packed dirt.

"Saku-nee… you'll teach us how to do that too, won't you?" Akira asked, staring at her pleadingly. "Pretty please?"

"Once you're in the academy," she said, thinking about the joys of being able to see the school's certified med nin. It'd certainly make it easier to deal with any scrapes they got. They didn't have any medical insurance, and Sakura wasn't even sure if they were registered with Konoha Civil Services, seeing as they were Akasen brats. Not many kids like them were. "Not before."

"Aww."

"You're such a stick in the mud, nee-chan," Mio grumbled, pulling Seiren along beside her as Akira did the same for Sora.

"It's called being sensible," she muttered, peering around the edge of the alleyway they were walking through, double checking the coast was clear as she led the little group of five of them back towards their usual home. "You'll learn the importance of it when you grow up."

"Pssh." Akira snorted. "It's called being boring." She stuck out her tongue.

"Keep it down, Aki-chan," Sakura muttered. "We can't make too much noise, especially around these parts… oh, and if you see any adults kissing, then be sure to avert your eyes," she added, sharply guiding her sibling away from one of those said couples.

"Kissing?"

Sakura shrugged. "It looks like they're sucking each other's faces off."

"Ewww." Akira shuddered. "That sounds icky, right Mio?"

"Yeah," Mio mumbled.

Sakura turned, glancing at her slightly spiky-haired sister. "So make sure you don't let Sasuke do it to you. Kissing on the lips is only supposed to be done by adults, so if Sasuke-teme tries, I'll end him…" she hissed, clenching her hands into fists.

"But Sasuke's nice…" Mio said dreamily, and Sakura fought the urge to hunt down Sasuke and ruin his pretty-boy face. How dare he unknowingly seduce her sister…

"Oh, Saku-nee, we're here!" Seiren said, staring up at the back of their mother's workplace, eyeing the windows that led to their old apartment of sorts.

She only needed one look to know something was wrong. Her mother's chakra signal wasn't in the building. She wasn't in the apartment, nor was she at work. "OK…" she mumbled. "Mum's not home, so from this point on I want you to be quiet no matter what happens, OK…" She turned to look at her sisters. "Do you copy?"

"Yes!" Akira nodded, flinching under her glare. "Sorry… I'll be quiet…"

Sakura sighed, silently wishing she'd made them all stay at home. She should've known the law of Team Seven would've made something go drastically wrong. It was her curse. Anything that could go wrong, would go wrong. She closed her eyes, searching for the thread of her mother's chakra, tentatively reaching around, before she finally found the string of chakra leading to the source. She hurried towards it, well aware of her sisters' horrifically loud footsteps. She really needed to teach them more stealth.

"You've slept with two of them already!"

Her eyes narrowed. She recognised that voice – if only vaguely – as she ducked behind the little wall of fencing blocking off the two alleyways. It was short enough that she – a little four-year-old, one night short of five, needed to duck to go completely unseen.

"What'll be next? Giving birth to one of their unholy spawn?"

It was the man who'd yanked her hood back earlier that very morning… and he was hissing something at her mother, but Sakura couldn't make heads of tails of what they were going on about.

"Look at where I work, cousin," Misa hissed, practically confirming right then and there that they were family. "Do you really think I could've refused them?" Her lips were twisted into a snarl, and clearly neither of them, nor the man standing slightly behind the pair, were any good of a chakra sensor – hence why they were able to sit there with none of them any wiser. Sakura was only thankful their voices covered the sounds of her sisters crawling to join her in her crouched position, peering over the top of the small fence.

"Our ancestors cursed them for a damned reason… are you forgetting what they did to our clan? On the orders of the Daimyo… just so they could make their precious village…"

Sakura tilted her head, not liking where the entire thing was going. Nothing good ever happened when two adults confronted each other – more so when they both seemed to have at least some sort of shinobi training.

"It doesn't have anything to do with me," Misa muttered, running a hand through her hair. "I'm just living my life out here. I'm not trying to do anything… I've barely even seen them."

"I'd love to believe you, sweet cousin, but somehow I doubt it… because earlier today I met a rather cute little pink-haired child who looked an awful lot like one Uchiha Madara. Coincidence?" He tilted his head, and Sakura winced. Of course she hadn't gotten away with it. The universe just loved to hate on her. "I think not…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "You spawned with that bastard, didn't you?"

Misa snickered. "Too afraid to say the word sex, are we?" She sneered. "Besides, I'd think I'd remember if I had a child, so the answer is no. I don't have any kids."

Beside her, Sakura felt her sisters twitch, but her sharp glare and finger pressed to her lips kept them quiet… for the time being. She had a horrible feeling the worst wasn't over yet.

"Hmm… I don't think I want to take the chance that you're lying… you've always been horrifically good at telling those with that silver tongue of yours…"

Misa scowled. "If you try to get any innocents mixed up in this…"

"You'll what?" He leered at her, a smirk on his lips. "You're powerless when faced with us…"

Their mother laughed, and Sakura only felt her respect for the woman she'd been calling mother for the past few months grow. "I think, dear cousin, you're forgetting we come from the same damned clan… and what does our clan specialise in…?"

The pink-haired man swore, and at that moment Sakura knew her mother was awesome.

"If you or another member of that damned clan who I truly don't consider family touch a single naturally pink-haired child who was born in Konoha, try to take them unwillingly out of the village, deliberately try to cause them harm or order somebody to do it for you, then every single bit of damage you deal to them will be felt by the instigator and perpetrator too," Misa hissed, smearing her own blood down her arm. "On my blood I swear."

Sakura blinked at the sensation of her mother's chakra covering over her own. She'd just done something, and Sakura had no idea what the hell that was. Would they be capable of that too? Whatever the hell it was?

"Tch." He spat at the ground. "Well, I suppose that just means I'll have to hope you just told me the truth…"

"You shouldn't have underestimated me, bastard," Misa muttered.

He growled, kicking at the dirt. "No… but something tells me you would've unleashed that curse whether I did or not…" he said, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. "It doesn't change what comes next."

A small smile curved at Misa's lips. A sad one. "The Elders you follow have decided I'm a liability, haven't they?"

"So you already know what comes next then?"

The flicker of metal was all Sakura saw before the redredredredredredred. Maybe if she'd activated her sharingan she might've been able to see more of it – have the memory burnt into her brain. As it was, her sharingan activated too late, eyes burning as her mother crumpled to the ground, blood seeping from the jagged wound in her chest. Red seeped into the corner of her eyes, something far too hot to be tears trailing down her face. Her body reacted purely on instinct, hands clamping down over her sisters' mouths, muffling the twin shouts as she yanked them to the ground. It wasn't enough though.

"Huh?" A pink head of hair snapped around, green eyes catching sight of her two slightly smaller annoyingly brunette siblings. She only had two hands and there were four of them with her. "We can't be having witnesses…"

Sakura was on her feet in seconds, sharingan already tracking the movement of the two kunai sailing straight for her sisters. Her mind was made up in seconds. She wasn't trusting her reaction times or the strength of her arms. Not if the slightest mistake could kill her sisters… Not if there was another way to protect them. She dived in front of them, wincing as kunai thudded into her shoulder and side before she clattered to the dirty cobblestone.

"Fuck." The man swore. "Pink-haired… shit… that hurt…"

Footsteps sounded, growing closer, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as she grabbed hold of all four of her sisters. They were in danger. She couldn't go home… not with two kunai in her back… she'd bleed out and scar her sisters half to death… Her mind raced, adrenaline rushing through her, dulling the pain of the two kunai buried in her shoulder. The hospital wasn't an option. A rock clattered against the side of the alleyway, cast off by the boots approaching them. He might be able to help them… but Sakura had no idea where he was… Her chakra moved of its own volition, surging to her eyes, and then the world around her distorted, sucking them all into the darkness of the new dimension in her eyeball, the whispered word being the only clue as to what was happening. "Kamui."

The world blurred out of focus, and Sakura barely had time to realise she had no clue where they'd ended up before she fell the short distance to the wooden flooring, wincing at the loud thud both her and her sisters' bodies made. It was a very noisy thud, but the clatters of footsteps which came after it were just as unexpected as their odd destination. Whimpering at the twinge her shoulder gave whenever she moved it, she shuffled awkwardly to her triplets' sides, wiping the blood away from their faces, her eyes narrowing when she sensed their dangerously low chakra levels. Her own were on the low side too, but she could deal with it. Her sisters were more important. She hauled herself to Sora's side, face darkening when she sensed the same horribly low chakra levels. A quick look at the twins' faces revealed no blood. So it was just the ordinary sharingan they'd awakened… unlike Akira and Mio… Her eyes faded from red to black, a hand mussing through her hair as she fought the urge to swear. How the fuck did… Sakura blinked, staring at the clock as it beeped past midnight… five-year-olds awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan?

Sakura reigned in the laughter bubbling in her chest. The universe just loved her. It really loved her. Happy birthday, Sakura. Happy fucking birthday. She giggled, sitting back, her good side leaning against the base of the desk situated in the middle of the room as a key rattled in the lock of the door, voices sounding outside. Clearly the blood loss was making her delirious.

Her lungs felt oddly itchy, laughter trailing off as the door was slammed open, a horrifyingly familiar figure blocking the light from the doorway. The universe loved traumatising her. "What the hell happened here?" Uchiha Madara hissed, being shoved to the side seconds later as a familiar white-haired man burst into the room.

"I recognise that chakra signal…" Red eyes narrowed on her. "Sakura-chan… what the hell are you doing in my home office?"

"Oh… so that's where I am…" she slurred, the world fading in and out of focus as Tobirama hurried to each of her siblings, hands glowing with green chakra, and Sakura felt herself slump against the desk. She'd been thinking of the white-haired Senju when Kamui had been activated…

"Idiot child…" he muttered, shaking his head, as other notable figures from the history books appeared in the doorframe.

"Tobi…" Senju Hashirama peered through the doorway, sleeping cap on. "Tobi, what's going… oh dear…"

"Anija, stop standing there like a babbling buffoon!" Tobirama hissed. "Unless you want your favourite little gambling protegee to die, then you'd better get on with a damned chakra transfusion and make it snappy." He turned, red eyes locking on the spiky-haired figure nervously pacing back and forth, evidently clueless in the ways of medical ninjutsu. "Spots, carry the one I've finished with to the guest room. Clearly we're having a few guests over until morning…"

"Spots?" Madara squawked.

"Get on with it, Uchiha!"

"Only because the children are here, Senju," he hissed, picking up Sora with more care than Sakura thought possible.

Her eyes darted over to the other side of the room, blinking in surprise as she spotted the redhead crouched by Mio's side. Uzumaki Mito. Her sisters were in good hands, she realised, leaning heavily against the desk, feeling reasonably lightheaded, considering the amount of warm sticky blood dripping down her back. She sighed, blinking again, reminding herself she needed to stay awake just a little while longer. Just a little longer… Black eyes bore into her own, the face familiar – belonging to a man she knew far too well from her previous life, as well as being a larger version of the face she saw in the mirror every single morning. Sakura flinched back, wincing at how soft his voice was. Nothing like the tone he'd used when battling her and the rest of Team Seven.

"Easy… easy there…" He held up his hands in the traditional civilian I'm not going to do anything pose. Of course, for shinobi, it was practically an I'm ready to fire jutsu at you pose, so it didn't help get rid of the shudders trembling through her undersized body in the slightest. "I'm not going to hurt you…" The kind smile looked out of place on his lips. Sakura shivered. She remembered the twisted grin on his lips as he'd completed the Infinite Tsukuyomi. His arms reached around her, ready to lift her, but just as quick as he'd placed his hands there, he removed them just as swiftly, eyeing the blood smeared across his palm. "Sh—ugar," he muttered. "I knew I smelt blood… Tobirama." He looked over at the sole other occupant of the room – Seiren being carried out by one Uzumaki Mito. "She's bleeding."

Tobirama hit the light switch, finally flooding the room in light, revealing the glinting kunai buried in her back. "You've got to be kidding," he muttered, clearing his desk with a sweep of his arm, throwing a sterile sheet over its surface. Did he have everything in his office? Sakura mused, the world spinning as she was placed down on the hard cool surface face-down. The sound of ripping fabric met her ears, her hoodie vanishing from her body as it was sliced away to allow access to the gaping wounds in her back. Not that it mattered. It would have been ruined by the blood anyway. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"You were treating my sisters," she muttered, covering her face as best she could both with the table and her free arm. "Besides… it's just a minor flesh wound."

"Minor flesh wound my ar—backside," Tobirama hissed, bristling like a cat. "Pass me the damned disinfectant, Uchiha."

Sakura grunted, eyes widening at the sudden stinging sensation. "Fuck," she hissed.

"Language," two voices reprimanded.

"You don't happen to have a mask anywhere in your office… I dislike showing my face to people… just thought I'd get that out there while I'm still conscious… because I feel like I might be passing out in a few minutes," she muttered, peeking out from under her arm at the spinning room, blinking as a surgical mask was dangled by her face. "Thanks," she grunted, looping it around her ears, concealing her face as best as possible, glad she'd chosen to plait her hair before going out that night. Things would've been far worse for her if she hadn't.

Unless they removed her newly acquired mask and loosened her hair ties, they shouldn't have been able to see any resemblance between her and the damned Uchiha still in the room with her and the Senju whose brusque mannerisms were slowly growing on her like a sort of fungus. Her vision darkened, hands going limp as she slipped into blissful unconsciousness, with one thought ringing about her brain.

Her mother was dead. A tear slipped out of her closed eye. She'd failed her family… again.