The image of the rabbit haunted her. When she stirred in her sleep, she felt like those eyes were still fixed on her – those pale lavender pools – which made her shudder at the thought of Kaguya. One of the first people she had seen in that new world. It had to mean something, she knew – but what that was, she had no idea where to even begin.

She ran her finger down the spine of yet another book – one of children's tales, one she had overlooked in her eagerness to find only useful information about her new life.

"Still reading, huh?" her father peered down at her, a smile on his face. "You're so smart, Sakura… and whilst that's not a bad thing to be—" he lifted her up, spinning her around as he always tended to do in all his exuberance "—I think it's time you made some friends."

"Are you both ready?" Mebuki asked, pushing the door open to the study. "The celebrations will be beginning soon, and I don't particularly want to miss them this time around."

"You missed them for me last time," Sakura mumbled, biting her lip as she remembered how her mother had stayed behind the past few years to keep her company.

Seven was an important number in her new life, as was nine – though she had reached the age of seven first, so that was what was to be celebrated. Had she been born a boy, then there were no doubts her father would have started to teach her a craft, but she was a girl through and through, no matter how much mud she stomped through. They began their crafts at nine, so she would have to wait before she could express an interest in the healing arts. "Don't look so upset," Mebuki said, pinching her cheek. "You were too young to attend, and we wouldn't want you getting hurt by playing with bigger children… you're awfully small for your age."

Sakura huffed. "The others are just bigger, that's all."

Kizashi chuckled, shifting her around, carrying her with one arm as they ventured outdoors in the early evening light. "That's one way to put it," he said, prodding at her ticklish side. "But that doesn't mean you aren't short."

Pouting, Sakura let herself be carried into the heart of their village, humming under her breath as the white lanterns were lit. They hung between houses, arches of light for the celebration of those who had passed. All Hallows Eve they called it – the time when the veil between life and death was the thinnest, and their gods walked amongst them.

She would be travelling to the temple sometime after her ninth birthday to be blessed by those same gods. The Temple, as everyone in the village called it, was a special place and it was there that a child would be tested for magic – whatever that was. Sakura didn't understand – only that it was a strange power few possessed, unlike chakra, and it was apparently granted by their gods. As the only child of her age group she would also have to travel there alone, and the thought would have scared her had she been unable to claw back some of her old strength. As it stood, she had, and she would only regain more of it over the next two years she had until that time came, especially with how she was stretching her chakra core. By the time she was twelve once more she wouldn't have the measly reserves she once had as a genin. She would be far stronger.

"Ah, Kizashi… is this your daughter?" a man with purplish hair asked, striding towards them, and Sakura caught sight of movement at his hip. "I've been meaning to pop over… introduce our daughters. They're only a year apart in age."

"Well this is a good a time as any for them to meet," her father said, setting her down, and Sakura swallowed at the sight of her bully in a previous life. "Sakura, this is Ami and her father – who runs the local bakery, where we get that bread you like."

"Hi?" Sakura offered, glancing up at the purple-haired man briefly. "Hi Ami's dad."

"Why don't you go and introduce Sakura to a few of your friends, dear?" he mused, smiling encouragingly at the smaller purple-haired girl.

"OK." Ami nodded, grabbing her by the hand, leading away from where there parents were and towards the edge of the clearing the festival had been set up in. "My friends are this way."

Sakura stumbled behind her on shorter legs, not finding it too much trouble to keep up with the older girl. "Are your friends nice? Will they like me?" she asked, staring at the duplicate of her former bully, wondering if her new world would turn out to be something like her old. Not that she would take Ami's bullying lying down. She knew far too many ways to retaliate, mostly thanks to Naruto.

"Maybe. I dunno." Ami shrugged, leading her over to the gaggle of girls.

"Neh, Ami, who's this?" One of the girls, a redhead with hair styled into an afro, asked, peering at her curiously with very narrow eyes.

"She's Sakura. The daughter of the Haruno family," Ami explained, turning to her. "Sakura, this is Kasumi, one of my friends."

"Uh. Nice to meet you?" Sakura offered, a warm smile on her face. "I hope we can be friends."

"Sure." Kasumi smiled back, and Sakura found herself relaxing ever so slightly at the sight. Maybe things would be better this time around.

"Ami, come quick!" another girl shouted, waving Ami over.

Sakura could only watch as Ami hurried away, smiling briefly in her direction before she raced after her friend. "You came at a good time," Kasumi remarked, coming to stand next to her. "I think Fuki will be starting the test of courage soon."

"The test of courage?" she parroted, blinking in confusion. If she really had been her age, she likely would have been terrified at the prospect. Courage wasn't something she'd always had in spades. "What's that?"

"You just have to go into the forest. Nothing dangerous… but you can't tell our parents, OK? They'll get really mad, and no one will like you for being a tattletale!" Kasumi declared, and Sakura nodded dumbly in response. The most dangerous thing out there was probably foxes, or maybe rabbits going on everyone's reactions to them.

Or so she had thought fifteen minutes ago, before she'd ventured unafraid into those dense trees. Really she should have known something would go wrong, because it was Team Seven luck she had – and it was that which had wound up with her facing Zabuza on her first C-Rank. Of course nothing would really prevent similar occurrences from happening in her new world.

"Nice wolfie?" she mumbled, slowly backing away from the hulking, brown-furred beast in front of her. Of course she would find the most dangerous creature which could easily kill her untrained and underprepared self.

It was just like Wave, all over again. Only this time there were no teammates to fall back on, or a sensei to protect all of them. Instead, there was just her, a bunch of civilian preteens a few hundred metres away, and their non-combatant parents even further away than that.

Her face twisted into a grimace. How was she going to get out of her latest sticky situation this time around…