Not so imaginary

iv.

Befriending Naruto was probably the best choice Sakura ever made in her 5 years of life. She quickly learns that he loves pranks and is extremely creative when it comes to creating them. Planning them however is not his best trait.

It was odd to Sakura that Naruto wanted to be at risk of getting caught.

"There are consequences to naughty children, Naruto!" She had hissed to him as quietly as she can when he had suggested painting replica pictures of their own self on the Hokage mountain. She could not fathom just what her punishment would be if they were caught. Would it be imprisonment? Would they be labelled as traitors? Would the scary Uchiha police come after her?

"But, Sa'kra-chan, I never get any con-see-quen-ces. Jiji is never mad at me," Naruto sulked and Sakura is confused. 

Sakura knows Naruto is a prankster at heart so this isn't his first time. But surely, there must have been some consequences to him right? Sakura remembers the time she refuses to eat her broccoli and was then put in time out where she could not play until she finishes her vegetables. It was awful! Surely his jiji would have tell him off? Wait....

Jiji? 

"Naruto, who is your jiji?" 

"It's the old man with the big white hat. Ya'know the one I'm going to replace someday?" Naruto raises his eyebrow as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. In hindsight, when Naruto mention his jiji, Sakura had thought it was a frail old man living on his own and every so often his grandson, Naruto would visit him.

Sakura paled. His jiji...is Lord Third? 

"Naruto, all this time, the jiji you were talking about was Hokage-sama?"

"Well, yeah. He's not my real jiji, just someone I visit every week or so," Naruto shrugs and Sakura's brain temporarily shuts down.

"What."

"Who else would it be?"

Sakura wants to rip her hair out. 'Who else would it be?' he had asked.

'Who else—'

"Naruto, I was expecting some old man, not Sarutobi Hiruzen who's like the God of Shinobi!" She exclaims in awe

"I don't get it, jiji is an old man, Sak'ra-chan," Naruto scratches his head and sulks. It's not like it was a secret, he thought she knew!

Sakura sighs, but it was then her brain finally caught up to her. Sarutobi Hiruzen was the Third Hokage of Konoha and he was nicknamed God of Shinobi.

They are messing with The God of Shinobi.

Sakura becomes even more pallor.

They are so dead if they are caught.

She is so dead if she gets caught.

She will have to say goodbye to Tobi, to Shisui who calls her cute, to poor Naruto since he somehow gets some sort of immunity from doing bad things and goodbye to her parents. That is if they get caught.

"Naruto, listen up, we're gonna be pranking," Naruto cheers, but Sakura quickly shushes him down in fear for other nosy ears.

After making sure no one is nearby with the help of one very reluctant Tobi, Sakura pulls the boy over, cups her hands and brought her face close to him.

"But, we're doing it my way." She whispers. There was a glint of excitement in her eyes. 

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