Preventing The Inevitable

Chapter 9

Sakura went training the next day too, which was probably the opposite of what Shisui was hoping to achieve by offering to train her.

But Sakura was a medic. She knew when to stop, when to take a rest, how much chakra to use, before it would become dangerous. She knew exactly how to become stronger just fast enough for there to not be any risk of permanently damaging this young body.

It was a curse and a blessing.

She needed to get used to being much smaller, needed to get used to having infinitely low stamina and chakra, needed to get used to being weak. But, at the same time, it was an opportunity. An opportunity to re-do everything, an opportunity to use up every bit of potential she had ever had, an opportunity to do all those things she had wished she had done earlier, an opportunity to go further, achieve more, become better than she had ever hoped to be in her last life.

Yes, she was weaker. But Sakura Haruno was a master in working with little possibilities and a difficult situation.

Though unwillingly and accidentally, she'd gotten this second chance, and she was going to make it count.

—

"Where have you been going to?"

Sakura resisted the urge to cough violently at those words, instead forcing the orange juice down her throat before she accidentally spat it out. She looked up from the glass, which she had likely been staring into for too long, to muster Yūta seated across from her. "Whaddaya mean?"

"You've been going out more, you know." Yūta was looking at her with something akin to worry on his face. Huh. "Kāsan said you're meeting a friend. Kei–... something."

"It's Keito! How can't you remember my friend's name, huh?!" She tried changing the topic.

Her brother – since he probably was her brother, as she had concluded at some point – grinned and muttered a half-sincere apology. "Well, anyway. That wasn't the point. What are you doing with this friend of yours, hm? Won't you tell me, Blossom?"

"We play!"

"What do you play?"

"Uh... a lot of things! Like– Like catch, and hide an' seek, and looking at pretty flowers..." Was that enough? Why did he want to know so much? Yūta didn't seem satisfied by her answer. He just looked more worried, concern apparent on his face. He muttered something inaudible under his breath before setting down his glass of orange juice and giving her a serious look.

"You aren't being honest with me." He stated in an equally serious tone. Damn it. How did he know? Sakura tensed up. Had he, too, seen her training? But he would've surely come out if he had been there, right? She ran through a dozen theories and questions, finally settling on feigning ignorance and not giving away more than Yūta may actually know. That he had bothered to ask meant he didn't know everything, perhaps he only had a suspicion.

"Why would I lie, Nīchan?" The other Sakura had probably called him that, right? Sakura hoped she did, trying not to show how tense she was.

"You're not telling me everything. I know that." Yūta simply said, the gaze in his bright green eyes unwavering. "I'm not saying that you are lying." He added, seeing the (fake) tears welling up in his younger sister's eyes.

Then he crossed his arms, and Sakura briefly wondered why this kind of situation had been a common occurrence lately.

"Now, actually tell me. I just want to know," He took a long breath, brows knitted together in worry. "–why your chakra pool is always depleted when you come back."

Oh, shi–

"–ave you started doing Ninjutsu without my knowledge? Sacchan, I've told you it's dangerous. You know you can't just–"

Sakura's mind was racing. She hadn't expected him to know. She hadn't expected him to be able to tell when she had used chakra. She hadn't been careful enough, had let her guard down, because–...

Because only Ninja and natural-born sensors should be able to. But Yūta wasn't... He shouldn't... How could he...? How did he know?

"Sakura!" Yūta suddenly gasped, eyes wide in pretended shock. "How do I know? Of course I know!"

Sakura then realized she had said that last question out loud and wanted to smack herself. Yūta went on with his show, seemingly content for now with the scolding he had given her. She didn't relax yet, though. "I'm a Shinobi!"

He was a what?

She tried not to gape since it seemed like she was supposed to know already. Sakura didn't just have an older brother now, but one that was a Shinobi? Her mind felt like it was going to burst from all the questions it had needed to store up these past days.

"Oh, really? I think I forgot, 'cause you're un-cool." She needed to buy time.

That last statement earned her another gasp from Yūta. She took a sip of her orange juice to avoid talking any more and consequently revealing her lack of knowledge on her older brother's career as a Ninja.

The brother in question seemed to take her silence as his cue to continue talking. "Sacchan, I'm actually really cool, you know? You just don't understand my coolness because you've never seen me in action–..." He paused suddenly, looking over Sakura's small form, her young face. "–But you don't really need to see that kinda stuff yet... Oh, right!"

Sakura wanted to sigh. He really couldn't let go of that topic, huh? Yūta was apparently just as persistent and hard-headed as her.

Then there was a cold hand on her shoulder. Were his hands always this cold, she wondered. And now, Yūta had that worried look again, speaking considerably more softly than before. "Hey... Can't you tell me what you're doing? You can tell me the truth."

"I–..."

It was time to act out the plan she had thought up during the few minutes she had been able to distract Yūta. Older brother or not, he couldn't know that she was secretly training. It was already bad enough that Shisui and Itachi knew. Sakura let some more tears well up in her eyes – grateful for her knowledge as a medic – and soon she had big, crocodile tears rolling down her cheeks as she pitifully sniffled. "'m not lying...! Nīchan, why won'tchu believe me?"

She glanced through her eyelashed to see Yūta looking quite distressed with the outcome of the situation, as he shuffled over to come sit next to her. "Sacchan– sorry for getting angry earlier. That's not what I meant–" He lifted a hand to wipe away the tears, but Sakura slapped it away, making an effort to sob some more.

"I don't know why you think I'm lyin'... I really– I really was just playing with Keito! Nīchan, do you hate me?"

Yūta was looking more stressed by the second, nervously lifting a hand, and letting it drop again, only to end up having both hovering in the air, unsure what to do with them.

Sakura continued quietly spilling tears. Now, it was time to carefully spin a tale to ease Yūta's suspicions.

[1213 words]

22/5/24