Year 67 of Konoha, Early Spring.
The lingering chill of winter had yet to depart, and abundant moisture had already arrived from the sea to the southern foothills of the Land of Fire.
When the first pea-sized raindrop fell on Konoha's night market, warmth did not come as promised. Instead, a thick curtain of rain poured down, cold and viscous.
Walking through such rain was a tall girl, wearing a white high-neck inner layer, a light pink coat over it, paired with light blue hot pants. Pure black velvet tights traced the graceful curves of her ankles and calves, and she wore a pair of heavy boots.
Without needing an umbrella, the falling rain automatically avoided her.
Thus, the girl passed through the still bustling and noisy streets, heading toward the izakaya at the end of the street, adorned with lanterns.
Pushing open the Japanese-style door, the crowded shop was a scene of busy activity, filled with loud chatter. The air was thick with the scent of tempura and fried tofu, and raised glasses clinked with foamy beer.
The shop's outdated interior decor was indeed neither classy nor stylish, yet it was exceptionally relaxing and unconstrained.
In a worn, almost polished private booth of the izakaya, a fan creaked as it swung back and forth. Under the dim, yellowish light, a white-haired man was devouring food, while behind him, the TV broadcasted news about the inauguration of the Fifth Kazekage in the Land of Wind's Sunagakure.
"Kakashi-sensei, did you flee as a refugee to Konoha?"
Taking off her shoes and stepping onto the tatami, Sakura teased as she hung her coat on a hook in the booth.
"Don't even mention it. It's all because of that kid, Hayate."
Kakashi took a big gulp of beer, patting his chest to swallow the food. "That guy, after saying he was going to get married, dumped the mission on me. He made me go to Sunagakure and endure eating cactus for days!"
"Hahaha, so you've really experienced life now!"
Sakura laughed as she sat down, waving to call a server, asking him to bring more food to their booth.
"Let's not talk about me. Where's Sasuke?"
Putting down his beer glass gloomily, Kakashi shifted the topic to them.
"He went to wash up after training. He should be here soon."
As Sakura spoke, the shopkeeper had already served the dishes she ordered. The girl picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of tempura into her mouth.
"Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, it's been two and a half years."
Propping his cheek with his hand, his elbow on the table, Kakashi's visible eye held a trace of nostalgia.
Since the death of the Third Hokage, time seemed to accelerate all at once… the Fifth Hokage taking office, the turmoil in the shinobi world, the growth of his students... It all made Kakashi wonder if he had actually died in the upheaval two and a half years ago.
"Mhmm, I know this. Kakashi-sensei is getting old and starting to get sentimental about the past, right?"
Sakura reached out with her chopsticks again to pick up tempura from the plate but found it empty.
The last piece was snatched by Kakashi, who gave her a mischievous grin, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed.
"Mhmm (chew chew chew)... One of my students has already become a Jonin (chew chew chew)... How can I not be old? (chew chew chew)"
Promotions always came suddenly.
Two years ago, a transfer order from the Fifth Hokage appointed Sakura and Sasuke as special representatives of Konoha, assigned to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning for a rotation period of two and a half years.
In Konoha, this was a promotion path many Chunin coveted, for a simple reason: during non-war times, the only way to rise to Jonin was through border service.
Later, Tsunade maneuvered skillfully to promote Sakura directly at the front lines, even making her a Jonin while she was still at the border. Her forehead protector and flak jacket were delivered to the border by Katsuyu.
Yet, despite such blatant favoritism, no one dared to raise an objection. Because the last person who had ideas about dealing with Sakura, Rasa, had now roughly grown to the weaning stage.
Afterward, Sakura and Sasuke returned to the village after their two-and-a-half-year border rotation, coinciding with Kakashi's return from his mission to Sunagakure, leading to today's small gathering of the teacher and his two students.
"Immature!"
Sakura rolled her eyes at him, picked up her beer, and gulped it down in one go.
At that moment, the booth's door slid open again, and Sasuke walked in, draped in a black Uchiha robe over a light-colored kimono.
His gaze swept over his teacher and teammate, finally settling on the stack of empty plates, which was taller than both of theirs combined.
Sasuke frowned and asked puzzledly, "Did you two flee as refugees to Konoha?"
Sakura and Kakashi glanced at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Confused by their laughter, Sasuke also took off his shoes and sat down, called a server to clear the plates, and ordered new dishes.
The teacher and his two students arrived at the izakaya in three separate waves, ate three separate meals, making the server who shuttled back and forth to the booth three times grumble internally.
Not long after, drinks and food were ready. The aroma of rice balls with bonito flakes and the bubbling oden reignited Sakura's appetite.
Amidst the crisp clinking of glasses, Kakashi took a sip of beer, while Sasuke and Sakura competed for the small meatballs in the oden.
"Speaking of which, I received a letter from Jiraiya-sama. It seems Naruto is about to return!"
Staring at the alcohol, a slightly tipsy Kakashi let out a burp.
"Haha, what a coincidence!"
Sakura's chopsticks, holding a meatball, paused mid-air as her eyes brightened, looking at Kakashi.
"Hmph, I hope that idiot trained properly. Otherwise, he'll be the weakest one in the team from now on!"
Beside her, Sasuke seized the moment to snatch back the meatball she had taken. Under the girl's disgusted gaze, he licked it all around before dropping it back into his bowl and stirring it.
'Tch, such a dirty move!'
"Speaking of training..."
Kakashi raised his arm, where an invisible aura faintly fluctuated. "Sakura, can you explain the key points of that technique to me again?"
"Momentum, killing intent, fighting spirit... manipulating these intangible sensations, turning willpower into a weapon. Right?"
Before Sakura could speak, Sasuke recited the essence of Haki ahead of her.
This was content he had heard countless times over the past two and a half years, now memorized so thoroughly he could recite it almost instinctively.
"You've memorized it so well, so why is your Armament Haki still not improving?"
Sakura fanned the flames while leaning on the table. "It's been a full two and a half years. Even a monkey should have learned it by now, right?"
Though joking, she knew that in Haki training, everyone had their own strengths and weaknesses among the colors.
In truth, specializing in one type of Haki and mastering it to the extreme already qualified one to become a powerhouse, even in the unpredictable world of Ninjutsu.
Those who could master all three types of Haki to the extreme were few and far between. Even if one forcibly raised their Haki, in combat, they would still have preferences, not using all types equally on demand.
For example, Armament Haki fueled by rage could increase its power, while the activation of Observation Haki required calmness. The fundamental mindsets for using these two Haki were conflicting.
The Uchiha Clan's members were all somewhat unhinged, so logically, they should excel in Armament Haki. Yet, Sasuke, this one, was unusually normal. Thus, it wasn't surprising that he was good at Observation but not Armament.
"What do you mean 'even a monkey should have learned it'?"
Sasuke swallowed the food in one gulp, a faint blush spreading across his face. He muttered that this was laying the foundation, that slow training led to going further, that meticulous carving made Haki stronger, and so on.
For a while, the izakaya was filled with joyous atmosphere.
Just as the teacher and his students were toasting, laughing continuously, a glint of rainbow light flashed simultaneously in their pupils.
Immediately after, an Anbu suddenly appeared in the booth, kneeling on one knee before Sakura.
"Sakura-sama, Hokage-sama summons you!"