"Ah, Sakura, what are you doing here?"
A voice echoed from the street corner. Sakura looked up and saw her father, holding a bundle of vegetables and fruits, just returned from the market.
"Ah, Sakura! Why are you so dirty? You're a medical ninja, yet you don't even keep yourself clean. Don't all medical ninjas have an obsession with hygiene? How come you're like this?"
Kita Mebuki scolded, as always. Sakura snapped the moldy lunchbox shut and tossed it back into the trash.
"Nothing, just looking for something I lost."
"Lost something? Let Dad help you find it~"
"No need. It's nothing important; if it's lost, it's lost."
"Look at you, such a grown-up and still so forgetful."
Her mother's reproach rang in her ears. Before, Sakura would have bristled at these words, but now, she didn't feel that sting. Brushing off the dirt, she stepped forward, intending to hug her mother—a gesture she never would have initiated in the past. But her mother stepped back, mock scolding,
"You smell! Don't think you can hug me after rummaging through the trash!"
"Eh?!?!"
"Hahaha, come hug Dad! Dad's not scared~"
"Don't hug Dad! He's holding the groceries, all smoky and smelly. Don't eat dinner tonight!"
Mebuki laughed, and Sakura chuckled in response. Taking advantage of being a ninja and her mother being a normal person, she firmly grabbed her mother's slightly odorous arm.
"Hey! You little… getting bold now, huh?"
"Hmph, I knew you didn't want me to hug you, Mom."
"Hahaha, Dad doesn't mind—come hug him!"
"Dad, I'm talking to Mom! Why are you always like this?"
"Exactly, careful, or Sakura might stop liking you!"
Though speaking with mock disdain, Mebuki's hand gently patted Sakura's, tightly holding it as she began her motherly scolding.
"I heard from Ino that you've woken up. Why didn't you go home after discharge? You worried everyone."
Her concern was for her daughter's health, not the "non-human" incident.
Sakura smiled, warmth flooding her heart.
"I just got distracted… Ah, Mom, you bought umeboshi!"
"You love umeboshi rice balls, don't you? You're so careless—enduring all that trouble. Feeling dizzy again?"
"Nope, all gone."
"Hmph, Sakura only talks to Mom now, Dad's mad—no pork rib stew for you tonight."
"Pork rib stew! Dad, you're the best! Thank you!"
"Whoa, whoa, little one, why so sweet today? Usually, you snap at Dad."
"Hehe, I have something tasty~"
The allergy wasn't serious, but to parents, it was a major recovery. Sakura ate until she could eat no more.
Night fell. Her parents had long gone to bed, yet the light remained on. Stacks of medical files lay open, and on the backup sheet of the basic information page, she saw Haruno Sakura written, and also Zaraki kita.
Sasuke, I don't know why you did this, but I can't abandon being a medical ninja because of you.
She took one last look at the home she had often found annoying, one last glance at her sleeping parents. Sakura turned off the light and slung her pack over her shoulders. As the door closed, her father's sigh drifted softly. He turned, hugging his wife, muffled sobs following.
"it's okay. Sakura's grown up."
"Mm…"
…
Under the moonlight, insects chirped softly, the solitary lamp casting a lone shadow.
At the end of the path was the boy she had cherished for so many years, the one who had pushed her out of Konoha.
Suddenly, he walked away, brushing past her.
"Sakura."
Sasuke's voice called out, stopping her departing figure.
"Why?"
The boy in white asked.
Sakura felt a thought to smile—I should be the one asking that question.
She didn't answer. Nor did she turn her head. Step by step, she moved forward into the darkness.
Clang!
Metal struck stone at her feet.
"If you go further, you'll be a deserter, Sakura."
"Sasuke."
Why did I ever like you so much?
Her steps faltered.
"Sasuke, the only person in the village who knew about my peanut allergy was you."
But compared to being a medical ninja, my feelings for you are laughable.
"…Sorry…"
"I found the swapped lunchbox. The related evidence has been destroyed. This accident is my responsibility. Even if my master investigates in the future, they won't trace it to you… Sasuke, after this incident, Master is in a difficult position. If you feel guilty, help Kakashi-sensei assist Master. And… please, take care of Naruto."
"I don't feel guilty."
Sasuke said it plainly.
"Naruto lost the Nine-Tails to Akatsuki, leaving the village in a difficult spot. You should know they are Akatsuki's. You—"
"She is my patient, Sasuke. I am a medical ninja. I am responsible for my patients, understand?"
"She's a non-human, that thing—"
"Stop making excuses! You don't care about this, you care about what you can gain!!!"
The voices ceased abruptly. Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura. Sasuke said no more, just as Sakura never looked back. Only a single figure—a supposedly weak girl—remained, leaving behind a shadow in the night, blanketed over Konoha.
No matter what, she is my patient. A doctor who abandons her patients… how can I ever call myself a medical ninja?
After a long pause, Sasuke spoke again, regret in his voice.
"Sorry."
Sakura smiled, closing her eyes as tears rolled down.
Why did I ever like you so much?
She murmured to the wind. After the breeze passed, under the lone lamp, there was no longer a girl with cherry blossom hair.