At the end of Year 58 of Konoha Calendar, Hokage Building.
The serene moonlight spilled through the window into the Hokage's office, refracted by exhaled smoke, and finally scattered onto the floor in tiny dots.
Having finished his work and set down the documents, Hiruzen removed his pipe and tapped it against the corner of his desk to dislodge the residue clogging it.
His gaze focused on a pot of lush, vibrant green bamboo that had entered his line of sight.
Somehow, Hiruzen suddenly thought of Sakura's emerald-green eyes.
'Come to think of it, that little girl should have gotten the Flying Thunder God Technique's scroll by now, right?'
'Was she cheering with joy, or was she already stumped by the barriers of the Flying Thunder God Technique?'
"Ah, well, let's take a look!"
The thought of seeing that always-confident girl's face show a troubled expression brought a smile to Hiruzen's aged face.
He pulled out the crystal ball from his office and performed the Telescope Technique.
Chakra flowed in and wove together, combining with the monitoring barrier covering the entire village, transforming into a vision that could penetrate any physical limitation.
However, the crystal ball, which should have displayed a clear image, unusually showed mottled patches of color.
"Hmm?"
Hiruzen was taken aback. He raised his hand and tapped the crystal ball with his pipe.
But the focus of the vision shook. Faint white ripples swayed and spread.
"What's going on?"
Puzzled, Sarutobi Hiruzen brought his face closer to the crystal ball, his cloudy eyes wide open.
From that moment on, the blurry patches vanished abruptly, and Sakura's room clearly appeared in Hiruzen's view.
However, along with it appeared millions of blazing and dazzling rays of light!
"Argh-!"
A cry of pain sounded in the Hokage's office. The dropped pipe hit its old owner precisely. Sparks shot out from the pipe, igniting the flammable Hokage Robe.
By the time the Anbu rushed into the office, they found the Hokage kneeling on the ground... on fire!!!
"Hokage-sama!"
A shrill wail echoed through the Hokage Building, but it had nothing to do with the pink figure who had tumbled into her own bedroom.
Thump...
In the second-floor bedroom of the Haruno Residence, Sakura was buried face-down in her soft mattress.
'No good, I'm so dirty, need to wash up...'
But heavy fatigue and the comfort of home held her body down firmly. The potent effects of the [Bed Sealing Technique] were something even a young Giant Royalty couldn't resist!
Time passed minute by minute. Her chest, perfectly flush against the mattress, began to rise and fall evenly. Sakura had clearly already entered dreamland.
…
The next day.
Wrapped in the familiar feeling of home, Sakura opened her sleepy eyes, her toes flexing against the sheets.
She climbed out of bed and went to the mirror, unwrapping the bandages around her body.
The injuries left from the bitter battle on Ohara had already healed. Her skin was still as glossy and elastic as before.
Looking at the increasingly graceful and poised girl in the mirror, Sakura propped her right hand on her hip and made a peace sign next her cheek with her left.
'Hehe, I'm so adorable!'
[Heh!]
The prompt before her eyes made a blush rise from Sakura's neck, spreading across her entire face, until steam practically rose from her head.
'Shady system, for once you didn't try to scam me out of money~'
[Notice: Please do not use slander against this system to deflect the host's embarrassment.]
[Additionally, one update notification detected. Expand: yes/no]
"!!!"
The mechanical prompt sounded in Sakura's ear. An update notification awaited her opening.
'Yes!'
In an instant, countless data circuits erupted and spread, engulfing Sakura entirely.
[Notice: Giant Royalty's Physique: Juvenile Stage completed. Genome stabilized, entering Growth Stage!]
[Additionally, with genome stabilization, Chakra: Kekkei Genkai Module can be loaded. Estimated cost: 180 Achievement Points. Proceed with system update?]
'Good grief, this shady system's true nature was hard to change.'
'At first, I thought it was giving me some free intel, but it was just finding another way to scam me out of my points!'
'Update! Update!'
'You thieving piece of junk, always copying big corporations' jargon! Watch out for a lawsuit from my legal department tomorrow!'
Sakura rolled her eyes, urging the system to load.
[Notice: Parsing authentication... Executing command... Module deployment progress 100%]
[Kekkei Genkai Module installation complete. Synthesis list fully unlocked. We hope you enjoy using it.]
'Hmm? Shady merchant, did your speech just get smoother?'
Although she felt a pang for her hard-earned points, the system's change was more noticeable.
[Negative. It is your misconception.]
Sakura looked suspiciously at the golden light sphere existing within her consciousness.
'-Never mind, it's fine.'
Unable to contain her excitement, Sakura turned her attention to the Kekkei Genkai Module and began browsing.
[Currently held Chakra Attributes: Water, Earth, Fire (Fruit)]
[Fusable Kekkei Genkai: Wood Release (2000), Boil Release (200), Lava Release (200), Mud Release (200)]
'Wood Release!'
Her gaze fixed on the legendary Kekkei Genkai that had pacified the Warring States Era, Sakura couldn't look away.
Unfortunately, the string of glaring zeros following Wood Release made Sakura, who had none, feel very troubled.
'Judging by the exorbitant cost of this Kekkei Genkai, the ones exchangeable from the system probably weren't just pirated version like Yamato's.'
'Too bad my balance is only this much left...'
Every step the shady system took was precisely designed to empty her pockets, and she had no way to fight back!
Helpless, Sakura could only turn her attention to the remaining three Kekkei Genkai.
'First, Mud Release was absolutely out! This Kekkei Genkai, which could be perfectly replaced by the Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld, would be a complete waste of points.'
'Second, Lava Release could also be excluded! My Devil Fruit's Ability gave me unparalleled control over temperature, so Lava Release's utility was similarly low.'
'So, I choose you!'
After weighing her options, Sakura chose Boil Release, which could affect Chakra.
A long time ago, Sakura had discovered that Chakra could activate the body, enhancing the power of punches and sword swings.
And this Boil Release before her could instantly release extraordinary explosive force, also possessing penetrating physical impact and dissolving properties.
After the points were deducted, time seemed to infinitely slow down. The Water and Fire Attribute Chakras sublimated from her body, converging into white light that etched itself into Sakura's genes.
From the perspective of her bodily senses, Sakura felt she had gained an extra instinct, as if she could make her Chakra boil instantly whenever she wished.
[Notice: Boil Release Kekkei Genkai exchange successful. Current Achievement Point Balance: 0]
'Alright, let's try...'
Knock knock knock!
The sound of knocking on her door interrupted the girl's preparations to redecorate her house. Mebuki's voice followed.
"Sakura, Ino is here to see you."
Sakura, standing in front of the full-length mirror, turned her head mechanically. She looked at the filthy bed, the floor, and the battle-damaged version of her Ninja Bodysuit she was wearing.
'I'm done for!'
Without any hesitation, Sakura used her super brain to devise a super plan.
'Step One: Clean up what I can!'
Creak!
There was no time to execute the procedure as her mother had already opened the door.
"Sakura, you..."
'Okay, now execute Step Two: Attempt to evoke maternal love!'
Sakura put her hands behind her back, looking at Mebuki with wide, watery eyes.
"Mom~!"
"Ha! Ru! No! Sa! Ku! Ra-!"