In the early morning, a black cat lazily stretched atop a wall.
Uchiha ninja darted across rooftops in small groups, only to pause when they spotted the cat, stopping to give it a quick pet.
Inside the clan leader's home, Sasuke Uchiha, the second son of the clan head, stirred awake on his tatami mat.
He tidied his bedding, changed into his clothes, and got ready for school.
After washing up, he sat at the dining table. From the kitchen, his mother's voice floated out, chatting with someone.
"Wow, that smells amazing. Looks like it's almost ready," Mikoto Uchiha said, watching Sakura Haruno skillfully stir-fry something on the stove. She couldn't help but admire her. "Sakura, your cooking is fantastic. I wonder who'll get to enjoy this talent in the future~"
Mikoto glanced at Sakura, then stepped forward to help set out the dishes, clearly in a good mood as she teased, "What do you think of my two boys?"
"No way, they're too weak. They can't even beat me," Sakura shot back, shutting down the idea. "Plus, don't you think I'm a bit young to be talking about this stuff?"
With a blank expression, she carried a dish of stew out of the kitchen.
"Aw, that's too bad~" Mikoto pouted, starting to clean up the kitchen.
Truth be told, Mikoto genuinely liked Sakura. She was cute, sensible, and an excellent cook. What a shame her two sons were so clueless—imagine having a daughter like Sakura!
"Here, eat up!"
A still-groggy Sasuke looked down as a bowl of stew was placed in front of him. He picked up his chopsticks and mumbled, "Mom, why's breakfast so heavy today?"
"Because you've got physical training this morning, so you need plenty of protein and electrolytes!"
Sasuke froze. That voice—it sounded like that pink-haired, freakishly strong girl. No way, it had to be his imagination. There's no way she'd show up at his house, right?
Rubbing his eyes, he glanced to his right.
There she was, sitting next to him, happily digging into her stew.
"?!"
Sasuke jolted, nearly falling off his chair in shock. "What are you doing here?!" he blurted out, his voice rising in panic.
"Quit freaking out and sit properly!" his father, Fugaku, scolded.
Sasuke scrambled to his feet, stomped over to his older brother Itachi, and tugged at his clothes, his expression practically screaming, Bro, look at her!
"Alright, calm down," Itachi said. "Sakura's staying with us for a while as an Anbu assigned to the Uchiha clan."
"Sasuke, you need to get along with your classmate," he added, patting Sasuke's head and nudging him back to his seat.
Sasuke sat there, stiff as a board, for the entire morning.
During physical training at school, he avoided even glancing at Sakura. He'd already apologized to her—why was she still showing up at his house? Was she going to beat him up at home if he stepped out of line at school? No way, that can't happen!
"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan!" Ino panted, jogging up to Sakura on the track. "What's up with Sasuke? He's been giving you weird looks all morning."
"No clue. Maybe it's because this morning he was whining to his brother about—"
Whoosh!
A small pebble, expertly thrown with Uchiha-style precision, cut Sakura off mid-sentence from a hidden corner.
Sakura caught a glare full of resentment and decided to shut her mouth. If that prickly, prideful kid got embarrassed and lashed out, her secret about using a shadow clone to attend school might get exposed.
"Whining about what with his brother?" Ino pressed, not letting it go.
"Who knows~" Sakura winked playfully at Ino, picking up her pace and running ahead. Ino groaned and chased after her.
The girls' laughter echoed across the track as the school day came to an end.
As the sun set, casting an orange glow over the riverbank, Sakura walked through the Uchiha clan's grounds after a day of training in the forest.
"Hey, isn't that Sakura?"
An enthusiastic voice called out from a pancake stall. It was Mrs. Uchiha Kome, waving her over. Not long ago, Sakura's combat skills had impressed quite a few of the typically proud Uchihas, making her a bit of a celebrity in the clan. Mrs. Kome had heard her name tossed around by the younger crowd more than once.
"Want a pancake? It's on the house!" Mr. Uchiha Teyaki, flipping batter on a sizzling griddle, chimed in with a friendly grin.
"Sure, I'll take one!" Sakura picked out a nice-looking pancake and, as she turned to leave, slipped 40 ryo into the money jar.
"Hey, kid, I said it's on me!" Teyaki called after her, half-annoyed as he chased her out of the stall.
"Hehe, next time, I promise!" Sakura waved, laughing as she ran off.
Munching on her pancake, she reached the clan leader's house, where she bumped into Sasuke, who'd taken a different route home.
"Hmph, eating a pancake and dinner? Watch out, you might get fat," Sasuke muttered, his tone sharp but laced with concern that she wouldn't have room for his mother's carefully prepared meal.
"Don't worry, I'll burn it off by sparring with a certain classmate at the academy!" Sakura shot him a sly, teasing look.
"?!"
Sasuke's face paled, and he bolted into the house.
At dinner, Mikoto went all out to welcome their temporary guest. Rice balls, hearty soup, stew, cutlets, tempura, grilled saury—the Uchiha matriarch showcased her incredible cooking skills.
(Seriously, cooking with Sharingan activated? That's just cheating!)
After dinner, Sakura helped Mikoto clean up the dishes. Fugaku sipped tea in the living room, while the two brothers sprawled on the tatami, rubbing their full stomachs.
As the sky darkened and a light rain began to fall, cooling the summer night, a gentle breeze rustled the curtains. The house grew quiet, filled only with the sound of rain, lulling everyone into a sleepy calm.
Sasuke dozed off, his head resting on Itachi's lap. Mikoto draped a blanket over him. Even the usually strict Fugaku didn't bother mentioning rules or propriety for once.
Sakura, now dressed in her Anbu gear, stepped out quietly, careful not to disturb the peaceful family scene.
She silently left the Uchiha grounds and headed swiftly toward the Hokage's office.
Inside, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, gazed at the lightning streaking across the sky, lighting his pipe.
"Phew—" Smoke curled around the old man as he spoke without turning. "You're here, Hana."
A petite, pink-haired Anbu appeared in the office, bowing respectfully.
"So, how was your first day with the Uchihas?" he asked.
Sakura touched the edge of her mask thoughtfully. "Well… the food was pretty delicious?"
"Huh?"
"Heh."
Feed the author—vote now or the story starves 😭"
Want 2 chapters a day? You know what to do!
Request your favorite story too!
Pat-reon: belamy20
I actually finish stories (miracle, right?)