Malachite

She and her brother had just arrived at Naruto’s house for his third birthday party (Mama and Papa are at a council meeting and clan meeting respectfully). The Uzumaki family is in full attendance. The Uchiha main family and Shisui arrived just before them. Many other clan heads and their children are in attendance as is the common occurrence for a Hokage child and Noble clan affair. She swears she sees a flash of silver hair in a ponytail but doesn’t think about it.

Sakura is having an inner meltdown at how cute all her Konoha 12 friends(taht she can spot) are as babies. Several other she recognizes from her sensei’s generation are around as well. 

“Saku-chan!” Naruto crows as he rams into her. 

He drags Sasuke with him and she hugs both boys tightly. She has missed them something fierce. Just as Sasuke began training with his brother to learn Uchiha katas and history, Sakura had begun her own heiress training. From temple maintenance, to scripture memorization, she had been busy nearly all week save for the weekends where she would sleep in or medidate. She is certain both boys are in a similar situation as she knows the Uzumaki have just as much lineage as the Uchiha and her new Haruno clan. 

“Naru-chan! Sasu-chan!” She chirps absentmindedly and lets them go. 

Her brother chuckles and nods at Itachi and Shisui.

She doesn’t see this though because her eyes are trained on the group of teens talking to Minato-oji-chan. 

One brunette with purple rectangles on her cheek. One Uchiha with curly hair and eye patch over his left eye. And finally, one silver haired teen with a mask covering the bottom half of his face and his left eye closed with a scar over it.

(She does not think about Nohara Rin or Uchiha Obito. She does not ask why they are both in the village. Why the girl is alive and why Obito is not running around causing international incidents with terrorism. She is too focused on the silver haired teen. The visceral need to touch him and make sure he’s okay.)

At 17 years old, Kakashi-sensei looks lanky, Sakura muses distantly, worried about his eating habits. 

Her eyes are trained on her future sensei. Whether he knows that or not yet, is to be determined.

“Who are you looking at, Sakura-chan?” Sasuke asks, as he holds her left hand. His rosy cheeks are so damn bitable as he tilts his head to the side like a cat.

“Who are they?” She decides to ask, by nodding at the group of teenagers, as her hands are occupied.

Naruto follows the direction her chin nods in and his eyes brighten when they land on the group of teens joking with his mom and dad.

“Oh! Those are my nii-chans and nee-chan! Tou-chan said they were his ge-genin? students!” He exclaims, while holding her right hand.

Sakura takes a moment to look at the blond in his orange and turquoise attire. The red swirl on his sleeves and back have never looked more appropriate and she is glad he gets a proper chance to know his history in at least one life. 

“You look nice, Naru-chan.” She chirps with a grin.

Naruto blushes but grins. Sasuke smirks.

“Kaa-chan said it’s tra-trid-tradi..”

“Tradition.” Sakura and Sasuke finish for him smiling softly. The blonde returns the affectionate look. 

“Yeah, that! I can introduce them to ya! I’ve met your brothers after all!” His squishy cheeks bounce just slightly and Sakura wants to bite a whiskered cheek. But she reigns in the childish instinct. 

She can bite it during nap time.

Or after cake. 

Which ever happens first.

Itachi, Kaede, and Shishui chuckle as they follow the trio to over to the older teens.