"Look Sakura, we're here! You know this is where you were born and raised until we moved to Tea."

Sakura looked up from the dirt road she had her eyes fixed upon to stare upon the highest and most impressive gates she could remember seeing. Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves, where she was born and where she was now returning, years after her birth. While her parents had been excited to return to Konoha and take over the family business, Sakura did not share their excitement. They had memories and friends here, but all her memories and her friends were now behind her. Keeping pace with her mother, Sakura looked around, not really paying attention to anecdotes that were being sent her way.

As a big ninja village, Konoha was drastically different than their small farming village in Tea. As they walked down the main road leading from the gate, Sakura saw all manner of different people, but she was fascinated by the ninja. They stood out from everyone else, most of them wearing a dark green jacket with a red symbol. They came in all shapes and sizes, and for Sakura, who had never seen a ninja before, they were all different from what she had thought they'd be.

"And this is your aunt's flower shop, we're stopping here first." Haruno Mebuki, drew her daughter's attention away from her surroundings. Sakura blushed at being caught, and looked at the shop in front of them, named Yamanaka Flowers. The front of the shop was filled with a rainbow of different shapes and sizes, and Sakura found herself fascinated by the bright colors. Flowers were rare in Tea, and the ones they did have had been a shade of white that Sakura never quite liked.

"I didn't know I had an aunt that was a florist." Sakura spoke. She thought her mother didn't have any close family left. Sakura followed her mom inside the shop, where even more colorful flowers resided. The two women stopped by an arrangement of several different red flowers.

"Oh no, she's an old friend of mine. We were really close, so she's your godmother too. We always hoped you and her daughter, Ino would be close." Mebuki explained with a smile. She hadn't wanted to leave Konoha with baby Sakura, but when Kizashi's father had asked them to take over the family's farm, they had no choice but to leave Konoha. At first Mebuki had resisted the idea, but she eventually relented.

"How can I help you?" A tall blonde woman, approached them with a smile. Sakura eyed her in surprise, thinking that she was the most beautiful young woman she had ever seen.

"Are you perhaps… Ino?" Her mother seemed to recognize the young woman, who looked at the two of them in surprise.

"Yes, that's me…" Ino nodded. Sakura looked at her mother in surprise. She had wanted the two of them to be friends? Sakura was sure her mom was crazy, she would have had nothing in common with this girl. "And who might you be?" Ino asked, her smile lessening a little and her posture tightening.

"I'm Haruno Mebuki, your mother should be expecting me."

"Oh, of course! She's in the back!" Ino's whole demeanor changed again, Sakura noticed. She went from polite, to tense to friendly so fast that she almost wondered if the young woman in front of her was crazy.

"I still remember where that is, so I'll head there. In the meantime, do you think you could show my own daughter, Sakura, around the village?" Mebuki smiled, pushing Sakura towards Ino. Neither girl seemed happy with this and with nigh identical fake smiles, they nodded towards the older woman.

Sakura followed Ino outside the flower shop, and as soon as they were outside, Ino seemed to undergo another change. Her politeness was completely gone, replaced by a self-assured attitude. Flicking her long ponytail back, she eyed Sakura skeptically. Sakura didn't care for her attitude, crossing her own arms in response. The two of them stared each other down for a while, before eventually Ino cracked a grin.

"For a civilian girl you sure have guts, staring down a ninja like me." Ino's voice was filled with a kind of warmth that surprised Sakura.

"You're a ninja?" Sakura asked, shocked. She looked over Ino again. Her slim curvaceous body and good looks did not seem to be very ninja-like, but Sakura could see where it would be advantageous to be so pretty.

"Yeah, I'm from the prestigious Yamanaka Clan. C'mon Sakura, I'll show you all the best spots for a young girl."

Ino took Sakura through the shopping district, telling Sakura all the things she considered important for her to know. Sakura made sure to pay attention this time, knowing this was precious information. Ino told her about the best escape routes, clothing shops, hair stylists, weapons stores, and about her teammates, who she claimed Sakura could always go to when she needed help. Eventually she switched from talking to asking, wanting to know everything about Sakura's own life, and was impressed with Sakura's extensive knowledge of herbs and tea.

"That's what my clan does. We're tea-makers. Dad was taking care of the farm, but since grandpa died, we came here to take over the shop. Now the farm is in the hands of Dad's third cousin, Arashi." Sakura explained while Ino nodded.

"I'm guessing your mother wants to set up a deal with mine in regards to supplies?" Ino asked, and Sakura agreed, further explaining how it had been her idea to get in touch with a local florist to set them up with special blooms that they didn't grow themselves.

That was Sakura's biggest issue. Her father was absolutely clueless when it came to anything business-related. He was an excellent brewer and farmer, but had zero capacity to deal with anything related to numbers, supplies, or any other decisions. Sakura had always enjoyed reading and learning, and it had been Mebuki, her mother who had nurtured Sakura's desire for knowledge, and the young girl had since taken over the business side of things. It was why she had to leave Tea with them, knowing there was no way her father would be able to handle a shop without her.

"And we're back." Ino interrupted Sakura's explanation to show that they were already back at Yamanaka Flowers. Mebuki and an older woman that Sakura assumed was Ino's own mother had been standing in front of the shop. "Don't forget to stop by the shop I told you about, Konoha is pretty warm so you'll want to stop wearing those heavy clothes." Ino gave Sakura a last advice before the two of them separated. Sakura nodded with a smile.

"Did you like Ino-chan?" Mebuki asked her daughter with a knowing smile. Sakura nodded, deciding that she should stop questioning her mother's wisdom. The two of them headed to a different area of Konoha, heading to the Tea Shop to meet with Haruno Kizashi. Sakura noticed that the tea shop was located in a quieter area, seemingly residential, and she wondered why that was its location. The answer came to her when she learned the tea shop was also their new home. It was a two story building, the tea shop occupying the bottom floor, while the top floor was residential, and would be where Sakura's family would make their home.

Haruno Kizashi greeted them happily, as he had moved a month earlier than the two women, to make sure everything was set up perfectly for his two girls. He welcomed them to their new home, where everything was already furnished and organized. He showed them around the house, the living room, the kitchen and their bedrooms. Sakura noticed that hers was smaller than what she was used to in Tea, but it had a small patio that she could stand on and look outside. The view wasn't amazing, but the warm breeze was very welcome, and Sakura smiled, knowing that she could get used to it.

Their first dinner in Konoha was filled with Kizashi filling them in on everything he had done the first month, and while Sakura missed the people she left behind in Tea, she knew she could never leave behind her family.

The next day, Sakura opened the tea shop with her father. He told her that they didn't have many customers, but the ones they did were frequent and dedicated ones. Sakura frowned at this, hoping that they didn't suddenly inherit a trap of a tea shop, but chose to reserve her judgement until she could get her hands on her grandfather's notes.

"I'll be in the back, sorting and storing all the herbs you brought, can you watch the shop for me?" Kizashi asked his daughter, who nodded, looking around.

The front of the shop wasn't very large, a few tables scattered randomly around the floor. There was a counter that separated the front from the back area, and Sakura noticed a couple worn stools behind it. She smiled, knowing that this was likely where her grandparents had spent most of their time. Behind the balcony there were several tall bookshelves that served as a wall separating the front from the back, where her father was working. Overall, Sakura enjoyed the feel of the shop, as it came across as understated yet welcoming. She took to organizing the dishes that were scattered on the shelves. It looked like they were all placed randomly there, and Sakura wondered who would have been able to find what among that chaos.

She heard her father speak to their dessert supplier in the back, and sighed, knowing this would be yet another thing she'd have to look into. She hoped they sold enough sweets to justify whatever her father was paying the man. After she had finished organizing the shelves neatly, she found three old-looking notebooks containing her grandfather's bookkeeping and placed them atop the counter, intent on having a good look at them.

She had just sat down when two men entered the shop, absorbed in a conversation. They walked straight to a table on the right, and Sakura wondered why they didn't pick one by the windows. Grabbing two menus, she walked over to them. They didn't seem to notice her at first, and she patiently stood, waiting for them to finish what they were saying. Eventually the youngest one looked up at her, as if noticing her for the first time.

"What would you two like to have?" She smiled at the two, handing them the menus. They didn't take them, choosing to stare at her, and Sakura's smile twitched in annoyance.

"You must be Kizashi-san's daughter." The older male spoke.

"Yes, I am Haruno Sakura." She introduced herself to them. The whole situation was extremely awkward and Sakura wanted nothing more than to run away and hide her face in a book.

"I'll have the green tea with today's dango, and he'll have the black tea" The younger male ordered. She looked at him for a second, surprised at the smooth voice he had. Nodding at them, Sakura turned away, heading for the kitchen to relay their request to her father. Returning to her position at the counter, Sakura pulled out one of the stools, and opened one of her grandfather's notebooks. Before she could even understand what was written, her father called out to her. Sakura took their orders to their table, gently placing the correct items in front of each male, and with a small bow she returned to the book she had been itching to get her hands on.

Before she started reading, her mother entered the shop, stopping by to talk to Sakura. Mebuki wanted to buy some clothes for herself and Sakura told her about the shops Ino had recommended. Nodding, Mebuki turned around to look at the only occupied table.

"Wow, we have some handsome customers." She smiled. Sakura also looked at the table, shocked by her mother's bold statement. Sure, the one with the smooth voice also had a tall, lean physique and silky black hair that complimented his pale skin and his deep black eyes, but Sakura wasn't about to start ogling the few customers they had.

"I suppose he is handsome, and I like the ponytail, it looks nice, flowing downwards like that, but seriously mom, what if dad hears you." Sakura chastised her mother, who simply laughed.

"I wasn't talking about the young one. I meant the other one, with the scars on his face. I like a rugged, wild look like that." Mebuki smiled at Sakura, who was gaping at her bold mother. Before the young woman could recover, Mebuki left with a wave. Sakura looked at the two men who were still talking hoping they hadn't heard anything, but their small smiles told a different story.

Groaning, Sakura allowed her head to fall upon the book with a silent thump, cursing her parents. After a couple seconds of wallowing in self-pity, Sakura rose again with a sigh, deciding to get to work. Nothing like numbers to make her forget people, she thought.

Deciphering her grandfather's notes was more challenging than Sakura expected. His notebook was a mixture of diary and financial bookkeeping that was clumsily made. There were months without a single entry, and months where he would record the same thing twice. Feeling a headache beginning to form, Sakura stretched. She looked forward, and was surprised to see the young man standing on the other side of the counter. Not expecting his presence there, Sakura almost fell from the stool, gripping the counter for dear life.

"What?" She asked him breathlessly, her heart still racing from her almost fall.

"The bill." He extended a perfect hand towards her, and Sakura met him halfway with her own trembling one. He gently placed the money on her hand, and she noticed even his fingernails were perfectly trimmed. Looking upwards to meet his eyes, she pulled her hand back.

"Thank you." She remembered to smile at him, hoping he'd come again. With a small nod, he turned to leave, making no sound as he walked past all the tables. She watched him disappear as soon as he stepped outside and realized that he was probably a ninja. Realizing that as a ninja, he very likely had heard exactly what she and her mother said, Sakura was yet again filled with deep embarrassment.

Before she could wallow in her own self-pity further, her mother returned with lunch. The two of them ate together, Sakura listening to her mother's retelling of her shopping adventures. The two of them agreed to have Mebuki take care of the shop during the afternoon, to allow Sakura to find some new clothes for herself.

It was a happy Sakura that headed out in the sunny Konoha afternoon to find herself an outfit. She went straight to the shop Ino told her about, and was pleased by what she found there. Tasteful dresses in bright colors filled the shop, in different shapes, sizes and styles. She walked towards the qipao dresses, her eyes falling to a sleeveless red one that reached her mid-thigh. It had slits on the sides, which Sakura eyed suspiciously.

"That's a ninja dress." Another customer, a young woman with chestnut hair in two buns smiled at Sakura. "Not that a civilian like you can't wear it of course! I'd just recommend pairing it with some pants, or something. I hope I didn't offend you, my name's Tenten, and I'm a ninja." Sakura couldn't feel any ill-intentions coming from Tenten, just awkwardness. She could tell that Tenten hadn't meant to potentially offend her, and Sakura found herself smiling.

"What would you recommend?" Sakura asked. Tenten looked around the store thoughtfully. She grabbed the red dress and Sakura, pulling her towards a section filled with pants and shorts. The two women looked around thoughtfully, before Tenten smirked.

"Aha! What about these pants? They match the white trimming on the dress." Tenten pointed to white pants that would probably go to Sakura's knees. She liked them and nodded, grabbing them. "And since you're not a ninja…" Tenten continued, walking towards the shoes section. "You can wear these sandals with heels. They're very comfortable, even Tsunade-sama wears them." Tenten picked a pair of black sandals with low heels. "They'll make you look a little taller, which is always good." She smiled.

Tenten directed Sakura towards an area where she could try the outfit on, and once she did, Sakura stepped out, to show her impromptu friend the full look. Tenten analyzed her critically. She told Sakura to wait for a minute and ran off. She quickly returned with a black obi that she placed around Sakura's waist and grinned.

"There! That's perfect!"

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror and gasped. She felt that she looked beautiful. Her long pink hair complimented the red dress perfectly, falling to about the length of the obi, which helped show off her slim figure. The white pants highlighted Sakura's toned legs, and the black sandals matched the obi, while also giving Sakura a couple of inches.

"Wow, Tenten I look… amazing!" Sakura exclaimed, turning around to look at the proud-looking brunette. She had never felt so pretty before. Choosing to leave her old, baggy clothes behind, Sakura went straight to the register, choosing to wear her new outfit immediately.

"By the way, you never told me your name." Tenten spoke, as Sakura and her walked outside the shop. Sakura blushed in embarrassment and quickly rectified her mistake. "Sakura, huh. Your parents weren't very creative, huh?" She spoke, taking notice of Sakura's petal-pink hair.

"Yeah, you should see their shop. It's literally called Tea Shop." Sakura rolled her eyes. Tenten laughed, and the two of them started walking towards the aforementioned place. Sakura liked walking around in her new garments, finally feeling that Konoha wasn't too warm. As they got closer, to the shop, Tenten looked around in surprised recognition.

"Wait, is it that tea shop in the residential district? I thought it was an old man that ran it." Tenten asked, and Sakura raised her eyebrows, surprised that she knew about the shop.

"He passed away recently. He was my grandfather. Now, my father and I are taking care of it." Sakura explained and Tenten nodded. "Are you a frequent customer?" Sakura asked.

"Well, I go there sometimes, but I'm not frequent. It's my teammate, Neji that really likes the shop. He says the tea is the best he's had." Tenten explained and Sakura felt a small pang of pride at knowing that their efforts were recognized. The two of them entered the shop and Sakura noticed a new customer she didn't know. He had long brown hair and pale, pearly eyes. "Speak of the devil, Neji!" Tenten walked up to him with a smile.

He nodded at both of them, his eyes lingering on Sakura for an extra second. She felt uncomfortable to see those odd eyes staring at her.

"Tenten. We are not scheduled to meet for another hour." He spoke in a low tone. Sakura wondered if he was also a ninja, as he was in the same team as Tenten, who was a ninja. Then she wondered if it was a trend for males to be long-haired.

"Oh you're right. I met Sakura here in a shop, and we became friends, then I learned that she is the granddaughter of the old owner of the shop who died and now she and her dad are taking over." Tenten briefly explained. Sakura bowed politely, knowing from the brown-haired girl that Neji was a frequent customer. He looked at his tea thoughtfully.

"The quality has not decreased." He noted in a quiet tone. Sakura smiled.

"Our clan is proud of its classic tea-making techniques. My father learned his craft from his father and so on. I promise you that you will never be disappointed." Sakura spoke up pridefully. Neji rose an elegant eyebrow at her and nodded. Deciding to leave the two teammates alone, Sakura returned to her mother, who was writing a letter at the counter.

"Oh you're back!" Sakura smiled to her mother, who stared at her daughter for a second. "Kizashi! Come out here!" Mebuki called Sakura's father, who came out in a hurry, wondering what was going on. The two of them stared at their daughter intently, and Sakura began to doubt herself under their gaze.

"Mebuki. I'm going to have to start saving up for a wedding." Kizashi spoke soberly and Mebuki nodded. Confused, Sakura wondered what they were talking about. "Our young flower has blossomed into a beautiful woman. I'm sure there will be a line of gentlemen seeking her affection." Kizashi continued in a tearful way.

"Don't be like that! I don't really know anyone here, and besides, I'll be too busy with the shop to go find a boyfriend." Sakura smiled at them.

"Oh no, if you find a boy you like, you should absolutely go spend time with him. Your father used to ditch the shop all the time when we were young!" Mebuki laughed. Sakura found herself joining her mother's laughter as Kizashi protested. Once their antics were over, Kizashi headed back to the kitchen, and Mebuki headed upstairs to get a head start on preparing dinner, leaving Sakura to tend to the shop by herself. She returned to analyzing her grandfather's notes, and quickly decided they were useless to her, and she'd have to start the bookkeeping fresh.

Neji and Tenten bid her warm goodbyes on their way out and Sakura was glad to see them leave. She quickly took advantage of the empty shop to step outside and quickly buy a new notebook where she could start writing down expenses and sales. When she returned there was a man waiting by the counter, with gravity defying grey hair. He was obviously a ninja, with the blade strapped to his back and the pouch on his thigh clear indications for Sakura.

"Hello, can I help you?" She asked him, wondering why he was standing by the counter instead of taking a table. He turned around to face her and she was surprised to find half his face covered by a mask.

"Ah just waiting on an order." He replied amicably. Sakura nodded, placing her parcel on the counter and going into the kitchen to ask her father for the man's order.

"Sakura, just in time. Please hand this to Kakashi-san who is probably waiting outside." Kizashi handed Sakura a warm thermos, and she nodded, taking it outside.

She handed it to Kakashi, who thanked and paid her before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Writing down the order and the amount paid in her new notebook, Sakura made a note of the client's name too.

"I didn't know we sold tea to go." She told her father as they were closing the shop.

"I didn't either until I got here. Kakashi and Itachi both stop sometimes before their missions. I didn't want to deny them something they were used to, as they even had their own thermos!" Kizashi explained and Sakura nodded, understanding the situation rapidly.

Small yet dedicated clientele indeed, she noted to herself.