The Butterfly Effect

16.- Farewell

Peace, order and development. The ninja world had reached a time of tranquility after so many wars until the end. Only one person somehow managed to survive that extinction.

'How can I live with them dead?' Sakura thought in the middle of a crisis.

Her mind was disconnected from her body until for fate's sake, Sakura came across the whitebeard pirates and her life took a 180° turn and entered a new chapter in her life. The last ninja has entered the great pirate age!

Since the day Whitebeard's crew celebrated Sakura's daughter's funeral, she felt even closer to all of them. They had been her saviors in more than one sense. She learned, ate, trained, and had fun with them until, almost without realizing it, Sakura finally fully recovered.

Her time aboard the ship came to an end, and as they had promised, they would honor the agreement. Although some were sad and others tried to persuade Sakura to change her mind, no one dared to violate the pact they had reached. Even pirates have their own code of honor.

Finally, they agreed that they would stop at the next island stable enough for Sakura to live in peace, without having to worry about the marines or people's indiscreet questions. It was decided that it would be one of the islands under Whitebeard's protection, ensuring her that any problem that arose would receive immediate help, even if Sakura didn't ask for it.

At that moment, Sakura was unpacking the last box in a room she had rented in an inn, while looking for a comfortable house to settle in. She didn't carry much with her: some clothes, her ninja tools, a couple of books, a chest full of gold she had accepted from the treasure she won at the casino, and some gifts from the crew.

"That's all," said Teach, placing the chest full of money in the corner Sakura indicated. "Are you sure you don't need help with anything else?"

"No, thank you," Sakura replied.

"It's a shame that such a beautiful girl has to leave," Teach commented, feeling sad for a moment. "I'll never find another one like you, unless it's Boa Hancock."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. Teach was always the same. Every time they were together, he praised her and hinted that they should be a couple. Sakura found it amusing, especially when the others playfully hit him and joked that Sakura would soon be interested in someone else. She would miss not only Teach but also the entire crew that had become her friends.

"You'll find her. Sometimes love comes when you least expect it," Sakura said.

Once out of the inn, Sakura and Teach took separate paths. Teach returned to the ship while Sakura decided to explore her new home alone. She wanted to get used to her new quiet life as a common villager; no ninja missions, attacks from neighboring villages, double shifts at the hospital, pirate attacks, maneuvers to keep the ship stable when entering an island's climate, or impromptu banquets.

She walked through the market and the main areas of the village before venturing into less populated areas, eventually reaching the edge of the forest, where she found a space large enough to build a house with a small garden where she could grow medicinal plants. Perhaps she could become a common doctor or, failing that, an herbalist, and she even considered the possibility of founding a ninja school specializing in taijutsu in the future.

Sakura felt a slight pang of pain when she thought of Sarada; if she were there, she would have taught her to be a good ninja. She briefly remembered the nurses telling her that she would be a great mother.

"Maybe someday I'll give you a little brother or sister," Sakura whispered, although it wouldn't be in the immediate future, as she didn't see herself finding a partner and having children at this time.