Sakura- Flower of Blood (English Version)

10. Chapter

The apartment was small, but it was cozy and Sakura believed that she could spend the next years here quite well.

Simple white dishes and a few pots were neatly arranged in the cupboards, but the fridge was empty. So Sakura decided to go shopping on the spot, as she had some important errands to run anyway. She grabbed the money the Hokage had prepared for her and set off to explore the village.

:

A few hours later she had bought enough food for a week, two cookbooks, a few books on chakra control and medical ninjutsu, as well as two Kunai bags, Kunai and Senbon.

Loaded with the heavy bags she now avoided passers-by and tried to return home unharmed.

"OI!" She ignored the statement. It was unlikely that anyone would approach her if no one knew her.

"GIRL WITH THE PINK HAIR!" With a questioning look, she turned and saw the blond boy from the Hokage's office running in her direction.

Sakura smiled and stopped to wait for the young Jinchuuriki, noticing the strange, sometimes hateful, looks the villagers gave Naruto.

"Nami-Chan? Why do people look at Naruto in such a strange way?"

"The Nine-Tailed Fox attacked this village exactly six years ago and wiped out a big part of the population. Most of these people lost family members and friends, so they needed a scapegoat." Sakura felt compassion and sympathy for this boy.

He had done nothing wrong and yet these people blamed him for something that happened before his time.

She looked around once more and heard the whispered insults and wild gestures in his direction.

Naruto, who had now arrived next to her, didn't seem to notice the whole thing or he just ignored it.

Sakura's protective instinct kicked in and she sent angry glances in the direction of the villagers, causing them to turn away quickly and act as if nothing had happened. Satisfied, she turned to the blond boy.

"You're Naruto, aren't you?"

"Exactly!!" He seemed to be full of energy.

His eyes fell on the heavy bags on her arms, and without asking, he grabbed a few and walked ahead in the direction she had gone before.

A little surprised, Sakura stopped for a moment before she shook it off and ran after the boy.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked when she arrived at his side.

Naruto looked at her and grinned.

With slightly flushed cheeks, he said, " 'Cause you're  pretty." Sakura smiled amd thought to herself, that her parents' methods must have worked. "Besides, Ji-san said you were new to the village, and I wanted to ask you if I could show you around!"

"That'd be great!" His enthusiasm got the better of them, and together they brought the groceries back to her home.

:

Naruto looked around in surprise.

"I didn't know there were such beautiful apartments in Konoha."

Sakura tilted her head in surprise and wondered what kind of apartment he must have been in to find such a simple and dull place beautiful.

He turned to her with bright eyes and excitedly asked her, "Would you like to go to the playground with me?" He seemed to enjoy this idea, and although Sakura would have preferred to see the village or go for a workout, she couldn't refuse him.

"Sure!" Sakura gave him a big smile, revealing the sweet dimples because of which her mother had forbidden her to smile like that.

"Then let's go!" he turned on his own axis and ran straight for the door. He stopped just before and turned to her in obvious shame.

"Um... c-can I maybe go to the bathroom first?" Sakura laughed and pointed in the direction of the small bathroom, whereupon he went in that direction with bright red cheeks.

"While you're busy, I'll go exploring and tell you about anything interesting later." Sakura felt a tickle on her forehead, and knew what was happening. Isanami took on her physical form, this process required a lot of chakra, so she didn't do it often, even if only for a short period of time.

A bright blue dragonfly, not much bigger than a little finger, rose from Sakura's forehead and started flying out the window.

Their telepathic connection was not interrupted and they were still able to talk to each other mentally.

She waved briefly to the little dragonfly and, sighing, let her head fall back.

Before she could have even a few seconds of peace, Naruto came back.