Maybe

ANBU

After a while of being stuck in the hospital, Sakura learnt it was waayyy more enjoyable to be on the staff side of things than the patient one.
Being a patient was boring : she had to stay in her bed all day, eat the same bland food at every meal and suffer through long and boring check ups.
But that wasn't the worse ; the medics, who had known of her closeness with Nanami, kept looking at her suspiciously like she might blow up the entire building or something.

It was these small looks and gestures that put her on edge and made Sakura grateful when she was finally allowed to leave.

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A lot of things had happened during her recovery. Sasuke and Kakashi had had an encounter with the infamous Uchiha Itachi, murderous brother of Sasuke.

A small part of the Haruno wished she could've been there to question Itachi about Nanami's claims. Because who better to ask about the murder of a whole clan than the murderer himself?

Naruto, had left. He was on a quest with Jiraya of the Sannin to bring back a renowned medic and potential next Hokage.

It was probably Senju Tsunade, granddaughter of the first Hokage, matriarch of one of the founding clans and apprentice under the Third Hokage.
Her reputation as a medic and her inhuman strength made her one ofthe world's most powerful kunoichi alive.

Sakura was a huge fan. The woman had risen to amazing heights in a patriarchal society that did its best to stifle women.
Tsunade really was something and Sakura couldn't wait to see the changes she would inevitably bring to Konoha.

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As she walked back home, Sakura couldn't help but wonder why her parents hadn't visited her while she was in hospital.

She was sure they were alive, Kakashi had told her before he got stuck in a coma.
But then, why didn't they come? Had they learnt of Nanami-san's betrayal and decided they were better off without her? That Sakura wasn't worth anything after trusting a traitor?

That wasn't their type.

But... the more Sakura thought about it, the more she couldn't understand why they hadn't visited.

Stopping in front of her house, she hesitated. What if they hated her? She would rather never see them again then know that they despised her.

:::::

Sakura was so deep in thought, she failed to notice the lurking shadows behind the nearby buildings.

::::

Gathering her courage, she pushed the door and stepped into herhouse. It was dark, the curtains had been closed shut and no light shone through, making Sakura uncomfortable. The dinner table was empty and a small layer of dust had settled over it, suggesting no one had been there for a while.

Carefully, she stepped towards the stairs, the floor creaking under her heels. The sound echoed eerily in the empty house.
Silence.

Then, muffled sounds.
Someone breathing.

Sakura tensed.

A shadowy figure flew down from the second floor, crashing towards her. Taken aback, Sakura only had the time to pull a kunai, and hold it to the attacker's neck.

The darkness of the room prevented the girl from seeing who it was, but there was something... strangely familiar about them.

Suddenly, it hit her.

"Mo...Mom?" She stuttered. Sakura felt the muscles under her hands momentarily tense, then sag in relief.

"Sakura, honey!"

To say Sakura was surprised would be an understatement.
Her arms fell limp to her side, her kunai forgotten, clattered on the floor.

Just...What?

"Shhh!" her mother hushed, her voice cracking. With a strength she didn't know her mother possessed, Sakura was half dragged, half led to her parent's room.
There, her father was waiting, wringing his hands anxicously. He looked up, his gaze catching Sakura's.

"You're alive.." He breathed.

"Umm...Yes? What... What's happening?" The girl asked, completely lost.
Her mother looked pityingly at her, much to Sakura's confusion.

What the hell was happening???

Noticing her daughter's bewilderment, Mebuki Haruno sighed.

"ANBU, darling." she started explaining. "Ever since the end of the Konoha crush, we've been put under strict ANBU supervision. We... we didn't want to put anyone in danger so we faked our departure to Kiri, you know I have relatives there. We snuck back in here. We...we didn't want to leave you. At least not without telling you first."
The silence in the room was deafening. Nothing made sense, but somewhat everything did.
Someone was after the Harunos, and somehow, Sakura knew it was her fault.

Now you're just being self-centred, she scolded herself, there's no reason it's your fault. It's surely just a fluke anyway! Who would ask ANBU agents to monitor civilians?
Who would ask ANBU...

"But the Hokage's dead!" Sakura exclaimed, "All ANBU are supposed to be on standby except for routine patrols! Who... who gave them that order??!"

Her parents exchanged wary looks, making her wonder what they were hiding.
Finally, her mom turned to face her, her eyes staring at anything but Sakura.

"We...we don't know, honey..."

It was very obviously a lie, but Sakura... Sakura understood.
Information was dangerous, especially if it concerned very dangerous persons. And someone who controlled ANBU certainly was very dangerous indeed.

She didn't want to put her parents in harm's way.
She wouldn't ask them again.

(That didn't mean she wouldn't swoop around)

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