Late December, Konoha Year 60 – Konoha Village
Sasuke was currently engrossed in examining the shimenawa. Ever since his entire clan had ceased to exist, Sasuke's pursuit of strength had intensified, while his daily life had been lived in a daze.
He spent every New Year festival immersed in pain and sorrow. For others, this day was filled with joy; for Sasuke, it was a day shrouded in darkness.
Passing by this shop, Sasuke had entered on impulse. In previous years, he had detested shops like this; the nengajo and shimenawa within felt like a painful reminder of his loss. But somehow, seeing these festive items again today, he didn't feel the same aversion as before.
He picked up a nengajo, studying it carefully, a flicker of nostalgia occasionally surfacing in his eyes. As he silently calculated how many he might need to buy, a familiar voice suddenly sounded beside him.
"You're here buying things for the festival too?" Sakura asked, juggling her bags and mentally calculating if she could trick Sasuke into helping her carry them.
Sasuke turned his head and saw Sakura. A trace of panic flashed in his eyes. He put the card back down, cleared his throat, and said, "Ahem, just looking."
"What have you been up to lately? I haven't been able to find you anywhere," Sakura put down her own bags and picked up a nengajo, asking Sasuke while examining it.
"Just training with Hiruzen-sensei," Sasuke replied, seemingly trying to regain his composure and act nonchalant as he started picking out cards himself.
"Looks like I'm the only one with free time," Sakura murmured, her eyes caught by a pink nengajo adorned with a cherry blossom pattern. She turned it over and over, captivated, but regretfully put it down – nengajo were for giving away, not keeping for oneself.
"If you don't work harder, I'm going to surpass you," Sasuke commented, noticing how reluctant Sakura seemed to part with that particular card, a thoughtful look on his face.
"You want to surpass me? You've still got a long way to go!" Sakura retorted. She finally set aside the cherry blossom card and selected ten others according to her mother's list. Then, doing a quick mental calculation, she realized she probably needed to buy a few for herself as well.
Father, Mother, Tsunade-sensei, Jiraiya-sensei, Shizune-senpai, Kakashi-sensei, Karin, Junko, Naruto, Sasuke, and Misa-obasan... Counting them up, she needed another ten.
She picked out nine more nengajo and selected a few shimenawa, then handed them to the shopkeeper to wrap.
"That will be 600 ryo. Thank you for your patronage," the shopkeeper said.
After paying, Sakura gathered the wrapped cards and ropes, picked up her previously purchased items, and found herself nearly buried under packages.
"Hey, aren't you going to say something?" Sakura prompted, looking pointedly at Sasuke, who showed absolutely no intention of helping.
"Say what?" Sasuke looked genuinely confused.
"Never mind," Sakura sighed, feeling weary looking at his clueless expression. Sasuke's emotional intelligence really isn't that high, is it?
Watching Sakura leave, laden with bags, Sasuke picked up the pink cherry blossom nengajo she had admired moments ago. After a moment's thought, he added two black cards for himself and randomly selected a shimenawa, then went to pay.
"That will be 260 ryo. Thank you for your patronage."
Back home, Sakura handed the purchased items to her mother and retreated to her room to start writing nengajo. These needed to be delivered the day before the festival. She had written them while with Tsunade-sensei, but back then, she only sent them to Tsunade and Shizune-senpai. Now, the list of recipients was much longer.
After racking her brains, she finally finished writing messages for everyone. Just then, Karin's voice sounded from outside the room – she must be home from work.
Leaving her room, Sakura found Junko was there too, likely having returned with Karin.
"Sakura, finally awake?" Karin teased, seeing Sakura emerge from her room.
"Oh, hush! I've been up for ages," Sakura retorted, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Karin had really settled into the village, no longer the timid, fearful girl she was upon arrival. This was largely thanks to her excellent sensory abilities, which helped her navigate social situations. Sakura had predicted early on that once Karin familiarized herself with the village, she'd fit right in.
"Here, Junko, this is for you," Sakura took out the freshly written nengajo and handed it to Junko.
"Thank you, Sakura-senpai," Junko accepted the card quietly. She used to receive them when Grandma Rika was still alive.
"Call me sister. Don't keep calling me 'senpai'; it makes me sound old," Sakura corrected her, feeling uncomfortable with the formal address within their home. She wanted Junko to see her as family.
"Yes, Sakura-neechan."
Junko was obedient, but her formulaic reply made Sakura feel a sense of helplessness. It's going to be a long road, she thought. Looks like I need to resolve Junko's inner conflicts sooner rather than later.
"Hey? What about mine, Sakura?" Karin pouted from the side, noticing Sakura seemingly had no intention of giving her one.
Seeing Karin's expectant gaze, Sakura chuckled, deciding to stop teasing her. She produced the nengajo prepared for Karin.
"This one's yours."
Karin cradled her card, her eyes misting slightly. It had been several years since she'd last received one. Still, she mumbled, trying to act cool, "This is acceptable."
Then, Karin pulled two cards from the small pouch she carried. "These are from me and Junko. Take them."
Sakura accepted the cards Karin handed over and opened them. One had neat, elegant handwriting, while the other's script was... frankly, hard to praise. Surprisingly, the neat handwriting belonged to Karin, and the other was Junko's. Makes sense, Sakura thought. Junko probably hasn't had many opportunities to write before.
"Time for lunch! Karin, Junko, Sakura!" Mebuki called out to them.
"Coming!" Sakura replied weakly, feeling slightly hurt that her mother had put her name last.
It was a warm and happy lunch. Because the festival was approaching, Kizashi was also off work, so the whole family was finally gathered for lunch. The atmosphere became even livelier when Karin and Junko presented the nengajo they had prepared for Sakura's parents.
Everyone at this table shared unbreakable bonds with Sakura. These people connected her tightly to this world, banishing her lingering sense of alienation. This world held family and friends.
After eating, Sakura didn't rest; she still had the remaining nengajo to deliver.
She headed to Misa-obasan's snack shop. Misa-obasan was clearing away dishes left by customers.
"Misa-obasan, this is for you. Thank you for all your kindness this year," Sakura took out a card and handed it over. She could have used mail carriers, but since everyone was in the village, she chose to deliver them herself.
"Is this... a nengajo?" Misa-obasan accepted it, looking pleasantly surprised. "Thank you, Sakura."
"It's nothing, Misa-obasan. Thank you for always looking out for me," Sakura said, then turned to leave. "I still have more to deliver, so I'll be going now."
"Wait, Sakura." Misa-obasan held out a portion of red bean cake. "I know you like this. Take it."
Sakura didn't stand on ceremony; Misa-obasan often gave her little treats like this when she stopped by. "Thank you! I'm off then."
Next, Tsunade-sensei. If there was one person Sakura felt most grateful to, it was undoubtedly Tsunade. For three years, she had tirelessly taught Sakura everything she knew. Sakura owed her current strength entirely to Tsunade's guidance. Furthermore, since becoming Hokage, Tsunade had tilted various conveniences in Sakura's favor. Sakura truly felt she could never fully repay her master.
Sakura remembered that Tsunade seemed to enjoy yokan. I should bring some along. Yokan was a type of sweet delicacy. Wandering the streets, Sakura searched for nearby confectionery shops.
There! Spotting a shop named "Amaguriama" not far away, Sakura pushed open the door.
"Welcome!" the shop assistant greeted warmly.
"Do you have yokan here?" Sakura asked.
"Yes, we do. Which type of yokan were you looking for?" the assistant replied with a bright smile.
"Huh? Which type?" Sakura was puzzled. She had eaten yokan before; did it come in different kinds?
"Yes! For the New Year festival, our shop has recently introduced a special 24K Molten Gold Yokan! It's the perfect choice whether you're treating guests or giving a gift," the assistant explained, still smiling broadly.
"Molten Gold Yokan?" Sakura had never heard of such a thing.
"Yes! You can try a sample before buying," the assistant offered enthusiastically, bringing out a tray displaying the Molten Gold Yokan.
Sakura looked at the glistening, golden yokan, picked up a piece, and tasted it.
In the end, Sakura bought a box of the Molten Gold Yokan. The price was indeed quite steep, but it was worth it. Just one bite had completely captured her taste buds.
Carrying the box of yokan, Sakura headed towards the Hokage building.