After finishing her meal and saying goodbye to her parents, Sakura Haruno stepped out of the house, planning to find a grassy area to enjoy some sunshine. As someone who used to be a homebody in her past life, she really wasn't very good at making friends—even less so now as just a four-year-old. Playing with other children? She definitely didn't know how to handle that sort of childish chaos.
"This sunlight is so bright."
Lying on the grass, not far away was a clear river. The sounds of insects and birds could be heard from the surrounding trees, and the scent of soil and fresh grass filled her nostrils. This natural atmosphere made Sakura Haruno feel very comfortable. Only the sun shining overhead felt just a bit too harsh.
"Well then, might as well test the power of the Infinity Stones (legendary gems capable of warping reality)."
As she thought this, Sakura Haruno raised her right hand. A flash of red light passed through her emerald-green eyes, and [Reality Stone] activated. Slowly, an oil-paper umbrella began to take form in her hand.
"With the ability to turn imagination into reality, even if I can only use a tiny fraction of its power right now, creating an oil-paper umbrella is still no problem!"
She stuck the oil-paper umbrella, created by the Reality Stone, into the ground beside her, then lay down beneath its shade. Her small four-year-old body fit perfectly under the umbrella as a sunshade.
In this quiet environment, Sakura Haruno felt her mind gradually becoming hazy and drowsy, but just as she was about to fall asleep, a loud commotion and laughter suddenly woke her up.
"Where did these annoying kids come from?!"
Opening her eyes, Sakura Haruno sighed helplessly. In her previous life, her relatives' bratty children had bothered her plenty while her parents were still around. She never thought reincarnation would come with the same old annoyances.
"Hey Big-Forehead, I've got my eye on your umbrella. Give it to me, and I'll let you play ninja tag (a game where kids pretend to be ninjas) with us!"
A group of children came running over. Leading them was a girl about five or six years old. Right from the start, her gaze locked onto Sakura Haruno's oil-paper umbrella, and she immediately shouted out a nickname that nearly sent Sakura Haruno into a rage.
"Big-Forehead?!"
She hadn't expected this nickname to show up again. She had thought that since she was reborn, this insult originally meant for the original Sakura Haruno would disappear—but today, someone actually called her that. For a moment, Sakura Haruno felt like some kind of cosmic malevolence was circling around her.
"Hey, Big-Forehead, are you even listening? Hurry up and hand over your umbrella nicely, and from now on, you can join our group. I'll protect you."
The little girl stood there hands on hips, playing the role of a bossy older sister.
"I'll have you know, my big brother has already graduated as a Genin (a novice ninja). If you listen to me, I guarantee nobody will ever bully you again!"
"Eh…"
Sakura Haruno simply stared at her quietly, inwardly rolling her eyes helplessly. Even at her age, this girl already knew how to start a little gang. Guess people in this world really grow up fast.
"What's that look for, Big-Forehead? Are you looking down on me?"
"Because she has a ninja brother, Aya Koizumi used to be the envy of many ordinary kids. But Sakura Haruno's reaction today made her feel deeply insulted.
"Your imagination really knows no bounds!"
Sakura stood up from the grass and grabbed her umbrella. She really wanted to punch someone, but seeing as how it was just a kid, she held herself back—heaven forbid she actually hurt the girl.
"Hey! Are you trying to run away?"
Seeing Sakura start to walk off with the umbrella, Aya panicked immediately. "You can go if you want, but leave the umbrella here!"
"I don't get it. Why are you so obsessed with my umbrella?" Sakura asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Hmph, because I like it!" Aya crossed her arms defiantly. The moment she saw the umbrella, she fell in love with it. Used to always being the center of attention among other kids, she figured taking it by force was perfectly normal.
Sakura looked at her for a long time. Typical brat behavior—thinking you can just take something because you liked it at first sight.
Looking up at her handmade oil-treated paper umbrella, Sakura couldn't blame Aya completely for liking it. The umbrella was mostly white, hand-painted on traditional oil-treated paper, with a ring of cherry blossom designs along the edge. Inside that ring were nine cartoonish versions of the tailed beasts—drawn in a super cute, exaggerated style that naturally appealed to kids.
"I'm sorry, but if you like it, you can order one yourself at a store. I won't give mine away!"
Sakura refused without hesitation. This umbrella wasn't just for keeping out the rain and wind—it took a lot of effort to make. It might have looked plain, but it was tough as steel—and she had plans to make it even stronger soon. Once officially graduating from the Ninja Academy, she intended to use it as her personal weapon.
"You flat-forehead girl, you really won't hand it over?!" Aya angrily frowned. "Then don't blame me for taking it by force!"
"I don't want to fight with you people—don't push me!"
Standing there holding her umbrella, Sakura remained calm and expressionless. Even if she was only four years old now, there was no way a few kids could beat someone who had the power of six Infinity Stones.
"You guys are bullying others? Wait until I tell your parents!"
Just as Sakura prepared to knock these kids aside and find another place to nap, a little girl with yellow pigtails suddenly ran out and blocked her path.
"Hmph, it's you again. Let's go!"
Furious at seeing the blonde girl standing between her and Sakura, Aya could only huffily leave with her group of children. Her Genin brother simply didn't match up to the family of that blonde girl's clan. The precocious girl knew better than to provoke such a powerful family.
"Hey, are you okay? My name's Ino Yamanaka, what about you?"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!