Morning

Early morning.

In the early winter morning light, the air carried a slight chill, but not bone-chilling. When it brushed against my arm exposed to the blanket, there was a refreshingly cool sensation.

Sasuke woke up to a series of soft "thump, thump" sounds.

It was as if he had slept for too long; when he woke up, his mind was foggy and his limbs felt weak.

Sitting up in bed, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling and blankets, it took Sasuke a long time to realize that he wasn't in his warm home in Konoha, but in his temporary residence in Kirigakure.

"You're back alive..."

My limbs and torso ached slightly; my body, just awakened, resisted movement, feeling languid and wanting to sleep some more, unwilling to move.

Sasuke knew that this was a consequence of his body being overexerted after the previous battle.

The faint snoring sound beside him caught his attention.

Turning his head, he saw Naruto sleeping on the bed next to him. He was snoring softly, sleeping like a log. His injuries had long since disappeared, and his previous battered appearance seemed to be just a nightmare Sasuke had.

What an enviable physique! No matter how badly injured he is, Naruto can recover completely after a good night's sleep, waking up refreshed and full of energy.

"This guy..."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at this thick-skinned guy with disdain, but a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

He threw back the covers, rubbed his feet along the edge of the bed for a while, found a pair of fluffy slippers, put them on, and went outside. Following the thumping sound, Sasuke walked into the yard and saw the culprit that had woken him up.

A young girl is intently striking a wooden stake.

She had long, flowing black hair, wore a fitted short-sleeved shirt, and had a slender figure, yet her hand movements were swift and powerful.

The familiar figure made Sasuke stop in his tracks.

He stood quietly by the courtyard, watching the girls doing their morning exercises.

After a while.

The girl stopped what she was doing, twirling her slender fingers as she smiled contentedly.

You're awake.

"Hmm," Sasuke replied lazily.

How are you feeling?

She finally turned her head, looked at Sasuke, and blinked.

"I feel... alright," Sasuke hesitantly, looking at her.

Cherry?

Facing that exquisitely familiar face that belonged to Sakura Haruno, Sasuke suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

Strangeness?

No, it's not because of the change in hair color.

Yes--

"Ah, you are--" Memories surfaced in his mind, Sasuke suddenly remembered the identity of the girl in front of him who looked almost exactly like Sakura Haruno.

Yes, she is not Sakura. She is just Sakura's... well, another special form of existence.

"Yes, you are Sakura's clone!"

Sasuke nodded vigorously.

I almost mistook someone else for someone else.

The girl frowned, somewhat displeased.

One of their actions made Sasuke see the differences between the two girls even more clearly.

If it were the original Haruno Sakura, her frown would usually be just a light movement. Her two beautiful black eyebrows would be squeezed into the middle of her brows, and her smooth forehead would be lightly squeezed into the Chinese character "Sichuan". However, the expression on her face remained unchanged, looking like a calm and calm goddess, as if nothing could disturb her calm inner thoughts.

However, when the clone made this gesture, even its nose wrinkled up cutely, and its mouth pouted high, showing a mix of displeasure and grievance.

"I'm not a clone!" she shouted, waving her hand sharply. "I'm not Sakura Haruno's clone; I exist as an independent individual!"

"Well..."

Sasuke, being a natural person, didn't quite understand why the girl was so sensitive about this, and could only apologize with a forced smile, "Sorry, it was a slip of the tongue--"

The girl quickly calmed down, looked him seriously into his eyes, and said, "Although I don't have a formal name yet, you can call me 'Sakura Uchiha' for now, because I have the Sharingan. Of course, I don't actually have Uchiha blood, nor am I your older or younger sister..."

The boy didn't know how to answer her for a moment.

If someone else were to steal the Uchiha name without permission, Sasuke would probably kill that person himself. But if it were Sakura, using the Uchiha surname in her name... Sasuke felt a little strange about it.

Okay, at least this "Sakura" possesses the Sharingan, and even has a deeper understanding of the Uchiha's power than this true clansman...

And she even changed her hair to black.

The girl who called herself "Sakura Uchiha" continued, "Anyway, I hope you can distinguish me from the Sakura Haruno you know. I'm not the girl you've known for almost ten years, the one who's been with you throughout your growth!"

"Honestly, I've only been born a few months ago, and I've existed as an independent individual for less than three years!" The girl counted on her fingers to show Sasuke.

Incidentally, her so-called "birth" refers to the process of Sakura Haruno cutting the nutrient line and removing her from the culture dish. This girl appears to be in her late teens, around sixteen or seventeen, but as a clone, her physical age is less than a year old! If we consider her mental age, she's only two days old—practically an infant...

"So please don't be so familiar with me! Are we that close? We're just strangers who've only met once!"

Sakura Uchiha adopted a cold, indifferent expression, as if to say, "Do we even know each other?"

Sasuke was speechless for a moment, his expression awkward.

Then I realized she was joking.

Seeing his stunned expression, Sakura Uchiha couldn't help but chuckle, patting his shoulder forcefully. "Hehe, you actually believed that? You're so easy to fool!"

Seeing her covering her mouth and trying not to laugh, the boy couldn't help but roll his Byakugan.

Sakura Haruno had actually explained the matter of Clone Duplicate to him before. These special clones don't require a medium; the spirit is simply projected into the clone. The resulting clones generally possess the original's memories and personality. Therefore, the way Sakura treated Sasuke before, this girl would have the same inclinations and feelings.

He was simply not in good condition after the battle and was woken up in the early morning, which is why he seemed a bit slow to react and dazed.

"Alright, alright, I got it!" Sasuke waved his hand.

Strangely enough, after playing around for a while, Sasuke found that he could now distinguish between Sakura Haruno's clone and this playful Sakura Uchiha clone.

This person is more serious and solemn.

Like a fairy floating in the clouds, serene, carefree, elegant, and peaceful.

Sasuke and she were completely trustworthy partners, to whom he could entrust his life.

Sakura Uchiha, on the other hand, appears more lively and cute.

She's like the girl next door.

She might playfully tease you, but when you see her pretty face and her charming smile, you can't muster any anger.

Tsk, it's the same face, but Sasuke feels completely different towards the real Sakura Haruno; only when he sees Sakura Uchiha does he realize how radiant and beautiful his friend is.

Sasuke silently compared the two girls in his mind, but didn't come to a conclusion. He subconsciously felt that Sakura Uchiha might not like Sasuke comparing her to the real Sakura.

I just watched you box.

He chuckled softly and changed the subject.

"Um?"

Sakura Uchiha stopped laughing and tilted her head slightly to look at him.

"Your Taijutsu is flawed," Sasuke calmly.

"What?" The girl's eyes widened as she was questioned. "I used 'her' Taijutsu! You dare say her Taijutsu are weak?"

Sasuke shook his head, stating firmly, "You misunderstood. Sakura Haruno's Taijutsu certainly very strong, but yours is problematic."

He deliberately emphasized the words "Sakura Haruno" and "you".

Sakura Uchiha still didn't understand, glaring at Sasuke with a pout. "How is there a problem with my Taijutsu? I inherited all of her combat skills!"

The girl puffed out her cheeks, like an angry pufferfish. This charming and cute expression was something that would never appear on the real Sakura Haruno.

Sasuke subconsciously considered it again, then laughed and said, "If you're not convinced, let's have a spar?"

He had already entered the courtyard.

Sakura Uchiha paused for a moment, then said confidently, "Alright! I won't use my Monstrous Strength, and you won't use your Lightning Release. Let's have a pure Taijutsu contest!"

Her head held high, with a hint of arrogance in her eyes, was exactly the same expression she had learned from her mother.

Sasuke stretched his arms and legs.

He had been standing there for a long time, and the morning sunlight, carrying a faint warmth, shone on him, making his bones itch.

It's a good opportunity to get some exercise.

Sasuke raised his index and middle fingers to Seal of Confrontation.

Please give me your guidance.

Bow slightly.

Across from her Sakura Uchiha also raised two slender fingers to form Seal of Confrontation and bowed slightly.

The golden sunlight of dawn fell on the girl's flawless skin, and her confident face was beautiful to the extreme in the warm light.

For a moment, Sasuke thought Sakura Haruno was standing opposite him.

"I'm going!"

Sasuke was momentarily stunned, the girl's eyes sharpened instantly as she seized the opportunity and charged forward.

The battle has begun.

[It's been a while since I wrote about mundane daily life, and the characters all seem cuter now.]