Bloodlines!

Ino Yamanaka prided herself on being smart.

Not as book-smart as Sakura… no, Sakura's forehead contained a brain the size of the Elemental Nations, so obviously, Ino wasn't competing on that level.

But emotional intelligence? That was her domain.

She could read people. She could sense the tiniest shifts in their expressions, the subtlest wavers in their voices. She could pick up on social cues like they were battle tactics and navigate conversations like a kunoichi slipping through enemy lines.

And okay, maybe this skill hadn't quite worked on Sasuke yet, but that was beside the point. Ino was playing the long game.

At the mere thought of Sasuke, she sighed, gazing wistfully at the sky, hoping the clouds would shift into his perfect, brooding face.

The clouds did not. Traitors. 

She shook her head, pushing away her frustration, and returned to more pressing concerns.

Like Sakura.

Because something had changed.

One day, she had walked into class, and it was like she wasn't even the same person.

Some kind of cool, mysterious figure, draped in a hood, delivering cryptic one-liners.

It was unnerving.

And the worst part?

No one else seemed to be talking about it.

The change was too big. Too obvious. And yet, everyone just accepted it.

And what had she said when Naruto… who, bless his dense little heart, had actually been dumb enough to ask about it?

"Infiltration practice."

Like the last five years of her life had just been an act.

Like their friendship had just been an act.

At first, Ino had dismissed it as a joke.

But the more she thought about it, the more she remembered little details that suddenly made too much sense.

Had she… always been like this?

Had Sakura Haruno been undercover in her own life?

Ino needed answers.

And that's why, after another grueling D-rank mission, babysitting a civilian's dog—she was a kunoichi, not a pet-sitter!, she marched straight to Sakura's house.

If Sakura thought she could just reinvent herself into some mysterious, all-knowing sage without explanation, then she had another thing coming.

It was only the evening, the sun had started to set, scattering an orange glow on everything its rays touched.

Sakura's house wasn't exempt.

Of course it wasn't as large as her house but then again, she was part of a major Clan of Konoha so that was expected.

What wasn't expected was both of Sakura's parents being outside.

Just standing there.

Ino scrunched her eyebrow. 

What are they looking at?

They were both staring into the distance and as Ino followed their line of sight, she found the roof of their house, a small horizontal ledge protruding from the peak.

And there was Sakura.

Standing on top of it. Arms folded as her hood billowed from the wind, scattering shadows across her face whilst the orange glow of the sunset broke through.

Her bright green eyes shimmered with a raw, unfiltered shine.

What… what was this?

She took a few steps closer, catching the faint murmurs of Sakura's parents.

"…What is our daughter doing?" Kizashi Haruno asked, voice filled with the kind of existential dread only a father who had lost control of his child could have.

Mebuki took a long, deep breath before replying.

"Kizashi, my dear… I do not know."

A long pause.

"How long did you say she's been like this?"

"She's been like this ever since I arrived home, honey."

Another pause.

"…Did you ask her why?"

"I tried, Mebuki. She just looked at me, smiled mysteriously, and said—"

He gulped, as if saying the words out loud would curse him further.

"She said… 'You wouldn't understand.'"

Mebuki gasped, pressing a hand to her chest.

Kizashi wiped a single tear.

"Our daughter… truly she's grown."

***

Sakura let the sun's rays scatter across her face, bathing in the unwashed glow of sheer aura.

She was a far cry from simulating her hero, her Master Piccolo but soon… soon she would reach his level.

And besides, she wasn't merely farming.

She was thinking.

At her current level, she had the chakra reserves and control to use Phantom Flicker enough times a day that Chakra Exhaustion wasn't too much of an issue for the first few uses.

But then again, she wouldn't be using the Phantom Flicker more than once in a row.

Temporarily vitalising your body with Chakra like that, almost supercharging it… it was havoc on her senses.

She understood now why Shisui had been the only one to master the Body Flicker to such an extent.

Without her senses being magnified with something like the Sharingan, she wouldn't be able to flicker around without running into a tree or something at that high of a speed.

Silence.

Wait… who said she didn't possess the Sharingan?

She had a Store!

Hurriedly, she opened it mentally, scrolling and clicking necessary buttons to get into the shop.

Eventually she clicked on bloodlines, specifically clicking on the Konoha section.

[Aura System] → [Aura Store] → [Bloodlines] → [Konoha]

[Aura Store: Bloodlines - Konoha Centric]

Hyuuga Bloodline – 5,000 AP

(Byakugan included! Comes with 360° vision, chakra point targeting, and a built-in family drama package.)

(Side effect: Permanent superiority complex.)

Inuzuka Bloodline – 3,000 AP

(Enhanced senses, primal instincts, and a mandatory dog companion. No refunds if you get the dumb one.)

(Warning: May randomly bark at people.)

Nara Bloodline – 3,000 AP

(Includes genius IQ, lazy tendencies, and shadow manipulation. Does NOT include motivation.)

(Warning: You may start sighing excessively.)

Akimichi Bloodline – 3,000 AP

(Triple your mass. Triple your power. Caloric Deficit? Never heard of it.)

(Side effect: You will never lose a food-eating contest again.)

Aburame Bloodline – 2,500 AP

(Control over specialized insects that live in your body and fight for you.)

(Side effect: You now have roommates. Inside you.)

(No, they don't pay rent.)

Yamanaka Bloodline – 4,000 AP

(Mind-reading, memory invasion, and soul transfer techniques! Comes with free emotional baggage.)

(Warning: Friends may become nervous around you.)

Sarutobi Bloodline – 6,000 AP

(Enhanced chakra reserves, affinity for multiple elements, and a natural talent for Fire Style!)

(Side effect: Unshakable urge to smoke a pipe and act wise beyond your years.)

Sakura scrolled further.

Her eyes honed in on the real treasures.

The Legendary Bloodlines.

[Legendary Bloodlines]

Uchiha Bloodline – 500,000 AP

(Congratulations! You can now awaken the Sharingan, gain enhanced perception, copy techniques, and eventually unlock the Mangekyō… if you're willing to suffer.)

(Warning: May experience dramatic personality shifts, aversion to teamwork, and an urge to stand in the rain looking sad.)

(Side effect: Your fashion sense will improve significantly.)

Senju Bloodline – 800,000 AP

(Massive chakra reserves, insane physical vitality, and the legendary Wood Style.)

(Congratulations! You are now 20% Hashirama. Women will either love you or threaten to stab you.)

(Side effect: The likelihood of a Hokage career path has increased.)

If she hadn't been aura farming, she might have actually gasped at the sheer, unholy cost of the Senju Bloodline.

800,000 AP.

That was… insane.

She could buy an entire army of lesser bloodlines for that price. She could walk into Konoha with every single clan ability and become the Final Boss of the Academy.

But no.

She wasn't here to buy discount bloodlines.

She was here for greatness.

At first, she had considered the Uchiha bloodline. Sharingan would be incredible for tracking movements and enhancing her speed—plus, let's be real, she'd look sick with those glowing red eyes.

But then she had a thought.

A very important thought.

The second she awakened the Sharingan, she was getting snatched.

Straight to Ibiki Morino's torture chamber.

Because, let's face it… Uchiha civilians don't exist. That bloodline was a closed club. The second her eyes turned red, someone was going to flip a table and start asking her very pointed questions.

However…

The Senju Bloodline was different.

The Senju had actively married outside their clan, blending into the general population of Konoha until their name all but disappeared.

But DNA was weird.

Every once in a while, mutations happened.

So if someone were to randomly awaken the Wood Style…

Would anyone really be able to say for sure that she wasn't just some long-diluted descendant of the First Hokage?

Exactly.

Sakura had decided.

She was getting that Senju bloodline.

Not now, obviously. She had a pathetic 192 AP to her name. That was like trying to buy a mansion with pocket change.

But soon.

Because Aura could not be farmed without strength.

The Chuunin Exams were her golden ticket. A stadium full of hundreds of spectators watching her?

The AP farming potential was off the charts.

But first…

She had one more opportunity… the Wave Mission. Zabuza. Haku.

The villagers.

She would farm so much AP that by the time she walked into the Chuunin Exams, she would be unstoppable.

She narrowed her eyes at the horizon.

The setting sun bathed her in its golden glow.

She slowly, deliberately folded her arms.

Her stance shifted… just enough to exude maximum aura.

The sunlight struck her cheekbones at the perfect angle, casting dramatic shadows across her face.

The wind, knowing its role in this performance, stirred.

Her hood billowed.

The world acknowledged her drip.

Ding!

[Aura System]

+7 AP Gained.

(Farming Method: Yes, Sakura, we see the fit.)

Sakura smirked.

Yes.

They saw the fit.

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Wood-style is pretty fucking overpowered so I feel like I chose a good price for that. 

Stones and reviews!

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