FaNoWriMo Challenge - 2017
Title: Something Special
Summary: Not one. Not two or three, but several. Most. And then eventually all. At different times, different clans take an interest in a pink-haired, green-eyed little girl who, by actions and intelligence, should be labeled a genius.
Features: Genius!Sakura, Protective!Sakura, Close-knit Konoha 12, Konoha politics, Clan politics, Attempted kidnapping, Attempted assassination
Differences: "The Hyuga Incident" takes place when Hinata turns six, not three. Keep that in mind.
No pairings. Just crushes.
AU!
Chapter One
The beginning of a new chapter in her life...
Haruno Sakura is curious.
She is also a quiet, but kind, child. Raised by civilian parents, she does not live with the luxuries most - if not all - clan children grow up with. With a mother who works as a teacher in the civilian district and father who works as a carpenter, her living arrangements are simple. Modest. Her parents - her mother specifically - do tend to dote on her though. Should she ask for a new book, it would be in her hands the following day. Should she ask for a new pair of sandals, they would be on her feet the following day.
She is by no means spoiled. Spoiled children receive nearly everything they ask for and throw tantrums when they are denied. She never throws a tantrum. With a grace instilled in her at birth, she accepts the refusal. Appearances do not matter to her either. Whether she is wearing a dress one day and worn shorts with a faded t-shirt the next, she never complains. Though, sandals are a part of her daily wear and must be updated when too worn down.
Her parents often gush about what a clever child she is. It isn't until her third birthday when they really begin to understand just how clever she is. Having read every book in her collection, and then every book in her parent's collection, they offer her something truly wonderful - a library card.
By the tender age of five, she has been to the village library a told of 279 times. Yes, she has counted. How can she not? Aside from her parents, the only other constant figure in her life is her books. The librarian even mentioned once, in passing, that Sakura has read more books than civilian and shinobi alike and nearly 80 percent of the library's overall material. The majority of the remaining percent are out of her access due to her status as a civilian.
"You should consider a career as a shinobi," the librarian whispers when her father steps off to the side to discuss something with a friend who called out to him earlier. "With the amount of knowledge you've gained, you'd do well in just about any area."
She tilts her head. "I will get to read those books?" She points to the blocked off section near the back of the library.
"Of course, but you will only be able to read what it permitted by your rank. Work your way up and you'll be able to read them all eventually. And," the librarian hands back her library card and starts scanning the barcode of each book Sakura placed on the desk, "new books come about occasionally. You'll want to read them eventually, right?" Sakura nods. "Then you'll have to work hard. I have faith in you."
"Thank you," Sakura replies when she is handed her books and starts placing them in her backpack.
The librarian smiles kindly. "You're welcome."
"Daddy, I want to be a shinobi."
As she expected, gaining entrance to the shinobi Academy proves difficult and it does not, surprisingly, come from just her parents - who have been vocal about their displeasure of her wishing to follow a dangerous career path - but rather the system put in place to monitor the education of Konoha's youth. For one, children of civilian parents are not permitted to enter the Academy before the age of eight. The only exception to this rule comes from a clan's willingness to sponsor a civilian child and, according to her father, that hasn't happened in several years. The problems surrounding that, she recognizes, are self-explanatory.
The second issue concerns her ability to train. She knows the theory. She can apply the theory if given the opportunity, but she needs space and weapons - even a basic genin kit will suffice - and time. With her parents' work schedule, it's convincing them to allow her to be on her own that displays a problem. That took her nearly three days but, finally, her father gives.
He takes her to the weapon shop in the clan district, a place Sakura finds to be utterly wonderful. Sharp, beautifully crafted weapons surround her and fill her with a sense of satisfaction. She left that shop with a brand new, fully stocked hip and thigh pouch and a tanto. The tanto took some convincing but, nevertheless, she prevailed. Given her small size, it's almost like using a full-sized sword.
"Do you want to pick out a new outfit?" Her father asks. "It will complete your transformation." He says this with a small smile.
Sakura hesitates. "Do I need to?"
"Of course not, but shinobi tend to wear outfits that suit their training."
"Okay," she replies. "I would like too."
She's taken to a shop up the road where a few people are walking in and out. This clothing store doesn't fill her with a sense of wonder or excitement. She immediately walks over to the children's section and starts shuffling through the outfits. Sakura completely ignores everything that is bright in color or reveals far more skin than she is comfortable with. Her father leaves her to her own devices.
For nearly an hour, Sakura shuffles through the clothes looking for something that is dark in color - black or dark brown - and allows for easy movement. It's a particular order, but she's read enough books on the types of clothing female shinobi wear that she has a picture in her head. Just as she is about to give up, something with a buckle catches her eye. Black shorts with buckles below the knees to allow them to rolled up if required. This is good in case of weather change.
After that, picking out a top is almost easy; as if everything just falls into place. She chooses a kimono-like blouse that is dark blue in color with a black embroidered border and a matching obi. Sakura turns and walks back to her father who, upon seeing her, nods his approval at her choices.
"New sandals?" He asks.
Sakura shakes her head. "My sandals will suffice."
"Alright. Let me pay for this and then we'll head home." He takes the clothes. "We'll discuss a schedule for you during dinner."
"Yes, daddy." She obediently takes his hand after they leave the shop.
Dinner is a quiet affair that night.
Sakura's schedule, up until she either gains the attention of a clan or ages to the required age to enter the Academy, is as follows: Mon - Fri, 7 AM - 11:45 AM, 1 PM - 5 PM, & 7 PM - 9 PM. Convincing her mother took nearly an hour to do so, but with her father's backing she relented and makes Sakura promise to not train herself to exhaustion. The place of which she will train will be near the central part of Konoha. A place that, should she require assistance, is easily located.
"Maybe you should find her a teacher?" Mebuki asks late that evening when Sakura is walking up the stairs slowly before lingering to listen in on their conversation at the top of the stairs.
"Do you know of any shinobi that can spare time to train a five-year-old?" Her father replies. "She is an incredibly gifted child, honey. I'm sure she'll be fine."
"What if she hurts herself?"
Kizashi takes her hand gently and presses a kiss onto the back of it. "Trust her to be careful. She's capable."
"I wanted her to have a childhood before making serious choices like this." Mebuki rings the dish towel worriedly.
"I know, sweetheart. I know."
Sakura leaves after that, mind drifting to the new stack of books awaiting her on her bed. Konoha politics have been a prime interest of hers as of late and she's becoming increasingly aware of the gap between civilians and clans in terms of fair use of supplies and opportunities. But alas, that is an area she will tackle another day. Hopefully as a skilled shinobi herself.
"Lights out in one hour, Sakura."
"Yes, momma!"
Sakura has always been a speed reader. The information she gains is information she never forgets. It's unique to her in a way that often surprises her parents. Bits and pieces of information here and there - a scheduled parent meeting her mother mentions in passing, a list of items that need to be ordered from her father, and so on - and she can recall these from two years ago. She can list the information of the parent. She can list every item that needed to be ordered.
She learns that she has a condition known as hyperthymesia, or possessing a very detailed autobiographical memory. This has benefitted her over the years when adults attempt to "dumb things down" for her. They are quick to learn, however, that she doesn't tolerate being spoken to like that.
Her father finds her passed out surrounded by her library books on her bed an hour later.
"Stick to the schedule your momma and I made for you, Sakura. Try not to be late if you can help it."
"Yes, daddy."
"Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes, daddy."
Kizashi kneels before his daughter and holds out a key. "This is your copy. If you decide to end practice early, come straight home. Do you understand?"
She accepts the key with a nod followed by a soft, "Yes, daddy."
He kisses her forehead and gets up. "I'll be leaving now. I'll see you later, sweetie." He pats her head and heads for the front door. Sakura stands there and watches him. Once he's out of sight, she walks over to the kitchen table, places her books in her backpack, and puts it on her back. Her mother left roughly two hours previously and in quite the rush.
It has been this way for a month now. She leaves after them, returns for lunch, leaves again, returns for dinner, and leaves once more until 9 PM. She's five. She has the absolute trust of her parents. Other civilian parent's can - and will - be reluctant to allow such times for training, especially a child all on her own, but her parents trust her to do the right thing, trust her to not be careless. Plenty of times her father accompany's her in the evening, praising her through practice, treating her to dango when she's done - rinse and repeat.
Sakura locks the door after she exits her home. She immediately heads toward the Academy located at the front of the clan district. Memory serving her well, she knows that she'll be able to use the training posts if a class is not in session. And if a class just so happens to be in session, she plans to dedicate time to meditation and chakra control. Improving her reserves have been somewhat difficult in the last month due to her small size but she has managed.
This is the first time she heads for the Academy.
As she walks down the street, she ignores the strange looks sent her way. Sakura is well aware that her hair color is a head turner and to mix in vibrant green eyes, she is quite the sight among the people of Konoha. If not for her appearance, it could be that she's in-between the civilian and clan districts. An unaccompanied child dressed in training clothes with combat gear clearly on her person is enough to turn a head or five.
Not all the looks sent her way was curious. Some are worried and other's amused. And true, she is small with loud hair but she doesn't allow their assumptions to stray her away from her goal.
The Academy is weather-worn. Its appearance remains much of what she's seen in the books of early Konoha with dark brown wood and cut out squares for windows and sliding doors. The area around it is a mix of gravel and dry dirt. Years of walks about one place too long causes such a condition. Still, Sakura finds herself semi-impressed by its appearance in person. She can sense the energies of the students and faculty within. This indicates that the training posts are free for use. Sakura quickly and quietly makes her way around the building to the forest-like area where she knows targets are pinned to trees at various heights. Today would be the day she manages this blindfolded.
At her previous location, she attached - poorly drawn - bullseyes to the forested-area and practiced hitting targets upside down. Sakura has a few bruises from where she fell or nicked herself with a kunai, but it's a part of training and her pain is so easily forgotten in the grand scheme of things.
There's nothing else to think about once she sets her backpack down.
He's curious about this young girl.
Clearly, she is not a student but her perception and skill alone are impressive. But what surprises him the most is that she made an indication to let him know she knew he was watching. Children at her age - probably five or six - shouldn't be able to recognize chakra signatures. It only comes with fine tuning after three or so years in the Academy.
Yet, she turned and nodded towards his hiding place in the tree.
What a peculiar child.
But he continues to observe her while trying not to be distracted by her wild, choppy - pink - hair. This is the first time he's ever seen someone with hair color like this. Wigs and hair dye will become her closest friends if she pursues a career as a shinobi, but her outfit is acceptable. And then it strikes him at an almost embarrassing moment.
She is a civilian.
And she has to be. He racks his brain for any clan that could possibly produce a child with her features and comes up with none. Yet, her status does not concern him. Many fine shinobi come for the civilian district simply because there are more civilians than clans combined. And then she does something he does not expect. He watches, curiously, as she walks over to what he deduces to be her backpack and pulls out a long cloth.
He knows what's about to happen next -
- and his opinion of her skill shoots through the roof.
She misses one target out of 25 and twists her small body to allow her to hit the ground and roll. Her disappointment at seeing the one missed target is evident, but he's interested in the way she studies it, head tilting to the side before she nods to herself. With practiced ease, she climbs each tree, gathers her kunai, and climbs back down. He watches her repeat this action until she successfully hits each target. Eventually, she moves back to her backpack, places the cloth back inside, and pulls out a book. For a moment, he watches her read. He can't see the title of the book from his position, but whatever it is it has her looking at the tree in front of her with determination.
He has an idea of what she's about to attempt and it pleasantly surprised by how she just starts walking up the tree sideways after spending a brief moment to gather chakra at her feet. His muscles tense in preparation to catch her should she fall, but no. She makes three quarters up, at a steady pace, and rests on a thick branch. There's perspiration on her forehead, but that's to be expected of someone so young.
Her reserves must be in a good condition.
A bell rings.
He spares her one final thoughtful glance, flaring his chakra just briefly - offering a small smile he knows she can't see when she waves goodbye in his direction - and makes his way to the front of the Academy. He does have a younger brother to take home after all.
Chapter Word Count - 2,714
Targeted Word Count - 2,500
The goal of this challenge is to create a story of 50,000 words or more. I intend to have chapters 2,500 words or more. Because this challenge requires for me to update every day for the month of November, please note that I only skim for errors once before posting. As always, please leave a review if you have the time.
~i-just-really-like-sakura