note: so this AU konoha's layout was inspired by final fantasy vii's midgar and final fantasy xiii-2's academia. i was pretty curious to see if anyone would notice, but i'm pointing it out now as a sort of disclaimer thing in case someone accuses me of unoriginality...

soundtrack: sleeping beauty - badlands

-but oh, la esmeralda, your eyes are the splendour in my head

The first thing Sakura noticed as she entered the city was that everything was in shades of grey.

This, she realised, made her and her people stand out even more. They were like blots of brown and beige against a piece of slate, Sakura mused, craning her neck to get a view of the buildings towering above her little cluster. In all of her years of wandering from village to village with her group of precious people, Sakura had never once gotten the chance to stay in a settlement with a population of more than ten, let alone a city of such magnitude. That was simply the life of a nomad.

"We look so different from everyone else." Ino, Sakura's most treasured childhood friend, had never looked more frightened. "Sakura, how are we ever going to get used to this place? We've never properly lived anywhere before!" She shuffled closer to Sakura and placed a hand on her forearm, golden bangles clinking together in a cadence that seemed to ring louder than the buzz of traffic, alerting nearby pedestrians of the group's presence.

"I know, Ino," Sakura said. She looked down at her own set of clothes - an off-white blouse and flowing skirt still littered with grains of desert sand - and back up to meet Ino's gaze. "But we have nowhere else to go. Remember what Tsunade-sama told us?"

"We'll starve to death if we don't settle somewhere, I know, I know," Ino said, waving a hand in irritation. "It's just that everything's so different here. Why did we have to come live in a city like Konoha, anyway? I heard only the rich aristocrats get to live up here," she gestured at the skyscrapers, walkways, and roads adorned with yellow-gold lights, "and the rest of the people live in the layers down below." She paused, leaning closer to whisper in Sakura's ear. "Apparently, the poorest of the poor live in an underground layer all the way at the bottom of the city. Some people call it the Underworld. I think that's where we're going."

Sakura nodded. She'd heard the rumours, too, of Konoha and its sprawling layers of steel and concrete. "Hey, Ino, what do you think that is?" Sakura pointed towards a building - no, a mansion - standing high above the others, as if it was floating above the entire city. The sun was directly behind the building and threw it into high-relief, making it look eerily black.

Ino squinted against the sun, blue eyes widening when she saw what her friend was pointing at. "Kami-sama, that thing's huge. Whoever lives in there must be the king of the whole fucking city!"

As the group of travellers began descending down a twisting walkway into the lower layers of the city, a dark-haired boy made his way next to Sakura's side, face slightly paler than usual - the only way anyone could tell he was nervous, Sakura noted.

"Sai," Sakura said, "how are you-"

"Hag, I heard some whispers on our way into the city. We might not be completely welcome here."

Sakura frowned. "Well, what did you hear? I'm sure we'll be-"

"They don't like people like us. They called us gypsies."

Sakura blinked. Gypsies? "I... guess that could be another name for us."

"We should be careful. Especially with people in positions of power." With that, Sai gave the two girls a sharp look and flitted away.

Ino's brow furrowed as she turned to Sakura. "That was a little weird, even for Sai. I still wonder how he gets his information. And how are we supposed to 'be careful?'"

Sakura shrugged in response. "I guess we just have to do what we always do."

"We've spotted another group moving into the city. Desert nomads, from the looks of it."

Fugaku frowned. "Did you see where they were going, Hatake-san?"

"The Underworld, I believe."

A dry laugh. "Is that what they call it these days?"

Silence.

"I would prefer if you didn't indulge in using these degrading names for our city's layers. The bottommost layer's official name is 'the Underground', as I'm sure you're well-aware."

"Sure."

"Thank you, Hatake-san. You're dismissed." A pause. "Keep an eye on the gypsies."

Kakashi nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The minute the silver-haired man left, Fugaku turned to Itachi, who was seated next to him, and slammed his fist down onto the mahogany meeting table the men sat at. "More of them? Just how many more outsiders are going to flood our city?"

"They're settling in the Underground, Otou-san," Itachi said. "We don't have to worry about them. The people down there pose no threat to us anyway."

Fugaku shook his head. "We can't afford to take risks, Itachi. We are the Uchiha. The city has always belonged to us, and it must stay that way. Any suspicious activity could blossom into a coup before we have the chance to blink." He turned to the third person seated at the table. "What about you, Sasuke? Have you seen anything out of the ordinary?"

The teenager shook his head, dark locks falling in his eyes as he did so. "No, nothing. People keep their heads down and go about their business as usual," he said. "And Itachi is right. People in the Underground never even come up to the topmost layers, so I doubt they're going to be staging a rebellion anytime soon. Besides, doesn't Konoha have more pressing issues for us to attend to?"

Fugaku's eyes narrowed as he regarded Sasuke carefully. To Sasuke, the seconds were strained. "Someday, Sasuke," Fugaku began, "you might be the ruler of Konoha. Before that happens, I hope you learn exactly what it is I am trying to teach you: an Uchiha must do whatever is within his means to maintain order."

Sasuke stiffened. "I understand." He rose from his chair. "I'm going to go train with Naruto. Otou-san, Nii-san, please excuse me." With that, he left the room.

Sakura coughed. The air here tasted of congealed grime, a far cry from what she was used to. She looked down at the soot-stained skin of the little boy she was treating and lifted her glowing green hands from his chest. "Are you feeling any better now?"

"A little," the boy grinned toothily. "Thanks for fixin' me, Miss. My lungs were hurtin' real bad, but they feel better now thanks to your white magic!"

"White magic?" Sakura laughed. "I've never heard anyone call it that before! My people just call me a healer, y'know." Reaching into the pouch at her hip, she pulled out a handful of dark green leaves. "These are special herbs I carry around with me wherever I go. Take some and steep them in some boiled water. Drink a bit of the tea every day, and you'll be fine within a week."

Nodding, the boy took the herbs and stuffed them in the pockets of his tattered trousers. "Thanks."

Sakura smiled warmly in return. "Do a lot of your friends have the same... pain as you do?"

She watched as the boy's grin fell right off his face. "Yeah, they do, Miss. My brother died of the Plague last year. His lungs were hurtin' even more than mine. My mamma's lungs are startin' to hurt a little, too, but she says there's nothin' we can do about it."

Sakura resisted the urge to scowl. Why wasn't anyone taking care of these people? Where was the basic healthcare? These people suffered from simple ailments that could be cured within a few days - the rulers of the city should be taking care of their citizens! "Well, I know I just got here, but tell your mother I'd be happy to treat her if she'd like," she said. "My name's Sakura. I'll be living in that little tent over there," she pointed to a spot nearby, "with my people. Come find me if you need anything."

"Okay, Miss Sakura." The boy beamed and averted his eyes before a slight blush tinted his cheeks. "You're really pretty by the way."

Sakura smiled in response and ruffled the boy's hair. "Thanks, little one. I'll see you around."

She rose from her position on the grungy pavement and tilted her back back to appraise the sky that was nothing more than a metal plate above the slums. There, in the midst of the most destitute of Underworld dwellers, Sakura Haruno wondered when she'd next see the daylight.

note: so the foundations have been laid, and we'll get to see a new character next chapter (hint: he's blond, and the series' main character. HMM I WONDER WHO THAT COULD BE)
also, i hope you guys paid close attention to the words fugaku used to talk about a possible coup 'blossoming'. there may be some subtle foreshadowing there... i.e. something involving our fav cherry blossom, perhaps? ;)

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lots of love to you all! xx