It was incredibly difficult for ninja to have children. When Haruno Sakura had told her mother at the age of five she wanted to be a kunoichi her mother had broken out in tears, fearing that her only child would be the end of her family line. And, if by some small chance Sakura succeeded in giving birth, it was incredibly likely her kids would die before the age of twenty… and of course her mother had doubts about Sakura ever losing her virginity to begin with! Ninja died… Ninja always died in the line of duty.
So, it was with that personal historical perspective in mind that the aforementioned kunoichi fell out of her seat unceremoniously in front of the Hokage and some of her closest advisors outside of the council, which included a very red-faced Shikamaru, a smiling Shizune, and a squealing pig.
"Um… excuse me. Could you… could you repeat what you just said? I-I think I misheard."
Tsunade rubbed her forehead, clearly annoyed at her former apprentice. She folded her hands before carefully throwing out a threatening smile which Sakura knew only too well.
"I believe you heard what I said."
The air around Sakura felt heavy, as if the rains had come early and the humidity was gripping the village.
Well, Sakura heard what her shishou had said… she just… didn't comprehend it.
It was… impossible.
Frankly… impossible.
There was no way… it was just… impossible.
The door behind Sakura opened, though the footsteps that fell were silent, signaling a very skilled ninja.
Who was apparently quite late, as Tsunade had slammed her fist down on the desk.
"Damn it Kakashi!" Tsunade practically growled, the seasoned Jonin entering the room with little caution to the Hokage's incensed anger. He was also quite oblivious, sitting beside Sakura who had taken back to her seat, suddenly very quiet and bashful. "I told you this mission was of a sensitive nature!"
Kakashi did a double-take, something suddenly connecting in his mind. His gaze fell on Sakura, and he had a look of almost pity.
"Wait… but Sakura? That's just silly."
He wasn't smiling, despite his words. His tone conveyed only a malicious way, and he looked very uncomfortable.
Tsunade's brow quirked.
"Besides, she doesn't even have any sex appeal."
Sakura's brow quirked… or rather shivered and lines appeared on her forehead.
"Shouldn't you ask Yamanaka?"
Shikamaru's face was anything but blank.
"It's not that type of mission!" Shizune's face was aghast. "Tsunade would never ask someone so young-"
"Oh, but I'm young enough to get pregnant?" Sakura interjected, and suddenly Kakashi's angry gazed softened.
"Well, then you should consider it an honor Sakura… If you accept this mission you'll never have to work again."
Kakashi found his chair being swiped out from underneath him, his joke falling flatter then his chair.
"I'm serious. A binky mission is quite the money maker…" The Jonin argued, though his disposition was rather contrary. He took Icha Icha out of his pocket and began reading, oblivious to the agitated states everyone in the room was giving him. "When Anko accepted hers, the advance pay was enough for her to order a mission. That was the scariest night in the I ever spent in the Forest of Death. Probably shouldn't of added fuel to that rumor back then…"
Tsunade's fist slapped on the desk, once more.
"Of course, she failed in the mission. It would have been interesting to see her as a mother-"
"KAKASHI!"
The jonin stopped, peering up from his book. Though his tale was technically top secret and already pushed under the table due to it's disastrous end result, the issue at hand was hardly confidentiality.
"I don't understand why I'm here." He finalized. "This is Sakura's mission, and she can handle herself just fine, no matter what you are throwing her to. She's no longer my student, or yours."
Aient that the truth! Sakura thought to herself, staring at him darkly. She did not like him joking around in a time like this. And… he wasn't even really defending her. She didn't want to do this mission! But, could she really say no?
"Actually, I never intended for Sakura to go on this mission." Tsunade began. "When I received the letter, I had sought out the Yamanaka-"
Shikamaru frowned.
"But when the client arrived, I realized that it would be best if we changed the mission entirely. She had a similar appearance to Sakura, and… when we learned he was a missing-nin of Iwa and had a bloodline trait-"
"You would risk war over a binky mission?" Kakashi was surprised, suddenly wary of the entire idea. "Iwa would not entertain the idea of their bloodline within our walls. They attacked Suna over it once before."
Tsunade groaned. "It's not a binky mission. It's an N-Rank mission."
Kakashi did not comment, so the Hokage continued.
"The target is a class B missing nin. He never rose above a chunin level, but fled Iwa after being connected to a mercenary group that destroyed a series of their bridges. He was their leader, and is considered an economic terrorist to many nations, excluding ours. I've never heard of him till before now."
"He doesn't sound like anybody Iwa would care about." Sakura added. "But I still don't think I would agree to-"
"The client has offered a large sum of money." Tsunade interjected.
"I'm not going to sell out over some ryuu, Shishou."
Kakashi grunted in what Sakura figured to be approval. Or at least… she hoped so. There wasn't a payment high enough for her to sell herself out!
"In addition to the 3 million ryuu the Daimyo's daughter has promised-"
3 Million Ryuu?
Suddenly, Sakura imagined her mother, doting on a grandchild who's face she could not make out.
Something inside of Sakura deflated.
3 million Ryuu was double what Sakura would make in her entire lifetime as a ninja if she made it to retirement. She would never quit work of course… but she could easily-
No, she would not sell out her moral conscious.
"Konoha, because we could benefit so highly from this mission, has offered to triple the payment."
Before Sakura could reply, Kakashi stood up.
"That's a high sum." His face was dark. "I don't believe any village has ever offered such a payment over this kind of mission."
Tsunade nodded. "You're right, but this mission has such a sensitive nature-"
"Who is the target?"
The Hokage said nothing.
Kakashi waited, patiently, refusing to let the topic speed off.
Sakura was crunching numbers in her head, shocked at the sheer amount she was being offered.
She would be an idiot to refuse.
The kunoichi wanted kids. But fertility treatments cost so much… and her pay at this point was so meager…
Tsunade did not relent.
"If you wish to reject this mission, Kakashi, you are free to do so. I had wished that a ninja of your caliber and personal relationship with Sakura would accept, because this is of a critical concern to the village. No matter who declines or accepts, Konoha will charge this mission to someone."
"Who's the target?" Kakashi asked, again.
Sakura stopped calculating numbers in her head.
The mission is this crucial? Why is Kakashi so… concerned? An N-rank mission is one of the highest honors… it's-
"Osamu." Tsunade suddenly, and without warning, relented. "Nakano Osamu."
Kakashi turned his back on the room, reaching for the knob at the door.
"I reject this mission."
Sakura stiffened, noticing that Kakashi, if it could be possible, seemed to hold a look of absolute and sudden hatred for the Hokage.
The jonin focused his attention on Sakura.
"You will too, Sakura."
It wasn't a suggestion, it was an order.