Urgency
Sakura follows (chases) them, and Anko watches, trying to categorize the type of grief Sakura is suffering.
The Uchiha suffers from the type of grief found only in hours of thinking alone and blaming oneself, the type of grief that his one-eyed mentor suffered, still suffers.
Sasuke follows (but does not chase) Kakashi, because he strives to be strong and cool and collected, but to get to such a point in haste alone would render his goal void.
The Kyuubi vessel suffers from the type of grief born from neglect and ignorance, and nurtured through the hatred of people who can't comprehend him and shun him for that reason as well as many others.
And Sakura.
Sakura… The name feels sour against her tongue, like vinegar or lemon juice washing over her senses, but at the same time (and she doesn't know why) it tastes metallic, almost like blood.
She's the most interesting kid Anko has seen in a good, long while.
So Anko watches.
Anko sees (hears) the clatter of her footsteps on the ground as she struggles to remain a few paces behind them—her two boys. They fight for the lead even though Kakashi is the one in the very front, and Sakura lags behind though she tries hard not to.
Anko sees her fists clench and her head tilt down and sees her pace slow, and she knows that this is the point where Sakura gives up.
And the end is so beautiful and yet so disappointing, because Sakura's love and determination are eternal things, and how is it so that they are allowed to end? And how is it so that Anko has watched her so long only to find a slacker hidden under all of the effort?
But it isn't over.
Anko sees them at the gates (but this time, not them, because it's only Sasuke and Sakura and not that annoying blonde kid) but she doesn't try to stop what she knows will happen. Sakura is screaming and Sasuke is just standing there as the girl preaches to him about topics she can't possibly know about.
But then Sasuke grows tired of listening and deftly knocks her out, and she is placed onto the bench.
He glances into the trees where Anko is hiding, but he continues on his path.
And when he is gone, once Anko has given him time to come running back groveling, pleading with her to keep her mouth shut about what she has witnessed, Anko goes to her.
Goes to Sakura.
She lifts her more carefully than Sasuke had, and begins walking.
Her gaze flicks to the gates and she contemplates leaving just as the traitorous Uchiha had done, leaving to a place where she can train Sakura and Sakura will follow (chase) after power that only Anko can give her, but then Anko stops.
Anko stops and settles her onto the bench again, and watches.
Because she thinks, and she isn't supposed to care, that Sakura is done drowning in other people's shadows.
Sakura's destined for bigger things than that.
(And isn't this worse than any other type of grief, the pain and sheer pressure of fulfilling goals that you never knew you wanted to fulfill?)
Sakura will accomplish things no man has ever dreamed of doing, not even Orochimaru, who had always been a dreamer.
Sakura will be a good shinobi someday, and Anko will be watching.
…But not following.
(Because Anko doesn't follow other people either. Not anymore.)
Fin.
(And, yes, I know this characterization of Anko isn't as believable as it could have been.)