Pao (Guest): I couldn't PM you since you're a guest, but I would still like you to know that I appreciate the encouragement, so thank you!
Unnerving, that would be the first thought that comes to mind if you asked me for my first impression.
Green eyes that meet mine, pink hair bright like the edge of the sharpest knife.
Whispery words, and the easy dissection she presents to me.
Unnerving.
An unnerving 6 year old.
The same age as my Ino, but so different.
"So, what is your diagnosis, Inoichi?"
Respectfully, I look up, even though I wouldn't be able to meet his eyes.
"Stable and fit to be a ninja, Hokage-sama."
Lord Hokage puffs his pipe, before lifting his hat, just so that I catch a fleeting glimpse of black eyes.
"You know that's not what I'm after, Inoichi."
I hesitate for a moment, but answer.
"Shikaku is unlikely to be able to entrench himself with her."
Pausing, I think on how I should go about phrasing it.
"If he invites her to play either shogi or go, her play style will reveal little to nothing. Within half an hour, that child picked up that I was feeling for her personality, knew what I perceived her to be, knew how I would counter her, and knew exactly how to make sure I knew all of it."
He sets his pipe down on the table, before folding his hands in front of him, not unlike Sakura-san.
"Are you sure you aren't underestimating Shikaku? Not to mention, he is her proxy. She will have to trust him with the family business."
My lips tighten into a slight frown.
"Hokage-sama, Sakura-san is the only one who can open that scroll."
"Even blood permission can be given."
I dip my head, my silence a mild rebuke.
Shikaku, would you use a child like that?
"You have not been running my family's business."
Her eyes are sharp, and even before introductions, she has already determined something as crucial as that.
In Shogi, when a ploy has failed, it's best to cut back on losses.
"That is true, Sakura-san. I needed to be able to open the blood scroll in order to access records and prepared for deals."
She smiles.
"Your mind is racing right now. You are trying to think of a way to gain as much as possible, having just cut your losses."
Slowly, I close off my expression and my mind.
She smiles again, and such a pretty smile, on so young a face, doesn't match the cutting, knowing eyes.
"Be my proxy in name, Nara-sama. In exchange, I will use your clan as a basis for trading, and I will name your heir as mine."
My eyes must narrow at her preposition, because her smile curves slightly wickedly.
"Dual loyalties are dangerous…especially in a Hidden Village. Hokage-sama has ordered you to entrench yourself with me, keep close to me, gain control of the Haruno merchant business. As long as I am amiable, keep me as a malleable, unknowing puppet. When I outlive my usefulness, once you can control all my assets properly, I can be dealt with. Is that what you think?"
Her voice turns bitter at the end, but still soft.
Gently, I place my hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to calm down.
"Shall we not continue our discussion inside, in a more favourable setting? People are staring, Sakura-san."
She turns slightly, before smiling at a random civilian who waves back.
"Let us do so. In the meantime though, Nara-sama, you may wish to watch your hand. People are watching."
I recover quickly, casually retracting my hand, having forgotten that this was a 6 year old girl in front of me, then escorting her through the gates.
"Underneath his genuine care and concern for me, it was just numbers and calculation of my worth. If he had not judged me to be needed, then I would have died in the apparent attack that killed my parents and the Genin teams."
He pours us tea as I muse.
It's terrifying actually. That the concern was genuine.
That that old, frail looking man would think to use even a 6 year old child.
Though, it's possibly because of my age that he even endeavoured to do such a thing.
For now, Nara-sama is just watching, trying to get a grip on the personality that Yamanaka-sama failed to.
I look around the spacious, traditional room.
Bamboo shutters, wooden, lacquered flooring.
Earthen coloured furniture, and more prominently, the shadows.
It's not brightly lit, and the shadows almost seem to shift.
"What is your answer then, Nara-sama?"
His back never straightens from its lazy slouch.
"You drive a hard bargain, Sakura-san."
"Is that a 'no', Nara-sama?"
Deftly, my tiny 6 year old fingers wrap around a porcelain cup.
My lips press against the edge of the cup, and I sip the warm tea, inhaling the scent.
"Plum blossom tea from the Land of Rice, and white porcelain of the Land of Wind. You have good taste, Nara-sama."
I close my eyes, leaving him in his contemplation.
"I will have to first consult Hokage-sama."
Her slightly breathless reply of, "So I was right…" has me cursing inwardly.
It was a trap.
"Don't feel too bad, Chief Strategist. Yamanaka-sama was the same. Who would have thought? This pink haired little girl wishes to talk business."
I drink my tea.
"This little girl has little interest in the business itself or her family's legacy, only in the profits and the assurance that the state will not abuse this business and turn it into a spying ring."
Tch.
"Did I guess right? That you want to make use of our business as a cover?"
There's no use hiding anything anymore, so I simply nod.
Her eyes show her evident surprise.
"While it is true that I would have been able to tell if you were lying, I didn't expect you to tell me the truth."
I give her a languid, lazy stare.
She smiles, holding her hand out, "I might just like you, Nara-sama."
Setting the cup down, I take her hand, "I swear to do my utmost to obey all rules and guidelines laid down within the Haruno Merchant Scroll, as interpreted by the heir, Haruno Sakura-san."
Hokage-sama, I hope you appreciate the amount of trouble I'm getting myself into.
Later at night, I edit the scroll.
After some deliberation, I write down Nara Shikaku next to my name.
Next, I add in a clause.
In the event that any of the clans die out, ie. No one of the bloodline remaining, they are to be struck out of the scrolls, and all remaining clans must convene a meeting to decide on a replacement clan. The balance among the nations must be kept.
Less of spite, but more of practicality, I edit the scroll further.
Hence forth, the Haruno Merchants are to be known as the Border-crossing Merchant Guild, and no clan has executive rights. All decisions will be made by a joint council, at which the representatives of all clans must be present.
I sign off the scroll as Haruno Sakura, Former Head of the Haruno Merchants.
Now, there was virtually no need for me, or Nara-sama to do anything.
All trades were already established, and all payments made directly to the bank accounts. Separately, I had no real desire to grow the business, so unless anyone approached me with a request, it would be unlikely for me to need to interact any more than required with Nara-sama.
He underestimated me once, but that would not happen again.
I was under no illusions with regards to the extent of my abilities.
Ninja…these were dangerous people, soaked to the core with deception and deceit.
Their only concern were gains.
So much so that they had no qualms using a 6 year old child if it so suited them.
Ah, I keep harping on that point so much.
The frightening thing is, that despite what they wanted to do originally, and would still do if they could, I don't hate them.
Because Yuurei knows exactly what things they do, as well as why, and how they do things, and if she were to hate them, she should probably hate herself too.
Because the fact that she knows, shows that she's perfectly capable of doing the same thing.
"Nara-sama, do you have any children?"
She asks this as she places the first black stone on the board.
In the middle, a beginner tactic.
"Yeah. He's the same age as you, but he's already begun schooling in the Academy."
I place my white stone in the middle of the top row.
She hums as she places another black stone in the bottom left-most corner of the board.
"I guessed as much. I'm starting next week. Is there anything in particular I've missed out on?"
Finding her first childlike statement hilarious, I nearly laugh, before I remember that she is 6.
"You've never played Go before have you?"
Her green eyes, clear for once, look up at me, blinking.
She shakes her head, before placing another black stone in the bottom right-most corner.
"Don't change the question please. I don't wanna fall behind the other students, already being handicapped coming from a civilian family."
Running a hand through my hair, I place my white stone next to her centre one.
Shooting a look at the clock, I remark that it's almost time for Shika to get home.
"May I borrow his textbooks over the weekend? Unless he wishes to study them, I mean."
It's my turn to smile, but it's not one of her knowing smiles.
It is amused, sad, pitying and lastly, apologetic.
Too young.
"He'll be glad to have a reason to not see them over the weekend."
Her face scrunches up slightly, trying to make sense of my words, as she copies my move, placing a white stone next to her centre one.
"Does he…not like reading?"
What an understatement.
"You'll understand once you read all his textbooks yourself."
I place a black stone next to her new white stone, preventing her from splitting the board length-wise.
Just as she's about to set down another white piece, she pauses, looking at the door.
"There's someone walking here."
Responding to this, I send out tendril of chakra, feeling, sensing, and I tug on the source.
Shikamaru's home.
"You…you're welcoming it. You call out to it, and it hums in response. Like a purr…almost?"
Inoichi must have meant this, when he said that Sakura called his chakra invasive.
Suddenly aware, she looks around her.
"The walls…even the walls are humming."
Her eyes find mine, as she struggles to comprehend everything that she can feel, but cannot name.
At that moment, I feel ropes of chakra leaving her, stretching around the room, crawling across the walls.
Her face goes through varying emotions, and at one point, I feel one brush against me.
Strangely enough, one of these ropes feel inky black, as if laced with Yin chakra, and another, feels Nara.
There's a knock on the door, and all the chakra rope constructs retract.
She doesn't look the least bit tired, despite the fact that she just attempted Chakra manipulation on a large scale.
And despite how her chakra was everywhere moments ago, her chakra signature is dissipating already.
"Tou-san, I'm home."
Shikamaru's voice refocuses me, and the door slides open, he casually dumping his History text in the corner.
"Welcome home, Shikamaru."
He moves towards the seat across the table, his usual seat, only to realise that there's someone in it.
Sakura blinks when Shikamaru cocks his head at her, before her lips part in an 'o'.
She shifts one seat to her right, and she's now sitting on the sidelines.
Confusedly, my son still takes his seat.
"Hi..?"
Clearly, Sakura is caught off guard by his greeting.
Jabbing a finger in my direction, he introduces himself, "Hi. I'm Nara Shikamaru. He's my dad."
There's a sudden growth of a chakra thread behind Sakura, and I tense at it, not sure what to expect.
"Nara…Shikamaru-san..."
It thickens, then retracts like before.
She looks almost lost, before her eyes find mine, and there's a question in them.
Is this alright?
When I give her a small smile, her face lights up, and she too, smiles.
"I'm Haruno Sakura, I'll be joining your class next week. It's nice to meet you."
He runs a hand through his hair, looking at the board, at Sakura, at me, around the room, trying to find something to say.
"Eh. Class's boring."
I snort at his awkward attempt at conversation, before smiling at both of them.
"Well Shikamaru, would you be willing to help Sakura-san catch up with the Academy syllabus? Hopefully, you've been paying attention in class."
Her bewildered back glance at me, as Shikamaru drags her off lazily, tells me everything.
As much as Yuurei didn't know it herself, her distinct lack of memories meant Sakura was just that.
A child without a childhood, with nothing but finely cut instinct to save and survive.
"Shikaku, you spent a morning with Sakura-san. Were you able to find anything?"
He shakes his head.
Lie.
"No, Hokage-sama. Inoichi's assessment proved correct. After yesterday's dealing, Sakura-san appears to have closed herself off. I was unable to grasp her personality."
Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Inoichi directing a shocked look in his direction.
Lie.
"I see. Very well, you may go."
He bows, and then steps out of the room.
As soon as the door closes behind him, he shunshins back onto ground level, bypassing all the steps.
Inoichi is close on his heels, and he invites his friend for tea.
Inoichi knows.
"You lied."
Truth.
He directs a lazy glance at him, and drawls, "What makes you think that?"
His lips compress, "Don't lie to me, Shikaku."
Their expressions are both hard, but he meets the other's eyes.
"I have not lied to you."
Truth.
Patiently, Inoichi walks with him.
"She knew."
His footsteps stutter.
"What?"
"She knew exactly what we intended to do, and has made it such that even if we took over it would never happen."
He pauses for a moment, then exhales through his nose.
"Good."
It's Shikaku's turn to startle.
"That's good. I don't approve of breaking children. So it's good. Good that she knew and knew exactly how to counter every move. It's good then."
Despite having agreed to go for tea, they part ways at the clan gate.
"He is the Hokage, it's his job, so I won't hold it against him. But we aren't the Hokage."
Inoichi hums in agreement.
"Better him than either of us."
A laugh resonates from the clan compound, and they both turn.
On the patio, a stack of books lay discarded.
Instead, the two children are trying to catch leaves.
Shikamaru with his shadow, and Sakura with her chakra rope constructs.
A disgruntled frown mars Shikamaru's face, and a look of concentration crosses Sakura's, but barely a moment later, both break into laughter.
"Young."
They nod in agreement.
"Too young."
Confused and wary but for now, she's happy.