Arc 1: Escape Iwa
Chapter 4: Konoha
The gates of Konoha were larger than she had ever seen. Tall, bright red pillars of wood adorned with the village symbol loomed above her. Thick walls of concrete protruded from their outer sides as a form of defense that wrapped around the entire village. While it wasn't that unique of a form of defense a village could have, it was the trees that amazed Sakura more. They were tall enough to best even the huge gates in height. She would best that the forest around Konoha probably looked more like a green carpet from the sky than some mere foliage—much different than the thin pines Iwa had.
Morimoto-sensei and Rumi had dropped their disguises some time after passing the Suna border, and were currently explaining their situation to the gate guards. The two men listened to their story intently, one writing down on a notepad as the other leafed through their paperwork. Sakura wasn't worried about gaining admittance into the village; even without her mother's lifesaving documents, Konoha was notorious for its large heart. The only reason it could be that way was its sheer power and dominance in the shinobi world following the last war.
She felt numb as they walked through the gates and into a thriving, joyous village colored in every hue. One of the guards led their ragged group to the tall tower in the center of the village, the Hokage Tower. Sakura felt sick as she passed happy families and busy marketplaces filled with loud people. Suna hadn't been as flourished as this place, resembling a bit like the silences and quiet during the peaceful lulls between battles she had experienced last month. Konoha, on the other hand, was a thriving, happy village with carefree citizens and a strong ninja force.
'It's unfair.' The thought flit across her mind when a few young children ran in front of her without noticing, almost making the older girl trip. 'Why did it have to be our home that fell apart?' Her knowledge of history texts told her it was because Konoha recovered better than Iwa after the war, but the rational idea didn't make her feel any happier.
"I'm glad you guys managed to get out of there," their guide commented, turning his head to look at them. Rumi, now in a safe place, finally let herself relax and slouch. Morimoto-sensei kept his rigid vigor, but Sakura could see some of the tense lines in his face had fled. Was she the only one who still felt nervous?
"We've lost a lot so far," their teacher admitted. Sakura noticed he was favoring one leg over the other in a limp, something he hadn't shown in their travels up until now. "Konoha was the only choice we could think of."
Their guide hummed and opened the door to the tower, holding it for them to enter. "I hope the Hokage tell you what you need to hear then," he said, smiling nicely. Sakura couldn't look at the smile for too long for some reason—it made her feel uncomfortable. In fact, all the staff in the tower had a tiny grin on their faces—the pinkette kept her head down as usual. The floor was clean, at least.
They climbed six flights of stairs before they reached the Hokage's office. Two armored nin wearing masks flanked the doors, standing motionlessly, their animal faces staring forward diligently. Rumi put an arm around Sakura's shoulder and led her in after Morimoto-sensei.
"Hokage-sama," he said as he bowed. The two girls followed respectfully, and did not rise until the older man addressed them.
"Welcome to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, you three," the Hokage greeted warmly. The wrinkles around his eyes shifted as he smiled. A pipe rested carefully in his aged hand, smoke gently rising from it. "I have been briefed on your situation, and am very sorry to hear your tale. Word of Iwa's civil war reached here not long ago, with all communications being dropped shortly after the war began." He took a drag of the pipe before setting it down in an ashtray. "Could you tell me about it, if you could?"
Sakura glanced up at Morimoto-sensei, who took the responsibility of briefing the Hokage about their terrible experience. She tried to ignore the way his entire face darkened as the memories came to him. "The first message came during the fifteenth of February," he started darkly. "It was an official declaration of war against Iwa by its outer factions..."
The Hokage listened carefully as Morimoto-sensei relayed the gritty details of what he knew on the background of the war and its bloodstained battlefield. Rumi added some information on their courier team, but clammed up repeatedly when she accidentally mentioned her teammates' names. Sakura felt uneasy when she talked about her months in lockdown, and only offered information when asked. When they were all finished, the sun had shifted position in the sky to shine right in Sakura's eyes. The light was more painful than usual, which she assumed to be an effect of sleeplessness.
"What an awful thing war is," the Hokage muttered. He took his hand in his chin and closed his eyes in thought. "I am aware that you have in your possession some legitimate Konohan residence papers?" Morimoto-sensei nodded and quickly handed over Sayuri's citizen certificate and passports. Sarutobi took them and studied the papers thoroughly, shifting the papers in the light to look for watermarks. Pleased with what he found, the old man put the papers in a pile on his desk with a smile.
"These are the real things," he said, taking Sayuri's mother's letter next to read. "Who is this letter addressed to exactly?" Rumi glanced at Sakura, who shook her head in response. The younger girl crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at the corner of the room.
"Sakura's mother originally lived here," Rumi answered for the pinkette, frowning sympathetically. Her voice was quiet as she remembered the lively woman that baked them cookies after tough missions. "She was injured in our escape and passed from her wounds." The Hokage watched Sakura's stony expression, her bruised eyes making her look sickly and worn.
"Well, since you have a living connection to my village as well as an honest plea for solace, I would be honored to accept you in Konoha as new citizens," Sarutobi announced cheerfully. "There are a few requests I would like to make in addition, however, after you give me a short summary of yourselves."
Morimoto-sensei took it upon himself to go first. "Morimoto Iro, twenty-eight. I was a jounin of the former Iwagakure and sensei to a group of genin. My specialization lies in genjutsu and Doton jutsu, however I am adequately sure that I have incurred career-ending injuries during the war and our escape." Sakura thought of the way he limped earlier and ginger treatment of his leg. Rumi had been helping treat it, but she was not a fully fledged med nin by any means.
The chuunin spoke up next automatically. "My name is Hadami Rumi, sixteen years old. I am chuunin level, based in taijutsu and muscle therapy, and one of Morimoto-sensei's pupils. My family is well known for their work concerning human anatomy and their chakra-less healing therapies. I am unaware what happened to them during the war, but I—" Rumi sucked in a breath quickly, her voice catching, "—I'm relatively sure they were captured by the rebel forces." Surprised, Sakura quickly looked at Rumi's expression. She didn't know that Rumi's family had been taken; if that was true, then Rumi was most likely now the only remnant of her small family who was strongly loyal to the Tsuchikage.
Sakura mustered herself to speak before the silence stretched on for too long after Rumi's admittance. "I'm Haruno Sakura, ten years old. My mother was Gojima Sayuri, a civilian. My father was Haruno Daisuke, a jounin of Iwa." If she didn't think about their faces too much, it was easier to say their names without her voice hitching. "They both d... died during the war." She inhaled slowly. "My... rank was academy student, but I was up for graduation in a few months before..." Sakura paused. "...I have training in fuuinjutsu, taijutsu, field medicine, Doton manipulation, and explosives."
The Hokage seemed a bit shocked at Sakura's list of abilities. "So much for one so young. Only ten years old? Our academy students have only been enrolled for three years and only started basic jutsu recently." Morimoto-sensei quickly interrupted the Hokage before he could speak more.
"Iwa's program differs from Konoha's, as I am sure you know, Hokage-sama," he explained in an edgy voice, slightly protective. "Sakura may seem over-qualified, but she still has not been named a genin and—"
The Hokage chuckled slightly. "I am not interested in rushing a young girl who just escaped a war zone through our ranks, Iro. If she is still interested, I would like to have Sakura enrolled in the academy after you settle in comfortably here." He cast a kind glance at Rumi next. "I'd also like to have Rumi take a placement exam to establish a new rank here..."
Rumi's face took on a shadow, darkening her expression. "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I..." She thought of the constant tension during the war, the bloody skirmishes, the close calls and escapes. She couldn't help when visions of her smiling teammates and family assaulted her. Rumi's throat tightened and she tried to swallow. "I... I don't think I want to be a ninja anymore." She saw the Hokage's mouth open to comment, but she spoke first, interrupting him with quick words. "I don't think that's a bad thing, since my family is... was... ...is mostly civilians anyway, and I know enough of our teachings to continue on that way and—"
"Rumi, you don't need to explain yourself," the Hokage said gently. He was drawing papers up from a folder in his desk similar to Sayuri's. He spread them out on his desk and began filling them out neatly, in swift movements of his pen. "I understand what you are feeling right now. Perhaps, after you've had some rest, we can arrange for something a bit different. It is a shame to lose talented ninja, but I'm not willing to force you into a service you aren't ready for."
Rumi visibly relaxed and nodded. Morimoto-sensei placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it soothingly. There was a few minutes of silence as the Hokage etched into the papers, occasionally quietly asking for additional personal information. After a moment he sighed, a happy whoosh of air from his leathery lips, and presented Morimoto-sensei the paperwork.
"These are your official citizenship papers, as well as three requests for a medical examination. After you leave here, I'd like for you all to head straight to the hospital next door and get checked out. Don't worry about lodging, either." Sarutobi shifted in his large chair to reach for his pipe. "Sayuri's parents, the Gojimas, are on an indefinite leave from the village to travel and expand their business. Their home is currently empty, so you should have no problems finding room there to stay."
Morimoto-sensei considered the Hokage's words carefully. "Are you sure that is okay? What if they were to return?"
"Those two are not the kind of people to deny others help," the Hokage said with a smile, his pipe dangled from his fingers. "I will handle getting them a letter to inform them of your presence here and their daughter's passing, so please relax as you acclimate yourself here."
Morimoto-sensei nudged the two girls and they all thanked their new leader in unison, with a polite bow. The Hokage just smiled and waved them off.
Just as Sakura opened the door, the Hokage spoke up again. "Ah! Do you require any funds? I forgot that you might not have had any time to gather such a thing during your escape."
Sakura kept her eyes forward and pushed open the door. "We have everything we need," she responded quietly, fingering the straps to her mother's backpack gently. They stepped out and closed the door behind them, quickly descending the stairs in a new, relaxed silence.
The hospital was much better than anything Iwa had, to be sure. Sakura remembered from her studies that Konoha had the most advanced medical teaching in the ninja world, great enough to receive leaders from other countries as patients. They had seemed to come in during a lull in the day, and were quickly whisked away in different directions by nurses. Sakura sat uncomfortably on the hospital chair, unused to being by herself for so long. For months her and her mother had been within feet of each other, and the past two weeks had been spent under the constant eyes of Morimoto-sensei and Rumi. Being alone made her feel unsafe in this unknown territory.
A nurse knocked politely before entering the room, smiling in a practiced way and holding a clipboard in her elbow. "Hello, Sakura-san," she greeted easily, taking a seat by the large wall unit that held medical equipment. "My name is Amaya and I'll be in charge of the majority of your checkup. Would you like me to explain anything?"
Sakura observed the woman. She was a light brunette with light green eyes, and a white smile. Her uniform made her look too much like the walls—white—but it did look nice with her tanned complexion. Sakura shook her head, not feeling like she needed to know much about the checkup she would receive regardless of her opinion.
"Okay then. I'm going to start by taking some basic vitals..." Amaya quickly assessed Sakura's basic health. The pinkette tried to keep from flinching when Amaya touched her at vital points, but couldn't keep a shudder from escaping at the nurse's touch. Amaya noticed this with a hawkish eye, and began to scribble furiously in a folder.
The brunette examined her very methodically. Her eyes, ears, and teeth were assessed quickly. She was stood up, turned around, and bent in different ways by clinical hands. Sakura at one point had to strip briefly to let the nurse examine any injuries. Amaya stared at her skinny body, bruised and dirty with an unreadable expression.
"So you came from Iwa, right?" she asked, her voice serious. Sakura nodded, just a slight inclination of her head. "A civil war huh..." Amaya stayed quiet as she contemplated something before suddenly smiling and taking Sakura's shoulders in her hands. Sakura wasn't ready for that and jerked violently at the action. "Let's get you cleaned up before the doctor comes, alright?" Amaya said tightly, already leading Sakura into the connected bathroom.
"I..." Sakura wasn't given much time to reject the offer, and was physically cleaned by Amaya's trained hands. Her body was left feeling fresh, even if she didn't really reciprocate the sensation on the inside. Her hair was left down to dry, and Sakura was surprised to see it had grown decently; she hadn't let it down at all during the war, feeling that if they were attacked at any time, loose hair would only get in her way of protecting her mother.
"Much better." Amaya then gave Sakura a clean white robe, not one of the hospital gowns, to wear. The pinkette felts its cozy warmth and sighed. While the first half of the war had been alright, the second was brutal on the village's supplies and Sayuri had had to resort to trading goods instead of money for food. Their extra, cozy blankets had been some of the first things to go.
Sakura climbed onto the hospital recliner, feeling a lot more at ease now that the muck from their travel from Suna had been washed away. Amaya, after taking a few more notes, left with a smile and promise to bring the doctor soon.
Sakura turned to look out at the village through the window, watching as the ant people went about their ending day. Dusk had settled on the village, slowing down much of the day's earlier bustle.
'A lively village, free from the threat of war and fall...' she thought to herself. 'It might not be bad to live here. Mom... she came from here after all.' Sakura squeezed her hands as she thought of her mother's gentle hands and happy smiles. 'Mom, are you watching us right now, with Dad?' Sakura hoped they found rest in the afterlife together, attempting to ignore how lonely it made her feel.
Sakura was a logical child, and was willing to accept that her mother's death was inevitable. That kind of wound, coupled with her bereaved state—it would have been difficult if not impossible to get her through the unforgiving desert. No, Sakura understood it had to be this way. She missed them intensely though, and felt a deep loneliness and emptiness in her heart. It made her tired, but she couldn't fall asleep.
'I'd just have nightmares,' she sighed. Sakura was left with a few more minutes before a doctor entered the room, a single hard knock announcing his arrival.
"My name is Doctor Yamanaka," the broad shouldered man began, his voice deep but not intimidating. He had a thin pair of wire glasses resting on his straight nose. "A doctor and psychiatrist. I will be finishing your medical examination." Sakura expected something like this to happen. You didn't just let war veterans back in service without a thorough look into their mind.
"Okay," she offered. She sat up in her chair to face the platinum blond man.
"I'll give you a quick overview of what your nurse found," he charged onward, apparently not a doctor for any pleasantries. "You're malnourished, suffering from various light injuries. There are a collection of scars that have already healed on your body," he gave her forehead and hand two quick glances, "it's obvious that you have some avoidance of physical contact, and also are suffering from a severe case of insomnia. There are also signs of PTSD, and acute depression." Sakura only listened with one ear, not very interested. Half of those things she knew herself and didn't want to think about, only reminding her of how she got them in the first place.
Dr. Yamanaka watched her with a gray blue eye, which happened to lack pupils. Sakura tried not to stare. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions, please answer honestly."
Sakura nodded, and Dr. Yamanaka brought a cheap pen to a clipboard to prepare writing.
"Name, date of birth."
"Haruno Sakura, March 28."
"Occupation."
"Academy student."
"Where are your parents?"
Sakura blinked slowly, surprised that he was skipping straight to the heavy questions so soon. She swallowed and looked at the spot on the wall beside the doctor's head. "They're dead."
"How long was the war in Iwa?"
"It started in February. On the twentieth, we were ordered into state martial and village arrest..."
The interrogation continued like this for some time. Dr. Yamanaka would ask questions of varying emotional weight and watch Sakura's reactions, writing diligently all the while. He marked the questions she had trouble answering (like the friends she had lost and how she felt during the war) and the ones that slipped too easily from her mouth (like the way her parents died and how many people she had killed so far). By the time they finished, the sun had nearly slipped beyond the horizon.
"One last question," he said, putting his pen down and leaning toward Sakura, his eyes trying to delve into hers. "What are you afraid of?"
Sakura thought for a moment, putting a hand to her chin. "I'm afraid of... Of..." She thought of her father's sacrificial smile, Omaru's still body, Deidara's charming grin, her mother's dying tears. She thought of her village in flames, the feeling of constant paranoia choking her throat, the panic.
"I'm afraid of loss," she answered honestly. "I'm afraid of loud noises in the night. I'm afraid of shadows on the wall. I'm afraid of quiet nights, being alone, being helpless. I'm afraid of leaders who fail their subjects and self-sacrifice. I'm afraid to die."
"Is that it?" Dr. Yamanaka asked. Sakura shrugged.
"I don't like bees."
The doctor cracked a tiny grin and wrote something on his paper, sideways. "I think you're going to be fine, Sakura-san," he told her. "We'll arrange for you to have some therapy, and prescribe some medicine to help with your sleeping patterns."
"Thank you," Sakura said earnestly. Dr. Yamanaka reached out and slowly put a hand on Sakura's head. She did her best to keep calm.
"I know you're hurting, but know this, Sakura: be proud that you've lived until today. Many of your friends didn't get the chance—you need to look at the day and enjoy it for them, so they can look at you from the afterlife and be happy to see you smiling. It's not easy getting out of where you came from, so know that you're strong to survive this, too."
"I'll try," Sakura mumbled, looking down at her lap. "I'll try."
The neighborhood her grandparents lived in was actually part of the businesses lining the main market road in Konoha. It was a two story building with an attic, the lower floor functioning as a store and the upper a house. Most of the furnishings inside had been sealed in plastic, protecting them the film of dust that covered everything. The air tasted stale as they walked in, the house needing a severe airing out. The man who gave them the keys to house also arranged for the utilities to be reactivated by tomorrow afternoon.
"It's big," Rumi said quietly, dropping her backpack by the wall. Her feet left spots on the floor where she wiped away the dirty residue. Whatever she had talked about during her own checkup had left her tired and haggard.
Sakura glanced around, taking in the place that would be their home. She saw the staircase that led to the upper level of the house. Morimoto-sensei had gained a cane from his doctor's visit, and carefully limped his way to the closest chair. Without any decorations, the shop was too generic to tell what it had been when the Gojima's were still using it. If it was anything like her mother's store, it was most likely an import and specialty store.
"It needs to be cleaned." Sakura didn't want her cleaned body to become victim to the sheer amount of dust in the building. Morimoto-sensei nodded but sat on the plastic-covered chair anyway, his new but featureless black pants taking the brunt of the dust.
Rumi stood by herself, looking out of the window. Her eyes spoke of an inner battle, something that she would have to deal with by her own power. The light was quickly fading as night approached, and they would be left with nothing until the electricity was turned back on.
She sneezed violently. Rumi rubbed her nose and sighed, turning to head straight up the stairs. "I'm going to bed a bit early," she announced. Sakura tightened her grip on the tiny brown paper bag of medication Dr. Yamanaka had prescribed, her mind focused on thoughts of a good night's rest. The pink haired girl quickly followed Rumi, wanting to be able to at least set up her room before the light disappeared.
Morimoto-sensei leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes peacefully. "I'm going to stay down here for a bit longer." Rumi nodded slightly and opened the door to the upstairs house, silently stalking straight toward a room. Sakura chose the room that was at the end of the hall, like her old one in Iwa. There was very little in the room other that basic furniture, but the bed at least had been covered with a dust cloth.
'I'll open the window,' she thought as she gently peeled the dusty blanket off the bed. The fresh air would do her well, and the sound of the evening breeze would help her sleep. Without running water she would have to take her pills dry, but a little saliva helped.
With the large pill making its way down her throat, Sakura took off everything but her underwear and shimmied into the covers. She curled up around a pillow, hugging it to her chest. Staring at the wall in front of her, she tried to keep herself from thinking about her lost family, in case it caused nightmares even while under the effects of a sleeping pill. It was difficult however, since she had little else that came to her mind freely to think about. It took five minutes of carefully letting her mind stay blank before she noticed herself growing tired.
'Things are looking up.' Sakura slowly felt the drug working its magic, her limbs feeling heavy and brain hazy. 'I wish… Everyone was here to see it though…' Her hand opened up so that she could stare at her scarred palm, the bright red kanji recognizable even in the falling night. She was lucky, privileged to have gotten to this point. Even if her doctor had said to be proud, Sakura couldn't dredge up the feeling at all. When she thought about what she had left behind and lost to find herself in a comfortable bed miles away from her destroyed homeland, the young girl could only call that emotion that wormed up 'guilt.'