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Arc 1, [An Unexpected Beginning]
Part IV
Hiruzen sank into his chair with a deep sigh, ignoring Danzō's intense eye contact. The damage was already done.
Refusing to look him, he motioned for silence. "The meeting shall continue. Open speakers list is in order. Hakuhana-san, if you'd please."
Hakuhana, a civilian, straightened at her name. After a moment of contemplation, the middle-aged redhead spoke.
"My daughter went to the academy with Sakura-chan, and they are good acquaintances. Sakura-chan is infamous for her occasional temper, but she is usually sweet and polite girl, Danzō-sama."
Several agreed, but Danzō remained silent, still staring Hiruzen down. This was usual, considering Danzo wasn't usually the gloating type.
"But, even if Haruno-san has no ill-intentions, it still doesn't explain the Mokuton jutsu…" someone else said.
"I think she is Senju-sama's host."
"Utter nonsense! It is impossible to seal a person in a person."
"And who, pray tell, are you to say so? You don't have the air of a Fuuinjutsu specialist, my friend." Unnaturally loud, the cocky tone of the hidden speaker elicited startled gasps as it echoed off the sound-amplifying walls.
Hiruzen's pulse skyrocketed—the last time he had heard this voice, it was congratulating him on rising to the rank of jōnin. That means…!
One second it was Danzō, a half-mummified war hawk whose abyssal eyes were drilling a hole into his temple. In the next, his chakra signal wavered and the illusion broke unexpectedly, leaving a grinning Hashirama Senju in his place, eyes playful as he lounged in the cushioned seat.
"Hashirama," Hiruzen breathed, pipe slipping out of his hands.
In all of his physical glory Hashirama stood, his crimson armor slithering on his slender, muscled frame. There was no sign of age on his tanned face. He bowed towards the gawking crowd, nonplussed by their astonishment. "I am honored to return to my dear village. I take it that the last few decades have gone well, Little Monkey?"
Then, everyone lost their minds and the hearing resolved into beautiful chaos.
She had no memories of succumbing to a dreamless sleep, but the next thing she remembered was waking up to harsh knocking.
"Stop, Makoto." Sakura whined.
The knocks persisted like some starving woodpecker, and by the time it stopped, she was fully awake. She tried sitting up, but a burning sensation stopped her. It felt like someone had replaced all of her blood with acid. Bloodshot eyes peeled open and instead of the canopy of her bed, she found herself staring at cracked linoleum.
...right. She was in prison.
Groaning, Sakura rolled onto her side and faced the wall of the dark cell. She would take Makoto over this glorified closet any day. The only way out was a heavy slab of barred steel, locked from the outside. She pressed her face against the wall's icy surface to soothe the deep ache inside.
Yesterday was a disaster.
She should've refused to be lured in by the obvious trap of words the older shinobi had set up for her, refused to continue once she recognized the first signs of anger. But no. She gave the control to her anger again, lost another battle against her emotions.
Anger looks good on no one, Sakura. It was one of the only things her mother said. It suits you especially ill. Conceal. Don't feel. Hold it in.
"But it's so much easier to let it out," she said out loud, burying herself deeper into the thin blanket. After bawling her eyes en route to this degrading place, all that was left within was disappointment and fear. She'd let herself down, let the Hokage down, let her team down.
But even more than that, she'd let Senju-sama down.
The First Hokage brought up another headache. Why her? Why Sakura Haruno, an emotionally unstable but otherwise completely unremarkable girl? The skin on her back throbbed, a friendly reminder of whom she was bonded to. Where is he, anyways? She could still feel his overwhelming presence within her, that never-ending well of awe-inspiring chakra surging through her channels, but he had stopped communicating with her. Maybe he's ignoring me.
An idea popped into her head. SENJU-SAMA! She hollered.
There was no answer.
Her stomach growled, interrupting her inner monologue. Rubbing her eyes, she flopped around and managed to sit up, jingling the chain around her left ankle. Patting her stomach, she scanned the cell. Her jade eyes landed on a gray tray holding a bowl of rice, soup, and a large bottle of water. She practically pounced on the meager meal. Soon, the food was gone.
About halfway through with the water canteen the door in front of her swung open, missing her nose by an inch. An unbearable amount light flooded in. Startled, she choked on a swallow. Water spurted out of her nose and mouth and landed on…
"Hokage-sama!" She gasped, hacking her lungs out as the rest of the water poured out of her nostrils.
The old man just snorted in slight amusement, the front of his robe sopping wet.
Water leaking from her nose, Sakura realized she'd never felt so embarrassed before.
Trailing behind Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose hands were clasped serenely behind his back, Sakura followed him down skinny corridors and up spiraling staircases. She massaged her freed wrists, trying to decide which one of her millions of questions to ask him.
"Sakura-chan," the Hokage began suddenly, tone light and conversational.
"Yes, Hokage-sama?"
"You have quite a temper on you. Your words truly angered Danzō-san, despite his initial reaction."
"I—uh, yeah. Um..sorry about that." Oh, Kami-sama. He was probably leading her to see him, to receive her punishment. There was no way she could get out of this one, she was royally and undeniably fucked-
"No. Don't be sorry. I want to thank you," he smiled.
Am I going deaf? "Pardon me, sir?"
"Danzō-san and I aren't on friendly terms. You had stated my exact feelings about him to his face in the best way possible. Of course I would want to congratulate you."
Speechless, Sakura stared at him as he continued.
"But perhaps you would've found it more surprising if I told you that the Hashirama-san had been present at your little episode the entire time, ne? Of course, he didn't reveal himself until you were escorted away. Then, 'Danzō' dropped his henge, and we had ourselves a Hashirama Senju."
It took her muddled brain a few moments to make sense of what the elite shinobi had just said, and when it did, she suddenly came to a mind-blowing conclusion—"Wait, you mean Senju-sama was the one who goaded me on?"
"Precisely."
"What? But….then….why? Senju-sama told me…"
The Hokage interrupted her. "It was blatantly obvious from your chakra signature alone. Most ninja above chunin rank already knew you had a dual signature."
"Dual signature?" Sakura echoed.
"Yes. It means your presence feels like that of two people. That alone is already a dead giveaway. If I was a Hyūga, I can safely tell you that there are two different chakras twisting through your channels. One of them is yours, the other is Hashirama-san's."
She tried visualizing it, finding the concept strange. "How does that even work? That defies all the Laws of Chakra."
"Indeed; it doesn't 'work', as you put it. Foreign, non-medical chakra takes a lot time for anyone to adjust to. You can only be exposed to a small amount at a time without your body rejecting that chakra. It's like receiving a donor organ, but with a higher failure rate. You are a very special case, a medical miracle perhaps."
"Oh? That's good." Sakura admitted, taking an incredulous look at her wimpy body.
"But even so, if you tried using chakra right now, you will end up separating your chakra from Hashirama's and die instantly." The Hokage warned, and Sakura stiffened. "So, please, for your sake, don't be imprudent.
"Anyways, before you came barging in, the top medics and sensor-nin in Konoha had just finished making a report on your health. I instructed them to compare the signature of your chakra to Hashirama's and we had a 90% matchup. Ninety percent! And that isn't even taking into account the level 10 seal we discovered on your back. Needless to say, we all know."
Sakura let the large load of information sink in, feeling her dread build as she mulled over the Hokage's words. The dual chakra signature further explained the liquid agony inside her, but imparted her with even more questions. She'd thought that the unstable chakra thing was just a phase, not a mountain she had to scale.
What if I can't ever use chakra again? My own body is working against me, just like my emotions.
The wise Hokage sensed her pessimistic thoughts and set his hand reassuringly on her back. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. Your companion is one of the most powerful shinobi to ever roam the lands. I'm certain that Senju Hashirama has more than a couple of tricks up his sleeve. Your career as a ninja is not over."
"Thank you," the preteen replied, sharing a tiny smile with her leader. His words alleviated some of her fears. "Uh, I'm still confused. Senju-sama told me that if word got out about him, I will be exposing myself to his enemies. He told me there were many of them. So why make me admit that I'm his host?"
"I suppose Hashirama-san kept you in the dark to get that reaction out of you as Danzō. Keep in mind you are hosting a triple S-class shinobi. Even Hashirama-san's most prominent enemies will have second—no, third thoughts about even attempting to harm you."
A huge weight lifted off her shoulders and flew into the distant sunset. "That's a relief," she sighed, grudgingly admiring Hashirama's reasoning as she understood his plan. She just wished he'd trusted her enough to confide in her instead of playing her as a simple pawn. "Wait, if you already knew that I was Hashirama's host, then why arrest me?"
Her question was barely finished when they stopped in front of a door.
"Because I wanted to," the Third chortled and giving her a wan look before pulling the door open, revealing the top of the Hokage building. Strong sunlight attacked her retinas. Sakura squinted, waiting for her pupils to adjust, a hushed buzzing sound ringing in her ears.
"Go and greet your people. And this time, do not scream profanities at them." The Third Fire Shadow said, giving her a push.
As Sakura stumbled onto the roof, the door swung shut behind her. It was then that she noticed the buzzing was actually the sound of hundreds—no, thousands of people talking all at once in the broad avenues below. She stood in the center of the roof, barely out of view.
"Sakura-san!" A small gasp escaped her lips and Sakura whirled around. A beaming Hashirama stood at the opposite edge of the roof, eagerly fluttering his hand at her, his shoulder plates jingling at the action. The multitude of voices grew louder.
Sakura froze like a deer in the headlight. So many feelings coursed through her at the simple beckoning.
"Aww, don't be like that! Hurry up! We're all waiting for you!" The Senju sauntered eagerly over to her before she could react and took her by a bandaged wrist, dragging her to the edge of the roof.. Her blood ran cold and she opened her mouth to tell Hashirama that this was a bad bad baddd idea but it was too late. They reached the edge.
At the sight of the duo, the bursting streets roared to life, and Sakura swore she was going to be deaf as they cheered and cheered and cheered.
"There's so many people!" Sakura exclaimed, overwhelmed by the happy mass below.
"Everyone is here," Hashirama replied smoothly. "You know, while you were busy moping and being depressed, I managed to amass a village full of supporters."
Before Sakura could respond, Hashirama slipped his hand into hers and launched their joined fists into the air. The crowd went into a frenzy, breaking the decibel scale.
"My people!" Hashirama shouted over the hubbub. "My good, beautiful, willful people! Let us wait no longer! I present to you the reason to as to my existence, my container—no, she is not just a mere container—my partner, my gracious host, Haruno Sakura, genin of Konohagakure!"
Hashirama continued speaking, but his words were lost to her.
He had called her his partner for the first time—his equal. The God of Shinobi, even for a small moment, deemed her as worthy.
It was a powerful, unforgettable feeling, and Sakura will remember it forever.
Twenty-three hours later, Team Seven sat on the birch benches of the roof of the completely restored academy. Not a single word was exchanged between the trio. The sound of young students playing in the courtyard below filled the awkward silence.
Sakura tucked a strand of pale strand of strawberry hair behind her ear as the Sun beat relentlessly down on them. The hospital never gave her training dress back, but Sakura was due for a change in clothes, anyways. She kept the black spandex, but she added a simple, sleeveless white top with a thick red belt around her waist. Over the sash, she wore a heavy-duty utility belt, stuffed full of weapons, mostly kunai and senbon—she didn't want a repeat of the Makoto event. A pair of fingerless black gloves that covered the bandages on her forearms completed the look.
Hashirama was gone when she woke in the morning, but she found that if she concentrated hard enough, she could feel his presence near the Hokage building. Pushing thoughts about the Shodai out of her mind, she snuck a glance at Sasuke, still not believing her luck at being placed in the same team on her longtime crush.
Or so she thought. But the longer she stared, the clearer the inconvenient truth became. She didn't like Sasuke, not in the sense that she wanted to fall in love with him and wanted him to love her back and for them to live happily ever after.
No, her adoration was an excuse for her jealousy.
"What?" Naruto's baffled voice derailed her train of thought. Sakura blinked to see both Naruto and Sasuke giving her disbelieving looks, which she shared for a moment before she realized that she'd spoken out loud.
"Oh," she said, slightly mortified. "Uh...you guys heard."
"Yeah, you said it out loud." Naruto frowned, speaking for both boys as he crossed his arms, wrinkling his blaring navy-trimmed orange tracksuit. "I thought you were Sasuke's fangirl supreme. You practically pounce on him every single day."
"Not really." Sakura protested, but the looks they gave her revealed that they weren't exactly convinced. Should she tell them? After all, she'd just thought about it last night as she lounged on her bed, listening to Hashirama's snores.
Would the old, pre-Hashirama Sakura tell them?
No. The old me wouldn't even think about it. But Hashirama's arrival seemed to have ignited something within her, something she had been suppressing for years. The girl lifted her gaze up from her hands, deciding once and for all to speak up.
"You're right, Naruto…I do like Sasuke-kun," she began, testing the words on her tongue.
"I knew it!" Naruto muttered.
Sakura continued. "You're very attractive, Sasuke-kun. To me, at least. I'm sure you know that already, and it's a very valuable…um…asset to have," she swallowed. Sasuke seemed…humored? Disinterested? It was impossible to decipher much from his face. "But I thought deeply about it last night, and I don't think that's what I really like about you. I like you as a way to compensate for everything I don't have."
"What do you mean?" Sasuke retorted. "You live a normal life. You have the Shodai as your ally. You have a warm home to go to, open arms to embrace you, don't you? You have a family."
It was Sakura's turn to frown. "No, actually. My mother is very busy, and my father is gone for business most of the years. We don't talk much at all."
"That is still better than having no one," Sasuke deadpanned. "You have little to be pitied for, so don't you dare play the pity card."
Sakura felt a familiar stirring of anger. "And don't blindly assume things just because I'm a civilian. I only speak to my parents a few times each month. We've...we've grown distant over the years. Not that they neglect me- I'm just not a priority anymore. I might have a family, but I grew up alone. Ino was my first real friend, and she drew me out of her shell. After Ino and I split, I had no one to talk to. I felt…lost and confused. So, I put on this false image of confidence and fury."
She cut herself off after noticing that she was starting to ramble, but when she checked on the blonde and the raven, they were still listening intently. So she continued.
"Senju-sama's arrival made me think. I thought a lot about the past, a lot about the future, and a lot about myself. I thought about you, too, Sasuke, why you mattered so much to me.
"Eventually I came to a conclusion. You are in control of everything—yourself, your surroundings, and your environment. Me, on the other hand, I cope from failed relationships by channeling it into anger. While I was busy trying to fit in, the girls all adored you unconditionally. The teachers treated you with high regards; they do it for all clan children, but especially with you. To a seven year old me, you were perfection. I knew I could never achieve perfection like you, so I compensated for it by becoming one of your fangirls so I had an excuse to admire you."
When she finished, she released a cleansing breath. Naruto stared at her, his head propped on a hand, and Sasuke seemed to be looking at her for the first time.
"I didn't know that, Sakura-chan," it was Naruto who broke the silence. "I guess I shouldn't have been forward with you when you were so...unhappy."
Sakura winced. "Hey, it's okay. I was kinda rude to you all those years, to be honest. Don't apologize for trying to be friends me."
"We're not so different in that aspect, the three of us," The dark brunette noted cryptically, surprising them both.
"You know that feeling too, eh, teme?" Naruto asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Hnn."
"Hello, my cute and dangerous little genin." Kakashi chose at this moment to vault over the edge of the roof and make his way towards the trio, his single visible eye never leaving that little orange book propped open by three fingers.
"You're late," Naruto accused.
"By three hours," Sakura added.
"Maa, maa. I had to help a friend of mine shop for green spandex." With a crinkle of his eye, Kakashi casually sat down on a bench, facing his pissed-off team. "What? He needs people to hold his leg warmers, and he always buys me food afterwards."
"Yeah, right. What a liar," Naruto grumbled.
"It's great to see you too, Naruto-kun. Unfortunately Sakura-chan over there self-combusted yesterday, or else we would've already gotten this over with. So, let's toss the awkward past behind us- why don't we all introduce ourselves? You know, things like your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future."
With a decisive snap, the orange volume was shut and returned to some hidden place in his uniform. Sakura carefully took note of his appearance. Though he seemed fairly young, his hair was a bizarre shade of silver (but honestly, who was she to judge?), hanging in a gelled swoop over his exposed left eye. His slanted headband covered the other eye, and the rest of his face was hidden underneath dark spandex. He wore a nondescript outfit of blacks and navies and a standard chunin flak jacket, nothing special.
"Why don't you go first, sensei?" Finishing up her observation, Sakura body asked. "You know, to set an example for us."
"Good idea. My name is Hatake Kakashi and I am a jounin of Konohagakure. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes, and my hobbies are none of your business. My dreams for the future are also private. And the blond?"
Great. How descriptive.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen, especially curry ramen! I dislike stuck-up people and vegetables. I hate waiting for my instant ramen to cook! My hobbies are ramen tasting and pranks…and my dream for the future is to become Hokage."
"Once you can beat the two Hokages that are alive, you can. The lady, please."
Sakura thought for a moment.
"My name is Sakura Haruno. I like—no, I liked someone. I enjoy Senju-sama's company, reading, and shopping. I dislike losing my temper and losing to Ino. I like to cook when I have time, as lame as that sounds. And my dream…" Sakura wavered.
What was her dream?
No, it was no longer to catch Sasuke's attention. Her childish first crush now seemed terribly insignificant. Hashirama had shown her power beyond what Sasuke could even hope to achieve, even as an Uchiha. If she learned how to tame her wild chakra, that power could be hers someday, hers to wield, hers to use.
Ah.
She knew what her dream was.
"My dream is to stand beside Senju-sama as his equal."
Kakashi seemed taken aback, and stared at her for a moment before continuing on. "And last but not least…"
"Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things I dislike. There are very few things that I like. My hobbies aren't important, and my dream is more of an ambition. A cold ambition, but an ambition nonetheless. There is...a man I must kill."
Kakashi's eyebrow rose slightly, but he didn't pry. He already knew a lot, perhaps too much, about Itachi's brother and Minato's son. Out of the three, he was least familiar with Sakura. He was pleasantly surprised to find that she wasn't, like Iruka's reports had described, just a normal pre-pubescent girl who was more interested in love than her career as a ninja.
He surveyed the three preteens, so young and so unmarred, seated together on the bench, and saw that despite their differences, they all had three things in common—
Their ambitions. Lofty, lofty ones. Becoming a Fire Shadow, killing an S-class missing-nin, and standing as the Second God of Shinobi's equal were no small feats. But combine ambition with their enormous potentials, they might just achieve them someday. And then there was that aching loneliness to drive that dream, to push them to the limits. They might not know it, but in his mind, they were already the legendary Team Seven.
Kakashi smiled at the thought before clapping his hands together. "Alright. Now that we know a little about each other, I have a little secret tell you." All three of his charges sat up straighter, no doubt waiting for something grand. Oh, this is going to be good. "Out of the twenty-seven graduates this year, only 9 will become genin. Each three man team, after formation, are required to take a test issued by their sensei…and if they fail, they will be sent back to repeat a year in the Shinobi Arts Academy."
"What? But we already passed the Academy test! We're qualified genin!" Sakura looked positively horrified.
"Yeah, why do we have to take another one?" Naruto added indignantly. "I don't need a stupid test to prove myself!"
"The genin exam at the Academy is simply for flushing out the weak. My test is to determine if you are fit to be shinobi. Which is why, on the way here, I asked an acquaintance of mine to help." He snapped his fingers.
White smoke exploded in the spot next to Kakashi, shrouding a dark figure. All three genin jumped up and took a rough battle formation, realizing that they could be fighting someone very dangerous to earn their title as genin.
"YOSH! YOU ARE AS HIP AND COOL AS ALWAYS, MY YOUTHFUL RIVAL!" A spandex-clad abomination emerged from the smoke, his bulging muscles enhanced by orange leg and arm warmers. A sleek black bowl-cut, two bushy caterpillar eyebrows, and a million-watt smile completed his ridiculous ensemble. He was facing Kakashi, thank god, but Sakura still nearly fainted from his pure ugliness. Are those even eyebrows?
Unaware of the effect he had, the green beast continued. "YOU MIGHT BE COOL AND HIP, BUT YOU WOUNDED ME WHEN YOU CALLED ME JUST AN ACQUANTANCE! THUS, I CHALLENGE YOU TO AN ULTIMATE CONTEST OF MY YOUTH AGAINST YOURS…IN A RAMEN EATING CONTEST! WHAT DO YOU SAY, ETERNAL RIVAL?" A youthful fist pump ended his youthful statement, and he smiled youthfully.
"Ramen?!" Naruto recovered fast enough to say. It was a huge mistake.
"AH! YOU MUST BE THE YOUTHFUL STUDENTS OF MY RIVAL! YOU ARE ALL PROGRESSING WELL INTO THE APEXES OF YOUTH UNDER HIS TUITION, I HOPE?"
"Gai, I would appreciate it if you stopped raping the caps-lock and scaring my lovely students." Kakashi sighed, pulling out Icha Icha Paradise once more. "You do remember why I asked you to come, right?"
"Alright, Kakashi! As the honorable Green Beast of Konoha, I shall uphold your request to lower my voice!" Gai cleared his throat dramatically. "Greetings, my youthful genin! My name is Maito Gai, and I am a jounin of Konogakure! You may call me the Beautiful Green Beast if you please! As your sensei has told you, we jounin must test our genin team for adequate levels of youth!"
"He means competence," Kakashi translated, flipping a page.
"Correct! As a test, your sensei and I agreed that after three days of preparation, we shall pit his team against mine for a friendly spar!"