Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it belongs to its writers, animators, and producers. I gain nothing but writing and editing experience from writing this.

Summary: After waking up from a horrible dream Sakura's life takes a turn for the...well something? She only hopes it will be good and will end better than her dream suggests her life will. The secret family trade is hers to learn, and in the process she will become a stronger kunoichi. Sometimes all it takes is a little wake up call.

Beta: Anonymous56789 for his/her feedback and insight.

A/N: Short and a bit transitional. Final Edits 2/12/2019


Chapter Nine: Facing Reality


Day 2

Sakura's body felt heavy and sore as she walked home from the missions' office. Naruto shuffled beside her, though he certainly had more pep to his step than she did. It was so unfair, how come he had endless amounts of stamina?!

Sakura groaned as they rounded the corner and met another long street. Naruto sighed heavily with her. It just seemed like the streets went on for forever! Nevertheless, they pushed on.

Naruto ducked his head and gave her a side-long look. "So, did my plan work?" he whispered.

"Huh?" she replied tiredly. Naruto gave her a sly sort of smile.

"You know," he began "me running off so you had to be with the te—" Sakura's look made him correct himself "—Sasuke-san." Sakura just frowned, so the boy needled for more information. "Well, did you two work things out? It didn't look like he was as…um…" the boy trailed off with a frown.

"Afraid of me, distrusting?" Sakura supplied with a sigh. Naruto grimaced but didn't contradict her. "I don't know, but I think we're starting to fix things," Sakura offered with a shrug.

Naruto hummed. "So I should leave you two alone a bit more?" he asked.

"Please don't!" Sakura whined.

Naruto gave her a mischievous look. "Neh, think of it like that anger thing Sensei talked about."

"Checking my anger?" Sakura asked tiredly.

The blonde nodded his head adamantly, "Yeah, that's it!" He paused to shrug. "I mean, there's no one who can piss me off as much as him, 'specially with his high 'n mighty attitude, so it's good practice for you," Naruto explained.

"Same for you too," Sakura commented and Naruto's face contorted.

"Come on, Sakura-nee!" he whined.

"You'd be a hypocrite if you didn't work on checking your anger with him."

"What's a hypocrite?"

Sakura was half-tempted to give a smart-ass remark, but she shook her head. "Uh, someone who says not to do something and then goes around and does it."

"So…like Sensei?" Naruto joked, and Sakura snorted a little. Yeah, that was what she had wanted to say too.

Their jovial mood continued for another block before Naruto sighed. "Okay, I'll stick with him during the next mission," he offered.

"Sensei?" Sakura was too tired to figure out who the "him" was.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "No, the teme!"

Sakura just gave Naruto a look and he shrugged. She gave him a more severe look and the boy turned to face away from her. "Naruto-san," she chastised.

"Ugh, alright, fine, Sasuke-san."

Sakura felt a smile twitch up on her lips before she looped her arm around the blonde's shoulder. "See, that wasn't so hard," she teased.

Naruto huffed. "Sure, but doesn't change the fact he's a jerk."

She sighed and looked down at the street. She retracted herself from Naruto and considered his words. She wanted to call Sasuke a jerk too, but was that really accurate? She didn't trust him, sure, but she didn't really know him either. Sasuke might have a crappy attitude, but was that grounds to call him names like Naruto was? Had that really been justification to punch him?

Sakura bit her lip. "Naruto-san, I know he has a terrible attitude, but…but maybe you shouldn't call him names," she whispered as she stared down at the road.

"Why?"

"Well, what if…" What if they push him into becoming a traitor? "What if he acts like he does because of what happened to his family?" Sakura asked instead.

"So? That doesn't give him an excuse!" the blonde exclaimed. "He can't keep being mean and a bastard just because his family's dead. He has to move on."

"Naruto-san…" She wanted to agree with him, but what did she know about grief. She hadn't lost her family and Naruto never knew his family.

It was Naruto's turn to sigh. "Ya know, I get it," he whispered. "I get why you want me to be all polite with him, but I don't think he needs that."

Sakura was about to protest or ask what he meant, when Naruto continued speaking. "Remember when he came back to school after it happened?" he asked. Sakura nodded. "Well, everyone was super nice and, like, I dunno…"

"Accommodating?" Sakura supplied.

Naruto's nonplussed look said he didn't know that word, so she waved her hand dismissively and gestured from him to continue. Naruto laced his hands behind his head as he stared up at the night sky. "Well, no matter how nice everyone was, it just made him…" Naruto trailed off and scrunched up his nose as he looked for the right word. "He didn't like," he said after a moment. "He just started glaring more and ignoring people. But when I started calling him what he was, he'd…I dunno, react. Ya know?" The blonde looked sidelong at her.

"Not all reactions are good," Sakura murmured.

"But at least he was reacting," Naruto argued before frowning. "I think he wanted to be challenged 'cause no one else was—besides Kiba." Naruto shrugged after another moment. "I dunno, I guess calling him teme or a jerk is my way of remindin' him that he's just…just well, him."

"Remind him he's not an avenger, not alone, not above us…" Sakura began to murmur as the realization dawned on her.

"Yeah! Exactly." Naruto smiled brightly but Sakura's troubled look made the expression fall. "What's wrong?"

"Just don't take it too far," she cautioned him. Naruto gave her indiscernible look before he looked away from her. It was like he wanted to say something, point something out, but had thought better of it. Skaura ducked her head-it was probably about what she had said after they passed the genin test. She had said the most hurtful thing to Sasuke out of both of them.

They walked for a while longer in silence before Naruto looked up and bit his lip uncertainly. Sakura followed his gaze and noted they were passing by an advertisement for a civilian, private practice doctor.

"Is…is it really bad I don't know too many characters?" he asked in an almost self-depreciating tone.

Sakura grimaced and turned her head to continue reading the advertisement they were passing. She sighed and dropped her head after a moment, "I'm not sure what to say, Naruto-san…" Sakura whispered.

Naruto frowned more and scuffed his foot against the ground. "So it's bad, huh?" he asked sullenly.

"It is bad," Sakura consented, "but because no one was there for you!" She took a deep breath as a sudden stinging began at the back of her eyes. "It's wrong that no one gave you the attention you should have had." It wasn't right! All of it made her feel angry, sad, and ashamed.

She took another deep breath before she looked over at her honorary little brother. His hands were trembling and his head was tilted to the ground so that his eyes were shadowed. She shuffled closer to him and brushed shoulders before curling her fingers around his trembling ones.

"You're my otouto now, and I won't let that happen again," she murmured.

Naruto's fingers held onto hers tightly as they continued to drag their feet down the street. She could hear him sniffling and taking sharp gasps of air. She didn't look at him in order o give him some privacy while he cried. They continued walking in silence the remaining blocks to her house.

When they got to the door, Sakura turned and held onto both of Naruto's shoulders. "Do you want to have dinner with us?" she asked softly.

Naruto looked up with his now red and puffy eyes, he seemed conflicted for a moment. "Sakura-neechan is so nice now, why?" he asked quietly—like he was talking to himself. He was looking away from her with his brow furrowed. "Not so long ago I would have been called idiot and been punched…" he bowed his head as he bit his lip.

"Naruto-san?" Sakura questioned and tried to gain his eye contact again by ducking her head and looking up at him; however, Naruto shook his head.

"I like having Sakura-neechan but," he looked up and licked his lips and consequently some snot too, "but what if that stops, what if..." Naruto shook his head. His brow was furrowed and he looked confused and hurt. Was he talking about her in the third person to distance himself, to lessen the impact of his words on himself?

Sakura gripped his shoulders tighter and shook him slightly, "Naruto-baka," she growled and shook her head before setting her forehead against his. She hadn't missed him flinching at the tacked on insult, and she shook her head again. "You are a baka because I already told you: you're my otouto and nothing's going to change that. I want to protect you and help you. I want to see you become the shinobi I know you can be because I really believe in you.

"You're stuck with me now, and the only thing that would change that is if you defected." Naruto jerked his head back and looked at her in horror, and Sakura chuckled. "See!" she pointed out. "You're stuck with me forever as your nee-chan. So you better get used to this." She let go of one of his shoulders to poke him in the chest.

"But why?" Naruto asked softly, still confused, "What changed? Why weren't you like this before?" He was close to crying again, but some resolve had strengthened within him.

Sakura grimaced. She felt ashamed of herself, but then back in the Academy she had just followed how her peers treated Naruto.

Sakura enveloped the short boy in a hug and set her chin atop his head. "Naruto," she murmured and forewent the honorific to suggest the intimacy of what she was about to say, though she hoped Naruto inferred the lack of honorific that way too. "I was unforgivably mean to you, and there's no excuse for how I acted. I followed our peers behaviors and," she flushed slightly as she remembered the other reason she was so mean to Naruto, "and I thought I could gain Sasuke-san's affections by being mean to you, but I've woken up." Sakura pulled away and looked Naruto firmly in the eyes.

"I woke up from my rose-tinted dreams of what the shinobi world and Sasuke-san were like. I realized there's only death in keeping those dreams. I had to see the real world and see the potential in it, and I saw you." Naruto's gaze kept flickering between her eyes, as if he was trying to desperately see the truth or sincerity in her words. "I've resolved to stop chasing boys and to be a serious kunoichi, and I'm going to help you become the best shinobi you can be because I just know you're going to be a hero." Sakura nodded her head firmly as she finished speaking, and Naruto continued his desperate search for sincerity.

"This isn't a joke, I'm serious," Sakura murmured.

Naruto pulled back slightly and shook his head. "I'm missing something," he murmured. "There's gotta be more to it."

Sakura's throat constricted for a moment; what could she say? If she said she was psychic, if she told him about the visions…

Naruto had an almost pained expression as he tried to keep from crying. His fists were clenched tightly and his arms shook. Sakura swallowed. "I…I don't know what else to say. I've told you the truth," Sakura whispered.

The blonde shook his head again. "There has to be more to it. You and your parents aren't telling me something. You're keeping something back!" Naruto partly shouted. The boy was about to run when the door opened.

"Sakura, Naruto-kun…" her father trailed off as he looked between them curiously. "Why don't you both come in?" he offered slowly. "Perhaps we can settle your conflict over some tea?"

Naruto still looked close to running so Sakura decided to give her father some more insight into the issue. "Naruto-san," she began formally, "I know you think something is missing, but nothing is. We've realized you're a good person—no—a great person."

Naruto was shaking his head a bit numbly again, so Sakura hurried on. "I'm sorry you can't trust me when I say this. I'm sorry people have treated you so bad you think no one can change—"

"But why did you all change? What is so different now?" Naruto asked almost desperately. Sakura didn't know how to proceed and was even beginning to feel frustrated.

"Musume, perhaps I should explain," her father offered calmingly. "Will you let me explain, Naruto-kun?" he asked the blonde as he gestured with his other hand into the house. Naruto looked uncertain for a moment before nodding.

Sakura sat anxiously at the table with her father and Naruto while her mother put the kettle on. Her father had his hands laced together as he stared at them. There was an awkward tension in the air which made both genin fidget.

"Your instructor asked similar questions," her father began.

"What?" "When?" Naruto and Sakura both exclaimed.

"He left not long ago," the pink-haired man explained.

Sakura felt her eye twitch while Naruto was more vocal with his anger and incredulity. "That lazy, lying—"

"Naruto-san, just breathe," Sakura ordered stiffly. "We'll get back at him," she vowed as she clenched her fists under the table.

"Should I continue?" her father asked patiently, though Sakura noticed there was a slight waver to his voice. Naruto reluctantly settled down but nodded. At this point, Sakura's mother was coming out of the kitchen.

Her father laid his hands flat against the table. "I told you about my cousin who was born under bad omens?" he reminded the blonde who nodded. "Omens, superstitions, horoscopes, tea leaves…all of it holds great significance to my family, to our family." He gestured between himself, her mother, and Sakura as he said the last part. The matriarch of the house began to sit down at one of the chairs.

Naruto frowned a bit more and narrowed his eyes slightly. Her father coughed and looked to the side. "We believed the superstitions about you," he confessed.

"We can never apologize enough for that, Naruto-kun," her mother added in. She almost reached out for the boy's hand but he was still regarding Sakura and her family warily.

"If you believe the superstitions so much, how can just meeting me change it?" Naruto argued.

"I'm going to check on dinner and the tea," Sakura's mother stated as she stood up again. Her father coughed a bit.

"That is a fair question, Naruto-kun," her father consented. "We read our daughter's horoscope and tea leaves quite often. On the day of graduation, they recommended she re-evaluate her perception of people."

Naruto frowned. "Really?" Sakura didn't blame him for being skeptical. "What about that drug tea thing?"

Her father coughed again and looked to the side, so Sakura stepped. "I already told you it was a rite of passage," Sakura feigned embarrassment. Her father nodded in agreement.

"Fine, but why'd the horoscope say that stuff only then? Why did you believe it?"

"I told you the tea helped me realize how mean I had been, didn't I?" Sakura asked. Naruto frowned again but nodded. "Well, between the evidence of the horoscope and that realization, well…"

"And with Sakura' opinion changed, we decided to re-evaluate our own perception of you," her father added quickly.

The blonde furrowed his brow. "So…you just had to let go of your superstitions—there's nothing else to it?" he asked almost suspiciously.

"Otousan also read your tea leaves, and they said you were trustworthy," Sakura blurted out.

"Tea leaves?" Naruto replied skeptically again.

"Well, why don't Ayumu and Sakura give you a proper reading after dinner?" Sakura's mother suggested as she returned with three cups of tea on a platter. "Sakura, why don't you help me finish dinner?" she suggested as she set the cups down.

"She's covered in scratches, Mebuki, perhaps I should check those for her instead?" her father suggested.

Naruto shifted a little awkwardly. "If you need help with dinner, I could help?" Naruto offered in a clear attempt to relieve the tension.

"Oh I couldn't ask you—" her mother began before the blonde stood up and insisted.

With Naruto now occupied, Sakura turned to look at her father. "Did Sensei…" Sakura trailed off unsure how to finish her question.

Her father began to lead her toward the bathroom. "I'll explain," he whispered gravely. Her father used that tone when her pet goldfish and rabbit died or when there was a death among their family friends. Sakura had given up on pets and no one had been ill, but there was no mistaking that tone. Her stomach began to drop.

Once the bathroom door was shut, Sakura was directed to sit on the toilet seat while her father took out the first aid kit. "What happened Tousan?" she asked softly, so softly that her words were nearly drowned out by the bathroom fan.

"He…" Her father shook his head and started again. "We roused his suspicions and couldn't lessen them like we have with Naruto."

Sakura felt like she had been punched in the gut and all the air had been knocked out of her. "What?" she asked weakly.

Her father sighed as he set a cotton ball soaked in antiseptic against her scrapes. She hissed absentmindedly at the sting, but she was otherwise too focused on what her father had to say to acknowledge the pain. "We were…interrogated by a Yamanaka," her father explained in a pained voice. "There was no hiding the truth."

Sakura's stomach twisted and she began to breathe faster. What was going to happen to her family, to her?! Sakura pressed a hand against her mouth as she began to breathe faster and faster; her hand was the only thing keeping her from screaming.

"Musume," her father grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Breathe slowly. We are fine for the moment. Hokage-sama has ordered that you tell him any visions pertaining to the safety of the village and you must also tell Hatake-san any visions you have in his presence."

"But they know!" her voice came out thin and shrill. She took a gasping breath but it wasn't helping.

"Sakura!" Her father shook her once, as if to break her from her hysteria. "Be strong! Yes this is frightening but…" he trailed off, sighed, and set his forehead against hers. "We have to be strong…we have to be strong especially for your mother. You know how she worries," he murmured this part. Sakura closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing, but she just ended up crying.

What was going to happen to them? Her father wrapped his arms around her and set his chin on top of her head. It felt so comforting but she was still so scared. What was going to happen? Would she be strapped in some room, forced to be in some prophetic trance twenty-four-seven? Would information be leaked? Would she be kidnapped in the dead of night by some enemy for this ability of hers?

"Tousan," she cried and held on tightly to him.

"I know Musume, I know," and he rocked her back and forth as they sat in bathroom's relative silence, which was occasionally broken by Naruto's loud movements as he likely set the table.

Across town, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed as he looked in on the moment between father and daughter from his glass ball. The image soon turned opaque. He knew prophecies existed but to actually foresee the future seemed almost fantastical. Prophecies had stipulations and were excruciatingly vague, but this ability was clear and vivid with seemingly no stipulations. No other bloodline or technique could do this. The sharingan could anticipate an opponent's moves, but it did not see the future; nothing and no one could except, apparently, this young kunoichi and her paternal relations.

The hardened veteran inside of him wanted to whisk the girl away from her family and lock her in a room where she would act as their intelligence center. However, the girl was dear to Naruto, and Naruto was very special… The girl was also not completely loyal to Konoha yet to do something so drastic. The girl was not fully indoctrinated; therefore, she might give them a false vision if they distressed her too much. And then there was the fact that if he tore that young girl from the bosom of her parents, would he be any better than the man entering his office?

Foreknowledge was a dangerous thing, Hiruzen knew this, and though every nation and every shionbi wished they could know what would happen next; he had to resist the temptation. Haruno Ayumu had said the future was fickle. It would be foolish to rely too heavily on visions because one man's decision could change any future set down. And so Hiruzen was making his decision; he would be careful with this kunoichi's gift.

"Hokage-sama," the bandaged man now standing in front of Hiruzen said the title almost mockingly. Hiruzen smiled grimly at the man and gestured to the seat before the desk.

"Shimura-san," Hiruzen returned the greeting as he set his elbows on the desk and laced his fingers together.

"To what do I owe this sudden meeting?" the other man got comfortable in his seat, though Hiruzen deduced twenty different ways the man before him could access a hidden weapon and attack.

"After the break-in attempt…" Hiruzen sighed and felt a little heat come to his cheeks as he remembered how that endearing, little brat got passed him. "Well, I have been going through our highest security scrolls, and," he paused, "it seems certain research notes and scrolls written by my predecessor are…missing." In actuality, the news he had heard today had disturbed him so much he had to see if there was any possibility it could happen, and that was when he made this troubling discovery.

"And which research notes and scrolls are these? How has this not been noticed sooner?"

"The documents in question pertain to the Edo Tensei, and it seems brilliant forgeries have replaced them. I'm sure you can understand the severity of the situation." Hiruzen looked over his laced fingers at the bandaged man across from him. Though the man was an expert of his emotions and was well-guarded, the moment Hiruzen had mentioned Edo Tensei, Shimura had stiffened minutely and his eye had flashed for a moment with fear but not the fear of incrimination. So this was one crime the man was free of, but did that make him free of other crimes?

"Who are your suspects? When would you say they went missing?" Shimura paused for a moment. "The Edo Tensei was never completed, correct?" he added casually, but Hiruzen could hear the slight fear and anxiety in his voice. Hiruzen was sure the old assassin would be far more collected if this was not so sudden, which eased Hiruzen's mind that there were no bugs in the interrogation room to overhear what Haruno Ayumu had said.

"It was never completed," he confirmed, "but if one had enough fuin knowledge and was versed in the Nidaime's research…" Hiruzen let Shimura piece the rest together. Once upon a time they had discussed ways of using these indestructible shinobi to their advantage, but neither with all their knowledge could ever finish the technique. Another reason they never completed the work was the overwhelming fear that this unstoppable technique could be leaked, then what would they do?

"How could this have slipped past our knowledge?" Hiruzen could hear the slight at his leadership loud and clear, though that was the question indeed: how could this have gone unnoticed?

"I was hoping you might have insight. ROOT had been in charge of security of those scrolls for so long, and once ROOT collapsed," Hiruzen made sure his expression was neutral as he spoke, but he too could make his own jabs at the man across from him, "my security division took over." Shimura narrowed his gaze ever so slightly, a sign that he heard Hiruzen's comment loud and clear.

Hiruzen continued after a moment of silence, "My main suspect would be Orochimaru." The name was bitter on his tongue, but even after all the disappointment and betrayal, Hiruzen would always have a soft spot for his misguided student. "But perhaps you could think of other suspects with the same skills required for the success of this technique?"

Shimura hummed in thought. "Orochimaru is my first suspect as well. Perhaps your spymaster might have more insight?"

"Yes mine might," Hiruzen narrowed his gaze slightly while nodding his head slightly, and Shimura subtlety nodded his head in return—the orders were received then, good. Hiruzen continued on without missing a beat, "Though he is currently looking into a lead regarding a peculiar organization and this new god of Amegakure."

Shimura nodded his head again and stood up with exaggerated slowness. "If that was all, Hokage-sama?"

"Shimura-san, I never questioned why you continued to wrap your body even after so many years out of service and recovery," Hiruzen noted the other man's hand tightened around his cane. "Whose eye is under your bandage?" he would not beat around the bush; they had done enough of that already, "Don't worry, I won't make you give it up, I just need to know."

Shimura gave him a bitter smile, "Only now? After so many years? I promised to never use it on you, Friend," the word was mocking.

"Yes I know. But in my old age, guilt and curiosity have gotten the better of me," Hiruzen gave a false smile and Shimura returned it.

"Shisui, though one eye was already missing when I came upon his corpse." Shimura nodded his head once more and left the office.

Hiruzen sighed heavily as he leaned back in his chair. That was a relief then, but it was also worrying. Who was this disfigured, one-eyed sharingan user? Hiruzen shook his head and sat up straighter in his chair.

He had some housekeeping to do, and the first order of business was to ensure no loose lips spoke of what happened in interrogation room twenty-two. Hatake and the Haruno family were loyal or self-interested enough to keep silent, but the young Yamanaka who interrogated Ayumu… How long would it be before the scintillating secret or Shimura broke his silence? The Yamanaka interrogator was not an heir to the clan, just one of its young and promising members, which made this so difficult to do but still doable.

A support shinobi such as Chuunin Yamanaka would be outclassed in the mission Hiruzen would assign him next, but the young man wouldn't know that. The old man rose from his seat and moved over to the window which he opened. Three ANBU operatives entered immediately; he had dismissed all of them for a private meeting with Shimura, though he had no doubt they had overheard some of the conversation, or if not, had read their lips. The ninja were loyal, and thus there was no fear of betrayal, but still…one could never be too careful

"Tenzo," he called out one operative, "You will begin your phase out with a mission accompanying Yamanaka Inoji." Hiruzen would give him more subtle instructions later to ensure that Inoji did not return from the mission, though typically ANBU operatives phasing out of the program had difficulty keeping non ANBU comrades alive on missions, so there likely would be no problems with Inoji surviving. Of course… there were the rarities like Kakashi, who had not let a teammate die since the Third War, but as stated, those ANBU operatives were the rarities.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was Hokage, and he had to make very difficult decisions. It was at times like these he wondered how different he really was from Shimura. Were they the same, just with different facades, Hiruzen's only more false? Or were they both just practical men who did what they must for Konoha, but Hiruzen felt more moral conflict over it? Either way, it would seem tonight would be another restless one.


TBC