It had now been raining for two weeks straight.
Sakura couldn't help but take it as a bad sign. She'd never seen so much rain in Konoha in all her life, and even though it came down softly, it never seemed to stop. Sakura had gotten used to walking around her village with a light layer of Gaara's sand above them, though even Gaara admitted that he had to cycle his sand constantly to prevent it from becoming a shower of mud. Sakura remembered hearing that it was constantly raining in Amegakure (which made sense, given the name), and she wondered at times if it was Konan's influence. Either way, the rain made everything seem far more depressing.
It hadn't all been bad, however. Eventually Onoki arrived and she was able to greet her old sensei again, as well as bring him up to speed with all that had happened since she'd left him. (Not quite everything, of course, but what had happened in Taki was not a secret at this point.) It had brought her a bit of comfort to hear Onoki laugh and laugh over her encounter with Itachi. He'd patted her on the back and simply told her: "As expected of my student." His confidence in her, even now, was something of a grounding point. Perhaps one of the few grounding points she had as she prepared to speak with eight of the most important shinobi on the continent.
The chuunin exams were due to begin the day after her meeting with the Kage. Watching her friends train for the affair was a decent enough distraction, especially once she really saw how Naruto, Ino, and Chouji worked as a team under Shikamaru's lead. Sakura saw Naruto in a way she had never seen him before, effortlessly working back to back with a team that he trusted with his life. It brought almost a dull ache to her heart; in all her time with Naruto and Sasuke on Team Seven, they'd never worked so flawlessly. Maybe it was inevitable that they had grown apart. Had Sasuke found a team of his own in Otogakure, others that had had gotten more attached to in his time away from Konoha? Or had he wallowed in isolation, so far gone in Orochimaru's influence that he didn't even recognize anymore what it was like to have friends?
She would bring Root to justice. And then she would see for herself what Sasuke had become.
On the day of her meeting, Sakura wore her armor. Not to intimidate, but to show, on some level, that she was capable. She had nothing else to bring with her to the meeting but her reputation and her words, and though word had spread of her ability to face down Itachi Uchiha and live, she had no doubt word had spread of her other deeds. Aiding a Suna rebellion, 'stealing' the Suna Jinchuuriki...all things she would have to justify, or else hope could be spoken around.
At the very least, she looked the part of a kunoichi. No one would be able to say that a timid little girl was walking into this meeting. Sakura, nerves aside, would walk with her head held high. She was an Ambassador, a student of the Tsuchikage, and the Girl who Undid the Sharingan.
She prayed to whatever god might be listening that it would be enough.
There was a building, sequestered away from Konoha proper and buried beneath layers of security. There were more seals than Sakura had ever seen in her life, and more Anbu guards than she'd known existed in the village. The building itself consisted only of a single room, and inside was a large, round table. Here the Kage could sit and discuss as equals.
Sakura was not allowed in at first. There were formalities to uphold, especially as two of the Kage were newly elected and another of the Kage hadn't met ever met with the others before. Introductions needed doing, as well as a bit of time to clear the air. Sand and Plains were one step away from being at war with each other, and Sakura could only hope that they could make a bit of progress on their own before she was forced into the lion's den.
Sakura took her time to go over each Kage in her mind, and what she knew.
Onoki was perhaps the one she knew the most about. He would be an ally, but he also had appearances to maintain. If she spoke stupidly, he wouldn't defend her. If she acted out of place, he would not intervene. Onoki had spearheaded this project, but he wasn't foolish. This was Sakura's chance to rise or fall, and he wasn't going to push or pull either way.
Shibuki was firmly in her court, but Sakura had promises to uphold. She would have to speak up for the rights of the Bijuu, for better treatment of Jinchuuriki, or else Taki would withdraw. It wouldn't be difficult to bring the topic up, but Sakura knew it would be met with resistance.
Tsunade also had held her to a promise. Sakura would bring up various medical proposals, as well as tentatively breach the subject of higher age standards for genin. That would definitely be met with resistance, but Sakura would keep her word. Tsunade hadn't insisted these demands be met immediately, only that they be pushed for consistently, and that Sakura could do.
Satomi, the new leader of Plains, already stood in her court as well. Sakura realized she had a bit of leverage over Plains, seeing as she helped put Satomi in charge, which meant that Satomi really couldn't speak out against her.
Konan was an enigma, but Sakura knew enough to at least guarantee that Konan would not align herself with Danzo. In terms of the neutrality pact, however, Sakura still had no idea where Rain stood. It was just as likely that she would join as it was that she would decline, but even if her decline wouldn't hurt Sakura now, it might help dissuade others from getting on board.
And that left those other three Kage that Sakura had to sway.
Temari was likely to be the biggest problem. Gaara, despite being her brother, did not know her as well as Sakura would have liked, but that could be blamed on the fact that Gaara hadn't really been close to anyone before Sakura. What Gaara did know was that Temari was ruthless in her own way, and more than capable of holding a grudge. The only reason that Sand had stayed allied with Leaf was because Sand believed reparations were owed due to Orochimaru infiltrating them and forcing them to war. In any other scenario, if any other shinobi were with her, Sakura knew Sand would likely have no issue agreeing to the pact. But because it was her and Gaara, it was now personal with Suna, and even more personal with Temari.
Takeshi was the next problem. The Grass village shinobi were known for being shrewdly diplomatic, and at first Sakura had hoped that they would take to the pact because of this. But she had learned in her readings that when a village referred to something as 'diplomatic', they more often than not meant 'manipulative'. Grass was a small village, often the site of war whenever the larger countries got into spats, and had learned to wield their words as weapons so that they could play ally to both sides and come out with less damage for it. Even if she could sway Takeshi to her side, Sakura couldn't be certain he wasn't also playing nice with Danzo.
Finally came Ogano of the Village Hidden in Valleys. (An alliterative mouthful to be sure, and due to this the village was just as often referred to as the River village, for that was the country in which the village resided.) The village was known for being turncoat when it benefited them most, and all Sakura knew of Ogano was that he was a 'shrew of a man', and that no outsider could trust his word to be true.
So Sakura was against two Kage who were just as likely to turn on her as join with her, and one Kage who hated her guts. A lion's den indeed.
As she finished going through her thoughts, an Anbu approached her, and it was time.
With Gaara and Sai at her flank, Sakura allowed herself to be escorted into the room. All eyes were on her as she approached, and Sakura could see from just a glance that tensions were already high. Tsunade had the look on her face that she'd often got when Naruto was a bit too rambunctious around her, and Onoki's frown appeared as though it had been permanently chiseled onto his face.
Excellent. Just excellent.
There were three open chairs at the table, but Sakura did not allow herself to sit yet. Formalities, she had to remember formalities. She bowed deeply towards the center of the table, towards all of the Kage and yet none specifically.
"Good afternoon. My name is Sakura Haruno and I am here to speak with each of you regarding my Neutrality Project."
Silence, briefly. Then, from one of them, laughter. Sakura recognized the man as Ogano, who really did look like a shrew of a man at a closer glance. He was older, perhaps Tsunade's age, and wore deep blue garments that Sakura had learned were the official village colors. She could see all manner of weaponry on the man's person; River had a village known as the Takumi Village, and it was well known for exporting high quality shinobi gear. It made sense that the region's leader would also be properly outfitted.
"This is the one?" Ogano finally spoke, still shaking with laughter as he did so. "This pipsqueak here is Onoki's disciple? This must be some sort of joke. She looks like a light breeze might blow her over."
There was chuckling from the man next to him, who had to be Takeshi. He wore a wide-brimmed hat, and otherwise wore non-descript black clothing. He was a man who gave off the impression of not wanting to stand out, to blend in...and with how he mimicked Ogano, that only confirmed Sakura's impression.
Temari too seemed amused by Ogano's declaration, and the other Kage in the room remained silent. Waiting for her to respond.
Sakura took a deep breath, but before she could speak up, someone else did.
"If you are simply here to trade petty insults, than you might as well not be here at all. I had thought Kage were supposed to be above such behavior."
To Sakura's surprise, Sai had been the one to speak up, all the while keeping up that serene fake smile she had come to associate with him. She watched as Ogano sputtered, clearly not expecting such a blunt statement out of the boy.
"H-How dare-"
"Quiet." Gaara spoke up next, his voice taking on a deep echo that seemed to fill the entire room. "Sakura is speaking now."
Sakura couldn't see how Gaara looked now, but she knew firsthand how intimidating the Jinchuuriki could be. Whatever Ogano saw on Gaara's face, it was enough to quiet him. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw a smirk growing on Onoki's face.
This was...this was okay. She wasn't doing this alone, Gaara and Sai had apparently each decided to take on their own roles in full. They were ambassadors as well. They had just as much voice as she.
Sakura took a deep breath and sat down.
"Alright. Shall I begin with outlining the tenants of the treaty?"
Sakura had practiced her speech until she could recite it in her sleep.
She started with the necessity of peace. War had not been kind to any country, and further spats in the future would only ever be to the villages' detriment. She made sure to mention exterior threats too. Akatsuki was the most major of these threats, and Sakura believed it was paramount to her argument to emphasize that Akatsuki was full of S-ranked shinobi who were actively seeking out Bijuu. She could name at least half of them and describe what they were capable of, thanks to her own experiences and information provided about Kakuzu and Zetsu from Shibuki. If the villages remained in uneasy division, it would be all too easy for an organization like Akatsuki to pull them apart and seize control for themselves.
Interestingly, Konan seemed the most interested in what Sakura had to say about Akatsuki. She took down notes and questioned her extensively, and of course every Kage listened intently when Sakura described her confrontation with Itachi. Sakura had made the decision early on to not let on to her ignorance as to how she escaped Itachi's genjutsu. She simply made the claim that she had a knack for breaking genjutsu, and while a Sharingan was intimidating, it was not unbeatable. (She had come to the conclusion that appearing more confident on the matter than she was would only serve to benefit her.)
There was the matter of the Taki demons too, and while several of the people present scoffed at first, their attitudes changed when Shibuki offered to let any of them examine one of the captive demons that he had brought with him to Konoha. That, the Kage would have to do on their own time, and Sakura hoped that being able to see that the demons were real would help further her own cause.
From there, Sakura went into the details of the pact. There were core tenants which would apply to every village that signed on, as well as the possibility for addendums. This was the moment that Sakura chose to bring forth the amendments that Shibuki and Tsunade had insisted upon. She started first with Tsunade's; the idea of sharing medical knowledge across villages was an appealing one, especially to the smaller villages who likely did not have as much medical support. Raising the age standard for genin was a statement that was met with a couple of scoffs, as well as a direct protest from Temari.
"Under those laws, I wouldn't be Kage. A shinobi is an adult from the moment they are able to represent their village. If you're worried about fighting children, perhaps it is because you're worried what losing to a child would do to your village's reputation."
"I don't worry about losing to children. I worry about the permanent damage that can be inflicted upon a child's stability due to undergoing the stresses of war at a critical age."
"Big words from you, Leaf Princess." Ogano retorted. "Was it not true that until quite recently you fell apart at the mere sight of blood? And yet here you stand, now head of your village. Clearly the effects on one's psyche are not as severe as you would have us believe."
Sakura could practically see Tsunade's blood boiling at this. It was a clever move on Ogano's parts. It not only dismissed the pact, but also threw doubt over Tsunade's capability as a Hokage. There was an implication beneath the words that Tsunade could still fall apart at the sight of blood, there was no way of truly knowing she had recovered yet.
Sakura spoke before Tsunade could be drawn into a fist fight. "At this moment in time, Lord Ogano and Lady Temari, your opinions do not matter on this addendum. Unless, of course, you are suggesting that you are considering signing the pact?"
"Hardly." Ogano replied. "But do continue. I find this talk quite amusing."
Sakura chose to ignore the comment. She couldn't let the man rile her up, which was clearly his intent.
"Finally, I would like to discuss a proposal involving bequeathing citizen rights to Bijuu, as well as protections for them and their hosts against village discrimination."
This got another laugh out of Ogano. "So we're giving rights to monsters next? I doubt they're even sentient enough to appreciate the sentiment. Next you'll be asking we give citizen rights to tornadoes or earthquakes."
"Then it is clear, Lord Ogano, that you are coming from quite the place of ignorance involving Bijuu."
"So that's it, then."
Temari spoke, and this time Sakura could feel the hostility leaking off of her, feel the killing intent.
"So this is how you justify stealing our Jinchuuriki. If you're a vocal advocate for their rights, then it paints you as the good girl, rescuing the poor Jinchuuriki from the terrible village."
"I wasn't stolen." Gaara replied. "I willingly joined with this project-"
"And in doing so crippled our village and aided in a rebellion that has shrunk our borders considerably." Temari snapped. "I don't know why you've even bothered to try to rope Suna into this. It is clear that you have been our enemy since day one, and any Kage in this room should be considering what it is that Haruno intends to steal from them next."
"And personal grudges aside…" Takeshi finally spoke up, leaning forward onto the table. "What guarantee do we have that you will be able to enforce such a pact? Any village could sign this and simply do as they willed while your back was turned. Or even in plain view of you. A Jinchuuriki might be intimidating, sure, but one Jinchuuriki cannot control an entire village, let alone eight of them. And as for you, Haruno, as Ogano stated before…I am not impressed."
"And what would it take to impress you then, Lord Takeshi?" Sakura challenged. "I feel as though no matter who sat in this chair, you would doubt their ability to maintain order. If you feel so little towards my capabilities to maintain this pact, then there is no harm in you signing it. As you say, if it is so easy to act while my back is turned, then signing this would only benefit you. You would have access to exclusive trade routes, information, all these things while not having to worry about actually upholding your end of the bargain."
"Perhaps so." Takeshi agreed. "But my point still stands. Why you, over so many other more capable shinobi? How do we know you are capable of upholding order?"
"...you don't." Sakura answered. "You don't know. But if you don't give the opportunity to prove myself to you, you'll never know."
"Then I say we give her an opportunity."
Ogano's smile sent a shiver down her spine, and Shikamaru's words came to her.
"Danzo...either he or someone under his influence is going to ask you to do something in the coming weeks…"
"The chuunin exams start tomorrow. That is the real reason all of us have gathered here. If Haruno thinks herself capable of playing peacekeeper between eight shinobi nations, then getting through the exams should not pose a challenge at all for her and her little team. And that would give us a chance to see if her battle skills live up to the rumors going around. I think we should see the little ambassadors participate."
Sakura felt her blood run cold. "The exams?" She managed to spit out. "Surely you're joking. We have organizations like Akatsuki working against us and you want me to waste my time taking the exams?"
"Are you worried you will fail?"
"That's not the point-"
"I agree with Lord Ogano." Temari spoke up. "Let her participate. If she dies, then we won't have to worry about any of this anymore, and Gaara will return to where he belongs."
"It might not be as much of a waste of time as you think, Sakura." Onoki added. "As silly as it sounds, none of these fools will recognize your talent unless they see it themselves. The exams should hold no problem for my disciple."
Sakura bit her bottom lip. This was stupid, this was a waste of time, and she couldn't possibly see why…
Oh.
Temari had said it. Temari had just as much admitted it.
In the chuunin exams, it was common for a handful of shinobi to die attempting them. Danzo had placed the idea in Ogano's mind. Danzo wanted Sakura to participate. Danzo was expecting her to die participating. Legally, which would mean that Gaara and Sai would have no means of retaliating, and from there…
As Konan had told her, it would be 'Konoha's resurrection'. Whatever Danzo had planned, Sakura would be unable to interfere if she was dead.
And for whatever reason, Shikamaru had known he would do this, and more importantly, wanted Sakura to play along.
"Fine." Sakura agreed. "Me and my fellow ambassadors will participate in the exams. And once they are done, I hope you will reconsider my proposal. For now, it appears that I have some preparing to do."
Sakura stood, Gaara and Sai with her, and gave a final, curt bow before turning to leave.
