"That's enough for today, Sakura-chan."
She blinks, staring up from all the papers on her desk and glances over towards Shizune. She's been filling out some general datasheets, about a few of the patients, and entering them into the system for further identification. It's boring work but also easily done, considering her aptitude to organizing and keeping track of information. She properly developed that skill in the academy for her study overviews and it's certainly not letting her down now. Sighing, she picks up the papers and pushes them against the table before filing them away for her next shift at the hospital.
Shizune walks closer with a warm smile and Sakura remembers her conversation with her former seatmate.
"Shino," she speaks up, a curious tilt to hear a voice, "Did it go well?"
The Hokage's assistant nods. "I've invited him for lessons tomorrow."
Sakura immediately picks up the way the answer is phrased. "Invited… are you going to personally teach him?"
"He showed an interest in poisons specifically."
Probably due to his kikaichu, if she had to guess.
A grin forms on her face. "That's nice. Will I see him then?"
Something about Shizune's expression following that question builds an uneasy feeling in Sakura.
"Unfortunately not. There's… there's something Tsunade-sama wants you to do." At her curious glance, Shizune shakes her head gently. "She'll tell you tomorrow."
Sakura nods in reply, albeit a bit confused before she stands up from her seat to stretch out her limbs. It's been a long day. Tiredly, she looks up at the clock and then halts mid-movement. Long workdays tend to mess with the mind but Sakura is sure that she's not seeing the time wrong.
"Shizune-senpai…," she trails off, trying to process the time. Then she blinks and determination fills her gaze. "You're letting me out too early. My shift ends at 1800 hours, it's only 1725."
The older woman steps closer, something warm in her gaze.
"Kame told me you've helped him find my office instead of visiting your mother today." She picks up a few pens from the table and puts them away. "Visiting hours end at 1800, after all."
And Sakura blinks, gulping, trying to calm her breath as she presses her nails against her hands. She meant well. Suddenly, the whole room feels warmer as if they are in the midst of a damn volcano. Kame meant well.
"Sakura-chan?"
At the other's confused gaze, she looks up trying to will the tears prickling at the corners of her eyes away but failing miserably. "T-Thank… you."
She must be lucky because Shizune mistakes her uncomfortable panic as immense gratitude.
"Ah, Sakura-chan," she says, patting her head (and it feels as if she's trying to scorch her skin off), "that's no reason to cry. I'm sure your mother will be glad to see you."
Sure, she will, a voice scoffs in her mind, she will be so damn glad.
Sakura tries to push these thoughts away to no avail.
They meant well.
Her fiddling around is starting to seem concerning because Shizune's smile slowly drops from her face being replaced by worry instead.
"Sakura-chan… is something wrong?"
All alarm bells in her brain start to ring and Sakura blinks a few times, lifting her head to properly stare at Shizune. She can't find out. She needs an explanation for her odd behavior—and she just has the thing.
"I'm… just very confused and tired," she explains, grabbing onto her clothes and glancing at the ground, "Okaa-san is still at the hospital, and O… Otou-san is… gone now…"
"Sakura-chan…"
Shizune steps closer to lay a hand on her shoulder.
"Everything will be fine."
She is not the best actor or liar out there, but if her whole household situation has given her anything, then it's the fact she knows how to spin convincing lies and elaborate made-up stories, along with which tells, movements and expressions to twist around, so she could at least fool people that didn't know her too well. For example, lies are best mixed with honesty to craft them convincing, and that's exactly what Sakura is doing in this situation.
She's been confused and tired the past week, and whilst they are not the only reason, her father's death and her mother's hospitalization are a part of the reason.
It's not the fact that her father is dead itself. It's that her father is dead.
Not once did Sakura mourn his death in the past weeks and she doesn't plan to do so anytime soon. All memories he left her with were of slaps and bitter smiles, words preached in a dripping cold tone and eyes that didn't glance at her except to convey disgust and disappointment.
And yet.
She thinks about rare, warm smiles and forehead kisses.
Something in her chest just clenches and it feels too difficult to breathe.
Her father was so cold towards her and not in the way Sasuke was either.
Sakura doesn't know how to mourn for someone who's been so detached from her life to the point all she remembers of him is the stinging pain and the calm words of threats.
(People tell her that Sasuke's cold and an asshole. She agrees and disagrees with them. He's cold but there's warmth. Or maybe there isn't anymore.)
But her father also seemed invincible to her, no matter how much her mind told her he wasn't. He never advanced past the rank of Genin, instead dropping his mild shinobi career for a job as a teacher at a civilian school. He had a few good friends, got no complaints from his workplace or anyone at the village. Her parents also were enamored with each other.
He was in other words, an average civilian in the system, someone to overlook.
Maybe that's why no one, civilian or shinobi, seemed to notice the way his eyes would narrow at her, or tell her of, nor the way he'd hit her until blue and purple flowers decorated her skin (and they were easily hidden behind gear, concealer, and bandages). His words were spitting poison and a sharp knife.
He always roomed over her, with a straight spine and a gaze that screamed strength.
And now he's dead and there aren't any hits or cuts anymore, no more broken plates for her to pick up or harsh words to ignore and forget. She's at peace at that terrible house for once.
But soon her mother is coming back from the hospital.
She suffered through some injuries and later developed a fever which forced her to stay overdue and Sakura never felt more relieved than when getting the news.
Of course, she visited her mother daily, partially to avoid people getting suspicious and partially due to being concerned about her. The visits were always suffocating and unpleasant because that's just how her mother was, but Sakura pulled through it and did her best to stay calm and do nothing rash. But she was concerned about her mother anyway because that woman did raise her, albeit not really motivated or in a kind way—yet Sakura is still alive and breathing without too many injuries. Unlike her father, her mother rarely raised her hand against Sakura.
("That'd be doing you a favor," Mebuki muttered, "considering you want to be a kunoichi.")
There was also the fact that any visible wounds would raise alarm from others. That's why her father made sure she knew how to hide wounds and hit her mostly in covered body parts.
Her mother was very demanding, though. She gave her clothes and forbade her from wearing anything but them so that Sakura would look like a proper lady. At first, it didn't bother her. The clothes were pretty and she wanted to impress Sasuke with her appearance. Until after the first few D-ranks that is, she realized how inconvenient they were but her mother had slapped her once and Sakura shut up about it.
Food was another whole story. She did start the diet because Ino did so but her mother took it way further than she should have. Ino was from a clan with both parents being skilled shinobi. Her diet was created with that in mind. It was still not ideal to have one but if done properly the damage stayed small. They most likely anticipated that Ino would come to the realization that as a shinobi, diets were not necessarily needed. At least not always, and especially not when you're a growing child.
Sakura's mother heard "diet" and understood "saving costs on food". Whatever giddiness Sakura had for the diet vanished very soon but her mother wouldn't accept her protests.
(The disappointment in Kakashi's eyes after he told her to reconsider dieting and realized she didn't, haunts her sometimes, reminding Sakura of her father.)
And no matter what she did, her mother seemed to find joy in directing Sakura's life.
So, she thought about leaving the house. Genin are considered adults in the law's eyes, after all. There is a bit of scoff at seeing kids leave their parents' house early on, considering the dangers of their jobs, but ultimately no one cares too much.
Finding somewhere else to live though, that's where all her problems lie. She doesn't have many friends and even then, asking to stay with them would lead to questions being asked. Rattling her parents out would not end well for her.
She can't rent lodging either because she just didn't have the money, as D-ranks don't pay well, and her mother would have her head for starting a job. Not that any civilian establishment would offer her a job considering her age and already gained occupation as shinobi.
Sleeping on the streets is a bad idea and her mother wouldn't stand for it, since it would affect her image as well.
Essentially, Sakura's stuck with her mother for only God knows how long.
Visiting her mother didn't end peacefully.
At first, Sakura considered just going home instead of willingly sitting through Mebuki's seamless complaints about everything from her hospital stay to the weather outside. That didn't work though. Shizune would have known if she didn't visit. Sakura didn't want to misuse the other's kindness, so she bit her lips and pulled through the visit.
It was terrible.
Haruno Mebuki has always been more caring than Haruno Kizashi. She was suffocating and harsh with her attitude but she'd think about Sakura.
(Sakura tries to ignore the doubtful voice in her head, telling her that it's all wrong anyway, filled with useless excuses.)
After Kizashi's death though, a part of her must have snapped.
She'd hold her daughter's shoulders and let her nails dig into the skin, harsh words would turn into spitting poison, and her gaze would turn as cold and dismissive as possible.
It's starting to wear Sakura down a bit. There's nothing she can do, so instead, she thinks about how her mother will probably calm down once a few months pass by. Grief and rage can turn one harsher than they should be, but it's not always permanently.
Sakura left the hospital, tears at the corner of her eyes and bitterness sweeping into her. Recently, nothing seemed to work properly anymore.
The next day around 1100 hours, Sakura is in and about the village. Her appointment with Tsunade isn't until 1600 and she doesn't have hospital shifts on Tuesdays and Saturdays (that would change later on though, once she'd start on proper medical ninjutsu healing).
Wandering around, she's not sure what exactly to do. Maybe she should buy some sweets? There's no one to stop her and she has no idea what hell training Tsunade might put her through later.
A bit more cheerful than before, she walks towards her favorite dango stall, when she halts abruptly, blinking at the feeling.
That chakra signature.
She knows it.
It's concealed, muted to an extent but not fully. Yet, she can feel it faintly, recognizing its quirks.
Scorched wood with a hint of spices.
Kame!
Before she can properly think it through, her feet move towards the main street and she finds herself nearing a small bar.
Sakura frowns, narrowing her eyes. She can't go in. They'd kick her out immediately.
Of course, as a Genin you're considered an adult. That's why other villages (except the civilian districts) let minors into their bars as long as they have proper identification proving they are a shinobi (although a lot don't even ask for that nowadays). If there's a chance you might be killed in action the next day, then who is going to stop you from enjoying a drink? God?
Konoha is different though, people assume it's partially due to being the nice village but as Tsunade's apprentice, Sakura knows it's because of health reasons.
Of course, in good fun, Tsunade has tried to get her to drink—but it's mostly jokingly and at some point in their career, med-nins learn how to reverse the effects of alcohol.
Yet, that doesn't mean the health risks vanish, especially if you're a minor.
("12-year-old twerps drinking? With their underdeveloped bodies? That's a fucking joke, kid. You never know when they die, they say but what if all the alcohol is the reason that gets them killed? Being a shinobi doesn't excuse stupidity.")
Sakura thinks there's a lot to say about Tsunade being the one to utter these words.
Just as she wants to turn around and walk away, the door opens and a few Anbu step out, all with their hoods up as well.
Sakura freezes.
How didn't she notice? Was it due to being so preoccupied with Kame's chakra signature that she didn't register any of the others?
He always had a rather weird feel to his chakra signature.
Wheat and Wisteria.
She looks up and faces one of the Anbu, who averts his eyes upon meeting hers before she feels the second gaze directed at her.
Kame is glancing at her.
Then to her complete surprise, he nods to the others, signaling them to wait, and walks closer to her, coming to a halt before her.
"Haruno-san," he greets her, and his voice sounds oddly relaxed, "thank you for yesterday."
Her eyes widen in surprise, as a red blush covers her cheeks. Taking a hold of her emotions, she calms down seconds later before slightly narrowing her eyes at him.
There's absolutely no reason for him to approach her.
"... It was no problem," she replies, trying to keep her tone as polite as possible. Thanks to his mask, she's unsure if she managed to do so though.
"Is there anything else you need or…?"
She asks him after seconds of silence pass.
Haruno Sakura.
The Godaime's apprentice.
With an odd coloring consisting of green eyes and bright pink hair, resembling candy floss.
Shizune only speaks fondly of her, labeling the kid as a responsible and kind girl.
Sakura's also a former member of the village's well-known disaster team, Team 7.
Essentially, she's known around the village. People spread rumors about her often and the hospital staff praises her diligent work.
With her former team and current apprenticeship, that alone shouldn't be strange.
It's just that often, Tsunade would send an Anbu to pick the girl up if there were any changes made to their training regime.
And most times it would be him, no doubt due to his social and easy-going nature.
That in itself wouldn't be a problem or anything concerning.
It only started to get weird when he tracked her down to the library, finding her hunched over a few scrolls about chakra control and chakra signatures. Her spending her free time learning seemed normal, considering she was the Hokage's apprentice.
It's just that his gut told him that something was off—and he couldn't just really ignore a gut feeling. It kept him alive a few times on the battlefield.
But what really got him stunned, was when she looked up from the scrolls and politely greeted him.
He didn't make any noise when moving and he didn't approach her, still at the entry. With his chakra masked.
There is something off about Haruno Sakura.
Otherwise, though, there aren't many strange things about her and nothing else has happened. She looked a bit put off at the hospital the day before but that's probably because she couldn't visit her mother thanks to him.
He grimaces at that piece of memory.
"Is there anything else you need or… ?"
He can feel the gazes of the others on his back and sighs.
Nothing else happened until they stepped out of the bar and the girl looked directly at Inu.
Inu, or also known as Hatake Kakashi, her former teacher.
Knowing Hatake, the man definitely didn't tell her about his status as Anbu.
Yet there was recognition in her eyes upon seeing him.
He shakes his head at her.
"Just wanted to thank you once again."
The girl blinked and then—
"Anbu don't talk with people unless absolutely necessary."
That's… true? It happens here and there but they get advised against speaking too much, or at least not without the use of chakra to alter their voice a bit.
"Plus you already thanked me yesterday. There's something else you want, or you would have never approached me without reason."
Then she tilts her head, eyes sparkling with curiosity and he feels as if he isn't staring at a simple 12-year-old kid, nor the clumsy but hard-working apprentice of the Godaime.
"But I'm a Genin, so there's nothing of value you could need from me… except for information maybe?"
She looked up at him once again with narrowed eyes and he realizes that just because Ebisu keeps talking about that pink-haired brat that's visiting the library almost daily and just because Shizune affectionately talks about Tsunade's hard-working and responsible charge, that it doesn't mean that's all there to her.
Has Kakashi ever talked about her? It seems surreal that he didn't, considering there's an unsettling glint in her eyes which he cannot identify.
"Kame-san, what exactly do you want?"
To know what you're up to.
Because there must be something she's doing or otherwise her eyes wouldn't look like that.
She knows that it's stupid to not play along and pretend that Kame doesn't want anything. She's curious though and hopes that maybe, just maybe, he'll stumble a bit and she finds out clues to his identity.
Disappointingly, he shakes his head again.
"Maybe another time," he says before he pauses and she can feel the grin behind his mask, "make sure to be on time for your appointment with Tsunade-sama this time. Wouldn't want to take after your old teacher now, or?"
Then he turns around to go back to his teammates, and shinobi instincts be damned, she hopes he trips over a rock and falls.
Dejectedly, she walks towards her favorite stall, wishing for some dango to cheer her up. She'll find out his identity another day.
Except life has a funny way of working and Kame hasn't anticipated just how much his next move is going to backfire on him.
At 1300 hours, Haruno Sakura walks into the library and abruptly stops.
Scorched wood with a hint of spices.
At the reception sits a man with messy brown hair bound together by a blue bandana and a senbon sticking out his mouth.
Sakura blinks.
"Eh," he mutters lazily, "aren't you the Godaime's apprentice?"
That man is behind the turtle mask?
A/N: As I need to study now, I'll settle for having added two chapters to this fanfic today. I'll try to add more tomorrow, probably only 2-3 as to not overwhelm people with the sudden amount of content. Also, to get this out of the way—this fanfic portrays Sakura's parents as abusive. If you don't like that, that's fair but do refrain from writing rude reviews about it. Thank you.
Original notes:
This is chapter is 3k words long. I really just wanted to progress forwards to Genma's reveal because that's where the true fun starts. Which yes, Genma is Kame. You had it right! I haven't had a proper reason, choose some animals I thought would fit him, and then made Tahera decide. Also... I tried to like weave it into the chapters but Genma isn't your usual Anbu, mostly due to his laidback nature but also the reason why he's an Anbu, which is basically just to guard Tsuane more efficiently.
Welcome to the next chapters titled: Shiranui Genma apparently has nothing better to do than annoy a 12-year-old brat 3 It's good though because as seen in this chapter her mother is currently not suited to being a mother. Since Kakashi opted out that position, Genma will start his own series of discoveries going along the line of, "Wow a whole ass kid on the most well-known Genin team and under a former Anbu-turned-teacher-turned-Anbu-again didn't was abused and no one seemed to realize" or "Are you supposed to know about this? That's at least Chunin-class clearance, Brat". Fun times, fun times.