Densetsu no Yonnin (The Legendary Four) - Chapter I
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Hinata and Naruto
It was an early, winter morning in the Hidden Leaf Village when the sound of fighting could be heard. The grunts and pained whimpers originated from a Compound housing one of the village's most powerful clans. Specifically, in the dojo where a spar was happening between two people: Hyūga Hinata, the heiress to the Hyūga clan, and her cousin Hyūga Neji.
Well, "spar" isn't the right word. More like beat down.
Neji was ruthless in his attacks. Hinata desperately tried to keep up with Neji however, Hinata was getting slower as more of Neji's Gentle Fist strikes landed. Finally, as Hinata was on her last leg and before Neji could land a final blow, a stern and authoritative voice interrupted the spar.
"That's enough, Neji", over to the side of the dojo sat the current head of the Hyūga clan and Hinata's father, Hyūga Hiashi.
Hiashi's appearance was that of your typical Hyūga clan member. Long, brown hair, pale, pupilless eyes, and an indifferent expression on his face. Though, what set him apart from most Hyūgas was the aura this man exuded. It was a powerful aura that demanded respect from people.
Next to him sat his youngest daughter Hanabi. She also had the typical Hyūga appearance and the same indifferent expression on her face. Although, if someone looked closely, they could see a hint of worry in her eyes.
Standing up, Hiashi walked over to Hinata and addressed her, "Hinata. I am very disappointed in your performance today. Your cousin has managed to best you once again. You are the Hyūga heiress; you need to be strong. You can't hesitate when fighting an enemy who will end you without a second thought." With a sigh he turned toward the door and started to walk out, "Training is over for today.", he called back.
There was a tense silence after Hiashi left the dojo. Neji looked impassive, Hinata was staring at the floor, and Hanabi let her indifferent expression fall into one of concern. Sensing Hinata's inner turmoil, Hanabi walked up to her and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "Don't worry, elder sister, I'm sure you'll be strong. Father, doesn't know what he's talking about."
Grateful for her younger sister's efforts, Hinata squeezed back. "Thanks, Hanabi-chan. I keep trying out the Gentle Fist katas, but it just doesn't work for me. The stances and the movements don't feel right to me, and I don't know why," Hinata explained.
"Isn't it obvious?", Neji's voice cut through the air like a knife to butter, "It's because she's unfit to be the head of the clan."
Neji's words dampened Hinata's mood even more and made Hanabi angry at his opinion of her sister, "Oh, what do you know, Neji?"
"She just admitted to her inability to perform the katas correctly. That means she's physically incapable of being strong. She's also too soft", he stated before turning to Hinata, "You had the chance to strike me multiple times and you didn't. It's as Hiashi-sama stated, that type of thinking will get you killed."
"That won't happen. Elder sister Hinata is strong, you'll see," Hanabi tried to convince Neji to which he just shook his head.
"Hanabi-sama, from the moment people are born, their destiny was decided. No one can change their fate. Hinata was fated to be weak, and you were fated to be strong. You are too young now so, you won't understand. But you-", he turned to Hinata, "Hinata-sama, you should know by now. There is no point in trying to become stronger. You are and always will be a weakling."
With those final words, he turned to the door and walked out of the dojo. Hinata's mood was the lowest it had been that day. She stared at the ground with tears threatening to emerge, but she managed to hold them back. Hinata decided to go to her room and trudged toward the door.
"Elder sister, where are you going?" Hanabi asked with concern filling her voice.
"Oh... I'm just going to my room for a bit. I'll be fine, Hanabi-chan," she replied with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Hanabi nodded at her sister's reply, and Hinata trudged out of the dojo.
(Hinata's Room)
After cleaning herself up, Hinata lay on her bed while her mind was swirling with thoughts. Most of her thoughts revolved around the spar earlier that morning; how she once again failed to perform adequately, the disappointed look in her father's eyes, and the harsh words from Neji. No matter how much she didn't want to believe Neji's words, she couldn't help but wonder if what he said was true.
She could never perform the Gentle Fist style correctly; no matter how much she tried. The stances and the movements were just too fixed. Hinata was also extremely gentle. She always treated the branch members of her family as equals and always refused to use the caged bird seal, she always bowed back whenever civilians would bow to her, and she was always hesitant to spar with her sister and cousin.
Her kindness and inadequate performance also made the clan elders believe she was unfit to be the clan head. They always told her that kindness is a weakness, but she never believed them. She also never listened to them when they said that the branch family of the clan is beneath the main family. She believed that they should be treated with respect since they are also part of the family.
When she first saw the caged bird seal in action, it horrified her to the core. She was walking with the elders when a woman of the side branch bumped into her by accident. The woman and Hinata both apologized to each other, but the elders berated the woman for daring to do that to a main house member. After the scolding was over, the elders decided that this was a good opportunity to teach Hinata how to activate the seal. The elders explained to her how to activate the seal and what would happen which horrified Hinata to no end. No matter how much prodding the elders did, Hinata still refused to subject her family to that kind of pain. Having enough, the elders decided to activate the seal themselves. The wails of agony the woman produced as she fell to the ground clutching her head would forever be engrained into Hinata's mind.
Since that day, Hinata began to observe the way the branch members were treated. It disgusted her that her clan was willing to treat their own family as slaves. She vowed to put a stop to these malicious actions when she became clan head. From what she observed: she, her sister, her father sometimes, and her mother were the only people who treated the branch members as equals.
The thought of her deceased mother, Hitomi, dampened Hinata's mood even more. She would always comfort her whenever she was feeling down, and it was also where she received her kind nature from. However, she died after her sister was born due to complications, and now no one was there to comfort her.
Deciding not to stay in a somber mood, Hinata left the compound to go for a walk.
(Leaf Village Streets)
Hinata was dressed in a light brown jacket with dark brown pants, black snow boots, and a yellow scarf as she walked throughout the village not paying any mind to where she was headed.
She continued walking not even stopping when she arrived in a snowy forest. What did get her to stop, however, was the appearance of three kids. These three were older than her and they all had hostile scowls on their faces. Hinata tried to walk past them but, they blocked her path.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" one of the bullies, presumably the leader, asked.
"May I please keep walking?" Hinata asked in a meek voice.
"Huh? What was that? Speak up we can't hear you?" Another one asked.
"Hey, look at her eyes. She's a Hyūga!" the final bully pointed out.
"Hey if you're a Hyūga, show us your Byakugan!"
"If you can't, don't show your face around here!"
"Your eyes are really creepy."
"I bet you're some kind of monster, right?"
"Yeah, you Byakugan monster!"
With her lackluster performance in the spar, her father's disappointed words, and Neji's degrading words, Hinata struggled to keep herself together. But, in the end, she couldn't. She burst into tears, and the three bullies laughed their heads off.
"Hey! Cut it out!"
The three bullies and Hinata looked towards the sound of the voice and found that it originated from a short blonde kid. He had a red scarf, a black shirt with a white spiral, an orange and tan jacket, jean shorts, blue snowshoes, and green goggles on top of his head. His most distinctive features were his spiky blond hair, cerulean blue eyes, and 3 whisker marks on each cheek.
"Huh?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! The future Hokage, -ttebayo!" he proclaimed while giving the three older kids as fierce a glare as he could muster.
"The future Hokage?" the leader mockingly asked.
"Are you stupid?" the one to the leader's left questioned.
"Get ready! Clone Jutsu!" he shouted while putting his fingers together in a cross seal and causing two puffs of smoke to appear. The bullies were initially shocked by the display until the smoke died down...
Only to reveal two miniature-sized Narutos.
"Come at me!" the first clone challenged in a squeaky voice.
"Yeah!" the second one shouted in a high-pitched voice of its own.
The bullies burst into laughter while Naruto's eyes shrunk to the size of marbles as a bead of sweat rolled down his head. "Why you," Having enough the leader ran up the Naruto and punched him in the face. Naruto had a bruise and a dazed expression as blood spouted out from his nose causing him to fall on his back. "I knocked him out!" the leader cheered. "Future Hokage, yeah right!" he mocked as the three of them destroyed Naruto's scarf by pulling it, "Wearing a red scarf..." twisting it, "Thinking it makes him look cool!" and stepping on it. After finishing with the scarf, they walked off leaving a dazed Naruto and an amazed Hinata.
Hinata was shocked that this boy would step in to save her when he didn't need to. She was also depressed that he wound up getting beat up and his scarf got destroyed. Hinata walked over to the scarf, picked it up, and examined it. The scarf was torn in several places, threads were coming loose, and it had specs of dirt splattered on it. She placed the scarf into her arms and walked over to the boy to see how he was doing. The boy was still on the ground out of it and a trickle of blood ran down his nose.
'Look what happened, Hinata. You couldn't protect yourself, so this nice boy had to step in to save you and his scarf wound up getting ruined,' she berated herself as Neji's words echoed through her mind.
"Hinata-sama, you should know by now. There is no point in trying to become stronger. You are and always will be a weakling."
Hinata once again tried to shut out Neji's words, but looking over her recent actions, she wondered if he was right. Deciding to try to do what she could to help Naruto, she reached out her hand to try to wake him up only for him to snap out of his daze and jump up to his feet.
"Hold it! Hold it! This time, I'll do a super-duper jutsu and-?" he trailed realizing that the bullies were long gone as he looked toward Hinata. He couldn't help but stop and admire her eyes. They were the most beautiful shade of lavender he had ever seen. Realizing that he was staring he quickly looked away and crouched on the ground rubbing his sore cheek. "Ow," he muttered.
She knelt beside him, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he grumbled. Noticing her eyes again he asked, "You're a Hyūga, right?"
"Yes. I'm the cl-clan heiress." she stuttered.
"Really? So, you're like a princess?" he exclaimed with wide eyes.
"I-I guess so".
"That's so cool, -ttebayo! I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm gonna be Hokage someday," he proclaimed as Hinata stared at him in slight awe. "What's your name?"
Snapping out of her daze, she replied, "Hyūga Hinata."
"Sunny place. That's a nice name," he complimented.
Hinata's cheeks grew a small red hue, "Th-thank you." To change the subject, she brought up another issue. "Your scarf it's ruined," she said as she held out the torn red fabric.
"It's nothing," he replied as he gave her a foxlike grin.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll get a new one," he reassured as he stood up and began to walk away.
"U-umm," Hinata called out.
"Yeah?" Naruto answered back.
"Th-Thank you very much."
"Oh, it was no problem. See Ya!" he called back. Before he left Hinata's sight though he called out to her again, "By the way, your eyes are pretty! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!"
Hinata's face grew a darker shade of red as she held the red scarf close to her. Though she couldn't keep the small smile off her lips as she watched Naruto's retreating form. "Thank you, Naruto-Kun."
Naruto and Sasuke
Later that day, Naruto was walking through the village with a small smile on his face. Not the grin that he would plaster on in public, but a truly genuine one. He had finally met a person who didn't run when they came near him. She also didn't talk down to him; when she spoke, he could practically feel her kindness in every word. He didn't know why but, he just couldn't get the image of that pale-eyed, blue-haired girl out of his head. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even hear the villagers' various comments of "Hey, is that the boy?", "Why does the Hokage allow him to live?", and "Stay away from that boy; he's trouble."
Naruto's train of thought came to a halt when he came across a store. What caught his eye was an ANBU-style fox mask hanging on a rack. The mask was white, had orange lines around the eyes and mouth, and had three orange whiskers. Naruto also noticed three more masks beside them; one was an owl mask with purple lines, another was a tiger mask with blue lines, the final one was a dolphin mask with pink lines. His face broke into a wide smile as he marveled at the masks.
Unfortunately, the store clerk noticed him. He scowled as he stormed over to the eight-year-old. "You brat!" he snarled as he pushed Naruto into the snow, "Go away!" Naruto got up into a sitting position and scowled at the clerk. "What are you doing here, you plague?!" At this point, a small crowd formed around the pair.
"What I was only..." Naruto started before he looked down as his scowl shrunk to a small frown, "I was only looking at the masks."
The clerk walked over to the shelf and picked up the fox mask. "You want this?!" he questioned before throwing it at Naruto hitting him in the head. "Well, you can have it. Now, get lost!" he yelled before turning away.
"But I can't pay for it," Naruto stated.
The store clerk turned around with his scowl deepening as he reached for the other three ANBU-style masks and threw them near Naruto who put his hands up in defense. "Did you not hear me the first time?! I SAID GET OUT!" he shouted before storming off again and slamming the back door shut.
Naruto sat on the snowy ground for several seconds before he slowly got to his feet and picked up the four masks. He then noticed the crowd of villagers looking at him with fear, hate, and disgust. Now, there was nothing to keep his mind off their remarks.
"Look at that boy."
"Causing trouble for that poor store clerk."
"Why doesn't the Hokage get rid of him."
"He's just a nuisance."
Naruto stared at the ground as the villagers' comments rang through his head and his grip around the masks tightened. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" he asked before breaking out into a sprint. "I haven't done anything to any of you!" he shouted as he kept his head down refusing to let the villagers see his tears; to let them see how much they affected him.
Naruto didn't know how long he ran, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get away from the fearful and hateful glances. A while passed before Naruto finally ran low on energy and stopped to catch his breath. He looked up to figure out his surroundings and observed he was near a lake that had a pier sitting on it. What next caught his attention was the person sitting on the pier.
The person was a boy that was about the same age as him. He had black hair that stuck out in the back and black eyes. He was wearing a blue winter coat, tan pants, and black snowshoes. The winter coat also had a red and white fan symbol on the back.
What mostly caught Naruto's eye and filled him with concern was the look on the boy's face; one that should never be seen on the face of a child. It was the look of someone dead inside; someone who didn't care what happened to them anymore since they had already been through hell. He could also sense the anger and sadness hiding behind the dead look. Naruto did not like that look. Not one bit.
Deciding to try to help the boy out Naruto walked over to the pier and sat down to the boy's right while also setting the mask down to his right. The boy was caught off-guard by this action and turned to give Naruto a glance. He received a small grin from the energetic blonde. Regaining his composure, he turned back to the lake and continued to stare at the water. They sat there in mildly tense silence, both of them wondering what the other boy would do.
"Hi," Naruto greeted cheerfully.
"..." Sasuke didn't respond, however.
"Cool weather we're having today," Naruto tried to get the boy to talk again.
"..." it didn't work.
Figuring that he was getting nowhere, Naruto tried a different tactic. "Has anyone ever told you that your hair looks like a duck's butt?"
Well, he got a response. It just wasn't one he expected. "Hn," the boy grunted as right eye began to twitch.
Naruto took note of the boy's reaction and tried again one last time. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto." This time the boy turned to him, and they locked eyes for what seemed like hours as they looked into each other's souls. They saw that both of them had a strong hint of sadness hiding behind a mask; Naruto: behind a mask of cheerfulness, and the other boy: behind a mask of indifference. In those tense moments, they realized that they had more in common than they both realized. After what felt like an eternity, the other boy finally spoke up.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
"Uchiha? Aren't you part of the clan with the funny-looking eyes?" Naruto questioned.
"They're not funny-looking," Sasuke lightly snapped, his indifference mask cracking slightly. "It's called the Sharingan and it's the greatest dojutsu ever," he proclaimed with an air of pride.
"What about the Hyūga's Bakugan?" Naruto questioned with a tilt of his head.
"It's Byakugan," Sasuke informed with a dubious look. "And please," Sasuke scoffed, "The Sharingan is greater."
"Speaking of the Uchiwa-" Naruto started.
"Uchiha," Sasuke cut in.
"That's what I said," Naruto replied while ignoring Sasuke's dumbstruck expression, "Where are they? I haven't seen them around the village a lot."
At this Sasuke's body tensed as unwanted memories began flooding his mind. He began to shake in rage and his sadness was no longer hidden.
Naruto noticed the tension and began to lightly sweat. He didn't want to anger Sasuke since he seemed like a good person and Naruto could relate to him. To calm the emotional storm happening next to him, Naruto made him an offer. "Hey, Sasuke, have you ever tried ramen before?"
Sasuke reigned in his emotions, but he was still shaking as he looked toward Naruto with a curious look, "What's ramen."
Naruto stared at Sasuke like he just shot his puppy. He stood up and pulled Sasuke to his feet. "Sasuke..." he said in a deadly serious tone, "It seems you need to be educated on the wonder that is ramen." Naruto dragged Sasuke to one of his favorite places in the village and Sasuke was too dumbstruck to protest.
(Ichiraku's Ramen)
On their way to the ramen shop, Naruto and Sasuke observed the looks the other boy was receiving. Naruto was receiving looks of fear and hate while Sasuke received looks of pity and adoration to which both boys slightly ignored. They also took note of some of the villagers that gave them surprised expressions; some even became distracted and ran into various lampposts, walls, and other villagers. This continued until they finally reached their destination.
The first thing Sasuke noticed when they arrived at the Ichiraku's Ramen was the delicious aroma that assaulted his nose. It sort of reminded him of the homecooked food that he would come home to after a long day. He looked behind the counter and saw that there was an old grey-haired man behind the counter with a striped hat, a white long-sleeved yukata, and a white apron. Next to him was a girl a little older than him and Naruto with brown hair who also wore the same attire as the old man only she had a white cloth wrapped around her head.
"Hey, Teuchi-jiji, Ayame-chan!" Naruto greeted.
"Oh, Naruto-Kun! How are you doing?" Ayame greeted cheerfully.
"I'm doing great, -ttebayo!" Naruto answered with a wide grin before gesturing to Sasuke, "This is Uchiha Sasuke."
"Ah, nice to meet you Uchiha Sasuke," Teuchi addressed Sasuke as Ayame gave the boy a once over with an intense gaze. Sasuke began to sweat; it was as if the girl was a judge and he was on trial.
After a moment, Ayame gave him a nod, "All right. You're okay in my book." Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. "So, Naruto what will you be having?"
"I take a large bowl of Miso Ramen!" Naruto ordered, "What do you want Sasuke?"
"I'll have what he's having in a regular size," Sasuke replied as Ayame and Teuchi got to work making the ramen. "So, what's so great about ramen?" Sasuke asked.
"What's so great about ramen? Everything!" Naruto proclaimed. "The noodles: delicious, the toppings divine, and don't get me started on the broth. Ramen is the food of the gods!" Naruto exclaimed while Sasuke just stared at him and Teuchi and Ayame chuckled.
"...I think you might have an addiction," Sasuke deadpanned.
"What? No, I don't" Naruto replied before their respective bowls of ramen were set down in front of them. Naruto broke apart his chopsticks and proceeded to inhale the ramen. Sasuke watched the spectacle in both awe and disgust. Naruto finished his bowl in just about one minute, much to Sasuke's astonishment, and ordered another bowl.
Sasuke, deciding to try the ramen out for himself, picked up his chopsticks and slurped up a few noodles. Sasuke could see why Naruto likes ramen so much; the food was flavorful and he could see himself eating this again. By the time Sasuke finished his first bowl, Naruto had already finished his fifth and was patting his stomach in satisfaction.
"Ah. Great ramen as always Teuchi-jiji," Naruto complimented.
"Hey, I made some ramen, too," Ayame exclaimed with a pout.
"Oh, uh... your ramen was good, too, Ayame-chan," Naruto said nervously while Teuchi just chuckled before handing Naruto the check. Naruto reached into his pocket before realizing something.
He still didn't have any money.
Naruto began to sweat bullets as Teuchi eyed him intensely. Sasuke noticed the blonde's plight and decided to help him out.
"Here I'll pay for it," Sasuke offered as he held his hand out for the check.
"Really?" Naruto asked awed that two people showed him kindness on the same day.
"Sure. And don't worry about paying me back. It's fine" Sasuke replied and Naruto handed him the check. When Sasuke received the check, he stared at the bill for several seconds. While it wasn't overly expensive, the price was still pretty high. He looked at Naruto with a blank expression, looked back at the check, and back to Naruto before sighing. "Don't say I never did anything for you," Sasuke stated before handing Teuchi the right amount of money.
"Thank you, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed with a small smile.
"It was nothing. Just don't make it a habit," Sasuke replied.
"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto called in a more subdued voice than usual, "Do you want to be friends."
Sasuke took note of the hesitance in his voice and thought back to his day. About how Naruto approached him on the pier, Naruto eating ramen with him, overall, just Naruto showing him genuine kindness instead of pity. Sasuke gave Naruto a small smile and answered, "Yes," before walking out of the ramen stand.
Naruto had the biggest smile on his face ever. He had made two friends in just one day. If you saw Naruto right now, his grin would out brighten the sun. Abruptly, Naruto stopped grinning as he pondered a sudden issue. "Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?" he wondered to himself. He donned a thinking pose before his eyes shot open, "MY MASKS!" he shouted before sprinting off to the lake while managing to avoid any villagers in his way.
Sakura and Hinata
In a small house in the Leaf Village, a young girl was sitting in a living room while barely paying attention to the lecture her mother was giving her. This girl's name was Haruno Sakura. She was around eight years old and had on a red shirt and white pants. Her most distinct features were her emerald green eyes and her bright pink hair; a hair color most unusual.
In front of her, her mother was pacing back and forth while talking, not even noticing that her daughter's mind was somewhere else. She was a middle-aged woman with shoulder-length brownish blonde hair and emerald green eyes as well. She was wearing a white qipao dress that opened on the side revealing red pants. This woman's name was Haruno Mebuki.
Realizing that her daughter wasn't paying attention, Mebuki spoke up, "Sakura! Are you listening?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, Sakura looked down in shame before replying, "No, mom. Can you repeat that?"
"What I was saying was," her mother started with a sigh, "is that tomorrow is the start of the academy. I want you to live the best life possible and in order to do that you need to look your best."
"Wait, why would I need to look good. I'm going to the academy to be a kunoichi, right?" Sakura asked in confusion.
"Oh, honey, no. You're not going to be a kunoichi." Seeing Sakura's baffled expression, Mebuki elaborated, "Yes being a kunoichi means you get to go on cool missions and stuff, but you don't need all that. What you need is to live a life of luxury."
"So why am I going to the academy?" Sakura asked.
"You're going there so you can get the attention of an heir to one of the clans; preferably the Uchiha but any will do. If you catch their eye, they might make you their wife in the future and you will live with people waiting on you hand and foot. And you need to look your best. You can't look good with battle scars and muscular bodies," Mebuki explained, "You need to keep your skin clear and smooth and you also need to stay slim so I'm putting you on a diet." Mebuki noticed that Sakura wanted to speak up but was hesitant, "Do you have something you want to say?"
"... Um... I-I was actually hoping that I could become a kunoichi," Sakura finally spoke up.
Mebuki frowned at her daughter's admittance, "Baby, I already told you that you're not going to become a kunoichi,"
"But being a kunoichi is awesome. I mean look at all the amazing kunoichi out there: Senju Tsunade, Yuhi Kurenai, and there was another one I don't know her name, but she was called the Red Death. Those are all wonderful women and I want to be just like them," Sakura protested. She couldn't disguise the awe in her voice as she talked about the mentioned kunoichi.
Mebuki began to lose her patience, "Sakura, you are not going to become one of those barbaric excuses for women."
Hearing her name caused Sakura to tense but she still pressed on, "But, Mom-"
*Slap*
Further argument from Sakura was cut off as her mother slapped her across the face leaving a red hand print on her cheek. "Sakura," Mebuki started as her eyes bore into Sakura's, "As long as you are my daughter you are not becoming a ninja. Do you understand?" Sakura didn't respond. "Don't make me get the bat," Sakura flinched and nodded meekly as an answer, "Use your words!"
"Y-Y-Yes, mom" Sakura answered.
"Good," Mebuki's eyes softened, "Sakura, I only want the best for you. You know that, right?". When Sakura didn't respond, Mebuki sighed and decided to send Sakura on a mission, "Sakura, we're out of dango. Can you run to the dango shop and get some more?"
Sakura nodded before heading into her room. Though the room wasn't fit for a princess, it was certainly a good attempt. The bed had pristine sheets, blankets, and pillows, her closet was full of lots of dresses, and her dresser had a mirror and tons of makeup; though most of the containers were almost full. The dresser also housed a picture of a man with pink hair placed into five spikes and brown eyes and he wore a brown haori. This man was her father Haruno Kizashi, and he is no longer in the picture. She didn't have much in the form of entertainment, although she does have a box of textbooks she keeps hidden under her bed. All the semi-lavish items were not the most eye-catching part, however.
That would have to be the trashcan that was full of used bandages.
After dressing herself in a pink coat and white scarf and snow boots, Sakura walked out of the house without saying by to her mom. When she closed the door, she held onto the door for several seconds with her grip tightening on the doorknob as she scowled. "She's an adult, why can't she get her own damn Dango?!" she thought to herself. "I say we get some Dango and then throw it on her dress. Shannaro!" Inner Sakura said and pumped her fist in the air. She released her grip after she finally calmed down and walked into the village to fulfill her mother's request; though 'demand' would have been a more fitting word.
When Sakura arrived at the Dango shop, she noticed how crowded it was. Since it was wintertime, many of the citizens jumped at the chance to get some hot treats. Unfortunately for Sakura, this meant that she would have to wait a while to get some Dango and in turn, her mother would have to wait. This made Sakura nervous since her mother would use anything as an excuse to "discipline" her.
Deciding not to enact her mother's wrath, Sakura looked for another shop that sold steamy desserts. It took a little while, but she found a cinnamon bun shop that wasn't as crowded as the Dango shop. She walked inside, ordered a box of cinnamon rolls, and searched for a place to sit down to wait for her cinnamon rolls. Sakura finally found an open spot next to a blue-haired girl with pale eyes so, she walked over and sat next to her.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence until Sakura spoke up, "Hello."
The blue-nette, not expecting this, stiffened and stuttered out a greeting, "H-Hi."
"I'm Haruno Sakura. You're a Hyūga, right? What's your name?" Sakura asked noticing the girl's eyes.
"H-Hyūga Hinata. I-I'm the clan h-heiress."
"Oh, that must be nice," Sakura replied. Hinata's expression saddened, something Sakura noticed. "Hey, are you alright?"
"Oh! U-umm... I'm fine," Hinata lied. Sakura figured she was lying but, decided not to press since it wasn't her business.
It was at this moment that both their cinnamon bun orders arrived. They each picked up their orders and walked out of the shop in the same direction. Deciding to start up another conversation Sakura asked, "So... what's it like being a Hyūga?"
This caught Hinata off guard again, though this time she managed to right herself faster. "I-It's all right. Most of my clans-p-people are nice and the village citizens a-are kind to us. Th-Though that may just be because of my st-status," she replied mumbling the last part to where Sakura didn't hear. "The B-Byakugan's also very useful."
"In more ways than one?" Sakura asked with a teasing smirk.
"W-What do you mean?" Hinata asked in confusion.
"Oh, come on. You're telling me that you never once tried to peek at someone using those eyes?" Sakura questioned her smirk becoming a full-blown grin.
Hinata squeaked as her face erupted into crimson, "W-W-What?! Th-That's not-! I-I-I w-w-would n-never-"
Sakura was laughing her head off at the Hyūga's reaction. "Hey-Hey, calm down Hinata. I'm just messing with you. You don't seem like someone who'd do that." Hinata calmed down but her face was still red. "We really need to work on that stuttering." "Like you have any room to talk." Inner Sakura deadpanned and was promptly ignored.
"Sakura!"
A stern female voice cut through the cheerful atmosphere and immediately Sakura's body went rigid as she recognized the voice and tone. She tilted her head upward and saw her mother standing a few feet in front of her was her mother with an irritated scowl on her face. Sakura began to shake as she struggled to keep her grip on the cinnamon buns.
"Sakura, I sent you to get some dango a while ago. Half an hour later, and there still wasn't any dango from you. So, I went out to find you and you weren't at the dango shop. Would you like to explain to me where the hell you were and where my dango is?" Mebuki asked though judging from her tone it was more of a demand.
"I-I went to the d-dango shop but it was too cr-crowded, so I went to a cinnamon bun shop in-instead," she explained hesitantly while simultaneously surprising Hinata at her change in demeanor. "I-I also met someone. This is Hyūga Hinata," she pointed gestured to Hinata.
Mebuki turned her gaze to Hinata, and her expression changed from irritation to surprise. "Hyūga-sama," she greeted with a nod before her expression shifted back to irritation when she turned back to Sakura. "Are the cinnamon buns hot at least," she asked while sighing.
"Y-Yes."
"Good. Bring 'em here," she ordered, and Sakura started towards her mother.
Unfortunately, Kami was not on her side at that moment. Sakura didn't notice a larger than normal rock on the street, and she wound up slipping on it and falling into the snow. This simultaneously caused the cinnamon buns to fall out of the box and onto Mebuki's dress.
"Yes! You actually threw the cinnamon rolls on her dress! Shannaro!" Inner Sakura cheered but Sakura was too shocked to correct her inner self. Her shaking increased ten-fold as she looked at the splotch of glaze on her mother's qipao. Mebuki's expression shifted from irritated to enraged as she looked at the spot left by the rolls. "M-M-Mother, I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean-" Sakura never finished since Mebuki ran up to her and punched her across her cheek leaving a large bruise. Hinata was shocked into silence as she watched the events unfold.
"Damn it, Sakura! I just asked you to get me something hot to eat and you couldn't even do that! Now look what happened!" she shouted as she gestured towards her dress, though no one except the trio was around to hear them.
"Mother!" she pleaded though her efforts were in vain as Mebuki pushed her head into the snow. Her face scratched the concrete below and she cried out in pain.
"Shut up! Just shut up and get ready to take your punishment." Mebuki snarled before picking up Sakura by her collar and dragging her towards their home.
All the while Hinata just stood there frozen as an ice cube as Mebuki dragged away her new friend. She wanted to help, she desperately did. But, what could she do? She was weak. There was nothing she could do. She began berating herself for her weakness. She looked into Sakura's eyes and saw the unvoiced cry for help. No one else was around, so she was the only one who could help her. She then thought back to that little blonde ball of energy. How he wasn't strong enough to fight off those three bullies, yet he still stood up for her. Deciding not to be a bystander, she stepped into action.
Channeling chakra to her palms, she rushed toward Mebuki and delivered a palm strike to her thigh. Not expecting this, Mebuki doubled over in pain while clutching her leg. Sakura, sensing the opportunity, shakily got up to her feet and started sprinting away from her mother, but not before sending Hinata a silent thank you. Mebuki tried to chase after her, but her thigh kept hindering her. She switched her glare towards Hinata. "You...," she started and was about to rush her until she realized who she was and turned back towards Sakura. It took a little while but, she managed to get up and started to run towards Sakura.
Hinata was once again frozen in shock. Her actions were completely unexpected to her. Though she did not regret them. She was able to help her friend out and that's all that mattered right then. Silently she hoped that Sakura was able to get away safely.
Back with Sakura, she slowly was able to right herself and run properly. She bumped into people along her way, but she didn't care. All she was focused on was getting away from her mother. After a while, she noticed that she was beginning to tire out. Desperately she looked around for a place to hide and ran down an alley. She looked around for a place of concealment and found it in a large box. She ran to it, pulled out everything inside it, jumped inside, and closed the top over her. She prayed to God over and over again that her mother would not find her.
Sasuke and Sakura
Sasuke took a stroll through the village after eating ramen with Naruto. The ramen was delicious although not enough for Sasuke to claim it's the food of the gods. Either tomatoes or onigiri would have to take that spot. He also thought long and hard about Naruto. The blonde was loud, obnoxious, disgusting, and most of all an idiot. However, Sasuke could see that Naruto was filled with loneliness and had a good heart; he tried to help him instead of just giving him a look of pity. He also noticed the looks Naruto was receiving. It confused him that hate, fear, and disgust was being directed at him. From what he's seen of Naruto, he didn't warrant those looks. 'Maybe I should ask him about that when I see him again,' he thought as a rare smile appeared on his face.
The smile vanished as Sasuke received adoring looks from his fangirls and pitying ones from the civilians, both of which he ignored. Outwardly, he was indifferent but inwardly was scowling. He hated the adoration because he only received it due to his heritage; if he was to be adored, he believed it should be because of something you accomplish. The villagers didn't see him for him; only his name. It was the same even before that night. He also despised to a lesser degree the pitiful looks and hallow comforting words. They might have shown him they were sorry for what happened but, they never did anything to help. No one except that blonde knucklehead.
Sasuke continued walking until he came across a clan compound. A clan compound that had the same red and white fan symbol on Sasuke's coat all across it and was completely devoid of life. The Uchiha Compound. Sasuke tensed up as he looked at the home of his kin. Instantly, his mind flashed back to that one horrible night.
The dead bodies of his clansmen and clanswomen.
The motionless corpses of his parents over a pool of blood.
A red eye with a black, three-pointed shuriken in the center.
Sasuke's breathing began to increase and he started shaking like a leaf in a storm. He turned around and started running, uncaring about anyone he bumped into and the concerned looks of anyone watching him. He could care less about where he was headed, he just needed to get away from his former home; to stop the memories from resurfacing.
Several minutes passed before Sasuke stopped to catch his breath. The memories didn't stop completely but they weren't forcing themselves to the forefront of his mind. For a few moments, Sasuke just stood there staring at the ground as tears fell from his eyes, grateful that no one was around to see his vulnerability.
He stopped crying when he heard the sound of more sobbing. The sound wasn't coming from him, so he looked around to find the origin. Facing the direction of the sound he walked towards an alley. He became confused at the sight of an empty alley except for a bunch of trash, a shaking box, and graffiti.
...Wait a minute, boxes don't shake.
Sasuke walked toward the quivering container and stared at it for a few moments. The crying sound was originating from the box and it was still shaking. Slowly, Sasuke reached over and opened the box to reveal a pink-haired girl with emerald green eyes. The girl's head snapped towards him with her eyes full of terror until she realized who it was and calmed down.
They both stared at each other for several moments, taking in each other's appearance. Sasuke noticed that on one of her cheeks was a bruise and on the other was a large scratch mark.
"W-Who are you?" the girl asked meekly.
Sasuke was hesitant to give his name but decided that there couldn't be any harm in it. "Uchiha Sasuke."
"Uchiha?" Sakura questioned surprised and Sasuke prepared himself for the inevitable screech of "SASUKE_KUN~". Though, he was surprised when the girl only managed a weak smile, "I'm Haruno Sakura."
Sasuke stood there staring at Sakura in shock. This was the first time a girl didn't immediately squeal when they found out who he was. Sakura noticed his staring and began to get nervous. Realizing this Sasuke regained his bearings and asked, "What are you doing in here?"
Before Sakura could answer, "Hey, kid!", she froze up at the sound of the voice and her shaking returned full force. Sasuke looked up towards the entrance and saw a grown woman with brownish hair, green eyes, and a strange splotch on her qipao. The woman stepped back in shock at the sight of Sasuke. "Uchiha-sama! Forgive me for my rudeness," she apologized to which Sasuke had to hold back a scowl, "But have you seen a pink-haired girl with green eyes about your age running around here? Her name is Sakura."
Sasuke looked back at Sakura and noticed the sheer terror on her face. He figured that she was hiding from that woman. Why he didn't know. The look also made him pause. That expression was the same one he had the night he lost everything. Deciding to do what no one did for him; he finally spoke up, "No, I haven't seen her." The woman's gaze shifted to the box which made Sasuke tense. It looked like she wanted to say more but, she decided to walk away with an irritated scowl. Sasuke waited for several seconds before sighing in relief. He turned to Sakura and was immediately tackled by her, though he managed to stay on his feet.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she repeated over and over while squeezing the life out of Sasuke.
Sasuke struggled in her grip before she finally let go and he could finally breathe.
"Damn, *pant* you are *pant* strong!" Sasuke exclaimed through heavy breaths.
"Sorry, I was just so happy when you didn't tell her I was here," she apologized sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it. I could tell that something was off about that woman. Who was she?" Sasuke asked.
"She's... my mother," Sakura admitted.
"Hn...," Sasuke said in surprise before noticing her injuries again. "You're hurt. Let me take you to the hospital," he offered to which Sakura shook her head furiously.
"No, I don't need a hospital. I can handle it. Plus, if I got there, they'll call her," she explained.
"Well, you still need to patch yourself up. I think my apartment's not too close from here," he stated before grabbing her hand and leading her to his quarters. Sakura wanted to protest but, the words died in her mouth at the concern on Sasuke's face. She decided to stay silent and follow Sasuke.
(Sasuke's Apartment)
They arrived at Sasuke's apartment which was spacious and clean. Sasuke went to the bathroom to get the bandages. Sakura looked around taking in his home. It was more luxurious than her room and she wondered how he was able to get these living quarters.
Sasuke came back from the bathroom with the bandages. "Here you can patch yourself up in the bathroom," Sasuke explained before Sakura took the bandages and walked into the bathroom to complete the task.
Several minutes passed and Sakura finally came out of the bathroom with a bandage on her cuts. Sasuke noticed that she didn't have a bandage on her bruise, though much to his astonishment the bruise on her face was almost healed.
"Sakura, how are your bruises almost gone? You got them earlier today," Sasuke asked.
"I studied a little bit of medical ninjutsu in my free time," she explained.
"Hmm, well since you're all fixed you can leave whenever you want," Sasuke said before noticing the hesitant look on Sakura's face. "Is there something else you need?"
"Umm... actually do you mind if I stay here. Just for a little while," Sakura asked
"Why?"
"Well, I can't go back now because my mother's still mad, but usually if I wait a few hours, she'll cool down and she won't as hard on me as before," she explained.
Sasuke mulled the explanation over in his head. She really couldn't go back home right now because her father might still be in a bad mood and take it out on her. On the one hand, he wanted to help her since no one was there to help him. On the other hand, he was hesitant since he didn't want to let anyone close to him. That man might find out about her and target her to get to him.
However, he thought back to a certain blonde knucklehead. How he did what he could to help cheer him up even though it wasn't much. Sasuke became disgusted with himself that he was even thinking about turning away Sakura when she needed assistance.
"Sure, you can stay here for a few hours," he answered to which Sakura beamed.
"Thank you, Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed.
Sasuke shuddered. "Please don't call me that," he requested, remembering all the girls that would scream that in his ear.
"Oh, okay" Sakura replied which baffled Sasuke.
"Well... you can sit on the couch and read. I've got several books on that shelf over there," he pointed to a shelf that housed several books. "I'm gonna go to sleep. Please stay out of my room."
"Okay, Sasuke" Sakura replied and Sasuke walked off into his bedroom and closed the door... and locked it for good measure. He got into the bed and shut his eyes as sleep finally took over after a few minutes. For the first time in a long time, Sasuke slept peacefully without bad dreams haunting him.
A few hours later, Sasuke woke up and noticed that the sun was still out. Disgruntled by the disturbance of his slumber, Sasuke tried to go back to sleep only to notice a note under his door. His confusion at the note's presence was settled when the events before his nap came rushing back.
Figuring that it must have been left by Sakura, Sasuke got up from the bed, walked over to the door, and picked up the note to begin reading it.
Dear Sasuke,
I just want to say thank you for letting me stay here. I could see that you didn't want to but, you still chose to help me out. For that, I'm very thankful.
Sincerely,
Sakura
P.S. I'm not one of your fangirls so you don't need to lock the door if I come over again.
"Hn," was all Sasuke said, though he was happy that he was able to help Sakura out. Thinking back to the pink-haired girl, Sasuke realized that she was different from most girls he encountered. She didn't scream his name and that he was the greatest there ever was. She acted normal around him, and he could honestly say he might enjoy her company.
Overall, she was a pretty nice girl.