Carry Forward
Chapter One
Sakura stood to the right of the stage on the curb, slightly further towards the back of the crowd. Her gaze drifted over the full crowd of civilians and shinobi alike. She forced herself to hold her face placid and she felt her chest tighten. Many of these people seemed relieved, but some faces still looked weary. The music blared loud over the speakers, and she cringed inwardly at the jovial tone.
Sakura shifted her stance on the curb and listened to the crowd's aimless conversations. She brought her arms up to loop her fingers around the shoulder arm holes of her green Jonin vest. The weight was heavy yet comforting for her, and she latched onto it to keep her hands from trembling.
After the war, Konoha had struggled to regain its economic status as one of the leading Hidden Villages. The war was tragic, and halted may of the advancements the village was in the process of making to be more welcoming to trades and businesses. Many people had suffered the depression of the war, shinobi and civilian alike. The hospital was overflowing with patients needing advanced care, but there were few nurses and providers. The markets suffered severe damages and couldn't produce the income needed to sustain business. Many people lost their homes and their loved ones. Children had fewer school options and less places for extracurricular activities. The population itself had dwindled to the lowest she ever remembered it being. With the war now several months behind the Hidden Village, Konoha was trying to open its arms once again and re establish itself with a grand charity event- a charitable walk.
Sakura's emerald eyes passed over the growing crowd and she wondered briefly if it was a good idea to host such a large gathering so soon after the war. Fear struck an odd chord in her body and her spine straightened impossibly so.
Her attention dwindled as Hatake Kakashi took to the stage, his infamous book nowhere in sight. Sakura almost laughed at the clear displeasure across his features, but decided to damped her response when his eye found hers. The corner of his eye crinkled in her direction and she slowly nodded her head in response. She should be proud of him, she thought, he stepped up as her Shishou retired. Sakura knew so much relied on Kakashi giving a sentimental and empowering speech to reunite the country. She couldn't laugh at him with this much pressure on his shoulders. Maybe afterwards, but not now.
His hand shot up to quiet the roaring crowd, and Sakura was impressed with how easy he drew people's attention. Kakashi could always blend in with a crowd, but within a moments notice he could easily grab the limelight. She didn't envy that, but she could respect it.
"Good morning and thank you very much." He began with a quick tap to the microphone at the podium in front of him.
The crowd's cheering dwelled down and the music softened to a light tone. She watched his eye scan through the many faces of them, stopping only on a few particular faces. She guessed perhaps Gai, Yamato, or Naruto. Those were the people usually associated with him, and she assumed those were the people he cared for the most at the time.
"It's an honor to be here. Really quickly, let's give it up to the Elders for putting together this event and charitable walk thru Konoha. It's a beautiful day to start this walk. Thank you again for being here. It's a privilege to be here with you all."
The crowd roared to life again with applause, and she cringed thinking of all the faces that weren't there with them today. Faces of people she was too late to save and faces of people who she couldn't. Sakura held back a sigh as she shook herself.
"On behalf of all our veterans and their families, I want to thank you all for being here. Today we unite together in honor of the mission of Konoha- to our people and service members. Give yourselves a round of applause for being here."
"First of all, let's give a round of applause for our top fundraiser squad, Team 8. Without their diplomatic missions, we would not have been able to raise the support needed to address our growing concerns within the community." Kakashi said with a wave of his hand.
The crowd was erupting into cheers, and Sakura fought to stay comfortable on her feet as the crowd drew closer together. She was beginning to feel the constraints of claustrophobia settle into her shoulders, and she stepped back several paces.
"From all of our team and leadership, we wish to serve our nation's veterans who have served our country and kept us free and protected the freedoms we all enjoy as Konoha citizens. When we ask young men and women to go into harm's way, there are no guarantees. Certainly we can't guarantee they come home in one piece or if they come home at all. But when they do come home, we know our nation will be there for them for their recovery, rehabilitation, and transition. That's our mission; to be there for them when they come home. The success of our warriors doesn't stand on the shoulders of any one individual organization, but it stands on the shoulders of all Konoha citizens. Certainly with you all being here today demonstrates your commitment to our warriors and their families, as well as the rebuilding of our great country."
Patriotism, she thought, was just a word, but Kakashi made it a tangible feeling. Sakura couldn't fathom how immense the emotion was from the crowd, but she felt it tight in her chest and throat. Her eyes prickled with unshed tears, and she held tighter onto her green vest. She swallowed down the dryness of her throat and watched as the sheer determination of the crowd built. It was now teeming with life, and the people were overwhelmed with so many emotions. Some people were crying, others were smiling and cheering wholeheartedly. Sakura recognized the relief in the faces of her comrades in arms.
Sakura herself struggled to keep the emotion from over running her. She rocked on her heels with her boots, her fingers tracing patterns onto her black long sleeved shirt. She felt the heat of the crowd pressing into her front, and she took a few more steps back to distance herself.
"This war has devastated more than just our warriors, but also the many families of Konoha. It's time we carry forward. We carry the burden of our lost family and friends. We carry the burden of living on their dreams and hopes. And we all carry the burden of moving forward to greater peace and tranquility. Let us all stand united together."
Kakashi may as well moved a stone wall. Sakura gazed at the people of Konoha littering the streets, and she felt them draw closer together physically and metaphorically. She, on the outskirts, was empowered for a moment. Her eyes darted back to her former sensei on the stage. His eye was crinkled again in what she supposed was a sad smile when the crowd began its descent into the marked pathway of the charity walk.
Konoha may have lost several of its important loved ones, but it has not lost the Will of Fire, even if she did.
A.N: I do not own the characters of Naruto.
I do have a plot in mind, but am not sure who to pair Sakura with. Please feel free to drop a line and let me know exactly who you'd love to see her end up with- good guy or bad!
I do spend a lot of time with veteran service members and many of the themes in this storyline will be based on what I've been told or have heard. I do apologize for my more sensitive readers.
My goal is to start a couple stories, and finish a couple of my older ones (excuse me for forgetting some of those plot lines. I'll try my best to get back on board with those!).
Best of all, happy reading!