3. Edited and expanded! Sakura is a little bit dramatic – but I suppose that's how these ninja all are.


This wasn't really planned, but the twist seemed right. I actually did want him to be Sakura's proxy, so that Ino would be friends with her outside of the Academy but looks like I'll be rethinking that. I don't think Sakura likes him very much right now.


It's also 10 in the morning that there is a soft knock on her door. Having not expected anyone, Sakura then remembers her appointment.

Horrified at herself, she hurries towards the door. Even when she grips the handle, she feels a sense of wrongness, but still, she pulls it open. She's not feeling the best, though she woke on the right side of the bed.

The male is dressed in mostly black and a blueish grey. His head is covered by pale blond hair tied back into a loose ponytail, and his eyes are green, a murky, solid green, with just the slightest tinge of blue.

She bows, accentuating their height difference, expecting to apologise for the lateness, then remembering that no one was supposed to come to her home. She was supposed to go to the tower.

Before she introduces herself, her mouth has already opened, and she asks, "Are you Naruto-san's father?" An instinctive question that she doesn't hold back.

Her head cocks to a side when the man is clearly flabbergasted. Since he can't say anything, she fills the silence herself.

"No…the shade of yellow is wrong. So are the eyes. More yellow, more blue. More like that of the Yondaime Hokage," she mutters under her breath to herself, still flitting in and out of her own consciousness. This morning is not going well…

On her back, the chains grow rapidly, then shorten, and repeat. Her chains react to her high level of mental activity, and misinterpret the varying neural transmissions as distress, though it was highly likely that she was working herself into a panic.

A voice calling her name, that of the male in front of her, and she snaps back. Bowing again and keeping that distance between them, she apologises and introduces herself finally, before asking for his identity.

His voice is soft, gentle, and tinged by cheer. "I'm Yamanaka Inoichi. I'm not related to Uzumaki Naruto-san at all." She received confirmation of her deduction.

A gloved hand extends, and so do hers. "Nice to meet you, Sakura-san."

With them, her chains move as well, but he appears to not have noticed them.

She eyes the gloved hand tentatively, before holding it larger, stronger, warmer hand wraps around it, shaking once, twice.

However, Sakura is the one who breaks the handshake. Distinctively, she felt the sensation of something slipping in, and of her being pulled.

Wrong. Something feels wrong.

Intrusive? "Invasive," she says it out loud, green eyes snapping up to meet his, and a wave of irrational anger tries to fill her.

Yamanaka-san expresses surprise at this, and he too, murmurs, "Interesting. You can feel the nature of my chakra?"

She wonders for a brief moment as to how her chakra feels. Since this man feels like a syringe drawing blood and at the same time, pulsing like her throbbing head.

Carefully, she blanks her face, keeping only a neutral smile on her face, holding the door open for him. "Please come in."


She drags out the table, clearing off the utility bill as well as her copy of the Academy Enrolment Form onto the bookshelf in the living room.

Subconsciously, her chains grab at the pencil holder which falls off the edge, preventing the ceramic from shattering. This, she doesn't realise, until she feels the same, invasive feeling on a chain.

Chakra. My chakra chain... Her eyes snap up from their mindless task, blindly searching for her 'Chakra' chain.

Looking, she finds it wrapped around the pencil holder, and around that, Yamanaka-san's hand. The living room coffee table is there beyond the couch chair, she's so mindful of the distance between them that she didn't even notice…

He gives her a gentle smile, before setting it back onto her table. "You should be more careful, Sakura-san." He caught the cup as much as she has.

Despite the sincerity she can hear, she wants so desperately to believe in it, something about the entire situation is off, feels weird, fake. Nonetheless, she dips her head at him, thanking him.

She doesn't miss how her 'Chakra' chain appears even more reluctant, sticking close to her. An inanimate object born of herself, reflecting the emotions that strain on her face.

They take seats opposite each other, Yamanaka-san about as poised as he could be on a chair that was just a bit too small since she's sitting on the couch and sinking into it.

The wood creaks ominously as he shifts, and Sakura reflects on the crack that her chains made. Another experiment not quite right on the living room stool that the blonde man is now perched upon.

He clears his throat softly before withdrawing a scroll. It's a plain, unlabelled scroll, and the metallic clasp that holds it closed is a circle, a carved out sakura blossom in the middle.

Sliding it across the table, he tells her that the scroll is now hers, and it's what they assume to contain all of the Haruno ledgers. She receives it, inspecting it from all angles, trying to make sense of how all the ledgers could have been recorded down inside.

Running her thumb over the metal seal, feeling the delicate patterning, she feels a tiny prick of pain. Curiously, she draws away, inspecting her thumb, then the seal now spotted with her blood.

There's a soft hiss, and the seal splits neatly down the middle, the scroll unrolling. She fumbles for a moment, surprised that the roll expands on its own.

"Blood seals..?" comes the man's voice of mild wonder. She files the term away, more interested in what the scroll has to offer, the only legacy of the people who both are and were her parents.

Written on the scroll are separate years of the business, all in groups of 5 years. A legacy of money and relationships is not what a child expects. It's good, then, that's she's only half a child.

Considering her blood opened the scroll, she hazards a guess, smearing blood across the words that said 'Years 25 – 28'. Sakura watches carefully now, as her blood seems to sink into the paper. Then, the ink shifts, forming the numbers 25, 26, 27 and 28.

Again, she presses her pricked thumb against the square with the number '28' in it. There's a soft 'poof' sound, and a book appears in a cloud of white smoke.

Haruno Merchants, 28th Year Ledger. Turning the page gingerly, neat, precise writing fills it.

The Haruno Merchant business is one spanning 3 generations and involves the leading Haruno Clan, as well as its Partnership Clans.

In no particular order, the Fumiyo clan of the Land of Iron, the Tsubaki clan in the Land of Water, the Suzuraiden clan of the Land of Lightning, the Dokuran clan of the Land of Wind, the Amachi clan of the Land of Earth.

Other than those of business, the 6 clans have no other ties, so as to not conflict with their Hidden Village/Shogunate loyalties. In lieu of their trading rights, the trade representatives, as listed below, are given freedom in and out of territories and will be given due respect.

When entering a village with a partnership clan, the representatives must declare themselves, and while within the confines of the village, be treated as part of the clan.

However, this common courtesy and quasi-immunity is based on trust and respect on both ends. The aggressor will be turned upon by all other partners, after a decision by a joint council presided over by the Haruno Clan representative.

Trade Representatives are the negotiators who begin deals and are allowed in and out of territories, they are not required to be present to receive and send off goods, so as to maintain a smooth flow of the business.

Haruno Clan, Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno.

Fumiyo Clan, Kira and Ishisa Fumiyo

Tsubaki Clan, Haru and Hiren Tsubaki.

Suzuraiden Clan, Shirai and Yumina Suzuraiden.

Dokuran Clan, Ensui and Onari Dokuran.

Amachi Clan, Chiyako and Dayui Amachi.

Representatives are responsible for the timely arrival of goods, proper bookkeeping, high quality of goods, and swear upon their honour to not violate the codes of immunity, ie. To not use trades as covers for espionage or sabotage.

Lastly, they are also in charge of the workflow within their clans, and thus, their own, internal succession. Thus, upon a shift of power, this scroll must be updated.

Across the continents, the scroll with each representative is the main mode of communication, and due care should be exercised.

Yours,

Representatives Kizashi, Kira, Hiren, Shirai, Ensui and Dayui.


The content page is the third, the second page having been left blank. It's neat, organised, like any ledger should be. Yuurei appreciates it, for wars are won in logistic games.

From the looks of it, every Clan is given five pages, each to fill the items it can supply and trade, maximum amounts, and asking price.

Long term trades are listed at the back, records of payments, and payment slips attached. I would have to spill more blood to check the rest, but she expects that the trades are eventually backlogged.

Short term, one-off trades are also listed and must be signed off by the Representatives who initiated the trade, little symbol marks here and there are incomprehensible to her. Once more, I have to spend the time that no child should be expected to.

In essence, the Haruno Merchant business is a guild, a collection of traders gathered to give connections, but in terms of profit, nothing leaves the clan other than a 5% tax that is given to the Haruno clan. It's a curious situation for a child to be dealing with.

I'll have to update the scroll later. After I understand the codes and keys.

Up until now, Yamanaka-san has been patiently watching me read, and he did not appear to be trying to read off the scroll. While the time elapsed appeared to be large, it wasn't really, because I retained my reading speed. Small mercies to be thankful for.

Especially since things are not quite what they seem. My eyes flick upwards, meeting his, and a jolt of pain manifests itself in my temple as if a needle was slowly being inserted in.

This invasive sensation, it was nothing like the previous instances, where it was like a web, thin and frail, just spreading. It felt precise. Deliberate. Like a pinpoint incision, a scalpel.

Jade green meets murky green, and I feel my eyes narrow at the person in front of me. So while looks can be misleading, I rather not take any kind of chance at all.

There is a sense of unease curling in my gut "Before everything else, what do you know about running a merchant business?" Before I edit the scroll.

He blinks, clearly not having expected this, since they expect a child. Before I decide if I should trust you.

"More importantly, how are you qualified to be my proxy, and how, exactly, have you been running it in the name of this state?" Before everything. A military state built on ninja co-existing in an economy kept afloat by civilians or otherwise.

His mouth opens. I need to know. About the power imbalance and what keeps the state stable, if it actually is.

"Especially since you haven't been able to open the scroll." With each statement of my own, his eyes seem to flicker, between curiosity, surprise, amusement and oddly enough, respect.

Weaving his fingers in front of him, placing them on the table, Yamanaka-san smiles the slightest. "I think you've misunderstood, Sakura-san." Misunderstood?

"Sorry?" He looks almost apologetic. Which is funny, when I know he isn't.

"I'm not your proxy, Sakura-san." There's a pause. If there was an admission, then it wasn't that.

"I'm your psychiatrist." Or this. The metaphorical ground gives way beneath me, and I'm looking for something to hold onto. Without really meaning to, my chains spread, crawling along the walls of the room, spreading out, covering every surface they can reach.

My voice hitches like a child about to cry and his eyes soften. "Psychiatrist?" Breathing deeply, I struggle to control my emotions, looking at the still placid man. He's a specialist, no doubt, and good with children.

If only I were more of one, then maybe I would have felt less threatened in a situation like this. Since it's a clear setup.

"From my assessment, you appear to have little attachment to your parents, and have gotten over their deaths quite easily. However, you seem to be suffering from a form of memory loss or blocking due to the trauma of it. You have been keeping a tight rein on your emotions and believe that emotions will be used against you.

Perceptive and analytical, you judge someone based on a combination of feeling and observations, though you lean more to the former. My suggestion would be that you find someone to confide in, or find an outlet for your emotions."

The restless shifting of the chains on the ceiling distract me from my shock and anger, and slowly I calm down. He's right. Everything he said is right. Since there is not an ounce of disrespect in us for people who know what they are doing.

Fist clenching, then unclenching, I exhale, before meeting his eyes again. "Who is my proxy then?" Still the unwarranted attack on a psyche he personally judged to be less than stable – is not something to be condoned.

Surprised, he takes a moment to recover, before replying, "Jounin Commander, Chief Strategist Nara Shikaku-sama." I whistle in my head at the fancy title laid before me.

He must have been anticipating me to blow up. Was it all for the sake of riling me up? Because when someone is angry, it's so easy to read them?

Is that it? That thought makes sense – he's not my psychiatrist as he claims, merely the state's psychologist, getting a feel to see if I am in a treasonous mood.

"I see. Why did you come in his stead, then?" He dodges the question, answering neutrally, "It is the protocol for trauma patients to undergo mental evaluations."

"Hokage-sama must have ordered this then. How is Nara-sama related to you?" Two can play at such a game. Keeping calm, that is. How could I be your patient when you are not treating me?

"Shikaku is a fellow Clan Head. Our clans, along with another, are known for techniques that complement each other." Then it's Yamanaka-sama, truly.

"Will I be meeting Nara-sama, then?"

He nods, standing, chair scraping against the floorboard. "I will be bringing you to him. He's waiting for us." And has been, for a while?

Standing with him, I stepping out through the door that he holds open for me. Turning, I lock the door, and we set off.

He's making this too easy, that's the thought as I summon forth the chain with his name, running my finger across the inscription. Yamanaka, Inoichi.

This man makes for an interesting study, if not from the way he holds himself, then in how the civilians regard him.

They shy away from him and are almost afraid. But those same eyes on me – are not of people assured for a child.

He is a wolf armed to the teeth with whatever school of psychology this world believes in. It's good not to be a sheep.

A culling of the herd, or a test of this wolf to see who will bite my line. Sakura is only a child, after all. It's the money that they want out of her, not sincerely her wellbeing.

In a negotiation, a battle of wills, things like these are not meant to be so easy. I would not let them read my mind, let alone play me like a fiddle.

The money will be kept under this name, for this body rather than the state.

Capitalists. It would have been a horrible joke otherwise, the sight of a little pink-haired us following a large and tall blonde man.

The sale of labour or the collusion between power players to monopolise the merchant guild that fell into our hands. A child might have been scared out of the responsibility, but I wouldn't let it go so easily.

He guides us through the wide roads then narrow roads of the city, through the merchant district and past our grocery store. Then a left turn where we have never gone, eventually ending along a less bustling street of homes.

Yamanaka-sama raises a hand and a man in distance mirrors his action.

This catches not only my attention, but that of the street peddlers and the old ladies walking past. The blond looks down at me and smiles in a manner which I confess, makes me feel somewhat reassured.

"That is Shikaku. He'll help you with your other questions. So for today, I'll leave you here. In the future, if you ever need help, or you're just looking for someone to talk to, my home is open to you. Shikaku can show you if you're curious, but I live just down the road."

With me walking forward, then, he left – just like that. So I could only keep walking towards the man with his black hair done up into a spiky ponytail.

His eyes are sharp, I give him that. So the main thing which comforts us is how keenly the neighbours are watching us.


First written in December 2015. Edited 29 April 2020.

Looking back, I found that this 'normal' chapter was oddly short. So, today I have put a little more meat on it, so the transition to the next chapter is less rough, and we have more insight into the thought process.

Over time, I realised that this first-person POV doesn't give the kind of vibe I want. It's not… distant enough.

Still, for this chapter, it works as Yuurei settles into being Sakura.

Thanks for reading and do leave a review!

Kayo