SUMMARY: Ninja need therapy and Choji is a sweetheart.
Ra is better than this.
She is.
She has to be.
The man sits at the head of the table.
The woman sits opposite her.
They're too close.
And they're smiling, smiling!
As though this is ordinary, as though this is normal.
The man is talking, the woman is watching - they're both watching -
She can't.
"…follow in our footsteps. Shame you couldn't defeat that Yamanaka girl but she is the Clan Heir, even if she's incompetent so-"
"Kizashi!" the woman exclaims chidingly.
"What? It's true!" the man says.
"Don't imply that our Sakura-"
Ra tries not to react. She isn't their anything and even if she was, she hasn't been for a long time.
"is incompetent!"
The man gasps.
"I would never imply that, my dearest cherry blossom."
Ra cannot look at him.
Sakura flushes with hurt and embarrassment.
Ra flushes with anger.
That is Lee's name for her - and Gai's.
She doesn't like the way it sounds in this man's mouth.
She doesn't like the way he described Ino.
She doesn't like the way she watches her.
She doesn't like the way she tries to possess her.
"My dear-"
"Tell me who you are." Ra demands because she knows but she needs them to say it, needs to hear it.
They both stop.
The woman recovers first.
"We are Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno, your parents."
Sakura cannot move.
Ra forces herself to breathe and wonders if this is what Duck feels when he thinks of that man.
Her throat is tight, tighter, tightest.
Her eyes will not stop moving.
"I'm late for training!" she offers pitifully and leaps out of her chair, the food in her bowl untouched.
"Cherry blossom?"
"Sakura?"
She runs like she always has, like one of her clients or Shinigami-forbid he is behind her once again.
He isn't here, she knows, he isn't - can't be anywhere.
But the fear remains.
And she runs.
Kisame doesn't expect to be kidnapping a pup - ahem, child.
They only wanted to disrupt Orochimaru's plans a little.
After what he'd tried to pull on Itachi, it only seemed fair.
So they'd decided to relieve his little minion of whatever he was smuggling out of the village.
Which was a terrible idea.
Orochimaru seems to assume they are even because of it and now they are stuck carrying around a little girl.
A little girl with no obvious power or influence.
A little girl who wakes up before they can dump her somewhere somewhat safe.
Kisame readies himself to kill her - they can't let her go but she is of no use to them.
And then she admits to knowing two Jinchuuriki.
He has never doubted as much as in that moment, ready to kill an apparent civilian over nearly nothing.
They hope that will be the end of it, that they can use her information, wipe her memory and move on but the boss wants to talk to her in private.
But it gets worse for Kisame.
Because the girl has purple hair, claims her name is Sumire and seems to understand Samedaha.
Because he's pretty sure he knows who Zabuza's 'purple' must be.
He knew the past was going to catch up to him one day, he just didn't expect this.
He tells her as much when Itachi is briefly gone.
"Purple, you better find a way out of this."
For both their sakes.
Jiraiya doesn't know what to do with the kid.
Every time he tries to approach him - even if he's trying to rile him up, the kid doesn't crack.
He may look like Minato but frankly, he doesn't have any of his brilliance.
And Kushina?
Forget it, there's none of her in the kid except for what's sealed in his stomach.
Speaking of the Kyuubi, the kid hadn't even realised what was in his stomach!
He might have known that there was a fox.
That was it.
Naruto flat out refuses to use the fox's chakra.
Jiraiya is at his wit's end with the boy.
Nothing he does loosens him up.
Is the kid still holding a grudge from the time he'd accidentally spied on his teammate?
It's not like he spends him time trying to get an eyeful of preteen girls, just that there was a particularly stunning woman near her.
And yeah maybe he shouldn't have pretended to flirt with her - young love, how sickening - but why is Naruto still holding a grudge?
The woman left right after the two of them.
So he got his punishment.
So everything should be fine.
But it isn't.
It isn't and he doesn't know how to fix it.
He's tried the things he likes.
It's not working.
He has no idea what's wrong with the kid.
He doesn't remember being such an uptight Genin.
Or a Genin at all.
His memories have faded over the years.
Still, he's pretty sure it isn't meant to be like this.
The only thing he doesn't doubt about the boy is his name.
He's doubted everything else from his parents to laziness but he can't doubt his name.
Not when he's seen him scoff up several bowls of ramen like a starving man.
Jiraiya wonders for a moment, if-
But Kushina was the same.
It's not possible.
No.
Sensei swore, he swore.
Jiraiya swore too.
He broke that promise.
But Sensei is a better man.
He wouldn't have.
He didn't.
(But he did.)
Choji isn't sure what's going on.
First, the Kazekage turned out to be the missing Sanin - Orochimaru.
Second, Naruto was sent out of the villiage on an urgent mission.
Choji isn't sure if he's supposed to know or not.
It was Shikamaru who told him.
Shikamaru knows things he's not meant to.
Third, he's not seen Sumire or Sakura for a few days.
Fourth, Sumire has left Fire Country.
Choji doubts she would defect.
Well, he doubts she would defect without her teammates.
Fifth, Sakura has recently left Konoha with Mitarashi Anko.
Finally, he knows he's good at food.
So he fills two bento boxes for his friend and makes sure no one is looking when he fills the second with photos, letters and plans.
He hopes he's good at friends too.
For the guests who commented: Sumire is Hinata and Jiraiya's referring to him being Naruto's godfather - he should have looked out for him. I'll try and keep any Jiraiya POV's a little clearer in the future (if there are some).