Surprise!
Last chapter was shorter than usual and you guys have been wonderful, so I worked hard to get this out before my trip to Japan!
Quick warning for PTSD right at the beginning but this is actually the last warning that I'm going to put on this fic, be it for sexual content or blood/gore/panic attacks/PTSD. I don't really believe in the whole constant trigger warning thingy everybody seems to be doing because I think it takes a lot out of our experience as a reader. That being said, I do understand there is a need for it so here it is. Last warning for anybody that might be triggered by reading those kind of things, unfortunately this story isn't for you.
Enjoy :)
Sakura woke up in her bed.
For a moment she was so disoriented that her lungs constricted painfully and her heart sped up. She couldn't move or breathe too loudly because what if she was attacked. She couldn't remember how she got there. At all. But suddenly she had to get up and fight.
Sakura felt chakra moving through her muscles as she sprung out of bed and grabbed the kunai she always kept at her bedside table after her first mission as a chuunin. She immediately put her back to the wall and sank to a crouch to assess the situation and analyse the enemy. One heartbeat, two heartbeats.
There was no one there.
Slowly, as if coming out from underwater, she blinked away the haze of panic and sunk shakily to the ground. Her hands cradled her head where she felt sweat drenching her hair and only after a few deep, shuddering breaths she felt she could breathe again.
She didn't know what had just happened, but she felt like she had been pummeled by that oto-nin in the Forest of Death all over again. She felt like shit, as Tenten would say.
Sakura dragged herself to the shower and contemplated how she had woken up in her bed. The ice cold water shocked her senses enough to drive back the panic she felt even further to the back of her mind where Inner neatly locked it away.
Tsunade-shishou must have asked someone to carry her home.
Waking up like that had shaken her up and Sakura could only be grateful no one had been there with her but she had to put it behind her. There were many new things happening in her life to which she had to give her full attention. Tsunade had mentioned something about starting with scrapes and Sakura wanted to feel excited.
From the women's reaction to her focus and abilities, Sakura had impressed them. Really impressed them. The Hokage and one of the best med-nin in the continent. Sakura had done that.
After being belittled and left to the sidelines so many times during her short career, having their approval meant so much. Being the first one of the Rookie 9 to become a chuunin had felt good but it was so great to feel recognized by her hard work and she just knew she could do much more. She would show them, these two beautiful women who believed in her, she would show them just how much she could do.
Sakura was exhausted.
She had no other words to describe the feeling in her bones that made her drag her feet home every night long after the sun had set. Her days began at the crack of dawn and only ended when she had done everything Tsunade-shishou asked of her plus Lee's workout routine—she had to keep improving her strength and speed, afterall.
Sakura only had time to meet Tenten and Lee about two times a week to train together and she only got to see Ino—who had healed nicely enough to go back to missions—about once a month for tea at their favourite place by the Hokage tower.
She hadn't actually seen either of her parents for about a week now. She would always leave before they woke up and by the time she got home they were long asleep.
The past six months had been nothing but work and it was rough to keep up the pace.
Sakura entered her room quietly through the window, just like she had been doing for the past month after another fight with her parents about coming home late.
Ever since the mission in Wave her parents had shown themselves less inclined to accept her career of choice. Most of the time they were neutral about it but every so often a comment or another would slip by showing just exactly what they thought of her being a kunoichi.
They had hopes she would join the Genin Corps soon and start showing interest in the family business but every step Sakura took was one step away from what they wanted for her. Her dad had been hounding her for a while to take a vacation with her great aunt to the Flame Capitol to learn the trades of the business like he did when he was her age. It took some careful maneuvering and more complex evading techniques than she was expecting to escape his attempts.
Sakura jumped on her windowsill skillfully and immediately came face to face with both her parents sitting on her bed. They eyed her seriously through the glass and she had half a second of considering running away back to the training grounds before she resigned herself to the fight ahead of her.
They would only get madder if she ran.
"So this is why we never hear you come in." Haruno Kizashi raised a half amused, half scorning eyebrow at her and Sakura felt the full weight of it. But it had nothing on her mother's silent, impartial glance.
"What are you doing here?" Sakura glanced between the two of them before she noticed her bags were on the floor. Packed and ready to go.
"The better question is why weren't you in your room, I believe." Her dad's voice was accusing and it immediately raised her hackles. "You were supposed to be in bed."
"Kizashi," her okaasan's voice was strict as always. "We don't have time for this, it's late."
Her father sighed but nodded his head in agreement. "We are leaving in the morning to visit the clan in Hinote no Shuto."
Sakura blinked at them in confusion before realising they had packed her bags for her, assuming she would go without even consulting her.
"I can't leave my training, otou-san." Sakura frowned at him, fighting the impulse to cross her arms.
"This isn't up for debate, Sakura." His voice was serious and his expression closed off but what threw her off was the lack of endearment when using her name. Her dad always called her Sacchan.
Sakura stared silently at them both, horror downing on her when she realised what she had to do. Her parents didn't understand. They didn't get just how important it was to be the Hokage's apprentice or just how much effort she was putting in being a kunoichi. They didn't get what it meant to her.
And she was heading straight into another fight with them. The problem was she didn't want that. Not really. Her righteous anger had left her a while ago, all the training she had been doing leaving no room for anything else but exhaustion.
She didn't have it in her to fight with them. Yes, because she was tired of it, but mostly because she knew that nothing would come of it. She couldn't change the way they saw her and she wouldn't be persuaded to leave so that only left her with one option.
Sakura huffed a breath and relaxed her shoulders to show dejection. She rubbed her eyes before looking back at her parents.
"Fine, I'll be ready tomorrow morning." She looked them in the eye briefly before heading towards the bathroom. "I'll see you at breakfast."
She took one last look at her parents.
Her mum's blonde hair was as tidy as ever and her sensible nightgown as red as Sakuea's old qipao dress. There were lines on her face that were accentuated by the frown between her brows and Sakura could tell she was surprised.
Her dad's face held laugh lines but not one of them were strained. He wasn't laughing like he usually was or even grinning at her and calling her his little Sacchan. His pink hair was messy and his pajamas untidy and he looked older than she'd ever seen him. The expression on his face was one she couldn't put her finger on.
Sakura took a good look at them because she knew it would be the last time she saw them for quite a while.
She took her shower very slowly and checked and double checked her parents were asleep after putting her day clothes on. With careful movements that were made deliberately soundles, she unpacked the bags full of her civvies and started packing the things she would actually need.
Her two sets of uniforms, all her weapons, her cleaning instruments and camping gear. A few of her products and even fewer normal clothing. The last thing to go in was the old Team Seven portrait.
With a last glance around her childhood room, Sakura took a deep breath, grabbed her bag and climbed her windowsill yet again. She gently coached chakra into her feet so she could climb to the roof and rushed towards the only place she could find solace at the moment.
The moon was the only thing reflecting on the Memorial Stone and it was barely enough to let her see the names engraved on it. With a shuddering sigh, Sakura traced the characters with her fingertips and reminded herself why she was doing this.
She had to keep going.
She didn't know how long she stood there but her internal clock told her it was close to dawn when she finally managed to come back to herself. At some point during the summer night it had started to rain and she was completely drenched and shaking from the cold.
Sakura didn't know what to do now. How does one go about to rent an apartment? She couldn't live in her parents home anymore, not if she wanted to keep being a kunoichi, but she had no idea what to do now.
She had some money from all the missions Tsunade sent her but what about today? Her parents would surely look around for her at Ino's before giving up and leaving without her and even if they didn't leave, she had to find some place to stay until she could get her feet under her again.
Fierce smiles and claps on the back that felt more like an elephant had chosen to sit on it crossed her mind.
Tsunade-sama would help her, right? She was her shishou. Sakura bit her lip worriedly before shaking herself off.
It was no use sitting around in the cold and wondering when she could just go for it and ask her in person. The worst she could do was say no and then Sakura would move on to someone else. She was sure she could guilt trip Kotetsu into paying a hotel for the week if it came down to it.
Sakura knew she could find her master in the Hokage tower. It had been a crazy day at the office and the mountain of paperwork on Tsunade's desk had been taller than her.
When she got there, the whole building was deserted and the lights were out but she could hear light snoring coming from her shishou's office. Sakura quieted her steps as she approached the open door but when she got there, Tsunade snapped her eyes open and looked straight at her.
The woman's body was tightly coiled for a moment and Sakura made sure not to move a single muscle while recognition slowly bled into her fierce features. She figured she had triggered her instincts by sneaking closer and wasn't looking forward at all to seeing the Hokage in attack mode.
"What are you doing here so late?" Tsunade scowled at her. "And with your bags?"
Sakura stared blankly at the diamond on the middle of the blonde's forehead. She had no idea how to go about this.
"Where's Shizune-senpai?" Sakura asked instead.
Tsunade raised an imperious eyebrow.
"She's at the hospital but you're not here to ask about Shizune." She crossed her fingers in front of her and leaned her chin on top of them. "Now spill."
Sakura was never one to disobey orders. So she did.
"I-I can't stay with my parents anymore," she blurted it out fast, like one continuous word, before taking a deep breath and calming herself. "I need a place to crash for a few days so I can figure things out. How does one even goes about renting an apartment here, shishou?"
Sakura stared earnestly at her master, trying to squash the feeling inside of her that this amazingly strong woman could fix anything but not quite managing. She didn't like relying on someone like this, not after everything that's happened, but she still couldn't help feeling like Tsunade held the answers to all her problems, like she could snap her fingers and fix everything.
Tsunade looked intently at her, eyebrows furrowed and eyes glinting with something Sakura couldn't recognize, for what felt like an eternity. The silence dragged on until Sakura started sweating and she was about to excuse herself and jump out of the window when Tsunade abruptly got up and moved around the desk.
"Come on." She waved her hand impatiently and turned the lights off before leaving.
Sakura stood in the dark for a moment, her brain struggling to catch up. This wasn't the reaction she was expecting.
"Did you knock your head, girl?" Tsunade yelled from outside. "Get a move on, I don't have all night!"
"H-Hai!" Sakura scrambled to follow the woman down the hall. They went straight past the exit at the ground floor and continued towards the back of the tower.
There was a simple unassuming wooden door at the end of the hall and that's where they went through. The corridor they entered was long and it lead them with a downwards incline. The only source of illumination were a few gentle lights fixed to the dark walls.
She had always wondered what secrets the Hokage Tower held but, somehow, seeing Tsunade stop and slap her hand to the wall and then the intricate seals that lighted up the hall still managed to surprise her.
It was like a veil had been lifted and instead of seeing the same endless corridor they had been, a cozy hall came to life right before her eyes.
She hadn't even felt the chakra signature from the seal.
The hall held three doors, all of them without handles, and was nicely illuminated. Tsunade didn't even stop before biting her finger to bring blood to the surface, she brought that hand to the centre of the dark wood and another seal activated.
"Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked hesitantly as they entered another corridor, this one leading up.
Tsunade's pigtails slapped across her back when she turned her head to glare quickly at Sakura.
"I already told you to call me shishou." Her voice was emphatic but didn't hold its usual fierceness. "I don't want to hear another "sama" coming from your mouth ever again. Remember what I told you, girl, bow to no one."
Sakura took in a sharp breath through her nose. It was kind of irritating having to be told that more than once and even more so due to the fact that she'd been told to follow blindly behind Tsunade.
Normally, she would let it go. This was her Hokage after all, if she told Sakura to jump the only possible response she could have was to ask how high. Years and years learning and then following the Shinobi Guidebook had taught her to trust the system. Follow orders without questioning, do what's asked of you and trust your Hokage.
Tsunade had been teaching her differently, though. She didn't value rules like Sakura did. She didn't care for deference and actively hated pushovers that did whatever they were told by their superiors no questions asked. Tsunade did what she thought was right.
And she wanted Sakura to be like that, apparently. She wanted Sakura to stand up to herself, to keep her chin up and speak her mind. To be more like Inner. So it was actually pretty easy for Sakura to let her annoyance be known.
"Shishou," she said firmly just as they entered a spacious foyer. "Where the fuck are we going?"
Tsunade barked a laugh and finally turned to look at Sakura, something like pride shining in her eyes. She put both her hands on Sakura's shoulders and shook her a little.
"You're staying with me from now on, brat. We just went through the secret passageway that leads the Tower to the Senju estate."
Sakura gaped at her. "W-what? I can't possibly—"
"It's not unusual for an apprentice to live with their masters." Tsunade shrugged and despite the magnitude of her words, the thing that shook Sakura to the core was the uncertainty behind them. "That is if you want to, of course. You can leave when you find a place to stay if it makes you uncomfortable."
"No!" Sakura almost shouted. "I-I want to live here… with you, shishou."
She was certain by how warm her cheeks felt that she was blushing horribly but it didn't really matter when Tsunade beamed at her.
"Okaeri, Sakura."
Sakura's face felt like it would split in half by how big the smile on her face was.
"Tadaima, shishou."
Yooo, author's rant is back (before it even left) by popular demand haha You guys, it makes me so happy to know you enjoy this because I loooove writing it.
Some points to consider from now on: There's gonna be many time skips. This comes from the fact that so far, you guys have only seen the introductionof this fic. To be completely honest, I haven't even gotten to writing the part where I look and go okay this is it. You guys think I named this Bad Idea ™ out of jest but I shit you not, I'm fucked.
So yeah, the next few chapters will be a healthy mix of time skips and continuous storytelling with a few flashbacks sprinkled on top. And that's because, to be honest, we all know what happened during the years Naruto was away. Sakura trained and she trained hard. This aspect of the story won't be much different from canon.
Oh yea! Almost forgot to say, the time jump between the orginal and Shippuden will be longer than in canon here. Not sure just how much longer, so far in my drafts it's about four years until Naruto comes back. That'll make Sakura almost 18 bc it's my headcanon that Sakura is a bit older than her peers.
About Sakura running from home and the situation with her parents, well, I'm sure you've seen it coming. While in canon we get almost nothing about Sakura's civilian background and I tried to explore that a bit here, it won't have much 'importance' in the coming chapters.
Did you guys just realise I made up a Land of Fire capitol? Bc I kinda did. It just really bothered me that we never knew where the Fire Daimyō lives and I read somewhere that it would make sense to have it far away from Konoha, you know, not to have the two most important figures of the country close to each other in case of an attack so I kind of went with it. Hinote no Shuto (which literally means Flame Capitol according to google, if you didn't catch on to that) is where the Fire Daimyō and his besties live.
What about Tora, you ask, and the fact that it escapes to Konoha from the daimyō's wife? Well, it is my personal headcanon that while the fire palace would be in the capitol, they'd still have lots of estates thrown around the land of fire. Fire daimyō's wife is always nearby because of the weather, ya'll. just go with it.
Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed, you guys always make me so damn happy, I can't even describe it! This might be the last update in a while because,as you guys know, I'm taking a short trip to Japan before moving back to my country and things have been/will be insane. However, be on the lookout for a June update!
The most important part of this rant: We officially hit 10 chapters and I wanted to give something to you guys for being so wonderful to me. So, on top of this kind of double update, I decided to do a drabble lottery! Wooo!
The conditions for applying are: You have to have reviewed on all the chapters I posted so far and you have to comment on this one letting me know your favourite part of the story OR your favourite kakasaku trope. I will give you guys until the next update to submit and I will draw up three random names which I will let you know on my next rant. These three peeps will then send me their prompts hihi
If you didn't review on all the chapters already and still want to participate, that's totally fine I get sometimes we just don't have the time to review and I'm sure there are still some people who are just now finding the story! So yeah, it doesn't matter if you reviewed when the chapters were released or just now, as long as I see your name (that's also for guest users) in all the chapters and the submitting review on this chapter, you'll be part of the draw! Just make sure you actually followed all the requirements!
See you soon xx