Sakura Haruno didn't care for Ino Yamanaka.
The blond was loud, yelling her love for the little Uchiha across the roof every day. Always surrounded by a mob of little pretty girls with ponytails, giggling and braiding their hair with flowers.
This mob was surrounding Ryuu at the moment, the Yamanaka nowhere in sight.
"What is the matter with you ? Always holding your head high like you were better than us !"
Ryuu didn't deign answer and went back to her book. This seemed to anger the other girls even more. In the absence of the blond it was a tall brunet that seemed to take leadership. Sakura thought that she was maybe in her class, Ryuu knew that she beat her this morning. A smile painted her feature at the tought.
" Do you even know how to talk ? Even this Naruto freak avoid you ! You know what that make you ? An even bigger freak !" At the sound of laughing, the brunet held herself straighter. Eyes alight as an insult surely came to her mind. " A big foreheaded freak !"
Ryuu didn't this think was a word, but she applauded the girl for trying to give a complex about a forehead. There was a lot of thing she could have used; the pink hair, her loss this afternoon against the -
"What do you think you're doing Ami ?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. When you talk about the cat...
" Ino ! I was just talking with Sakura-chan."
... you will see its tail.
"That do not seems like a friendly talk to me ! If your parents divorce is hard on you talk about it with a friend don't take it out on Sakura."
Ami seemed to know who was the more popular of the two and, face flushed, she left. Nobody followed her. As Ino turned to reprimand her lackey, Sakura stood up from the grass sure that she won't be able to enjoy her book anymore.
"You shouldn't worry about your forehead Sakura-chan ..."
Ino Yamanaka was pretty.
She took care of her hair that she will never think to cut.
Ino Yamanaka was a social butterfly.
People flocked to her. They wanted her compliments, her stare, her attention.
Ino Yamanaka will be a kunoichi and will surely be proud of that.
She will use her beauty and charisma for honeypot mission, deceiving people and cultivating information and contacts ready to use at the snap of her finger.
Ino Yamanaka had a Kekkai Genkai.
One that she didn't have to lose blood and tear for. One that didn't differentiate between genders. One that she could simply learn the hand signs and practice for.
But Ryuu couldn't give a kunai for Ino because the blond was an heir.
She was an heir to her clan by birth like Ryuu had been. But Ino giggled, Ino didn't have any scars, she talked about husband and love and flowers. She didn't fought and lose, she didn't cry and she surely didn't bleed for that title. Not any of them did.
" You were really good this morning, it was really by luck that I've won."
Ryuu didn't fight with luck. She fought against it until it won and she died.
The butterfly must have seen that she trucks a nerve as her eyes grew softer.
"... you're like a real cherry blossom ! I want to see when you will bloom, Sakura-chan."
Sakura snapped her eyes to Ino. Hatred in her eyes. Sakura didn't want to be a kunoichi and Ryuu has never been one, her father had made sure of that. Ryuu had never a chance to bloom, If she had been a flower she would have been stomped until her petals could be used in her genjutsu.
" I will not bloom Yamanaka-san." She said the world with a sneer, derision clear in her voice. Her young feature distorted by emotion. She recited her oath that her father made her learn. " I will be sharpened before every mission by the blood of my fallen enemy. I will be made a kunai, a shuriken, a senbon until I'm recognized as a Shinobi."
Ryuu has died a clan head proud of the position she had killed and died for. Sakura have no care to give for pretty heirs.
XxX
Izuna stared at his cousin as she came back in the front gates. Young, maybe too young some have said for this mission. Her long hair hid her stare from his eyes but he could see the child clutching with trembling hands a bloodied kunai. He wondered if ...
" A fool." Muttered an elder on his right, his red eyes staring in reprobation at Ichiro. He could hear the other nodding, red eyes alight.
It was a tradition to come back from mission with their active Sharingan. First to make sure no enemy was hiding among them in hope to infiltrate the compound. The second was to morbidly welcome the new Sharingan's wielders.
His uncle was the leader of the mission, he was also the one that ensured Ryuu would be on it. Red eyes blazing in anger, two tomoe spinning, he walked into the compound with the charisma of a born leader.
And he would have been had Ryuu been a boy. As it was with a weak Sharingan and no heir, at the death of his father, the role have been "temporary" given to Ichiro's cousin, the spare : Izuna's father.
"Ichiro is a fool." This time it was his own father that spoke, his three tomoe spinning as his mission leader approached. "This girl of his won't last long."
At the age of five Ryuu was the youngest among the survivor and Izuna found her lucky just for coming back. At this age and with no Sharingan it was rare to see one of them go to front. They were no Senju after all, each of them was precious as the births were spare and the possibility of Sharingan was big. Not that Ryuu could hope of that happening. The whole mission was surely an idea of her father to elevate the impossibility.
Maybe...
Red met onyx, the only one in the crowd as woman were not permitted to come. This was no place for weeping. At his stare the young girl came alive, kunai falling from her hands as she ran to her cousins. She was fast, in the blink of an eyes Izuna found his calf encircled by the girl.
"I did it Izuna ! I did it ! He thought he could have me but..." arm were widely flipping around as she mimicked her battle, blood splashing the ground and a grin on her face, cheeks blazing red as a blush came. The sight was marvellous and his Sharingan relished in it.
"Ryuu."
Her smile faltered as she recognized the voice. Detangling from her cousin she bowed loudly to her father. The shaking of her leg was more noticeable as did the senbon impeded in it. Adrenaline summarized Izuna.
A clap sounded across the place as her head turned right, a new redness in it. She didn't let one sound leave her mouth.
"Go back to your mother."
Red eyes pinning her from every side she bowed again to her father and his. Before she left tough she send him one last smile, even if more timid. But with his own three tomoe he could see every last drop slithering down her cheeks.
Ichiro is a fool, Izuna thought.
XxX
They sat in silence. Low mumbling resonated around them as the school emptied but neither of them moved.
A page turned. Chapter 4: the complexity of the brain.
Bandages fell on the desk on her right.
Ryuu have been taught how to ride and write of course. How else could she keep the archives of her clan, send mission reports or the notice for the passing of a soldier? But that was what she has been taught to read and write, they were short and to the point not that Ryuu minded. She as practical woman and had no time for love letters. And yet, reading this book about was becoming one of Sakura's favorite pass time. The subject was dry, and the words used gave her a headache, but her own brain integrated the information like a sponge. It was a wonderful feeling.
A page turned. The smell of an herbal balm filled the room. It made her think of the one she used to make with her mother when she was younger and callouses didn't form into her hands yet. The fee-
No ! She was staying after school to stay focused as her father's presence was too distracting. Why was the Hyuuga here anyway? Didn't she have any dolls to play with at home ? No matter what Sakura won't give her the pleasure of her attention.
A page turned. Sound of bandage wrapping around one hand.
She hoped to finish the book before she her next appointment with Iroua-san. It was the second one that she borrowed, and she wanted take another. As her sight didn't seem to go away the visits were becoming spare and far between but still a necessity. She should ask him about...
A page turned. Another hand came unwrapped. A soft whimper left the Hyuuga left as she stated massaging her purple finger.
What was the little heiress crying about now ? As if Sakura's finger were not wrapped themselves, as she didn't train as hard. And what was she doing here ! Didn't she have a home ?
A page turned. The figure was shaking beside her.
"Can you stop ?" She asked, her voice coming as a snarl from underuse.
"Sorry, Haruno-san. "
Huffing, Sakura went back to her book.
A page turned. Silence. The smell of the balm.
A little bit of lavender to soothe and to help with the inflammation. Oat milk to...
She closed her book and left.
XxX
Something was wrong.
As it was the backyard that she have grown in, Akita knew for a fact that the pinkette hadn't changed anything even if her vision was limited. And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling.
It's the little bastard. That's what is wrong.
The though surprised her. If she knew by her chakra that Sakura was surely a illegitimate Uchiha she wouldn't have dared to think of her as a bastard.
Why ? She is obviously one with her chakra. Or maybe she stole it. What right does she had to it anyway ? She didn't fight for it like we did.
Anger burned in her stomach. The Uchiha were a strict clan where one had to fight to gain even an illusion of attention.
Coming to us like she had the right to be trained. Who does she think she is ? If she has been in our time she wouldn't have survived.
Being a woman in this clan was hard and Akira had sacrificed a lot to be where she was today but Sakura will never know that. Her brows furrowed.
Where is she ? We gonna show her what adversity is like.
Her husband, the chance to have children. Sakura will never know this problem ! Flames were alight in her throat.
"Where are you you little slut?" She yelled.
There ! Show her the truth of this world !
She sent kunai after kunai and yet the Haruno continued to elude her.
Because she is younger she think she can beat us ? We are better thank some civilian girl !
Grabbing the girl as she tried to avoid another kunai, Akira punched her in the stomach. Sending the bastard to the floor. As the little shit tried to get back on her feet, Akira kicked her with her feet. Again and again. There wasn't any of her famous agility or the reflexes of famous shinobi, just anger.
Little civilian shit ? Who do she think she is ?
" What are you gonna do ? Cry ? This is the real word you little pampered shit ! You know nothing of what Ihad to go trough !"
Hitting her didn't diminish her anger, worse it feed it. She wanted more, she want the little bastard to cry, to yell to feel an once of what she felt but the fake didn't let a whimper leave her lips. Just taking hit after hit. The true Uchiha felt her chakra flaring in response to her emotions but she as her eyes burned red with all anger left her.
The genjutsu fell.
One layer after the other as her chakra like lava burned away the foreign chakra.
"What ?" she wondered. Has everything been an illusion ? She turned toward the fallen girl expecting the illusion to disappeared but even tough her chakra was clear of invasion the silhouette stayed where it was. Breathing deeply, eyes shut in agony. Shame fell on her. "Sakura !"
The pinkette didn't answer as she tried to stand up.
"You shouldn't do that, you're hurt ?"
Akira rushed to her side and tried to help but the pinkette flinched away before meeting her eyes. Sharingan met the green orbs and detected the enormous amount of chakra behind them.
What is going on with this girl ?
"So you have it ?" there was something in the girl voice that was dark and Akira, wise and seasoned soldier that she was felt a shiver down her spine. But then all fight left the girl as she winced and fell back. She didn't try to stand up, just laying on the ground, blurred eyes staring at the sky.
"What did you do Sakura ?"
It has begun as one of their usual training, Sakura using her genjutsu on her and she had to fight it. The genjutsu that the girl could create were impressive mixing environmental illusion to distract while playing the person mind. The girl was an perfectionist, never happy with what she created, too green, too obvious, too small, to clear for Akira imperfect vision. A true genius, Akira had known that but this level have been too much. When Sakura recreated emotions they always felt a little bit off, the happiness too fleeting, the peace too brutal. But this ? This have been raw, personal. And Akira was worried, because a child of 8 shouldn't feel those feeling, not to this point.
"Sakura, tell me what did you do ?"
The pinkette let a self-depreciating laugh.
"Of course you would have it, it feel like nowadays everyone have one…" she coughed some blood into her hand, but didn't let any other signs of being in pain. "So much work and you destroyed it within seconds…"
Akira let out a snarl.
"Sakura !"
Finally the girl turned her green gaze on the elder. The tears refused to fall from her eyes. When she spoke her voice was broken, from emotion or coughing fit, Akira knew the answer.
"A tree, I just changed a tree. You know this garden like the back of your hand, you would know that something will be wrong. As you were concentrated on this, I put second layer but you didn't react so I put a third. I wanted you to be angry, too angry to think, so I kept going before you grabbed me."
But Akira wasn't a bull-headed youth that would let the anger cloud her mind, she was a killer than anger only helped in her movements. By the end though she had succeeded, Akira would have been helpless if another assailant had come through.
She sat down by the pinkette.
"Where did you got this one, kiddo ?"
Sakura closed her eyes. The skin was becoming purple around one of them.
" I feel it some times, though it would be a good experiment…" but she didn't go on and Akira didn't press on.
"Come on kiddo, let's get you patched up."
But she as she helped the kid get to her feet she thought back on what she have just gone through. Old rumours coming to her mind. She had grown under the 2ndHogake and knew his opinion about her clan. Lot of it was bullshit that have let to this situation where they had no other solution but show this village what they were made of but for the first time, as she stared at the pinkette, her chakra so similar to her own, if the old fool may have been right on some things.
Did the curse of hatred run in their blood ?
XxX
"Don't worry Sasa I'm here for you."
Warm arm circled her.
"Why do I feel like this, Tou-san ? I'm so angry…"
"Hush, little baby. You can cry."
"I-I think I'm bad Tou-san." I'm not good enough for you.
"Oh Sasa" he cooed. " You've always been angry Sakura, you're just quick to anger. Channel it, learn to do something right with it. You're my daughter, I know you're good."
Tears fell away as she buried her head in hisarms.
XxX
A page turned. Bandages fell. A whimper.
Annoyance. She breathed, the balm engulfed the room. The words of Akira under the genjutsu resonated in her mind.
She closed her book.
Ryuu breathed, her heart tambouring in her chest.
"Let me help you, I'm learning some medical techniques."
"A-Ano, Tha-thanks you Haruno-san."