Chapter THREE
The roads of the village were mostly smooth but Itachi worried of the bits of rubbish, maybe something like broken glass, and continued to carry Sakura. However, as he had expected, the presence of a ping haired girl on his back attracted more attention than when he usually walked the streets by himself and he took to the roofs not soon after. Sakura did not complain as the views of the markets and the villagers changed to that of rooftops and the sky.
"It is so...big." She said, eyes wide. "My compound had always appeared big to me, and the caves felt almost endless. I did not expect so much more beyond the rocks."
"There is even more beyond these walls." He told her quietly.
"I can only imagine." Sakura's eyes landed on the Hokage Mountain. "What is that?" She asked. "The one at the end is the Hokage."
"Those are the past Hokage of Konoha." He explained. "The Hokage is the leader of the village, the head of a huge clan, if you will, and that role is passed down by one Hokage to the next. Minato is the Fourth."
Sakura, who had been frowning at the beginning, nodded as he related the terms to roles within a clan. "I see."
He traveled on at a slower pace than usual to allow the girl to take in the village. "My village was Kirigakure. I know that much." She said after a while. "I have never been outside to see this village, though, so I have nothing to reference from." She glanced down at him. "My compound was located underground. The Moon empowers us. Children not of age are to be kept pure from the lures of the lunar light. Yet, all I can see from here are rooftops and buildings."
"I believe that is a tradition special to your clan." Itachi said.
Sakura hummed and turned back to the sights.
It did not take them long to arrive at the Uchiha compound. Itachi landed before the gates and nodded curtly at the guards stationed there before he swept past them. Sakura tightened her grip around his neck as the guards eyed her for a brief second but she did not duck her head to hide like she had before.
Itachi entered his house and gently lowered Sakura onto the wooden floors before he closed the doors. "Kaa-sama, I have returned."
There is a shuffle of clothes and Uchiha Mikoto appeared at the end of the corridor. "Welcome home, Itachi-kun." Her eyes then landed on Sakura, who had stiffened at the new arrival. "Hello, you must be Sakura-chan. Minato-kun has sent us word about you. You are welcome to stay for as long as you need."
The girl glanced over at Itachi before she nodded in response. "Yes. I am grateful for your hospitality." She bowed.
Itachi noted that isolated or not, Sakura had her fair share of clan upbringing within her.
"Itachi-kun, will you go pick up Sasuke-chan?" Mikoto asked. "He's at the playground with Naruto-chan."
Sakura perked at the new words and Itachi hid a smile as he nodded. "Of course."
The pinkette whipped around to look at him and her mouth opened and closed a few times before she slumped a little and glanced down at her hands.
"I will return in a bit." Itachi said gently.
Mikoto nodded. "Come, Sakura-chan, let me fix you something to eat. How does dorayaki sound?"
Sakura took a deep breath and when she looked up again, there is a polite smile plastered onto her face and her previous nervousness at being left alone is no longer visible. "Food does sound nice. What is dorayaki?"
Itachi remembered how Sakura had only ever eaten rice and he recalls thinking how that could not have been very good for a young child. Her question was innocent enough, but Itachi felt his mother's disapproving frown even as he turned back towards the door as her motherly instincts acted up. "Dorayaki is a snack." She told her gently. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it."
Sakura nodded politely and, after waving shyly at him, allowed the Uchiha matriarch lead her deeper into the compound.
"Nii-san!"
Itachi found himself smiling at the familiar and welcoming call of his younger brother.
Uchiha Sasuke stopped whatever he had been doing and darted over towards him. Namikaze Naruto was quick to follow and the two stopped in front of him. "You're back!"
"Hi Itachi-teme." Naruto grinned up at him.
"How was your mission, nii-san?" Sasuke asked. "You're not hurt? Did you go to the hospital?"
"Hello, Otouto, Naruto-kun." Itachi crouched down in front of them and reached out to rub a smudge of dirt from his brother's cheek. "My mission was fine and no, I am not hurt, and therefore have no reason to go to the hospital." He smiled. Mother wants you home now." He said. "Naruto-kun, you should head home as well; it will get dark very soon."
Naruto pouted at this but nodded. He and Sasuke scowled at each other before quietly saying their goodbyes. Naruto darted off and the moment the blond was out of sight, Sasuke reached up towards him. Itachi turned around and allowed his brother to clamber onto his back, just as he had with Sakura earlier that day. He jumped onto the first roof he came across and Sasuke let out a soft cheer.
"Otouto." He called, then continued when he was sure he had Sasuke's attention. "We have a guest today at the compound." He said. "She is a girl, a victim of my most recent mission. I want you to be kind to her, okay? Can you promise me that?"
Sasuke's face scrunched up as he thought about it for a while before he nodded. "Okay, I promise."
Sasuke was quick to run to the door and throw it open the moment Itachi set him down outside their house. "I'm home!" He kicked off his shoes and grinned when Mikoto once again appeared at the doorway.
"Welcome home, Sasuke-chan, did you have fun?"
Sasuke nodded enthusiastically. "The Dobe and I had a sandcastle building competition. Of course, mine was better-"
Itachi smiled softly and straightened his brother's shoes before he took off his own and slowly following. He heard Sasuke's voice abruptly cut off and entered the room just in time to see Sakura looking up from a book she had been holding upside down and Sasuke eyeing her curiously.
Mikoto patted Sasuke's head. "Sasuke-chan, this is Sakura-chan. She'll be with us for a while. Sakura-chan, this is Sasuke-chan."
Sakura blinked before her face melted into a smile. "Hello, I am Sakura, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Itachi saw Sasuke frown at the words suddenly thrown at him but his brother managed to nod stiffly. "I'm Sasuke."
Mikoto smiled gently and nudged her son towards the girl. "Why don't you wait here." She asked. "I'll get you some snacks too. You too, Itachi-kun."
Mikoto walked off towards the kitchen and Sakura stared at Sasuke for a second longer before she turned back to her book.
Itachi opened his mouth to tell her just that, realizing with a pang that this must be the first time the girl had ever touched a book. Was she kept from literature as well? Did that mean she could not read?
However, his brother beat him to it. "You're holding that upside down." Sasuke said, frowning.
Sakura glanced up again and lifted her book a little more before she stiffly flipped it around. "I see." She scowled at the pages again. "What is this supposed to be?" She asked.
"You don't know how to read?" Sasuke asked, tone a little indignant.
"Sasuke." Itachi said in a warning tone.
Sasuke blinked as though he had remembered what he had promised to do earlier and glanced down guiltily. "Even the Dobe can read." He muttered. "We look the same age. How can she not read?"
Itachi furrowed his brows just a little as he noted how he could not fully fault his brother from reacting the way he had. Sakura's situation was very unusual, after all.
Sakura watched the two of them and for a while before she patted the spot beside her on the couch. "I take you know how to read, Sasuke-san?" She asked. "Could you teach me?"
Itachi turned to the girl in surprise even as Sasuke's expression brightened and he marched over to sit beside the girl.
It wasn't every day he met little girls who could read the atmosphere and improve the mood of upset little boys.
Not that he'd know, really.
Sitting beside his brother and patiently listening as the boy rambled on, wanting to show off everything he knew, Itachi saw another side of the girl, a side unlike the frightened girl cowering behind the altar or the innocent politeness shows to the Hokage and his mother. Here was a girl who was playing Sasuke's boyish feelings and emotions to her advantage.
She was still young, probably the same age as his brother or even younger, but she was good. Not good enough that he did not notice, but too good for a normal girl her age.
It was a little adorable, though, as he watched Sasuke blush uncontrollably as Sakura chattered on to match his rambling as they went through the book, so he did not say anything.
Still, the Haruno were an unknown clan but if the Uchiha were their fire, genjutsu and Sharingan and the Hyuuga were their unique taijutsu and the Byakugan that allowed them this fighting style, the Haruno's were their mind. Itachi recalled stories from the war presenting them as a clan of shinobi that fought not for their village, but because their clan head had ordered them to.
They were renown to be a clan of fighters with glowing white hair that seemed to absorb the blood of their enemies spilt and eyes as blank as the abyss of death they pushed their opponents into, willing to continue fighting until their last breath, as though they could not feel pain. He had heard stories of how white haired shinobi donning the Kirigakure symbol over their foreheads as nothing more than accessories continuing to fight even if their limbs had been torn off, or is a chunk of their arm was missing, or a huge piece of broken bone was sticking right out of their chest.
A clan of monsters, some had said, voices hidden behind others also drowning their losses in alcohol, too gone for the night to even remember this admittance the next morning.
There were rumours, of course, of what may be the kekkei genkai of the Haruno clan. Perhaps they really could not feel pain, perhaps they could simply ignore it. All in all, they were, or had been, a clan of shinobi who did not die until they were dead, who lived in a system of their own.
It was a mystery, how apparently, a single teen had killed off an entire clan seemingly born to fight.
Itachi watched over them until Mikoto wandered over call them for dinner.
Itachi sensed how Uchiha Fugaku returned home and immediately sat down at the dining table. It was not much longer until Itachi and Sasuke entered the room with Sakura trailing behind them.
Sakura froze as her eyes landed on Fugaku, before she stepped away from him and Sasuke. Her left hand was fisted and held up sideways against her chest. Her right arm then came up and she wrapped her hand around her closed fist. "Uchiha Fugaku-san." She said. "I am Haruno Sakura. I am grateful for you accepting my stay over at your compound." Gone from her eyes are the bright glow that she had showered Sasuke with in order to improve his mood. Instead, there was an unreadable mask of blankness now in place.
Fugaku returned the girl's gaze and he nodded once, firmly. "Haruno-san."
"Please, call me Sakura."
Fugaku nodded once again but the request was not returned as he gestured towards the chairs. Still, Sakura did not seem to mind. Instead, she briefly dipped her head, not a full bow of respect but one of acknowledgement, and she sat at the table.
This was the housing of the head of the Haruno clan by the Uchiha, Itachi realized. The Hokage was attempting to tie down the girl for regardless of isolation, the Haruo had been a huge fighting force for the Hidden Mist during the War. If her alive status spread, Kiri would no doubt attempt to take her back,even if she were the only one of her clan left. Still, Sakura was already outside their clutches and she was now the clan head. In a clan that appeared so tight bound and secretive, the clan head probably had huge power over its members. If Sakura chose to make Konoha her new settling spot, nothing much could stop her, especially because her clan was no more and Kiri could not go to war for a single girl.
However, Itachi also knew that Sakura, even at her young age, seemed fully aware of the play of politics. A child like her did not much of a choice in this matter, and it might have been foolish to give a girl his brother's age so much credit, but Itachi had a funny feeling that she was letting it happen.
The next day, Sakura was escorted to the hokage's office by a messenger sent to fetch her. Itachi accompanied her and once they had arrived, Sakura was asked to sit and wait in a room set up for this occasion.
Itachi went to the Hokage's office to report the girl's actions in his home to him.
The Hokage took this all in and just as he was finishing off, there was a knock at the door. Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Inoichi entered the room. "Hokage-sama."
Minato smiled. "Thank you for coming."
"Morino-san, Yamanaka-san." Itachi greeted, hiding his confusion.
"Good morning Itachi-kun." Inoichi smiled at him while Ibiki nodded in his direction.
"The girl?" Ibiki asked.
"She is in the guest meeting room." Minato said, then turned to Itachi. "This is a precaution, Itachi-kun." He said reassuringly. "The Haruno were a mysterious clan and we need to see if Sakura-chan knows anything at all about what led to its massacre. She's a little girl, so maybe the T&I building would be a little too much."
Ibiki sighed and closed his eyes while Inoichi seemed to agree with Minato. Itachi internally did too; she might be a little strange, but Sakura did not seem like a bad person.
Itachi was then allowed to follow the adults into the meeting room. Inoichi and Ibiki sat down opposite to Sakura, who had been patiently waiting. Minato sat a little further away and Itachi was gestured to join him. He took a seat and turned towards the interrogation.
The questions always started easy.
"What is your name?" Ibiki asked. Beside him, Inoichi had a pen in hand, ready to scribble down information onto the board in front of him.
"Currently Haruno Sakura."
"Currently?" Ibiki asked.
Sakura nodded. "The clan heir receives a new name as a sign of rebirth as they cast aside their previous identity. However, due to the massacre, my clan head, who should have bestowed upon me a new identity, died before he could and thus, I am still Sakura."
Ibiki nodded in understanding. "I see. Age?"
"Thirty six moons dormant and from what I've gathered, twenty four moons awakened, and that makes a total of sixty moons of age."
Ibiki paused to look at her. "What?"
Sakura frowned. "I spent thirty six moons living with the clan and then the next twenty four with the man in the cave, that makes a total of-"
"That's not what I'm asking." Ibiki said. "Can you talk in years?"
"Years?" Sakura repeated.
"How long is a moon, Sakura-chan?" Inoichi asked. He shot Ibiki a subtle glare.
"A moon is a single lunar rotation." She explained. "That is how age is calculated in my clan."
"So twelve moons will be a year. She's five." Inoichi murmured, scribbling away.
"What about birthday?" Ibiki asked.
"Birthday?" Sakura asked. "Date of birth?"
Ibiki's eye twitched in annoyance."Yes."
"We are not given such labels in my clan. Everyone born in the same moon is one moon old when the next lunar rotation starts."
"I'll just put down March." Inoichi said, probably having done the math.
Then the questions begin to shift.
"Do you remember anything about the night of the massacre?"
Itachi winced at the blunt question but Sakura did not seem to mind. "No, I cannot say I do." She said slowly. "It was the night of a sacred ceremony within my clan. I was not aware of the attack until it was over."
"Ceremony?"
Sakura nodded. "My clan holds a Ceremony of Choosing in order to decide the next heir to the clan." She said. "This is a special ceremony where only children are accepted entry while the adults are to wait outside. When I stepped outside the site of the ceremony, everyone was already dead."
"And you saw the white haired teen there?"
Sakura nodded again. "He reached out for me. He knew my name. He...he called me..." She trailed off, growing. "He reached out for me and said something." She finally said. "I cannot remember everything exactly.
"Do you know his name? Did this teen do anything to you in the cave?"
"I do not think I know his name." Sakura said. "He held me in a cave with sacrifice altar. There was something that kept me from walking off the platform. He had puppets under his command and he left for hours everyday, either outside or deeper into the caves. He never told me what he wanted, or what he was doing."
Ibiki glanced over at Inoichi, then at Minato. They had learnt virtually nothing. Minato nodded.
"Sakura-chan, I'm from a clan that specializes in mind reading." Inoichi said gently. "Is it okay for me to look into your mind for your memories of the teen?"
Sakura eyed the man and slowly nodded her head. "Okay."
"Welcome to our strong hold and our prison, to our heaven and our hell. Welcome to our mind, shinobi."
So, here's chapter three~
Darque: So, we're kinda spamming updates for this one.
Raven: It's a little behind in comparison to the progress fo the others, so maybe it's that?
Darque: Maybe. Anyways, more changes.
Raven: Of course, if we didn't change anything, there'd be no point in rewriting.
Darque: That is true.
Raven: Here, Sakura will be smarter, and she will act smarter too. Once Sakura's memories and unblocked, she'll have a firmer mind set on what she and Toneri are trying to do.
Darque: But half the story is Sakura's change over time, so expect lots of mental battles.
Raven: What's the other half?
Darque: The other half is Sakura's hidden desire to chop up non-believers with her scythe.
Raven:...You're in the wrong story, Dar.
Darque: :)
Read and Review~
