Chapter SIX

Only a few days later, a summon from the Hokage arrived in the form of a Chunin. Itachi accompanied Sakura to the Hokage's office, where a white haired man was waiting for them alongside Minato.

The Hokage smiled at them as they entered his office. "Hello Sakura-chan, Itachi-kun."

Sakura dipped her head at the man first, then fixed the other presence in the room with a look. She slowly raised her hands and made a gesture Itachi recalled seeing her make in greeting for his father. The man raised his own fist and returned the gesture.

"Kagetsu-san."

"Sakura." The man paused and Sakura nodded firmly.

"I have not received my new name. Therefore, I am still Sakura." She confirmed.

Hozuki Kagetsu dipped his head. "My condolences." He murmured. Sakura merely nodded to acknowledge his words.

"Sakura-chan."

At her name, Sakura turned away from the Hozuki head and fixed Minato with her blank eyes. "Hokage-sama."

Minato smiled. "You may temporarily return to Kiri." He said. "You should pay your clan your respects."

Sakura dipped her head again. "Thank you."


Sakura briefly returned to the Uchiha compound to prepare for her trip. Sasuke walked in on her just as she had pulled her bag over her shoulders and his eyes widened. "Are you going somewhere?"

Sakura turned to face the boy. It was still morning and the sunlight shone brightly through the window. Still, the magatama she had given him seemed to glow as a reaction to her presence.

"Yes." She said.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke followed her out of her room.

"I am temporarily returning to Kiri."

"What?" Sasuke sped past her and planted himself in front of him. "Why would you do that?" He demanded. "Are you going to stay there?"

"Temporarily," Sakura repeated. "I am simply returning to play my clan my respects and take care of a few loose ends as the new head of the Haruno clan.

Sasuke did not appear to understand half of what she had said. "So you're going to go to Kiri, do stuff, then come back?"

Sakura nodded. "Of course."

Sasuke visibly slumped in relief. "Why now though?" He complained. "The Academy is starting soon! You'll miss it! How long are you going for, anyway?"

"I have been given a month." She told him. "Though Hokage-sama has agreed to be flexible with this deadline." Sakura then made a detour to the dining room, where Mikoto and Fugaku had been seated in a rare moment of relaxation, drinking tea. "Uchiha-san, Mikoto-san." Sakura lowered her head briefly. "Thank you for your hospitality." She said. "I will be departing now."

Mikoto smiled. "Be careful." She said. "Come back safe."

Fugaku merely graced her with a firm nod.

Sakura nodded before she turned and made her way towards the door and Sasuke continued to trot after her. "Are you leaving now?" He asked.

Sakura nodded. "The faster I get there, the faster I can return."

Of course, that was not really the case, but it must have sounded reasonable in Sasuke's mind because he stopped questioning her. Itachi was waiting for them at the gates and after greeting his brother, he accompanied them to the gates of the village.

Kagetsu waited by the guards and he nodded in greeting when they arrived. Sakura turned to face the two Uchiha. "I will be off." She said.

"Hurry back," Sasuke grumbled. "It'll be a mess if you don't return in time to be on the same team as us."

Sakura decided that he had to be referring to the Genin system. Itachi had once given her a brief outline of how the ranking system worked.

"Okay." She said.

"Take care," Itachi told her.

Sakura nodded. "I will."

Kagetsu waited patiently as she said her final goodbyes. He then passed his papers to the guards at the gates, who read through them and handed them back. "Let us go, Sakura-san."

Sakura slowly accepted the hand held out to her and, in the next second, found her on the Hozuki head's back.

"Bye!"

Sakura glanced back one last time to see Sasuke waving at her. She hesitantly raised her own hand and copied his gesture, before Kagetsu picked up his pace and she could no longer make out their forms in the distance.


Kagetsu's entry back into Kiri qs much faster than when he had tried to leave Konoha. He merely had to show his face and the guards stepped to the side. No one outwardly questioned Sakura's presence on the man's back but she could see the curious looks and could already imagine the stories that were being put together.

Kagetsu lowered her down to the ground the moment they got past the most populated part of the village. Sakura slowly straightened her robes before she glanced in the direction of the Mizukage's office.

Kirigakure was unlike Konoha is so many ways, and the most obvious, currently, was the atmosphere that surrounded the people of Kirigakure. They were not friends, they were not enemies. They were merely people who lived in the same village. There were no friendly waves and familiar greetings, just cold calculation and words shared only when necessary.

"Yagura-sama would like to see you before the end of the day," Kagetsu told her.

Sakura closed her eyes. She had never met the Mizukage who had given the Village its renowned title of Chigiri, neither did she know a lot about him. He had only been brought to her attention after she had arrived in Konoha. With her hailing from Kiri, Yagura had come up in more than one conversations.

"Okay." She said. "I will be sure to head to his office before sunset today."

Kagetsu nodded. "I must return to my compound." He told her. "Will you be able to make your way back to your place by yourself?"

Sakura closed her eyes. She could feel the compound and their chakra calling for her. "I will be fine."

Kagetsu smiled faintly. "I extend an invitation for dinner to you." He said. "Mizuki and the boys are eager to see you."

Sakura smiled at the mention of the man's wife. A nice woman. "I will be honored."

The two of them parted ways soon after. People followed them with their eyes and she passed and their whispers grew louder and louder as she broke away from the main street and began making her way up towards the hill that led to the Haruno compound.

The Haruno compound lay completely underground and on the surface was nothing but flat, barren land. The gate and the walls that surrounded their grounds was simple in appearance, wooden structures similar to that around the Uchiha compound. However, Sakura could sense the powerful chakra being radiated from them and she knew it was this chakra that had warded off many from attempting to approach their lands. As for those who were brave enough to venture further. Sakura felt the chakra wash over her like a caress as she walked through the gates. This chakra would block out anyone without Haruno blood from even entering the grounds.

It is nothing but welcoming to Sakura, though. Glowing vertical lines of chakra lit up the way towards the opening in the earth that led right down to her home.

Once underground, Sakura made her way through a long corridor that led to the heart of the compound. She walked past several of the doors and finally came to a stop in front of the one that stood opposite the entrance of the compound. She slid open the fusuma to reveal a large room, the largest in the compound, the oohiroma.

She slowly entered the room. The tatami was smooth under her feet and she could picture Senri sitting at the head of the room with several other of her clansmen on either side of him. That was all the past, though, and Sakura slowly, almost hesitantly, sat at where the clan head sat during meetings.

There was no one to look up at her, though, and Sakura could only picture her dead clanmates sitting before her.


Senri's room, now hers, was like any other room in the compound. There were no windows, just walls covered from ceiling to floor with drawings of the Otsutsuki clan. Directly in front of her was the Otsutsuki clan symbol, painting into the walls with chakra. All around her, she could see illustrations of the tales and stories she had been told as a child.

'We can look through his books later,' Her Inner said gently. 'Why don't we visit the library? We never had the chance to explore it before, seeing as children were forbidden from entering it.'

Sakura nodded. Okay. She looked over her room one last time before she turned and continued on her way down the corridor again.


The Haruno archives were full of scrolls more from outside this world than from within this world. While she was sure clans like the Uchiha had archives full of techniques passed down their clans, the Haruno's was more like a factual library.

There were records of wars and battles, or chakra usage and techniques, of remarkable individuals and unusual sightings of otherworldly beings.

The Haruno archive was a library that retold the entire history of shinobi, men, and chakra itself.

In a way, they were the creators of humankind as it was today, after all.

Sakura found stories of Kaguya the Mother of all Chakra, and of the tales of her sons. She even found a scroll on the Gatekeeper, a huge crab that guarded the gates to their true home.

'The sun is setting.' Her Inner said. 'The Hozuki are expecting us.'

Sakura looked up from a scroll about the History of Sunagakure and nodded. Perhaps I should get going. She mentally promised to return later and she left the archives soon after.


The guards at the Hozuki compound let her through the moment they catch sight of her pink hair, and Kagetsu was waiting for her at the doors to the main house.

"Thank you for the invitation," Sakura said.

Kagetsu smiled. "It is no problem," He said. "Everyone is waiting to see you."

True to his words, a young boy rushed at her the moment she stepped into the dining room. "Sakura!"

The pinkette tensed and Inner quickly jostled her memories for her. 'Suigetsu, Hozuki Suigetsu, the second son of Kagetsu.'

Sakura blinked at the image of the boy, several years younger, running after her through the Haruno compound during one of his few visits. She accepted the hug he gave her. "Suigetsu."

The boy brightened. "You remember me!" He grinned. "You hair! It's pink! That's such a girly color! Why-" The boy was cut off by a whack to the back of his head, courtesy of his brother.

Mangetsu.

"It is nice to see you again, Sakura." The older boy WAS much calmer and composed. Suigetsu muttered complaints at the act of violence but fell in step with his brother to give her space.

"Mangetsu." Sakura bowed to them both. "It has been a while."

She then looked at the white haired woman smiling at the sight before her. "Mizuki-san." She bowed again.

"Sakura-san." Mizuki, Kagetsu's wife, approached her. "I'm so sorry about the massacre. I heard the perpetrator has not yet been caught. Has Konoha been treating you well?"

Sakura merely nodded in response to all three. "I have been fine." She said. "Though it is nice to breathe Kiri's heavy air again."

Mizuki laughed at that. "Let's take this to the table, yes?" She asked, ushering them all into the room. "I prepared dinner. If I recall, you are no longer bound by the rules regarding children, are you?"

Sakura shook her head and Mizuki's smile widened. The woman rushed off to finish setting up.

"Sit next to me Sakura." Suigetsu ordered. "We've got to fill you in in all you've missed."

Sakura was reminded of a certain boy waiting for her return back Konoha. She shook off this thought and smiled at the boy in front of her. "Okay."


After bidding the Hozuki good night, Kagetsu led the way briskly towards the center of the village. Shinobi and civilians alike moved to the side to make way for him and Sakura had a relatively easy time following him through the crowd. No one tried to stop him as he marched all the way up to what she could only assume was the Mizukage's office.

Kagetsu knocked on a door and a voice called out for them to enter. Sakura entered first when the Hozuki head held the door open for her but when he attempted to step into Yagura's office behind her but a single raised hand made him hesitate, then step back out. The door closed behind her and Sakura landed her gaze on the man before her.

Yagura certainly looked young, with greenish grey hair and pink eyes. Sakura noticed with irony that they were quite similar, with her pink hair and green eyes. He does not speak and, instead, he merely sits there and watches her until even she realizes that something was off.

'Sakura.'

Sakura paused as she realized what her Inner was trying to tell her. She thought for a second, then decided to just risk it. Her eyes bled white as she activated the Byakugan for the first time in a very long time. Instantly, Yagura's form became just a circuit of chakra, and a single large flare of familiar chakra was coming from his chest...

What was Toneri's Puppet Cursing Sphere doing inside Yagura?

As if her realization was a trigger, Yagura smiled. "You must be Sakura."

Sakura warily deactivated her Byakugan but the man did not seem to notice at all.

"Mizukage-sama." Sakura offered him the standard Kiri greeting, then slowly dropped it when he continued to stare at her. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he fell forward. Sakura stiffened but the man stopped before he hit his head on the table.

"Mizukage-sama?"

'Not anymore.' Her Inner said. 'That's-'

Toneri.

Sakura tensed, just a little, at the name she had tried not to think of for a while. However, the moment the name had flitted through her mind, she knew it was true.

"Toneri."

The Fourth Mizukage's form slowly sits up, then gets to his feet. He slowly walked around his desk and dropped into a crouch in front of her. "Sakura-sama."

The name sounds weird coming from the mouth of a man she had never met before, but now she was certain. "Toneri." She repeated, not quite knowing what to say.

Yagura, whose body was being controlled by Toneri, slowly drew himself up to full height and Sakura recognized the soft smile on his lips.

"Sakura-sama."


Keeping an eye on the Mizukage was easy. The Puppet Cursing Sphere was very effective in doing that. Even if one did notice this foreign ball of chakra inside him, no one could do anything about it.

Taking full control of a person using the Sphere was a tad bit more difficult, but Yagura was a special case.

Toneri inwardly chuckled at how the man had not been in full control of his own mind and body for the longest time. When Toneri was not having his way with him, there was the other presence who controlled his mind. However, he did not like to admit it there was something ancient about the second presence who held half the reigns of Yagura's mind, and it took him longer than he would like to completely steal the handles for a period of time.

It was not impossible, though, and he could see Sakura's bewildered form through the poor man's eyes.

"It has been a while, Sakura-sama." He gestured towards the guest chairs in the office and Sakura almost instinctively sat down at his words. He took a seat opposite her.

"It has." Sakura nodded. "How have you been?"

Toneri shrugged. "Fine, thank you." He reached for the tea the Mizukage's assistant had prepared for him beforehand in preparation for this meeting. "How is Konoha?"

"It is fine," Sakura said. "Different, but fine." She paused. "You arranged for my return to Kiri?"

Toneri poured a cup, passed it to Sakura, then poured himself a cup as well. "Of course." He confirmed.

Sakura smiled faintly. "Thank you."

Toneri shook his head. "Please, do not." He smiled back. "This merely benefited us both."

"And what do you plan?" Sakura brought her cup to her mouth and took a sip. "You did not call me here so that we can greet each other, did you?"

Toneri laughed softly. "No, but before that, how long do you have in Kiri before you are expected to return?"

"A month," Sakura told him. "Though Hokage-sama has agreed to be flexible with this."

"Spend a month here," Toneri said. "Clean the compound, explore the archives." He smiled. "And after your month is up, leave Kirigakure with Kagetsu."

Sakura's eyes brightened with understanding. "Where will we go?" She asked. "Konoha will know and Kiri will know. The first person they will look into after I go missing will be you."

Toneri laughed again. "Do not worry, Sakura-sama." He met her gaze. "Trust me."

Sakura eyed him before she nodded. "Very well. And what of Kagetsu? He will not let you off without a fight."

"Sacrifices are necessary," Toneri said easily.

Sakura frowned. "A pity." She said. "I liked the man."

Toneri got to his feet. "I believe you should be going now. Connections are important. Visit the Hozuki at some point."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "I will do that." She placed her cup back on the table and smiled. "It was nice seeing you, Toneri." She said.

"Likewise, Sakura-sama." He replied. "I will be seeing you soon."


'Ere's chapter Six~

Darque: Poor Yagura. Ma poor boi :(

Raven: It is kind of sad.

Darque: Anyways, I have a story to share and I was going to do it last chapter, but I forgot, so here goes.

Raven: Oh?

Darque: You know, I was typing 'Mikoto' last chapter, right?

Raven: Yeah.

Darque: But back then, I was using a computer that's not the one I usually use, right?

Raven: Yeah?

Darque: And that computer had some sort of spell checker and an auto correct thing, yeah?

Raven: Yeah?

Darque: And 'Mikoto' kept correcting itself to 'Mojito'.

Raven: XD Did you fix all of them?

Darque: I think so. I hope so.

Read and Review~