Sakura should have known better than to just trust the man, how could she call herself a proud member of the ANBU if she just trusted any strangers? Really what had she expected? She was stupid for even thinking that while the Hokage was a kind man it didn't mean she could just go up and talk to him!
Shaking her head she looked at her companion Zen, he hadn't left when she was sent to prison. Oh, they tried to take him away but they were quick to change their mind on the matter. Itachi and Hana had tried to follow her here too, Itachi was doing a bit better than Hana but both quickly had to give up.
When they had finally made it to the gates of Konoha was they met with both leaders from the Uchiha and Inuzuka-clan both looking happy to see their children again and a bit worry since they were, after all, sitting on a big oversized wolf with Chakra and an unknown girl with pink hair.
This was not where the problem lied, oh no, Sakura just came off the wolf and some ANBU had shown up, most likely to take her to the Hokage. She turned to Zen while still keeping an eye out on all the ninjas, this was after all not her time she could right now trust no one. Not even the Hokage especially not Kakashi.
Zen understood her without either saying anything and lay down so the kid could get off his back, that part went well too. Hana and Itachi, however, didn't run over to their parents, no they each took hold of a leg and stood right beside her willingly.
Bringing a hand up to massage her temple, her eyebrow was twisting at the end in anger. Taking a deep breath she slapped them both in the back head, not enough to hurt but both stumped forward towards their waiting parents. Both looked at one another before looking back and Sakura broth her hand to her hip and the sound of her foot hitting the ground could be heard, she had a frown on her face.
Itachi stood his ground better than Hana until his mother softly said his name, which was all there, was needed for him to walk away from her and towards his family. He looked back at her the whole time.
"Sakura-San I will come see you tomorrow," Itachi said looking her dead in the eyes. He would come for her no matter his eyes and voice said it all. Hana nodded eagerly proving that she too would come looking for her too.
"Come willingly with us Sakura-San," the ANBU group said in an even voice. Sakura knew that they were ready to use force if needed, even in front of kids. Nodding her head she began to walk towards them with Zen right behind.
"That beast will go elsewhere," a male voice said, coming out from between the group of people. If they thought that they could take Zen from her they would quickly find out how stupid that would be.
"Try to take Zen away is your own responsibility cause he got this nasty bite that will freeze your blood and make it come out of your arm in spikes..." she held a short break where Zen growled was extra deep and dark.
"I would suggest that if you are going to touch him anyway to use your left hand… It would take longer for the spikes to reach your heart and you might just make it to the hospital in time" Sakura said in a bored voice just as one of the ninjas had been about to touch him anyway. The ninja in turn now looked between her and the wolf unsure if want to try and see if she was bluffing or not.
Sakura looked at Minato when they told her they were taking her to prison, she knew that her eyes showed him the betrayed and anger she felt. He met her eyes shortly before looking away in guilt. Oh, she knew that look anywhere, it was the same look Naruto had when he knew he did something wrong, the kick-puppy look. It meant that he would not hold his end of the promise.
Sakura turned her eyes away from Zen and towards the door waiting for it to open hopefully with the Hokage coming in. The kamis must have heard her since it was the third coming inside! Her smile however quickly disappeared when she saw the blond man follow closely behind. She no longer trusted this man. They looked at one another for some time before Sakura slowly went to her back in no hurry at all.
"I was told to give this to the Hokage only" was all she offered with the scroll in hand her eyes was not on the Hokage but on the blond man beside him. The distrust was strong and undeniable, she knew they both saw it, and the younger man looked away from her hard glance. No one said anything while the Hokage was reading the scroll, when he was done he looked at her and then down at the scroll once more.
"So you were sent from the future," The elder man said and Sakura looked at him with an unreadable look in her eyes, she looked and saw Jiraiya looking at them. How could she not have seen him before? They were all looking at her waiting for what she had to say.
"…In the future only one of us are alive from this room" she said in an even voice like it was the most common thing in the world to know about. She met each and every one's eyes before looking at the next, shaking her head she let out a deep breath.
Sakura could tell they wanted to know more and she got a smile on her face, she could get some fun out of this by not telling them anything else. "Don't worry that's why I'm here to prevent all of that from happening"
"…are you not the one that is still alive" The blond man hesitatingly asked not sure if he actually wanted to know, and while Minato had seen and done much, this was a young girl no older that his own students were. First, she struggles her shoulders in a casually way before a sinner's smile showed on her face, like she was enjoying it, but looking into her eyes and they saw they shined with a sad glow.
"…no…I died on my last mission to save my teammates" She said in a soft voice, he could see that while she was still looking at them, she wasn't seeing them anymore, lost in her past. He turned to look at the two older men beside him, not sure what else could be done or should be done. He watched the Hokage take a step towards the young girl with a soft sad smile on his face.
"Tsunade-Chan was the one to train you right?" Although Sakura knew that he already was aware of the answer, she felt the need to nod her head anyway.
"Don't worry Sakura-Chan once I come back I will be able to protect you!" Naruto said with a big smile that any other time would make her happy, this time, however, it did the opposite, and it left her feeling cold and empty inside.
First, it had been Sasuke-Kun and while Sakura had never really expected anything from him much. Sakura had thought that Kakashi-Sensei would have come by to see her off like Naruto was. She looked up at Jiraiya and she knew he could see right through her fake smiles, but didn't say anything about it.
When Naruto had run ahead the elder man turned towards her once more giving her an understanding smile, before petting her head softly and left right after her ex-teammate. She watched him stop and turn to her once more and he mouthed "Show them how strong you can get without them and what they left behind".
Sakura stood perfectly still letting his words run around in her head before she turned around and walked towards the Hokage tower if there was anyone who understood her it was their new Hokage.
When she stood just outside the door having knocked and was waiting to be allowed inside, Sakura was beginning to rethink the whole thing. Just as she was about to walk away, did the door open up and a woman with black hair and a pig in her arms stood and smiles down at her, before letting her inside.
"There were only two people cared enough to bother with someone as hopeless as me and she was one of them," Sakura said she felt her face relaxed and graced them with one of her rare smiles. She was letting her guard down, but that was alright, since she trusted at least two of them, or know at the very least he wouldn't say anything outside this room.
"How old are you really" Sakura looked up at the old man so quickly she thought something might break. There was this look in his eyes that told Sakura he knew more than what he lead them to believe, but then again, he was known as the professor of a reason.
"17 and ANBU captain… Tsunade believed I would become a Sage at 18 " She added as an afterthought mostly because she did not want to go through being a genie and a team, never again. She had felt far more betrayal than anyone ever should have to feel throughout a lifetime.
She watched him nodding to himself, eyes closed as if he was in deep thought, he opened his eyes slowly having asked her if she would share her burden with them when she shook her head telling them that she would this on her own he nodded once more. The blond had been about to protest when the Hokage held his hand up to silencing him.
The old man offered her an apartment where she could live on her own, and since he couldn't just make her ANBU he went for the next best Jonin since Itachi and Hana would graduate soon and she could be their sensei anyway, not that he told her this of course. He was sure that Sakura would understand why since they trusted her already.
For now, however, she was put on the blond man, Minato, and his team, since Rin was in need of help with her medical ninjutsu, and since Sakura trained under Tsunade it was a given that she would end up on Minato's team. Also that way there was someone who could keep an eye on her until the Hokage fully trusted her. With that done Sakura took her new west, headband, and weapons, and became a ninja that would give anything for her village once more, this time, it would be the last time, that she would ever do it again.
As Sakura walked beside the blond man, people was staring and whispering to one another while pointing their way. Looking at the man he either didn't care or didn't notice but by the look of things Sakura was leading toward the first one the most. Okay, maybe it had more to do with Zen more than anything else…?
By the time they made it to her new home and Minato gave her the key, did Sakura have to admit that Minato was kind. On the way to the apartment had he insisted on helping her buy groceries and paid for them! He smiled at anyone he knew, even those he didn't know, he even began humming at one point!
It didn't mean that she trusted him by any means, but she respected the man and that was a start, she just hoped that he wouldn't turn out to be like Kakashi. But since Minato would be the next Hokage she highly doubted it… Right?
"Oh, Team 7 will meet tomorrow at training ground 7 at 8:00" Minato said as he turned around and left her and Zen by them self. Sakura looked up at Zen with a face of pure horror, she was once again placed on team 7. That was it, Sakura was officially cursed with team 7 was the thought that went through her head while hitting her it into the wall.
