I was placed in the care of a young adult called Haruno Sakura. Her eyes never met mine, only stared over my head indifferently. She gave me food and water. She provided a place to sleep. That was all. I didn't know then how important she truly was to my survival, as Hokage. She protected me from assassination attempts. Even if I had known, I think I would still have preferred to die than to live in the loneliness.

Time passed. I was in a daze- my memory cleared and faded, each moment fleeting. I would remember Sasuke, but then I would forget. I couldn't remember if my life depended on it if I like Sasuke, or Itachi.

It didn't matter. I would not fit into Konohagakure no matter what I thought of my past caretakers. They thought me a traitor, for not giving Sakura-san information about Sasuke and Itachi. How, though, was it my fault? I could not remember.

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Sakura avoided Ryshuki whenever she could, unable to look into the girl's dark eyes without screaming silently. Who was this child, and was she Sasuke's or Itachi's?

She couldn't bear to think of Sasuke having a child with another woman, even though all bonds had been broken between them. She hated Sasuke, yet the lingering jealousy still took hold.

Sakura was busy as the new Hokage, and busy healing, constantly. The only wounds she could not heal were her own. There was a gaping hole left in the very depths of her soul from when Chouji had died, died on a mission she had forced Shikamaru into. Where Shikamaru went, Chouji followed, completely supportive.

Another wound was Lee. It had been six years since Ryshuki's arrival, and Lee was still in the hospital, in a coma. She knew it would be kinder to let the hurting man die, but she didn't want to let go of him, her childhood, the future they could have had together.

Sakura sighed, dropping her stack of papers onto the floor. She watched through dull eyes as they fluttered slowly, catching on the wind, and then falling in a swooping motion. She left them where they lay, moving to the window. She propped up her head, watching the children playing below.

She enjoyed watching their movements and patterns, and she knew each one like the back of her hand on a sunny day. Soon she would decide who was in which group, and they would each become a Genin.

She started suddenly as the children's familiar game broke off. They each were moving away from a shadowy shape. Sakura discreetly dropped to the balcony, watching from the confines of the yellow stone wall.

A young boy, Hatake Kurome, had stepped forward, glaring impudently at the shadowy shape… Ryshuki.

"You can't play with us," he told her loudly, and snickers came from his followers. Ryshuki stared, unmoving, into his face.

"I don't see why not. You have an odd number of players, Keigan's missing." She argued pointlessly. Kurome only scowled at her, turning his back. He dropped the ball, walking away. The others followed.

Ryshuki stood alone, tears streaming down her face. She picked up the rolling ball, hugged it, and fell to the ground, sobbing for the first time since she had arrived so long ago. Sakura swallowed.

She did nothing.

Author's Note: I've been asked why I only mentioned one of my lovely reviewers when more than one posted. It's 'cause Something541 favorited me, and that made me feel very special. Even my last story was never favorited.

Also, it was mentioned that the second chapter was short. I plan on updating as frequently as possible, as in every time I'm near the computer. So there will be a lot of short, unedited chapters- I'll go back later and edit/add details.