Cue the trumpets the next chapter is here. Yep i'm trying to stay consistent with my once a month updates considering i have multiple stories to write. i'm a few days late but i'll get better enjoy!
Sakura walked home with a small but beautiful smile on her face which inadvertently drew the eyes of every male in the vicinity. Not that she noticed though her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of her matchmaker meeting. It didn't go at all as how she expected…ok maybe a little bit but if she was being honest with herself, which she was trying to do, then she was admitting that it wasn't the horrible nightmare she was expecting.
My oh my…we see a side to Sakura that is hardly seen...
Hmm?
I mean you admitting that potentially being married off, is a decent idea.
I'm not admitting that. I'm just…pleased I guess that she has been thinking about me. She's not just gonna send my information off to some random clan.
Did you really doubt that she would?
…A little.
So much for having faith in your master, her inner chided, But out of curiosity shall we talk about Itachi?
Why?
Well let's just say that he is interested in you, and maybe someday in the near future your father gets a negotiation contract…
She sighed, Who am I to refuse an offer from an Uchiha? My rank practically makes that decision for me. My father would never turn it down so the question is a moot point anyway.
But-
No buts. This discussion is over. Even though my experience with Tsunade was a positive one and I am grateful for it because there is one important fact that I realized. All men are the same. Based on that list that I read every guy that I could end up with is expecting the same thing. They all want the silent trophy wives.
That's not true. Everyone is different.
I don't want to hear any more on the subject! So the man is picky about his wife, he's the Uchiha heir and like Tsunade-shishou said he has a righto be picky. Right now there is no evidence that the man is any different. The only thing we do know about him is that he's a shinobi and likes to spy on women. And if by some miracle he's different, which I highly doubt, I would still have his stuck up clan that would be expecting me to act like the demure and docile woman that I certainly am not! And if he has a shred of dignity in him then he won't offer my father a marriage contract. End of discussion.
…Sakura…
No Inner…please for now just let me forget about it.
We'll get lucky Sakura I swear! With the discussion with mom this morning-
Just stop! Please just stop talking about it! It's obvious that whatever happens to me the life I've known as a child will be no more once I get bartered off to a man. So let me enjoy the few moments I have left to be my own person without having to worry about pleasing a damn man.
Ok…I'll stop.
It wasn't a surprise when Sakura suddenly turned up at her home without even recalling how exactly she got there. It happened frequently that she would become so lost in her thoughts and discussions with her Inner. But oh well, she wasn't going to worry about not paying attention to her surroundings and leaving herself wide open for an attack. Right now she wasn't thinking like a shinobi…right now she was only thinking about herself as a woman; a woman whose life is about to irrevocably change.
Itachi found himself following Sakura again. Wait...when had he started calling her Sakura? He didn't even know how this had happened.
After Sakura had walked into the matchmaker's home he sat in the tree thinking about what he had just witnessed. The Yamanaka girl was slowly getting up with the help of some of the other young ladies, they immediately began helping her fix her damaged robe and hair. The Hyuuga heir only watched with an air of indifference before returning her gaze to the house as if she were waiting for her friend. Minutes passed and he waited…he didn't know why but something just told him to wait. He tried a simple listening jutsu wondering what on earth was taking her so long. Surely meetings with the matchmakers to create a woman's résumé never took this long. But his jutsu failed and he noted dryly that Tsunade-sama must have placed a seal around her house to prevent such jutsus from being used. A small tremor shook the house and the surrounding courtyard making all the women gasp and hold onto each other for balance. Hinata stayed easily on her feet but her hands went to her mouth and he could see the worry in her lavender eyes. After that he was determined to wait and see if he could glean anything from the pink haired object of his fancy. Another few minutes later and she finally emerged with a subdued visage. Her eyes were trained to the ground, her hands perfectly hidden beneath the folds of her furisode. Hinata calmly walked up to her.
"Are you ok?" she asked in a hushed whisper, "I felt the tremor…"
"Hai I'm fine. Tsunade-shishou she just…took me by surprise," Sakura admitted just as softly. She be damned if any of the other girls heard her speak about this.
"Do you need to talk about how you feel?"
Sakura sighed her green eyes trained to the bright blue sky, "I don't know Hinata. I don't even know what I should feel."
"Hyuuga Hinata!" Shizune called standing on the small porch.
"Go Hinata," Sakura looked back to her friend, "I'll see you later."
Hinata nodded and started walking away before turning around, "Tea…same time, same place. We will talk there Sakura-san."
She turned knowing that Hinata would wait for her answer before entering Tsunade's home, "Hai Hinata-sama. I will see you then."
Itachi knew he had never seen a more endearing smile on anyone's face than he did on Sakura's at the moment. It was obvious that Haruno-san held the Hyuuga heiress in very high esteem and always treated her with respect. Hinata in turn gave Sakura the same courtesy.
They are close friends, he deduced in his mind. He also figured out why Sakura had been called first instead of the Hyuuga. Itachi heard her refer to Tsunade as being her master. Obviously the old matchmaker was playing favorites since even he knew the women were called in by rank, so technically Hinata should have been the first one seen.
As Sakura made her way across the courtyard the other clan girls parted, none wanting to stand in her wake. Obviously her earlier display with Yamanaka Ino made the rest of them wary. He smirked, she didn't even have to lift a finger and already she commanded the room. While she walked in confident strides, her aura was telling a different story. And so he decided to walk with her to wherever she was going. Of course his way of walking her meant he was concealed and hopping along the rooftops while keeping a close eye on her.
He supposed this coule be called stalking. Perhaps it did not apply to the Uchiha?
He took notice of how her eyes were completely hazy, signifying she was lost in her thoughts. He hadn't even spent much time around this woman and he already knew that her eyes were her most telling feature. He knew exactly what she was thinking at the Hyuuga's home, he knew that she was plotting in the courtyard of the matchmaker, and now he could see clearly that she was at war with herself. What he couldn't figure out was why? Didn't women usually come from the matchmaker's home smiling with their heads held high? But it seemed that her entire persona was…depressed? That couldn't be right what does she have to be depressed about? She's lived a quiet noblewoman's life. Even with the shinobi training that her father was probably overseeing that wouldn't be cause for her to feel such sad feelings.
The whole time she just kept walking and weaving expertly in and out of the throng of people. He could have sworn that she was going to walk into a huge sign with how distracted she looked. He really thought she would. It was big and hung about seven feet from the ground with the end of the board reaching her waist. She merely bent over backwards to swerve under it and turned in a circular motion her arms stretched out to steady her. And it as in that instance that he noticed something…odd?
Is that…a scar?
On the back of her hands leading to her wrist he could have sworn he saw a sliver of white. His eyes were praised for their vision and of how he never mistook anything for another. He was about to activate his sharingan in order to make sure but she refolded her hands into her furisode sleeves. But surely he had seen wrongly? The Haruno girl was a female and a noble. How could she have possibly acquired a scar? He knew of over a thousand women who would screech over the faintest mark on their bodies. Just the other day, his very sensitive ears had been tortured by the high-pitched notes of Uchiha Makuri's incessant yelling. His mother had later informed him that one of the new servants had scratched her calves slightly while giving her a body scrub. Apparently, she was going to get married and didn't want her husband-to-be to see her legs in such a "horrible manner". It was a pity that she had to change herself to suit some man's needs. She used to be so much more witty and interesting.
Itachi could not understand women. Why go to all the trouble of having someone give you a body scrub? Why not do it yourself? And why would you want a stranger rubbing their hands all over you. Furthermore, it was just a little nick at the calf. Just what on earth was so bad about that?
He felt someone's chakra flicker in the distance indicating that someone was tailing him. And he knew that if they sensed him then it was probably an ANBU which meant they were looking for him for a reason. Not wanting to be caught in a potentially questioning position Itachi straightened and dropped the genjutsu he was using to conceal himself. A second later he was joined by one of the new ANBU who wore a black, red, and white eagle mask.
"Karui-san."
"Uchiha-san, the Hokage calls for you."
Itachi nodded sparing Sakura's retreating form one final glance before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
Within a tall and imposing building made entirely from stone lay a circular room filled with sealed cabinets and imposing bookshelves. One end of the room was lined with large windows overlooking the village. In the middle of those glass windows stood the Hokage, the leader and highest ranking official in the village.
It was strange to not see Sarutobi in his seat, particularly since it was his favorite seat, but the news he was delivering today was not going to be easy to tell.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Thank you Karui-san, you may leave."
"Hai!"
The moment the door closed the old man turned. He looked wearier than Itachi had ever seen. The Hokage extended his chakra over the room and past the doors, ensuring that nothing that would be spoken of within this room would reach others outside it. This meeting was going to be done under the strictest of confidences.
Next to Itachi, Hatake Kakashi poofed into the room the smoke quickly dissipating.
Hatake Kakashi was almost as much a prodigy as Uchiha Itachi was. He graduated from the Shinobi Academy in one year and becoming Jounin at the age of thirteen. He was older than Itachi by about eight years and had a far bit more experience that he did. Within the span of twenty-nine years, Hatake Kakashi had participated in at least two major wars and a few minor clashings with other hidden villages that practiced the different aspects of shinobi.
The one hidden village they often had troubles with was the Otogakure. They were well known for constantly allying with other angsty villages for war against Konohagakure.
Hatake Kakashi was also known as Sharingan Kakashi. Having the bloodline limit of the Uchiha's within one eye was what many of the younger ranking Uchiha clan members were sour about; especially since he could wield the bloodline better than they could. Still only a few people knew exactly the how's and whys of Kakashi's acquiring of the sharingan and Itachi was one of those men.
"Kakashi, Itachi, I have grave news," the Hokage began. They watched him with rapt attention, "The warriors of Sound have banded with the warriors of Rain, Mist and Cloud. As we speak, they are amassing a huge army to take us down. They must not reach the border of our village. Should they reach us, and we have to battle them at our front gates, we will have little chance of stopping them. We must confront them at the border, preferably not on Fire's own soil. Itachi, Kakashi, send word to every household, any man of sixteen and below fifty is to gather at the Courtyard of Zhou. Brief them and direct them to where they will go. Civilian or Bloodline you will train them to prepare for this upcoming battle in the outskirts of Fire. Hatake-san, you will assist and advise Uchiha-taichou in the leadership of these men. I want him to lead the younger generation; you have lived and commanded enough wars it's time for the younger men to take on the responsibility. Learn from this Uchiha-taichou. It will be a very important lesson."
Both men nodded obediently.
The Hokage took off his hat and ran a hand through his graying hair, "But, my two loyal warriors, that is not all. You must pick a few trusted men to train specifically in stealth to go undercover into Sound and stop something that could affect us horribly. I have received very…alarming news that I do not wish for others to hear, specifically the chauvinist Danzo. A new rise among Sound has started. Their leader, Orochimaru, has been mixing chakras and genes to create a new breed of warriors and has been using men as well as women for his experiments. Please understand, while here we do not allow the women to participate in any politics or training, over there Orochimaru has been encouraging it. Furthermore, these women are genetically mutilated to be mindless warriors for him, and surely you boys understand just how determined a rightly encouraged woman is?"
Indeed they did. A very good example was Tsunade-sama, their resident healer and matchmaker. She had fought in many of their wars, and to prove herself, had trained three times harder than her male counterparts. It was also a well-known fact that women tended to have better chakra control than men.
"The reason I do not wish for Danzo to know this is because he may take it one of two ways. One, he will shrug it off and deem it unnecessary for me to have extra warriors trained specifically for this and may even complain to the council that I am using more money for useless training. Or two, he could change his views and start forcing the beautiful and docile women of Fire Country to suddenly take part in such rigorous training. He may try to undo so many years of tradition at once and that would not work so easily. It is fine in Sound because Orochimaru reigns with a hand of fear, force, and bribery. The worst can only happen should Danzo find out. Do you understand the danger of this situation and the necessity for you to be discreet? Hatake-san, please prepare to recruit the men quickly. Uchiha-san, go home and study your battle plans and think up a training regime for the younger men that have not yet been a part of an organized army."
"Hai Hokage-sama!" They spoke in unison, and disappeared quickly.
Sakura opened the gate to her home slowly, her mind still heavy with her previous thoughts. She carefully lifted her skirt and walked across the garden stones carefully, displaying a rare moment of femininity. But she couldn't find it in herself to really care at the moment, but at least her mother would be happy.
She gently released her large skirt smoothing the surface to erase the small wrinkles. She walked slowly along the grass before coming up to the stable. Yoru poked his head out before walking up to the gate to greet his rider.
"Yoru-kun," Sakura smiled and reached out to touch his soft snout. The horse grunted softly and nibbled lightly on her fingers making her chuckle, "Oh Yoru-kun…you've never judged me. I can always trust you." The stallion grunted in agreement earning him a kiss on his nose. Kigechu poked his head out with a jealous hissing.
"Oh stop that Kigechu you know I love you too," Sakura smirked before also giving him a kiss, "And good work on Ino, I hope she doesn't bother me again."
After giving Yoru another kiss Sakura figured she had enough time to collect herself so her mother wouldn't notice the war inside of her. Being around her favorite and trusted animals always had a way of soothing her. Perhaps it was the unconditional love that only animals could give. Once you earn their trust they love you forever no matter what. They will always protect you and never try to beat you down.
Ugh now I'm in a melancholy mood again…sheesh.
That's what you get for thinking to deeply into simple situations.
Sakura merely rolled her eyes and slowly walked up to the front door knowing her mother would be waiting for her in the front room. So she took a deep breath to steady herself, find your center, and walked through the front door.
"Mama, I have returned!" she announced easily picking up on the woman's chakra signature. She removed her geta after closing the door, thankful that she didn't have to wear those death traps any longer. Her mother walked out quickly with a worried expression on her face. Sakura assumed she had merely been worried about her behavior and rolled her eyes with a small smile.
"Sakura," She was pulled into a warm hug, "So everything went well?"
"Yes mama, Tsunade-sama helped me prepare my profile. And I'll confess that it wasn't as much as a disaster as I was expecting," She smiled.
Her mother patted her cheek lightly, "Ah…that is good. Good."
Sakura's smile disappeared. Something was wrong. Normally when she smiled or acted the way her mother thought she should a lovely bright smile would cover her face. And now after coming from the matchmaker and she told her that she had a decent experience, her mother should be doing cartwheels through the hallways. But all Sakura could sense was distress. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that her mother's usually perfectly round bun was in slight disarray and her grey hair was peeking out. Something her mother never allowed. Her normally bright complexion was sallow and her eyes were redder than usual. Even her clothing was rumpled.
"Mama, what is wrong, and where is father? Shouldn't you both have greeted me when I came home?" She asked wanting to get to the bottom of the situation and fast.
"Sakura, what-whatever makes you think something is wrong?"
"Mama, you raised me for sixteen years and I know when you are upset? You give me too little credit."
"Hmpf…your speech is too direct Sakura. If you're going to reprimand your superior then you need to speak in a more eloquent form. Such blatant disrespect will not go over well with the more noble families. If they don't look at you then I can't marry you off the way you want me to!"
"Mama! What in the world is going on?! Why are you yelling and acting this way?!"
"I'm not yelling at you Sakura and it's because your father-" and then she quickly covered her mouth.
Sakura's emerald eyes widened, "What is it that father told you not to tell me?"
"Oh, Sakura…it is nothing really…just...it's nothing at all...I...no, it is really nothing."
"Mother! I have a right to know especially if it concerns my father!"
Her mother flinched, Sakura was as stubborn as her husband and she had already said too much. Kyodu warned her not to talk to Sakura about it…but the cat's already out of the bag.
"Oh Sakura I want to tell you…but…" she couldn't say it…
"But what mama?" Sakura's eyes were a hard jade. Kiyari knew that look her daughter was not backing out. She had already dug her hole too deep to recover from. Well the least she could do was compromise.
"I'll tell you, but you must promise not to go after your father."
"Where the hell is dad?"
"Language Sakura! And I will only tell you once you promise not to go after him!"
"Yes mother, I-"
"You cannot walk, run, jump, leap, or run with your hands!"
"Mother, I am hurt you think I would do that."
"I know you better than you think Sakura," and she did which is why she put those stipulations on her. She has learned from past experience. There really was nothing her daughter couldn't do.
"Oh indeed mother."
"Do not patronize me, now about your father...it..." she cleared her throat, "It is important...I do not know the details but, I understand there is a war coming and...he was called outside and had to go somewhere. And you know how his leg is and I -! Sakura stop shaking me!"
"Mother! Where was he called to?! I have to stop him, he can't receive that summons! I have to stop him, I have to, I have t-" Sakura's eyes instantly turned from their hard jade to a frantic emerald.
"Sakura you will do no such thing! It is dishonorable, and you promised you would not do anything!"
After getting brief control over her emotion Sakura smirked lightly, "Mother, you never said I couldn't fly there."
That statement took a moment to register, "What?!"
She ignored her mother's pleas and concentrated on pushing her chakra outwards, forming large beautiful hawk-like wings. She then cast a concealing genjutsu over herself and ran out into the garden. She had not technically tried this technique yet but today was as good a day as any. It would definitely beat running there in this kimono which would take far too long to get out of especially since she couldn't do it by herself. With her eyes closed in concentration she breathed in, exhaled, and pushed. Her chakra was instantly lifting her off the ground.
Slowly, slowly...
Then with a quick burst of wind she took off, pulling and pushing the wind to her favor with her chakra wings spread straight out. She glided easily using a simple wind technique to keep herself afloat and control the direction she was flying in. But she was in a hurry and couldn't afford to slow down, not even slowing down to ruffle an already ruffled Ino. She needed to find her father.
She felt for her father's chakra. Using small amounts of her own to try and track him.
There!
It shined brightly and was coming from the Courtyard of Zhou.
The large horseshoe shaped stone arch was hard to miss. In a circular form, the stone walls covered the grounds. A dynasty ago, this place had been used for horseback fighting and training. But with the development of chakra, horsemanship was a dying art. And right now, it was being used as an assembly for recruits.
Landing easily out of sight she released the concealing genjutsu then performed a small transformation. Her father told her that he learned this from a connection he had made in a faraway village called Fang. In that village the shinobi specialized in transforming themselves into animals. "Like the shape shifters from your book," he told her, then she learned the hand signs to turn into a mouse. Once transformed, she scurried onto one of the large stones on the wall to observe quietly. She suppressed her heartbeat, steadied her breathing, and suppressed the rest of her chakra not being used to control this jutsu. Hopefully, all that would be seen on the stone wall was a small brown mouse.
A mouse? Couldn't your dad have picked something cooler?
Who would suspect a mouse? It's the perfect form for spying which is why he learned it.
Well for one thing, perhaps the retired ANBU Captain Hatake Kakashi? And oh, I don't know...YOUR FATHER? It's his stinking jutsu!
Shush your mouth! I will not be suspected. I have trained hard enough not to be detected. Now watch. I need to know what is going on. They will be too busy to even think about a damn mouse on a wall anyway.
Ugh…
The chatter instantly died once Kakashi stood. Sakura was glad she didn't miss the start of the meeting.
"You have all been called here today to defend our land," he started out with his typical cool but commanding voice, "The Sound warriors have banded with our enemies and they will try to ravage Fire Country. All men present are within the age range specified by the Sandaime Hokage. We need all able-bodied men to take up arms. After obtaining your scroll each of you are to return home to pack and will meet us at the outskirts of Fire Country. Within each of these scrolls are directions to the camp. From there the army will be separated into two groups: veterans of war and the younger generation. Now are there any cowards who wish to leave and shame your family are welcome to do so. Are there any objections?"
There were only the shaking of heads and smiles of pride and perhaps a little fear as each man came forward to take a scroll. She could recognize the Hyuugas, the Uchihas, some Inuzukas, and the mysterious Aburames. Most of the men here were young and fit while some of the older ones were merely in their forties, wise to the ways of destruction and physically ready for war. But her father was not. He may have had the best strategies and the cleanest, quickest kills, but his leg would slow him down. He was not the able-bodied warrior that the country was looking for. If he accepted that scroll…he would be killed.
She shivered as an image of her father came before her. A grey faced, sapped of life, attached to a body that was plunged through the heart with a broadsword; his blood staining the ground. Would he be remembered? And if he was... How was she to live with his death? How would her mother survive?
She wouldn't…mother will never be able to handle his death.
Without thinking she got down from the stone wall when her father limped forward, released the mouse jutsu, and rushed into the courtyard when she saw her father take a scroll. Murmurs arose through the crowd when the men noticed her entrance. Pink haired hair with flowers coming off, her geta nowhere to be seen and her kimono and tabi were dusty and dirty. But that wasn't what shocked the crowd of men. What really stunned them was the fact that a woman was present in this man only meeting.
SAKURA NO! DON'T DO THIS!
BE SILENT!
She flinched when she saw all eyes on her. Typically she would avoid this much male attention on any given day but…today was different. She had to be strong in the face of the most male attention she had ever received. Thousands of eyes were trained onto her…she needed to be strong. She gritted her teeth and walked as calmly as she could and stood in front of the man with silver gravity-defying hair and snatched the scroll out of his hands.
She swore she heard the sound of jaws dropping. If this situation had been a large elaborate joke, she would have laughed. But not now, today was serious.
"Please!" she started remembering her mother's censure to make sure she spoke to her superiors with respect, "Spare my father! He is old and his leg is crippled...I fear that if he accepts this call that-"
"Young lady, you should not be here. Do you not realize the consequences of what you are doing?" Kakashi cut her off with narrowed his eyes.
She quickly knelt on the ground, not noticing how Kakashi's eyes widened at her movement, as well as the plethora of other men present. She kept the scroll clutched firmly to her chest, "Please, honorable Hatake-san! I understand that what I am doing is very wrong, but I would rather risk myself now than to risk my father's life in the battlefield. Please! Please I beg of you, don't allow him to partake in this."
A man with a porcelain mask spoke, "A woman has no right to interfere with the business of men! Go home to where you belong!"
"Honorable Hatake-san, please…I will do anything I can do to prevent this! Anything at all…"
She was obviously not giving up easily. It seemed that Haruno Kyodu's stubborn personality transferred into his daughter. Well there was only one thing to do to get her to leave, "Would a noble woman like you agree to anything at all?"
"Yes anything!" She stared up at him hopefully.
"Would you lay in my bed then?" A collective gasp arose. To be propositioned as such was shameful...but Kakashi was sure she would refuse and then leave the meeting with her dignity intact.
"You... You..." Her gaze hardened immediately at his words. What…what kind of pig was this legendary warrior?!
"You said you would do anything. If I were to ask you to strip right here, would you?" His gaze remained uncompromising.
At this very moment Uchiha Itachi walked in, eyes widening when he saw Sakura there, on her knees. He was even more shocked when he heard Kakashi damning question. What was he trying to do to her? How could he suggest such a thing that would forever ruin her reputation!
"Or are you the typical woman who says that she will do something and then changes her mind?"
He had to keep challenging her so that she would see that her effort was futile and leave. To stay any longer under these circumstances would be damaging to her reputation and she had to know that. From eyeing her kimono and appearance it seems that today she met with her matchmaker. A girl of marriage-able who would be found in a compromising position would never be able to marry well. He knew that she was aware of this and he was certain that she would leave.
"I am no such woman. But to think that such an honored man would ask this of a noble lady!" The men flinched upon hearing the iciness of her words, "My thoughts of you have only gone downhill now. But I am a woman who keeps her word Hatake-san."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow completely shocked.
"Perhaps someone will help me undo my obi?"
Itachi's jaw fell forward slightly, as did every other mans. Was she really going to strip? She couldn't possibly do this? She shouldn't even be put in this situation in the first place. Even if he hadn't gone and seen her at Tsunade's her dressing, albeit dirty, clearly showed she met with her matchmaker today. Was Kakashi determined to ruin her?
"So you will do it?" the silver haired ANBU asked blandly.
"Sakura, stop this! Leave at once!" Kyodu growled at his daughter. She couldn't do this because not only would she ruin her reputation she would also hurt the family honor. He and his wife would be seen as failures and not even the lowliest of farmers would want her.
"No father. I will not. And yes oh honorable warrior, I will indeed remove my garments as you requested. I said I would do anything, and thus I shall. I always keep my word. Removing my clothes is a small matter compared to your first treacherous request. I must say however, you may not enjoy the sight of my skin."
So she was going to go that far? Would she stop before she bare only what her future husband should see? Itachi was about to protest only to be stopped by Hatake.
"Hold on, I will not allow her to get far and neither will her father," He whispered into Itachi's ear.
"You should not have requested this of her in the first place," Itachi bit back, glaring at his superior.
Kakashi didn't reply to Itachi's harsh statement, "I am sure that I would young lady. Now go on Kumoka-san, help her remove her obi."
The man took out his sword and was about to slash it before Sakura stopped him, "This obi is made of high-grade quality silk. Please do not cut or rip it in any form."
The man grumbled and squatted down to help her untie the intricate knots of her obi. When finished, she pulled it away from her then folded and placed it neatly on the ground.
Itachi stared momentarily before turning around and leaving. As much as he wished to see Sakura undressed, he would not disrespect her in such a manner. He could see what Kakashi was doing, but it was still wrong. The fact that she agreed to this was scathing in its own regard. And her father was once an ANBU would follow orders without question. If Hatake was in charge of this…issue…then Haruno-san would say nothing.
Sakura didn't even seem to register his presence there, which he supposed he was grateful. But still he was interested in her. He could only hope that Tsunade would send him her résumé, but now he probably would never see it. Not with the way Kakashi was disgracing her, his father would never allow it. The reputation of the clan would force him to overlook her, even to see her as unclean.
He scratched his head slightly as he walked home. He needed to reconcile his premature feelings for the woman before he became too attached.
…But he wasn't sure if he wanted to…
She untied the sash around her waist and opened the top layer of her furisode, exposing the second layer of silk nagajuban, printed with cherry blossoms. Many of the younger "innocent" men quickly turned their heads away from embarrassment and the older men did so but with embarrassment for the girl.
Sakura did not like this. She was trying not to be shy or embarrassed with completely stripping herself because she did so to protect her family. It was an honor in its own right. But she had never shed her clothing in front of any man since that night. The memories were trying to force their way to the forefront but she pushed them aside. Now was not the time to dwell on the past.
She just disliked the whole point of it, and the fact that there were so many men watching her. A few of them were not. But if she could stop her father from going to the war she would even allow herself to be taken. To save the life of a beloved one she would pay any price.
She bit her lip as she shrugged off the furisode then folded it properly. The moment she had untied her first under layer the Hatake halted her.
"What is this? You ask for me to strip yet you stop me."
"I wanted to see how far you would go," he answered blandly, "To see if you truly would keep your word since so many young women your age are inclined to lie. And I hate to say that I cannot stop your father from going, only the Hokage can. Let this be a lesson girl…never allow yourself to be shamed and taken advantage of when you do not realize what you are getting into. Only stupid girls do that."
That was the last straw. She stood tall and defiant, not bothering to retie her clothing and stalked towards him. Anger was evident in her eyes and it rolled off her body in waves making some of the younger men cringe.
"How dare you!" she seethed, "How dare you to try to humiliate me! All those words merely to see how far I would go? And don't you dare tell me that I was being a stupid girl! You sir were less honorable in your demand than I was removing my clothing!" She walked right up to him and poked her dainty finger in his chest. "I stripped willingly and I was not being taken advantage off. You know why? Because I knew full well what I was prepared to do when I said anything. It was not a careless miswording on either your or my part. And do NOT take me for one of the foolish marriage-minded females in this village. Furthermore, I was not humiliating nor shaming my family, in my opinion, it was honor!"
He opened his mouth only to find her fingers shutting it close.
"I am not finished Hatake-san. It is impolite to interrupt a lady when she is speaking. Surely you were brought up with better manners than that." Her father reddened at her words. "I was ready to allow anything to happen to me. Yes, do not look at me that way. I said anything. It was you who stipulated the terms therefore any fault or dishonor in these proceedings fall onto your shoulders, not mine. You could have requested anything of me; even to have my flesh scraped from my body and my muscles stripped from bones, even to be taken by a Pig. Like. You." She emphasized her last three words with harsh pokes on his chest.
The surrounding men flinched at her words. This type of behavior, especially coming from a woman, made them uneasy.
"I believe that even the Gods above would take my side because filial piety is the most honorable type of sacrifice. And clearly you do not know that, suggesting that you have not kept yourself up with religious practices, or you would never have tried to shame me in this regard."
She stepped away from him and picked up her clothes, quickly re-tying her nagajuban and her furisode. She held her obi in one hand and walked to her twitching father.
Kakashi sighed imperceptibly. He tried to show what he thought was a cute little girl, who did not understand the ways of the world, to watch her mouth and be careful of her actions and he got a lecture from it. He supposed it did seem like he had tried to humiliate her. Many of the younger men were staring at him in resentment, but the older ones nodded at him with understanding. Obviously he wasn't the only one who thought she'd back down after his initial request. She was right on one account, he had made a right fool of himself. He just never expected it to come from some barely eligible woman of sixteen dressed in a rather stunning furisode.
"Father, I will go to the Hokage at once, please-
SLAP!
The entire crowd of men was silenced, not even the murmurs were heard. Haruno-san just struck his daughter. Sakura's face was turned to the side and she could feel a red mark beginning to form. This was the first time she had ever been struck by her father outside of training. And it wasn't his typical punch…no…this was a slap of disrespect. He was angry with her. Why? Did he not understand what she was doing? She was trying to save him from what was sure to be imminent death! She swallowed the lump in her throat and a metallic taste told her that her lip was bleeding slightly.
Amongst the crowd Neji and Sasuke stared at this show of violence. Their eyes widened in shock before quickly turning back into their stoic visage. Most of the men here were sons and husbands, many were married but some were not. And contrary to what Sakura thought, these men were not like the ones that were outlined in the requirements of the bride-to-be's. Those requirements had merely been something that had been instilled by the snotty and rude council members as well as the nobles of outside of the hidden village. As such they were shocked by the display of violence. Never in their life would they ever raise their hand against a woman. Especially one that was family.
"You dishonor me Sakura," he whispered under his breath, "Saying things like that and disrupting a meeting that wasn't meant for your ears. You should know your place."
"F-father…I... I..." Sakura looked up at him her emerald eyes asking for forgiveness.
He was not inclined to give it, "You have dishonored me enough. Do not dishonor me more by going to the Hokage. Should you do that, I will disown you."
Regardless of the low tones in which Kyodu was talking…in a silent room his voice echoed.
Despite being angry at his daughter Kyodu also felt extremely guilty. Not only had he just struck his beloved daughter and drew blood but he just threatened to disown her. Anyone who knew him would know that his threat was false. But his guilt really stemmed from before his harsh words. He had encouraged this behavior in Sakura, he always welcomed her cunning and intelligent personality. Whenever his wife would reprimand her unladylike behavior he would brush it off. So this situation…this dishonor…was completely on his shoulders. Everything she was, and everything she stood for, was all because of him and his training. He hadn't wanted to see her defenseless and at someone else's mercy again. So when she agreed to strip her clothing and bare all for the sake of him not answering the call to war, he was terrified for her. At that moment he wished his daughter was the demure and docile woman that was expected during this day and age; that way she would be at home and ignorant of these proceedings. He could see the anger in her eyes when she stood before Kakashi and knew she was reliving the moments from ten years ago. He also knew that Kakashi was not the most chaste of men and when he demanded that she lie with him…Kyodu wanted nothing more than to kill his fellow Captain. But Sakura bravely trudged on and he wasn't sure if he should feel proud or angry. His anger won out.
Sakura's tears silently streaked down her cheeks. Apparently her sacrifice was lost on him. So now to prevent further embarrassment to herself and to him she would do as he wished, "Yes father. I understand." She bowed once and walked out of the arched gate with her head held high. No one dared to stand in her way.
"Hatake Kakashi, forgive her rudeness, she is but a young girl with far too much impulse. My sincere apologies," Kyodu apologized stiffly not daring to look at the man.
Just a young girl who happened to have a whole bucketful of guts, to come barging in like that with no fear of the repercussions, and to take said repercussions with such grace. It was not easy to do. If it weren't for the delicate circumstances I would be proud of her, Kakashi thought.
"Aah…she is a quite like you though, is she not?" He smirked under his mask. He knew Itachi had already left the moment the obi had come off. Young men were so easily embarrassed nowadays. Or perhaps he respected her too much to do it? Or maybe he, Kakashi, just had no shame considering he did enjoy visiting flower houses and reading his fair share of adult literature.
Haruno Kyodu just looked away and clenched his right hand, the stinging pain reminding him of his own failure.
Sakura had fled the moment she had step foot out of sight of the arched stone gate. Her tears came down in a hard stream now that she wasn't being watched. Her mother would be quite upset if she found out what had just happened. And with Sakura's weakened state she was determined not to show her face until her father arrived home.
But contrary to what she thought at first…she did not return home that night. Instead she sat in one of the large oak trees that overlooked the dining room. She watched her parents talk and eat, their shadows moving against the rice paper walls of their house. Her mother's shoulders shock slightly whenever she picked up her tea cup to drink. Her father's back was straight and rigid and she could vaguely tell that he was trying to remain stoic. This wasn't what she wanted…not this broken and stilted family. She wanted the peaceful happy dinners where her mother would comment on something trivial, like Sakura's sewing, and she and her dad would wave it off.
She would do whatever it took to protect her family and the peace and happiness of her home. And despite how shaky her mother seemed, she knew it wasn't because of her dishonor. No…she was terrified of losing her husband. She could not..would not allow her mother to be heartbroken. It would be better for them to lose a daughter than to lose the head of house. Besides wouldn't it be better for a dishonored daughter to die than to continuing living and shaming the family?
Her eyes narrowed in determination, her mind quickly thinking up the quickest and best strategy.
She waited until the lights went out in their bedroom, then another thirty minutes before sneaking into her room. She disrobed easily considering her obi was already undone. She took care to folded her kimono neatly and placed it inside her closet with the rest of her clothing. Would she ever get to wear it again? Probably not, she was taking her father's place on the battle front. She quickly threw on her favorite red training outfit and began packing clothes for a few days. She packed some salves and extra binding cloth as well as bandages. Her pack was nearly full and she filled the rest of it with rations her father always kept around for snacks. Sneaking quietly through the halls Sakura entered the training area and grabbed her kunai pack and filled it to the brim. She also grabbed her tanto and strapped it to her back. Her father did try to get her into kenjutsu but Sakura preferred the short sword and her power punches. A quick search of her father's prayer room and she found the scroll sitting by the incense bowl. Sakura knelt by the bowl and looked up. Above her were pictures of the past heads of the family. Her father often came here for guidance on how to lead the clan and how to continue to honorably uphold their name. Lighting incense and placing it tenderly into the bowl, Sakura knelt before the powerful men.
I'm sorry father but I can't let you do this. Mother's happiness is more important than my own. Please forgive your dishonorable daughter. Honorable leaders…please guide me and help me restore my own honor in my father's eyes. If it be by giving my life for my country in the line of duty then I will do so. Give me strength to do what is necessary.
Slowly sitting up Sakura collected the parchment wrapped scroll and tucked it away in her weapon's pack. It was now almost midnight as she saddled Yoru and took him out of the stables. She walked to the stone ancestral pavilion a hundred paces from the house. There she stopped by a small pond and watched the fish swim slowly under the full moon. She took a big breath, the smell of moisture indicated it was going to rain soon. The clouds were rolling in.
This is it...
Let us enact the first part of our plan.
Removing her tanto from its sheath Sakura stared at herself in the reflecting surface. Her tanto was raised and she sliced her hair at the shoulder. Her long, luscious pink locks fell to the ground in a large heap. Sakura could admit she never really liked the color pink, weak and vulnerable girls like that color. But there was nothing she could do about her hair. Another issue was she was the only woman in the entire village with that unique color. Her mother did tell her once that pink ran in her family but it hadn't shown for generations. And she was going undercover, so a new shade was in order. Calling upon her medical ninjutsu she changed it to a dirty blonde, a similar shade to her father. Grabbing a hair tie from her large pack she pulled her hair back and tied it at the nape of her slender neck.
She still looked feminine though. This next part was going to hurt a bit and she placed her green lit hands on her jaw. She numbed the pain before reshaping the bone. It cracked under her ministrations before she stopped the jutsu and looked back into the pond.
I look just like dad.
Save for the eyes, but I'll admit it's pretty similar.
She pressed some chakra into her uterus, sealing it and preventing any untimely moments. Going undercover as a guy would be ruined pretty quickly if all of a sudden her monthly friend decided to show up.
Tsuande-shishou is a genius for developing this jutsu.
Yes remind me to thank her for it when we get back.
No need to be snippy.
Going over her appearance one last time she determined that was about all she could do. So she mounted Yoru, secured her bags, and rode off into the night. But not before casting one long look at her home…hoping and praying that she would live to see it again.
It was storming and the thunder roared in the skies while lightning illuminated the way. Haruno Kiyari tossed and turned, sweat poured from her skin soaking her nightgown.
Sakura...Sakura...
It was storming within her dreams. Her daughter was seen fighting another man. Sakura riding on a sleek black stallion, garbed in bloodied armor and a small sword in her hands. She was fighting savage looking men…monsters. She was giving her all. And she tripped. One man smiled cruelly and brought his large mace down on her.
No! No!
"SAKURAAAA!" Her mother screamed in terror as she awoke from her nightmare.
"Kiyara, what is wrong?!" Her husband asked waking instantly. Kiyari was shaking from head to toe.
"Sakura! Sakura! Where is she?!" She ignored her husband's question and ran through the corridor as fast as she could and pushed open the door to her daughter's room. It was empty and her furisode she wore today was lying neatly in her open closet.
Haruno Kyodu feared the worst, She couldn't have…
He immediately ran to his prayer room, hoping it wasn't true. That Sakura was not so foolish as to do this. He burst through the door and instantly saw that his wish was not answered. Sakura had left with the scroll. The scroll he was meant to take in the morning when he reported for duty.
"Kyodu! We have to stop her!" Kiyari yelled as she leaned against the door of the prayer room.
"We can't..."
"What do you mean you can't? Sakura could die! She is just a girl...she...she..." She covered her face with her palms and began wailing as she fell to the floor.
Kyodu called upon his past shinobi training and went to hold his hysterical wife, "If I were to tell them that she is a girl and my daughter...she could be executed. And I cannot have that. She's the only one we have Kiyari. All we can do is hope."
And all Kiyrai could do was sob into his shoulder. What would happen to Sakura, that silly girl who had an abnormal fear of men? Now she's throwing herself into the lion's den, for what? Why would she do this to herself and to her family?
For the first time in his life Haruno Kyodu, former ANBU Captain of Konoha, could merely stay back and hope for the best; praying that his little girl would not have an untimely accident and return home to them. She was heading into war…and he knew from experience that anything could happen in war.
Review Review please!
Ok now to clear up the air a bit, please do not be offended. Some of you have commented that i have changed the story too much. Well...for one i'm not LoLillie and i cannot write like her simply because it's not my style and i'm not her. But prior to writing this story I did chat with her to discuss the fic and what she would like to see. We talked about plot and i asked her if she had anything planned. This is her fic originally and i want to make it a tribute to her. One thing she did mention that she would like to see is more of Sakura's fear of men. She felt that she progressed through it too quickly and wanted that to be fixed. So i did. And keep in mind that despite the incident that happened ten years ago, Sakura is a sixteen year old girl, her hormones do influence her train of thought. Yes she can think herself beautiful and admire the male form despite her fear masked as hatred. (This is coming from some personal experience which i drew on the write that scene).
Also i had a request to get rid of Inner Sakura. Alright my readers your wish is my command BUT i can't just write her out since she's already in the story. And i have created a plan to slowly but surely get rid of her so never fear, she will disappear! That was an unintentional rhyme, and i apologize for that.
Thank you thank you for sharing those thoughts with me so that i can 1: address them and 2: fix anything that you want to see fixed. I appreciate it and i will never take your flames personally.