Child of the Leaf
Chapter Six
by operadeglace
"So, what's your story, kid?"
Ino asks Shinachiku bluntly as he happily eats his ramen.
"Wow! This ramen is the best I've ever had!" He exclaims, appreciatively, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm here to find my birth parents. I was born here."
Ino was wondering which of his parents gave him that dashing smile of his…
"I see. Do you know their names?"
The blonde boy shakes his head in the negative.
"How do you know you're from here?" She asks, putting her hand up to signal the attendant for another bowl, as the teenager was almost through with his second helping and didn't look like he was ready to stop anytime soon.
He points haphazardly to the hitai ate on his head.
"This was probably my real dad's. It was given to me by my adoptive father who passed away…" He stops eating. Ino noted that it looked like a dark shadow of sadness had passed over him. "He was a very good father."
The older woman hurriedly grabs the bowl from the waitress and places it in front of Shina, who quickly regained his hunger as soon as the smell of the broth hit his nostrils.
'Boy, this kid really likes his ramen… reminds me of a certain Hokage I know…'
"I'm guessing you need a place to stay while you look for your parents, Shinachiku?" Ino asks kindly, earning another, noodle-mouthed smile from the boy.
"Oh, yes, please!"
"I would have you stay with us, but, I'm afraid that my husband gives people who don't know him the creeps…" She sighs thoughtfully.
Shinachiku was disappointed.
He felt very comfortable with Ino-san, who he considered his first friend that he had made in the village.
"Luckily, I have a good friend who has a large apartment with many extra rooms. After we eat, I will ask her if she can help us out."
—
"Happy Birthday, Mom."
A young bespectacled girl presents a pink package with a gold bow to Sakura as she was preparing dinner.
"Salada! How nice!" She whipes her hands on her apron and places the gift on the dining room table so she could sit and open it. Salada tries to seat herself calmly next to her mother, her wide eyes betraying her excitement.
Sakura lifts a small, red cord with a tiny pendant that shone in the light. As the birthday gal looked closer, it appeared to be a piece of silver that was shaped to look like a piece of bamboo.
"Bamboo? How… pretty…" She laughs nervously, wondering what exactly the reasoning behind the gift was.
Salada, picking up on her mother's confusion, sighs and grabs the gift, tying it around her wrist.
"Shinachiku."
The little girl says simply.
The blood drains from Sakura's face as her daughter speaks.
How does she know about Shinachiku..?
Sakura grasps her chest as she feels her heart wrench and throb with regret and loss.
"You call out for shinachiku almost every night when you sleep. I read in a book that you dream about things you really want subconsciously, so I went to the jewelry shop and bought you some 'shinachiku'!"
Salada says innocently, blushing in embarrassment.
Sakura shakily kisses her daughter on the head.
"I… I love it! In fact, let's have some tonight! It is my favorite in ramen, after all. How do you always get things like that right? My girl is so smart…"
"Hah! I knew it!" The dark haired girl smirks and begins to exit the room. "I'm so good at giving gifts! Let me know when the food is ready."
She says pompously as she returns to her room to finish her school work.
Sakura waits until her daughter is out of earshot before she falls to her knees, clutching the present attached to her wrist, sobbing.
Why was she still being punished for that terrible decision she had made fifteen years ago?
Her guilt had built up over the years, gnawing away at her insides, pawing at her conscience.
Where was he now?
Was he being loved?
Was his family treating him well?
What does he look like?
These were all questions she often asked herself when she was left alone. With Sasuke constantly gone, this was nearly every waking moment.
What if I kept him?
She shook her head.
She had done it to protect Naruto's impossible dream…
Or was it to protect my 'impossible dream' with Sasuke..?
She felt so selfish and evil. The guilt was hammering her into the floor…
*knock knock!*
Sakura slowly gathers herself together and uses her apron to wipe away her tears. That was Ino's knock, but she was far to early to be picking her up for the 'girl's night out' that she had promised her to celebrate her birthday…
She opens the door to find her best friend, yelling a greeting with outstretched arms.
"Sakura! I've got an early surprise for you! Let's call it a chance for you to spread some good will on this your most blessed of birthdays, you old hag!"
Sakura's eyebrow twitches in annoyance as she listens to her outspoken friend explain about a very special new friend that she had just acquired…
—
Shinachiku was pacing in the hallway that Ino-san had told him to wait in while she convinced her friend, 'Sakura', to let him stay with her while he sought out his real parents.
"YOU TOLD HIM THAT HE COULD STAY WITH ME!?"
He heard another woman yell.
It sounded like negotiations weren't going well.
Shinachiku climbed stealthily onto the roof and popped his head over the side to glance through the apartment window that housed a view of Ino and her friend.
The young ninja's eyes focused on the unfamiliar female who was tapping her foot impatiently on the floor as Ino was talking.
This 'Sakura' woman was unlike any he had ever seen before. Her hair was an exotic shade of pink, reminding him of the cherry blossom trees that bloomed in the distance.
He thought her to be the prettiest lady (besides his Ayaka-chan) that he had ever seen.
"She's beautiful, right?"
A male voice says above Shinachiku's crouched position.
"Yeah, she is…wait—"
Before Shina could react, he was yanked into the air and suspended by a strong grip on his collar.
—
Naruto held the teenager with ease as he squirmed, kicking fruitlessly in the air.
"Well, what do we have here?" The Seventh says dangerously.
"Looks like we have a little pervert on our hands!"
Shinachiku shakes his head desperately.
"N-no! I was just waiting until Ino-san came back!"
Shina gulped nervously at his words. They just made him sound like an even bigger pervert. He looked sheepishly into Naruto's face, puzzled as the man's blue eyes squinted towards his forehead.
My forehead isn't THAT big..!
Shinachiku shouts inwardly.
He watches with wonder and awe as the strange newcomer with the white coat points his finger at his forehead protector.
"What are you doing with my hitai ate?"
-The End of Chapter 6.
—Story by ODG
Phew! Another chapter down! Hope you enjoy!
Let me know if you like it or not! :) I looooove comments!
