Chapter 2. Konoha
Age 9
xXx
Konohagakure is so much larger than the village Sakumo grew up in. He hasn't seen Danzou-san once in a span of four years. To Sakumo's young mind it seems almost impossible for two people to never run into one another, but this village is filled with too many streets and buildings for him to count.
He spends his days running through them, letting his nose lead him. With so many people, there are thousands of smells- and he wants to learn them all. The market smells best with its many different types of food, though on warm days the stall vendors reek of sweat. The Hyuuga compound smells of mint and tea when he passes it, the civilian district a myriad of smells, the Uchiha district of freshly baked bread and charred fish.
(He avoids the Yamanaka shop- the one time he went in he almost threw up from the overwhelmingly sweet stench, though the friendly cashier's smile was almost enough to make him go back.)
One day he strolls over the market when he smells a familiar mixture of dog and leather. He chases the smell through the village and finds himself standing in front of the Inuzuka compound. He remembers Inuzuka Tomoko and feels an odd ache in his chest.
He turns away quickly.
He visits the compound several times that week, but never dares to go in. On the day he decides not to return, a hand on his shoulder stops him. He turns to see a young girl of perhaps thirteen with wild dark hair and eyes, and the same tattoos on her cheeks that Tomoko had.
She smiles at him. "Where are you going, kid? Wouldn't you like to come in? You've been standing outside for far too long,"
Her name is Ran. She smells of dog food and leather, and he thinks that, perhaps, he's found his first friend.
xXx
The academy teaches Sakumo to write things other than his name. He finds he enjoys the experience of setting strokes on paper- ink transformed into meaning has its own brand of magic. He writes slowly, but when he does not even the other children can break him out of his concentration.
In his too-big and too-quiet apartment, Sakumo sits down and reads the books his teacher gives him. He reads almost non-stop, pausing only to visit the Inuzuka girl or go back to class. In class he has no friends. He desires to learn more and more, but his peers only seem interested in playing. Sakumo wonders why one would play tag if there is the possibility of diving into books that can transport you to different worlds.
Ran laughs when he tells her about it, but she doesn't joke or judge. Instead she takes him out to the bookshop and buys him a book- it smells like nothing he's ever smelt before, and he touches its cover almost reverently. He's never felt quite so grateful in his life. When they say goodbye again, he accidentally calls her 'Ran-nee-san'. She grins and the next time they see each other, he is suddenly 'Little brother'. It's the best thing anyone's ever said to him.
He doesn't think about his parents much these days. Ran is family, now.
xXx
The next time he sees Shimura Danzou, Sakumo has just tied a brand new forehead protector around his skull. All the graduates stand in a row as the jounin senseis list off their names and divide them in teams.
Much to his surprise, Sakumo graduates at the top of the class. There's some envious muttering when their academy teacher praises Sakumo for his diligence and talent, but a few of the children smile and congratulate him instead.
Shimura Danzou looks satisfied too, and in a way that makes Sakumo feel proud of himself. Danzou was the man who'd taken him here, after all.
A moment later, the reason for Danzou's satisfaction is revealed when Sakumo's name is said alongside his in a single breath- they will be teacher and student. Sakumo is so delighted by it he doesn't even hear the names of his teammates.
xXx
Like most Shinobi related business, genin life is a breeze for Sakumo. His teammates are an Uchiha girl named Michiyo and a blonde haired boy who goes by Ibara Natsume. Neither of them like Sakumo very much, but they put up with him and watch his back, so he doesn't mind.
Danzou is a tough teacher and drills them all relentlessly. He devices clever traps to try and trick them and doesn't go easy on them in fights. They're nine years old but they come home from training with bruises all over their bodies.
But that's okay, because his friend-sister Ran says some of the other kids go out on missions and don't come back at all.
xXx
On their first mission out of the village, Ibara Natsume almost dies and Uchiha Michiyo returns home with eyes that blaze scarlet.
They look at Sakumo differently now. After all, he was the one who killed the enemy shinobi in the end. They smile and wave when they go their separate ways in the village, Natsume a little stiffly, Michiyo with much abundance and pride.
Danzou-sensei congratulates him on a job well done and disappears into the shadows again, as he is wont to do.
Sakumo stays and watches as they go back to their homes and families. Then he goes back to his empty-quiet apartment and cries for the first time in his life, remembering panicked eyes and the overwhelmingly filthy smell of blood. He pulls his duvet around him and dreams the warm heavy cloth curled around him is an embrace.
xXx
xXx
Land of Snow, 10 Years Ago
"Why did you keep me alive?" The Konoha shinobi asks that night.
Sayuri bites into her part of the hare. The meat is juicy and blessedly hot, warming her throat and stomach as she swallows it down.
She thinks of her little brother, lips blue when she'd found him.
"Just eat, would you?"