This was a really hard chapter to write. Not that it was emotional or anything, though it is, it was just where I explain what you need to know at this point. The next few chapters will be focused on Sasuke now, so you have been forewarned. Happy reading! And keep reviewing too. Also, if you have some useful constructive feedback to give me I am all fingers?

"So, Sakura," said Iruka-sensei as they walked side by side down the hall. All around them were kids and teachers, readying themselves to leave. The banging of the old lockers and talking filled Sakura's ears as Iruka-sensei weaved between them to get to the Hokage's office.

The people however, never seemed to touch Sakura as she followed her sensei closely behind, especially the adults. They sometimes looked her way with a frown and quicken their pace. It totally confused her.

"I wanted to ask you why you ran away like that earlier." Iruka sensei was saying. "You looked so pale." Sakura looked up at him with surprise.

He wasn't watching, choosing to stare forward.

She thought of when she saw him as a monster, and realized how weird she must have seemed to him. Him, Ino and Naruto.

But, I can't tell them the truth. She thought worriedly to herself. They would think I'm crazy!

"Sensei," she said softly, watching her feet move in time with his. They were getting closer to the Hokage's doors within seconds.

"I..."

"Were you feeling pressured by me wanting you to speak to the Hokage? If you were, that's fine. I realized you were touchy when it came to people talking to you, but I-"

"That's no it at all!" Sakura said loudly to stop his rambling. Unfortunately it was loud enough for the people near them to hear, and they gave her looks.

She quickly put her head down, blushing. Iruka-sensei patted her head in assurance as he spoke.

"Alright, alright," it sounded like laughter. And relief. "I just figured that was the case, so we can be on good terms from now on."

Ah. He must have felt she hated him.

Sakura thought of something.

"Sensei, why did you tell the class all of that...about respecting me?"

She was watching Iruka-sensei when he looked away. Her heart suddenly dropped at the action.

What? Why did you look away?

"Sakura..." Iruka-sensei tried to put into words his thoughts, but his face changed into relief when they made it to the Hokage's office, and he reached for the door slider.

The men on each side of it nodded to them once they realized Iruka-sensei. He flashed a look back, and returned to look at Sakura.

"We'll let the adults tell you all about it." He replied instead, giving her a quick smile. However, even though she knew he just avoided her question, Sakura was too caught up in his words to care.

The adults! She panicked. but aren't we just speaking with-

Her sensei opened the door before she could finish her thought.

The first people she saw were a man and a woman with dark hair and eyes, similar to someone else's who was in her class, but she couldn't quite place them.

She was more concerned about the other two couples standing beside them anyway, the two adults who grinned wide at her when they saw her.

"Mommy!? Daddy!?"

Sakura exclaimed, and ran into their open arms.

"Sakura!" They shouted into their embrace, hugging her as tight as always.

Her father rubbed her head playfully, grinning just as wide as her.

"How was school, kiddo?"

"We're you good?" her mother added, kissing her cheek.

Sakura giggled, pulling away from them in embarrassment. Her spirits had just lifted.

"Everything's good!" she said.

"It better be," growled her father, and nuzzled her neck. "or papa bear will have words!"

Sakura laughed as she pulled away from her family, and turned to her teacher with a big smile.

"You should have told me they were here!"

"And miss that smile of yours?" He laughed himself. "No way."

"Aww, isn't she cute." said a female voice. "You weren't kidding, Kizashi, look at her!"

Her father smiled over his shoulder at her, laughing. "Yup! Told ya!"

Sakura felt the usual groan in her head at her father's antics.

Was he bragging about her again?

She looked away from Iruka-sensei to see who he was talking to.

The man caught her eye first. He had long dark hair and a piercing stare.

He directed them at her now, and Sakura quickly looked away, towards the woman beside him.

She smiled blindingly at her, her dark eyes twinkling with mirth. "Sakura Haruno, right? You're in my son's class."

Sakura immediately blushed at the attention, and tried to snuggle in the safety of her mother's arms. Her mother wasn't having it.

"Sakura, you're not a baby. She just wants to talk to you."

Sakura started to complain to her, she didn't even know the woman, but was interrupted by a cough at the front of the room.

"Are we done with the reunion?" Asked an old man's voice.

Sakura startled, glancing over at the desk she thought was empty when she came in, and jumped at the sight of someone sitting behind it.

It was the Hokage, and he was watching them with a serious, but bemused expression. The red hat on his head seemed to bask in the afternoon light shining from the window beside him.

The H-H-Hokage! Sakura screamed in her head.

He was real! sitting in front of them in the flesh.

Sakura had heard so many stories about the one of the five kage from her father. His strength, his love and fierce dedication to his people were among her father's favorites. He was the protector to all of Konoha.

Even to villages like mine. She added to herself.

Being homeschooled by her parents and learning everything from books, seeing this god-like person in her presence felt near impossible to Sakura.

The Hokage suddenly grinned at her, and she nearly fainted.

Everyone laughed, but she was too dizzy to care.

"Alright," said the Hokage, sounding serious all of a sudden. "Now that we have everyone, time to get to the bottom of this."

This quickly sobered Sakura, and she looked at the Hokage again, now curious for a different reason.

"My curse," she answered quietly.

Beside the Hokage, Iruka-sensei looked worried.

"Sakura, is it?" asked the Hokage as he looked her over.

Sakura felt underdressed in her navy blue sweater and green slacks, and she blushed.

If I'd known I would be meeting the Hokage, I would have dressed like a real ninja.

Though she honestly didn't know what real ninjas would wear to formal occasions.

"Y-yes, that's me."

The Hokage grinned. "A lovely young girl, too. I hear you've been having some issues lately regarding your situation."

Sakura nodded.

"Issues?" Her mother asked. She turned to her with laser green eyes. "What issues?"

Sakura gulped. "Nothing bad..."

"And what is this 'curse' thing about? Why are we having to discuss it with our daughter?" Her father asked the Hokage. He sounded as serious as he had at the gates, when that gatekeeper called their village cursed and before that, mentioned something about wars with their name in it.

The Haruno wars. What, exactly, is that?

"Kizashi," began the Hokage, startling her out of her thoughts. "You came in here by orders of my party not because this was a requirement for all students, but because I wanted to discuss some things with your daughter. The same things you and your wife likely already know."

Huh? What is he talking about? What my parents already know?

Sakura watched her parents' faces. Their eyes seemed to spark with recognition, but they looked grim about it.

Her mother spoke up. "Sir, with all due respect, we'd like to discuss those things with our daughter ourselves."

"Yet, she comes here knowing nothing of her heritage?" challenged the Hokage. He steepled his hands together, watching her family with a new look in his eye.

He reminded Sakura of a cobra ready to strike.

Her father growled. Sakura got the feeling he did not care to meet his long time hero anymore.

"Sir," he said. "These things are not known to the public, they're-"

"Known to the Academy now," Iruka-sensei spoke, interrupting him.

"And now, as we speak, the people of this village."

"Huh?" Said her father, shocked.

The Hokage turned away with a guilty look. "Ah, I might have let my big mouth run with one of my agents. And, if I'm correct Iruka, a little girl overheard?"

"Yes sir," said Sakura's teacher with a nod. "Martina Santos, the young one of the Fuma sisters attending here, was, uh, eavesdropping. That's grounds for dismissal from the academy-"

Sakura's mother was shaking with anger, standing to interrupt her teacher and the Hokage. "Impossible," She nearly shouted, still on the subject of the curse being kept to themselves. "You told us this would stay secret!"

"What secret!" shouted Sakura. This shut up everyone in the room.

She flushed almost immediately when everyone's eyes fell on her, but she continued.

She was tired of not knowing what was going on.

The Hokage smiled at her when she turned to glare at him.

"What is the curse about?"

Her mother tried to tug her back in her lap. "Sakura, be quiet-"

"No," said the Hokage with a wave of his hand. "It's time she knew."

He turned back to her. There was knowing in her eyes, like he knew what she was feeling.

Sakura's mother released her reluctantly, and Sakura shakily stood there, nodding for the Hokage to go on. He did.

"Let me tell you a story, little one. A long time ago your village was a part of Konoha like all the others. Then the nine-tailed fox broke free from us and went rampage in Konoha. You know the story well, don't you?"

Of course she did. Everyone knew.

"But, this is where it changes up a bit, well, not the destruction the nine tailed fox wrought on us, of course." He chuckled a dark laugh, and continued. "There were some villages that were wiped off the face of the earth, and others that were cursed by the beasts' doing. After Minato sealed the creature away safely inside his son attending school here, the land of fire slowly rebuilt itself.

However, it wasn't resolved like a perfectly wrapped present topped with a bow. No, some of those villages it cursed were corrupted. Yours, the Uchiha's, and the Fumas. To name a few."

The Hokage said.

Sakura blinked at him in utter shock.

"What?"

It had to take her a moment to process all that he just told her, but what leapt out at her the most was the mention of Naruto.

She knew about Naruto having the nine tails inside him, but she had no idea how serious it was. How did he have such a beast that caused such evil inside him!?

She thought of the boy who seemed to be so high spirited all the time. It didn't even seem like he cared to be an orphan.

"Naruto?" She whispered aloud, trembling.

"Hm?" asked the Hokage. "Did you say Naruto's name?"

Sakura looked up at him, still feeling shock.

"That can't be true. Why would he... Who would..."

She couldn't get it out.

"Sakura, Naruto is an orphan for a reason. Too boil it down a bit, his father sealed the beast inside him, thus saving everyone." Iruka-sensei explained.

Sakura did not know any of that. If she had...well, she'd never particularly been mean to Naruto, but her thoughts about him being annoying was a little shameful on her part.

Yet, such a large and evil creature...

The nine tailed fox always seemed like a bigger-than-life form to than the horror of her village, mentioning the beast put nightmares in her head.

Who knew what it did to Naruto's state of mind.

Her mother spoke behind her then, touching her back.

"Blossom," she whispered. Her voice sounded uncommonly numb. "Are you alright?"

Sakura realized she had been quiet for awhile, and the room was silent. She looked at the everyone but her parents, trying to quell the weird feeling she got in her gut when they spoke to her now.

It felt uncomfortably like...anger.

"Sir," she said, ignoring her parents' stares. "What are the Haruno wars?"

"The what?" The Hokage asked, confused. Sakura opened her mouth to explain, and then shut it. Wait, he didn't know?!

"Sakura,"

She finally looked over at her parents, who were wearing stiff faces.

"What are they mommy and daddy?"

"That's not related to this in any way, Sakura. Let's leave it at that."

Sakura stared at her mother as she finished her words, but she was even more confused. Why, then, did that gatekeeper say anything about the wars?

And why didn't the Hokage know what they were?

She started to ask her parents those questions, wondering what the Hokage thought since he had yet to speak, when a shriek made her jump.

"Get it, Fugaku, it's crawling on me!"

"Jeez, woman, aren't you a ninja? Why are you screaming?"

Her eyes stopped on the dark-haired couple beside her parents, watching them with wide eyes as the man leaned over his wife and batted a fly off her leg. It took flight out of the room through a crack in the ceiling.

"Weird bugs," she heard the man mutter. Sakura looked more closely at the couple, realizing their presences again.

"Who are you?" she blurted.

The woman, composing herself, gave her a quick smile, but it was the man who spoke.

His voice boomed. "We are Sasuke's parents. I assume you are in his class? This is my wife Mikoto, and I am Fugaku. Nice to meet you."

"And we're happy to answer any questions you have for us, Sakura." Added Mikoto. "That's why the Hokage asked for us."

"Ah, yes," answered the Hokage, he looked sheepish. "But, I was planning on telling her that."

Fugaku smirked at his wife. She blushed seriously, turning on her husband when she noticed his expression. "Hey, y-you butt in too, you know!"

"Sure I did, but only to answer the girl's question. You on the other hand did the butting in."

"Oh, shut up, Fugu."

"Woman, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that in public!"

But, Sakura was not listening to them, she was in a completely new level of shock.

Sasuke's parents are here? Then that means...

"Ah, We should have thought to tell Itachi to give Sasuke a note to head over here instead of home!" Mikoto complained suddenly, startling Sakura.

"Fugaku, why didn't you say anything!?"

Fugaku looked annoyed. "Maybe because I forgot myself. This was a last minute call, anyway. It was only natural that we would forget, Mikoto."

"Urgh! Why do I even bother with-"

"This is stupid," Sakura's father interrupted. Everyone turned to look at Sakura's father.

Hizashi Haruno was fuming in his seat the whole time, ever since the Hokage began his story, but now he stood. His blue eyes were hard as agates as he looked at the Hokage.

"Hizashi?" asked her mother, but her father spoke over her as if she hadn't said anything.

"These things are not something Sakura should know yet. This 'curse' is nothing but our people's hate towards each other. I've told you before that we hate living outside of Konoha years ago, and that is what fuels our anger."

The Hokage's eyes narrowed at that.

"If that's the case, Hizashi, what was the reason we relocated you in the first place? Was it not to keep the rest of the villages safe from your so-called hate? You imply your people are not cursed but, why kill each other over nothing?"

"It's the atmosphere we breathe, sir," said Sakura's mother. Her face was closed off, but Sakura could see the tremble of unbridled rage on her person. It kind of scared her.

"There are fumes that come from Suna and blows into our village. It makes the people go crazy. The nine-tailed fox had nothing to do with this."

"You could be referring to the chakra patterns in our systems," her father continued for her.

"Which leads me to believe you have shinobi with high chakra control spying on us."

"Spying on you?!" Exclaimed Iruka-sensei. He looked like he wanted to leap at her father.

"How about telling yourselves that-"

"Stop it, Iruka," The Hokage put an arm out. Iruka-sensei obeyed reluctantly.

Sakura was really scared now. She looked back and forth between her stiff-postured parents to the Hokage's steeled face, noticing the silent battle they were wielding.

Mikoto and Fugaku even looked tensed as they watched with narrowed eyes at the adults before them.

Sakura remembered the first bit of the lesson her sensei had taught the class, about chakra and its fluctuations with emotion. If Sakura didn't know any better the chakra in the room now felt way too intense, and she suddenly wanted to run out of there.

Finally, just as she was contemplating doing that, the Hokage sighed heavily.

"Alright. It is your choice, in the end, to tell your daughter what needs to be said." Then he gave them a hard look.

"However, if she is going to stay here she needs to know what the curse means for her."

"What it means for me?"

Sakura looked to her parents, who were staring at the ground.

"Mom? Dad?"

She saw that her mother was crying, startling Sakura.

"Mom?!" she started for her, but her father raised his palm in a stop sign, his face was filled with remorse.

"I can't believe this has to come out now. You're still eight, nowhere near old enough to know." Then he took a deep breath, and looked her in the eye.

"Sakura. You can see the dead."

Sakura started. "That's not even funny,daddy!" she shouted at him, upset. Why was he joking with her all of a sudden?

Her father shook his head. Then he reached for her and placed his big hand directly on her face.

Startled, she started to move back, but froze when she felt his chakra ease her mind, and suddenly, thoughts of her people killing each other filled her head.

Even when she'd been protected by her four walls, she knew what was going on outside her home. She imagined bullet after bullet destroying an innocent's soul or a knife slitting a burdened man's throat. She imagined the truly evil people getting caught by Uchiha police and murdered right on the spot. Its for their own good, they would say.

And then she remembered earlier, when she looked at Iruka sensei and her head felt like it was going to split in two. She'd seen the face of a monster, but she now suspected what it truly was.

The dead.

She heard Mikoto gasp at her father's words in her daze, and she took a step back with a hard shake of her head.

He dropped his hand wearily. "Calmed down?"

Despite him using her favorite childhood trick on her, she shook her head at him, devastated at the truth.

"No," she said softly. "You're a liar. I-I'm normal like everyone else. I don't have a curse, I can't see the dead. I'm normal. Right?" Sakura asked, whirling around to the Hokage.

She whispered. "Tell me the truth."

The Hokage's eyes were full of pity, but so was Iruka-sensei's when she turned to him.

Why were they giving her that look? Why weren't they saying anything?

"Sakura," said a soft voice behind her.

She turned, tears running down her face to meet a dark dress. She looked up at Mikoto, who must have gotten up when Sakura fell into her state of denial.

The look she was giving her was one of kindness. Mikoto hugged her with no warning, squeezing her tight.

"No more crying, sweet girl. You are too cute for that. Now, listen. What your parents told you was for you to understand who you really are." The woman pulled back then, smiling down at her. Sakura was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"You have a gift, yes. But it is not bad, not unless you make it so."

"My head hurts when I see them. I saw it as Iruka-sensei." Sakura said bluntly, a tremble in her voice.

Mikoto looked surprised at that, looking up in his direction, but only for a second. She placed a dainty hand on Sakura's head.

"You just have to learn to control it. Like us Uchihas."

"Huh?"

Mikoto grinned. "You think what we have is any different from your curse? Ours has our people liable for hating as much as yours. We, fortunately, can overcome it." Then she winked. "And yours can too. I mean, you're hear now, aren't you?"

Sakura nodded, a little spellbound.

"And are you feeling the need to hate?"

Sakura hesitated a little. She was feeling anger towards her parents, and something else toward the Hokage for just...leaving them in such a predicament, but it wasn't nowhere near hate. Was it?

Sakura put her head down, feeling frustration well in her.

"I don't know," she told her.

Mikoto only rubbed her back.

"I know it wasn't nice for your parents to do this to you, but you can always call on the Uchihas for help with anything, ok?"

"Mikoto!" growled Fugaku where he sat beside Sakura's parents. They still had their heads down, as if they were contemplating something.

Fugaku looked angry. "We are not outside in the hall or anything. Her parents have ears."

Mikoto waved him off. "Fugaku, she needs to know she has friends."

"Not if that means angering-"

"We're not angry," Sakura's father stated looking up. Gone was the cheerful look about Hizashi Haruno. He now resembled one of the Jounens outside the Hokage's office, steel and ice.

He gave a look over to the Hokage, standing up with his wife. Her mother, too, had a steely look about her. It was as if they transformed in that brief moment they sat there.

"We're going to leave, sir," her father said formally. "And we may not come back."

"What?!" Cried Mikoto, shocked. She took the words right out of Sakura's mouth.

W-why!?

The Hokage and Iruka-sensei stared at him, as did Fugaku.

"So, that is your decision?" stated the Hokage after a moment of complete quiet.

Her father nodded. "We enrolled Sakura in to learn and gain skills to defend herself against our own people. After all, she has to learn how to get around in our world and stay alive, but that was in agreement with your secrecy of our village's ways. You did not uphold that agreement, so I'm forced to return to our village without her training."

Sakura felt frozen. No, please. This place is the first time I ever had to a real life! I started to make friends here!

She was a screaming in her head, thinking of her class and how they readily agreed to protect her. Of Ino and Sasuke, who, without knowing her, had saved her from Martina. Of Naruto, who didn't care if she had some curse.

Those were her friends! And her family was taking her away from them!

I can't let them!

The Hokage, however, must have read her very thoughts, because he gave her a little smile, and spoke.

"How does Sakura feel about that, old friend? Do you believe, with that determined face, that she would go without a fight?"

Her parents turned to her then, startled at his inquiry.

Sakura was just as surprised, but she steeled herself just as her parents seemed to be doing, and nodded.

"I won't go. No matter what. I have friends here. I have a life. Please, don't make me stay inside our home forever!"

Her mother gave her a disapproving glare. "Sakura. Your father knows what's best for you and you will do as he says-"

"NO I WONT," Sakura shouted as loud as she could, her eyes squeezed shut with the effort.

The room went silent.

Sakura spoke. "You keep stuff from me and want me to follow you, b-but some of those things are important for me to know. How would you feel if your parents told you nothing about your power and still wanted you to do stuff?! Don't you care if I die out there? Don't you think I still need this?"

When she finished her outburst she felt like a deflated balloon and swore her face was flushed. Her heart pounded hard as she watched her parents' faces, as did everyone else.

Finally, her father smiled. And it was the big goofy grin Sakura loved so much.

"Fine, Sakura. You win." He chuckled to her mother. "Jeez, Mebuki, our daughter has grown up! She's talking like an adult!"

Her mother grinned too. It was like their anger had suddenly disappeared. "Yep. That's my girl!"

Sakura gave them a look of disbelief.

The Hokage chuckled to himself and Iruka-sensei muttered something to no one in particular.

"So, I can stay?" Sakura asked hopefully.

Her parents nodded, but she didn't miss the slight hesitation from the two.

It kind of worried her, but she dismissed it to grin wide at them.

"So," grunted Fugaku. He was standing from his seat to go to his wife. Still with Sakura, Sasuke's mother smiled at him and stepped to his side.

"If that was all," she called to the Hokage. "May we leave?"

After the Hokage nodded, Mikoto winked at Sakura.

Sakura blushed.

"Remember that we're here for you when you need us. Are you already friends with my boy?"

She asked as an afterthought.

Sakura didn't really know for sure, Sasuke was a mystery to her, but she nodded anyway.

"Good! Then you'll have nothing to worry about with anyone trying to pick on you, bye!"

And the Uchihas left, leaving Sakura feeling like they were planning something she wouldn't think a certain someone would like.

"I'm not going to say anything bad about that woman," growled Sakura's mother. "But she doesn't have any regard for others does she? That's my daughter she's cuddling."

Sakura turned to her with a reassuring grin, wanting for her to stop staring at the door.

"Its ok, mom, honest. I still love you."

She seemed relatively satisfied by that.

"Well, we're gonna go now,"said her father, moving for the door. "We'll keep her here. The damage has already been done and we can't undo it. Just, make sure you keep an eye on her. The fact that she can see the dead is unstable right now, and she doesn't need to be stressed out too much."

"Right," said the Hokage and Iruka-sensei both.

"Come on Sakura, lets go."

Sakura followed her parents out of the office, looking back on a whim to her Hokage and her teacher.

They were talking low with each other, stealing glances at her parents as they did so.

It made Sakura feel uneasy. But her father's voice pulled her away from them before she could think to call out to her teacher, and she let the doors shut.

"Sakura," he said as he led his family to the exit. Sakura looked up at him.

His pink hair high on his head reflected the sun as they stepped outside.

"Now you know who you really are," He turned to her, a stern look on his face. "If you have any questions, spill it now."

Sakura stopped in front of the Academy's steps. She held her breath, thinking of what to say.

She wanted to ask so many questions.

What was her power like? Where did it come from? Why didn't the Hokage do anything to help their village when he clearly knew of their curse? And many more.

But, what she desperately wanted to know now was, "Why are you still keeping secrets from me?"

Her parents stiffened at her inquiry.

"What?" asked her mother. "We're not, the Hokage told you everything about the curse and-"

"and you two know more." Sakura finished for her.

She gave them a hard stare, her heart bleeding with the uncomfortable fact that her parents didn't trust her.

"Do you think I won't be able to handle it? What about the wars? Do you think I'll cry if I learn the truth?"

Kizashi's shoulders suddenly slumped, and he knelt before his daughter. At eye level now, Sakura could see the bags under his eyes cleary.

Behind him her mother had her eyes closed, as if she was praying to the Gods.

"Sakura," said her father. His hands gripping her shoulders weighed on her and made her think of herself as a sudden burden.

She frowned at him.

"I can't tell you now, and we do trust you, more than you'll ever know," he said to her with watery blue eyes. "But, please, please know we will tell you everything. Soon. Just, for right now, will you focus on the Academy for us?"

Her mother opened her eyes a little to see her reaction to his request, and Sakura faintly nodded.

They smiled almost at the same time.

"That's my girl," whispered her mother, and her father kissed her forehead.

"Thanks, Blossom. You're the best."

Sakura watched as her family took each of her hands in theirs and whistled as they walked the long way home.

As the sun was setting, Sakura had no choice but to give in to her parents pleas, with the hope that they would some day tell her everything.

Because they said they trusted her.

And that, for now, was all that mattered.