Curiosity;
A strong desire to know or learn something.
That's what Sakura Haruno, recently turned orphaned, felt as she looked around the Hokage's office.
Questions surfed around her mind.
Why did the Hokage need his own office? Wouldn't it be easier for someone to assissante him like that? Why was the Hokage so old?
These questions were merely an idle way for her to kill time as she tuned out Kotetsu and Izumo's voices.
Her eyes trailed to the window. Konoha was...lively. If she tried hard, she could imagine that this had been her home all along. It wouldn't be the same, but she could fool herself. The mark of a great shinobi was the ability to fool others and themselves according to Hidan after all.
As much as she could fool herself, things would never be the same without Hidan, would it?
Feeling dejected Sakura turned her attention to the Hokage.
He was old. Practically ancient if she were to use Hidan's decent vocabulary. Sakura really wondered why he was still Hokage. Did the old man love his job that much? Honestly, Sakura didn't see the appeal of sitting in an office and doing paperwork all day.
It sounded boring.
"Child."
Who would want to actually take the job? Perhaps maybe that's why he was still Hokage, because no one else wanted his job.
"Sakura, Hokage-sama has addressed you." Izumo coughed.
Sakura blinked up at the Hokage. "Hi-kun said I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, especially not old people. Hi-kun said they might turn out to be old perverted geezers."
The rosette was completely oblivious to the disbelieving looks she was receiving from Kotetsu and Izumo.
"Did she just...?" Izumo trailed off.
"Yes.."
Hiruzen didn't immediately answer. Not because of Sakura's words, but rather because of her emerald eyes. They were blank. Without any feeling. Apathetic. As if she didn't even realize she was alive.
"We're so sorry about her Hokage-sama!" Izumo immediately exclaimed.
Yet, Hiruzen didn't break eye contact with the girl. "It's alright. Tell me Haruno-kun, would you like to stay in the village?"
"I have nowhere else to go either way." Sakura mumbled with a shrug. "And I was hoping to join the academy." She added.
Hiruzen thoughtfully nodded. "You will need to go through some tests for security purposes, but I'm sure you'll pass them with flying color. Also, you'll be staying with Izumo and Kotetsu." Finally, he broke eye contact in order to grab his pipe. "Agreed?"
Sakura nodded. "Understood."
"EH?!" Kotetsu yelled in surprise. He couldn't possibly take care of a kid, he'd kill her by the end of the day!
"Hokage-sama, we can't possibly-"
"Thank you for allowing me citizenship." Sakura cut Izumo off with a bow. "I am indebted to you."
Izumo paused to look at Sakura before looking at the Hokage. He noticed the calculative glint in the old man's eyes and sighed in defeat. "Kotetsu, take her to our place."
"What? Have you gone nuts? We can't possibly take care of a kid!"
Izumo gave Kotetsu the look. The look that compelled people to shut up and be mature.
"Sakura, let's go." Kotetsu dejectedly said as he motioned Sakura to follow him.
Sakura didn't immediately follow. She glanced between the Hokage and Izumo. "See you later Izumo-san."
Izumo nodded, feeling a bit put off as Sakura walked away with Kotetsu.
Sakura just had the strange ability to make him put up his guard even when he doesn't have to.
Izumo looked at the Hokage.
"Sir?" He asked gaining the Third's attention.
"Keep an eye on her."
"Sir, I will. But, may I ask why? I mean she's just a kid. Odd, but still just a child." Izumo had never been one to question orders, but then again he's never been ordered to house an orphan.
"I'm just curious. What makes her special enough to be left alive when her whole town was massacred in cold blood?"
.o0o.o0o.
Kotetsu wasn't panicking.
He didn't lose track of Sakura while talking to Hayate. And he wasn't currently running around the building like a headless chicken looking for the rosette. He was just calmly speed walking while taking in the view.
Sakura on the other hand was slightly confused.
She had been dutifully following Kotetsu, when suddenly out of nowhere a woman had grabbed her wrist and dragged her away while mumbling about the academy.
Sakura tried gaining Kotetsu's attention, but the man was too busy talking to his friend to notice her dilemma.
"Kids shouldn't wander when heading to the academy." The lady scolded her stopping in front of a door.
Sakura had a miniscule frown. She wasn't wandering. But, manners dictated she stay quiet near angry adults.
"Go on, go inside. I have to go back to work."
Before Sakura could correct the woman, because even manners couldn't help her get through to the woman, she was ushered into a half empty classroom.
The door closed behind her.
Sakura sighed in defeat before glancing around the class. Of course, everyone's eyes just had to be on her. She wasn't surprised, in fact she was used to people staring at her because of her pink hair. The embarrassment she felt when people would whisper about it only made her flush in pleasure.
"Who are you?" A brown haired boy asked her. He had weird red paint on his cheeks.
"Why are you wearing make-up?" Sakura curiously asked.
The majority of the class started laughing before going back to what they were doing before she had entered while the boy glared at her. A puppy appeared out of nowhere and barked at her too.
"Why do you have a dog? Is that even allowed?" Sakura continued asking as she walked towards the boy.
She stopped in front of the dog. "Does it bite?" She asked.
"He has a name!" The boy snapped at her.
"What's his name?"
"Akamaru."
"Akamaru? But he's white. Shouldn't he have been called Shiromaru?"
Before the boy could answer Akamaru barked in protest.
"Sorry." Sakura blandly apologized not really meaning it. "A name's just a name after all." She shrugged.
"Who are you anyways?" The boy asked crossing his arms.
"Hi-kun said I shouldn't talk to strangers. They might turn out to be perverts." Sakura mumbled in reply.
"Why you-"
"SAKURA-CHAN, WHERE ARE YOU?!" A panicked voice yelled.
Sakura blinked. "I have to go now."
The boy frowned at her as she walked away. "Sakura, huh? What a weird kid." Kiba grumbled turning back to Akamaru. "She's probably new."