Mom,

I loved reading your letter. It was actually the longest I got, and all the better for it. I am coping well, on my end. Don't worry about me. My jobs—both of them—are treating me well, for now, and the food, samurai, and letters have made all the difference for the mood of the camp. I'm nearly fourteen, now, just two more months—two months and the war will have lasted a year already. It's hard to believe.

I do, however faintly, remember the second time I was hospitalized, and what happened to me there. You know that I do; it was why it took so long to develop my senses to a passable level (they're far better now, by the way. Nothing quite works like practice in improving one's abilities.) I do know that I never hated you, though. I may not have understood it—not completely—but I knew you wouldn't put me through something like that if it wasn't necessary. It is much the same, I think, as the Yamanaka training.

I miss those times with Kohana, though, when I wasn't focused on anything but the present. They seem so long ago now. I don't feel like I'm thirteen. It seems too few years to have before being given the responsibility I have. We have others who are around that age at camp—mostly sensors, because of the rarity of that skill to begin with—and every single one of them seems to act a different age to me. Some, I think, should never have been sent to the front at all; the others, I suppose, are like me, able to adapt. I know you hate that I am one of the latter, even if you didn't write that. I know you say that it is important that we do all we can for Konoha, and I know you believe that, but that doesn't stop me—or you—from wanting Konoha to need different things.

I am fine, though, I promise. And don't worry about the stabbing you were told about—that (obviously) happened months ago and I'm fully recovered. Barely a scar.

Do you know what I remember most about my childhood? It was…

Kohana,

Your letter was lovely. I had a great time reading it. I am holding up alright—these letters, and the food and samurai, have been a big help. I'm still tired, but I'm not in any pain right now, and I don't know when I'm coming home. Probably not soon, though; you know there's never enough sensors.

I'm glad your boyfriend is treating Himari well, and I look forward to meeting him when I get home.

Listening to the caller doesn't sound fun. I hope babysitting is, at least, preferable to that. I've never really done any babysitting myself, and certainly not on the scale that you're likely having to work at, but do you remember the old training ground I used to hang out at after the Academy? It backed to a daycare center, and one of the genin that took regular missions there was so loud we could hear him through the wall. I think I've only ever seen his face twice, and I have no idea what he's actually specialized in, but I remember him so well that when you wrote about taking care of all those children all I could think about was you shouting so loudly (and happily) that people all the way across the village could hear you.

Given that, it is a great relief that Himari's help is keeping you sane enough not to disappear into a rice paddy or something.

I am sorry that Ren left. I got a letter from our nephew, too, and…

To Rento and Yoriko,

I can't believe how old you both are getting. I'm going to be very put out if I come home and find out that Rento's taller than me—even more so if Yoriko is too. I'm not even short, but your Dad is so tall that all my other siblings tell me he would hit his head almost every time he went through a doorway when he was a teenager. It didn't help that he was growing for so long, either—your aunt Sayuri told me that every time he figured out how low to duck he'd shoot up another inch.

You've probably heard that story before, but it's one of my favorites. I could never figure out why he didn't just start crawling through doorways. I am sorry that your Dad had to go fight in the war, but I suggest asking for more stories about Ren from the aunties on my block. They have all the best ones, and they're the best at telling them, too. My Dad wasn't around much when I was growing up, but we always knew he loved us. I'm glad you know the same.

Thank you so much for your well wishes, and Yoriko's drawing on the back. Both made me smile.

To Rento:

I think Research could work well for you. I'd suggest studying math in your free time; all my classmates found it useful when we were learning fuinjutsu (and so did I.) Besides that actually working in Research requires you to run a lot, make good tea, and proofreading everything so those are all good skills to practice. I also suggest you try experimenting like I did—Kohana can give you more information about what I did. Remember, Research is all about coming up with new ideas and trying to get them to work. It's okay if the ideas fail—most do—you just have to remember to keep trying.

To Yoriko:

Eight years old already! Wow. I loved your picture, and I'm sorry you couldn't think of any words to write to go along with it. If it helps, one of my best friends was in the same position, so he wrote me a poem instead. I hope you're having a good time at school. I liked Year Four, it was very busy. I hope it's much the same for you. While I'm mostly just working over here, some parts of it are fun. There's always music playing in the market behind camp, and so everyone goes there to dance a lot. I'm also inventing lots of new things, which I always find fun.

To the both of you:

Remember to behave nicely for your mother, the clan, and the rest of Konoha. While life isn't necessarily easy right now, all wars end.

Love,

Your Aunt Sakura.

Inoichi,

I'm going to go ahead and admit that I don't really know how to respond to your letter. I want to accept, if for no other reason than that you clearly think you need me to, but then I don't know how to help you. I'm barely your senior, and—as you pointed out—not exactly a paragon either.

Still, you are to be my clan head one day, so I might as well try.

First: I'm sorry that you were put into a situation you weren't ready for. I'm sorry that your Sensei is dead, too—mine was thought to be dead for some time, along with one of my genin teammates, and the grief was immeasurable.

Second: I don't think you're right, necessarily, about me being more able to extrapolate than you are. It is more as if (or at least this is how it feels to myself) I am just more aware of the… possibilities, let's say, of what reality can be. In addition, I have frequently been called mature for my age. I don't even think that's a good thing, really: I loved being a child, but my childhood constantly felt like it was an hourglass whose sand was pouring down at a faster rate than anyone else's.

And there's a reason we have childhoods.

The latter—the maturity—is basically just behaving as people want you to behave and being able to talk about things with an intelligence belying your age. You've had the second down for ages, and as for behavior… well, one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done was chose, against the wishes of my elders, to be a researcher, so just be aware of how you should behave; don't be afraid to stand your ground if and when you think it is necessary.

As for the former, the 'awareness', I don't really know how to cultivate it. It clearly isn't my being more empathetic to others—at least four fifths of our clan is better than me at identifying others' thoughts, moods, and emotions even without the use of our bloodline. The best I can suggest is not to stop there: as an example, you realized my younger sister had a crush on you and have used it to your advantage to get cheap or even free flowers quickly made as necessary. If you do not like her back that's fine, but no one likes to be taken advantage of, and you ignored that—or, at the very least, assumed that she wouldn't figure it out and therefore it didn't matter. It does matter. You should use what you understand about the world to make as many people better as possible—though this is easier said than done.

Of course, I am not saying I'm the best at this either—there's a reason I apparently have a reputation for being blunt. But for a clan leader, I think I'd prefer someone who tries, as much as is possible, to act as their people would want them to act if they, too, had access to the same information. Himari wouldn't have wanted you to take advantage of her (I know, by the way, that she wouldn't care very much, either, if she did know. But she still wouldn't like it.)

And, as I wrote earlier, I am not saying to behave only as people want you to. You have different information than them, after all, not only about the world at large but also you yourself. Still, if you are going to behave against the clan's immediately obvious wishes, I think it is best to have a reason you feel like you can stand behind.

I chose to be a researcher not just because I enjoy it but also because I believe I can do more good there in the long term than in a career that uses my sensing abilities. You once ran into my yard and told me, without an ounce of remorse, that you bullied your classmates because you were bored. I might be wrong, and actually hurting the world by aiming for research instead of sensing or infiltration, but my justification is good. Yours—admittedly about a completely different topic and at a younger age—doesn't qualify as such, at least to me.

As for the other part of maturity, the part I haven't mentioned yet, the part of why you feel like you should behave and do what is right, well. That part was forced onto you. Congrats, you're now, truly, an adult. You feel responsible, and you want to act responsibly. It sucks.

Your homework, then, is to think about what I've written above. Pick it apart, find all its weaknesses (I know there are many) and question every so-called logical reasoning I used. Then write back to me. Point out where I've gone wrong, ask questions, ask for clarifications. I'm sure I've made plenty of mistakes.

The biggest thing you should do—the biggest thing you can do—is to begin spending much more time and energy analyzing the world around you to increase the knowledge base you justify your decisions on, and so that's where we'll start.

Your tutor, it seems, in perpetuity,

Sakura.

To Sensei,

No hidden messages? I'm disappointed.

I loved seeing you again, however briefly, and was pleased to see you healthy and well. I am sure that you and everyone else is doing their best to hasten peacetime's arrival, and in the meantime will continue to do all I can to protect our great nation. It has to be done, after all.

Love,

Sakura.

To Sachiko,

I am so happy to hear about Ibiki, but I can't you've named him after his snoring. Or, actually, I can. Still, come on!

I would be honored to be Ibiki's godmother, and I hope to meet my new charge soon. I can't wait to spoil him rotten.

I am sorry you had to return to work so soon, though. Hopefully peace, and with it a reduced schedule, will come soon. I am glad, at least, that your child is in trusted hands.

Love to you and to Ibiki,

Sakura.

To Kamui,

I can't believe I'm your dearest sister! I can't wait to rub it in all the others' faces! I should make a banner!

I miss your food. Here, even in the market behind the camps, there is little variation in food. While the samurai have brought a good amount of food with them, it is also quite plain, meant more for sustenance than taste. I still remember your first attempts at cooking, and while a great many things could be said about them, I don't think anyone would argue that you were too focused on sustenance. (Remember your attempt at garlicky daifuku? My breath smelled for weeks, and I was only able to stomach one bite.) At this point, I miss even those attempts.

In terms of what I want, I want an absolute mountain of anything sugary and/or doughy. Like, an actual mountain. That would be amazing.

With that out of the way…

You know that I never wanted to go the dangerous route. I wanted to be a researcher! I wanted to stay behind Konoha's walls and invent new and amazing things between sleeping in my own, very comfortable, bed every night. I promise, Kamui, that as soon as I physically can I will be back at home, doing just that.

But it's not just up to me.

Also, what?! Why do you trust Sayuri and Akina and not me! I am super responsible! I have never slept with any of my friend's siblings or skipped months of class! Really, Kamui! I mean, that single sentence may have been the most insulting thing anyone's ever said to me! I haven't been sick in like a decade! I was as tall as a freaking table the last time I was hospitalized! I'm not saying you shouldn't have worried about me then, but I'm not a toddler anymore.

I may not be able to decide whether or not to be on the frontline, but you have to trust me to be able to protect myself in that position.

I know you were joking, mostly, about hating me If I died, but still. Trust me, Kamui. I've never—not once—given my entire family food poisoning.

Love,

Sakura.

To Aiko,

It's weird, isn't it, that we're adults now? I mean, I'm not even fourteen, you're just over a year older, and both of us are working every day of the week. It's a far different reality than those years hanging out at Training Ground 40. Still, I'm glad that someone is getting to do the job they actually want to do (totally not jealous. Definitely.)

Actually, I'm kind of not. Obviously the past several months have been focused on my sensing, but recently my other interest has reentered my life, so I'm in a better place than I have been. I will say, though, that winter has been hard here. Not enough to eat, not enough hope, not enough sleep… well, you get the point. Recently, though, with the samurai arriving it has gotten much better.

More food, more people, more hope, more letters… if it weren't for Uzumaki Mito dying, then up here it'd be basically all good news. I'm still tired, though. Sometimes I feel like I will never be fully awake again.

I know the Homefront isn't a bunch of fun either, though, because obviously Konoha has different concerns. Still, I hope there is some level of improvement as frontline deaths go down.

And hazard pay is nice… but also, the food shortage was so bad during winter that I was using almost all of it just to buy enough meals. Chakra sensing is exhausting. Still, at least there's food, so I am looking forward to making very good use of all the money I'm earning now.

If you can—that is, if he was able to contact you—could you tell me if Yasuo is still doing well? Everyone else was able to write me, but Yasuo is on the frontline too and you know battalions and brigades can't write directly to each other.

Love,

Sakura.

To Bokuso,

I don't know whether I'm a chuunin or not, actually, but my career is certainly accelerating, so there's that. I am very happy to hear that your own is going well, though; I also know that the rest of my genin team are chuunin too, so we as a group are clearly moving on up.

Only a few more years before we take over everything!

(To whoever else is reading this, that was sarcasm.)

You're also right that it is a huge relief knowing that the rest of you are working with me to do what we can to protect Konoha and Fire from our enemies. I hadn't thought of you having to leave behind your colonies; I know how close you were with them. Are the Aburame being given leave to visit them in this war? I know they were in the last, but obviously this one is a different animal.

I think your assessment regarding the length of the war is right, but I'm still going to hope that it ends sooner.

I am getting very, very tired of all of this, and at this point it's a struggle to get up in the morning.

Still, I'm doing my best to act as if everything's fine. Fake it 'till you make it, right?

Love,

Sakura.

To Shin,

You absolute asshole.

Write me a real freaking letter!

Sakura.

~

To Shin,

Okay, I've rethought, and I may as well write you a letter first. I know for a fact that you're on the frontline, which means you had to pull some strings to send me that poem.

You put in significant time, and effort, and who knows what else, to send me sixteen words! And two of those were our names!

Look, Shin, we've known each other for so long that you feel like just as much a part of my life as the air. I know you.

I also know that you don't think that's true, but no matter what you think—what you feel—

I still know you.

Yes, you had to hide things from Juro and me. Yes, you grew up and changed without us. That's life. I'm not telling you everything either, and honestly I never have.

Yes, your job has forced you to do things you didn't necessarily want to do. Has forced you to go on even when every bone, nerve, sinew, and muscle was screaming to stop.

Tough.

So has mine.

That doesn't mean you're allowed to stop being my teammate. My brother.

You will always be family.

Neither of our behavior—nor Juro's, actually—during our latest mission was perfect. We'd been living on constant alert, constantly straining, for months.

Of course we didn't click.

That doesn't mean you get to cut us off.

We're supposed to lean on each other, and I know how much I need the support so I bet you do too.

One day this'll all be over. We'll tell each other what we want to and can, and we will learn about each other's lives in response. We'll smile, cry, scream, fight, say things we do and don't mean, and at the end of the day

we

will

still

be

teammates.

Make a poem out of that.

Love,

Sakura.

To Juro,

I'm sorry to hear about your brother. I fasted for a day and screamed into my pillow for him. I would really enjoy creating our own ritual, though, to mourn our lost brothers. Tradition provides a solid base for how to mourn, but it has also always felt like the entire clan (rightly) mourning, to me, rather than individuals experiencing grief.

I'm with you on the exhausting bit. Recently things have gotten better, both for the camp at large and for me specifically, but I'm still finding it increasingly difficult to get up every morning. I feel, the longer this goes on, that it is pointless, and even though I know it isn't the case it still takes just that bit longer every day for me to convince myself of such. I hope the petition at least acts as some kind of finish line for you, even if it is an impersonal one.

My birthday hasn't happened yet. I'm not really looking forward to it, this year.

These letters have (mostly) helped, but they've also made me realize how tired I am. I also had my interest reenter my life recently, and that even that hasn't seemed to help is… worrying me.

Could you write to Shin, too? Talk some sense into him? I've tried, but I don't know if I've hit the mark.

I've certainly been kept busy. I'm even busier now, too, but at least it's with things I would have chosen.

I'm tired, but I will keep on. Things have improved recently, and with any luck they will continue to do so until the war is over and then what a wonder that will be.

I miss you.

I miss everyone.

Love, your sister,

Sakura.