An almost feral smile threatened to split Sakura's face in to as they walked through the Uchiha district, but refrained from letting it as they passed many different Uchiha. When people thought of the shinobi clan, they never thought about the civilian part of it. A clan as big as the Uchiha couldn't sustain itself on shinobi alone, so there needed to be civilian making connects and keeping the district going while the shinobi were out. Sakura had dealt with a lot of merchants from the clan and knew that their glassmaking was renown in Fire Country. She wondered if Sasuke even knew that.
"Excellent work," Orochimaru murmured as they passed the gates and left the district behind them. "Word of your mokuton will have spread across the village by the end of the day."
"Rumors will be in full circulation by the time lunchtime is over." Before, she wouldn't have disagreed so outright with one of her teachers, but Orochimaru was different. He wanted to be challenged by his students; he claimed that to really grow, one had to think for themselves and not follow blindly.
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
"Uchiha Fugaku is the clan head, right? So, the clan elders will want to meet with him to know if Sasuke actually apologized and if they're still in hot water with you. Fugaku-san will tell them that I have mokuton, and from there, it's like a snowball rolling down a hill."
"Clan elders do not normally gossip with other clans," Orochimaru pointed out.
"What about the servants or younger clansmen who serve them lunch then?" Sakura smiled sharply at the impressed look on her teacher's face. "If they are not explicitly told not to talk about it, then they will go out with their friends, either to eat or go to the market. That's when anyone can eavesdrop. Waitstaff and sellers in the market might appear oblivious, but they're the ones who hear everything."
"It seems that you are further along in running a clan than your peers, all who have been training to take over their clan head's position since birth."
"Guess that's what happens when I get stuck with them. Gotta learn something," Sakura shrugged.
"That is how a good shinobi gathers information," Orochimaru agreed. "In a few years, I don't doubt you will take the councils by storm."
"In a few years? Why not now?"
"Enjoy your youth," Orochimaru smiled at her. "You will have plenty of years to mess with the elite."
"Like you."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Giggling, Sakura felt giddy with the praise from someone so intelligent and powerful. She had been nervous that Orochimaru would be a harsh teacher, but instead, he had been encouraging and seemed to know her limits better than she did. He continued to challenge her intellectually by having her play with clan politics and giving her a multitude of subjects to study. Not once did he dissuade her from research a topic, only offering up his personal library and offering up information that he knew off hand. The Academy had been incredibly limited in the books and information they offered, but with Orochimaru, nothing was off limits. He was even going to give her access to jonin level texts at the shinobi library!
Matching Orochimaru's graceful stride, Sakura couldn't help but see the world in a much brighter light. Somehow, colors were more vibrant, the people around them far more interesting, and the village itself presenting as one big web that she could get tangled up in. Never had she felt as if the world was at her finger tips. She was tempted to skip like when she had been little, brimming with unrestrained happiness.
They were walking through a park towards the Nara compound, and Sakura glanced over at Orochimaru. He looked just as elegant as he did when they had left that morning, but she had to admit she missed seeing the flowers in his hair.
Apparently, it was Tenzo who had weaved the flowers into Orochimaru's hair the other day. He had quietly explained that when he was nervous, and was in a safe place, he would braid flowers together. And when he had a willing participant, he would braid them through the person's hair. Orochimaru was his most frequent victim, mostly because he didn't care if others saw him like that.
Sakura had been flattered that the reason Tenzo had been nervous was because he would be meeting her for the first time. She never knew her presence could cause such a reaction.
Reaching out to a low hanging branch, she snagged a leaf. Another quick look at Orochimaru, and she concentrated on the leaf. Chakra flowed easily into the leaf, however, it was making sure it didn't become too greedy that was the problem. Keeping an iron grip on how much chakra she was feeding into it, she watched as the leaf began to bud into a white flowers. One final burst of chakra, and the flowers grew even bigger. Nodding in satisfaction to herself, Sakura plucked the biggest flower.
"If the village doesn't know by lunchtime, the certainly will know now," Orochimaru said lightly, arching an eyebrow.
"That was the plan," she shrugged. She understood the importance of having leverage and a trump card when dealing with clan politics. Since she had a near extinct jutsu, she would be incredibly valuable to the village, and showcasing her skills casually would only help the rumors spread. "Here."
Orochimaru handled the flower delicately as he placed it behind his ear. It didn't quite match the darker colors he was wearing, but Sakura hadn't figured out how to manipulate plants to do go against their natural genetics just yet. Another thing to study with Tenzo.
"I didn't think I would have another child that wanted to cover me in flowers," he chuckled.
"Kinda in my name," Sakura smiled.
"Predictable then."
"Not always a bad thing."
"In some cases."
Soon enough, the Nara compound was in view, and they could see Shikamaru and his parents waiting for them. Just like the Uchiha, the main clan family was dressed nicely as they waited for them to arrive. Nara Shikaku and Yoshino were standing ramrod straight, while Shikamaru looked ready to fall asleep at any moment. His yukata had probably been tied nicely, but it appeared as if he had been pulling at it in annoyance.
"Orochimaru-sama, Sakura-chan," Shikaku smiled tightly at them. "I'm glad we could meet today."
"We are as well, Skikaku-san," Orochimaru nodded graciously.
"Come inside," Yoshino gestured for them to follow, while she kept a stern grip on Shikamaru, who looked ready to saunter off when nobody was paying attention.
"Congratulations, Sakura-chan," Shikaku smiled at her warmly. "You did very well in your own matches."
"Thank you, Nara-san," she bowed. "I am looking forward to all that I can learn under Orochimaru-sensei."
"Have you ever played shogi, Sakura-chan?" Shikaku asked as they entered the compound's main house.
"Shikaku," Yoshino sighed in exasperation
"I play often against my parents."
"I think it would be a great opportunity for you and Shikamaru to play a few rounds," the Nara clan head smiled.
"I agree. We will only be discussing the matches, so you two can play a game in the meantime," Orochimaru said, and Sakura wanted to roll her eyes. Clan politics.
"Fine," Shikamaru huffed in irritation. "Come on, this way."
He took her into a tatami mat room where a small table with a shogi board was already set up. The board and pieces were made of expensive, polished wood that was well taken care of. It was obvious the game was well taken care of, even if in use quite often. Shikamura settled down on a cushion and waved her to the other side.
They were silent for a second as he began setting up the game. Fidgeting, Sakura tried to think of something to say. She and Shikamaru had never been close, even when she and Ino had been friends, they hadn't really hung out. Then, Ino and she had their fallout, and then there really was no reason for the two to talk. Shikamaru was an introvert who would rather be left alone to cloud-gaze or nap, while Sakura had been a little too energetic for his tastes, which she didn't blame him for.
"You fought really well in the tests," she said quietly.
"Thanks. It was really funny seeing you pulling one over on Naruto," he smirked. "Since you're the guest, you can go first."
"Ok." She stared down at the board, thinking back to all the times she had played against her parents. Taking a piece, she made her move. Silence fell on them again as they both began to take longer and longer moves, the game growing increasingly serious as time went on. During one of her turns, Sakura was analyzing the board critically when Shikamura spoke up again.
"You said you play against your parents?"
"Yeah," she nodded absentmindedly. "I used to play against just my mom, but when I started beating her, she recruited my dad. They would make me cover my ears while they discussed their next move with each other. The didn't catch on for a while that I started to read their lips."
"Of course, you would be the one to do that," Shikamaru snorted.
"What do you mean?" Sakura looked away from the board to meet his gaze. He raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
"You were always the overachiever," he said flatly. "Whenever Iruka-sensei had a question, you would have a ten-minute answer."
"Did not," she mumbled, cheeks turning pink.
"Did, too," he quipped. "And now you're the apprentice of one of the smartest ninja in the village. How long did it take you to finish the written test anyway?"
"I don't know, half an hour?"
"Twenty-seven minutes."
"You were watching me?"
"I knew I wouldn't be the one getting it," he shrugged. "My parents wanted me to try, so I did, but I knew it'd be someone else getting it."
"Did you think I'd get it?" She asked hesitantly, finally making her move. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he watched the board. Waiting for him, it was a few long minutes before he responded, moving his own piece.
"I didn't know enough to make an educated guess," he shook his head, leaning back on his hands. "We didn't know what we were being tested on, or how the whole thing would be weighted. But, I wasn't surprised the last match was between you and Uchiha."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you two are the students of Hatake Kakashi, and were the top students in our theoretical classes. If Orochimaru was going off intelligence and ability to adapt in a fight, then you two would be the clear options."
"But I lost all my matches."
"So?" He rolled his eyes. "I almost failed out of the Academy."
"That's because you napped all day instead of trying."
"Too troublesome."
Their game went on, and Sakura could feel the difference in Shikamaru's level and her parents. Even combined, her parents had never cornered her so efficiently, but she refused to give up. Already thinking of dozens of ways to turn the tides, Sakura nearly jumped when she moved a piece and looked up to meet Shikamaru's piercing gaze.
"What?" She asked suspiciously.
"The Haruno's clan symbol is a circle, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Ever hear about the ouroboros?"
"The snake that eats its own tail, right?"
"Yeah," Shikamaru nodded. "It represents an endless cycle of rebirth and destruction. A bit like the mokuton."
"The mokuton?" Sakura blinked. "I guess that makes sense. The mokuton uses trees, which are living things. Nature is in a constant state of decay and regrowth, which the mokuton takes advantage of, especially if you considered the First Hokage's regeneration abilities."
Before Shikamaru could continue, they could hear footsteps coming towards them and the shoji doors opened. Shikaku smiled at them before lazily sauntering over to them. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he surveyed the shogi board intently.
"Are you still on your first game?"
"Yeah," Shikamura huffed. "Sakura always acts like she knows less than she does."
"No, I don't!" She squeaked indignantly. She was smart, damnit!
"Not a bad tactic when you're caught by an enemy," Shikaku told them lightly. "How about you come over some time and play, Sakura-chan? Orochimaru-sama asked me to come get you."
"Thank you, Nara-san," she bowed slightly. "We have a few more people to visit today."
"No need to be so formal," he chuckled.
"See you later, Shikamaru!"
"Hmm," the boy responded. He had already laid down, his back to them as he lazily waved at her. Shaking her head, Sakura glanced at the board and saw the last move he had made was in retreat.
Smiling proudly to herself, she described her game in great detail with Orochimaru as they left the Nara compound and headed to another clan compound.
The flower from earlier was still proudly displayed in Orochimaru's hair as they walked through the village, many people staring outright at them. Any other time, Sakura would feel self conscious, but not now. Not when she was standing next to her very own sensei, someone that would be there for her no matter what. Holding her head high, she beamed in pride as Orochimaru complimented on her skills in shogi.
"I myself had trouble defeating young Shikamaru's grandmother. The only time I had succeeded in truly defeating her was when she was in labor with Shikaku."
"I don't think I'll ever get that opportunity against Shikamaru," Sakura pouted.
"I doubt that, too," he chuckled. "However, we can practice if defeating him is a priority of yours."
"As much as I would like to," she glanced at him. "I think it'd be best if we didn't play shogi or Go at home. I had to keep Yua from eating the pieces."
"Of course, she did," Orochimaru sighed. "I do hope you receive summons who aren't as obnoxious as mine."
"I resent that," Yua pipped up from where she had been hiding in Sakura's collar.
"No, you represent that."
Laughing, Sakura didn't care if people stared at her. She couldn't remember a time when she had felt to content and confident in her life. Smiling, she stayed right next to Orochimaru's side as they headed towards their next appointment.