Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 7: A Forced Pariah

Flashback:

Minato turned his head at the single entrance to his tent. The clopping of boots had stopped abruptly and suddenly. He heard the shifting of metal plates as the soldier came to attention.

"Namikaze-sama," the voice said loudly.

Minato returned his attention to the dagger he was cleaning in his hands. "Come in." his ears registered the sound of the flap being opened. He could see the boots just at the top of his line of sight.

"I have your mail, sir." The soldier bowed. He held out letters.

Minato placed the dagger and the whetstone on the cot next to him. He took the letter. The man left the tent just as quickly as he had entered. A smile bloomed across his face as his eyes confirmed what he was hoping for.

He turned the envelope in his hand. He traced the intricate grooves of the Namikaze family seal pressed into a collection of red wax. He opened it. His blue eyes scanned the page.

Minato!

I am so mad at you. I've puffed up to the size of a whale! This is all your fault. I'm constantly angry, hungry, mad, and frustrated, and the littlest things make me cry. Just yesterday I cried for an hour because a bird was left all alone in his nest. His brothers and sisters all flew off days ago but this little guy is just not ready for the world. An hour, Minato!

I miss you. I worry about you. Are you eating? Are you sleeping? Are you thinking about me as much as I'm thinking about you? You better be. But also please don't be distracted out there. I will never forgive you if you die on me. Our baby needs you. I need you. So think about me but only when it's safe to do so like when you're sleeping.

I know you're out there to keep us safe, to keep our home safe for me and our child. But when are you coming back? Why are you still gone? Stop messing around and go show those Iwa scum whose boss.

Please be safe. Did I mention how worried I am?

Forever Yours,

Kushina

Minato chuckled whilst shaking his head. He pressed the letter to his chest. The image of his wife's face was at the forefront of his mind.

"I would fly to you if I could, Kushina." He brought the letter to his lips. He kissed it before tucking it safely into the folds of his clothes. The letter sat just over his heart.

He pulled his armor over his shoulders. He tightened his arm guards before grabbing his katana and slinging it over his chest. He slipped through the folds of his tent and greeted his men. His helmet rested in the crook of his arm.

He let out a breath. His eyes were sharp and focused. He had a battle to win. With each win, he was getting closer and closer to being back to the only place where he wanted to be.

End of Flashback

Minato turned his head to look back at the solemn faces of his men. They were only half a day out from their destination. He dismounted from his horse.

"We will rest here." He announced. He caught Kakashi's navy armor from the corner of his eye. He came to stand at his right hand. "We will set out again at dawn. Remain steadfast and remember your training."

He turned his head. He could see the two cliffs off into the distance. The valley, when won, would signal the start of a new day, a new era. He refused to even entertain thoughts of the contrary. The time for thinking was over. Now was the time to act.

Sakura wrapped her fingers around the doorknob. She turned it slowly to the right. The familiar aroma enveloped her. Sakura inhaled deeply through her nose.

"Haruno-san!" The bowl-cut head popped out from behind the counter just as the loud bell rattled its last chime.

"Lee-san," she smiled in greeting. She already had the envelope in her hand. It was ready to be presented to him.

"How are you doing, Haruno-san? You look skinnier." He said with both ample volume and concern.

"I'm doing well, Lee-san. How about yourself?" She relied on her closed-off body language to steer the conversation off of her person. She looked at the wooden cubbies. They were about half full.

"I cannot complain." He said with a grin. He took the letter she slid across the counter. Sakura had two copper coins in the wooden tray before he handed her an envelope in exchange.

She took in the neat loops of her mother's penmanship. Sakura grabbed the ends of the letter. She looked up at Lee's eyes in mild surprise when he did not let go. She furrowed her brow.

Lee rubbed the back of his head. "Haruno-san," his eyes seemed to wander around the entirety of the shop before they settled on her again. "I have something I would like to discuss with you."

'This can't be good.'

"Lee-san?" She fought the urge to take a preemptive half-a-step back. The increase in distance would have decreased her restlessness.

"I know this is not how matters such as this are usually discussed," he cleared his throat. Her sharp eyes did not miss the faint dusting of pink across his cheeks. "But I'd say our situation is not usual by any means."

Sakura kept her expression neutral. She alternated from looking him in the eye and between his brows. Her arms felt heavy at her sides. She picked at a hangnail on her right thumb as she waited for him to continue.

"Haruno-san, I am an upfront individual. I hope you can excuse my bluntness." He took a breath, gathering his courage from the very air around him. "I like you, Haruno-san. I would like to marry you."

'What?!'

"You hardly know me," she said with a frown. She bit her tongue. It was too late. She said what she thought out loud.

"I know enough, Haruno-san." His eyes were swimming with emotion. "We can help each other. I can help support your family and you can help fill the void in my life." He regarded her with a look of sympathy. "We could be good together."

'What is wrong with him?'

Her hands involuntarily curled. She could feel her blunt nails digging into the flesh of her palms. She alleviated some of the pressure.

"I want to know your thoughts on the matter." He said with a level of earnestness that she was not quite used to in other people. Children sure, but not adults.

Her stomach dropped to her toes. She measured her words twice before even opening her mouth. "Lee-san," she met his eyes with conviction." Thank you for your offer but I am not interested."

The silence was cutting. She could feel seconds of her life being cut away. She dared not move beyond blinking and breathing. Her emerald eyes stayed on his person, watching closely in case she misjudged him and he reacted badly.

"May I ask why? Is there someone else?" His shoulders dipped slightly as did the light behind his eyes. It did not shine with the same blinding intensity. Her guilt only grew but her resolve remained steadfast.

"There is no one else." She said firmly. "I am not interested in getting married." She answered openly and honestly. "It's not personal, Lee-san." She kept her expression neutral. She did not want to give an indication that her stance would ever soften.

"I see," he said slowly. "I just thought we could help each other."

"Lee-san, I respect you. And I hope we can continue to have a cordial relationship after this. But I take care of my family, Lee-san. I am taking care of my family. That is my responsibility. No one else's." Her emerald eyes contained no traces of duality.

He lowered his head ever-so-slightly. "I understand, Haruno-san. Please rest assured this does not change the nature of our interactions. I bear no grudge. Thank you for your honesty." He slid the two coins from the tray, under the counter where he kept his till.

"Thank you, Lee-san." Sakura dipped her head. She took the letter from his limp grip, careful to avoid all his fingers. "I will see you in two weeks."

"I'll be waiting," he said with a tight smile.

Sakura nodded her head. She slowly turned on her heel and exited the shop without so much as a backward glance. She felt his eyes the entirety of the time.

'It's for your own good, Lee-san.'

"Ambe-san?" He wiggled in his chair desperate to be moving around. "Can I see Sakura now?" He looked up at her with his big blue eyes.

Tomoha gathered every last bit of her resolve around her. "Naruto-sama, you need to focus on your studies." She pointed to the books in front of him. "You need to pay attention to your sensei." She gestured to the middle-aged man a long black braid with thick glasses.

"It's too hard!" Naruto pushed away the books. "I want to see Sakura!"

"If you finish your work, maybe you can see her. You must behave, Naruto-sama." She pulled the book in front of him again.

"You've been saying that for a long time!" Naruto puffed out his cheeks in indignation.

Tomoha felt the tutor's eyes alongside Naruto's heated gaze. "She is working, Naruto-sama. You do not want to interfere with her work, do you?" She repressed the guilt she felt deep inside.

Naruto crossed his arms. He looked at the squiggly words on the page. "What is this one again?" He pointed to the character.

The tutor all but slammed his head against the table.

Sakura tilted her head and halted her movements. The buckets containing milk hung to her sides. She listened intently.

'Let it be.'

Sakura bit her lip. There was no mistaking what her ears were picking up on.

'Ambe is already out to get you.'

The voice in her head made a lot of sense, it made too much sense. She took a couple of steps away from the sound. The further away she moved the heavier her footsteps became. Sakura let out a sigh. She turned around and walked directly toward the source of the sound. She rounded a building. She found the woman hunched over by the hand pump. She was looking down at her hands. Dishes were piled around her.

"Juna-san?" Sakura set down the buckets and took a couple of steps towards the upset woman.

Juna's hazel eyes snapped toward Sakura. Sakura smiled at her gently. "Are you alright?"

Juna hastily wiped her tears. "I'm fine, Sakura-chan." She returned the smile. It was not convincing in the slightest way.

Sakura's eyes fixed on the woman's right hand. It was red and she could see blisters. Sakura leaned forward with her hands on her knees.

"Mind if I take a look?" She asked in a low voice full of calm.

"It's nothing," Juna tried to hide the inside of her hand against her clothes.

"I think I can help," Sakura crouched down. "It won't take more than a minute."

She watched as Juna seemed to weigh her options. With tears still in her eyes, the woman slowly turned her right hand. She moved it toward Sakura.

Sakura held it gently as she inspected it. "What happened?" Her jade eyes darted to Juna's hazel orbs for a second as she asked the question.

The woman let out a forlorn sound. "It's the baby." She grimaced. "The baby is taking up all my brain power. I grabbed the handle of a metal pot that was on the stove without thinking. I nearly spilled it all over myself." Tears of frustration leaked out of her eyes. "I can't believe I did something so careless."

"We all make mistakes," Sakura tilted her head as she continued to examine the extent of the damage. "The good news is that it is not too bad of a burn. You'll be alright." She lowered the woman's hand.

"I can't do my job." The caramel-brown-haired woman was still very much distraught.

Sakura looked over her shoulder. Her eyes were not focused on anything in particular as the gears in her head moved.

"Wait here, Juna-san. I'll be right back." Sakura rose to her feet. She did not give the woman a chance to respond. She moved to her quarters with sure steps. She looked at the rows of jars. She dumped the contents of the jar that was closest to empty on the surface of her desk. She wiped the inside with a clean cloth.

She moved her fingers along the remaining jars on the shelf. She began to pull them and take out varying amounts of their contents. She placed them on a dark stone. She grabbed a smaller smooth rock and began to press the ingredients together. She was careful to not let any of it escape the flat, dark stone. She mixed until a paste in a dark green hue was formed. She used the smaller stone to scoop up the paste and transfer it to the glass jar. She had enough to fill it a fourth of the way full. She secured the lid. She grabbed a clean scrap of garment, what remained of one of her kimonos, with the hand that was not holding the jar. The gray fabric was soft to the touch.

Sakura wiped her hands on the rag before she tightened her bandana. She was out the door within seconds. She crossed the courtyard. She found Juna in the exact place she had left her. The milk buckets also had not moved. Sakura lowered herself down in front of the woman.

"This will help with the pain. It will also help the burn heal faster," she opened the jar.

Juna looked her in the eye with a searching look on her face. The woman held out her hand. Sakura placed the gray fabric across Juna's belly. Sakura scooped out some of the paste and began to apply it to the burn area. Juna's face went from wary to relieved in less time than it took to blink thrice.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan. I knew you were a good person the minute I laid eyes on you." Juna's voice was full of gratitude. "I have a terrible pain tolerance."

Sakura chuckled. "It's no problem at all."

"I am so scared for what's to come," Juna said with a long sigh. "I don't know how I'm going to have this baby!"

"You might be stronger than you know." Sakura mused. She wrapped Juna's hand with the cloth.

"You're really pretty too, Sakura-chan. I didn't notice before but up close, your eyes are stunning." Juna smiled with warmth.

Sakura felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She pulled down her bandana out of habit.

"Is your hair pink?" Juna studied her closely. "Your eyelashes and eyebrows are."

Sakura shook her head. "Strawberry blonde." She lied with practiced ease. "You're quite beautiful too, Juna-san." She deflected.

"Oh!" The woman brought her bandaged hand to her face. "You should have seen me before all this," she rubbed her belly. "I could have had any man I wanted. Within reason of course." She laughed.

"I believe it." Sakura regarded the woman.

"My weakness is a man with humor and a good heart. That's why I ended up with my husband. What he lacks in wealth he makes up with kindness." Juna's face lit up as she thought of her husband. "He works here too. At the stables. He tends to the animals. It's been harder for him since he got back from the war." She sighed. "Makes me wonder if we're crazy to be having a child. We can barely support ourselves, you know?"

Sakura bit her lip. She saw the steel buckets from the corner of her eyes. "I'm sure things will work out. A child needs a home with love first and foremost." Sakura smiled kindly at the woman. "You and your family will be fine."

The woman brought her hand to her heart. "Thank you, Sakura-chan."

"Juna-san, can I ask you something?"

The woman blinked in surprise. "Sure, Sakura-chan. Ask away!"

"What do you know about the boy with the brown hat?" Sakura asked her slowly, her jade eyes trained on Juna's face.

"Not much. He's been here since I got here, three years ago. All I know is he is not one of the servants' kids. Those who have been here longer discouraged me from engaging with him. They told me to ignore him even when he's acting out, which is often. The older kids never played with him. The younger kids are kept away from him. He's just always here."

Sakura chewed on her bottom lip. Her mind raced with thoughts. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach.

"We are discouraged from gossiping here." Her eyes darted around the compound. She leaned forward, covered her mouth, and lowered her voice. "But can you believe that our Master has not been home since the war started? Not once! Only a handful of the servants even know what he looks like. I think just Ambe-san and the cook - Miharu-san - know, actually." She made a face. "Maybe Uka-san, who knows. I can only make sense of half of what she says. She talks all breathy and fast. Like she just ran a race. The woman is so nervous, Kami!" Juna huffed. "What was I saying? Oh yay!" She clapped her hands. "The Master," she gushed. "From what I hear he's really handsome. The kind to make anyone go weak at the knees." Juna punctuated with a giggle.

'Uzumaki-kun, I'm so sorry.'

Sakura tuned out the ramblings of the woman. Her bubbly voice was nothing but white noise. White noise that had no intention of stopping anytime soon.

Sakura stood up. Juna looked at her in surprise. Her mouth clamped shut.

"I need to get back to work, Juna-san. Keep your hand dry. Keep it covered. Apply the paste as needed. Come find me if you need more." Sakura held out the jar. The woman took it. "Once you've healed please bring the jar back to me."

"O-okay," she held the jar with both hands. "Thank you, Sakura-chan."

"I'll do the dishes once I take the milk into the kitchen. So please don't worry about that." Sakura said breezily.

"Are you sure?" Juna furrowed her brown brow. "I don't want to get you into trouble with Ambe-san."

"It will be fine. I'll finish everything." Sakura smiled at her reassuringly. She rounded back to the milk buckets. "Take care, Juna-san." She left the woman sitting on the stool stunned for the second time.

'Ambe-san won't find me this time!'

He peered at her from behind the trees. Her back was to him. She was humming to herself as she was nearly elbows deep in soap suds. She was washing something. He looked down at the ground.

'I don't want her to get into trouble.'

He pushed his lips to the side as the thought consumed his mind. He remembered Ambe-san's stern expression when she had told him that.

'But she said I'm a good helper. I can help her finish faster!'

Naruto nodded his head. He took several steps. His hands were clasped behind his back. He came to a stop in front of her. He smiled at her. But she did not see. Her eyes were still focused on what she was doing.

"Sakura," he took a step forward. He tapped the top of his shoes against the ground. "Can I help?" He looked at her with his big eyes.

She continued to hum. His face pulled into a pout.

'Maybe she didn't hear me.'

He looked around, there was no one else there. "Sakura!" He said her name louder. His bottom lip pulled past his top when she still did not look up.

He felt hope well up in him as she rose to her feet. It came crashing down just as quickly. His face fell just as the lever of the hand pump did. The sound of the flowing water filled the quiet.

'She's ignoring me.'

The realization hit him squarely in his chest. He turned on his heel and ran away from her. He ran until he could not run anymore. His lungs burned for breath. He put his hands on his knees as he panted. He opened his eyes. His reflection across the clear pond stared back at him. Naruto looked into his eyes. A sob burst to the surface. He used his forearm to wipe away the tears.

Sakura ignored the pair of eyes fixated on her just as she had been doing for the past week. It did not get any easier with time or repetition. Her stomach was twisted into such severe knots that she thought she would actually pass out. She watched as the milk streamed into the bucket. Her hands were busy but her mind was far from.

'I really thought he would give in by now. He's stubborn.'

She sighed. She rose to her feet almost gingerly. Her whole body was stiff. She stretched her arms over her head. She grabbed the bucket and moved it out of the way. Her eyes softened as a black and white calf nursed on the cow she had just milked. Her little tail was swaying back and forth as her ears twitched. She was reunited with her mother. All was right in her world.

A loud popping sound had her jumping out of her skin. She let out a yelp. She saw a streak of brown and yellow in her peripherals.

"Uzumaki-kun!" She bellowed over the chaos.

A chorus of angry moos surrounded her. Sakura pushed up against the support beam as the cows kicked and flailed trying desperately to get as far away from the sound as possible. Metal clanked. Liquid crashed. Dirt was kicked up. She brought her hands to her ears. She could only hope the rope around the cows' necks held. Her frantic jade-colored eyes searched the space looking for the boy.

"Uzumaki-kun!" She called out, frantic. He could easily be crushed by a pair of hooves. Or worse if he was kicked.

The smell of milk filled her nose, aggressively.

Sakura pushed past one of the cows. They had more or less settled. The restraints held fast.

"Uzumaki-kun!" She looked around the sheltered hut. All she saw was straw and cows. Sakura brought a hand to her rapidly beating heart. "What a relief." She muttered after taking a breath. Her eyes widened. She looked down at the wet dirt. Rivulets of milk moved away from her. All the buckets - all four buckets - completely soaked the earth.

'You're in for it now.'

Sakura hung her head. She allowed herself ten seconds before she gathered up the milk-covered buckets. The handles were sticky. She counted the steps she took toward the servants' kitchen.

'This is it for you.'

She opened the door, unable to meet the eyes of the woman with mosey brown hair. Miharu eyed her up and down. Her gaze settled on the empty buckets in Sakura's hands. The woman's shame in herself was palpable.

"You know what this means don't you?" Miharu asked impassively.

Sakura nodded her head, not trusting her ability to speak at the moment. She heard Miharu sigh deeply.

"Wait here. I'll go get Ambe-san." The door opened and closed. It was rather fitting. Her time here was just coming to a close as well.

Sakura lowered the buckets, the evidence, down to the ground. She clasped her hands in front of her. She looked at her shoes. She did not have to wait even five minutes for the door to open again. The cool wind greeted her back. Sakura swallowed audibly as the sounds of a pair of shoes walking toward her registered in her ears.

She could see the pair come to a stop in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Ambe-san." She hung her head even lower. "I was careless and got distracted and spilled the milk for the day."

"You're sorry? Sorry is not going to put food in your fellow servants' mouths. Sorry is not going to magically make milk appear. Sorry is not going to help anything or anyone."

Sakura winced at the frigidness of the woman's tone.

"It won't happen again," Sakura promised.

Tomoha scoffed. "You're right it wont. Pack your bags."

'Think!'

Sakura lowered herself to the ground. She pressed her forehead and palms against the dirt. Willing herself to become one with it in her desperation.

"Ambe-san, I do not have enough to cover the costs as of right now but please take it out of my pay for next week and the week after. I'm sorry. Please find it in your heart to forgive me, to give me another chance. I beg you."

Tomoha regarded her with disdain. Sakura's frame was bent into the lines of submission, complete and utter penance. Tomoha was very aware of Miharu's very judgmental eyes on her.

"Get up, girl." She worked out through gnashed teeth. She watched Sakura slowly rise. Her head was still bowed low. "Do not mistake me for a magnanimous individual. There will not be a next time. Your pay will be docked. Get out of my sight."

"Thank you, Ambe-san." Sakura blinked back the tears. "Thank you." She deepened her bow before leaving the kitchen.

"What?" Tomoha looked at the cook with agitation marring the lines of her face.

"Nothing," Miharu's expression contradicted her speech. "I have work I need to get back to. Excuse me, Ambe-san." The cook moved back to the food prep area.

Tomoha smoothed her hair against her head. Her dark eyes were unreadable.

Sakura sat down next to the small brunette. "Rin-chan," she greeted the girl less than enthusiastically.

"Sakura-san," Rin smiled at her. "How was your day?"

"Not worth getting into," Sakura effectively killed both the conversation and the girl's mood.

"Oh," Rin looked back down at her half-eaten bowl.

"How was yours?" Sakura asked more out of guilt than curiosity.

"Okay," she answered in a noncommittal manner. "I'm starting to get used to this place a little more."

"Good," Sakura scooped out more than half her bowl and transferred it to Rin's. "Are you getting a hang of heating up the water?"

"Kind of," Rin made a face. "At least I can do it without burning myself."

Sakura grinned. "And that Rin-chan is what we call progress."

"Can you patch up a hole for me please?" Rin looked at her with big brown eyes.

"Again?" Sakura asked with a sigh.

"I'll try to be more careful," Rin poked her fingers through a hole in her sleeve. "Please?"

"Stop by anytime after dinner." Sakura waved her hand.

"You're the best, Sakura-Oneechan." Rin smiled openly at her.

Sakura lowered her head to hide her face from the girl.

"Sakura-chan!" A cheery voice called out.

Rin and the pinkette turned their heads to see a woman approaching them.

'Well damn.'

Sakura forced her lips to stretch into a smile. "Juna-san," she said in a neutral expression.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Juna looked at her with a face wearing a hopeful expression that it was next to impossible to say no to.

"Um sure," Sakura answered unconfidently.

"Hi!" Juna lowered into a stool, heavily. "I'm Juna. What's your name, cutie pie?"

Rin's looked down. Her cheeks were a bright red. "R-rin."

"Nice to meet you Rin-chan." Juna smiled brightly. "Gosh! I'm so hungry. I could eat a horse." She giggled.

Rin exchanged a look with Sakura. Sakura strategically avoided her eyes.

"Who's that hottie over there?" Juna asked no one in particular with a giggle. "Kai-kun!" She waved her hand.

'Now what?'

Sakura lifted her eyes from her bowl. She saw a man with dark hair and dark eyes walk over to them. She lowered her eyes back down.

"Don't worry girls," Juna waved her hand. "It's just my husband."

Rin and Sakura dipped their heads as the man sat down. Rin's eyes darted to the empty right sleeve of his shirt before she pointed her eyes to her feet. Both Rin and Sakura favored eating in silence as Juna dominated the very one-sided conversation.

"Oneechan!" A breathless voice laughed out.

Sakura turned around to look at him. He was completely out of breath.

"What are you doing out here, Haruma-chan?" She asked him with her hands on her hips.

"You're out here, Oneechan." He answered in between breaths. There was a big smile on his face.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. "So you followed me? I am going to be in so much trouble when Okaasan finds out what you did. Why do you always have to do this Haruma-chan?"

The smile fell off the boy's face. Sakura saw the tears begin to form in green eyes. Guilt grew in her stomach.

"I just wanted to play with you Sakura-Oneechan." The five-year-old looked at her with solemn eyes.

"Yeah well, I wish you would just go away. I wish you would just leave me alone." She turned her head so she would not have to look at him. "You play with my toys, you take my toys without asking. You always want to do what I'm doing. You are so annoying. Why can't you be more independent? Why can't you just be by yourself for more than five minutes?"

"Okay," Haruma looked down at the ground. He turned around with his head bowed. He took a couple of steps. His chest felt really really tight. He sat down against a tree and pulled his knees toward him, waiting for the feeling to pass.

'Tch whatever. He's just being a baby. He's fine.'

Sakura looked up at the apple tree in front of her. Sakura grabbed the lowest branch and she hauled herself up.

"Last time Okaasan let me have it after he skinned his knee trying to copy me. He's such a brat. I always get into trouble because of him." She muttered as she climbed higher and higher up the tree. She sat on a branch. She looked at the view in front of her. She smiled into the sun. "I would have missed this if I had to babysit Haruma-chan."

The sunset was beautiful. It took her breath away. "I could have way more fun if Haruma wasn't here."

Sakura blinked her eyes open.

'I didn't mean it, Haruma-chan.'

Hot tears slid down her face.

Tomoha frowned. She turned the remnants of a burnt red wrapper in her hands slowly. She could still smell the distinctive smell of rotten eggs - sulfur. Her dark eyes looked at Miharu's impassive face.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tomoha lowered the wrapper to the counter. She pinned Miharu with a no-nonsense look.

"I know you have already made up your mind and, Kami, I know better than anyone that once it is made up it is nearly impossible to change but I have to try. You're hellbent on giving the girl a hard time, you're giving her twice as much work as anyone else. And from what I can see, she's handling it. She's handling it really well. What happened that day with the milk fiasco wasn't her fault. I found that firecracker near the cows. Young Master set it off."

Miharu crossed her arms. "You didn't ask but I'm going to tell you my opinion anyway. You shouldn't be punishing her. I know you think you're protecting the boy but you're too close. You're making a mistake, Tomoha." She said gently.

Tomoha grunted. "Thank you for your concern, Miharu. But I am seeing things clearly. That girl is the one who isn't. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

Miharu shook her head. "Stubborn," she said under her breath.

"For the sake of our friendship," Tomoha's lips tugged into a frown, "I will pretend I didn't hear that."

Miharu scoffed. "You know I would say that to your face. In fact, I just did." She stirred the pot in front of her. There was less food than a month ago. "Any idea when inflation will be under control?"

Tomoha rolled her eyes. "As if I would know." She put the wrapper in her pocket and left the kitchen. She had to present breakfast to a very sad little boy.

'Kushina-sama,' Tomoha thought with a heavy heart. 'I'm trying my best.'

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