Many changes were made, mainly in the first chapters (1-6) to fix inconsistencies, dialogues, and typos. Some dialogues were changed too, some new scenes/lines added, some removed. Nothing that affects the plot in itself, so I would not say it's worth going back.

But for those who are curious, here are the most important changes I'd say.
1) The reason Itachi and Chiho Hyuuga are part of the first mission was clarified (in chapter 1, one new scene (first scene after prologue)
2) Sasuke's interactions with Sakura were changed a bit, some of his insults were too unrealistic considering their bond
3) The lady and her old uncle haves names: Hiromi Yashiro, Wada Yashiro. Just remember Yashiro. They'll be back (sadly).
4) Changes in some scenes between Itachi and Sakura
5) The scenes from the late chapters (10-13) were rearranged differently.
6) I decided to add non-official chapters names, to make it easier for you to navigate between chapters and to remember what happened before.

I'm not done yet revising the late chapters, but I hope that if you ever reread this story from the beginning, it'll be a better experience!

15

The severed hand lay in her opened palm as her enemy came closer and closer, and when she was within arm's reach, Sakura released a great quantity of chakra from her fingers, pure concentrated energy, which, when they encountered a target, inflicted devastating damage. It cost a lot of chakra, but it was effective, especially on adversaries who expected it the least. Like the sharp blade of a katana, such a hit could have been avoided by any skilled fighter, but the stranger didn't see it coming. Sakura launched herself at the impaired woman and started squeezing her neck madly, trying to make her soul leave her body.

Cheers and obscenities resonated through the room, and as she took in her surroundings, she recognized the battle ring from the black market. She looked down immediately, only to find the hooded woman was gone, and instead, a bloodied body lay under her, marked by multiple cuts. He seemed dead, yet he stared at her with bloodied eyes, and muttered, "You killed my daughter!"

Panicked, she sprang to her feet at once and stumbled on a firm mass that almost made her fall. A deep silence had replaced the enraged crowd. There was another corpse at her feet, a faceless shape wearing the headband of the Earth country. An unsettling sensation ran through her. Her eyes started following the cracks in the ground, only to find other faceless bodies along the fractures. Lives she had taken. Her heart raced even faster when she heard the sounds of footsteps echoing through the dimly lit corridor. Red eyes then emerged from the shadow, but she knew better than to look at them straight. "He isn't here, Sakura," Sasuke's monotone voice said. It was then that she remembered their purpose here. Her purpose. They had to find Naruto.

The soap was washing away the sweat from her face, erasing the lingering images from her nightmare, when she heard a distinctive and insistent knocking coming from below. It seemed peace would never be granted to her. Thirty-two hours was what it took until the little pest decided to manifest herself – which was way more time than Sakura had expected. The last mission had taken a toll on Sakura, turning her brain into a mush, and making her body lethargic. Except for a short trip to refurnish her food supplies, she had spent the previous day inside the comfort of her home. Without disturbances. Yet, she barely felt replenished. She might even have returned to her bed if it wasn't for the not-so-unexpected visit.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked, squinting her eyes like she was trying to figure out what kind of creature was in front of her.

She had her white hair tightened into several thin breads reunited into one single bread. It was unusual not to see her wear the bun she always seemed to sport. But it wasn't the sole novelty. Instead of wearing her usual silver attire, she had a magenta outfit, one that looked really similar to one of Sakura's dress.

"Haruno-sensei!" she cried out, her bright blue eyes shining with excitement, "I've been waiting for your return! I've known you were back since yesterday, but my cousin advised me not to come. I don't understand why, but he was really belligerent about it, so naturally I complied."

"Your cousin must be more clever than you are, Emi."

"I made sure nothing happened to your home while you were away," she said proudly. "I even took care of your cat."

"I don't own a cat."

"Yes, you do!" the girl insisted, her eyes unblinking.

"Emi, it's eight in the morning," Sakura grumbled. "What the hell do you want?"

"I'm no liar, Sensei. Look behind you! He's right there!"

She knew turning around would be pointless because, except for the ghosts supposedly living in her attic, there was nobody else inside her apartment. Instead of trusting her guts, she still glanced behind her back, only to discover a juvenile orange cat sitting still and watching them. Maybe she had a cat after all.

"May I come in, Sensei?" her annoying voice asked, breaking the silence.

Sakura stared at her with consternation, "Shouldn't you be at school?"

Emi shrugged her shoulders, and as she forced her way inside Sakura's home, she announced proudly, "I've brought you bentos!"

"Wait—Emi!"

Sakura followed the girl, who darted straight to her dining room as if she had been there before. The little pest just had no conception of what decorum meant.

"I've made them myself, Sensei," she said, while opening the box. "Look, this one looks like your cat!"

"Emi," Sakura sighed, hands on her hips. "You shouldn't have come here by yourself. It's unreasonable considering what happened and—"

"My cousin's here!" she blurted out. "Neko-san! Come over here! What did you call her? I think she looks like a Mochi."

"There's nobody here. What are you saying?"

"He's waiting outside," she suddenly rushed out of the room, while shouting, "Mochi! Mochi! Come here!"

Having had enough, Sakura walked back to her front door and opened it in a sudden exasperated move, almost gasping at the sight that welcomed her, "What—what are you all doing here? Kami-sama!"

"Greetings, Haruno-san," the silver-haired man said, as he bowed respectfully just like the four men behind him, "Didn't Emi-sama warn you?"

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked, scrutinizing them with skepticism, especially the buckets and ladders stacked behind them.

"I gather she did not," he concluded.

"Emi!"Sakura shouted, as she looked over her shoulder, only to see the girl was already right by her side holding the tabby cat with one arm as if it was a plush. Oh, she didn't envy the poor little creature, but they didn't seem to mind.

"Your home looks unhappy, Sensei."

"Do not blame her, Haruno-san. We merely wish to do something for you in exchange for your honorable deed."

"You already thanked me. There's no need for—" She sighed, feeling uncomfortable under the hopeful gaze of the Somas. They even trade their shiny attires for white worker clothes and head covers. "Kami-sama," she groaned while looking at the paint buckets. "What color is it?"

"Silver."

"Astonishing." She didn't have the heart to send them off, not without feeling guilty knowing they had brought all this stuff here. What a bunch of obstinate people! "Alright, come in," she beckoned the group of men inside, who immediately entered her home with all the fancy tools they had brought. Sakura suggested starting with the dining room, and they all followed her inside and started working on the dirty and worn out walls.

Emi was seated once more with the cat on her knee, stroking its fur with force, while staring at the wall with dead fish eyes. What a strange child she was. The cat didn't seem to mind the rough pats, seeing as it wasn't running away.

"Er," she cleared her throat as she joined Emi's cousin, who had been inspecting the walls inside her kitchen. "Shouldn't she be at school?"

"Hai! If… going there didn't upset her this much. She encountered adversity at the academy, in the form of… witty and mean children. Because of this, she skips classes systematically and ends up wandering in the village. We can't have that. Not with our enemies preying on children."

His words didn't surprise her. Emi's atypical behavior and air made her the perfect target for harassment, which reminded Sakura of her own childhood.

"Isolating her will only make things worse. A lot of people made fun of me too when I was at the academy. Yet, I still attended all classes without exception. A solid motivation is all that she needs to face her fears."

"What was yours? Your nindo?"

"Far from it! I met a friend who helped me face my bullies," she paused briefly, and said, slightly embarrassed, "and then I became obsessed with a boy."

A shinobi's nindo was a way of living, a deep belief and moral values that ruled their lives. During her academy years, she couldn't remember ever thinking about it, especially once she met Sasuke.

"I see," he smiled. "Sadly, she doesn't seem to fit in with other children, even from our clan. She's only been spending her time with animals, and as of late, you."

"I've noticed," she leaned closer to him, feeling she had an opportunity to set things straight once again. "Look, you don't seem as… slow as your kindred. I have nothing against Emi. She's peculiar, but I find her forwardness and innocence refreshing. Still, I'm pledging it to you, I'm never going to be anybody's sensei. Not in the foreseeable future."

"The seers have spoken, Haruno-san," he said confidently, "You may not understand the weight of their words and visions, but I do. I've witnessed many times the fruit of their wisdom. They're simply never wrong."

"I'd like to meet them to make them realize how wrong they are about me."

"If you… accept Leader-sama's invitation, your wish to meet them might be granted."

"What invitation?" Sakura inquired, feeling worried about what he had in mind.

"We wish to invite you within our walls for a celebration, in two weeks from now. If you're free of duty, of course. If you accept, you'll be our first guest, Haruno-san."

Like anyone else would, she was curious about what lay behind the Soma's neighborhood walls. They were quite secretive and mysterious when it came to themselves, which contrasted with their shiny outfits and eagerness to learn about other cultures. But accepting would maybe push her luck too much. "I appreciate the honor, but I must decline."

"You fear something," he immediately stated, like he had read her thoughts. "You fear the Uchiha clan."

She let out a nervous laugh, "I don't fear anybody. I just had my…share of thrills."

"You'll be safe within our neighborhood," he assured.

"Look, I'll think about it, alright? And don't start thinking it means I've changed my mind about becoming Emi's Sensei."

"My people will be pleased to hear this."

"Erm, Haruno-san, "a Soma interrupted them, "Someone is trespassing on your property through your windows."

She rushed to the dining room and felt her blood boil when she recognized familiar orange shades, "Naruto! What happened to your promise not to break in like a thief inside my home!"

"Er, I guess I forgot," he said, half-apologetically. His warm blue eyes suddenly became alarmed, "What are they doing here?"

"It's the Jin— jinchuriki!" she heard some men whisper behind her.

Sakura frowned and shifted her focus to the Somas, who seemed strangely both scared and excited, their wide-opened eyes fixed on Naruto, like they were looking at a dangerous but fascinating creature.

"Don't ever call him that again!" she warned them, making the Somas back away in confusion.

"Naruto!" she walked to him, not missing how he was standing stiff while eying her guests with cold eyes. She never liked seeing this side of him, it made him look like a stranger, so much it scared her. "Come on, let's go!" she reached for his shoulder, trying to make him move towards the windows, but she only met resistance, "Naruto, you didn't visit me just to stand here like a statue, didn't you?"

He finally looked at her, "Captain Hyuuga wishes to see you."

"Great!" she rejoiced sarcastically, eager to leave, "Let's go then!" once again she pivoted to her guests, who were still in shock, except for Emi whose attention was fully on the cat playing with her, both unaware of the tense atmosphere in the room, "I'll…let you work without any disturbance until I return," she said while bowing. "Please just don't go inside the attic."

This time, Naruto let her manhandle him, and they both escaped from the same windows he had come from. They walked in silence on the tile roof. When they hit the ground, Sakura broke the silence, "They're strange people, aren't they? I have no idea what went through their minds!"

"They're Kyuubi worshipers, Sakura-chan.", the blond said with a grave expression. Out of all the things she had heard about the peculiar Somas, this was definitely the most far-fetched claim, the kind of claim their enemies would say. He walked away impulsively, seeming disappointed with her. Sakura followed him right away, noticing they were going in the direction of the inner village.

"Who told you this?"

"Kiba," the blonde answered without hesitation.

"I gather that's why you said you didn't like them…"

"What were they here for anyway? In your apartment?" he asked, his voice rising like he was indignant, "I thought you had no intention of becoming that kid's sensei!"

"You really didn't notice?" she inquired, finding his behavior more and more unusual.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"They were painting my walls."

"What?!" he shouted, even more discontented than before. "You should have told me you needed help, Sasuke and I would have—"

"It wasn't planned," she protested. "They just showed up this morning, and I thought why not!"

"You shouldn't trust them."

She let out of nervous laugh, having heard those words too many times to count. Why were there more and more people siding with the Somas, now? It wasn't like him to be this opinionated about a group of people he knew nothing about, but she could picture how Kiba might have influenced him in some way.

"You sound like an Uchiha," Sakura commented, after exhaling in exasperation, "They're just painting my home, Naruto."

"For once, the Uchiha Clan may be on to something."

"I can't believe you're saying this. Strange traditions and beliefs aside, they seem alright to me. More decent than the Uchihas will ever be. Especially towards us."

Naruto stopped in his tracks this time and hissed, "They worship my mother's killer."

"You don't know that!" she answered back. Not enjoying seeing this side of her usually compassionate friend. She reached for his arm, hoping to reassure him."I get it that you and Kiba get along well, but no matter which words he fed you, don't forget he's not being partial at all in this. I recall his clan is siding with the Uchihas!"

"Maybe…but I've known Kiba longer than the Somas."

"I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding. I'll speak to them when I return," she promised, expecting the Somas would need the whole day to embellish her unhappy house. Naruto was still frowning, seeming unconvinced, "Let's veer off in a different direction! Enlighten me, did the Captain seem impatient to see me?"

"She just said: 'Bring her to my office before noon'," he answered in a monotonous tone, exactly like Captain Hyuuga would have, except he wasn't even trying to imitate her.

Sakura smiled, "Then, I suppose we have enough time to make a small detour!"

"The Godaime's orders were clear, you're not to be allowed inside the Hospital," the security guard repeated for the third time, "I must ask you to leave now."

His name was Tadeo, a rather polite fellow, who always greeted every member of the hospital's staff. She never had any issues with him. But today, even though he owed her nothing, Sakura felt insulted and betrayed. Just as Sakura raised her fist in the air, Naruto suddenly moved himself between them, "Don't bother, Sakura-chan. Hyuuga-taichou will know how the girl is doing anyway, right?"

He was most likely right. Like she had expected though, if they wouldn't let her in yesterday, there was no reason for them to change their mind now.

"Of course, she knows! But… that's not the point!" she turned around, breaking the eye fight she had with Tadeo. "She's my patient, I ought to know if she's alright. And this guy…" she lowered her voice, embarrassed by the situation, "he used to greet me with a smile, and now he's treating me like an outcast!"

"Who's hurting you, Sensei?" a small and pesky familiar voice asked.

Startled, Sakura's eyes widened as she turned to the newcomer, Emi Nuzura, "You again! Why did you follow us?! You mustn't wander around by yourself!"

"I'm with you, Sensei."

"See," she said to Naruto, "That's what I was talking about!"

Naruto shrugged, seeming disinterested in her ordeal. If she wasn't already upset enough, she would have pushed him in the chest. He was indeed making a wry face while looking at Emi.

"I won't repeat myself again," the guard spoke loudly, bringing everyone's attention. "Leave, or else—"

"Why are you being mean to my Sensei!" her tiny voice screamed as she advanced towards him like she intended to strike.

With a swift move, he pushed her on her head with the palm of his hand, making her fall unceremoniously on her bottom. Naruto, true to himself despite his prejudice, stepped forward immediately and shouted to Tadeo, "Hoi! Come on, now! You didn't have to do this. It's just a kid!"

"With all due respect, Uzumaki-san, I'm merely following orders that your…" he paused, and glared at Sakura, "…friend doesn't seem to understand. For the last time, do not come back here again, Haruno-san."

Having enough of this, Sakura grabbed Emi by the arm, pulled her to her feet, and dragged her away from the hospital gates. Only once they were far enough did she let her go. After the missed kidnapping attempt, one would have thought some lessons were learned on both sides. Her family seemed to ignore how oblivious she was to the danger lurking.

"Go back to your people, Emi," she ordered, refraining herself from shouting. "Or better, go to the Academy. Right now!"

"I wish to spend the day with you, Sensei."

"And I don't," she hissed. "Don't you wish to become an iryō-nin?"

"Hai, sensei," she answered without hesitation.

"Then you must attend the Academy like every other aspirant-genin, you hear me?"

She looked away, her body seeming tense all of a sudden, "I won't go."

Sakura couldn't pretend to ignore what made Emi this uncomfortable whenever someone mentioned the academy. Still, she was adamant that she had to overcome her fears, or else her bullies would win.

"What's so bad about going there?"

She blinked, "Nobody wishes to speak to me."

Sakura didn't miss how his judgmental blond teammate suddenly stepped closer to them after hearing Emi's disheartening claim.

"They call me…bakemono."

Monster.

Children could be cruel. Sakura had known both sides of it. Her insecurities had indeed turned her into a bit of a mean child back then. But to her defense, she mostly lashed out at the ones who used to bully her. As for Naruto, she knew some people use strange words to define him, which she only truly understood the first time she saw a manifestation of the nine-tail beast. In any case, the way she used to behave with Naruto had never had anything to do with Kyuubi.

"You're a quite smart for your age, Emi. All your classmates just envy you. If you give up now, you'll never accomplish your so-called destiny, don't you think?"

"Mah, Sakura-chan, don't use such a foul trick on her," Naruto chimed in, with his so grandiose wisdom. "If she doesn't want to go, let her be. It's not for you to decide."

"What! You are defending her after your narrow-minded claims from earlier?"

"Hey, Emi, isn't it?" he called softly, dismissing Sakura entirely, "I know an incredible place I'm sure you've never visited before. Shall we go and see it?"

It didn't come as a surprise that he'd be moved by her ordeal, reminiscent of his own traumatic childhood. Though he had just ruined her little speech, at least the wariness he had for Emi's controversial clan was gone. She was just relieved to see him back to his normal self.

Sakura observed them from behind, intrigued by their laughs, especially Emi's giggles. She had never heard her laugh before, though she wasn't surprised to see her warm up this quick to Naruto. That was what he did to people, even the most recalcitrant gave up. She certainly wasn't going to complain, not having her in her legs was like finding peace.

They kept walking for a while, until Sakura realized they weren't going in the Anbu's headquarters direction. She stopped still when she recognized Ichiraku's shop. Of course! Just like she had suspected, there was only one priority when her best friend got hungry. Ichiraku's Ramen used to be a small restaurant, but after the war, the owners had rebuilt it bigger. While still being of modest size, they had now closed walls with a counter inside and a kitchen, in addition to an outside terrace, an increase in capacity that had made Ichiraku even more prosperous.

Sakura rarely came to eat here, whereas Naruto, as far as she knew, visited Ichiraku daily. As they approached the terrace, she noticed a familiar woman with long midnight hair going through the door, dressed in an elegant, long-sleeve, black kimono adorned with the red crest of the Hyuuga Clan. She was followed by two other women, who were dressed in similar attire. Sakura froze when she recognized the Hyuuga Clan's heiress. Hinata Hyuuga, with her pearly white observant eyes, carrying herself with an air of grace and confidence. She couldn't recall the last time she had seen her.

"Haruno-san, Uzumaki-san, it has been a long time," she spoke in a hollow voice, her white eyes stuck on her, seeming disinterested in her blond teammate.

The heiress looked way different from the shy and awkward girl she used to be. Sakura reckoned the kunoichi had spent some time within her clan's branch in the capital, and had come back as a wit, intelligent, ferocious political speaker, who now worked within the Konoha council as a diplomat.

Sakura had never truly known her, being merely classmates when they were children, and on rare occasions, teammates during their teenage years, nonetheless she could only acknowledge her remarkable ascension.

"Er… excuse me, do we know each other?" Naruto asked while chuckling nervously. "I mean— You look familiar but—"

The heiress's eyes hardened in an instant, betraying her composed appearance.

She looked utterly offended, her pearl white eyes were blazing with hatred as she walked away with the most haughty air Sakura had ever seen.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, feeling embarrassed by his obviousness. She lunged at him, her fists closing on his black vest. "Are you really this dumb!?"

"Wait! Don't leave!" he shouted to Hinata, "I didn't mean to be rude. I've never been great with faces, and—"

His attempt to undo his wrong turned out to be pointless. Sakura let go of his friend—no matter how much he deserved to be reprimanded—realizing the heiress was already long gone.

"Why are you giving me this look? I wasn't going to pretend to know her if I didn't!"

"You truly have no idea, do you?" Sakura asked, baffled.

"Hinata Hyuuga, daughter of the leader of the Clan Hyuuga, and thus the heiress of her clan," Emi proudly said, like she was reading a report about her.

"Hina—Hinata Hyuuga?" Naruto stuttered, "She looked nothing like her!"

As if he had ever looked at her.

"It was her, baka. She definitely remembered you."

"Ah, isn't it my favorite customer!" Ayane, owner of Ichiraku ramen, said cheerfully, standing under the restaurant's entrance. "And with his dear friend! Please don't start a fight here, and come enjoy our ramen instead!"

"Ayame-chan!" Naruto greeted.

Ayame invited them inside, and Naruto followed her to the counter like a joyful puppy, forgetting everything about the early embarrassing encounter. Probably for the best. Sakura took Emi's hand, confused to see her stand still with her eyes closed, like she was in a trance. "It smells like moshiki," she mused.

"It's just ramen," Sakura muttered while dragging her to the table where she usually sat with her teammates and friends. What a surprise it was for her to discover her spot was already taken by none other than the famous Ninja Copy.

"Mah, Sakura-chan! My dear student!" he exclaimed, taunting her with his playful eyes. His stare fell on Emi, "And always in the most unexpected company."

Dismissing his last comment, she hesitated before taking a seat on the bench facing obediently joined her, seeming curious about the shinobi in front of her. She had the feeling that the girl already knew who he was.

"You failed to fulfill your promise," Sakura stated, quick to the point. "Where's my stuff?"

She saw him smile under his mask, "Don't you think we have other matters to discuss first? How went your mission?"

"It went fine. So, where is it? Don't tell me you threw all my stuff away?!"

"Destroying months of work? Not quite. I'm not as heartless as I look, especially to my favorite student," he said jokingly. "We'll discuss this when the time comes, Sakura."

Sakura frowned, sensing she wasn't going to like what her cryptic sensei was planning.

"Wow, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled as he arrived with three bowls of fresh ramen. He sat down with them, next to his teacher. "Did you notice the woman with black hair going out? They say it was Hinata Hyuuga!"

"Of course, I've just had a meeting with her," he said, like he was proud of it. "She's one of our best diplomats."

"Really! So, was it really her? I barely recognized her!"

"Baka," Sakura muttered.

Naruto gulped half of his bowl of ramen like he usually did, whereas Emi seemed to be way shier with her food, having barely eaten anything.

"It's been years, Sakura-chan," Naruto continued, oddly not letting go of this topic.

"Mah, considering her harmless habit of stalking you during our lessons at the Third training ground, I assume she certainly didn't forget you."

"Her habit of stalking me?" Naruto repeated, absolutely dumbfounded. "What do you mean, Sensei?"

Sakura shook her head from side to side, warning Kakashi not to pursue whatever he thought he was doing.

"She was smitten with you."

Sakura breathed deeply, inwardly fuming in both anger and resignation. Naruto had gone completely silent, like he had been struck by enlightenment.

"Did you—did you know, Sakura-chan?"

"I had no idea," she lied confidently while finishing the last bit of ramen in her serving, "I was too obsessed with Sasuke-kun to notice anything else, really."

"How come she never told me?"

Sakura stared hard at her former sensei, daring him to answer. To her relief, this time he remained quiet.

"I don't like it," Emi suddenly blurted out, pushing away the bowl of ramen. "It tastes like failed Moshiki."

All eyes converged on her then, some shocked, and some blue ones seeming ready to raise an army to destroy the source of such offending words.

Before anything could be said, Sakura raised her voice, "Alright! I think we should leave now. Kakashi, would you be so kind as to bring her back to my apartment?"

"Sensei!" Emi protested.

"Shh!"

Kakashi raised one eyebrow.

"It's a long story," she sighed. "Please, Sensei?"

"Very well."

"Naruto, come on!" she shouted, urging him to leave his seat.

She had never seen him looking this betrayed, but he ended up following her obediently, remaining completely silent until they were outside the restaurant.

"How—how dared she!" he exclaimed, absolutely horrified. "And what the hell is this Moshiki?!"

Sakura had no idea, but she sure hoped for Emi's sake that it really tasted better than ramen.

After going through numerous turns and endless corridors that all looked the same inside the cold walls of the Anbu headquarters, they arrived in front of Captain Hyuuga's office at last. Naruto gave her a sympathetic look before she went inside by herself. Sakura was unexpectedly welcomed by a room full of furniture— as opposed to her empty home—mostly handmade wooden sculptures and paintings on the walls.

"Sit," the dull voice of Hyuuga instructed her, grabbing her attention instantly. Chiho Hyuugawas sitting behind a desk and had her eyes on what Sakura only assumed could be the mission's report. Following her captain's order, she walked silently to the chair in front of the large desk.

"Naruto said you wished to see me," Sakura finally said, as she sat down on the chair carefully.

"Don't use this tone with me, Haruno."

"I wasn't—"

"Don't speak!" she interrupted, raising her white eyes and pen from the report. "Tell me in detail what happened after the attack, when you ran into the temple with the wounded woman on your back and lost Kanao Tamaki, our key asset? Tell me everything."

Sakura's eyes blinked, "Are you… are you seriously blaming me for this?"

"Just answer the question."

She sprang off her chair. "You cared not about saving her kindred, which was part of the deal you had with her!"

"Haruno," she warned.

"I tried to save her, Captain. I truly did. You know this," Sakura insisted. "And for the record, I wasn't tasked with protecting her. You forbade me to interact with her!"

"Are you done yet?" she put down her pen, "Fillin' in the gaps from the unfortunate mess at the shrine will end this unpleasant meeting quicker, which, I have no doubt, will please both of us."

"Why do you hate me?"

The captain sighed, "And why do my thoughts and opinions matter to you?"

"This isn't just… you. Some people I've never talked to harbor such animosity towards me. I find it…unfair."

"Ah, look at her, speaking like a spoiled child. That's exactly why they cannot stand the sight of you, Haruno. You must always act like a victim, even with all the pretty privileges you have. Not everyone can just barge into the Hokage's office completely drunk without suffering repercussions."

"Is this what you call privileges?" she questioned in disbelief, "Becoming her student was no easy feat. I had to work very hard for her to accept me. Somehow… people seem to miss that, like she just blessed me with her knowledge for free." Oh, she remembered with clarity the pain in her limbs and the mental exhaustion from the arduous training Tsunade had made her go through, to shape her into the kunoichi she was now.

"Back then, I was nothing," she continued, "and someone like me, without a famous name, neither blessed with any genetic advantages nor excelling in…anything in particular, had little chance to become the student of a legendary Sanin. You, on the other hand, you were lucky to be born into a powerful clan. If anything, you were more privileged than I am."

"I'm fascinated by your ability to spout off some much idiocy with so much confidence. I ignore whether you're naïve or just plain stupid, but you shouldn't speak of things you don't know. You, Noumin, always hungry for which you don't have, for a burden and prison you'd wish you had never known if you were privileged like I am."

Noumin. A foolish word referring to those who had no kekkei genkai, no powerful blood running through their veins. It had been a long time since she had heard this dreadful expression. Children were most often the ones using such insults, and thus hearing it from the mouth of an adult felt wrong.

"I'm here on my own will, yet my great privilege makes it that if another path were to be chosen for me, I would have to follow it, or else I'd shame my family by refusing to fulfill my duty. Do you have any idea what it means, Haruno? I don't believe you do, but if you wish to understand, your teammate's situation should enlighten you."

Sasuke's relationship with his Clan was one of complexity. While he claimed to have distanced himself from his kin for disagreeing with their ways, some rumors said he had been cast out of by the Clan leader. The truth might lie somewhere in the middle, but it was definitely not a subject Sakura was comfortable with. She remained quiet, feeling suddenly hesitant. Sakura then spoke carefully, "I still believe your ordeal isn't as… different as mine. The Godaime thinks of me as family, and she abuses her authority to make me take the path she wishes me to follow. I refuse to call it a privilege."

"Then maybe we shouldn't use this word so carelessly," she said after a sigh, surprising Sakura with her tact. "Now, sit back. Let us speak of the mission."

Hey again!
This chapter was rather uneventful (still necessary for what's to come with the Somas), but I think a bit of calm is good too. So the next chapter (already written) will start with a flash-back of the mission and more challenges for Sakura at the ANBU headquarter. It will be available next week!

Thank you for reading guys, don't hesitate to leave reviews :)