Chapter Thirteen: The Interrogation
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Present….
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The Hatake estate hadn't been Kakashi's home since before he joined Team Minato as a youth. He did visit every once in a while, and since becoming Hokage he'd started fixing it up. Yamato had started helping him with the renovations, one room at a time.
Kakashi wouldn't be Hokage forever and he thought, it might be nice to live in his family home again one day. Maybe, not even alone.
"So, have you figured out what you're going to do?" Yamato asked. They stood across from each other, sanding down the new dining table the wood user created. It would be smooth and shiny by the time they were done sanding and buffing the cedar.
"They all want to travel back. I definitely want to travel back. But, without any communication from her and without my own memories to rely upon— I just don't quite know the best course of action. I don't want to make things worse," Kakashi explained. He set down the sander and stared across at his old Anbu teammate. "Do you remember anything?"
"I…do, actually," Yamato said quietly. "Not much, but there was a time, shortly before Itachi left our team. I remember seeing you with a woman — I just remember bright blond hair — like Naruto's. You really liked her. But I don't know what happened to her and you never talked about her aside from that one time."
"I have an idea." Kakashi lifted his mask away from his face and bit down on his thumb. He slammed his hand to the ground summoning his Ninja Hounds.
"Yo! Boss! It's been a while!" Pakkun turned in a circle realizing they were at the Estate. "Oh! We're back home! Is it okay if we run around for a bit? There's always some good rabbits in the area." His tail wagged eagerly.
Shiba and Biscuit pushed their way to the front and nosed against Kakashi's side. He gave them soothing pets, but they seemed distressed still.
"Do you remember Sakura in the past? I mean— like fourteen years ago in the past," Kakashi explained. "When I was in Anbu. Before the Uchiha massacre."
"Oh! I'm glad you clarified, because of course I remember her in the past — sweet kid, good smelling shampoo." Pakkun's back leg scratched at his collar. "I got a letter in here for you. Supposed to give it to you around now anyway."
"You have a letter for me? From who?" Kakashi asked.
"From you!" Pakkun said. "And Sakura."
Yamato stood over the dog pack with his arms folded across his chest and peered down with a frown. "Can we read it?"
Pakkun flicked out a scroll from his collar and nosed it towards Kakashi. He opened it and found Sakura's neat script on the first part of the letter and Kakashi's own scrawl below it.
Kakashi,
The first part of my mission was a success, I made it back to the past— roughly two weeks before Shisui Uchiha died in our original timeline. Your past self has been helping me and you've agreed to have your memories locked away — either by Shisui or Itachi — that hasn't happened yet. We will be able to save part of the Uchiha clan. I've spoke with Itachi and his ineffectiveness as a spy. We suspect Danzo withheld key information. Maybe you've found more information about the artifact. I think it takes two weeks to charge from what I could find. The original journal and my translation are inside my locker at the hospital. I do not know if there is anything in the Hokage archives. I plan to be in the past for at least four weeks to complete my objective. I wanted to be under the radar, but you and Shisui involved Lord Third. I'm going by Sakura Namikaze in the official record. I also had an unfortunate encounter with Jiraiya, but for the most part have been able to avoid people.
If anyone choses to follow me into the past, I request they come on July 15th. Today, as I write this its the 13th and Shisui's original death is the 14th. The turtle artifact is secured at that cave in Whirlpool and that's where the asylum seekers will be kept. I will do what I can to protect them, but would appreciate support. I'm not sure if I'm protecting them from Itachi, the man in the orange mask, or Danzo's brainwashed soldiers.
If things are successful, your memories of this four week period will have been locked away. I'm not sure if you'll want to remember. We had decided it was best to prevent too much change in your future. I'm trying to make things better, but you and Naruto are the best things in my life and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize either of you.
I apologize for worrying anyone. Being a shinobi at this time is certainly different than in our time. I understand why you tried to stop me. I'm sorry for being such a pain.
Sakura.
Kakashi read over the letter twice more before he flipped it over to read the post script written in his own hand.
I never thought I would be writing my future self. Sakura doesn't know about this second text. The bangles and the battle skills convinced me. She left lilies on the graves of our family at the Hatake estate. I believe Sakura. And I understand your attachment. I'm agreeing to lock away these memories — otherwise I will not allow myself to lose her— even if its to my future self. The temptation to work alongside her to take down the corruption within Anbu is strong. I'm not sure I've ever had an ally in battle I could count on as much as her. Her sentimentality reminds me of my own. She won't confirm, but I suspect we are more than just her team leader. I know we certainly are more than just partners here — I am very attached. I don't know if there are any Uchiha nearby, but if Shisui makes it, have him unlock our memories. Because, you may have to stop me if you want her back. K.H.
"So, what does it say?" Yamato asked.
"It gives a date we should travel back to and a location. And apparently, I wrote myself, I have memories locked away from the time. So, I need to ask Sasuke to unlock them," Kakashi explained. "Or Shisui…but I assume that changes in our timeline haven't taken effect yet— except you remember Sakura with the yellow hair."
"Are you planning to go back? I feel like it should be limited to the younger shinobi — Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, Ino," Yamato argued. "This should be their adventure. You are the Hokage, Kakashi. Your priority is to the village."
Kakashi tapped his temple. "I'll decide after I have my memories back." But he knew he'd be traveling back. He'd already sent a request to Lady Tsunade to cover for him due to Sakura being on a dangerous mission. The Fifth Hokage was due to arrive later that day.
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There was no real reason to visit the Haruno household. Sakura's parents hadn't inquired as to their daughter's whereabouts. Kakashi wasn't about to let them know she'd traveled into the past. His parents had been gone for most of his life, but he thought that in their shoes, he'd want an update. It had been nearly two weeks at this point. And honestly, with his very strong feelings about Sakura, he wanted to get to know her parents.
It has been many years since he'd spoken with Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno — back when Sakura first joined his team as a green genin. He hadn't been in the village, off on one of countless S ranked missions, when she'd become a chunin. And her parents hasn't attended her jonin promotion ceremony. He remembered how disappointed Sakura had been, so he'd cheered her up with dinner and drinks on him. At the time, Sasuke has been in jail and Naruto had joined Kakashi and Sakura. Instead of celebrating Sakura's achievement, the teammates had brainstormed about ways to convince the Kage to allow Sasuke clemency.
Even when the evening should have been about Sakura and her achievement — it had been spent discussing Sasuke.
The Harunos lived in a predominantly civilian part of the village. The houses were quaint with small yards, hedges flanked the sides of the houses and several front porches had empty rocking chairs. The two rocking chairs on the front porch of the Haruno household were occupied. Kizashi and Mebuki sat next to each other, drinking a purple-red drink of some sort.
"Lord Hokage!" Kizashi rose to his feet quickly and Mebuki did the same. "What an unexpected pleasure."
"Would you like a drink?" Mebuki set down her glass. "I have fresh blueberry-pomegranate lemonade."
"Sakura isn't here," Kizashi added quickly.
"I know, Sakura is on a mission. And no thank you, about the lemonade," Kakashi said.
"Ungrateful," Mebuki muttered. "She didn't even tell us she would be going on a mission. She's always worrying me with her running off. She never appreciates how dangerous it is to be a shinobi."
"Now, now, dear. Sakura doesn't have to tell us when she's going on a mission. She doesn't live under our roof anymore," Kizashi gently reminded. He turned his attention to Kakashi. "Is she okay? Did she chase after that Uchiha boy again?"
"I was just wanting a little information — about the state of your relationship with Sakura," Kakashi said. He'd come up with his story on the walk over. It needed to have a grain of truth. "This is just a standard interview I like to do for jonin I'm considering for my personal guard. Did she come visit often?"
"Why would you need Sakura to guard you? She's a girl. To answer your question, she comes by maybe once per month," Mebuki said. "She and I tend to argue." She smiled apologetically at Kakashi. "She's headstrong and often neglects her duties. I'm sure you understand as her former team leader. I wouldn't count on her for something like guard duty."
"She never neglects her duties," Kakashi countered. "She practically runs the hospital. And she's one of the youngest shinobi to be promoted to the rank of jonin."
"You'd think with that promotion there'd be a pay increase. She hasn't done anything to help her poor parents," Mebuki complained. "Sometimes, we barely have enough to make ends meet."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the complaint. Their house was in good condition, their clothes were high quality. The glasses their lemonade was in looked expensive. "How long as she been living on her own?"
"Four years," Kizashi answered. He patted his wife on the shoulder. "Dear, Sakura has her own financial responsibilities. We're fine." He turned back to Kakashi. "My wife and I are both proud of Sakura and her achievements, but I'd like to request you not use her for your personal guard. I don't think a career as a shinobi is right for Sakura. The sooner she focuses on her future the better."
"She's literally the most talented kunoichi amongst the five Hidden villages," Kakashi pointed out. "What sort of future do you have in mind for her?"
"She needs to focus on finding herself a good husband," Mebuki answered. "She can't do that working double shifts at the hospital, going off on missions, or serving as your guard, Lord Hokage."
"I see, well, thank you for your time," Kakashi said. He'd ordered his aids— Shikamaru and Naruto— to look through the records of the Third Hokage around the time of the massacre. He needed to narrow down the search to the early half of that summer. His conversation with Sakura's parents hadn't been satisfactory. He'd have assumed her parents would be singing her praises, but they'd been very negative.
Between their attitudes, Sakura's long hours at the hospital and miscarriage, Kakashi's own seeming indifference, Naruto's marriage to Hinata, Ino's marriage to Sai, and Sasuke's recurrent abandonment, he was even more worried for her state of mind.
He really just had the most overwhelming need to give her a hug and tell her that it was all going to be okay. There were many times over the years that he'd assured her that he'd take care of things and there was nothing to worry about. When had she stopped believing him? He turned to start heading back to the Hokage tower.
"She's not pregnant again, is she?" Mebuki asked.
Kakashi's foot hung in mid-air. "Excuse me?" He turned back to face Sakura's parents and was only mildly surprised by the look on their faces — irritation on her mother and disappointment on her father.
"It wouldn't be the first time. Imagine our shame? A bastard grandchild?" Mebuki shook her head.
"You know, why don't you come with me, Mr. and Mrs. Haruno? I have a few more questions," Kakashi said. Sakura lost her pregnancy in the second term. He didn't know a lot about babies, but Ino made it sound unusual.
"No, thank you, Lord Hokage. We'll wait for news on Sakura when she gets back," Hizashi said with a friendly smile plastered on his face.
"It wasn't a request. Either come with me now, or I will have Anbu escort you," Kakashi answered, his voice cold. He could feel his blood heating up as if ready for a fight as his Lightning chakra began to agitate within his system.
The Harunos exchanged a glance and then rose as one. "Of course, Lord Hokage," Kizashi said pleasantly.
"We are but loyal citizens of Konoha," Mebuki agreed.
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"You want me to interrogate Sakura's parents?" Ino asked. She and Ibiki had been surprised when Kakashi showed up with the Harunos at the Interrogation Division. "First Sasuke asks me what I know about her childhood and now you?"
"Yes, I want to know a few things, but I don't want to torture them. They are citizens of Konoha. However, I do not know anything about them," Kakashi said.
"I can answer some of that for you," Ibiki said. "Mrs. Haruno is a housewife who is renown for her cooking and especially her uses of spices and Mr. Haruno graduated the Academy with top marks. Kizashi served in the Third Great War on simple missions at the rank of genin. When Kizashi returned from one of his overseas assignments, he was married to Mebuki. She was pregnant and he asked to be discharged from service and to focus on his skills as an engineer. The Hokage needed engineers badly. He had a lot more shinobi than he did engineers. Kizashi has helped build several structures around the village and he's working on your railway currently."
"So Mebuki isn't from Konoha? What clan is she from?" Kakashi asked.
Ibiki's lips thinned. "I don't know. It had to be an ally for Lord Third to have approved."
"It wasn't Lord Third," Ino said. "It would have been the Fourth Hokage, Yondaime Minato Namikaze. Sakura was born in March, so Minato would have been the Hokage during the pregnancy."
"You're right," Ibiki said, shaking his head. "Ino, you have your assignment. Discover Mebuki's family and whatever else you can."
"Find out if she knew about Sakura's pregnancy. I have a hunch," Kakashi murmured. He really hoped it wasn't true. He waited with Ibiki while Ino did her work. Kizashi sat alone in a holding room while Mebuki was interrogated.
"Did you ask Mebuki for her family name?" Ibiki asked while they were alone. "I can't imagine it's a big mystery."
Kakashi shook his head. "It's not in the records from what I could see. She's always been Mebuki Haruno. There's a lot about Sakura I just don't understand. Naruto and Sasuke both come from ancient bloodlines — Sakura mastered the Godaime's nearly impossible jutsu and comes from civilians? And their attitudes when I spoke with them earlier — there's just something off."
"You've always been able to suss out suspicious things," Ibiki said. "It's one of the multitude of reasons you are a great shinobi — that hunch of yours."
Ino returned a half-hour later, her eyes were red from crying. Mebuki was slumped unconscious in her interrogation chair behind the one-way window.
"Mebuki Namikaze. She's the paternal first cousin of Minato Namikaze," Ino said. She swiped her finger under her eye, wiping away a tear. "She's a poisons expert, a trained apothecary. And she poisoned Sakura when she was pregnant and forced the miscarriage."
A tremor of rage shook Kakashi's entire body. To think that Sakura's own mother would do that to her!
Ibiki took hold of Kakashi's arm. "Lord Hatake, you must calm yourself. We can file charges, but we'd need Sakura's permission. There's nothing illegal about a woman choosing such a course — you must remember that."
"It wasn't Sakura's choice," Ino said. "I can tell you that. Mebuki was quite pleased with herself for besting Konoha's so-called expert Medic."
"Release them for now," Kakashi said quietly. "That's a problem for another day."
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Shikamaru's desk was piled high with records from the weeks immediately preceding and immediately after the Uchiha clan massacre.
Ino and Shikamaru sat at his desk. Kakashi spun in his chair while reading through a pile of records, trying to keep his mind loose. Not only was he worried for Sakura, but now he had the added feeling of helplessness knowing what happened to her— by her own mother.
Sasuke stared out the window and Naruto sat at his own desk face pressed against a pile of papers quietly snoring. With Naruto and Sasuke officially promoted to Anbu, Yamato and Sai were doing normal duties.
"I found something," Ino announced. Naruto's head immediately snapped up and he leapt from his desk and was suddenly at her side. "Lord Third has the recording of a meeting involving Shisui Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Sakura Namikaze."
Sasuke turned at the window. "That's got to be her." He shifted his gaze towards Kakashi. "If it's written here, then it happened. Do you not remember, Kakashi?"
"Apparently, either Shisui or Itachi locked away my memories from that time," Kakashi admitted. "Yamato had a memory of a yellow-haired woman that we suspect was Sakura."
"If an Uchiha locked the memories away, then I can unlock them, Kakashi." Sasuke moved to stand beside Ino. "If Sakura is changing my past. I want to change hers, maybe make my younger self more aware of her situation."
"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke gestured towards Ino. "I spoke to Ino yesterday. Asked questions. Learned things that if I cared properly about Sakura I would have known myself. She told me about Sakura's parents — abusive mother, indifferent father. I had no idea. No wonder she was always so desperate for the tiniest of praises."
"Her parents aren't that bad. Sakura wasn't desperate for praises," Naruto argued. "You were just too stingy."
"Her parents are much worse than I thought," Ino said.
"We cannot keep tampering with the timeline," Kakashi snapped, slamming his fist on his table. He wasn't upset with the suggestion, but he'd been angry he'd been thinking the same thing. Tell his past self about Obito and ask him to pay more attention to his kunoichi student. "Unlock the memories, Sasuke. Let's find out what Sakura has been up to."
"Oh, I can't wait to hear this," Ino said, returning to Shikamaru's desk.
"Why? You think there will be something particularly juicy?" Shikamaru deadpanned.
"Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure." Ino giggled. "I need it to be juicy after the morning I've had. I also need to get really drunk this evening. You in?"
"Sure," Shikamaru agreed.
"Very well." Sasuke leaned over Kakashi's desk, his Sharingan activated and slipped into Kakashi's mind. At first, he found the memories of that morning and stumbled back — upon learning his and Sakura's unborn child had been murdered. "What?"
Dammit. Kakashi had tried to bury those memories. "I know, Sasuke. I'm pissed too. We'll have to deal with that later. Sakura doesn't know and she's going to need support when she finds out. But right now, you need to find the locked memories," Kakashi said. His anger about what happened to Sakura and Sasuke renewed.
"Fine," Sasuke hissed.
Memories from fourteen years ago of a bar and an innocent walk to Sakura's temporary apartment, an early morning meeting at the Memorial with a shared breakfast, a brutal battle, Sakura's arm being reattached, and then the training sessions.
They didn't get beyond that point because Sasuke flew at Kakashi and they tumbled to the ground, papers fluttering everywhere. Sasuke's fist slammed into Kakashi's jaw. "You bastard!"
Kakashi rubbed his jaw, he'd been too stunned by the unexpected memories to block Sasuke's punch. He felt he deserved at least one punch to the face, but not by Sasuke. Sasuke sent a second fist towards his face, but Kakashi knocked it aside with practiced ease. "How many times did you reject her, Sasuke? I was there at least three times when she confessed her feelings for you and you flat out rejected her- rather harshly."
Naruto and Shikamaru grabbed Sasuke and pulled him away from the Hokage. Kakashi stood from the ground, feeling a little wobbly in the knees — not from the punch, but from the overwhelming rush of memories — it was only a few weeks worth, but they were vivid and intense. Was this mental block why he ignored her so much as a genin? Is that why he gave her the bracelets later?
But he gave her the bracelets before she went back in time and mucked with history. Special training? Really? And she fell for that? Of course she did— she trusted him blindly. He needed the rest of the memories. "For the record, I did try to stop her from going back."
Sasuke pointed. "Well you didn't seem to mind it when she got there! Sakura belongs with me!"
"I cannot be held responsible for what twenty-year old me did in response to a beautiful woman begging for my help." That didn't seem to be true. He'd quite literally tried to kill her and then he seduced her — or did she seduce him? No, he definitely seduced her. He didn't remember anything different past a few weeks when he was twenty and that coincided with the time frame Sakura gave them in the letter. "It's just a few weeks worth of memories. Nothing else I remember is different. The timeline hasn't been changed too much yet. Though, Shisui should be alive— ."
"Okay, I have no idea what happened, but I'm guessing Sakura's hot for teacher crush come to fruition," Ino mused. She stood next to Kakashi and laid a healing palm over his jaw. "Sorry, I'm a little rusty. Don't use medical ninjutsu too much these days."
"Thank you, Ino," Kakashi said.
Ino leaned close to his ear. "For the record, I'm rooting for KakaSaku." She kissed his upper check where it was exposed.
"I feel like I missed something big," Naruto grumbled, releasing Sasuke's arm.
Sasuke pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi "He…." He simmered in quiet rage.
"Apparently, Sakura and younger me were involved—romantically," Kakashi explained. "And my memories were blocked so as to not complicate our future normal relationship."
"You — you and Sakura-chan?" Naruto stared and then chuckled. "Damn, I guess she won then."
"Won?" Kakashi was surprised that Naruto didn't seem upset. He was taking it rather well in fact.
"The first to see Kakashi Sensei's face!" Naruto explained.
"You're such an idiot," Sasuke hissed.
Naruto patted his shoulder. "You did constantly reject her, you know? I know she always rejected me, but we had a good talk about that. And I discovered how amazing Hinata is. Maybe she realized there are options besides just you." Naruto grimaced. "Unfortunately, you'll understand a little how she felt now."
"You all keep reminding me," Sasuke glowered.
"It's a good thing she rejected your advances, Naruto," Ino said. "You're related."
"What?" Naruto's eyes widened dramatically. "Related how?"
"Sakura's mother is your father's first cousin — Mebuki Namikaze," Kakashi said, deciding to release the information. "So it's ironic that she chose that name as an alias, considering she is ignorant of the connection herself." He rubbed his forehead, a terrible tension headache forming. "I'm dismissing you all. I need some solitude to process this new information." He met Sasuke's eyes. "I'm sorry for your loss, Sasuke. I really am."
Sasuke's lips pressed together in a thin line. "What's another loss for the Uchiha clan? It's to be expected at this point."
Naruto slung his arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "Come back to mine and Hinata's place. We can talk there if you want — or beat each other up. I'll even let you win!"
"Idiot," Sasuke whispered, his eyes hidden behind his long bangs.
Without another word, the younger shinobi vacated The Hokage office. Kakashi had only taken a minute or two to focus on breathing evenly when his door flung open and Godaime Tsunade marched in, expression livid and she waved a book in front of his face.
"Kakashi Hatake. Do you care to explain this to me?" Tsunade demanded. In her hand was a book he'd never seen before — it was by Jiraiya. Tale of the Gutsy Kunoichi.
He opened the front page and there was an image of Sakura with yellow-blond hair. "What is this?"
"An unpublished novel I found in Jiraiya's personal affects that had been shipped to me after his death. Except, today, when I happened to look — this book was in there. Where is Sakura?" Tsunade asked.
Kakashi leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. "It's more a matter of when than where."
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A/N: So, that was rough. I was thinking of more reasons why Sakura would risk her life on this time-travel mission. I read through several posts talking about Sakura's verbally abusive mother and her seeming indifferent father. It worked for this story. They are only in anime filler, so there's a lot of room for interpretation. Mebuki's anger about Minato's death would lay blame on the Uchiha for the Nine-tails attack. When she realized Sakura was pregnant with Sasuke's babe — well…she did an awful thing. One of the King Arthur books I read years ago had a woman doing that the Guinevere. Poor queen had no idea her medicinal teas were destroying her chances to have children. The plot line broke my heart….sorry for doing the same to y'all!