Immediately after the trial had been over, Ino had gathered the girls and dragged them to the hot springs, not giving Naruto and Sasuke a chance to steal Sakura girls had been horrified to see the scars on Sakura's body. Sure, as ninja they all had some, but Sakura's were so much was one across her abdomen, starting from her right hip and going a all the way under her left armpit. She explained to them that Danzo had done it in an attempt to force her Byakugō no In to surface. It had failed, as that was not how the seal worked and had she not been such a talented medic, she would have died that pitying looks Hinata and Tenten gave her were completely unappreciated.
Karin did her best then to steer the conversation away from ROOT and onto brighter spent the rest of their time in the water updating Sakura on their lives, they spent time teasing Tenten on her budding relationship with Neji and let Karin complain about this guy from Kiri that got on her nerves every time she had to go redhead swore the Mizukage paired them up just to see them rest of their time was spent getting a few messages and the first mani-pediSakura had in three years. Afterwards they walked Sakura to her new home in the Senju compound.
The next day however, Ino had shown up at her door, entering her room while she was still asleep and throwing the duvet off her."Rise and shine, forehead! We're going shopping."
"Ino? What the hell are you doing here? And what time is it?" said Sakura as she woke up.
"Its 10am. And didn't you just hear me? We're going shopping. You're gonna need something new to wear aside from whatever Shizune-senpai and Tsunade-sama got you."
"And does it have to be the first thing I do in the morning?"
"Yes it does, because I heard that Tito's Tailor Shop has a sale today that ends at 2pm and I refuse to miss it. Now chop, chop, we need to get moving."
With a sigh and a smile, Sakura got up and went to get ready. After a quick shower and putting on a black long sleeve shirt and some red pants, she let Ino lead her towards the civilian district. As they walked, people kept giving her looks of surprise, as if they saw a ghost. Everyone knew what she had done and who she was and they were all curios for more details. Ino however, exuded such a'speak to us and you die'aura that most steered clear and the few brave enough to stop them would get ignored as Ino kept dragging her Tito's, Ino immediately shoved a bunch of shirts, pants, skirts and dresses in her arms before pushing her into the changing room.
She tried on as many as she could, but none were to her liking. Exiting the changing room, she told Ino as much."These are things the Sakura before ROOT would have liked, but I don't know if I can be that confident girl again, Ino."
With a sad look, the blonde took her hands. "I know that what you have been through in the ROOT has changed you and I don't expect you to be the same person. But don't you dare tell me you aren't that confident girl. You singlehandedly took down Danzo and his operation with no back up. And that, is impressive. I don't know what type of person you are now but I would like to know this new Sakura. So can we just keep trying?"
With a wobbly smile, Sakura pulled her into a hug. "Of course."
They kept trying on more clothes, with even Ino deciding to buy something to encourage her. She didn't get as many as the blonde would have liked, but the few she had were enough.
...
The next few days, Sakura found herself relaxing in the compound, meeting up with Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi at Ichiraku(she almost cried when Teuchi remembered her order) and spending time with was on a mandatory rest period for two weeks, where Tsunade told her to just relax and focus on herself. The Hokage told her that if she wishes, she can return to active duty afterwards with a bonus little title of Tokubetsu Jō now the Godaime and her student were in the garden, Sakura was laying down with her head on Tsunade's lap.
"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do right now. I have been so busy for three years, keeping and eye on Danzo, doing my best to sabotage him, always watching over my shoulder for a stab in the back and now...now it's just over. I don't know what to do..."
"Hyperawareness is a bitch, huh." said Tsunade.
"It really is."
"Well, I think you should take the time to reacquaint yourself with the world and allow yourself to justfeel.Feel the sun on your skin and the grass beneath your feet, feel the breeze in your hair and cold on aren't a prisoner anymore, Sakura. You're free. Your mind might know it, but your body and your subconscious needs to know it your time and look deep inside yourself. I'm sure you'll find your answers. Find out who this new Sakura really is."
Sakura hummed, the careful ministrations Tsunade did on her hair lulling her to sleep.
...
Katsuyu suggested she tries using wood release outside of a combat setting. As an ability she gained in a toxic environment, using it in a peaceful way might help her heal. The slug asked her to grow some daffodils near the koi Sakura tried, really she did, she just...couldn't. Every time she tries to bring herself to use it, Danzo comes to the front of her if he finds out she lied? What if he kills her to dissect her cells like he did with the Hashirama cells? What if he forces her to tell the truth on how to achieve Mokuton?
Wood release wasn't an easy chakra release to master but it was by no means impossible, as it required equal parts senjutsu, water and earth chakra to use. Sakura just had a seal on her lower back filled with nature energy that she tapped on when she needed to use based it on Orochimaru's cursed seals, it functioned similarly in that it released the nature energy into her body, just without the transformation. Her seal would naturally gather the senjutsu chakra from around her and fill up. All Sakura had to do was gather some of it with her perfect control. She was by no means a sage, not in the same sense Naruto had been.
Regardless, her panic would choke her up and instead of daffodils, she would find herself surrounded by poisonous thorns, protecting her from the outside. Tsunade had ended up with a lot of free wood to burn in the winter that day.
"You continue associating Danzo with Mokuton, my dear. You think of it as his ability, his arm. But wood release is so much more than that. You didn't learn it because you were asked to, you learned it to better protect the people around you. Try thinking of those close to your heart." saidKatsuyu.
Giving it some thought, the medic decided to try again a week before her rest period was up. Gathering some of the nature energy from her seal, she began thinking of those close to thought about Naruto and his laugh as he pranked someone successfully. She thought about Sasuke and the hidden smiles he would give her and Naruto when he thought no one was thought about Kakashi and the crushing hug he gave her once the ROOT members were arrested and Danzo was thought about Ino and her fierce insistence that she stays with her during the thought about Tsunade and all her encouragements and love for her dear student.
...
When Tsunade returned home after her day at the Hokage tower she found the main house in the Senju compound looking very different from when she left it that was ivy growing all over the walls of her house, a wisteria hanging over the awning of her door, roses, tulips, daffodils, delphiniums and mint bordered the house. But the most numerous flowers were the chamomile growing all over her front smiled as she looked at the plant life swallowing her house, it looked so alive. Looking up she found her apprentice lounging on the rooftop, basking in the sun after a day of hard work.
...
One of the other big hurdles of healing Sakura had to get past was her relationship with her scar was testament of her survival, but Sakura did not see it as such. To her they were reminders of all she had to endure in the ROOT. From the slash on her thigh where her ROOT partner got her in training to the huge one on her abdomen, every scar was another nightmare. This sometimes reflecting on her clothing. On a good day she would wear shorts and a tank top but on bad days, only long sleeves and long was ashamed of what she had done and her scars reflected that.
To her surprise however, the one to help her get over it was Sasuke of all days before her mandatory rest was up, after dark, Sakura had returned to the clearing she used to train with Sasuke in. She came there to reminisce about the old day and found him training. The nostalgia hit her hard.
"Well isn't this a fairly nostalgic sight?"
"Sakura? What are you doing here?"
"Came to reminisce I suppose...How are you, Sasuke?"
Unlike in the past, they did not train that night and instead just talked. Sakura had told him her plight regarding the scars that littered her body and she found his answer very insightful.
"At first I refused to use my Mangekyō in any capacity. You know how they are achieved and using it felt like a reminder of what I had done..."
"Sasuke..."
"Itachi set me straight in the end. He told me that regardless of the loss I suffered to gain it, it would be a useful tool in making sure what had happened to you would never happen again. I began training with it shortly after. I know it's technically not the same, you can't exactly use your scars to an advantage, but...I know what it's like to have constant reminder of your failures stuck on your body."
Sakura just hugged him tight in response and reassured him it wasn't his fault.
"It wasn't yours either Sakura..."
...
Ino was behind the counter of the Yamanaka flower shop when Sakura had come in and dragged her out. She barely gave her time to tell her father she was heading out before she was out the door and into the village proper.
"Where are we going?" asked Ino.
"To get myself a tattoo."
"WHAT?"
"I kept thinking about the scars that Danzo and his agents left on me over the years and how much I hated them and what a reminder they are of all the time I had I thought? Why not just turn them into something new? A symbol of my new life and a new beginning. I'm going to hide those painful memories behind color and joy."
Ino's eyes widened before she smirked. "You know what? I like the sound of that. Where are you getting it?"
She told her she only plans to get one and over the biggest scar on her body, the one on her abdomen.A cherry blossom branch, starting at her right hip and following the scar diagonally, curling under and around her armpit before shooting up her back all the way to her found one of the tattoo artists near the civilian district and Ino held her hand the whole time as the ink was put on her skin.
...
As the two weeks ended, Sakura was allowed to return to active duty and predictably requested to be put on the same team as Naruto and stood proudly before her shishō awaiting her new hitai-ate, wearing a new mission had a wide short sleeve yellow crop top on, showcasing the cherry branch across her stomach, a sleeveless pinkish-red long haori that reached her ankles, black pants and black sandals. Her long hair was back in its usual french braids.
"You know, I haven't seen this thing since I left the village years ago." said Tsunade as she brought out an old hitai-ate from a drawer. It was slightly dented with black cloth."After Dan had died, I threw it away in a fit of rage and Jiraiya brought it back to me. I have no use for it of course, I have that stupid hat showing my status, but...I hope it will keep you safe just as it had kept me in the second war."
She tied the headband around Sakura's head in the same position she wore it as a genin, then kissed her forehead right over the Byakugō no In. "I'm proud of you, Sakura."
Sakura's eyes watered and she pulled her master into a hug. She might not be 100% healed from all that she suffered at Danzo's hand, but she will get there eventually. The future was bright.
(A\N: Chamomile symbolizes healing and it's why I decided to have them be the most. It shows Sakura on her journey to heal. The other flowers are just plants I like a lot.
Now I know some of you may say that in Japan, tattoos are associated with the Yakuza but like, look at the fourth Raikage and the second Kazekage. Clearly tattoos don't have the same association in the Naruto universe.
Also as someone with a tattoo, I can say it does improve mental health. But that's just my personal opinion. Anyways, that's all I had to say. Thanks for reading, Crazycousins202 out! )