Growing up in a civilian society had its perks. For one, you did not attend the Ninja Academy hence you were free from being in a constant state of fear of losing your life every time you go on a mission or even during training. The downside of it was not being able to protect yourself from various sources of danger. Another perk was being able to enjoy your childhood since most clan children started their ninja training at early ages. Taking Sasuke Uchiha as an example, she heard the adults talking about how he was a prodigy just like his older brother yet he was only five years old. The same was said for Neji Hyuga though he might not get to reach his full potential as a branch member.
Sakura Haruno was a civilian just like her parents. None of them had any ninja training, instead they ran a supermarket which was enough to sustain their small family of three. For Sakura, it was a blessing to be a civilian. Why? Because she had all the love she ever wanted. She had everything she ever wanted. She never went out of the village and her parents only left once when she was seven years old to visit her grandparents. During that time, the Uchiha clan had been massacred, leaving only one child as the survivor. Another thing she was grateful for being a civilian. But she had secretly gone to the clans' graveyard and put flowers on at least five hundred graves as soon as she heard the news.
She wasn't a very social person due to some insecurities pertaining to her oversized forehead. Amy and her friends made it a point to remind her everyday of her life. There was one time a blonde girl had defended her but she ran away thinking it was a prank. She didn't trust anyone except for her parents. Though, she regretted doing that. She discovered that the girl was called Ino and came from one of the prestigious clans in the village, the Yamanaka clan. She went to her family's flower shop sometimes but made it a point to cover her head so that the blonde never knew who she was. She was the only person with pink hair in the Land of Fire whilst her father's was a faded lilac. Her mother had ginger hair. The entire family sported green eyes. The females had tempers which rivalled each other without a winner.
At twelve years old, she was taller than most girls her age but shorter than most boys too. She was taller than Naruto by at least an inch so that counted as something. The blonde was a genin who had a huge crush on her, that seemed to grow even if she avoided him at all costs. They had talked only once, when they were ten years old. Naruto had strutted up to her confidently and asked for her name. She replied with a hint of unease. He asked her out and she sucker punched him there and there. She ignored the shocked faces of his two companions as she walked away from him, she had mentally dubbed them as Pineapple and Chubs only to find out they were the heirs to their clans, the Nara and Akimichi respectively.
She tried by all means to avoid ninjas as much as possible, whether it be a lowly genin or a fully fleshed out jounin.
She did great in school. She was top of her class in every aspect except the physical one. She had once heard the old lady from the civilian council say that her intelligence rivaled that of a Nara. She didn't dare ask what she meant by that because it could get her hopes up over nothing. She wanted to be a ninja but what did she have? An oversized forehead and pink hair, nothing worth noticing about that. And so she didn't bother trying to be one.
She spent most of her time in the library pouring over any and anything. Law, medicine, business, mathematics, philosophy, politics, ninjutsu, as long as it was ink on a paper. If she wasn't at the library, she was at home lounging around with her cat Yowai. A very odd name considering it meant weak. But that's what she wanted. No one was going to tell her otherwise, not even her parents.
It was a Thursday and she was coming from school when she passed by Ichiraku's ramen stand. She hadn't visited the old man in nearly two weeks. She decided to stop there for a late lunch. Maybe she could catch up with Ayame on the latest gossip, not that she wanted to hear it but she was the closest thing to a friend she had hence she wasn't going to take any chances. "To what do we owe this wonderful surprise?" Ayame asked as Sakura took her seat. "Is it that surprising to find me here?" the civilian replied as she placed her order. A simple miso ramen with a lot of fishcake. Ayame had once teased how she liked a lot of 'Naruto' in her food. It was at that exact moment that Naruto also arrived. She ran away before the blonde could utter a single syllable.
"Good afternoon Ichiraku-san," the pinkette greeted as the older man came into view. "How's my favourite cherry blossom in the world doing?" he asked with a smile. His eyes were so narrow that it was almost as if they were closed all the time. "I'm doing fine, thank you. And you?" she replied as Ayame placed her order in front of her. She broke her chopsticks and dug into her food just as the brunette perched herself on the table. "So any juicy details to share?" she asked. "Nothing on my end," she replied with a slurp, though she knew more than anyone in this village when it came to civilians. Ayame's brown eyes twinkled with mischief. She regretted her decision there and then as the older girl recited all the facts she knew for the next half an hour. Eijirou was dating Mina, Tezuko was missing for over a month, Yamada joined a gang, the Yamamoto family was about to disintegrate and so on.
Her ears perked up as she caught the faintest sounds of footsteps, telling her that a group of ninja was approaching. She didn't how but she could discern footsteps. And right now, she needed to leave. "I just remembered I forgot something back at school," she said as she stood up. "You can't leave just yet, I was getting to the good part," Ayame replied as she pushed her back into her seat. "It's really important," she said in a frantic voice as the footsteps edged closer. The brunette stared at her with uncertainty in her eyes before finally relenting. "Okay but don't make me hunt you down," she said. Sakura shot out of her seat as she nodded in agreement. She was about to rush out of the stand when she slammed into a hard body.
She staggered backwards as she saw stars. Clearly, this person worked out hard to have a chest hard enough to make her forehead throb. She looked up into dark eyes with an equally dark look. Standing before her was Sasuke Uchiha and looked anything but pissed. "Sorry," she ducked around him only to crash into another figure. "Sakura-chan, long time no see," the blonde greeted with a smile as she took a few steps back. "Hey," she said awkwardly as she averted her eyes. If Naruto and Sasuke were then it meant only one thing. Amy Wasabi was also here.
Somehow, Amy had managed to attend Konoha's Ninja Academy and come out as the best kunoichi in their grade hence she was placed on Team 7. "Billboard brow, I see you're as flat as ever," she said as a way of greeting. At thirteen, Amy had the body of a sixteen year old. Though she was the same height as Sakura but the difference was visible. The Haruno civilian opted to remain quiet and instead bid farewell to the team, muttering a hurried apology. As soon as she was out of their sight, she ran until she reached her house. Her parents were still at the supermarket and she had the house all to herself.
She took a deep breath as she opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water. She gulped down the contents in three successive gulps. Yowai meowed as she came into view. She was a Cheshire cat. Sakura rubbed her head a few times before she went to her room and took a quick shower. She paid particular attention to her hair. After towelling off, she wore her red qipao dress with green biker tights. She tied her long hair into a bun then wore white sunhat on top. Not exactly her idea of fashionable but it'd do for now. After thirty minutes of walking, she found herself at the Yamanaka flower shop.
She purchased a large bouquet of snowdrops. She avoided talking much and was out of the shop in a matter of minutes. She overhead Ino complaining about customers with an ego as big as their foreheads. She didn't know whether she was talking about her. Soon, she was at the Uchiha graveyard which was at the edge of the Uchiha district. No one really walked around here especially at night as she was doing, not even the last Uchiha himself. She last saw him here three years ago.
She placed a snowdrop on every grave until her bouquet was finished. She had covered two rows. She had been here yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. It was a ritual that she placed flowers on their graves everyday for the past two years. It was calming in a way. That was the only thing that made her feel worthy. No one seemed to remember the Uchiha and so she gave herself the mantle of having them in her memory, even if she didn't know any of them. She made her way to Fugaku and Mikoto's graves. She found out that they were Sasuke's parents after digging around.
Talking inside her head, she told them that she had seen Sasuke. He was very fit and healthy. He had a team and trained very hard. He was top of his class in every aspect. He never smiled anymore. He didn't have any friends. He always had a dark look on his face. Soon enough, she was crying. She was crying on behalf of Sasuke as she felt that no amount of crying could ease the pain in his heart, no amount of crying was ever enough to mourn for the hundreds of lives lost during that fateful night. She was also crying for the things that they never got to experience. Of course, they were dead and didn't hear or see anything but it was therapeutic in a way.
It had been two months later that she heard a jounin at the hospital retell the story of the genin team which went on a simple C-rank mission turned A-rank. And it was all because of a business tycoon called Gato. She read about him briefly in the newspaper that he had been killed by one of the Seven Swordman of the Mist. She had gone there for a dental check-up but it was soon forgotten as she digested this information. She quickly turned and headed to her best friend, the library. She read every book she could find which had information about the Land of Waves. The place put a new definition to the word poverty. It was like a warzone yet there wasn't any war. Just that Gato had destroyed all means of communication to other lands and had goons to control the village. He ran the economy as he liked to, if it meant people died under his watch then so be it. No one was interested in helping the people there.
It got gears in her head spinning. Economy, village, ninja, goons, poverty, control. If she had enough resources to control an economy, she might as well have the power to control a hidden village. The Daimyo wasn't a ninja by all means but he had power more than a Kage. Whatever he ordered was what was done. He had access to trade routes, supply chains, etc. And if she could get her hands on all that, she would be unstoppable. But what did she have? She had brains and a pretty face which would both work in her favor. Her background was undistinguished but it was perfect that way because it would mean more effort and more joy when she finally conquered all the hidden villages. Wars could start because of economical mishaps. She could either bring peace or bring destruction if she wanted.
Her mind was made up. She was going to control the hidden villages and she would do it all the while being a civilian. With that thought in mind, she went to the business section and took five thick books and began accumulating information on the current state of affairs in Konoha.
Here I go with another story, I still have many more unfinished. I'll get them done soon.
The reason behind this story is Sakura was born a civilian but she became a ninja and that's how she became important. But what if she remained a civilian and was still meant for greatness? Just my take on that. Read and review, I really appreciate it.
Tozoonana
AfricanFire