Childhood V
Chapter 5
There was an odd tension in the room as Madara, Sakura, Izuna and Tajima waited for their food. Izuna, being only two years old, was utterly ignorant of the strain in the air while Sakura and Madara were both extremely nervous. Madara had only known his father to be a stern but loving man who put the clan above all else. The idea he would just accept a stranger into their walls was alien, yet here Sakura was. Sure he had vetted her with the sharingan but he had declared the girl his ward, an act that was all but unheard of.
Several servants came in and set down their meal and Madara watched as Sakura patiently waited for Tajima to take the first bite. Once the clan head had eaten, she began to take slow measured bites and her posture was almost rigid. Seeing her like this, Madara could tell she had training in the more civilian aspects of life. She didn’t fidget like a normal kid, but instead sat in a perfect seiza and ate silently, her eyes on her food but angled so she could see the rest of the table.
“After dinner, would you mind if we talked a bit Sakura-chan?” Tajima framed his words as a question, though it was clearly an order. Madara watched the girl dip her head in acknowledgment and shot a worried glance towards his father who waved off his concern. “You know you two can talk while you eat.”
“Um, we can?” Sakura asked, catching Madara by surprise. Meals were a time to catch up with your family, to hear what they did during the day and share your struggles and triumphs. The idea that Sakura had been raised to be silent during them was somehow upsetting.
“If you wish.” Tajima replied and returned his attention to his food, though Madara could tell his father was watching them.
“So, um what’s your house like?” Madara asked and Sakura glanced over at him, before her eyes darted away. “Be confident, Sakura.”
“Oh, yeah,” Sakura mumbled and puffed up as she met Madara’s eyes. It was obvious she was nervous but she was doing her best and even made eye contact as she began to speak. “My home’s pretty nice, it’s, um, in a village but most of the villagers don’t like me. They call me names and stuff because of my teeth and hair. It’s not common where I come from…”
Sakura trailed off because she didn’t want to complain but at the same time she didn’t really have anything nice to say about her home. It was large by Konoha’s standards, though small compared to the Uchiha’s fortress and while it had electricity, the rush candles that currently cast the room in a dim orange glow were bright enough for Sakura to see by, perhaps not read comfortably but that was a minor gripe.
“Oh, well then I’m glad you’re here now. Do you go back when you disappear?” Madara asked and Sakura gave a nod.
“Yeah, I um reappear wherever I went to sleep. I think.” Sakura hedged, slowly forgetting her fear of speaking as she talked with Madara. “What about you? What do you do besides train?”
“I watch Izuna,” Madara nodded to his brother who paused upon hearing his name and giggled.
“Ani!” Izuna shrieked happily and waved his arms at Madara who gave him a fond smile.
“Before, I had a sister who would teach me stuff but she’s gone now. The Senju killed her.” Madara admitted quickly, feeling the odd need to share that fact with Sakura. He refused to let Kagami fade away, her memory would live on in him, her flames would survive through the rest of the clan. Their blaze carried with them all who came before and they tended to it carefully, ensuring that the clan would grow stronger with every generation.
“Oh, I’m sorry. She must have been amazing though, because she taught you.” Sakura’s words tugged at Madara’s heart because she was right. Kagami was one of a kind, she was the hope of the Uchiha, the one who would have ended the war in their favor when she came of age but instead her flames had been quenched by the Senju’s hatred.
“She was, I miss her.” Madara admitted, tears beading at the corners of his eyes. His throat constricted and he suddenly found it hard to breath as the well of emotion within him began to overflow.
“Madara,” Tajima warned and Madara gave his father a nod as he closed his eyes and focused on breathing. He circulated his chakra in a pattern he was still learning, soothing the rage and pain within him, dulling it until he could regain control through more traditional means. It took a half minute before he felt calm enough to open his eyes and release his chakra. Uchiha felt more then any other clan, their love was endless and their capacity for rage and loss were equally deep. Without discipline, their feelings would consume them utterly and it was the clan head’s job to bring those who fell to their emotions to heel.
Madara could feel Sakura’s eyes burning into his flank and he shifted slightly as he let his breathing return to normal. The girl clearly had no idea what she had just witnessed and Madara wasn’t sure how to explain it to her. Tennyo weren’t even human, would she even understand such things? She seemed to have very human emotions, though how similar they were, he couldn’t truly say.
“Are you alright?” Sakura asked slowly and Madara watched as she abandoned her rigid posture to crawl over to him. Concern radiated from her large almond shaped eyes and Madara could see his own pale reflection within them.
“I’m fine,” Madara lied, because he would never be fine. Kagami was gone, his mother had died in childbirth and his father was away on the battlefield more often then not. The responsibility of the clan sat heavy upon his shoulders and he was far from immune to the raging emotions of his kin.
“Well, I’m your friend and friends help each other so if you’re not fine, I’m here.” Sakura said and gently took Madara’s hand, giving it a squeeze.
“Thanks Sakura,” Madara’s grip tightened for a brief moment at the surge of gratitude that swept through him before he let go and grinned at his friend. “We should probably finish eating though, before it goes cold.”
“Right!” Sakura agreed and scampered back over to her food, her cheeks slightly pink from embarrassment. She shot him a glance which instantly drew a smile from Madara and the two returned to their meals, the mood in the room far more comfortable then when dinner began. Madara could still feel the pain of bringing up his dead sister, but it hurt like a healing wound, a pain that reminded him he would live through this, that things could get better given time.
***
Sakura watched as Madara left the room, somewhat reluctantly. He had to tuck Izuna into bed and Tajima wanted to speak to her privately so here she was, alone with Uchiha Tajima, lord of the Uchiha. Sakura turned to the man who was considering her very carefully, his onyx eyes catching the light of the rush candles that lit the room and glittering like polished gemstones.
“I suppose we should begin with getting a misunderstanding squared away.” Tajima said and Sakura tilted her head curiously. “This isn’t a dream or a hallucination. You are in your past.” Tajima’s words were laced with a chakra as his spirit resonated with hers, allowing for true communication. There was no chance of misunderstanding or misconceptions when wielding Ninshu and though the art was dying, the Uchiha had kept its practice alive, though only the main family truly mastered the technique.
Sakura felt the truth crash down upon her. Her eyes widened and if she wasn’t a child, she would have panicked. Instead she felt a wave of fascination and just a bit of nervousness. What if she broke something or said something she shouldn’t?
“You don’t need to worry. You are supposed to be here, I suspect.” Tajima cut off her thoughts and grimaced. “Your history, the fact that you remember it is proof that things will play out a certain way. Even if your actions did somehow change things, those changes are what you would remember because it is your history.”
“So I can’t change anything?” Sakura ventured and Tajima shook his head.
“No, I never said that. You are altering history, but I suspect the history in your time is the results of what you alter.” Tajima explained and Sakura nodded, too young to truly grasp what that meant. “Regardless, you should only be concerned with keeping what you know a secret. Do not tell anyone here where you are from and do not tell anyone in the future that you come here.”
“I won’t,” Sakura said and Tajima fixed her with a look. One she had never seen before yet somehow instinctively knew was that of a concerned father giving their kid a stern warning. This was no joke. “I promise.”
“Good,” Tajima gave her a nod of approval before he prepared to shift topics. Sakura watched him consider her for several long seconds, his eyes on her left hand. “Are you aware that your chakra is linked to my son’s?”
“No?” Sakura replied and then paled. “Is this because he awakened my chakra?!”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. I suspect it is a result of whatever kami has sent you to us.” Tajima explained and Sakura felt her stomach flip because gods were scary. She had read plenty of myths about them and precious few were happy stories. “You two can share your attributes. Madara managed to tap into your extreme chakra control and I suspect when he awakens his sharingan, you will to.”
“Sharingan? Aren’t those a kekkei genkai?” Sakura’s question was legitimate, as most believed the Uchiha’s vaunted doujutsu were physical in nature.
“Yes but they are a chakra mutation, a result of the effect our chakra has on our neurons. It isn’t just the eyes that change, the whole nervous-system is altered.” Tajima wasn’t sure if the girl would manifest the extreme emotions of an Uchiha when Madara awakened his eyes but she would be effected, especially if she was channeling his chakra at the time. So far she hadn’t managed to draw upon his son’s like Madara had hers, but he knew she could, if only because their seals were identical.
“So um, what does that mean for me?” Sakura asked, wondering if Tajima was mad at her or if, perhaps this was why she’d been effectively adopted. Either way, she felt terribly nervous because she knew this was a big deal, even if she didn’t understand any of it.
“It means you will have to learn to control your emotions and as Madara’s second you will have to be able to act as a member of the main family and help others control their own flames when they rage out of control. It will be difficult, a heavy burden to ask of anyone, but I believe you are here for that reason. That the gods have sent you here so you can help my son and while answering your own prayers.” Tajima gave Sakura a look that said he knew of her loneliness and longing. She was here, by chance because she had prayed and the kami had answered. They had delivered her to Madara and the Uchiha, ensuring she wouldn’t be lonely but in exchange she would have to return the favor to those who took her in.
“Teach me, please.” Sakura didn’t really understand most of what had been discussed after dinner. She was four and smart as she was, her mind simply couldn’t truly grasp the scope or scale of the matters at hand. What she did know however was that Madara would need her help, a friend who could hold his hand when he was sad and train alongside him to keep him company and she would be that person.
“Of course,” Tajima gave the girl a small smile and Sakura returned it before yawning. It had been a very long day after all and her eyelids felt like they had weights attached as the last dregs of tension melted away and left her struggling to stay awake. Another yawn pulled at her lips and she her eyes slid closed, her body vanishing from the Uchiha fortress in a flash of light. Tajima watched with his sharingan and glanced towards Ryuko who had been listening in from the adjacent room.
“Now I see why you took her into the main family. A divine gift indeed.” Ryuko said quietly and gave Tajima a differential nod. The man might be the clan head but the Uchiha were a family and would not allow tyrants. To question and think was how you showed true love, self reflection and honesty were what made them so strong, unlike the Senju’s blind faith and subordination.
***
Sakura’s eyes fluttered open the moment after she had fallen asleep to reveal her room in the Haruno mansion. She was dressed in the white yukata she had worn to bed, yet her fingers still lightly stung from punching rough tree bark. A look confirmed the skin was no longer pristine, though there were no signs of the navy blue yukata she had worn after her bath with Madara. Pursing her lips, Sakura rolled out of bed and let the servants prepare her for the day.
‘It’s not a dream!’ Was Sakura’s first thought as she finished getting dressed and ate breakfast. Today’s lessons would be rather dreary, though that was fine because they only occupied her morning. The moment she had finished lunch, Sakura bolted from the mansion and made her way across Konohagakure. Sharp glares and muttered insults followed the pink haired child as she walked through the bustling streets and Sakura did her best to ignore them as she came upon the Konoha central library.
Sakura eagerly pushed the doors open and was hit with a wave of cool air conditioning. Shivering slightly, the girl stepped inside and looked around, her eyes landing upon a chunin asleep at the main desk and nobody watching the many scrolls and books on the ground floor. Stepping inside, she moved to the tables where a pale man was currently reading a scroll. The moment Sakura began looking at him, the man’s golden eyes left his scroll and met hers.
‘Wow,’ Sakura had never seen eyes so metallic before. The man’s irises were golden and his pupils were thin slits.
“Well, aren’t you a bit young to be an academy student.” The man drawled, his voice a sibilant hiss that sent a shiver down Sakura’s spine. His long jet black hair fell like liquid ink down his back and was a true void, unlike Madara and Tajima’s dark, dark blue hair.
“Um, I guess?” Sakura managed and glanced away from the man, hoping to find something interesting to read. The sections on the ground floor were all meant for academy students, and her eyes drift over the topics, a slight frown tugging on her lips. ‘History, math, field craft,’ Sakura wandered towards the history section and slowly began to look through the titles. Most of the books focused on the Great Shinobi Wars, none of which interested the rosette.
“What are you looking for?” The man’s voice came from directly behind Sakura and she leapt away from him like a scalded cat.
“Um, something useful?” Sakura ventured and got an amused look from the man.
“Oh and none of this is useful?” The man asked and Sakura felt incredibly small as he towered over her. He had a presence to him, like Tajima but far less friendly. Still, he was clearly a shinobi, she could feel his chakra, cool and crisp, tightly controlled and venomous. This man had the potential to be terrifying but his fangs were sheathed, for now.
“Um, well I wanted to um learn a jutsu, maybe.” Sakura managed and looked away. The urge to flee was quickly building up within her stomach but she couldn’t just run. She had to practice her confidence and she was in the library so the guards would notice if something bad were to happen.
“A jutsu? Well what kind?” The man asked, his eyes glinting with amusement. He didn’t seem angry or annoyed, though he was still quite intimidating. Sakura swallowed her fear and reminded herself to be brave.
“A useful one, something that can help me get stronger.” Sakura replied and the man tilted his head and tapped his chin before vanishing. A moment later he reappeared and handed her a pair of scrolls.
“Here, perhaps these will help.” He drawled and Sakura missed the calculative gleam that flashed through his golden eyes as she took them. A quick glance showed her the scrolls would be hard to read, they were written in kanji and she wasn’t that good at reading such things yet. She could only just make out the titles after all.
“Summoners and their contracts.” Sakura read the first scroll before looking at the second one. “Fuinjutsu throughout the ages.”
“You’ll find that at your age, you lack the chakra and physical strength to threaten anyone. Summons are a better use of your chakra then any jutsu and fuinjutsu can turn even a civilian into a deadly threat.” The man explained and Sakura could smell fresh ink rising from the scrolls. It was as if someone had written within them recently, though that was unlikely since they belonged to the library. “Now why don’t you run along? Only academy students or shinobi are allowed in here and you don’t have an ID.”
“Oh, um, I didn’t know.” Sakura mumbled and quickly scampered away, terrified that she’d be reported as a spy or lose her chance to read the two scrolls.
***
‘Perhaps I can finally study the effects of a summoning contract on very young children.’ Orochimaru thought as the girl disappeared from view. It had been generations since a child so young had gained a summoning contract and the current clans who held such contracts were already so altered by their bonds they weren’t worthy studying. With that thought in mind, Orochimaru made his way to the Hokage’s office to report the progress of his current experiment or rather apprentice.
Hiruzen sat behind his desk, same as ever, smoke rising from his pipe as his eyes, glassy with age focused on a retired chunin who once taught at the academy. Orochimaru couldn’t remember the man’s name, though he had been one of his current apprentice’s sensei during her time there. The man was dressed in a green and brown yukata, Senju colors and like most of the non-clan shinobi of Konohagakure could claim decent from the founding clan that had disbanded after the second war to prevent the enemies of Konohagakure from hunting them down.
“Hokage-sama, I would like to bring something to your attention, a student I believe should start at the academy immediately.” Hideki began and Orochimaru tilted his head as Hiruzen took in a deep breath. Starting a student early was rarer then an early graduation. Not unheard of but even Uchiha Itachi had waited until he was six to begin his schooling. The last time it had happened was Hatake Kakashi and before that, Orochimaru himself.
“The clans can handle the training of their kids.” Hiruzen rumbled and looked at the man who didn’t show any signs of backing down. If anything, Hideki looked triumphant, at least to Orochimaru’s eye.
“Ah, but she’s not a member of any clan, nor would any clan wish to teach the Chigiri brat.” Hideki stated and Orochimaru hid his displeasure behind a blank look. He had been hoping to retrieve the girl after her summoning contract took and study her but that idea had just died in the cradle.
‘Oh well, easy come, easy go.’ Orochimaru thought, since he hadn’t really invested anything other then a few seconds of his day into the ploy. Besides he could always force a contract upon a child acquired from Root.
“The Haruno child.” Hiruzen knew of the wealthy civilian clan, if only because of their self importance. They were a powerful merchant family with influence across much of the elemental nations. They were one of the first civilian clans to join the village and their presence had ensured Konohagakure’s economic success. They were also nobility, members of the Daimyo’s court and thus held political sway. “I find it hard to believe she would be interested in becoming a shinobi.”
“She is hokage-sama, more then that I believe she may be a prodigy. Her chakra is unlocked, she can already perform the leaf sticking exercise on paper and I believe she has a photographic memory as I never have to repeat my lessons to her. You see I am currently tutoring her, it is a well paying job and for only an hour or two a day it is a good way to pass my time.” Hideki explained and Hiruzen stroked his chin, considering the man’s words. Hideki knew better then most what a student needed to pass the academy and what they could or couldn’t handle. If the man was suggesting a student for early enrollment, his word held weight.
“And you weren’t put up to this by the Haruno clan?” Hirzuen asked and Hideki shook his head.
“No sir, you see I rather like the girl and think becoming a shinobi would be a better path in life. She is too smart to be a trophy wife for some civilian nobleman. She is gifted and it would be an immense waste of resources to ignore that.” Hideki finished and Hiruzen hummed his confirmation. The civilian council was getting riotous lately, demanding equal representation and power to that of the shinobi clans. Showing favoritism towards a civilian born prodigy could smooth a lot of ruffled feathers, at least for now. If the girl was successful, she could be made a poster child of civilian equality and the civilians mollified without the need for compromise or concession.
“Very well Hideki, but I expect her to live up to your praise. See to it she does.” Hiruzen ordered and Hideki gave his lord a bow. That was more then just an order, it was permission to teach the girl everything she’d need to know to pass the academy quickly and Hideki was more then happy to comply. He had done so before after all, Orochimaru, Hatake, Shisui and Itachi, he had seen their talents early on and ensured they hadn’t wasted time languishing in lessons they had long ago mastered.
“It will be done Hokage-sama.” Hideki promised.