Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Madara ducked under the blade of Sakura’s scythe, the edge cutting through the air where he’d been moments before and then lashed out, his foot slamming into her knee and unleashing a pulse of chakra that forced the limb to buckle. To her credit, Sakura recovered quickly, bringing her scythe around in a circle, cutting off any chance of counter attack. Still, it weakened her position and Madara’s own scythe hooked around hers and he yanked her off balance. A pulse of chakra danced along his two extended fingers before gentle impacting Sakura’s throat, the message clear.
“I lose,” Sakura didn’t sound at all annoyed by her rather continuous losing streak. Ever since they had both turned eight, Madara’s rate of improvement had suddenly accelerated. Not quite to Kagami’s level but everything just felt more natural to him, like he was remembering moves and techniques from another lifetime rather then learning entirely new skills. That and his chakra reserves were growing at an incredible pace, yet thanks to seal that supplied him with Sakura’s chakra his control remained perfect as ever.
“You’re not angry?” Madara asked and Sakura gave him a genuine smile, her razor sharp teeth no longer hidden by shame and habit. She was still just as fae as the day he had met her and while Madara was mostly sure she was human, parts of him still believed her to be some kind of fairy or tennyo.
“If you are stronger then me, it means I don’t have to worry about you as much. In my village I’m considered a prodigy you know? A prodigy among prodigies even.” Sakura replied with faux self importance. Madara knew she didn’t like the accolades thrown her way, for in her mind, she was cheating and her reputation wasn’t deserved. She had twice the time to master any given skill or jutsu and somewhere in the back of her mind Sakura was still insecure, unable to realize her own genius.
“You are really smart. Like annoyingly intelligent, I don’t think I’ve ever beaten you at shogi or go.” Madara countered because whenever Sakura doubted herself, he would hammer home the truth. The entire clan was proud of the two of them, they weren’t Kagami but such dreams and regrets were four years dead now. Madara would never forget his sister, but time moved on and the pain had faded into the background.
“I guess so.” Sakura mumbled, her frown turning into a smile. She attached her scythe to her back, holding it there easily with nothing but chakra control. Madara did the same and prepared for another match when both children felt a spike of chakra from the gates. It was unusual, all static and nerves, like a ball of lightning afraid of being crushed and smothered yet determined to make itself known. It was so utterly un-Uchiha that they knew the fortress had a visitor. “Want to check it out?”
“Sure, let’s go.” Madara agreed and the two children quickly made their way down through the castle’s various levels. Upon reaching the outermost ring, they saw a group of Uchiha including Tajima talking with a dark skinned shinobi. The man was wearing clothes and armor common among the folk of Kaminari no Kuni and his dark skin and heavyset features only reinforced the image. “Father?”
“Madara, Sakura, I suppose you would need to know about this eventually.” Tajima’s voice was tense, stressed even and the set of his shoulders was distinctly unhappy. Madara knew his father well and the recent lull in fighting had the man more relaxed then he’d ever seen him. Clearly it wasn’t to last because war had once again come to their door, though what Kaminari no Kuni had to do with anything was beyond him. “The Daimyo of Kaminari has requested the Uchiha clan’s assistance in internal matters.”
Madara knew the Daimyo in Kaminari was powerless. This was a polite way of saying the clans in Kaminari had a problem they couldn’t handle and were requesting outside help. This ultimately had nothing to do with the Uchiha but if they turned the northerners down, their next stop would be the Senju and that could not be allowed to happen. Butsuma was a war monger and any advantage he could get would result in Uchiha deaths.
“Are these the two who defeated the Hyuga? They are younger then I thought.” The Kaminarin’s thick northern accent cut through the tension and both children looked up at the mountain of a man who flashed them a sly grin. He didn’t seem hostile but Madara could tell he certainly wasn’t a friend either. The man was here on a mission and had no intentions of staying longer then he had to. He gave off a kind of nervous but determined energy that told Madara he probably didn’t have to worry about subterfuge, there was no hidden notes of desperation or blood lust after all.
“They were old enough to take down the Hyuga’s heir.” Tajima replied calmly, though his chakra sparked dangerously. The man wisely took the hint and lost his interest in the kids, refocusing on the shinobi surrounding them and intentionally avoiding the sight of pink hair.
Madara followed his father and the messenger into one of the meeting rooms in the outer ring. Several of the Uchiha council arrived, eager to listen to what the Northerners had to offer, Ryuko among them. At his side, Sakura seemed almost tense, her chakra slowly becoming worried, as if she was expecting something to go wrong. A glance showed her expression was apprehensive, perhaps even suspicious, as if she had an inkling of what might be on the table for the day’s conversation.
“In Kaminari no Kuni there aren’t many kekkei genkai, in fact it is a land almost devoid of bloodlines.” The dark skinned man began and this lined up with what Madara knew. The Northerners were far from the homeland of chakra and thus had only had chakra for a comparatively shorter period of time as it spread out from Mizu no Kuni across the elemental nations and then to the wider world view the ocean trade routes. The isles, conversely, had the highest concentration of kekkei genkai and were thus rather appropriately known as the Isles of Blood or the Land of Chakra.
“The problem is, that doesn’t mean there aren’t clans with bloodlines and one of those clans is…” The Northerner trailed off his expression icing over. There was a haunted look in his eyes, one that spoke of personal experience with the subject matter. He shivered and shook his head, forcing himself to return to the present. “We need the power of the mirror wheel eye, the greatest of the surviving doujutsu. We are willing to pay 50 Hyo of gold bars, 2 Hyo of spider summons silk, 50 kin of spirit wood and a spirit tree’s seed.”
“For fighting against the Chinoike, that is a rather sparse bargain, especially considering this request comes from the Daimyo.” Tajima drawled and Madara knew his father was smirking internally as the messenger went ghostly pale. There were only three clans in Kaminari with bloodlines. The northern branch of the Raiu clan that had left the isles behind, broken their contract with their summons and settled along the frigid coast of Kaminari. The Izuno clan were the descendants of cat youkai and their human summoners. Finally were the Chinoike, a clan that was incredibly reclusive and legendarily vicious in defense of what they considered their domain to the point of massacring other clans for merely encroaching on their land.
“The Senju would not be able to counter them either. The Ketsuryugan is the most offensive doujutsu there is and the command it has over blood and illusions are powerful. Even the Uchiha will take casualties fighting them, though we can manage it.” Tajima listed the clan’s abilities, feigning an air of thoughtfulness before he went in for the kill. Madara wasn’t quite sure how his father made it all seem so easy but the messenger was all but panicking at this point and the Uchiha clan head hadn’t even made a threat. “Kaminari no Kuni is the greatest producer of chakra steel after Tetsu no Kuni.”
“We can offer five-” The Northerner began but Tajima cut him off.
“Ten Hyo of chakra steel or 2 Hyo of chakra metal, with an additional one Hyo or 50 kin yearly for ten years.” Tajima stated his price and his eyes remained placid as the other man squirmed. In truth no clan stood a chance against the Chinoike save the Uchiha, not unless they were willing to bleed for the victory. Ashigaru were useless against the blood wielders, for they were the embodiment of quality over quantity. Only the Mangekyo or a supremely skilled shinobi could defeat them consistently. The clan was famously reclusive and yet they had still earned a reputation for their extreme tendency to over retaliate. They were vicious, blood thirsty monsters according to the few who survived their interactions with them.
“I will take your demand to the Daimyo, though I expect he will accept it.” The messenger said finally and Tajima gave the man a nod. The moment the Northern was escorted from the room, the mood shifted rapidly. The Chinoike were small in number but only mangekyo wielders could face them down.
“Madara and Sakura should come with us.” Ryuko cut the tension with her words and all eyes snapped to the steel eyed woman. Her fire burned hot within her and her graying eyes glowed with flecks of crimson embers. “They need to see what happens to a clan that builds too much hatred. When strength is not great enough to crush those who fear you. The Chinoike have relied on fear without the necessary strength to avoid their foes uniting against them. This is a lesson that all clan leaders must know.”
“They can be taught that without traveling to the north.” Tajima countered but Ryuko shook her head. Her chakra was blistering within her, though her eyes remained just short of transforming. The kunoichi’s chakra twisted and effortlessly created an illusion of Hi no Kuni before all of them, the map showing the Uchiha’s lands alongside the territory of their rivals. “We are the Chinoike of Hi no Kuni Tajima. They need to learn what very well could be our fate if things play out wrong. They need to see this so they never lead us into such a trap.” The map Ryuko created showed the Uchiha’s territory alongside that of their enemies. It was true that the Uchiha were the largest but that also meant they were vulnerable to a coalition forming against them.
“I think we should go,” Sakura’s words caught Madara off guard and all eyes turned to the rosette. She looked around, still unable to shake her nervousness in front of so many faces but she didn’t back down.
“Why?” Tajima’s question was reasonable and Madara could see his father’s answer would depend entirely on what Sakura said next. The girl shifted, fidgeting briefly as she gathered her courage and then her spine straightened and her jaw was set with resolve.
“Because if this could happen to the Uchiha then I want to help the Chinoike.” Sakura’s words were painfully naive and Madara couldn’t help but close his eyes in annoyance. Sakura was often overly innocent and peaceful, she had killed on the battlefield years ago but somehow she still held onto her kindness and compassion. He didn’t begrudge her or think less of her for it, but Madara couldn’t understand how she didn’t exhaust herself either.
“That probably won’t be possible but a negotiated victory would save lives and the Senju have been dangerously quiet lately.” Tajima mused before turning his attention to Ryuko. The woman seemed surprised but pleased, even if nobody thought Sakura’s naive idea would end up working the girl would still see first hand the results of foolish decisions. “They will be joining the war party. I’ll have our hawks verify the Chinoike’s numbers so I know how many soldiers we’ll have to muster for an assured victory. Once we receive word that our demands have been met, we’ll be moving out.”
***
Sakura could feel her heart pounding away in nervous excitement as she walked into the ANBU commander’s office. It had been over two years since she had first set foot in the underground complex. Two years since she had stopped taking missions as Haruno Sakura and instead had focused on improving her basic skills and running the occasional mission as a field medic for other ANBU teams. She had yet to receive her own mask or a permanent placement on any squad. Today however that would all change.
“Haruno Sakura, congratulations you’ve been cleared for low and mid rank level ANBU missions.” Bear sounded exhausted, perhaps even bitter as she made the announcement from over her desk. Sakura looked at the ANBU commander, wondering exactly why the woman was so upset. She was eight years old, older then the sannin when they had been pushed to the front line and certainly older then Hatake Kakashi had been before he had ended up thrown into the meat grinder. “As such you’re being issued an official mask and a new identity. I’ve even gone through the trouble of deciding what color you will make your hair to hide that identity of yours.”
“Oh,” Sakura stammered, because so far she’d simply dyed her hair black when she’d gone on missions. She hadn’t seen a problem with it, though clearly the ANBU commander had if she had taken matters into her own hands. The woman’s male henge let out an annoyed yet still graceful sigh and a hand ran through her silver hair.
“Oh indeed, you are aware I did not want you in ANBU and I maintain that a unit that specializes in murder for hire is no place for children. You’re talented, brilliant even but you should be running around the hospital helping the public or training with your friends, not being handed a mask and told to kill without questioning.” The commander’s words were steeped in bitterness and Sakura wondered why the woman was being so unusually loose lipped. Normally the ANBU commander’s disposition could most politely be described as clipped. Bear was never rude, dry and laconic answers were the norm and rarely if ever volunteered information. In fact most ANBU thought she was a he, something Sakura had never once corrected since she suspected it was a secret.
“Here, your mask.” The ANBU commander put a plane white ANBU mask on the table. It was a snarling tiger, decorated with black paint. “A white tiger, fighting no?” Sakura swallowed and nodded because it was fitting and furthermore she understood what it meant. White tigers were among the most feared of summons, right alongside the snakes and wolves. “Your hair will be white with black stripes to match the mask and any body hair you have will also be white. Make your henge’s eye color blue to match your tigers and as for your face and build we’ll make you look a few years older to drive suspicion away from your real identity.”
Once Sakura’s henge had passed the commander’s inspection, the chakra layout was imprinted into her ANBU seal. The fuinjutsu array soaked up the illusion and then with a single hand seal and a pulse of chakra, Sakura felt a cool sensation slide over her skin as the seal recreated the illusion without the need for her concentration. The seal had been developed with the help of the Hyuga and Uchiha and was thus undetectable through their eyes, appearing perfectly natural. It was one of the many reasons ANBU had the otherwise incriminating mark tattooed onto their shoulders and Sakura could easily understand why as she looked at an older version of herself in the mirror. Now she appeared around ten, perhaps eleven years old with bright blue eyes and white hair striped with black.
“You’re on Shisui’s team as I’m sure you’re already aware. They’re gearing up for a mission right now. Take your mask and head over to locker room five.” Bear ordered and Sakura picked up her mask before bowing to the woman and running out the door. Behind her and unseen by Sakura the commander massaged her temples and uttered a vitriolic string of curses. The village was nearing the boiling point and she was busy making sure children didn’t die because old men had convinced themselves a headband and three basic jutsu turned a child into an adult.
The moment Sakura cleared the commander’s office she sent her chakra forward and made a half tiger seal with her left hand as she pressed her mask in place with her right. A moment later the world turned into a smear of color as she was yanked along the chakra trail of her shunshin. Locker room five was Shisui’s teams regular haunt and she’d used it often while training under the older of the two Uchiha prodigies. The rosette arrived without a sound or a puff of smoke, though her chakra wasn’t suppressed so her teammates instantly recognized her despite the transformation and mask.
“Tiger huh? Not really a surprise, bit on the nose actually.” Hawk noted, the Hyuga’s voice sounding just a bit amused as Shisui ruffled Sakura’s short white hair. She’d grown out her bangs again so they hung halfway down over her eyes. Her sharingan made the obstacle a non-issue in the past and even if she was no longer the shy girl she had once been, she found having the option to break eye contact with people she was looking at comforting, even though she never actually did so anymore. Currently her bangs were pinned to the sides with hair clips, and the rest of her spiky hair was too short to get in the way.
“So you’ve finally gotten your mask.” Shisui’s smile was obviously strained and his chakra twisted in a way that meant trouble. He had been increasingly unsettled lately, almost cagey at times and his sunshine chakra was just beginning to show signs of storm clouds and anger. Considering that Shisui had fought through a war as a child without falling to the Uchiha’s curse, that meant whatever was eating at him was beyond bad yet he hadn’t spoken a word of it to Sakura or anyone else for that matter. Izumi hadn’t heard anything and if Itachi knew, he was very good at feigning ignorance.
“Yup, how do I look?” Sakura couldn’t help it and posed for her new team. It was behavior she had picked up from Anko and Izumi, though one she was fairly certain nobody would fault her for. Sakura had been raised in a strict, abusive environment where she was expected to maintain court etiquette at all times and now that she was free of it, her friends were more then happy to encourage playful behavior.
“Like a midget ANBU, you all kitted out?” Shisui asked and Sakura’s fingers quickly danced over her duel holsters. She’d only begun to master the basics of fuinjutsu but even then she already had three useful combat seals and a few more non-combative seals all thanks to the Yondaime’s little leather notebook. Most of his work was still a mystery to her and Sakura wished she had the additional texts and scrolls he’d clearly been reading from but she had yet to find them. She suspected the Hokage had them or perhaps one of the sanin, hopefully Jiraiya or Tsunade because if Orocharimaru had them she’d never even get a chance to read them.
The chakra conductive wakizashi that Itachi had given her was currently slung across her back, short enough to be drawn over the shoulder and yet too long for her to wear comfortable at the hip because she was still very short. Her thigh holsters were full of kunai with explosive tags hidden under their wraps, various poisoned senbon and shuriken with and without ninja wire already strung between them. All in all, she was very heavily armed by the standards of the daylight ranks, though by ANBU standards she was just about normal.
“I’m ready, even got spare ink, blank tags and blank scrolls just in case.” Sakura wasn’t that good at fuinjutsu yet, at least not compared to her other skills. She didn’t have a teacher and information on the topic was incredibly scarce. Everything she had learned about the art could be boiled down to what she’d learned from the leather bound notebook Hatake had given her on her sixth birthday but even what little she knew was incredibly useful, hence the supplies.
“Alright here’s the deal, we’re on a protection detail for the day inside Konohagakure. It’s a common job for ANBU and in many ways a test of loyalty so do not fuck it up. Tiger, this is your first time on this kind of mission and as ANBU you have the clearance to know what you’re getting into. The commander gave me this scroll with the full mission brief as well as some information on our VIP. Read it, memorize it, burn it.” Shisui handed the scroll over, his tone light but professional. Sakura accepted the scroll and quickly unfurled it, her eyes gliding over the page as she took in the information listed before her.
‘The asset is a boy with blond hair, blue eyes and whisker marks on his cheek.’ Sakura read the physical description before glancing at a picture of the boy. A sudden jolt ran through her from head to toe as she saw the three marks on his cheeks, her instinctive reaction so overpowering she nearly flinched. ‘Family,’ Sakura shivered slightly and swallowed, suddenly feeling the urge to run to the boy because he was an orphan and she needed to take care of him.
“Sakura?” Shisui’s tone was mildly tense and Sakura shook her head slightly, clearing her mind.
“Summoner’s instincts.” Sakura answered because she knew exactly where this impulse was coming from. “Apparently my brain is registering him as a child that needs protection. It’s a very powerful urge.”
“You are also a child.” Shisui pointed out and Sakura wanted to complain that she wasn’t, but she would never win that conversation. Shisui had not let her forget her age, though he was never mean or condescending about it. She knew he was saddened by the burden placed on both her and Itachi’s shoulders. Shisui did everything he could to lighten that load and make them less self flagellating when they failed to live up to the expectations of the adults around them.
“Yeah but he’s a normal child,” Sakura didn’t think that having a chakra fox sealed into you effected your mind overly much. The kid was listed as being fond of pranks, poor in school and a generally loud, bratty child. His behavior spoke of a need for attention, a hunger that likely came from his outcast status. After all they were protecting him mostly from other villagers, at least according to the mission brief.
“Taichou, you’re pretty damn young yourself.” Bat pointed out. The Nara was the oldest member of the squad, at eighteen while Sakura was the youngest at eight, Hawk was seventeen while Shisui was sixteen placing all of them except Sakura fairly close in age. They were definitely one of the youngest teams on roster if not the youngest, but despite that they were listed as a mid-level team. ANBU didn’t rank their missions like the normal ranks and each team was assigned missions based off their capabilities rather then choosing them like the daytime ranks. If an ANBU wanted to branch out or switch fields, they had to request training and upon completion would be reassigned to a new team.
“We’re all pretty damn young, you know what the other squads call us.” Shisui huffed because none of them were particularly happy about that reputation. “Though I imagine that might taper off with Team Ro picking up the new girl. She’s twelve.”
“Another prodigy?” Hawk asked as the squad left the locker room and began moving through the corridors towards one of the secret exits that lead out into Konoha proper. Like most ANBU tunnels it opened up into a rarely used training ground and from there they would move to the asset’s location and provide over watch for the rest of the day, replacing the current team on rotation.
“A sword prodigy, Uzuki Yugao. She’s a natural sensor and a descendant of one of the old Uzu clans. She’s got decent chakra control as well, might make for a good sparring partner for our own pint sized murder muffin.” Shisui tilted his mask slightly to the side and shot Sakura a teasing grin. The girl responded by letting out a deep growl that reverberated in her chest, her vocal chords perfectly capable of replicating any sound a tiger or a fox could make and thanks to her contracts she did so often and without thinking.
“Tiger indeed,” Bat drawled before snorting in amusement. Shisui ruffled Sakura’s short white and black hair before he lead the way across the village and to a cluster of trees situated in the back of the academy’s training grounds. Sakura could feel the Senju chakra pulsing in the trees and they were far too large to be natural, towering over the training ground and providing the perfect cover to hide in.
The team that they were replacing were more then happy to leave without even verifying identity, something Sakura silently noted but said nothing about as she took up her spot in the treetops. Soon enough the academy let out and she saw the asset. The urge to go down and play with him was almost overwhelming but two years of managing Uchiha chakra and the crushing emotions that came with it allowed her to restrain herself, if only just.
“What’s wrong?” Shisui asked, noticing her discomfort. The rest of the squad had spread out, with Shisui remaining within reach of her since this was her first mission.
“My other summons,” Sakura said quietly and then pointed down at the boy. “We’re two of a kind.” Shisui looked down at the boy, understanding slowly dawning on him, though his expression was hidden by his mask. He didn’t let out a sigh or show any outward signs of stress but his chakra shifted uneasily.
“Never use those summons in the village. You’ll unleash one hell of a mob.” Shisui warned, though Sakura already knew that. Hell the Kitsune themselves knew that as they hadn’t badgered her to call on them beyond reverse summoning herself to them on days she had breaks from training. “Can you hold back? I know pack instincts are hard to control from working with Hatake and a few Inuzuka.”
“I can manage but I think I’m going to approach him on an off day, I don’t think I can stop myself.” Sakura said and Shisui hummed, looking down at the blond boy. He was all alone and after shouting a few things at his fellow classmates his smile crumpled and he trotted over to one of the smaller, natural trees in the training area. A lone swing hung from it and he sat down, watching the children leave with their parents. It was a scene that resonated with both Shisui and Sakura.
“I have an idea, you can approach him as your henge. It’ll make guarding him easier without exposing your real identity. Cover up your uniform and mask though.” Shisui ordered and Sakura gave him a nod. It wasn’t against regulation for her to approach Naruto, in fact it wasn’t banned for any ANBU save those affiliated with the Yondaime to approach the boy though few did. ANBU were infamous for their lack of social skills and the mental and emotional conditioning they underwent did little to change that, unless you were on the seduction track. Handling children was decidedly not in the job description, especially loudmouthed attention starved social pariahs.
“I’ll wait until he’s off the academy grounds I think.” Sakura knew the academy instructors would likely cause trouble and force her to reveal her rank if she approached him where they could see. The last thing she wanted was for the boy to think she had decided to befriend him because she was his guard and it would make her life easier. She never would have bumped into him without this mission, true, but he was family according to her instincts and Sakura would never turn her back on her family.
“I was going to suggest that as well.” Shisui replied as the last of the other children left and the blond dragged himself off the swing and across the village.
The ANBU squad shadowed him, Shisui covering them with a light genjutsu to redirect the attention of those nearby. Sakura watched the boy the entire time and saw how the civilians glared at him. The blond traveled by rooftop when he could, though it was clear he couldn’t quite chakra leap properly. ‘I should teach him.’ Sakura thought, catching the looks of disgust sent towards the child and reminding her that she had been in that position before her chunin exam. ‘No child deserves to see those looks directed their way.’
When the boy finally arrived at a public park currently packed with kids fresh from school, Sakura dropped down into a nearby alley and shoved her mask into her pouch. A quick henge later to hide her ANBU uniform and she looked up at Shisui waiting for the go ahead. He gave her a quick hand sign for mission start and she walked out onto the playground feeling oddly nostalgic. It had been years since she’d even tried to play with other kids her age after all and it was odd seeing children older then her running around and playing tag.
Slowly, Sakura ambled around the playground, making it obvious that she was new here. Of course none of the other kids recognized her either but her rather exotic looks kept them away. After all Sakura’s henge didn’t change her pale skin tone or the structure of her face so she still looked foreign and thus the other children avoided her on principal. Her teeth wouldn’t help, though instead of her natural shark teeth she had disguised them as tiger like teeth to avoid anyone making the obvious connection between Tiger the pipsqueak ANBU and Haruno Sakura.
Finally, Sakura began making her way over to Naruto. She did it slowly, head swinging side to side and a slight frown on her lips. She could tell he had noticed her and he tensed slightly, though there was an almost hopeful buzz in his chakra. He felt warm, like Shisui but where Shisui’s chakra was fire and sunshine, this boy was a humid breeze, like an ocean storm. ‘He’s definitely part Uzumaki,’ Sakura realized as she got closer to him. He felt like Uzumaki Mito, with something else mixed in, something decidedly inhuman. ‘He’s got kitsune chakra in his system.’ It was faint, barely there, but Sakura knew the chakra of kitsune youkai intimately since her own chakra was permeated with it.
“Hey,” Sakura said, keeping her mouth mostly closed as she spoke. It wasn’t something she did much anymore but she had retained the skill. The last thing she wanted to do was scare the boy off because her teeth were sharp. Naruto looked up at her, his eyes a dark sapphire blue and when he saw no hostility in her expression hope bloomed within them. “I’m new around here, but nobody wants to play with me.”
“You’re new?” Naruto asked, looking around as if expecting a parent to come stomping over. A few people were watching them and Sakura could feel the agitated state of their chakra. They were all civilians though, so even if they came over she could just flash a smile to get them to leave.
“Yup! And I don’t know anybody and nobody wants to talk with me because I look different…” Sakura shrugged, because she was sadly quite used to this, or had been at least. It had been a long time since she had to worry about schoolyard politics. ANBU had no room for such emotions and behavior, Bear made sure of it.
“Different? I mean I guess but you’re really pretty.” Naruto said and Sakura chuckled, just a bit of her sharpened teeth peaking past her lips. She could tell Naruto noticed, but his chakra only seemed curious.
“I bet you’d be scared if you saw me smile, my teeth are really sharp. Even adults don’t like me because of it.” Sakura knew most children would see that as a challenge. It had almost gotten her friends, though usually peer pressure or parental interference had ensured they would leave her alone once the novelty wore off. Naruto had no friends and no parents, so in a way he was her perfect target. ‘If I had met him before Madara, what would have happened?’ Sakura didn’t know, truly had no answer but she was content with how things had turned and beside, better late then never.
“Me scared? I ain’t scared of nothin’! I bet your teeth aren’t even that sharp.” Naruto protested and Sakura put on a show of hesitance before giving him a smile. Her teeth in her henge were, in her opinion, much more tame and human then her natural chompers. Her front teeth were all fangs and her incisors in particular were elongated fangs. “Wow, that’s so cool! Are you like part of a clan?”
“No, well I don’t know. I was adopted and brought to Konoha. I’m from Mizu no Kuni though.” Sakura answered and it was close enough to the truth where it wasn’t technically a lie. She didn’t think she’d ever befriend Naruto as Haruno Sakura, there were desperately few chances for them to meet organically after all. Still, Sakura could befriend him as Tora of ANBU. “Well? Want to be friends?”
“Sure! I’m Uzumaki Naruto and I’m going to be Hokage dattebayo!” Naruto exclaimed, as if he was talking to a full audience. Sakura hid her grimace, her ears were sensitive thanks to her contracts and Naruto’s voice was nearly as loud as an explosive note. “What’s your name?”
“Nagao Kagetora,” Sakura replied, using the name her and Shisui had come up with. It was a civilian name and while it was certainly unique, it wasn’t unusual at least by the standards of Mizu no Kuni. Sakura watched as Naruto processed her name, his chakra rippling with increasing waves of hope as a bright smile erupted over his face. A dark undercurrent swept through him, likely a fear of being lied to though Sakura couldn’t be sure.
“Well Tora-chan want to help me with a prank? It was getting boring round here anyways.” Naruto offered Sakura a wide grin and the girl suddenly felt her heart pick up. She’d never considered pranking someone before but the idea of mischief was enticing. Something instinctive, likely the result of her contract with the kitsune was egging her on but she was also an on duty ANBU so it couldn’t be anything too bad.
“Only if it doesn’t hurt anybody or cause real damage. I don’t want to get in trouble with the people I’m staying with. They won’t care who I hangout with but they might get upset if I cause too much trouble, you know?” Sakura offered and Naruto chuckled and motioned for her to follow him. The two children left the playground and Naruto gave her a conspiratorial wink.
“Then we just don’t get caught. I’m really good at running and hiding you know?” Naruto explained and oh boy did Sakura know.
Naruto could evade ANBU teams, albeit low ranking teams that didn’t have a sensor but still it was an achievement for an untrained eight year old who was actively ignored and isolated by the teachers at the shinobi academy. Of course currently he was being tracked by a team made up entirely of chakra sensors, with three of them even being able to both sense and see chakra. Sensors were very, very rare in Hi no Kuni, so much so that being recognized as a sensor almost always end with being drafted into ANBU straight out of the academy.
“Even so, I don’t want to cause too much trouble. It’s not funny if it really messes someone up or breaks something you know?” Sakura’s instincts disagreed, vehemently. Causing trouble could be absolutely hilarious if the right people were the targets but she the adult here and had to behave like it.
“Hmm, well alright. I have an idea, there’s this super market that always jacks up the prices whenever I shop and I was thinking about gathering up some squirrels…” As Naruto began explaining his idea, Sakura felt her grin widen, her instincts giddy with anticipation.
It was perfect as it wouldn’t cause any physical damage and she’d make sure the squirrels weren’t carrying any diseases with her iryo-ninjutsu before they unleashed them. As the disguised rosette set about helping Naruto prepare his prank, her squad watched with fond amusement. It was rare to see their youngest teammate act her age and this mission was usually unpleasant as none of them could safely approach the boy. Shisui was an Uchiha, which would cause all kinds of political backlash while Bat and Hawk had to worry about the optics of them approaching the boy.
None of the clans wanted any of the other clans having an unfair influence over the village’s only jinchuriki and at the same time nobody wanted to risk their family befriending a ‘volatile demon container’. Shisui thought it was all bullshit, the child deserved a chance at a decent childhood. Worse, treating him poorly and ignoring his plight might cause him to eventually turn on the village itself, Yondaime’s son or not. After all the Uchiha were done with Konohagakure and they had founded it.