Chapter Text
Ninety-eight..
Ninety-nine..
A hundred.
Sakura flopped down, belly first into the soft grass as she tried to catch her breath. Sweat poured down her face, catching at the edge of her lips before dripping on the ground.
It may've been that her memory was just a little hazy, but she didn't remember doing a basic workout was this draining. All she'd done was a warm-up running and strength training, not to mention she didn't even start on her katas.
How was it possible it was still this hard after almost two weeks of everyday practice? Sakura had really been spoiled by her monstrous strength before. She'd all but forgotten what it was like to slave away during training without it.
Well, she'd have to suck it up. Just like everything else these days.
With a heavy sigh, she stood up and began the most basic of kata. Her body needed to get used to moving like this again, to form a muscle memory that currently existed only in her mind.
Sakura had learned the hard way that just because she knew what to do, it didn't mean her body would follow that easily. It couldn't, really. Not as weak and untrained as it was.
So, the academy kata it was.
She moved with newfound precision, twisting and twirling, trying to learn the right balance in this much shorter body.
It wasn't easy - during the first few days, she'd stumble over her own feet every so often, reminded again and again that she needed to adjust her own movements to fit her current size.
If anyone was there to see her during that time, she feared her pride would've been seriously wounded.
She'd sneak into the house every morning before dawn, sweaty and dirty, trying quietly to wash off and catch what little sleep she could. If Aya or Kazuo noticed her limping from time to time, or her arms shaking from straining her muscles, they didn't say anything.
So far, her nightly escapades went unnoticed by her family and the village. She feared the Senju guards would be able to sense movement in such close proximity - the little forest she'd picked as her personal training ground wasn't too far outside the village borders - but they didn't really bother with her.
Sakura was sure they noticed something, but they let her be. Seemed like the guards only paid attention to their immediate job and nothing else. A lone stray child running wild in the woods wasn't a concern for the village security.
Thus far, she wasn't impressed by them. Sakura expected shinobi of this era to be more suspicious, more alert - but it looked like standing guard at the ordinary fishing village required not even a bare minimum.
Senju Hiroshi and Senju Satoshi were twins, as it turned out. At seventeen, they seemed quite young in her eyes, but in reality, she was sure they felt ancient. Every time she glimpsed their weathered features, she'd wondered when was the first time they went to battle? At four? Five?
Even the thought made her stomach churn. All she knew at that age was how to make a flower crown and cry.
She glanced at herself at that moment - at her calloused hands, battered clothing and bare, raw feet and realised they may have felt just like she did right now. Except, with far less understanding of life's workings and too much blind clan pride.
She could feel that importance bleed from the two boys - men? - every time she saw them.
Deciding to take a small break - she still had about an hour and a half before she needed to be at the house - Sakura jumped onto the thick branch of a tree where she stashed her things.
She munched slowly on an onigiri she snagged from dinner, listening to the calm sounds of the night. She liked it there - it let her pretend she was in her own time, just lazing around and enjoying the early autumn evening in Konoha's forests like she did many times before.
She still didn't have a concrete plan, but the booklet she snagged from that mercenary came in handy at least. And speaking of the booklet...
Sakura rummaged though her small sack, taking out the black bind and opening it in her lap. She'd thought at first it was something like a bingo book, but it was more of an assignment collection?
Each page was bound separately with thick rope - every assignment different from the other, each carrying a personal seal of their own. Some came from the clans, others from civilian nobles or even common folk. The mercenaries didn't discriminate, as long as people had ryo to pay.
The name she thought was only an entry into a list of many other wanted people, turned out to be just the answer she was looking for. However...
However. She had no idea what Shimura clan wanting an Uzumaki clansman had to do with mercenaries being here.
Why would an Uzumaki shinobi linger in a place such as this? Not to mention, she didn't sense any other shinobi except the Senju, ever since that day at the market.
Sakura paused, thinking that thought over, and chuckled dryly. Yeah, because my sensing abilities would be so hard to sidestep with my current skill level.
She almost scoffed at herself.
Her eyes narrowed as she gazed into the darkness ahead. There was barely any moonlight coming through the treetops, making shadows dance in her vision.
There was never really a moment where she dropped her guard completely, but something was ticking her off.
An Uzumaki... there was a rumour about their squad passing nearby when she'd first arrived, wasn't there? Did some of them linger? Was that why those shinobi searched here?
But..why? They were Senju allies. They'd either go straight to their camps to the west or at least make contact with the guards if they were lingering.
Sakura's shinobi senses were tingling but she decided to shelve it for now, and return to her training.
Licking the stickiness off her fingers, she returned the booklet in her sack and jumped to the ground, resuming right where she left off.
~
"Kasumi-chan? Did you listen to what I said?"
Yawning the sleep away, Sakura blinked slowly - so slowly - as she sat slumped before the warm hearth. Aya was gently braiding her long hair - something she surprisingly loved having again - and the rhytmic movements of her hands put Sakura in the state of half sleep.
"Sorry, kaa-san. I think I dosed a little."
Aya bumped her on the nose and
chuckled. "You need to turn off that little brain of yours during the night and actually sleep a little. That way you can answer me when I ask you if you want to come with me to a little herb gathering expedition."
Perking up, Sakura turned her head to the right so she could see Aya from the corner of her eye. "Herbs?"
"Mhm." Aya nodded, turning Sakura's head back around so she could resume braiding. "I don't know how much is there to find right now, but we could make it a picnic, ne?"
A picnic did sound nice. Flashes of joyful afternoons spent in Konoha's parks with her own mother smiling at her from the picnic blanket crossed her mind, mixing with images of Aya lying in the grass, smiling and singing a melody she was sure she'd heard before.
Sakura swallowed a longing sigh that wanted to escape her chest. These feelings, this...affection, she had for the woman she felt like she barely knew confused her immensely.
Every time she looked at Aya, she was fighting between pure adoration and unfamiliar distance. Some days it felt like she was just pretending the bond, the others she could swear it was as tangible as it was real.
Nonetheless, Sakura nodded in confirmation. She didn't have the heart to refuse, and what was more - she didn't want to. "But can we make tempura for lunch? I haven't had it in ageeees." She groaned, the inner child escaping her at the thought of her favorite food. Sakura had only now realized she never got to eat it that day she signed the scroll.
"Only if you help me make it." Aya said through a smile, kissing her head lovingly. "Your hair's finished. Now, I'm going to the market to get the ingredients we'll need and you, little lady, are going to help your ojii-san with organizing the new things he brought. Deal?"
"Deal."
Several hours later found the two trudging through winding forest trails and overgrown hedges a little bit further from the village.
Aya carried the picnic basket filled with
Sakura's favorite foods as she hummed the same melody she distinctly remembered echoing in her memories. Both in this life and her own. It was so familiar, tickling her brain in most intriguing yet frustrating way.
She knew it. She just didn't remember how.
"Can you find me some more hawthorn berries or nettle, Kasu- chan? We have enough of everything else."
"Sure." Sakura immediately went looking, singing quietly to herself.
"But be careful with the latter, okay? Use a cloth to pick it up."
"Yeah, yeah." She muttered, already aware of how to pick a stinging nettle. Besides, she could always stimulate her chakra to serve as a thin barrier between it and her skin.
Spending her time doing things she was familiar with brought Sakura a sense of balance. She could still remember days and nights spent trying to learn all the different herbs and their uses, only to find herself avoiding Tsunade-shishou's sake cups when she got even a single one wrong.
Most of her pay check back than went into buying the woman new sake sets. As shishou would often say, if Sakura hadn't made a mistake, she wouldn't have broken her cup.
The woman was truly a menace.
One that she missed dearly.
Lost in thought, Sakura continued walking, her feet carrying her on her own as she picked and plucked the flowers and leaves she found useful. If Aya asked about them later, she'd just pretend to have heard about them from an obaa-san in the market.
However, her step suddenly faltered as she sensed something she definitely didn't expect. Pretending she stumbled, Sakura felt the ripples of a gentle genjutsu prickle her senses.
The chakra didn't try to invade her mind, it was more like she'd just walked into it.
A scenic genjutsu, then.
Sakura turned her head back to see if Aya was anywhere near, and seeing that she was still long way away, she closed her eyes and continued to hum gently in case anyone was watching.
Disrupting her chakra, Sakura instantly narrowed her eyes in the direction of a small cave opening. She didn't even notice it, but her gaze had previously simply slid from that particular place as if compelled. The sounds of chirping insects quieted and instead, male voices echoed clearly against the stone walls.
"...just a kid picking up herbs. Ignore it."
A pause.
"So, you think he'll come tonight?"
"If not tonight, then tomorrow. We need to keep watch a little bit longer."
"You sure Isamu gave you the right intel? If we make a move early and reveal our hand, the Senju will have time to send reinforcement squads. We need to time it perfectly."
"Don't worry. The old man is back in the village, it's high time he makes an appearance."
"Remind me why don't we just go straight to the source?"
"Because we don't know what we're searching for, idiot. Keep the Senju bastards occupied tonight, I'll scout around to see if he appears."
"Fine, fine." A heavy sigh. "Kami, these fuckers better pay all the money they promised. I cannot endure this place any longer."
She heard a crack behind her and straightened, running happily towards approaching Aya with small basket full of herbs and berries. "Kaa-san! It's time for lunch! Lunch!"
"Why don't you find us somewhere nice to eat, then?" She answered through laugh, slowly arranging everything Sakura's given her.
"Right this way!"
She didn't give her a moment to talk before she dragged the woman far away from that cave.
Far, far away.
~
The Senju twins were more disappointing then she expected.
Sakura watched from a distance, sitting casually on a little bench pretending to be engrossed in a nearby gossip.
She didn't know what was the best way to leave a message, but she figured using the old Uzumaki-Senju code she'd learned while stuck in the Hokage's archives doing Tsunade's work for her, was the best option.
She'd bet on the Senju shinobi being more open to an intel from another allied clan rather than a simple civilian. She had not, however, taken into consideration the fact that they would take the note, read it and brush it off with an eye roll.
Sakura could practically feel her eyebrow ticking in irritation as they chuckled. Was there something funny in 'confirmed infiltration in the next 24h from the east - be alert for decoy' that she didn't get?
Taking in a deep breath to calm herself, she stood and headed in their direction with all the barely contained fury of a four year old girl. She tilted her head, well - almost five.
She was almost upon them when the slight distortion in the air froze her mid step. Her eyes raked over her surroundings - every corner, roof and alley.
Nothing. And yet...
Shivers went down her spine that she couldn't throw off. She wanted to let her chakra out, to search for whoever was watching, but that would give her away. If she didn't already give herself away somehow.
"Fucking Uzumaki, they are so dramatic." Sakura's head tilted to catch the guards talking. She wasn't sure which one of the twins said it, but she didn't really care.
"Right? Confirmed infiltration? What for? There is nothing here to find except the heaps of stinking fish."
"But maybe we should check it out? To be sure."
"I'm not doing it." One twin shook his head, Sakura thought it was Satoshi - he had a small beauty mark beneath his right eye if she wasn't mistaken. "The last time we recieved similar warning, I went without sleep for three days for nothing. False alert, they said."
Sakura took that moment to insert herself in a true kid fashion. "What is a false alert, shinobi-san? Is there a false alert now?"
Hiroshi looked at her, ready to just brush her off but paused with his mouth half open. His dark eyes narrowed, blond hair almost falling to his eyes. He just stared, puzzled - as if wondering if he was seeing things.
"Are you alright, shinobi-san?" Sakura tilted her head, this time genuinely confused.
Blinking a few times, he nodded. "Right. There is no alert, so run along kid."
"Does that mean no bad men are going to come?"
Satoshi sighed and crouched down. Soft spot for children, it seemed - good to know. "What's your name?"
Sakura was on the brink of giving the wrong name, but remembered herself quickly. "Haruno Kasumi, shinobi-san."
He nodded and smiled slightly. "Kasumi-san, there is no need to worry. Nothing is happening, and if it was, we would know by now."
Yes, you would. Only, you do not take it seriously.
"Really?" She blinked innocently. Well, as innocently as she could. "How would you know? Can you see the future?"
"No, no." He shook his head, ruffling her own as he did. "But we would get a note, at least."
Sakura blinked. And stared.
At him.
At his brother.
Then, with a deadpan look, she pointed her finger at the piece of paper Hiroshi was holding. "Mhm. Like that one?"
There was an awkward silence while the brothers looked at each other, and then as if she didn't just point out the flaw in their logic, they laughed.
Again.
"Exactly like that. But there is no danger, so you can go now."
Morons. Definitely.
That ever present prickle of awareness spiked once again and she couldn't help the clench to her jaw.
She would need to look after the situation herself.
Turning away, Sakura strolled down the main road, eyes searching for whoever was watching her but there was little point without her chakra. And that, she didn't dare reveal just yet.
Could it be that he had already arrived?
Was he watching?
Or was it one of the mercenaries? But, no. They weren't really good at cloaking themselves. Whoever this was, was a master.
Groaning loudly, she stomped her way back to her house.
If she heard a laughing echo following her home, she made sure to ignore it.
For now.
~
"Everything alright, Kasumi-chan?" Aya tilted her head to look at Sakura more closely.
Granted, Sakura had kept quiet at the dinner -more so than usual. She'd let Aya tell grandfather all about their day - something she happily would've done on her own on any other given day - so it wasn't really surprising her mother picked up on it.
Sakura blinked tiredly and smiled. "Everything's fine, okaa-san. I'm just a little sleepy."
And she was itching to be left alone so she could try and keep an eye on the village. She didn't know what the mercenaries considered 'distraction', but she wasn't willing to let herself be unprepared.
If she couldn't do much to fight them, the least she could do was keep watch and alert the guards if something actually happened.
Kami knew they weren't going to do it themselves.
"You should eat and go to bed, then. And maybe try to actually sleep this time, you know?" Aya said, her worried gaze following Sakura's every move.
"And you," she whirled around to Kazuo, "you should go to bed early, too, father. You've been on your feet all day and your meeting tomorrow is quite early, is it not?"
"Ah, Aya-chan, don't worry so much about me." He smiled, white hair cascading over his shoulder. He took a sip of his tea, cup clinking gently as he brought it down. "It's just a client picking up what I managed to procure for him."
"I know, but he is a shinobi, father. Why would he need you to get it for him in the first place? He could've easily gotten it. I don't trust it."
Sakura's thoughts stopped and her eyebrows perked. "You're meeting with a shinobi, Ojii-chan?"
The man awkwardly chuckled and nodded. "It's just a young man that visited me from time to time over the last few years. Nothing to worry about."
Aya would've disagreed, if her thinning lips were any indicator, but Sakura ignored her for now. "Really? Is he from a clan? Can I meet him?" Was he the one that followed me earlier? Was he the one the mercenaries are waiting for?
"I'm afraid our meeting will be short as is. Akito has his duties and he doesn't want to linger longer than necessary."
"Father!" If eyes could freeze, then Kazuo would've been a block of ice.
Akito.
Sakura's brain churned, connecting the dots. So, her grandfather had a deal with a wanted Uzumaki.
Wonderful to know her family would be the first in the line of fire if anything happened.
She might need to place some traps and protective seals around the house, maybe even a genjutsu or two. Just in case.
"Oh, that's too bad.." Sakura slumped, then instantly straightened. "But I can behave, you wouldn't even know I'm there!"
"That's a no, Kasumi. It is a business meeting, no place for a child." Aya quickly interjected.
"But ojii-san let me tag along on his other business meetings." She muttered.
"It is different this time, Kasu-chan." Kazuo tried to soften the blow. "This is a shinobi I am meeting, and danger follows them wherever they go. I wouldn't want you near that."
More like they wouldn't want me near him, specifically.
Aya's reaction to his name alone was suspicious. Was it only about this Akito person, or was it about the Uzumaki in general? Her mother didn't like her near Senju guards either, but this somehow felt different.
"Fine!" Sakura pouted, ate the rest of her dinner quickly and stood up. She kissed her mother, than her grandfather and waved. "I'm going to bed. Good night!"
"Good night."
"Sweet dreams, Tama-chan. We love you!"
Sakura smiled a little wistfully at Aya's gentle parting tone and sighed.
Seems like universe really wanted her to do everything the harder way.
Nothing to do about it now - she had some protective seals to make first, anyhow.
Few hours later and Sakura perused her seals with a nod a approval. It was one of the very few seals she knew how to make, but it was a useful one.
A looping trap intertwined with short term memory distortion. It was an ANBU grade seal, for sure - one she wouldn't even had a chance to see and memorize if not for a certain lazy Hokage.
The archives were a gold mine, and Sakura was currently beyond thankful for her eidetic memory.
She made four of them to place outside the house, from all sides. The seal itself had a built-in tripwire so no one should be able to come even close to entering the house, let alone doing any harm.
If they needed any tweaks, she could do that in the morning. For tonight, they ought to be good.
Glancing at the full moon shining high above the starry sky, Sakura quickly let out her chakra to check on her family - both were peacefully sleeping - and went to tidy up a mess.
She noticed too late that her own hands were stained with dark ink, but luckily, none spilled across the flooring.
Aya wouldn't be happy about that.
Putting on the warm cloak over her usual black robes, Sakura picked up her seals and with stealth that came naturally to her, padded to the window before leaving.
She focused her chakra outwards, scanning her surroundings for any stray eyes on her, but the night was peaceful and empty. Nothing but gentle lull of the sea and silent chirping of insects to break the stillness.
Once sure of being alone, Sakura looked around the perimeter, searching for the right place to put her seals.
She needed something that could keep it hidden, at least from a glance. In the end, she found two grass covered rocks from the sides, a wooden pole in the back and a small place beneath the creaking step in the front.
Once she placed them, she pulsed her chakra into one of them - the strings of it instantly connecting with the other three, making one big spider web trap.
They glowed for merely a moment before they all dissipated from sight, blending into the surroundings seamlessly.
Now that that was done, Sakura jumped to the roof of her house and squinted ahead through the darkness. She needed the highest vantage point she could find. Somewhere in the center would be preferable.
Her sensing range was still relatively small, but if she made herself comfortable somewhere in the middle, it would at least be somewhat evenly distributed.
With that in mind, she started running - hopping from roof to roof silently, cold wind biting at her cheeks.
Her sharp eyes raking over the dull scenery, she hoped it would be enough.
~
Meditating in the cold was never Sakura's favorite thing and sitting stiffly on top of a tree somewhere in the central market wasn't going to help fix that.
Her legs were criss-crossed, her eyes closed and her mind concentrated on furthering her chakra's sensory reach.
She couldn't lie, it was far better that when she first started - far less taxing on her body, too. All the meditation she'd done had truly paid off, but that didn't mean she was unbeatable.
Sakura was never really a sensory type, so her skills were never going to be the best, but she would be damned if she didn't fix that now. Especially in this era.
Unaware shinobi was a dead shinobi, and Sakura very much didn't want to end up that way. Nu-uh.
So, if that meant picking up new skills early on while her chakra was still developing and having the chance to further better herself, even more so than she had before - she'd take it.
But something was obscuring her 'vision'. Every time she tried to reach further than previously, low hum would overwhelm her mind - vibrating through her blood and drowning out any clear chakra points she wanted to find.
The more she pulled on her edges, the more she tried to stretch the boundaries of her chakra net - the louder, more violent the humming got. It felt like it was flowing everywhere around her, like a gushing river muted beneath the earth.
"What the hell is that?" Frustrated with herself, Sakura opened her eyes, still keeping her chakra spread out.
The hum continued, like a hidden current screaming for attention from the heavy depths. It wasn't even concentrated in one place - it was everywhere. She felt like a person standing in the middle of the ocean, nothing but water surrounding her for miles on end.
Sakura tilted her head in thought - ...nothing but water? Maybe that was right. Water was everywhere around her, and it did act strangely the last time she was near it...
Sakura closed her eyes again, but instead of focusing on the chakra like she usually would, she focused beneath. On that singing current just underneath the surface and just like that - everything clicked into place.
She jolted from the sudden shock but still remained focused.
She could feel it. Feel them.
Millions and millions of water strings and paths connecting to her consciousness like a limb she never knew she had. And suddenly, she didn't need wider sensing range - no. The currents reached far beyond she could ever had imagined - pinging different flavours of chakra like lighting beacons.
She could feel the trees breathe, the grass sing, the people move. It wasn't really the same as reaching out to feel for foreign chakra - it was more instinctive. The difference was more about the way the water flowed inside the bodies, than what feeling they gave off.
Sakura tried focusing on certain things, narrowing down the range for sharper, more accurate feel. She didn't know how she was doing it, but the moment she thought of it, a new rhythmic beat appeared, syncing along with the water's flow.
Was that...a heartbeat?
Sakura's eyes flew open and she stared in stunned disbelief. Since when the hell could she do that?
The rhythms differed from the person's state of being - most of the people were calm, but Sakura could practically tell if someone had a nightmare just by the change in the water's flow.
She went from one person to another, now focusing more on any peculiarities she could sense. There was no way a person could slip her detection anymore, no matter how good at masking their chakra they were.
Because, basically, she wasn't looking for chakra. Sakura was sensing something far more vital.
To her relief, everything in the village was quiet, no disturbances as of yet. She felt stirring in her own home, some distance from where she was sitting, and instinctively, Sakura zoomed in on that.
By her estimate, it was barely four o'clock. Why was her grandfather waking up now?
Frowning, Sakura felt further from the village, to the east where she knew was the mercenaries’ hideout. She found them there still, so that was good.
However, on the opposite side, another presence loomed, this one far bigger than any other. The other two felt different than civilians did, too - it was just that this one was more like a thundering sea storm where the other two were normal river.
Could it be that it had something to do with the amount of chakra they possessed? It would only made sense...
Lost in thought, she didn't even realize her grandfather was about to leave the house. And not just leave, but he was heading distinctly towards the enormous presence she just felt.
Before she knew it, Sakura was standing up and without further delay, started to follow.
~
Sakura kept her distance as she followed behind her grandfather out of the village proper and towards the eastern coast. When Aya said this meeting was to be in the early morning, she didn't expect a before-dawn early situation.
Kazuo walked calmly, no signs of twitching or nervousness. Not even flickering of the eyes, or looking for possible threats. Sakura couldn't quite decide if that was from lack of fear or foolishness.
One should always be wary - shinobi or not - especially when carrying something important like her grandfather supposedly was now.
If she was anyone else, he could've been robbed or killed by now and he didn't even know it.
But she couldn't focus on that, not when they were dangerously close to their target. Sakura slowed down even further, keeping to the trees, hoping against hope that her cloaking ability would be enough to hide her from detection.
"Kazuo-san."
Sakura zeroed in on the man that emerged from the cover of darkness a less than sixty feet ahead. He was leaning casually against a tree, his flaming red hair pulled into a half-up, all but glowing in the early morning light.
"Akito-kun. We haven't seen each other in a while." She could tell her grandfather was smiling. "I was beginning to think you forgot about this old man."
"Hm, you know Minoru would never let me be if I did that." Akito's lips twitched, as if remembering something funny. "In fact, he is the reason I am here now."
"Ah, yes. The scroll. You know, it took me good five months to persuade that lord that handcrafted clock is a fine trade for what I was asking for."
The Uzumaki let out a bewildered laugh, shaking his head at what was clearly an absurdity. Sakura had no idea what the scroll contained, but she couldn't say she wasn't curious.
"A clock? I admire your gift of persuasion, truly. If I couldn't see the scroll in your hand, I'd say you were lying."
"Never. But, may I ask Akito-kun - why was an old Uzumaki scroll in the hands of a civilian noble?"
"I'd like to tell you it was simply lost, but I'm sure there is a valid story behind it. However, I couldn't really be bothered to ask about it - Minoru needed it and I saw fit to find it for him."
"Ah, Minoru. How is he these days?" Sakura could tell this was a loaded question, not only from the frown on Akito's face but also from the careful yet curious way Kazuo asked it.
"Living in misery, as expected."
A tired sigh escaped Kazuo. "I hoped for a different answer."
"We both know there was always little chance for that." A pause, "But I am curious about something else, now."
"Oh?"
"The little mouse hiding in the trees, is she with you? I've seen her in the village last evening, quite the manipulator that one."
Shit.
"Who-" Kazuo frowned, and before he could pose the full question, Sakura felt something pull her by the collar and a moment later, she was standing in the middle of the small clearing with both men staring at her.
She thought of fighting for a brief moment but quickly scratched that thought. She wasn't really in danger here, right?
So, in the real idiotic way only Naruto would think of, Sakura shrugged her little shoulders, Akito's hand still firmly fisted at her neck. "Oops?"
"Kasumi?" Her grandfather looked confused. "What are you doing here?"
She didn't dare yet look the Uzumaki in the eyes, so she kept her gaze fixed on the person she knew. "Sleepwalking."
A snort sounded behind her.
"Kasumi." There was a serious edge there, one she hadn't heard before. "I asked you a question."
Sakura could feel the piercing edge of Akito's gaze on her back. Luckily for her, it felt like an amusement and not suspicion. "Well, you see.." she said innocently. "You didn't tell me not to come. Okaa-san said that. So, technically, all is good."
"It doesn't work that way, Kasumi."
"It does if you don't tell her. Sounds logical to me."
"She has you, Kazuo-san. That does sound quite logical." Akito added, teasing openly present in his tone. "But who is the little one really? And who taught her chakra control? I didn't think Senju would just go around teaching kids shinobi arts."
Ah, she was really fucked.
Sakura could practically see the bewilderment take over her grandfather's features and she knew it was only going to get worse from there.
"What do you mean? Kasumi is a normal civilian kid. Why would you think she knows anything about being a shinobi."
This time , Akito paused, but instead of laughing like she thought he would, he pulled her closer to him and sighed. It sounded almost disappointed. "Because I'm a sensor, and this one," he nudged her shoulder from behind, "is currently doing her best to cloak her chakra. Now, why would she know to do such a thing is a real question." he paused, letting Kazuo take that in.
Sakura was really fighting not squirm - she didn't know anymore if it was a better choice to just let go of the facade or keep it on. "Not to mention, I've seen her scale the roofs and walls with nothing but chakra. And of course, she was just following you hidden in the trees."
Sakura's heart skipped a beat. So it was him watching her, she just didn't know it was that long. Who knew what else he'd seen.
And just how long was he even in the village before he decided to reveal himself? Did he see her train in the forest?
"That's impossible. She's just a kid..she wouldn't know-" Kazuo's eyes sharpened and he pierced her with his gaze. "Is it true?"
Sakura...didn't know what to say. She truly didn't. What would happen if she confessed? There shouldn't be civilian shinobi just roaming around, the clans wouldn't allow it. Not no mention, Akito was an Uzumaki - if she confirmed anything , there was no saying what would happen.
Granted, he already knew, but...-
"C'mon girlie, tell Kazuo-san what you can really do." The Uzumaki bastard taunted from behind her, still firmly holding her in place. " And don't lie, I'm not as gullible as those Senju guards earlier. Though that was quite entertaining to watch, I must admit."
Not thinking about it, Sakura turned her head to glare at the man. She could do without his taunts. However, the moment their gazes locked, the man froze.
Sakura could practically see the moment her features registered in his mind, and all the amusement disappeared from his face.
This was the second time someone looked at her like this. First that Senju with his puzzled expression and now this.
What in the Kami's name was going on.
Akito however, didn't drop the eye contact. Even to her, his features were unreadable, like they were sculpted from marble without an ounce of expression put into them. "Let your chakra free."
What..
Sakura's heart started to beat furiously in her chest. She didn't understand the change of the atmosphere. Did she do something unconsciously?
"I don't -"
"Let it free."
It must have been the sharper tone, but it seemed that finally reached something inside Kazuo, because he was instantly there - ripping her from the other man's hold. "That is enough. She is just a kid. Even if she knows how to control her chakra, there is no reason for violence."
Akito finally seemed to have escaped his shock, because his green eyes returned to normal. However, there was no trace of amusement there anymore. "Who is she to you, Kazuo-san? And don't lie, her eyes already told me everything I need to know."
Sakura felt the desperate squeeze on her shoulders. What had she stumbled into?
"Akito-kun..." the sound almost pleading.
"Does Minoru know?"
Silence.
"Does he?" The sharpness in his voice made Kazuo all but flinch. Sakura tuned into her newfound senses, monitoring the both men's reactions.
Kazuo' s heart was beating maniacally, while Akito felt calm within. Far too calm - like he slowed his own body down just to stay in control.
"No."
Haa. Sakura didn't want to be right, but she had an inkling as to what this was about. Seeing the Uzumaki's reaction to her eyes, Kazuo's reluctance to say who she is and the fact she lacked a father in this life...
She was an Uzumaki bastard, wasn't she? No wonder Aya kept her hidden away if one look was enough to be recognized.
Just to be sure, Sakura dropped the cloak on her chakra and the sharp intake of breath was enough to confirm her suspicions.
Akito looked at her now, there was a
knowing there. At that moment, he knew that she knew. That she was testing her theory. And he just proved her right.
Realizing that Kazuo wasn't about to say anything, Sakura sighed in defeat. She was fucked either way, may as well get it over with. "I'm Haruno Kasumi, shinobi-san. And this is my ojii-san, though he is usually more talkative than this." She grinned sweetly. "Though that may be because he's in shock right now."
"Haruno Kasumi." Akito repeated, though his eyes gentled a little at her sass. "How old are you?"
"Um," she pursed her lips in thought, "I'll be five in two months."
"And who taught you how to use chakra, Kasumi-chan?"
Sakura shrugged. Well, did she want to be perceived as genius? Not really, but it seemed she'd have to. No other way around it. She knew way too much for a four year old civilian and Akito saw it too.
"Um, no one." She shrugged. "I just watched the Senju guards train and I wanted to try, so I did. Didn't seem too hard."
"Really?" Her crouched before her, making her grandfather pull her tighter into him. The man was still just silently processing what she just revealed. "And what did you try first?"
"Well, I tried to stick my foot to the wall but I didn't manage that. So I tried to stick something to me, and that was far easier. So I just did that for some time. And than one time I tried that awesome walking that you all do and it just worked." Did that sound believable? Sakura had no idea. She was usually good at acting, but for some reason lying right now felt a lot harder than it should've been.
"It just worked? Just like that?"
"I mean, I did fall I few times at first - I told okaa-san that I slipped in the sea and hit a rock."
"You did what?" Kazuo suddenly interjected, as if awoken from deep sleep.
"Don't tell her - okay, ojii-san? She forgot about that incident, no need to bring it up again."
Akito chuckled while her grandfather didn't seem to be amused in the least. It was the longest she'd seen him serious ever. Especially when talking to her.
"When exactly did you manage to experiment with- " he paused. " Don't tell me it's during the night. Is that where you've been when I caught you sneaking through my window? Is that why you're sleepy all the time? Answer me."
This was one big pain. How was she going to train from now on if they started monitoring her all the time?
Instead of answering, Sakura decided to change the subject and she did it quite successfully, if she said so herself.
"Now, now." She patted Kazuo's side." What is important to remember is" she flicked her eyes to Akito who instantly narrowed his own, sensing chaos coming. It was quite impressive he could read her intentions already. " that no one told me my otou-san is an Uzumaki. Why is that?"
~
Akito's POV
He wasn't expecting any of this.
When Akito decided to observe the village earlier in the evening, he didn't think he'd stumble upon a civilian girl just casually using stealth to scale rooftops and walls like she'd been trained to do it from birth.
He was curious, so he stayed to watch her a little longer, more than amused seeing her irritated at the Senju guards. He didn't know what she wrote to them, but whatever it was they didn't take it seriously.
Then, there was the fact that she actually noticed him. He'd slipped on purpose just to test her, and the girl didn't disappoint.
So, when he felt her little chakra signature trying to cover itself up, he wasn't really surprised nor alarmed. He expected to have a little fun with it and let the kid go.
Her sass was hilarious and the old man's genuine bewilderment even more so. To think the kid hid all of her skills from her family that easily.
But those eyes.
Those clear amethyst eyes.
Akito did not expect those.
He wasn't prepared to see his cousin's unique eyes glaring back at him in the form of a cutest little mouse he'd ever seen.
Pink hair and purple eyes. There were exactly two people those features could've come from - and he knew both of them.
His cousin, and not his wife.
Definitely not his wife.
What the fuck is he going to do with an heir's bastard daughter? Well, tell Minoru, first - that was a given. After that...
He had no idea. He really hoped his cousin did because this wasn't a situation that could be ignored.
She couldn't be ignored.
Kami.. she even had his frown. That arch to the brow that called you stupid a thousand different ways before she even said a word.
And the level of intelligence the kid had...Ashina-sama wouldn't be able to just ignore what is clearly a genius of a girl. Both in smarts and skill.
Akito thanked all the gods that was the case, because without it - he didn't even want to think about it.
Now, as he watched her expertly divert attention from herself, he couldn't help but be a little in awe. He'd seen the devious glint Minoru also had when he was about to stir things his way.
He'd seen her weigh her options in a span of a moment and he wasn't disappointed by what came out of her mouth.
The fact she realized this much from that brief discussion...
Akito watched the old man carefully - there was an indecision there. He and Aya obviously tried to hide her Uzumaki heritage from her, and now that it was out, he didn't know what to do.
"Well?" The girl prodded, her brow raised.
"Look, Kasu-chan, we'll talk la-"
The ground shaking stopped him mid word, and then the explosions started.