Restoration: Book 2/3

Chapter 5

-Sakura's POV-

We were separated by gender once taken inside and placed in a holding cell. Ino and I were the only two girls on the truck, so we sat close to one another in the furthest corner of the room and silently waited for something to happen.

We were taken inside first, so we didn't see the boys again, but we could hear both Hidan and Naruto yelling at the soldiers somewhere down the hall before things got quiet again.

My hands trembled anxiously as I wrapped my arms around my knees and rested my forehead against them. That officer guy warned me that we were headed for psychological evaluations, but I didn't expect to be treated like a mental patient in the process.

I'm no stranger to psychologists. Since those guys jumped me in high school, I've visited a therapist at least once a month. Well, up until the start of The Program, at least. My mind drifted to Tsunade, the woman who helped me manage my PTSD from the event. She'd warned me against signing up for something like this, and I completely ignored her. If I ever manage to see her again, I'll have to offer a thorough apology for not listening to her reasoning.

I was too enticed by the cash prize to be swayed. My family's not well off, but we're not destitute either. A large amount of money like that would definitely change things for the better, and it was a chance both Karin and I couldn't pass up. We both applied, assuming they'd accept only one of us since we're from the same household, but everyone knows how that turned out.

The door to the padded room opened, and I looked up to see multiple other girls had been sent in to join us. Matsuri, Tenten, and Temari quickly came over to Ino and me, but the rest of the girls from The Program grouped up on the other side of the room.

Tenten eagerly interlocked her fingers with Ino's with a look of relief, "Oh, God, I was so worried about you guys!"

Matsuri nodded in agreement, her face looking paler than usual. Temari sat silently nearby rather than offer a vocal greeting. The young woman seemed kind of lost without her siblings. In fact, this was the first time any of us were seeing her alone.

My voice shook as I hesitantly asked, "Did you guys see anyone else?"

Matsuri squeezed her eyes shut and frantically wiped at the thick tears that ran down her face, "Suigetsu's dead, and Hinata's missing, but I think everyone else made it."

"So he really is dead, then?" A small part of me held onto a sliver of hope he'd somehow pull through.

The room got silent momentarily before Tenten surprised us by drastically changing the subject, "I should probably share something with you guys in case we get separated, but you have to swear not to tell anyone else, okay?"

We wordlessly agreed, curious about what she could be talking about.

Her voice was barely a whisper as she leaned in so the others in the room couldn't hear, "Neji and Hinata are half-siblings, but she doesn't know." I was stunned, and the other three girls seemed to be in a similar state.

Ino's brow furrowed as she hissed back, "I'm surprised, but why would we need to know that?" That was a valid question.

Tenten's expression became even more uncomfortable. Obviously, she didn't like laying out other people's dirty laundry. "Neji's parents are Hinata's mother and Madara."

My best friend lost control of herself for a moment, "What!"

The older girl made a frantic shushing motion with her hands as she glanced over to make sure none of the other girls were paying attention, "Shh! Listen to me, okay? This is important." She paused to ensure we were all focused before closing her eyes, "Hinata's family is under the impression that her mother died in a car accident like fifteen years ago or something, but it's not true. She's alive."