"When you look in the mirror, who do you see?"
Dan, Ibiki, and Genma leaned closer to the two-way mirror in anticipation. Sakura stared and stared and stared and stared; for a minute, almost.
Then she looked at Inoichi. "No one important."
...
Inoichi picked up the mirror and placed it on top of all the other papers and stood, offering the eight year old a forced smile.
"This concludes the examination, Sakura. Thank you for your time."
::
"Sakura-san?"
She let the glass doors of T&I close behind her as she looked up. "Itachi-san."
He was the last person she expected to see at the sector. Pacifistic, Sasori said he was. If that were true, then this was the one place he would have avoided in all of Konoha. He glanced at his surroundings for a few moments before returning his attention back to her. The hardness in his gaze was unmistakable though his small smile still remained.
"Sasuke has expressed his worry about you. He says you've been absent from the Academy for three days now," he said. Sakura shrugged.
"I've been doing a little of this, a little of that," she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Nothing he or Naruto need to worry about. I'll be back Monday morning no problem."
Itachi accepted her answer with the slight tilt of his head, but it looked as if he wanted to say more about the subject. He settled on staring at the Torture and Interrogation sign at the side of the door. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced all of a sudden even if he wasn't placing his attention directly on her. "You're so young."
"So were you."
Black, as dark as shadows, flickered down to her. "I had no choice. You can get out while you still can."
There was something about his words that began to piss her off. She knew that in the other timeline that no one suffered as much as he did. At thirteen, Itachi killed his parents and hurt the one he loved the most in the process. He chose the livelihood of thousands of people over a couple hundred of his own blood. He was Konoha's scapegoat that deserved everything he never got, and she respected that of him.
"I don't have that opportunity," she said.
"You do."
But this Itachi?
"I don't think you understand, Itachi-san."
"What is there to not?"
Sakura grit her teeth. This Itachi knew jack shit about his misery in the other timeline and because of his ignorance, it gave every reason for her not to get upset. But she was aware of who she was before.
She remembered her death—feeling every breathing moment.
She accepted the fact that her daughter would never exist this time around; the only creation she dared to call truly beautiful.
She involuntarily let her parents die this time around because she was too damn focused on Sasuke's happiness to tend to her own.
Yes, she shouldn't be mad, though there was only so much that she could take from others. Sakura took one firm step forward, eyes taking on the blistering heat of anger. Itachi didn't account for her to react this way, or actually look intimidating while doing so.
"Never assume things of people," she sneered. "I'm sure that even a genius like you doesn't know the whole world, so I'd appreciate you'd cut that everyone-has-a-choice shit and take a few steps back. Re-evaluate yourself before coming to me."
His eyebrows furrowed. "I... apologize for my callousness."
Sakura turned her head as Ibiki strode out the building. She glanced at the Uchiha heir one last time.
"Have a nice day, Itachi-san," she bid. She walked to her sensei's side, leaving the recently promoted ANBU Captain to silently watch her go.
::
"Oh, Shikamaru! Chouji isn't with you?"
"Naruto, Sasuke, and him went to look for bandana guy."
Chouza took his son's backpack from the boy's grasp and tilted his head. Shiranui Genma, his former student? He'd been mentioned occasionally by Chouji because of his ties with Haruno Sakura. He poked around for some information on it a year or two ago and found that Genma had started mentoring the girl, but was at a loss of what exactly he was teaching due to the undisclosed information.
It was strange that nothing but her name was documented in the files. Even Inoichi had some suspicion about it.
"The one with the senbon in his mouth?"
"Not him. The other one."
The other—
Chouza stalled. Ibiki. Shikamaru had to be talking about Ibiki. The youngest to become head of interrogation, known not for using physical pain in his sessions, but known for getting information through inflicting severe mental trauma.
"What do they have to do with Ibiki?" he asked, trying to keep himself as calm as possible. That man was not known for his kindness and definitely wouldn't try to hesitate or shield mere children from the work he did. What would happen to Chouji if he saw those terrible practices? Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.
"They're looking for Sakura. I mean, she's with him a lot so I guess it's smart to look for him," he said. "Who is he?"
The Akimichi Head let out a nervous chuckle. "He's one of the elite. No one you need to worry about."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.
He never said he was worried.
::
"The sun is burning and spirits are at an all time high—we can only be young for so long! What do you say to that, my shining eternal rival? Shall we engage in an invigorating taijutsu session?!"
Green. A lot of it.
Too much, actually.
Gai, with his usual thousand watt smile, struck a pose in the middle of a pretty busy street. Kakashi didn't even blink at the sight before side stepping the oddity and continuing on his way with his hands shoved deeply in his pockets. Though Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey was unperturbed as he jogged to catch up with his long time friend.
"Come on, Kakashi! When's the last time we had a battle of youth, man to man?"
Two blank eyes.
"Uh, fist to fist?"
No response.
"I suppose janken will do just fine then. Janken! A clash for the ultimate fate of destiny!"
Kakashi finally let out a tired sigh. He raised a gloved hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
"ANBU is taxing. I'm on duty," he said. Gai looked all around him. ANBU? All Hatake had been doing was meandering the streets not doing anything in particular. He opened his mouth to retort, but when he moved his eyes back ahead of him, there was nothing but empty space. He clenched his fists.
"You win this round!" Gai shouted, raising his arms towards the sky in an admittance of defeat. He didn't know how it happened so suddenly, but ever since that happened, all Kakashi ever did was work then hole himself in his apartment. He'd spend no time with his old friends, always taking up any and all available ANBU duties.
Gai crossed his arms as an unusually serious expression blossomed on his face. Anyone could see that Kakashi was still caught up in the past. With his father, the Yondaime... Rin.
The taijutsu master glanced at the Hokage Tower with determination in his gaze. What he had in mind might be a bit of a stretch, but he was starting to lose out at all other options. He turned the opposite direction and began his march onward.
But he had to get Obito first.
::
Iruka wasn't quite sure how he ended up here.
The Akasen looked much different in the day time. The signs were unlit and nearly all the businesses were closed. They'd open in a few hours, he guessed, but it probably wasn't the night time appeal that brought him back. Here he stood at the back of Magenta, staring up Naruto's window. The apartment was empty, and he couldn't help but feel that how it always was.
"You aren't thinkin' of wreckin' the place, are you? 'Cause I gotta mean left hook."
A taller, slightly older man with long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and a cigarette hanging from his lips strolled up beside him. Iruka quickly waved his hands in front of himself.
"O-Oh no, nothing like that! It's, uh, actually-- I'm Umino Iruka, Naruto-kun's sensei," he introduced. The blonde blew a cloud of smoke in the air.
"Ah. Sakura-chan or Sasuke-chan tell you 'bout his place?"
"Sakura did. A while back."
So Sasuke knew about Naruto's situation too, huh? It made sense. Those three had a lot of other friends but always stuck together like they were incapable of being apart. Great friends they might be, though, Iruka believed that it wasn't enough for Naruto. The love and support he needed from home was painfully absent just as much the backbone of encouragement was.
The stranger tilted his head. "So why're you here, sensei? Class ended, right? Naru-chan ain't back yet and you've takin' to starin' atta' window."
"I... I'm not too sure. I just sort of wandered here," he admitted sheepishly. "Naruto-kun's been doing extremely well with his lessons lately and was wondering if he was getting any support from home. Besides his friends of course."
The man flicked the ash off his cigarette before placing it back in his mouth. "We let him in the bar before openin' and take some food up every now and then. It's not much, but what can we do? Kid's an orphan," he shrugged. Iruka mumbled something, making the blonde lean forward.
"Nothing! Just—Just letting my thoughts run, is all!" He cleared his throat. "Well, I have to head back and grade papers... Um, I never got your name?"
The stranger gestured to the building. "I'm the owner, Mari."
::
"You talk to Itachi?"
"I do hang out with his little brother all the time. So I'm bound to talk to him sometimes," she said. They were headed back to Ibiki's house.
"I've got a plan for you. Want to hear it?"
Sakura cocked her head to show she was listening.
"You'll be going on one last test before you're fully admitted to the system: a field mission with whoever Hokage-sama chooses. Genma and I have no say in that," he informed, "but when you pass, and I'm sure you will, you'll have another sensei to listen to. She's unconventional and batshit crazy, but she knows what she's doing. Most of the time."
Sakura supposed he was talking about none other than the infamous Mitarashi Anko. She was the only renowned kunoichi from interrogation force she could recall, and the only real interaction they had was during Team Seven's first chuunin exams. She kept her mouth shut to let him continue.
"As for your guardianship—I'll have to sign your papers to ensure you don't get moved to an orphanage on any accounts. You can stay in the room you've been in for the past half week until you're no longer a minor. Sixteen in Konoha's laws."
She stopped beside Ibiki when he pulled out his key. "You're taking custody of me? Wow. I knew you were an old man, but I didn't expect you to be a nice old man," she mused. Ibiki scoffed as he held the door open for her to step inside.
"I'm not nice. I just know where my priorities are."
A debt of gratitude was one of the hardest things to pay back, if it could be paid back at all. She would be forever thankful of what Ibiki was doing for her even if he wouldn't fully admit to it himself. It would be harder to contact Sasori in these conditions, now living in a shinobi district, but it's not like anything was impossible. All she had to do was keep her obvious interests out in the open, destroy all messages Sasori ever sent her like normal, and keep her sleeping pills hidden.
Nothing she couldn't handle.
::
At about dawn the next day, Sakura was sitting at the edge of her bed adjusting her wrist blades when something crashed through her window. She took a split second to figure out what was happening before continuing to fix her weapons.
"Ibiki!" a voice roared. "Put me back on the roster, you bastard!"
As the dust cleared, the outline of the intruder became more pronounced. Anko angrily took a step towards the bed, stopping when who she expected to be bulky and irritated turned out to be extra small and pink. She narrowed her eyes.
"You're not Ibiki."
"He's down the hall."
The door slowly opened to reveal the wholly disgruntled person in question. Anko pointed at him accusingly.
"Fucker! Give me work to do!" she barked. Ibiki surveyed the broken glass and sighed. He walked over to pick up the larger pieces, then went back out the door.
"I don't think you understand what the term 'inactive' means," he said, voice drifting from somewhere near the kitchen. "The charge assigned to you nearly died because you lost your temper and beat him half to death with a piece of bread. Hokage-sama removed you from your duties for three weeks for a reason, including from interrogation."
Sakura couldn't say she was surprised. Anko had a certain semblance to Naruto with that same amount of reckless and disregard for authority. She picked up some pieces of glass and followed the others. After disposing of it, she went around the protesting woman to get some fruits for her breakfast.
"Give me a case!"
"No."
"Fucking goddammit, Ibiki!"
It was at that moment when Anko realized the very thing that wasn't quite right. Light brown eyes drifted over to the fridge. Sakura stared back blankly as she bit into her apple. Bewildered, the kunoichi gestured to her animatedly.
"And what the hell is this? Are you kidnapping little girls now?!" she exclaimed. Ibiki rolled his eyes and leaned against the counter.
"Anko, Haruno Sakura. A soon-to-be T&I apprentice," he introduced. "Sakura, Mitarashi Anko. A future sensei."
First there was shock, then there was a satisfied and almost maniacal type of grin. Anko rubbed her hands together like someone ready for a hard battle. Sakura, on the other hand, was perfectly unamused with what she was getting into. Once under her tutelage, it'd be even harder for her to move around as she pleased. Contacting her summons would take a little longer and convening with Sasori would have to be delayed.
"So you're the messed up little intern, hm?" she hummed. "I've heard lots of rumors about you."
"All bad, I'm guessing."
Anko fluffed up her tan trench coat, grin growing wider. "Oho, I think I'm gonna have a fun time training you, tidbit."
"Which you can talk about later on after her final examination," Ibiki interrupted. He pointed to a bird sitting on the windowsill. "Sakura, go to Hokage-sama's office."
Sakura nodded and thanked him when she took the fully stocked kunai pouch he held out to her. She excused herself from their presence and left the house. When the click of the door met her ears, Anko plopped down on one of the stools.
"Oh yeah..." she drawled, "kid's definitely fucked up."
::
Dan was against this. When he saw her, all he could see was a little girl who believed she had no other choice but to serve her village to her best ability. She was an eight year old who should be learning how to throw shuriken at tree stumps, not learning which veins and arteries were the best to cut for slow torture. She could even be learning how to read fun, adventurous stories instead of those anatomy books she carried around.
He gave a lengthy sigh as he thought of yesterday.
Sakura stood up to leave the interrogation room, but was stopped at the second of Inoichi's sigh.
"You... do know that if you pass, you'll become the youngest to ever join the sector. A lot of pressure is going to be on your shoulders. Are you ready for that responsibility?" he asked. She gave a nonchalant shrug as she rubbed her neck.
"It won't be a problem."
On the other side of the mirror, the three observers collected themselves enough to disappear. Dan was lost in his thoughts the rest of the day, researching and checking up on other students to make sure there weren't any other cases like her.
People like her don't grow up well with normal functioning mentalities. They were warped to the point where their self-worth was startlingly low. They were the most effective on missions because of their lack of restraint, but it meant putting themselves in the most danger from their detached attitude toward their own person.
Hatake Kakashi is one.
Uchiha Itachi is another.
Unfortunately, Sakura was close if not already on that list. Dan straightened when there was a knock on his door and the aforementioned stepped in.
"Good morning," he smiled. "Are you ready for the final test?"
"Yes, sir," she replied. He gave her a small mission scroll from his well-organized desk as well as a small red bag.
"You and your partner will take a trip to Port City and deliver this jade bracelet to the client. Complete it as quickly and efficiently as possible and return to Konoha immediately upon completion," Dan explained. Sakura's eyebrows furrowed.
"Partner?"
"Someone to help monitor your examination. He'll be assessing the decisions you make and be the primary judge to whether you pass or fail. Good luck."
She bowed respectfully and turned to leave the office.
"Oh, and one more thing..."
She was only able to take one step before her muscles involuntarily seized up and and she forgot how to breathe.
"Your partner, Uchiha Obito, will be waiting for you at the gates."
::
EDITED 2/1/18