Chapter Text
When looking from the outside, there didn’t appear to be anything strange or abnormal when it came to one little Haruno Sakura.
She was a small girl for her age, with a slightly too wide forehead which made the girls and boys who had taken a disliking to her call her billboard brow. Her hair was pink, an obnoxious, bright colour which could only belong to someone of a civilian lineage. Pink was the colour of candyfloss, a sweet treat from Suna which had been spread through the lands. Pink was the colour of sakura blossoms, a bloom which died so very quickly despite their beauty. Pink wasn’t a threatening colour in the slightest, unlike the bright red hair of the Uzumaki which was often compared to blood by their enemies and allies alike. Pink hair would have long vanished through careful marriage, had their family been one of a shinobi clan. So little Haruno Sakura was of a civilian background, with eyes the colour of the brightest green gemstones, and very little worth to note in the eyes of the battle-based village which Konoha was.
But that – that view – was just from the outside. From the inside, it was a very different story indeed, because Haruno Sakura had a secret. A very big secret which she had told nobody of, not even her own parents.
Inner Sakura, as Sakura herself had dubbed the voice inside her mind, had always been there as far as she was concerned. There had always been that voice so similar to her own telling her she could do things. But the voice was more mature than her, more experienced in ways Sakura couldn’t quite understand, which had something of an effect on her personality-wise – that being she came off as being slightly more mature than her peers, because Inner Sakura had very much affected her thought process and how she saw a situation. Whenever she had a question, Inner Sakura answered to her best ability, and Sakura found more often than not that Inner Sakura was correct. Inner Sakura was a fountain of knowledge and wisdom, and also her very best friend in the entire world.
No matter what Inner Sakura said, Sakura didn’t think she needed anyone else. Other girls her age were noisy and mean, and the less said about the boys the better. Inner Sakura had said they were ‘in a phase where they didn’t understand why she was different to them and so they ostracised her for it’. She had told her not to pay it much attention, and that things would change as they all grew. Sakura didn’t mind, or pay their mean words much heed. She had Inner Sakura, and she was the bestest friend she ever needed, and the best part was that nobody else had their own Inner Sakura. Her best friend was hers and hers alone. Even if Inner Sakura had ensured she pinky promised on pain of a thousand needles to never tell any other of her existence, she was still the best. Because Sakura didn’t want anyone to take Inner Sakura away from her. She didn’t think she would like being on her own.
“Sa-chan?” her father’s voice stirred her from her daydreams then, and she blinked up from where she sat in the corner of the room, her nose buried in her book. “Time for dinner!” he declared, smiling merrily at her then, and Sakura only shut her book with a decisive snap and rose gracefully to her feet.
‘Both shinobi and ladies are always graceful, Sa-chan,’ Inner reminded, earning a smile from Sakura as she set her book back on its shelf, a bookmark made with pressed flowers tucked in the pages she had just been reading. Her mother liked it when she did feminine things such as that. Not because she wanted Sakura to become nothing more than a lady, but because her mother had once been a shinobi. Her mother didn’t like to talk about it much, not having been able to make it past a rank called chunin and had retired from that lifestyle. Her mother said it was important not to forget femininity and the fact it was perfectly fine to like flowers or other ‘girly’ things, even if others thought them silly and stupid, though the opposite was perfectly fine too.
Her mother’s previous career was part of the reason why Sakura had decided to become one of the shinobi of Konohagakure, and her mother always looked oddly proud yet sad whenever she occasionally saw her off to the academy. Inner always sounded nostalgic – or so she called it – whenever Sakura told her she was going to be the best shinobi ever.
“Sakura,” her mother called, and Sakura only smiled at the sound of her full name – not the shortened nickname her father had always called her since she was a little toddler. He didn’t seem to understand that she wasn’t a little girl anymore, Sakura mused with a huff, padding over towards the table where her mother greeted her with a smile.
‘You’ll always be his little girl, Sakura,’ Inner said, and Sakura startled at the soft use of her full name then. Inner had never liked to call her by her full name – saying it felt weird for one reason or another – but then again, Inner was a bit odd. Sakura loved her for it. ‘Even when you’re all grown up.’
Sakura hummed, annoyance giving way to that fond feeling she oftentimes felt whenever Inner pointed out something like that. She always felt so proud whenever Inner said she was wise and more adult-like in her ways, because adults were who she aspired to be like, who she was going to grow and become. Though she would become an adult earlier than any civilians, what with the law in place which said any who wore a forehead protector were classed as an adult by Konoha Law. “Ooo,” she said, seating herself then, even as her mother set their meal out. “Tuna today?”
“Of course,” her father declared, smiling at her then. “Tomorrow is a big day for you – first day of the academy!”
A smile pulled at her lips then, and Sakura nodded at that as she pressed her hands together then, smiling still at her mother. “Itadakimasu!” she declared, digging into her food a short while afterwards.
Conversation went on over her head, mother talking to her father about his day – her father was in charge of the Haruno Merchant Company, which, coincidentally, was how they had met, with her mother being in charge of guarding his caravan. Sakura didn’t understand much about the family business, not that it mattered – what with her father training up a different successor, given she was interested more in the path her mother had walked down so many years ago.
‘Your parents are fairly young in the grand scheme of things,’ Inner said, and Sakura ate another mouthful of rice. ‘You’re five years old now, and your parents are only just in their twenties… younger than…’ Inner trailed off, sighing softly then in the depths of her mind. ‘Not that it matters all that much. One day you’ll be the same age as them,’ she said, chuckling softly for some reason Sakura couldn’t quite understand.
She was looking forwards to being older, because when she was older she would be much more scary – and she would be able to glare at those women who scorned her mother because she had her much too young. An opinion of civilians, or so Inner had told her. Shinobi wouldn’t have scorned her mother for what was called a ‘teenage pregnancy’. Sakura wasn’t entirely sure what pregnancy was – though Inner had said all would be explained in good time, and Inner was generally, always correct, despite her being one for always talking about ‘thinking and working some things out on her own’.
‘Sa-chan!’ Inner called, and Sakura blinked then. ‘Pay attention, silly. Your dad is talking to you…’
“Huh?” Sakura mumbled, staring at her father, tilting her head then. “Sorry, dad!” she said hurriedly. “I was miles away…”
Her father only laughed good-naturedly, whilst her mother clicked her tongue. “Sakura, you should try not to space out from now onwards,” her mother said. “It will not help you in becoming a good shinobi.”
Sakura felt her shoulders sink. “Sorry, mother,” she said.
Her mother sighed, a soft smile coming to rest on her lips. “It’s likely just because you’re so excited for tomorrow,” she murmured, “but don’t forget that.”
“I won’t!” Sakura declared, a beaming grin on her face then and there.
“Make some friends, won’t you?” her mother spoke, still smiling even as her own face lost some of its cheer at the prospect of trying to make friends. She wasn’t any good at that – no good at all! But that was all because of the other children. She had tried her best and they had laughed at her and teased her because of her forehead for one reason or another, so she had given up. Inner said her forehead was the perfect size, and Sakura would believe Inner over the other girls who didn’t give her the time of day. “I worry about you…”
“Mother,” she groaned, puffing out her cheeks then. “I’m five now – a big girl!”
“Yes,” her mother whispered, reaching out to brush some rice from her cheek then. “You are…”
“You’ll do fine tomorrow,” her father stated. “Our little Sakura is a Haruno through and through… and she takes more after you than me,” he said, and her mother only smiled and pushed her pink hair back behind her ear then. “Though you had best not stay up very late today, Sa-chan. You need to be awake and aware to create the best impression on your future classmates and colleagues. It won’t do for you to be tired!”
Sakura pursed her lips. “I know,” she grumbled. Inner oftentimes said similar things, not that she would ever tell her father that. Though knowing him, he would be delighted at the fact someone else fussed over her.
Haruno Sakura lived in the Uzushio Quarters.
It was a place on the western side of Konoha, originally made for those of Uzumaki and the other assorted clans of what had once been Uzushiogakure. Shades of red hair and pink hair were fairly common around there, bright splashes of colour against the more common browns and blacks and pale blondes native to Konoha, though the pink hair undoubtedly belonged to the civilians. The place was an important trade district of Konoha where merchants often passed through, given it was so close to the main gate of the village, made with wide streets in which the merchants could set up their stalls and sell their wares.
The Haruno Merchant Company had set up shop there thanks to that, and so that was why she lived there. Though the academy for shinobi was built much further into the village, meaning Sakura had a much longer walk into the village to reach her new place of schooling. Senju Tobirama had built the academy there, positioned so it was well defended in case of attack, though in the years since it had been built, it had been expanded so as to make room for the increase in classes as the numbers of academy attendees had risen. Those numbers were said to double in times of war, what with orphans and other civilians who caught the eye of various recruiters who were thrown into the clutches of the academy. Inner and the history books had both agreed on that, as did the tales of old Tanjiro who was one of the oldest people who lived in the Uzushio Quarters, because where they lived had always been hit hard, both by wars and recruiters.
‘Uzumaki-descended and trained shinobi are dangerous and feared,’ Inner had said, a touch of awe in her voice, and from then onwards she had been obsessed with everything Uzumaki. Part of her wished she could have been born at least part Uzumaki, but she was Haruno through and through. Both of her parents’ last names had been Haruno, despite their being no relationship between them. Her father had said it was fated for them to end up together. Her mother and her always rolled their eyes and laughed at Haruno Kizashi’s antics whenever he did that.
Her father was in love with her mother and it was so very sappy and affectionate within their house compared to all the more subdued affections of those in the streets. Sakura wasn’t sure she wanted to fall in love. Boys were kind of gross and the sappiness her parents displayed were slightly off-putting. Inner only laughed whenever she mused on that, her thoughts as always, laid bare to her bestest friend in the whole wide world.
“Are you ready, Sa-chan?” her father asked, staring down at her as he stood there, ready to escort her to the academy’s welcoming ceremony for all the incoming students. Her mother was staying back at the house, though she was due to be visiting somewhere that day – and she had heard the hushed whispers about an anniversary of some sorts. Her mother had some flowers called white lilies and she would take them wherever it was she was going. Inner had whispered not to worry, and so she didn’t – far too excited for her first day at the academy.
‘It’ll probably be boring though,’ Inner said, and Sakura folded her arms with a huff. Wondering what Inner would know about the academy, but Inner soon answered to that thought. ‘I just don’t want you to be disappointed when half the day is taken up by the Hokage’s speech. Ceremonies are usually about being spoken at rather than doing anything interesting…’
“You looking forwards to your first day?” her father questioned, stirring her from Inner’s tirade about how boring ceremonies were.
Sakura nodded vigorously. No matter what Inner said, she was sure it would be interesting. “Of course!” she declared, keeping her eyes on the road before them, even as they walked through the streets, headed for the shinobi district they would have to walk through to reach the academy. Soon she would be walking that path by herself, what with her parents being unable to always escort her to and from the academy. But she was a big girl, and so she would be fine by herself. Or so she always told herself, and it was moments like that she was so very grateful that she had Inner. She would never be alone. Not when she always had Inner. “Mother went there too, and she’s told me lots of stories… though I think she said something about the curriculum changing or something?”
Her father nodded at that. “These things are always changing, Sa-chan,” he said, smiling wistfully as he probably recounted the days gone by. Sakura could tell when he was thinking about anything to do with mother. Her father wasn’t good at hiding his expressions. Not the way she and her mother were.
‘A good skill for a shinobi to have,’ or so Inner had said, and then she was learning how to smile politely while plotting vengeance against those who sneered at her mother because of her existence there. “I hope they have more about seals!” she said, recounting how the Uzumaki were respected because of that. Haruno she might be, but she lived in Uzushio Quarters. Sakura was fairly certain she would be able to pick up a thing or too, more so because she wanted to be a dangerous and feared shinobi and the Uzumaki who used seals were very scary. A smile crossed her face, a skip in her step as they walked without pause, neither of them wanting to be late for the welcoming ceremony.
“Well, if not, I’m sure you could ask old Tanjiro or someone else for some hints or tips.” A hand came down on her head, giving it a small ruffle.
Sakura paused at that, a smile spreading across her face at the thought, and Inner hummed happily too. “Sure!” she declared, all but beaming even as they entered the shinobi district of Konoha. Pink hair stuck out like a sore thumb there, their footsteps – just a bit too loud – gave them away as being civilian to everyone they passed. The glance of a shinobi was glancing though. They were just civilians. No threat there at all.
Her eyes narrowed as she realised that, annoyance and anger burning within her at the thought of being written off just like that. ‘So make them regret it,’ Inner whispered to her then. ‘Though being underestimated at this point is good…’
Sakura frowned, wondering how on earth people writing her off as being lesser and beneath notice would be a boon to her. Inner was silent though, and Sakura was familiar enough with her bestest friend to know it meant it was time to mull over what Inner could mean by that. She frowned, ignoring the glance her father sent her way, her brow furrowed as she thought desperately about what Inner could mean. Her eyes shot open wide as the realisation came to her. Nobody would be paying much attention to what she did, or what she read. Academy students were permitted entrance to the Konoha Library which was dedicated to shinobi – a treasure trove of information.
‘That’s correct,’ Inner said, and Sakura could tell her bestest friend was grinning deep within the depths of her mind. ‘But you’ll have to be careful about what you choose to do with your anonymity, because the most important thing will be clinging onto it once you start becoming that much stronger…’
She beamed at that, a skip in her step at those words granted to her by Inner, and she grinned up at her father, taking his hand, heading straight for the welcome ceremony of the academy, ready for a new chapter of her life to begin.