THE VERY BEGINNING
I DO NOT OWN NARUTO
Sakura winced as she came to. Her eyelids felt heavy and her limbs felt like they were chained to something. She could feel the coolness of the air and she heard voices.
Voices!
"Found her. . . no, doesn't seem to be. . . could be. . . question her when she wakes up."
"Pink hair, Tobi! No one has pink hair!"
Sakura let out a soft groan and her eyes opened a slit. Immediately a young boy with fair skin, spiky white hair and reddish-brown eyes wearing a dark blue tank top and some pinstriped pants came into her view.
"Hey, are you okay?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth.
Sakura was too tired and weary to recognize the face that jogged only slightly at her memory. She only saw the cup of water offered to her which she immediately took and gulped down, wishing to soothe her dry, scratchy throat.
"Are you alright now?" the boy asked.
"Tobi, I never took you to be one that cared for strangers," a voice said jokingly as another boy came into her vision. He had tanned skin, dark eyes, a bowl-cut hairstyle that hung around his face came into view. He was wearing a dark kimono shirt, a short light green jacket with darker green linings, a white scarf around his neck, traditional pinstriped kimono pants and a dark green sash around his waist.
"Shut up Hashirama," the boy scowled.
Once the words registered in her mind, Sakura's eyes slightly widened when she connected the young face staring intently at her to the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Her eyes shifted to the one with the bowl cut - Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage.
"Tobi~" the boy whined childishly.
Tobirama sent a glare to his brother before turning his gaze back to the pinkette. "Can you talk? What's your name?"
It took a few tries, but at last she managed to say, "Sakura."
"Sakura," Tobirama said slowly. "No last name?"
Sakura mentally debated but then decided to shake her head. It wouldn't do to give her last name away, in case there was a Haruno clan somewhere and she got taken there.
"No? How old are you?"
Sakura looked down at herself, then at Tobirama and Hashirama and then said slowly, "Eight."
"Two years younger than you, Tobi," Hashirama grinned, nudging him.
"I told you to stop calling me that!" his brother hissed angrily, jabbing him in the ribs. "My name is Tobirama Senju, and this idiot is my older brother, Hashirama Senju," he introduced.
Sakura sweatdropped at Hashirama who had immediately gone to sulk in a depressed corner. "Is he alright?"
"Don't worry about him, he does that all the time. He's easily depressed but he'll bounce back in no time," Tobirama waved it off dismissively.
Sakura nodded and sat up with a wince. "What happened?"
"You don't remember?"
The pinkette shook her head, her large green eyes inquiring of the white-haired Senju, who quickly cast his eyes somewhere else.
"Well we found you lying unconscious somewhere-"
"Actually, Tobi found you," Hashirama cut in, grinning wickedly. "And carried you here himself."
"-and," Tobirama continued, shooting a glare at his brother, "you're here to heal and maybe we can let you stay until you've recovered. But it seems you have memory loss, since you don't remember you last name."
Sakura pursed her lips but decided not to say anything. It might come in handy to have them think she had memory loss, since she could use it to cover up if she ever did anything suspicious and was questioned for it.
"Did you ever have any training?" Hashirama suddenly asked curiously.
"Hashirama!" Tobirama hissed, elbowing him sharply.
"Ow!" Hashirama cried. "What was that for?!"
Sakura giggled softly, and both boys turned their attentions to her at once. "Yes actually, I did have some training. I'm a kunoichi and a medic."
"A medic," Tobirama murmured, nodding to himself. "That will come in very useful."
"Tobi!" Hashirama exclaimed. "Are you planning on letting her stay with us?"
Tobirama shrugged. "What else can we do? She's still recovering, she's got memory loss and we're in the middle of a war. We might as well just let her stay with us. It's in our gain since she's a medic."
Hashirama sighed heavily and stood up. "I'll go inform Father."
Tobirama and Sakura watched as he left the room, and Sakura suddenly noticed they were alone. She was alone with the stoic and very intense Tobirama Senju.
"So," Tobirama said at last, turning back to her, "what jutsu do you know?"
"Not many," Sakura said meekly, deciding to pose as a fragile little girl for the beginning until she figured out exactly what she was going to do. "I'm mainly a medic."
"Do you have any dojutsu, or Kekkei Genkai?"
Remembering what the old Sage had told her, Sakura dutifully informed, "I have the Tenseigan and the Crystal Release."
At this, Tobirama looked intrigued. "Crystal Release?"
Sakura nodded. "It's a very rare Kekkei Genkai. When someone first sees the Crystal Release, more often than not they immediately mistake it for the Earth Release. I can also convert any matter into crystal, from physical material to moisture in the air, allowing me to turn anything into a weapon. This extends to other physical natures, rendering earth, water and wood useless against it. When it's used on living creatures, targets can be crystallized down to a cellular level, imprisoning them as long as the crystals are in place. If you shatter a crystal with them inside it, you can kill them. Crystal Release also allows me to manipulate pre-existing crystals and crystalline structures."
Tobirama raised both his eyebrows in a gesture of admiration. "What about it's weaknesses? Can something counter it?"
"The Crystal Release can't crystallize raw energy or chakra, since they have no physical mass to crystallize, so those with good chakra control or the Lightning or Fire can counter it. Sound waves can also break down the build-up before the crystal can properly form."
"And what about your Tenseigan? What is that?"
Sakura searched through her memory archives to the knowledge that the old Sage had given her and began to recite,
"The Tenseigan is characterized by blue pupils and irides which contain a white floral pattern. It allows me to control attractive and repulsive forces. With the complete Tenseigan, the user is able to enter Tenseigan Chakra Mode, which grants enhanced physical capabilities, the ability to fly, as well as a number of Truth-Seeking Balls that are comprised of all five nature transformations and the Yin-Yang Release. The Tenseigan's ocular power is also capable of reviving a planet in the event of it being destroyed."
Now Tobirama looked fairly impressed but also a bit suspicious. "Have you activated your dojutsu before?"
Sakura debated before nodding slowly.
"Can you show me?"
Sakura hesitated and then shook her head. She didn't want to show her new dojutsu until she had time to practice with it and get used to it. She also wanted to show it only when she felt sure enough that she was safe here, and decided to only use it in the direst of situations.
Tobirama frowned. "Alright, I won't push you."
There was a sound of footsteps and the Senju's head jerked up, causing Sakura to look up as well. A tall man came in, and Sakura noted he had black eyes and shoulder length black hair that was kept out of his face by a piece of light green cloth tied around his forehead. He wore the red armour that was emblazoned with the Senju clan symbol at the front and on both sides of the shoulder plates, mesh armour underneath his attire.
"Father," Tobirama greeted, quickly getting to his feet.
The man nodded at his son, and then turned his stare to the pink-haired, green-eyed girl who was staring curiously at him.
"Hello, Sakura."
Sakura dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Senju-sama."
Butsuma was fairly impressed that she knew who he was even though no one had told her he was the clan head. Maybe Tobirama had told her beforehand.
{Pretend he is clan head}
"Do you remember how you came here?"
"No sir. I was told by. . . Tobirama-san that I was found unconscious and that he took me here so I could heal," Sakura answered.
Butsuma nodded slowly and then turned to Tobirama. "How did you find her?"
"Lying on the grass and completely knocked out. Her head was also bleeding," Tobirama reported dutifully.
"I see. Sakura, do you remember anything at all before you were knocked out?"
"I. . ."
Sakura furrowed her brows. 'Should I twist the truth into a devastating backstory so I can start being that fragile little girl? I need them to think of me like that so I can properly do my work without being suspected.'
So Sakura hung her head until her bangs shadowed her eyes and thought about what had made her come here. . . it wasn't long until she was shaking and real tears were building up in her eyes.
"Dead. . . everyone's dead."
Those three words she uttered was all it took for the images to flash into her mind. Images of every friend and comrade she had, dying before her. The images only slowed when her mind forced her to relive the moment when her teammates, Sasuke and Naruto, had protected her for the last time.
Butsuma, Hashirama and Tobirama watched the young girl with growing sympathy. She wasn't faking, that much they knew. The tears were real. They wondered what had happened to make all those she cared about die. Most likely her clan was invaded or massacred - that was the only thing that came to Butsuma's mind.
"Sasuke. . . Naruto. . ." Sakura couldn't help herself as the two names slipped out in a whisper choked with tears.
Tobirama frowned as the pink-haired girl started crying softly into her hands. His keen hearing caught the two names and his frown deepened. He didn't ask, lest her condition worsened, but his idiot brother blurted out,
"Who's Sasuke and Naruto?"
Tobirama glared at Hashirama who immediately cowered behind their father.
"My brothers."
Tobirama's head snapped towards Sakura, who had lifted her head slightly to show those emerald orbs that had tears falling from them like a waterfall. She had spoken so softly it was almost too quiet to hear, and she was biting her lip hard in an effort to stop it from wobbling.
"Oh. . . I'm sorry," Hashirama said quietly.
Tobirama grunted. Both he and Hashirama knew the pain of losing brothers. They themselves had lost two of them already, with only him and Hashirama left.
Butsuma frowned at his oldest son's ignorance and insensitivity, and his eyes shimmered with sympathy for the girl who was approximately the age of his recently-deceased second youngest. As he looked at her quivering form, he decided to do something quite out of character.
"Would you like to stay with us?"
Tobirama and Hashirama both jerked their heads up in surprise, eyes wide as saucers. Butsuma ignored them as he watched Sakura slowly lift her head.
"W-Wouldn't I be a hindrance to you?"
"No, Sakura, you will not. Hashirama has told me that you are both a kunoichi and a medic. Would you mind telling me what you can do?"
Sakura took in a deep, shaky breath and repeated what she had told Tobirama. "I have the Crystal Release Kekkei Genkai, and I have a dojutsu called the Tenseigan."
Butsuma was fairly impressed. He had limited knowledge of both of them, but enough to know that this little girl could become very powerful, but only if trained right. And he would train her. No, not to be a weapon or a trump card, but as the young girl he took in with raw power that she had no idea how to wield.
"Sakura, would you like me to train you further in your gifts?" Butsuma asked slowly.
Sakura's eyes widened slightly. 'It would be good to learn under him. Then my strength and my healing wouldn't seem so suspicious.'
"Yes sir, I would love to," she replied honestly.
Butsuma sent a rare smile her way. "Very well then, I'll let you rest for the rest of the week. Next week we begin training. We'll take it easy first to get you back on your feet, but then after that we begin to step it up. Are you alright with that?"
Sakura nodded with a smile on her face, and Butsuma nodded at her once before leaving the room.
"Whoa!" Hashirama gasped. "He's usually never that soft with anyone!"
Tobirama nodded in agreement before he reached over and wiped Sakura's tears with a stoic face. "Now quit crying, you're making me feel awkward."
Hashirama started sniggering. "Tobi and Saki, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N- ARGH!"
Tobirama had tackled Hashirama and both were wrestling on the floor, one laughing hysterically while the other was growling in fury.
"Shut up shut up shut up!" Tobirama yelled as he rolled on top of Hashirama and started punching him.
Light, tinkling laughter stopped him halfway through a punch, and both boys looked over at Sakura who had her hands placed delicately over her mouth as she stifled her laughter.
"She. . . laughed," Hashirama said slowly and then a grin formed on his face. "Ha! She laughed! Take that Tobi, I got her to laugh!"
Tobirama scowled lightly and then hopped off Hashirama. "Do you want us to let you rest?" he asked the girl, his brows drawing together slightly - the only telltale sign of concern.
Sakura contemplated it before shaking her head. "No, I'm not that tired yet. Besides. . ." Sakura trailed off as embarrassment rose to colour her cheeks.
"You don't want to be alone yet, huh?" Hashirama smiled knowingly.
Sakura jumped a little but nodded slowly, averting her eyes from the two Senju brothers.
Hashirama then got an evil glint in his eyes as he looked back and forth from the pink-haired girl and Tobirama, who was staring unblinkingly at said girl.
"Well, I've got training to get to, so I need to go. Tobirama can keep you company," Hashirama said slyly. "Tobi, take care of her," he chuckled quietly and slipped out before Tobirama could utter a word of protest.
A blush blossomed on Sakura's cheeks and a moment later, she heard a sigh and a wumph as someone sat down on her futon.
"Uh, so. . ." Tobirama started awkwardly.
Sakura slowly turned her head to face him and smiled shyly. "Should we get to know each other?"
Tobirama hid a sigh of relief and nodded. "I'll start. My name is Tobirama Senju."
"Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dream for the future?" she prodded gently, feeling a flash of nostalgia and a stab of pain at the familiar words of her former sensei.
Tobirama sighed but complied. "I like water, I guess. I dislike. . . hmm, my idiot brother. Don't really have any hobbies unless training counts, and I don't really have a dream for the future. Maybe to see the Uchiha Clan get crushed."
Sakura tipped her head to the side. "What did they ever do to you?"
Tobirama frowned. "It goes way back, but there's always been a feud between them and us."
"Us meaning your family or. . .?"
"The clan."
"Oh. . . say, what would you do if you met up with an Uchiha?" Sakura suddenly asked.
Tobirama scowled. "I would kill them, obviously."
Sakura's lips tilted down into a light frown. "For no other reason than the fact that your clans have a feud that goes even before your father's generation?"
At Tobirama's nod, she sighed in disappointment. This would take a while. According to what she knew, Tobirama had killed Madara's younger brother, Izuna, resulting in Madara's anger and eventual betrayal. So to save her brothers, the first thing she would have to work on would be his attitude towards nearly everything, and then his attitude towards the Uchiha.
"What about you?"
Green eyes blinked as she tipped her head sideways. "Huh?"
Tobirama averted his eyes briefly but forced himself to look up at her. "Uh, what about you? You haven't introduced yourself yet. . ."
"Oh, right. I'm Sakura. I like reading, medical ninjutsu. . ." Sakura's eyes dimmed a little as she thought, 'and my brothers.' She quickly perked up a little when she saw Tobirama's concerned gaze.
"I dislike people who cannot tell the difference between a scroll and the kunai sealed within it, and people who refuse to give others a chance because of an event that might have happened without intention. My hobbies are the same as my likes, and my dream for the future is to be a great medic, so I save many more lives."
Tobirama nodded with a slight smile on his face. "Great medic, huh? I don't doubt it."
Sakura's eyes dropped to her hands that were lying in her lap. "I only wish they could've seen me. . ."
"Do you uh, wanna talk about them?" Tobirama asked awkwardly.
Sakura thought about it before saying quietly, "My brothers. . . were the best kind of brothers I could ever ask for. They would fight a lot, but most of the time it was only playful wrestling. They were also really protective over me, and it because of that. . . they are no longer here with me."
A tear slipped unbidden down her pale cheek.
"They were both so strong, and they promised to always be with me. . ."
Tobirama lifted his face to the ceiling as he fell backwards onto the futon, slightly startling Sakura.
"Hey, what did I tell you about crying? You make me feel awkward."
Sakura smiled as she wiped her tears. "Sorry."
"Eh, it's okay. But you know, if you're going to be training under Father, one thing you should always keep in mind is that shinobi do not show emotions. You said you were a kunoichi, right? Well I don't know how things operated where you were from, but Father is very strict on that. So keep that in mind, you hear?"
Sakura nodded. "Hai."
"Do you remember who things operated? On emotions, I mean." Tobirama twisted so he could face her, and Sakura noted with slight delight that curiosity was written all over it.
"Hmm. . . I remember one thing very clearly." A fond smile flitted across Sakura's lips. "My little brother, Naruto always said he would never give up, because that was his ninja way. I think. . . I think we were encouraged to have emotions, because it was emotions that made us stronger."
"But they make you blind as well," Tobirama countered.
"Yes, but if you have something worth fighting for, something or someone precious to you, then you'll fight all the harder to protect them," Sakura explained softly.
Thoughtfulness swept across the facial features of the young Senju, and both remained quiet as one mulled over the words while the other thought about everything her "brothers" had taught her.
'Never give up. . . because that's my ninja way.'
'Fighting to protect your precious people. . .'
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top