Sakura Sensei's :True Promise:

Chapter One

"Please... Forgive me." Sakura cradled her comrade's body in the heavy rain. "I'm sorry. God, please. Please forgive me, Rin." The sound of thunder was the only thing that met her ears. Sakura couldn't help but cry just as hard as the rain did.

Sakura's eyes slowly fluttered open to see the evening sun bleed softly through her window. She rose her left hand in the air to look at the scar that was on the palm of her hand. She twisted it back and forth before placing it back on the bed. Normally, she wouldn't be in bed right now. She would be in her office doing loads of paperwork, looking over patients, or being bothered by incompetent nurses.

But no, today she was given a mandatory day off by Lord the Third. She was going to spend it sleeping her day away until the next morning but it seemed she had woken too soon. She turned her head towards the nightstand and saw the time to be barely six o'clock in the evening.

She pulled the covers off and headed downstairs. Shivers ran through her body at the feeling of the cold floor under her feet. It was mid-summer but her house always seemed to withstand the heat with its cold temperature. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, she went into the kitchen. The sound of the water when it turned on put her at ease.

Water running, the rain, or the simple sight of it brought her comfort after she woke up. Nightmares deprived her. Sleep was something she rarely got and the only comfort kept her going these days.

A knock could be heard from where she stood. She wasted no time answering the door. Upon opening, it stood an Anbu two heads taller than her. To him, it was surprising to see Sakura in such a natural state. The way her long pink hair was a tangled mess while she wore nothing but a loose long sleeve black shirt with ninja tight shorts that hugged her body like a second skin.

He was used to her clean and well-dressed state that this shocked him.

"Haruno Sakura?" He spoke out to her in a hesitant voice. She looked at him in question. "I have a message for the Hokage. He needs you to go to his office immediately. He says it is important information for you." She raised her index finger as she slipped on her ninja shoes and place her hair in a messy bun.

"Report to him. I will be there in a few minutes." The Anbu nodded at her words and disappeared seconds later. Once she took a step outside her apartment, she started to walk her way to the Hokage tower. If anything, she wasn't nervous but a little concerned about what was so urgent for her to come so quickly. Maybe he wanted to talk about her traveling plans she was discussing with him a few months ago. A spark of excitement gave her enough energy to hurry the rest of the way there.

When she stepped foot inside the lobby of the tower it grew quiet. Every single ninja from Chūnin to Anbu stared at her petite form. What should have felt like burning gazes, felt like nothing to her. She was used to the stares. The whispers and rumors circling her.

A group of Chūnin standing by a metal pillar watched her intensely. A man named, Bekkō, crossed his arms in disgust. "I can't believe that piece of a shit woman is still around. You would think that Lord Hokage would strip her of her ninja status by now but no. Rumors say all he did was moved down a rank and lets her fully operate at the hospital."

Yūki, the woman next to him only smirked. "Well, she does fully work the hospital. She is the head after all but demons like her should have been banished a long time ago."

"Am I missing something?" The third person in their group looks baffled at the two. "Haruno-san is a fantastic person. A truly kind and loving person. I have witnessed it myself."

"That's the thing with elite ninjas like her, Natori. Looks are deceiving when you are plotting against the world." She frowned at the end when she looked at him. Sakura, on the other hand, heard everything they had said but she chose not to acknowledge it because it was the same every time she came in there. Criticizing her without knowing the full story.

When she finally arrived at the office, she knocked on the door. "Come in." The sound of Hiruzen's voice could be heard from the other side.

She quickly opened the door then closed it when she was fully inside. "Hokage-same, you wanted to speak with me?"

He took off his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes before putting them back on. He used his other hand to gesture for her to take a seat in front of him. "Sakura-san, how was your day off today?"

"It was nice. I took the time to catch up in need of sleep. I feel well-rested now."

He placed his hands onto each other and looked at her straight in the eye, trying to look for something. He could tell that many things still bothered her but he hoped that the brokenness she felt would be healed. It hurt him to see her like that because he wished he could do more. "That's great to hear. Anyways, it has been a while since the last time you have been on the field. Three... Four years, right. Don't you miss it?"

"Not at all. I find it very tranquil where I'm at now." She gave him a brief smile.

"You must feel a little tired of being in the same spot at the hospital?"

"It doesn't matter. I like the busy schedules and the people. I can never get tired of something like that."

"Don-."

"Hokage-sama, trust me, I am perfectly great where I am at now. Unless this is about letting me travel for a while."

He leaned back into his chair while he shook his head no at her question. In return, she gave him a noticeable frown. "Take this. I want you to look over this file for me."

She raised her eyebrow at the contents of the folder. She felt like her eyes were about to fall from her eye sockets. "Hokage-sama, please you can't do this to me!"