Sakura Shippuden (#2 Sakura Trilogy)

Sakura Shippuden: [Chapter 6]

Sakura woke up feeling like absolute shit. Her entire body was numb, and she could move only the tips of her fingers. Her eyes flew open, and soon settled on a dark figure sitting at a desk with their back turned to her. She took this time to look around and analyze where she was. A draft; echoey noises; cold stone—she was underground. A hideout or bunker, maybe? She recalled the painted mask she had seen before passing out. It would be naïve to think I was not still being monitored after probation ended, Sakura thought darkly.

"Falcon." The ANBU in her far peripheral vision stood straight in attention. "Leave the room." That raspy voice, Sakura recognised. But where from?

The man in the chair turned around and stood, assuming a straight spine with his arms behind his back. He was old—older than Tsunade, and had brown, short, spiky hair, with bandages covering half his face and both arms. He wore Elders robes, a huge giveaway, and Sakura finally pieced it all together. It shouldn't have taken her that long. "Danzō," she managed to croak, displeased with the weakness in her voice. He had been there with the rest of the Council when they were deciding her fate after she had arrived in the village all those years ago. Instead of acknowledging her words, he spoke in his gravelly voice. "I won't mince words or beat around the bush. You have talent and are a direct descendant to the First Hokage. Having you in ROOT would not only be a great service to your country, but your own duty as well."

Sakura was wise enough to hold her tongue from retorting anything rashly, otherwise she might not leave with one. "Why me?" She asked calmly, attempting to buy time. Sakura could now flex her arms and legs.

"Shōkuton," Danzō replied, slowly walking back and forth behind his desk. "Your lineage, as complex as it is, grants you remarkable powers that others have tried to take through manipulating you. I, the shadow Hokage, have been trying to prevent this from happening for the sake of the village. In order to protect Konoha, we must work together."

Sakura made herself as though she was appearing to think, whereas she was now testing the regained control in her body. When she was confident enough she could fight or run away, she stood. Her knees shook with strain, albeit minutely. "I have no interest in joining ROOT. There is nothing you can say or do that will change my mind, either."

Danzō slowly turned towards her. "You've been struggling to control it. If you master Shōkuton, you would be able to bring Sasuke Uchiha back. You could be the village's savior, and yet," he mused aloud, "you throw away so many opportunities to stick to a meaningless promise you made to yourself... to never use the powers you received from Orochimaru. How noble."

Sakura gave no reaction, only watching him silently. He had been observing her training sessions with Tsuande, then, as well as going through her recorded sessions with Inoichi. But Danzō's actions in itself were telling. His expressed interest was a gamble, one that he would lose to. She now knew that he valued her assets too much to compromise even the slightest chance of her willingly working with him.

The old man sighed, crossing his arms. "Kizashi and Mebuki are an interesting couple, hm? So kind and honorable for welcoming you into their home. As I recall, they're out on a mission. It would be a shame if it escalated to a situation they couldn't handle." Seeing Sakura tense, he smiled cruelly without mirth. "You've lost your discretion, your sense of pride. You've become weak. But I am willing to help you gain your strength back, Sakura."

The pink-haired girl said nothing, only turned away and began walking towards the door. At the last second, she turned and said with a blank face, her tone cold, "If you target them, I will show you what it is like to be weak. This is my only warning I will give you."

Danzō clucked his tongue. "Keep this in mind, Sakura. You may be off probation, but ROOT will never forget your treason to the village. There will be consequences measurable to what you have done in the near future."

Sakura stared at him coolly, then walked out with her back to him. She was too important — Shōkuton was too important to him. He was just another power-hungry man with authority. Too bad for him, though, because she didn't acknowledge authority unless she deemed them worthy. "Do not fret about me telling others of this meeting; the reputation you have is tarnished enough. And my name is not just Sakura. It is Sakura Haruno."

✿ ✿ ✿

Sakura stormed out of the bunker, only to find the exit was located near the base of the Hokage mountains. She would keep it a secret for now in case of leverage against Danzō, but that didn't mean she would just forget the entire situation that had just taken place. She wouldn't be surprised if Danzō and ROOT were already scrambling to move their location elsewhere. He had kidnapped her in her own house, asked her to join ROOT, then threatened Kizashi and Mebuki. All things he will pay for, Sakura thought darkly, then headed to a place she hadn't been for a while.

She approached the hill near the bridge and spotted Shikamaru laying there, bundled up but still looking the same as ever. His eyes flickered towards her in recognition, then closed again, not at all questioning why she wasn't wearing any extra layers. As she settled down next to him, he stayed silent, only mutely offering her some of his blankets, something Sakura was grateful. For the next hour, the two said nothing, lying quietly. As the wind blew a strong gust, Shikamaru stood, then looked down. "I'm going. It's time for dinner, and if I don't get back, Okaa-san'll kill me." He stared questioningly at her.

Sakura stared up at the quickly setting sky, then sighed. "Kizashi and Mebuki are on a mission." She ignored the pain in her words, and tried to cancel out the thoughts and what-ifs. Danzō wouldn't dare jeopardize his chances with her. They would be fine.

A hand extended in front of her face. "Come with me, then." Sakura looked to see a small genuine smile on her friend's face. "My parents won't care. They'd be fine with it. Kaa-san always has too much food anyways, and you know Tou-san likes you."

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, then stopped. She shook her head and stood up on her own. "I cannot. Perhaps next time."

Shikamaru's encouraging smile fell to an understanding one, then he nodded, bade her a goodbye, and left with his blanket in tow. Sakura hugged herself, rubbing her arms to create friction, and blew out a puff of air, creating a cloud. Slowly, she made her way back to the apartment, passing the vendors, and stopped when she saw Ichiraku's Ramen. Sakura slipped away from the bustling crowds all walking to their homes and ducked under the cloth to slip onto a wooden stool.

Ayame saw Sakura and flinched, but gave her a weak smile. "Hello, Sakura. What would you like today?" After taking her order, Ayame returned to the kitchen and instead Teuchi emerged. He, too, gave a smile, unable to make eye contact, but spoke to her about generic topics. Only a couple minutes later, her shrimp ramen arrived, steaming, and Sakura ate it half-heartedly. She made it three-fourths of the way before deciding she couldn't eat anymore. Sakura paid for her meal and then slowly trudged through the streets, all the vendors now closing down for the night. Small puffs of air escaped her mouth as she continued to walk to the apartment. The few people walking in the streets moved to the other side as she passed. Sakura shivered. Spring was late this year.

Eventually, she reached the building, climbed up the stairs, and unlocked the door, flopping onto the couch without slipping her shoes off. After a couple of minutes, Sakura got up and locked the door behind her, and then checked all the windows to make sure they were locked too. After making sure, she performed her nightly routine and then snuggled into her bed. Its thick covers protected her from external cold, but for some reason, her body wracked with shivers. Sakura bundled into her blankets and curled herself into a ball in the corner of her bed, and then leaned into the corner. This way if there was an intruder, she could easily defend herself.

She fell asleep upwards and would later wake up in the morning with a sore neck and back, along with an empty feeling inside her. Silence overtook the Haruno household, and Sakura tried not to be discouraged by it, instead opting to finish reading her texts on chakra manipulation. The disheartening stillness throughout the apartment eventually prompted her to shut the book and stare at the ceiling blankly. Hashirama hadn't even tried to contact her the entire time since Naruto had left.

[A/N]: Depressed Sakura mode.