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Pakkun and Sakura had become good friends over the years. Kakashi had even asked her to house a pup or two during rescue missions where nin-hounds were saved.
A scratch on her front door called her out of her take home work stack.
Sakura opened the door hurriedly as Pakkun sat on the porch. Allowing him inside he sat on her front entry way.
Snatching a bowl of specialty food made with rice, meat, vegetables, and some herbs. She kept some on hand as he would visit almost weekly. Kakashi had also paid her to make a batch for his fellow for his other dog-nin summons weekly as well.
Turns out her hokage-sensei had the same problem as a jonin as while leading the nation. Sakura had come to know that Kakashi-sensei had a horrendous time management skill. Plus he loved the laugh of her dog onigiri she would steam for them. ‘Forever the nurturer’ he had said as he pat her head gently.
Pakkun bowed slightly to a kneal, thanking her and finished his rice swiftly.
“Sakura-chan. I found somethin’, but i'm not sure what it is. It smells like you, Kakashi, Uchiha and the brat.” He made a digging motion.
Sakura gave him a shocked face. The whole village had been obliterated not too long ago. “Where did you find it?” Sakura couldn't think of what could possibly be around that smells like the full team 7 and buried at that.
“Behind Kakashi's old house, let’s go.”
She followed Pakkun to the old residence of Kakashi's. After the war, Kakashi's old home had been rebuilt, but barely lived in as he quickly ascended to the Hokage's mansion. Now it was similar to a dog bachelor's pad.
In the backyard, as they entered through the side gate, was a landmine field of holes dug out, there was a kunai sticking out of one of the holes in the center. As they approached Sakura asked “why did you ask me to come instead of asking kaka-sensei about it?” Her curiosity of what she'd find with pakkun made her nervous.
The nin-dog shrugged and said Kakashi told him he was crazy and there was no way he'd found something.
Stupid old man, not listening to a tracker summon.
As Pakkun dug with some of the other dog-nins, she went inside and out to bring them food and water periodically. By evening, the dogs seemed to have struck gold and removed a tin box with a lock keeping it sealed and protected.
She almost gasped as the sparkle in her vision led her to put her fingers together in a tiger sign and called for its “Kai!” Releasing the genjutsu, the tin lock box turned into a wooden chest with an Uchiha crest inked on top. The genjutsu seal paper tag, sealing it evaporated into the air.
What on earth is Kakashi up to?
Upon opening the box, a photo of team 7, the one they all held near and dear, lie on top of some other thrown together items. “It looks like a time capsule?” Her whisper was to herself mainly but she knew Pakkun would hear her perfectly.
Laying beside and around her are the hardworking pups, she took turns lazily petting them in thanks.
She had flipped the photo over, the word “original” had been gently written on the back. Continuing into the box, she found a paper note meticulously and perfectly folded. Behind the note lies a signed edition of Makeout Paradise, A red ribbon had been tucked in the box corner, similar to the one she used to wear. Except hers was frayed from over-wear at the ends. She let the ribbon slip through her fingers, gasping when she felt the frey touch her. This was her ribbon.
Pressing on, she unearthed a rock that seemed to contain lichtenberg flower remnants laid by static of lightning. She had deduced this was a trophy of the first thing chidori-ed by its caster, Sasuke’s she was sure. One of the shreds of Naruto's few orange jackets lie next to her ribbon. The two bells, an Ichiraku menu, and another note, a mirror, a land of the waves travel souvenir keychain, a pink flower branch perfectly preserved, cat ears, so much in this small box.
So many pieces of their childhoods in a box, blended together just as much as one day's assignment interwove their lives.
She started to weep. She missed her friends.
She missed Sasuke.
His atonement took him farther away from her. Again.
She missed Naruto.
The Naruto before he became the world's savior; even though his brotherly counterpart got no credit in the matter.
She missed Kakashi.
Before he took on the weight of a post war nation and all its burdens, much like her shishou.
She missed her younger self.
So naive and unaware of all the things she could do, her hair being more important than the weight of the lives she could and couldn't save.
So she wept and wept. At some point Kakashi came, draped a blanket around her and pat her head like the father figure he was to her.
“Did you also read the notes, Sakura-chan?”
“No.”
“Bring them in, read them while I prepare some tea.”
So she did. Kakashi had not been mad at her in the least for discovering his secret team 7 trove, which was supposed to be a death box.
He had given her space to read the notes as he prepared tea and small snacks, more than likely the dango he sent a nin-dog to receive.
Upon opening the first perfectly aligned and folded with precision note she immediately recognized the perfectly written kanji. Written like the aristocrat he was, the training of proper writing engraved in him from perhaps birth.
Sakura
I am planning to leave. I think you will know where I plan to go.
I am sorry you got involved with this. Please do not cry over this, over me.
Thank you
- Sasuke
Sakura's hands started to shake as she reread the words over and over.
Sakura had received some of Sasuke's short, one handed letters. The kanji got more steady over time with the practice of one handed locomotion. But the note she held had strokes of kanji so perfectly aligned, two hands balanced out to make these strokes.
Sasuke wrote this as a genin.
She delicately sat this note down, afraid to break it or flood it with her tears streaming.
The second she unraveled seemed to be very the same kanji style, but was not a note.
Pink radiance
Emerald bedazzling
Springtime devine
Sakura couldn't believe her eyes.
She vividly remembered the academy assignment, a few days until white day. “ Write a Haiku about someone you love.” She remembered being completely engulfed in writing about Sasuke that she had not even checked to see if he had done the assignment. However, she did recall he would always sit by the window and stare out amongst the trees. Around this time the cherry blossoms would have some early blooms beginning to spring to life.
Kakashi would bring her some tea and pat her head as she cried. He was proud of the team he had raised.
After a while, Sakura asks, “Why do you have these?”
With the cheekiest smile, Kakashi tells her of Sasuke’s request as genin in a note, to make a collection of memories of him. Sasuke had wanted him to give it to Sakura when he died, so she would remember him always.
However, Kakashi never listened. He wanted all four of them as equals in his heart there underground in his mementos box. Or so he had said. Her finding it was just an accident.
-
The next morning, Kakashi sent a hawk out, the fastest of the village, with a mandatory return order. Sasuke would know how to handle Sakura’s barrage of questions.