Sakura accepted the documents and the ID before looking at Genma's smiling face suspiciously. "You're sending a kid, who isn't even in the Academy yet, mind you, to the T&I building. Alone. You haven't been drinking recently, have you?"

He put his hand to his heart in mock hurt. "Me? Drinking? Don't wound me, Sakura-chan. I just thought that you could take it, is all. But if you can't, I can come up with another favor," he said as he extended his hand. Sakura batted his hand away halfheartedly and tucked the folders under her arm.

"I can deal with it," she sighed. "I just hope you know that you can get in trouble for this. You think Morino-san'll be amused when he sees little ol' me waltz into his office?"

"You know Morino-san?" he questioned incredulously.

"Never met him, but I have ears too, you know."

Not only was she a cute little kid, but she was weird too. He watched as she gazed at his ID card, turning it this way and that, almost as if she was checking if it was real. As she did so, Genma saw the look in her eyes. They looked exhausted and far away for a few moments. But that couldn't be, could it? It didn't add up.

'She's a little girl, for god's sake!'

Before she looked back up at him, something flashed in those dark green irises that Genma wouldn't have caught if he hadn't been keenly observing her.

"I'll have this delivered after I walk my friends home," she informed lightly while pocketing the card. At the mention of 'friends', Chouji's cheeks reddened as he looked down at his feet. "I'll give your ID back the next time we see each other?"

Genma nodded and raised a hand in goodbye before walking down the street. Sakura turned to Chouji with a bright grin.

"Sorry for all that. My name's Haruno Sakura by the way."

Naruto bounced up beside her, his thousand watt smile lighting up his face. "And I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Future Hokage, dattebayo!!" he exclaimed, spreading his arms wide. Sakura lowered one of his arms so she could see. Chouji, still blushing, looked up at the two of them.

"I-I'm Akimichi Cho-Chouji... Nice to meet you N-Naruto, Sakura..."

::

Chouza was a little worried. Shikamaru was out with his father in the Nara Forests all day today, leaving his son alone. He knew what the other kids said about Chouji and how seriously the boy took those comments to heart, so he hoped that his son wasn't being tormented somewhere. Just when he was about to get up from his seat on the porch of the main house, he heard laughter from the entrance of the Akimichi Compound.

Chouza grinned when he saw Chouji flanked by a pink haired girl and Uzumaki Naruto. He knew the truth about Naruto, as all the clan heads did, and held nothing against the boy. In fact, he was quite glad that Chouji managed to befriend him.

"Sorry I'm late, tou-chan," the boy apologized sheepishly. "Naruto, Sakura, and I were... on the swings for a little bit before they walked me home."

He knew a lie when he saw one, but he let it slide. "That's alright, Chouji. I'm happy that you've made new friends."

Chouji blushed and looked down at his feet while the other two giggled at his reaction. Chouza patted his head affectionately and looked at the mismatched pair next to his son. "Would you two like to stay for dinner?"

Naruto's eyes flew wide in panic at that as he inched closer to Sakura. "N-No thanks, oji-san, I, erm, already ate, 'ttebayo," he stammered. Sakura frowned before offering the Akimichi Head a polite smile.

"I'm sorry, Akimichi-san, but I'm afraid I have an errand to run," she said, motioning to the folders in her other arm. Chouza cast her a curious eye.

"Maybe next time, then."

The two bid Chouji and his father goodbye, Naruto a bit louder than necessary, before walking down the lantern lit streets as they talked amongst themselves.

"Why'd that weird guy make you go on an errand for him, Sakura-chan?" Chouza heard Naruto ask.

"Like I said, I owed Shiranui-san a favor. And he's not weird, just a little bit... out there," she replied. Chouza closed the front door and sent his son upstairs to wash up.

'Shiranui-san? Is she talking about Genma?'

::

The district he lived in was nowhere near as nice or safe as everywhere else in Konoha, but it was lit up with neon lights and flashing signs. The second they entered the area, Naruto grabbed her hand and stopped. "You don't have to walk me to my apartment, Sakura-chan," he warned quietly. "It's not safe for you here."

That's when Sakura realized just exactly where she was. The Akasen. The Red Light District. Rage churned in her stomach as she let the information seep in. He was six. Naruto was only six. He saved the whole village by serving as the Kyuubi's vessel against his will. He was a hero-- the future Hokage! This was the boy who was going to save the Elemental Nations and end the war to bring on a new era of peace. Why in all seven fucking hells could everyone let him, a child, live in the Akasen?!

"S-Sakura-chan?" Naruto squeaked.

"How long have you lived here, Naruto?" she asked. His eyes darted in every direction but hers. Sakura's lips were pressed in a firm line and her eyes were stone cold that wouldn't accept any lie. Naruto's hand squeezed tighter around her's.

"Since... Since they kicked me out of the orphanage two years ago. I lived on the streets for a lil' bit until the owner of Magenta, Mari-san, let me stay in the apartment above the bar," he confessed. Sakura bit her cheek.

"And what exactly is Magenta?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Um... a trans-vezz-tite bar, I think?" he mumbled. "I dun' really know what means, but the nee-sans there are nice to me so it's okay. All I gotta do is wash dishes sometimes or go on errands for Mari-san."

"Let me see where you live," Sakura demanded. Naruto shook his head.

"No! What happens if you get hurt, Sakura-chan? Sure you can hand it over ta' those bastards who made funa' Chouji, but the adults here aren't like them! They—"

"I'm worried about you, Naruto!" she shouted. Naruto's jaw dropped a fraction and his eyebrows raised up to his hairline. "I know you haven't known me for a long time but I'm your friend and I want to know if you're okay! Now that I know that you live here, I'm so, so worried about you... Let me check up on you. Please."

She blanched when his bottom lip started to quiver and went still when he lunged to bring her into a bone-crushing hug. He cried into her shoulder as he held onto her for dear life.

"... Why do you care so much?" he whimpered. Sakura wrapped her arms around him.

"I told you, Naruto. I'm your friend."

When he pulled away, he immediately blubbered apologies about the tears and snot on her shirt, but she assured him it was fine and followed him on his way to the apartment. They went down the alleyways and side streets of the district before walking behind a pink, neon-lit building. A blonde woman with two pigtails was loitering around the stairs, sporting platform heels and a skin-tight leather dress. She raised the two fingers holding her cigarette in greeting.

"Yo, Naru-chan."

"Hi, Mari-san."

Naruto pulled Sakura up the stairs and brought her into his apartment. "Well, this is it, dattebayo."

He flipped on the lights and led her to the kitchen. The place was an absolute mess with instant ramen cups and chip bags littering the floor. Dishes sat in the sink, unwashed, and his table was piled with even more trash.

"You need to clean your apartment," she deadpanned. Naruto chuckled sheepishly.

"Hehe... maybe one day, Sakura-chan," he said. She opened his refrigerator, frowning when he saw a couple of moldy carrots in an otherwise empty space. This was unacceptable. She shut the fridge with an audible snap and turned around.

"Naruto, can I place stickers around your apartment?"

"E-Eh? Stickers?"

"Mm. Stickers."

"Oh, um... sure. Go ahead."

Sakura took out her well-practiced protection seals that she stuck in the inside of her shirt and stuck them on sort of obvious places: the corner of his window, beneath his bed, on the floor outside his bathroom, on his fridge, and on his front door.

"Sorry I can't stay too long because of the whole T&I thing I have to do, but I'll come back tomorrow morning. Is that alright with you?" she asked. Naruto grinned and bobbed his head.

"Of course, Sakura-chan! But—"

"I can walk myself out of the district, don't worry," she assured. "I'll even stick to the shadows so no one sees me."

"Well... I guess..." he mumbled uncertainly. Sakura gave him another hug before waving and leaving the apartment. As she went down the stairs, she saw Mari still at the stairs. When the woman caught sight of her, she flicked her cigarette onto the ground and crushed it with the toe of her heels.

"You gunna' take care of that boy?" she asked. Sakura nodded.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good."

Mari saluted her before strutting into the building. Sakura glanced around her, making sure no one was around, and bounded on the roof tops to the T&I building. The sun was nearly down when she landed at the front doors of her desired location. She pushed the glass doors open and walked up to the receptionist. Kotetsu.

He peered at her from over his desk. "Oh? You lost or something?"

She fished out Genma's ID from her pocket and handed it over.

"Shiranui-san wanted me to deliver some documents for him. As a favor, of course," she said. Kotetsu stared at the card incredulously before turning his gaze to the little girl who was waiting patiently with the folders in her hands and her eyes drifting curiously about the room. He reluctantly gave back the ID and slowly pointed to the stairs.

"Morino-san's office is on third floor, last door at the end of the hall. Do you want me to go with you...?"

"No thank you... Hagane-san," Sakura replied as she read the name on the desk, "I'm sure I can handle it."

Kotetsu watched her go with a dropped jaw and a skeptical eye.

::

"Do you see this wonderfully sleek fur, nya? So brown! So purrfectly shampooed! It's like the most finely woven silk that was made from the hands of tired, yet beautiful seamstress who spent day and night making such a fabulous cloth! Feel my fur, nya! Feel it!"

Sasori stared at the Havana Brown cat stretched before him. "... Are you Kou-chan?"

"That is absolutely, positively my name, Sasori-kun! Now feel my fur and I'll give you Sakura-chan's message."

He stroked Kou's backside before nodding, impressed. "Wow. Your fur is soft."

Kou giggled gleefully before there was a puff of smoke and a scroll appeared in his tail. "Here, nya!"

Sure, I'd never regard you as odd, Sasori-san. Something has yet to happen in Konoha, but maybe it's just me. I'm only five after all. Nothing really happens until my genin days, which would be between six to seven years in the future. I'll try to lower the wait time and get Naruto and Sasuke to graduate two years earlier.

Also, could you send me all the poisons and their antidotes at your disposal? I'm going to try and build up an immunity to them.

Sasori burned the note after committing the words to memory. He had many poisons back at the base-- about seven strong ones in total.

"Thank you, Kou-chan. That'll be all."

"Nya!"

He was about to turn away and make his lengthy journey back to Amegakure from Wind Country when he heard quiet sniffles in the distance. Curious, he leapt through the trees to the source and saw someone at a river bank.

It was a small boy with deep red hair that nearly matched his own.

::

Edited: 1/27/18