Maybe

A new mission.. Or not?

I honestly have no idea if it counts as a "trigger warning" or anything, but there will be maybe a few mentions of abuse, though nothing graphic

Sakura knew the town would be poor.

Tazuna had told them of the poverty, of Gato. She knew, and thought herself prepared.

She was not.
Everywhere, people were suffering, children and elders were begging in the corners of the streets, shivering.

People looked tired, scared, and hungry.

Sakura wanted to throw up.
After following Tazuna in the only open shop, she noticed many things:
First, the prices. They were way higher than in Konohagakure, something she expected,  but still surprised her a little.
Second, were the glares and hateful glances thrown her way.

People don't seem to like foreigners much around here... Not that I blame them.

After buying some food and a healing kit (Kakashi still hadn't fully recovered), they exited the small shop and started heading back to the house.

.........

"Miss? Hey..Miss?"

Sakura turned around.
Standing behind her was a young boy with dark hair and worn clothes. He had few bruises and cuts all other his arm and neck.

"Yes?" She asked, crouching to be at eye level with the child.
He looked to be around 6 or 7, only a few years younger than her.

"What do you want?" Sakura smiled encouragingly.

"You're a ninja right miss?"

"Yes, you could say that.." she answered.
Could she really call herself a ninja if she couldn't even fight? If she had to depend on her teamates for everything? If even her sensei thought her not worth his time?

She pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind, and tilted her head, curious of what the boy had to say.

"If ya're a ninja, miss... That means you take mission ain't that right?"
His eyes turned hopeful, and Sakura's heart broke a little.

"That's right."  the pink haired gennin replied    "And, I'm on a mission right now, but me and my teamates have some free time because our sensei is injured and can't continue right now."

And the deadly S-rank rogue too, but he doesn't need to know that.

"Oh.. Ok." the kid seemed a little disapointed.

"Come on Pinky!"  A gruff voice interupted them,   "I don't have all day, either you're coming, or I leave you here!"

"You can go Tazuna-san" Sakura called back, "I'll catch up with you later"

"Whatever..." the bridge builder muttered under his breath and he walked away.

Noticing the attention she and the kid had brought on them, she asked, turning back to him:
"How about we talk somewhere else?"

"Of cour' Miss" He replied, flashing her a toothy grin before tugging her hand and dragging the pink haired girl with him out of the village.
He led her to the moore, near some cliffs.

"What did you want to know?" Skura inquired politely.

"Ninja-san can you take a mission for me please" The boy blurted, bowing his head and thrusting a handful of coins out.

Not knowing what to do, Sakura gently, pushed the money back and sat down, motionning him to do the same.

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Sakura  sighed.

"What is that mission you want me to do?" She asked at last.

The boy looked anywhere but at the girl as he answered.

"Can you kill my oto-san? Please..."

.
.
.

Sakura was dumbfounded.
Her first reaction was to yell "NO" and just leave the kid there and go back to Tazuna-san's home.
Her second reaction was to ask why, but, deep down, she knew she didn't really need to.

Scars, signs of daily beatings, physical, and probably emotional, abuse...Poor kid.
Finally, Sakura settled on sighing.

"What's your name kid?"

"Kaito, ninja-san"

"OK Kaito, and please, call me Sakura, I'm... I'm sorry... but ... I can't do that."

She looked up guiltily.
She was a ninja, a kunoichi in training, and yet she knew she didn't have the guts to do an assassination mission. Even one to help the poor boy.

Maybe he's just exagerating..? She asked herself, grasping at any reasons to make herself feel better.
might've had a fight with his parents, and that's just his way of getting back at them?

But even as Sakura searched for excuses, she knew.
Knew that the money the boy had offered did not come from a reckless, unplanned idea, but from weeks, probably even months of savings.
She knew that the scars that riddled his arms did not come from falling down some stairs, and that the blank, dead look in his eyes were not the result of a small tantrum.

And yet she couldn't bring herself to accept the mission.

"I'm sorry" she repeated.

"It..It's fine," the boy, Kaito, stammered "I s'ppose I should've known.. Thank' anyways nin-Sakura-san"

The boy stood up and began walking away, when an idea bloomed in Sakura's mind.

"Hey! Kaito, wait!" She called after him, running up to where he stood.

"I..You know, if you w-want, you can with me."

Kaito stared at her, confused.

"What dayya mean ninja-san?"

"When I finish my mission, you can come back with me to Konoha!
I'm sure sensei won't mind!"
More like I'll make sure he won't
"I'll even ask Hokage-sama if you can live with me! How does that sound?"

Honestly, Sakura did not know what came through her when she suggest that.
She didn't even know the boy for Kami's sake!! Why was she offering him so much?

Kaito gawked at her before bursting into tears, hugging her dress as  he sobbed.

Surprised and a little embarrassed at the sudden outburst, Sakura froze before relaxing and hugging the small boy back.

"How about I treat you to dango?"she suggested, "do you know a good place?"

☆☆☆☆☆

♡Please comment and vote! ♡

give me any sort of Constructive criticism

Ok, so it's official... I really don't know how to make chapters that are (at least a little) the same length... 

huh.

Welp, sorry about this extremly short chapter, especially after the last (long) one.

So there, I've introduced my first OC, Kaito.
What do you think of him?