Pulling My Weight

Chapter 11 || Progress

Dear Sakura-san,

I'm sorry that it took me so long to get in touch – Mei-sama has decided that I should try my hand at the next Jounin Exams so I've been training for that for the last couple of months. Nevertheless, I hope to find you well. I am pleased to announce that I can already see improvements after Konoha merchants were allowed on our land, so I'd like to thank you for this as well. How have you been since leaving Kiri? Is your guardian well?

Please find enclosed the official emblem of our Village, which will indicate that you are an Ambassador. Mei-sama was going to send it to your Hokage but I requested to send it to you personally. I hope you don't mind.

P.S. I expect that this letter will reach you around the time of your birthday, in which case I would like to wish you a very happy birthday and I hope that you enjoy the gift attached.

I hope to see you again soon,

Yours,

Chōjūrō

Sakura stared at the letter for a few more seconds as the tears that threatened to fall stung her eyes. She handed the letter over to Genma who had been looking curiously over her shoulder as she shuffled through the other contents of the envelope. True to Choujuro's word, underneath the Kirigakure insignia she found a small drawstring bag and a rolled up piece of paper poking out of it.

She shook out the contents of the bag onto her hand and was surprised to find an intricate headdress, with delicate silver bells and thin threads which formed a net that connected it all to a small hair clip. It was truly a wonderful piece of jewellery but Sakura wondered what the bluenette was thinking of, gifting something so beautiful and fragile to kunoichi. Curiously, she unrolled the piece of paper attached to the gift and couldn't stop the amused chuckle that escaped her.

I realize this may be seen as a stereotypical gift, or largely impractical for a shinobi, which is why I wrote this as well: the bells will not ring unless you touch them and channel chakra into the metal, in which case they will produce a low-rank auditory genjutsu. I tried to find a compromise between beauty and usefulness. I hope you like what I came up with.

Sakura smiled, unable to believe how thoughtful her friend was. She turned to Genma, an excited grin on her face, only to see that he was scowling at the letter.

"Genma? You alright?" she asked carefully, snapping him out of his daze.

"I don't like you interacting with a boy, not from Konoha." The tokujo announced, startling the rosette so much she snorted. Genma glared at her for the reaction then his scowl deepened. "Actually, I don't like you interacting with any boy at all."

The absurdity of the declaration made Sakura blink owlishly at the man, then burst out laughing. It took Genma a moment but then the reality of what he'd just said caught up to him and he flushed a bright red, covering his face in embarrassment. "Oh, Kami, Aoba was right I'm turning into an actual mother what the fuck." He moaned, which only served to send the rosette into a renewed laughing fit.

With tears coming out of her eyes and her cheeks flushed a bright pink from her laughter, Sakura calmed down enough to pat his arm reassuringly and grin cheekily.

"I have yet to meet this 'Aoba' you're talking about, but if I ever do I assure you, he'll be the first to know about this incident." She giggled, snorting when Genma shot her a baleful glare through the spaces between his fingers. "Oh, quit your pity party, I've got a job for you, c'mon." She dragged the brunet over to the sofa and sat him down, then disappeared into her bedroom. She came out with a brush and her hair free of its usual ponytail, then sat down on the floor in front of Genma and held out the brush and the hairpin from Choujuro. "Make yourself useful and put this in for me please?"