Island of Storms [Sakura]

Chapter 40 | Confess

"May I ask why, although I feel I know the answer."

"We fell in love soon after he came to the village..." she breathed, embarrassed to be admitting things she had never said out loud. Sakura turned back to Kakashi.

"Alright... I'll see that he gets a headstone in the cemetery in Arashichi." Tsunami covered her mouth with her hands and closed her eyes as Kakashi gave the Kage a skeptical glance. "He's Inari's father and Tsunami loves him."

She narrowed her eyes slightly in defiance of his worry. He gave a sigh of defeat.

"What did he do?" Inari asked, gathering that his father had to have done something to get in a bingo book.

"Inari—" Tazuna whispered in warning.

"What? You're the one who promised not to say anything," he pointed out. "I just want to know how he got in the book."

"He stole some important scrolls from Kirigakure during the time it was called the Bloody Mist," Tsunami sighed, having known she would have had to tell her son at some point. "He hadn't wanted them to be used against other villages, so he hid them."

Sakura dismissed the family and the three of them left, Shino stepped into her office only a few moments later.

"Hey, something you need?" she greeted, resting her cheek in her palm. He closed the door behind him and stepped up to her desk.

"I found a new species of beetle," he stated as he opened his palm to reveal a dark blue beetle no bigger than his thumbnail.

"Where'd you find it?" Kakashi asked as he leaned in to look at it.

"They're everywhere in the fissure. I was wondering if I could study them in a lab?"

"Of course," Sakura smiled. A part of her was happy that something could be researched in the labs that Iro had insisted they build.

"Thank you."

"Don't forget to come to the beach later for Shukaku's summoning," she reminded. He confirmed he would be there to assist her and left. The moment the door closed, she let her head fall onto her desk.

"Still don't know what to do about the daimyo thing?" Kakashi asked, slightly amused. She let out a grunt, and he laughed. "Thought so..."

The room stayed silent for a long while before she spoke again, her voice muffled by her arms.

"I've been going over the positives and negatives in my head for days..." she murmured. "I think for now it'd probably be best to help out with finding who all is involved with the coup... Even if I took the title they would just end up coming after me..."

"That's a reasonable idea, I guess..."

"But you saw him too... He's not really fit for the position he was given and he's respectable enough to know that himself... It makes me want to actually consider his offer..."

"Are you sure that you can do it?"

"Of course not..." she sighed, turning her head to look at him as he sat on the edge of her desk. "But it could help the country and the village..."

Kakashi gave a sigh.

"Alright, I'll figure out who can go and check on the situation, so don't stress yourself out too much."

╌❀✿╌╌💮╌╌✿❀╌

Sakura let out a nervous breath as she and Kakashi arrived at the beach on the east coast of the island.

"You haven't warned the villagers about this, have you?" he asked as he handed her the scroll containing the one-tail.

"Nope." She walked out to the center of the beach and unfurled the scroll so that the seal was visible. "Everybody ready?"

The people behind her grew quiet. "Alright."

She jumped back to them and formed the symbol needed with her hands. "Release!!"

A gigantic puff of smoke appeared above the scroll before the earth shook. A low chuckle emitted from above them, sand seeping out of the smoke. The group jumped up to the cliffs that towered above the beach. The smoke cleared and the sight before them was unnerving. In front of them sat the one-tail, Shukaku. His body sat at least a hundred meters high as he stared down at them.

"So someone was stupid enough to release me? At least now I get to rampage!" the tanuki chuckled. He slammed his foot on the ground and shook the cliffs and crags they were standing on. Many of the group froze as Kirai fell to a lower area of the cliffs, having been there to observe Sakura's diplomatic skills with the beast. "Oh! A little girl! Let's play!"

Shukaku reached for her.

"Kirai!" Ino yelled. The rest were about to intervene when chakra sand shot up from the ground, gripped Shukaku's hand, and pushed it back. Kirai yelped as the sand beneath her trembled and rose up, the girl admitting it was a small flash of deja vu. The group waited to see what had happened as the dust and debris fell.

Kirai sat on a cloud of sand, as a more held back Shukaku's hand. Shukaku looked around until he found the redhead.

"How in the world are you not dead—" Shukaku stopped as their eyes met. A nervousness passed over him that he was unaccustomed to.

"Do not touch her." The young man's words sent chills down even Kurama's spine. Everyone's attention was suddenly bought by a pinkette who had jumped at the one tail. Her fist connected with Shukaku's cheek, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Don't you dare attack someone from my village! You listen to me! I am here to help you, not to seal you back in a scroll or person! I released you so we could talk! So you better start listening before I punch you into the ocean!"

"Alright, little lady. That's one hell of an arm you've got!" Shukaku laughed as he began to reach for her. His arm was stopped by a massive orange tail wrapping around it.

"Listen to her, you oaf!" Kurama snarled. "She's trying to help you find a place to live and help you stop running!"

"No one here will seal you against your will! We sought you out in hopes of giving you a home!" Sakura declared.

"You're going to have to find another way of convincing me. I'm not as stupid as my brother here," Shukaku chided, an irk mark appearing on Kurama's forehead.

"Fine, what can we do to convince you?" the Kage asked. The tanuki looked up in thought, though most of them never actually expected him to give her anything.