Island of Storms [Sakura]

Chapter 54 | Succession

Two days after getting back from foiling the coup, Sakura sat in her office chair. Her arms hung over the armrests as her head leaned against the back of the chair. She took in a deep breath through her nose before she opened her eyes, her head moving so she could see her desk.

Much had happened within the past four months. She had built a village, and she was sure it was the fastest village to ever be built. She held no illusions that it was perfect, nor that it was complete. On the contrary, there were new things coming up every day that needed her attention and she was surprised that she was able to deal with them so well.

She sat up in her chair and flipped through some of the papers on her desk.

A new culinary wing was being built in the teaching institute at the request of over a dozen people. She had already had someone track down the Yuka woman who had helped Isobu to ask her to attend the lessons with the chakra beast as a human mediator of sorts. The three-tails himself was growing rather fond of the village for his own reasons, but in the end, it made her happy he had someplace to be.

On another note, all the necessary paperwork for a new branch of the Nara Clan was in order, even having the full support of the current patriarch. But both he and Sakura believed it would be best to sort out the current state of affairs with Konoha before officially establishing it.

The same went for Kosai, who told her himself he wanted to go back and sort it out on his own after the chunin exams. Kakashi and Sai had heard about what he was planning to do and agreed they should do the same, no longer wanting to feel like they were in hiding. So a date was set and Kosai would return to being called Konohamaru for the trip before returning and having his name officially changed.

She sighed to herself. The overall situation was a clustered spider web of truths and secrets. One that she would have to unravel over the upcoming months if she were to avoid any kind of threat to her citizens.

It all cut off at the start of the new year. She had five months.

A knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts and she gave another sigh before she called for the person on the other side to come in. The door creaked open to reveal the Daimyo and a few of his men. They entered.

"Welcome," she smiled, standing up from her desk. He urged her to retake her seat before taking his own in a chair on the other side that Kakashi had forgotten to put back against the wall.

After short pleasantries, the man folded his hands in his lap and looked to a set of people who looked to be assistants. Sakura eyed both the woman and the elderly man behind him. Both people held boxes made from lacquered wood with gold latches. The man approached the desk first and placed down the box that had been in his hands before unlatching and opening it to show the double spindled scroll that sat inside.

"This is the official document with my signature stating I hand over my title, all benefits, and all duties to you," he explained as the elderly man pulled the scroll from the box and gracefully unfurled it. The woman's jade eyes read over the words on the parchment and then the six names at the bottom. She noted that five of them were witness signatures to the daimyo signing the document himself. She looked back up at him to say something about some words she had read, only to stop before she opened her mouth as he looked at the female assistant.

She approached the desk, the man picking up his now empty box and stepping back. She did the same as he did, placing the box on the wood of the desk before opening it. Inside sat a tama hair ornament made from a light wood. On the end, the ball was painted with waves and encrusted with large sea-foam-green gems the size of her fingernail around the circumference. A few of those present noticed her eyes grow slightly.