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The Mental Health Examination

Warning: This chapter is about Sakura answering questions about her mental health. The subject may be unpleasant.

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"What?!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Shiranui? Her parents are gone and she's staying at my place for the time being," Ibiki repeated. Genma scratched the back of his head as he messed with the senbon in his mouth. That was more than a horrible development in their plans and an even worse feeling on him for her, considering that he'd been one of her sensei for the past three years.

"Now I seriously don't want to put her in interrogation," he sighed. He and Ibiki turned a corner and entered a shinobi attire store, the latter reluctantly agreeing with the statement. Ibiki was sure that she was messed up before, but now? It might be too big of a risk to take.

"We'll give her the choice. Whether she wants to take it or not."

"You're still going to do it?!"

"It's her decision."

They moved to the clothes for younger shinobi section and picked out some green and navy blue shirts along with some black pants—what Sakura could wear in the meantime until everything was figured out.

"Then who's going to take care of her now? She has no home to go to and I doubt the orphanages would allow her to train or study with us with the schedule we've set up," Genma said. Ibiki brought the clothes to the cashier and pulled his wallet from his pocket. His face had turned contemplative as he and the other left the store with what they bought.

"I will."

Genma nearly tripped over his own feet. "Wha—?!"

"We want to keep her in our loop, don't we? She's a good kid with good work ethic, supreme intellect, and actually listens to what she's told. Besides, we've basically been taking care of her for the past three years. This is the least I can do for her."

With unusual seriousness, Genma observed the head interrogator. This man became leader of his sector at eighteen years old-- the youngest Konoha's ever had. Ibiki had already established quite a name of himself by then, thus being dubbed as one of the more notorious shinobi in the ranks. He wasn't known for his kindness, definitely, not even towards those he knew.

"You know she's not Idate, right?"

Ibiki kept on walking, his face betraying not a single emotion. "Yeah."

They stopped when they saw Sakura down the street. She still wore her clothes from earlier but had cleared off most of the ash that clung to her prior. It looked as if there were more scratches on her arms and legs, as well as some dirt smeared in her hair. Her eyes were just as flat and lifeless as they were an hour or so since Ibiki left her back at his house. He and Genma exchanged glances before flanking her.

"Hey, Sakura," the tokubetsu jounin grinned. "Lookin' a bit roughed up there. did you go to work up a sweat at our usual training grounds?"

She shook her head. "Training Ground 44. I go there when I have the time," she replied. Genma ran into one of the vendor carts, earning him some laughs from bystanders and a pointed stare from his superior. Ibiki looked back to his student with furrowed brows.

"How many times have you gone?"

"A few times a month. Since I was five."

Genma quickly caught back up to them. Training Ground 44, infamously nicknamed the Forest of Death, was only used by the village to test genin to see if they were fit enough for a chuunin nomination. No Academy student knew of its existence and a genin would only know about it if they happened to overhear conversations between older shinobi. Before either of the two could ask another question, she raised her eyes.