Hogwarts' Shinobi

Chapter 37

To Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi and Tsunade,

I have to confess something to you, and I know you'll probably hate me for it, but I have to tell you.

In all honesty, I was quite content on letting you continue believing me dead, but something has come up in my life and it made me regret my decision.

This letter was sent to you purely because of my own selfish desires, and I do not mind if you wish to continue your belief of me being dead, but I must get this off my chest.

I've no idea how long I have been dead in your world, but I have currently spent the past 5 years of my new life without alerting you of my presence.

I must also ask that you do not attempt to bring me back to Konoha. As much as I miss it -and believe me, I do- I am needed in this world. I have people here who need me and so I must stay.

From

Sakura

Sakura smiled at the message in front of her, it was certainly not the first draft, neither the second. In fact, she'd rewritten the message a dozen times before finally deciding it was right. 

Biting her thumb, she flickered through the necessary hand signs to summon Lady Katsuyu. This would be the most efficient way (And the only way) of getting the message to Konoha.

"Yes, Miss Sakura?" Katsuyu asked the moment she popped into existence in the room, her current form no larger than Sakura's leg. 

"Where are we exactly?" the slug summoning was rather confused, the room they were looked incredibly familiar to the one Sakura had in Konoha, but that didn't make any sense.

"I'm currently at the Malfoy Manor, I lost my job at Hogwarts. But that is an awfully long story, so to shorten it, this room appears how I desire it to, and clearly my homesickness is more prominent than I first thought. Either way, I need you to give this letter to Tsunade next time you see her for me, please."

Katsuyu smiled at her before speaking, "So you've finally decided to own up, have you? I'll let her know your happy and healthy when I see her." Sakura smiled at the slug before handing her the letter, Katsuyu taking the envelope in her mouth. 

"Thank you, Katsuyu." the slug simply nodded her head before disappearing from the room.

The sight of her only connection to Konoha disappearing causing her eyes to gloss slightly as a sheen of tears covered her green eyes. Brushing away the build-up of water, she smiled to herself, eyes glancing at the old picture of her friends once more. 

"I'm so sorry, for everything," she muttered to herself before turning to head to her bed. The events of the day catching up to her as exhaustion washed over her, black spots dancing at the edge of her vision as she fell asleep the moment her head touched the soft pillow.

The following day, Sakura woke to the searing pain of sunlight rushing through the windows and at her eyes. Sensitive to the change in brightness, she hissed to herself, the sharp pain in her head caused by the intense light. 

Cursing herself for not closing her blinds the night before, she heaved herself half-heartedly from the soft bed. The cold air clinging to her skin as she slipped the duvet off of her legs.

The desire to fall back onto the mattress almost convincing enough for her to give in to temptation. But she knew better than to do that, the new day had come, and it was time for her to catch up on some much needed physical training.

After enjoying a luxurious breakfast in the main dining room, spoilt only by the silence of the large room, she wandered out into the endless gardens.

The forest at the edge of the plot being her destination, the large crystal-blue water illuminated under the piercing sunlight giving it an almost ethereal appearance. The vivid green algae growing around the edges causing the blue to look bluer in the morning sun.

The small herd of deer who'd stopped to drink disappearing into the treeline at the sight of Sakura. Reaching out to touch the water, she almost drew her hand back at the frosty feeling of the cold liquid.

Standing up, she paced her way to the centre of the lake, the water lapping at the edges of her feet as it rippled underneath her feet. The fish swimming under her feet remaining unaware of the girl above them.

Settling herself in the middle of the lake, she crossed her legs before shutting her eyes. Instantly trying to connect with her internal power.

The drop in temperature awakening the girl from her meditation, realising the time, she rose to her feet once more. The rumbling of her stomach encouraging her to move as quickly as she could.

The chilly air that tugged at her hair and clothes, nipping gently at her skin before racing across the lake. The almost complete moon glistening amongst the stars, the largest jewel of the sky. 

The forest, for all the darkness of the world, was almost comforting. The quiet chittering of flying creatures filling her ears as the occasional glowing creature glided past her. 

The want to reach out and brush her fingers against them almost taking control of her. The only thing keeping her mind focused being the hungry pangs her stomach caused to spur her onwards.

She arrived back at the mansion about half an hour later, the house-elf coming out the house to greet her, "Welcome back, Misses Sakura. Pippy will show yous to the dining room now." Sakura simply nodded, following both the elf and her stomach to where the food awaited her.

After eating, Sakura wanted nothing more than to sleep. Opening the door to her room, she stepped inside, bleary eyes only just making out the shape on her desk.

Exhaustion gone, Sakura raced towards the letter. Katsuyu must have summoned herself when she was building up chakra, that would be the only reason why she didn't notice the change. 

Ripping open the seal, she looked at the yellowed parchment in front of her, the familiar scrawl making her smile.

To Sakura,

It is great to hear that you are alive, and whilst we are slightly upset that you did not contact us sooner, we can understand your decision.

Surprisingly enough, it has only been a matter of months here, however, as you can imagine, that is a painfully long time to know that your previously-thought dead teammate is in fact alive.

In case you were wondering, Sasuke and Naruto are doing very well. Since your death, they have begun making amends.

I wish you the best,

Kakashi

6th Hokage