From the latest chapter of The Eyes Have It (Naruto Sakura AU)
Quote:The thick envelope that Sakura was presented with by the Hokage himself threw all three of them for a loop.
Slowly, and with obvious bewilderment, Sakura reopened the obviously pre-read missive addressed to her in crisp, nearly mechanical handwriting.
Haruno Sakura-san, it read.
As I write this, I do not do so with any true expectation. The persona of 'Minoru' I crafted was false, and therefore no accord made with or by this fictitious persona is binding for either of us. However, should you be inclined or unopposed to the idea of keeping the correspondence you discussed during our time, I would certainly return the sentiment.
The current climate in Kumogakure is satisfactory for training purposes. My physical health remains impeccable, as do that of my unit and immediate blood relations. What I did today was classified. What I did last night was classified. Yesterday afternoon I had a late lunch of yakisoba. It was adequate. That morning, I trained, after doing something that was also classified.
I expect that you and your unit and immediate blood relations are in a similarly acceptable state of health. If you are not, I am told that I should offer my sympathies instead of requesting the culprit behind your hypothetically impaired state and wreaking vengeance upon him or her until an equal or greater amount of damage has been incurred, even though I still believe that my initial instinct would be more practical.
The fate of the compromised operative Satoru is classified. I am, however, permitted to relay that before he met said fate, he was properly disciplined for his actions towards you. I personally oversaw these measures, and can assure you that they were fully appropriate. I feel partially responsible for the tension, stress and exhaustion you suffered due to our actions. I formally offer my apologies, and have attached a restitution package, composed from categories that I have been informed are attractive to individuals of your gender and age group.
If I do not receive a response within a three-month period, I shall assume that you either do not wish to continue this correspondence or did not receive it, at the discretion of your leaders.
Eichi
Sakura refolded the letter, blinking behind her glasses.
"It's like somebody just gave him a dictionary definition of stuff you write letters about and he used a checklist," Kiba noted. He and Shino had been shamelessly reading over her shoulder. "Not gonna lie, I'm kind of wondering what the apology gift is like."
The Hokage gestured to an open box that had not been on the grand desk when the genin had begun reading. Sakura pulled it into her lap as Shino began inspecting the letter more closely. Sakura assumed that it had been thoroughly examined for traps or bombs, so she didn't hesitate to dig a hand into the package. Her fingers wrapped around something smooth and cyclindrical.
She pulled it out, and noted by its shape and the rattling sound it made that it was a pill bottle. "Vitamins?" She guessed, mystified.
"Sugar-based chakra-supplements," the Hokage corrected, and Sakura thought he seemed entirely too amused about all of this. "I gather that it's of an especially fine quality, from what the lab analysts said."
"Sweets," Kiba ticked off.
The next thing that Sakura pulled out was a flat, unmarked envelope half-filled with seeds.
"Mountain lilies," the Hokage specified, puffing lightly on his pipe. "Not exactly rare, but they should be able to thrive here with a little extra care."
"Flowers," noted Shino. "Though they have not been grown and cut before being given, as is the custom."
The third piece of the 'restitution package' was, strangely enough, what appeared to be a set of steel-plated brass knuckles. For a moment all of them seemed stumped as to how that would appeal to a young girl, before Kiba set forth a theory.
"Maybe…jewelry?" he guessed. "Rings? Shiny stuff?"
It made as much sense as anything else. Sakura thought that was the end of it, but one last swipe dislodged a thin sheet of what felt like photography paper. She withdrew it, and promptly went red and tossed it back in the box. On either side of her, she heard her teammates make the same, slightly enraged, slightly disgusted noise in the back of their throats at differing levels. Sakura couldn't say that she shared the sentiment.
The photo, from what she had seen, hadn't been of the best quality. It seemed to have been taken by a low-grade reconnaissance camera, and the background was fairly blurred. What it did have, however, was a fairly well positioned shot of Shi in the middle of peeling his shirt off during what Sakura could only assume to be training. She stared around the room, clearing her throat now and then until it felt as though she could speak normally.
"Well," she said, packing everything back into the small box. "Well. That was very… Well, he certainly tried his best. Um..."