The night wind whispered past her body as Sakura remained curled in a ball, looking utterly pitiful. It wasn't just losing her ninja status that made her so heartbroken; it was that Tsunade-sensei was truly, genuinely angry with her – something that had never happened before.
It left Sakura feeling completely adrift, unsure how to face her master. She'd never seen Tsunade so furious, especially not because of something she had done.
"Are you okay?"
Lost in her daze, Sakura vaguely registered a voice nearby. She mumbled a hazy "Mm?" before sharply turning her head. Kneeling beside her was a girl who looked exactly like her.
"Oh, it's you," Sakura said, her eyes losing some focus again. She started to form the seal to dispel the Shadow Clone, but her hands were quickly pressed down by the clone.
"Don't dispel me!" the Clone said urgently. "I have no desire to be stuck drowning in self-recrimination! Honestly, pulling off something this stupid... only you could manage it."
"Hey! I am you, and you are me! You've got no right to talk!" Sakura retorted, looking speechlessly at her clone.
"But I didn't do anything stupid!" the Clone shot back with a cheeky grin.
Staring at that infuriatingly familiar face, Sakura suddenly felt that she herself looked incredibly punchable. No wonder she'd been so dead set on beating this clone up earlier. Then again, arguing with her own clone... regardless of who won, it really only proved one thing: utter stupidity.
Taking a deep breath, Sakura stood up. "Fine. Since you don't want to be dispelled, you can cover my shifts at the hospital. I need a few days off."
Tsunade-sensei had only revoked her ninja status, Sakura reasoned; she hadn't said anything about firing her from the hospital. The work still needed to be done.
"Hey, hold on!" the Clone protested. "Don't push it!"
"Not satisfied? Then fine, I'll just dispel you. You're me, anyway," Sakura countered with an indifferent shrug.
"No, no, no! Fine... I'll go... I'll go, alright?" the Clone agreed, slumping in dejection. "And here I was actually worried about you, came all the way out here to check on you..."
"I'm leaving," Sakura said, pausing and looking back at the clone. "Master already revoked my ninja status. You probably didn't know that yet. Just... try not to do anything else stupid. Consider this a reminder."
"???" The Sakura Clone stared after her original body, utterly poleaxed.
...
The next day, the sun was already high in the sky when Sakura finally stirred. Her clone had left for work early, and Junko and Karin had gone about their own business.
After returning home the previous night, Sakura had only felt more depressed the more she thought about things. Eventually, she'd crept out again in the middle of the night, grabbing a bottle of her father's sake and climbing onto the roof to drink alone.
Suddenly, as if jolted by a shock, Sakura's eyes flew open. She gasped for breath, sunlight streaming onto her sweat-drenched face.
"Damn dream..." Rubbing her aching head, Sakura slowly sat up, staring blankly into space from her bed.
What am I even supposed to do today? Sitting alone in the quiet room, Sakura felt a strange, creeping sense of dread. With the clone taking over her duties, did her own existence even have a point anymore?
She shook her head, sending strands of messy pink hair flying. Roughly gathering it, she tied it back into a simple ponytail. Sakura got up and started changing. In the closet, the sight of her Chunin uniform felt like a physical blow. Her usual red, short-sleeved qipao, the outfit she wore when not in uniform, also felt wrong. After a moment's hesitation, she left it hanging.
In the end, she just pulled out a plain, light-colored hoodie and a pair of shorts. Without her forehead protector, stripped of her ninja identity, Sakura couldn't bring herself to face her usual clothes.
Out on the street, Sakura pulled her hood up, heading towards the Hokage Tower. She felt intensely self-conscious, as if every pair of eyes on the street was fixed on her, whispering about her. The feeling of imaginary daggers piercing her back made her quicken her pace.
"You can't go in!"
Reaching the Hokage's administrative building, Sakura was stopped by the two ninja guarding the entrance.
"Wh-why not?" Sakura asked.
"Lady Hokage gave specific instructions. If you came by, we were to stop you," one of the guards explained, scratching his head awkwardly. "So, it's the Hokage's direct order. Please don't make this difficult for us."
"I understand," Sakura replied quietly, not arguing further.
The guard let out a quiet sigh of relief. Even though it was the Hokage's order, this particular person wasn't someone you wanted to cross unnecessarily. He did wonder, though, why she looked so unwell today.
Looks like Tsunade-sensei is still angry. She doesn't want to see me. Sakura knew persisting here would be useless. Fine. I'll go to the hospital and find Shizune-senpai. Maybe she'll have some advice.
Arriving at the hospital, Sakura pulled her hood down even further, wanting only to hide her face and avoid recognition. She made her way straight to Shizune-senpai's office and knocked lightly.
"Come in!"
Sakura pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to find a figure sitting behind the office desk. Taking a closer look, she realized it was her clone, not Shizune-senpai.
"Where's Shizune-senpai?" Sakura asked.
"You—you're the original?" the Clone asked, looking Sakura up and down with surprise. With the slightly puffy dark circles under her eyes, the messy hair, and the pale complexion, the Clone genuinely almost hadn't recognized her.
"Where is Shizune-senpai?" Sakura repeated.
"Hold on, what are you wearing?" the Clone frowned. "I remember these clothes... they're Karin's, aren't they? Why are you wearing them?"
Since it wasn't my experience, the Clone thought, feeling a smug sense of detachment (and perhaps a little schadenfreude) as she watched her original self flounder. Anyway, Tsunade-sensei knows this clone had nothing to do with last night's mess.
"Where is Shizune-senpai?" Sakura asked again through gritted teeth, irritated by the clone's smug amusement. Is this really my clone? Why is my personality so damn infuriating?
She genuinely hadn't paid much attention to the clothes being Karin's; she'd been too preoccupied and hadn't noticed such details.
"Oh, Shizune-senpai?" the Clone said with a shrug. "She popped in earlier for a bit, then left."
"Did she say anything?" Sakura pressed.
"She did," the Clone replied, pausing dramatically. "She told me to work hard and definitely not follow your example! Hey—wait—milady, spare me! Shizune-senpai really said that, I'm not lying!"
Seeing Sakura raise her hand to form the seal to dispel her, the Clone quickly pleaded for mercy.
"Wait, Original!" the Clone suddenly called out as Sakura turned to leave.
"What else?" Sakura asked, looking back at the clone.
"That Ryuta guy... you know him? And Keita?" the Clone asked. "Last night, you broke both of Ryuta's arms – I was the one who treated him, actually. But he kept insisting it was me who cut off his brother Keita's hands and feet. Was that you?"
"I did it," Sakura confirmed flatly. "If you see him again, tell him to come find me. I'll be waiting at the Konoha training grounds."
With that, Sakura turned and left, closing the door sharply behind her with a bang.
"So he really did just mistake my identity!" the Clone muttered, looking at the closed door. She didn't delve too deeply into the why of it all; the Clone still had faith in her original self. There must have been a compelling reason for her actions.
Right, the Clone mused. Ryuta's coming back this afternoon to get his dressings changed. I can tell him where the Original is then. Judging by her mood, she looks like she desperately needs someone to pick a fight with, just to blow off some steam.
Sakura, however, wasn't looking to simply vent. Tsunade-sensei was dead set against seeing her, and she couldn't just force her way into the Hokage Tower. Her calculation was different: if she beat up the Konoha Patrol Captain again, perhaps Tsunade-sensei would finally be forced to summon her. That would give her a chance to explain the whole situation, and maybe, just maybe, her master wouldn't be quite so angry anymore.
Rummaging through the pockets of the borrowed hoodie, she found fifty ryo – Karin must have forgotten it. Might as well get some ramen at Ichiraku, she thought listlessly. She didn't feel like going home to eat. Everything felt wrong, awkward, out of place. It felt like no matter what she did right now, it would be the wrong thing. All she wanted was to escape it all.