A female medical ninja, perhaps two years younger than Sakura, explained the papers Sakura held in her hands. “As I’m sure you can see looking at the data in the documents I’ve handed out, the number of children complaining of mind-body issues has been reliably decreasing.”
“So that means that in the year and a half since we introduced the program, there’s been a nice improvement, hmm?” Sakura said.
“Yes, plenty of improvement.” The medical ninja nodded. Her cheeks were a little red, maybe because of nerves. “In cases where the patient’s condition continues with no improvements through talk therapy, we are working in cooperation with other departments in the hospital and taking measures such as prescribing medicine.”
“So then there’s no problem,” Ino noted, sitting beside Sakura.
“I suppose so.” Sakura nodded her agreement before adding, “But let’s move forward very carefully with coordination with other departments. Just because there’s no improvement after talk therapy doesn’t mean we should immediately move to treat the patient with medication. The first thing is to listen very carefully to what the children have to say. That’s why the children’s therapy center was established in the first place, after all.”
The presentation of the documents before them continued, future policies and plans were confirmed, and then the meeting was over.
Sakura and Ino left the Konoha Hospital conference room together.
“She was a little nervous, hmm?” Ino said, as they walked down the hallway.
“The girl giving the briefing? Maybe she’s not used to it yet. Standing in front of people and talking, I mean.”
“I’m sure that was part of it, but I wonder if it wasn’t also because her beloved hero Sakura was right there in front of her.”
“What are you talking about?” Sakura asked, and Ino smiled playfully.
“You don’t know?” she said. “You’re super popular with the younger ranks. You’re a medical ninja, but a strong fighter. And on top of that, you’re great at your job and beautiful. All that, you’re bound to be popular.”
I want some of that too! Ino’s smile shouted.
“Quit it,” Sakura retorted, with a wry smile of her own.
They chatted in friend mode for a while before Ino brought the conversation back toward work. “But it feels like it’s finally on track, doesn’t it? The children’s therapy center.”
“It does, doesn’t it?”
It had been nearly two years since Sakura proposed to the upper ranks the creation of a department at Konoha Hospital specializing in the care of children’s hearts and minds. That had been about six months after the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, which brought together the shinobi of the world to stop the resurrection of Otsutsuki Kaguya.
In the face of such a powerful enemy the shinobi had been pushed to the brink of despair any number of times, but the ninja alliance, centered on Naruto, had still fought—never once breaking or yielding—to shatter Kaguya’s ambitions.
When peace came, the people rejoiced. The world was saved. Reconstruction eventually began, with repairs starting in regions and on structures damaged in the massive conflict.
As a medical ninja, Sakura had been busy treating the many injured shinobi. There were few with grave injuries, and the people who came for treatment all looked peaceful and content, thanks to a sense of security that came from the war finally being over.
What about the children?
That thought suddenly crossed her mind when she happened to see Kurenai cradling her baby in the hospital. The children, who hadn’t taken part directly in the war, might have been uninjured physically. But what about their minds?
Wouldn’t the fighting and its unforeseeable end have placed a huge stress on their young minds? They saw their country in ruins around them, they learned of the deaths of people close to them—wouldn’t this have scarred their souls?
Sakura began collecting data on the people coming to the hospital and found that a large number of children who came in after the war complained of poor health, but nothing could be found physically wrong with them.
I can’t just leave them like this.
Children were the village’s treasures, as the third Hokage Hiruzen often used to say. Older ninja carved these words into their hearts as a kind of collective understanding.
Sakura first discussed the idea of setting up a specialized organization within the hospital and creating a structure to provide care for children’s mental health with her mentor, Tsunade.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Tsunade had remarked. “Take the lead on this, Sakura, and move forward with it.”
With her mentor at her back, Sakura started making the preparations: securing and training personnel for this new organization, cooperating with Konoha Hospital and laying the groundwork, and then developing a budget. There were far too many things for Sakura to do them all by herself, but her old classmate Yamanaka Ino brought help.
“You really have a surprisingly serious side. You try to carry it all on your own, and it’s just sad when you pop.”
With Ino’s help and six months of preparation, Sakura managed to open the children’s therapy center. They soon started to see steady and strong results. The presentation they had attended that day was the numerical representation of these results.
“It’s all because of your help, Ino. Thanks.”
“When you get your bonus, take me out for dinner,” Ino said lightly. Sakura erupted into laughter.
“How about we get some tea?” Ino asked, once they were outside.
Sakura clapped her hands together apologetically in front of her face. “Sorry. I have some papers I want to sort through today. Next time, all right?”
“Got it,” Ino said, but there was a hint of worry on her face. Her eyes were asking if Sakura wasn’t working too hard.
Sakura pretended she hadn’t seen this and waved her hand. “See you.” She started off down the market street by herself.
Although it was early in the afternoon, the town was bustling. The piled-up snow had completely melted away; all of a sudden, it was spring. The people hurrying to and fro were free of their heavy coats.
“Huh? Sakura?” Abruptly, she heard a voice from behind. A voice she knew well.
“Naruto! Hinata!” Turning around, she saw the two of them walking toward her, dressed in street clothes. “What’s this? A date?”
“Yup. For once, we’re both off duty,” Naruto said.
“What about you, Sakura?” asked Hinata.
“A meeting with Ino at the hospital.”
“I heard about that, y’know. Aah, that, whaddyacallit, children’s… Um, something center?”
“The children’s therapy center,” she corrected him. “So where are you off to? Dinner?”
“Mm-hmm.” Hinata nodded. “At Ichiraku.”
“Hey.” Naruto came over to whisper into Sakura’s ear. “So, like, in the copy of An-An I borrowed from Sai, it said that the guy should pay for the date, but a full-course dinner’s super expensive.”
Sakura giggled at the slightly pale Naruto. “It’s okay,” she whispered back. “You don’t have to try that hard.”
“What are you talking about?” Hinata cocked her head to one side.
“Oh! No! It’s nothing. Nothing at all!” Naruto grinned and rubbed his stomach with one hand. “Looking forward to ramen.”
Perhaps because the gesture was ridiculous, Hinata burst out laughing. And as the two of them smiled at each other, Sakura felt a broad grin spread across her own lips.
It had been a few months since Naruto and Hinata became an official couple. Sakura had fretted more than a little at the new relationship between late bloomer Hinata and purehearted Naruto, since she was so close to them, but now that they were so happily joined even that fretting was a fond memory.
It was that winter when it had all started. The final Otsutsuki descendant living on the moon, Otsutsuki Toneri, kidnapped Hinata’s little sister Hanabi, took her byakugan, and plotted to destroy the world. Naruto was severely wounded in the fight with Toneri, and Hinata was also carried off, but once he recovered from his injuries Naruto crushed Toneri, and the world escaped destruction.
Through that mission, had Naruto realized he couldn’t imagine life without Hinata and told her how he felt. And so, Naruto saved the world and came back with Hinata as his girlfriend. The news spread like wildfire through the village. Their former classmates and the older ninja teased them for a while, but that period was over now.
The other day, she had gotten an invitation. Their wedding was not far off.
“Right. Why don’t you come for ramen with us, Sakura?” Naruto asked, grinning broadly.
“Look, you.” Sakura sighed. “What would happen with me there? You’re both off duty together finally. Go and date yourselves silly.” She stepped behind them and gave their backs a little push.
She watched as they walked off down the market street. Naruto made some joke and Hinata laughed. They looked so happy.
Lucky, she thought unconsciously. But she couldn’t not think it. The feelings she couldn’t share built up in her heart and turned into sighs. At times like this, her brain invariably turned to work. The papers she had to go through, the reports she should take a look at.
Noticing that she had slipped into work mode without even realizing it, she grinned wryly.
This is why Ino’s worried…