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Chapter 89 - Arc 5.9 - Wrapping Up - Character Growth
🕑 Added 2024-09-24 03:11:42 +0000 UTCThis story has been a lot of fun, and honestly the coolest writing journey of my life. It's had ups, and downs, and I've grown as a person. I'm a better writer, a little more whimsical but better.
With this chapter Arc 5 comes to an end. I am over the moon at another milestone, and still full of energy for the next.
Next chapter will start the Pre-Chunin Exam arc, which is actually a pretty small arc I have planned directly before the Chunin exams which will go over the timeskip gains, and involve a short mission to escort the Kazekage children to Konoha for the exams. Lots of Scary Gaara time.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter, see you all for Wednesday's side story!
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Standing in front of her house is one of the most imposing things she’s ever done. It’s a nice house, and it might become her prison very soon. She can feel how sturdy it is, larger than life really, when so much is at risk.
She has to tell her parents, but fears overwhelm her easily, they always have.
She’s a very anxious girl, and for once she reaches down for her sword for comfort not before violence, but before peace. She still feels it, an alluring calmness that flows through her, maybe her sword’s not evil… Is the avatar in her head or real? Does it even matter when it’s treating her this way? Kakashi said it’s drugs but, what if this is just what acceptance feels like?
“Hey, you’re not gonna like, murder your parents are you? I have to report it if you are.” It’s Ino’s voice that catches her off guard, a little jump in her place, and she’s looking right at her. The natural blonde ducks into her view, waving a hand in front of her face. She’s got a bright smile, and those blue eyes shine at her in a way that soothes her even more than Hunger does.
“No… Why are you smiling about that?” Sakura asks.
“I can’t help it now that I’ve seen what that sword looks like to you. Seeing you clutching him is adorable.” Well, she didn’t intend to stand here long but if Ino’s expression is anything to go by, she’s probably been here a few minutes.
“I need to tell my parents about the system, and that means I’m having a bit of an anxiety attack… Why are you here?” Sakura asks.
“I got a quest to come support you.” Ino explains, poking an invisible box in the air, “it didn’t have any rewards though, do your quests come with rewards?”
“They do.” Sakura confirms, looking at her own quest that’s shown up at her side.
[Quest: Tell The Truth
Description: You’ve put it off for far too long, now even a bunch of your friends know, even some strangers know, but your parents don’t know. Have this conversation or die, you have 30 minutes before a panic attack kills you, probably. You’ll probably die, that’s how panic attacks work right?
Reward: You get to continue living. Also +3 Charm]
“Sometimes they’re sarcastic though.” Sakura continues dryly.
“Well that’s a difference then, if you’re getting rewards. It seems I don’t have your system outright… Didn’t think I did though.” Ino mumbles, “well, let’s go in?”
“Yeah.” It’s right when they’re about to enter, that another existence makes itself known, drawing Sakura’s eyes to the fence gate in front of her house. There’s a small girl there, one she recognizes from an attempt to make friends the other day at Neji’s behest. She’s got shoulder length hair, the brightest Hyuga eyes, and a confident stature that makes Sakura feel like she’s standing wrong. She quickly checks her posture. “What?”
“I would like to formally request to enter your home.” The young girl says, glaring at her, as if daring her to say no. “I would like to visit my cousin, Neji.”
“You’re on good terms with him?” Sakura asks.
“No.” That frown and scrunch of her features, as well as that nose wiggle, tells Sakura that this girl is dealing with complicated emotions neither of them understand.
“Well, you’re allowed to visit, just don’t hurt him.” Sakura says.
“To even insinuate- thank you, Miss Haruno.” The small girl brushes past her quickly, making her way into the house with conflicted feelings and an even more conflicted expression.
“That’s… so many people, should I really do this right now?” Sakura asks.
“Do you seriously care if a little girl knows?” Ino asks her while rolling her eyes, “don’t stall.”
“It’s not that it’s just so many people, like too many. And they’re all going to watch me.” Sakura can’t help it, the way her toes tap the ground through her shoes, she’s never been good with people, and lately Naruto counts as four of them alone.
“I’m here, okay?” Ino takes her hand and squeezes it, that’s all she needs for now.
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“Yeah, I really didn’t expect this when I said ‘Mom, dad, can we talk’?” Sakura growls a little under her breath. There’s a horde in her kitchen. Neji’s standing with his arms crossed against the wall, with Hanabi standing right next to him stoically, it’s a Hyuga look apparently. Haku is making everyone dinner, yes, for everyone, her fault for choosing dinner time to have this conversation. The twins are hugging the crap out of a very confused Konohamaru in the corner, she knows it’s innocent and Naruto just wants more hugs and it’s a good form to use to get them, but someone should probably talk to him about boundaries and how that could be seen as creepy outside this house.
Not her though! She wants him to hug her like that! Like right now, actually.
Business Naruto is doing some paperwork using the table, actual Naruto hugs her from behind like he can read her freaking mind. Ino does much the same, gripping them both like she’s just another sibling.
She’s not sure when Sasuke and Kakashi got here, but they’re drinking coffee in the walkway, it’s pretty awkward.
And then there’s her parents, sitting across from her, looking her right in the eye.
There’s just so much pressure, and this is too many damn people! Some of them don’t even know! Why is her family discussion a public event? She’s tempted to just put it off, three Charm be damned, the tightness in her chest pulls the breath from her lungs and makes it hard to exist. But then there’s that damned timer in the top of her vision.
[15 minutes until you maybe die!]
She’d rather not chance it, even if that’s probably complete nonsense. She could force them to leave but she doesn’t actually care anymore. Hanabi and Konohamaru are likely politically important enough they could just ask for her secret eventually if they couldn’t do it right now; and every other person here but her parents knows.
“Mom, Dad, my life - actually I’ve practiced, that’s a bad way to do it.” Sakura stops herself, and instead, pulls Hunger off her side, unsheathing it and placing it on the table. The implications of drawing a sword at the dinner table hits her a moment too late, but she’s pleased to see that her parents trust her enough they don’t move. It’d be kinda mentally scarring if they got scared of her. She pulls out her reward from the scroll the other day, and rubs it along the blade, slowly. She enjoys the soothing glow it gives her wea[pm, happy that she can apply the buff even when it’s already applied. It doesn’t stack, but she can do it, which is good for moments like this when she needs a visual indicator.
She watches their faces contort, she watches her mom’s eyes shine with insightful thoughts and racing quips. She watches her father nod, and she begins. “This is a game mechanic. It adds plus ten to my sword’s statistics for the next encounter. I don’t actually know how powerful that is yet, because my item scanning skill is too low.”
She expects them to rebuke her, to call her out or use doubts or question her sanity, they say nothing. “My life has been crazy lately, because I randomly got a system prompt when I graduated from the academy. I’ve been getting stronger using the prompts, quests, items, and the encounters it’s caused have caused me to grow as a person. I know my gaming habits caused me problems in the past but, this has been really helpful, and it seems real, and even the Hokage agrees and-”
“Is this why you’ve been sleeping?” Her mother asks mid sentence, interrupting her racing words and scary thoughts.
“What?” Sakura’s eyes waver, and she looks around. So many eyes are on her, it’s so much, this was a terrible time! The only way this could be worse is if Tenten -
“I’m here, what’s up?” Why is Tenten here!?
“I invited her.” Neji explains, “I thought you could use the support.”
“Guaahhhhh!” Sakura covers her face with both hands.
“Nice to see her doing that because of me instead of the other way around.” Tenten jokes, patting her shoulder as she passes.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Mebuki sternly states with a strict expression from across the table, “is this why you’ve been sleeping? Is there a mechanic that’s forcing you to sleep?”
“Yes? I mean it’s not why but, yeah, there is…” Sakura trails pitifully, looking down at the table, and then her hands. At some point she instinctively dropped the sharpening stone, and pulled out her switch. She’s not sure when that was, but it can’t have been long ago given the progression of the conversation.
She accepts it, sometimes you just need your emotional support Switch. It’s nice to have something to play to distract her gaze from all the people! They don’t exist if she can’t see them!
“Then I’m happy, continue to self care and you can live in a game world all you want.” Her father says, squeezing her mother with a hand on her hip. There’s a giggle there, though Sakura doesn’t see it, she’s happy to know her parents are still in love.
Her eyes are focused away from all of this, it’s too much, bu, no one sounds mad or doubtful or chiding. Even Hanabi keeps her mouth shut. Maybe she already knew? She could have been informed when Neji moved here. That would imply Hinata knows too.
[Congratulations, you had an uncomfortable confrontation. +3 Charm, and you get to live.]
The room becomes very quiet very quickly, well, quiet to her. People are chatting and doing their own thing, Haku’s still making food, her parents appear to be making out and Konohamaru is having a crisis of some sort.
But no one requires her attention, she’s allowed to just exist surrounded by people she cares about and zone out playing her Switch. Maybe needing to zone out like this is a bit of a failure, she should be able to handle any situation as a proper ninja, but this is a win and she refuses to feel bad about a win. She’s proud of herself. A few months ago she would have never even started talking, and if her system prompt is accurate she would have just died of embarrassment. It’s not just her Charm either, though it’d be easy to blame the tangible social stat for her improvements.
She’s just grown as a person.
She loves that. Though, the stat is probably why she can even function with this many people around. She loves that too.
Comments
Christopher Cummins
Fixed, originally said 6th, the chapter will be on the 4th not the 6th.
Christopher Cummins
I really regret not doing it for Arc 5. Technically pausing does pause growth but, at this point I think racing ahead is hurting the story more than helping. If I had planned, all the mental stuff would have been better, and likely would have been back to back. With the rest sort of loaded into a few chapters at the end. I think the cohesiveness would have helped with the feel a lot. I still like Arc 5 though, genuinely. I have no regrets on what I did, just what I didn't do.
Dopplerdee
Taking time to plan is ah good choice. Also I really love the medd that is her house.
