Nanoha was actually impressed by the commercial district in Konoha. They were just coming out of a war, and yet everyone looked to be running their business as usual. It was somewhat uplifting to see people both working hard at reconstruction and at bringing back the situation to normality. Of course, a more cynical mind would've pointed out the fact that this meant that people were used to war, or at least violence, but Nanoha was far too much of an optimist to dwell on that.
Still, she was somewhat concerned. She'd been since the very moment the person who might as well have been a clone of her best friend had showed up in the park. The fact that they really were almost identical was a little disconcerting. While Fate's face had a much harder time giving her a smile, this girl's seemed… too easy. They came by so easy, in fact, that Nanoha had a hard time believing in that smile.
The fact that she could seemingly bounce back from what appeared to be genuine and deep seated anger in an instant… It wasn't even a mask put in place. It seemed that the moment that her mind was taken off it, she truly did change her mood instantaneously.
"Fate-chan, this is giving me a bad feeling," Nanoha sent a telepathic message, as Sakura continued to explain some of the more recent changes in fashion. She felt a little bad for ignoring the enthusiastic explanation that she was giving, but fashion was the least of Nanoha's worries right now.
"You noticed, as well?" Fate asked.
"Yes… Her smile is fake," Nanoha said.
***
Sarutobi Hiruzen walked through the empty hallways of the secure wing of the hospital. He saluted a chunin who'd recently lost his legs on a mission, gave his coffee mug to a passing nurse with sizable bags under her eyes and praised her on her dedication, and comforted a medic who was furious about his inability to save a young genin, asking him to never change in his compassion. The hospital was never a cheerful place, but it was a slightly better atmosphere when the Third Hokage walked around and told everyone they were doing a good job.
There was just something inspiring about a man who would remember your name even if the last time he saw you was when you were a tiny genin receiving his first mission on the desk, despite being as high up in the hierarchy as he was. The Third Hokage was a man with many character flaws, but he was perhaps the most beloved of the Hokage these days, and certainly one of the, if not the, most well respected Kage in the elemental nations, by both enemies and allies alike.
It was these little actions that made all the difference.
Finally, however, he reached his destination. He'd postponed his work for the day.
And then he met face to face with Zafira, who did not look happy at all.
"…Bad news, I take it?" Sarutobi began, and his heart fell, expecting the worst.
"Even worse. Somebody's taken our mistress."
***
"It's so good!" Naruko said, taking a big gulp of miso soup.
"Eheh, thank you, little lady! I take pride in my work!" the old man who'd cooked her broth said, grinning eagerly.
Naruko smiled and hopped off the stall seat. Sakura paid for her meal, as per the agreement to get Naruko to stop worrying over getting home to cook breakfast, and the other two quickly followed. "What did you think? Despite its small size, this is one of the better known places in Konoha," Sakura said.
"It was very good," Nanoha said, nodding at her.
"I really liked the noodles. They were hand made," Fate said, adding her own two cents.
"Well, it is in my name," the old man said, winking. "Nevertheless, you're always welcome at Ichiraku Ramen," the man said, giving them a thumbs up as they left.
"Well, now that we've got food in our bellies, is there anything in particular you wanted to see? There are lots of things to see! We can even go see some of the ninja who are training! There's usually a few people watching some of the higher level shinobi training their abilities," Sakura said, nodding.
"Ninja techniques are all really impressive!" Naruko agreed.
"That'd be really nice."
And of course it'd be. The training grounds close to the commercial district were known for attracting training for flashier techniques, and for good reason. It was always a good place to attract wealthy clients who would request for you personally, so Shinobi were always around, showing their more impressive abilities. In their visit, Sakura explained some techniques that the ninja used.
They saw some ninja fighting while standing on the side of a building, while another pair conjured two really large dragons of flame that clashed and exploded really impressively. Rather than a brutal attack, though, it seemed like really pretty fireworks, and it left both Nanoha and Fate awed. Naruko's eyes glinted as she watched attently.
"So they do that just by making all those signs with their hands? That's amazing!" Nanoha said, clearly impressed.
"Well, not really, there's a lot that goes into—" Sakura began to explain, before shaking her head. "It's really hard to explain if you don't know chakra theory…"
"Basically, we use ninja magic, make it into fire-natured magic within our minds, and then give it shape and power with our hands," Naruko said. "It's easy!"
"Ninja magic..? I guess you can call it that," Sakura muttered, shaking her head
***
Ninja magic?
"Fate, you don't think she's…"
"She might be," Fate said. "The Wolkenritter might've described us to her."
The telepathic conversation took a moment, but it was enough for Sakura to notice their distress.
"I know it's a little scary, but they've got everything under control," Sakura explained. "And if they don't, well, there's always ANBU patrolling around the area. Oh, they're sort of like the police, except you don't see them until they're needed."
"Ninja police," Nanoha muttered. "I don't know why it sounds so amazing," she wondered aloud.
"Magic Ninja Police," Naruko corrected.
"If she is, then it's really, really obvious," Nanoha mentioned over the telepathic link. "But… It doesn't seem like Sakura is reacting especially in any way… either she knows too, or it's just normal comments for her…"
"Anyway, Sakura-san, you're a ninja, right? Can you do stuff like that, too?" Nanoha asked.
"Some of it," Sakura replied, blushing a little in embarrassment, "but some of that is really difficult to do…"
"Because it requires a lot of ninja magic, and Sakura's got very little," Naruko said, grinning at the pink haired girl. "So Sakura does stuff that requires a lot of control and precision, instead!"
It seemed like Sakura interpreted it as something to be ashamed of, though Nanoha couldn't measure why she would think something like that. Anyone with power could throw it recklessly into a technique, but…
"Really precise work requires a lot more effort than just throwing a bunch of power at something," Nanoha commented, nodding.
"You really think so?" Sakura asked, looking somewhat hopeful. "Everyone always makes fun of me because I'm really weak, though…"
"Are you really weak?" Fate asked, tilting her head. "To me, it just sounds like a different kind of strength…"
"No, you're right, of course. I'm sorry, I got a little relapse, I usually don't dwell on that, since these days I'm trying to become a medic… Need really good chakra control for that, so it's perfect for me," Sakura said, shaking her head. "Anyway, let's move on… There are a couple of other training grounds around here, and the closest is the water one…"