A Noble in Secret

Summary: Side story to the Imperial Princess. C originally hated the people of Konoha, often referring to them as "Konoha dogs". But as he got to know the small pink haired girl who followed him around like a puppy, he no longer considered the term as maliciously as before. After all, he found his own little Konoha dog, and he planned on keeping her.

Note from WhiteMint: I dedicate this story to angelofdestiny16 because she first made me think of this pairing hahaha

Young Sakura sighed as she trekked along the mountain path, looked at the backs of Tsunade and Shizune in front of her. Once again, they were dirt poor and running away.

A few days ago, Tsunade had gambled the last of their savings to the poker tables of the Land of Frost. No longer able to pay for the inn they had been staying at, the three immediately packed their bags and started traveling to the Land of Lightning.

Sakura had grown up with Tsunade in the past seven years and considered the woman a mother and shishou. She loved the woman to death, but that didn't stop her from wishing that Tsunade could tone down a little from the gambling and drinking.

Granted, she had a lot of fun travelling from place to place, but a constantly emptying wallet did not make things easy.

As they reached the other side of the mountain, they could now see the imperial capital Kumogakure in the distance. Sakura could hear Tsunade eagerly talking about drinking sake while relaxing in a hot spring while the young girl stared at the capital. Hopefully they could stay longer in this city. She was getting tired of moving around.

…

"Stupid nobles, I'll show you who's a dog!"

C looked up from the shelves that stored various medicinal herbs at the source of the mutterings. As he looked down at the young girl in front of him, he immediately deduced her identity.

A, the emperor of the Land of Lightning, recently went down with an illness that had struck suddenly. The physicians tried to cure him in desperation but they could do nothing about it. After days of being unable to find a cure, a notice was posted all over Kumogakure stating that whoever was able to cure the Raikage would receive 1,000 gold coins as payment.

The smell of money drew in many physicians from around the Land of Lightning, but no one was able to find a cure. The capital was getting desperate at the thought of losing their emperor and it had required strict guidance of Darui, the imperial Prime Minister, to keep the place functioning normally while A was down.

A few days ago, a blonde woman with twin pigtails had marched into the palace stating that she would cure the Raikage. When they found out that the woman was Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha and the most gifted doctor in this era, the officials immediately brought her to the emperor.

The woman had quickly made a diagnosis that the emperor had a parasite in his body that was eating away at his health.

The following day, she performed a long surgery to remove the parasite. When she finished the procedure, she had declared the emperor's life was no longer in danger but he needed to recuperate from the operation for a month.

Darui, grateful that she had saved his emperor's life, offered Tsunade and her companions a wing in the imperial palace for them to stay while Tsunade would continue monitoring the emperor to full health.

The pink haired girl who didn't look a day over ten was one of Tsunade's companions.

As C looked down at the girl six years his junior, she noticed his presence and smiled, "You agree right? As a fellow servant, we always have to suffer from the mockery of stupid rotten nobles!"

'Servant?' C looked around, but there was no one else in the room. Ahh, she thought he was a servant himself. He smiled at the fact that she had misunderstood his identity so easily, for he was far from just a simple servant. The sixteen year old young man was the imperial herbalist and pharmacist and one of A's closest advisors. He generally preferred wearing simple robes of black and gray, giving him a humble appearance, but no one questioned his identity, until now.

Sakura looked at the young man in front of her. He had short blonde locks of hair and onyx eyes. The man had been sorting through the herbs in the shelf and his simple attire made her quickly assume that he was just a fellow servant and herbalist. When he gave her a small smile in return to her question, she knew that she had a fellow comrade!

She happily laughed as she gave the list to the herbalist, "Tsunade-shishou says she needs these herbs for the Raikage-sama's medicine."

C perused the list, and he started grabbing the required herbs into a small basket for the girl. The young girl followed him as he walked around the herbal storage room to get the required items, chatting at him the entire time.

Turns out that her earlier complaints was caused by the officials around the palace. While the nobles treated Tsunade politely because she cured the emperor, they did not do the same for Sakura. She was just a servant who followed Tsunade, and a young girl at that, so they did not bother to hide their hatred and contempt at her home country. Their dislike of Konoha stemmed from the rule of Uchiha Madara's father, who had conned their country too many times and insulted Kumogakure as being a backwater city stuck in the mountains.

C's mouth twitched in amusement as Sakura was getting riled up again from the storytelling. She pouted as she looked at him with her big emerald eyes, "I'm not a Konoha dog! Big brother, do I look like a dog to you?"

In C's eyes, all he saw was a small, pink-haired, puppy, whining and barking in irritation. He couldn't help it, as he laughed at her face and laughed even more when she started puffing her cheeks in outrage. The girl was about to storm off in anger when he stopped her by patting her head, "No, you're not a Konoha dog."

She perked up, smiling at his words.

"You're a Konoha puppy."

…

C was sitting at his newly located desk, looking through the court documents he was in charge of. His servants gave him increasingly baffled looks as he ordered them to move his office from the comfortable location in the middle of the palace to the herbal storage vault that was located at the edge of the imperial walls. They didn't want to ask him, and he didn't feel like explaining.

He stamped another document, and the little puppy he had been waiting for walked in.

The pout on her face was obvious when she saw him and she didn't meet his eyes as she handed him the list of herbs she was fetching for Tsunade. As he went to get the herbs needed, C noticed that she did not follow him around this time and chose to wait by the door. As he walked back to her with a basket with herbs, he looked down at the still pouting little puppy.

As she reached for the basket, he immediately lifted it away from her grasp.

"Not fair!" Sakura cried, trying to get the basket that was too high for her to grab. After a few minutes of unsuccessful jumping, she finally met eyes with the young herbalist. As his onyx eyes looked down on the large shining emeralds in front of him, he smirked at the girl in front of him. Life at the imperial court was getting much more interesting with this little Konoha puppy, and he wanted to keep playing.

"Now now puppy, don't be angry at me. Big brother will buy you shaved ice as a treat."

Sakura gave a big hrmph, "I'm not a puppy!"

C patted her head, "Yes you are, you're a cute little puppy."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Stop calling you what?"

"Stop calling me puppy! My name is Haruno Sakura!"

'Sakura… How fitting of a name', C thought, as he glanced at her pink locks of hair beneath his hands.

He continued patting her soft hair, it was becoming his new favorite thing to do, and replied, "My name is C."

Sakura gave up, there was nothing she could do to get her herbs and leave. "Are you really going to get me shaved ice?" She asked, her voice hopeful.

"That's right. The mountains around Kumogakure have very pure snow and ice. Our cold desserts are a major specialty."

"Really?!" Sakura was now jumping from the excitement, "I want to try! I want strawberry shaved ice!"

C chuckled at how quickly the little girl went from angry at him to overly eager, just like a puppy being shown a treat. He replied to the bouncing girl, "Yep, big brother C will treat you to strawberry shaved ice. I'm guessing you haven't left the palace since you came here?"

"No! I haven't been allowed to leave the palace." Sakura looked at him with pitiful puppy eyes.

Once C agreed to take her to get shaved ice after she passed the herbs to Tsunade, she then held her pinky up at him, "Shizune-san says that if you swear by your pinky, it means you have to fulfill that promise no matter what!"

"Yes yes" C then wrapped his own pinky around her, 'I've caught you now, puppy.'

When Sakura got her herbs from C and was about to leave, she called out to him, "Don't forget! Or I'll never forgive you!" and ran off to give the herbs to Tsunade as quickly as possible.

…

B frowned as he stalked the corridors of the palace. That damn C, where does that man disappear to after the morning court sessions? B had been forced to stay in the palace as Kumogakure's imperial general on the off chance that someone might consider A's disease as a chance to assassinate the emperor. He was feeling quite restricted and wanted to spar with the missing blonde.

"You!" B called out to a passing servant.

The servant paled at the sudden command and bowed down lowly, "Imperial general, what may this servant do for you?"

"Where's C? I want to find him!"

"The imperial phamacist?" the servant asked, confused at his question.

"Who else would I be asking for?"

The servant jumped at his snarky remark, and fearfully bowed again, "Lord C should be in the herbal storage lot."

Now that piece of news had B confused. What on earth was the man doing all the way there?

A short walk later, he had found C in the herbal storage lot, just as the servant had told him, and glared at the man for making him wander to the edges of the palace.

C looked as calm as still water, when he looked at the new visitor from his desk, "What do you want B?"

B pointed an accusational finger at the blonde, "What are you doing all the way here at the herbal storage lot?"

"I found a new puppy to play with. She thinks I'm just a servant in charge of the herbs here and I plan to keep it that way."

"Secret identity?" B's heart pounded with excitement, his rapper instincts trying to find lyrics to go with the new idea.

C calmly replied, "That's right. When the puppy comes to get more herbs today, you better not blab."

And speak of the devil, the devil will come. Sakura's face poked in, "Big brother C! I came for today's herbs!"

That was when she saw the large man in military clothes in front of her, "Big brother C, who's he?"

B studied the girl with curiosity, 'Is this the puppy?'

"He's just a common soldier," C replied, "A friend of sorts."

Green eyes stared at B in amazement, "Does that mean you're good at martial arts?"

B puffed his chest in pride, "That's right! I'm the best of the best, I can beat all the rest! That's Killer B's motto!" He suddenly grabbed a notebook from his pocket and started writing feverishly.

C shook his head, "Are you still trying to write those bad poems? And you still can't even recite them properly!"

B pointed his pencil at the offending blonde, "It's not poetry! My music is too good for this time!"

As the two started bickering, Sakura broke out into peals of laughter at the scene, "Big brother B, you're funny! I like your poetry too!"

While B was trying to convince the girl that what he was writing was not 'poetry' but 'music', C started to get the herbs from the list Sakura gave him.

…

Today was an off day for the young man C.

And for the imperial pharmacist, not much could ruffle the feathers of the calm man. Except for one thing.

He was currently sitting on a tree branch and contemplating his little puppy. It has been a year since he met the girl and she'd been steadily maturing with each passing month. After Tsunade had cured the emperor back to full health, she had decided to stay in Kumogakure for the 'hot springs and sake vacation'. And once the fully healthy emperor had lost to a match of arm wrestling to the blonde doctor, he was quite unwilling to let her leave, stating that he will one day be able to beat her.

Every night they had an arm wrestling match, and with each loss, the emperor would demand another round for the following night.

During the day, Tsunade would alternate between training her student and binging on both sake and hot springs in equal quantity. The emperor would also be seen working on court paperwork at his desk while lifting barbells with the other hand.

And thus, a very bored puppy would always visit C in the herbal storage vault when she wasn't learning. And an equally bored Killer B would also visit from time to time and he had started her training in martial arts on the days he felt like it.

That was how C had passed his days in peace and complacency. However, a recent event had shocked him out of his content days.

That day, while he was strolling around the palace to search for his puppy – not that he'll ever admit it – he happened to see a cute scene that ruined his mood.

It was his puppy, standing in the hallway with another servant boy.

C had quickly hid his presence, and then listened and watched as the servant boy confessed interest in the young cherry blossom and wanted to date her. And even though the pinkette refused the boy, C was still unsettled by what had occurred.

And now he was, laying down on a tree branch while contemplating the new feeling of irritation in his chest.

As his analytical brain was trying to tackle the problem, the source of his worries had arrived.

"Big brother C, what are you doing on the tree?"

He looked down, studying the young girl standing at the tree he was currently lounging on. The little mess of pink hair and big green eyes that he first met was no longer in front of him. Instead, the girl had grown taller, and was starting to mature in both mind and body. Life in the palace had nurtured her and she was no longer as loud and abrasive as she used to be. Her bearing was calm, and her gait was graceful. And while she was still very young, she had signs of becoming a great beauty. She was like a bud of her namesake, fully capable of blooming into a gorgeous blossom, and others were starting to notice.

He didn't like it.

Sakura stared at her best friend in this palace. The young herbalist was lacking his usual sarcastic teasing and was sitting quietly on the tree, staring at her. She wasn't sure what to make of the young man's change in attitude but she needed advice. Advice that hopefully he would give her, since he was one of the smartest people she had ever met. She frequently wondered why he was just a simple herbalist and not a scholar for the government... If only she knew of the hush order that C had given to the entire city of Kumogakure by force.

She waited for her friend to reply.

After ten minutes of silent staring, Sakura decided to ask her question.

"Big brother C, who do you think Tsunade-shishou will marry me to?"

The question was so sudden, C wanted to cough blood, "Why do you want to ask me that?"

Sakura fidgeted, and hesitantly replied, "I've noticed that when other girls in town are old enough to pin their hair, their parents start betrothing them to other sons. I know that this will happen to me too one day and I wanted to know who Tsunade-shishou will betroth me to. I was thinking that maybe you would have an idea on who I will have to marry."

'Who I will have to marry.' Those words echoed in his brain.

C continued staring at the girl, but this time his heart suddenly blazing with anger. There was no way he would let his puppy get married off to some stranger. Since he refused to accept that, a sudden bout of inspiration struck his mind.

He immediately put on a calm façade and addressed her question, "You'll be marrying me, of course."

Sakura was stupefied, "EHHH?"

As her face blushed like a ripe tomato and she tried to sputter out questions, C's voice suddenly turned into his usual teasing tone that he always seemed to get around her, "I'm kidding."

Her face paled, and then turned red again. She pointed an angry finger at the man still lounging on the tree branch but words wouldn't come out of her mouth.

When she finally decided to march away, the teasing look on C's face was replaced with one that was contemplative.

He had lied to her, but it didn't matter. C was now knew how to lock his little puppy to him forever, through marriage. It was a shame that he was a noble while she was still a servant, so now he had to contemplate ways for her to gain nobility.

…

Sakura thought the last of her sanity had finally left her, and big brother C didn't bother to fix it.

After the conversation with C about who she might eventually marry, Sakura started to see the man wherever she went. Even when she left the palace, he would 'coincidentally' meet her and follow around to whatever she planned to do. She swore that the man had some way to sense her location at all times, but she had no way to prove it.

Even now, he was nearby.

Sakura was currently in the imperial library reading the latest scroll Tsunade had assigned her. She looked up to glance at the blonde man sitting on a table five feet away. He looked as calm as always while writing on a scroll – he never once let her see those scrolls he seemed to always have – and without batting an eyelid, spoke up, "Is there something on my face puppy?"

Sakura sniffed, "Shouldn't you be watching over the herbs?"

"They'll be fine without my presence." He calmly replied. After all, the herbal vaults were generally left alone, until C decided to be in 'charge' of the building.

…

"Big brother C!"

He heard the cry as he looked up from the herbs that he was grinding into a fine powder. He wanted to test out a new pill recipe.

A mess of tears and pink hair jumped into his arms as he tried to soothe the poor girl's sobs.

"What happened?" C asked, worried about his little pinkette.

"I don't know what to do anymore!" Sakura cried into his arms, "I'm a noble! And I hate it!"

C's heart leapt, and he couldn't hide the excitement from his face, "A noble? What do you mean? Tell me in detail."

And so, a sputtering Sakura started spouting out what happened. Tsunade had finally declared Sakura old enough to know about her birthright and told Sakura that she was in reality a bonafide noble of Konoha.

C tried to keep his face calm, "What's wrong with being a noble?"

Sakura scrunched her nose at him cutely, "But I hate nobles! All nobles are rotten people!"

"But you are a noble, and you aren't rotten."

"But I didn't know I was a noble!"

"Well, now that you know, does that mean you will become rotten?"

Sakura paused, and shook her head vehemently, "No! I refuse to be like those rotten stuck-up nobles!"

C smiled at her, "That means that not all nobles are rotten. Since you are a noble and you aren't rotten."

The young girl paused at his words, still clutching his vest in her hands, "Does that mean… You won't hate me? For being a noble?"

The young man laughed and gave her a hug, "Of course I don't hate you puppy." And he mentally thought, 'This will make it much easier to court her now. Since she's also a noble.'

Sakura looked up into his dark eyes, her emerald ones flashing with determination, "You have to keep this a secret! Don't tell B! I don't want anyone to treat me differently just because I'm a noble!" and she held up her pinky at him.

As C wrapped his own pinky, he stated, "I promise" and lifted her pinky up to his lips into a small kiss.

Sakura's face turned red as she complained in embarrassment, "Big brother C! What are you doing?"

He ignored her complaint and kept their fingers locked together.

"Well… If we're in a telling secrets mood, I'll tell you a secret too." C replied, calmly patting Sakura's head with his other hand.

Sakura sniffed, "What secret?"

"I was the one to who started coining the term 'Konoha Dog'."

The punch made C fly back ten feet into a tree.

But when she saw the pitiful look on C's face as he nursed his aching body, it looked so funny that Sakura started laughing.

C grinned despite his sore ribs, her laughter was much, much better than her tears.

…

He knew this day would come, but it didn't make him feel any better.

As C stood by the door, he watched Tsunade heft up a heavy backpack. He needed to talk to her now, before they left.

"Tsunade-sama."

"Oh? If it isn't the imperial pharmacist." Tsunade calmly replied, turning around to look at the man. Shizune and Sakura were currently packing their own things, leaving Tsunade alone with the young official.

"I want Sakura's hand in marriage." C did not beat around the bush.

Tsunade smirked at his words, "Ara ara, shouldn't you ask these types of questions years from now?"

"How can I ask when you all are leaving the Land of Lightning? I know Sakura is a noble, so it is no need to give an excuse that she is a servant."

Tsunade thoughtfully pursed her lips, looking at the young man's serious face, "Noble she may be, but whom she marries will be based on her choice alone."

C was confused at the vague answer, "What do you mean? Aren't you her guardian? You should be the one to decide who she marries."

She gave a mysterious smile at the young man, "You will know when the time comes… In any case, I will take her to Konoha when she turns fifteen. So if you are serious for her hand in marriage, you should go there then." With those words, Tsunade left the room.

…

Standing at the gates of Kumogakure, Sakura hugged C and B goodbye. The emperor had already given his farewells at the palace.

She giggled at the farewell gift that B had given her. It was a pair of glasses where the glass was dyed black, an exact duplicate of what B was wearing at the moment. After B gave her head one last ruffle, he walked towards the palace to allow Sakura and C to be alone.

Sakura looked up at her best friend in Kumogakure, unshed tears in her eyes, "I'll miss you, big brother C."

C looked at her calmly, his eyes like a deep and bottomless pool, "Puppy, you'd better not forget me."

At the nickname 'puppy', Sakura gave her usual sniff in disdain when C suddenly hugged her roughly.

She felt a kiss on top of her head as C's voice mumbled, "Sakura."

Her breath hitched. During the entire year she had stayed in Kumogakure, never once had C called her by her name.

C's head lowered even further as he roughly whispered into her ears, "Sakura. One day, I will come for you. So you'd better not forget me."

After that, C abruptly let her go and started walking towards the palace, never looking back.

Hello everyone~

I hope I got down C's character. I kinda based it off the Naruto Wiki. There isn't much fanfiction with C and I didn't feel like reading the manga or watching the anime so I just kinda YOLO'ed his personality. Maybe one day I'll actually read the manga, but it won't be any time soon.

I hope you guys enjoyed the story! C will definitely appear in The Imperial Princess, but it won't be until much later on.

Best,
WhiteMint