They are three peas in a pod. A man whose entire life is shaped by the memories of those he lost, who spends hours staring at a stone. A woman who was betrayed by the only person she ever had, who is ostracized for the quirks she picked up from him. A man who is famous for his skills at torture, whose memories of being tortured himself are still fresh and raw.

Hatake Kakashi is supposed to be an example. He is the man pointed out when elders lecture on the risks of the shinobi lifestyle. He is the example of how they could sacrifice more than their lives. How more than their bodies could be broken. How many deaths a man can really die before he is dead in the ground. He is an example. Hatake Kakashi is a living casualty.

But that's not what Sakura sees when she looks at him. She sees a man whose eye crinkles when he smiles, who sleeps on dog-paw bed sheets with the fan on high and always forgets to clean out his fridge before long missions. He is endlessly devoted to his dogs and, though he would never ask, they would follow him to hell. She knows he only eats sugary cereal, has an impressive literature collection besides his infamous smut, and nurtures a houseplant named Tenzou. He hides a dimple behind that mask, and when he fights he dances.

They could point out his isolation, the hours he spends at the cenotaph, his perpetual tardiness, the chronic headaches he refuses to get treated, his obvious fear of intimate contact, his public porn addiction, the way he avoids the hospital, his refusals to take a vacation, the slouching, and the mask.

But she has felt the firm pressure of his large hand resting on her head and ruffling her hair. She has heard the soft hum of his voice when thanking her for healing him. She knows that there's always a reason why he's late, and that he only wears the mask anymore in order to hide his ridiculous tan line and because it's amusing to keep people wondering. No one, not even Choji, eats faster than him. His lazy posture and bored eyes disguise a hardworking and thoughtful man. She thinks of a warm hand on her shoulder telling her that he is there and how she can always believe him.

And, sure, Kakashi may be an example, a casualty, a ghost. But for Sakura, Kakashi is just a person, a teammate, a friend.

Mitarashi Anko is a popular topic in the psych department. Her file is at least three times thicker than the runner up's but contains more holes and question marks than Kakashi's nonexistent file. Mitarashi Anko is certifiably insane.

But years with Naruto has given Sakura the ability to look past the blatant crazy. Sakura knows that Anko's work with snakes centers on antidotes, not poisons, and that she had been highly successful and helpful in the hospital. Sakura has caught her visiting the orphanage she grew up in and damn do those kids adore her and her purple hair. She hates barbecue because she's too lazy to cook her own food but she knows how to make dango from scratch and insists that it should be eaten with black tea only, not herbal or green. She stumbles with chopsticks but can handle senbon as well as Genma.

Yes she has a fascination with blood and a possibly phallic interest in snakes. Her curse mark darkens her chakra signature and burns her deep into muscle and mind. She has chronic nightmares and severe memory loss. The memories she does have are twisted and cold, and really it's probably better that she doesn't remember. She is definitely insane.

But Sakura understands what it is to be abandoned due to the power-hungry pursuits of someone you love. Sakura knows that Anko is loud and obnoxious in order to force people to look past her circumstances and rumors and to just see her. While she only listens to rock music is public, Anko has a special love for both classical and jazz. Anko loves dango almost as much as she loves Konoha, and Sakura would place her second only to Naruto in devotion to her comrades. Sakura saw the way Anko looked at Kurenai's new baby and would swear that there were tears when she was asked to be the godmother.

Anko is insane. She is insanely loud and insanely crazy with a snake obsession. She is also insanely loyal and insanely kind with a soft spot for children. Sakura would bet anything that Anko will work at the Academy when she retires.

Morino Ibiki is the scary story told children at night. He is the bogey man whom parents threaten their kids with when they misbehave. He is the very real nightmare of the rogue or enemy ninja captured and brought in for questioning. Even with the vast majority of his scars hidden, he is tall and broad and draped in black. Morino Ibiki is terrifying.

But that is not the Ibiki that Sakura sees. She sees a man with very particular soft spots and things to hide in order to maintain his reputation. She remembers a complacent shrug and a princess tiara because he couldn't say no to Ino at her fourth birthday party. She can picture the raised eyebrow whenever a seven-year-old Ino called him pretty, insisting that scars and big foreheads were nothing. Just last year he bought Ino flowers from her own shop for her birthday. Sakura couldn't hold back her laugh when Ino handed him his purchase with a suspicious look only for him to hand them right back.

Sure he is dark and ominous. He is quiet and solemn and when he speaks each word is loaded and heavy with implications and demands. He watches with a purpose and perceptiveness that makes you feel vulnerable and even sick. He tortures with both words and weapons. He is famous for the way he hurts people and drives them insane, and he is the best at it in all the great nations.

But Sakura caught him spying on her and Ino when they went on their first double date and she knows for a fact that there's a crayon drawing taped to the underside of his desk at home. His house is always stocked with flowers and he goes to the same tea shop every day. His favorite color is not black, but purple, and he cooks well enough to challenge any Akimichi woman. Any medic-nin could repair his skin and heal his scars but he chooses to keep them for the reminder and example they serve. His insight into the human psyche has only made him compassionate and surprisingly honest.

Sakura knows she has only seen this side of Ibiki due to her friendship with Ino and Inoichi's work. She counts herself lucky every day.