b>Updates: Chapter 4 is up! It's kind of a short chapter. One of those filler-type chapters. The sad thing is, I don't think I'm anywhere close to finishing this thing. >_< Ah well, it's still fun to write it. And this is like... my first serious fan fic. =P
----------~8~----------
Chapter 1: A New Sensei
----------~8~----------
I opened the window in my room, as I peered out into the wondrous village of Konoha. Below me were merchants, school-children, store-owners, and townspeople. I inhaled, allowing the crisp, fresh air to flow within me and listen as the breeze whispered calmly in my ear. My soft-pink coral hair waved behind me, pushed backward by the wind. "Ahhhh," I said, as I let out a dreamy sigh, "What a great day for training." I walked toward my clothes dresser, with the picture of Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and Sasuke-kun. "I really hope you're all okay..."
After a couple of moments of reminiscing the great times with the trio, I opened the first draw, which was my weapon draw. I took out my new pink pouch, which had heart and flower designs on it. I loaded twenty shurikens, fifteen kunais, two scrolls, and two exploding bomb seals, which I neatly packed inside the pouch. Next, I strapped it onto my belt, a little past my right arm. After three minutes of getting dressed, brushing my hair and teeth, I was finally ready to go. I let out a deep breath, sat on the floor, and meditated for the next two minutes, as was instructed in a letter I received. The letter said that I would be receiving a new sensei, and gave directions to the place of training. The letter was signed by Anonymous and ended with, "when you find out who I am, you'll have to look twice."
When meditation was complete, I quickly stretched, and lept out of my bedroom window, landing gracefully upon a market roof. I jumped in the air, flipped over, and landed again on the floor. "Ah, good morning, Sakura-chan," Mrs. Rosenbul, a neighbor said. "'Morning!" I replied back. I started to dart along the streets of Konoha, dodging sharply in order to miss the people. On my trek through Konoha, I had noticed the many people working to repair the village. The village was attacked a couple of weeks ago by Sand and Sound nins. Buildings were completely destroyed, monuments in ruin. It would take long, but the re-building of Konoha was the town's number one priority. A few nights after the attack, Sasuke-kun left the village. The next day, the Hokage sent out Naruto, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, and Neji out to find Sasuke-kun. I volunteered to go, but they refused.
I continued to swoop in and out of loopholes, until I finally reached the forest. The forest stretched about 10 miles long, but my training spot was only 3 miles. I stopped for a bit to catch a breath as I rested my thighs on a branch. When I was ready to continue my journey, I heard an earsplitting scream from deep within the forest. It was no doubt a girl's cry. I quickly jumped up into a tree, and began jumping from tree to tree, as fast as possible. I jumped, and dodged, as tree branches, kunais, and shurikens came flying out from all directions. This was obviously a trap... a setup. I stopped on a tree, picked up various weapons. Two shurikens were held in one hand, a single kunai in the other, and the last one in my belt, for easy accessing and emergency situations. I was now prepared for any surprise-ninja.
After a bit more dodging, three ninjas had appeared before me. "Where'd they come from?! I couldn't even sense their presence!" Three shurikens were thrown, two dodged, and one that lightly scratched my arm. "God... what would Sasuke-kun do? Sakura... you have to fight them. Now isn't the time to rely on your comrades," I said to myself. I inhaled and exhaled. I was prepared for battle. I threw the two shurikens, and a kunai at one of the ninjas. The shurikens were dodged, but the kunai hit the ninja in the stomach, and he fell to the ground. Without weapons in my hand, I decided to use genjutsu, illusionary techniques. I molded my hands and performed the necessary seals. I roared, "Deafening Nightmare!" Suddenly, an enormous cage appeared around the enemies (only visible to myself and them) with kunais sticking out from each of the intersecting bars. The enemies would spend an hour or so in a cage, being tortured with incoming kunais from every direction. The energy they put in to dodging them would be the energy used in the real world. "This should keep them busy," I said, as I continued to the spot where I heard the scream.
Finally arriving there, I saw a man holding a kunai to a young girl's face. "Let her go," I said, as I jumped off of the branch. "Whoahoahoa! What do we have here? Another annoyance to be robbed and raped? Whahaha!!" the man yelled. The man appeared about 6'5" with a bald head, a Konoha headband, a black vest, and black shorts. One of his eye had a patch on it, and his face looked extremely angry, and tense. "Let her go!" I repeated.
"I'll let her go, just not easily. I'll strap her to this tree with my chakra. If you defeat me, the chakra will disperse. However, if I defeat you, I swear from the deepest pits of my heart to kill this girl, and yourself," he said. I gulped, and agreed. The girl was flung to the tree and a yellow chakra mold appeared around her, clamping her tightly to the tree. "My first one-on-one battle..." I was nervous. "I can't back out now. I've already made a commitment to protect the girl! I have to stick with it!" I said to myself.
"Here I come!" I shouted. I pulled out two kunais from my pouch, and charged toward the man. I crossed my arms, holding the blades outward. I felt the wind rush past me, as I continued my pursuit. The man clenched his hands together, but I was there before he got to perform the jutsu. I held the kunai to his chest. He was about to punch me! Instead of taking the blow, I inserted the blade into his chest. POP! The figure turned into a log. "Kawarimi no Jutsu? When did he--" The man swooped down, holding a kunai to my throat. The young girl screamed in fear. As I tried to struggle, the man increased the pressure. I could feel the metallic blade digging into my skin. At this point, I couldn't even swallow due to the pressure. I quickly set up a seal, then finally punched him in the face. He increased the pressure to full throttle, and sliced. To his dismay, he missed! I was now behind him. "How did you do that?!" he asked.
"It's a technique that my sensei taught me, 'Transparency no Jutsu.' This technique harnesses the ability of genjutsu, creating the illusion of my whole self, while I, transparent, sneak behind you. Never, EVER let your guard down when facing me." I stuck the kunai into his back. He fell to the floor and keeled over. I checked his pulse. Dead. I looked over to the girl, and she was fading away. I ran over to her, but I was too late. She was gone. I turned back to look at the man. The same fate was in effect for him, as well. I was completely confused.
Suddenly, in front of me, a huge white whirlwind of fragrance appeared. Standing right before my eyes was Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage. My jaw dropped, as I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming. "Hello, Sakura. I told you that you'd have to look twice."
----------~8~----------
Chapter 2: The Rise to Success
----------~8~----------
"H-Hokage-sama," I squealed out, still mesmerized, "You're my new
... sensei?"
"That's right, Sakura. When I first saw you, I saw myself at your
age. Amazing potential, a good head on your shoulders, and a sense of
dreams. The most important thing in a ninja's life is to dream. You cannot
achieve anything unless you do just that," Tsunade said. "Well then. Let's
start the training."
Without a moments notice, a kunai came rushing toward me. I jumped
in the air, dodging the kunai easily. But before I could land or regain
balance, three shurikens were hurdling through the air at different
speeds. The first one was coming toward me, aimed for my right thigh. I
positioned my body in a split-form, so that the shuriken flew past me,
under my legs. I did a backflip in the air, dodging the second one, and I
caught the last one, throwing it back at Tsunade. It hit! It landed in her
throat, as blood gushed out. Completely surprised, I gasped in utter
horror. "Ts-Tsunade-sama!" I yelled, as I walked closer to her. I began to
cry, as I sobbed, "Ts-Tsunade-sama... wh-what h-have I done?!"
"Sakura, never let your guard down. You must never remorse the death of a fellow shinobi."
A kunai was held to my throat as I glanced back to see the
beautiful blonde, smiling. The fake image before me disintegrated, much
like the two bodies before. "How did you do that?" I asked.
"The Jutsu I am about to teach you was taught to me by my sensei,
The Third Hokage. It is only known by three people in this world, myself,
Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. Not only is it a strong jutsu, but requires no
hand seals or chakra. It is performed mentally; you must be strong both
mentally and physically in order to perform it. Sarutobi-sensei called it
Kotoba. We will train for three days physically, three days mentally, and
three days performing the jutsu. The training will help your physical
stats, and genjutsu skills, all while learning this jutsu that will help
you. Today we start physical training. Got it?"
"Y-yes, Tsunade-sama. I'm going to try my hardest to master this.
As soon as Naruto and Sasuke-kun get back, we'll need to protect the
village. I'm tired of letting them protect me. From this day forward, I
will blossom!"
A proud smile grew on Tsunade's face as she arched her back and
gave me a hug. I smelt her aromatic perfume, as I gulped. I was prepared
to work for this.
----------~8~----------
Chapter 3: Training Commences!
----------~8~----------
As the day proceeded, I ran, pacing myself through the deep sage forest. The sound of birds chirping melodically intertwined with the soothing soft breeze that rushed passed my coral hair. Tsunade had told me that speed was the most important factor for a female shinobi like myself. Even if I had been out of chakra, I could still defeat the opponent if I had a great enough speed. Tsunade had told me that she had set seals around a five-mile diameter, and patrolled the circular area to make sure no other shinobi were in the area. This area would be my new home for the next three months.
Finally, after five hours of constant running around the five-mile diameter, Tsunade appeared, with the same aromatic scent bypassed from the ivory dust as the previous occasion when Tsunade greeted Sakura. "Sakura, that's good enough. For now, I'd like you to use a simple movement technique to transport yourself from this current area to the small circular meeting-spot in the center of the five-mile diameter. It won't require much chakra, but it is important to be able to escape tough situations," Tsunade said. I nodded, as I sealed my hands and closed my eyes. I concentrated on the circular meeting spot, and in two seconds, I was already there, as I let out a deep sigh of relief. "Tsunade-sama?" I called out. Tsunade's presence was untraceable. I called out her name again, as a kunai came flying out from a tree in back of me.
The kunai made direct contact, sending me to the ground shaking in fear. Without a moment's notice, Tsunade appeared and removed the jagged weapon. The pain was intense; never before had I felt such a laceration. The metal weapon had, afterall, been pushed three inches into my upper right back. Tsunade held her right arm to her left wrist, as I caught a quick glimpse of a deep green light protruding from the palm of her left hand. She hovered her palm over my wound, and in three seconds, the pain was gone. I blinked my eyes, and slowly stood up, with the blonde's assistance.
"Sakura, first of all, you should not have let your guard down. Secondly, you should have been able to sense my presence. I just used a simple genjutsu technique to make it seem as though I wasn't standing on that tree. You should have been able to sense that," Tsunade said, with little sympathy.
Immediately, I broke down crying. How could she be so cruel? My inner fear of failure has surfaced. Tears flew out of my eyes endlessly. Without notice, Tsunade brought me close and stroked my hair. I let out short whimpers, distorted by my sensei's robe, which fully covered my mouth.
"What's wrong, Sakura?"
"I can't take it anymore! No matter how hard I train, I'm never going to get better! I'm never going to be as good as Sasuke-kun, or Naruto. Or even any of other teams. I graduated from the academy due to my knowledge. But on the battlefield, it's not knowledge that will get you through. It's strength, courage, and talent. All of which I have none of. I can train with you for three years and I still won't be anywhere near as close as they are!"
Tsunade broke the hug, grasped my shoulders, and stared me straight in the eyes. "Sakura, if you're going to have that attitude, you won't get anywhere in life," another tear escaped from my eye as she said this, "Look, I was just like you when I was younger. But things will get better for you. You have a lot on your mind, I can tell. But on the battle field, your opponent won't care about your self-esteem, or your mental anguish, or the fact that you have a lot on your mind. When you're on the battlefield, death is the only intent of your enemy. I realized that the hard way, and I'm sure you have as well. The only reason I'm strong right now is because of Sarutobi-sensei. One day he caught me crying and asked what was wrong. I gave a speech much like the one you just choked out, and for the next three months, he sent Orochimaru and Jiraiya on missions, while training me privately. After those three months, I was just as strong as the other two because I didn't think of how much stronger they were than I was. In my eyes, we were all equal. And in the end, that was true."
"B-but it's hard for me to ever imagine myself as the heir to the Uchiha clan or the boy possessed by the Nine-tails..."
"Sakura, I used to feel the same way, but it did happen. No matter how doubtful it seems, you will become as strong as them. It takes a bit of practice and mental strength, but you will overcome this slump that you're in. Believe in me. Believe in yourself."
I nodded and told Tsunade that I wanted to continue training. She snapped her finger and three manikin dolls fell from the threes, with a long thread tied around the dolls necks. "This, Sakura, is kunai training 101." She snapped her fingers again, and a table with hundreds of kunai lined in place stood ready to be thrown.
"You will remain in a ready stance. You will throw the first hundred kunai at any pace. Switch from the first doll, to the second, and finally, to the third. In other words, don't just throw at only one doll. That won't do us any justice. And the main thing is to be sure that you are accurate. Any questions?"
"Y-yes, just one. How did you do all of this?"
"Simple, I had it prepared already. I just used invisibility genjutsu on the items, and when I snapped my fingers, the genjutsu dispersed. I could have just kept this set up, but I always like to add a nice effect to my lessons," the blonde beauty said.
Wow... some of the stuff she does really isn't a technique. Maybe it's more or less her tricking my mind to the point of me thinking that all of this was some sort of dark magic or something... God, I really am paranoid. Alright, Sakura. We need to concentrate on the first task. Remember: you are just as strong as Naruto and Sasuke I said to myself.
Without hesitation, I began hurling the blades one after another at the manikans. After five minutes of kunai training, and a much-needed congratulations from Tsunade, I counted the blades that were embedded in the manikan. Ninety nine. The other two were on the floor. "Wow, Sakura! That was excellent. You managed to hit all one hundred of the kunai into the manikan doll!" Tsunade assured.
"How? There are two on the floor, and I only threw one hundred."
"Take another look. Two kunai are directly under the dolls, which means that one of your other kunai must have knocked two of them off at separate times. If you missed, I assure you that they'd be in a tree right now."
It did make sense. I smiled and was ready for the next task. This time, Tsunade would toss me a kunai and I would have to aim at the doll, and release the blade. After ten minutes, the job was done. This time, only one was on the floor. "Good job, again! Alright, I'm going to go pick up some dinner for us. There are three hundred more weapons on the table. When I come back, I'd like to see them in the manikans." In a flash, Tsunade was gone.
----------~8~----------
Chapter 4: The Medical Shinobi
----------~8~----------
Whew. I let out a troublesome sigh. Work under Tsunade-sama sure was tough. I immediately collapsed on the floor due to overwhelming exhaustion. I tilted my head. I couldn't even move my fingers! Just... a.. . quick... rest...
~~~~
"Sakura, wake up." A figure stood above my eyes; tall with blonde hair. The image was blurred, but I could tell it was Tsunade-sama. A bucket of water was dumped on my head as I stood up from the grass. I blinked a couple of times and slowly rose, with the assistance of the blonde Hokage.
"Why were you sleeping? There are still three hundred kunai on the table, Sakura. You didn't do any work."
"G-Gomen nasai, Tsunade-sama. I was exhausted. I felt as though a thousand pounds of weight were on my shoulder."
"Sakura, today is the first day of many training sessions. Kunai lessons are the easiest. Tomorrow we start shuriken. The day after we start seals, and finally, we end our weapon section with a special surprise. Alright, eat up. You'll need some energy for the work ahead of you. You have to finish the last part of the kunai training and then we're going to have a physical exam," Tsunade said, handing a small package with chopsticks to me. I nodded as I opened the package and began munching.
~~~~
Three days had passed. I could feel excess weight slowly removing itself from my thighs and buttocks. It was times like these that re-confirmed my hard work and need for strength. Over the past three days I had learned precise aiming of a shuriken, setting up seals and countering seals, and the maneuvering of a special weapon. The weapon was a curative staff. The staff was as tall as I was; with a golden orb on each end, with a sharp blade protruding from each of the orbs. The curative staff split apart in two, and hooked onto a latchet on my belt. The staff was used for curing, as special curative magic potion danced around inside the golden orb. In addition, the staff was a weapon to be held in two hands, especially decent for close-combat fighting. For more enemies, the staff split in two much like two swords; however, the source of power lied within the blades at the tip of the staff.
I thought that the staff was pretty nifty. Tsunade-sama had told me that I would be the medical shinobi of the team. I would still have an outstanding offense, and wonderful chakra control, but if my comrades were injured, it was my job to heal them. Suddenly, a mental image of Tsunade appeared in my head. "This is going to seem redundant, Sakura, but as the medical aid of your team, you are in charge of healing Naruto and Sasuke. For wide-spread battles, you will need to find them much faster. Speed. Speed is an important issue, as I've said many times, Sakura. Right now, you are the slowest among the three of you. Our goal is to get you to be the fastest." Now that I think about it, how could I, a petty, scrawny girl be faster than Sasuke-kun or Naruto? I let out a long sigh, as I stared above me, at the entrancing midnight blue sky. There were millions of stars, illuminating the neverending path of blue. I wondered where Sasuke-kun and Naruto were. Were they alright? Are they hurt? I closed my eyes for a little while. I just need a rest. Everything will be okay. They're both very talented. Don't you worry, Sakura. When they come back, we'll be ready to start missions and defend our village. You'll be much stronger. And as I thought to myself, lulled asleep by pensive thoughts, the night was over. I would only know what would be in store for me in the morning.
----------~8~----------
Chapter 5: A Quest For Strength... Complete!
----------~8~----------
Chirp... Chirp... Chirp...
The sound of various birds vocalizing rang through my ears. It was
definitely too early in the morning for me to get up. I lay on the grass,
with my eyes closed, stretching and yawning. I opened my drowsy eyes.
Something wasn't right. For some reason, everything seemed a lot darker
than it should have. The sky was a deep faded purple; hindering the black
clouds as they passed by. The trees were old and withered, and the grass
that was once lain upon the ground was now nonexistent. Abruptly, all
sound was paused. I thought that I would be able to hear a pin if it fell
from a thousand-foot loft.
Now that I thought about it, something definitely wasn't right. The
withered trees that were once crystal clear were now blurred. It seemed as
though the world as I had perceived it to be had just changed right before
my eyes. Was I dreaming? No, this was too real to be a dream. Maybe I
really am going crazy... I thought. My eyes widened as a sudden flash
of thought scurried through my neurotical passageways. Was this Genjutsu?
Such... an incredible degree of Genjutsu. I molded my hands together, and
casted a Kawarimi no Jutsu. If I was expelled from the genjutsu, I just
might be attacked. I then formed a separate seal and whispered, "DISPEL!"
In a matter of seconds, the genjutsu faded, and the 'real world' was
brought back into my senses. The mahogany landscape, the abundance of
spinach-green grass, the sound of birds chirping all became part of me.
Before me was the beautiful busty Hokage, staring at me with proud eyes.
"Excellent work, Sakura. Being able to dispel Genjutsu is a Chuunin level
technique. For a genin to perform the technique effortless is truly
amazing," the blonde said, in a pleased tone.
I nodded and gave a quick smile. I had known how to dispel genjutsu ever
since I was an academy student. Shadow Replication clones never worked on
me. Maybe my fate lied in strong Genjutsu. If I could dispel powerful
Genjutsu like this one, perhaps I could even perform it. "Tsunade-sama, I
would like to work on Genjutsu today. I think that Genjutsu is something
that I could master easily, since it's performed mentally," I said.
Tsunade simply nodded.
"The first technique I will teach you is the one that was just performed
on you. However, that technique was in its simplest form. Generally I add
glaring eyes and needles, but you can configure it to your liking..."
The rest of the day was spent learning awesome Genjutsu abilities. I just
had to see them once and I instantly knew how to perform them. I was
taught fifteen different abilities. Tsunade-sama had even told me that
those were the only ones she knew, aside from Bunshin. Wow, my Genjutsu
attack level is almost the same as Tsunade-sama's! I was enthused. I
learned over a dozen different techniques in a WHOLE day! That would last
me for 15 different battles. I really liked Genjutsu techniques. They
required little to no chakra and could last as long as I wanted them to.
As the end of the day approached, the sun withdrew from the sky, replaced
by stars. Tsunade had to go back to the Mission House to retain order, and
would be back in the morning.
The morning finally came, and it was time for summoning techniques.
Tsunade taught me how to summon Rizazuma, the slug whom which my soul was
now bound to. I wrote my name on the parchment that the blonde Hokage gave
me. Haruno Sakura I ended with my finger print, and practiced the
summon for the rest of the day. The sun exited the sky, much like it had
done previously. The training seemed to progress a lot faster than it had
before. During the night, I recounted every single ability and skill
taught to me by my sensei.
The next day Tsunade sat down next to me, as I awoke from the slumber
state in which I had resided for the past eight or so hours. "Sakura,
there's something important that I think you should know," the blonde
said, with a glint of sympathy resting in her rusty eyes, "you're not a
normal girl. In fact, the Harunos are an advanced bloodline, much like
your comrade Sasuke. Just like Neji, Hinata, and even Haku," she finished
.
I thought about it for a moment and looked up at the Hokage. It makes
sense, I thought, I had always had an easy time recovering chakra.
And that could explain why I learned over a dozen genjutsu techniques in
less than a day... "Tsunade-sama, why wouldn't my family tell me this
when I was younger?"
"That's difficult to say, Sakura. I'd place a large amount of money on the
fact that your parents knew that people would seek the Haruno clan's
Genjutsu abilities. You being the heir to the Haruno's, you would be a lot
more liable to being taken by people such as Orochimaru. The only thing
you need to know is that the best Genjutsu ability lies in your blood..."
"Wow, I can't believe it. I'm so glad that I found out. Thank you,
Tsunade-sama." Tsunade smiled and persisted into the next training
assignment. The rest of the day was spent practicing with my Curative
Staff, learning healing techniques and close combat weapon techniques. By
the end of the day, Tsunade had to go back to the mission house as she had
to since the first day we commenced training. She left me with a little
note, and an ivory whirlwind appeared. When the whirlwind dispersed,
Tsunade was gone. I opened the note and it said, "Sakura, tomorrow will be
the last day of training!"
A small tear floated in my right eye. I had been working so hard for the
past three weeks that I almost didn't want the training to end. I
had become really attached to Tsunade-sama, and grown so much since the
first day. I summoned a log from a nearby tree, and practiced more with my
curative staff. I'm going to practice for most of the night. I need to
become even stronger! Whack after whack, the strong metal collided
with wood, leaving a loud clatter throughout the forest. After hours of
practicing I laid my head down and before I knew it, I was sleeping.
The next day approached, the last day of training, and Tsunade informed me
that it was time to learn Kotoba, the move that I had seen her
perform on the first day. There were three fundamentals to learning this
technique.
1) Imagine
2) Assign Purpose
3)
Create
I learned three of those fundamentals within two hours, and created my own
Kotoba within an extra forty minutes. Tsunade informed me that I should
create a Kotoba every day, and it would take less time to create each one
.
"Sakura, it has been a pleasure for me to guide you over the past month.
You have overcome many of your fears, and I've seen an exceptional
increase in your emotional, mental, and physical strength. I wish you good
luck, and I'll be seeing you around pretty soon. Continue growing
stronger, and learn that Genjutsu ability from your mother or father.
Thank you, Sakura. You've taught me a lot, just as I have done for you."
With that, Tsunade planted a light kiss on my forehead, and disappeared
with the same white fragrance that I've grown accustomed to for over
thirty days. I started dashing back home, and within two very short
minutes, I arrived at the front door of my home. Ah, it feels good to
be home, I thought, as I opened the door.
"I'm hoooooommmmme!"
The past month was tiresome, and I overcame some things that I would have
never imagined doing so. I was now a lot stronger, and Sasuke-kun and
Naruto will definitely see that.
My quest for strength was not a waste at all. In fact, I can now hold my
head up high... knowing that I'm useful and that my existence is
important.
~ Fin ~
Disclaimer! I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters featured in the story. This story is completely based on my inner fandom and love for Haruno Sakura.