Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Sakura was disappointed to find the tigers didn’t have anything to offer her in the short term. She wasn’t strong enough yet to hunt in their domain, nor did she have enough chakra to wield their lightning based sage arts. Madara’s efforts were more fruitful and both children quickly added the new breathing exercises to their training plans as the day came to a close. The rest of the second exam passed in the blink of an eye after the first night and it almost didn’t seem real when Team 7 got the call to head down to a large meeting room on the first level of the tower.
Sakura had her armor strapped firmly in place and her weapons ready. Her cloak was thrown over all of it, hiding her equipment from prying eyes and she her teammates had gotten matching cloaks as a gift from Naori. The trio walked side by side through the tower, senses peeled for threats even though they were theoretically safe.
“Who do you think passed?” Anko asked as they neared the meeting room.
“Team Two, there is no way Itachi had trouble.” Izumi stated confidently because even the concept of Uchiha Itachi struggling at something was alien to her. She’d known him since they were little, her only friend in the clan. Of all the Uchiha it was only Itachi who saw passed her Senju blood and befriended her while Izumi had been the only one to treat him like a normal human being rather then the prodigy clan heir.
“The Kumo team was strong.” Sakura had been quietly impressed by the trio. The two kunoichi especially but the boy’s chakra was nearly as controlled and orderly as her own or Izumi’s, which made him either an expert in genjutsu or perhaps a medical nin. He did have jet black eyes like an Uchiha and Sakura knew Kumogakure had an obsession with doujutsu since the Daimyo had driven the only doujutsu wielding clan in Kaminari no Kuni from their borders during the warring clans era.
“Well let’s find out.” Anko said cheerfully and pushed the heavy steel doors open to reveal a large arena with balconies on either side. A statue of a pair of hands holding the ram seal stood at the far side of the room along with the Hokage and several of Konoha’s most prominent jounin, including Nara Shikaku and the Hyuga the proctor for the current exam, who Sakura suspected was Hiashi, the clan head.
There were only three other teams present besides Team seven. Team Two looked mildly roughed up, except for Itachi who was immaculate. The Kumo team was present, looking untouched by their jaunt through the forest of death. The Kumo trio glanced over at the newly arrived Team 7 and Sakura realized that only her team had spent the night in the tower, the rest had all arrived sometime during the day. Before Sakura could really take stock of the Kumo team and their reaction to her, a familiar chakra lit up her senses along with a genuine burst of killing intent.
“You!” The word was spat with utter loathing, like a curse and a promise. Sakura’s eyes immediately met the flinty black of Kurotsuchi’s. The Iwagakure kunoichi was wrapped in bandages and scorch marks covered her clothes but somehow her team had recovered from their loss and made it to the tower with two scrolls. It was a testament to the stubborn tenacity that Iwagakure was famous for and Sakura would have been impressed if she wasn’t mildly scared of the other girl’s death glare. Sakura knew those eyes after all and she couldn’t kill Kurotsuchi which left her unsteady and nervous.
“Us!” Anko cheered back, unbothered by the Iwa nins’ ire. The girl was used to living with hateful glares at this point and Orochimaru had already hardened her heart through emotional conditioning long before she’d become an outcast. The girl smiled, wide and unhinged, her pupil-less caramel eyes catching the floodlights and sparkling, adding to her deranged mien. “You survived! Lovely, now we can have a second round of fun.” Anko’s sultry purr was ill suited to a ten year old’s voice but it had the desired effect as Kurotsuchi’s teammates looked sufficiently intimidated.
“There will be no unsanctioned combat outside of the exams!” The Hyuga, likely Hiashi, barked and fixed the Iwa team with a truly impressive glare. Anko let her smile dim, though her eyes remained arced with amusement as Team 7 slipped in alongside Team 2. Only four teams had made it out of over twenty and there had been around a hundred at the beginning of the first exam. The sheer number of dropouts was astounding, at least to Sakura since neither exam appeared all that difficult.
‘You got lucky Outer. Don’t get cocky, you could have died.’ Inner reminded from the depths of Sakura’s mind. A brief flash of pain and the sensation of being hurled forward briefly overcoming Sakura’s senses as Inner reminded her of just how close they’d come to death. The memory instantly sobered Sakura and dashed her arrogance before it could form.
‘Thank you Inner,’ Sakura knew it probably wasn’t normal to thank her inner voice for showing her such a memory but she wasn’t leading a normal life. She had to be war forged and strong to survive. Sakura didn’t have to turn her heart to stone or lose her humanity but she couldn’t turn her eyes away from the violence she would see or inflict.
“The third exam will be in a month.” Hiruzen’s voice pulled Sakura from her musings. Fortunately nobody had noticed her conversation with her Inner and she watched as the Hyuga brought out a box filled with tickets. One by one, the twelve genin drew numbers, filling in the lots and Sakura had to hide a grin when she saw who she was up against. After all, in a way it was actually her best match up.
“The matches will be as follows, Kamizuru Kurotsuchi VS Shi, Kamizuru Arata VS Mabui, Gorou VS Samui,” Sakura’s eyes moved over to the two foreign teams. They’d be forced to fight before any Konoha shinobi had to face them in the finals. It was an obvious manipulation, even if neither team’s jounin had seen anything off about the selection. It had all been random lots, drawn from a wooden crate however everyone knew it was fixed, even Sakura and she was five. “Mitarashi Anko VS Uchiha Izumi, Aburame Youji VS Suzukaze Himuka and Uchiha Itachi VS Haruno Sakura.”
Sakura let out a sigh of relief as the last few details were hashed out. She’d have to be at the stadium at 10:00 and her fight would be the last in the lineup. The rosette glanced towards Itachi and he met her eyes, giving her a small nod. Sakura was itching to talk with him and clearly Itachi was feeling much the same, which was comforting. He was a friend and Sakura knew it would be hard to truly fight him, after all he might not know it but he was clan.
“Well then it looks like we’re dismissed,” Naori nudged her genin away from the gathering and Sakura was more then happy to follow along. The jounin looked between her students, eyes full of worry and Sakura just knew she was contemplating how to handle Anko and Izumi’s match.
“I won’t be mad if you win, if you beat me you beat me.” Anko said quietly, giving Izumi a stern look. The serious tone wasn’t a surprise, Anko wasn’t nearly as unhinged as she acted in public after all. The purple haired genin was clearly angry at being matched up against her teammate but there was something else there as well, a kind of grim acceptance. “I could also forfeit. They did this to paint me as a villain after all.”
“Anko…” Izumi gave her friend a pained look and then took Anko’s hand. The group stopped and Naori watched carefully but silently as Sakura hovered around the edge of the conversation in case she was needed. “I want you to reach chunin, you can not forfeit. We’ll do our best, display our skills and fight without hard feelings. If you win, you win and I think we both know who has a better chance of claiming victory. I promise I won’t make you look like the villain, I’ll forfeit if it’s clear I can’t win, okay?”
“You, alright thank you Izumi-chan.” Anko mumbled, cheeks tinting pink. The usually brash kunoichi buried her face in her shirt in a childish effort to hide her embarrassment, causing Izumi to laugh. The effect was immediate as all of Anko’s face went scarlet and she quickly picked up speed, power walking away to hide her expression from her teammates.
“Well I’m glad that’s sorted out.” Naori said cheerfully, walking along behind her genin with a sharp toothed smile. It truly was a reward to have such good students and Naori would do everything she could to prepare them over the coming month. She already trained them hard but there was nothing like the motivation of fame and a promotion to truly light a fire in a young heart.
***
Sarutobi Hiruzen had been the Hokage of Konohagakure for decades. His reign was roughly equal to the total length of time that all three of his peers had ruled combined. Hiruzen was a veritable institution, a pillar of Konohagakure, the second god of shinobi. He had seen three shinobi wars, lead his village through two of them and had trained three prodigies into S rank shinobi while ruling his village. He had mastered every elemental release and was a skilled hand in every one of the shinobi arts. Despite that, the current situation had never happened before.
“Well Hokage-sama?” Uchiha Naori asked, her sharp smile distinctly Mizu in origin. Hiruzen looked at the purple haired woman, one of the only Uchiha he ever liked though that was due to her being raised mostly outside of the clan before her recovery. The woman was emotional, vibrant and alive in a way that the rest of her kin just weren’t. She lacked the burning hatred and drive for recognition of her peers and had put down three of her blood relatives for the village, going blind in the process. If there was ever an Uchiha he could respect besides his former teammate Uchiha Kagami, it would be her.
“Let me get this straight, you wish for me, the Hokage to train one of your genin for the chunin exams.” Hiruzen looked at the woman then to the trio of genin around her. None of them looked upset, despite the clear favoritism being shown. Then again, perhaps this wasn’t favoritism, since Mitarashi Anko, Orochimaru’s apprentice stepped forward.
“Please Hokage-sama, you’re the only one we can ask. You trained Senju Tsunade and Sakura-chan wants to follow in her footsteps.” Anko bowed to the Hokage, something he never expected of her. He knew the precocious little street urchin and was very familiar with her rambunctious attitude. He had fairly recent memories of her smiling happily and cackling after pulling off some prank while Orochimaru just looked on with a slight grin.
The girl’s words struck a cord within Hiruzen. He had lost two students now and while the third was Konohagakure’s spy master, he was also never present. Worse, Sakura was five years old, a genin during a time of peace. She was a monument to his sins, to his willingness to sacrifice the village’s youth. He hadn’t expected her to go for graduation during her first year and he’d been prepared to argue the point with Danzo, regardless of what he told the old war hawk. In a way, this was a chance to make up for some of the pain and pressure he’d already heaped on the rosette.
‘It would also go a long way in gaining the civilian council’s support. Not only do they have a prodigy but she’s trained by the hokage.’ Hiruzen considered the girl with cold eyes. He’d never had such a political view of his original students, not until the second war had ground on and Konoha was forced into taking desperate measures. Orochimaru had been handed over to Root, his talent for stealth and assassination indispensable to the village despite Hiruzen’s personal feelings over letting Danzo mold his kind, quiet student into a monster.
This girl though wanted to follow Tsunade’s footsteps, or at least her public legacy. The experiments and crimes she’d committed to gain her knowledge would not need to be replicated after all and Hiruzen had his limits. Even he wouldn’t push a girl so young to such extremes, though he would send her into battles he believed she could survive. Taking a deep breath, he looked over at the Uchiha-Senju, Tobirama’s legacy and saw the girl was gathering her courage.
“Please Hokage-sama, my teammate can handle it. She’s got the best chakra control of anyone I’ve ever heard of and she’d make an amazing medic.” Izumi bowed without hesitating, a sharp 90 degree bend at the waist and Hiruzen almost let his mouth drop open. The Uchiha were famously proud and despite his distaste for them Senju Tobirama was no different. Izumi hadn’t even blinked as she lowered her head for the sake of her civilian born teammate and behind them he could see Naori radiating pride.
‘They truly embody the will of fire.’ Hiruzen had rarely seen a team so young and fresh so tightly knit. Usually the talk of team as family was a lie, up until one reached ANBU. ANBU was an incredibly insular community, both due to the secrecy and pressure of their missions. ANBU teams either bonded and became well oiled machines with no room for dissent or people died. Any team that served together for more then a year without casualties was almost exclusively of the former category while teams that didn’t click were usually broken up quickly to avoid unnecessary waste of life.
“Very well, though a month isn’t enough time to learn medical ninjutsu. I can begin training her in Tsunade’s super strength.” Hiruzen had helped the girl through the process alongside Orochimaru. He looked at the rosette, focusing his chakra on her and watched as Sakura stood firm. Sweat beaded up on her forehead and he saw her swallow but she managed to withstand it. Further proof that like Kakashi and Itachi, she truly was a prodigy. “My training will be grueling, worse then anything you’ve experienced so far. You will tear your muscles, break your bones and then do it all again the next day. You will do what I tell you, obey my orders and when the exam roles around you will make your village proud, is that understood?”
“Yes Hokage-sama.” Sakura answered and Hiruzen could see the determination in her eyes. He hadn’t been quite sure what to expect when he’d first heard of a pink haired child with the potential to become another prodigy but now, looking into the eyes of Haruno Sakura, he knew he could make another legend of this little girl. If she could withstand the pressure, she’d end up a diamond.
***
After she left the Hokage’s office and her teammates, Sakura made her way across Konohagakure to the training ground she shared with Shisui, Itachi and Izumi. Both shinobi were waiting for her when she arrived and while Izumi was absent, Sakura knew she’d either tell the other kunoichi herself what was discussed here or Itachi would. In truth both of them would likely share the details and Izumi would listen politely without saying a word to either of them about who she spoke with first.
“Sakura,” Itachi greeted, dipping his head slightly as she came to stand a few feet away from him. Shisui stood off to the side, radiating nerves as he looked between his two friends. The older boy’s chakra was squirming and burning within him, proof he was deeply unsettled. Fortunately, he was in no danger of falling to the curse, because Sakura would be unable to help him and she didn’t know if Itachi had even been taught Ninshu. The Uchiha clan was so different then she remembered it, she didn’t want to assume anything.
“Itachi, what’s the plan?” Sakura asked because she knew he’d have one. He was a genius after all and she had learned a lot of what she knew from him. He had helped her polish her shurikenjutsu and taught her how to curve her shuriken and ricochet her kunai. Itachi was a true prodigy, unlike Sakura who just had a bit of extra training thanks to her jaunts through time.
“We’ll choreograph the match. We can flip a coin to determine the winner-” Itachi began to explain but Sakura held up her hand. She had no desire to keep fighting after her first match, especially if it was against Itachi. She’d have to go all out against any of the current contestants after all and Itachi was likely the strongest of the lot. Perhaps one of the Kumo nin could beat him, but Sakura couldn’t no matter how hard she trained.
“You’ll take the victory, it wouldn’t be believable otherwise. We can go through our skills, display them for the audience and the judges. Start with shurikenjutsu, move to taijutsu, bukijutsu then ninjutsu, genjutsu and you can claim victory with the sharingan.” Sakura suggested and Itachi looked at her for several long seconds before nodding.
She knew him well enough to see his unease at being handed a victory but if they fought all out, she likely wouldn’t be able to show the full range of her skills. If they agreed on an order of things and how they would respond, she could at least show she deserved the rank of chunin while losing gracefully. Highlighting the fact that he had a doujutsu and she didn’t would also be a believable way to settle the match without making it look rigged or forcing Itachi to act the bully.
“I look forward to our match then.” Itachi finally said somewhat awkwardly. His chakra flickered, likely nerves over her chances of promotion. They both knew what was riding on this after all. The sooner Sakura got chunin, the sooner she would be qualified to work in the hospital. After all nobody was going to let a five year old genin work there but a five year old chunin? Sure, why not. Shinobi were strange like that.
“You want me to train you? Or do you have things covered?” Shisui asked Sakura, finally able to voice his concerns for her. He had been upset when Itachi had graduated early and his concerns had only grown when Sakura showed up and Izumi joined her for an early graduation. Of course Shisui didn’t try to dissuade any of them, he knew they’d just knuckle down. Instead, he did everything he could to teach those he viewed as his kouhai, hoping it would be enough.
“I’m getting private lessons but perhaps you could teach Izumi a bit? She’s going to be fighting Anko after all and with Naori splitting her attention…” Sakura knew their sensei could teach all three of them simultaneously but Anko definitely had an advantage. The girl had more experience and had been trained by Orochimaru for years. Izumi was talented but her talent was unpolished and her greatest strength, her chakra control, could only be applied through clever use of jutsu and Shisui’s variations of the shunshin were perfect for that.
“Training Izumi-chan is always fun. She’s polite and actually smiles, unlike ‘Tachi.” Shisui quipped then dodged a shuriken that Itachi had tossed without even looking his way. Shisui feigned shock, gasping dramatically and fixing Itachi with the most faux look of betrayal Sakura had ever seen. “Itachi, how could you?”
“Don’t call me that.” Itachi fixed Shisui with a glare and Shisui chuckled happily. The Uchiha prodigy’s cheeks went slightly pink as Shisui’s grin turned teasing.
“Ah, so only Izumi-chan can call you that.” Shisui cackled as he dodged a volley of steel. Itachi’s cheeks were bright red now and his failure to land even a scratch on the older boy was clearly a tipping point. Turning on his heel, Itachi vanished into a shunshin, leaving Shisui laughing himself silly and Sakura just staring blankly, utterly confused about what had just happened.
‘I like them.’ Inner informed her and Sakura quietly returned the sentiment. There was something deeply wrong with the modern Uchiha clan but her Uchiha were good people and Sakura would do everything she could to see them happy.
***
It was fairly late in the evening when Sakura finally got the chance to reverse summon herself to the foxes. She hadn’t wanted to risk it in front of her teammates, just in case she messed up but now that she was alone she bit her thumb and quickly wove the necessary hand seals. A burst of smoke and a quick tumble through reality and Sakura landed almost gracefully on the floor of Inari’s temple. The place looked different then she remembered it. A few cushions covered in brightly colored fox fur were placed around the room, though currently none of them were occupied.
“Oh, well I would say this is unexpected but I’d be lying.” Inari’s voice pulled Sakura’s attention to the kitsune who had just walked in from beyond the temple’s doors. Sakura could hear music in the distance and the sound of laughter and cheers. “We are celebrating your success in the exams so far.” Inari explained, gesturing behind her. “But you need your sleep, you’re still a child after all so ask your question and then tuck yourself in.”
“Um, I need to get stronger faster. Can you help with that?” Sakura asked and Inari chuckled and walked over towards her before sitting down and patting the floor next to her. Sakura watched the kitsune for several long seconds before she took the invitation and Inari gently pulled Sakura into her side. The fox wrapped an arm around the girl and gently, soothingly began to brush her hair with her fingers.
“I can little one and I know you do not ask out of greed or ill thought out ambition. You have such a big heart and so many people to protect but you’re too young and too much rests upon your shoulders.” Inari’s words were soft and Sakura began to feel sleepy as warm fingers carded through her hair and gently scratched her scalp. She had never had parental affection before she’d met Tajima and even he wasn’t physically affectionate. Sakura practically melted under the attention, though she stubbornly stayed awake, intent on getting help from the kitsune. “Well, seeing as you’re so determined, yes the kitsune can offer you something.”
“What’s that?” Sakura murmured, her eyelids suddenly heavy and her neck growing weak. She felt herself leaning into Inari’s side and struggled to keep her eyes open. She knew she wouldn’t be awake much longer and honestly she didn’t want to leave the kitsune’s side. Sakura had never been so comfortable before and she almost felt like crying as Inari began to hum a gentle tune.
“We will offer you our food and sake, steeped in our chakra. It will replenish your chakra, let you train harder and make it easier for you to wield our techniques when you are older. Now sleep child, you’ve earned your rest.” Inari’s voice was soft and Sakura knew the fox would honor her word. Sleep quickly pulled her under and before she knew it, her eyes were opening as she appeared beside Madara in the distant past.
***
Sakura arrived at the Hokage’s office bright and early, just as Hiruzen had requested. The man himself looked more alive then she had ever seen him before, his usual grandfatherly facade backed by a well of energy that she hadn’t expected. Hiruzen gave her a smile, though his chakra was still and motionless, controlled in a way that proved he was simply acting the part.
“Hello Sakura-chan, shall begin?” Hiruzen asked curiously and Sakura looked around the office before giving him a nod. She didn’t know what to expect other then it was going to be grueling, though she was certain she was prepared. “Eager or just nervous?”
“Uh, nervous Hokage-sama.” Sakura answered and got a chuckle as the old man nodded and rose to his feet. His chakra lit up eagerly as he escaped his paperwork and the two left the office then took to the rooftops. ANBU guards moved around them, a distant but ever present reminder that Sakura was learning from the Hokage himself.
“Understandable considering your age and circumstances. A civilian born prodigy, the first in our history.” Hiruzen mused, though his words were mostly lost on Sakura. She’d been so isolated by her age and her time in the academy had been so brief she didn’t even know a divide existed. On rare occasion she heard her parents complain about the civilian council’s lack of influence or the shinobi clans looking down on them, despite not even being of noble blood but Sakura never thought anything of it. Kizashi and Mebuki were mean, nasty people and she didn’t like them, not at all.
“I see,” Sakura offered when it became obvious Hiruzen was looking for a response. Oddly, her laconic reply seemed to amuse him and he chuckled to himself. Still, everything about him just seemed fake, his chakra was too controlled, his expressions a bit too endearing and there was something else, something she couldn’t place that just left her on edge.
“So, what exactly do you want to specialize in Sakura-chan? A month is a lot of time after all and you’ll have plenty of chances to study.” Hiruzen’s words promised danger and Sakura didn’t miss the calculating look he sent her. The rosette really didn’t trust this man, her instincts screamed that he was dangerous, little things she couldn’t place ticking all the wrong boxes. “Well?”
“Fuinjutsu and iryo-ninjutsu.” Sakura answered, because the truth was those were the only things the Uchiha couldn’t teach her. The clan library contained more ninjutsu then Sakura would ever know what to do with. In the time before the villages, they had even stole the hiden techniques of the other clans, at least the ones that weren’t based off a kekkei genkai. The only things they didn’t have were techniques that just didn’t exist in their time period, like medical ninjutsu or techniques that were so rare that they simply wouldn’t encounter them often enough to copy like fuinjutsu.
“Very cerebral choices,” Hiruzen mused as they touched down on a training field. Sakura could feel the old man considering her choices, weighing them against some invisible value that only he could see. Apparently, everything seemed to check out as he gave her a smile. “And what about genjutsu?”
“Eventually sir, I can only do so much at once.” Sakura admitted and earned a pleasant laugh from the old man. It was fake, his chakra hadn’t so much as shivered but it sounded real. If she didn’t have her chakra control, if she hadn’t polished her sensory skills and knew what the feedback her chakra was telling her meant, she’d never have known.
“Wise words, most your age would try and chase down every opportunity they could and spread themselves much too thin.” Hiruzen complimented and Sakura gave him a nervous nod. Once again she wished she had her bangs, if only to hide behind. She wasn’t the scared, overly shy child anymore but social interactions were just difficult and she was dealing with adults so often that it was hard not to be a little intimidated every now and then.
“Now then, I suppose that is enough idle conversation.” Hiruzen’s demeanor hardened instantly and Sakura’s back straightened in response. It was as if a mask had fallen off and she suddenly knew exactly why she didn’t like Sarutobi Hiruzen. He was exactly like her adoptive parents. He put on occasional displays of kindness and offered rewards and empty praise, all the while just waiting for a slip up that would be harshly corrected. His mannerisms were reminiscent of Orochimaru and suddenly Sakura knew who had inspired such casual cruelty in the snake sannin. Whatever madness Orochimaru had, Sarutobi Hiruzen had sharpened.
“Tsunade’s strength is part chakra control but mostly medical ninjutsu. Specifically healing muscles somewhat incorrectly after tearing them. It’s augmentation, human modification, the process requires you to shred your muscles in the morning and then spend the rest of the day being healed in a very specific way. There is a reason nobody has copied her technique and it’s not just that everyone is convinced it’s pure chakra control. It is torture but it’s torture you asked for.” Hiruzen’s eyes met Sakura’s and she knew there was no escaping this. She couldn’t back out, if she tried he’d beat her down into submission. She had asked for his help and he was going to give it, even if she changed her mind.
“Every muscle, bone and ligament in your body is going to need to receive the same treatment.” Hiruzen stated and Sakura felt her heat begin to thunder in her chest. Cold sweat covered her back and she could feel her clothes sticking to her skin. “So over the next month, every part of your body is going to be broken down and then built back up.” Hiruzen’s words might have been taken as an exaggeration or hyperbole by most but Sakura knew instinctively that he was being utterly truthful.