Arc One: Seed

Salve, Terrae Magicae

❀

This wasn't the kind of training that Sakura was expecting.

Excited; she'd woken up bright and early for the day. Bathing was a lot easier that her hair now brushed her shoulders, she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss having her long pink locks, but for now she had to keep her eyes on her progress and her short hair was a good reminder. Maybe once she'd become the kind of kunoichi she wanted to be then she might let herself grow it long again.

Sakura zipped up her dress and tied her headband on atop her head. She began her day doing her stretches and basic strength exercises Tsunade had shown her.

Along with the basics, Tsunade had begun teaching her through force how to dodge anything she would send flying at her. Balls, bricks, kunai, anything Tsunade was feeling. Sakura had to learn how to see the different objects before she threw them simply by her teachers stance or where she was holding her weight. This was more difficult considering just how strong the woman was, how she could hold a weight like it was a paperclip, but Sakura took it all.

Her body held bruises of her learning period. She wore those marks proud that they begun to fade now she'd begun improving.

After finishing her exercises and checking the time to see it was only 9, Sakura resolved to spend the rest of her spare time going over her medical notes. Since she became a medic student to Tsunade, Sakura's parents had bought her a brand new desk for her to use, a large cork board against the wall hung pinned notes and diagrams, labelled body parts, pink and green pins decorated the board along with the numerous heavy books with paper and coloured notes protruding from between the pages weighed atop the desk. A large bookshelf that once held bags of hair products or other miscellaneous items meant to make her room look cuter now cluttered with medical books and scrolls.

Sakura sat at her desk and opened the current book she was reading about the different cells circulating the body and how they needed extremely precise amounts of chakra control lest they break down under the pressure or mutate due to the foreign touch.

After a few hours of memorising the long texts Sakura's stomach rumbled, she checked the time that read 12:42 and stretched out her stiff back.

She bookmarked her page and got up to leave. Asuma had told her the day before to be at the fourth training ground by 1:00, so on her way she grabbed some lunch from the market place and stuffed the street food in her shoulder bag. "I probably bought too much... Oh well, it's not like I know what Asuma-sensei's training will be like anyway, might need the extra food."

Eventually she made her way to the grounds where she heard the laid-back sensei instructing something. Sakura smiled in anticipation and sped up her steps. Asuma was instructing Ino on what looked like weaponry as she held a kunai in each hand and was lowered into a crouched stance. Choji was stretching near a small building with a large outdoor decking where Shikamaru sat next to a small table, he held his slumped head in a hand atop his knee as he lazily listened to their sensei and teammate with closed eyes.

"Hold your stance - Good." He took a step behind Ino. "And... Release." The blonde threw the kunai in succession, each soaring towards a distant tree. "And... Pull." Just before they could stab the tree Sakura noticed Ino still in the released stance and at her Sensei's command she pulled her hands back and tiny strings the pinkette hadn't noticed before that were attached to the kunai, the weapons flung in the air and back to her. Ino caught the right one, the left flew a little too high and even with a jump she missed it, the metal thunked on the ground just next to Asuma-sensei.

"Damn." The blonde muttered. "You're getting closer, keep working on the timing and how hard you're pulling." Ino flipped her fringe out of her face and caught the kunai that her sensei tossed back to her. "Sure thing, Sensei." She spun the tiny thread in her palms, Sakura now noticed the thread was attached to thin rings on her middle fingers, and she reset her stance.

Asuma turned, seeming to have already noticed Sakura near the entrance, raised a hand in greeting and gave an easy smile. "Evening, Sakura."

The pinkette brightened up under the attention and she sped up to properly greet the man. "Hello Asuma-sensei, thank you again for letting me train with you guys." She bowed with a bright smile.

Asuma patted her shoulder, "Now, now, no need for that. Follow me, I know exactly how you'll be spending today." She straightened up and gave Ino a wave. "Looking good, pig!"

"Like you'd know, forehead!" Ino snarked over her shoulder, the two girls giggled, Shikamaru rolled his eyes, Asuma lead Sakura towards the other boys.

"Alright Choji, I want to see you up those trees-" He gestured to the trees lining the grounds, "-No hands. We're working on your control. Don't look at me like that, this is important for you." Choji certainly didn't look happy with his task.

"Come on Sensei! I did that exercise everyday last week," he complained. Asuma wasn't dissuaded. "Precisely, you need to work on your stamina. Like it or not you are the muscle of Team 10. We've got a great strategist, a long range expert, and you're the muscle. You're capable of being very strong in combat, we know this, but you lack stamina." Choji groaned but found that he couldn't argue.

"Just start by holding your position on a tree for a while to get your chakra flowing, I'll be keeping an eye on you all so I'll tell you when to start tree jumping." The teammate slumped but let out a low "yes, Sensei..." and made his way to the shortest tree.

Asuma gestured Sakura with a gentle hand on her shoulder towards the decking where Shikamaru sat, upon getting closer she recognised the small table held a shogi mat and a tea set. Puzzled; Sakura turned to face the sensei as Shikamaru pulled out a rattling bag and poured the shogi pieces over the board. "Forgive me Asuma-sensei, but I thought I'd be training today?" The man smiled to her and moved to sit on the decking on the empty side opposite Shikamaru, he patted a light green cushion next to the table in an obvious instruction for her to take the seat. 'Guess I bought these snacks for nothing.'

"On the contrary, this will be your training. I wouldn't be a very good Sensei if I didn't make an effort to look over your reports from the academy and evaluations left by your previous Sensei's. Those let me know that above anything your intelligence in your greatest asset. You and Shikamaru are easily the smartest students in your generation so it would be a shame if you didn't help further each other." Sakura took off her backpack and gently placed it against the decking.

"Sensei's trying to say that he thinks you'll be a challenge for me." Shikamaru spoke with a sigh, he scratched the back of his neck and leaned back on his cushion. Sakura felt her jaw clench at his wording. 'Someone sure thinks they're hot shit.'

Sakura almost stuttered in her movements when she heard what sounded like her inner voice. Ever since Naruto had left the voice in her head hadn't gotten that loud again. She'd puzzled over the thought of why her mind's voice on some occasions spiked in volume but as usual she simply linked it to her temper and left the wandering thought be.

Sakura blinked the thought away as she brushed her dress under her butt and sat atop the cushion.

"Oh really? I use to play shogi with my dad when I was younger. Honestly its been so long I might be a little rusty." The pinkette gave a weary smile and scratched at her cheek.

"Thanks, I didn't ask." Shikamaru replied in a deadpan tone as he separated the pieces. Sakura's finger stuttered and she felt her lip twitch. Asuma held back a small chuckle so Sakura wrote off the thought that he'd call his student out on his rudeness, she pouted and returned her fist to her lap.

"Well, who's going to start?" She voiced, tone a little more curt.

"I will." Her fist tightened as she began picking her own pieces out and setting her side. She may be rusty but she still knew the rules.

"Not even a coin flip? That's hardly fair."

"Why should it be?" Shikamaru finished and leaned back on his cushion to a more relaxed position and lazily watched her hurry to set her pieces.

"I don't know, because it's polite to let chance decide who goes first?" She finished and sat back on her heels.

Shikamaru sighed. "Geez... You're worse than I thought." Sakura felt her eye twitch as he made his first move, an outside pawn movement like he was testing the waters.

"Excuse me? How is me asking for a fair beginning wrong. All I did was suggest letting chance decide how we start our game-"

"This isn't a game." He voiced up as she reached for her first move to be an equally subtle placement as his had been so she could pace the first few moves and try to grasp an idea on what his strategy was. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

Her silence apparently spoke volumes to him.

He sighed, "I'm not gonna explain anything for you. I'm not gonna spell anything out for you. If I have to then this match will be even more useless than I thought." He began tapping impatiently on the decking.

Amazing, all of two minutes of sitting with this boy and Sakura was already fast approaching the point of wanting to punch him in his lazy face.

Sakura felt venomous words about to burst forth but the voice of Asuma- "Nice work Ino, keep it up! I want it to be a part of your muscle memory so you'll be able to do it blindfolded!" followed by the blondes shout of "'Kay Sensei!" stopped the pinkette from voicing her anger.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down, ignoring the continued tapping of Shikamaru's finger, she leaned forwards and moved her next piece.

The time blended together as their match continued.

During which Asuma had lit a cigarette and held the ash tray loosely in his hand as he surveyed his students. Sakura would hear the tapping of his fingernail on his tray presumably tapping a tune to fill the silence as he sat by them. Shikamaru was a silently infuriating opponent. Each of his moves was a slow deliberate pace, his eyes drifted from the mat to her and back again as though he was scrutinizing every move she made.

Sakura managed the keep her composure despite the feeling that she wasn't even playing against Shikamaru but rather versing a strategy he had already planned of which he was simply playing along to as his mind wandered somewhere else.

Sakura felt her stomach grumble, leading her to realise she had yet to eat the street food in her back pack. She quickly shooed the thought away as she watch the brunette systematically move and take another of her pieces. She needed to focus.

Time continued to pass, everything that was not the shogi match was blended into the background noise around the pinkette. Ino's quiet grunts and the clanking of her kunai, Shikamaru and Asuma's tapping along with the sensei's slow puffs of smoke, Choji's grunting as he rattled the trees, even Sakura's stomach grumbles had taken a backseat in her mind.

More moves, more tapping, more sighing. Sakura couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something huge. Even when she made movements that benefited her, the boy would sigh as though she was continuing to disappoint him. This wasn't working. She was missing something about this game and unless she figured out what it was then she would get no change from him.

The sun had moved now casting long tree shadows across the board. Sakura sighed deeply and relaxed her tense back. She closed her eyes and leaned back letting all the noises around her she had ignored come flooding back. She hadn't noticed Ino had moved from throwing threaded kunai to holding the kunai several feet in the air with only the thread transferring chakra to the metal to hold them in place. She was panting with her hands outstretched above her, clearly testing to see how long she could keep them in the air.

Choji was panting due to overexertion but still pushed himself back up and began pressing his palms flat below a branch and let his chakra stick him to the surface as he climbed. Asuma took in a deep drag and let out a slow puff of smoke, he tapped his fingers on his ash tray. Sakura's brow furrowed as she faced the ceiling above the engawa.

Asuma's tapping ceased and after a few seconds Shikamaru was tapping on the floor. Sakura listened close to the rhythm of the taps.

Long... Tap. Pause. Long... Long... Long. Pause. Long...

Her eyes snapped open. What she thought was a tune was actually morse code! She listened intently as Shikamaru moved his next piece with his free hand.

'...not getting it. This has been a huge waste of time.'

He stopped and Sakura listened intently to Asuma sigh and lazily tap his finger on the desk floor.

'Patience. Just wait a little longer.'

Emerald eyes blinked wide. They were talking. Shikamaru and Asuma had been conversing throughout their entire game. 'This isn't a game.' The boys previous words rang in her head. Sakura felt the shock of realisation strike her hard and fast then.

"Your move." He spoke. She snapped her attention to the board and met Shikamarus calculated gaze.

This wasn't a game.

They were training.

This was a spar.

Sakura returned her attention to the board. She needed to treat this like a spar with kunai and shuriken rather than a little board game. Looking at her previous movements, she had been playing very safe, cautious moves meant solely to counter the opponent and none really on the offensive. She should change that. In a fight you couldn't survive only on the defensive, she needed to take out her opponent. She reached for a cornered rook she could move to corner one of Shikamaru's bishops.

A series of taps make her stutter.

'She still has not noticed. I will end this pointless game in four moves.'

They hadn't noticed that she had figured out they were communicating. Shikamaru was playing as though he now knew more than her when really she was now listening in to what he would say, meaning that now Sakura had the advantage!

She opted to move her general back. Instead of suddenly going on the offensive, she would draw him in. If she suddenly changed her game play rhythm then he would know she had gained the information of his tapping and she would lose the only advantage she had.

Sakura played it safe while subtly morphing her castle style defence of keeping all her pieces to her side, into curving certain pieces around the board to draw him in with the vision of taking her down close to her caging him in.

Now armed with the information that he planned to defeat her in four moves, gave her the insight to analyse his pieces and breakdown the strategy he planned to use.

Two moves later marked was the first time Shikamaru's movements stuttered. His hand briefly froze as he suddenly realised his plan had to be altered.

'Problem?' Asuma tapped his cigarette on his ashtray. The boys brow furrowed. It took all of Sakuras composure to not smile and give away her advantage.

He moved a pawn and tapped, 'Hardly.' Now with a slightly defiant look. The game continued.

Time passed, the sky casted warm oranges across the board and the match continued in a very back and forth fashion. When Sakura would gain the upper hand, Shikamaru would pull back and flip it over, he didn't seem to like changing his plan so he would intentionally place failsafe's so salvage some of his pieces while still taking some of hers. When one would advance it was short-lived and the other would steal it.

Sakura listened intently as Shikamaru tapped his thoughts on her moves to the sensei and sometimes on his own future moves. Sakura could then alter her moves to fit what he thought while still making them different enough that she could pull the carpet from his feet and surprise him. A spar in motion in their minds materialising on a board of shogi pieces.

Unfortunately, hours later a victor did emerge.

"That's my win." Shikamaru had managed to steal a few too many of her pieces and corner her. Sakura sighed and released her tense muscles. "I lost."

"Well that was quite the match." Asuma grinned, he pushed himself to the floor and came to stand by the board. "A very close game and it seemed to work for both of you." Despite her mental exhaustion Sakura felt a smile brighten her face.

"Oh yes, this was a real work out, Asuma-sensei! I think I really came to understand what you were going for." Shikamaru raised a questioning brow.

Sakura smiled in return, "Yes, I eventually did figure out you were talking."

Asuma dropped a hand to her head and gently ruffled her hair. "That you did." He chuckled. "I know you both thought you had the upper hand and that's why this was the outcome."

Both blinked as the man raised a finger to explain. "Sakura. You figured out I was teaching you how to multitask for advantages. You're an incredibly bright student so I wanted to test your limits and see if you could recognise unknown information around you and play it to your advantage. However you're also very expressive and unintentionally give away information."

"When? Sensei, I was keeping everything to myself and he never considered I was listening in."

"Yes, you were reserved after you figured out the meaning of this match. But before that you had let information slip. You let out that you had played as a child and were out of practice, leading Shikamaru to the knowledge that you would begin with basic textbook techniques. You certainly wouldn't begin on the offensive and until you got a feel for his strategy you would take no chances. This helped him craft a style to combat you and predict your early movements."

She nodded along listening intently now understanding why Shikamaru seemed almost offended by her attempted small talk, seeing now he was remembering it as key information on how to analyse and defeat her.

Asuma turned to the boy. "Shikamaru, you however had a different dilemma where you were stuck in the mindset that your opponent wouldn't adapt to you. You took out the possibility that she would read our conversation and thus use it against you. She played it safe enough so you wouldn't notice and you were so steadfast that your early plan would work than you never discarded it. You adapted your plan but never thought it would fail."

"But it didn't fail, Sensei. I won." He countered.

"You may have won the match. But now your opponent knows to conceal information along with how to play your strategy to her own with you remaining ignorant. That kind of mindset wont serve you well. You both had information on your opponent which made you feel you had the advantage, when in actuality you were both evenly matched."

Sakura felt herself buzzing. That match was so much fun to figure out and now she felt she understood so much more. Asuma clapped his hands. "With that I think it's time to stop today. Who's hungry?" Choji cheered from the tree he descended while Ino dropped her hands and fell to her knees clearly exhausted, the threaded kunai fell around her and it was clearly taking effort to not fall on her face.

Sakura smiled and stuck her hand out to Shikamaru. He may be an irritable opponent but hearing Asuma break down his flaws despite his win did make her happy to know he was just a person too.

He huffed but met her hand and shook for the good match.

"Well don't you two look ready to drop dead." Asuma chuckled.

"Wonder who's fault That Is!?" Ino yelled slowly rising to her feet. Choji had managed to power walk to Shikamarus side and collapse in a panting mess on the engawa. Asuma chuckled deeply as he surveyed the genin.

"Alright, alright. I'll go fetch us some food, you two take a seat and catch your breath." He received two exhausted grunts before he vanished. Sakura was suddenly struck with how hungry she was, her stomach let out a loud growl and she felt her face redden.

"Oh!" She pulled her bag up to her lap and began pulling out all the street snack she had bought. She was very thankful she'd bought boxes and concealed food. "Do you guys want to snack on these until Asuma-sensei gets back?"

"Ohhh!-" Choji's head sprang up, "Seriously!?"

"Careful Forehead, he'll eat it all if you let him." Ino came to the deck and collapsed on her back beside the pinkette.

"Shut up Ino." Shikamaru voiced as he packed away the shogi set and Sakura waved a dismissive hand.

"It's okay, I don't mind, seriously." She began unpacking the backpack and setting the boxed street food on the mat Shikamaru had cleared. "I feel like I owe you guys for letting me train with you so sharing some street food is the least I can do."

Ino nudged Sakura's arm as she pulled herself to lay on her stomach next to her. She reached out for some takoyaki and rested her head in her hand. "Can't have you falling behind. Besides, we're all Leaf Nin."

Sakura felt a warm smile brighten her up and she nudged Ino's shoulder, the blond returned the smile. "Sweet! Thanks Sakura." Choji voiced as he happily began to dig in. Sakura and Shikamaru followed and grabbed some food too, despite the other teammates clear exhaustion the atmosphere around them was laidback and calm.

Sakura's smile turned more melancholic as she thought of lunch time training with her own team. It was never this laidback or calm. Naruto was full of boundless energy that stretched even to when he was bone tired, he would stuff his face with all the ramen he could and still find a way to yell about something stupid through it.

Sasuke never wanted to engage in conversation lest Kakashi spoke about his performance in training and how to improve it or if Naruto managed to goad him into an argument. Kakashi hardly stuck around once he'd dismissed them and if he stayed then it was with a book in hand and distancing himself from the conversation while keeping an ear out if they began fighting.

Even Sakura herself was never this relaxed, usually she'd be telling Naruto off for his awful lack of manners or trying to stop any arguing.

Even though they could never have a peaceful lunch, Sakura found that she missed it.

She enjoying the easy conversation and relaxed atmosphere of team ten, she couldn't help the quiet longing for the yelling and the energy of her team. One where no matter how much they argued, they were still there for each other.

Ino, noticing her lost in her thoughts, nudged her arm. "You know starving ourselves it totally out now right? No kunoichi should die because of their diet." She spoke as she shoved a small bowl of instant udon into the other girl's hand.

Sakura giggled, "I don't remember that in kunoichi training."

"Well it should be! Would've saved us a lot of grief." Ino scoffed taking a swig of water.

"Geez, happy we never had lessons like that." Choji spoke as he reached for some takoyaki.

"Yeah you wouldn't have survived. Your family cares way more about food than any other ninja clan," Ino chuckled.

"Well yeah! Food is a big part of what we are." He huffed.

"Oh yeah, I remember your human boulder jutsu! Does food fuel that jutsu?" Sakura voiced extremely curious. There was only so much books could teach her, clan jutsu and techniques were one area she was completely blank in.

Choji seemed to brighten up slightly, his chest puffed up proudly and he took a break from the takoyaki. "Kind of. The Akimichi family was originally a family of cooks and chefs who travelled around the world looking for ways to keep improving their cooking. They discovered how different foods affected the body and chakra, then they invented jutsus around this whole idea." Sakura nodded along completely fascinated. "Hell, my clan invented those food pills Kiba used in his fight against Naruto."

"Oh those have medical properties! I read about those in one of Tsunade-shishou's books!" She smiled, "I had no idea the Akimichi clan had a hand in the medical field."

"Well my dad always says some good food is just as good as good medicine. At least for us it is." He grinned and scratched the back of his neck. "Everyone's happier and healthier after good food, that's why not everyone in my clan are ninja and instead own restaurants in a lot of different villages."

"That's amazing." Sakura praised as she took in a mouthful.

"Careful Sakura, his heads gonna grow a few sizes if you keep up." Ino smirked as Choji huffed and returned to his meal.

"Well, you all look like you're having fun," Asuma voiced as he landed on the field with multiple bags in hand. "Hope you guys still have room in you because I doubt I can return any of this." Choji and Ino cheered clearly starved, Sakura gave a half hearted cheer, and Shikamaru rolled his eyes and raised a hand too. Asuma made himself comfortable on the engawa, unpacked the meals he'd brought and the group eased into a final meal as the sun continued to set in a warm orange tone.

"Alright Sakura, then do Tuesdays and Thursdays works for you?" Asuma asked, Sakura nodded happily as Shikamaru and Choji excused themselves and began their trek home.

"Absolutely! Tsunade-shishou is really busy so she'll be personally training me on Mondays and let me hit the books on the other days, and I intern under Shizune-san at the hospital on weekends. This training will be valuable too so I'd like to continue. Also I intend to bring snacks to kind of pay my way in" She chuckled to herself.

Asuma nodded, "Sounds good kid. You've already found out how to win my team over." He grinned and stood up from the deck. "You two ladies ready to head home?"

"Just a sec Sensei, there's something I wanted to talk to you about." Ino sat up. "You too Sakura so don't you go anywhere yet."

Sakura sat back down, "What is it, Ino?"

"I wanted to ask you about what happened during our fight in the chunin exam." Asuma quirked a curious eyebrow, put his hands in his pockets and approached the two.

"What about it?" Sakura asked.

"What do you mean 'What about it'!? What happened when I was in your head!" Sakura blinked.

"I'm not really sure what that was, when I heard Naruto yelling at me to not lose, I felt my inner voice get louder and I forced you out." The pinkette shrugged.

"Inner voice?" Asuma inquired.

"Yeah, you know how you can hear the voice in your head when you think? How it stays at the same volume no matter if you try whispering or yelling with it?" The two team ten members nodded. "I've noticed when I get really angry or motivated or something, the inner mind voice actually gets louder."

"But didn't you see it too? Didn't you see me in your head?" Ino's brow furrowed confused.

Sakura shook her head, "Nope, I just heard you in my head, I didn't see anything."

"How!? I saw a soul in there that looked like you! You got huge and grabbed my soul and started crushing me while yelling to get out of your head until I couldn't take it anymore and released my jutsu." Ino gestured with her hands the event but Sakura remained puzzled.

"I don't know, Ino. I didn't see anything."

"Interesting," Asuma dropped to a crouch to get eye level with the pinkette. "And you didn't see anything or consciously use any jutsu before Ino was in your mind?" Sakura shook her head.

"Very interesting..." He rubbed his chin clearly in deep thought. "You're a really bright kid, maybe your mind subconsciously threw up a genjutsu in a moment of self-defence. You have been written down by Kakashi as a genjutsu type..." Sakura couldn't tell if he was talking to her or just theorising to himself but she listened intently anyway. He slowly stood back up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Would you be okay if I shared this information with Kurenai? If you're that deep of a genjutsu type that you threw up a defensive illusion without noticing then it would really be worth it to talk to her." Sakura nodded now glowing with excitement about learning something about herself she hadn't understood before.

"I don't mind!" She beamed.

Asuma nodded, "Good, I'll put in a word for you and get her to contact you asap."

"Well that's all I wanted to talk about, ready to head home?" Ino stretched and jumped off the deck. Sakura shifted her backpack to her shoulder and hopped down to meet the blonde with a hum of affirmation.

"See you tomorrow then Sensei!" Ino waved as the two began to make their way out the training grounds.

Sakura walked along side her and spun around with a smile, "Thank you again Asuma-sensei! See you on Thursday!"

Asuma raised a hand in acknowledgement with an easy grin. "Good work today girls, get some sleep." He voiced before vanishing.

After a few comfortable steps down the dim lamp lit streets along the path home, "They're totally dating." Sakura blinked at Ino's declaration. Sakura couldn't help the bubbling laughter and let it burst out. "Seriously?" She wiped her tears as Ino laughed along.

"You bet they are! I know these things!" The blonde laughed and the two happily made their way down the familiar streets.

❀

It was a few days later that Sakura received a scroll from Kurenai requesting Sakura meet her in their teams training grounds later that day to discuss what Asuma had told her.

The beginning rays of sunlight was filtering through the tree outside Sakura's window on the second story. The flowers on the tree were beginning to bloom but the chilly breeze in the air kept Sakura from opening her room to the world yet.

The scroll came to her window being carried by what looked like a larger than average mantis. Sakura was deep in her review of the respiratory system when she heard a small tapping at her window.

"Letter, child." Sakura blinked owlishly. The mantis spoke in a calm feminine voice, the mantis was a soft white hue with peach pink tinting her limbs and body, and had Sakura not seen the small scroll she would have thought the insect were a flower on her window sill.

"Do you intend to keep us out, child?" Sakura jolted out of her chair and sped to open the window.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't expecting any summons." She opened the door.

"If we were to be expected then we would be poor scouting summons." The mantis crept inside and dropped the scroll on the sill.

"I guess you're right." Sakura giggled. "Sorry again but could I ask who your summoner is? My name's Sakura Haruno by the way." The pinkette placed her hands on the sill and the mantis's head twitched along with the noise she made.

"It's no trouble, child. I am Shizuka, Orchid Mantis, my sisters and I are the summons of Lady Kurenai Yuhi. We share with you this knowledge because Lady Yuhi addresses this scroll to you and instructed us to be kind."

"Oh Kurenai-sensei! This must be about my talk with Asuma-sensei!" Smiling in excitement, Sakura reached for the scroll.

"Thank you, Shizuka-san. I've been looking forward to this." Sakura blinked at the space that once sat the mantis.

"Fret not, child." Sakura almost jumped in shock at the soft voice now sitting on her shoulder. "You'd best open it. Lady Yuhi may be patient but she dislikes wasted time."

Sakura nodded and hastily opened the scroll.

'Sakura Haruno,

Recently I was approached by Sarutobi Asuma in regards to a concern of yours.

Seeing as you've no plans scheduled for today, I'd like for you to come to the fourth training grounds so we could discuss the matter.

My team and I will be training there from nine until six, please let Shizuka know what time you'll be joining us.

Kurenai Yuhi.'

Sakura's smile brightened and she excitedly hugged the note to her chest. "Good news, we take it?" Shizuka voiced.

"So good! I've never trained with this many sensei's before. At the academy all I had was Iruka-sensei, then I got Kakashi-sensei. Now I'm learning under Tsunade-shishou, Asuma-sensei, and even Kurenai-sensei might be able to help me!"

"Your eagerness is most welcome." Sakura wasn't sure if mantis's could smile but the twitch of her head gave Sakura the impression that she was happy.

"Thank you Shizuka-san." Sakura looked to the clock on her bedside announcing it was 7:30. Thanks to Kakashi always instructing their team to meet up and ridiculous times, Sakura had eventually began to stir awake near 5:00 everyday, by 6:00 she was wide awake and with no mission to report to she would return to her medical books. "Can you girls please tell Kurenai-sensei that I'll be there bright and early when they arrive."

"Of course," she nodded before tilting her head curiously. "Pray tell why you request this of me as though I were a group?"

"Well you kept referring to yourself as 'we' and 'us' and that you and your sisters are scouting summons, so there's probably more than just you here." Shizuka rubbed her front legs together seemingly pleased.

"Observant too, we shall get along nicely." Sakura smiled sheepishly raising her palm for Shizuka to jump on.

"I'm learning to be."

"We'll pass your message on. Be well, child."

"You too, Shizuka-san." The mantis nodded before seemingly vanishing. Sakura turned to close her window and spotted nearly all the newly bloomed flowers on the tree had also vanished.

Sakura sat back at her desk and felt her energy bubbling, her knee jumping uncontrollably and her finger twirling her hair as she tried to refocus. Sakura put her bookmark in and closed the heavy book. "I should get a head-start!" She jumped up and began readying her multiple weapon pouches.

Once dressed and ready, she focused her chakra into her feet so she could descend her stairs without a sound. Her parents would be waking up soon but there was no reason for them to be up yet, so she quietly made herself some toast, once finished she grabbed an apple and stashed a bottle of water in her backpack and made her way to the training grounds.

The sun shined warm in the fresh morning breeze giving Sakura a spring in her step, she began her stroll from the civilian housing district. Houses may not look as traditional as many clan homes surely did, not that Sakura was very familiar with them since the only clan home she had been permitted to enter was the Yamanaka clan main house which wasn't a very large clan so it was a large traditional house with the Yamanaka symbol etched proudly atop the roof.

The clan homes were closer to the centre of the village circling nearer the Hokage tower than the forest area surrounding the village. Civilians lived in more modern looking houses made with more brick than clans traditional wood, where clans had engawa, family training grounds, and large open spaces. Civilians had tall houses more cramped together, the closer to the centre of the village, the more compact the space for the house was.

What they lacked in space or luscious gardens they made up for in the amount of personality a house would have, the Haruno home having three floors, and more wild plant life. Most civilian homes having beautiful vines growing wildly along their fronts, and trees left to grow tall and proud to colour their roofs and paths with leaves and petals in varying colours.

Sakura saw a lot of wild personality along the pathway and houses she crossed.

Food sellers were the first people Sakura saw bustling around in the morning, happy women clutching large baskets full of food and pastries chatted as then made their way to the food market. The market was more of a long street cutting through the village from near the civilian district and ending near the Hokage tower. Sakura tended to follow the market path because it wasn't a far walk from the academy's training grounds.

Since it was still early, the chatter of market sellers, hustle of people waking up and opening their windows, and rustle of the heavy trees above her became Sakura's background music as she entered the bustling market path.

A peaceful tune of morning hustle that was quite immediately broken upon a loud energetic voice proudly proclaiming "Only Five More Laps!"

Sakura felt herself freeze and immediately searched around for the familiar voice. "Nice work team! Nothing like Fifty laps around the village in the morning to really wake you up and appreciate your youth!"

"Indeed! You are so Right, Gai-sensei!" Sakura spotted the voices leaping from rooftop to rooftop just landing near the entrance of the market path. The unmistakable figures of Gai and his team landing silently if not for their boisterous voices.

"Yeah, a morning tradition we wont be able to do anymore if we get another complaint about the Noise! Gai-sensei please keep your voice down!" Tenten spoke sounding like she had voiced this fact too many times.

"Ah! Sensible as always my young Tenten! Alright new challenge!" Gai stopped on a roof and his team landed behind him all panting and heaving breathes. "We complete the last five laps so quiet and respectful of the good people still resting that we hold out breaths for all the laps!"

Neji visibly tensed. "Absolutely Not-"

"Absolutely Genius, Gai-sensei!" Lee pumped a fist with renewed fire in his eyes. The sensei laughed loudly with his hands on his hips before flashing Lee a thumbs up.

Sakura felt herself smiling in sympathy of Tenten but not let down by the student and sensei's enthusiasm. Sakura was about to continue on her path but someone seemed to catch her eye. "Is that? It is! Sakura-san! Good morning!" Lee waved with more energy than someone who had just run forty-five laps of the village should have.

Sakura raised a hand and waved back, "Morning Lee-san,"

Her response somehow gave him more energy and his smile grew wider. It was hard to see due to the distance but Sakura could just make out the bandages still wrapped on Lee's leg and arm. He's healed quite a lot after his fight on the mission to retrieve Sasuke thanks to Tsunade's aid but he still obviously wasn't fully recovered despite what his energetic demeanor would say. "Should you be moving around that much? The strain cant be good." The pinkette called to the team still perched on a room.

Lee flashed a blinding smile, "Not to worry! I am fully aware of my limits!"

"Atta boy, Lee!" Gai thudded a hand on the student's back in agreement. "Say! How bout you join us? Would be a prime opportunity to train along side one of Kakashi's own pupils! Always room for one more!" The sensei shone an equally blinding smile.

The genuine invitation tugged at Sakura, she gave an apologetic smile and a little shake of her head, "Sorry I've got plans today. Maybe another time?" Gai gave her a salute.

"Not to worry! Make the most of your day! Alright team, last five laps, hold your breath for all of them, and... Go!" The team took a deep breath and leapt out of sight.

Sakura stood there for a moment longer before continuing her way down the path, readjusting her large backpack and moving with a bit more enthusiasm after that encounter.

Sakura's eager feet brought her to the empty training ground. Realising she was early, Sakura crossed the bare field containing a ring of trees at the far edge, large wood posts standing as practice dummies, and a single gazebo style sitting area with a table and benches. She heaved off her backpack, left it on a bench and began her basic stretches.

"Might as well make the most of this place while I'm here."

Strength training.

"I can't train you one-on-one every day. But don't think that means you can get out of training every day. I'm also giving you no equipment so you have no excuses to do nothing. I want you to make the best of what's around you. Adapt. Once your control makes you strong enough then anything can be used to train with."

Tsunade may absolutely be an intense teacher, but Sakura was a quick smart learner. No equipment meant no excuses.

Sakura surveyed the grounds again and her eyes locked onto what she would be using. She came face to face with one of the large wood log wedged into the ground lined up next to two other logs all serving as training dummies. "Tsunade-shishou doesn't want me constantly destroying the training ground when doing my strength training, so I'll just have to put it back as undamaged as possible!"

She lowered herself down, let chakra flow into her hands and knees to give herself the lift she needed to heave the log three times her size up and above her head. All while remaining mindful of the chakra she was using.

Tsunade had trusted in her abilities to begin pooling all her chakra every day to earn the Byakugyou seal, so whenever she was using her chakra she made sure to separate it into a pool for daily life rather than effect the mass chakra she was constantly building in her forehead for her future seal.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura moved herself and the giant log more to the centre of the field and with a heave and good amount of focus she threw it up straight into the air.

"Catching large objects is one thing. I want you to focus your pinpointed chakra in your hands into even finer points and dispel it right at the moment of contact to launch the object perfectly and undamaged back into the air. You're going to continue this until you can't lift your arms anymore. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou!"

Lowering herself into a ready stance as she watched the log reach its peak before slowing and beginning its descent. Sakura focused. The log came faster and faster. She took a deep breath. It grew bigger and bigger. Closer... She threw a fist to connect!

Crack!

Sakura winced at the noise, she hadn't broken the log, she'd just expelled too much chakra so the second her knuckle made contact it struck hard sending it flying back up.

Sakura huffed out a breath and centred herself again without taking her eyes off the large projectile. 'Okay, less at the point of impact. But not too little or it'll have too little effect and really hurt me.' The peak was reached and the log began to pick up speed down.

Closer... Closer...

Then Crack!

Sakura sighed again to herself seeing now two dents made on the log. Tsunade wouldn't be happy with her if she destroyed the training equipment so she really better reel it in. She kept trying and trying, focusing and focusing, trying to pinpoint just her much chakra she needed and at just the right millisecond she needed it.

Sweat beaded at her forehead as she watched the log fall again, she raised her fist to meet it and then Bam!

Sakura didn't register the pain in her shoulder as she saw the log bounce to the side with a loud Thump! and roll slightly over. She blinked in shock at the rumble it made before pain shot up her limp left arm dangling at her side. "Ha-!?" The pain caught her panicked scream in her throat as she fell to her knees and clenched the limb.

Sakura bit her lip and forced herself to take a deep breath through her nose and out her mouth.

Too little chakra at the point of impact.

"Sa-Sakura-san!" A faint yet panicked voice called out from behind a tree near the entrance. Sakura snapped her head up just to see Hinata Hyuuga's eyes wide with fear as she ran from the tree to come kneel at the medic's side.

"O-Oh, Hi Hinata. I didn't see you there." Sakura managed to say as she continued her deep breaths. She began focusing her medical chakra into her right hand holding her shoulder to inspect the damage. Hopefully it was just dislocated, she could work with that.

"I-I'm good at hiding," Hinata blinked before shaking her head. "But that's not the point! Y-Your arm! We should get you some help, here." Hinata began rummaging around in her fluffy coat pocket.

"No, no, it's okay Hinata. Really I'm fine." Sakura's smile was admittingly a little strained, but she'd just finished her diagnosis.

"B-But!" Hinata still looked very worried and she pulled out a small vial of ointment. "I-I don't know if this will be of any use but it's all I have on me before we get you to the hospital."

"Thank you Hinata but it's okay. Luckily it's just dislocated."

"L-Luckily?!" Sakura was a little amazed that even though Hinata was yelling in surprise her voice was so faint it was little above a whisper.

"Yeah, Tsunade-shishou has made me fix a lot of dislocated joints, whether on myself or a willing patient. So it's okay!" After her breathing exercises and relief at her inspection, Sakura's smile came to her easier.

"Oh, that's good, I suppose. Can... Can I help you at all?" She lowered the ointment into her lap.

"Yeah actually," Sakura looked around before spotting a small chunk of wood that must have come off the log when it hit the floor. "Could you please bring me that wood piece over there-" she gestured with a small nod of her head, careful of the movement, "-and put it in my mouth.

Hinata's eyebrows were furrowed with worry but she let out a small "okay..." and brought her the wood. "Thanks!" Sakura bit into the wood hard. She adjusted her hold on her shoulder, took a deep breath and then counted in her head. One... Two... Three! POP!

Sakura's eyes scrunched up at the pain and bit harder on the wood to muffle her voice. Hinata flinched at her side and clasped her hands tightly against her chest. Sakura allowed herself a few seconds of recovery time gripping her arm, biting the wood and getting her breathing back under control. She sent healing chakra to numb the pain until it all but receded and her deep breaths steadied her hand as she set about quickly mending the rest of her shoulder from any other damage now the joint was back in place.

Letting out one final breath, Sakura took the wood piece from her mouth and began stretching out her arm. She looked to the other girl who still had her eyes tightly closed and her hands shaking in her own grasp. Sakura gently touched her hand to Hinata's in an effort to calm her. "It's okay now, see? All fine now." To ease her, Sakura demonstrated by stretching her left arm out and around in a circular motion.

"If anything I'm more worried about the training log. Tsunade-shishou won't be happy to hear about all the dents I made." She scratched the back of her neck with a nervous smile in the hopes that it would ease the other girl.

"I-I guess." She lowered her hands and let her shoulders slowly drop. Sakura smiled. "So, what are you doing here so early? I wasn't expecting you or Kurenai-sensei yet." She rose to her feet and offered Hinata her left hand. The Hyuuga looked from her extended hand up to her shoulder, then her eyes, back to her hand, briefly to the side before she took it and let Sakura help her up. Reassured that Sakura's arm wasn't hurting her anymore.

"O-Oh, well, you see... Kurenai-sensei told me to let you know she'd be arriving a little late because Kiba and Shino's parents had things to discuss with her when she picked them up this morning." Hinata dusted her hands off before nervously fiddling with her fingers.

"Oh, probably some clan stuff about their training, yeah?" Sakura didn't know much about the inner workings of clans and when their children were entrusted to sensei. But it probably entailed the continuous teaching of their family style, jutsu, or techniques mixed in with what the sensei wanted to teach which the clans would approve of.

Hinata's nod was hesitant and again she looked slightly to the side, "Yeah, probably..." Sakura approached the log, hoisted it up after a breath and eased it back into the hole it was wedged into for training.

Hinata still seemed nervous and uncomfortable but she looked like she had something to say.

Sakura's brows furrowed, she and Hinata had never really been friends, but other than Ino and then her teammates Sakura had no other friends. Hinata was a special case considering her clan was huge with a deep history and as tightly knit into the village  as the Uchiha's was. But Hinata's quiet voice, nervous fidgeting, and hesitant shy demeanour spoke to Sakura in volumes.

She could remember when she use to make herself as small as possible, when talking to people was terrifying, when she was so shy that she didn't think she'd have any friends. Ino had changed that.

Sakura smiled patiently. "I-I... ah..."

"What is it?" The pinkette waited patiently as Hinata's eyes darted to the trees, to the floor, then back to Sakura. "I... I-I could help a little with the dents?" It wasn't a question but Hinata's hesitance made it sound like one.

"Really? Sure!" Sakura took a step away from the log, Hinata jumped a little and sped up to the log.

"I can't exactly fix it, b-but I could..." She took a low stance with her palm out, Sakura recognised the stance from her and Neji as the Hyuuga style. Hinata breathed out before striking her palm on a section of the wood sticking out, the chakra infused strike seemed to flatten the wood against the log and making the dent seem less pronounced.

"That's great, Hinata!" The Hyuuga jumped a little and her cheeks reddened. "A-Ah, it's nothing."

"Your Hyuuga style is really fascinating. Tsunade-shishou's teaching me how to use my chakra control as an offensive technique too."

"I-I saw..." Hinata struck another part of the wood flat onto the log. Sakura chuckled to herself, "Yeah it's not going great, mustn't have been very fun to see."

"Oh no no!" Hinata spun to face the pinkette bringing her fists to her chest, "I thought you were amazing being able to launch something like this into the air! I - I just didn't realise you were trying to not damage it so I didn't want to interrupt."

"Thanks, Hinata." Sakura turned back to the still dented log, determined; she brought her fists up. "I'll give it a go!"

Hinata took a step back from the log to allow Sakura to ready her stance. Knees bent, Sakura surged some chakra into her right fist and with a cry she struck the wood. An audible crack and her fist dented in the log, Sakura winced slightly and retracted her fist to see the knuckle indent deep in the dent of the log.

"Ah ha, too much chakra again." The pinkette chuckled.

"Ah... A-Actually, I-I think you're letting your chakra out too late." Hinata murmured lowering her gaze, pulling Sakuras attention to her.

"Oh?"

Feeling Sakura's eyes on her, Hinata stiffened in place, her face heating up to a warm red, her eyes wide and her hands flailing in front of her. "A-Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to criticise you!"

Sakura blinked at her reaction, "No, it's okay! Really if you've got some advice then I'd love to hear it."

Hinata visibly calmed down, it took a second for her to gather her breath, her eyes nervously darted to Sakura and again back to the trees before she took a step closer.

Hinata twiddled her fingers as she spoke. "Y-You see, in the Hyuuga style we send out chakra strikes into the opponents body to hit their chakra points in order to deactivate them. So... So similar to your chakra strikes. But the difference is how much and how precise the chakra you send out. Your chakra releases in a burst just when you meet contact with the log so you can connect to them for a maximum amount of damage. But in the Hyuuga style we send out a small burst just before we can make contact."

Hinata readied her stance in front of the log, "Think of it like the burst is an extension of your strike, that way your chakra is connecting to the target but your physical body isn't. That way you can hit them without dealing any physically visible damage." She cried and struck the edge of the dent, the sound would have fooled Sakura into thinking she did hit the log but now knowing it was her chakra she could see why it didn't damage the log.

"I get it! That's why when I've seen you and Neji fight, I didn't see any bruising but your opponent still seemed injured!" Sakura clapped her hands together.

Hinata nodded, "e-exactly, s-so try sending out your chakra just before you make contact." She stepped to the side. Sakura nodded, readied her stance, flowed chakra into her fist and swung. She focused and managed to send her burst out just before contact was made.

A thud sounded, Sakura pulled her fist back and smiled brightly. Evidently she didn't use enough to completely bend the wood but the evidence that her strike had worked was enough to flood Sakura with a warm, bubbly pride.

"I did it! Thank you so much Hinata!" Sakura threw her arms happily around the other girl and pulled her into a hug. Hinata made a startled 'Eep!' sound and stiffened in her hold. Sakura's eyes flew wide open upon realising what she was doing, she let go with an embarrassed blush dusting her cheeks.

"Ah sorry Hinata, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything."

Hinata shook her head before fanning her red cheeks with her hands, clearly embarrassed. "A-Ah It's alright, I'm just - It's really - I-I mean..." She eventually gave up and sighed, bringing her hands together. "I don't mind."

Sakura felt a giggle bubble up from her chest before she could stop it.

Hinata looked up and allowed herself a small sheepish smile.

"So... Did you want to train with me while we wait for Kurenai-sensei and the others?" Sakura asked. She didn't know when the sensei would be joining them so why waste this time? Hinata blinked, "Y-You mean... spar?"

Sakura smiled, "Yeah, we've never sparred together, I think it would be fun!"

"Ah... I've not- I mean I've don't ah... spar with people that m-my family doesn't approve of." She trailed off, her gaze lowering the more she spoke.

"Oh, is there a special reason for that?" Sakura tilted her head curiously.

"It-It's a Hyuuga clan thing, since I'm the heiress to the clan."

Sakura blinked owlishly, "The Heiress? I had no idea, should I be calling you 'Hinata-sama' or 'Hyuuga-sama' or something?" She was half joking but Hinata's head shot up and her eyes were anything but joking.

"No! N-no, please, I - ah - I prefer it that you just call me 'Hinata' and not..." Her sentence trailed off and her shoulders drooped.

"Well then you should be calling me 'Sakura' too, no need for this formal 'san' or anything. Since I'd like to think we're friends now." She smiled warmly with her hands on her hips.

Hinata's reaction this time was slower, her eyes slowly widening, her cheeks warming to a pink, her fidgeting fingers slowing to a stop. "Friends?"

Her tone, her demeanour, Sakura had to convey this. "Yeah! I think you're a nice person, you seem sweet and I'd like to be friends with you."

Hinata blinked, her mouth closed and slowly she began to smile, "I... I'd like that."

Sakura brightened, "Great! So do you want to spar? Or we could just train separately if you wanted to." She stepped back and gestured to the training field.

Hinata looked up at the field, "Ah, but I'm not suppose t-to..."

"Do you want to?" The pinkette clarified. "I don't know much about clan politics, but sparing with someone should be your decision. Besides I'm a medic in training, so I'll fix us up if either of us get hurt!"

Hinata's smile was small and she nodded. "I - I'd like to spar." Sakura bounced in place happily. "Great! How does Hand-to-Hand sound? No weapons." Hinata nodded.

"S-Sounds good, Hyuuga style doesn't really use weapons anyway." Hinata followed Sakura as they moved happily to the centre of the training grounds. Sakura picked up a stray pebble off the ground. "Okay! Hand-to-Hand. No weapons. First to be knocked to the ground looses. We start when this pebble hits the floor. Sound okay?"

Hinata nodded, "A-Also could we not use any genjutsu or clones?"

"Sure! Okay, ready?" Hinata nods again, small smile still in place and seeing her comfortable enough around Sakura makes the pinkette happy.

Sakura launched the pebble high.

"Byakugan!" Hinata activated her bloodline jutsu.

Sakura bent her knees and brought her fists up in a ready stance.

The pebble landed and bounced with a 'THUNK'.

And the two launched towards each other.

Sakura knew what the Byakugan was capable of thanks to seeing it in action at the last chunin exams. She knew those eyes gave Hinata near perfect 360 vision, it amplified things in the distance if she wanted it to, and it saw through Sakura's body to highlight her chakra points. No weapons would be a serious draw-back, being in close range with Hinata would be especially tricky to land a hit. But Sakura just needed to land one.

They met in the centre, Sakura experimentally began testing her limits by how fast Hinata's reflexes were. She drew her right fist back before Hinata's palm could make contact, she felt a small jab on her forearm where Hinata would have hit. Sakura clenched her jaw now realising the distance still allowed Hinata to send chakra to one of her points.

Sakura sent out another fist so she could draw her arm back, Hinata slapped her arm away to redirect it to the side, Sakura sent a larger surge of chakra to the right arm to push through her points, she aimed it at the other girls stomach. Hinata managed to pivot on her heel and redirect her arm downwards. The chakra Sakura gathered connected to the ground and impacted with a small crack even though she herself was still on her feet. She pivoted and swung her leg behind her to where Hinata stood.

She leaned back and her veined eyes shot back to the right fist Sakura was readying to send her way. Her perfect vision was coming to be a real problem. Sakura wasn't able to pull back enough to avoid Hinata striking a few more points in her arm.

Sakura winced. Her right arm was blocked.

Hinata knew this too because she began to get less defensive and more assertive as she started aiming for Sakura's left arm. They traded blow after blow but none were connecting. Sakura was using her right arm to push away Hinata's palms when she came close. She was closing in on the pinkette as the minutes passed. Sakura began taking steps back to keep reclaiming her footing. She remembered the dented log not far behind her.

Sakura back stepped under the guise of dodging, however Hinata managed with a cry to strike enough points on her left arm.

Both arms were now blocked.

Hinata leaped forward, intent on striking Sakura down, she sent out strike after strike that Sakura back stepped and dodged. Her weaker arms a least were good at blocking Hinata from striking any of Sakuras organs, but the lack of chakra enhanced strength stopped one punch she managed to connect to Hinata's side from doing any real damage. She didn't waver much under the force of the punch.

Once close enough Sakura leapt backwards. Due to having no chakra flowing in her arms, when her palms met the log the splints sticking out dug into her skin. Sakura winced as she gripped and used the momentum to launch herself up. She landed atop the log as Hinata's strike met the centre. The log shook. Sakura leapt back the direction the two came from putting Hinata between her and the log, on the fall down she charged chakra into the heel of her foot.

Both of her arms were useless to this fight now. Close combat without her arms to strike Hinata down would be difficult. All she had was her legs and the distance she just gained to secure an advantage.

She violently swung her heel down. A blast of chakra cracking the ground beneath her and sending rubble up.

As Hinata swung around to face her, Sakura focused the chakra in her feet and struck the debris with strikes just before her foot made contact to she wouldn't break the rubble but send them flying towards the other girl. Quick twisted movements and precise kicks sent a flurry of rubble towards the Hyuuga.

Hinata held her breath and began dodging and striking the rubble away from her.

Thinking it enough, Sakura launched herself through the rubble that nicked at her skin and flew at the girl. Using the debris as a kind of cloud cover, she charged chakra into her right leg and swung a heavy powerful kick directed at Hinata's stomach.

Sucking in a breath, Hinata managed to brace herself from he kick, she send a powerful strike right against Sakura's right thigh and cut off the chakra through that leg. However, Sakura planned to sacrifice her right leg as a decoy. Now both Hinata's arms were down to pin Sakura's right leg, she swung her body around to send her intended final kick with a burst of chakra -not enough to do serious damage but enough to knock her down- swinging towards Hinata's head.

Hinata's eyes widened as she caught onto Sakura's plan a fraction too late.

BAM!

Impact was made amongst the dust, falling rubble and heavy breathing of two sparring kunoichi.

A hand gripped tight at Sakura's ankle.

She blinked in confusion.

Barely registering the presence of a tall man just behind Hinata now gripping Sakura's leg before she could make contact.

"Wh-!" She was flung back and skidded along the jagged ground. "S-Sakura!"

Sakura's head collided with a large piece of debris, it throbbed from the rough landing and the rubble cut along her arms and shins. She pushed herself up on her hands and blinked harshly to focus on the strange man whom Hinata had spun to face. "Hinata!" She yelled worried.

"Hyuuga-sama. It is unfortunate that you've forced me to intervene." Sakura blinked clearly confused, Hinata's shoulders tensed and her head dropped. "I remained silent when you began spilling the Hyuuga technique, I even remained hidden when you decided to spar knowing it would be against the clans wishes in the hopes that you would come to your senses. Yet now I'm forced to step in."

Hinata was silent, shame and sorrow radiating from her stiff form. Sakura pushed herself to her feet. "You know it is forbidden to engage in training combat with those that the clan head has not approved of. Imagine what your father would say."

"And what's it to you!?" Sakura voiced angrily seeing how the harsh words affected the other girl. The mans glare moved to Sakura.

Her grip on her arm tightened at the distain in his eyes. "We were just sparring! How else are we suppose to learn and adapt if we don't train with different people. I'm a medic in training so I can fix any damage dealt anyway." She came marching up to the man and stepped between him and Hinata.

"You have no right to tell Hinata she's not allowed to want something like this. She graduated the academy, she's a genin, she has the right to decide how she grows as a ninja."

Sakura matched the tall brunette mans pale glare. He was obviously a Hyuuga.

"I am her assigned bodyguard for the day. As the heiress she has the responsibility to uphold the Hyuuga name and represent the Hyuuga values. It's downright shameful that the boy from the branch family reflects the Hyuuga better than she does. Yet now she even goes further in disobeying the clan by engaging in combat with the likes of a clan-less child like you."

Sakura felt her fists shake with the rage she was barely containing. 'Ohthis guy is Asking For It!' her inner voice echoed loudly. "S-Sakura-san, it's... it's alright." A trembling hand held Sakura's arm. "I - I should have known better."

"Exactly, disgraceful that you thought this kind of behaviour was-"

"No! This is absolutely not your fault and Nothing to be ashamed of!" Sakura yelled in protest. "Hinata should be allowed to decide by herself what she wants and you have no right to tell her otherwise. Clan business or not, it is disgraceful that you'd limit her like this!"

"Such disrespect. You'd do well to bite your tongue and address Hyuuga-sama properly."

"I'll call her whatever she wants to be called!"

"How informal. You should be-"

"You're dismissed." A commanding voice from the entrance sounded. Kurenai stood there strong. Her glare hard and her voice conveying no arguments. Kiba and Shino strolled in at her sides. Kiba let out a low whistle as he looked at the damage the training grounds was left in.

"Ah, Kurenai-sensei, it seems they'll let just anyone onto these fields to train with Hyuuga-sama. See to it that this does not happen again." The man straightened his back as the kunoichi approached with strong strides.

"I'll make no promises. Hinata was put into my care the day she became my student and I now approve who she trains with. You'd do well to remember that." She came to a stop, her expression set and hard. "I dislike repeating myself but I'll say it again; You're Dismissed."

The guards lip twitched in distaste. "I'll be notifying the clan head of what transpired today."

"See that you do. I'll be there." She retorted, stare firm, and he vanished back into the trees.

Kurenai blinked at the space the bodyguard once occupied before looking to Sakura standing injured but firm with Hinata holding onto the pinkette's arm. "Looks like you two got busy." Her firm expression eased into a beautiful smile.

"We were only sparring." Sakura huffed, her anger fuelled adrenaline still pumping in her veins. Kurenai's eyes softened.

"That's good to hear."

"Woah! You two went at it! Hinata are you okay?" Kiba came running up to the kunoichi, Akamaru's ears flapping as he ran, Shino followed at a slower pace.

"A-Ah I'm okay. But Sakura-san..." Hinata fretted seeing the cuts now littering Sakura's arms. Sakura let out a long breath to calm herself down, the last thing she wanted to do was worry Hinata.

"I'm okay, Hinata, just need to wait until my chakra points open back up then I can heal myself no problem at all." She reassures the worried girl, Hinata's shoulders were still tense and her eyes clouded. "Hey, it's okay, that wasn't your fault. Also not to be mean to your family or anything but that guy was a dick."

Hinata's eyes widened a fraction before she stifled a laugh that bubbled up.

Her eyes fell back onto Sakura's bloodied arms, "Ah... I... I could..."

"Yeah?" Sakura's smile was gentle and her tone encouraging.

Hinata swallowed, she met Sakura's eyes before continuing. "I - I could sent small bursts of chakra to stimulate the points so they heal quicker. So... So you can heal yourself."

"That would be great. Thank you, Hinata."

Kurenai watched their interaction fondly. "Well, you two do that. I'll get these two set up. Shino, Kiba, with me." Kiba gave Hinata one last concerned look before following his teammate and sensei.

Sakura and Hinata walked side by side to the small covered area and sat on a shared bench. Hinata activated her Byakugan and Sakura held up her right arm for her to take. Hinata was clearly holding her with more care than Sakura probably needed. She began with two fingers sending chakra strikes up from her wrist to her elbow. Sakura watched in fascination. "Your control and precision is really good, Hinata."

Said girl jumped slightly in place, pulled from her concentration, a light blush dusted her cheeks. "Th-Thank you..."

"I mean it! Have you ever thought about taking medic classes? Ino and I were talking about it the other day, her control is pretty good so she's going to take a first aid class, nothing super intense like what Tsunade-shishou is putting me through but basic medic lessons." Hinata resumed her task, making her way up to Sakura's shoulder and then taking her other arm. Sakura flexed her fingers, the tingle of chakra was there but still needed more time to come back to regular capacity.

"I - I haven't. Hyuuga aren't really taught medical lessons, our training consists of more cut-throat tactics and a perfect defence designed to avoid receiving damage at all." Sakura thought it over.

"Yeah I thought your attacks were really precise and 'go-for-the-kill'." She smiled taking back her other arm and rotating her aching shoulder. Hinata waited as Sakura brought her right leg up to the bench so she could work on it. Hinata smiled a little.

"I guess you could read it like that. N-Not to sell your attacks short or anything, Sakura-san."

"Hinata, we're friends. Don't let what that dick say about us bother you. You don't need to use 'san' with me." Sakura placed a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder.

"S-Sorry, I'm not very use to not using honorifics." Her eyes were downcast before slowly rising to meet Sakura's. "B-But I'll try... Sakura." The pinkette's smile brightened. A few minutes passed with more small talk as Sakura began feeling her chakra thrum pleasantly through her body. She felt her main pool of chakra remained untouched, her strategy of keeping a separate pool of chakra for daily use was working perfectly. She began to heal herself while the two happily chatted and Kurenai approached them.

"Feeling better?" The kunoichi sensei asked. Sakura smiled bringing her fists up, her skin healed and mild concussion gone. "All better, Hinata fixed me right up." The girl in question flushed under the praise.

"Good. Hinata if you're still up for some sparing then I'll have you and Kiba go a few rounds, sound alright?" Hinata met Sakura's smile before standing and nodding. "Atta girl. He seemed pretty worried so make sure you reassure him."

"Yes, Sensei." She nodded again, she turned and gave Sakura a slight wave that the pinkette returned and jogged off to meet Kiba on the now fixed training field. Sakura blinked.

"You fixed the training field?" Kurenai smiled as she took a seat at Sakura's side. "I did. You see Jonin have access to quite a few jutsu, earth type happens to be one of mine." Sakura looked up at the kunoichi with unconcealed admiration. She could remember being young and in her first kunoichi classes, she had hoped she'd grow up into a beautiful ninja like the kind of effortless serene beauty Kurenai portrayed. The sensei directed her attention to Sakura.

"So Asuma was pretty vague. I'd like for you to explain this 'inner genjutsu' you might have." Sakura blinked out of her daze and did her best to focus.

"Well I'm not really sure. You know how when you think, you hear your voice in your head? And if you yell or whisper; it stays the same volume." Kurenai nodded along.

"Well I don't know when it started but when I was younger and I felt really angry or motivated then the voice in my head would actually get louder. Never enough to hurt me or anything, but just louder than normal, and I never thought anything of it. But during my fight with Ino at the Chunin exams she used her mind transfer jutsu on me. I don't have much memory of what happened because my consciousness was smothered by Ino's presence in my head. But Ino said there was a loud voice that sounded like me and yelled at her to get out. Not only that but she saw the voice came from a person who looked just like me. But the appearance was hard to describe. She says the inner voice grew huge, grabbed her and squeezed her soul, we don't even know how that's possible!" Sakura gestured wildly.

Kurenai was still nodding along, considering all of Sakura's words and taking her account very seriously.

"I see. So you've never seen this vision of your voice before. It's never been physical to you?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, it's always just been a tone of voice for me. I never even thought of it as a voice or presence separate from mine."

Kurenai clapped her hands together and brought a finger to her bottom lip, clearly deep in thought. Sakura waited patiently. "Truthfully; I've never heard of someone making a mental genjutsu that has remained consistent for so many years to act in defence. I'm not saying it's not possible, but would it be alright if you showed me this inner voice?"

Sakura blinked, "how would I show you? I've never knowingly activated it before."

"You said you hear it when you're feeling particularly angry or motivated?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I even heard it when I was arguing with that jerky guardsman. It just sounded like my thinking voice loudly saying 'Oh this guy is asking for it,' or something like that."

"I see... Well it looks like we're going to have to draw this voice out of you."

Sakura tilted her head curiously, "how are we going to do that?"

Kurenai rose to her feet, "Sakura, would you let me put you under a genjutsu so we can draw out this voice and I can see for myself?" Sakura didn't hesitate. She nodded, determined, she wanted to learn what this voice was.

"Splendid. Sakura, approach me." Kurenai ordered. Sakura blinked, she dropped her feet to the floor and immediately felt her stomach drop as she fell through.

"Wha-!" Her words caught in her throat as the panic set in. She fell through the ground as though the stone and dirt was made of mist. Her vision around her blurred like the area was a breath of smoke that began to evaporate.

She blinked and suddenly all she could see was sky. Her hair flew around her and her dress flapped rabidly as she fell. Sakura didn't have long for the panic to set in when she looked beneath her and saw the dirty ground getting closer and closer. Before she could form even a hand sign; she landed.

Her entire body startled at the impact.

"Ah, a genjutsu. If I was really dropped from a height like that then I'd be dead." All the genjutsu gave her was the shallowness of pain reverberating through her body from the impact, Kurenai must have dulled the blow since she was the genjutsu caster.

"Approach me!" Sakura's head whipped to the loud voice a distance behind her. She jumped up to her feet and spun to see an incredibly imposing mountain. Enormous, large jagged rock formations at the base, the odd earthly green tone speckled across the surface, and standing ever strong at the very top stood Kurenai.

"Best get a move on, I quite dislike being kept waiting." Her voice carried strong and loud despite the distance. She had to climb this monster? Sakura blinked away her disbelief, she shook her thoughts away and hardened her resolve. Kurenai must know what she was doing.

"Yes! Sensei!"

Sakura launched herself into a sprint directly for the base of the mountain. Testing herself, she charged chakra into her feet as she approached and leapt up to a large jagged edge of stone protruding from the mountain. The genjutsu felt remarkably realistic with how she felt her chakra move and how real the motion was as she came to land.

CRACK!

The moment her foot touched the stone, an enormous noise thundered and Sakura startled in place. Sakura snapped her head up in attention to the direction of the noise. The mountain rumbled as a sudden humongous boulder began tumbling down right in her direction. Sakura had mere seconds to react and jump away before the boulder standing at least five times larger than herself crashed against the stone she had stood on.

Soaring through the air and beginning her decent to a slightly higher mountain edge, Sakura sighed in relief.

"Sensei! What was that about?!" She yelled to the Kunoichi, had Kurenai not instructed her to climb? What did she do wrong to warrant a boulder as punishment?

"Pay attention and hurry up." Kurenai's voice was calm and stern.

Sakura's foot made contact with the stone and not a second sooner did another CRACK sound. Once again Sakura sprang up just narrowly dodging the boulder. Maybe she had to climb another way?

Just as she began to fall, Sakura fished around in the weapons pouch strapped to her right thigh and pulled out a roll of steel-like string. As she fell she pulled out a good length to reach a high up perch of stone and swung to it. The string took to the stone and Sakura used her momentum to swing herself up higher on the mountain. Yes!

Snap.

Sakura blinked as suddenly directly between herself and the pillar she'd hooked did a new sharply pointed rock emerged quickly with a sudden rumble and snapped the string. Shit! Her momentum carried her but she was heading straight for the new dangerously sharp looking stone. Think! Think! Think!

Sakura dropped the broken thread now useless, she desperately rummaged around her right thigh pouch and grasped for small hand bombs that Tsunade had taught her how to construct when teaching her chemistry. Taking out one and ripping a small tag off the top to light it as she soared every closer, now only seconds from the jagged rock. She threw it to the base just in front of her, immediately she brought her arms and legs up to shield herself.

BOOM!

The explosion was loud and large in its range. The blast threw off her momentum and launched her up just enough to clear above the threatening rock pillar. Her second spent fumbling for the bomb costed her as her launch atop the pillar was slightly too low and caused the shape rock point to graze her forearms and shins.

Sakura gritted her teeth against the pain and opened her eyes.

Her attention snapped to the pillar she'd attached her string to. She was too close to dodge the blow she'd make once she met the stone. Sakura spun around and her back impacted the hard stone. "-Ahh!" She couldn't hold back her cry of pain. She'd managed to brace for the blow to keep from winding herself but the impact ached as she fell hard on the stone below.

"Ahhh… Haah… Haaahhh…" Sakura breathed deep stuttering breaths to get through the pain thrumming from her back. Genjutsu or not, the pain felt real. Not to mention her steel string was gone and she'd used up one of the three bombs she had on her. All she had left were a few kunai, shuriken and senbon in her left weapon pouch and medical equipment in the pouch on her hip. 'At least this mountain's giving me a minute to breathe.'

Her eyes widened then as she heard a sudden loud rumbling. Sakura's head shot up as she recognised the rumbling of boulders. 'Oh come on!' She picked herself up and ran up the pillar that she'd collided with. A desperate chakra-infused sprint to the pointed top.

She reached the peak and had only seconds to realise how close the boulder was. Sakura bit her lip and hastily threw a lit bomb at the boulders trajectory, her aim was impeccable and it exploded right in the centre. The bang was loud and the smoke vast. 'Yes!'

"Wh-" Sakura startled as the boulder emerged from the smoke completely undamaged "No-!" She had a second to brace herself as the boulder impacted the pillar causing it to crumble.

Sharp rocks and rubble from the pillar broke off and dug into her skin. Sakura forced her eyes open and launched herself forwards. She flew from rock to rock, pillar to pillar, she used up her kunai, she used up her shuriken, and she used up her last bomb. Sakura had to dodge many sudden spiked rocky pillars, bare sharp trees that emerged in her way, powerful freezing gusts of wind, and more obstacles that left her bloodied and bruised.

Sakura had lost her sense of time as she fell to her knees into the now snowy ground so she could catch her breath. She looked up to the top of the mountain as she heaved deep breaths. Despite how far she'd climbed, the distance she'd covered and getting to new terrain, the peak looked like it hadn't gotten any closer.

Sakura dropped her head back in a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. "Kurenai-sensei! I really don't think this is working!" She continued to heave her breaths.

"Noted. Keep going." Was not the response that Sakura wanted and she groaned. Her eyes snapped wide as the groan reverberated loudly followed by a rumbling coming from the peak. Sakura looked up to see an avalanche of snow making its way towards her fast.

She scrambled to her feat and upon standing did she notice her last weapon pouch left open from her small break to check what she had left and her thin senbon scattered into the snow. "No, no, no, no!" She didn't have time to fumble around in the snow for her last weapons as she heard the snow rapidly approaching.

Sakura sprinted as fast as her aching body would allow her and ran up the tree to a high enough point. The skinny tree rattled hard against the impact of the snow. She looked around and saw other trees in the distance collapsing loudly amongst the deafening rumble of the avalanche. Her eyes darted around frantically and she couldn't see an exit route for her anywhere.

Feeling frustrated and useless, Sakura gripped the tree branch she squatted on hard.

'This isn't working. I'm out of weapons, I'm making no progress to get to the top, and this inner voice isn't saying anything!'

Sakura brought her hands together and focused.

'I'll just release the genjutsu and talk with Kurenai-sensei and we can find another way to bring the voice out.'

"Release!"

Sakura felt a gust of wind hit her face, the branch vanish from beneath her feet, and her stomach dropped as she felt an intense falling sensation.

Her eyes snapped open frantically, she looked around and saw herself falling, she saw the mountain still standing strong. Kurenai stood with her hands on her hips looking at her as she fell.

"I don't think so. The only way you're getting out of this is by making progress."

Sakura braced herself as she landed right where she began. Back at the bottom of the mountain. Sakura slowly lifted herself up onto her knees, she looked up at the peak and it seemed almost further away, as though Kurenai was punishing her for trying to escape.

"What... But..."

Sakura felt her fists clench in frustration. She stood up with her brows furrowed in anger. Couldn't Kurenai see this wasn't working!?

Sakura charged her chakra into her exhausted feet, she felt no weight of weaponry in her pockets so she had nothing left to rely on other than herself.

She charged into a sprint and launched herself at a large pillar. Once again her touch was met with a rumble. She fell to her knees as her legs shook under her own weight. Her muscles were crying out in exhaustion, her hands clenching too tight had her nails cutting into her palms, she felt a frustrated scream catch in her throat as the boulder rapidly got closer and closer.

"NO!"

She clenched her fists tightly in her lap as she screamed.

'NO MORE!'

A voice boomed louder than the rumble of the boulder.

Sakura's eyes widened at the boulder seemingly exploding not even five meters in front of her. Her hands quickly shielded her face from the flying rocks and smoke as the boulder flew apart in pieces. Her eyes tightly closed to protect herself as the wind whipped violently against her.

"You did it, Sakura!"

The young girl's brow furrowed as she blinked her eyes open and slowly lowered her arms from her face. What Sakura expected to see was an empty space where the boulder once stood with rubble and stone spread around. Shock struck her stiff as she saw a truly enormous dark fist planted in the ground where the boulder must have been. Sakura scrambled backwards landing on her butt and frantically up to her feet.

The fist wasn't exactly a colour she could describe, at first glance it could be described as black or a deep purple, but upon further inspection it looked to be void of colour, the only light from it being an almost white aura lining it. But again Sakura couldn't describe a colour, it was void until it wasn't and nothing else.

Kurenai landed next to her and began to approach it.

The size was ridiculous, Sakura was sure that had the fist uncurled then Kurenai would stand at a height equal to that of one of it's pinkie fingers. Sakura followed her eyes up the forearm and saw it span up high above her own head and behind her. Sakura spun around and where the shoulder should be was only void. A dark mist-like void of colour spanned around behind her, it was impossible to tell how far it reached and rose to an indescribable height. Sakura craned her neck to see as high as she could but couldn't make sense of the void she was seeing.

"Truly intriguing..." Sakura swallowed and looked back to Kurenai now standing aside the arm. The sensei extended her hand to feel the fist, her hand seemingly made contact but the lack of shadows on the arm gave the odd illusion as though she wasn't touching it. "It seems physical, but also like a solid mist. I can touch it so it doesn't seem to be an automatic defence."

Kurenai brought a finger to her chin in deep thought.

Sakura moved to take a step forward but froze at the sudden gust of wind following a movement.

"Wha-!" Kurenai gasped as a second hand rushed from the mist behind them and grabbed her. The sensei choked out a breath as the left hand gripped her whole body in a tight fist and held her in place.

"Sakura! Stop This!" She yelled as the right fist removed itself from the ground and retracted into the void.

"I-I'm not doing it! I don't - I don't know what's going on!" She gasped as the fist grasping Kurenai lifted higher and higher, "Sensei!"

Sakura ran to where the Sensei once stood and looked up to see the fist stop near the top of the mist, now looking almost like a figure but still too disjointed and hazy to construct anything comprehendible. Sakura gasped as she saw two bright almost-white void shapes looking like eyes stare straight at the captive Sensei.

"That's ENOUGH!"

Sakura covered her ears at the sheer resounding volume of the void figures voice. Now hearing it again it did sound like Sakura's own voice if monstrously loud, was this her inner voice?

Suddenly the fist raised Kurenai up even higher as though the arm was extending above a body, and before Sakura could blink it began hurtling down at an incredible speed. "Sensei-"

"Release!"

Sakura jolted. Her eyes wide, body tense and breathing hard. She was sitting back on the bench of the training grounds. Kurenai sat next to her in an equally frazzled state. Her tense hands together in the 'release' position clearly having released the genjutsu before the arm could throw her to the ground.

"S-Sensei - W-What was that?" Sakura panted gripping her dress above her chest in an effort to calm herself. Kurenai was struggling to slow her breathing but she turned her wide eyes to the pinkette.

"I... Sakura, I'm going to be honest with you. I have never seen anything like that." She eased her breathing and turned her body to give Sakura her full attention.

"For that voice to simply be a voice, it wouldn't present itself as anything to see, let alone a semi-physical form I could touch. You weren't in control of it, though it did act in your best defence. It only appeared after you rage seemed to reach a peak, though you said it is present when you're motivated too so it would present itself only under those kind of circumstances. That is incredibly specific and I've never seen a mental yet semi-physical genjutsu capable of manifesting that kind of strength, with those kind of conditions, let alone something that spawned at such a young age."

Sakura blinked and nodded along.

Kurenai moved herself off the seat and kneeled in front of the pinkette, she gently placed her hands atop Sakura's shoulders and kept her gaze unwavering. "Sakura, this skill you have is something so unheard of that a genjutsu master like myself had to release my genjutsu. I don't believe it's a genjutsu, it's something else for you to discover. I think it's in your best interest to keep this to yourself and refine it. Your greatest weapon is something your enemies have no idea of. Think over this ability. Create a trigger for it so you can learn to control it. Refine it."

She gave an encouraging smile, "learn all you can about this thing that is solely your own, and you can make it something incredible."

Sakura's eyes shone in admiration, she smiled and nodded. She may have no answers now but now she at least knew this voice was something she could only learn from herself. "Thank you, Kurenai-Sensei!"

Kurenai stood and gave Sakura's head an pleased pat before turning to look over her team. Shino looked to be testing the strength of a swarm of beetles by having them slowly move large logs. Kiba was training Akamaru how to catch multiple kunai in his mouth and throw them at targets. Hinata was at the training dummy log Sakura threw and was striking the dummy with her chakra strikes. "Nice form everyone!" Kurenai clapped a single time.

"Thanks Sensei!" Kiba grinned throwing Akamaru a treat and giving his head a ruffle. "You finished? You two were only under for like an hour." Sakura blinked owlishly, it had felt like days on that demonic mountain.

"Yes we're finished, I also have a job for two of you." Kurenai had pulled out a scroll and was speedily writing in it before sealing it closed.

"Kiba and Shino, could you please take this scroll to Asuma. Then I'll need you both to head to the academy and get permission for this list of equipment we'll be using tomorrow." She held a sheet of paper in her other hand, the boys casually approached and read over the list. "Can do, Sensei!" and "easily done," was their responses.

"Once that's done then you're dismissed of your training for the rest of the day. For the exercises I have in mind tomorrow, you'd best rest up." The boys nodded in understanding.

Kiba looked over to Hinata dusting off her pants then nervously standing in wait for her orders. "What about Hinata? She's not coming with?"

"Not on your mission, I have something in mind for her, Sakura and I." Upon hearing this, Hinata jerked her head up and jogged up to the group.

"Alright then, Hinata you enjoy your kunoichi time, we'll see you tomorrow." He grinned and gave her a wave as the two boys began their run to the academy. "Race you, Shino!"

"A-Ah, Bye then!" She waved back.

"We have a mission, Sensei?" Sakura piqued up as she rounded the kunoichi to stand at Hinata's side. "Something like that, walk with me girls." Sakura snatched up her bag as Kurenai began a leisurely walk with Sakura and Hinata hurrying to her side. The two genin shrugged to each other, trusting Kurenai to explain herself.

"You see, it came to my attention that I need to better equip you two for the world of kunoichi, especially you Sakura. Being clanless did leave you underprepared when you first even entered the academy, while Hinata has been prepared since childhood." Sakura didn't feel as though Kurenai was saying this to offend her, rather the woman was being truly honest and wanting to provide help so she nodded.

"Sakura, being as kind as possible, your weapon system is quite hectic. I saw in the genjutsu while you have a good set and seem adept in using them, the system in which you carry them could stand to be improved." Sakura patted her two weapon pouches at her thighs and hip, happily noting the pouches still full after thinking she lost them in the genjutsu. "Also although your dress is cute with practical slits for running and you family crest. It could be more practical." Sakura nodded along. The dress was a gift from her parents upon her acceptance in the academy they'd hope she would fit into when she graduated.

A nice thought and she did love it. But if she wanted to be a great shinobi then changes would have to be made.

"So I, as your senior Kunoichi, would like to treat you with a more fitting uniform." Sakura felt the admiration for the Kunoichi bubble up inside of her and a smile blossomed on her face. "Thank you, Kurenai-sensei! I'd really appreciate the help!"

They continued their stroll.

"U-Um Sensei, why did you need me too?" Hinata voiced.

"A simple reason, Hinata, I'd like a second opinion." She smiled. Sakura beamed at the other girl, "This'll be fun, Hinata! We can find you something nice too." She held Hinata's hands and the other girl seemed flustered but nodded along.

"Come on in you two." Kurenai held a shop door open, the store stood with wooden walls, lavender curtains inside at two single windows, it was a spacious shop pressed between a jewellery shop and a more masculine shinobi clothes shop. Sakura and Hinata followed Kurenai wall confidently straight up to the desk where a woman of similar age sporting a curly bob of brown hair and cheeks decorated with freckles.

Clothes of varying styles lined the walls, fishnets, coats, boots, and many dresses, shirts and various bottoms hung on racks and displays. The light brown wooden walls and low hanging lavender lanterns lighting up the store along with the open windows gave the intimidating store a welcome feeling. The two girls still stuck together.

"Come on, Hinata. Let's have a look." Sakura held one of Hinata's hands and gestured to a display and rack showing varying coloured jackets and coats.

"Oh, s-sure, Sakura." They chatted to each other about the varying coats, giggling at the more outlandish ones neither could pull off and entertaining themselves as Kurenai and the counter woman spoke. The two began a lap of the store as they examined the leggings on display near the back. The back wall of the shop was the same as the other walls except for an opening leading to what looked like a line of change rooms. Sakura raised a brow at the lack of kunoichi using them, it was mid day on a weekend, surely a store a respectable kunoichi like Kurenai used would be packed.

"Girls, over here." Sakura didn't get to sit on that thought any longer as Kurenai called them over.

The counter woman was holding a pile of clothing is each of her arms, "evening ladies," she smiled. "Kurenai has instructed me to help out with your uniform."

"Ah yes please," Sakura bowed in thanks and upon standing straight was met with an enormous armful of clothing.

"Eep!" She peaked over her pile to see Hinata now carrying a similar one.

"Now, lets get started!" Sakura blinked as Kurenai appeared behind the two genin and led them with gentle hands on their backs to the opening of the changing rooms.

"A-Already? I haven't even seen through the pile yet!" Sakura piqued up.

"And I'm not suppose to be getting any changes to my uniform, I - I don't think m-my family would like that."

"Don't worry ladies, it's a custom for leaf kunoichi to go through this amount to find what they need!" The sales woman spoke happily as the girls shuffled their way through. Sakura blinked wide as they turned a corner to where change rooms should be only to find a wall with the painted illusion of rooms and curtains. Only two actual changing rooms stood at the corner of the room and the group were walking to the opposite wall which Sakura finally noticed was a painted illusion and hid a corner opening.

"What-" Kurenai guided them around a corner and both girls gasped at the view. So many leaf kunoichi, some in Anbu uniform, all bustling around from rack to rack. The clothing choices now looked more intricate and impressive, the style much more varied, as though all the true quality products were all here hidden away.

"You see kids, all kunoichi have to keep their secrets to themselves, especially what we can hide in our uniforms now. Usually only kunoichi rank level chunin or above are given the way to get to the true store. But Kurenai here tells me you both toughed it out through the chunin exams only to have that whole incident at the end ruin your chances. So I think you're plenty worthy enough to be allowed in." The woman smiled as she took the stacks of clothing off the two and deposited them in a box. With a quick hand-sign the pile poofed into a pile of coat hangers.

"So those were just for an alibi for us being in the 'change rooms' when really we're in this part of the shop!" Sakura smiled.

"Exactly," Kurenai patted both girls heads and began leading them to a row of actual change rooms along the back wall to begin the search for a new uniform.

Sakura didn't know how long they browsed the aisles, Ino was always better at shopping than her. Sakura had changed into a variety of uniforms all varying in styles, Sakura admired the unique craftsmanship of the clothing, all maximising efficiency and equitability while still holding a comfortable amount of femininity. There were long pants with hidden compartments, skirts with pockets stitched into the seams, and none compromising the effectiveness of the kunoichi.

Sakura's problem was she entered the store a blank slate, Hinata being from a clan gave her the framework for her uniform so she need only replace the damaged clothing and she was set. Sakura's uniform was a dress gifted to her by her parents to celebrate her enrolment, the only significant part she would keep was her family symbol.

"I don't think long pants are the way to go..." Kurenai tapped her finger to her lips. Sakura gave an experimental spin to give the other two a full view of her current outfit. Hinata gave a small nod, her hands clasped in front of her body.

"Yeah, I think I need more mobility. None of these pants are working  for me." She patted the thick material on her thighs. "But what should I cover my legs with then? I mean if I go with a skirt then it would work better, but leggings are giving me the same kind of mobility problem."

"Fishnets." A new voice chimed in, "You can never go wrong with fishnets." Sakura blinked as a kunoichi with a familiar face and dango stick in her mouth moved to lean on a nearby rack.

"Oh, Anko-sensei! Nice to see you." Sakura gave a bow, Hinata mimicked her and Anko waved a dismissive hand.

"Save the formalities kiddo, we're all kunoichi here." She pushed herself off the rack and made quick work scanning the hanging fishnets in varying sizes before picking a couple packs out.

"Leggings are good. But fishnets provide better armour and freer mobility. Only drawback is if you're self-conscious." She said as she threw a handful of fishnets that Sakura hurried to catch. Giving the kunoichi a once over she could see what the woman means, nothing was left to the imagination but her confidence more than kept her dignity.

Sakura turned to Kurenai who nodded. "I agree, I have fishnets with no sleeves on my dominant arm for better easier movement."

Sakura nodded and looked to Hinata, gesturing for her to engage too, Hinata blinked in realisation and quickly voiced. "Y-Yes! My inner vest in fishnets because my torso is where I need the most defence."

Sakura smiled and held up the fishnets. "Okay! One minute please, Anko-sensei do you mind waiting?" The woman gave a small salute and Sakura turned back to the change station.

She soon emerged in a simple red crop top a small pair of black work out shorts, neither articles mattered because she just wanted to feel out the fishnets adorning her legs and a long sleeved fishnet vest covering her stomach to her forearms. "Very nice." Anko grinned as Sakura gave experimental stretches and kicks, she found herself agreeing.

"Yeah, for my combat this feels a lot easier to move in!" She smiled and gave a spin. Hinata smiled and gave a few happy claps.

"Very good, now you've got your base armour setup, we can build over that with the rest of your uniform." Kurenai said encouragingly. "Do you have any preference for how you want your uniform?"

"Bah, you should just put a trench coat on and call it done." Anko crossed her hands behind her head and leaned back. "This baby has unlimited pockets and the simplicity means I can wash and replace it easy." She grinned before spitting out her dango stick to a bin on the opposite side of the room.

"That may work for you, but Sakura's more of a medic and a close combat brawler. She'll need more compact clothing to keep from interfering with her fighting and healing." Kurenai countered.

"...Maybe an apron?" Hinata voiced, Sakura brightened and let the other girl see that she appreciated the input. "That's a good idea, Hinata! I think a skirt with an apron- like quality would be good for my medic duties, maybe slitted to keep the mobility?"

Kurenai nodded along, "very sensible thinking ladies." Hinata lowered her head with a shy smile and Kureani moved to a display for leggings. "In that case you'll be needing thigh leggings to for under, keep the fishnet leggings on underneath for protection and put a single weapons pouch on your dominant hands thigh for simple accessibility. I'll go get you an apron themed skirt." She gave Sakura the leggings before leaving to one of the store clerks.

"What's your plan for the top?" Anko tilted her head. Sakura thought for a moment and shifted the leggings to one arm.

"Well I think a simple tight shirt with the same kind of collar style as my dress? Also I was thinking of moving my crest to the front so it can still be seen since I'm probably always going to be wearing backpacks."

Anko raised an eyebrow, "Crest? Thought you weren't part of a clan."

"I'm not. My family's a civilian family and no ones ever been a shinobi. To celebrate me passing the exams and getting accepted into the academy my parents wanted me to feel like I fit in more, so they gave me my dress and made a crest for me. My dad says it's suppose to symbolise the circle of chakra and how it's all connected." Her smile a soft expression as she felt the material in her hands.

"I think that's really nice, Sakura..." Hinata smiled, "I think it's really sweet that your parents did that for you."

Sakura giggled, "Well that's what my dad said, he also said he never got any ninja training so that was him trying to sound profound." Hinata blinked and stifled a giggle.

"Alright, so we're thinking a simple tight sleeveless shirt on top of the fishnet shirt. You're a medic and a fighter so gloves are a must. Shoes?" Anko asked as she took a pair of black combat gloves and chucked them to the pinkette.

"Honestly I think simple sandals work, but separate shin coverings would be really good." Anko nodded along.

"I gotcha kiddo." She strolled to the leg armour section leaving to two young students.

"Thanks for your help Hinata, this is really fun." She smiled, Hinata's cheeks dusted pink in response.

"A-Ah, it's no trouble really, I'm happy to be of help since I've, ah, not really gone shopping before." She fiddled with her fingers and avoided eye contact.

"You haven't?" She shook her head.

"Since my clan provides their disciples with uniforms, they see to replace was needs replacing or resizing. The only shopping I've ever really done is when Kurenai-sensei took me shopping for kunai with her." Hinata startled as Sakura grabbed her hands with her free hand and got close to her face.

"Hinata that's no good! Ino always tells me it's important for a girls growing individuality to start shopping for herself. Oh! how about some day soon you, Ino and I all go shopping together! I'm sure Ino would love to help out since she's better at this than I am, plus we've never really all hung out together I think it'd be a lot of fun."

Hinata's pale eyes were wide, her cheeks dusted pink and her hands shook in Sakura's grasp. Sakura blinked, maybe she was being too forward for the girl she's just made official friends with that day. "Or we don't have to! I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything-" She let her hands go but Hinata quickly clenched her hand in both of hers.

"N-No! I - I would love to! I... I mean, yes, I don't know Yamanaka-san that well but I would like to, hang out that is." Her exclamation died down as she obviously became embarrassed over her outburst. Sakura blinked as found a giggle bubbling up, before she knew it she was laughing. Hinata was soon laughing along.

"Not that I want to interrupt, but I think I've got a good skirt." Kurenai approached the laughing girls with a lavender coloured skirt in hand and a store clerk at her side. "Friendly reminder that you're uniform is available for custom adjustments that I'm here to do if need be. Also any top you pick is available for me to add a crest or symbol on."

"That's great!" Sakura beamed.

"I wasn't sure the colour scheme you wanted since I myself don't really care about shit like that so I just grabbed red like your dress." Anko appeared behind the girls and dropped the red shin armour with black sandals into the unexpected girls arms. "Th-Thank you!"

"Go try them on then," Kurenai smiled encouragingly and Sakura nodded before jumping back in the stall.

After a few minutes she emerged feeling over the moon. It felt practically perfect.

Her top was as red as her dress with a similar white rimmed collar around her neck, it stopped just before her shoulders and just above her waist, the black fishnets under covering her stomach and reached her elbows. Black high waisted leggings just below her belly button reached just to cover her thighs, the fishnets covering her knees, red shin armour clipped at the sides of her calves with simple black sandals matching the simple black cloves. Finally her lavender apron skirt slitted at her sides, front, and back, parting almost like a flower, the two back sections reached longer at mid calve to provide her with more protection and the front stopping just above her knees giving her almost a mantis like look.

Hinata clapped at Sakura's obvious joys as she spun in place letting the apron fan around her. Kurenai and the clerk clapped as well and Anko gave a cheer. "Lookin' like a real kunoichi now." She smirked. Sakura was positively beaming. "I love it! Thank you so much Sensei's."

"It's no trouble at all, I consider you a student of mine now Sakura. It's up to your Sensei's to make sure you go out into the world as well equip as you can possibly be." She rested a hand on Sakura's shoulder giving her an encouraging squeeze. Sakura felt so incredibly touched at the gesture that she put a gloved hand over the hand on her shoulder.

"Still, thank you so much. This means a lot to me." Kurenai's smile softened and she nodded. "Well it looks like this is the uniform. Is there any adjustments you need?" She asked while gesturing to the clerk.

"No, this fits perfectly, I don't think -Oh!" Sakura startled herself as she remembered something. She sped to the changeroom and rustled around in her bag, finding the cloth she was looking for she then turned and took off her leaf ninja headband.

"Would it be possible to transfer my leaf ninja symbol to this ribbon?" She held out the red ribbon Ino had given her when they were young, she'd been keeping it in her backpack as a kind of reminder and encourager when she needed it. The clerk took the material and headband and smiled.

"No problem at all! And you'll be wanting your previous crest on the front of this shirt yes?" Sakura nodded.

"Please."

"Easily done. Once your satisfied, just leave this outfit with me and I'll make the necessary changes and have it with two more uniforms sent to your home by tomorrow morning."

"So soon? And three uniforms is a lot..." Sakura muttered.

The clerk waved a hand, "nonsense! Can't have the current disciple of the great Kunoichi and Hokage Tsunade-sama running around with only one uniform, that'd be just bad form on our shop. Tsunade-sama herself notified us that if her student were to need anything from us then it'd be paid for by her and treated with the upmost importance." She smiled with a determined fire in her eyes. Sakura felt that warm blossoming appreciation for her master heat up her chest. She bowed, "Thank you."

The rest of the day blurred together as the Kunoichi finished their shopping trip. Anko bid her exit earlier on, leaving Kurenai with the girls making a quick stop at a weapons shop to get herself a new batch of senbon on the way home. Sakura was back in her dress after making her uniform order, she and Hinata were eating street food that the Hyuuga admitted to never having before so of course Sakura insisted on buying some for the two of them.

The two girls looking at the weapons in the window as they ate their takoyaki. Sakura was looking at a pair of rai-shuriken when she noticed Hinata's attention locked on something in the window.

Sakura ambled up to the girls side and followed her line of sight. Sakura didn't know what kind of weapon they were; two sets of three hooks curved like the shape of pincers, connected to long chains with bands on them. Judging by the look of them, the bands were worn on upper arms and wrists connected via chains and the hooks attached to the wrist bands. Using chakra to unlock the hooks and through a sweeping movement would send the hand like hooks out to grab an opponent and pull them closer to force them into close range combat.

Sakura smiled. "Why don't you get them?"

Hinata startled in place, nearly dropping her takoyaki box, she took a breathe seeing it was Sakura an closed the box. "I shouldn't."

"But they'd be of real use to you. Your style is built for lose range, they'd be a real asset." Sakura furrowed her brow, they were even on sale.

"I know but... I'm not suppose to alter the Hyuuga style. We're trained in a certain way because it works. So I shouldn't have them." She lowered her eyes sadly.

"But Hinata, do you want them?" Sakura tilted her head as she stood at the girls side. Hinata blinked, she looked away, her eyes moving frantically before settling on the floor.

"I.. I do want them... But I can't. If I bought them then my family would know, and - and I already have so much more training to do since Neji-san beat me. I wouldn't want to test my families patience any more than I already do." She put the takoyaki box in the little take out bag and fiddled with her fingers. Sakura frowned.

"I don't understand that, Hinata. You're already obviously trying your best, and if the style isn't working 100% for you then I think getting something like this and integrating it with your clans fighting style to work for you would really help you grow as a ninja." She sighed, she patted Hinata on the shoulder to help her feel better. "I'll go ask if Kurenai-sensei is finished." She smiled and slipped inside the shop.

Not a few moments later Kurenai and Sakura exited the shop and Hinata sped to their side. "Well today was a very productive say ladies, I think it's time we head home." Kurenai spoke and only now did Sakura notice the sky bathing in a warm orange as the sun was lowering. "Thank you again for today, Kurenai-sensei. I'll work on figuring out that thing like you suggested." She nodded.

"See that you do, it could become a real advantage to you should you refine it." Sakura nodded, "and since earlier today I all but banished Hinata's guard, Sakura do you mind escorting her home?" The pinkette blinked. Guard? That asshole Hyuuga from earlier today?

"Sure! I don't mind." She turned to see Hinata nodding her head and giving her a small smile.

"And lastly Sakura, Asuma's told me that in preparation for the Chuunin exam retake you're training under him and Tsunade-sama?"

"Yes. Since Tsunade-shishou is busy with Hokage duties she can only train me first hand on certain days, so on those other days I spend a lot of time going over medical texts and interning under Shizune-san for a lot of practical application in the hospital. She's teaching me a lot with willing patients who don't mind me taking notes and even doing some smaller medical practices. Due to this I have a lot of free days since I'm a fast learner when it comes to book smarts, so Asuma-sensei is letting me train with him and his team on Tuesdays and Thursdays." Kurenai brought a finger to her chin as she smiled.

"You're quite a busy young lady."

"I'm very good at time management, and if anything Kakashi-sensei taught me how to be up and ready at ridiculous times of the day," Sakura grinned, it hurt a little to think of her own Sensei who was off somewhere on a mission. Kurenai's eyes twitched ever so slightly.

"I see, in that case, would you like to accompany my team and I on Wednesdays? You're a bright girl and a promising ninja, it would be my pleasure to teach you kunoichi tricks along with any genjutsu training you'd like." Sakura felt herself blossoming under every word. A professional Kunoichi and skilled genjutsu master wanted to teach her! "Also I think having a friend to train with will help you too Hinata." The Hyuuga's eyes widened and a blush dusted her cheeks as she smiled to the pinkette.

"I'd love to! Thank you so much Kurenai-sensei! Wednesdays sound great." She was positively beaming. Kurenai's eyes softened as she took in her two students smiling at each other.

"Well I look forward to it, good night girls, you're both dismissed." Kurenai nodded and both girls gave a small bow in response with a "Good night sensei!"

"Shall we get going then? I don't know the way to the Hyuuga estate." Sakura adjusted her grip on her backpack and threw her empty takoyaki box in a nearby bin. "I know the way, and thank you for escorting me."

They walked side by side down the shopping district. "About that Hinata, can I ask why you have an escort? Is it because you're the heir?" Sakura asked curiously.

Hinata blinked a few times and brought her fingers up to fiddle with as she held her bagged leftovers. "Ah... Kind of? You see, unlike some kekkei genkai that need to be awakened our families byakugan is guaranteed from birth. Due to this there's been a few cases years ago of clan members being kidnapped to have their eyes stolen." Sakura nodded along as Hinata's fingers shook slightly.

"O-Once when I was really young there was a huge incident and I was almost taken for my eyes, it was a big debacle for the clan and some members died because of it. Since then I've had an escort. Neji-san is a better fighter than I am so he doesn't need one." She mumbled off.

"Well that means your family must really care about you." Sakura voiced, she noticed Hinata's shoulders droop as they continued.

"...I think it's because they expect I'm too weak to defend myself... not because I'm heir... but because I'm a disappointment..." Her voice was so quiet Sakura almost missed it. But what she heard broke her heart. Sakura may not be a member of a clan nor understand the inner workings of one, especially a clan as renowned as the Hyuuga. But she knew what it felt like to feel like a weak disappointment. Her feet slowed to a stop. Hinata stopped a step away.

"...Sakura-san?"

"Hinata, could I ask for a favour?" Hinata furrowed her brow before slowly nodding. Sakura brought her hands up to the girls shoulders. "I need you to promise me that you'll stop talking about yourself like that."

Sakura watched Hinata's eyes widen a fraction and dart around before settling on the floor between them. "Please, believe me when I say that telling yourself you're weak and a disappointment will do nothing but hurt you. You've got the capabilities to be a great kunoichi someday. It doesn't matter if you don't believe that now and it especially doesn't matter if people from your own family don't believe it either! You're the one who'll get stronger and you're the one who'll stand on their own as a great ninja."

Her hands slid down the girls sleeves until she was holding her trembling hands.

"So please. You don't deserve to be told your worth. Especially by yourself." She gave the girls hands a gentle squeeze. "You know that you're trying your hardest and that's all that you can ask for. Who cares what others in your clan think? You're going to be an amazing kunoichi."

Hinata took a shuddering breath before she slowly raised her eyes to meet Sakura's. They glistened with unshed tears and for a moment Sakura was worried she overstepped a line. "...thank you, Sakura... I'll try." Hinata gave a small smile and Sakura was so relieved she wrapped her arms around the other girl and squeezed her in a tight hug. She felt Hinata's hands hesitantly resting on her back and she smiled into the other girls fluffy hood.

"A-Ah Sakura, a little too tight."

"Oh sorry! Ha ha I've been told that I'm a tight hugger." She scratched at her cheek and Hinata giggled behind a hand as the two continued their walk. Flowers gently falling on the fencing and pathway around them.

A happier conversation followed with Sakura inviting Hinata to a first aid medic class Shizune was doing in a program for first time nurses. Ino earlier that week had expressed a mild interest in first aid but wasn't sure she would be able to cut it as a fulltime medic, Sakura was to be Shizune's assistant in the class to she thought it a good idea to invite both. Hinata was hesitant saying she thought it terrifying to be responsible for someone's life but first aid sounded useful despite her clan not placing any value in it and rather in not getting hurt in the first place.

Sakura didn't pressure her in joining the class but said a space would be free should she be interested.

Not too long later had the girls come to the large gates of the Hyuuga main house. It stood large, traditional and imposing above them.

"Thanks again for escorting me, Sakura." She smiled.

"It's really no trouble, better me than that jerk from this morning." Hinata snorted into her hand clearly agreeing but being to polite to say it. "And also one last thing before I go..." Sakura pulled her heavy bag off of her shoulder and began fiddling around inside of it.

Hinata watched on and blinked in surprise as Sakura pulled out a bag holding a box inside. "For you," She grinned as Hinata hesitantly took the bag. She reached into the bag, pulled out the box and took off the lid. "S-Sakura!" She gasped as she saw the claw chains she had been eyeing in the shop, the silver chains glittered in the glow of the streetlamps and sunset light.

"I - I can't accept this," She spoke frantically.

"Nonsense. They were on sale! Those are going to do you a lot of good." She waved her hand refusing to take the gift back.

"B-But I shouldn't..."

"But do you want them." Sakura tilted her head, "and you deserve them."

Hinata lowered her gaze to the box in her hand. She studied the weapons silently. "Thank you, Sakura." She smiled and Sakura matched her. "I... I'll ask Kurenai-sensei to help me train with them."

"Great! I can't wait to see," Sakura beamed, "I'll be seeing you again soon yeah?"

Hinata nodded enthusiastically as she put the weapons bag into her takeout bag presumably to hide them. "Have a good night, Sakura." Her smile was the brightest Sakura had seen from the girl and that made her feel so much happier. "You too, Bye-Bye!" She cheered as she began making her way home with a spring in her step.

Just as she turned the corner away from the Hyuuga main estate she slowed her walk, "Good night to you too, Shizuka-san." Sakura smiled to the blossoming tree above the pathway. Above head a pink flower fell and glided down to stop on her shoulder, said orchid mantis rubbed her feelers together and gave off the feeling that she was smiling. "You are a sweet child. We appreciate your care with our Lady's student."

"She's a sweet girl, I'm happy we're friends now." Sakura continued her merry walk home.

"She appreciates your kinship also," Shizuka voiced.

"You too, Shizuka-san. Kurenai-sensei will be training me so I hope you, your sisters and I continue to get along." Shizuka twitched her head from side to side. It was a quiet peaceful moment before she spoke again.

"We appreciate the thought, child." Sakura smiled as the mantis crawled down her arm to her hand. "This is where we part. We wish you a pleasant rest, and look forward to our work together in future." Shizuka bowed her head.

"Good night," Sakura bowed her own head in return and the mantis was gone along with a few flowers and leaves on the fencing also had vanished. Sakura smiled to herself and continued her trek home. Sure she still didn't have an answer for her inner voice but that was her own puzzle to solve now.

"I'm home!" Sakura announced as she closed the door behind her and took off her shoes. "Welcome back!" she heard her parents voices coming from the main sitting room, the tv was on as she entered. Her mother was sitting on the couch with a book and pen in hand and glasses perched atop her nose, her father was humming to himself along with the portable radio on the kitchen bench as he washed the dishes. "Leftovers are in the microwave if you still have room." Her mother voiced as she scribbled in her crossword.

"Thanks, I'll have it tomorrow. Had street food on the way home." She said as she dropped her backpack with a loud thump! on the dining table and entered the kitchen to put the leftovers into a container.

"You shouldn't eat so much street food, it cant be healthy for you." Her mother looked over her glasses and Sakura grabbed a container. "Oh come on love, she's supporting the local businesses."

"Plus it's convenient." She popped the lid on.

"Convenient or not, don't ninja need to be at the top of their game? All that instant food cant be good." Sakura thought of Naruto.

"I'll be fine Mom, you're worrying too much." She closed the fridge and began drying the dishes.

"So did you have a productive day today?" Her father nudged her shoulder and passed her a plate.

"Yep! I'll be training with Kurenai-sensei on Wednesdays now."

"Another Sensei? Honey I hope this doesn't become a habit, you know it's not the quantity of Sensei's that matter but the quality-" She shoved his shoulder with hers.

"I know, I know, Dad." He laughed and rubbed his shoulder.

"Careful I'm an old man now! I don't have the shoulders I use to." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"They're your same shoulder's you've always had."

"Sure doesn't feel like it, trust me when you're older you'll complain too."

"Hopefully I don't complain as much as you."

He gasped dramatically ,"Mebuki! Do you hear the disrespect coming out of your daughter!"

Her eyes rolled as she bit her pencil. "Yes, yes, dear. Sakura honey be kind to your frail old father."

"Okay~" She sang back with a smile.

"Well I didn't say I was frail."

"-Oh Sakura before I forget, you received some mail today." Her mother gestured to the mail pile on the dining table, a few letters were separated with Sakura's name on them and a scroll sat atop the pile. "Yes, our baby girl is so mature and official that she's got a scroll from the Hokage!" Her father teased as she finished drying and approached the letters. She picked up the small pile and noted the scroll was indeed from Tsunade.

Sakura unfurled the scroll.

"Well? What does it say?" Her mother voiced placing her crossword down.

"Tsunade-shishou has big news for me and has summoned for me first thing tomorrow morning..." Sakura breathed out. Tsunade hadn't mentioned anything in their previous training session had she? No, no, she hadn't. Had she? Did Sakura do something? Was she learning a new technique? No Tsunade wouldn't summon her for something like that, the woman would just spring it on her during their sessions and Sakura would have to adapt. So why the warning and official summons? She was stressing herself out but what if she wasn't worth training anymore and Tsunade was going to stop mentoring her.

"Looks like our girl's either becoming the next Hokage or is now a wanted criminal. Should I be worried or really worried?" Her father teased as Sakura was frantically re-reading the scroll over and over for any word indicating what her master was going to tell her.

"...I'm going to bed early." She murmured.

"Okay sweetie, don't forget your other letters." Her mother said as she resumed her writing. "Good night my little criminal." Her father chimed as she grabbed the other letters and went upstairs to her room. They were probably her receipts from the clothes shop or something, she'd read them tomorrow, at this moment her stress over the summons had her taking a warm shower and immediately into bed.

❀

Sakura was stressing. To put her emotional state mildly, she was stressing. Sleeping had done little to calm her nerves and even receiving and dressing in her new uniform that morning couldn't keep her from worrying. It was early morning as she arrived at the Hokage office and took a deep breath to calm herself before knocking on the door.

"Enter," Tsunade voiced. Sakura knew of her masters impatience and wasted no time. She entered to see Tsunade at her desk with a mountain of paperwork, Shizune sitting near he side filling out her own forms with Ton-ton napping atop a pillow between them, and two Anbu officers standing at attention at the corners of the room. Tsunade gestured Sakura to approach with a hand without looking away from her current paper.

"Good morning Tsunade-shishou and Shizune-san, you wanted to see me." Sakura greeted stiffly.

"Oh Sakura! Your uniform looks so nice!" Shizune beamed and Sakura smiled back.

"Thanks Shizune-san, and thank you for paying for me." She nodded respectfully.

Shizune waved a hand, "Think nothing of it, give us a twirl!" She put her head in her hands and cheered when Sakura twirled. "An apron! How sensible!" She smiled and Ton-ton oinked in some kind of agreement.

"Ha ha! I know!" Sakura smiled fanning the skirt out.

"And how appropriate." Tsunade said as she put her paper down and gave her student her full attention. Sakura stiffened and momentarily puzzled over her masters words.

"No need to look so nervous, Sakura. You're not in trouble, if anything you've been excelling in training. After going over your tests regarding textbook knowledge these past months and Shizune's glowing recommendation; I've decided to move you up in terms of training. Sakura felt her nervousness melt off under the praise she was receiving and a buzzing of anticipation begin to take over.

"Thank you Tsunade-shishou, I promise I wont let you down."

"I'm confident in you Sakura, you're my student after all. Now that we've gotten an official volunteer your new training will begin today." Tsunade stamped a paper and then rested her chin on her hands.

"Volunteer? May I ask what kind of training this will be?" Sakura asked.

"Your volunteer will be your very own patient. You'll be entirely responsible for their check ups, medical reports, and all recommendations and procedures you see necessary. Of course this is a trial run and Shizune will be watching over you to offer advice if you request it and any procedures you don't feel certain in your capabilities to accomplish you will be able to pass off to another doctor." Sakura felt her breath catch at every word her master spoke. "I trust in your capabilities and Shizune can't praise you enough with how well you adapted to hospital work through your internship."

"Shishou... I don't... Are - Are you sure I'm ready for a my own patient?" Sakura voiced nervously.

"Don't make me repeat myself. I said your abilities and judgemental skills are up to the task so they're up to the task. Of course if you reject this offer then your training will remain with assistance under Shizune, however I believe you're ready."

Sakura was momentarily frozen under her masters studying gaze, she worried over her words. More than anything Sakura didn't want her training to become stagnant should she be given the opportunity to advance further. Being given a patient of her own would be a great opportunity and Shizune would be there to help her.

"Okay, Tsunade-shishou. I'll go through with it. Thank you for giving me this opportunity." She bowed gratefully. Tsunade nodded, "good answer." She picked up her nest report and began reading it. "Your patient will be in Examination room 12 at 8:00, be ready for your first check-up." Sakura nodded, she felt her nerves return but tried to calm herself with another deep breath.

Shizune rose from her seat and held various folders in her arms. "I'll be with you every step of the way," she smiled encouragingly and patted Sakura's shoulder. "After the check up and write up, I expect you studying in my library for another test later this afternoon on the surgeries I had you watch this week. Just because your passing with flying colours doesn't mean these medical tests will lighten up any time soon." Tsunade finished. "You're dismissed."

Sakura bowed, "Thank you, Tsunade-shishou." She followed behind Shizune as they made their way out the Hokage office and towards the Konoha General Hospital.

Shizune tried to calm her along the way there, she appreciated the attempt but she was still nervous. Her very own patient she was responsible for. This train of thought was not helping! She'd been interning under Shizune for months, she knew the steps, the processes, the questions, everything. But now she was in charge of someone's health. Shizune helped by reminding her that this patient knew she was Tsunade's student and volunteered for her.

She took another deep breath as she suddenly stood in front of Examination room 12 at 7:55. It never hurt to be a little early.

She held her gloved hands to her new shirt above her circular crest and took a final deep breath. Shizune stood patiently and silently as Sakura gave the door a quick knock and entered.

"Good morning, thank you for getting here early and thank you for volunteering to be my patient. I promise to do my very best for your health and wellbeing."

"Good morning, Sakura-san! Is that a new uniform? It suits you! You look very nice today," Rock Lee was beaming from his seat and energetically waving a hand. Sakura blinked in surprise upon seeing the unexpected boy as her patient.

"Lee-san! You're my patient?" He gave her a thumbs up and a bright smile.

"Of course! When I overheard the Hokage discussing your advancement during my last check-up I quickly volunteered. You're amazing for becoming a practicing doctor in such a short amount of time under such an accomplished medic." Sakura felt her nerves calm under his blinding optimism.

"Thank you, Lee-san. I'm not a doctor yet, but I'm getting there. Thank you for volunteering." She came to the examination desk and sat opposite the boy, Shizune followed silently with a clipboard in hand and stood unnoticed near the window.

"It's my pleasure! I'm now in your care." He sat straight backed and hands fisted happily atop his knees.

Sakura nodded, "I'll do my best, Lee-san." She pulled off her backpack and began fiddling inside it before Lee interrupted.

"My apologies but before we start I have a gift." He reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out a small rectangular object wrapped in pink paper and tied with a green bow. He held it out proudly, Sakura hesitated before taking the gift.

"Lee-san, you shouldn't have." She smiled as she held the object sized slightly bigger than her hand.

"Of course I should! Gai-sensei says all growth should be celebrated." He smiled. She pulled off the ribbon and gently unwrapped the package. Sat in her hand was a small pink notepad with white cherry blossom patterns decorating the cover. It had a white spiral top and a white pen through the spiral. Sakura turned the gift over in her hand feeling a wave of gratitude.

"Lee-san... Thank you so much." She felt her cheeks heat up as she smiled. Lee scratched his cheek and gave a slight chuckle.

"Well you see I wanted to get you something useful. Gai-sensei says that thoughtful gifts always have the greater value. And since Konoha's official flower is the cherry blossom, I thought this would be fitting." He rattled off.

"I'll use it as my primary medical notebook." She grinned and neatly wrote 'Property of Sakura Haruno' on the cover with the pen. She then placed the notebook on her lap and took out Lee's files. "Okay, since you're familiar with check-ups so I'll go through the basic questions and see how you're holding up. It's been a few months since your surgery but it's still important to keep an eye on it."

Lee nodded enthusiastically, "Yes mam!"

The check-up went smoothly. Lee was very helpful and more than willing to divulge any information Sakura needed, the tests went well and she sensed his progress in his leg and arm healing up well. She felt minor strain and evidence of overexertion so all she could prescribe was his current medication with the advice to not ware himself out too much during training. She wrote a letter for him to give Gai saying to cut back on the strength training lest his healing take a turn.

Sakura couldn't feel more grateful that Lee had volunteered to be her patient. He really helped calm her stress with his genuine earnest optimism. Lee may still see her as a close friend but that didn't compromise the professional respect he held for her now as his medical professional.

He gave her a final respectful bow when they stood at the end of the check-up and parted with a "Have a nice day, Sakura-san!" and she would see him again for his next check up the following week.

She gave him a smile and a wave before the door closed and she let out a long sigh as she slumped back in her chair. "You did very well," Shizune stepped up to her side and gave her head a gentle pat.

"Ahhhh, that was so stressful." She fell forward, her head thumping atop the desk with Lee's paperwork. Shizune chuckled, "Honestly Sakura, we wouldn't give you a task we felt you couldn't handle, and from what I saw you did fantastic. Your medical knowledge has come so far and your healing skill is becoming even more refined with every day."

Sakura moved her head to look at the kind woman, "you needn't worry so much. Trust in your training and trust in your skills, you'll be a great healer."

"Thank you Shizune-san. I feel better knowing Lee-san is my patient." She pulled herself up, picked up her pen and began filling out Lee's forms.

"Yes I'll admit we knew you were familiar with him but we didn't know how close you two are." She said as she picked up the notebook off the desk and admired it. "He's a very sweet boy, a little intense, but sweet."

Sakura's features softened. "Yeah, we didn't get off on the best foot. But he saved me and my teammates life in the chunin exams, I couldn't be more grateful. Since he's my responsibility now, I'm going to ensure he grows to become a great ninja." She nodded to herself. Shizune smiled and put down the notebook before flipping through her clipboard.

"Well, once you've filled out those forms you're back in the library. When you've finished the tasks left there by Tsunade-sama then you're to return here to oversee a heart transplant. Oh, also Mihara-san has officially been admitted since she's so close to due date, I want you present to assist me in the birth." She finished as she reached the door.

"Yes ma'am!" Sakura smiled and bid the woman a good day.

Sakura glided through her training for the rest of the week feeling lighter than air. She passed her tests with flying colours. Asuma had her training with Shikamaru again and again and although she'd lost the matches they had gone on for hours with a lot more strategy now she was getting comfortable with the exercise. Kurenai had her doing meditation for half of the day to hone her focus in an attempt to clear out her mind and learn more on her inner voice, it didn't work but the exercise felt necessary for her future progress, and then she and Hinata sparred for the rest of the day.

She arrived at the hospital a week later and practically skipped to Examination room 12 for Lee's following check-up.

"Good morning Lee-san. How have you-" She froze.

"Good morning Sakura-san! It is nice to see you so happy today."

"Lee-san what happened to your ankle!?" He clearly braced himself for her question, his ankle weights were absent and in their place his right ankle was wrapped up with fresh bandages and an icepack strapped to the side. Sakura flew to his side, she dragged a stool with her and knelt down as he eased the ankle onto it.

"Well you see... Gai-sensei may have agreed with your note and eased back my training. But I felt that I could be doing more! After training I alone decided to at least do half of my usual training so I could stay in top form. However at some point I slipped and landed at an odd angle." He clapped his hands together and bowed his head. "Please don't tell Gai-sensei! He will be so disappointed!"

Sakura let out an exasperated sigh as she carefully undid the messily self-administered bandages.

"Lee-san, I understand why you want to keep your previous training up. But in your current recovering body I need you to listen to my advice. You're my responsibly and I want what's best for you. You're frustration is understandable but temporary, a permanent injury is forever."

Lee lowered his arms dejectedly at her words.

"... I... I am truly sorry, Sakura-san. I didn't mean to discredit you as my healer." She focused her chakra into her hands and gently let the healing energy seep through his skin and into his veins. She focused on feeling the irregularities in his ankle for the injury and sighed relieved to find it only a sprain.

"I don't doubt that you're sorry. But I'm your medic and I need you to listen to me. So what I am going to do is a more thorough examination. I'm going to put in a formal request to Gai-sensei to join him for a training session so I can see what he's having you do. Then I'll be able to solidify a more personal training schedule that is kinder on your healing body while still helping you feel that you're doing all you can be doing." Her focus unwavering as she worked on fixing the stretched ligaments, easing the process with giving her chakra a chilling texture to help ease the aching. It may be unnecessary multitasking but she was Tsunade's disciple for a reason and went through the process as easily as breathing.

"Oh! That sounds wonderful!" Lee's enthusiasm was back along with that fire in his eyes. "Gai-sensei will be happy to hear that you are joining us, I'll tell him myself!"

"That's unnecessary but thank you Lee-san." Healing his sprain didn't last much longer. After she finished, they went through the motion of the check-up again and ended with Lee giving her a thumbs up and "Have a nice day, Sakura-san! I look forward to our training!"

Later that day Sakura was on her way home with a dango stick in her mouth a box with more in her hand as she strolled down the street. She'd had a good rest of the day, she had assisted in the civilian Mihara's delivery of her child, she had assisted in a surgery to remove a small amount of a patient small intestine, and she had worked under Tsunade and Shizune as the three of them powered through a mountain of paperwork.

After her conversation with Lee, she had sent an official letter through Tsunade with her permission to train under Gai that coming Friday. She began speculating on what his teams training would entail as she chewed her sweet.

"Young Sakura!" Said girl nearly choked on her snack as the loud voice of Maito Gai boomed from a roof overhead. The man leapt right in her path with a strong pose and a beaming smile.

"Good evening, Gai-sensei," she said after regaining her breath, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Ah, such an articulate and humble student. Why yourself of course! I just received your training request and had to tell you of my excitement!" He held up a tight fist as he spoke.

"As nice as that is to hear, you could have just sent me a reply letter?" Sakura found herself giggling at the sensei's eagerness.

"Dear Sakura, you'll soon realise I don't quite work that way. A personal message is much more meaningful than a simple letter. Not to mention I felt I had to see you in person." Sakura blinked and tilted her head. Gai was a difficult person to scrutinize just because of his sheer genuineness, there never seemed to be an ulterior motive behind his actions, he was too much of an honest person for that.

"I felt it important to see that you were well. I'm not a man of inaction, but I'll admit that when I had heard that Kakashi had left for a solo mission I wasn't sure what I should do." Sakura blinked and felt her shoulders stiffen. Gai's gaze was still earnest even with the more serious tone he was using. "I don't like to avoid topic's so I'll admit that I was a bit worried about you. When I heard that you became the Hokage's disciple I was impressed! But you're still Kakashi's student. I want you to know that he doesn't mean to abandon you."

Sakura lowered her dango and her gaze slipped to the bricks below.

"...Kakashi, he... He never takes loss well. Loosing a student... and then another leaving him... It doesn't surprise me that he's isolated himself further by taking up missions again." Gai was closer now, he placed his large hands ever so gently on her shoulders and knelt down to her eye level.

"But I want you to know he hasn't abandoned you. Kakashi is still your sensei and still cares about you very much. I may not agree with his decision to leave, so when he comes back you will be able to show him just how much you've improved. You'll get to remind him that a strong and capable student is standing right here and ready for his next lesson."

Sakura blinked as her vision became misty with unshed tears. She brought a hand up and wiped at them. "...Thank you Gai-sensei... That really means a lot to hear." The man gave her shoulders a squeeze.

"I believe in you, Sakura." She sniffled, feeling completely overwhelmed with support. Tsunade, Shizune, Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai, all these amazing ninja held so much faith in her. She wiped again as her gratitude filled tears threatened to spill more. "Thank you so much..."

She gave one last sniffle and pulled up her head to meet his eyes, " I promise I wont let you down." She smiled.

"That's what I like to see!" He beamed and gave her head a ruffle before straightening back on his feet. "You go get some shut eye, it'll be a few days until you train with my team but I expect to see you bright eyed and bushy tailed by five in the morning at the village entrance gates!" She nodded.

"Yes, Gai-sensei!"

"Good, we'll see you then."

"Oh, here sensei. As a thank you." She reached into her box and pulled out another dango stick.

"How gracious as well. You're a very sweet student." He joked with a wink as he took the treat and popped it in his mouth. Sakura felt the joke was something her own father would say and found herself giggling.

"Good night, Gai-sensei." She waved as he saluted, leapt up onto a roof and then out of sight.

Although that was a nice and necessary conversation, Sakura felt drained after it. She'd gotten home, bid her parents a good night, took a shower and curled up in bed suddenly feeling all her energy drained. Just before closing her eyes she blinked and saw her little letter pile sitting atop her bedside table. Her eyes drooped and she resolved that she'd go over them tomorrow.

They sat there neglected for the following week.

"Good Morning, my precious students!" Gai boomed energetically near the village gates.

"Good morning Gai-sensei!" The four genin came jumping onto the scene from different locations and landed in front of the man.

"Oh Haruno-san? I didn't know you'd be the guest training with us today." Tenten leaned over to smile at the pinkette.

"Morning, yeah I'm tagging along for the day. Since I'm Lee-san's medical professional now, I wanted to see his training process and tune it to work better with his healing progress." She smiled and readjusted her grip on her backpack. "And you can just call me Sakura. I mean aren't you guys a year older than me?"

Tenten shrugged, "eh, who cares? Just call me Tenten." Sakura smiled at the easy conversation.

"Yes! Sakura-san is a great medic and it is so kind of her to join us today!" Lee pumped a fist clearly very excited.

"Well said, Lee! Sakura is a part of the team for the day, however the spot will always be open should you wish to join us again." Gai gestured to her with and open hand and Sakura nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind, Gai-sensei. Thank you for letting me join your team for the day. I look forward to our session."

Neji crossed his arms, "very well."

"Alright team! How about we start with ten laps around the village!" Gai pumped his fist in the air closely followed by Lee's cheer and Neji and Tenten's reluctant agreement. Sakura was happy that she'd assumed she would need to stretch before joining the team as they all leapt atop the gate over head and began their run.

Sakura paced herself, feeling eternally grateful for all of Tsunade's training as she ran the laps with relative ease.

The team were all pacing themselves well so the closest thing to a conversation was Gai's constant encouragements.

The laps came to an end and no one in the team was even close to being out of breath.

With this team being the Taijutsu specialists, Sakura had no doubt they were use to rounds like this.

After the laps, Gai had the team doing a 500m hand walk through the village. Sakura clipped the slits of her apron skirt and followed along as the team began. Once in a rhythm, the team all on their hands began making their way down the street beginning to bustle with street stalls.

"Hey, Sakura." The medic looked to see Tenten coming to her side as both girls continued their hand walks. "I've got to ask, what's it like training under Tsunade-sama?"

Sakura blinked and thought for an appropriate word. "If I had to sum it up in a word? Intense."

Tenten laughed, "I'll bet it is! But it's got to be rewarding. I mean, she's the strongest Kunoichi in the world! One of the legendary Sanin and our Hokage. I'm amazed she even took a disciple with how reclusive she was rumoured to be."

"Yeah it took a small amount of begging on my part," Sakura chuckled as the two avoided merchants on the street and keep up with the other teammates not too far away, "But I'm really grateful. I don't think I'd be able to keep up with your team without her training."

Tenten smirked, "yeah, you're doing pretty well so far. We've got a whole lot more to go so make sure you pace yourself."

"I will, and speaking of Tsunade-shishou. She's got a first aid medic class happening tomorrow run by Shizune-san and I'll be assisting. Ino will be coming and maybe even Hinata, would you be interested in coming? You seem to admire Tsunade-shishou."

Tenten looked to be thinking the idea over and Sakura noted Neji's attention shifted to the two when she mentioned Hinata. "I don't know. You see I'm not really interested in the medical side of Tsunade-sama's expertise, not to discredit how important medical ninjutsu is or anything. But my skill is more in the fighting stuff and weapons application. Besides my chakra control isn't nearly good enough for any medical practices."

Sakura could see where the girl was coming from. "I understand, still a spots always open if you wanted to learn."

"Thanks, I appreciate the thought. I'd love it if we could spar sometime though! I'd love to see a disciple of Tsunade-sama's fighting capabilities up close." She held a fiery determination in her eyes that closely reminded Sakura of Gai.

"Sure! That sounds like fun." She smiled as the group turned a corner.

"I would like to join in for that lesson, Sakura-san!" Sakura turned her head to see they had caught up and Lee had come to her other side still on his hands. "You're interested in medical ninjutsu?"

"Very much so!" Tenten blinked slowly.

"But Lee, you know you're garbage with ninjutsu." His expression froze in horror as he realised his teammate was right. "Oh... right."

"It's okay Lee-san. If you're interested then it'd still be worth it to attend and see. Some of the training is just going to be recognising symptoms for a quick diagnosis for first aid, yes there'll be some medical ninjutsu but it's more of an introductory course than anything. It wouldn't hurt just to see." Sakura encouraged and the boy perked up.

"That is a fantastic idea! In that case I will attend!" His pace picked up slightly and he turned to look at Neji who was hand walking side by side with the sensei.

"Hey Neji! Would you like to join us for a medical ninjutsu course! You're chakra control skills are incredible, surely you'd be exceptional!" Lee voiced happily and Neji responded with a click of his tongue.

"Unnecessary." His tone was curt and gave the impression that he wanted the conversation dismissed.

Sakura raised a curious and mildly offended brow, he felt very dismissive of medical ninjutsu despite its importance and the pinkette as a medic didn't like that. But she didn't know Neji all that well so she didn't feel like having any kind of argument considering she was a guest in their team, so she dropped the subject.

"So this 500m hand walk is your normal routine?"

"Nah, this is the toned downed one we're doing for Lee's sake." Tenten gestured to the boy with a nod of her head.

"Indeed! Usually its 750m!" He beamed and Sakura paled at the number.

Time passed and conversations were had.

They finished their laps and any thought Sakura had of the routine lightening up were soon dashed. They had a few minutes rest before they committed to doing 500 push ups. By that point Sakura had started focusing soothing chakra into her arms to ease the ache. This team had been a functioning team use to this routine for nearly 2 years while Sakura had only been training under Tsunade for a few months.

Her training was definitely helping but it would take a lot more for her to go through these drills without the cooling healing chakra.

Following that was another small break before 100m's of single footed forward hops per each leg. This was more fun as the group could chat, Lee and Sakura ended each round with a race to the end, Gai cheered them on as Lee managed to finish first each time though not by much.

A break was then followed by 5 sets of wall sits and then 100 double lateral hops on each side. Sakura was getting better at the exercises but she was starting to ache without the medical chakra soothing the soreness. She and the team had just finished 500 punches to striking posts as Gai congratulated them and announced the final exercise; 500 kicks to the striking post.

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" They chorused from their slouched positions on the grassy floor of training ground 8 and hoisted themselves to their feet.

By this point Sakura was very grateful for her new uniform, the mobility it provided helped ease the burden of her movement and the rapidity of movement was coming easier to her. She was lined up alone a set of posts with Gai at one end followed by Neji, Lee, herself, and Tenten. All following the sensei's counting along the 500 kicks; they were now at 470.

"So, what's up with the backpack?" Tenten panted as she struck the post.

"Huh?" Sakura grunted back.

Tenten gestured to Sakura's backpack laying against a tree. "Oh, it's for a lot of my medical stuff." She grunted '480!' and kept up while ignoring her aching muscles 'Fuck! When is this Over!?' Sakura squeezed her eyes tight upon hearing her inner voice; she must be feeling pretty motivated to hear it.

She shook her head and hurried to keep up with the group strikes. "My thigh pouches can only hold so many weapons y'know? So I fit what I can and everything else goes in there. I know it's not the cutest bag but it works for now." Sakura panted.

"Tell me about it!" Tenten laughed. "Why not get some storage scrolls then? They're way easier to manage and way more practical for quick access." She struck the post in sync with the group.

"Yeah? I didn't think about that." Sakura smiled as she thought the idea over. Storage scrolls were a pricey purchase but Kurenai had mentioned that her weapon system was hectic and needed order. "That's a really good idea."

"Oh! I know a great place for scrolls!" Tenten smiled, "they do great scrolls and I think I they're having a sale to get back straps to hold them this week. That'd be perfect for you!"

Sakura felt her smile widen, 'Hell yeah! 490!' and she struck extra hard.

"That sounds perfect! I was planning to go shopping with Ino and Hinata at some point, do you want to come with us? We can check the place out together."

"Sure! I'd love to, I don't have any friends I can shop with or anything."

"But Tenten! You shop with us all the time!" Lee voiced at his log.

"Girl friends, Lee! It's totally different from shopping with teammates." She rolled her eyes with a fond smile. '495! Come on!'

"Yeah! It'll be fun, I'm sure they'd like you to hang out too." She smiled.

"Thanks, let me know the details and I'll clear the day." Tenten beamed.

"500!" Gai's boisterous voice boomed along with Sakura's inner voice announcing the number '500!' and the team threw their final kick. "Great job team!" He spun to face them and gave a thumbs up as their knees buckled and they collapsed to the grass. Sakura was noticeably panting harder than the other students who were more use to the exercises.

"I think today's training went better than the last, and I hope today was educational for you, young Sakura." She panted and struggled to hold her head up.

"I... I think it was... Gai-sensei..." She voiced now fully feeling the aching in her body thumping along with her heartbeat. Sakura focused for a moment on sending out a small amount of chakra to cool her body from the inside. She knew to just ride the aching out, using healing chakra now would stifle the progress her muscles would make from such an gruelling training session.

"Wonderful! Well then team, I do believe it's time for lunch. Any suggestions?" Gai raised a brow.

Lee threw his slightly trembling arm in the air, "oh! That yakisoba establishment from last week!"

"Nice idea, Lee." He ruffled the boys hair before turning to Sakura, "but what about our guest, why don't we let Sakura pick lunch today?"

"Oh excellent idea, Gai-sensei!" Lee's eyes were positively glowing as he turned to her. "Sakura-san, you should pick! Where would you like to go?"

"Are you sure? I don't know if I know any great places." She dropped her head to rest close to her shoulder.

"Eh, I don't mind." Tenten waved a dismissive hand, she turned to look at Neji who looked almost completely unaffected by their training session, he responded with a "hm," and looked away.

She grinned, "Neji doesn't mind either."

Sakura struggled for a moment, racking her brain for a place she could suggest they all go. Upon seeing Lee's fiery eyes, Tenten's easy smile, Neji's dismissive gaze, and Gai's encouraging patience; Sakura felt a deep pang in her chest.

"...Ichiraku Ramen..." She felt her hands tightly gripping the grass in her fingers, "could we go to Ichiraku Ramen?"

She looked up and met Gai's eyes, he must have seen something in her then because his smile softened and he put his hands on his hips.

"Ichiraku Ramen it is!" He announced and Lee followed up with a fist in the air and a cheer. Sakura's expression was soft as she eased herself up and to her feet. "Sounds nice," Tenten smiled and turned to encourage Neji to follow the group.

"Lead the way, young Sakura!" Gai encouraged with a pat to her shoulder. Sakura smiled up at the sensei, she nodded and began leading the team towards the restaurant she hadn't visited since Naruto left.

❀

It had been a week since Sakura's new training schedule had been established.

Mondays; she had personal training with Tsunade. The most intense training day as she never knew what to expect.

Tuesdays; after textbook learning she trained with Asuma and Team 10. Mostly mental sparring with Shikamaru whom she'd yet to beat but was getting closer.

Wednesdays; training with Kurenai and Team 8. Sparring with Hinata proved fun and kept her on her toes along with Genjutsu training.

Thursdays; more textbook learning and then back to training with Asuma and Shikamaru, sometimes sparring with Ino.

Fridays; now becoming the day she joined team Gai. More than happy to let her join in and she saw too much of an opportunity in training her Taijutsu with them.

Saturdays and Sundays; interning in Konoha hospital under Shizune and sometimes directly under Tsunade. Essential for her progression as a medic.

Sakura barely had any time to herself now. She'd given Lee a new training regiment to keep him motivated and still easy enough on his body to allow it to heal. He'd been very thankful and Gai had been more than happy to adapt the boy's training for his own good.

Sakura had yet to make much progress with her inner voice but she already had so much to think on that she wasn't terribly fussed at the moment about it. She'd work on that naturally and eventually figure out what to do with it.

She had also gone shopping with Ino, Hinata and Tenten a few days ago and had bought four storage scrolls and a back strap to hold them. The straps around her arms like a backpack and crossed across her back, three lining one strap and the other one at the top of the other strap. The three holding medical supplies, herbs, medicines, antidotes of varying kinds, and the other scroll holding her weaponry she couldn't fit in her thigh pouches.

Sakura was thrilled that the she and the girls had had fun. Hinata still was pretty shy for most of the trip but Ino's confidence and Tenten's friendliness did help her to engage in conversations at least.

Granted  Hinata didn't really buy anything, the most adventurous thing she did was buy some street food to eat, Sakura knowing she didn't usually buy any let her know it was big for the girl and she felt proud.

Ino was such a social butterfly that she as positively glowing throughout the entire experience, and Tenten was enthusiastic about showing off her specific shopping knowledge and more than happy to haggle with shopkeepers trying to rip any of them off. Sakura hadn't had that much fun in a long time.

Her heart ached thinking about how much fun she had with her own teammates.

She fell atop her bed completely exhausted.

She landed with a thump on her duvet and let the aching make her numb. She blinked tiredly as her vision was beginning to loose focus. She sighed knowing she should shower before she collapsed, the sweat made her hair stick to the nape of her neck and forehead. She heaved a breath before she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

Sakura stretched her arms above her head and sighed upon feeling a satisfying click in her back and let her vision refocus.

Upon doing so, she spotted a pile of letters sitting on her bedside table. She blinked before recognising the pile from a few weeks ago. She hummed before reaching out and taking the pile and dropping it in her lap. Best go through them now seeing how she'd completely forgotten them.

She opened each one, was proven right upon finding receipts, and dropped them to her side. She froze at the last letter. It was bright orange and in messy writing had her name, the hesitant yet messy lines spoke of a hand trying very hard to write neatly. She blinked as she gently held the paper.

Scrolls were used to conceal important information. Letters and envelopes were just simple letters right? So why did she just feel her heart thump upon seeing the endearing writing of her name?

Sakura carefully opened the letter and felt her heart thump again upon recognising the writing.

To Sakura-chan,

I don't have no idea how to write letters! This is the first one I've ever written. Are you proud of me?

I asked Pervy-sage for a while to let me at least tell you how my training was going so he finally agreed that I'm allowed to send you a letter every couple weeks. Sooooooo…. Yeah! Training's going great!

Well, Pervy-sage gets distracted real easy when we got to this new village and he saw a food place with pretty girls. I hate it when he gets distracted cause then he just leaves me to train on my own.

But don't you think that means I'm slacking off! I made the promise of a life time and I'm gonna keep it! My rasengan's getting better and better everyday! Just you wait Sakura-chan, you're definitely gonna be impressed!

I don't know what else to say and Pervy-sage say's I'm only allowed to write a one page letter at a time so I guess I better stop here.

How are you doing? Is Kakashi-sensei training you?

I hope you're not lonely. I can't wait to see you again.

You don't have to write me back but I hope you do but I promise I'll keep writing you!

Promise I'll have more to talk about next time!

From the world's number 1 knuckleheaded ninja,

Naruto!

A tear fell atop the paper and Sakura blinked rapidly upon feeling the tears blurring her vision and falling from her cheeks. She moved the letter to safety before falling back onto the bed, crossing her arms across her eyes and allowing herself to cry.

Reading Naruto's note had brought out her emotions in full force. She missed her team so much. She missed Sasuke. She missed Kakashi. She missed Naruto. She missed being a member of Team 7 so much. She bit her lip as her crying continued.

It was a few moments before Sakura had control of herself again. She sat back up, picked up Naruto's note and held it close to her chest in a hug. Had she ever hugged Naruto? She cared for him so much but she couldn't think of a time she'd really expressed it. It was only now that she was in the absence of his smile, his optimism, his warmth, did she realise how she cared about him.

She held the letter out. Sakura reached into a side pouch and pulled out the thick notebook that Lee had gifted her. Sakura flipped it to the end. She stood and spent a moment shuffling around in a desk draw for tape. She folded Naruto's letter neatly and attached inside the notebook.

So when Sakura felt tired or in need of motivation, she could flip her notebook to the end and find Naruto's note. She smiled and gave a final sniffle before closing the notebook and taking a seat at her desk, pulling out some paper and resolving to write Naruto a letter.

She smiled as she wrote. Her muscles ached. Her head throbbed. Her days left nearly no time to herself. But she was doing this to become a better ninja. She was going to help her boys.