Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Kakashi really didn’t want to be in charge of genin and right now he was deeply regretting the decision to pass them, council be damned. Kakashi knew teaching them would be nearly impossible, on account of having no desire to nor any idea how to instruct kids in the first place. Still, he had hoped that Naruto would have some of his parents’ intelligence. After all both were lauded geniuses, known throughout the elemental nations. But no, Naruto was about as intelligent as a brick. Worse the so called rookie of the year was equally stupid, but in a different way and the less said about the pink banshee the better.

Sadly, there was going to be much said about the pink banshee as she was currently unconscious and bleeding from a head wound, courtesy of the other two idiots on the team. How Naruto managed to drop a bucket of paint on the girl by accident was a mystery, one only equaled by the facts that rookie of the year Sasuke failed to save his teammate nor had Sakura, top kunoichi, managed to dodge it.

‘What a nightmare,’ Kakashi was very much not looking forward to explaining this one to the medics. In fact he wouldn’t, ‘I’ll just leave her in the ER. Protocol will handle the rest.’ The jounin decided while taking in the carnage. He knew how the hospital worked and so he shunshined in, dropped the girl into a waiting chair then flickered away before anyone could stop and ask questions. Like why hadn’t he done anything to save her, which was a fair question. Shame he’d never acknowledge it.

***

‘My fucking head,’ the thought shot through her skull like an angry bolt of lightning and she grit her teeth in pain. A cooling wave of something swept over the skin atop her head and the agony slowly faded away and curious jade eyes opened to reveal a hospital room. ‘What’s going on? Please tell me nobody called an ambulance, I can’t afford that!’ Panic started to creep in but she swept it aside, detaching from her emotions with the practiced ease of someone who’d lived through just a bit too much.

The sensation of facial muscles relaxing into a blank mask was comforting, familiar and she was thankful she’d trained that little response into herself. Facial expressions could trigger emotional responses, creating a feedback loop and knowing that had made a world of difference. Appearing calm actually helped with maintaining calm. It wasn’t perfect but every little advantage she could get was latched onto with all the zeal of a soul terrified of death.

“Sakura-chan?” An unfamiliar voice asked and she didn’t acknowledge it. It wasn’t her name, she didn’t know who they were speaking to and jade eyes moved over the small hospital room before realization struck. It was just her and a man in a doctor’s outfit, he had been talking to her. The man spoke again, in a language that wasn’t quite japanese but was similar enough that it had to be related.

‘Why is he so tall? Wait, why is everything so big? And that’s not english he’s speaking. Fuck, it’s not any language I understand. Or I’m in a fever dream. Perhaps this is hell? How do I communicate, I have no idea what they’re saying. The guy looks Asian but he’s not speaking japanese.’ The girl’s thoughts raced a mile a minute, spiraling off into parallel tangents while the man spoke at her then paused. He spoke again and the girl watched him, jade eyes bright with intelligence but absent of understanding.

The man spoke again then when he got no reaction he said her name again “Sakura-chan?” there was a question attached, or at least it sounded like it. ‘Is it a tonal language? I hope not, I don’t know anything about those. Let’s hope this is just a dream, I’m dreaming, let’s just go along with it, yes I’m Sakura-chan, love me or die!’ The girl thought and pointed at herself. A sigh of relief came from the man and she relaxed slightly. Apparently pointing at herself was the correct response but aside from that, she was drawing blanks.

The man got up then left and without someone watching her, it became nearly impossible not to fall apart. ‘Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic.’ The mantra repeated on a loop. She had no idea what the fuck was going on or why. ‘Okay brain, what’s the last thing you remember? You’re good at that right? Remembering things?’ With that thought, memories suddenly boiled up out of nowhere.

She was walking back from taco bell, bag and drink in one hand, her other on her concealed gun. The cool spring air was refreshing and the inky blackness of the night was a welcome companion. The crowded streets of the city that never slept were mostly empty this late, or rather early and she had the sidewalk to herself. A flash of headlights streaked across her eyes and she was momentarily blinded, light sensitivity kicking in at the worst possible time.

Straining her ears, she heard the sound of tires squealing angrily and felt the sidewalk vibrating under her feet. ‘Oh shit!’ The thought screamed through her mind and she dove to the side, blinking away the after burns of the headlights just in time to see she wasn’t going to make it. Pain exploded through her body and the next thing she knew, she was in a hospital being called Sakura-chan.

‘Truck-kun why! Well, that’ll teach me to be a fucking pedestrian. I didn’t even go down in a blaze of glory! How embarrassing!’ She felt like laughing hysterically but if she did that, she’d inevitably start crying and fall to pieces. ‘No, don’t panic, don’t think, you’re calm, you’re in control, don’t lose your grip. You’re invincible, unstoppable, you’ve never met a problem you couldn’t crack. You’re also very short and probably adorable with a name like Sakura-chan.’ Self encouragement coupled with good old fashioned detachment fought off the wave of terror and she took a slow, deep breath, before noticing the door open and the doctor returning.

He motioned for her and called her ‘name’ again. “Sakura-chan.”

‘Stern but not harsh, no questioning pitch, it’s a command but a friendly one and apparently I’m officially Sakura now. We’ll figure that shit out later, first follow the doctor. One mystery at a time, do not think yourself to death, you need your mind on your immediate situation girl.’ Gritting her teeth, Sakura followed the doctor out of the room.

What followed was a battery of x-rays, blood tests, glowy hands and an MRI. When all of that was done, more conversations were held, not that Sakura understood a word. Still with no immediate sign of danger and more importantly, no talk of debts or American “Healthcare”, Sakura managed to stay pretty calm. It was rather amazing what being freed from student debt could do to a mind and Sakura was certain by now she wasn’t in America. In fact, she was pretty sure she’d either died or was dying and this was her brain’s last, insane musings.

‘Always treat reality as presented as reality until shown otherwise. Never gamble with your life.’ Sakura reminded herself, knowing that there were too many unknowns to be stupid. ‘We’ve got no information, no communication and no known allies. Pay attention, don’t discount anything and stay fucking calm.’ The self reminder was necessary because panic didn’t simply go away, even if you dissociated your mind from your emotions. The panic, anxiety and terror were all still present, she just wasn’t aware of them. The chemicals were still in her brain, floating around but if she couldn’t process them, they wouldn’t influence her thoughts or actions, unless of course something reconnected them and then it’d be full blown panic attack time.

***

Kakashi was watching Naruto and Sasuke squabble and fight when a courier appeared for him. The man was a genin runner who usually ran messages for the hospital. ‘Great, Pinky’s awake.’ Kakashi smiled at the man as he delivered a scroll. ‘That’s odd, why send a scroll, do they need me back in ANBU? But they wouldn’t use a genin for that.’ Kakashi thought, opening the scroll and reading the message within.

‘Pinky’s got total amnesia and can’t read, write or speak anymore? She’s going to be in rehab for a bit then. Great, I only passed them this week, so I’m stuck with her until one of these two idiots make chunin. Oh well, at least the hospital is used to this kind of rehab,’ amnesia and loss of mental faculties were very common among ninja and while the hospital was a joke compared to what it once was, getting ninja back in action, if they survived their injuries, was a process that had long ago been mastered.

‘Pinky’s a bookworm so I’m sure she’ll pick up language quickly and at least I won’t have to hear her screeching for a while.’ Kakashi thought happily, putting no more thought into the pink haired girl’s fate. Sure as the jounin instructor it had technically been his fault she’d received a fractured skull on a D rank but hey, what kind of ninja couldn’t dodge a can of paint? ‘Then again her teammates aren’t any better.’ Kakashi looked at the dunce who’d managed to drop a can of paint despite being a genin and then glanced over at the avenger who couldn’t even stop said can of paint from braining his crush. At least Kakashi was fairly certain he had a crush on the pink haired girl, he tolerated her presence more then he did Naruto’s and she was just as obnoxiously loud.

‘I wonder if dying on a D rank would be enough to get out of teaching them?’ Kakashi mused, trying to determine if he could feasibly fake his own death. ‘Tora is pretty vicious, I’m sure that cat could kill a man.’ Kakashi wondered as he daydreamed of escaping his responsibilities, ignoring Naruto and Sasuke roll around in the dirt, beating each other senseless.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

‘So I guess I’m Sakura-chan now, or is chan an honorific? If it is, that matches japanese but I really don’t want to be called something cutesy. Sakura-san would be better.’ Sakura carefully kept her thoughts off what the fuck was going on, because she knew better. ‘Don’t dwell on the details of how or why right now. Just accept and move on, you’ll just spiral into a panic and we cannot afford that right now.’ At least that’s what she kept telling herself on a loop whenever she felt her pulse begin to quicken and her breathes begin to shake.

The doctor lead her through the hospital to a room where he pointed at the bed, said a few things in what sounded like a comforting tone then simply left her there. ‘Well, guess it’s time for the waiting game.’ Sakura thought, ignoring the bed and instead walking to the window. What she saw shattered what little was left of her self control as she began to giggle, tears running down her face as her panic became too much to control. Towering over the hospital was a mountain with four massive faces carved into it, faces she recognized.

‘I’m in ninja hell! Fuck! I’m Sakura!’ Hysterical laughter echoed off the walls as her legs failed her and she fell to the ground, long pink hair fluttering around her. It was beautiful, silky and the length was right, but it wasn’t the platinum blond she’d known her whole life, instead it was the vivid white-pink of cherry blossoms, a color that the anime had entirely failed to capture properly. Sakura laughed herself unconscious, unable to hold herself together any longer. This wasn’t a situation you could just accept or have fun in, not for someone who functioned almost entirely on logic.

‘Oh gods, everything hurts.’ The thought bounced through a throbbing brain as Sakura’s eyes opened to reveal the floor of her hospital room. She’d collapsed onto it during her panic attack and groaned, realizing where she was. The urge to cry resurfaced but she held it back, barely, pulling herself to her feet and looking out the window. ‘What time is it? What’s the day? How old am I? Am I a ninja yet? Fuck, without canon Sakura, we’re all going to die. She’s not actually useless after all, just poorly written.’ That sobered her up quickly and she shifted until she was sitting with her back against the wall, legs crossed and chin resting on her palm.

‘Without Sakura, we’re all going to die, but I don’t really remember much about the plot. Okay, what do I know, Sakura’s um boy crazy. Who did she like? Sasuke? Not Naruto, maybe? Okay, doesn’t matter, they’re kids and I’m not and that’d be creepy. So what else, threats, um everyone, ninja hell. Big threats, Orochimaru, Itachi but was he a good guy? Maybe? Can’t risk it, but there were others. Danzo, Madara and moon lady. Fuck I barely remember the plot, it’s been a decade since I read the manga and the butterfly has already flapped her wings.’ Sakura took several deep breaths, trying to stay calm but couldn’t quite manage it. Still, she was so emotionally exhausted from her previous panic attack she couldn’t really freak out and just stared at the floor.

‘Goals, learn to speak, learn to read, learn how to not die. Getting stronger is probably a good idea too but how the fuck I’m going to do that with however little time I have is beyond me. The show ended before they were twenty and judging by my height, I’m over ten which means I don’t even have a decade to work with. Fuck. Canon Sakura was a freak in the show when you actually think about how fast she improved.’ Sakura wasn’t sure she could live up to the original but she didn’t really have a choice. It was do or die and she didn’t want to die, possibly for a second time. ‘Let’s not think about it, panic attacks are bad!’ The thought was tinged with false cheer and she smirked as if she was in full control of the situation, the expression giving her the confidence she needed to rise to her feet and look out the window.

“Sakura-chan?” The door slid open and a woman walked in wearing a lab coat over street clothes.

‘I see scrubs haven’t been invented here yet.’ Sakura thought, letting her expression slip back to something neutral as she turned to face the woman. Smirking randomly wouldn’t go well, especially considering they no doubt knew she’d had some form of brain damage. The woman said a few more words and Sakura watched, unsure what she was saying. When silence fell between them and Sakura didn’t answer, the woman frowned.

“Sakura-chan?” She asked again and Sakura pointed at herself and the woman let out a sigh of relief. She wrote a few things down on her pad before leaving and coming back with a book full of pictures. She motioned for Sakura to approach and then began slowly pointing at individual pictures and saying the name of whatever was pictured, waiting for Sakura to repeat the words and randomly going back a few pages to test her.

‘Well, they’re certainly quick to get to rehabilitation.’ Sakura thought, happy to have something to tie up her mental facilities. Memorization was something she’d always excelled at and while she didn’t know if she had a photographic memory in this body, she was fairly certain canon Sakura was smart so she wasn’t too worried. ‘At least I won’t suffer from a lack of motivation.’ She thought, putting her all into memorizing the common words being taught to her. Phrases and sentences were days if not weeks away but she was more then happy to start small. Baby steps were how everyone started walking after all, even Madara.

Sakura lost herself in the training but as the sun began to set, the nurse packed her book up and left Sakura alone. Dinner was provide, the hospital food just as bland in this world as it was in her own, but at least there were no receipts or bills anywhere in sight. Sakura scarfed down her food, eating all of it despite it tasting of cardboard then looked around her room for something to do. Manic energy possessed her that not even hours of mental exercise could burn off and she needed to move.

‘I guess I could work out.’ The thought was immediately put into action and the pink haired girl ran through every body weight exercise she could manage in her room until she was exhausted. ‘Fuck does working out aid in stress relief. Too tired to think is a blessing.’ The girl wiped the sweat off her forehead and walked into the small bathroom attached to her room, peeling her hospital gown off and showering. The water was cool but not cold and while it wasn’t good for her muscles, nothing cramped, thankfully.

Once she was dried off, Sakura gently toweled her hair before combing it by hand as best she could and then braided it. She had nothing to tie it closed with and settled for ripping off the lowest strap of her hospital gown and using that before settling in to bed. Sleep found her surprisingly quickly and she was blessed with a night free of dreams or nightmares.

Sakura snapped awake to the sound of the room’s door nob turning and her eyes zeroed in on a nurse walking in with breakfast. She spotted the book from yesterday under the woman’s arm and immediately perked up. She ate breakfast while learning more words for the next hour or so before the nurse left and another came in, picking up where she’d left off. ‘They’re rotating through staff, am I a rest shift or something?’ Sakura wondered as she saw eight different faces over the course of the day, applying herself with every ounce of hard earned discipline she had. When the day finally came to a close and dinner was delivered along with a review of what she had covered, Sakura found she had calmed down significantly.

‘Still don’t know when this is, fuck how much time do I have?’ The thought was concerning but she was already detached from her emotions and the panic simply did not compute. ‘I bet Danzo would fucking love me, natural born root.’ The thought should have been terrifying but yet again, she simply could not connect with her emotions if she didn’t want to. Bullying, life in violent neighborhoods, gender dysphoria and of course a fun family meant she had three decades of experience in shutting down unwanted reactions and simply persevering.

‘I’m so fucked, but at least I have nice hair and I’m actually physically female! Win some, lose some, over all I’d call this a win.’ Sakura glanced at the mirror, taking in her far too young body and observing herself carefully. Haruno Sakura was a beautiful child, like a living doll with idealized features and exotic coloration. ‘Why was she upset about her forehead? It’s perfectly normal sized, she just wears her hair all wrong. Kids, can’t appreciate what they’ve got.’ Shaking her head, she set about going into another workout before realizing that she was supposed to be a ninja, which meant stealth.

‘I should practice walking silently,’ Sakura decided and looked down at her bare feet, wondering if she could find a way to ask for shoes. A thought hit her as she was considering footwear, an idea that a child and even most adults would pass over but Sakura was a brutally practical person. ‘I should dress to get people to underestimate me. If I wear clothes that scream ninja and danger, even if I’m stealthy, every mistake will be punished.’ She reasoned while doing her best to walk quietly as she paced around the room. She slowly broke her movements down, figuring out how her clothes rubbed against each other with every step and how to minimize the noise she made.

‘What kind of outfit and persona would want to sneak occasionally but would also be underestimated and discounted as a threat? Merchants obviously but what level of physical fitness would blow that cover? Merchants probably don’t defend themselves so any level of musculature wouldn’t fit. Then again if I was a fledgling merchant perhaps I can’t afford bodyguards?’ Sakura thought, testing different steps for sound and speed, balancing the two as she walked.

Muscle memory would be critical in speeding things up but today everything was slow and experimental. The difficulty of learning was compounded by the fatigue of her prior workout but Sakura powered through, careful not to over exert herself yet not giving in to the weakness of her body either. It was a delicate balance and one she knew well thanks to her many injuries over the course of her life.

Keeping herself busy and focused was how Sakura normally kept anxiety at bay, however she could hardly continue working out once her mind slipped into unconsciousness. Dreams of her past and possible future shattered her peace and Sakura woke screaming. Memories of chases and slurs were still ringing in her ears as she blinked away the remnants of her nightmares, heart pounding and nausea forcing her to dash for the bathroom. Emptying her stomach, Sakura slumped against the porcelain toilet, shivering violently thanks to the cold sweat covering her body.

‘I’m so going to die.’ The thought brought tears to her eyes but Sakura grit her teeth and forced the painful memories to the surface. Screams of faggot and freak caused her heart to stop pounding with fear and begin to instead race with rage. ‘Fuck dying, fuck breaking, fuck them, fuck this I’m going to live.’ Determination roared through her and she slammed her fist into the ground, calling upon the only emotion that never let her down, harnessed rage. Where hope could fail and determination could break, anger wasn’t an emotion so easily quelled.

Taking several slow breaths, Sakura calmed herself, burning away the pain with her anger then letting it fall away, using the moment of clarity to detach from her emotions and rise to her feet. ‘This is going to be a struggle, get your head screwed on straight because we’re in this for the long haul. You need to save this fucked up world and not let anyone into your head while you do it. Konoha is a dictatorship in a feudal system, they’d kill a democratic socialist simply for existing. Keep your head down, mind focused and mouth shut.’

***

Two months of grueling mental exertion resulted in getting to a conversational level of communication. Sakura had done everything she could to prepare herself. She’d learned roughly what time of year it was and how old she was. Sakura was twelve, physically, though mentally she was thirty. She was an emancipated adult as well, though she still lived with her parents. The fact they hadn’t visited her was concerning but she didn’t know them nor did she care for them, at all.

‘It sucks they lost their daughter but if they didn’t visit her and don’t have a good excuse, they don’t deserve her in the first place. Then again Sakura had a split personality in the show and violently suppressed herself, not that I’m one to talk.’ Sakura thought, before an obvious answer rang through her mind. ‘Where her parents abusive? Gods I hope not, she had it bad enough being a child soldier.’ Sakura honestly didn’t want to find out, but she’d need to go home soon since she was going to be discharged from the hospital today.

‘I’m still part of Team Seven, though none of them visited me either.’ Sakura thought, moving to the desk and looking at the nurse behind it.

“Hello Sakura-chan, what’s this called?” The woman tapped the desk and Sakura smiled back happily.

“Desk, right?” The language was still a bit unnatural in her mouth but she’d nearly mastered it. Learning to read was coming along well and she’d registered for supplementary classes to handle that particular weakness. The hospital might be understaffed with medical ninja, but it had plenty of therapists who could get a ninja back on their feet in ridiculously short order, a side effect of the militarized healthcare system.

“Right you are,” the woman flashed a smile before handing Sakura her discharge papers. After a few quick questions over what certain symbols meant, because they used fucking logograms that resembled old school chinese characters, Sakura was proud to say she’d been able to read her release forms. It would be a nightmare to truly master the local language but knowledge was power and Sakura needed it desperately. She’d always been good at self teaching, even if it was easier to learn from other humans, and she had a lot of ground to cover because Kakashi hadn’t visited her once and judging by his portrayal in the show, wouldn’t ever teach her anything.

“Alright, here,” Sakura signed her name, paying extra attention to the characters to make them neat before handing the paper over.

“Of all our amnesia patients, you’ve had one of the fastest recoveries on record Sakura-chan.” The nurse gave her a proud smile and Sakura returned it easily. Praise was rare in her first life and she’d soak up whatever she could get whenever she could.

‘Win some lose some, ended up in ninja hell, got a second chance at being young.’ Sakura thought as she waved to the woman and walked outside, finding two people that didn’t really look all that much like her waiting for her.

“Sakura, come we’re heading home.” The woman ordered and Sakura raised an eyebrow at her and tilted her head.

“I have amnesia, you got ID? I’m not going anywhere with people I don’t remember.” Sakura didn’t bother to pull her punches. She wasn’t even sure they were her parents, after all this was ninja hell. She couldn’t trust anyone because everyone was paranoid and plotting, just for the sake of it. ‘What a mad world.’ Sakura thought, wondering if she could change things for the better once moon lady was handled, whenever that would happen.

“Sakura, stop being so disrespectful to your mother and come along, now!” The man, who Sakura suspected was this body’s biological father snapped. Sakura shifted her position casually as if she was tired, doing her best to bring her right hip out of their line of fight so her hand could slip down to it and hover just over her holster and the kunai inside.

“Yeah, no, I don’t know you so IDs or no dice.” Sakura’s eyes began to move rapidly over the two people in front of her. The woman didn’t have any visible muscle or tan, which might mean something, might not. The man however had visible muscle definition, a bear belly and was fairly tall. He’d be a threat so if they got physical, she’d go for the knee, ruin the joint and flee.

“Sakura, stop making a scene and come with us now!” Her supposed mother demanded and Sakura noticed people beginning to pay attention. She spotted a few folk with headbands, making eye contact with them and silently wishing she knew sign language. ‘Another thing to learn.’ She thought and then looked back to her parents.

“IDs now or I’m leaving. I’ve got a team meeting today anyways.” Sakura informed the two which finally set them off. The man stepped forward, reaching out to grab her shoulder and that was that. She ducked forward, drawing her knife without caring that the blade was pointed in the wrong direction, it wouldn’t matter. She moved under the man’s hand and slammed the metal ring of her knife straight into the man’s kneecap, feeling the bone crunch under the blow then moved back, using her experience from her last life to slide rather then jump so she was never on unsteady footing.

The man hit the ground with a cry of pain and the woman screamed.

“What have you done?! This ninja madness has gone too far-” Sakura ignored the woman, slipping her knife back into her holster, Sakura confidently, but quickly walked away.

“Maa, Sakura-chan that wasn’t very nice.” A man wearing a face mask with fluffy white hair drawled as she turned a corner. He was standing atop a nearby building looking down at her with a bright orange book in his hand.

“Self defense, sir.” She could see the man’s headband was covering his left eye. ‘Is that kakashi? Hard to say since nobody looks like a cartoon. Still how many one eyed mask wearing white haired ninja are there?’ Sakura wondered as the man closed his book and dropped down to the street.

“Well, we’ve got a team meeting at the third training ground,” Kakashi stated and Sakura tilted her head.

“ID?” She asked and the man paused, eye widening slightly with shock before he fished out his ninja ID and offered it to her. “Is this real?”

“Would I tell you if it wasn’t?” Kakashi countered and Sakura shrugged.

“Honestly? No idea, would you?” Sakura watched the man blink slowly, observing her as if she was some alien creature before shrugging.

“Perhaps,” he said finally before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

“Great, no directions, well time for operation ask every ninja I see.” Sakura looked at the roofs and tested how high she could jump. The answer was, not high enough. ‘Jesus Christ she’s weak and I’ve been training myself constantly for two months!’ Sakura thought, asking around until she finally got directions from a nice giant of a man wearing a gray trench-coat and a bandanna.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Sasuke always arrived at training ground 3 ten minutes early, without fail. He knew his sensei would be late and he knew Naruto would also be late, though only by a few minutes, but despite his lackluster team, Sasuke refused to slack off. ‘Useless fools, while I’m wasting time waiting for an idiot sensei, I’m not getting any stronger.’ Sasuke thought furiously, not even paying any mind to the missing member of Team 7 who’d been absent since their first official mission as a team.

“Teme! Morning ‘ttebayo!” Naruto shouted, running onto the training field dressed in his obnoxious bright orange outfit.

‘What an embarrassment to ninja.’ Sasuke thought, looking at Naruto with naked disgust. The boy grinned happily at Sasuke before taking in the Uchiha’s scowl and then immediately frowning.

“Teme! What’s with that look, you want to fight huh? Need me to kick your ass?!” Naruto demanded and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Everyday was the same, it was routine, almost nice but he wasn’t getting any stronger and that grated on his nerves until it hurt. He wanted to enjoy antagonizing Naruto and beating him into a pulp, he wanted to enjoy watching Kakashi be utterly incompetent and confused while interacting with clients but he couldn’t. He had to get stronger and kill his brother.

“Like you could, dobe.” Sasuke spat and Naruto let out a battle cry, charging forward without any semblance of form or forethought and it was on.

Hours passed and the sun slowly rose higher into the sky as Sasuke and Naruto fought. They didn’t use jutsu, shuriken or kunai, sticking to pure taijutsu and as always it was utterly one sided. Even with his immense stamina, Naruto sucked at fighting and over the two months they’d been a team Sasuke’s endurance had gotten to the point where he could last until Kakashi showed up.

“Yo!” Kakashi’s voice ended the spar and Naruto immediately flicked a finger at the man, pointing and posing angrily.

“You’re late!” Naruto said, echoing the words he said every day without fail.

“Maa, I found a misplaced genin and had to shepherd her to safety.” Kakashi drawled and Naruto clicked his tongue.

“Yeah right Kakashi-sensei, you were probably just sleeping in.” Naruto huffed and Kakashi ignored him, one visible eye focused on his trademark bright orange book.

“You should trust your sensei more Naruto or you’ll hurt his feelings.” Kakashi’s voice was utterly bored and unbothered as he turned the page of his book and didn’t look up.

“Whatever, hey sensei can you teach me a cool ninjutsu today? Something really powerful that’ll make me stronger?” Naruto asked, somehow still hopefully that Kakashi would listen to his ridiculous requests.

“No, I think we’ll work on more teamwork drills today.” Kakashi drawled and what he actually meant was free sparing. He hadn’t taught them anything yet and that was unlikely to change. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke treated being a ninja seriously. Naruto thought shinobi were fantasy heroes and was completely detached from reality, while Sasuke only cared about his revenge and ignored everything else.

A half hour passed, Naruto and Sasuke had returned to their spar after a brief break and neither questioned the absence of their teammate nor did either notice her arrival. Kakashi however did as she walked over to him, her breath slowing as she came to a stop at his side. It was clear to him she was out of shape, though she had spent two months in the hospital so at least she had an excuse.

“Kakashi-sensei, could I ask you something?” Sakura asked in between controlled breaths. She was tired from jogging around Konoha but her training in her hospital room had improved her stamina enough where she could still train for a bit.

“Hmm?” Kakashi hummed noncommittally and she took that as permission to continue. The man didn’t actually look up from his book but at least he hadn’t poofed away.

“Could you um, teach me how to fight? Or if you don’t want to could you tell me who could? So I could learn? I don’t want to be a bother but, I don’t think I can do what those two are doing.” Sakura pointed over at Naruto and Sasuke who were jumping around and fighting each other mid air in overly acrobatic engagements. Neither of them had noticed the girl’s presence yet and Kakashi was rather disappointed in them, he’d expected at least Sasuke to catch on but of course the Uchiha hadn’t.

“Maa, don’t worry so much Sakura-chan, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Kakashi’s eye crinkled into a crescent and he preceded to effectively dismiss her.

“Um, could you point me to someone then? A name? Or a description? Please?” Sakura knew how to fight with a gun, she knew how to fight with a knife like a normal person but she knew nothing about how to fight while jumping through the air. The two boys were cartwheeling all over the place and she simply could not work out how to pull such a thing off.

“I’m sure you could always go back to the academy.” Kakashi offered and while not great advise, it certainly was an idea. Still, the man had basically told her to fuck off and so she decided to do her own thing.

Kakashi didn’t miss the look of disgust that flickered over the Sakura’s face, it was only there for a moment but she’d looked at him like he was refuse before jogging away. He watched as she ran sprints back and forth until she was tired and then began going through various body weight exercises. It was new behavior as the old Sakura didn’t seem like the type for physical training, but she was still utterly pathetic. She moved no faster then a civilian child, which for a kid who’d been to the academy was beyond embarrassing. It was clear that at least after losing her memory she had some motivation but her amnesia had eliminated her only strength, that being her knowledge which Iruka had praised fervently. Without her book smarts, Sakura was just a civilian girl playing at ninja.

“Alright, we’re going to go on a mission now!” Kakashi called out, drawing Sasuke’s attention away from Naruto who continued to attack him. The blond managed to land a punch on his jaw and Sasuke snarled, throwing a knee into Naruto’s stomach and then delivering a spinning high kick to the blond’s head which threw him to the ground.

“Hn, finally.” Sasuke slipped his hands into his pocket and turned to face Kakashi, finally noticing Sakura. He hadn’t missed the fan girl’s presence but she was different then he remembered. Currently she was walking back and forth between two trees on what looked like a cool down routine, which was nonsensical because the fan girl didn’t train.

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto screeched and ran forward, trying to tackle the girl only to miss.

“Oi! Careful! I just got out of the hospital!” The girl’s tone was different then Sasuke remembered it, though her voice was the same. Instead of screeching, she’d kept her tone level, reprimanding rather then shrill and offended. “And could you introduce yourself? I have amnesia, I don’t know you, sorry.”

“What? You don’t? But we went to school together!” Naruto squawked and Sasuke looked over the girl a bit closer now. She had more muscle definition then he remembered and held herself differently. It was a subtle thing but she seemed more steady somehow.

“We did? I don’t remember anything, could you tell me about yourself?” Sakura asked and Naruto grinned happily.

“Well, I’m Uzumaki Naruto, number one ninja and I’m going to be Hokage one day!” Naruto exclaimed and Sasuke gaped as Sakura nodded along, taking the dobe at his word!

“Oh, well good luck with that, though you might have some competition. I think I’ll give you a run for your money teammate, keep you on your toes.” Sakura smiled playfully as Naruto’s eyes widened before he grinned and pointed at her.

“You’re on Sakura-chan, but I’m going to win!” Naruto exclaimed and she laughed, happily rather then getting annoyed and punching him.

“I look forward to it and who are you? Could you introduce yourself please?” Sakura turned her attention to Sasuke who didn’t see any sign of infatuation. An odd disappointment flashed through him as emerald eyes regarded him with nothing but mild curiosity.

“Hn, Uchiha Sasuke.” Sasuke stated tersely, eyes moving over to Kakashi. “Can we go on our mission now?”

“Sure, meet me at the mission desk!” Kakashi said cheerfully then vanished faster then the eye could follow.

“Fuck he’s fast,” Sakura observed which had Sasuke raising an eyebrow. The girl used to be fairly formal, unless she was attacking Naruto, fighting with Ino or obsessing over him. ‘Then again, she was normally doing one of those three things so could I really call her reserved?’ Sasuke wondered, picturing the almost shy, polite facade she’d presented to the academy instructors.

“Yeah, that’s because he’s a jounin ‘ttebayo! But he’s really useless.” Naruto shouted and Sakura leaned away from him, covering one of her ears.

“Okay, tone down the volume kid, you’re going to ring my ears.” Sakura’s reaction momentarily stunned Naruto and Sasuke. The blond had clearly expected to be hit and screamed at but instead Sakura had quietly reprimanded him and only looked mildly annoyed. “What?”

“You’re different,” Sasuke said, watching the girl blink then nod.

“Yeah, brained myself somehow. Doctor said it was a miracle I survived considering the severe brain damage. They healed it all but total amnesia is still a thing. I don’t know if I have a family, don’t know where I live, don’t know my history. I woke up without knowing how to speak, spent the last two months in a hospital room just learning how to function again.” Sakura explained and Sasuke watched as Naruto’s face went from horrified to supremely guilty as he’d been the one to drop the paint can on her in the first place.

“You’re not mad are you?” Naruto asked and the girl tilted her head and looked at him.

“Why?” Sakura drawled, lacking the usual hostility or judgment she usually showed the blond.

“Well, I might have been the one who uh, hurt you.” Naruto said sheepishly and the girl crossed her arms and looked down at him, falling utterly silent. Sasuke was amazed, this was not the Sakura he knew, though she was probably even more useless now then she used to be seeing as she likely didn’t remember anything she’d learned in the academy.

“Do not do it again. No more tackling hugs, no more pushing me around, swear it and we’re cool. Unless we’re sparring, I need to learn how to fight because I don’t even remember how to throw a punch and mask-sensei wouldn’t even give me pointers when I asked.” Sakura’s words only reinforced Sasuke’s opinion of his teacher and while he certainly liked the new Sakura more than the old one, she was utterly useless. At least she seemed aware of that fact now though.

“Well Sasuke, Naruto, lead the way.” Sakura waved towards the exit and fell into step as they began walking. “Oh, by the way do either of you mind letting me stay at your place while I figure out my life? I might have gotten into a fight with my parents.”

“What?” Naruto screamed and Sakura gave him a look.

“Hey Naruto? Volume control, please.” Sakura said patiently, looking more tired then annoyed.

“Oh, sorry, but what do you mean?” Naruto asked and Sasuke carefully listened in to the conversation while doing his best to look brooding and annoyed.

“Well you see I was getting out of the hospital and two people showed up and demanded I go with them. I asked them for ID since I don’t remember anybody and I don’t want to be kidnapped or something and, well they refused and tried to grab me so I fought back and ran. Then I came here because Kakashi told me to come but he didn’t tell me where here was so I had to find it and that took hours.” Sakura explained and rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by the whole situation.

“You can stay at my place ‘ttebayo! It’s small and a mess but you’re welcome Sakura-chan!” Naruto shouted and the girl nodded before looking over at Sasuke.

“And you? I don’t want to burden either of you but if I can bounce back and forth, I won’t to have to impose on one of you too much. I’ll try to get an apartment or find my home as soon as possible of course.” Sakura explained and Sasuke looked into friendly jade eyes that for once weren’t full of worship. If this was the old Sakura she’d be using this as an excuse to get into his house and stalk him but this new Sakura seemed genuine.

“Whatever,” Sasuke shrugged, not really sure how to handle this. She was useless but she was his teammate and he wouldn’t leave her homeless. If she was annoying, he’d throw her out though.

“Thanks, you two are awesome teammates, that’s a relief. I’m sorry I suck so much.” Sakura apologized and flashed a bashful grin as they approached the mission office.

“You don’t suck Sakura-chan!” Naruto shouted, then flinched and looked at her sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“Please just stop yelling, I’m prone to headaches because of my injury.” Sakura gave Naruto a pleading look and the boy dropped his gaze to the ground, ashamed. It was a new dynamic and it utterly mystified Sasuke, still not much had really changed. Naruto was still obnoxious, Sakura was utterly pathetic but at least she wasn’t a shrieking fan girl oblivious to her own uselessness. It was an improvement and Sasuke hoped she’d drop out of the ninja career before she got hurt.

***

“Team 7, your mission, if you chose to accept it, is to hunt down Tora the cat and retrieve her!” Kakashi said dramatically as they entered the mission office. Naruto was about to squawk an objection but then glanced at Sakura who’d winced preemptively and instead fixed Kakashi with a glare.

“Kakashi-sensei, give us a cool mission!” Naruto protested, though he kept his volume mostly reasonable.

“This is a cool mission, don’t you know? Tora is not just any cat, he’s a demon cat.” Kakashi explained and Naruto’s eyes lit up with excitement.

‘Is this supposed to teach us how to corner a target or do they just use genin for random shit?’ Sakura wondered, looking around the room curiously. There were several different desks, most dedicated to genin teams but a few were meant for chunin. Jounin took their missions elsewhere, either directly from the Hokage while he was in his office or at the jounin headquarters depending upon its classification and importance.

‘Do I have anything to attract a random cat?’ Sakura quickly rifled through her things, not finding anything all that useful for catching a cat, however she did have some thin steel wire, a pair of oddly shaped knives and some throwing stars. ‘Why couldn’t it be weapons I understand!’ She lamented, wondering how she was going to survive ninja hell with even less knowledge then the canon character. Sure she knew the upcoming threats, vaguely, but she didn’t know the circumstances and had no skills at all. ‘Surely canon Sakura at least knew how to use these things. I’m fucking toast.’

With that thought, Sakura followed her team out into the city to hunt down a cat. Kakashi let them take the lead after pointing them to the general area the cat was last seen in. Sasuke and Naruto quickly got into an argument over who was in command and Sakura just watched, wondering what the hell they were going to do.

“Um, you two, could you both tell me your ideas and then I’ll decide which idea we use? We’re a three person group so I’m the tie breaker.” Sakura stated diplomatically and listened to both Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto wanted to jump around the roofs, searching the entire section of the city they were in while Sasuke thought they could ask around. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do, we’ll ask around for where the cat was seen and once we have a location, you two will sneak across the rooftops to identify where the cat is while I’ll walk along the ground in case it runs away. It’s both your ideas.”

“Hn,” Sasuke grunted, but didn’t otherwise object.

“Oh we’re going to rock this mission ’ttebayo!” Naruto said happily which seemed to be agreement.

‘Oh my god, my whole team is socially awkward. Were they like this in the manga? Sasuke was like broody I think? Naruto was supposed to be a people person though, charismatic. He’s just, kind of not though? Maybe it’s because he’s so young? I mean they’re fucking twelve so they really shouldn’t be walking around with knives.’ Sakura thought to herself as they began asking after the cat. She didn’t miss the grins of those they asked, nor did she miss the way the civilians began following them, clearly eager to watch what was about to go down. A chill raced along Sakura’s spine as they got a positive location and Kakashi passed out radios so they could coordinate.

Naruto and Sasuke took to the rooftops, jumping across them and Sakura began moving on foot to the alley where the cat was hiding. The two boys were well ahead of her, neither taking her pathetically slow speed into account as they shot forward. ‘I have to be doing something wrong,’ Sakura thought, her lungs burning as she ran. She’d started the day walking all over Konoha, trained, walked halfway across the city of Konoha to the mission office, then walked around the city again hunting the blasted cat and by now her stamina was shot.

‘Power through, you can do this. You’re a fucking ninja, like it or not. You’re in ninja hell and you’re going to die if you don’t shape up.’ Sakura thought to herself, pushing forward and detaching herself from her pain and exhaustion. That didn’t mean her body wasn’t screaming at her, but at least she didn’t have to feel it.

“I’ve got eyes on the cat.” Naruto shouted over the radio. “Dammit! He’s running!”

“Naruto stop screaming!” Sasuke snapped angrily at the blond. Sakura ignored them, running towards the sound of Naruto’s panicked screams. An orange blur shot from the alley and she immediately picked up the pace.

‘Okay, cats are more maneuverable then humans but less intelligent.’ Sakura jogged after the cat, not trying to close on it but keeping it in her sight. The animal was scrambling through the streets now, avoiding the pedestrians and crowds, which forced it to run along the walls of the building and waste energy dodging around civilians. ‘If I just keep at it, it’ll overheat and I can just pick it up and call it a day.’ Sakura knew she was running on fumes but she had an advantage the cat didn’t, she knew how this would end. She had a goal and more importantly she wasn’t covered in thick fur on a hot summer day.

Of course, with her perfect plan in place, Naruto had to crash down into the street trying to snatch Tora. He slammed into a cart full of cabbages, knocking it over and causing a general ruckus. The cat, taking advantage of the chaos managed break contact and Sakura wanted to curse. Instead she pressed her finger to the radio in her ear.

“Sasuke, where the hell has that cat gone?” Sakura noted her voice came out breathy and exhausted. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel her pulse in her skin, all of which was flushed a bright red.

“It went down the alley Naruto’s chaos is blocking, I’m going after it.” Sasuke replied and Sakura huffed but kept moving, ignoring the angry salesmen as Naruto fell in alongside her.

“Damn, I thought I had it, now teme is going to catch it and get the credit!” Naruto shouted, forgetting entirely to control his volume. Sakura was exhausted, getting dehydrated and running out of patience.

“Control your volume, please.” She begged as she saw the cat just ahead of her. Before she could reach it, Sasuke swooped down, pinning it to the floor. The cat hissed and began trying to scratch the Uchiha who expertly restrained it, clearly used to dealing with angry felines.

“Mission accomplished.” Sasuke said, looking at the cat as it glared at him furiously. He picked it up, holding it so it couldn’t scratch him then lead the way back to the mission office.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Sakura was breathing hard by the time they got back to the mission office. Sasuke was still holding Tora, not willing to risk Naruo letting the cat escape and Kakashi had just appeared without warning, trailing silently behind them as they walked. The quartet entered the office and handed the cat over to its overweight owner who immediately crushed it in her arms and buried her face into the cat’s fur.

“Oh my dear Tora thank heavens you’re alright!” The woman exclaimed dramatically and Sakura glanced at the blatant animal abuse, no longer wondering why the cat had run away.

‘If she has the influence to hire ninjas to retrieve her cat, I don’t want to piss her off.’ Sakura thought to herself, keeping her mouth shut and her eyes forward on the chunin behind the desk. The man had his brown hair in a ponytail and a scar across his nose. ‘There’s something familiar about him.’ She thought, wondering how the hell she knew him but not being able to place it.

“Well congratulations on your mission Team 7!” The man said happily, offering them all pay slips. “Now please fill out the mission reports.” The man passed out four scrolls and Sakura glanced down at hers before looking around for a pen.

‘Fuck, I barely know how to read, let alone write.’ Sakura thought, doing her best despite her limited ability. Once she was finished, she handed the report in then watched as Naruto chattered away at the man.

“Hey Sasuke, can I crash at your place? I don’t think I have the energy for Naruto today.” Sakura spoke softly, not wanting to offend the blond. He was a kid in her eyes and she wasn’t going to be cruel.

“Hn,” Sasuke grunted and Sakura decided that was a yes. Pocketing her pay, she watched as Kakashi looked over his team and then pulled his bright orange book out.

“Well my students, you’re dismissed for the day!” Kakashi said cheerfully, vanishing in a puff of smoke. Sasuke walked for the door without another word and Sakura followed along behind him. Naruto was still talking excitedly with Iruka and didn’t notice either of them leave.

“So, how far away do you live? I don’t remember,” Sakura didn’t know what was and wasn’t a landmine with any of her teammates and Sasuke was clearly a minefield.

“Far, we can walk.” He answered and silence settled between them. The sun was still high in the sky and Sakura estimated the time was somewhere around 4pm. They had a good chunk of the day left and she had some money she could use to buy things.

“Hey Sasuke, how many days worth of food is our mission pay?” Sakura asked and Sasuke just shrugged.

“I don’t know but 10,000 ryo is a lot for a D rank. You could buy about twelve good kunai with that much or an okay sword.” Sasuke informed the girl as they walked through the streets of Konoha. He could see she was exhausted and since she wasn’t being utterly unbearable for once, he didn’t try to ditch her. He wasn’t really sure if he’d let her stay more then a day but so long as she didn’t annoy him or get in the way, he didn’t really mind. He had the space and she wasn’t making noise or shrieking at him, which was nice.

“Thanks for the info, that’s really helpful I think.” Sakura replied and immediately began running the numbers.

‘Okay a good knife in my world ran from $100 to $200 dollars but kunai are semi-disposable so I’m going to low ball and say that a kunai is around $100. That means that I’ve got around $1,200 for chasing a cat. Fuck that’s a lot of money, it’s almost rent for a month. One or two more missions and I can get my own place. I can see why orphans and civilians attempt to become ninja now, it really pays.’ Sakura knew there had to be a reason that so many people signed up for a life of constant violence and danger. Glory and propaganda could only go so far in a profession where most didn’t live long enough to see their thirties.

The two walked through the city of Konohagakure and eventually came upon the walls of the Uchiha compound. A strange chill filled the air here and Sakura shivered as they walked in. Sasuke gave her a look and she frowned but didn’t say anything, following along after him. ‘He’ll ask me if he’s curious, I don’t want to start a fight.’ She thought, trailing behind him as they reached a mansion. He pushed the front door open and began walking in before pausing.

“Do not go into this room.” Sasuke pointed at a room directly to the right of the entrance.

“Alright, I won’t.” Sakura promised and Sasuke gave her a nod before leading her to a sitting room in the back of the house. It overlooked a somewhat overgrown yard that extended out into the Uchiha’s private training ground. “Hey Sasuke, thanks, really I mean it.”

“Even if you’re useless, you are still my teammate.” Sasuke didn’t look at her as he spoke and while he sounded annoyed she knew he was just childishly trying to remain distant and cold. He was determined to chase his goal and avoid anything that might distract him, but he was still a good kid underneath his mountains of trauma.

“Won’t argue with that, it’s true. Sorry you’ve got such a trash teammate, I’ll do my best to stay out of your way.” Sakura knew she could get stronger, canon Sakura did after all but right now she was pathetic. There was no shame in it, after all she didn’t have a teacher and could barely read so besides going off what she already knew, their wasn’t much she could do.

“Good,” Sasuke nodded and then walked outside.

Sakura watched as the boy began a second round of training. He had a furious look on his face and her stomach rumbled angrily. She could withstand hunger for a bit if she had to but there was no harm in asking Sasuke if he had anything she could cook.

“Mind if I cook something?” Sakura called out and Sasuke glanced at her before shrugging. ‘Well that’s permission.’ She thought, looking around the ground floor and making sure to avoid the side room. She found the kitchen after only a few minutes of searching and discovered that the fridge was mostly empty, however there was plenty of rice in the cupboards which was still edible, a rice cooker and some dashi powder. ‘Okay so it’s seasoned rice!’ Sakura thought to herself, making the best of what she had. She wasn’t about to interrupt Sasuke after telling him she wouldn’t get in his way.

Setting up the rice cooker, Sakura put enough rice and water in for a meal, added some dashi powder, stirred it a bit then let it run. The resulting rice was heavily seasoned, perfectly cooked and filling enough. ‘So much better than hospital food.’ Sakura thought, happily eating the rice. Her enthusiasm was soon noted by Sasuke who came over to stare at her.

“What did you make?” He asked, surprised she’d managed to cook anything given his limited supplies. He’d assumed she’d eat a tomato like a normal person but somehow Sakura had cooked a full meal and was enjoying herself.

“Flavored rice, here try.” She offered him a chopstick of rice and he crinkled his nose in annoyance at the used utensils but took a bite anyways. “Good right?”

“Hn,” he grunted but agreed within the safety of his own mind. Not that he was going to tell Sakura that. “Can you make more?”

“Sure but we’ll need proper proteins and vegetables if you want to make a meal of it.” Sakura informed him and Sasuke blinked and tilted his head. “You need it to build muscle and gain strength, protein for muscle, vegetables for vitamins and such. Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s the case. My memory is a bit patchy, but I remember boring stuff like that.”

“Okay, we can go shopping when you’re done eating.” Sasuke observed the girl carefully, wondering if she was right about certain foods helping you get stronger. He knew his mom used to lecture him about a balanced diet but he was fairly certain she just wanted him to eat something other than tomatoes.

“Alright and maybe I can go shopping for some second hand weapons, I barely have any.” Sakura informed him and Sasuke let out a sigh and walked upstairs. If there was one thing he had, it was weapons and he did not want to waste time with her wandering around while she tried to not get ripped off by blacksmiths.

He quickly gathered up a few pouches of kunai and shuriken that were worn or blunt from training and carried them downstairs. He dropped them in front of her and she blinked and looked down at the weapons before turning her attention to him with visible confusion on her face.

“Weapons, don’t waste my time.” Sasuke stated and she nodded dumbly, genuinely surprised by his behavior.

‘Okay, so he’s capable of being nice if you’re not loud and clingy. That’s good to know.’ Sakura thought, doing her best not to look surprised and utterly failing. “Thanks, I’ll cook something nice. Anything in particular you want?”

“Something with tomatoes.” Sasuke stated simply and then lead her outside.

“I can do that.” Sakura replied, still utterly baffled but in a pleasant way. ‘He’s just a traumatized twelve year old. Stop thinking of them as characters, he’s got more range of emotion than the small amount of screen time you barely fucking remember.’ She berated herself as they walked through the village to the closest market. Sasuke paid and they headed back to his house, without saying a thing. The Uchiha seemed perfectly happy with the silence and Sakura didn’t have any desire to annoy him so she kept her mouth shut.

‘This has got to be the weirdest day of either of my lives.’ Sakura thought, hollowing out some tomatoes to make pico de gallo while cooking some ground beef and then blanching some spinach before shredding it fine and adding it to the cooked beef which she then seasoned and stuffed into the tomatoes. Sprinkling some cheese on top, she put the food in the oven under the broiler to melt the cheese and soften up the tomatoes before putting the pico de gallo on top.

“Here, something healthy with tomatoes.” Sakura put the food down in front of Sasuke who’d gone outside to train some more while she cooked. Both of them were covered in sweat and dirt from their day and Sakura needed a change of clothes, though she’d cross that bridge when she got there, preferably after eating.

Sasuke looked at the food, onyx eyes focused on the tomato in front of him and slowly pulled a piece free with his chopsticks. It really was meant to be eaten with a fork and knife or a sharp edged spoon but Sasuke didn’t have such utensils and they were forced to make do. The meal passed in silence but Sasuke ate quickly before grabbing another for himself. He devoured the food before getting a third and once he was done with that Sasuke looked at Sakura, eyes narrowed at her while she finished her second helping.

“You’re different.” Sasuke stated and Sakura nodded.

“Yeah I’ve been told. I’m sorry?” Sakura offered and Sasuke just continued to look at her silently. She noticed his eyes were utterly devoid of differentiation between his pupils and irises, they were just solid pools of uniform onyx, that were thoroughly focused on her.

“You can stay,” Sasuke declared as if that settled things and Sakura supposed it did.

“Oh, thanks. I’ll try not to stay too long, I’d hate to impose.” Sakura stammered and Sasuke slowly got up, walking towards the stairs. “Ah, wait, I need to shower and do you have spare clothes? I could go out and buy some but I might get lost.”

“You can borrow some, the shower is upstairs. You can use it when I’m done.” Sasuke stated tersely and then disappeared without another world.

‘Score one for cooking skills!’ Sakura cheered internally and flopped down onto the floor, looking up at the ceiling. ‘He’s not what I expected, yet he is entirely what I expected.’ She thought, wondering if Sasuke would wake up tomorrow and freak out at her. ‘Wait, didn’t a whole bunch of people die here? Doesn’t he have a ton of trauma around this place? And they’re letting him live here?’ Sakura looked at the room she was banned from and shuddered. ‘That’s just wrong.’ She thought and silently decided not to do anything until Sasuke got up. She couldn’t risk startling him and triggering a ptsd episode.

The morning after, Sakura woke to the sound of footsteps as Sasuke came downstairs. She’d ended up showering after him and borrowing a black shirt and a pair of shorts that fit her before crashing on a sofa.

“Want me to cook breakfast?” Sakura asked and Sasuke’s head snapped to her. “Or we could eat leftovers?”

“Hn, leftovers are fine.” Sasuke answered and they quickly ate what was left of the stuffed tomatoes from yesterday. After that, Sakura grabbed a spare holster for her left leg so she had one on each side and filled it with bandages, antiseptic and a few other things Sasuke had on hand but never used. The last Uchiha watched her get ready but said nothing, she wasn’t getting in his way and she’d even cleaned up after cooking so he couldn’t complain.

The two left the house at the same time, walking through the city as it was just starting to come to life. Glancing around, Sakura stifled a yawn and stretched before looking over at Sasuke.

“Hey, how long you think before Kakashi shows up at the training field?” Sakura asked and Sasuke thought over the jounin’s typical schedule. The man usually showed up between 10am and 11am and seeing as it was about seven currently, they had time.

“Three hours or so, why?” Sasuke asked, wondering what this new, odd Sakura was planning.

“Alright, thanks I’m going to go buy clothes. I don’t mind wearing yours but, yeah I’ve got money and I don’t want to mooch.” Sakura explained and Sasuke decided it was a fairly reasonable request. “First I’m going to go find my house though, if I’ve already got clothes then I won’t need to buy any right?”

“Hn,” Sasuke answered and nodded.

“Cool so I’ll get going then.” Sakura gave him a wave as they split up, pulling out her ninja ID which had her address and then asking the shop keepers until found it. Her house was a fairly typical home, for Konoha and she even had a key in her pouch that opened the front door. The interior was silent and Sakura’s eyes took in the ground floor which looked normal.

‘Okay no traps,’ Sakura thought walking in and closing the door but leaving it unlocked. ‘If those really were my parents and I need to flee, I’m not leaving a locked door at my back.’ Sakura reasoned, heading upstairs and finding a room with her name written across a flower. Pushing the door open quietly, she moved inside and found a very pink room. ‘I would have wanted a room like this at her age. It’s cute and she’s got so many books.’

Looking over the shelves, Sakura was impressed. The pink haired child had clearly been well read and there were books on various things that were probably quite useful. ‘I wonder why she never applied her knowledge. Was it performance anxiety or just a lack of wisdom?’ Sakura quickly found a backpack and several sets of clothes, all red cheongsam that canon Sakura paired with stretchy shorts.

‘Doesn’t she have other outfits?’ Sakura wondered, going through her things and found that yes, Sakura had other outfits. She had a few cute summer dresses, different colored sandals and several kimono. ‘Well this isn’t all that bad. Being a ninja means blending in and all. Wearing a hyper practical combat outfit will scream professional soldier and I fucking suck so that’s suicide.’ Sakura thought, looking over her clothes and wondering how she could hide her weapons.

The kimono promised the best concealment but it would also be the hardest to fight in. The dresses were different, easy to move in with their knee length skirts but it would be hard to actually get at her weapons if she hid them under said skirt. Her cheongsam did not scream ninja, but unfortunately it did nothing to hide her holster or hip pouches. ‘I’m going to need to buy new clothes. The kimono will make way too much noise for sneaking around but it’s the best I have right now.’ Sakura knew that long skirts, pants and jackets made the most noise but offered the best concealment for weapons. ‘A short skirt would work best for quiet movement, or leggings, though they make noise when you stretch and move with them and they make it hard to hide things. Decisions decisions…’

With that done, Sakura rolled up her clothes and pushed them into her backpack. She then put in several plain sets of underwear, and was annoyed when she realized Sakura didn’t wear bras but instead wore bandages, several rolls of which were available. ‘Then again, there isn’t anything to support so it’s really just performative.’ Sakura realized and shrugged, deciding that it wasn’t an issue for today. It’d be months or years before she had to worry about such things, since she was twelve. Still, she grabbed a few of the unused rolls, just in case she needed to patch someone up.

Leaving her room, she saw the same woman who’d been standing outside the hospital in the hall. There was a moment of silence but Sakura kept walking, not stopping as she reached the stairs.

“You! How dare you attack your father!” The woman or rather her body’s biological mother whispered, voice dangerous and eyes narrowed.

“I have amnesia and I’m a shinobi. He should have known better.” Sakura stated, still walking down the stairs, throwing all common etiquette to the wind. The last thing she was going to do was let herself get trapped or grabbed by an abuser. ‘No free beatings for me, so sirree,’ she thought as she reached the ground floor and swept her eyes over the room. Her father wasn’t present and she kept her focus on her mom, heading to the door.

“I’ve heard, the hospital staff yelled at us for your poor behavior!” The woman snapped and Sakura reached the door, opening it. “Don’t you dare leave! This isn’t over!”

“It is, over.” Sakura replied, closing the door behind her and deciding to see if there were any D ranks she could do before Kakashi was due to show up. She could spend the time training but she could also train after her missions and this way she wouldn’t be tired for her team’s D ranks! ‘I’m a fucking genius!’ She cackled internally, making her way through the city to the mission office. Stepping inside, she saw a different chunin then that one who’d received her team yesterday at the main desk and then spotted the mission board.

“Hey can I pick up solo missions?” She asked and walked over to one of the men responsible for genin missions.

“Yeah, what kind of mission you want?” He asked and Sakura shrugged looking over what was available.

“Something I can do in one and a half, maybe two hours?” Sakura replied and the man gave her a shrug before looking over the board.

“There is a river cleanup you might be able to manage, if you’re fast on your feet you could track down Tora who has escaped again and there is a brothel called Hanazono that needs a barmaid until 9:30am. It’s pretty quiet and they’ll probably try to teach you their trade to kill time.” The chunin listed off the available jobs and Sakura thought over the various options before shrugging.

“Fuck it, the brothel has a guaranteed end time right?” She asked and the man nodded, picking up the scroll and writing on it.

“Here, just show them this.” He said, face blank and Sakura cocked a curious eyebrow at him but didn’t say anything.

‘Does he not want me to take this mission? I know kids shouldn’t be anywhere near brothels but I’m thirty and it won’t be the first time I’ve hung out with prostitutes. Never hired one though and won’t today, I need my own place.’ Sakura thought, taking the scroll and detouring to Sasuke’s house to drop off her things before heading to the brothel which wasn’t all that far from the Uchiha district oddly. What wasn’t odd was how large the red light district was, which made sense. Konohagakure was a trade town, with its primary export being short lived, well paid mercenaries and the village often played host to a large number of traveling merchants, nobles and dignitaries. The obvious results of which was a flourishing red light district.

Finding the Brothel wasn’t hard, it was the most opulent building in the district and Sakura headed to the back entrance as ordered. Knocking on the door, it opened quickly to reveal a beautiful woman in a fine kimono. Her eyes moved over Sakura’s relaxed expression and doll like features, approval visible in them before they flicked to her headband and scroll.

“Good, come in,” her voice was inviting, warm and perfectly seductive despite being aimed at a twelve year old.

‘It’s become a force of habit or maybe she’s just not dropping the act while on the clock?’ Sakura wasn’t sure and didn’t care unless the woman tried to touch her or have someone else touch her. If that happened all bets were off and Sakura had plenty of experience teaching people exactly what ‘no’ meant.

“Alright, you’ll be here until 9:30, two hours isn’t a lot of time to work with but it’s enough for today. If you take repeated missions with us we’ll bump up your pay a bit.” The woman informed the younger girl and the offer certainly sweetened the pot.

“Why do I get the feeling not many genin take this job?” Sakura asked and the woman flashed a charming smile that could sweep a man or the right kind of woman off their feet.

“Because nobody wants to be seen working in a brothel, now come, let’s get you dressed.” The woman motioned with her hand that wasn’t holding the mission scroll. Sakura hadn’t even realized she’d taken the contract in the first place.

‘Okay, she’s totally a ninja.’ Sakura thought, glancing from the scroll to the woman. She didn’t hide her realization in time and the woman gave her a small wink.

“Come now, time’s a wasting.” The woman purred and lead her into a changing room. “You can call me Akane by the way, we’ll call you, hmm, Tsubaki while you’re here, for your hair.” With that Sakura found herself quickly pulled out of her mission clothes and expertly dressed in a kimono before she could resist. She blinked in confusion at how fast it all happened and how easily the woman had gained her compliance.

‘Okay, so she’s some kind of super social manipulator.’ Sakura thought as Akane put a bit of light make up on her face then lead her out to the front. The two hours were mostly uneventful, and no customers showed up though a few left. The woman didn’t make Sakura do much other then have her sweep the room and practice walking in okubo, a traditional tall wooden sandal often worn by geisha. ‘Well if I ever get asked to kill a womanizer, this could come in handy.’ Sakura thought as the time quickly passed her by. She’d had worse days and the pay, for only two hours of barely doing anything, was quite nice. After all, 5,000 ryo was nothing to sneeze at.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

After getting off her shift at the brothel’s bar, Sakura quickly got dressed in her usual clothes and darted away for the training field. ‘Which way was it? This way, no Sasuke is over that way I think.’ Sakura thought, running through the city towards Training Ground 3. She reached it ten minutes to ten and was impressed when she checked her hand mirror and found that none of the makeup that’d been applied at Hanazono had run despite the thin film of sweat coating her.

‘Okay, Kakashi isn’t here.’ Sakura let out a relieved sigh before looking around and migrating over to a tree where she sat down and watched Naruto and Sasuke fight. ‘Those two are just rolling around beating each other silly. Aren’t they tired? Have they been doing this the whole time? How are they human!’ Sakura burst out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of it all and the two boys immediately stopped fighting before looking over at her.

“Sakura-chan! When did you get here?” Naruto shouted before running over with a massive smile. The boy, despite having fought Sasuke all morning, was still radiating energy and his eyes squinted under the force of his grin.

“I got here when I got here Naruto, as a ninja you should have been alert enough of your surroundings to notice me.” Sakura pointed out and Naruto pouted briefly before grinning again.

“Yeah, well did you see me beating up teme then! I was totally winning ‘ttebayo!” Naruto exclaimed and Sakura winced visibly. It was an exaggerated reaction on her part but the boy needed to learn volume control. “Sorry.”

“Just remember, please.” Sakura said before shifting her attention over to Sasuke. “Hey, get some good sparring in?”

“Hn,” Sasuke grunted without really showing any other reaction.

‘The fuck does that even mean? You know what just run with it, see if he contradicts you.’ Sakura thought, smirking internally while keeping her face calm. “Ah, well I mean his stamina is pretty ridiculous but if you keep it up yours will increase as well.” Sasuke didn’t respond other then narrowing his eyes slightly, observing Sakura once again like she was some kind of alien while Naruto’s mouth fell open.

“You can talk teme now?!” Naruto shouted and this time Sakura glared at him.

“Naruto, just because you’re surprised, does not mean you can shout. Please, please, tone it down.” Sakura watched Naruto become sheepish and he nodded, kicking at the dirt slightly.

“Maa, isn’t this cute, my little genin having a heart to heart.” Kakashi drawled, book already out and eye focused on it. “Come on, we’re heading to the mission office.”

“Well guess it’s time to earn my keep.” Sakura glanced at Kakashi who momentarily inspected her, eye pausing on her makeup briefly before flicking back to his book. ‘Yes underestimate me bastard! I’ll give you a fucking heart attack one of these days, just you wait!’ Sakura cackled internally, planning all kinds of bizarre revenge fantasies as she fell in alongside her teammates and made her way to the mission desk. If she was a little bit more insane then she’d been the day before, nobody commented or even noticed for that matter, after all she already had a lifetime of experience at hiding trauma.

Reaching the mission desk, Sakura noticed the shifts had changed. Instead of the man who’d sent her to the brothel, the guy with the scar across his nose and a ponytail was back.

“Hey Iruka-sensei, give me a super awesome mission!” Naruto greeted the man and Sakura immediately committed the man’s name to memory. Iruka was important if Naruto knew him.

‘The question is, how closely are we following the manga? I’ve already deviated by badgering Sasuke into being a friend. Will that change things?’ Sakura wondered, ignoring Naruto’s small meltdown over missions. ‘I don’t get what’s the big deal, for the pay D ranks are awesome. Work for like 2 maybe 4 hours and get enough money for a half month’s rent. Also D ranks are training opportunities, I’d bet money the recurring missions are all set up by the village. Like that brothel. It’s still on the board but it wasn’t suggested to us, is that because of Naruto and Sasuke or Kakashi?’ Sakura wondered, missing the moment the Hokage had taken an interest in the arguing.

“Well perhaps Naruto is right, he and Sasuke-kun have been working very hard and the medical reports from the hospital show Sakura-kun has been motivated to improve herself.” Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted and Sakura looked over at the man wearing the Hokage’s hat curiously.

‘He wasn’t here this morning. He comes to watch Naruto, he must really care for him or, no, he cares. If he didn’t, Naruto would be in some special black ops training program or other. He knows how Naruto lives though and allows it. Bastard. He owes Naruto for that and thus he owes me, because I’m exposed to Naruto. Now how to collect on that debt.’ Sakura thought to herself while keeping an utterly serene expression on her face. She looked relaxed and innocent despite her plotting, perhaps even curious with her wide jade eyes.

“Maa, it’s okay Hokage-sama, I’ll talk to him.” Kakashi apologized but Hiruzen waved him off.

“It’s fine Kakashi-kun, it is about time they tried out a C rank anyways. Please, call in Tazuna-san.” The Hokage ordered and Sakura felt a small glimmer of recollection. She wasn’t sure what was about to happen but she knew it was important.

‘Who was Tazuna again? I really wish I remembered, then again I remember quite a bit for a woman whose brain was smeared across the pavement so beggars can’t be choosers. Why Truck-kun, why?!’ Sakura barely resisted the urge to cackle and instead played it cool, glancing over at Sasuke who was silently pleased with the results of Naruto’s fit.

“Where are the super ninja who are going to protect me?” An old man who reeked of booze asked as he shambled in. He was wearing travel worn worker’s clothes and even had a bottle of sake in his hands.

‘Well, that’s an entrance I actually remember. This means, um, Wave? I don’t think Sakura does anything so I can just stand around and look fabulous. Perfect!’ Sakura thought, utterly lacking the desire to get herself killed trying to change things. ‘I still haven’t figured out how Naruto and Sasuke move so fucking fast. I can’t walk silently like Kakashi though I’ve gotten a lot better and I still don’t know how to fight, though I’ve gotten quite a bit stronger and faster with all my exercise and my stamina ain’t shabby.’ Sakura went over her situation, missing Kakashi glance at her before looking over at Naruto.

“Alright team, meet up at the main gate at noon.” Kakashi ordered then vanished without a sound.

‘Fucker’s just rubbing it in! That’s it! I’m going to actually plan revenge on him somehow. Just you wait, you won’t see it coming bastard! I was kidding before but now I’m serious!’ Sakura thought, walking out with Sasuke. Neither of them said a word as they moved through town and entered the Uchiha district.

“Need help packing?” Sakura offered, dropping off her backpack and organizing her things before adding equipment from the pouches Sasuke had given her.

“No, I have storage scrolls.” Sasuke replied and Sakura paused, blinking and looking at him curiously.

“Storage scroll? Fuck I forgot those exist! Damn, I need to buy some, how expensive are they?” Sakura was answered with a shrug, which to be fair, she should have expected. “Alright, I’ll figure it out when we get back. You got any double-bladed swords I could borrow?”

“No, you’d have to order something like that.” Sasuke stated and then looked at her curiously. “Why?”

“I suck and I know it but I’d be more dangerous with a sword than a knife. Both to myself and more importantly to my enemies.” Sakura stated enthusiastically and Sasuke snorted with amusement, rolling his eyes before walking upstairs. ‘Shame he’s not going to get mental help. I am not qualified for his shit.’ She thought while she packed. Sasuke returned, sword in hand and he tossed it over to her along with a belt. “I can borrow this?”

“It’s dull, you’ll need to sharpen it. I have a lot of weapons from, never mind.” Sasuke explained and scowled but waited patiently for her to put it on. Securing the belt around her waist, Sakura fastened the sword to it and then tested her work before grinning.

“Thanks! I’ve now all but guaranteed somebody a hospital trip, juries out on who it will be, might even be me!” Sakura grinned at Sasuke who huffed to hide a laugh and then the two left for the gate. They were both early of course, so Sakura went into the city to buy rations for the trip before returning. When she got back, Naruto was there with a backpack crammed so full of ramen it couldn’t close properly. ‘Boy knows his priorities. They’re the wrong priories but at least he knows them.’ She thought as Kakashi showed up, yet again without a fucking sound.

“Naruto, pack seriously.” Kakashi drawled and then preceded to systematically empty Naruto’s backpack before sending him with a list of things to get. The blond glared at Sasuke, as if it was his fault then left to get what he needed.

‘He’s on time?! Or wait, is this a trick? Is he going to run when I’m not looking at him? Better keep an eye on the bastard.’ Sakura thought, watching Kakashi carefully from behind a calm facade of indifference.

“Hey Kakashi, I have a question.” Sakura broke the silence that began to stretch as they waited for Naruto.

“Hmm?” Kakashi hummed, lone eyes till stuck on his book.

“Can you teach me something? While we’re on this mission? I don’t remember anything from the academy and we’ll be stuck together the entire time.” Sakura explained looking at the man who glanced at her and noticed the sword hanging at her hip.

“Maa, I’m sure you’ll do just fine Sakura-chan. It’s only a C rank after all.” Kakashi’s eye crinkled into a smile and he went back to focusing on his book. Sakura looked over to Sasuke who’s face was set in a deep scowl. It was amusing to see Sasuke angry on her behalf.

‘Sure he thinks I’m useless but in his defense I am useless. It’s not like he’s nasty about it so long as I’m realistic. Is that why Naruto annoys him? Because Naruto talks shit but can’t back it up?’ Sakura wondered, as Tazuna showed up and Naruto returned. “Tazuna-san what is it you do exactly?”

“I’m the best bridge builder in the elemental nations!” Tazuna bragged as they left through the gates and began walking across the countryside.

“That’s pretty cool, you do a lot of work?” Sakura ventured and Tazuna fell silent, glancing away.

“Well I retired for a while but I’ve decided to build one last bridge.” The old man stuttered and Sakura shrugged, dropping the issue since she didn’t really care. Whatever the old man was hiding would come up eventually, if it mattered.

‘Fuck it’s not a show, stop treating it like it’s a show. You’re going to get yourself killed.’ Sakura thought, walking on the road at a steady pace alongside her teammates. The countryside was beautiful and while she kept an eye out for threats, she doubted she’d run into anything within the perimeter of Konoha’s patrols. ‘Still best to be safe, there can be threats even within the city.’ Sakura reminded herself, focusing her senses.

‘What’s that?’ Sakura felt something and shivered. For a brief moment, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Glancing around, she saw nothing and the feeling died down but every few minutes it would return. ‘Play it cool, if someone is watching us, Kakashi will notice. He’s basically a cheat character, just trust in the public porn reader. It’s not like you can judge him having just worked in a brothel, even if all you did was sweep floors.’ Sakura reminded herself, feeling an odd sense that something within her answered her odd dialogue.

‘I think I’m going insane.’ Sakura thought and heard herself answer, ‘too late dear.’ Letting out a sigh, Sakura pushed her worries from her mind. After all, mental health was a rather low priority at this point, unless it started to threaten her ability to function. It wasn’t something she ever wanted to address though, seeing as she already had a lifetime of untreated trauma before accounting for the fact she’d woken up in Ninja Hell.

The group continued to walk for another few hours and Sakura did her best to ignore the growing sense of doom hanging over her. She knew someone was watching her and she instinctively understood they weren’t friendly. Sakura couldn’t explain it, couldn’t put words to it but somehow she just knew they were going to be attacked. The only bright patch amid the growing cloud of dread was Sakura felt like she could almost breath for once. Konohagakure felt stuffy, despite being a relatively open city. Her entire time within the village, Sakura had suffered from the claustrophobic sensation of being surrounded by far too many people, even if they weren’t crowding her but now, without anyone nearby she didn’t feel that sense of being smothered nearly as intensely, though Naruto’s presence was as obnoxiously orange and loud as ever.

Suddenly and quite without warning, the sense of doom intensified and Sakura slowly, lazily even glanced around. She kept her movements casual, forcing herself to look like she wasn’t worried at all. She was a genin, whatever she noticed, Kakashi knew about and he was still reading his porn. If she reacted, whoever was stalking them would realize they were spotted, so she had to stay silent and trust in a man who ignored her.

‘I’m going to fucking die!’ Sakura screamed internally, wondering if she’d wake up somewhere else if she was killed here. ‘Perhaps I could end up in a nice lesbian romance. That’d be nice.’ She thought bitterly, while continuing to scout the area. ‘My eyesight is pretty good, about the same as the first time I was this age. Do people in this world have better eyesight on average then? Or is Sakura’s above average?’ Sakura wondered, momentarily separating her identity and Sakura. ‘Also did she die and I moved into the body or is she in here somewhere?’

The idle thoughts and passive scouting eased Sakura’s sense of doom right until she spotted a puddle and remembered exactly what was about to happen. ‘Ah, okay, just don’t panic, stay near Tazuna and don’t let him die.’ Sakura thought to herself, wondering how she’d make it out of this if things didn’t play out like they did in the show. ‘Just walk past the puddle of doom all calm like, hope they don’t go after you instead of Kakashi.’ Sakura thought, passing the puddle with Tazuna. Behind them, she heard the movement of clothing and the rattle of chains. There was plenty of time for her to turn around and watch as chains pulled taught over Kakashi and tore him to shreds.

‘Firstly, that was slow enough I could have dodged it, secondly humans aren’t made of tissue paper, they don’t come apart that easily.’ Sakura lectured in her head as she drew her sword and watched the two ninja charge forward. Sasuke intercepted them, pinning the chain linking them to a tree and then kicking them. It was a superhuman show of acrobatics and agility, though horribly ineffective. ‘Just use a fucking kunai and stab them! I’m weak, you’re not, protect me squire!’ Sakura thought, keeping her face calm despite being thoroughly outmatched by literally everyone around her.

‘I bet the bridge builder is even stronger then me.’ She thought as Naruto froze up and earned a swipe on his hand as he panicked. ‘Shit, one’s coming for me, don’t panic, time it right and you might be able to stab him.’ Sakura shifted her guard as one of the attackers charged for her only for Sasuke to appear in front of her, arms spread wide open in the exact opposite of a guard.

‘I appreciate the attempt, but this is how you die, not how you protect someone kid.’ Sakura thought, preparing to stab past Sasuke only for Kakashi to appear with one of the enemy ninja already out cold in his arm. The jounin slammed the other ninja into the ground, face first and Sakura saw the man’s nose break. Without a word, Kakashi then tied both ninja to a tree before informing Naruto his hand was probably poisoned. Then he turned to Tazuna and demanded an explanation.

What happened next was not something Sakura was ever going to forget, mostly because seeing a twelve year old put a knife through their fucking hand wasn’t the kind of thing one would forget. ‘Okay, what the fuck!’ Sakura thought, looking at the blood pouring from Naruto’s hand. ‘He just fucking stabbed himself to clean out the poison. He didn’t open the wound up and let it bleed, he didn’t widen it and wash it out, he just put a fucking kunai through his hand. What the fuck.’

Sakura completely ignored Naruto’s shouted promise and Tazuna’s tragic backstory as she tried to process the fact that Naruto had just maimed himself. ‘What is he made of? Hopes and dreams? That’s just not fair! And what kind of twelve year old just up and stabs themselves like that?! Do I need to keep an eye on him? I haven’t been giving him enough attention lately, have I? Fuck I’m the adult here and I’ve been absent.’ Sakura spiraled into her own little world as they decided to continue onward with the mission. She never noticed Kakashi not even bothering to ask her opinion on the matter.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

After the attack by the two Kiri shinobi apparently called the Demon Brothers, the sense of doom vanished entirely. Still, that didn’t change the fact that Sakura still knew they weren’t out of the woods yet. ‘I know this arc was one of the earliest ones in the show, back when Sakura was actually useless in combat. She never was completely useless because intelligence is always useful but there isn’t any chance to apply intelligence in this mission. At least not for me.’ Sakura thought to herself as she walked across the countryside of Hi no Kuni. The land was beautiful with sweeping vistas, massive farms and awesome forests.

‘At least it’s a pleasant walk.’ Sakura thought, glad Tazuna was here to slow them down. She completely lacked the stamina of her ninja peers, even with all of her hard work to catch up. The journey was entirely peaceful and while Tazuna stank to high hell, he was actually fairly interesting company. He was more than happy to answer any question Sakura could think of and educated enough to be a good source of information.

‘So they’ve got a solid understanding of physics, engineering and material science here. I’d say they’re somewhere around the late 80s or early 90s in technological development but either due to a lack of oil or interest, the internal combustion engine never really took off. Trains are a thing though they’re rare because of how vulnerable they are to sabotage.’ Sakura was rather amazed by how much she learned just talking with Tazuna and she soaked up what he said like a sponge, all while taking it with a grain of salt. The man exaggerated greatly but he was smart, even while sloshed to the gills.

After a week of walking, they finally reached the coast. The beaches were beautiful, untarnished and empty, which was an odd sight for someone who grew up in New York where the beaches were full whenever the weather was warm. A fisherman was waiting for them just outside of a small village and they crossed the sea that separated Nami no Kuni from Hi on a small motorized fishing boat, the only example of an internal combustion engine Sakura had seen so far.

Mist began to settle in as they made the trip and Sakura once again felt the oppressive sense of doom. Someone was watching them and she couldn’t pinpoint their location. The sensation was even worse than looking at the puddle containing the demon brothers, it was in the air and water all around them, setting her nerves on edge. ‘Just stay calm, it’s like staring down a mugger. Show weakness and they’ll gut you or worse, send you to the hospital.’ Sakura shivered at the memory of the American healthcare system and kept herself forcefully relaxed.

Beside her, Naruto chattered away, earning reprimands for both Tazuna and the fisherman transporting them. Apparently no one was allowed into or out of Nami under the orders of some capitalist pig. ‘Perhaps I can start a socialist revolution here?’ Sakura wondered, resting her chin on her palm as she watched the waves surrounding her. The sea around Nami was choppy and alive with constant motion. ‘I am so grateful I don’t get motion sickness.’ Sakura thought as the small boat made its way through the surf, depositing them on the edge of a mangrove swamp.

“The road is just up ahead, stay safe Tazuna and we didn’t see each other.” The fisherman stated, before rowing away, having killed the engine as they approached the shore so he didn’t draw attention to himself.

‘Okay, if someone doesn’t attack us in the next few minutes, I’ll eat my fucking hat.’ Sakura thought as Naruto began to look around dramatically. Apparently, now that they were in Nami and thus back in danger, he was intent on spotting any ambush well before it happened. Fortunately, he was also absolute pants at searching for enemies and had no real tension in his movements.

‘Any experienced ninja will know Naruto hasn’t actually spotted anything. Still I wish he’d knock that off, should I tell him? But I don’t have any ground to stand on and if I’m too smart, Kakashi’s paranoia will act up. Fucking ninja.’ Sakura wondered how this world had managed to function for as long as it had. Considering all the ninja bullshit they got up to, it was amazing there even were cities in the first place. ‘This world is a wonderful mystery.’ She thought idly, walking alongside Tazuna when Naruto suddenly threw a kunai into a bush, terrifying a white rabbit. ‘It’s spring,’ Sakura thought and narrowed her eyes.

The sense of impending doom suddenly shifted to incoming doom and accompanied by Kakashi’s frantic order to duck, sent Sakura to the ground, pulling Naruto with her as the blond had remained stationary, completely unprepared for the attack. Nearby, Sasuke tackled Tazuna, who cursed as he fell and the whoosh of something massive passed over the genin. Sakura’s teeth chattered as an all encompassing pressure surrounded her and she looked up to see a shirtless man with gray blue pinstripe pants and cow print arm warmers standing atop the largest sword she had ever seen in person. She’d seen silly swords in anime and comic books before but she never thought she’d see one in real life.

‘What the fuck are those clothes? And how does he swing that sword without the inertia tossing him around? Even with super strength he’d still get pulled around.’ Sakura thought idly, drawing her sword with practiced ease. She wasn’t capable of moving as fast as Naruto or Sasuke but she knew blades, having been around them her whole life.

Sakura’s thought process was entirely cut off when the man standing atop the sword looked over his shoulder at their group and Kakashi recognized him.

“Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Hidden Mist,” Kakashi said, left hand shifting to his forehead protector and raising it to reveal his left eye. “With an opponent like you, I can’t hold back.” Kakashi’s tone was light, matter-o-fact but this was the most serious Sakura, Naruto or Sasuke had ever seen the man. The boys hadn’t even heard him take such a tone when Sakura had to be rushed to the hospital.

“What an honor, to see that eye so early in our acquaintance, Sharingan no Kakashi.” Zabuza growled and Sakura saw Sasuke’s shoulder tense up as he looked towards their teacher. However there was no time for questions as Zabuza vanished, reappearing atop a nearby lake. “Kirigakure no jutsu!” The demon’s voice carried easily and Sakura felt a chill as mist filled the air and blinded them. A moment later a crushing pressure crashed down onto them.

‘And disconnect,’ Sakura let her emotions drift away from her, settling into the mindset she called upon whenever her life, or someone else’s was in danger. It had carried her through fist fights, attempted lynchings for being trans and bar brawls and it would carry her through this as well. ‘Where is he?’ Sakura’s eyes darted around as she kept her grip on her sword loose and her arms ready but not tense. It was a careful balance, too relaxed and she’d be slow, too tense and she’d be slower. ‘Then again I’m fucking useless so it’s really just performative.’ Sakura reminded herself as Zabuza began listing vital points he could strike.

Naruto began to tremble and Sasuke began eyeing his kunai as if he wanted to stab himself. Sakura could hear both boys begin to hyperventilate and wondered if anyone noticed how unbothered she was by the pressure. ‘Perhaps Kakashi will take me seriously, or just think I’m utterly clueless, we’ll see.’ Sakura thought as the man stood silently for a few seconds before turning to face them.

“It’s alright, I’ll never let one of my comrades die,” Kakashi promised right as Sakura felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and knew doom was right behind her.

The resulting melee happened in a flash. Kakashi barely stopped Zabuza from killing all three genin after the demon had somehow appeared within their formation. Sakura dragged Tazuna away as Kakashi cut down Zabuza who melted away into water, only for another Zabuza to cut Kakashi in half, though this time Kakashi melted into water, only for Kakashi to reappear behind Zabuza. Kakashi finished off Zabuza a second time, only for the man to melt away again and materialize through the mist at Kakashi’s back, kicking him into a lake.

‘I fucking hate being useless! Screw knowing the story, screw thinking of this as a story, my heart cannot take this anxiety! How the hell did Sakura live with herself after this? How could she not train herself into the fucking ground after feeling this?! I get that she did eventually but why did it take her so long? Was it denial? Depression? Lack of adult guidance?! All three?’ Sakura clenched her jaw and forced her hands to remain relaxed around the grip of her sword. Tightening before a strike would not only waste energy she could not spare, it would slow her down and strain her wrists.

“Suiton: Suiro no jutsu!” Zabuza smirked as he stood atop the water over Kakashi, trapping him in a sphere of water before he could react. While Kakashi floundered, Sakura’s left eye began to twitch as realization hit her like a truck.

‘I forgot they had fucking ninja magic! I forgot entirely about chakra! Fuck! I’m such an idiot, that’s how they’re all moving so fast and I had two months to remember! Two months! Wasted!’ Sakura wanted to repeatedly hammer her head into a tree but instead she shifted her guard as Zabuza created several water clones, that’s what they were called. ‘And Naruto has shadow clones, I remember now, they’re not ninja, they’re fucking high speed staby wizards!’

“First I’m going to kill the kids,” Zabuza growled to Kakashi as the mist began to fade. It was still there, but Sakura could see the situation fairly easily so she saw the moment one of Zabuza’s clones shot forward and kneed Naruto in the face, knocking his headband free and sending the blond tumbling backwards.

‘Was that supposed to happen? Is Naruto even alive? That kind of blow can be fatal.’ Sakura observed silently, her face calm and thoughts blessedly free of emotion as she held her guard and stood between Tazuna and danger. Fortunately Naruto got up and glared at Zabuza.

“You three aren’t even worth killing, you’re not ninja, you’re just stupid brats playing at ninja.” Zabuza drawled, eyeing them while radiating killing intent. “To be real ninja, you have to pass through hell and back, cover your hands in blood and earn a place in the bingo book.”

“Shut up! I’m Uzumaki Naruto and I’m going to be Hokage!” Naruto shouted, creating several shadow clones and charging forward. The Zabuza clones easily dispatched the Naruto clones and with a solid kick, one of the Zabuza clones sent Naruto flying a second time, though the blond had managed to grab his forehead protector.

Naruto rolled as he landed and got back to his feet, tying his headband firmly in place and giving Zabuza a ferocious glare.

“Sasuke, come here.” Naruto said, not loud enough for his voice to carry though Sakura had to wonder if Zabuza would overhear. She watched as the two boys huddled up, ignoring her as they came up with a plan.

‘Yep, ignore the girl with pink hair and a cute face. I’m harmless, not like I haven’t stabbed more people then the both of you pipsqueaks combined or anything. I’m lacking in the penis department and thus useless!’ Sakura knew she couldn’t use chakra, yet, and that she was thus slower and weaker then both boys but it still annoyed her to be ignored. She’d dealt with bigotry for being trans and sexism for an entire life already so her patience for such treatment was paper thin. ‘Cool it girl, they don’t know you’re a thirty year old woman. They think you’re a pink haired child with amnesia and that’s how it’s going to fucking stay.’

Sakura watched as Naruto’s plan was put into action. It was impressive work as they distracted Zabuza’s clones and then attacked the man himself. Naruto’s idea to turn himself into a shuriken was brilliant. Sasuke was equally impressive, throwing two massive shuriken and layering them so one was hidden from view behind and under the other. That said, if their plan had failed, Naruto would have died, there was no need for Naruto to have turned himself into the shuriken when a clone would have sufficed but the plan had worked and Kakashi quickly stepped in, resuming his fight with Zabuza.

‘Fucking wizards.’ Sakura thought as she watched massive dragons made of water crash into each other before Kakashi summoned a literal sideways waterfall that changed the local landscape, sweeping away trees and gouging a ditch into the sandy soil. ‘I have to learn how to do that, though aren’t I a civilian? Doesn’t that mean I have trash chakra or something? No wait, Sakura had terrible reserves in the beginning but good control, I’ll have to work on that religiously then. I refuse to be weak, especially because I know how ridiculous things get.’

Sakura wasn’t surprised when a hunter-nin took Zabuza down before Kakashi could kill him. She vaguely remembered the plot and she knew there was a second fight on the bridge, though the details escaped her. ‘Doesn’t Zabuza and someone else die? Probably the hunter,’ Sakura thought as Kakashi collapsed into the muddy ground.

“Naruto make shadow clones and carry him, Sasuke you’re in charge of keeping us alive. Tazuna stay at my side at all times until we’re at your house.” Sakura instructed calmly as everyone starred at Kakashi’s downed form.

“Right ‘ttebayo!” Naruto reacted immediately, not even questioning his orders before creating a bunch of shadow clones and setting them to work. Sasuke huffed and slipped his hands into his pockets, walking on Tazuna’s right while Sakura stood on his left, sheathing her sword.

“You’re very calm.” Tazuna observed as they all started to walk again. Kakashi was thoroughly unconscious and being carried by a half dozen Narutos, who were surprisingly quiet.

“Eh, I’ve been through worse.” Sakura shrugged and Tazuna gave her a bug-eyed look. “Two months ago I woke up in a hospital injured so badly I forgot how to speak.”

“Well then,” Tazuna muttered, his expression clearly incredulous as he fell silent.

“You do realize you’ve dragged kids into a life or death fight right? Actual children?” Sakura asked the man who winced and looked away. “I get it though, you’re desperate, lives are on the line and countries don’t do charity work. You couldn’t rely upon good will because nations and soldiers don’t actually fight for justice despite what the propaganda says. Still, word of advice, most nations will kill you for lying on a mission request. Konoha probably wont, but be careful alright? Your heart’s in the right place but you are going about this wrong.”

“And how would you go about this?” Tazuna asked, giving Sakura a curious look. The pink haired girl didn’t miss Naruto and Sasuke watching her as well.

“Well, I’m powerless so I’d use something underhanded. If I was an adult, I’d probably try to slip into the mob boss’s house as a prostitute and kill him. If I had friends and family relying upon me, I’d be willing to die to accomplish it so I’d try to kill him and if I couldn’t get to him directly, I’d start a fire around the exits then jump out a window. If the flames didn’t kill him, I’d use the chaos to stab him a few times. I’d likely die either way though, because as I said I’m very weak but if my country asked it of me, I’d do it.” Sakura shrugged, thinking aloud as they walked and ignored the look all three of her companions gave her. Tazuna was stunned and then sad, Naruto looked about ready to argue and Sasuke was thoughtful.

“Well, there won’t be any of that since we’ll be finishing the bridge instead.” Tazuna stated finally as they neared his house. “And you keep those thoughts to yourself.”

“Ah, you have a daughter then.” Sakura reasoned and Tazuna let out a sigh.

“Kami above you’re uncanny for a child.” Tazuna shook his head and Sakura just shrugged.

“I’ll not speak of this again, I don’t want to die and I don’t want anyone using my ideas and getting themselves killed.” Sakura knew she’d sleep very poorly if that happened. It was one thing to defend herself, it was another to hand someone an idea that would end in their death. ‘I’m not an assassin yet, that will happen eventually, I know it will, but I’m not there yet.’ Sakura knew she’d need to read up on Konoha and seek out a rank that would give her the best access to the resources she needed to prepare for the future but that was a long ways off. For now, she had to survive Nami no Kuni or in plain English, Wave Country.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

When Kakashi woke up, he realized he had a problem. Specifically, he was fairly certain Zabuza was still alive. There were several reasons for this assumption, but his genin didn’t need to know his thought process. Opening his eyes, he noticed Sakura sitting over him, her face calm as she watched him with slightly vacant jade eyes.

“Morning,” Sakura greeted in that mildly disinterested, almost bored tone she’d kept since she got back. The look in her eyes was odd and Kakashi had to wonder what was going on in the girl’s mind these days. Before it was nothing but boys and now it seemed like there was simply nothing at all.

“Maa, hello Sakura-chan, mind getting the boys and Tazuna-san?” Kakashi asked and the girl nodded, expression still relaxed as she got to her feet. Her movements were painfully civilian and Kakashi wondered why the Sandaime hadn’t just pulled her from the roster after her injury. Sure she had top marks in academics, setting a perfect score on her graduation exam but that knowledge was gone now.

‘Even if she learned how to speak in only two months, it was still chakra assisted. Yin meditation accelerates learning after all and surely they taught her that.’ Kakashi knew the drill for aiding shinobi in recovering. The very first thing they were taught was chakra control, which sped up everything else. Chakra was what separated civilians from ninja and samurai after all.

A minute later, Sakura returned with everyone following her and they all sat down around Kakashi, watching him curiously. Kakashi waited until the suspense had sufficiently risen before he spoke.

“It is likely that Zabuza is still alive.” Kakashi stated and Naruto gasped, preparing to shout before Sakura placed a gently hand on his shoulder. ‘That’s new. She used to just punch him.’ Kakashi saw the blond relax slightly before he spoke at a normal volume.

“How?” Naruto’s question was reasonable considering Kakashi had checked the man’s pulse.

“The weapons used to take Zabuza down, senbon, can be used to strike pressure points. Hunter-nin always decapitate their kills and then burn the body. They also work in pairs. This one did neither so it is likely he is working with Zabuza.” Kakashi explained, surprised Naruto had even thought to ask. Normally the blond just accepted his answers and moved on. ‘Is this progress?’ Kakashi wondered, feeling oddly uncomfortable under eyes of the three genin.

“So I’m going to train all three of you.” Kakashi stated and all three genin looked at him with visible confusion.

“Finally ‘ttebayo! What’s it going to be?! Are you going to teach us an awesome jutsu? How about that water dragon? Or are you going to teach us something else? Like how to make an explosion? Or maybe-”

***

Kakashi smirked inwardly as he looked at his three eager genin. Naruto was still nattering away about what Kakashi could possible teach them and Kakashi wondered if the kid could ever run out of breath. ‘Maa, at least he’s kept the volume at normal levels. Good work new Sakura-chan!’ Kakashi cheered internally, certain the girl was responsible for that change.

‘Guess she’s good for something after all. Perhaps that’s why she’s on the team, to even out the boys as they grow.’ Kakashi shrugged, deciding that such a thought was nicer than labeling her as dead weight or canon fodder. After all anyone who had met Kakashi knew he wouldn’t abandon a student, even if the higher ups expected it of him. They’d saddled him with a team he did not want but he’d still die protecting them. ‘The Sandaime knows me, so keeping the boys in check is probably her role.’ Kakashi thought to himself and waved at Naruto to silence him.

“Today we’ll be learning how to climb trees,” Kakashi stated far too cheerfully.

“What! But we already know how to climb trees!” Naruto screeched then slammed his jaw shut and covered his mouth. The boy glanced at Sakura who gave him a disappointed look which seemed far more effective than a punch.

‘Hell now even I feel bad. I hope nobody points that girl towards the seduction or social manipulation missions.’ Kakashi knew nobody would knowingly give his genin such D ranks, after all the D ranks a team took were tailored towards their future rolls by the chunin at the front desk. Seduction was a degrading and humiliating career with most of the men and women working the unit ‘dropping out’ of the shinobi life publicly to create a cover as a prostitute. Worse still, they always ended up in ANBU and Kakashi did not want that for any of his kids.

“Well Naruto, if you’d let me finish you’d know that today we’ll be climbing the trees with our feet.” Kakashi stated cheerfully walking to a tree while leaning on his crutches. “You see, you’ll focus some chakra into your feet and use it to stick to the tree, then you’ll walk up the tree. I suggest taking a running start until you get it right.” Kakashi explained and blinked as Sakura raised her hand. “Yes Sakura-chan?”

“How do I use chakra? I forgot and nobody’s told me.” Sakura’s words stunned Kakashi who looked at her and blinked in surprise.

“Didn’t you learn how to meditate so you could accelerate your learning speed? You learned the language in only two months after all. Surely they taught you?” Kakashi stated and looked at her with visible confusion.

“No? And I didn’t even know that was possible, I have amnesia. Total amnesia remember?” Sakura tilted her head and gave Kakashi a confused look.

“...well I suppose I could help you. Form this hand sign, it’s called ram.” Kakashi gave a slow demonstration and watched as Sakura mirrored his movements. “Now focus on your core, it’s below your navel and feels kind of warm.”

Sakura focused inwards and suddenly felt a strange sensation within her. She’d never noticed it but the moment her fingers came together there was a buzzing in her body as if something had woken up and was just waiting to be used. She felt energized and the world was fully in focus. Her eyesight was better, she could smell the forest clearly and her hearing sharpened. She could feel the air currents around her clearly and the sensation of her teammates presence was nearly blinding.

“Wow,” Sakura’s eyes were wide, her mask shattering with wonder. “This is amazing! Okay, how do I do this? Focus it towards somewhere?” She asked and looked at Kakashi who nodded.

“Focus it on your feet and try to match it to the tree.” Kakashi watched as the girl bounced excitedly, giddy with energy and walked to the tree.

Dropping the ram seal, Sakura felt the energy within her fade and frowned, trying to call it back. The world sharpened again, slightly, but it wasn’t anywhere near as intense as when she held up the ram sign. ‘This is going to take a lot of practice.’ Sakura thought, holding up the ram seal again as Naruto and Sasuke began their attempts. ‘Alright, match my energy to the energy of the tree.’ Sakura focused on the tree and felt its chakra. It thrummed with a gentle power, stronger than the air and soil but weaker than her own or her comrades.

‘Now match the output of your foot to the tree.’ Sakura thought and focused on her feet, pressing a sandal against the tree and carefully channeling just the right amount of chakra out of it. She felt the drain on her reserves immediately and concentrated, trying to grab back onto the chakra she was emitting and succeeded, creating a kind of vortex under her foot, looping the chakra into the tree then back into herself.

‘Damn this is hard.’ Sakura thought, testing her footing and taking a step. It was difficult to juggle everything she needed to do to stay on the damn tree. She had to watch her step, focus on both legs and alternate which foot had chakra emitting from it while keeping the chakra looping back into herself so she didn’t become exhausted and on top of all of that she had to match her output to the tree. It was exhausting work but after an hour of effort, somehow, it had become easy.

‘Okay, I know I didn’t learn this quickly before but then again, Naruto and Sasuke only needed to get this down once before mastering it and never needing to train it again. Do ninja only need to pull something off once because of chakra? Then why was Sakura’s intelligence such a big deal? I’m totally missing something here.’ Sakura thought to herself, dropping down to the ground and going over to Kakashi who was reading his book again.

“I have a question,” she informed the mostly absent teacher.

“Hm?” Kakashi hummed, not even looking up at her.

“Could you teach me how to meditate? Since I don’t know, I’m still amnesic and I have a lot of reading to catch up on.” Sakura looked at Kakashi who considered her before shrugging and explaining the concept.

“Meditation is really simple, you sit and hold the ram seal then just circulate your chakra through your body. That said, it’ll slowly exhaust you because even with perfect chakra control, calling upon your chakra and circulating it will leak chakra over time.” Kakashi explained to a very attentive Sakura.

“Can that be used to build up your reserves?” Sakura asked because it was the obvious next question.

“You can but there are better ways, chakra reserves can be built up by physical exercise, mental exercise and chakra usage. Pushing yourself to chakra exhaustion won’t help but using most of your chakra will.” Kakashi informed the girl who was very clearly giving him her full attention but with her wide eyes and innocent smile, Kakashi could never see her being a successful ninja. ‘I guess she’d make a good medic though.’ Kakashi thought, watching her head over to a tree and meditate. He wasn’t a sensor but he could still feel chakra and the girl had next to nothing.

‘This is amazing!’ Sakura thought, circulating her chakra through her body while her eyes were closed. It was the weirdest sensation, nearly impossible to describe. ‘I wonder if I dropped into a true meditative trance if this would be even more effective.’ Sakura wondered and decided to go for it. Focusing herself, she shifted her hands, dropping the ram sign and focusing desperately on her chakra to keep it circulating. The rate of circulation fell by about half but continued and she switched to the lotus position.

Meditation was a true blessing and Sakura let her thoughts and worries melt away. She became nothing and let her energy flow through her. She could feel herself, her life, glowing like a small star and registered that fact even though she was in a deep trance. Time passed her by but she had no sense of it, until the sound of Naruto shrieking as he fell pulled her back to awareness.

Opening her eyes, Sakura noticed that the sun was nearing noon and hours had gone by. Sweat had accumulated on her forehead and her breathes were coming in soft pants. Holding up the ram sign, she searched for her core and found it had been depleted by about half during her meditation. ‘Let’s see if I memorized that tree walking technique now.’ Sakura thought and approached the tree.

Putting her foot on the bark, she took a step, then another and another after that. Soon enough, she found herself atop the tree, barely bleeding chakra and grinned before walking back down. ‘Alright, now on to the next problem, how the fuck was I strong enough to do that? My core muscles can’t be that strong, can they?’ Sakura wondered, pondering the question as she walked back up the tree. She knew chakra exhaustion was bad so she’d make sure to avoid it but she’d just been told using her chakra was a good way to grow it and her entire body was being worked out when she held it parallel to the ground.

‘Wait, the chakra has to be reinforcing my body! That’s what’s going on! Tsunade just takes this concept to the extreme somehow!’ Sakura grinned happily as she walked up and down the tree before reaching the ground and running along it. It was difficult at first but eventually she started to run far faster then she’d ever managed before, even as an adult. ‘I’m not nearly as fast as Sasuke but I think I’ve got Naruto beat!’ Sakura felt giddy and jumped up and down in celebration, going up far higher then she expected and giggling up a storm.

‘Fear me mortals! I’ve got chakra!’ Sakura cackled internally, grinning like a lunatic and running around the forest like a headless chicken hopped up on cocaine until Kakashi called them to lunch.

Of course, the good times wouldn’t last. Kakashi had noticed Sakura’s success and decided to ‘reward’ her by sending her to the bridge after lunch. By herself. While a dangerous capitalist tycoon wanted to murder the bridge builder and had hired ninja to do so.

‘I think Kakashi hates me.’ Sakura thought, watching the workers as she ate her rice balls.

“Hey there little miss, this isn’t a place for a child!” A tall man with a bear belly and a friendly smile told her as he carried a sack of concrete.

“I’m Tazuna’s guard, I’m a shinobi.” Sakura informed him cheerfully, giving the man a wide grin.

“Oh! I’m sorry shinobi-san, you don’t look it but that sounds rather rude. Sorry, I don’t mean to judge!” The man laughed, clearly embarrassed by his own gaff.

“She doesn’t does she, but when we were attacked she was even more calm then her sensei.” Tazuna said, walking over and drawing the attention of the entire work crew who quickly surrounded her.

“I’ve got a rather level head. By the way, mind telling me about the bridge and the situation? I only caught a bit of it before.” Sakura asked curiously, looking over the workers and the bridge builder.

“Well Gato moved in a few years back and killed the daimyo. Since we don’t have our own ninja there was nobody to stop him taking control of the country and using his thugs to enforce his random edicts. He set taxes, put laws in place and executed my daughter’s husband among others who resisted.” Tazuna said, sitting down on a pile of timber and swirling his sake bottle. “He crushed the spirit out of us or at least tried to.”

“Classic capitalist.” Sakura spat and blinked when she realized there was no translation for the word capitalist. Clearly nobody had understood her so she looked around. “Capitalist, um, someone who loves money, believes that acquiring wealth should be the primary goal of any economic system.”

“There are other economic systems?” One of the workers asked curiously and Sakura blinked and nodded.

“Yeah, for example feudalism is when you’ve got serfs, nobles and monarchs. Like the daimyo, he’s a monarch so he gets taxes and his nobles, his vassals would collect those taxes right? But you also have capitalism since you all need to work for a living and you’re not serfs. Mixed systems are a thing after all so you can have all kinds of combinations.” Sakura explained and saw the light go on in the eyes of those around her. Even if they weren’t well educated, it was clear they could follow what she was saying, which gave her a horrid, terrible, wonderful idea. ‘To be fair sensei, you left me unsupervised.’ Sakura thought, giving Tazuna a serene smile. “Tazuna-san, would you like to know about the suppression of the proletariat and the class struggle? I read about it in a few books and I think it could help your situation…”

***

“Which side are you on, which side are you on~” Sakura sang while walking along the pillars of the bridge. It’d taken a while to get the words down so they worked with the tune but she’d done it and now had an elemental nations and wave specific rendition of Which Side Are You On. She could hear the workers humming along with her and knew the song would take like wildfire.

‘Folk music can have way more impact than most people realize. A catchy tune can shape the opinion of a nation, especially if the internet or media giants don’t exist to muddle the waters.’ Sakura thought, looking down at the waves and deciding she would try her hand at water walking.

It was her second day as bridge guard and by now all the workers knew her. Her lessons on class struggle and common defense were a gamble but she’d stressed that with ninja existing they’d have to be very careful about what they said since other nations might not take kindly to the ideas. Tazuna had, rather fairly, pointed out that nobody gave a shit about Nami no Kuni since it had literally no strategic or tactical value. Gato only wanted it because he could take it and set up his own private tax haven.

Climbing up to the bridge surface, Sakura waved Tazuna over. The man had been making fairly good progress thanks to the boost in moral Sakura had accidentally provided.

“Got tired of singing?” Tazuna asked, walking over to Sakura and giving her an amused smile.

“I’m going to work on another song but I want to practice walking on water as well.” Sakura informed the man who raised his eyebrows and then let out a sigh.

“I really shouldn’t be surprised, you are a ninja but I kind of forget that since you’re, well, a friendly kid.” Tazuna looked over the small pink haired girl and even though she was wearing a headband, two holsters and a katana, he could not see her as a killer. Hell he hadn’t actually seen her attack anything yet and while she could clearly walk on walls, for some reason that wasn’t really all that threatening when she did it.

“So, when you guys go on break, could you all gather on the beach right near the bridge so I can watch you, the bridge and practice for an hour or so?” Sakura asked, not willing to abandon her guard duty just in case she was somehow deterring attack. It was unlikely but there was always the chance that the presence of a ninja, even if she was a pink haired little girl, was somehow scaring Gato’s thugs.

“Sure thing, we were just about to go on break anyways.” Tazuna grinned at her and called everyone over. Soon enough, they were all gathered on the beach next to the bridge and Sakura walked out into the water.

‘Focus on the water, this is going to be different than the trees, the water is shifting so you’ll need to constantly alter the flow of your chakra.’ Sakura thought and focused on the water. It was laced with chakra, a different kind and density than what was in the trees but it was ever present and beautiful. ‘This world is so much more full of life and wonder than my own. Shame its society is a literal ninja hellscape. Maybe I could change things if I became hokage?’ Sakura knew a society could not be forced to democratize and a Hokage was effectively just the dictator of a semi-autonomous city state. Still all change started at the local level and the best way to avoid getting murdered would be to improve the world from a position of power. ‘Also Hokage is a pretty kick ass title.’

Sakura pushed chakra out of her feet, looping it back like she had with the trees and placed it atop the choppy water. Focusing she constantly changed the output, struggling to keep a foothold and slowly lifting her other foot up before placing it atop the surf. The uneven water that constantly shifted and bucked underneath her quickly threw her into the surf and Sakura laughed happily as she splashed through the cold ocean.

Pulling herself out she grinned and immediately got back to trying to stand on the water. By the end of the lunch break, she’d managed an even footing and left the ocean to dry off in the sun while helping the workers move things around. Sakura’s muscles burned pleasantly as she carried I-beams, bags of concrete and anything else the workers needed while channeling her chakra to increase her strength. It was excellent practice, and badly needed as she still wasn’t used to using her chakra reflexively. Sasuke and Naruto clearly were and that was why they were so much stronger than her. In fact they could probably do the same work without much effort.

‘I finally got my explanation about why I suck so much. Shame it happened so fucking late, I’m trying to catch up with two gods! Come on world, why?!’ Sakura pouted internally before shifting away from her frustration and over to her next song.

“Whirlwinds of danger are racing around us, overwhelming forces of darkness prevail! Still in the fight see advancing before us, red flag of liberty that yet shall prevail!” Sakura sang happily, having managed to translate another song successfully. ‘Before anyone says anything, this world is already a totalitarian hellscape where Stalin would fit in so it’s not like I could possibly make the situation worse, right? Besides this is Kakashi’s fault, he left me unsupervised.’

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Nami no Kuni, as far as Sakura could tell, was an island the size of Hawai’i. It had several notable towns throughout it, and the largest was a fairly modern port city completely controlled by Gato Logistics. The modern buildings, centered around the harbor, were all being used by Gato and his thugs. They were jarringly out of place and clashed with the rest of the town which was made in the traditional style of the islanders.

Aside from the blatant contrast of old and new, there was abject poverty everywhere Sakura looked. She had volunteered to walk with Tsunami to get food for everyone since they’d run out and the sights she saw had her blood boiling. Bodies lay motionless in alleys, smashed up storefronts lined the streets and the wreckage of various stands were piled on the roadside. Starving children and adults watched Sakura and Tsunami with hungry eyes, searching for any opportunity to steal something.

‘This is horrible.’ Sakura thought, looking around and keeping her senses peeled. The only reason she hadn’t already drawn her sword was the confidence her chakra gave her. She knew it’d look weak to walk with a naked blade but the streets of Nami screamed danger. The thugs that glanced at Tsunami stayed their hand though and soon enough they returned to Tazuna’s house without anyone managing to rob or pickpocket them.

Food was made fairly quickly and Sakura watched Naruto and Sasuke overeat, both of them cruising straight towards nausea. Before either of them could overdo it, she stole their bowls and tilted her head, ignoring their protests.

“You two do realize that you can only eat so much? Tell me, honestly, you’re not full.” Sakura watched as Naruto flushed and Sasuke glowered but remained silent. “Good, you need your strength but overeating won’t help, you’ll just throw up and waste food.”

“It doesn’t matter, you’re all still going to die.” A child’s voice pulled Sakura’s attention to Inari, Tsunami’s son. The boy’s father had been tortured then put to death by Gato, publicly. Sakura knew the kind of scars that the loss of loved ones could leave on a person, hell she was on a team with Sasuke. Still that didn’t excuse his poor behavior, even if it certainly made it understandable.

“Oh so we should just give up then? Give in to the tyranny of an evil man? Spit on the graves of everyone who stood up to him? You want to make their sacrifices and suffering meaningless?” Sakura asked, watching the kid go from furious to deathly pale. ‘I really need to check my temper, he’s like eight. That was out of line.’ Sakura thought, shocked at her own reaction as the kid ran away crying. “Fuck, sorry, I went too far there.”

“Inari never got over his father’s death.” Tsunami stated tersely, clearly still feeling the pain herself. “And you’re right, though your words hurt. We’d be spitting on his sacrifice if we just gave up.” The woman’s shoulders trembled slightly but she took in a deep breath and stood up. “I’m going to go wash the dishes, thank you, all of you. You’ve given us a second chance at a better future.” With that she left and Kakashi looked over at Sakura who raised an eyebrow at him.

“I’m going to go talk to the kid,” Naruto said suddenly and stood up.

“Hn,” Sasuke grunted, rolling his eyes and walking up the stairs. Naruto glanced over at Sakura who gave him a nod and a smile.

“Good luck Naruto, I’m sure you’ll get through to him.” Sakura knew that Naruto had a way with words and trusted the blond to handle the situation and cheer the kid up. ‘Regardless it doesn’t really matter because we’re going to kill Gato at some point.’ Sakura thought and glanced over at Kakashi. ‘That reminds me.’

“Kakashi, mind talking for a bit? It’s about Zabuza.” Sakura watched Kakashi turn an eye to her, expression lazy and disinterested. He didn’t even pretend to care what she had to say, even though it was related to their enemies.

“Go ahead,” Kakashi drawled watching his genin with one eye.

“Well, it’s just I’ve been thinking, Zabuza had plenty of chances to kill us. His assistant would have easily been able to handle three under trained and shaken genin or at least kill Tazuna and run.” Sakura fielded the questions that’d been eating at her ever since she experienced the fight for herself. In the show Zabuza had come off as hellbent to complete his mission but now that she’d lived it? She knew that wasn’t the case. The man had gloated and wasted time, tried to terrorize them into running and given them chance after chance to flee.

“That’s a very good point,” Kakashi stated thoughtfully, now watching her carefully. He hadn’t missed that either but the fact that even a genin had noticed really drove the point home. “What are you thinking, Sakura-chan?”

“I’m thinking we can use that to our advantage, considering we’re outmatched.” Sakura knew she didn’t want to draw attention to herself but the chance to save the last member of the Yuki clan was a bit too much to pass up. The kid had barely survived a genocide and was similar to Sasuke yet so much kinder. Her memories about the situation had come back somewhat thanks to experiencing the events in person and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Zabuza and Haku would not survive unless she changed something.

“How so?” Kakashi asked and Sakura leaned back, bracing her arms on the ground to keep herself from falling over.

“Gato doesn’t pay, he shortchanges people. He reneges on contracts and he’s got a nasty habit of killing people he owes debts to. I’m thinking instead of trying to kill Zabuza and his helper, we just delay them. After all, even if we do kill them if you’re exhausted we’re all going to die because us genin can’t fight off a horde of thugs and Gato will surely try to finish us that way when the fight ends.” Sakura had spent most of the week helping with construction and chatting with the locals. She didn’t need her knowledge from the show to come to these conclusions, Gato’s reputation was simply that foul.

“Interesting idea,” Kakashi said before turning back to his orange porn book.

‘Fucker,’ Sakura thought and let herself flop to the floor, focusing on the ceiling above her. ‘You’ll get yours one of these years, just you wait!’ Sakura thought, silently enjoying the aches and burning in her muscles that came from a day of hard work.

***

The day of the fight, Sakura woke up feeling nervous as hell. Kakashi hadn’t said today would be the day, but she just knew. The man’s chakra was mostly back and he’d ditched the crutches, which meant only one thing. Today could very well be their last, after all Sakura wasn’t the same girl from the show. She’d already changed things, little things, but still.

‘How hard is the butterfly flapping today?’ The girl thought, dragging herself out of bed and letting her emotions drop away. ‘We’re so fucked, Kakashi doesn’t give a fuck about us, Naruto’s not going to wake up anytime soon, I can’t even throw kunai properly and Sasuke…’ Sakura looked over at the raven haired boy as he settled into his seat for breakfast. ‘He’s Sasuke, there’s really no helping that.’

“Morning.” Sasuke grunted and Sakura blinked, surprised at the greeting.

“Morning,” she echoed, internally stunned. ‘Did he just, greet me? Is there hope for our little traumatized blueberry? No, there really isn’t, Orochimaru’s just waiting to ruin things. Fuck, I’m going to die with friends like these.’ Sakura grimaced internally, hid her mounting hysteria and kept her face neutral while she ate her breakfast alongside her teammates. Tazuna soon joined them and once everyone was done, they left for the bridge, leaving Naruto in bed.

A thin film of mist hung over the ground as they walked, slowly burning away in the sun. The weather was warm, pleasantly so and it did not seem like a day that could and most likely would end with bloodshed. Still, Sakura enjoyed the peace she already knew was broken. After all, she could feel it in her bones, people had been hurt, not killed but still violence was in the air.

Stepping onto the bridge, the quartet were greeted by the unconscious forms of the workers. They were all knocked out, their chests still rising and falling as they breathed, with no visible signs of injury. ‘Zabuza and Haku are real softies aren’t they?’ Sakura thought, looking over the people laying around her and wondering if she could actually save them. ‘Will Kakashi decide to kill Zabuza or will he hold back?’ Sakura wondered as she looked down the bridge to where Haku and Zabuza were waiting for them.

‘If they really wanted to kill us, they could have attacked while the workers were awake and caused a panic. It would have given them cover to kill Tazuna.’ Sakura looked over the bridge to where Haku and Zabuza were watching them and knew she was right. ‘They don’t want to kill anyone, for all Zabuza’s bluster, he doesn’t want to do this.’ Sakura thought as Kakashi ordered her and Sasuke to form up around Tazuna.

“Sorry to keep you waiting Kakashi,” Zabuza greeted as they stepped onto the bridge. The demon of Kirigakure put his hands together, summoning his trademark mist which blanketed the bridge. Sakura kept her eyes peeled and shivered as she saw several Zabuza clones form from the cloud around her. “Still got those brats following you? They’re so pathetic I don’t know how you manage, that one’s even shaking.”

“I’m shaking with excitement.” Sasuke growled, as Kakashi gave the boy a look.

“Sasuke, do it.” Kakashi ordered as the Zabuza clones finished surrounding them. Sasuke reacted immediately, slashing through the first water clone before moving on to the next. Sakura drew her sword and held it at the ready, silently wishing she had a longsword. Katana were stylish but they were ever so slightly worse weapons overall and the smallest of differences might very well mean her life.

While Sakura was distracted by the virtues of her second favorite medieval weapon, Sasuke tore through the rest of the clones. The boy smirked as he spun a pair of kunai in his hands, onyx eyes focused on the hunter nin standing beside Zabuza.

“Haku, looks like you’ve got a rival.” Zabuza growled and drew his sword. “I’ve set the field for you, make sure you use it.”

“Yes Zabuza-sama,” Haku answered and shot forward, meeting Sasuke in a shower of sparks as they clashed. Sakura watched the ensuing fight as Zabuza and Kakashi engaged each other as well. Soon though the mist became too dense for her to see anything and she was left to guard Tazuna alone and isolated.

‘You know, this kind of stress could drive a woman insane.’ Sakura noted calmly as the ringing of steel surrounded her, mixing with the rush of clothes moving through air and clatter of weapons on concrete. The battle was all around her, moving at a speed she couldn’t hope to keep up with and the temperature was rapidly dropping as Haku went wild. ‘At least the mist is clearing somewhat.’ Sakura thought, spotting an array of ice mirrors that had Sasuke trapped. ‘Fuck, what can I even do about that? I’ve got no gut fox or special eyes.’

Thankfully, Sakura’s worries were interrupted by Naruto’s spectacular failure of a rescue. The boy managed to get Haku off balance, only to throw away his advantage and sneak into the ice dome. What followed would be forever burned into her memories. The fight continued for a bit with Naruto’s screams occasionally sending chills down her spine. Then the battlefield fell silent and Sakura knew Sasuke was injured, she could feel it just as clearly as if she’d seen it happen.

A heartbeat passed and an explosion of raw power and blood lust flooded the bridge. Orange light saturated the fog and Sakura felt genuine fear as ice shattered under a titanic blow. A reddish blur streaked out after Haku whose mask shattered as he hit the bridge. Naruto roared and the two exchanged a rapid fire series of blows that ended with Naruto holding Haku’s battered form up by his collar.

‘Shit, what if Naruto kills him?’ Sakura wondered, listening to the surrounding fight carefully. She couldn’t risk a clone killing Tazuna now. The man was looking resigned but hadn’t tried to flee, which spoke of a relatively level head given the situation. “Naruto, what happened? Where is Sasuke?”

“Sasuke’s, this bastard-” Naruto couldn’t manage to finish his sentence and growled, grip tightening on Haku’s collar.

‘What do I do? I can’t say Sasuke’s alive because he really could be dying. I can’t tell him to spare an enemy, that’d make no sense, fuck.’ Sakura watched carefully as the ice mirrors melted away and the mist began to clear, revealing Sasuke’s body. Glancing towards the end of the bridge, she spotted a crowd and knew she’d found her ticket.

“Naruto, Kakashi look at the end of the bridge!” Sakura called out and all eyes shifted to the crowd of thugs, lead by a short fat man with a horrid haircut and mustache.

“Well what a let down, demon of the hidden mist my ass!” Gato drawled, looking over the bridge and spitting. “You can’t even kill a bunch of brats and one old man.” Gato’s voice was dripping with disgust and he snorted with annoyance. “Some fucking ninja you are, oh well, at least you’ve all worn yourselves out. Did you know Zabuza, I wasn’t even going to pay you in the first place? Ninja are so fucking stupid and now I can claim all your bounties. Kill them all, except the girl, I’m going to sell her.”

‘Well I’m going to kill him if Zabuza doesn’t.’ Sakura decided as the tension in the air evaporated.

“Ceasefire?” Kakashi asked, having avoided Zabuza’s attacks and not committed to any big moves himself. He was tired but not nearly as exhausted as if he’d went all out.

“I can do you one better, I’ve no longer got any quarrel with you.” Zabuza growled and shouldered his sword. “Haku, let’s take them out!”

“Yes, Zabuza-sama.” Haku slipped from Naruto’s grasp, giving the boy an apologetic look. “Your friend will be fine. I only knocked him out.”

“Oh,” Naruto managed before Haku and Zabuza dove into the horde, cutting down everyone in their way. A dozen mercenaries died before they even hit the ground and Gato realized his mistake far too late. Kubikiribouchou took the man’s head clean off and his body slammed into the pavement of the bridge, bleeding all over the concrete. Sakura watched the decapitated head go flying high into the air before landing with a sickening smack not far away.

“That’s mission accomplished right?” Sakura asked Kakashi who shrugged and walked over to Sasuke who was slowly starting to wake up. “Oh shit, Sasuke I’ve got medical supplies, hang on kid!” Sakura’s brain finally registered the injured child bleeding on the ground and she sprang into action. Kakashi watched with rapidly mounting confusion as Sasuke’s wounds were systematically treated, senbon carefully removed, punctures thoroughly disinfected and then tightly bound with bandages to limit internal bleeding.

“Here, blood pill, I took some from your house.” Sakura offered to Sasuke who accepted the pill and bit down, frowning at the bitter iron flavor that filled his mouth but swallowing the medicine regardless. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Sasuke answered and Sakura nodded, offering her back to him.

“Climb on, I’ll carry you. We need to get you into a blanket, you’ve lost a lot of blood. Kakashi can you grab his canteen and hand it to me?” Sakura asked as Sasuke settled onto her back.

“…” Kakashi didn’t answer, he just stared at Rin. ‘Why does Rin have pink hair?’ Kakashi wondered, unable to connect with reality.

“Kakashi! Canteen!” Sakura snapped and the man moved, grabbing Sasuke’s canteen mechanically from his pouch and handing it to the girl. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Kakashi forced his attention back to the threats. Zabuza was still here, he was Kiri and a Kiri-nin would hurt Rin if given the chance.

“Easy there Hatake, we’re going to leave you in peace.” Zabuza didn’t dare approach Kakashi. He could feel the man’s eyes boring into him even from this distance. “Let’s go Haku. Gato owes us and he kept his cash in that base of his.” With that the two vanished, leaving Team 7 alone and only lightly harmed.

“Did we miss it?” Inari asked, leading a group of townsfolk onto the scene of a massacre.

“What does it look like!” Sakura shouted back at the kid who smiled sheepishly, unbothered by the corpses lining the bridge. He’d seen worse after all, and Sakura? She was very good at hiding her freak out because internally she was all chaos but externally she was calm as ever, even smiling for the kid as she walked over the corpses, careful not to jostle Sasuke.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

“And then Sakura wrapped up the Teme like a mummy!” Naruto exclaimed, recounting their now A ranked mission to the Hokage.

The bridge had been completed in record time after Gato’s death and Sakura had spent that time helping the locals around the city. She’d gathered up bodies and burned them, carried construction equipment and when she had time to herself walked on water to fully master her chakra. None of it was fun but it was rewarding and when they finally left, two weeks after the fight, the People’s Bridge had been christened and the songs of the revolution filled the small island nation. That last bit was still totally Kakashi’s fault, she was an unsupervised genin after all. He should have known better.

“Well it sounds like all of you had quite the adventure.” Hiruzen chuckled happily and dismissed them after making sure they got paid.

‘Time to set up a bank account!’ Sakura thought happily, counting out her pay. “Hey Naruto, meet you at Ichiraku for dinner? That’s your place right?”

“Right ‘ttebayo! You’re going to love it, it’s got the best ramen in the world!” Naruto exclaimed, though not too loudly, thank the gods.

“Awesome, Sasuke want to join?” Sakura looked at the boy whose hands were shoved into his pockets and a frown firmly on his lips.

“Hn,” Sasuke grunted.

“Sounds like a plan, see you there.” Sakura gave him a smile then ran off to get her affairs in order. ‘I’ve got enough for an apartment now and quite a few months of rent. I’ve got weapons because of Sasuke, even though I had to return the sword. Now I just need clothes that I actually like. Oh and dictionaries, encyclopedias, all my books really. Apartment first, then shopping trip and maybe I can bug Naruto into teaching me that shadow clone trick.’ Sakura grinned happily as she daydreamed of having her own space for the first time since waking up in Ninja Hell.

After speaking with a few ninja that had been milling around the Hokage Tower, Sakura discovered that there was actually a special bank for Ninja that could have their pay sent directly from the mission desk to their account. She immediately did the paperwork for the bank and then found a nice genin apartment for herself, also offered by the village. She had the pick of a few locations and took one in the red light district since it was the cheapest and she wasn’t about to waste money on rent when she could save for a house.

Upon arriving at her new home, Sakura quickly set about making a list of things she’d need. Her apartment had a full kitchen, bathroom and even a living room. The downside was it was in a part of town that nobody wanted to be near. Prostitutes and yakuza prowled the streets, selling their wares or generally looking intimidating. Drunks milled about flirting at anyone with a pulse and Sakura got catcalls every time she poked her head out of her door.

‘Well, I’ll need a ninja worthy security system, not that I can afford anything too crazy.’ Sakura thought, well aware that she really didn’t have valuables worth stealing yet. ‘I guess I’ll just buy a sealing scroll and carry everything I own.’ She decided, leaving her empty home behind and making her way to the ninja part of town. Walking into a scroll store, she saw several simple privacy seals on sale alongside a few different types of explosive tags.

“Hello, how can I help you little miss?” The man at the front desk asked and Sakura considered the wide array of seals on display.

“I need a storage scroll and do you have any books on fuinjutsu? I’d like to learn.” Sakura asked and the man blinked before smiling happily.

“Give me just a moment, I’ll be right back.” The man smiled and left before coming out with a scroll. “Here, this covers the basic concepts of fuinjutsu.” Sakura blinked and looked up at the man. He was covered in scars, wearing a patch over one eye and all of his hair had long ago gone gray. His one good eye was slightly cloudy and his gate was uneven, speaking of old injuries. Still he felt powerful, despite everything and she smiled happily at the scroll.

“Thanks! Any advice?” Sakura asked and the man looked her over carefully.

“Well fuinjutsu is all about intelligence. Strength, chakra, bloodlines, none of that will help you with seals. You’ve got to be smart, creative and have an academic mind. It’s not the kind of thing that just anybody can do. That said, it’s also very powerful when done correctly. The Fourth Hokage was a legend because of his fuinjutsu and the Second Hokage was also a master of the art.” The man explained and Sakura nodded along, eagerly absorbing the information. The man looked sad for a moment, eyes focusing off into the distant past before he let out a sigh. “So much knowledge has been lost over the years but I hope that the art will bounce back.”

“Now then, this scroll is 20,000 ryu, but I’ll make you a deal, if you can come back here and make the storage scroll described in it while I watch within the week, I’ll give it to you for free.” The old shopkeeper offered and Sakura considered the challenge before realizing it was hopeless. She was still mostly illiterate and there was no way she was learning how to read that fast.

“That’s a good offer but I’m realistic, I can barely read. This is part of my recovery process.” Sakura explained patting the scroll. “I figure I can learn to read again and learn fuinjutsu at the same time.”

“Head injury? Happens, still if you pull off a miracle I’ll be here and if not, I’ll still be here. Don’t be a stranger, not enough shinobi have an interest in fuinjutsu and most civilians are too scared of anything ninja to give it a shot.” The shopkeeper explained and then gave Sakura a tired smile. “Do your best kid.”

“I will and what’s your name?” Sakura asked, looking up at the battered old man curiously. He was the first adult to actually encourage her and she didn’t want to be rude.

“Arashi Gin and you?” The man asked, looking over Sakura before pausing. “Wait, don’t tell me, Tsubaki?”

“Haruno Sakura,” Sakura replied and the man chuckled and shook his head.

“I suppose that’s more accurate, your hair has a bit more white pink in it then bright pink. Now go on and practice, you’re going to need it if you want to survive.” Gin advised, face going from cheerful to deadly serious. He gave her a look that was all warning and Sakura felt the pressure of his one remaining eye.

“I will, I have a lot to catch up on.” Sakura replied, giving the man a polite bow before leaving. ‘Okay, skills I need, everything. Short term stuff, taijutsu, substitution, clone and henge. Naruto knows those right? I’m sure he’ll help, I’ll ask him and whatever he doesn’t know I’ll ask Sasuke for later.’ Sakura paused and bounced on her feet before checking her things. Her storage scroll could easily hold everything she had to her name, so she headed home to pack up all her worldly possessions.

‘Alright, aside from learning how to fight, I need stealth skills and general physical conditioning. Social manipulation would also be useful since I’m good at it and some training would only improve that. I’d like a longsword as well, then I’d have a nice metal stick for whacking people.’ Sakura paused and then frowned, trying to figure out what else she was missing.

‘What else don’t I know? I guess I should look and see if there is a library, the academy is next to the Hokage Tower right? I’ll go ask the teachers.’ Sakura thought and jogged out of her apartment, passing Hanazono on the way. The brothel was much busier then when she’d visited it for work and she spotted a pair of girls her age inside the main lobby cleaning. ‘Are they shinobi or just kids of the akasen?’ Sakura wondered, setting aside the thought for another time as she left the district and headed towards the school.

‘Time to roof hop!’ Sakura thought excitedly, channeling her chakra and bouncing onto a building. She’d gotten practice on the way back from Nami since Kakashi had ignored her protests and took to the trees. It’d forced her to learn since they used the tree road the entire way back but Sakura suspected it was just a petty attempt to get her to quit being a shinobi. Naruto had thought it hysterical that Sakura didn’t know how to tree hop while Sasuke had been rather quiet about it. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought Sasuke was trying to be polite.’ Sakura thought as she rushed across the city, landing in front of the academy after a few minutes of hopping around.

School wasn’t in session anymore but a few of the teachers were in and she spotted the man who was always at the mission desk for their team. ‘He’s my target!’ Sakura decided, walking up the wall and opening the window carefully. The man glanced up, spotted Sakura and gave her a wide grin.

“Sakura-chan, to what do I owe the pleasure?” The man asked, smiling at her as she climbed inside.

“Amnesia, more specifically my amnesia.” Sakura stated and the man blinked and frowned, worry written all over him.

“You have amnesia? Did you go to the hospital?” The man asked and Sakura nodded. “They couldn’t heal it?”

“They had to teach me how to speak again, I didn’t even remember my teammates. Or you for that matter, were you my teacher or something?” Sakura asked and the man’s eyes widened before he nodded.

“Yes, I’m Iruka, I was your sensei for quite a few years. What can I help you with Sakura-chan?” Iruka asked and Sakura blinked, eyes widening.

“You’re the legendary Iruka-sensei? I should have known, Naruto loves you, he’s always chatting about you. You’re like his big brother you know?” Sakura informed the man who blushed and smiled bashfully. “I’m glad I finally got to meet you, uh, again.”

“Nice to meet you too Sakura-chan.” Iruka chuckled, somewhat overwhelmed by what he’d just heard.

“Right, okay back to me, I need to brush up on my skills. I have basically no knowledge about anything ninja so I want to know about the different types of ninja skills and any information about what I should be good at.” Sakura stated and Iruka gave her a thoughtful look before nodding and leaving. A minute later he came back with a folder and opened it.

“Well Sakura-chan, I’m sad to hear you’ve forgotten so much since your knowledge was one of your strengths. You were brilliant and a very proficient reader. The librarians all loved you and I’m sure they’ll be sad to hear you’ve forgotten them.” Iruka informed her and Sakura frowned but nodded. “Aside from that, you have good chakra control and are a natural at detecting genjutsu.”

“Genjutsu? What’s that?” Sakura knew taijutsu and ninjutsu, having seen examples of both but she’d not encountered any genjutsu yet.

“Illusions, you’re a genjutsu type which is why Kakashi-san is such a good teacher for you.” Iruka explained and Sakura laughed.

“He hasn’t taught me anything, I even asked him after I came back from the hospital. I told him I didn’t want to let the team down by being weak and I wanted to learn how to fight, he told me not to worry about it then read porn for the rest of the day.” Sakura scoffed, seeing an opportunity to mildly get back at Kakashi. His reputation had to be in the trash with his public porn reading but if she could kick it down further, she would!

“Ah, well that doesn’t sound like Kakashi-san but perhaps he was in a bad mood?” Iruka tried and Sakura gave him a flat look. “Alright, well I’ll help you. For starters to break out of a genjutsu you just pulse your chakra, like this.” Iruka held up the tiger sign and flared his chakra. Sakura imitated it and Iruka shivered as the girl’s entire chakra network stopped then started again in a kai so abrupt he physically felt it. ‘She could probably dispel shadow clones with that kai, kami!’ Iruka did his best not to react poorly since the girl was looking at him with bright jade eyes.

“Did I do it right?” Sakura asked and Iruka nodded, wondering why he’d never noticed her kais before.

‘Were they always that strong?’ Iruka wondered as he thought over what he could teach her. The answer wasn’t much but he could point her in the direction of a few simple genjutsu. “Alright Sakura-chan, now that you know how to break a genjutsu I’m going to teach you two simple ones. Hell viewing makes your opponent see their greatest fear and false surroundings allows you to place illusions over an area. I’m going to show you each one and I want you to break them alright?”

“Okay,” Sakura answered nervously. ‘Worst nightmare? What even is my worst nightmare?’ Sakura wondered as Iruka cast the first illusion.

The world shifted and suddenly Sakura wasn’t Sakura. She was herself, before she’d crossed worlds, before the surgery that had saved her life. ‘Oh, oh hell no!’ Sakura thought, bringing her hands together as she realized what was going on. This was a flashback to when she was little, when the world was against her and she had no one. When even her own body was trying to choke the will to live from her as puberty started and her voice deepened.

“Kai!” Sakura flickered her chakra and shattered the genjutsu.

“Well done, fast too but even a split second could be dangerous so work on your speed.” Iruka-sensei warned her and Sakura nodded, taking several deep breaths to calm herself.

“Okay and the other one?” Sakura asked and Iruka quickly cast it, hiding the desks in the room. Sakura reached out and felt the desk, it was still there but she couldn’t see it. “Cool, kai!” She shattered the illusion and grinned. “Can you write the hand seals down and what to do with my chakra? I’m pretty sure I’ve got it but I’d like notes.”

“Sure thing and I’ll write directions to the library as well, good luck Sakura-chan.” Iruka-sensei gave her a smile and Sakura realized she’d lucked out meeting this gem of a man.

“Thanks Sensei!” Sakura chirped happily, accepting the notes and putting them away before walking back to the window. “Oh Naruto and I are meeting up at Ichiraku in an hour if you want to join. I’m sure he would love to see you.” Iruka looked surprised before giving her a smile.

“You get along with your team?” Iruka asked with a mix of hope and disbelief.

“Yeah, Sasuke’s a bit grumpy and Naruto is loud but they’re twelve, you know? Everyone’s got their problems. Like me, I don’t remember shit! And I curse a lot now, did I curse before?” Sakura grinned as she finished talking and Iruka couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

“No, you didn’t curse but you did shriek quite a bit. I’m glad you’re getting along with your team and I’ll see you there.” Iruka offered and Sakura nodded before climbing out the window and walking down to the ground.

‘Alright, next stop library! I need some dictionaries, encyclopedias with pictures and books on how to ninja for dummies.’ Sakura thought to herself, making a beeline for the library since she only had an hour left before she’d have to meet up with Naruto.

***

Ichiraku Ramen smelled absolutely amazing and Sakura settled down next to Naruto who had arrived before her. The blond blinked and looked to his side, lighting up as he saw the pink haired girl sitting beside him.

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto shouted but Sakura already had her hands in place, covering her ears.

“Volume, Naruto.” She chided and the boy blushed furiously, scratching the back of his head bashfully.

“Ah, right sorry, but this is Ichiraku Ramen and they serve the best ramen in the world dattebayo!” Naruto exclaimed happily and Sakura smiled, dropping her hands down to a menu and giving it a look.

“Well their menu certainly looks good,” Sakura noted as Iruka walked in.

“Hey Naruto, how have you been?” Iruka asked and Sakura noticed Sasuke slip in and take a seat a few chairs down from them. He exchanged a nod with Sakura, but didn’t say anything after ordering, preferring to let the conversation continue without his input.

“I told you already Iruka-sensei, we went on this awesome adventure! I was just going to tell Teuchi-san and Ayame-san about it!” Naruto exclaimed happily and Iruka rolled his eyes before grinning.

“Well go on then!” Iruka chuckled and Naruto quickly began yammering away about their adventure in Nami. If anybody noticed how Sakura hadn’t done anything other than walk up a tree before either of the boys, well, no one said a word.

The evening passed slowly with good food and good company. When everyone was done eating, they all got up, paid and went their separate ways. Or rather everyone but Naruto and Sakura went their separate ways. They got up and left in the same direction, walking side by side in silence for several long seconds before Sakura decided to say something.

“I hope you’re not heading to the akasen.” Sakura told Naruto who blinked and nodded.

“Yeah, my apartment is in it ‘ttebayo.” Naruto answered and Sakura frowned, remembering Naruto’s apartment had been given to him by the hokage.

‘That old fucking bastard! I’m so making him work this off before he dies!’ Sakura thought, wondering how she could best force the old man’s hand. ‘Demanding training won’t work, I’ll need to blackmail him somehow. But what could I blackmail a Hokage with? Wait, he’s the stereotypical I’m too old for this shit archetype, I bet he hates paperwork, which means he hasn’t figured out he could totally just use a shadow clone for it! Perfect!’ Sakura cackled happily, mildly freaking out Naruto who looked at her with visible concern.

“Um Sakura-chan, why are you heading to the Akasen?” He asked, hoping to bring his friend back to reality. Sakura-chan was different since coming back but she was even nicer than she used to be and she was still really smart, even if she didn’t remember anything.

“Ah, well I had to get an apartment there because my parents were…” Sakura remembered her one run in with them and didn’t know what to think. They hadn’t visited her once. At first she’d thought it was because she wasn’t allowed visitors, but that turned out not to be true, they simply hadn’t bothered. “Well they were really, really nasty and after I lost my memories of them being my parents, they were just nasty jerks I didn’t know, so I left.”

“Oh, that’s really sad. What kind of parents would be mean to their kids?” Naruto asked and Sakura shrugged, unsure how to answer that since it was depressingly common.

“Well let’s change the subject a bit,” Sakura offered and Naruto perked up, wondering what they would talk about next. “You know I was hoping you could teach me a few things, since I forgot everything.”

“Oh? What do you want to know? I could teach you how to fight! Or I could teach you my own original jutsu! Here, check this out!” Naruto held up an incorrect ram sign and suddenly transformed into a beautiful half naked blond girl. “What do you think?”

“Could be useful, it would certainly take out a pervert. Still you’re a bit young to be using sexual wiles on people.” Sakura stated, glancing over the blond bombshell and with the knowledge that Naruto had grown up in a the red light district easily seeing how he’d come up with such a technique. “Could you teach me that and the shadow clone thing? Oh and substitution!”

“Sure thing Sakura-chan, follow me I know a good spot for practicing.” Naruto said and lead her to a small patch of trees on the edge of the district.

‘Okay so for starters, Naruto’s transformation technique uses up quite a bit of chakra.’ Sakura realized as she transformed into an older version of herself. It was draining but at least she was taller for once. ‘Oh and it’s fucking solid, not an illusion. How?!’ Sakura wanted to laugh at how unfair life was. Not only did Naruto have a chakra monster in him, but he was a genius at invention, even if nobody ever noticed.

“Nice Sakura-chan, but uh for the sexy jutsu you’d need less clothes.” Naruto explained and Sakura rolled her eyes, making sure to memorize the hand seals by trying it out a few times without actually changing forms before she dropped the transformation.

“Okay, that was tiring.” She noted, having managed to pull most of the spent chakra back into herself when she canceled the technique. ‘I’ve got about 80% left, so let’s see if we can’t pull off a shadow clone.’ Sakura thought, wiping off the sweat from her forehead. The fact that only a single transformation, even if it was a solid one, had taken more then 20% of her reserves was mortifying.

“Was it? I guess you need to train more then Sakura-chan.” Naruto replied, clueless as ever.

“You’re right, so why not show me the shadow clone jutsu?” Sakura asked and Naruto nodded, holding up the famous cross hand seal.

“You hold up this seal and focus on sending your chakra out and forming it into another you.” Naruto explained and closed his eyes. Sakura watched him carefully and sort of felt what Naruto meant as he shifted his chakra around and created a clone with a pop of smoke.

“Alright, let me give it a go.” Sakura held the seal up and slowly, carefully fed chakra into the jutsu until with a pop a somewhat distorted clone was made. “Damn, needs more chakra I think.” Sakura panted, feeling her reserves drop dangerously low. Canceling the jutsu, they replenished immediately and she got a brief flash of seeing herself from her clone’s perspective. ‘Oh that’s useful.’ Sakura grinned, mind whirring about what had just happened. “I’m going to try again.”

The end of the evening saw Sakura exhausted and leaning on Naruto as she headed home. She’d managed to make a single stable shadow clone. Anymore than that and she’d either faint or kill herself. The jutsu was fascinating as it took a minimum amount of chakra to form the clone and then wanted to divide the remaining chakra evenly between the clone and the creator. Sadly the minimum it required was already 40% of all Sakura had, before dividing what was left, so she couldn’t skimp on chakra allocation to create multiple clones.

‘Wish I learned the water clone thing, it felt like it took less chakra even if it was weaker.’ Sakura thought as she flopped into bed after a long day of being productive. ‘Oh well, something for another day.’

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

The morning after they returned from Nami, Sakura woke up, got dressed and headed down to the mission office. Kakashi had given them the week off but Sakura wasn’t the type to sit around and do nothing. ‘Then again, I am exactly the type to sit around and do nothing. I did absolutely nothing in Nami after all.’ She thought glumly, approaching the mission desk and spotting the same man who’d sent her to the brothel.

“Hey, any solo missions?” Sakura asked, walking up to the chunin.

“Same one as last time.” He replied, not bothering to look for others.

‘So this guy is shoehorning me into the seduction track.’ Sakura thought, looking over the other missions posted. ‘Well considering how I look, I shouldn’t be surprised and it pays well. I wonder if I can make a genjutsu that would fill in the roll of having sex, like hell viewing but sex.’ Sakura wondered, trying to figure out a way to avoid sleeping with anyone she didn’t want to. ‘Why can’t ninja just be normal soldiers?’ She lamented, accepting the mission scroll and heading over to Hanazono.

Landing in front of the back entrance, Sakura was greeted by Akane who was surprised but happy to see her. The older woman quickly ushered her in and helped her get dressed before giving her a look over.

“Perfect, how long do you have today?” She asked and Sakura thought over the question carefully.

“If I get a break for lunch I could stay for about eight hours today. I can’t stay that long normally though.” Sakura informed the woman who nodded and quickly put her to work while watching her. Hanazono was massive and divided into several sections all providing different luxuries. On the ground floor was the bar section she’d been in last time, where patrons came in and got drunk on the finest alcohols available before they slept with the men and women who worked at the brothel. The upper levels were a lavish hotel section where nobles, ANBU and merchants could unwind while they stayed in the village and there was also a high class restaurant on the top floor.

The morning went by quickly as Sakura mostly waited tables at the restaurant or cleaned the bar. When lunch time came around, she found herself in the staff room sitting next to Akane and a few of the other women that worked in the building. Her headband was off but word had gotten around she was a genin and she could feel critical eyes on her from all sides.

“When you interact with customers, use all your senses to observe them. You can learn a lot about a person with only a few seconds of interaction.” Akane stated, placing a tray of food down in front of Sakura. “Scent can tell you where people spend their days or if they carry weapons, their build can tell you what kind of job they work and body language can tell you almost anything. Most people try to focus on reading expressions and eyes but they only tell a small part of the story. Also most shinobi will only focus on training their facial expressions without noticing their other tells.”

“That’s…” Sakura paused having already known all of those things but never having summarized it before. “Really good advice.”

“Well it’s our job to know and to see what others don’t.” Akane answered calmly, turning to her own food. “I know you’ve already figured out what we do here and who we are.”

“I suspect but have no proof. I won’t make assumptions.” Sakura replied carefully earning a sly grin from the older woman. “Food’s good by the way.”

“One of the perks, no camping for us.” Akane chuckled eating her meal and giving Sakura a few more pointers over their food. “You’re too new at this to really pull off much but there are a few techniques I could teach you, if you’re willing.”

“I’m always interested in learning but I seem to have picked up paranoia from my last mission, someone gave a false mission report and my mission rating went up. Nearly died.” Sakura offered, not sure she’d trust a technique from just anyone. ‘What if it was a suicide technique? Or a self sealing or knockout technique they had resistance to and I don’t?’ Sakura had no one to come looking for her. Naruto might, but she wasn’t going to rely on him and her sensei certainly wouldn’t bother.

“Paranoia is good in our line of work, it’ll keep you alive but you must never show it.” Akane lectured and then ran through a quick series of hand signs. “As for the technique it’s a simple self suggestive genjutsu.”

“That sounds dubious.” Sakura had only just learned how to break a genjutsu and while she was confident she could break one she put on herself, she wasn’t sure she could break one in time if someone attacked her.

“That’s because it is, self applied genjutsu can be dangerous but they can also be effective in overcoming fear or uncertainty. The one I’m going to teach you is called flower dance. It tells you how to move to attract people looking at you. It’s not perfect and you can’t use it against other shinobi since they’ll notice but it will help you get the basics.” Akane quickly ran through a series of five hand seals and Sakura memorized them, then focused on the feeling of Akane’s chakra. It reached out to her like a genjutsu, before bouncing back onto Akane. A moment later Akane shifted, smiling playfully with just a hint of danger in her eyes.

“Ah, you like a bit of adventure.” Akane purred, leaning forward and looking down at Sakura, her smile shifting to a confident smirk. “Interesting tastes for a kid. Most wouldn’t want to be crowded like this.”

“Ah, um,” Sakura stammered, completely caught off guard. Akane was beautiful and with her leaning forward and her kimono slightly loose, she could catch a glimpse of what lay underneath. “Okay I get it!” The faint pulse of a kai informed Sakura that Akane had canceled the genjutsu and the woman chuckled.

“You’re certainly an odd one, but then again all shinobi are crazy in their own way.” Akane put a hand on Sakura’s head and gave her a few pats. “Our line of work is traumatic, but at least we don’t have to kill all that often. Other shinobi get the trauma and the violence. Consider it, alright?”

“I will,” Sakura knew she couldn’t limit herself to seduction. She needed to be strong, strong enough to fight gods but she had an absent teacher and no resources. Iruka, Naruto and Akane had all taught her more than Kakashi had and so long as they kept teaching her, she’d be more than happy to take on occasional seduction missions. After all, if she could float her genjutsu idea, it’d be the perfect place to practice illusions.

***

Following her shift at Hanazono, Sakura was pleased to see her bank account recover slightly from all her spending. Her A rank had covered all her expenses easily but that was no excuse not to keep saving, after all she needed money to buy scrolls that weren’t available in the library, at least not to genin. ‘How silly is it that you can buy a scroll that they won’t let you read in the library?! Fucking capitalism.’ Sakura griped internally, annoyed when she’d discovered that while the library did have fuinjutsu resources, they were all for chunin and up. If she wanted to get her hands on them, she’d have to pay for the privilege, which meant the information as only really barred from the poor who couldn’t afford to buy copies of their own.

Still they had primers on everything else and Sakura had gotten to work finding useful information amid the pile of useless factoids. ‘I need knowledge I can apply, fighting styles, kata, throwing techniques,’ Sakura thought, looking through the library and skimming things. Any books without pictures were promptly put away since she simply was not good enough at reading the local language yet without some visual aids.

‘Life on hard mode,’ Sakura thought, checking out a book on kunai throwing that included some ninja wire tricks and redirection attacks. ‘Didn’t Itachi do that?’ Sakura wondered, looking at the diagrams which were more about showing it was possible than on how to actually pull it off.

Returning to her house, she sat down and created a shadow clone. The drain left her momentarily light headed but a glass of heavily sugared black tea perked her up and she began reading. ‘So let’s see if this works how I think it does.’ Sakura thought, letting her shadow clone struggle through the book on kunai while she read up on fuinjutsu.

‘Basics of fuinjutsu, fuinjutsu might mean sealing arts but it can do far more than that. They can be used in place of hand seals to trigger techniques or allow a seal master to bypass elemental affinity to cast jutsu they couldn’t otherwise use. It is even possible to mimic advanced nature release kekkei genkai with fuinjutsu, though your versatility will be reliant upon the seals you have available.’ Sakura took a full half hour just to translate the first paragraph and felt like smashing her head into the floor.

‘This fucking sucks! I can barely read!’ Sakura raged silently, rolling around the floor and spotting her shadow clone doing the same. It was slowly draining her reserves to maintain but not that badly. ‘I can probably keep it active for an hour or two if I keep drinking tea. Sugar and caffeine helps. I should see if there are like chakra boosters or something.’ Sakura sighed and gave her clone a nudge.

“Let’s get back to studying, we won’t learn how to read rolling around and bitching silently.” Sakura said to her clone who let out a tired sigh and nodded.

“You’re right, but fuck this sucks. Why don’t they use an alphabet? We should invent one and offer it to the Hokage.” The clone suggested and Sakura blinked in surprise.

“Why not just use the IPA? I remember it and it’s not that hard to teach compared to the mess that I’m currently learning.” Sakura replied thoughtfully and tapped her chin. “Not right now though, we only have a limited time with you helping me. Keep reading, we have a lot of ground to cover.”

“Sure, just remember you’re still not practicing any martial arts or swordsmanship. Kata, throwing knives and shuriken don’t count for much if you don’t know how to punch anyone.” The clone stated grimly and got back to reading.

“One step at a time,” Sakura replied, returning to her fuinjutsu book.

‘To create a seal, you must know exactly what you want it to do before you make it. Then, once you know what you want your seal to do, you’ll need to design the seal accordingly. The more complex a seal’s function, the more complex its design will be, however it is possible to shorten a seal if it is only going to be used by its creator.

This prevents captured seals from being turned on their owner and decreases the time and complexity of creating certain seals. On the other hand, shortened seals cannot be shared with allies which limits their usefulness.’

Sakura’s head was on fire from translating a language she’d only learned two and a half months ago. She’d always been good at languages in her first life, but she’d been good at most things in her first life, except for being feminine and dating which always stung. ‘This time around I’m going to actually learn how to be cute and fashionable!’ Sakura thought, determined not to let ninja hell keep her from indulging in her feminine interests.

When she noticed she was getting low on chakra, Sakura shifted from reading to meditating, making sure plenty of chakra was moving through her brain just like Kakashi had taught her. It was relaxing, even with her exhaustion and Sakura let her shadow clone dispel, pulling the chakra back into herself and receiving a rush of memories and a brief headache. Everything the clone had read poured into her mind along with everything it had managed to memorize.

‘Okay, this is going to be something I only do before bed.’ Sakura thought, feeling mentally exhausted and rubbing soothing circles on her forehead. ‘Still, very useful, even if I can’t use a shadow clone in combat.’ Sakura let out a sigh, annoyed with how little she had to work with and how much she had to make up. Still at least she learned quickly and with the shadow clone trick she could master skills even faster than her already impressive rate.

***

Six days after buying her book on fuinjutsu, Sakura returned to the shop she’d bought it from. Gin was still behind the counter, smoking a pipe while watching his store and he immediately smiled, his one eye watching the girl as she approached him.

“Well, here to give it a shot? I’ve kept your payment off to the side you know.” Gin grinned as the doll like child gave him a smile and a nod.

“I think I’ve gotten it but I’m not sure.” Sakura stated, unsure of herself but confident enough she was willing to try. ‘After all the worst I could do is rip open a portal to Cthulhu or something.’ She thought sarcastically, following Gin into a backroom where he rolled out some chakra paper and offered her a jar of ink and a brush. ‘Fuck that’s right this is all calligraphy, alright here goes nothing!’ Sakura thought, looking over the blank paper and getting to work.

She had doubled up with her clone to finish deciphering the fuinjutsu book and was eager to test out what she’d learned. Sealing scrolls required a description of their size, how they stored and ejected material and what shape the storage space was. You needed to decide if everything was stored in one vast container or separate bubbles and if things could be pulled out one at a time or only all at once.

“Describe your seal to me before we start.” Gin instructed and Sakura pulled out a notebook she’d used for theorizing.

“Well it’s a segmented storage seal. Things sealed in it will maintain their state so if they’re warm, they’ll stay warm and food won’t go bad. That’s because no time passes within the storage. Each object is stored separately as well, in its own bubble that is created when it’s stored.” Sakura explained, showing her notes. “I couldn’t figure out how to allow the seal to identify objects put into it but it numbers things automatically so if you put in three separate items, you could pull out the second one you put in if you focused on the number two.”

“How much can you store?” Gin asked curiously and Sakura frowned and shrugged.

“I’m not completely sure, it takes chakra to create storage spaces and the larger something is, the more chakra it’ll take. I guess the answer to that is how conductive the chakra ink is, once you hit its limit, it can’t store anymore stuff. I put a safety mechanism in so if it’s straining it’ll just stop trying to store what you’re forcing in.” Sakura hadn’t even put brush to paper but she was confident her design was possible. What she was less certain of was if she could actually create the storage scroll considering she could barely write in the first place.

“Well it seems like you’ve got a brilliant design and as to your question about whether you can get a seal to identify what’s inside it, that’s possible but the seal itself won’t be what provides that information, but instead what seals it.” Gin’s hint immediately lit off an idea in Sakura’s mind and she smacked her forehead with her palm.

“You can get it from the user! Their chakra can carry that information and if you seal that information in with the object, there’s your label! Dammit, why didn’t I realize that!” Sakura’s outburst surprised Gin who clearly hadn’t been expecting her to get it so quickly.

“Well aren’t you a clever little kitsune, now go on, try your hand at making a seal.” He chided gently and Sakura got to work.

“I’m kind of trash at this, huh?” She asked, looking at the absolutely pathetic excuse of a scroll. Instead of saying anything, Gin just hummed and took it outside, Sakura following behind curiously. He put a rock atop the seal and with a pulse of chakra, the rock vanished in a puff of smoke. A second pulse of chakra and the rock reappeared, though the scroll was mildly burnt out and charred in places.

“Well, because of your uneven distribution of ink, the scroll is unstable but it did work.” Gin stated, looking over the girl carefully. She was small, though she had some clear muscle definition. Her skin was pale and free of scaring and while she’d yet to hit puberty, he could tell she would grow up to be a beautiful woman if she survived long enough. More importantly, there was an undeniable spark of intelligence in the way her eyes looked out on the world and how they took in her surroundings. She wasn’t an empty headed idiot or a lucky novice, nor was she an air headed academic.

‘I can teach her quite a bit.’ Gin wasn’t a master of sealing, but he knew his art well and if he encouraged the girl and took her under his wing, perhaps she could achieve what he never managed. “Alright then Sakura-chan, how would you like it if I tutored you for a bit?”

“Really? You’d do that for me?” Sakura was amazed that she’d struck gold twice in the same week. Not only were the women of Hanazono willing to teach her, she now had Gin as well.

“Why the surprise?” Gin asked and Sakura shook her head and sighed.

“My sensei has literally refused to teach me anything. When I lost my memory, I asked him to teach me taijutsu since I forgot all of it.” Sakura remembered the moment bitterly. “He refused.”

“So you don’t even know how to defend yourself?” Gin asked, somewhat horrified that the genin office had allowed such an unqualified kunoichi to stay active.

“I just survived a C rank turned A rank so I must be doing something right.” Sakura huffed, knowing how easily she could have died and unable to keep the sarcasm from her voice.

“Well I think I know someone who could help you. He’s a customer of mine who buys special weights, speaking off you should probably pick up some weights if you haven’t already. I don’t sell basic ones and you’re not strong enough yet for resistance seals but even if I’m missing out on business I’d rather see you getting stronger.” Gin advised and Sakura felt an odd sense of deja vu but couldn’t place it.

“I’d like that Gin-san and you really don’t have to but thank you, I’ll gladly take any help you’re willing to give.” Sakura was adult enough to know that turning down a gift could be just as rude as begging for one. If someone wanted to give you something and weren’t hurting themselves to do it, it was more polite to accept even if it made her uncomfortable.

“Oh don’t think that this is a gift Sakura-chan, you’re going to have your work cut out for you if you want to make anything of what I’ve offered.” Gin gave her a sharp smile that Sakura instinctively matched. She’d never been easily intimidated and she’d always let others know it. “You’ve got good eyes for a rookie at least and I know you’re a hard worker. Let’s get back inside, I’ve got a few pointers for you and I’m going to set you up with a brush and some ink you can practice with.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

The last day of their break, Sakura found herself sitting with both Naruto and Sasuke at Ichiraku. The last Uchiha had taken to tolerating their presence so long as Naruto didn’t shout, which was a solid improvement. Naruto was starting to control his outbursts since careful explanation and disappointed looks were proving quite effective. ‘I’m proud of them.’ Sakura thought while slurping down a mouthful of noodles.

“So what have you spent the week doing Naruto?” Sakura asked, not too sure what the blond got up to when they weren’t hanging out.

“Oh! I met a kid who’s going to the academy and we played ninja! He’s pretty cool and knows what’s what.” Naruto explained happily, giving a wide foxy grin to his teammates. Sasuke rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything.

“Sounds like you’re having fun and Sasuke, what about you? Manage to walk on water yet?” Sakura asked and the Uchiha’s eyes widened slightly before shaking his head.

“No, haven’t tried.” Sasuke answered, though now that the idea was planted he surely would. It’d help him get stronger and Sakura knew he needed the strength.

“Well good luck, speaking of training though, would you two mind watching my back for something? I have a new technique I learned for infiltration stuff but I’ve never done it and I’m kind of nervous about trying it out on my own.” Sakura wasn’t sure she could trust the two of them to solve any problems that cropped up but they would certainly be able to get help and as much as she wanted to trust Akane and the onee-chans of Hanazono, Root existed and this was Konoha.

“Sure thing Sakura-chan.” Naruto gave her a grin and Sakura let out a sigh of relief.

“What is it?” Sasuke asked and Sakura shrugged.

“A kind of genjutsu that’s placed on yourself for infiltration. Makes you able to read another person’s body language sort of. You can imagine why I’m nervous about testing it alone right?” Sakura glanced over at Sasuke who grunted and gave her a nod.

“Alright, I’ll come.” Sasuke got up and after they all paid, he motioned for them to follow him. The trio headed down to the Uchiha district and Sasuke led them to his private training grounds. He crossed his arms and let his sharingan spin to life while Naruto stood with his hands behind his neck so he could lean his head into them.

“Well Sakura-chan?” Naruto chirped and Sakura focused on her chakra, remembering the way Akane’s had fluctuated before making the hand seals. She then performed the jutsu without calling out its name, not wanting to boost it at all just in case. She aimed the genjutsu probes at Naruto and felt them latch onto him. She also saw Sasuke’s eyes spin as he picked up what she’d done. A second later, she felt an odd sensation as her mind cleared and her chakra smoothed out.

The sense of absolute calm was almost as unsettling as the impulse to move and speak differently than she was used to. It was like there was an all powerful urge to behave a specific way, while at the same time her body began to react as if she was aroused. ‘Okay, this is different.’ Sakura couldn’t find the will to be angry or upset that they’d taught a child such a technique. She knew she’d normally be upset over such a thing but right now she didn’t feel anger, just calm. It wasn’t a loss of control, quite the opposite actually but she certainly wasn’t in her normal state of mind.

“You alright Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked and Sakura felt the urge to smile and followed it. Her smile was warm and different than her usual expressions. She shifted slightly and felt her movements drawing Naruto’s attention as she reached out and ruffled his hair affectionately, almost maternally.

“Kai.” She pulsed her chakra and shivered as the genjutsu broke. “Well that was weird.”

“That’s, um, whatever you say Sakura-chan.” Naruto stammered, his face completely crimson.

“Sorry about that Naruto, it felt like the natural thing to do.” Sakura apologized and shivered at how useful such a jutsu could be for getting people into seduction. ‘The calming effect keeps inexperienced operatives from panicking and experienced operatives with ptsd functional. It can’t be used against other shinobi but the vast majority of spy work is actually done against civilians since they hold the money and thus the power.’ It was an insidious piece of work and something that screamed Danzo without even mentioning the man.

‘Root would be the ones to manage such missions wouldn’t they? Sarutobi might be a sexist fuck but he leaves the dirty work to Danzo and sex work is dirty in the eyes of most folk. And yet ANBU teams get passes to Hanazono after their missions, fucking double standards. I won’t be having it!’ Sakura roared internally, knowing that such double standards would take years to eliminate. Men weren’t frowned at for using brothels, but the women who worked there were somehow lesser despite being well paid and very skilled. After all they had to have sex with people they didn’t care for and make a show of it.

‘Oh well, a worry for another day. The pay is good and I’m actually learning skills that could save my life. I don’t want to end up a seduction specialist but once I’m in ANBU I’ll be able to branch out.’ Sakura shelved her internal outrage and let her annoyance roll off her back. “Well, you two want to call it a night? After all we’ve got to wake up early so sensei can not show up on time.”

“It’s not like you’ll show up on time either.” Sasuke pointed out and Sakura shrugged her shoulders and grinned.

“I do actually, I show up, see he’s not on time then leave.” Sakura answered and the two boys blinked in surprise before accepting her answer. “I’m teaching myself how to read, since I forgot. Kind of an important skill, you know?”

“Hn, fair.” Sasuke agreed without further protest.

“Do you have any recommendations for things I should learn, Sasuke?” Sakura asked the Uchiha who gave her a thoughtful look before shrugging.

“Taijutsu since you don’t know it. I could lend you some scrolls for…” Sasuke scowled, looking away angrily. “People without the sharingan. My clan collected skills from…” Sasuke paused, clearly running out of steam. “Around.”

“Really? Thanks, you’re awesome Sasuke.” Sakura gave him a smile and he looked away dramatically, glaring at the grass as if it had offended his entire deceased family then kicked a puppy.

Walking back to Sasuke’s house, Naruto and Sakura followed the boy into a room filled with scrolls. Sasuke eventually lead them to a section on taijutsu and he motioned for Sakura to start looking. The scrolls weren’t organized, but they were clearly marked which helped immensely. ‘Did Danzo actually leave useful things here?’ Sakura wondered, looking over everything and opening a few of the scrolls. A quick glance showed that yes, in fact he had.

‘Do they really want Sasuke getting strong? Even if he’s not in Root?’ Sakura pressed her lips together while looking through the scrolls, organizing them as she searched. She wanted something focused purely on unarmed fighting since she already had her own knowledge of knife fighting and swordsmanship that she intended to polish. ‘I guess they’re confident they can keep Sasuke on a leash. Is he being watched by ANBU? Probably, you’d have to be stupid not to see him as a flight risk.’

“Anything interesting Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked, looking over her shoulder and she shrugged.

“Not sure, I don’t really know how to read very well. Sasuke, mind if I spend the night looking for something?” Sakura asked and Sasuke shrugged, walking off and trusting her with his jutsu library. ‘Well now I know he trusts me.’ It was a nice feeling and Sakura felt the burning shame of her weakness once again. She had no way of saving him from Orochimaru. She wasn’t naive enough to go to the Hokage with her knowledge, that could only end one way and it wouldn’t be good for her.

‘I’m not loyal to the village, I’m not loyal to anyone in the village, not really, and I think they’re all idiots. They’d pump my brain for everything in it then kill me.’ Sakura shivered at the thought and began slowly going through the scrolls, looking for something that’d work towards her strengths. ‘Hopefully I can find something incredibly deadly in here,’ Sakura skimmed as quickly as she could with her limited reading ability.

Minutes soon turned into hours as she finished sorting the various styles Sasuke had. A few were incomplete, notes stolen from the battlefield or copied by clan members but others were entire treatises that covered how to integrate the style with ninjutsu, genjutsu and bukijutsu. Finally, after a lot of searching, Sakura struck gold. The scroll was old but it wasn’t in bad condition and there was sand trapped in it that fell out as she carefully unrolled it.

‘At least it’s written in the same language, did this come from Gaara’s place?’ Sakura wondered, reading over the scroll and slowly realizing what she was looking at. ‘The Way of the Empty Fist,’ Sakura read the name of the martial art and her curiosity was peaked. Shifting her attention to the preface, she quickly began translating what was there.

‘I, Sara no Suna, in my youth desired to learn the arts of battle. I quickly picked up puppetry and poison and while poisons proved useful, I never found satisfaction in the carving of wood and crafting of weapons. So I sought other ways to put my talents to the test and through fighting against and alongside the various clans of the desert, the hills, the mountains and the forests I earned knowledge of how to attack and defend, how to use nothing but my fists and my chakra to slay the mightiest of foes with a few well placed hits.’ Sakura glanced over the scroll and saw it was part of a whole martial system.

It included instructions on poisons, antidotes and how to apply them to kunai, shuriken and senbon. It taught how to mix in chakra strings, ninjutsu and genjutsu into the style and what guards lent themselves to hand seals and what guards were purely for taijutsu. It wasn’t the largest system Sasuke had access to, not by a long shot and it required enough chakra control to be a puppeteer which was about the same as a medic in terms of skill, if not greater, thus ensuring it wasn’t a common style.

‘This is perfect. It’s probably almost unknown since this looks stolen and handmade. Kind of reminds me of someone though, the Hyuga perhaps? It’s going to take me months just to fucking read all of this.’ Sakura sighed, packing up the scrolls in her backpack and rising to her feet. ‘Fuck, legs are numb!’ The sensation of pins and needles assaulted her as she stood and she cursed up a storm before staggering out of the room. Sasuke was still outside, training despite the time and he spotted her as she walked into the living room.

“Hey, mind if I take these?” Sakura showed him the scrolls which he quickly looked over then shrugged. He clearly wasn’t interested in them, probably because they weren’t Uchiha styles, which was why he offered them in the first place. “Thanks Sasuke, really, this means a lot. I’ll try my best so I don’t hold you back.” Sakura knew the boy had issues and if he started to think his team were impeding him, he’d turn on them.

“I know,” Sasuke gave her a look that was almost fond before returning to his training.

‘Well fuck, we’re attached.’ Sakura realized, walking out of the house. ‘So, how are we going to protect my psychotic son from himself?’ She wondered, trying and failing to come up with a plan. There was so much to do, so much to catch up on and their teacher was painfully absent. ‘If we get too strong, he’ll see me as an obstacle to overcome. If we boss him around, he’ll think we’re trying to stop him or control him. Seduction is right out because he’s probably traumatized by fan girl stalking.’

‘I was probably a stalker wasn’t I?’ Sakura’s mind supplied absently as she walked through the streets.

‘No matter, we’ll figure something out. Maybe just save him after the fact? Stop him from killing Itachi so he doesn’t snap completely? That’s probably our best bet, yeah.’ Sakura’s feet carried her to the rooftops and she began to make her way across the city towards her house.

‘So, how to stop him from killing Itachi? Getting stronger than Itachi is probably impossible. Curing him is possible if we become a medic so we’ll need to become a medic. To get permission to save him, Tsunade needs to find out Itachi is innocent which means we need to be in a position she’ll trust.’ Sakura hadn’t particularly liked Tsunade’s character initially in the show. The woman had grown on her though, especially after taking on canon Sakura as an apprentice. Tsunade was the best Hokage by far in her opinion, no contest. On the other hand, her competition was a bunch of idiots so that wasn’t saying much.

‘Okay so near term goals, learn to read! Read this taijutsu thing, learn to write, learn to write storage and explosive seals. Build up chakra reserves, practice shurikenjutsu and pray we don’t get sent out on another suicide mission.’ Sakura thought, landing in front of her apartment door and opening it. Her home hadn’t been robbed, thankfully, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be. ‘I need to put bars on the windows. I guess I’ll settle for ninja wire traps.’ She thought, setting up a few simple traps Naruto had taught her while they were staying at Tazuna’s house in Nami no Kuni.

***

The day of the first Team 7 meeting after Nami, Kakashi didn’t show up on time so Sakura went and grabbed a mission from the desk. Apparently she’d been requested by Hanazono, if she was available. Reaching the brothel, she headed into the back and quickly got dressed before putting on her makeup. She was still learning but she did a good enough job that she only needed a few touch ups from Akane before she was ready to hit the floor and help.

After an hour of working, Akane pulled her aside with a calm but somewhat serious expression on her face.

“Sakura-chan, have you given this career thought?” Akane asked and Sakura nodded.

“I think it’ll be useful and I don’t mind the work but I want to be ANBU eventually.” Sakura admitted and saw a flash of approval in Akane’s eyes. The woman briefly, for only a split second, changed from a beautiful prostitute who could seduce emperors with a glance to a dangerously competent killer who smiled as she left death in her wake.

“Ambitious, I knew there was a reason I liked you.” Akane chuckled and carefully gave Sakura a head pat so as not to ruin her perfectly done hair. “And what would you want to do in ANBU?”

“Become a captain eventually but before that? Assassination, information gathering, infiltration, seduction. I don’t want to pigeon hole myself. I’m not just learning seduction skills after all.” Sakura explained and Akane gave her an appraising look before becoming unusually serious.

“Well I can pass your name onto the right people if you can prove yourself adaptable. If you want to cover so many different rolls, you’ll need to learn quickly.” Akane started and paused long enough for Sakura to interject.

“And if I can master seduction and become comfortable around it quickly you’ll recommend me.” Sakura knew that the woman wouldn’t put her name on the line without proof and there was only one skill Akane was tasked with teaching young kunoichi.

“At least you’re quick but can that intelligence be turned into practical application?” Akane asked and Sakura gave her a fierce grin, one she’d worn in her first life whenever anyone challenged her intellect.

“I’ll prove it.” Sakura declared confidently, eager to actually gather contacts. Tsunade wasn’t here yet and there was no guarantee the woman would even accept her as an apprentice.

‘You can’t rely on half remembered plots from the show, We’ve already changed things. Hell Zabuza could randomly kill Tsunade for all You fucking know. You have to take every advantage You can and one of those advantages is the fact You’re not a child. You’re not squeamish about having sex with strangers and You’re willing to do whatever You need to, to survive. Rabbit bitch is coming in four years, You don’t have the time to be picky.’ Sakura’s mind supplied and she knew it was the brutal truth.

“You’ve got two months, if you survive the chunin exams and impress me I’ll pass your name around. With the Uchiha and Uzumaki gone, Konoha needs more genjutsu and fuinjutsu specialists.” Akane gave Sakura a commanding look, while revealing she knew everything there was to know about the girl at the same time.

‘Fuck, she really is as dangerous.’ Sakura realized again just how effective the woman’s cheerful facade truly was. Akane was not a simple prostitute or even a seductress, she was an assassin, ANBU through and through with eyes sharper than blades and manicured nails that hid the blood beneath them.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

Kakashi watched his genin with obvious disinterest. Naruto had made no progress at all, as far as he could tell. Sasuke was faster and hit harder than he had before Nami but otherwise he was the same. His technique hadn’t improved and while he’d unlocked his sharingan, Kakashi couldn’t see any other real differences. Then there was Sakura.

‘Where to begin with her?’ Kakashi looked at the pink haired girl currently running laps of the training field at a civilian’s pace. He could barely feel her chakra and her stamina was pitifully low. Worse she came to practice in makeup and still wore that bright red dress of hers. ‘She should not be a ninja.’ Kakashi knew what being a ninja was. It was blood and death and heartbreak. It was comrades dying slowly in front of you while you couldn’t do a thing to help them. It was a duty that was wrapped around your neck from birth, a chain that held you underwater and would never let you free.

‘And this foolish, stupid little girl thinks she wants to be a ninja.’ Kakashi looked at the springtime colored child who was so out of place on a training field it was painful to look at. Her hair was long and while it was starting to escape the elaborate braided bun she’d put it in for all her running, she still looked more like she was going to go gossip with other civilians rather than training to be a ninja. Her records had her marked as a genjutsu type but Kakashi knew that was a lie, after all she’d went down to one of the simplest genjutsu in the book during the bell test.

‘Perhaps she’ll be content as a medic?’ Kakashi watched the girl finish her laps and switch over to walking. ‘And how does she need a cool down run after that?!’ Kakashi wanted to pull his hair out. Sakura was clearly a place holder. She didn’t deserve the headband she wore, probably couldn’t even graduate from the academy now due to her injury and how she’d graduated before her amnesia with such high grades was a mystery.

Letting out a tired sigh, Kakashi waved his genin over. Naruto and Sasuke continued to fight with Sasuke giving Naruto a pair of vicious punches to the jaw before stepping away and walking to Kakashi. Naruto staggered, clearly concussed but healing rapidly thanks to the demon sealed within him and followed after Sasuke. ‘And those two, Sasuke doesn’t know the meaning of the word comrade and Naruto doesn’t know the meaning of just about anything. It’s almost impressive how little he knows.’ Kakashi watched as the trio came to a stop in front of him.

“Alright, we’re going to go on a mission now.” Kakashi drawled and saw all of his genin perk up, well all of them but Sakura. She seemed completely disinterested, which was just further proof she had no business being a ninja.

“What awesome mission are we going on today? Another escort mission? Are we going to rescue a princess? Meet a movie Star? Defeat a corrupt Daimyo?!” Naruto exclaimed excitedly and Kakashi let out a long, tired sigh.

“Let’s go check the mission desk,” Kakashi answered and flickered away before anyone could throw more questions at him.

Arriving at the mission desk, he saw Iruka taking his seat and slumped against the wall. The Hokage walked in as well, eager to see Naruto, who was the one bright spot in his day. Danzo was also ever present, always creeping around the mission office in search of vulnerable talent when he wasn’t plotting world domination or kidnapping orphans. ‘At least he didn’t take Naruto or Sasuke.’ Kakashi thought, silently thankful for life’s small mercies.

When the door to the office opened and his three color coded genin walked in, Kakashi herded them over to Iruka who knew what was about to happen. It was clear the man was silently bracing for Naruto’s shouted protests and Sasuke’s annoyed glares.

“Hello Team 7, here for a mission?” Iruka asked giving Naruto a sly smile.

‘That bastard knows I’m going to have to deal with a protesting Blond.’ Kakashi slumped into himself and tried not to look at his team. Whenever he did, he either saw his old team, brought back as a mockery or three kids who were going to die and leave their blood on his hands. Either way, he didn’t want them and didn’t want to care for them. ‘Why did the Sandaime give me genin? Couldn’t Sasuke have been handled by an ANBU? He’s a flight risk anyways.’ Kakashi wanted to bang his head against the wall as Iruka handed them the mission scroll.

“Here you are Kakashi-san, your mission.” Iruka stated cheerfully and Kakashi unrolled it to see they were weeding a garden.

‘Great, Naruto’s going to blow a gasket and Sakura will whine about getting her hands dirty.’ Kakashi looked over at the girl and sighed. She was currently redoing her hair, which had gone from falling out of her overly ornate bun to a simpler bun held in place by a senbon because of course she’d know an improper use for the things before she learned how to throw them.

“So? What’s the mission? What is it?” Naruto clamored, though at least he wasn’t shrieking anymore.

“We’ll be defending Konoha’s vital home gardens today.” Kakashi replied cheerfully and Naruto’s mood immediately crashed into the ground. Sasuke bristled but didn’t say anything and Sakura just shrugged and pulled out a pair of gloves. It wasn’t quite the reaction he was expecting but the look of annoyance on her face was clear enough.

‘I hope she realizes that most ninja missions won’t let us stay in a nice house or even in a building.’ Kakashi looked at Sakura as they made their way across the village. He could smell sunscreen on the girl along with the rest of her makeup and wondered just how clueless someone could get.

***

‘I wonder if Kakashi realizes how obvious his stink-eye is. Does he even care though?’ Sakura wondered as she slowly pulled weeds from the garden in front of her. It was a fairly simple task because she had access to gardening tools. The work was slower than she’d like though since she didn’t know what was and wasn’t a weed. ‘Fucking different world means different plants. Is this an herb? Is this a weed? Need to ask every fucking time!’ Sakura sighed and apologized again to the client who gave her an understanding smile.

“It’s quite alright deary, at least,-” The woman paused and glanced past Sakura to the two boys. Sakura watched as the woman’s face started at confusion, then shifted to horror before settling on rage. “You two! Stop this instant, what are you doing?!” The woman screamed and stormed over to the two boys. “You’ve ruined half my garden! Out, get out!” The woman shouted at them, chasing the pair off her property. She crossed her arms and glared at Kakashi who was looking at her with a bored expression.

“You, you’re their sensei right? Well do your damn job!” The woman shouted then walked back to Sakura and gave her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry dear but I’m going to have to hire professionals to fix this.”

“It’s fine,” Sakura let out a tired sigh and returned the gardening tools to their places. ‘They were just ripping things up by hands.’ Sakura noticed and wondered how they’d managed to complete any D ranks before this. ‘Then again, I only did the Tora mission with them, perhaps they failed all the others?’ Sakura wondered and smacked her gloves clean before putting them away. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she wasn’t covered in dirt or dust, having worked carefully in the garden.

“Maa, looks like we’re done for the day.” Kakashi drawled and then vanished in a puff of smoke.

“Guys, how many D ranks do you two normally fail?” Sakura asked and the two boys stilled, neither meeting her eye. Sasuke at least had the decency to look ashamed while Naruto flashed a wide grin to hide whatever emotion he was actually feeling. ‘Oh my god, I accidentally saved myself from bankruptcy! With these two knuckleheads on my team, I’d be homeless if I didn’t take my own missions!’ Sakura shivered at the thought which soon turned prophetic. The rest of the week they systematically failed every D rank they came across.

They couldn’t wait tables because people were bigots to Naruto and Sasuke was rushed by girls. They couldn’t clean the river because Naruto and Sasuke decided it was time to rumble only a few minutes into the cleaning process. They couldn’t walk dogs because Sasuke hated dogs and while Naruto loved them, he couldn’t keep control of the bigger ones and Kakashi did not care enough to help. They couldn’t even paint a fence correctly since Naruto, for some reason, decided that orange was better than white despite what the client had explicitly asked of them.

‘Oh my god, it’s worse than I could have imagined.’ Sakura watched as Naruto and Sasuke destroyed clothes the hospital had asked them to wash by over scrubbing them. The two had turned the chore into a race and were using their full strength in an attempt to clean the hospital gowns. ‘We’re going to get banned from D ranks! I, I need a disguise so I can show my face in town!’ Sakura shivered and decided to ask Akane about a disguise rather immediately, after all if clients came to Hanazono and recognized her, they might just flee the building.

The day after Naruto and Sasuke failed to wash clothes, Sakura walked into the back of Hanazono and approached Akane who was also getting ready for her shift. ‘She probably works here as cover. She teaches new seduction specialists and only goes on occasional missions, is she traumatized? Too valuable to send out?’ Sakura wasn’t sure what the answer was and wouldn’t pry, besides she had an emergency.

“Akane-nee, I have a rather urgent situation.” Sakura informed the woman who cocked a perfectly kept eyebrow at her as if to say go on. “Well you see, my teammates are causing havoc and I don’t want to be recognized as their teammate while I’m here since it might cause problems.”

“I was wondering when you’d realize that. Don’t worry, in your case there is a rather easy solution. It’ll cut some time off from your shift today but you’ll need the skills anyways.” Akane led Sakura to one of the many bathrooms reserved for staff and grabbed a bottle. “Here, chakra activated hair dye. Put it in your hair, pulse your chakra just so, dye activates. Pulse your chakra a second time and the dye deactivates. Since your hair is pink, unless we bleach it you can only get away with using black dye.”

“I’d rather not bleach it.” Sakura replied and Akane gave her a nod and handed her the bottle.

“Here, I doubt anyone will recognize you with black hair since the pink is so distinctive, make sure you get all your hair though, eyebrows and eye lashes for example.” Akane gave Sakura a teasing grin. “And when the rest of your hair grows in you’ll have to dye it or shave it.”

“Thanks for the reminder Akane-nee, I totally didn’t think of that on my own or anything.” Sakura snarked and the woman chuckled, shooing her into the shower so she could get ready.

The hair dye worked as advertised and soon enough, Sakura was spending half her day as Tsubaki, actually earning enough for rent and training equipment while the other half of her day was spent as Sakura, part of the walking disaster that was Team 7.

***

Two weeks and one day into her challenge with Akane and three weeks after her return from Nami, Sakura was pulled from waiting tables in Hanazono’s restaurant by Akane. The woman gave her look over and nodded in approval.

“You’ve gotten the hang of makeup and how to dress for upper class missions well enough. I figure it’s time we switch you over to actual seduction work since you haven’t offended anyone or made any mistakes yet. You’re going to have to use the Flower Dance though since you don’t move like a trainee at Hanazono should. Until you can turn on the charm without the crutch, you’re going to have to rely on the jutsu.” Akane gave Sakura a challenging look and smirked. “Still up for it? I won’t press you into a room with a customer, not until you’re mentally ready and certainly not as a virgin but that doesn’t mean you won’t be around men and women with wandering hands. People come here for sex and they expect everyone in the building to be willing, even if they’re not for sale.”

“How would I handle someone like that?” Sakura asked and Akane gave her shoulder a squeeze.

“We look after our own, be polite, inform them you’re too young and pulse your chakra. Someone will come to help you. Now can you demonstrate a chakra pulse?” Akane flinched as Sakura’s ridiculous kai washed over the room. “Okay, not that hard, can you maybe just do a normal kai?”

“Um, amnesia. Don’t remember academy lessons.” Sakura replied and Akane let out a sigh and shook her head.

“If I didn’t know better I’d wonder what the fuck was wrong with your sensei. Alright, watch carefully.” Akane flickered her chakra while holding Sakura’s hand. She could feel the energy pulse, it didn’t quite stop her circulation nor did it burst back all at once, there was a slight delay to it. It wasn’t a true reset, more like a disruption.

“Okay, give me a moment.” Sakura focused then managed a more typical kai. “Got it.”

“Good, do that in this pattern.” Akane did three quick pulses then raised her chakra briefly. “That’s for genin like you to call for help in this situation. If you use it out in the city, ANBU nearby will know the code but they’ll also know you’re, well...”

“A whore, got it.” Sakura nodded and Akane rolled her eyes.

“You just don’t give a fuck do you?” Akane looked over the girl, unable to suppress her amused smile while wondering if it was the amnesia or some other part of her that made Sakura so detached and calm.

“I give plenty of fucks, just not about this. If the customers don’t have to be ashamed than the workers don’t either. Besides you’re a better sensei than the one I was assigned and I have quite a bit more respect for you.” Sakura admitted, not feeling at all guilty about her opinion of Kakashi. ‘The man shouldn’t even be on active duty anymore, not with his baggage and he certainly shouldn’t be in charge of children.’

“You’re too sweet Sakura-chan but it won’t get you out of the challenge, now are you ready? You can back out you know.” Akane watched as Sakura set her jaw and ran through the hand seals for the flower dance. A second later the girl’s expression shifted to a light, teasing smile. Akane could tell she’d been used as the target, both because she felt the genjutsu take and because she was the only person in the room. “Alright, now you’re going to have to learn how to shift targets.” Akane quickly called in a few of the other workers and made Sakura shift her chakra probes between them.

‘She doesn’t have the best chakra reserves but they’re growing steadily. Her control is exceptional though and it looks like she’s practicing it.’ Akane thought, watching Sakura work. Even with chakra enhanced learning, seduction could take years to master and was far more difficult than simply taking customers in a brothel. Missions could last months or even years, and ranged from kekkei genkai theft to convincing people to turn traitor. Worse still, even shinobi were human and emotional entanglement was common in this line of work. It was why Akane no longer took long term missions, her heart had been through enough, too much really.

“Okay, I think I’ve gotten the hang of this.” Sakura could feel calming chakra working its way through her body. The jutsu hadn’t changed at all since the last time she’d cast it and she was noticing a lot more now that she was targeting adults then she did when she targeted Naruto. It provided her with a mental mirror of their desires. The jutsu was clearly of the same variety as hell viewing, causing the victim to supply the needed information for it to work but unlike hell viewing instead of projecting an illusion, it sent instructions to her body.

‘My brain is also flooded with yin chakra right now, which is concerning.’ Sakura had noticed the connection between learning speed and active chakra. ‘Am I going to learn to be calm all the time? That’d be helpful but will I be calmly aroused because that won’t be helpful.’ Sakura rather quickly decided to make a list of questions and then bombard Akane with them at the end of the day. The rest of her shift was spent entirely in the hotel section escorting guests to rooms and resisting the urge to punch anyone who made grabs at her, dancing away from their reach instead.

‘Just remember, you can always kill them later.’ Sakura thought to herself, after leading a particularly grabby woman to her room. The noble had made several offers to buy Sakura’s contract which clued Sakura into the fact that most brothels kept their workers effectively enslaved. ‘Another question for Akane.’ Sakura thought, remembering an event in her own world, specifically the Maria Luz incident. Japan hadn’t considered prostitutes to be enslaved since they were simply ‘paying off the debts of their apprenticeship.’ Kind of like college debt but with sexual slavery and there was no way to escape to another country.

Still despite the rampant questions flitting through her mind Sakura was learning. She’d noticed her gait had changed from the guarded near march she’d used to stomp around New York without getting mugged to either a disturbingly innocent skip or a seductive sway she wasn’t nearly old enough to pull off. She was also beginning to pick up on how people seemed to telegraph their types. The expressions they wore while looking at the workers told a lot about what they wanted. She couldn’t read everyone, or even most of the customers but Sakura was starting to get a hang of spotting general signs and tells.

When the shift ended, Sakura broke the jutsu and shivered as her emotions returned to her in full color. ‘Yup definitely Danzo, I still feel calm.’ Sakura wasn’t sure what to make of it and decided to look the jutsu up in the library and the Uchiha archives, it was too much of a risk to ignore after all. Pulsing her chakra so her hair returned to pink, she stripped off her lovely kimono, pulled on her red dress and strapped her holsters to her thighs.

“You did good today, kept up the jutsu the whole shift. You sure you’ve got enough energy left to deal with your team?” Akane asked and Sakura pivoted to her, expression deadly serious then bombarded her with questions. The answers were both depressing and surprising, Konoha had, in its charter, banned slavery, debt servitude and anything resembling it. Which meant, hilariously enough, Root was illegal from the get go. The idea of missing-nin was even dubious as technically shinobi were allowed to retire from the roster whenever they wished, hand in their headband and leave the village.

‘Of course the written law is rather meaningless since what’s actually enforced is what matters. I’m pretty sure nowhere in the law does it give the Hokage the power to exterminate a whole clan and yet…’ Sakura huffed as she jumped from roof to roof on her way to the library. Searching for the Flower Dance revealed nothing, which wasn’t surprising since the genin section sucked and then she scrambled over to Training Field 3 to meet her teammates for whatever today’s failed mission would turn out to be.

‘I’m almost amazed that they can fail at this.’ Sakura thought, watching Naruto and Sasuke go from picking up trash to fighting each other and thus spilling everything they’d collected so far. ‘Should I intervene?’ Sakura glanced over at Kakashi and rolled her eyes. ‘It’s his fucking job as the adult.’ Sakura thought angrily, considering her actions. She could step in, but chiding them incessantly would only breed bitterness. Sasuke would never respect someone his own age, only viewing them as an obstacle and while Naruto might listen, he’d immediately pick a fight with Sasuke in Sakura’s defense and thus the cycle would continue. ‘Fucking hells, I’m not gonna bother.’

Shelving any thoughts of intervention, Sakura did her share of the mission, didn’t get paid, again, and wondered if the Tora mission had been their only success. ‘It’s possible, I mean they nearly fucked that up too.’ She remembered how close Naruto had come to chasing the cat away and shivered. ‘Yup, warning signs were there all along.’ Sakura thought realizing just how doomed this team was. ‘The Sandaime is an idiot and I’m collecting debt for this.’

“Hey Sasuke, wait up I have a favor to ask.” Sakura waved her teammate, possibly friend, down as he made to leave the mission office. “Can I look through a few of your scrolls?”

“Sure, if you cook dinner.” Sasuke replied and began jumping away. Sakura paused then smiled, taking the compliment for what it was and following along behind him.

The evening was passed in relative comfort as Sakura found a scroll on the flower dance in the Konoha pile and got to reading. ‘Okay, long term effects are increased social perceptiveness and a calmer mind. That’s a relief, I really don’t need to be more promiscuous, I have that covered all on my own.’ Sakura let out a small sigh of relief and kept reading the scroll. Konoha had a lot of seduction techniques, mostly geared towards bloodline theft operations and information extraction. The Yamanaka were normally tapped for such missions and there was a wide array of hair dyes and contacts available to hide their distinctive features.

‘I knew sex was often weaponized in my own world but ninja take it to a ridiculous degree.’ Sakura thought, reading over the scroll. It was interesting but translating it was painfully slow and she’d burnt most of her evening doing it. ‘Alright, best turn in.’ She rolled up the scroll and left it in the pile, hoping Sasuke wouldn’t notice which scroll she was looking at. ‘He’s too innocent for this. He doesn’t need more trauma.’ She thought, cooking up a nice tomato meat sauce with noodles for Sasuke.

Dinner was another success and Sasuke was clearly delighted by the hearty italian style meal. ‘Soba totally stands in for pasta right? It’s fine, nobody cares.’ Sakura thought to herself while eating her meal. After dinner, she cleaned up while Sasuke sat at the table, staring at the ceiling.

“What’s on your mind?” Sakura asked, her voice joined by the clinking of dishware as she cleaned up.

“Nothing, just this is nice. You’re different.” Sasuke shifted slightly to look at Sakura before returning his eyes to the ceiling. “You’re not,” Sasuke pressed his lips together in a scowl, trying to process what he wanted to say. “Annoying.”

“Well I try my best.” Sakura put away the plates then walked over to look down at Sasuke. “Want me to stay or want me to leave?”

“Hn,” Sasuke rolled onto his side and ignored her, staring out at the yard. ‘Poor kid, I guess I can humor him. Shit I really need to help Naruto as well.’ Sakura slid onto the couch and pulled out the kunai Sasuke had given her. Slowly, she began sharpening them, smoothing away the nicks and chips on the blades as she brought them back to a razor’s edge. The rasping at first caused Sasuke to tense but after a few seconds, Sakura saw him relax immensely, as if he found comfort in the sound.

‘This village is really, really fucked up. Sending children into battle, making a genocide survivor live in the same ghetto his family died in.’ Sakura continued her work, slowly honing her blades and wondering how she was ever going to survive. ‘I can’t leave these kids to their fate but I can’t save them either, I’m nowhere near strong enough.’ No answers came and Sakura pushed the fear and anxiety away, detaching from her emotions and focusing on her work, until all her weapons were sharp and Sasuke had drifted off to sleep near the table. ‘Silly kid,’ She thought, covering him with a blanket so he didn’t catch a cold before she tucked herself in on the couch.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

The two months following Nami fell into a routine. Every morning, Sakura worked at Hanazono or did random tasks Akane assigned her, ranging from people watching to being quizzed on where customers had come in from. The amount of knowledge crammed into her skull about how people in the various regions of the elemental nations dressed, how they spoke, social customs and even idealized romances had her head buzzing constantly.

Sakura was making progress and learning, constantly. By now it was obvious to Sakura the brothel was a front, after spending every day for two months working at the place she knew that every employee was a shinobi. The business was a training center for various social roles and it was perfect for it. Shinobi could train as bartenders, learning to glean information in crowded rooms or practice eavesdropping as a customer or employee. Seduction specialists could sharpen their performance skills in a safe environment or get their feet wet somewhere their life wouldn’t be on the line.

Infiltrators and social manipulators could practice rubbing shoulders with the rich nobles and businessmen who stopped by the upscale hotel, forming social contacts that could be called upon once they left the village and all of it was hidden under a facade so convincing that save for a few in ANBU who paid attention, nobody in Konoha even knew about it. In short, the place screamed Shimura Danzo and Sakura was surprised she hadn’t run into anyone asking her if she wanted to be kidnapped and brainwashed for the good of the great tree or whatever it was Danzo was obsessed with.

Stepping into the backrooms after her last shift of the two month test Akane had given her, Sakura got changed and noticed the woman waiting for her in the hall.

“So, how did I do?” Sakura asked, giving the woman a coy, teasing smile. Movements that drew subtle attention to herself had become second nature and her ability to read a person’s mood and interests had skyrocketed. She was far from a master but her social skills were light years ahead of what they’d been and they were telling her, Akane was quite pleased.

“Why don’t you tell me?” Akane asked and Sakura thought over the other genin working in the building. One had taken up being a bartender’s assistant, clearly slated for spy work. She wasn’t learning as fast as Sakura but also didn’t seem to be taking things nearly as seriously. Another genin, a shinobi, had started working as an apprentice as well, on the seduction track while Akane had shifted Sakura from seduction to all around infiltrator. The boy was making progress but he was nervous, which sometimes screwed him up.

“Well I think I’m doing a good job and I’ve eavesdropped on enough customers to know that nobody has complained about me.” Sakura gave Akane a wide smile that was all trouble. “So I think I just need to survive an exam I’m probably not qualified for.”

“Well I wouldn’t know, I’ve never seen you fight.” Akane rolled her eyes at Sakura’s blatant flirting. The woman knew Sakura was mimicking the movements she’d read from her, turning the skills she’d gained from Akane back on her. “Also you’re ten years too young to be flirting with me kid.”

“Oh I know, but it’s still fun to tease. I’ve been told I’m a massive flirt and everyone my age is kind of…” Sakura let out a huff and shook hear head, drawing a hearty laugh from the assassin.

“You’re a riot, you know that? Still you’re certainly an old soul, remind me of someone actually. He came through a few years back, picked up everything we had to offer in six months then moved on to humiliate a different section of ANBU. Fuckin’ prodigies.” Akane gave Sakura a pat on the shoulder. “I bet you’ll do the same, but you’re too young for everything. The Sandaime changed the laws on seduction operations the same time he banned early graduation from the academy.”

“Well that’s probably for the best,” Sakura replied, getting a nod of agreement from Akane.

“Yeah, so good luck kid, you’re going to need it, there is no shame in bowing out and living.” Akane advised and then walked Sakura out. “Now go on and change your hair back, I don’t want your sensei chasing me across the city because he can’t keep tabs on his brats.”

“No worries, he hates me.” Sakura waved off Akane’s concern but returned her hair to normal anyways before stepping outside. “See you after the exams I guess.”

“See you,” Akane promised and Sakura took off, racing for Training Ground 3.

Sakura arrived with a few minutes to spare and immediately got to jogging. She had added dark red leg and arm warmers to her outfit to hide the weights she now wore and jogging with them, after using her chakra to keep up the Flower Dance all morning was exhausting. Still she was making solid progress and the number of weights she wore was steadily increasing. She wasn’t ready for chakra weights yet, but after two months of solid improvement she would be soon.

‘I’ve gotten a lot better since I arrived here,’ Sakura realized, coming to a stop as Kakashi appeared and waved them all over. ‘I’ve gotten kunai throwing down and I can redirect them somewhat and tie wire to them as well. The book was really helpful and practicing alongside a shadow clone helped as well.’ Sakura thought to herself before remembering her taijutsu was still absolute trash.

She was still learning how to read and progress was painfully slow, though she was getting better with every day that past. By now she had the first few chapters of the The Way of the Empty Fist memorized, which were all focused on laying the groundwork through stretching, strengthening and chakra exercises. One of those exercises was incredibly useful since it taught her how to make chakra strings, while the others focused on learning how to emit chakra from the palms, fingertips, feet, elbows, knees and shoulders.

It was exhausting work and while Sakura hadn’t had time to start on any of the techniques or kata yet, she was almost there. ‘One step at a time, first we build ourselves up, then the revolution!’ Sakura cackled internally, wondering how Nami no Kuni was doing as Kakashi cleared his throat.

“As I was saying, I’ve decided to enter you three in the Chunin exams.” Kakashi looked at all three of them. “You just bring these papers to the academy before 8am tomorrow.” Kakashi handed them the papers and knew that Sasuke and Naruto would enter. What he didn’t know was if Sakura would show. The girl wasn’t prepared and this was the perfect opportunity to get rid of her. If she refused, the boys would kick her off the team for him and if she accepted, she’d be crushed by what the exams would throw at her and would surely go back to being a civilian. It was for the best.

“Any advice? Pointers? Things we should know?” Sakura asked and Kakashi gave her an eye smile.

“Maa, you’re ready for it Sakura-chan.” Kakashi lied, hoping the girl would drop out. He didn’t want her dead but it was better to traumatize her into withdrawing than give her false hope. Being a shinobi meant enduring suffering, it wasn’t the career for a spring colored girl.

“Course I am, I can barely read!” Sakura tilted her head back and cackled, not bothering to hide the cracks in her sanity. Once she was finished, she cleared her throat and put on her normal mild expression as if nothing had happened. Naruto was staring at her with concern while Sasuke took a step away from her silently. “Sorry, the stress of living on my own and failing D ranks consistently has been getting to me.”

“There are always civilian careers.” Kakashi suggested helpfully.

“What! No way! Sakura’s going to be an awesome kunoichi and stay a part of our team ‘ttebayo!” Naruto protested and Sasuke actually nodded along.

‘Well I tried.’ Kakashi thought, flickering away and leaving the kids to their fate. They weren’t ready but hopefully it’d get them to finally shape up.

***

‘Okay I don’t remember what the first test was exactly but I know Naruto passed it with dumb fucking luck and Sakura’s smarts helped her, so it’s probably a written exam.’ Sakura thought to herself, wondering if she could even read the questions. ‘Hopefully it’s symbols and words I know, I’ve been reading a lot lately but two months is pushing things, even with a shadow clone helping.’ Sakura thought, letting out a tired sigh.

Walking to the academy, her hip pouch carrying enough sealed food, water and supplies for a month and two holsters on her thighs, Sakura faced the music. ‘That fucking bastard, if I didn’t show it’d be marked as disrespect for a commanding officer or cowardice. I’d never make it past genin that way.’ She knew this was a set up. Kakashi was plotting against her and while she’d given him no reason to think well of her, he’d never offered her the chance to improve. ‘His fault! All his fault! When the oppressed masses overthrow the bourgeoisie and the Daimyo’s head is introduce to madam guillotine let it be known, he left me unsupervised!’

With cackles ringing through her mind, Sakura spotted Naruto and Sasuke waiting for her. Running over she gave them both a grin and waved, ignoring the strain her weights put on her arms. She could moved at a fairly decent speed with them on and after two months of wearing them, she had fairly good muscle definition in her arms and legs. More importantly, her stamina was excellent compared to what it had been and she’d learned to constantly use chakra to strengthen herself.

Walking up the stairs, Sakura felt the telltale sensation of one of her favorite genjutsu! ‘Okay fine we only know two genjutsu but hey, who’s counting?’ Sakura thought and with a quick kai stopped then started her chakra. She felt the illusion shatter and heard a few shouts from outside the stairwell but ignored it, walking up to the next floor with her teammates who both looked at her with mild confusion.

“What was that?” Naruto asked as they neared the exam room.

“I felt a genjutsu so I used a kai.” Sakura replied and Sasuke gave her a confused look, eyeing her as if she was some newly discovered species.

“That wasn’t a kai.” Sasuke stated confidently as they spotted Kakashi waiting for them.

“You three made it, with plenty of time as well.” Kakashi announced cheerfully and Sakura rolled her eyes and nodded.

“Yup, what a surprise.” Sakura gave the man a cheerful smile. “Sasuke here noticed the genjutsu and we just walked past it.”

“Good job Sasuke-kun.” Kakashi didn’t even question it and Sasuke looked at Sakura, raising a silent eyebrow but she just shrugged. Let the fool believe what he wants, she’ll just ambush him when he least expects it. “Now go on in,” Kakashi stepped aside so they could walk into the exam room and immediately Sakura was hit with the feeling of wrongness.

‘Okay Gaara is not adorable, he’s utterly terrifying.’ She shivered as she glanced over at the redhead who stank of stale blood and sand. He wasn’t even close by, the smell was just utterly overpowering to her chakra enhanced senses. ‘If I wasn’t so nervous someone was going to start shit I’d drop my chakra flow.’ Sakura thought to herself, glancing around the room which looked like it was set up for written exams. ‘Hm, perhaps a false surroundings and a mirror?’ Sakura wondered, glancing around the room and wondering if she could pull something like that off.

‘No, too many eyes on me, fuck I should have come in yesterday and planted a few mirrors under a genjutsu. Dammit! Thwarted by my own dedication to studying!’ Sakura wriggled about internally while keeping her face utterly calm.

“Sasuke-kun~!” A squeal sent a shiver of dread through Sakura as she turned and saw a young blond girl tackle her teammate.

“Oh shit, Naruto, we’ve got fan girls!” Sakura cursed and immediately leapt into action, promptly abandoning Sasuke to his fate and separating from him along with Naruto.

“You’re on your own teme!” Naruto cackled as he watched the blond girl latch onto the Uchiha and grope his chest.

‘Okay that’s very clearly sexual harassment. Do I want to laugh at Sasuke and leave this as just something funny? Yes. Is it? No, it’s crossed a line.’ Letting out a tired sigh, Sakura moved forward and yanked the other girl off her teammate. “Hands to yourself.”

“Well if it isn’t billboard brow.” The girl taunted and Sakura just raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the schoolyard insult. She’d heard much, much worse in her day and despite what this girl had to say, Sakura was beautiful and knew it.

“Girl, I don’t know who you are but please don’t sexually harass my teammate.” Sakura informed the young blond who practically roared at her.

“Don’t know me forehead? Really? Even though you declared me your rival?! Think you’re better than me now because you’re on Sasuke-kun’s team?!” The girl demanded and Sakura felt herself shiver at the way the girl said Sasuke’s name.

‘Oh gods she’s scary,’ Sakura thought, feeling genuine sympathy for Sasuke. ‘Not only does he have to deal with his trauma, he has to deal with this shit. Yikes.’ Sakura wasn’t about to announce her weakness to a room full of enemies so she settled for just keeping her eyebrow raised and her expression as unimpressed and unamused as possible.

“Troublesome,” a boy with a ponytail styled like a pineapple complained and Sakura glanced over at him, assuming he was the girl’s teammate.

“Can you keep your teammate off mine please?” Sakura asked and the boy let out a tired sigh but did nothing other then give her a curious look. His dark brown eyes were sharp, intelligent but very, very lazy. ‘Wow, someone is devoid of all will to live.’ Sakura mused internally but didn’t say a word. Instead, she waited, not wanting to provoke anyone any further.

“Hey idiots, long time no see.” A new voice broke into the conversation as a boy who smelled of dog walked over, a white puppy perched atop his head.

‘Thank goodness for dog boy.’ Sakura almost let out a sigh of relief but instead slipped into the background as Naruto and the new arrival started arguing. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she turned to see a silver haired teen, older than all of them walking towards the group. He met her eyes, observing her curiously before speaking.

“You guys need to be quiet, this isn’t a place for games. See those nin over there? They’re from Ami and are known for their tempers.” The teen informed everyone, ignoring the sharp glare shot his way.

‘I feel like I should remember this guy. Something, something, never trust a ninja with glasses.’ Sakura thought to herself, doing her best not to look like she was watching the man’s every move like a hawk. Something about him rang a bell in the back of her mind but she just couldn’t place it. ‘Okay, one of these days I’ll remember.’

“And how would you know?” Naruto asked curiously and the teen flashed a disarming smile, looking somewhat sheepish.

“Ah well, it’s my sixth time taking the exams you see. They’re brutal and people die in them every year.” The teen explained, subtly putting the pressure on everyone here. “But because of that I’ve gathered a lot of useful information, if there is anyone you want to know about. Oh and my name’s Kabuto, a pleasure.”

“Gaara of the desert,” Sasuke stated immediately and Kabuto quickly pulled the Suna nin’s card out.

‘Oh hey, it’s the murder muffin. How does Sasuke know about him? Did I miss something while I was at work?’ Sakura wondered as Kabuto explained the redhead’s rather ridiculous streak of missions despite only being a genin.

“And he’s never been injured on a mission, always comes back unharmed.” Kabuto explained while all of Sakura’s instincts warned her to get the hell away from him. Sadly doing so would be rather obvious and draw far too much attention her way.

“Hn,” Sasuke stated eloquently and Sakura rolled her eyes at his typical lack of communication. How anyone found him attractive was a mystery when it was obvious the boy needed therapy like a fish needed water.

“Anyone else?” Kabuto asked as Sakura spotted a gray blur shoot towards him. A man wrapped in bandages threw a punch straight for Kabuto’s head which the teen barely managed to dodge only for his glasses to crack.

‘Pressure attack? No, light ringing in my ears, sound.’ Sakura thought, backing up and slipping her hands into her holsters, grabbing a pair of kunai. Kabuto staggered and then threw up, shocking everyone save Sakura.

“Put this in your cards, Otogakure is going to sweep this exam.” The one eyed, heavily bandaged burn ward escapee drawled, leaning over Kabuto’s collapsed body.

“Enough! Anymore fighting and you’ll be thrown from this exam before you can blink!” A deep male voice shook the room and several explosions of smoke occurred up and down the walls, clearing to reveal Konoha shinobi in gray uniforms. “All of you, to your assigned seats!” The man snapped and motioned towards a door which lead to a larger classroom.

‘Huh, guess this isn’t the testing room anyways.’ Sakura thought, following the crowd and settling down in the seat with her name on it. The rules were explained by the man of the hour Morino Ibiki, who loomed over them while radiating pure menace. He was Konoha’s torturer in chief, an expert in human pain and suffering. ‘And they made him a test proctor, lovely.’ Sakura thought to herself while considering the rules. ‘I can cheat multiple times before I fail, I lose points for getting caught and I can barely read so copying won’t help.’ Sakura looked over her test and noticed that most of it was mathematics. ‘I can do this!’

She quickly scribbled in the answers to all of the mathematical questions, thankful for her higher education in her previous life. The test wasn’t even that hard, not by grad school standards and certainly not to someone who easily glided through academia. Once she finished answering the questions she could, she glanced around the room with her peripheral vision, moving her eyes around the corners of her desk so as not to draw attention before stretching and looking at the ceiling.

‘Why the fuck are their mirrors up there?’ Sakura blinked dumbly before glancing back down at her desk. ‘Okay, wait, let’s check something.’ Sakura didn’t glance at the mirrors, instead she simply shifted in her seat so they were in her peripherals and then carefully sent chakra to her eyes, bringing a whole swath of tests into focus. She spent a split second memorizing what she saw then slowly, casually filled in the rest of her test, using the body language training Akane had taught her to mimic solving it naturally. She had no way of knowing if her answers were right, since she still struggled with reading but it was the best chance she was going to get.

‘Done!’ Sakura thought, grinning and putting her pen down before flipping her paper over.

A moment later she felt a spike of chakra behind her and then blinked, staring down at her own paper again. ‘Did something just control me? Fuck, that’s just not fair. I need to figure out a counter.’ Tears began to rain down on Sakura’s paper and she blinked in confusion before an overwhelming torrent of previously disconnected emotions slammed into her. She began to shake, violently as all she’d dissociated away and ignored came back online at full force.

‘Fuck, don’t panic visibly, just breath girl, you can do this. Deep breaths, slow breaths, don’t let anyone notice.’ Sakura could feel her heart jack rabbiting in her chest. She couldn’t hear past the buzzing in her ears and the room felt painfully hot, yet she couldn’t stop shivering. She was dead, this was just the insane delusions of a brain slowly coming undone. The dying dreams of decaying chemical reactions and sputtering nerve endings. A grand imagining, one that there would be no escape from for when it ended, she wouldn’t even realize it, she’d simply cease to exist.

Panic, rage, desperation and mortal terror swirled through Sakura’s mind. Her vision was nothing but a blur and she knew that while her expression remained locked down, her cheeks were flushed from the force of what she was feeling. It took all she had to disconnect from her emotions, letting the soothing blanket of nothingness fall back over her as she once again got a hold on herself. ‘Okay, whoever did that is on the list. Right next to Kabuto and pedo-snake.’

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

The Tenth Question, the doom of all test takers. A question so terrible that failing to get it right would damn a shinobi to a life of eternal genin. There was no fiercer enemy on Sakura’s path to surviving Ninja Hell and while she couldn’t read, that wasn’t a problem since the question was verbal! ‘Hah! Take that fools! You’ve been hoisted by your own petard! Bamboozled by your own plan! Foiled by your own plot!’ Sakura cackled internally, trying to shake off the remnants of her anxiety attack.

‘Except Naruto is totally going to fail it but, this guy is a torture specialist and I’d bet my pants that this entire exam is a double layered mind game.’ Sakura reasoned to herself as she did her best to control her breathing and bring down her still racing pulse.

‘You don’t wear pants ya fuck.’ Sakura’s mind answered and she blinked in surprise.

‘I totally wear pants voice in my head! Wait that’s it! The first part tests information gathering, the second tests determination, a ninja sometimes has to go in blind and the penalty for failure is death.’ Sakura grinned and wrote the thoughts down, having to simplify the message slightly but she got it across on her paper and then gave Ibiki her fiercest grin.

The man noticed, eyes focusing on her briefly and he unleashed a burst of killing intent which only sharpened her smile to a razor’s edge, her instincts from her last life howling to match the predator before her play for play lest it attack. With a flicker of amusement in his otherwise dead eyes, Ibiki shifted his gaze over to Naruto who in typical fashion had thrown the script out and rallied the room with a speech that somehow included honor, guts, determination, becoming the Hokage and dattebayo!

‘Classic Naruto, I wish he had a volume control button though, he can get loud.’ Sakura thought fondly, smiling at her teammate as Ibiki failed to intimidate the sunshine boy.

“Very well, if that’s your answer then, you pass!” Ibiki announced and the room relaxed for all of a half second before one of the windows exploded into a shower of crystalline fragments and a black and purple blur flew into the room.

“Alright everyone, it’s time for the second exam!” The blur announced, launching kunai and anchoring a black banner behind her which read, ‘Mitirashi Anko, Proctor of the Second Exam!’ The woman herself was utterly breathtaking with a perfect figure, well defined muscles, a beautiful face with cute whiskey colored eyed and almost no clothing.

“I’m in love,” Sakura murmured and the woman clearly heard because she burst out laughing.

“Well love won’t save you from my exam squirt, get moving!” Anko cackled and ignored Ibiki’s protests since she’d utterly ruined his moment. Refusing to acknowledge Naruto’s amused laughter and Sasuke’s confused looks, Sakura walked out with the other trainees before she could further embarrass herself.

“So, where are we going from here?” Sakura asked her teammates.

“I say follow the crazy proctor who you’ve got the hots for.” Naruto suggested, jerking his thumb at the woman as she jumped across the rooftops.

“You know what? I think I like that plan, come on Sasuke.” Sakura jumped into action, managing to keep up with both her teammates despite the weights on her arms and legs. The rest of the genin followed as well, rapidly swarming to a forest completely surrounded by fences covered in seals.

“Welcome everyone, to the Forest of Death! By the time I’m done with y’all, less than half of you will remain! Test is simple, there’s a tower in the center of the forest, you’ll be given a scroll, either heaven or earth. To get into the tower you need both! Get in, pass the test, you’ve got five days!” Anko shouted and then gave everyone the exact same type of grin Sakura usually wore to stare down threats.

“Oh! Forest of Death, so scary! Yeah right.” Naruto laughed and Sakura watched a kunai shoot past his cheek, leaving a thin cut as Anko simply appeared behind him, moving faster than a genin’s eyes could track.

“You know it’s always tough guys like you that go spilling their blood all over the forest first.” Anko purred licking the blood from Naruto’s cheek, her smile a vicious thing of teeth and violence.

‘Wow, she managed to scare Naruto.’ Sakura thought as a genin with a disgustingly long tongue appeared behind the proctor, only to end up being held at knife point. ‘Fucking pedo snake!’ Sakura screamed internally as the teams were organized into a line and made to collect their scrolls.

‘Okay, come up with a plan because if we head into those woods without one, we’re going to die.’ Sakura knew that Orochimaru was after Sasuke already. ‘Naruto can make clones and I can too but I can’t use them in combat because I’ll exhaust myself. Fuck I wish I had soldier pills, then I could make a shadow clone and have it warn someone outside the test and that’s it!’

“Naruto, can you do me a favor? A few actually.” Sakura grinned as she looped an arm over the blond.

“What is is Sakura-chan? Going to prank someone?” Naruto asked, looking at the evil grin the girl was currently wearing.

“Mhmm, we’re going to prank someone hard. Can you make a few shadow clones right now, like say two or three and send them into Konoha to just hangout?” Sakura asked and Naruto blinked before nodding.

“Sure thing ‘ttebayo!” Naruto didn’t ask why, he simply made a few clones and sent them off. “What are you planning?”

“For now? Just making sure we have options. I’ve got a bad feeling about this test and I can’t place why. Something’s off.” Sakura knew what was hunting them, knew they couldn’t defeat Orochimaru or stop him but they could get rescued immediately afterwards and avoid the resulting chaos.

“Alright maggots! Begin!” Anko’s voice came over the speakers as the gates they’d been led to slammed open.

“Naruto, make some more clones and have them scout around us for danger.” Sakura ordered and two dozen Naruto clones popped into existence, scattering and running around them in a wide perimeter. “We’ll head towards the tower and use shadow clones to set up traps. Naruto is an expert at that kind of thing and we’ll hang back a bit so we’re not too close to where all the fighting will be. We should find somewhere we can hunker down and defend.”

“Who put you in charge?” Sasuke asked, though he didn’t sound all that annoyed, just a bit miffed.

“If you have a better idea, by all means.” Sakura gave Sasuke a look and he fell silent, not voicing anymore protests.

“Let’s go ‘ttebayo!” Naruto exclaimed only to realize his gaff and clamp his mouth shut.

***

In the end, no amount of planning would save them from Orochimaru. They’d just taken out a team of Ame ninja who Naruto’s clones had spotted when he showed up. Sakura felt the wrongness that clung to his disguise like dark sunlight upon her skin and immediately bolted for cover.

“Run!” Sakura’s voice cracked as she shouted the order to her two concerned and confused teammates.

“What? A ninja never runs!” Naruto shouted as a massive blast of wind sent him flying into the forest.

‘Fuck, Naruto’s being an idiot and Sasuke?’ Sakura paused on a branch, taking cover behind a large tree and peering around it to see if her teammate was following her. A wave of killing intent sent her teeth chattering but her limbs didn’t lock up. She’d been through countless fights in her last life and no amount of killing intent would make her freeze. Still she couldn’t stop the shivers that ran through her body, leaving her slowed and her movements uncoordinated.

“Sasuke-kun, it seems that your teammate has better instincts then you do.” Sakura heard the voice sibilant voice hiss and saw the man was ignoring her.

‘I’m not attacking that.’ She thought, hunkering down and focusing on her chakra, wishing it to calm down, go silent and her signature winked out of existence as her perfect chakra control answered her call.

“Ah and she’s good at hiding too, tell me are you weaker then some civilian kunoichi, Sasuke-kun?” Orochimaru drawled but Sasuke couldn’t move, his muscles locked tight by fear.

‘If Sasuke has any sense, he won’t rise to that bait.’ Sakura thought, watching as Sasuke stabbed himself then dodged a kunai. ‘At least the fight’s pretty cool.’ Sakura thought but didn’t focus on it. Instead, she strained her senses to their limits, carefully channeling chakra into her ears, skin, eyes and brain. The world sharpened and slowed, though it was difficult to maintain the level of focus she needed to sustain the augmentation. The chakra running through the thin channels in her brain aided her control though and things rapidly got easier as she kept it up.

‘Orochimaru is a fucking freak.’ Sakura thought as he toyed with Sasuke, teasing him, taunting him and really just playing around. It was clear what level Sasuke was at and even once the boy’s strength was established, Orochimaru continued to waste time playing with him. ‘Sadistic, body snatching, human experimenting, irredeemably evil fuck. Sure he has a tragic backstory but what he’s become can’t be forgiven. I’m gonna have to find a way to put him down for good and preserve his research. Too many lives were lost to just toss it all.’ Sakura grit her teeth as Sasuke somehow managed to pin Orochimaru to a tree with wires and set him on fire.

‘Nope, not nearly enough.’ Sakura thought, not even smelling burnt flesh. She shifted her position, moving closer to the fighting but still staying out of it. When the flames vanished, she saw Orochimaru smirking at Sasuke, face half melted off. ‘Fuck I’m going to have nightmares about that for years.’ Sakura thought as Orochimaru literally pulled the melted skin off his face and lazily tossed it away.

Sasuke took a half step back and was caught off guard when as Orochimaru’s neck shot forward, the rogue sannin using the opening to sink his fangs into Sasuke’s neck. Sasuke let out a scream that sent shivers down Sakura’s back and she saw Naruto launch himself into the fight. The blond attacked ineffectively, his movements animalistic, as orange chakra began to leak from him. A sense of utter doom filled the air and Orochimaru shot forward, slamming his hand into Naruto’s stomach, banishing the demonic chakra.

‘Fight’s over.’ Sakura thought, leaving her cover and landing silently in front of Sasuke. Orochimaru looked at her and tilted his head.

“Still here little kunoichi?” The sannin asked and Sakura nodded.

“Clearly, I can’t leave them to die, I imagine I’d get in a lot of trouble if the Uchiha and kyuubi were captured or killed while I lived.” Sakura stated calmly and saw the shock that flitted over Orochimaru’s face before he let out a low chuckle.

“Amusing, you know quite a bit for a girl with amnesia.” The legend’s voice was full of mirth as he regarded her. “Tell Sasuke that Orochimaru will give him power.”

“I’m sure you’ve already made the offer and I’d rather not have the village put me to death for treason.” Sakura stated blandly and saw more amusement in the sannin’s eyes. “Now can I take these two idiots and leave? I can’t beat you or outrun you after all.”

“Ah, prey that knows its place on the food chain, yes, you can leave little mouse.” Orochimaru grinned at her before vanishing without a sound.

‘Fucking bastard! I’ll show you my place, you son of an egg!’ She thought while sealing her weights away and then picking up her two downed teammates. Sakura firmly tied Sasuke to her back and Naruto to her chest before rising to her feet. It wasn’t quite balanced but it was the best she was going to get. ‘Now I need to find a place to hide.’ Sakura thought, running forward and spotting a Naruto clone that had been keeping lookout.

“Hey, send a message to the Hokage, Orochimaru just attacked Team 7 and did something to Uchiha Sasuke and you,” Sakura told the clone who tilted his head and blinked out her.

“How?” Naruto’s clone asked and Sakura rolled her eyes.

“Make another clone and pop it immediately.” Sakura stated and the clone nodded, creating a copy and punching it before it could dodge. ‘Hopefully Naruto’s other clones are still round.’ Sakura thought, finding a spot to set up shop near a river. Sasuke was running a fever and Naruto, well he’d probably be fine. ‘He’s Naruto, his fox gives him regeneration so he’ll be fine no matter what, right?’ She wondered to herself, putting down false surroundings genjutsu and making sure to include a sound component that hid their heartbeats and breathes.

‘Now we wait.’ Sakura thought, settling in for the long watch until her teammates woke up or died.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

‘So it’s finally come to this, you’ve got to fight.’ Sakura told herself, watching the border of her clearing and circulating a bit of chakra through her brain to ease her sleep deprivation. She could feel people out in the forest, hear their movements and while she couldn’t make out what they were saying, she could just about identify three separate voices. ‘At least I have a few options.’ Sakura thought to herself as a squirrel shot out of the bushes from where her would be hunters were hiding.

‘Nope,’ Sakura threw a rock at the squirrel, scaring it off and then drawing a pair of kunai. ‘Let’s hope I’ve got this down well enough.’ Sakura thought tying wire to the end of her weapons and gritting her teeth.

“Wake up Uchiha Sasuke and bring him out and maybe we’ll let you live.” The man who’d attacked Sakura called out, leaving cover along with the rest of his team. They were from Otogakure and all of them were wearing gray camouflage and nasty looks. The musical note emblems on their headbands were almost cute, if it didn’t link them to Orochimaru, a villain of the worst sort.

“S-Sasuke-kun isn’t awake. He’s sick!” Sakura slipped into an act, grinning internally while she let tears fall from her eyes and made her body tremble with false fear. ‘Come on, underestimate me, I’ll rip your throats out!’ She thought as she took a step back and forced her stance into an unstable state.

“Is this what Konoha calls a kunoichi these days?” The Oto kunoichi scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Zaku, let’s kill her!”

“Don’t boss me around Kin!” Zaku, a boy with spiky black hair shouted, raising his hands. Sakura saw the holes in his palms and jumped to the side, moving slowly and letting Kin take her back. The other kunoichi gripped her hair and pulled back, preparing to taunt but Sakura was ready for that, expecting it even.

‘Fucking idiot, I’m holding knives!’ Sakura thought, raising the blade and slashing it through the girl’s wrist before spinning around. She hooked Kin’s knee with a foot and slammed the ring of the kunai in her left hand into Kin’s temple as the other girl fell. ‘Out like a light.’ Sakura thought, completing the spin in time to see one eye charging her. ‘And time for two!’ She thought, throwing both kunai forward before flicking a third at a higher velocity.

‘Come on!’ She watched as Dosu saw the first two blades wouldn’t him him and simply dodged the second, faster one that reached him first. Unfortunately for him, that had been Sakura’s plan and a ninja wire snapped taught as it hit him, the two kunai flinging themselves around him like a bolo and momentarily locking him in place as Sakura threw a metal canteen at him. ‘Die!’ “Kai!” She announced and the canteen exploded into a shower of shrapnel, the explosive tags and shuriken Sakura had stuffed into it turning it into an ersatz hand grenade.

Dosu managed to jump away from a fatal hit but his clothes were shredded and shards of shuriken stuck out of slowly weeping wounds all over his body. ‘That leaves him still up but injured and the other one.’ Sakura thought, dodging another blast of air as Zaku screamed profanities at her. ‘Okay, what now? I was hoping that’d kill him. Should I still kill him?’ Sakura wondered, landing on the tree and dodging further up it as Zaku shot blast after blast at her. ‘Does he have unlimited chakra?!’

“How many fucking blasts can you shoot?!” Sakura shouted at the other boy who laughed.

“Enough to kill you, bitch!” Zaku crowed gleefully, forcing her to dodge again.

‘Oh, I need to get them to retreat.’ Sakura thought, calling upon her chakra and grabbing a handful of shuriken. ‘False surroundings then.’ She wove the genjutsu over the area, increasing the sound of the wind and laying it over the open air between her and Zaku. The boy sensed it immediately and moved to break it but the genjutsu was a means to an end and her shuriken were already flying.

“Kai, fuck!” Zaku howled as several of the metal stars burrowed into his flesh. “Killing you isn’t going to be enough, you fucking bitch!” Zaku screamed and charged forward, going berserk as Dosu finally recovered.

‘Okay, I’m officially fucked,’ Sakura let her expression go to full panic, eyes wide and confidence melting away. “No! Stay back!” She screamed, erratically throwing more kunai at the berserk genin. Zaku closed in on her, fist flying towards her cheek. ‘Fool bought it again!’ Sakura ducked and the substituted with a log she’d prepared before the battle. “Kai!” A second explosion rocked the clearing and Zaku went sailing through the air, smoking. He hit the ground and tumbled before landing in a heap, letting out an agonized groan.

“You really want to keep this up?” Sakura asked Dosu, who was injured and faced with two downed teammates. “Give me your scroll and fuck off or I kill them.” She pulled out her kunai and showed her true smile, vicious and sharper than the knives she held. “You can tell Orochimaru the mouse was a bit too much, he’ll know who you’re talking about.”

“You know,” Dosu gave Sakura a look and the girl’s smile sharpened further as her lips pulled apart to reveal all her teeth. He could see death in her jade eyes and knew she’d be the end of him if he pressed further.

“That’s right! You better leave!” Rock Lee shouted, arriving on the scene without warning. He landed next to Sakura and held out one hand while he crossed the other behind his back in his classic pose.

“Well met Rock Lee,” Sakura greeted and met Dosu’s eye. “Well Oto? Going to stay and die or leave your scroll and live?”

“Have it your way girl.” Dosu dropped down a scroll and then slowly began to strafe to the side. Sakura retreated a bit and threw a kunai with an explosive tag on it near the scroll so if Dosu tried to retrieve it, she could make him bleed for it. “Paranoid kunoichi, you’re not at all what you appear, are you?” He asked, shaking Kin awake before picking up Zaku.

“Dosu, what’s going on? Are we fighting still?” Kin slurred, her concussion clearly severe.

“We’re retreating, come on.” Dosu ordered and immediately disappeared into the forest, Kin following behind him as best she could.

“So, are we fighting?” Sakura asked Lee who turned to her and grinned.

“Not at all most youthful blossom! I was worried for a second you would be unable to handle anymore fighting. I can see you’re barely hanging on!” Lee’s eyes were far more perceptive then Sakura had hoped.

‘Fuck, how’d he notice I’m running on fumes? Common sense?! That’s illegal!’ Sakura roared internally but still held her best smile. “I’m fine Lee, but I have both scrolls, you can take the one near the explosive tag if you want.”

“Will you blow me up?” Lee asked and Sakura chuckled.

“No, I won’t.” She meant it, but it was also a test. ‘Will he trust me?’ She wondered and watched as Lee marched over, pulled the kunai free, then pocketed the scroll before returning to her. “Here is your tag.”

“You are unbelievable!” Sakura laughed happily and returned the weapon to her pouch after checking it. “Haruno Sakura,” she offered him a hand.

“Rock Lee, but I believe you already knew that.” Lee replied and then blushed.

“You’re strong, I’ve heard rumors about your taijutsu excellence. One day I want to challenge you and your hard work. I want to see how it compares to my own hard work and talent.” Sakura had always wanted to have a fight with Rock Lee. In her world she’d never lost a fight when it counted and Rock Lee didn’t have magical powers beyond super strength and speed. He was the closest she’d get to a fight she was used to and she knew he was disgustingly good at martial arts. ‘Also we looked up to him when we were younger didn’t we?’ Sakura mused, remembering the boy who stood up to Gaara and did the impossible.

“I could never fight such a bea-” Lee began only to get interrupted by Sakura.

“You will or you’ll be disrespecting me, however maybe not right now? I’m exhausted. Do you need food? Water? I owe you for helping me.” Sakura offered and Rock Lee let out a laugh.

“Such youth! Please go out with me!” Lee exclaimed and Sakura chuckled and shook her head.

“Nah, sorry, I’m going to have to pass.” Sakura replied, pulling out a ration bar and taking a bite. “Want one?”

“Yes please,” Rock Lee, trusting to a fault and stupidly honorable, got a ration bar for his trouble. It didn’t even have complimentary laxatives.

“Where are your teammates?” Sakura asked, chewing her food as the bushes nearby rustled. “Hey, come on out or I’m going to start throwing things at you!” Sakura shouted and Ino stepped out with her team.

“Forehead! Where is Sasuke-kun?!” Ino screeched, stomping a foot on the grass and pointing at Sakura dramatically.

“Dunno, lost him somewhere around Kiri,” Sakura shrugged and smirked at the girl. ‘This is different I think, did I wrap things up too fast?’ Sakura wondered, watching Ino grind her teeth.

“He’s under the tree,” Shikamaru murmured and Sakura’s eyes narrowed at him.

“You going to cause trouble? We’re all Konoha, we shouldn’t be fighting. Might cause grudges that could hurt us later on.” Sakura stated, pulling out a kunai and twirling it lazily with her right hand.

“You want to fight forehead?” Ino demanded and Sakura looked over at Shikamaru.

“Hey, you, calm her down, I don’t know her and seeing as she never visited me in the hospital I don’t think we’re friends.” Sakura told the boy who narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Hospital?” His question silenced the clearing and Sakura felt Lee give her a concerned look.

“Severe head trauma, total amnesia, including speech, ninja skills, the whole nine yards. I only learned how to use chakra two months ago.” Sakura replied calmly and Lee’s eyes went wide.

“And you did all that?” Lee asked, motioning and the scars left in the ground from her battle. “Life is truly unfair! To find another genius, no, prodigy in Konoha!”

“Says the prodigy of taijutsu. I’ve heard about you Lee, don’t undersell yourself. I know you’re strong.” Sakura replied, never taking her eyes off Team 10. “So, shall we all go our separate ways? Or hunt together? There is strength in numbers after all.”

“Like I’d work with you forehead,” Ino shouted and Sakura tilted her head and frowned.

“I don’t know you, am I correct to assume you’re hostile?” Sakura stopped twirling her kunai, catching it in a throwing grip and looking at Ino with cold, calculating eyes. It was obvious to everyone present Sakura was sizing the other girl and her team up, thinking how best to take them apart. “I don’t want enemies at my back, my teammates are injured and I will kill to defend them.”

“Hey, we’re not going to fight you!” Choji cut in quickly before Ino could say anything. “Look, let’s all just calm down, you have amnesia? When did that happen.”

“Four months ago give or take a few weeks. Apparently it was right after teams formed.” Sakura replied, relaxing slightly but not shifting from her readied stance. “Still I survived an A rank mission and have 2 B ranks under my belt.” Sakura didn’t inform them what those B ranks were. It sounded far less intimidating to say she’d worked in a whore house and her boss, Akane, had registered each month of Sakura’s work at Hanazono as a B rank training mission.

“Troublesome, we’re not going to fight you Haruno, stop trying to intimidate us.” Shikimaru let out a sigh and shook his head. “Ino, she doesn’t know who you are, you can tell she’s not lying right?”

Sakura focused on the blond who was crying for some reason.

“Didn’t you hate me?” Sakura asked, genuinely confused by this development. “I thought you hated me.”

“Shut up forehead! How could you go and not just throw away our friendship but forget it?!” Ino shouted and turned around, showing the pink haired girl her back.

‘This is why children should not be given weapons and told to kill each other in a forest. No amount of indoctrination or chakra makes them stop being children. Fucking idiot war mongering lunatics.’ Sakura thought, her mind still going through different ways to take apart the kids in front of her. She knew Shikamaru was intelligent, but he had no information on her. She hadn’t moved at full speed yet, even during the previous fight and she hadn’t used her chakra strings either.

“Come on Ino, now isn’t the time for this. Let’s go, we have a test to complete.” Shikamaru spoke to his teammate who sniffled and nodded before the trio took off.

“Well Lee, what about you? Heading out? Sticking around? We can head to the tower together if you want.” Sakura looked at the boy who shrugged.

“I think my teammates will arrive soon!” Lee exclaimed as a burst of malevolent chakra came from within the tree. It was sickly, poisonous almost and sent alarms ringing in Sakura’s mind. “What is that?” Lee asked as Sasuke staggered out from the tree covered in black flame like markings.

“Sakura, you were being attacked, did he try to hurt you?” Sasuke asked, one eye golden and snakelike while the other was still black.

“No, I’m fine Sasuke, you can relax. I fought off our attackers, Lee here helped. He’s an ally.” Sakura stated, going against every instinct she had and forcing her body to remain relaxed, even pocketing her weapon. The show of utter calm payed off and the sense of doom hanging around Sasuke dissipated, leaving him exhausted but conscious. “Now, can you go wake Naruto so we can get to the tower and hand in our scrolls?”

“Sure,” Sasuke let out a huff and shook Naruto awake.

“What’s going on ‘ttebayo?!” Naruto shouted, sitting up so fast her nearly headbutted Sasuke.

“Snake fucker left, Rock Lee helped me out, we’re going to the tower.” Sakura stated and the two boys nodded, climbing out from under the tree and glancing suspiciously at Lee.

“Well then, I’ll be off!” Lee announced, spotting Neji and Tenten approaching at the same time Sakura’s head turned towards their location.

“Your teammates?” Sakura asked and Lee gave her a nod.

“Indeed, such youthful senses you have!” He shouted before jumping to his team.

“Thanks for the help Lee, come on guys, let’s get moving.” Sakura jerked her head towards the tower and Sasuke rolled his eyes but didn’t protest while Naruto just mumbled something about eyebrows before following Sakura’s lead.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

Reaching the tower with three days to spare, Team 7 was given a room and three meals per day. Sasuke was pulled aside immediately by a worried looking Kakashi while Naruto explored the tower. ‘I’m just going to spend my time reading then.’ Sakura thought, retrieving her fuinjutsu book and continuing to take notes as she waited for the next phase of the exam. ‘Will there be a prelims this time? I did change things with my little show and we took out that Ame team, were we supposed to? I don’t remember the show’s plot. It’s all a fog. Except pedo snake and everything is Pain.’

Sakura paused before giggling to herself. ‘And Madara’s hot abs. Fuck, that man is unfairly attractive and I’m not even straight.’ Sakura shivered and hoped that she wouldn’t have to fight him. Doing so with a clear head would be almost impossible. ‘He’s as dangerous as Anko and even more powerful. It’s not fair!’ Sakura lamented internally before returning to her studies.

Sadly three days wasn’t enough time to make any real breakthroughs but it was enough time to wonder about how badly she’d messed up the timeline. ‘I hardly remember anything anyways, really, what’s to worry about?’ Sakura asked to herself, doing her best not to break out into panicked screams. ‘We’re totally going to die aren’t we?’

‘No we’ll kill them all.’ Something in the back of her head answered and Sakura twitched. The voice she’d occasionally been hearing just answered back and she was fairly certain it wasn’t her own.

‘Okay am I losing it that badly? Is this some remnant of the original? Didn’t Sakura have some mental thing going on? I don’t remember, she was so underdeveloped despite being a main character that the author tried to excuse his poor writing by saying she wasn’t in fact a main character.’ Sakura let out a tired sigh and rolled around her bed, wriggling around to burn off some of the anxious energy buzzing through her body. It wasn’t dignified but there were no witnesses so she could care less. ‘Fuck, I need to remember to remain detached. I’m used to street fights and scuffles not ninja battles, this is a whole new level of trauma.’

‘Just admit you enjoy the violence.’ The voice echoed and Sakura shivered, wondering if she was going to lose it in front of an audience.

‘Is mental healthcare even a thing here? Probably not because Kakashi exists and isn’t tied to a bed in a therapist’s office.’ Sakura mused, closing her eyes and meditating to pass the time. She sank deep into the peaceful oblivion of true meditation while her chakra raced through her body, washing away stress and fatigue. When she finally opened her eyes again, it was time for dinner and she headed down for her second to last meal before the current test would come to an end. ‘Noon tomorrow, this exam ends.’ Sakura thought, meeting Naruto on the way to the cafeteria and eating next to him.

There were 2 other Konoha teams present, Team 8 and Team Guy, though neither joined Team 7 for food. ‘When is Sasuke going to show?’ Sakura wondered as she ate dinner. Naruto was visibly worried for his rival as well but neither spoke as they finished their food and turned in for the night. The next morning, Sasuke still wasn’t back yet and after breakfast, they headed down to the main room where those who’d passed the second exam would be addressed by the proctors.

“Yo!” Kakashi greeted them as they reached the doors leading into the meeting room, Sasuke standing next to him and scowling. “Had to handle a few things but it’s all good now.” Kakashi said cheerfully and then left to stand next to the Hokage who was at the front of the room. Team 7 quickly took their spots and the Hokage gave a speech about how the chunin exams were a stand in for war, which made no sense since the exams were older than the three great ninja wars, but of course since they were created by the Nidaime Hokage they were perfect and beyond reproach in the Sandaime’s eyes.

‘Yes, let’s let twelve year olds fight to the death and get a chance at commanding squads in battle! Totally logical. And let’s make sure the test has nothing to do with the skills necessary to command a team in combat. The fuck are they doing? This is organized stupidity!’ Sakura kept her face blank as she internally ranted over how dumb the chunin exams were and nearly missed Kabuto forfeiting. ‘Wait! That bastard is Orochimaru’s spy! I just fucking remembered! Ah, I need to tell someone, not Kakashi though, he’s a fuck.’ Sakura thought, adding it to her list of shit she needed to do.

“Everyone to the balconies except Uchiha Sasuke and Akado Yoroi!” The proctor called out, reading the names off a simple digital display.

‘A clan heir versus a no name nobody? That’s a bit lucky for our Sasuke.’ Sakura thought as she walked up the stairs and settled down next to Naruto. Kakashi stood behind them, watching with one eye while a man who looked like an older version of Rock Lee walked over. ‘Wait, is that Might Gai?! I need to talk to him!’ Sakura looked at the man from the corner of her eye as he greeted Kakashi.

“My hip rival! How do you think your student will do?” Gai asked excitedly and Kakashi shrugged as the match began. The fight was quick as the no-name ninja was forced into a corner by a mix of ninjutsu and shurikenjutsu before Sasuke finished him with a series of brutal kicks, sharingan spinning wildly as he fought. “Most youthful! You’ve trained your genin well!”

“Ha!” Sakura laughed sarcastically, drawing the man’s attention.

“You’re my rival’s genin are you not? I’ve heard about you from my student, Lee. You’re Haruno Sakura correct?” Gai asked, flashing her his classic winning grin which actually sparkled.

“Yeah and he hasn’t taught us anything. I don’t even know taijutsu.” Sakura replied glancing at Kakashi and shaking her head. “We’ve made it this far in spite of him, not because of him.”

“My rival, is this true?” Gai asked and Kakashi shrugged, unable or unwilling to refute Sakura’s words.

‘Perhaps he feels guilty?’ Sakura wondered but doubted it as she fixed her jade eyes on Kakashi and raised an eyebrow. He didn’t respond, meeting her gaze for a few seconds before looking away. ‘Fucker’s not guilty at all!’ She decided as Sasuke returned to the stands.

“Nice work Sasuke,” Sakura compliment getting a smirk from the boy who took to leaning on the wall next to her as she rested her arms on the railings. “How you holding up?”

“I’m fine, the fight was easy.” Sasuke replied, answering nothing at all but at least his tone was level so Sakura decided he wasn’t too stressed yet.

‘Oh he’s going to snap, just not quite yet.’ Sakura knew the boy’s days of sanity were limited but when he’d snap was anyone’s guess. ‘Maybe I can protect him just a bit?’ Sakura wondered, knowing that Sasuke didn’t deserve any of the suffering he was put through. ‘Sure he ends up an insane self centered asshole but with the amount of trauma he gets put through, I can’t exactly blame him.’ She thought as the next match was announced, Abumi Zaku VS Aburame Shino.

‘Hey another clan heir vs an injured nobody!’ Sakura rolled her eyes, deciding that there was no way Konoha would put up a clan heir vs another clan heir. ‘With the number of clan heirs that limits a lot of potential matches and they won’t put anyone important against Gaara. Furthermore, they’re going to give the clan heirs matches they can most likely win and since Suna is an ally, they’ll throw sacrifices to Suna so they can win as well.’ Sakura deduced as Shino won the match.

‘Tsurugi Misumi VS Kankuro huh? Proving my theory.’ Sakura thought as the puppeteer from Suna won the match easily.

“Haruno Sakura VS Yamanaka Ino, please come down to the ring.” The call out didn’t surprise Sakura. She vaguely remembered this from the show and decided to end it quickly.

‘What’s her technique? Genjutsu I think?’ Sakura didn’t know what the blond girl could do but she was a Sasuke fan girl which meant she probably wasn’t all that strong. ‘And she’s an heir right? So they put a no-name civilian girl with amnesia against her, giving her the best chances of winning. She must be the weakest of the heirs then.’ Sakura thought to herself pulling out a pair of kunai before the match began.

“I’m going to win this forehead,” Ino stated confidently but Sakura didn’t respond, instead she simply shifted her stance and waited for the match to start.

“Begin!” The proctor called out and Sakura threw her kunai towards Ino. The other girl blocked the weapons and Sakura hid her grin as they clattered down not too far away from the blond who pulled out a brace of shuriken and threw them at Sakura.

‘She’s not all that good at this,’ Sakura thought, dodging the throwing stars and pulling out four more kunai and throwing them one at a time at Ino, forcing the girl towards the first two kunai Sakura had thrown. When Ino’s foot touched down next to one of the blades, Sakura pulsed her chakra, activating the explosive tag hidden under the dagger’s wrappings.

Ino let out a pained scream as the blast scorched her leg and sent her flying. She skid across the ground and Sakura risked a glance at the proctor, missing the burning determination on Ino’s face as she did so.

“Shintenshin no jutsu!” Ino called out and Sakura’s eyes snapped back to the blond a second too late. She felt something slam into her but with her guard already raised she was fully away this time as Ino took control of her body.

‘You’re the one!’ Sakura thought as she felt her control slip and her body stop listening to her. Slowly her mind faded into blackness but she was already worked up, her emotions running hot and adrenaline pounding in her veins, even though she couldn’t feel it. Rage turned to wrath, burning within her mind and Ino began to raise her hand, preparing to force Sakura to drop out when she felt Sakura’s body stop moving.

The Yamanaka heiress was suddenly yanked into Sakura’s mindscape, which wasn’t at all what she was expecting. Around her was a sea of inky blackness, void of emotions or memories. Normally there would be doors or symbols a Yamanaka could use to peer into a person’s past but here there was nothing, no hint of Sakura or who she was, as if she was detached from herself, broken on a fundamental level.

“You really should not have done this.” A voice that didn’t at all sound like Sakura growled, sending chills down Ino’s spine as she whipped around and saw a vaguely human shaped thing behind her. It was a person, a woman’s silhouette without any details filled in and while it didn’t have eyes or even a face, Ino knew it was looking directly at her. A crescent of white light appeared roughly where its mouth should be, ‘It’s smirking at me,’ Ino realized as the thing that should not be looked at her. “You know, when we realized someone had possessed us, we got rather mad.”

“Possessed us? What are you talking about Sakura?” Ino tried to sound confident, the mind was the Yamanaka’s battleground, yet Ino found herself terrified. The thing in front of her was like nothing she’d encountered before or even been told about.

“Why should I tell someone who is about to die screaming?” The thing’s smile split wide open, revealing a mouth full of white fangs that contrasted sharply with the blackness that made it up.

“I’m a Yamanaka, I’d never-” Ino stammered as the ground below her liquefied without warning and she began to rapidly sink down into it. She tried to channel chakra to her feet, to stand on fluid darkness as if it was water but the void drank up her chakra, rather than getting repulsed by it.

“Drown little mind thief and die screaming,” the thing crooned, letting out a low, blood curdling chuckle as it watched, its eyeless face still smiling at her as Ino’s panic intensified. She tried to pull her way free, tried to fight back but realized she simply couldn’t. Her legs were frozen in place below the surface of the darkness which was rising rapidly.

‘If it traps my arms, I’ll die!’ Ino realized, heart pounding painfully fast and breath coming in rapid pants as terror gripped her mind. “Kai! Release! Let me go!” Ino screamed, throwing her all into saving herself from Sakura’s mind.

‘Such a shame she’s going to escape but I’m still going to make her pay.’ The thing thought, taking control of Sakura’s body and moving her hands while Ino fought her way out. ‘Hell viewing.’ She purred, smirking with Sakura’s lips, letting the genjutsu settle in right before Ino finally broke free and returned to her body.

“No! Why isn’t it working?! No! I don’t want to die!” Ino’s panicked screams echoed off the walls as she collapsed to the floor, struggling to break free of an invisible blackness that wasn’t truly there. The thing pulled out a kunai and took aim for Ino’s forehead, flicking it towards the downed girl without hesitating. The clang of steel on steel rang out as the proctor blocked the blade and Asuma put the edge of his trench knife to Sakura’s neck.

“Oh?” The thing grinned at Asuma tilting her neck to further expose it. “Are you sure?” Asuma looked down upon wild jade eyes and a smile as vicious as the blade he was holding. The girl made no moves, her body completely relaxed yet at the ready, in between tense and loose.

“The match is over! Haruno Sakura is the victor!” The proctor announced and Asuma lowered his blade from Sakura’s throat. The girl seemed to tense briefly as the thing relinquished control, exhausted from fighting both Ino and Sakura. Asuma saw the girl slump into herself, exhaustion appearing on her face.

“Your genin is a nightmare to fight against. Please keep her from using that mind thing on me. I’m gonna be sick.” Sakura mumbled, turning slightly green and wobbling her way back up the balcony.

‘Fuck, don’t throw up, just breathe.’ Sakura thought, sitting down on the floor as Naruto walked over to her.

“Hey uh, Sakura-chan, how did you win?” Naruto asked curiously and she noticed most of the other leaf genin and the Suna puppeteer eavesdropping.

“When she possessed me, I tricked her into having a panic attack then forced the proctor to intervene. I knew they wouldn’t let me actually kill Ino and I also knew that if I gave Ino time, she’d break free so I forced the match.” Sakura explained, slowly recovering from the crippling wave of emotions that’d broken free. ‘Of course that’s all bullshit, I don’t know what the fuck happened.’ She thought, shivering as she tried to peace together her memories, finding she had a rather nasty blank spot. She felt Ino take control of her body and then everything just went black.

“Tenten VS Temari!” The call out signaled the beginning of the next match and Sakura scoffed.

‘What a random match! A weapons user who should have progressed gets hard countered by the daughter of the Kazekage!’ Sakura thought, wondering if she could have predicted the matches if she knew more about the contestant’s skills. It was clear they were supposed to be rigged and her win was a massive upset.

“Nara Shikamaru VS Tsuchi Kin!” Sakura wasn’t surprised when, once again, the heir won. This time he had to work for it, earning a few light injuries but it was still a rather overwhelming victory.

“Uzumaki Naruto Vs Inuzuka Kiba!” Sakura wasn’t sure whether this fight was rigged so much as it was two contestants who wouldn’t kill their opponents being matched up.

‘Kiba isn’t an heir but he’s the son of a clan head and Naruto is an heir but he’s widely hated. They don’t really care who wins this match so long as neither die and no clans lose any prestige from this fight.’ Sakura thought as Naruto won the match with a fucking fart. ‘Well, that’s one way to win. Side note, buy pepper bombs. Would be useful to fuck with Kakashi.’ Sakura thought to herself as the next match up was called.

“Hyuga Hinata VS Hyuga Neji.” Two members from the same family, one an heiress, the other a slave.

‘I bet they’re expecting Neji to forfeit. This is going to be a bloodbath.’ Sakura mused as she watched Hinata struggle valiantly. ‘Sure Hinata isn’t at fault for the whole slave thing and I don’t much remember the details but honestly, it’s always nice to see a slave beating their masters to death. Shame it’s misplaced aggression, it should be Hinata’s dad Neji is pummeling.’ Sakura thought as the match dragged on, ending with Neji winning but being surrounded by every Konoha jounin in the room while Hinata went into shock and was carried away by panicking medics.

‘Well that was a cluster fuck.’ Sakura thought as the next match was announced, Gaara VS Rock Lee. ‘This is painful since I know how it ends.’ Sakura grimaced as Rock Lee put up the fight of his life. It was amazing how powerful he was despite only being a genin but Gaara was a literal beast, a tailed beast to be exact. ‘Though he’s more like possessed by one since he’s not exactly containing the damn thing right now.’ Sakura thought to herself as she watched the match with a scowl.

‘And of course, only Gai steps in to save his student’s life. Every fucking jounin moved for the heiress but only one for the nobody. Typical feudal bullshit! The workers must rise up! Hoist the red banner and sing the songs of revolution!’ Sakura didn’t hide her snarl at Gaara as he walked past. His eyes met hers and the two glared at each other for several long seconds before Gaara continued on his way back to his jounin sensei.

“The final match! Kinuta Dosu VS Choji Akimichi!” Sakura watched this match with disinterest. She didn’t remember who won in the manga and while she could see the match was rigged in favor Konoha, Choji still somehow lost.

‘Oh well, two upsets and a grudge match, at least nobody died.’ Sakura thought as she was called down to the floor and told she had a month to prepare for the next exam by the sickly proctor. ‘Well, there’s no way Kakashi will teach me anything.’ Sakura thought, finally leaving the tower through an underground passage and returning to Konoha with the rest of the contestants who could still walk.

“Hey Naruto, ramen?” Sakura asked and Naruto let out a laugh before nodding enthusiastically. ‘Well, at least we’ve survived. Now I just need to find a sensei, once Kakashi snubs me.’ Sakura thought, leaving that for tomorrow. After all it was only fair she gave Kakashi a day to figure something out before she looked to greener pastures.

Chapter Text

Chapter 17

To say Kakashi was surprised that all three of his genin had made it into the final round was an understatement. He expected Sasuke to get in, after all the boy was talented. He wasn’t a prodigy by any means but he was a hard worker and blessed with a powerful kekkei genkai. Sasuke would also need all of his attention now that he’d been marked with a cursed seal. Naruto was a surprise and his victory was very much a fluke but it wasn’t inconceivable for him to have made it this far. The boy had a healing factor, endless stamina and shadow clones. His ridiculous pain tolerance had also helped him endure Kiba’s attacks. No, Naruto was a surprise but at least he made sense.

Sakura was the problem. He’d seen how unenthusiastic the girl was. She was obsessed with boys and while she got glowing reviews from the academy instructors and was proclaimed a genjutsu type, she fell to the most basic genjutsu in the books during the genin exams. Worse still, she’d gone and given herself amnesia, forgetting everything, even how to speak. When she’d come back, she’d asked him exactly once to teach her, giving up after his first dismissal and showed no intention of changing his mind.

He had written her off, hoping she’d drop out and keep Team 7 from ever entering the chunin exams. Barring that, he hoped she’d drop out and give up being a ninja after the second stage. Neither had happened, instead she’d done the impossible, breaking out of a Yamanaka possession without prior training and terrifying the clan’s heiress in the process, maybe even traumatizing her judging by the way the girl had been screaming before she’d fainted.

Kakashi watched Sakura for the rest of the matches and noted how the girl’s eyes were sharp, full of intelligence. He noticed how she almost seemed to be expecting each match up, her eyes lighting up with annoyance after every pairing which finally spilled over into open fury when Rock Lee was put up against Gaara. Kakashi would have been proud of the girl if he wasn’t so confused by her insight as she’d shown no signs of intelligence or motivation before this.

‘What happened in the forest?’ Kakashi wondered what had changed while he wasn’t around. Was the shock of being attacked by Orochimaru a breaking point? He couldn’t imagine Sakura aiming a lethal attack at anyone before today, yet she’d thrown her kunai with intent to kill. Her explanation of her thought process had rung true and Kakashi knew that would be considered when her possible promotion was brought up, a point in her favor for such rational decision making, but the entire situation was just wrong.

‘She’s only been a ninja for what, two months? She lost all her memories and spent two months in the hospital. What the hell happened in that forest?’ Kakashi wasn’t sure what to make of this new Sakura but he couldn’t dig for the truth just yet, he needed to keep his eyes on Sasuke. The boy had already been marked a mild flight risk and that had went up to a high risk now that he’d been cursed. The Hokage had ordered him to teach Sasuke personally, to try and gain the boy’s confidence and trust, becoming an anchor that would keep him from going rogue.

‘Maa, I’m sure it’ll be fine.’ Kakashi thought, shelving his concerns and leaving a note at Sakura’s house, informing her to meet Naruto at a training field where they’d be taught by an acquaintance of his.

***

Sakura woke up in her apartment and never got Kakashi’s message as she no longer lived at her parent’s house, or even spoke to them. Of course Kakashi didn’t know this but he’d never cared enough to check, too afraid of ghosts to give his genin a chance. Sakura spent the day resting, eating and relaxing and when the sun set, she let out a tired sigh and climbed her building’s roof.

‘We’re about to be attacked, I’ve got a scheduled death match coming up and Akane is too busy teaching rookies how to avoid getting pegged for a shinobi to teach me how to fight.’ Sakura knew the older woman wouldn’t help her, Akane’s instructions had been clear. Survive the exams, not the first two phases of the exam. ‘That leaves nobody to teach me, which means time to take shots in the fucking dark! I’ll start with the head bastard then work my way down the chain, it’ll make a splash at least and maybe I’ll attract attention for sheer guts.’ Sakura thought, enjoying the evening air before returning to her room and heading to bed.

The next morning, Sarutobi Hiruzen walked into his office, bright and far too early. He had only left it a few short hours ago and he wasn’t nearly as young as he used to be. The chunin exams were running him ragged but at least he’d get another six months off before the next one rolled in and hopefully nothing big would happen in the meantime. Settling down for his daily grind, he began reading through the pages in front of him, already mentally prepared for another miserable day of paperwork.

Haruno Sakura showered, dried her hair then got dressed. She put on her cutest, most innocent expression and hopped across the rooftops, humming to herself and generally staying in a cute mindset. By the time she touched down on the steps of the Hokage tower, she was thoroughly in character. She entered through the front door and, confidently, walked passed the guards and up the stairs, humming a slight tune and generally giving off ‘I belong here’ vibes, which was backed up by her headband and carefree confidence.

Reaching the Hokage’s door, she gave it a polite knock and waited several seconds before she heard Hiruzen’s voice invite her in. The man looked somewhat amused by her presence, clearly having been informed of her arrival either by ANBU or by sensing her himself.

“Haruno-kun, what can I do for you? I’m rather busy so I hope it’s not too time consuming.” Hiruzen was surprised to see the girl, but not upset. He was more worried with how easily she’d apparently walked through the tower but he knew she was taking infiltration and seduction lessons and was slated for such missions once she hit chunin or turned 14, whichever came first.

“I’m calling in your debt Hokage-san.” Sakura announced, confusing everyone in the room. She could practically hear the bewildered thoughts of the hidden ANBU and reveled in the Hokage’s bemused expression.

“My debt?” Hiruzen asked, dumbfounded and Sakura nodded.

“Indeed, you put me on a team without a sensei. Kakashi makes a great stage prop and he’s amazing in a fight but you didn’t give Team 7 a sensei and right now I really need one so I’m calling in that debt.” Sakura stated confidently, giving the man a charming smile.

“I suppose I could find a free jounin to train you, Haruno-kun.” Hiruzen chuckled, impressed by the girl’s sheer guts. Nobody had ever tried to pull this in all his years as Hokage and he was delighted to see such initiative. True, he wasn’t happy Kakashi wasn’t teaching his students, but he’d kind of expected it and hoped the man would shape up given time.

“Ah, see, I was calling your debt, so I want you to teach me but I understand you’re busy so I’ll give you the secret to paperwork if you agree to teach me.” Sakura chirped happily and Hiruzen tensed. If the girl was serious, he needed that information. He dreamed of incinerating his office with a burst of katon and training an ambitious genin for a month was a small price to pay for the relief she could provide if she was being honest.

“I’ll train you but only if your idea works.” Hiruzen stated and the girl nodded to herself.

“So you promise?” Sakura asked, looking at him through her lashes, tilting her head forward and making herself look like a wide eyed innocent little girl.

‘Definitely a natural at seduction and infiltration.’ Hiruzen thought, knowing the girl had a bright future in that career path.

“You have my word Haruno-kun,” Hiruzen promised and she offered him a radiant, warm smile. The expression was completely at odds with the vicious show she’d made of herself in the prelims.

“Okay! Just make a shadow clone with a small amount of chakra in it! When you make shadow clones, the default is to give one clone half your chakra, two clones each a third and so on, so your chakra is evenly divided but, you can control the amount you give if you really focus while you’re creating one. Just give the clone enough energy to sit around, reading and talking all day and boom! No more desk work for you and you’ll remember everything your clone does so you won’t be missing anything!” Sakura watched as Hiruzen’s face went first to shock, then quickly flickered through every stage of grief before he face planted onto his desk.

“He’s still breathing, did I knock him out? Does that make me Hokage now?” Sakura kept up her innocent act for fun as she watched the man slowly recover. He looked on the verge of a breakdown and pinched his nose, taking several big puffs from his pipe before speaking.

“I gave you my word and you’ve delivered Haruno-kun. Please follow me to my private training ground. I hope you’re mentally prepared for this, I won’t be going easy on you because you’re a seduction track.” Hiruzen informed the girl, her smile shifting from innocent to vicious.

“I want to be an ANBU captain, Hokage-sama, I don’t want easy.” Sakura shocked him again with a single sentence and he let out a laugh, caught off guard twice in a row by one pink haired genin. She was supposed to be a place holder, someone who’d go unmissed if killed and yet, here she was, walking into his office, boldly demanding he teach her, flooring him twice and earning his respect in under two minutes.

“Well then Haruno-kun, we’re going to make the most of this month.” Hiruzen promised, leading her out of his office and across the city as his personal guard chased after them.

In his excitement he nearly forgot to leave a shadow clone behind but remembered at the last second. ‘Kami, I never thought I’d have a student again.’ Hiruzen thought to himself as Sakura followed behind him, the small bursts of chakra through her muscles with every movement informing him that her puffy arm and leg warmers hid weights. ‘And Kakashi keeps reporting her as unmotivated and mild mannered. What is that man doing?’

Reaching the training grounds, Hiruzen looked over the girl and could feel the curiosity his ANBU were radiating. All of them had heard her goal, which had instantly put her on their radar. ‘Today it’s Genma, Raido, Tenzo and Yugao, all trustworthy shinobi.’ He knew that he likely couldn’t train Sakura for all thirty days but he could train her almost every day and when he couldn’t, he’d assign one of his current guards to her.

“So, what skills do you have and what do you think you need work on?” Hiruzen was intending to test the girl, not simply ask her but he wanted to know what she thought before they began so he could see how she viewed herself. Would she over estimate herself? Underestimate herself? Was she realistic? He needed to know before he began teaching.

“I am terrible at taijutsu, acceptable for a genin at shurikenjutsu and lacking in ninjutsu. I only know five jutsu, Transformation, Shadow Clone, Replacement, Hell Viewing and False Surroundings. I’m interested in inventing my own form of kenjutsu revolving around a double bladed sword a bit longer than a katana, since it will give me versatility in how I deliver lethal attacks and I’m working on fuinjutsu which I’d say I’m decent at for a beginner. Akane says I’m good for a twelve year old at social manipulation but I’ve got plenty of room to grow.” Sakura explained before going into the details of what she knew and what she was trying to learn. Her declaration that she was teaching herself a rather unique Suna nin-taijutsu style was intriguing and Hiruzen wished Kakashi had bothered to take an interest in the girl since it was her lack of reading comprehension that was truly hindering her at the moment.

“Have you ever considered medical ninjutsu, Haruno-kun?” Hiruzen asked and the girl nodded.

“Yes but I don’t want to specialize in anything. I want to be well rounded and versatile. That said, Tsunade is awesome and I wish I could do half of what she can do.” Sakura didn’t need to lie about that, Tsunade was her favorite Hokage. ‘The Fourth died a bit too quickly, the first was a well meaning idiot, the second was a racist and the third is a terrible mix of his two predecessors.’

“Ambitious and considering your amnesia, impressive as well. Your showing in the preliminaries was quite something.” Hiruzen nodded and then let his expression become serious. The girl reacted immediately, shifting into a guard and watching him warily. “Good, you can read the mood. You just told me your skills, now I am going to test them.” Hiruzen rumbled and then barked his first order. “First, basic taijutsu!”

Sakura responded immediately, deflecting his slow punch decently, though she’d earn a bruise for it. She was quick enough, with chakra reinforcing her muscles but the weights were slowing her considerably. Still, it gave him a good idea of her coordination and reaction time as he tested not just her defense, but her offense and pain tolerance.

“Next, use The Way of The Empty Fist,” Hiruzen ordered and saw the girl shift from fists to open palms. Her movements became more unsure, going from basic street fighting to a martial art being used by someone without an instructor. He could see she understood the logic behind the forms and counters but hadn’t had the time to polish anything and was suffering for it. ‘So she knows how to brawl but not how to fight properly, it’s a start.’ Hiruzen thought before jumping away from Sakura only to feel resistance as he realized she had stuck several chakra strings to him but wasn’t strong enough to reel him in.

“If I was as strong as Tsunade, I’d have you.” Sakura admitted woefully, cutting the strings before he could turn them against her.

“Indeed, perhaps we can work on that.” Hiruzen thought aloud before pulling out shuriken. “Next up, shurikenjutsu!” This was much more interesting as he saw she’d started to develop trajectory deflections, a signature move of one Uchiha Itachi. Her throws were lacking speed, power and volume but she was accurate, thoughtful about her attacks and almost every kunai had an explosive tag on it. “You use a lot of explosives.”

“Tags are cheap when you can write them yourself. No reason not to make every kunai explosive if you can afford it.” Sakura answered with a shrug and she was right of course, the only reason most ninja didn’t spam explosives was because they couldn’t afford it. Iwa’s most feared unit was centered around explosive users and they were a nightmare even for ANBU to handle.

“Well considering the number of personalized explosive tags you use and the fact you’re not missing any limbs, I can safely say you’ve got a solid foundation in fuinjutsu.” Hiruzen chuckled, motioning for Sakura to stop.

“Yeah, but fuinjutsu is a terrible name for it. You can do way more then seal things with fuinjutsu. You can restrict, emit, alter, heal and seal. It should be called enchanting or something a bit more encompassing than fuinjutsu.” Sakura rattled off her thoughts quickly as she came to rest on her feet and watched Hiruzen look at her with obvious amusement. It was obvious he’d heard someone say this to him before and she had to wonder who it was.

“Well you’re not wrong, Haruno-kun but it’s called Fuinjutsu and if the Nidaime couldn’t convince anyone to budge, I doubt you will. Then again, you’ve already surprised me twice so who knows, perhaps you’ll do it a third time.” Hiruzen chuckled and then thought over what else he would test. He had a month before she returned to her team, though if she kept impressing him, he might just poach her from Kakashi. “Alright Haruno-kun, how about kenjutsu?”

“I don’t have enough to order a custom sword, mind if I use a wooden mock up I’ve made?” Sakura asked and Hiruzen gave her permission. He eyed the wooden longsword she unsealed with interested. It was double-bladed, with a cross guard to protect the hands rather then the more typical tsuba. “If I had money I’d buy one but custom made swords are expensive and I’m not very good. I can’t justify buying one just yet.”

“I see,” Hiruzen looked over the sword and knew such a shape would necessitate high quality material. Katanas were made from whatever was on hand with only the edge being made from high quality steel while the spine of the blade was soft. Sakura’s sword would have to be entirely high quality or it’d be weak and no genin, not even one with a completed A rank, could afford such a weapon.

“You know Haruno-kun, considering the price of such a blade, it’d be pittance to upgrade it to chakra conducting steel compared to the over all cost.” Hiruzen advised, watching as the girl looked briefly stunned before her eyes went wide.

“It’s going to cost that much! I knew it was too expensive to bother asking but really? I’m never getting one of these made!” She lamented before shaking her head in mock despair.

‘Well she’s smart and has a sense of humor.’ Hiruzen couldn’t quite keep the grin off his face as the girl took up a solid yet still mobile stance with knees slightly bent and sword at the ready. ‘Well, seems she’s been working on this.’

“Alright Haruno-kun, show me what you’ve got.” Hiruzen grabbed a stick to stand in for a sword and charged forward. The resulting fight taught him quite a bit about how different double edged swords were from the single edged katanas he was used to. ‘Now I see why Danzo only issues double edged blades even if they cost more.’ He thought, remembering that Root’s standard tanto was double bladed and favored even among regular ANBU over the standard single edged variety.

“What gave you the inspiration for such a blade?” Hiruzen asked after they finished and Sakura shrugged and rested her well worn practice sword on her shoulder.

“The Iwa, they have less substantial single handed blades that are discussed at length as threats to unarmed fighters in the manuscript I’m reading. They’re called jian I think and while they’re similar to what I want to make, they’re also different as well.” Sakura wasn’t even lying, Iwa seemed to have an almost chinese aesthetic to them and were the common enemies of Suna throughout its early history.

“Yes I know them and I can see the similarity,” Hiruzen recognized a few of the movements Sakura had used, though Jian were typically, but not always, one handed weapons. They were also thinner and more suited to thrusting than chopping while Sakura’s sword was an all rounder, just like the girl herself wanted to be. ‘And if she’s this talented after only four months of struggling, she might just manage it.’ He decided, watching her and smiling.

“Well, for now let’s make a decision about groundwork. You’ve got a lot going on and I can already see you’ve caught the interest of one of my guards.” Hiruzen could feel Yugao’s excitement and knew if he gave the woman permission, she’d gladly dive into helping Sakura invent a new style of kenjutsu. The woman was a fanatic about her craft after all, and the fastest living Konoha shinobi aside from Might Gai. “Do you have any other skills Haruno-kun?”

“Meditation? Does that count?” Sakura asked and got a laugh along with a nod. “Then meditation and very good chakra control. My kais are apparently very weird.”

“Go ahead,” Hiruzen gestured and felt the girl’s chakra stop before slamming back into place. It wasn’t the disruption of a kai, it was a full, total halt of circulation and then a restart. He saw Yugao flinch, her abilities as a sensor no doubt making the kai almost painful from this close up.

“And I’m pretty perceptive, I can kind of tell when people are around me and enhance my senses with chakra, though I don’t really practice that often because I’m worried about hurting myself.” Sakura informed him, her caution quite wise since sensory degradation was nearly unavoidable for any shinobi that pushed their natural senses with chakra. Only Tsunade and Orochimaru had managed workarounds, thanks to medical ninjutsu, but he couldn’t pass on their techniques since he didn’t know them.

‘Is she a natural sensor? I’ll have to test that. It wasn’t in her academy file but the academy isn’t what it used to be due to disarmament.’ Hiruzen quickly made a training plan in his mind. The first three days would be discovery where he’d run the girl ragged, testing her in every conceivable way. He wouldn’t bother with chakra paper or elemental explanations yet, instead he’d simply have her run through a list of D rank ninjutsu and see how she did.

“Alright, let’s move on to the next tests.” Hiruzen smiled as the girl gave him a nod and pushed on, only interrupting his demands when she reached the edge of true exhaustion. ‘I have to say I’m both impressed in Haruno-kun’s performance and disappointed with Kakashi. Oh well, at least she’s got enough initiative to bring herself to my attention.’ Hiruzen grinned, eager for the rest of the month.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18

‘Fuck, he didn’t tell me where to meet him!’ Sakura thought frantically, scrambling from her apartment and concentrating. ‘Where is he?’ Sakura tried to will her senses to find the Hokage and she felt a vague feeling he was off to the north, near the Hokage monument if not atop it. ‘Alright, hopefully I’ve got you.’ She thought, running along the rooftops and quickly climbing the mountain before reaching the training field atop it. She looked around, following the sensation she associated with the old man the day before and eventually found him crouched in a tree along with a group of curious ANBU.

“Well damn, pinky’s a sensor.” One of the ANBU, a man with a gecko mask laughed happily, clearly grinning at her from under his mask. Sakura couldn’t make out any of his features other then he was decently tall and had chin length brown hair.

“What a find, and taicho was just ignoring her. What was he thinking?” A girl in a cat mask lamented shaking her head. She had long purple hair and a pair of katana hanging on her hip.

“Taicho should not be around children, he doesn’t know how to handle them.” A man in a very ornate cat mask informed the other cat, his voice nearly emotionless, though Sakura could detect hints of humor and benign frustration. He had very short, spiky brown hair and his body language was completely absent, which practically screamed Root to Sakura’s mind.

“Hatake’s always had trash social skills.” Cut in a man with a bat mask, the fourth ANBU guard and Hiruzen had to silently agree with Raido.

“So, this was a test?” Sakura asked and Hiruzen nodded.

“I’d have sent one of them to get you if you took more then a half hour to show up. Still you found me quickly, you must be quite sensitive to chakra.” Hiruzen stated, rather surprised by the speed at which Sakura had found him without training.

‘Yeah well Chakra isn’t normal where I come from so I’m hyper fucking aware of it. I cannot put into words what using it feels like or what other people nearby me using it feels like. Kind of like sunlight on your skin, non-painful electric shocks and pop rocks on your tongue, but not really.’ Sakura made a face, her nose scrunching up and she huffed. “Chakra is weird, I only learned about it during the Nami mission and ever since I can’t not notice it, everywhere. It’s literally everywhere, even in the air, dirt, trees, you name it, chakra.”

“Seems like Neko will have to teach her sensing instead of Hyou if she picks up nature chakra.” The man with the bat mask said thoughtfully, tapping the chin of his mask.

“Indeed, but that’s for another time since today we’re going to be testing your endurance and ability to function while fatigued, Haruno-kun.” Hiruzen informed her happily and Sakura blinked before realizing that was code for, ‘we’re going to run you ragged.’

“Bring it, can’t be worse than babysitting my team on missions.” Sakura grinned fearlessly. She’d faced worse, after all her teammate was the village’s #1 knucklehead, #1 most traumatized preteen and #1 public porn reading basket case.

***

“Hokage-sensei, I think I’ve got a paper cut.” Sakura managed in between pants as her whole body shook from exertion. Her muscles were screaming, her chakra was bordering on empty and her temperature had reached feverish levels from physical activity. Her skin was covered in small cuts, bruises and burns from everything that’d been thrown at her and while her performance hadn’t been anything special at first glance, when you considered her situation her performance became prodigious.

‘She also doesn’t complain, instead channels her frustration into cracking jokes and being sarcastic to keep herself level. She’s got the right mindset and attitude to survive the trauma of the shinobi lifestyle. The harder she’s pushed, the nastier she gets and the more creative her compensation for her exhaustion becomes. Quite literally someone who gets deadlier the more she’s pushed.’ Hiruzen knew this type of fighter, they were always the best of the best if they survived long enough to flourish. The Sannin, The White Fang, hell most Kage fell into this category. Creativity and intelligence weren’t valued by the typical ninja who fought with strength, reflexes and muscle memory but such shinobi would never truly rise above the crowd.

It was a different kind of strength than most prodigies showed. It wasn’t superior reaction time or enhanced chakra reserves, nor was it a rare kekkei genkai or a freakishly fit body. It was a mindset, one that couldn’t really be taught since it required enough intelligence and creativity that few could truly manage it in the first place. It was the attitude that adaptability, flexibility and knowing when to retreat were more important than sheer power or focused talent and that victory didn’t have to be claimed in a straightforward or honorable manner. Things every ninja were told but few ever actually realized.

‘The last one to show this kind of attitude was Itachi-kun,’ Hiruzen thought, the bitter taste of regret filling his mind. ‘Well, Haruno-kun won’t turn out that way, of that I’ll make certain.’ He promised himself, determined not to ruin anymore of his shinobi’s lives intentionally.

“So, what’s the verdict boss?” Sakura asked, staying stubbornly on her feet while drinking from her canteen and slowly walking to keep her blood circulating. The actions spoke of hard learned lessons and she had abandoned her weights entirely to avoid putting anymore strain on her body.

“Well, you want to be ANBU correct?” Hiruzen asked and Sakura gave him a nod. “In that case, we’ll divide what I teach you into two parts, what you can use in the chunin exam and what you can’t.”

“Makes sense, don’t want my identity getting leaked.” Sakura reasoned and Hiruzen gave her a grin.

“Exactly, so for the exam, we’ll work on your ninjutsu since it’ll be the least identifiable. You do not have very much chakra, but your chakra control can make up for that, if you practice rationing your chakra precisely and only putting in the minimum amount of power you need to get effective results. Mix in your two basic genjutsu and explosive tags and you should be able to beat Dosu.” Hiruzen grinned when Sakura blinked and looked at him, realization dawning on her face.

“He’s my opponent? Mr. Burn Ward Oto shinobi? I fought him already, he uses sound as a weapon I think.” Sakura stated thoughtfully, already thinking over counters for the man’s main offensive weapon.

“Indeed, now for other skills, I’m going to teach you the basics of Tsunade’s strength, a few general genjutsu and help you polish that Suna taijutsu you’re working on. I think that’s more than enough work for a month. You’re going to have to stop working at Hanazono though since I’ll be monopolizing your time, or rather one of my guards will be since I can’t be around for all of it.” Hiruzen declared and Sakura gave him a nod, wobbling on her feet.

“Want to go get some food? I bet we’d confuse the hell out of everyone at Yakiniku Q if we ate there with you and your guards.” Sakura chuckled, still half delirious from overwork.

“Sounds like a plan!” Hiruzen belted out a laugh and ushered the girl along, happier than he’d been in years. Even Orochimaru’s looming specter wasn’t enough to dampen his spirits.

***

Sarutobi Asuma was not a happy man at the moment. His genin had been soundly humiliated, except Shikamaru who’d just barely manage to squeak by thanks to fighting a weak opponent. ‘Of course all of their opponents were supposed to be weak but Chouji lost to that Oto guy and Ino somehow lost to an amnesic civilian who had to relearn how to speak a few months ago.’ Asuma was certain he’d developed a permanent headache at the rate his team was going.

‘And Ino’s terrified of her own jutsu now too, which is great. I hope her father can help her there.’ He thought while watching Chouji devour another plate full of grilled beef while Ino stared at the coals and Shikamaru ate at his usual lazy pace. The team were currently out eating to try and fight off the depression hanging around them. ‘Even Shika’s upset, because he won. Kids these days.’ Asuma thought, wondering exactly how they’d even made it to the semi-finals in the first place.

“I just, I can’t believe it! I can’t believe her! She’s just wrong!” Ino burst out, slamming her hands onto the table, eyes distant and haunted. It wasn’t her first outburst after the match and Asuma could already see the tremors running through the girl’s arms. Whatever the civilian brat had showed her, had left its mark.

‘Then again, the girl’s eyes weren’t those of a civilian. Guess that A rank did a number on her mental state.’ Asuma remembered the sheer fearlessness in the girl’s eyes as she smirked up at him, offering him her neck.

“Troublesome,” Shikamaru sighed, slumping backwards in his seat as Ino burst out into a mix between anxious bargaining and fear for her friend, then swung right into fear of her friend. “Ino, why don’t you just talk to her?”

“Talk? TALK?! To that Thing? Shika, I don’t think you understand the situation!” Ino shouted, ignoring the looks her screams were drawing from the other patrons. Asuma looked down at Shikamaru who wasn’t looking at Ino but was instead looking out at the front of the restaurant where the staff were panicking.

‘The fuck?’ Asuma thought as he saw his fucking father walk in, with a familiar pink haired terror. From this distance, he couldn’t hear what they were chatting about but they were both grinning and clearly walking side by side while being followed by an ANBU contingent that weren’t even pretending to hide. ‘Oh kami, the old man’s finally lost it.’ Asuma knew his father was prone to messing with the general populace but now he’d roped Kakashi’s pink haired menace into it, which was new.

Channeling some chakra to his ear, he listened in on their conversation as they were seated.

“So what do you recommend Hokage-sensei?” The girl, Sakura if he was remembering Ino’s rants correctly, asked.

“I’m quite partial to the variety platter, something for everyone. I’ll cover the meal so don’t worry about it Haruno-kun.” Hiruzen chuckled as Sakura gave him a nod and smiled.

“Well in that case, I’ll get that.” Sakura stated happily and looked around. At the same time, Asuma heard a gasp next to him, followed by the quick intake of breath that warned of an imminent scream.

“You!” Ino shrieked, caught between terror and anger. Asuma watched with mild fascination as Ino’s face somehow twisted into furious fear, pale, shaking and eyes flashing with rage. It was quite the sight. Rather than look annoyed or troubled, Sakura just waved with a smile on her face.

‘Oh kami, she has father’s sense of humor.’ Asuma realized with sudden terror. The girl wasn’t just coincidentally with Hiruzen, the man was probably enjoying her company! ‘Of course he’d like a lunatic girl who offered her neck while smirking! He likes Hatake! Oh and let’s not forget Minato…’ Asuma shivered at the memories of the blond saint. The man had been a genuinely good person but his sense of humor was anything but holy, though he had normally kept it under lock and key thank the gods.

Asuma didn’t need to be all that smart to predict what happened next. Ino jumped out of the booth and made a beeline for Sakura. She ignored the ANBU, the Hokage and the confused staff of the restaurant and stormed over to the pink haired girl who tilted her head and blinked, long, perfectly kept silvery pink hair catching the light. How such a vein girl had survived the second round was a mystery to Asuma but he didn’t miss her slightly elevated breathing and very low chakra levels, though she was a civilian so following the Hokage over the rooftops was probably why she was tired. A girl like that wouldn’t train after all.

“Forehead, what are you doing here?” Ino shouted accusingly and Asuma watched as the Hokage leaned back and observed the interaction with curious interest.

“I ask myself that every day, what am I doing, where am I going, is it just fate to be randomly screamed at by beautiful women in restaurants?” Sakura mused and Asuma nearly choked, forcing down a laugh as Ino turned scarlet.

“What?! You, I, huh?!” Ino’s meltdown was very vocal but Sakura didn’t let up, instead, she put on a devastatingly charming smile, for a twelve year old, and gently brushed Ino’s cheek with an open hand.

“Then again, if this is my fate, I’d be more than happy to savor it. One must count blessings especially when such beauty is involved.” Sakura purred and Asuma recognized a seduction specialist when he saw one. The girl was new to it, still a bit heavy handed but effective against another twelve year old and he watched as Ino panicked, her thoughts blown clear from her head.

“I uh, well, um, you really don’t remember me?” Ino finally managed and Sakura looked genuinely regretful, though not pained. It was a careful blend of emotions, that drew you in but didn’t look like she was crippled or taken down by what she was feeling.

‘It’s all an act, probably.’ Asuma thought, though he wasn’t sure Ino could tell, she was too close, too involved. She was a Yamanaka but this was personal to her.

“I don’t and I’m sorry. It’s clear we were friends, maybe more than, no, I can’t make assumptions.” Sakura withdrew her hand with a feather light brush of her fingertips, just enough to tickle and leave a ghost of sensation behind. It was a classic technique that often drew the target in and Ino was no different, leaning forward before she could stop herself. “We could always get to know each other again, if you’re interested?”

“Y-yeah,” Ino nodded, somewhat coming back to herself now that Sakura had withdrawn just enough that she was no longer crowding the blond.

“Perfect, I’ll come find you when we’re both free.” Sakura declared and Ino blinked, frowning slightly.

“How will you know?” Ino asked and Sakura leaned forward, letting her hair tickle Ino’s cheek as she whispered into her ear.

“I’m a quite talented ku noi chi.” Sakura purred, using a tone that a twelve year old really shouldn’t know and then leaning back into her seat, satisfied with her mild revenge. Ino had dared to invade her mind so teasing her was fair game. She wouldn’t touch her, or date her but messing with her was perfectly acceptable. ‘I think this world is corrupting me.’

‘Just give in, it’ll be more fun.’ A voice purred in the back of Sakura’s mind but she didn’t show even a hint of visible discomfort at the interruption.

‘If I ignore my problems long enough, they’ll go away or kill me. No worries!’ Sakura thought cheerfully as she watched Ino stagger back to her table, blushing and very confused.

“I see you’ve been learning quite a bit at your part time job.” Hiruzen noted and gave Sakura an amused look.

“It’s empowering in some ways, being able to make others react like that on my own terms.” Sakura shrugged and spotted their orders being brought over. “That said, unleashing a barrage of explosive tags is just as satisfying, I’m rather flexible like that.”

“I’ve noticed.” Hiruzen laughed as they started eating, both of them amused by the nervous and confused looks being shot their way. The restaurant was on the divide between the Shinobi and Civilian sector so Sakura was well known by half the patrons, after all she was the only girl in Konoha with pink hair, while Hiruzen was the bloody Hokage. To say they reveled in the chaos would be rather accurate and both of them enjoyed the confused rumors that cropped up in the aftermath.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19

Training with Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn’t the hardest thing Sakura had ever done. In her first life, she’d been trans, a woman crammed into a man’s body and surviving that was a living nightmare. It took a kind of strength that few would recognize to get out of bed, put on a false grin and pretend your own body didn’t make you want to wretch in disgust every time you became aware of it, which was the only reason she always got up and smiled fearlessly as the Hokage drove her to exhaustion day after day, constantly correcting every mistake and forcing her to meditate whenever she did something correctly so it stuck.

The first week, he taught her constantly and after that, he was there every other day as he was forced to take meetings his clone couldn’t. Of course that didn’t mean things got easier or her lessons decreased in quality, his ANBU knew exactly what he wanted her to learn and made sure she did. What did change was how they interacted with each other. As the days passed, they went from complete strangers to friendly acquaintances and if Sasuke and Naruto weren’t both miserable because of this man and Root wasn’t signed into existence by his hand, she might have warned him about what was coming.

She didn’t.

Hiruzen was a master teacher, his title of The Professor was very well earned indeed. He taught her one ninjutsu of each element and though she struggled with lightning and fire, she still managed them regardless. He also taught her basic elemental transformation practices for each element. They weren’t easy but the fact she now knew all of them meant she could practice all elemental affinities without needing to beg a jounin.

His instruction on taijutsu was surprisingly reasonable, since she’d learn better if she wasn’t covered in injuries and forced into poor form. He easily took to the way of the empty fist and helped her become somewhat practiced in its more basic forms and attacks. He didn’t know much about fuinjutsu and that wasn’t their focus but he did give her a few pointers on how to downsize her explosive tags just a bit, it wasn’t much but every little bit mattered in a fight.

The secret to Tsunade’s strength was a surprise to Sakura. It wasn’t constant circulation of chakra, nor was it precise bursts of chakra. Yes, emitting bursts of chakra could help but that wasn’t what made Tsunade’s strength so ridiculous. The real answer was that chakra was a mutagen, it would modify the human body over time and Tsunade, with her perfect chakra control was able to pump chakra into her muscles while she exercised so they’d become stronger without going too far and giving herself chakra burns.

It was an incredibly fine line between enhancement and burns but Sakura managed, though the progress was painful and very slow. A month’s worth of effort would only put her slightly ahead of typical muscle training and it would be a few years before she was as freakish as Tsunade.

Of course, while Tsunade had opted for pure destructive power, Sakura went for a mix of speed and strength while favoring speed, knowing that while Tsunade was strong, she had a problem with landing her hits. Also since there was the fact that speed translated directly into impact force and she could release a burst of chakra on impact to increase the effect, Sakura considered it a better investment.

Finally Hiruzen drilled her on genjutsu, something the village was severely lacking in since the Uchiha Massacre. Konoha currently feared and reviled genjutsu types but Hiruzen held no such prejudice and happily gave her a scroll on genjutsu theory written by the Nidaime as a gift for the future, when she could read properly. Of course he also taught her three more basic but very useful genjutsu, one that blinded an enemy, one that kept people from noticing her and a final one that simulated the disorienting effects and pain of a quick acting poison.

When the thirty days finally came to an end, Sakura could confidently say she had not just a solid base of skills to build on, but knew how to train properly. Before she’d been flailing in the dark, trying to adapt her world’s practices into her current life but now she knew better. On their last day together, Hiruzen handed her three scrolls and told her to take the day off before heading to greet the dignitaries from Suna.

‘I’m going to feel utterly guilty about this for years.’ Sakura knew the man was a dictator, a bastard who sent children to die in war. But he was also kind, at least on an interpersonal level and committed all his crimes at a distance. ‘He couldn’t bear to see the consequences of his own actions up close, that’s why Danzo exists.’ Sakura realized as she made her way home and looked over the final scrolls he’d given her. They were large and clearly hand written in neat, practiced strokes.

‘They’re training plans for the future, plans that tie all my skills together and suggests how to integrate new skills. This, this is priceless.’ Sakura felt a fierce pang of guilt and quickly sealed the scrolls away for safe keeping in her latest work, a seal tattooed on her hip that held her most important possessions. She’d designed it herself and painted on the chakra ink under Hiruzen’s watchful eye, his one major contribution to her fuinjutsu work and perhaps her most useful seal yet. It would only ever react to her chakra so everything in it was truly safe and it was only visible when she activated it so most searches would miss it.

‘I’m just going to take it easy.’ Sakura decided, hunting down Naruto towards the end of the day and finding him with who she assumed was Jiraiya at Ichiraku. She slipped into the seat next to her friend and shared a relaxing dinner, chatting with Naruto about how they’d trained and noticed how Jiraiya listened in when she spoke about her time with Hiruzen, though she didn’t give anything away about what he trained her in.

When the sun finally set, she turned in early, wanting to get a full night’s sleep before the final phase of the chunin exams. ‘And Tomorrow it all goes wrong.’ Sakura thought, somehow not feeling nervous or afraid. She couldn’t stop the invasion and had long ago become numb to most anxiety so she quickly fell asleep after tucking herself into bed.

***

‘It’s D-day!’ Sakura thought with far more excitement than she actually felt, kicking out of bed and showering before gathering her things. ‘Let’s try and not die.’ Sakura declared once she was ready and took to the rooftops. ‘I wonder how many people know I was training with the Hokage. Probably all of ANBU at least, I bet they’re terrible gossips.’ Sakura thought to herself while making her way towards the coliseum.

When she arrived, the stands were still empty and the only other contestants present were Shino and Neji, both of whom were quiet types. Neji gave Sakura a look, before scoffing at her. She’d come in her trademark red qipao and spats, a holster strapped to each thigh and two pouches on her hips. She looked painfully civilian to most ninja with her bright red dress, wide jade eyes and relaxed smile.

‘Yes, underestimate me, not that it’ll matter because Naruto is going to kick your sorry ass.’ Sakura thought as the other contestants slowly arrived. ‘Looks like the stands are filling, I feel like I’m forgetting something though.’ Sakura wasn’t sure what she’d missed but it was probably something important considering how her life usually went. ‘Whatever, not my problem yet, future me can handle it!’

“Alright, come on line up!” A man with a toothpick in his mouth called out and Sakura perked up, recognizing the voice.

‘Gecko? That’s totally Gecko, hair matches.’ Sakura thought, making her way to the arena floor and standing alongside the other genin. ‘And Sasuke is late, well that makes sense he’s with Kakashi.’

“We seem to be missing someone.” Gecko said and Sakura rolled her eyes.

“He’s with Hatake, they’re going to be late.” Sakura stated calmly and the man blinked, meeting her eyes. She flashed him a grin and he sighed.

“My name’s Shiranui Genma and I’ve drawn up a bracket for all you brats, no computers this time.” Genma stated calmly and then sighed. “Uchiha was the first match,” Genma explained and Gaara released a waving of furious killing intent. The red haired murder muffin was clearly apoplectic at his target’s absence. “So we’ll delay it and move on to the next match, Hatake will show up eventually. Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Neji, you two are up first!”

“Kick his ass Naruto!” Sakura gave her teammate a pat on the shoulder and a confident grin which was immediately returned.

“I’m going to win dattebayo.” Naruto promised her before becoming unusually serious and turning to face Neji. “That’s a promise and I never go back on my word.”

“Utter nonsense, what does a promise made between a civilian and a failure even matter?” Neji drawled and Sakura quickly evacuated the arena with the rest of the chunin hopefuls.

‘Hey Dosu’s actually here! I’m gonna kick his ass!’ Sakura cackled internally, more than happy for the grudge match. The man had tried to kill her and she’d gladly return the favor given the chance. Shifting her attention down to the match itself, Sakura watched as Naruto and Neji went at it. ‘He’s starting to work in some basic strategy but not nearly enough. Meanwhile Neji is just preaching and using strength, no strategy or forethought. He’s showboating, must think this match is a sure thing. Either he doesn’t realize winning isn’t the only way to earn the promotion or he’s planning to show off more in other matches.’ Sakura analyzed the fight calmly and watched with interest.

Naruto took a several nasty blows after a few minutes of fighting and Sakura hissed furiously. The boy was her friend, as much as a twelve year old could be friends with a thirty year old, and she really didn’t like watching him get hurt.

“Come on Naruto! You’ve got this!” She shouted, encouraging him as he got up and charged back into the fight. ‘Gods I need to learn a genjutsu to communicate over long distance, then I could help him in situations like this.’ Sakura realized just how useful such an ability would be and wished she’d asked the Sandaime. ‘Too late now.’ She thought bitterly as she watched the match. It wasn’t a close fight but it wasn’t completely lopsided either thanks to Naruto’s clones.

Finally, Neji made his move, laying into Naruto with the Eight Trigrams Sixty Four palms attack. ‘He’s using Chakra with every strike, but only a little. I wonder, could they permanently blow out a tenketsu with just a bit more chakra? Or would they hurt their own tenketsu if they tried?’ Sakura wondered as she watched the attack leave Naruto gasping on the ground. The blond wasn’t done, she could tell by the furious look in his stormy blue eyes.

“Naruto, get up!” Sakura shouted and saw the moment her teammate heard her and pushed his way back to his feet. A moment later, orange chakra erupted from him and she grinned as the boy maintained control. “Show him he can’t see shit!” As Sakura cheered, Naruto shot forward, into what was the final exchange of the fight. Neji panicked and tried to counter with a rotation only to end up being hurled across the stadium.

Meanwhile Naruto landed in a heap on the ground but thanks to Hiruzen’s lessons, Sakura could feel Naruto’s chakra in two places. ‘Is he underground?’ Sakura wondered, the match about to be called as Neji staggered back to his feet. Genma looked at Naruto laying in the crater where he landed and prepared to raise his hand only for the blond to erupt from the ground and deck Neji with a surprise upper cut.

‘And that’s the match.’ Sakura grinned as Neji went down. ‘Kami there was a lot of talking in that fight.’ Sakura thought, wondering why most ninja seemed so eager to converse. ‘Is being talkative a requirement for being important? Or is it some secret kekkei genkai of the Uzumaki that makes their opponents chatter away at them?’ Sakura wondered as Naruto preened briefly before heading up to the contestant box.

“Kinuta Dosu and Haruno Sakura, please come down to the field!” Genma called out and Sakura glanced nervously over at Dosu, making herself look intimidated.

“Fuck,” she whispered quietly and walked down the stairs while Dosu jumped down to the arena.

“We meet again little mouse, this time you don’t have any traps or allies to save you and I won’t be going easy. My lord doesn’t need you alive anymore.” Dosu informed her as Genma watched silently. Sakura didn’t answer, instead she put on a childish mask of determination, with just a hint of fear and waited.

“Alright, begin!” Genma called and Sakura moved immediately, dancing away from Dosu who chased after her. With a quick substitution into the tree portion of the arena, she was out of sight and quickly crafted a false surroundings genjutsu over the trees. ‘Okay, that’ll make him think the forest extends much further then it actually does once he walks into it.’ Sakura grinned and waited. Dosu looked at the forest for several long seconds before charging in.

“You think hiding will save you?” Dosu asked, quickly zeroing in on Sakura by the sound of her heart.

‘He can sense me, probably hearing because sound ninja.’ Sakura thought, flicking a wave of kunai at the man. The blades were blocked by his arm gauntlet but she kept at it, flicking a few shuriken at him to force him to keep his eye on her. ‘Alright, I’ve got a few landmines set up.’ Sakura grinned and pulsed her chakra activating the explosive tags. The tags on her previously thrown kunai didn’t go off, but instead waited silently. If Dosu neared them, they'd detonate all on their own.

‘Time for some more genjutsu,’ Sakura quickly went through the hand seals for hell viewing and felt the technique take. Immediately she flicked a kunai with an explosive tag at Dosu who pulsed his chakra in time to avoid a fatal hit. The explosion rocked the arena and the sound genin burst from the resulting pillar of dust and debris smoking, mildly singed and spitting furious.

“You’re going to die little mouse!” He roared and charged towards Sakura who had rotated back around the small forest so his path went over the kunai. Several more explosions rocked the forest and this time Dosu didn’t get out uninjured. Sakura watched the man fly through the air before slamming into the ground, clear of her false surroundings genjutsu.

‘Dammit, that was a bit too far.’ Sakura thought and shrugged, jumping down from the trees and observing Dosu as he pushed himself to his feet. “I could put you down right now.”

“Like hell you’ll win,” Dosu snarled and got up before charging right at her. Rolling her eyes, Sakura ran through four seals before he reached her.

“Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!” Sakura shot off the signature fire technique and immediately followed it up with hell viewing, stunning him again for a split second, just long enough for the fire to crash into him. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the fireball exploded on contact with Dosu. He screamed and Sakura saw his silhouette dancing among the flames before they went out and he collapsed to the ground, third degree burns covering his entire body. Not hesitating, Sakura immediately reached for a shuriken, intending to finish Dosu properly but Genma stepped in before she could.

“Victor, Haruno Sakura!” Genma called out and then gave her an amused look. “Vicious little thing aren’t you.”

“Hey, I’m adorable and you know it.” She replied, putting emphasis on the last three words before winking at him and then waving at the crowd as she walked back up the stairs. The audience loved the bubbly persona she was putting on and applause rained down upon her. ‘Most ninja don’t have a wide variety of skills, they’re specialized and the chunin exams basically give their future enemies a full list of their abilities. Fucking idiot Nidaime!’

With that thought in mind, she settled in for the long haul. The matches went about what she expected, with Shino’s matching being a surprise since Kankuro dropped out. ‘Right, invasion, he’s reliant upon weapons.’ Sakura watched the puppet master grip the railing in frustration before storming off to wherever he was heading. ‘Okay, that’s totally not suspicious. How are the shinobi in the audience not paranoid as fuck right now?’ Sakura wasn’t sure how a shinobi audience could just accept the Kazekage’s son bowing out of a match but apparently they were.

‘When the hell is Sasuke going to get here?’ Sakura wondered, munching on a ration bar as Shikamaru’s match dragged on. ‘This fighthas gone on long enough it’s not even morning anymore! I got here at 10am!’ Sakura wanted to chuck something at Shikamaru but couldn’t be bothered so she settled for playing cards with Naruto as they waited for the match to end.

‘And he forfeits folks!’ Sakura thought, packing up her cards as Shikamaru threw the match. Naruto shouted at the lazy Nara but Sakura couldn’t blame the boy. He’d burned through most of his chakra on failed attacks and would have to fight again rather quickly if he had won. Instead he bowed out after a good showing and got away without a scratch. ‘Smart but inexperienced, unambitious and lacking brutality.’ Sakura determined, knowing she wouldn’t promote him since he was a fucking child.

Sakura felt a flicker of something familiar and focused. ‘Kakashi and Sasuke maybe?’ She wondered as Gaara headed down to the arena. She waited, wondering if things had somehow turned out differently but sure enough, right as Genma was about to run out of patience, the two appeared back to back. ‘That bastard just carried Sasuke along in a shunshin! Show offs!’ Sakura rolled her eyes and rose to her feet as Naruto immediately leaned over the railing.

“You’re late!” The blond’s shout echoed through the stadium and Sakura laughed happily.

‘It’s all down hill from here,’ she thought, watching Sasuke’s smirk and realizing that she was simply too weak to make any kind of difference in either boys’ life yet. ‘At least I was a better friend than the original.’ Sakura thought, letting out a tired sigh and mentally bracing herself for what was to come. She’d burned a teenager alive for her goals and by the end of the day it was likely she’d kill.

‘You’re enjoying yourself.’ The thought went unacknowledged as it echoed in the back of her mind. Instead she glanced over at Naruto and nudged him.

“Hey, in our match, you better not go easy on me.” Sakura grinned at the blond who blinked in surprise.

“You think I’m going to beat Sasuke?” Naruto asked and Sakura just hummed in response.

“I’d ask him the same, but you’re here so I’m telling you.” Sakura answered and Naruto grinned.

“Well good thing because I’m going to win and I’ll do my best to beat you as well, Sakura-chan.” Naruto declared and Sakura caught the suna kunoichi scoffing at her.

“Kunoichi like you are a disgrace to shinobi.” The blond teen spat and Sakura cocked and eyebrow before grinning at her.

“I don’t know what you have against women with pleasant personalities but not everyone thinks you have to be a hardened asshole to be strong Suna-san.” Sakura replied and the girl narrowed her eyes angrily in response but fell silent. ‘Well, better watch my back.’ Sakura realized, deciding to shift her position over the course of Sasuke’s match so nobody would be behind her.

“Begin!” Genma called out and Sakura watched Sasuke take off, sharingan spinning.

‘So it begins,’ Sakura thought, drifting over to a corner once everyone was focused on the match and muting her chakra before casting a notice me not genjutsu.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20

Sakura didn’t even bother watching Sasuke’s fight. She could hear the crowd and feel the two chakra down in the arena. ‘So long as Sasuke doesn’t suddenly die, which considering how valuable he is, is unlikely, I’m not moving from my spot.’ Sakura thought, concentrating on making sure she was poised and ready for the inevitable.

‘I could have saved lives, could have warned someone but, well, honestly I just don’t care. Does that make me a bad person?’ Sakura wondered as she finished her second ration bar and popped a caffeine pill. It wouldn’t replenish her chakra but it would help keep her mind sharp at least. ‘I can sense people that feel kind of unnatural in the arena, are those Orochimaru’s forces? What are our guards doing? Are they all traitors?’ Sakura wasn’t sure what was going on but she wasn’t going to make herself a target.

‘You’re a terrible person, but you don’t really care.’ The voice informed her as she waited in silence, eyes on the back of the Suna siblings. It would be easy to kill them if they were just a moment too slow, but that wouldn’t help anyone in the long run. ‘But what do you care?’

‘Don’t listen to the voices in your head Sakura, you’re crazy enough without help.’ Sakura told herself while smiling because she didn’t know what else to do. She let her anxiety flow past her, detaching from her emotions as she heard a roar from the crowd and the chirping of birds. ‘It’s about to happen!’ Sakura thought and felt Gaara’s chakra go erratic as the boy screamed. A second later Sakura sensed the intrusion of chakra in her system and immediately used a weakened kai so she didn’t destroy her own camouflage.

‘Now, to help or not to help?’ Sakura wondered as she glanced down at the fallen genin. ‘To help.’ She decided, tapping them and pushing chakra into them to disrupt the genjutsu. Naruto woke first, blinking with confusion as Sakura moved on to Shino then Shikamaru who was awake and simply pretending to sleep. ‘The Suna siblings have already taken off with Gaara.’ Sakura thought, having seen them move the moment Gaara had been hit.

“Suna and Otogakure are attacking.” Sakura informed the trio of genin before spinning around and ducking a punch from an Oto shinobi. She threw a palm out, which barely brushed the man’s stomach and let out a burst of concentrated chakra, just enough to scorch his liver and drop him instantly. Pulling out a kunai, she finished the job and turned back to her stunned peers. “We need to find the jounin-sensei or other allies, we won’t survive on our own.”

“Sakura-chan you just-” Naruto cut himself off as an explosion rocked the stadium and an overwhelming burst of familiar, sickly chakra erupted from above the Hokage stands.

“Fuck, Orochimaru again.” Sakura snarled and looked at the other genin. “We move to where the jounin were sitting, follow me and keep quiet Naruto.” Sakura growled and the boy nodded as they made their way upstairs. Sakura peeked out into the chaos and grimaced, this was not a situation for Naruto, the boy was just too orange.

‘Okay, what can I do?’ Sakura thought and spotted Kakashi who noticed her immediately and flickered over to them.

“Kakashi, Sasuke went after the Suna genin.” Sakura stated calmly and the man considered her, spotting the blood on her hand but saying nothing about it.

“Follow them and retrieve Sasuke.” Kakashi ordered, summoning his pack.

“Sensei, should I wake people up instead?” Sakura asked and Kakashi paused before looking over the stadium full of unconscious nin. His eye crinkled angrily, clearly enraged by the decision. ‘Come on, say yes, there is literally nothing I can do about Gaara.’ Sakura thought as Kakashi finally gave her a nod.

“Pakun is in charge,” Kakashi ordered and then charged back into the fight.

‘Thank goodness, I do not want to be anywhere near that fight.’ Sakura thought, deciding to take her chances with things she could actually avoid and enemies she could kill. Slinking back down into the stairwell, Sakura focused her chakra and cast her notice-me-not genjutsu at full strength then immediately crept back up the stairs, taking advantage of her small size to slip under the chairs of the stadium.

‘Okay, ninja have noticeably more developed chakra than civilians.’ Sakura thought to herself, waking up Konoha shinobi with a burst of chakra to their system as she crawled underneath them. She used her chakra sense to avoid enemy shinobi and quickly fell into a routine. Tap someone awake, follow that with “Otogakure and Suna are attacking,” search for incoming threats, move on to the next ninja. It was slow work, especially because the enemy quickly realized someone was waking up Konoha shinobi and started trying to hunt her.

‘I wish I was stronger.’ Sakura thought, watching an Oto shinobi land just a few feet in front of her, searching for her. She crushed down her chakra, hiding it and matching it to the pavement around her while bracing for an attack. ‘Fuck, can he hear my heart?’ She wondered as the man was suddenly kicked off his feet by Might Gai.

“Dynamic entry!” Gai roared, sending the oto-nin into a nearby wall where he splattered against the concrete.

‘Thank god for Gai.’ Sakura thought as the man glanced down at her and said nothing before moving on. ‘He’s surprisingly good at the stealth thing.’ She thought, moving to the next unconscious Konoha nin and waking them up. The chunin was the last survivor in the area and Sakura saw that most of the heavy fighting was now centered around the remaining unconscious Konoha-nin. ‘I wonder if I can mass disrupt the genjutsu.’ Sakura thought, deciding it wasn’t worth the risk given the situation.

Crawling quickly she grit her teeth as she moved into the combat zone. Overhead shinobi clashed violently, hurling jutsu and shuriken at each other with wild abandon. The unconscious, dead and dying surrounded Sakura as she made her way to the nearest friendly nin and pulled them down to the ground before waking them up. Immediately Oto shinobi shot towards her and she barely blocked the first wave of kunai sent her way as the nin underneath her woke up.

“What the hell?” The man shouted before jumping to his feet and moving to defend Sakura with a volley of senbon. “What’s going on?”

“Oto and Suna are attacking, I’ve been waking people up but they finally spotted me.” Sakura replied as the chunin recognized her as one of the contestants.

“Wake up my partner, we’ll keep you safe.” The man, a chunin with long spiky hair and a bandage over his face, promised and Sakura did so immediately, blocking a volley of shuriken from killing the man before she could and cursing as a few left long slashes across her arms. “Fucking hell, Oto and Suna are attacking!”

“Got it,” The chunin replied, moving into formation with his partner and immediately joining the fight without straying too far from her. Sakura looked towards the next nearest downed chunin and started moving.

‘This sucks.’ Sakura thought, dodging over a blast of compressed air and wincing as a senbon struck her calf. She landed evenly but her leg shook, pain burning through the limb due to the injury.

‘Fucking hell, I hope I’m not poisoned.’ Sakura cursed, waking the chunin she’d just been injured to save then moving to the next. A glance at the Hokage box showed the purple force field had been filled with water and trees. ‘So the Hokage fight has started.’ Sakura thought, wondering how much longer this could possibly last for.

A quick survey with her chakra sense informed her that there were barely any downed chunin left alive and her own reserves were getting dangerously low. ‘How pathetic, so weak that waking people up exhausts me.’ Sakura almost snorted, substituting herself with an enemy corpse before a hail of kunai could kill her.

‘Let’s kill them all, bathe in their blood and dance on their corpses.’ The voice suggested, though Sakura knew she didn’t have the strength for that.

‘Yeah, you mean die, stupidly. No, I’m heading to an aid station and hunkering down.’ Sakura thought, looking around and spotting the entrance to the stadium’s hospital which was being defended fiercely by a few Hyuga. ‘Bingo,’ Sakura thought, dancing through the carnage as best a genin could, surviving mostly due to the competence of her two defenders and retreating back behind the lines of Konoha’s forces.

“Let me look at that leg!” A medic barked, practically ambushing her and Sakura let the man pull out the senbon and exam it before giving her a patch job, some water, a ration bar and a soldier pill. “You’ll be fine.”

“Thanks doc,” Sakura tested out her foot and found that it somehow hurt more now that there wasn’t any metal in her leg. ‘Fucking biology.’ Sakura lamented silently as she grit her teeth and bit down on the soldier pill. ‘And this tastes like warm garbage.’ She thought, washing it down with the ration bar and water. The burst of energy that followed was unnatural and Sakura found herself shivering with from over stimulation.

“Pinky,” a familiar ANBU in a cat mask called out to her and Sakura quickly looked over at the man. “Stay here, Senpai sent me to make sure you didn’t go out again and get killed.”

“I’ll stay here and help the medics so you can do whatever you need to Neko-san.” Sakura watched the ANBU nod before flickering away. Turning, she immediately offered the medics her help and was quickly put to work. She passed out water, carried supplies and comforted the dying as best she could. The fighting seemed to drag on without end and more injured steadily filtered into the hospital but finally, she felt the explosions dwindle and the pulsing of chakra die off.

‘I don’t sense Hiruzen anywhere.’ Sakura thought, sinking onto the floor as the chaos petered off. The medics still needed her to move supplies though so after catching her breath and letting any hint of guilt or regret drift away, she pushed herself to her feet and got back to work.

***

When Sakura finally got home, she was relieved to see her apartment intact. ‘Thank goodness,’ She thought, glancing around and grimacing. The Akasen was just off the main road through Konoha, near the gate. It wasn’t in the path of any of the snake summons, since it was mostly a business district Orochimaru had attacked elsewhere, but it was in between the breach in the wall and the main gate, so it got hit regardless. Damage from countless jutsu scarred the buildings of the district and while the area had fewer casualties than the civilian district, which had been leveled by a massive snake summons, there were still an unfortunate number of dead.

‘So Sasuke is going to see all of this death, all of this misery and still run off to Orochimaru.’ Sakura thought, letting out a tired sigh. ‘That’s just not right.’ She shook her head and locked her door, setting her traps and turning in for the night. ‘Then again, his mind is literally swiss cheese thanks to Itachi and the curse mark. I wish talking could help but, no I don’t think there is anything I can do. Wait, Itachi, doesn’t he fucking show up soon!’ Sakura tensed then relaxed. ‘And I’m too weak. I can’t even protect a fucking twelve year old from his idiot big brother.’

‘You’re just a coward,’ the voice’s tone was bored, judgmental and utterly dismissive.

‘Fuck off, what could I even do? Die? I’m Haruno Sakura, except even weaker than the canon character! Sakura wasn’t weak, she wasn’t ever weak, she was limited by her mindset, by her lack of dedication and unwillingness to injure or kill.’ Sakura shouted into her own mind and got a snort.

‘Sure, you’re weak but you don’t have to be. Orochimaru was a clanless orphan, he got strong. The Nidaime didn’t have a kekkei genkai and he got strong. Danzo, well, we know what he did to gain strength. You’re already learning fuinjutsu and you intend to learn medical jutsu.’ The words were poisonous temptation, dredged up from idle thoughts that Sakura had kicked aside and buried.

‘Fuck off,’ Sakura rolled over in bed and buried herself under the covers.

‘Coward,’ the voice crooned as Sakura slipped into an unpleasant sleep filled with memories from the lowest points of her past.

The next morning she awoke ruffled and worn out. Her muscles screamed, her head ached and her chakra was only just starting to recover. ‘Fuck I’m done with everything right now.’ Sakura thought, making her way from her home to the partially demolished Hokage Tower were the work effort was being organized. The same chunin she usually saw was there, handing out assignments for reconstruction and he spotted her almost immediately.

“Haruno-san, here, debris clearance in the civilian sector.” The man handed her the mission scroll and then left her. Glancing at the scroll, Sakura quickly began moving across the city, keeping an eye out for traps or tags that hadn’t been cleared yet.

‘This reminds me of the worl-’ Sakura cut herself off and shivered, forcing her teeth not to chatter as she remembered one of the worst days of her life. She’d been powerless, nothing but a child as the sky fucking burned and thousands died, many she’d known, and it was only luck that none of her family joined them. ‘Okay, deep breaths, you’re not powerless anymore, let’s save lives.’ Sakura’s face hardened into a mask of determination and she quickly got to work.

The day that followed was even more brutal than the fighting had been. Many of those buried under the rubble were too exhausted to scream anymore and called out for help in weak, shaking voices. The sound of tapping was also a constant as those who’d blown out their vocal cords tried to signal for help. Bodies were often pulled from the rubble as they searched. Those who died by suffocation were slightly blue and looked like they’d simply drifted off into a sleep they’d never wake up from. Others were mangled cadavers, barely recognizable or unrecognizable as having been human.

‘Detach, move, save people. You’re not helpless, the dead don’t matter, they’re dead, just push on and save the living.’ Sakura told herself a variation of that on a loop as she pulled another body from the rubble and didn’t note that as the day grew older, the number of dead they were pulling from the rubble steadily began to outnumber the living.

The rumble of debris shifting caught Sakura’s attention and her eyes snapped to a nearby high rise that was already half fallen. She watched, the world moving in slow motion to her chakra accelerated brain, as the building crashed down into the street. Fortunately the area had been mostly evacuated but the terrified shouts and screams of those trapped under the rubble, who couldn’t escape, rang in her ears. A wave of dust washed over the area and Sakura was only protected from suffocating in it thanks to the ninja grade particle and poison filter she was wearing.

Sakura was so numb she didn’t feel a thing as the rubble came to a stop and dozens of voices fell forever silent. She just let out a deep, tired sigh into her breath mask and got back to work. She couldn’t save everyone and those she could save wouldn’t be helped if she wasted time with emotions.

‘Someone’s watching me,’ Sakura noted when she finally got off her first shift after eight non-stop hours of work. Showers had been set up to wash the dust off the rescue teams since poisons had been used freely in the fighting and Sakura showered before letting a medic check her over along with the rest of the shift. Once that was done, she was sent to a field kitchen where she was handed a bowl of stew, a pair of ration bars and a canteen full of water.

Moving mechanically, she settled down and noticed the shinobi around her were oddly quiet. Their chakra was stilled and suppressed, though high enough to still be recognizable. ‘Whatever, so long as nobody attacks me, not my problem.’ Sakura thought, eating her food in silence as a pale boy with short black hair and matching eyes walked over to her.

“Are you going to work for another shift?” The boy asked and Sakura gave him a nod.

“Yes, I still have chakra and stamina.” Sakura replied and looked over the kid. He wasn’t ugly but his expression was so non-existent he looked like a china doll. ‘Root maybe?’ She wondered and shrugged, not really caring.

“You’re not upset by all those we failed to save?” The boy asked and Sakura hummed before shaking her head no.

“I’m doing the best I can. I wish I was stronger, so I could save more, but I’m not and I’ve accepted that.” Sakura replied, fairly confident that this was somehow either tied to Orochimaru or Root. ‘Perhaps both, since they were allied at points.’ She noted internally and kept eating.

“I see,” the boy replied before taking a seat next to her and eating his food quietly. When he finished, he put his chopsticks down and glanced over at her. “Would you like to work together?”

“Sure, let me swap the filters on my mask first.” Sakura shifted her tone to nearly match the boy’s utter lack of emotional inflection, almost comfortable to be near someone who could detach as well as her. ‘Though he probably doesn’t know how to ease himself back into feeling things.’ She thought, knowing that when she finally did tune back into her emotions she’d probably spend hours crying.

When she resumed the rescue efforts, the boy aided by creating mice from ink. ‘Isn’t he important at some point?’ Sakura wondered, working in tandem with him and a few others who were equally quiet. The work was pleasant, with no chatter, which was in stark contrast to the other work crews who talked constantly. ‘Either I’m being scouted or I’ve got the worst luck, not sure yet. Perhaps both considering there is no way Danzo doesn’t know Hiruzen taught me for a bit.’ Sakura thought, shifting more rubble and slowly feeling her chakra stores dwindle.

“Anymore and I’ll reach chakra exhaustion and be unable to work tomorrow. It’ll reduce my over all efficiency if I keep pushing.” Sakura informed the leader of the team, a teenager with spiky black hair and a face mask that covered the upper half of his head.

“You may go, let me see your scroll.” The teen seemed to be around 15 or 16 judging by his voice but it was hard to tell since he was so utterly monotone. Sakura handed her scroll over, watched the boy sign it then accepted it back, but only after checking for poison or traps. ‘Can never be too careful with Root.’ Her actions were noticed but nobody said a word, if anything the teen seemed to approve and nodded as she left, returning to the mission desk after twelve hours of exhausting work.

“Good job Haruno, the funeral for the Hokage is tomorrow since the rescue efforts will wrap up by midnight. We’ve got jutsu specialists moving in to clear what’s left of the rubble so you’ll go back to your usual work soon.” The man informed her and Sakura shrugged, not really caring that her usual work was playing apprentice in a brothel. That’d change if she made chunin and she was fairly confident she had but she wouldn’t find out until there was at least an acting Hokage.

‘Now the question is, what do I do about getting into ANBU?’ Sakura wondered, chewing on a ration bar as she walked home. ‘Also how do ninja become underweight with these things available? Sure they taste like cardboard but they really work.’ Sakura noted, having checked over the ingredients on the ration bar and finding it was essentially a rather high quality protein bar. ‘I can make better though,’ She grinned, wondering when the price of food would drop low enough that she could get on that. Ration bars provided calories but little else and she could certainly make something just as nutritious and far more enjoyable. ‘Maybe I can start a business? Higher some civilian or retired Akimichi? It’s an idea.’ She thought to herself as she reached her apartment and made a beeline for the shower.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21

Sakura attended the funeral in her only black clothes, a t-shirt and pants. They stood out among the rest of her clothes for being so utterly casual and unfeminine but they were practical, comfortable and she didn’t mind letting them get soaked in the rain. ‘Sky’s absolutely gray and saturated with chakra. This is a jutsu,’ Sakura realized looking up at the sky which hadn’t started to rain yet. It would, she could feel it in the air, but it wouldn’t until whoever cast the jutsu decided it was time.

The funeral itself was massive, attended by every able bodied survivor of the village. Sakura found herself alongside her teammates. Naruto was in tears, which tore up her heart because all his suffering was due to the man he was crying for. Beside her Sasuke was utterly silent, face a mask and bandages wrapped over the wounds he’d sustained fighting Gaara. He met Sakura’s eyes briefly, noting her lack of injuries with mild relief before turning back to look at the open casket.

When the speeches began to wrap up, a gentle rain began and Sakura listened as it was declared that the heavens themselves wept at the loss of such a great, honorable man. ‘It’s all lies,’ Sakura thought, more disgusted with Hiruzen then Danzo. ‘At least Danzo doesn’t pretend he’s something he’s not. Danzo’s crimes are Hiruzen’s crimes but Hiruzen plays the overburdened saint.’ Sakura thought, remembering the kind, paternal facade the man had shown her.

One by one, the shinobi were allowed to approach the casket and place flowers. Sakura was one of the first, just behind the man’s family and Naruto. She walked up to the casket, trying not to let any of her emotions show. Seeing the man dead because of her inaction hurt, she’d spent a month with him and hadn’t warned him. The destruction around her might have been avoided if she’d simply spoken up but then, everything in her mind might have been revealed. Nuclear weapons, gunpowder and much, much more were stored in her memories and she wouldn’t risk any of that information getting into the hands of people who still lived in a feudal society with total information blackouts.

“Thank you,” Sakura whispered and placed her flower atop the casket, her voice cracking from guilt and pain. ‘How dare you make me morn you, how dare you make me care.’ Sakura roared internally, lips trembling as she tried to remind herself that the man was a monster. She’d never seen him behave as such, she knew what he was but it was difficult on a very human level to match knowledge with emotions and tears mixed with rain as she walked back to her spot, shoulders trembling.

‘Never again will I let myself get attached to a bad man.’ Sakura promised herself and looked at the two children beside her. ‘I can’t protect them from everything but I’ll do my best. I swear it, no matter what I have to do.’

‘Then embrace me, we’ll show this world why humans are scarier then any demon.’ The voice purred but Sakura refused to answer or acknowledge it.

The day following the funeral, Sakura was back to work, helping with the cleanup when she felt Naruto’s chakra leave the village. ‘It’s really fucking hard to sense him since his chakra is literally everywhere.’ Sakura thought as she helped with whatever tasks were left. She cleared rubble, helped prepare caskets and ran supplies and messages between teams. Whatever was needed, she did it and while most of the heavy lifting was already done, she was still put through the ringer since jutsu couldn’t solve everything.

“Hey pinky!” A familiar voice pulled Sakura’s attention over to a group she knew.

“Hey Genma,” Sakura greeted, walking over to the quartet who’d been more often than not guarding the Hokage. Genma she’d already seen but the others were a new sight. ‘That one has to be the wood guy, he’s got the weird face mask thing.’ Sakura thought, glancing at a man with short spiky brown hair, plain black eyes and a blank face. Beside him was a beautiful woman with long purple hair that had to be Hyo while the last man, by process of elimination was the bat mask. “Can I help you four?”

“Eat lunch with us?” Genma offered and Sakura blinked before shrugging.

“Sure,” she agreed easily and quickly grabbed lunch from a nearby field kitchen before settling down with them. “I’m glad to see you’re alright Genma-san. I’m glad the rest of you are fine as well, even if I don’t know you.”

“Cute Pinky,” Genma drawled and Sakura shrugged.

“I’m being mostly honest, I don’t really know anyone. Amnesia and all that, apparently I was very close friends with the Yamanaka Heiress, who would have guessed?” Sakura grinned as the four blinked before Genma burst out laughing.

“If that’s how you treat your close friends, then can we be close friends in say four years?” Genma asked and Sakura rolled her eyes and shrugged.

“I don’t know Genma, I’m rather particular. I don’t know if you stack up.” Sakura teased playfully and wiggled her eyebrows. “You’ll have to impress me.” Sakura drew the last two words out, putting on the same tone she’d learned from her time at the brothel.

“Kami you’re going to be a nightmare when you’re older.” Genma laughed and shook his head. “Well, what are you planning now? Going to bully the next Hokage into teaching you?”

“If I can manage it, yes.” Sakura stated confidently, getting a laugh from Genma.

“You sure you don’t want to be Hokage?” Genma asked and Sakura shrugged.

“Dunno, bit young, give me four years.” Sakura flashed the man a playful grin that caused him to roll his eyes.

“You’re something else Pinky, you know that?” Genma ruffled her hair affectionately, not caring that it was slick with sweat and dust.

“I’ve been told I’m one of a kind,” she said with grave seriousness. “Anyways, what are you four up to?”

“We’re holding down the fort. Since the village was hit, most jounin have been recalled to secure the defenses but soon we’ll be rotated out to the borders.” Genma explained and Sakura nodded, knowing that they were very likely facing a war.

“Are we at war then? With Oto or Suna?” Sakura asked and the man who she assumed was bat shook his head.

“We’re at war with everyone, there was never an official ceasefire with Kumo or Iwa after the last two wars, the Hyuga affair assured that. We’re not fighting constantly though and everyone’s agreed to limited disarmament. It’s why the academy is such trash.” The man with a scared face explained before realizing Sakura didn’t know who he was. “Namiashi Raido, a pleasure.”

“Haruno Sakura, likewise.” Sakura replied and offered the man a handshake which he took immediately. “My supposed jounin sensei has been MIA for a bit, do any of you know if he’s alright?”

“Kakashi right? He’s fine, probably skulking around somewhere.” Genma sighed and shook his head, putting a senbon in his mouth and letting it clatter between his teeth without falling. “Your absent sensei didn’t bite it kid, he’s just a dick.”

“That’s a relief,” Sakura stated before turning her attention to her food. “So any career advice?”

“Well you did a damn good job in your exam, if it was up to me you’d be a chunin and I may have recommended you.” Genma stated calmly and the other three nodded as well. “Seriously, I have no idea what Kakashi was thinking. You know what he wrote on your file?”

“No, what?” Sakura asked as the group exchanged glances.

“He wrote you were unmotivated, fixated on your appearance, mildly insubordinate and didn’t have the temperament to be a kunoichi.” Genma explained and while Sakura knew the man’s opinion of her was low, she didn’t expect it to be quite that low.

“He tells us to begin training at 6 or 7 am but doesn’t usually show up until noon so I go on my own D-ranks during that time. All Naruto and Sasuke do is grapple with eachother and I couldn’t manage a spar with either of them until, well, yeah.” Sakura fell silent, trying to calm the sudden rage and guilt that burned within her at the thought of the Sandaime.

“Oh we know you’re a troublemaker Pinky,” Raido informed the girl, snapping her out of her internal spiral. “You’re the only genin to ever outright ask the hokage to teach them.”

“Well to be fair, he’s the hokage, why would he say yes? I came prepared, that’s the only reason it worked.” Sakura stated confidently and smiled triumphantly before deflating. “But yeah, he was the only teacher I’ve had so far and now it’s back to being ignored. At least he left me stuff to study.”

“If you want, I could help you with your kenjutsu.” Hyou or rather the woman with long purple hair offered who often wore a leopard mask offered. “My name is Uzuki Yugao, it’s a pleasure to meet you Haruno-san.”

“Thanks and I would love that Uzuki-san.” Sakura didn’t have a sword yet and it would be quite a while before she could afford one but practicing with a properly weighted and sized shinai would suffice for now.

“Are you going to continue working, well, you know, seduction?” Genma asked and Sakura nodded.

“Unless I can leave Team 7, than yeah. I’m learning a lot, I’m getting valuable practice in and I’m not going to say that it’s not without its downsides but it’s not even the worst D rank.” Sakura knew that many of the men and woman who worked in seduction and espionage had issues with relationships, personal closeness and struggled to truly connect with people due to their talents, traumas and skills. Identity was also a major issue do to the constant exchanging of disguises and names. While their terrible reputation also often meant low self esteem was rampant and often coupled with poor treatment from comrades.

“There isn’t a single type of shinobi, outside paper ninja, who don’t have mental issues.” Genma said thoughtfully, glancing over at Yugao. “Most wouldn’t be so nonchalant about this kid, then again you’ve got ovaries of steel.”

“I’ll admit I’m quite twisted but I blame Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke for that. They were my first experience with other human beings after waking up as a blank slate.” Sakura knew she was twisted long before she ever arrived in Ninja Hell. She liked seducing people and wrapping them around her little finger, though she’d never been attractive or skilled enough to pull it off in her first life. She got a rush out of tricking an opponent into underestimating her only to turn the tables on them and take them down. Usually she only managed it in table top games or chess though.

“Yeah, can’t really blame you for that though, can we?” Genma felt bad for the kid, being surrounded by such characters with no other human contact. “What about your family?”

“Ah, well, they never visited me in the hospital and when I was released, two people who claimed to be my parents showed up and started shouting at me. I asked them for ID since my ID said who my parents were but they refused and tried to grab me. I fought back and haven’t talked to them since. I don’t even know if they really were my parents, though I strongly suspect it since I found them at the address on my ID. I moved out, obviously. Stayed with Sasuke for a bit then got my own apartment after Nami.” Sakura explained and Genma’s face scrunched up as if he’d smelt something foul.

“That’s rough Pinky,” Genma scratched the back of his head and glanced out over the surrounding area, silently considering something. “Well, tell you what, if you’re ever lonely you can swing by my place. I’ll give you the address, most of my friends randomly crash there anyways so I have two spare rooms and there’s always somebody on my sofa.”

“Thanks Genma, I’ll visit when I’m not babysitting my teammates. They need the attention and Kakashi’s a neglectful tou-san.” Sakura stated matter-o-factly and grinned playfully.

“Oh you have to call him that in front of people. No wait, do it in the jounin lounge, get a little mask too.” Genma cackled, while the man with the spiky brown hair and blank eyes watched with visible concern.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t annoy senpai too much?” The expressionless man with the odd forehead protector that extended down to cover his cheeks spoke up, looking slightly nervous.

“No, you have to do it, when we’re all there to.” Raido cut in and Yugao nodded along.

“Yes, he has it coming if he’s actually neglecting his genin. I expected better of senpai. Make your tou-san realize his mistakes Sakura-chan!” Yugao’s smile was somewhat brittle and Sakura could tell the woman was still grieving a loss but she was trying her best and Sakura nodded, pretending not to notice.

“Of course Uzuki-senpai!” Sakura chirped and smacked her fist into her hand. “I’ll go get what I need, Genma you’re in charge of the date and time!”

“Well we should probably save it until reconstruction is over and things have calmed down a bit. If nothing much is going on, the rumors will spread that much further since there isn’t anything else to talk about.” Genma stated thoughtfully and Sakura nodded in agreement.

“Unless I get promoted of course, in which case I can just take my brothers with me and tell him we don’t need him anymore and that we’re moving out.” Sakura stated thoughtfully, earning another round of laughter from Genma.

“Yup you’re going to be a right terror when you’re older.” Genma chortled and ruffled her hair again. “Now best we all got back to work, eh? Buildings won’t clean themselves up after all.”

With that, Sakura got back to work, letting the hours roll by until once again she was exhausted. Turning in her mission scroll, she showered, then collapsed into her bed. ‘Fuck, too tired to read.’ She thought as she drifted off into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

***

Three more days passed Sakura by without incident. During her lunch break on the fifth day from the attack however things changed. ‘What the hell is that sensation? It’s like there’s something eating the chakra in the city.’ Sakura shivered at feeling a small trail of emptiness that wormed its way through Konoha. It was close to the Akasen as well and right next to an immensely powerful pair of chakras. ‘That’s not normal, who or rather what the hell is that?’ Sakura knew she wasn’t nearly strong enough to do anything directly so she created a shadow clone and sent it off to investigate.

Her clone moved through the city casually, maintaining her civilian facade. She was still in her outfit from Hanazono, her currently black hair tied up in an artfully messy chignon bun with her bangs hanging free. When combined with her makeup, which made her look a bit older than she was, it would be rather difficult for anyone to recognize Sakura as the pink haired genin who’d done quite well in the recent chunin exams.

‘They’re at this tea shop.’ Sakura’s clone thought and walked in, spotting the two black travel cloaks and realizing what was going on. She didn’t react, simply kept her chakra at civilian levels and ordered some tea and mochi. The two were on guard and there was a constant low level of killing intent radiating from the blue man. ‘What was his name? I can’t remember. I need a bingo book.’ The Sakura clone thought, drinking her tea and nibbling her mochi.

“Hey girlie,” the blue man turned to face the girl who blinked and looked up at him. He flashed a grin full of razor sharp teeth, his crossed out headband on full display. “You stupid or just insane?”

“Neither, are you one of the seven swordsman? If so you’re the second one I’ve met.” The Sakura clone replied, taking a bite of her next mochi. Even if she was a clone, she’d still get the memories of enjoying the mochi when she reunited with herself.

“That so? Which one did you run into?” The shark man asked and Sakura glanced over at his partner who was an incredibly beautiful young man with a slightly too pale complexion and spinning sharingan. She immediately snapped her eyes back to the swordsman.

“Momochi Zabuza, he was interesting. Doubt he remembers me though, I’m just a genin.” Sakura shrugged and the shark man roared with laughter.

“Just a genin and you say you’re not stupid or insane.” The blue man chuckled and flashed a grin at her.

“Well, to be fair I could always be suicidal, though I’m not. Besides you’re trying to attract attention, walking around with those headbands uncovered. Both of your faces are in the Bingo book as well and considering you’re one of the Seven, blue and a walking mountain, I bet half the jounin in Konoha have noticed you by now.” Sakura’s clone pointed out and Kisama grinned, hand slowly moving towards his sword.

“Well aren’t you smart, think you’ve got what it takes to back up your confidence?” Kisame asked and Sakura’s clone chuckled as he gripped the hilt of his blade.

‘If he swings that, I’ll get absorbed, no memories for the original.’ The clone thought quickly, spinning out a kunai. “Come now, I said I’m not stupid. Shame you’re both criminals, if you weren’t I’d totally make passes at the both of you. Are you a packaged deal? Nah, doesn’t matter, you’re off the table. Anyways, by!” The clone stabbed her thigh and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“Shadow clone,” Itachi stated calmly and then looked at where the girl was thoughtfully. “Rare for a genin to have that ability.”

“Who says she wasn’t lying?” Kisame replied, noticing that several jounin had shown up while the girl was distracting them. “Itachi, let’s leave.”

“Hn,” Itachi agreed, flickering to an open area on the banks of the Naka river. The road they arrived on was wide open and empty with the Naka flowing alongside it before eventually exiting Konoha through a heavily warded grate in the city’s walls.

‘Fuck! Okay, time to go find Sasuke.’ Sakura immediately returned to Hanazono and sought out Akane.

“Akane-nee, I’ve got an emergency.” Sakura had never once left work early or failed to show, nor had she ever worn a near panicked expression but today even she couldn’t completely hide her panic.

“What is it?” Akane asked, immediately leading the girl off the floor and into the staff only section of the brothel.

“So my teammate is Uchiha Sasuke right? His brother is in town.” Sakura stated immediately and Akane’s face went ashen. “I’m going to go find my teammate and try to keep him away from his brother. Barring that, I’ll do my best to get him out of any fight alive.”

“Don’t you dare die little apprentice.” Akane pulsed her chakra in code as Sakura nodded and quickly swapped into her usual clothes, flaring her own chakra so her hair shifted back to pink.

‘Okay, please be on time.’ Sakura thought, rushing out of the Akasen and making a beeline for Sasuke’s location. ‘Shit, he’s at the mission desk, Itachi’s in the way.’ Sakura realized she’d have to take a very wide detour to avoid the battling chakra she could feel and immediately sealed her weights, moving at full speed. She practically flew across the rooftops but feared it’d be too late. She felt Kakashi’s chakra go stagnant and Might Gai’s intervene well before she neared Sasuke.

‘Fuck, he’s started moving!’ Sakura snarled as Sasuke began booking it towards the village’s exit and she moved to intercept him, catching him as he ran along the main road out of town.

“Sasuke! Where the hell-”

“Don’t try to stop me, I’m killing him!” Sasuke roared and blew past Sakura without hesitating.

“You fucking idiot!” Sakura shrieked, immediately chasing after him. “He’ll kill you!”

“I don’t care, I have to avenge my family! I don’t have any other choice!” Sasuke screamed back as they ran through the gate. Sasuke clearly had an idea of where he was heading and started racing down the road out of town, making a few quick turns as he did so.

“You won’t be avenging anyone if you fucking fail!” Sakura pointed out and Sasuke snarled, glaring at her with wild red eyes.

“I thought you promised not to get in my way? Just try and stop me, I’ll kill you too.” Sasuke growled, more beast than human.

“Fine, let’s go, I’m coming with. He has a partner, any idea why they were in town?” Sakura asked and Sasuke relaxed slightly no longer bristling at her.

“They’re after Naruto, some group called Akatsuki.” Sasuke informed her and Sakura let out a sigh of relief, having plausible deniability to look into them now.

‘Thank goodness something good is going to come from this, assuming I don’t die.’ She thought, racing alongside Sasuke as they tried in vain to beat Itachi and Kisame to Naruto. Sasuke pushed himself, burning chakra to keep up the pace and Sakura carefully rationed her own stamina, only able to match his speed thanks to her month of tutelage under Sarutobi.

The pair reached Tanzaku Gai and Sakura felt Itachi’s chakra next to Naruto’s. She immediately took the lead, guiding Sasuke into a hotel. Overhead, she could feel Naruto shift nearer to Itachi and the blue dude. ‘Shit, are we too late?’ Sakura wondered, racing up the stairs and arriving at the end of the hall where Naruto’s room was. Ahead of her were the two Akatsuki members, however the situation immediately deteriorated as Sasuke arrived, his sharingan whirling to life as his eyes locked onto Itachi.

Chapter Text

Chapter 22

“Uchiha Itachi,” Sasuke growled quietly, his whole body tensing as hatred made his shoulders shake. “For years I’ve lived how you told me, letting my hatred grow and gaining strength.” Sasuke monologued, his eyes wild while his chakra crackled angrily around him. “And now, I’m going to kill you!” Sasuke roared, charging forward towards his brother with a battle cry.

The blue shark man was clearly amused by the action and spotted Sakura before rolling his eyes. She hadn’t had time to take her makeup off so it was likely he’d recognized her.

“Konoha nin are just crawling out of the wood work today, eh Itachi?” Kisame asked loud enough for everyone to hear as he swung his sword down at Naruto who dodges but staggered as his chakra was ripped from his body by the near miss.

“It matters not,” Itachi replied, effortlessly avoiding Sasuke’s attacks before throwing a kick that caught Sasuke in the stomach. Sakura immediately sent a hail of shuriken at both nin as Sasuke rocketed back towards her, the force of the blow easily cracking the boy’s ribs and bruising his organs.

“Naruto, get back!” Sakura ordered as she pulled out kunai with explosive tags and prepared to cause havoc. Beside her birds began to chirp angrily and blue white light filled the hall as Sasuke screamed and ran forward. His speed wasn’t anywhere near what it could have been if he wasn’t injured but he was still faster then Sakura could manage thanks to the lightning chakra racing through his body.

‘That’s not going to work.’ Sakura could see Itachi’s eyes following his brother and the man, almost lazily, reached out and caught Sasuke’s arm at the wrist, flicking it to the side. The chidori dispersed in an explosion of lightning that blew a hole through the hotel all the way to the outside. The building shook and Sakura shot forward, grabbing Naruto and pulling him backwards, away from the shark-man.

“Hey sorry, can’t let you take this one.” Sakura gave the human shark an apologetic smile as she retreated, making sure to keep an eye on Itachi as well. The sickening crunch of bone breaking was immediately followed by Sasuke’s scream of pain.

“Your hate isn’t strong enough little brother.” Itachi whispered, twisting Sasuke around and punching him into the wall before slamming his hand into the boy’s throat. Sakura felt his chakra building up and snarled.

‘No, no, no! He’s fucking twelve!’ Sakura’s hands ran through the signs before she could stop herself or think twice. She’d made a promise and now her body moved on its own to uphold it. She felt the replacement take and the pull of the technique as she swapped places with Sasuke. Red eyes, twisted by loss looked into her own and the world melted away.

“Foolish kunoichi,” Itachi drawled as Sakura felt her body become restrained on a floating cross.

“I’m not letting anyone hurt Sasuke if I can help it. I don’t give a fuck about what you two have going on, I’m going to protect him.” Sakura knew she was beyond helpless and that Itachi was going to hurt her, badly, so instead of cowering or begging she grinned at him. “So go on then murderer but I’ve already won today, you won’t ruin him with whatever this is.”

“No, you’ve merely taken his place.” Itachi replied, a sword appearing in his hand. He then drove it through her liver, sending mind searing pain through the girl’s body.

‘It’s not real, try to break out of it.’ Sakura tried to reach for her chakra but there was something in her head stopping her. It was like a wall had been placed in the tenketsu around her brain, locking the genjutsu into her mind. ‘Fuck, I can’t kai.’ The realization coincided with another stab and she screamed, limbs pulling against her restraints.

“You know, I’m not really into knife play Itachi, why don’t we just skip to fucking?” Sakura grinned at the missing nin, blood running down her chin as he stabbed her throat, silencing her. Time quickly lost meaning and Sakura’s mind came apart at the seams as she was stabbed over and over. She could feel the other voice in the back of her mind, growing louder with every death she experienced but Itachi always brought her back and began all over again.

It was worse than anything Sakura had experienced before, worse than all the beatings she’d lived through and wounds she’d suffered. Nothing could compare to being so utterly powerless. She was weak, defenseless and that point was driven home by the tip of a blade and cold, uncaring crimson eyes. Except those eyes were anything but emotionless or empty. She could see Itachi flinch before every thrust, could see her pain mirrored in his mostly blank expression, muted and well hidden but present.

“Is it even worth it?” Sakura wondered aloud, voice broken and dull. She’d long ago lost the energy to resist or struggle, laying limp against the cross that held her. Itachi flinched at the question and slashed across her throat, killing her only to revive her a second later and stab her in the stomach. “I think I pity you.” Sakura said in between gasps of pain and Itachi slit her throat again and when he brought her back, she couldn’t speak. She could tell, somewhere in the back of her mind she’d hurt him and the pain he inflicted increased as he mixed fire into her torture and she burned.

***

Sasuke tried to process what was going on as he suddenly appeared beside Naruto. His lungs burned and his ribs ached with every ragged breath he took. Looking down the hall he saw the blue man, Kisame, and then spotted Itachi holding Sakura.

“No, Sakura-chan!” Naruto’s echoed in Sasuke’s mind, the words stuttering and lurching, like a record skipping on a bad needle, unable to parse what had happened. A horrific scream, the sound of a mind being torn apart greeted Sasuke’s ears and he recognized it, after all the exact same scream had come from his lips on that fateful night and he knew what Sakura had saved him from, what she’d suffered in his place.

“You bastard!” Sasuke’s eyes ached as Itachi held the girl against the wall, hand tightening around her throat.

“Should I kill her Sasuke? She’s already brain dead, it might be kinder-” Itachi was cut off as his hand was blown off the girl’s throat and deranged laughter spilled from her lips. A graceful hand slid up towards Itachi’s cheek and the man dodged backwards as the air around it exploded with a burst of chakra.

“I’m free! You killed her!” Sakura began laughing madly and substituted with a chunk of concrete as Itachi threw a kick she couldn’t dodge. “Good going other me, finally biting off more than you could chew!”

“Well it looks like I’ve arrived a bit late,” Jiraiya’s arrival didn’t manage to pull Sasuke’s attention off the insane shell of the girl who’d been the closest thing to a friend he’d had in years. The pinkette was already jumping backwards, rapidly approaching the Sannin and landed beside the man, giggling constantly and trembling as tears flowed from her bloodshot eyes.

Kisame followed her, intending to catch them all with his massive sword but Jiraiya immediately summoned an armored toad which blocked the attack. The white haired man grinned as he prepped another summon and slammed his hand into the ground as Kisame was forced back.

“Hope you didn’t have any plans because you’re about to be toad food!” Jiraiya announced dramatically and the moment his hand touched the floor, it became covered in a carpet of flesh that spread up the walls and over the ceiling. The two missing nin immediately turned and ran, not even trying to stay and fight as a wave of flesh pursued them.

“Would the toad mind if I took a few pieces for myself? I want to find out if the blue one tastes like shark.” Sakura cackled and Jiraiya grimaced as the girl tripped on the even ground and hit the floor. “Oh,” she giggled before suddenly tensing then screaming and thrashing violently until Jiraiya put a seal on her, knocking her out.

“What did he do to her?” Naruto asked, looking at Jiraiya with wide, horrified eyes.

“Tsukoyomi, it’s that man’s personal genjutsu. It’s indistinguishable from reality, you can’t escape it or resist it.” Sasuke’s nails bit into the skin of his palms as his knuckles turned white from the force of his grip. ‘This is my fault, I was too weak and she suffered for it. My fault, all my fault, always my fault.’ Sasuke grit his teeth and looked away, his chest heaving as he slowly began falling into a panic attack.

“Dynamic entry!” Gai announced, drop kicking Jiraiya and sending him flying across the hall. “Oh, I see I’m too late and accidentally attacked the man who should have been guarding the youthful Naruto-san.” Gai stated cheerfully, though Jiraiya could tell the man was furious with him.

“Accidentally huh?” Jiraiya grumbled and glanced at the rosette and the silently crumbling Uchiha. “Bring them back to the village,” Jiraiya told the jounin who nodded and carefully picked up Sakura before taking Sasuke’s hand.

“Come on, let’s get her to safety.” Gai’s words seemed enough to pull Sasuke back to reality and he gave a jerky nod before silently following the man.

“What a mess,” Jiraiya sighed and looked at Naruto. “If you want her to get better, now we need to get Tsunade’s help. The princess will be able to fix her, since her mind broke because of a genjutsu.”

“Will she be the same? Or…” Naruto trailed off, not sure if it would be kinder if Sakura never woke up if she’d just be an insane shell.

“There will be damage but Tsunade can fix most of it since it was all inflicted by chakra.” Jiraiya didn’t know how the girl kept moving after taking a Tsukoyomi but he knew why she’d collapsed. Without chakra reaching her brain properly, she simply shut down, though the pain and trauma from the Tsukoyomi should have done that long before her brain ran out of its remaining chakra.

“Is she stuck in the genjutsu right now or just unconscious?” Naruto asked and Jiraiya’s stomach lurched.

“Just unconscious.” It was a lie but the truth wouldn’t help anyone here.

“Okay, let’s hurry and find Tsunade.” Naruto’s face filled with resolve and Jiraiya breathed out a silent sigh of relief. He’d been worried the boy might abandon the search to stay with his injured comrade but instead he forged ahead to save her. ‘Sorry kid, I really let you down this time. Then again I’m always letting you down, aren’t I? Some godfather I am.’ Jiraiya thought, loathing himself silently as they left the hotel behind.

***

Slowly, painfully, Sakura felt like she was being pulled from the depths of the hell Itachi had crafted for her. The sensation of constant stabs and the memories of endless deaths slowly faded from her mind, though they didn’t disappear completely. Distantly, she could hear the beep of a pulse monitor and a gentle, cool breeze across her skin.

Jade eyes cracked open, photo-receptors processing the light but the girl couldn’t parse the ceiling above her. She had died a second time and still came back, unable to escape the hell she’d found herself in. The pain was gone now, but its absence was almost uncomfortable, as if the pain had been an assurance that she existed among the black world and endless red sky.

‘Blue?’ Sakura caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye and simply let her head fall to the side, revealing Naruto’s concerned eyes and Sasuke ferocious scowl. Beyond them, a blue sky was visible. ‘It’s not red?’ Sakura blinked, slowly processing the fact that the sky was blue. ‘It’s not red.’ The thought went through her a second time and a painful lump formed in her throat as her stomach twisted with relief so intense it hurt.

“It’s not red,” she whispered before breaking down into ugly sobs. She didn’t care that there were people here she didn’t know or that Naruto and Sasuke would no doubt be hurt by her words. She saw the flash of painful recognition and sympathy on Sasuke’s face and the confusion and fear in Naruto’s eyes but she couldn’t care right now.

When her tears had finally run dry and her throat ached, Sakura gathered herself, her mind blissfully silent for once. Someone handed her a cup of water and she took it with shaking hands, savoring the cooling effect it had on her wounded throat. A moment later, someone put a gentle hand near her throat and the pain vanished. Sakura still tensed though, nervous after her days or perhaps months in Tsukoyomi.

“Easy, just a bit of medical chakra.” A strong voice assured her and Sakura followed the hand to its owner, a woman with long pale blond hair and golden brown eyes. The purple diamond on her forehead was immediately familiar and something in Sakura’s brain clicked into place.

“Tsunade,” Sakura whispered and the woman blinked in surprise before rolling her eyes.

“So you’ve heard of me, the brats said you had amnesia.” Tsunade removed her hand from Sakura and looked the girl over.

“The Sandaime talked about you.” Sakura replied quietly and shrugged before realizing what had happened and looking at her two teammates. “You two, you’re alright.”

“You bet ‘ttebayo!” Naruto said cheerfully but Sasuke remained silent.

‘He’s furious, self hatred perhaps? It’s still hard to think.’ Sakura winced as her head throbbed painfully and Tsunade put a hand to her forehead, easing the pain.

“You won’t have any permanent damage physically but, the trauma…” Tsunade’s voice trailed off. The woman knew Konoha did not have mental health services for its ninja. There was simply nothing that could be done.

“Yeah, I’ll manage. Going to have to figure out my triggers and resolve them.” Sakura replied, knowing that the best she’d be able to do without outside help was becoming fully functional. She’d still be a mess internally, but really, that wasn’t much of a change. ‘I’ve always been a high functioning basket case.’ She thought and chuckled, slowly shifting to a sitting position before testing out her legs and standing up. “Fuck, I lost a lot of my muscle. How long was I out?”

“A month, it took a while to find Tsunade-baa-chan.” Naruto replied and Sakura grimaced, annoyed at the amount of time that she’d lost.

“I see,” Sakura glanced over at Tsunade who was watching the interaction with mild amusement. “Tsunade-san, may I ask you something?”

“What do you want, brat?” Tsunade asked, humoring her for now. Sakura shifted slightly and stopped her chakra entirely, before restarting it, in her most jarring kai.

“I have perfect chakra control and, well, I’d really like to know how to heal. Would you teach me?” Sakura asked, once again throwing caution and common sense to the wind. Tsunade blinked and then realized the girl was serious before bursting out into laughter.

“I’m the hokage, you think I have time for teaching a no name brat?” Tsunade asked, wondering how the girl would respond.

“I’ll teach you the secret of paperwork, assist you where able and I’ve been told my company is quite pleasant. I’m also friends with a few very good bartenders.” Sakura added the last bit on just to sweeten the deal and grinned as Tsunade laughed happily.

“You’ve got guts at least, let me get settled, then we’ll talk.” Tsunade gave the rosette a considering look before leaving the room. ‘Points for ambition and resolve, she’s not going to take no for an answer.’ Tsunade saw the determination burning wildly in Sakura’s eyes. It was obvious that if she rejected the girl, Sakura would keep hounding her until she said yes. ‘I’m tempted to say no, just to see how long she pesters me but if she knows the secret to paperwork she’ll be very helpful. Shizune can’t do everything after all.’ Tsunade thought, walking through the hospital and leaving Team 7 behind.

“Sakura-chan, you can’t just ask Tsunade-baa-chan to teach you, she’s the hokage dattebayo!” Naruto exclaimed and Sakura grinned at him with clear amusement.

“Oh but Naruto, I just did!” Sakura replied before cackling happily. Both boys flinched at the sound, reminiscent of the laughter she’d belted out while broken. ‘Ah, fuck, me going down must have really hurt them.’ Sakura thought and slowly reached over towards them. Neither pulled away so she guided them into a gentle hug. “Thank you both, for being here when I woke up. It means the world to me.”

“It was nothing,” Sasuke said quietly, looking away and Sakura quickly let the two go before they got uncomfortable.

“Still, thank you. Now, what’s our team been up to?” Sakura asked and the two exchanged looks.

“There hasn’t been a team, I just got back with Tsunade today.” Naruto explained and Sasuke gave a curt nod.

“Well in that case, now that we’re together, want to go out and eat?” Sakura asked, grinning at their stunned expressions. “What? You think I’m not going to ask what you’ve been doing? I bet the both of you have gotten way stronger since I’ve been out. Come on, tell me about it!” Sakura ignored the fact she was in hospital scrubs and lead the two out of the building and to Ichiraku where they quickly began catching up. Naruto’s adventure was impressive and Sasuke had finally gotten his sharingan to three tomoe, though she was grateful he didn’t dare show her.

‘They’ve both gotten stronger, again. Gods I need to catch up.’ Sakura thought to herself, wondering how long it would take Tsunade to make up her mind. ‘Well, I’ll just ask her every day until she says yes.’ Sakura thought to herself as she enjoyed the transient peace of the moment.

Chapter Text

Chapter 23

‘I need to get stronger.’ Sakura thought, making her way across the rooftops of Konoha and returning to her house. Her home looked untouched, with a fine layer of dust over everything and she quickly got to work cleaning it up with the help of a shadow clone. Once she was done, she unsealed the scrolls she’d been working on deciphering and got right to reading.

‘If I channel chakra to my brain, like I do my muscles, will I get smarter? Or just speed up perception? The brain is more delicate, so it might take more precise control and different ratios. Not just something I can do on the fly, fuck I need to learn from Tsunade!’ Sakura thought, silencing the other option since it would never happen. ‘There’s no way Orochimaru would take an interest in me and even if he did, I don’t want to be anywhere near him.’ Sakura scowled at the thought of working with the snake and quickly pushed it from her mind.

Instead, she focused on sealing theory and just how versatile seals were. ‘Barriers seals would give me invisible armor, if I used chakra to impart the seals onto my bones, I’d have invisible armor stronger than anything I could wear. It would be dependent upon how much chakra the seals could hold though and they wouldn’t recharge all that fast in combat but it’d be a good start.’ Sakura knew it wouldn’t be something she could complete overnight but with a week or two of effort she’d be able to come up with a prototype since barrier seals already existed. ‘I’d need to shape it to my body and mesh it with my skin, making it improve the toughness of my skin rather than projecting a separate barrier.’

“Alright, let’s do this. It’ll be an immediate improvement. Just need to make it removable, I’ll need to test it on something though, perhaps I can trap a few rabbits.” Sakura smiled to herself and quickly got to work.

The next morning, she rose early and headed down to the mission desk, same as always. She noted the job posting for Hanazono was still present and slipped out, making her way to the brothel without retrieving the mission. Knocking on the back door, she was greeted by Akane who raised an eyebrow.

“You’re awake, I heard you were in the hospital.” Akane observed and leaned on the door frame.

“Yeah, I don’t really want to talk about what happened. That said, I was in bed for a month so I need to build my strength back up.” Sakura stated calmly and Akane gave her an understanding nod. “So, I don’t know if I’ll have the time to work here for a bit.”

“You ran into Uchiha Itachi and survived,” Akane stated, eyeing Sakura curiously. “I did promise if you made it through the chunin exams and survived I’d introduce you to someone. Come back tomorrow, but take the month off and get back on your feet, they’ll probably be willing to help.”

“Thanks Akane-nee,” Sakura gave the woman a nod which was returned and then she took to the rooftops again, quickly making her way to the Hokage tower. Once again, she walked through the building as if she belonged and the staff, already somewhat used to seeing her, didn’t stop her as she made her way to the Hokage’s office. Listening carefully, Sakura noted there wasn’t a meeting going on and gave the door a polite knock.

“Come in,” Tsunade grumbled and she pushed the door open to reveal the blond woman who was glaring at the mess of paperwork she was trying to complete. “Oh, it’s you. Didn’t I tell you I’d get back to you?”

“I figured you’d already be sick of paperwork.” Sakura replied and Tsunade blinked before snorting and shaking her head.

“Haa, you’re something else kid.” Tsunade let out a sigh and looked at Sakura as if she couldn’t believe she was real. “Why do you want to get stronger?”

“Because I’m on a team with Naruto and Sasuke. Because nobody has ever protected my teammates properly. Because I’m weak and that makes them worry. Because I want to be strong for myself. I don’t have just one reason to seek strength.” Sakura looked at Tsunade who was now considering her carefully.

“Not because you want to serve your village or climb the ranks? I’ve already heard you want to make ANBU captain.” Tsunade asked and Sakura shrugged.

“Rank is merely a means to an end as is ANBU for that matter. Sasuke has a target on his back since he’s the last Uchiha. Nobody is ever going to overpower his brother but Sasuke? Orochimaru has already gone after him for his bloodline. And Naruto, well, I’m a sensor. I know there’s something up with him and that’s before mentioning he’s also the last of his clan.” Sakura explained and waited as Tsunade continued to observe her.

“What ends is ANBU a means to? Neither Naruto nor Sasuke will end up in that part of our forces.” Tsunade watched the girl shift slightly.

“I will admit ANBU is more a personal ambition. The village has treated my teammates poorly, if I can gain respect and status through my accomplishments, I’d like to work towards preventing such a thing from happening again. The pay increase is nice as is access to libraries and information I wouldn’t be able to get my hands on otherwise. I’m studying fuinjutsu and information on the subject is very heavily restricted.” Sakura left out that she’d like to one day start wide scale political reforms but that would take years of work. Political movements didn’t spring from the ether but instead took time and effort to build up.

“Alright, I’ll give you a chance.” Tsunade let out a tired sigh. She hadn’t missed Sakura’s utter lack of nationalism, in fact all of Sakura’s reasons were personal in nature. They weren’t what an ideal apprentice to a Hokage should say, if anything her reasons ought to disqualify her. However for someone who wanted to be Tsunade’s apprentice, Sakura had said all the right things. “Shizune! Stand in for a bit, I’m going to get her set up with a fish and a healing scroll. Let’s see how she does.”

Tsunade grinned and lead Sakura out of the tower, down to the market where she retrieved the supplies they’d need. The woman ignored the looks she got from the villagers and the constant murmurs of Tsunade-hime. Returning to the tower, Tsunade spread out the scroll and quickly inked down the necessary seals before slapping a fish atop it.

“Alright brat, time to make a bet.” Tsunade grinned and pointed at the scroll. “If you can revive this finish in a week, I’ll teach you, if you can’t you’ll stop pestering me and teach me the secret to paperwork.”

“It’s a bet!” Sakura grinned and immediately shook on it. Then she created a shadow clone with 40% of her total chakra. “Go to the hospital, ask around and get tips.” She ordered the clone while Tsunade watched with mild amusement. “I’m going to win, just you wait.”

“Arrogant brat.” Tsunade shook her head with clear amusement and watched as Sakura began by inspecting the seal she’d drawn. ‘So she’s going to start with her knowledge of fuinjutsu eh?’ Tsunade wondered taking a seat back behind her desk, replacing Shizune who had taken it while they’d been out.

“Shizune-san, if I got another fish, would you be able to demonstrate this for me?” Sakura asked and Shizune looked up, surprised that Sakura had addressed her. Tsunade’s apprentice was a beautiful woman with dark black hair and matching eyes. She clearly had some Uchiha in her, but lacked their trademark sharingan.

“Of course, Sakura-chan.” Shizune gave the girl a smile and Sakura nodded appreciatively before leaving to get another fish and scroll. Returning with the supplies, Sakura carefully copied Tsunade’s scroll, mimicking the same movements the woman had used to create her seal. “You must have a very good memory.” Shizune observed, inspecting her work before putting her hands over the fish.

‘Okay, let’s focus carefully.’ Sakura felt for Shizune’s chakra, tuning into it as the woman shifted her chakra from its usual nature to healing chakra. The sensation was distinctive and Sakura carefully observed as Shizune guided it through the fish, directly powering the fish’s cells with her chakra to resuscitate it. The fish began to flop around on the scroll and Shizune gave Sakura a smile before returning to her paperwork.

“Well now we’ve got a spare fish I guess,” Sakura observed as the thing flopped onto the floor, then continued to twitch and jerk its way across the office. She heard Tsunade snort with amusement and scoop the fish up before chucking it into a fish tank with a splash.

‘Alright, let’s give this a try,’ Sakura carefully recreated what Shizune did. It was slow and incredibly difficult however, far harder than walking on the choppy waters of Wave country. She knew what it needed to feel like but molding her chakra was like trying to move a limb she’d never had before. ‘Gods this is difficult, the seal should help but it barely does anything.’ Sakura grit her teeth and pushed everything out of her mind but the sensation of her chakra. Minutes crawled by as she concentrated and soon hours began to roll by.

Eventually, her clone popped, having run out of chakra and Sakura got a rush of tips from the hospital staff as well as plenty of memories of simply sensing medical chakra. ‘I need a break,’ Sakura thought, shifting to meditation to commit what her clone learned to memory and process the new information. By the time Kakashi would be nearing Training Ground 3, she hadn’t made any significant progress but she’d memorized the feel of medical chakra, which was a start.

“Hokage-san, should I stay here or head to meet my team for today’s D rank?” Sakura asked the hokage who snorted before glancing at something on her desk.

“I forgot, Haruno you’re a chunin. Your flack jacket’s over there.” Tsunade stated and Sakura blinked and looked over at her jacket before tilting her head.

“Um, does that mean I’m not part of Team 7?” Sakura asked and Tsunade gave her a considering look.

“For the next seven days, you’ll stay here and work on our bet in the mornings, you can have the evenings to do missions or workout since you need to recondition yourself.” Tsunade replied, returning to her paperwork.

‘Great, so it’s going to be a slog.’ Sakura thought, wondering if she’d be able to use a shadow clone to double up or if it wasn’t worth the chakra. ‘A minimal clone will barely be able to do anything and if I give it half my chakra, that leaves me with only 50% of my total for my own practice. I’ll start shutting down at 25% and suffer chakra exhaustion below 10%.’ Sakura considered her options carefully. ‘My clone would only have 10% of chakra to work with since it uses 40% just to create the clone, so I’d need to know if that 10% would last long enough to mitigate losing 50% of my chakra to the clone’s creation.’

‘Fuck, who knew math would be so helpful for a shinobi?’ Sakura hummed and returned her attention to the fish, this time keeping careful track of her chakra usage as she did so. ‘Changing and experimenting with my chakra nature doesn’t take much, so making a clone should be worth it for this stage.’ Sakura reasoned, having managed to keep her clone up for most of the morning anyways. ‘I need a way to regain chakra faster, better look into that. How does the body make chakra anyways? Does it come from calories? Does it come from some spiritual thing?’

Sakura’s mind buzzed as she continued to work until it was lunch time, then she headed out and bought some fried fish and chips. The food was a delight and Sakura enjoyed the greasy, energy dense meal with a smile. When she was done, she began jogging around Konoha with her weights, chakra cycling through her body just like Hiruzen had taught her. Wind whipped through her hair and her dress fluttered about, often getting in the way.

‘I need a shorter skirt or pants, but if it’s too practical I’ll look like a ninja. Perhaps a mini-skirt and thigh high socks with seals stitched into them. I’d look completely unprepared for combat then bam! Covered in seal armor!’ Sakura daydreamed as she ran, making the best use of her time as she could.

When she was thoroughly exhausted, muscles burning with exertion and her whole body worked out, Sakura returned to her house and spread out her notes. She didn’t have enough chakra for a clone, so it was just her as she wrote down her plans for the immediate future. ‘Become Tsunade’s apprentice, keep reading my scrolls, figure out a protective seal, refine my taijutsu and train kenjutsu when Yugao is available.’ Sakura finished her list then quickly made bullet points for what each step would require. She knew Tsunade’s teachings would take up a huge chunk of her time but most of it was studying and she could halve study time with a shadow clone since it was just sitting around reading.

‘Tomorrow I’ve got a meeting with Akane first thing in the morning, then returning to Tsunade-sama.’ Sakura paused then snarled. “Fuck I forgot, I need something that can stop the sharingan.” She could guess how it worked, it likely projected chakra straight into the brain using the eyes as a conduit. ‘Fuck, seals aren’t so simple you can just whip one up on the spot, especially for something as delicate as the eyes.’ Sakura thought, grimacing as she let out a frustrated sigh and added it to the list before going to bed.

The next morning, as always, she got dressed and headed out for Hanazono.

“So, I might have badgered Tsunade into giving me a chance at an apprenticeship.” Sakura informed the woman who laughed before realizing Sakura was very serious.

“Seriously? I heard about what you did with Hiruzen but another one? Gods, you’re amusing. Come on in, I’ve got someone to introduce you to.” Akane lead Sakura into the brothel but kept to the backrooms, winding through the building until they were in an area Sakura had never noticed before. Pushing the door open into a private and rather snug room, Sakura found herself looking at a mouse masked ANBU. “This is Nezumi, he’s taken an interest in your skills and abilities and is willing to evaluate you for ANBU.”

“What specialization?” Sakura asked, taking the seat Akane indicated and subtly checking it for traps. ‘At the very least there aren’t any seals or jutsu on it, I’d probably sense that.’ She mused, looking over at the perfectly motionless ANBU.

“We would determine that based off your results during our screening process.” Nezumi informed Sakura, his voice flat and his chakra motionless in a very familiar way.

“I see and would this interrupt my possible apprenticeship with Tsunade? I’m currently in a competition for a chance at it. She made a bet.” Sakura stated and watched as Nezumi fell silent for a few seconds. ‘He’s likely getting his cues through radio, he’s just a front or am I being paranoid?’ Sakura couldn’t be sure but waited silently for her answer.

“You will have the week off, when it’s done, we will schedule accordingly.” Nezumi stated simply and then vanished.

“Informative, should I say thank you Akane?” Sakura asked, turning to the woman and cocking an eyebrow.

“You’ve got the potential for it, you’ll do well. I’m confident you’ll make captain in a few years if you work hard.” Akane replied and nodded at the door. “Now go on and run to your current seduction target.”

“I’m not trying to seduce Tsunade!” Sakura burst out, showing mock offense before grinning. “Yet!”

“Atta girl!” Akane cheered walking with Sakura to the exit. “And I meant what I said, you’ll do well.”

“Thanks Akane,” ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck,’ Sakura thought and gave the woman a casual nod before taking to the rooftops. ‘Well one good thing is they didn’t tell me not to inform Tsunade.’ Sakura realized and let out a sigh of relief. ‘Okay, I can tell her.’

Reaching the Hokage tower, Sakura slipped inside and made her way to Tsunade’s office. She was let in without a word and Tsunade unsealed her fish motioning at it before taking her place at her desk. The woman sat down, focusing on her writing and Sakura created her shadow clone which left to buy another fish since she already had a spare scroll. Tsunade looked up and Sakura used the interruption to speak.

“So I met with an ANBU today,” Sakura said, testing the water as Tsunade listened. “Didn’t openly offer me a spot or anything but said I’d be evaluated.”

“And you’re telling me why?” Tsunade asked and Sakura gave the woman a deadpan look.

“Because Naruto trusts you and I trust his judgment, ergo I trust you.” Sakura shrugged and shifted her attention to the fish and her chakra. “If this is above board, as Hokage you’d be able to tell me and if this isn’t above board, you need to know.”

“Sound logic,” Tsunade agreed and returned her attention to her paperwork. “I’ll look into it, when I get the chance.”

“Sounds good,” Sakura replied, devoting herself to her task. She knew what her chakra needed to feel like and couldn’t quite get it. Still, she kept her chakra emission low, never putting out enough to harm the fish’s flesh. ‘Let the seal guide you, let it help.’ She sensed the innate chakra in the seal and let her chakra slowly feed into it. She felt it change and latched onto that feeling, guiding it and aiding it as best she could.

Suddenly, she got a sensation from the fish and information flooded into her mind. The fish wasn’t dead, not truly since it’d been caught that morning and kept on ice. It was suffocating and Sakura knew Shizune had supplemented its metabolism with her chakra to revive it. It took every ounce of concentration she had but slowly, Sakura began trickling her chakra into the fish, guiding it and mimicking what Shizune had done and what her clone saw the nurses at the hospital do.

As she worked, she felt her chakra begin to drain more rapidly than she expected and immediately cut her shadow clone. The resulting inrush of chakra scorched the fish in front of her and she let out a sigh before looking over at her clone’s fish. It didn’t look damaged and she settled down to meditate and integrate what she’d learned.

‘Okay, I feel like I’ve got this,’ Sakura moved over to the other fish and tried to revive it. She felt her chakra stores begin to dwindle and let out a groan as she stopped.

“Giving up for the day?” Tsunade asked in amusement, clearly treating Sakura as entertainment in the otherwise dull office. The woman had a bottle of sake out and was sipping some while watching her.

“I’ve got physical training to continue. My taijutsu isn’t up to snuff and neither is my ninjutsu, genjutsu or fuinjutsu. In short, I’m basically always busy trying to catch up to my teammates. I might be a chunin now but they’re still stronger than me.” Sakura said, finally grabbing her flack jacket, which she’d forgotten previously and made her way to the window. “Want me to get you anything for tomorrow?”

“I don’t need a precocious brat like you running errands for me, especially not one who doesn’t seem to understand the concept of fun.” Tsunade ordered and Sakura gave the woman a salute before bouncing away. She already had her weights on and she immediately made her way to the wall that ran the length of Konoha. At its base, a circular road ran the length of the city, only interrupted by the Hokage monument and since Sakura didn’t have any training fields booked, she got to jogging.

“Hello Sakura-chan,” Uzuki Yugao greeted, appearing with a flicker and taking up position alongside Sakura. “Up for some training? I have a training field lined up, if you’re interested.”

“Sure thing, lead the way.” Sakura flashed a smile and immediately fell into step with the woman, checking her chakra to make sure it matched.

“You know, I can teach you a bit more than kenjutsu.” Yugao stated conversationally.

“Such as? And would I need to accomplish some legendary feat to earn it?” Sakura asked and the woman gave her a quick smile before shaking her head.

“No, honestly as Kakashi-senpai’s friend I feel guilty about his behavior. I’m a sensor and I can give you some training in that as well, if you want.” Yugao offered and Sakura immediately nodded her consent. “Perfect, I know where the Sandaime left you and while I’m too busy to train you regularly, I know Genma and Tenzo were interested in teaching you a bit since you managed to charm them.”

“Me? Charm them? You must have mistaken me for someone else.” Sakura joked as they arrived at the training ground.

“No, it was certainly you. The fact that everyone in the village heard about how you got injured also helped. You threw yourself in the way of Uchiha Itachi to protect your teammate, the last loyal Uchiha. It’s already the stuff of legend.” Yugao’s words shocked Sakura who hadn’t even considered what kind of reputation such actions would garner her. “Not to mention your contributions during the Konoha Crush saved quite a few lives and rapidly turned the battle in our favor. The fact Kakashi wanted you to chase after Suna’s jinchuriki also pissed off most of the man’s friends since you’re just a genin.”

“I’d have died, no question about that.” Sakura stated seriously and Yugao agreed. “Well, what are we starting with?”

“Get your training sword out, I want to see where you’re at and the general ideas you’re working with. I did some looking and double bladed, two handed long-swords like what you’re using show up from time to time, mostly imports from beyond the elemental nations.” Yugao stated and pulled out her own practice sword from a storage seal. “I managed to find a brief summary on styles and ideas, but nothing complete enough to be its own system. Still I think I’ve figured out the basics.”

“Well, I guess I’ll give it my best then.” Sakura took up a mid guard and charged. The fight wasn’t close, hell it wasn’t even a spar. Yugao was superhuman, easily faster than Kakashi and nearing Itachi. She even mixed in incredibly short ranged body flickers, moving at speeds that left after images to distract her opponent. Of course, she didn’t just overwhelm Sakura but instead showed off to keep from getting bored as the rosette displayed her admittedly basic skills.

“Okay, I think I’ve got a feel for where you are and what the style is based around. It’s a very flowing style, always moving between attacks and using both edges of the blade to constantly keep your enemy off balance. It has the potential to be beautiful, especially those counter cuts.” Yugao stated and Sakura nodded in agreement, knowing that chakra would add an entirely new dimension to the technique. “So, let’s get started, first we’re going to write down every possible cut you can make. Fortunately, most of that is already done since you can do any cut a Katana can so we simply need to add to the existing list.”

“Then what?” Sakura asked as Yugao pulled out a scroll and passed Sakura a pen.

“Then we’ll work in combinations for muscle memory, you already seem to have a few figured out and we’ll build on that. Eventually, we’ll mix in jutsu, shuriken, grabs and kicks but one step at a time. Your chakra threads will be perfect for this though. I’ve never met a swordsman who used them but I just know they’ll be deadly so we’re going to integrate those from the start.” Yugao nattered away happily and Sakura couldn’t help her smile, sharing the woman’s enthusiasm.

“Alright Yugao-sensei! Oh um, I need some help with writing though, still learning how to read.” Sakura blushed, humiliated that she hadn’t mastered reading and writing yet. She was worlds better than where she’d been even a month ago but it was still a painfully slow process.

“Of course, Sakura-chan.” Yugao gave her a quick smile before they dove into their work.

Chapter Text

Chapter 24

Sakura concentrated on the fish before her. She’d fried one yesterday and then ran out of chakra before she could make a true second attempt but today she was confident. ‘Just a bit more,’ she thought, forcing her power into the calm, gentle medical chakra that could heal the fish before guiding it into the fish’s chakra network. It was painstaking work and Sakura could feel herself sweating from sheer concentration but she knew she had this.

The fish gave a sudden jolt then began to flop as her chakra took and it came to life. The sound of scale slapping on parchment quickly drew Tsunade’s attention and golden eyes looked at the fish with silent amazement.

“I did it!” Sakura exhaled and collapsed, legs going numb with shock. “Tsunade, I did it! I healed something!” Sakura began to laugh, tears beading up at the corners of her eyes. ‘Why am I crying?’ She wondered as tears ran down her cheeks. She felt happy, unreasonably so, like she’d just accomplished something truly great. It was a sensation that eclipsed the feeling of pulling off a jutsu or landing a perfectly thrown punch.

“Good work brat, now do it without the parchment. Our bet’s not up yet.” Tsunade cut off her celebration and picked up the fish, killing it with it with a quick pulse of lightning chakra that stopped its heart.

“Fine, if you insist.” Sakura huffed and wiped the sweat from her brow as the door burst open.

“Tsunade-baa-chan, hey, have you seen Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked, barging into the room with a smile. His eyes immediately fell upon the rosette who was currently hovering over a dead fish and he tilted his head in silent question. “Sakura-chan, what are you doing here?”

“Training, I healed the fish but Tsunade killed it so now I’ve got to heal it again.” Sakura replied and Naruto looked back and forth between Sakura and the hokage, searching for an explanation.

“You’re going to be a medic? It suits you, somehow.” Sasuke’s comment could easily have been seen as an insult but Sakura could hear the relief in his voice. The boy did not want her on the front-lines and he was clearly delighted by this development.

‘I’m going to have to keep ANBU completely secret from him. Better work on a henge and dye my hair underneath it. Should probably figure out how to hide or alter my chakra signature. Speaking of, I need a new haircut, the one I have is super plain.’ Sakura thought, her mind always racing and spinning onto new topics and tangents. She’d always moved at high speeds and chakra had only accelerated her.

“Thanks Sasuke, glad you approve. I’ll patch you both up when I get the hang of it, so try and stay in one piece until then.” Sakura noticed Kakashi walking into the room, his one eye sweeping over his students before settling on Sakura.

“Maa, sorry about this hokage-sama, I’ll get her to leave you alone if she’s causing trouble.” Kakashi offered and the woman let out a tired sigh. “I know she’s insubordinate and unmotivated, she didn’t even listen during an active combat situation. I’d file a disciplinary report but it’s too much effort.”

“I’ve got it handled Hatake, or do you not think your hokage capable of dealing with a single pink haired brat?” Tsunade asked, deftly avoiding Sakura’s rank. Tsunade doubted the man even knew the girl had been promoted.

“Well you are very busy,” Kakashi shrugged and dodged a paperweight.

“Don’t insult me brat!” The hokage growled and then relaxed as she looked at Naruto and Sasuke. “I’m going to be keeping her under my care for a bit since she’s still recovering. I’m probably not going to clear her for field missions for some time.” Both boys immediately flinched at the reminder of what the girl had been through and Sakura felt echoes of pain across her body. The sense of helplessness was overwhelming and she forgot how to breath.

“Easy Sakura-chan, you’re alright, you’re safe.” Shizune’s gentle voice slowly broke through the haze of terror that had settled over the rosette. “Can you tell me where you are?”

“Hokage’s office,” Sakura rasped, eyes turning to the window and fixing on the sky which was blessedly blue. Sunsets and sunrises were rough, but now it was mid day and it was blue, blue, blue.

“Can you tell me the time and date?” Shizune asked and Sakura gave an immediate answer, blindly following the woman’s words back to reality. “Can you count down from ten for me?” The rest of Team 7 watched in silence as Sakura slowly counted down, pulling herself back together with every number until she was mentally present, though shaken.

“Well Hatake, still think she shouldn’t be here?” Tsunade asked looking at the man who’d never even wanted genin.

“No, I’m sorry Hokage-sama. Naruto, Sasuke, let’s go,” Kakashi gave the two a meaningful look, earning a scowl from Sasuke and a groan form Naruto but neither argued as they left the office.

“He wanted me to chase after Gaara, I asked him if I could do something else, he said yes. Had he said no, I would have listened, I didn’t disobey-” Sakura was cut off by a hand on her shoulder and glanced up at Tsunade who was giving her an understanding look.

“I know, I read Gai’s report. He thought you were being stubborn at first but information concerning Gaara’s true status combined with the knowledge that you are a sensor changes it from cowardice to a reasonable analysis of the situation. Kakashi should have been the one to pursue Sasuke while you and Naruto should have moved to help civilians evacuate. You’re not in trouble and it’s not going to count against you.” Tsunade informed the girl and Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief. “Let me be clear, insubordination will be punished but unless you’re on a red rimmed mission, being ordered to effectively commit suicide is grounds to disobey a command and ordering you to chase Gaara falls into that category.”

“Thank you,” Sakura knew she wasn’t a coward, she’d literally leapt into Itachi’s arms for Sasuke. Sure he wasn’t actually a traitor but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t kill her and what he’d done was almost as bad.

“You know any claims you were a coward went out the window after you put yourself in Sasuke’s place. The whole damn village has heard of you, brat. Ignore Hatake.” Tsunade grumbled and Sakura gave the woman a watery smile before turning to her fish.

“I guess I better get back to work then.” Sakura said, though her voice still shook with emotion. Tsunade simply hummed in agreement and settled back down at her desk. “Tsunade-san, do you know any tricks to expanding chakra reserves?”

“Yup, heal that fish before the week’s up and I’ll tell you.” Tsunade replied and Sakura grinned, the woman’s gruff attitude actually putting her at ease. It reminded her of how people were back home and the familiarity helped immensely as she got back to work.

Without the scroll, molding medical chakra was a nightmare. Sakura quickly created a clone to practice, working on the problem with two heads since it didn’t take any chakra molding it, though applying it was a different story. The rest of the morning passed in the blink of an eye and after a hearty lunch, Sakura found herself running the perimeter of the village covered in weights. Once again one of the Sandaime’s guards appeared as she was doing her cool downs and pulled her to a training field.

Genma’s skills were entirely focused around senbon and shurikenjutsu since he preferred poison and he spent the day practicing his own techniques while giving Sakura drills to run through. It was more a joint training session with occasional tips being thrown Sakura’s way than lessons but Sakura appreciated it and let Genma know as they parted for the evening.

‘I should grab Sasuke and Naruto for dinner,’ Sakura thought, diverting her return home to find the two boys. Sasuke was training outside his house and Sakura didn’t dare approach him, instead sending out a normal clone to catch his attention before redirecting it to her real body.

“What?” Sasuke asked, annoyed at being interrupted.

“It’s dinner time, forgetting to eat won’t make you stronger, it’ll weaken you.” Sakura informed him and he glanced around, noting that the sun was going down and the sky was red. The thought nearly kicked Sakura into a panic attack and her whole body tensed but the gradient of color wasn’t quite the same and she rapidly assured herself that this was reality after a few jarring kai.

“Alright,” Sasuke agreed, not making any sign that he’d noticed her near meltdown, though he definitely had.

“We’re going to get the orange one as well.” Sakura informed the Uchiha who scowled but didn’t object, which was progress. The two ran across the rooftops in amicable silence, neither saying a word until they arrived at Naruto’s. Sakura knocked on the door and the blond quickly answered, looking between the two of them, clearly surprised. “Ramen?”

“Of course!” Naruto grinned happily and immediately threw on his shoes, leading the way to Ichiraku’s. “So Sakura-chan, how are you doing?”

“Fine, mostly. Sunsets and sunrises are annoying but I’m managing, clearly.” Sakura replied as she pondered ways to permanently handle her Tsukoyomi issue.

“I understand,” Sasuke said quietly, so softly she nearly missed it.

“That must suck ‘ttebayo. I’m sure you’ll get better though, you did last time!” Naruto chirped and Sakura didn’t have the heart to tell him that the original Sakura very much did not get better. In fact she was probably dead and the body had clung on to life just long enough for her soul to slip in.

“Thanks Naruto,” Sakura replied softly and ordered her food, which was as rich and filling as ever. ‘Seriously, how isn’t this shop fucking cram packed? It’s Naruto isn’t it? Fucking villagers won’t eat here because they serve him.’ Sakura kept her annoyance to herself and happily paid for Sasuke and Naruto’s meals since she knew they weren’t earning any money. The two tried to object but she cut them off with a glare.

“Please, just, let me show my gratitude and appreciation for the both of you occasionally alright? I’m really glad you two are my teammates.” Sakura knew Sasuke was blaming himself as was Naruto. The two were incredibly self centered and simply expressed it differently. ‘They’re also incredibly sexist but I can’t blame them for that, this whole village is rather sexist.’ Sakura grumbled internally, annoyed that sexism was literally inter-universal.

***

It took two more days of effort but on the sixth day, Sakura managed to crack channeling medical chakra at a steady pace without the scroll. It was only possible thanks to the help of her shadow clone and right before she was going to call it a day, she managed to revive her fish. Tsunade was openly shocked this time and immediately began laughing before standing up and walking over to inspect her work.

“Good job, you’re officially my apprentice.” The woman flashed a grin then tossed the fish into the tank she’d had brought in for Sakura’s training. “Now then, that secret to paperwork?”

“Yeah since you’re just sitting around not using any chakra, just create a shadow clone with barely any chakra in it. It can do your paperwork for you.” Sakura watched as Tsunade’s face rapidly went through every stage of grief before settling on amused.

“You’re alright brat.” Tsunade announced, creating a shadow clone and nodding at the desk. “Now then, since I’ve suddenly got the afternoon free, let’s see where your other skills are at.” Tsunade put a hand on Sakura’s shoulder and pulled her along in a high speed shunshin. The two didn’t stop moving until they reached the Hokage’s personal training ground and Sakura felt lightheaded after such a prolonged, high speed jaunt. “Now I’ll admit I don’t specialize or even focus on combat. My strength is more a necessity for treating panicking patients who can’t be sedated for whatever reason. I needed to be able to hold them down and since there was no reason not to and it terrified Jiraiya, I simply kept building up my strength.”

“I won’t lie, I’m not the best combat instructor but I’m a damn sight better than most simply because of how much I’ve survived.” Tsunade paused and then smiled sadistically at Sakura. “And you know what I’ve learned?”

“Dodge?” Sakura squeaked, feeling the killing intent radiating off Tsunade.

“Yes Sakura, dodge.” Tsunade let out a low laugh as she short towards the rosette who immediately jumped to the side. The blond’s fist slammed into the ground which shattered, sending rubble flying through the air. Sakura knew Tsunade was strong, she’d seen the show years ago but the sheer force of the blow knocked the wind from her lungs and tiny stones peppered her body as dust nearly blinded her.

‘How the fuck,’ Sakura thought, sensing Tsunade through the cloud of debris and narrowly avoiding the woman’s punch, the shock wave of which gouged out a line in the ground behind her and bruised her shoulder. ‘Oh my god I’m going to die,’ Sakura immediately substituted away and ran for her life as Tsunade hurled trees and rocks after her. The entire time she instinctively cycled chakra through her limbs, pushing herself to ever greater speeds out of sheer necessity as Tsunade cackled behind her, never giving her an inch of breathing space.

Time lost all meaning and there was simply Sakura, Tsunade and the flying boulders that would kill the girl if they landed. ‘Then again, she’d probably just revive me and I’d have to get right back to running.’ Sakura thought, dodging a boulder and then continuing to run before her stamina began to flag and she signaled desperately to Tsunade who stopped throwing boulders at her and grinned menacingly, walking towards her and motioning for the girl to take a seat.

“I’m going to heal your wounds and give you a chakra transfer since your stamina is pitiful. You said you wanted to know how to increase your chakra supplies right? The fastest way to do that is to have someone transfer a small amount chakra into your reserves when you’re already full. If done correctly, it’ll expand your reserves, if done wrong, well you’ll get chakra burns all throughout your body and need a month or two of recovery time.” Tsunade informed her cheerfully then pressed a glowing green hand to Sakura’s forehead. “I already knew sensei was teaching you, you’ve modified my muscle reinforcement a bit haven’t you? Been doing speed training rather than pure strength training.”

“Yes, is it working?” Sakura asked, knowing that Tsunade was far more of an expert on the subject than she was.

“Yes, but your technique is rough, sloppy even. Still that’s to be expected with only a month to learn it, Hiruzen-sensei couldn’t do it himself after all and it’s true that I have neglected my own speed considering how my fight with Orochimaru went.” Tsunade grimaced at the memory. She knew she wasn’t a combat specialist but being the weakest Sannin still stung. Jiraiya’s sage mode gave him physical strength comparable to her own without the Byakugo no In active, which was infuriating and Orochimaru was simply overwhelming in all things due to his human experimentation.

‘I didn’t think I’d have much free time as a Hokage but with Sakura’s secret, perhaps I can polish my skills a bit.’ Tsunade thought, deciding that she’d keep the shadow clone trick to herself so she could send the clone to speak with clan heads without them realizing what was going on. It’d free up her schedule and she’d get the clone’s memories at the end of the day, win win.

“Sakura, as your shisho, my first order is keeping the secret of paperwork a secret. It’s for Hokage only!” Tsunade barked and Sakura paused before smiling and giving the woman a nod.

“I promise I will, if it got out how would I bribe and future Hokage into training me?” Sakura gave the woman a smile as Tsunade healed up her exhausted muscles and then refilled her reserves before overfilling them until just before the woman would damage them.

“Oh that feels,” Sakura shivered, teeth clattering as the chakra within her buzzed and crackled. Tsunade’s chakra felt different than her own and she wasn’t used to either. Still the sensation of chakra was always unpleasant, something between lightning and blood pressure that buzzed and pounded within her.

“It’s unpleasant?” Tsunade asked thoughtfully and Sakura nodded shivering and shifting about uncomfortably. The medic observed her for a bit before realization dawned on her face. “You’re oversensitive to chakra. That’s why you have such good control and such range as a sensor.”

“Yeah I’m hyper aware of it, it’s never not bugging me. I’ve learned to live with it but ever since I learned how to call upon my chakra again, whenever I use it, it’s constantly annoying.” Sakura explained and Tsunade nodded in understanding.

“Usually people with such sensitivity don’t become ninja, they can’t push past the discomfort. After all smaller reserves will stifle the sensation and you want larger reserves. You’re going to be uncomfortable, constantly.” Tsunade gave Sakura a pointed look. “Your teammates won’t appreciate what you’re doing for them. Hell even the village won’t, even if you do end up Hokage and changing things for the better.”

“I know, but I want this. I want power, I don’t want to be weak or have to stand by while others fight. I hate the idea of being sidelined, of sitting back and just watching. I know your rules about medics and I know I don’t have the temperament for them, hell I think they’re part of why we have so few medics but I still want to learn medical ninjutsu from you.” Sakura gave Tsunade a meaningful look and the blond tilted her head, considering her words.

“Explain,” Tsunade stated and Sakura took in a deep breath.

“Most people who join up at the academy are either clan kids who grow up being fed that cowardice is something to loath and staying out of a fight while your squad-mates engage the enemy is the height of cowardice so instantly you’ve put off the vast majority of clans. That leaves civilian born, who will most likely have higher chakra control due to smaller reserves however, they struggle already being civilian born and being a medic is an additional stigma because it’s viewed as a cowardly role.” Sakura explained and waited briefly for Tsunade to interject. When the blond didn’t she prepared the next part of her argument.

“Furthermore, the rule that a medic shouldn’t engage when an ally is wounded and should heal said ally until they’re fully healed or dead is a waste of combat power and could reduce combat survivability. The rule should instead be ‘A medic must prioritize the survival of their squad and take appropriate action to assure it.’ This would allow them to engage if doing so would be more likely to save lives rather then simply staying out of the fight. Finally, ‘a medic should be the last member of their squad to die’ is unnecessary and will only hurt medics who end up being the sole survivor. When a mission goes that wrong, whoever survives, survives by coincidence or by their teammate’s sacrifice, not because of the rule and it’ll only added survivor’s guilt and stigma to medics who experience it.”

Sakura finished speaking and waited for a reprimand or counterpoint. Instead she got silence and glanced at Tsunade finding the woman looking rather thoughtful.

“You know, I’m really not sure if I like you or not.” Tsunade sighed and shook her head. “I’ll update the rules and see if it draws in more recruits but if there is an increase in casualties among my medics, it’s going right back to the way it was.”

“Fair enough,” Sakura offered and Tsunade nodded then smirked and cracked her knuckles.

“Now, since you’re so clearly ready to be Hokage, time we whip you into shape brat, dodge!” Tsunade roared and Sakura screamed, tumbling out of the way before being launched by the shock wave of Tsunade’s punch. The ground exploded and dirt shot up like a volcanic eruption under the sheer force of the blow. “You’ve got your stamina and chakra back! Start cycling it to build your muscles and don’t stop moving!”

“Yes Tsunade-shishou!” Sakura shouted, ducking a tree and sprinting away at top speed as the living natural disaster chased after her.

Chapter Text

Chapter 25

‘Fuck it’s not working!’ Sakura groaned, rolling onto her side as her barrier project stalled horrendously. ‘And here I thought I had a brilliant idea, why is fuinjutsu so complicated?!’ Sakura wanted to smash her head through a wall but settled for rolling around the floor of her room. She’d given herself a week to figure out how to make the seal to reinforce her skin and so far, she had a seal that could project chakra armor in the shape of her limb, however it was completely rigid, couldn’t overlap with itself so there would be rather major gaps in protection and it barely lasted a second with the amount of chakra it could pull from the surroundings before failing.

‘I’m going to need to talk to Arashi-san.’ Sakura realized and hoped the old man was still alive and willing to speak with her. ‘I have been gone for a month without explanation.’ She thought glumly and packed up her notes and scrolls before turning in for bed. The next morning she got up and headed to the Uzushio district where Arashi’s store was located. The place had been hit badly by the fighting, but wasn’t part of the city flattened by the boss summons, fortunately.

‘His shop looks open,’ Sakura thought, opening the door, which chimed thanks to a seal placed on the door frame and walked inside. Sure enough, Arashi Gin was still behind the counter, looking surprised and relieved to see her.

“Hey kid, heard you had a run in with the boogeyman.” He gave her a sympathetic smile, and Sakura returned it with a grateful one.

“Yeah, had to protect my team. It was worth it.” Sakura could see the difference between the show’s depiction of Sasuke and the boy she currently knew, even if her memories of the show were vague and growing ever more inaccurate with every change she made. “They’re kids you know?”

“So are you little miss,” Gin pointed out kindly and rested his chin on a hand as he watched her walk over. “I can tell something’s eating at you, what is it?”

Sakura quickly explained the problem she’d encountered and her ideas. Gin listened intently and interjected a few times for clarification before she finished. When Sakura was finally done talking, Gin got up and left before returning with a simple spherical barrier tag. He put it down on the counter and then looked over Sakura’s seal work.

“Barrier tags meet force with force, only drawing enough to remain visible unless something comes into contact with them. Aside from that spheres and simple shapes are easier to project and more complex shapes will suck chakra faster or require significantly more complex seals but you’ve already solved that, so good work.” Gin spoke mostly to himself, but he was loud enough for Sakura to easily follow along. “But you want to reinforce your body instead, along with your clothes which is different. It’s possible, one of Mito-sama’s guards used such a seal but its design has been lost.”

“So it’s possible but I’ll have to invent it from scratch?” Sakura asked and Gin hummed, looking over her work before smiling.

“Not entirely, I can give you a few pointers. One of the reasons Uzushiogakure was so feared was because the shinobi and civilians of the island could place multiple seals on the same object.” Gin explained, walking into his back room and retrieving a wakizashi. “Here, take a look.” The man offered the blade and Sakura looked it over with interest.

“It’s got a seal for wind, lightning and projection? It’s similar to a barrier but not quite.” Sakura could tell the blade was made from chakra conductive metal. It practically hummed with natural energy, drawn into it by the famous Uzumaki swirl. “It’s all humming at the same frequency.”

“Indeed, seals interfere with each other but if you can figure out how to synchronize them, then you can overlap them. Of course you’ll have to design the seals involved from the ground up to work together and I know your type, by the time you’re my age you’ll be so covered in ink, you might as well be a painting. Very common in old Uzu, not so much anymore though.” Gin gave her a sad look and shook his head. “You’ve definitely got the islands in you girl, I can see it in your hair and eyes. It’s nice, seeing one of us take up the old arts.”

“Oh, I didn’t know. Me and my parents don’t really talk.” Sakura replied and Gin nodded, a knowing look on his face.

“I know, they’re rather wealthy merchants and the scandal about their daughter running away from home to become a shinobi really made the rounds.” Gin replied and Sakura shrugged, not quite sure what to make of the fact that she’d caused a minor scandal. “I won’t lend you that sword but I can give you a few examples of overlapping seals and let you figure out the rest.”

“Thanks Gin-san,” Sakura gave the man a bright smile as he gathered up a few scrolls for her to study.

“How is your reading coming along?” The man asked as he passed the scrolls over.

“Still rough but getting better since I’m reading every day. I’m so annoyed by it, I’m considering making a new writing system to simplify everything.” Sakura admitted and the man gave her an interested look.

“It would be nice if writing was a bit simpler,” Gin agreed and Sakura nodded vigorously before glancing around the shop.

“Can I have a barrier tag? Just the one.” Sakura asked and he picked on up from the rack and Sakura paid before putting it in her pouch. “Thanks.”

“No worries, going to retire soon anyways.” Gin chuckled and motioned for her to run along.

“That’ll be a sad day for those who don’t know how to make their own seals,” Sakura chirped, heading to the door and giving him a wave before taking to the rooftops. Returning to her house, she quickly put away her things and heard a knock on her door. Opening it, she saw the familiar mouse masked ANBU that she’d spoken to at Hanazono. “Hello again.”

“Your week is up, you will begin evaluation tomorrow night at 9pm. Training ground 44.” With that the ANBU vanished and Sakura quickly memorized the information before heading to the Hokage tower for the day. Opening the door to Tsunade’s office, she was greeted by the sight of the woman drinking while her shadow clone grumbled up a storm but did the paperwork diligently. Nearby Shizune was watching the scene with a strained smile.

“Hey brat, what kept you? You’re about five minutes later than normal.” Tsunade asked and Sakura quickly explained how she’d gone to a seal shop for some pointers. Tsunade listened, clearly interested by Sakura’s ideas and nodded when the girl finished. “Alright, I suppose I can overlook it just don’t end up like your accursed jounin-sensei.”

“He was more of a jounin minder who only occasionally did his job.” Sakura chimed in and Tsunade snorted, clearly amused and frustrated at the same time.

“I know what Hiruzen-sensei was thinking but that doesn’t mean he was right.” Tsunade let out a tired sigh and took a sip from her sake bottle. “Now, brat, you’re going to learn how to heal injuries starting today.”

“I have one more thing to tell you before we get into it, the ANBU situation, Nezumi showed up at my house.” Sakura informed the woman carefully and Tsunade waved off her concern.

“I looked into it, it’s legitimate. The ANBU commander doesn’t think you’ll pass the physical part of the evaluation but if you pass the mental part, he’s willing to fast track you once your combat skills are up to snuff.” Tsunade paused and then poked Sakura’s head. “However you’re my apprentice which means you won’t be loading up on missions until I’m done teaching you and even then until this village has an abundance of medics, you’ll probably only go on short duration missions.”

“Fair enough, so we were learning about healing injuries?” Sakura asked and Tsunade slapped the fish down on the table and quickly cut its side open.

“Yup, I know you’ve sent your clone to watch the hospital on the first day so you don’t need an example do you?” Tsunade asked, grinning at the girl who quickly made a shadow clone that wordlessly headed off to the hospital.

“Well, a refresher course is always welcome.” Sakura replied, slowly calling up her medical chakra and tried to heal the fish. Instead, she merely kept it from dying, its wound stubbornly open and bleeding. “Okay, this is going to be difficult isn’t it?”

“Very and once you’ve got this down, I’m going to make sure you know how to do everything properly. Consider this your last real test before you hit the books.” Tsunade smirked as Sakura groaned and got to observing the fish, trying without success until her clone popped, returning some chakra and a bunch of observations from the hospital.

‘This is going to be a nightmare, she’s making me reinvent a fucking jutsu from observation, without hand seals.’ Sakura didn’t know the name of the jutsu but she knew medics at the hospital used hand seals for what Tsunade was demanding she do without prior lessons. ‘Well, you don’t become legendary taking the standard approach.’ Sakura’s face shifted into a determined scowl and she got to work.

***

‘Knowing something is possible is entirely different than being able to pull it off.’ Sakura thought after an evening of training and studying. She’d failed to make progress on her seal work, she’d failed to heal the fish and now she was heading to an ANBU exam, likely proctored by a Root member, that she would also probably fail. ‘Oh well, I’ve had a good run, I’ve, um, I survived the chunin exam!’ Sakura thought cheerfully, wondering if she’d accomplished anything aside from spreading herself thin. Her shadow clone trick was helping and her constant use of chakra and meditation was improving her reserves but it was painfully slow going.

‘I need to find a way to artificially get stronger. Orochimaru was the strongest of the Sannin despite being a nobody.’ Sakura knew that her life would not be easy. This was ninja hell and even being a hardened survivor of poverty, bigotry and violence wouldn’t be enough. To survive a world were humans could reshape the landscape as they fought, without nuclear weapons, meant becoming an equally absurd existence. There simply wasn’t a choice, she had to get stronger or she would die.

“You’re on time, good,” Nezumi’s toneless greeting pulled Sakura from her musings and she gave the man a nod. “Your examination will take two weeks. We will cover every skill an ANBU might need, first we are starting with stamina.” Nezumi stated before motioning for her to follow then taking off without another word.

‘Well that’s abrupt.’ Sakura thought, sealing away her weights and following behind the likely Root shinobi. They moved through the city before heading through a gate she wasn’t aware of, not stopping to check themselves out. ‘Okay, this isn’t suspicious at all but Tsunade said it checked out so…’ Sakura thought to herself, following the shinobi through the countryside and noticing he was slowly increasing the pace.

‘I’m going to have to ration my chakra very carefully.’ Sakura realized, doing her best to minimize exertion and keep up with Nezumi as they ran across Hi. Sweat poured down her neck and her pink hair was plastered to her forehead when they finally came to a halt. The sun was thoroughly up by now as they’d run all night and well into the following day. Sakura’s muscles ached and she was dehydrated despite constant sips from her canteen.

“Your physical stamina is poor.” Nezumi informed her without preamble. “Now, taijutsu.”

‘Fuck,’ Sakura ducked under the sudden punch, tapping her forehead against Nezumi and unleashing a burst of focused chakra. It wasn’t nearly as powerful as she could manage from her palms or feet but it still sent him staggering backwards long enough to store her canteen and get up her guard.

The following fight was completely lopsided as Nezumi tore Sakura apart. The man was winded from the run, but nowhere near Sakura’s utter exhaustion and chakra depletion. She ducked and parried, attaching chakra strings occasionally to forcibly pull him into punches but she lacked the strength and chakra to make them count and even with the advantage chakra strings provided, she still rarely hit.

The fight ended suddenly and violently as Nezumi accelerated, attacking her at much higher speeds than he had initially. Sakura carefully channeled chakra into her muscles and eyes to keep up but was quickly beaten senseless and knocked to the dirt.

“Your taijutsu is poor.” Nezumi stated mechanically before tossing her a pouch. “Food and water. Make camp, you will be graded.” Sakura had no idea how shinobi made camp and quickly looked to the sky and sniffed the air, searching for signs of rain. Finding none, she quickly set a few tripwire traps around them before putting up the false surroundings genjutsu and anchoring it with a seal so she wouldn’t drain her chakra any further. “Rudimentary, to be expected.”

‘No argument there, I’m not exactly used to sleeping outdoors.’ Sakura thought, eating her food slowly and wondering if they were actually going to sleep despite it being mid day. She was exhausted enough that she knew she’d sleep like a log but that wouldn’t be good for keeping a sane sleep schedule.

“Are we sleeping?” Sakura asked and Nezumi looked at her silently for several seconds.

“You may sleep.” Nezumi replied and Sakura just knew there was going to be tests involved.

‘Probably something insane like awareness while sleeping.’ Sakura thought, tucking herself into a sleeping bag in the shade and conking out.

Sakura did not wake up slowly but rather all at once as she felt chakra latch onto her and saw a terrifyingly familiar sight. A red sky spread overhead and black land surrounded her. She pulsed her chakra immediately, falling into a panic attack and watched the genjutsu shatter. Something within her mind shifted, distant thoughts nearly reached her but they felt muffled, deadened and muted. What did reach her was an all consuming wrath that demanded for her to rend flesh, crack bones and drink deeply of spilled blood.

Sakura shot out of her sleeping bag with a roar, ignoring her exhausted body and immediately falling upon the person whose chakra matched the genjutsu signature. The sky overhead was dark with stars twinkling across it as her first blow missed. Still Sakura didn’t relent, whipping a barrage of explosive tagged shuriken towards the mouse masked bastard who she need to kill. The explosions rocked the forest and Sakura’s teeth chattered with excitement as she followed the nin’s chakra, hunting him with murderous glee.

Sakura cycled her chakra through her muscles in the same patterns she’d seen in countless body flickers and shot forward, heedless of the danger. She immediately overshot her target and skid through a patch of bushes but it didn’t matter, she had her opponent’s back and she threw a barrage of shuriken at it. Nezumi jumped over the wall of flying steel and kicked off a tree, rocketing towards her and engaging her with his tanto.

Deranged laughter ripped from Sakura’s mouth as she ran through a quick set of hand seals before spewing out a ball of fire straight at Nezumi who was forced to substitute. Sakura took a step to follow the nin and staggered, realizing she was nearing chakra depletion and immediately used another kai, making sure she wasn’t still trapped in a genjutsu.

With exhaustion, came calm and Sakura eyed Nezumi who was watching her from the branches of one of Hi’s massive trees. The ANBU dropped down and sheathed his tanto, walking over and coming to a stop just out of her reach.

“Sleep awareness, poor. Ability to break genjutsu, acceptable. Reaction to trauma triggers, acceptable. Over all combat ability while exposed to trauma, acceptable. Lack of situational awareness after exposure to trauma, unacceptable.” Nezumi rattled off the list of what he’d been testing and Sakura slowly caught her breath, ripping open a ration bar and devouring it. “Follow.”

With that they broke into another run that had to cover at least half the country as the night bled away and the sun quickly dawned. Once again, Sakura was barely standing and nearly fell from the trees several times as they moved, however she kept up as best she could.

“Do you ever need to sleep or rest?” Sakura asked in between gasps of air when Nezumi finally let her set up camp once more.

“Only when injured or suffering chakra exhaustion.” Nezumi replied and Sakura forced water down her throat despite the nausea clawing at her insides.

“That’d be nice,” Sakura mused, not getting a response as she unrolled her sleeping bag and settled in. She fell asleep quickly enough, though she slept poorly. When morning came, Nezumi continued to put her through the ringer, testing ninjutsu, genjutsu, chakra control and how she handled stress. He forced her to run every night until her muscles screamed and she was forced to use her chakra just to sooth the pain, running it through her limbs in the way Hiruzen had taught her and helping them heal as she slept.

After a full week of hell, Nezumi changed tactics and they ended up in a city where Sakura had to pass as a civilian for the full week and survive. It didn’t take long for her to find her way to the city’s red light district and charm her way into waiting tables at a seedier restaurant that would actually hire an unaccompanied minor. The place was bustling and the clients didn’t seem aware of the concept of keeping their hands to themselves but Sakura survived, putting on a false facade of embarrassed nervousness and shyly ducking away from people as they tried to grab her.

She could have played it differently, thrown punches or even acted as if she invited it, but she didn’t want to draw attention, didn’t want to appear memorable and simply slipped out of the city when the week ended. Meeting up with Nezumi on the road, she was once again pressed into a grueling endurance race before being given her performance review, which was acceptable in social interactions.

The last day was spent being quizzed and tested as they ran. Sakura was forced to talk and run simultaneously which rapidly ate into her stamina but she did her best. Her answers went over well and when they finally dropped back into the village, Nezumi had only one last task for her, break pursuit and then hide. It was realistic, since she was exhausted mentally and physically but between her sensing, perfect chakra control and careful application of false surroundings and seals, she eventually broke contact with Nezumi and hid as he searched for her.

‘Please tell me I did well.’ Sakura thought, keeping her chakra muted to the same level as the air around her. It was difficult, forcing her to concentrate constantly but she either succeeded or Nezumi simply ran out of time as the ANBU broke off and left. ‘Okay, let’s wait an hour just to be sure then head home.’ Sakura thought, doing exactly that before collapsing into her apartment, sore everywhere and exhausted. She didn’t even make it to her bed before collapsing and promptly fell asleep on the floor.

Chapter Text

Chapter 26

Team 7 was never meant to last. Naruto was Konohagakure’s only jinchuriki and could fight on a scale that none of his teammates were expected to even survive at. He was the heir to Uzushiogakure and Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage. Uchiha Sasuke was the last officially loyal Uchiha, but he was broken and traumatized, slated for a relatively safe career while being trained up so he could kill his brother then retire and sire an entire clan back into existence.

Hatake Kakashi was not the last of his clan but he was the last within Konoha’s walls. The rest lived in Hi, holding to their old traditions of raising wolves, farming the land and communing with their chakra. They weren’t ninja and weren’t quite samurai, though they were often called upon by the shogun to during times of war as they certainly weren’t peasants and thus owed him their fealty. Last and certainly least was Haruno Sakura, a place holder who no one important would miss or vouch for. The girl was irrelevant and that was why she was there, so when the team collapsed, no clan or important relative would be offended.

Still, the way Team 7 collapsed was not in the way anyone, save Sakura, expected. It started the day the team was made, but things didn’t truly start to come apart until Orochimaru appeared before them. She’d been powerless to stop him and was still powerless as she felt four distinctive chakra signatures making their way into the Uchiha district. Despite just coming off another long day of training, Sakura immediately took action, jumping to the rooftops and ignoring how the cool early spring air of Hi no Kuni left her shivering as she flared her chakra desperately, trying to draw an ANBU patrol’s attention.

“What’s the situation?” A dull voice asked as an ANBU landed beside her.

“Four unknown chakra signatures just entered the Uchiha District. I can feel something like a genjutsu in the area covering up noise.” Sakura replied quickly, making sure to keep out of the ANBU’s reach and continuing to flare for help. ‘He’s familiar,’ she noted and immediately jerked away from the ANBU, throwing a genjutsu at him, substituting with a trashcan and smothering her chakra.

“Clever as ever, Sakura-chan.” She knew that voice, but still couldn’t place it. Her mind, battered by Tsukoyomi couldn’t quite recall everyone and everything from before with nearly the clarity she was used to but she knew that voice meant danger.

‘Smother your chakra, lay some explosive tags to get attention, ANBU will show up.’ Sakura quickly wove through the alley, able to sense her pursuer following her at a distance. ‘He doesn’t quite know where I am.’ The realization was both a relief and drove her to move even faster as she created a shadow clone with barely any chakra in it. The spike created when she cast it immediately drew her pursuer but she was already sprinting in the other direction as the clone threw the kunai skyward.

Sakura got a flash of memories as the clone’s tags exploded high overhead. A blood stained ANBU mask, slightly visible white gray hair and a hand glowing with medical chakra that brought death. ‘Kabuto,’ a wave of despair added fuel to her retreat as she headed for the Hokage tower, which was guarded round the clock. Her explosive tag had drawn attention, going off high above whatever genjutsu had been layered to intercept the city’s patrols.

‘He’s breaking off pursuit,’ Sakura realized as the city’s sirens came to life and she touched down in front of the Hokage tower. The guards immediately surrounded her and she raised her hands, rattling off her ID.

“Four unknowns entered the Uchiha district, a traitor, Yakushi Kabuto tried to kill me when I called for help. The explosion was my attempt at raising the alarm when pulsing my chakra failed.” Sakura explained and felt Tsunade’s chakra approaching rapidly. The woman landed without a sound, golden eyes sweeping over the group.

“Situation!” The hokage barked and Sakura quickly repeated what she’d just said. “Alright, come with me, we’re going to check on your teammate.” Tsunade ordered and immediately began moving across the city with her ANBU escorts. The group arrived in the Uchiha district quickly and found Sasuke beaten unconscious on the ground, no sign of his assailants anywhere in sight. “Dammit! This has Orochimaru written all over it. Haruno, good work noticing.”

Tsunade knelt down and checked over the boy before scooping him up and leading the way to the hospital while giving out orders. The whole city was buzzing with activity now as the patrols searched for the infiltrators. Of course, they found nothing and Sakura ended up returning home worried and fearing that Sasuke would in fact leave. Of course she didn’t voice her concerns, she knew if the boy did try to flee, Danzo would ensure he made it out of the gates.

‘Fuck that one eyed dinosaur.’ She thought bitterly, claiming what little sleep she could.

The next morning found the girl in the hospital, knocking on Sasuke’s door. She could feel his chakra inside and when he didn’t answer she simply pushed the door open to reveal the Uchiha sitting in bed, staring a hole into his sheets. ‘He looks furious,’ Sakura observed silently, walking in and stopping out of reach of the Uchiha.

“Hey,” Sakura greeted and the boy’s eyes snapped to her then narrowed.

“Sakura, when were you going to tell us?” Sasuke asked and Sakura tilted her head.

“Tell you what Sasuke?” Sakura asked, not too sure what had set him off. ‘With Sasuke it really could be anything.’

“That you made chunin? That you’re officially the apprentice of one of the Sannin? That you’re leaving Team 7.” Sasuke asked and Sakura knew from the look in his eyes that this wasn’t an argument she could win. Sasuke’s mind was made, he was furious, on the war path even. There was no way she could break through to him.

“I haven’t even been cleared for missions yet Sasuke and as for leaving Team 7, the only person who wants me off the team is Kakashi.” Sakura kept her voice calm and knew that he wasn’t even hearing her words. Sasuke’s face scrunched up in a furious scowl and she could see the damaged boy screaming out within him. He was terrified and lashing out because he was scared. He didn’t know how to handle anything going on in his life and there was far too much pressure on his shoulders.

“Fight me,” Sasuke growled and Sakura tensed, ready to dodge at a moment’s notice.

“No, you’re a comrade, I won’t fight you.” Sakura replied and Sasuke snorted and waved her off.

“Then leave, you’re annoying.” He growled angrily and Sakura left without another word, quickly making her way to the Hokage tower for her day’s training.

“You look upset,” Tsunade noted as Sakura walked in and Sakura shrugged, getting to work on healing her fish. She was making progress, but it was difficult work. Currently she could get the skin to heal but the muscle and fine bones of the fish were another story.

“Sasuke needs help that I don’t think he’ll get.” Sakura replied, hoping that Tsunade would do something.

“I’ve brought it up with the council however they’re insistent we keep him active. Stubborn old bats think Konoha will look weak if we take him off duty.” Tsunade growled and Sakura knew that Danzo was behind that particular line of reasoning.

‘Stubborn fools, they’re going to lose him and look far weaker for it.’ Sakura knew how this song and dance would go so she gave Tsunade an unamused look then got to work.

“I agree brat, now heal that fish so you can get to studying, you took enough time off running around the countryside playing spook.” Tsunade growled and settled in for another day of day drinking while her clone did all the work.

‘What day is he going to flee?’ Sakura wondered, though in truth she knew the answer. Sasuke would leave the moment the village’s security returned to normal. ‘So in a week.’ She glanced at Tsunade and let out a tired sigh.

“You think he’s going to take Orochimaru’s offer.” Tsunade stated and Sakura hummed in agreement. “I’ve got him under ANBU watch, he won’t be leaving unless he gets help from inside the village.”

“That’s what I’m worried about, Kabuto was a spy, he must have contacts still.” Sakura replied and Tsunade groaned, knowing she didn’t have an answer for her apprentice’s concerns.

***

A week later, as predicted Sakura felt Sasuke’s chakra heading towards the city’s gate. She could feel him traveling with five familiar chakras, the four she’d felt previously and Kabuto. ‘This isn’t something a squad of genin can handle but…’ Sakura grit her teeth and made her way to the Hokage.

The tower was quiet and Sakura could feel Tsunade’s chakra inside of it. The woman felt asleep and Sakura knew that waking her up would only piss her off but she really couldn’t bring herself to care right now. ‘You know I could say, it all goes downhill from here but honestly, it began downhill.’ Sakura thought, wondering if Naruto or Sasuke appreciated what they had before they lost it. ‘I wonder if they even noticed they had something.’ Sakura thought, opening the door to the Kage’s office to find Shizune sleeping in her chair and Tsunade sprawled out across a couch.

“Shisho or Shizune-senpai, either of you awake?” Sakura asked and Shizune blinked, eyes focusing on the rosette.

“What is it Sakura-chan?” Shizune asked sleepily and Sakura wondered if Tsunade knew just how precious the woman was. Shizune was a national treasure and Sakura hoped she was appreciated as such.

“Sasuke is currently being abducted from the village. The four who attacked him previously and the traitor are with him, I only noticed them because Sasuke cannot mute his chakra to save his life.” Sakura would not have noticed the sound four and Kabuto if they weren’t surrounding Sasuke and escorting him out of the village but they were and so she could.

“What?!” Shizune shrieked, startling Tsunade awake.

“Wha? What did you do this time brat?” Tsunade grumbled, not even half coherent.

“Orochimaru is stealing our Uchiha.” Sakura replied, watching as the words entered Tsunade’s brain, rattled around a bit before clicking into place.

“Excuse him?!” Tsunade roared and signaled for her ANBU guards. “What teams are available right now?” Tsunade demanded and Sakura held her breath.

“None, they’re all deployed to the boarders at the moment. The only ANBU in the village is still marked as a recruit.” A man with a bird mask and an empty voice replied.

“Fuck, he timed this. Bastard has to have informants.” Tsunade’s anger was a physical force as her chakra roiled through her body and spilled into the air around her. “Sakura you’re still exhausted, don’t bother denying it. You’re not going into combat like that. Fuck they really planned this, Shizune, go wake up Naruto and Shikamaru.” Tsunade ordered and Sakura felt her heart sink.

‘I’m going to get sidelined.’ She felt the dread mounting as the two boys arrived, dazed and sleepy but with full chakra reserves unlike Sakura who was running on fumes from long hours of training and studying.

“What’s going on Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked, stifling a yawn and blinking the sleep from his eyes.

“Orochimaru has kidnapped Uchiha Sasuke.” Tsunade replied and the two boys immediately became serious, though it was obvious they were still exhausted. “Go gather up a team to recover him. This is an A rank mission and you will see combat so take people you can rely on in a fight.”

“Troublesome.” Shikamaru sighed, yawning into his hand and blinking away tears. “Naruto, go get Team 8 and Team Gai, I’ll get Chouji. Ino’s not really up for this kind of mission.” Shikamaru grumbled and Sakura watched him leave, never once looking at her.

“Sakura-chan, are you coming? It’s going to be dangerous ‘ttebayo.” Naruto still saw her as defenseless, which was both annoying and understandable. She’d only shown him one decent fight and that was during an exam, however it was also insulting.

‘He’s twelve, just ignore it.’ “I’m unable to go, for now at least.” Sakura replied and some tension left Naruto’s shoulders as he grinned at her.

“We’ll get Sasuke-teme back dattebayo! So just sit tight!” Naruto exclaimed and with a determined look, left the office.

“I wish I knew how to heal humans.” Sakura grumbled, having only managed to heal the fish this morning.

“Keeping them alive until proper medics can take over is good enough. You’ll follow them when you’re rested up.” Tsunade said softly, appearing at Sakura’s side without a sound. The woman’s hand was already glowing with gentle chakra and she put it on Sakura’s forehead before she could react. “Sleep for now.” Tsunade whispered and Sakura crumpled, unconscious, into her arms.

“She’s a good kid, even if she doesn’t act like a kid.” Shizune said softly as Tsunade laid Sakura down to rest on the couch in her office.

“She’s a kid doing her best to be an adult because all the adults around her have failed her and her team.” Tsunade replied, silently furious with her former teammate. “Shizune, get ready to head out, you’ll be going with Sakura to retrieve the wounded.”

“Of course, Hokage-sama.” Shizune nodded and immediately left to get some sleep before she’d be heading into combat. Tsunade looked back at Sakura’s sleeping form and just hoped she wouldn’t be sending her out to pick up the bodies of her year mates.

***

Sakura raced through the forests beyond Konoha’s walls, jade eyes narrowed in concentration as she ran. Nearby, Shizune and several medics followed, sprinting to catch up with the genin and Suna nin sent on a mission far too dangerous for them. Sakura’s feet hit the dirt near Chouji’s motionless form, her eyes sweeping over him, taking in the elevated pulse and distressingly low blood pressure. His cheeks were flushed and his body was terrifyingly thin.

“Three color pills.” Shizune murmured and pulled an antidote from her pouch. “Hold him,” she ordered and Sakura immediately shifted to support Chouji’s head. Shizune used a burst of chakra to force the pill down and then left Chouji in the hands of one of the medic-nin who pulled the kid onto his back and immediately left for Konoha.

The rescue team began moving the moment Chouji had been seen to and Sakura forced herself to keep up with the medics. They weren’t nearly as fast as the ANBU but she was exhausted and her muscles were trembling even with the careful flow of chakra she was sending them.

“You alright?” Shizune asked and Sakura nodded.

“Just realizing again that we send children into battle.” Sakura’s truthful thoughts slipped out, her filter failing because of how tired she was.

“Tsunade-sama will do what she can.” Shizune’s reply was a token apology. They both knew Tsunade wouldn’t be able to significantly change how the village operated. It was tradition at this point, the original goals of Hashirama and Madara long ago forgotten and washed away by Tobirama and Hiruzen’s warmongering.

‘Focus on moving.’ Sakura reminded herself and doubled down on her chakra control. Every step was guided as perfectly as possible. Her jumps were precise things, boosted by the chakra reflected back at her by the trees until she was hardly using anything. Soon enough, Sakura fell into moving meditation, her mind relaxing as she went through the motions, eyes scanning for her next target, legs pushing her through the air, chakra cycling through different speeds and distributions to maximize efficiency.

“We got another one!” A medic with Inuzuka markings called out, his wolf diverting them to a ruined section of forest. Sakura could feel Neji’s chakra, weak and dying but present. She dropped down beside the boy and flinched when she saw the hole drilled clean through him. How he was still alive with such a wound was beyond her but somehow he was clinging on. “We need a stasis seal!”

“I got one!” Sakura called out, pressing the seal to the boy’s head and sending a spark of chakra into it, kick starting the process that brought it online. Nature chakra flowed into the ink a moment later, slowing the decay of cells and the flow of blood within Neji’s body. It wasn’t a perfect stasis, but it was hopefully enough to get him to the operating table. One of the medics picked the boy up and bolted, leaving the rest to continue on.

Chakra ahead, weak but mobile had Sakura’s hands dipping into her holsters.

“We’ve got incoming.” Sakura said softly, still ignorant of the hand signs used by Konoha’s forces. Shizune’s eyes narrowed into a glare, senbon slotting between her fingers. Kankuro burst from the trees, Kiba on his back.

“He’s wounded badly, the enemy had a parasitic jutsu that targeted his cells and organs.” Kankuro said quickly and the second to last medic beside Shizune immediately joined the puppeteer, healing the Inuzuka as they ran.

“Eat this,” Shizune tossed Sakura a chakra pill and she caught it from the air, crushing it in her mouth and forcing the grit down. The rush of energy left her teeth chattering but the flood of chakra was a welcome relief. “It’ll lower your control slightly, which is why medics don’t usually use them.”

“I’ll remember that.” Sakura promised, “Shikamaru’s up ahead.” She added, sensing Shikamaru’s chakra alongside Temari. The two had clearly seen combat but other then severe chakra exhaustion, Shikamaru was otherwise unharmed.

“Keep moving,” Shizune ordered, refusing to stop to look over the boy who was still capable of walking on his own. Sakura put on an extra burst of speed now that she had chakra and the team picked up the pace, reaching a sea of grass and a forest of bone. Gaara and Rock Lee were just touching down nearby and the smell of blood and decay were thick in the air.

“He’s bleeding,” Gaara stated calmly, looking at Lee whose jumpsuit was absolutely shredded. The taijutsu specialist was bleeding freely from a dozen cuts and the Inuzuka medic exchanged a look with Shizune.

“Sakura can you sense your teammates?” Shizune asked and Sakura closed her eyes, forcing her anxiety back. Sasuke and Naruto were her kids, her children to watch over and look after. She was the adult and she was too weak to do anything.

‘Come on, come on.’ Sakura tried to crush the anxiety down and detach but the soldier pill was making that hard. Her whole body was filled with jittery energy, amplifying her nerves but somehow, she caught onto the spark of Naruto’s chakra.

“Got it!” Sakura called out and Shizune nodded. The other medic immediately began treating Rock Lee as Sakura and Shizune bolted, flying across the bone covered plains towards her team.

Wind rushed through Sakura’s hair as she closed in on the Valley of the End. Her stomach was twisting on itself and wrongness was gnawing at her bones. ‘What am I forgetting?’ Sakura thought, sensing a subtle shift in the chakra around her. A full force kai ripped through her system, shattering the genjutsu before it could take and Sakura realized what she’d overlooked.

“Kabuto!” Sakura shouted and Shizune reacted immediately, senbon leaving her fingers and racing towards the white haired medic. The spy dodged through the barrage and smirked, his glasses catching the light as he came to rest on a tree branch ahead of them. The ground here was rocky, with trees growing in whatever patches of dirt they could find. Ahead Sakura could see the cloud rising from the falls, creating a perpetual rainbow that hung over the valley. The roar of water was constant, yet distant, a reminder that her team were still waiting for her.

“Well, I should have known you’d cause trouble.” Kabuto’s voice was amused and he looked over at Shizune. “Though, perhaps not all that much trouble.”

“We’re the tip of the spear,” Sakura answered smoothly, hiding her unease and putting on a smirk. Her nerves were easily ignored, years of trauma and months of working in a brothel allowing her to put on a confident mask without even a moment’s hesitation. “And when Hatake gets here? You’re going to die.”

“Not Kakashi-sensei?” Kabuto asked, his voice teasing but his chakra tightening down and nearly fading from Sakura’s awareness. She could just barely feel it now, a chilling void pressing against the chakra of the world itself. Chakra cycled through Kabuto’s body and Sakura knew he would be gunning for her. Her fingers came together, rushing through the seals for the replacement jutsu and finishing just as Kabuto appeared before her, his palm glowing.

Sakura felt the yank of the substitution as it pulled her to safety and landed where a large stone had been. Kabuto’s hand struck the boulder, which split in half with a sharp crack. The white haired medic turned his eyes on Sakura as Shizune launched another barrage of senbon then rushed in from the side, even though she was outmatched. Kabuto turned to meet her as Sakura pulled out a pair of kunai and launched them, the knives aimed straight at his ankles.

Kabuto twisted out of the way, jumping over the wire strung between the two knives and then flickering into a nearby tree. He swept his eyes over the two kunoichi then launched himself at Shizune who cursed and retreated.

“Get to Sasuke! I’ll hold him off!” Shizune ordered, well aware that she couldn’t protect Sakura and fight Kabuto. The rosette nodded, filling herself with chakra and jumping over the edge of the cliff, running down the vertical wall and silencing the part of her mind that was screaming at her, still unused to her shinobi mobility. Behind her, Kabuto crossed over her two kunai and a pulse of chakra had an explosion blooming beneath him. Sakura felt Shizune’s spirit rally while Kabuto’s chakra began to cycle as if he was healing himself.

‘I bet you burned him real good. How much do you think it hurt?’ The question went ignored as Sakura landed on the river and spotted a pair of figures ahead of her. One standing, the other floating in the current. Crimson eyes met her gaze and Sakura knew how this would end.

Chapter Text

Chapter 27

Static filled Sakura’s ears as she looked into the crimson irises before her. Her vision was starting to flicker, flashing lights and black splotches making it hard to see while thunder rolled through her mind. There wasn’t enough air in the world to satisfy Sakura’s craving for oxygen and her legs trembled, while her sandals slowly sank beneath the surface of the river.

‘That’s it, drown in your fear! Unleash me! Let me free!’ A voice roared, each word thick with frothing saliva and ravenous glee. Sakura’s vision went black, her eyes squeezing shut and her ears ringing angrily.

“What are you doing here?” Sasuke’s voice was furious, but his chakra was a mix of guilt and terror. A splash marked the boy taking a step forward and Sakura strangled a sob, though some of the noise still escaped her. “Sakura?”

“Sh-sharingan.” Sakura rasped, her arms cradling herself and the need to attack boiling over. She felt helpless, the phantom caress of blades sinking through flesh causing her mind to drift while her thoughts unraveled. “Can I at least ask why?” The words were a challenge to force out but somehow she managed.

“I need power, I-” Sasuke began but his voice wavered and his chakra made it clear he didn’t believe a word of what he was saying. He was confused, terrified and utterly lost. He was a thirteen year old boy, coerced by a predator and sold by his own village even if he didn’t know it.

“Don’t lie to me Sasuke, you’re better than that.” Sakura couldn’t open her eyes. Her fears had never ruled her like this before but Tsukoyomi, even only half remembered had left scars she couldn’t overcome, not yet at least. “Please. I want to understand.”

“Konoha can’t-” Sasuke began, choking on his words. “He can get to you or Naruto whenever he wants. Orochimaru could go after you or Naruto if I stay. I have to leave.” This was not the Sasuke from a children’s cartoon. This was a terrified thirteen year old boy, desperately trying to find a solution to a problem with no good answers because he was right. Konoha couldn’t protect her or Naruto from Uchiha Itachi or Orochimaru. “If I don’t…”

“I can’t stop you. I can’t even see you.” Sakura could feel Sasuke before her. She knew exactly where he was and could almost see him. There was a silhouette of surprisingly gentle power just ahead of her. She could see the ripples of chakra leaving his feet, pushing against the water in a steady outward flow. Nearby, Naruto drifted, face up and chakra sluggish. The wisps of the kyubi’s power lingered, tendrils of crimson that clung to the world around them. It wasn’t sight, but somehow the image painted by the chakra around her was beautiful in a tragic way. Emotions colored the energy, thoughts just beyond her ability to sense swirling around her, while nature flowed past and through them. “But promise me you won’t let Orochimaru win. Do not let him steal your body, learn what you can, grow as strong as possible, take every advantage you can get and then come back to us. Please.”

“You don’t want me to stay?” Sasuke asked, almost desperately and Sakura forced herself to walk forward. Step by step she closed the gap between them and despite the shaking in her hands pulled Sasuke into a hug. She cradled his head between her shoulder and neck and let him feel the tears running down her cheeks. She had utterly failed to save him, to stop this from happening and it burned at her.

“I want you to stay but I can’t force you. You’re my friend Sasuke. I only know a hand full of people, I can’t remember anything from before but you and Naruto are mine. You’re family.” Sakura felt the boy tense and then lean into her hold.

Sakura wasn’t attracted to him, he was far too young for her but she cared for him fiercely. Sasuke was a broken, traumatized child who needed love and protection but his village only saw him as a commodity. It was just another reminder that this wasn’t a fun adventure, this world was Hell, the Shinobi World, a brutal place where children died to satisfy the greed of the ruling elite. Where peace didn’t mean safety or even a reduction in deaths, just the absence of large scale battles. There was no kindness in this world, at least not from those in power.

“I-” Sasuke began and his hands raised only to freeze in place. She could feel him wavering and then he finally returned the embrace. “Thank you.” Sakura felt the blow, her thoughts cutting out without warning as he gently carried her to the shoreline and laid her down on the bank. “Kabuto!” Sasuke shouted, watching the wounded medic try to finish off the Konoha nin that had come with Sakura. The spy frowned but retreated, landing beside Sasuke as the kunoichi stepped out of the trees, battered but still standing. “Take them back to Konoha. I’m leaving.”

“Fine,” Shizune spat the word and didn’t bother engaging as Sasuke and Kabuto left, running out of the valley and leaving his team behind.

***

Sakura couldn’t truly describe the sensation of chakra moving through her body. It was a new sense to her and thus trying to explain what it felt like was akin to describing color or sound. There was no way to do it without self referencing. She was also very sensitive to it. Channeling chakra through her body felt like static or perhaps ants rushing through her coils. It was maddening, like being aware of the flow of your own blood, but it did come with benefits. Perfect control, awareness of nature chakra and the ability to tell exactly when someone else’s chakra entered her system, which was why Sakura’s eyes snapped open the moment Tsunade’s hand pressed against her forehead and began to heal away her concussion.

“Welcome back,” the sheer amount of exhaustion packed into those two words was gut wrenching. Tsunade had bags under her eyes, her usually healthy glow was lost, her complexion ashen and her tightly controlled chakra presence dimmed to reflect her nearly emptied reserves.

“Did anyone die on our side?” Sakura asked and Tsunade let out a sigh and brushed Sakura’s pink bangs out of her face.

“No, nobody died. A few of the genin will need to be sidelined for a month of recovery but…” Tsunade trailed off and Sakura understood the woman’s unspoken words. Things could have gone much worse. They’d sent genin up against some of Orochimaru’s elite and it was only because of luck that they hadn’t all died. “I heard you caught up to him.”

“I tried to bring him back, to talk him down but the moment I saw his sharingan I locked up.” Sakura admitted and Tsunade nodded in understanding. Such a reaction was expected, especially when emotions were running as high as they had been. “I still managed to talk, but he refused to stay. He knocked me out.”

“I am aware,” Tsunade’s tone was decidedly unimpressed and Sakura fell quiet for several long moment. Her hands gripped her comforter and a sense of hopeless inadequacy ate away at her.

“I need to get stronger and get over what Itachi did.” Sakura said after a brief pause and Tsunade let out a breath. “I’m trying to learn Fuinjutsu you know.”

“I’m aware.” Tsunade repeated and Sakura grit her teeth because she couldn’t quite bring herself to ask. “Arashi Gin has never been a shinobi of Konoha so I am unsure exactly how skilled he is.” Tsunade’s chakra twisted slightly and Sakura glanced at the woman, not bothering to try and hide from her searching look. “When he’s taught you as much as he’s willing, let me know.”

“Alright,” Sakura agreed and then closed her eyes, resting them as she tried to gather her emotions and failed. Tears rolled down the sides of her head into her hair and she grit her teeth as she strangled a sob. “I tried shishou, I really tried. Since I woke up in the hospital, all I’ve known was my team and really just Sasuke and Naruto. They’re mine and now…” Sakura had latched onto the two boys without even realizing it and now that Sasuke was gone, she felt like a hole had been carved into her heart.

It took several moments for Sakura to grip her sadness, pain and misery then force it away. She let it go, shivering as a wave of cold rippled over her body, leaving goosebumps in its wake. She detached as much as she could, dissociating until she felt numb and perhaps not calm but at least not in immediate danger of tears.

“I’m sorry, you’ve already had a terrible day, you don’t need me adding to it.” Sakura said softly, opening her eyes and looking at Tsunade who was watching her with obvious sympathy. The blond woman shook her head and offered a thin smile.

“I get it, I really do.” Tsunade said and then raised her hand to Sakura’s forehead. Hesitation briefly made itself apparent on Tsunade’s face and the woman’s hand lit up with chakra before she pressed it to Sakura’s skin. “I have a mission for you, possibly. It’s a SSS rank and if you want to turn it down, nothing will happen. I won’t hold it against you and that will be that.” The words resonated through Sakura’s mind and she could feel Tsunade’s chakra within her, coiling around her brain.

“I’m not refusing but I am very much not qualified for such a mission.” Sakura thought back and Tsunade’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Quite the contrary, your perhaps the only one qualified.” Tsunade’s reply was carried through her chakra, the entire conversation taking place without a single word exchanged. “There is an organization in Konoha that should have been shut down but I have reason to believe is still operating. You’re already on their radar because of your condition and behavior. Your proximity to me also make you a prime target, since you don’t understand what is and isn’t normal.”

“Do I need to make up my mind before you ask?” Sakura sent the thought to Tsunade who answered with pure intent, yes she would. “Then can you tell me if I do this, will I help people? Could it help Naruto and Sasuke?”

“It might, there are some things I need confirmed but the training will certainly help with your emotional issues.” Tsunade answered and Sakura let her agreement fill her chakra. She’d failed the two boys enough already. She’d withdrawn after the chunin exams and just hadn’t been there for them often enough. She’d left them alone in the mornings when she could have been teaching them or training with them. Sakura could have been a bigger presence in their lives but she’d been overwhelmed by her death and rebirth within Ninja Hell.

“There is an organization in Konohagakure called Root. It was founded during the second war to handle black ops even more sensitive than what ANBU usually oversaw. They committed countless crimes in the name of national security and following the Uchiha Massacre were disbanded, so,” Tsunade looked at Sakura, her amber eyes alive with righteous anger. Sakura sent her understanding across their connection and Tsunade’s regret and guilt briefly leaked into the woman’s chakra before it was yanked away. “I suspect the organization is not only still active but still powerful within Konoha. If it is, they have been disobeying a command from the Hokage for years and are an existential threat to the village.”

“Civil war,” Sakura thought, careful to keep her lips from mirroring the words. Danzo was a genuine threat to all who called the Elemental Nations home. He wasn’t just a caricature of nationalism, he was a man who tortured children. He was a monster who kidnapped the vulnerable, orphans, promising civilians, sometimes even clan children. He was a plague upon Konoha, eating away at the village and poisoning Hashirama and Madara’s dream with every breath he took. “How could I help with that?”

“You’re the ideal recruit. A prodigy who is young enough to adapt, no memories of your past, a perfect blank slate and just old enough to be easy to train.” Tsunade’s face was grim and Sakura knew she wasn’t being approached for no reason. Danzo already had an interest in her, Tsunade was merely capitalizing on that fact. The Hokage wasn’t putting her in danger, she was giving Sakura the chance to escape or use her situation to prevent further tragedies.

“I failed Sasuke and Naruto, I won’t fail them again. I’m not blind Tsunade-shishou, you think Danzo had something to do with the Massacre. That alone is enough to get me to agree.” Sakura carefully let her emotions, guilt, responsibility, determination and anger flow through the chakra that bound them. Tsunade’s blank mask cracked and a proud but pained smile briefly showed through before it was replaced once again by the stern visage of a Hokage sending a shinobi to war.

“Very well, now for this mission I’m going to have to seal your memories of this conversation until Danzo trusts you.” Tsunade knew she was taking a risk and Sakura could recognize that fact. She was young and untested. Her loyalty wasn’t a sure thing and she’d be going through whatever brainwashing Danzo had to throw at her. She’d need to be beyond prepared for whatever was to come. “Then, when the time is right I will unseal your memories. The procedure will ensure your loyalty to me, but it won’t free you from whatever brainwashing he’s put you through. When you have gained his trust and I activate you, you will assist me in gathering information on his organization and allies so I can bring them to justice.”

“Alright but before I get sent in, I need protection against the sharingan. If Danzo was involved in the massacre, it is possible he has them and if-” Sakura’s thoughts crashed into each other and she had to pause. “I can’t face a sharingan again without certainty that I can protect myself.” The words were whispered, haunted and with their chakra linked there was nothing Sakura could do to hide her raw, soul scaring terror.

“That is a very good point.” Tsunade said softly, her eyes narrowed in contemplation before she let out a sigh. “I’ll help you develop a seal to protect yourself with. Now then, I’m going to put you under and seal this conversation away. Try to relax.” Tsunade ordered gently and Sakura let the woman’s chakra carry her under.

***

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto’s shout accompanied the slam of a door and Sakura startled awake, her hands halfway to her holster which was glaringly absent. Naruto crossed the room in the blink of an eye and gripped the railing on the side of Sakura’s hospital bed, leaning over and searching for any hint of injury. “Are you alright?”

“Just a concussion but considering my history, they wanted to keep me overnight.” Sakura answered, pulling the sheets off herself and sitting upright so she could hold a proper conversation. “How are you?”

“I’m…” Naruto hesitated and tears appeared at the corners of his eyes. He sniffled slightly and looked so painfully young. Sakura’s arm moved forward slowly, giving Naruto plenty of opportunity to pull back or swat her away as she put her hand atop his spiky blond hair. She gave him a few comforting pets, trying to ease the emotions roiling within the young boy. “I tried so hard and it wasn’t enough. I thought-”

“He was family.” Sakura said quietly and Naruto’s gaze jerked to her. “It felt like the three of us against the world.” Sakura added and carefully took Naruto’s hand in her own. “He was worried about us you know. I talked with him, I tried to get him to stay but-”

“I know, I heard from Shizune-san.” Naruto murmured, his grip tight but not painful. “He didn’t stay though, I couldn’t stop him and you couldn’t convince him.” Naruto’s voice cracked and Sakura wondered if he’d actually start to cry. The blond sniffled and wiped his face clean before putting on a fake smile. “It’ll be okay though, I’ll bring him back! I promise.”

“We’ll bring him back. You’re not alone.” Sakura said, making sure to keep her tone on the friendly side despite how serious she was. Naruto met her gaze and she let her expression harden, not enough to appear angry but enough to get her point across.

“Together then, yeah.” Naruto agreed and smiled, the expression slightly less fake but still far from genuine. Sakura offered a weak grin and then pulled herself out of bed. “What now?”

“Now we train, I’m with Tsunade and I’m guessing you’ve got a new teacher as well? Jiraiya right?” Sakura asked, spotting a uniform waiting for her on a chair. It was the standard blues with her flack jacket and Sakura gathered them up and moved to the bathroom.

“Yeah,” Naruto agreed as Sakura stepped out of the room to get dressed. “We’ll get stronger and get him back.” Naruto’s determination lit up the room as Sakura walked back in. His chakra was vast, but Sakura’s senses were starting to sharpen, allowing her to see details she’d missed amid the over stimulation her chakra sensitivity caused. There was a hesitancy within his chakra, a strange sense that he wanted to tell her something but was afraid of her reaction.

“Naruto, what is it?” Sakura asked softly and Naruto looked away, his lips pressing together briefly.

“I’m leaving Konoha.” Naruto said finally and Sakura frowned. “Not like without permission! I mean, I’m going with Jiraiya for a few years. The council don’t think it’s safe for me to be here, because of Akatsuki.” Naruto finished and Sakura took a slow breath before nodding. “You’re not mad?”

“I’ll miss you.” Sakura answered simply and considered the boy before stepping forward and pulling him into a hug. “If you need my help just ask.” Sakura let go of the boy and ruffled his hair. He was shorter than her right now and she was determined to maintain her height advantage over him, even if she had to resort to using medical jutsu to boost her growth. “And make sure you’re safe, wherever you go. I’m not strong enough yet to rescue you.”

“I’ll be safe and make sure you are too, okay Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked and Sakura gave him a nod then tilted her head towards the door.

“Ichiraku?” Sakura asked, ending the conversation before it could amplify the sudden unease that had settled on her shoulders, after all she knew she wouldn’t be safe in Konoha. She was going into ANBU and her first interview had Danzo written all over it. Hanazono was also a recruitment ground for seduction specialists, all of which worked in ANBU or perhaps even Root, not that Sakura knew that for certain but she strongly suspected it to be the case.

***

Sakura sat in her dingy apartment in front of a scroll and frowned. Her shadow clone sat across from her, reading a book with a dictionary propped up beside it just in case. It was a somewhat silly sight, the two of them both silent yet deep in thought.

‘I have the academy three, some basic fuinjutsu and…’ Sakura trailed off when she realized she actually had a decent number of techniques. ‘One jutsu of each element thanks to Hiruzen,’ Sakura listed all five jutsu on the scroll in front of her. She wasn’t good with any of them, water and earth came easiest but the rest were all doable. ‘A few genjutsu, very useful jutsu but still.’ Sakura added those to the list. ‘I can make chakra strings and I’m learning how to heal.’

Sakura glanced at her shadow clone which paused in her reading and looked up. The two blinked at each other and Sakura added the jutsu to her list. It probably wasn’t wise to summarize all she knew, but if she didn’t write it down, she might miss something while explaining her capabilities to Tsunade. Sure the woman had tested her, but Sakura hadn’t used a single elemental jutsu yet in front of her.

‘I suppose the way of the empty fist is technically nin-taijutsu.’ Sakura thought and realized she needed to start building up her poison inoculations. She hadn’t even started on that yet and it would take months if not years of effort. ‘Do I want to use poisons though?’ Sakura paused because she hadn’t really thought that through yet. War crimes weren’t really a thing in the elemental nations. Massacring a village full of civilians would get you executed if captured, except most villages would torture and then kill any captives regardless and if your own village sanctioned your actions, then the only consequences you’d face were your own emotions on the matter.

‘Don’t lie now.’ The thought sent Sakura’s blood running cold. She knew she could easily stoop to using poison. It eliminated threats more efficiently, it wasn’t a crime, it was effective and kept her safe but was that who she wanted to be? Taking the harder path wouldn’t earn her accolades or recognition, there would be no tangible rewards to it. ‘Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, Special Assassination and Tactical Squad, black ops. Your goal is to kill people.’

‘My goal is strength, to protect Naruto and save Sasuke.’ Sakura felt the eyes of her shadow clone on her. The clone had paused her reading and was wearing a worried look.

“I’m fine, just stressed. Killing people is…” Sakura knew it wouldn’t bother her, at least not when it was in self defense. Killing innocents because she’d been hired for a hit, that could be a problem. Still even knowing that, Sakura wouldn’t back down or change her stated ambitions. She wanted to be the best, needed to be the first person Tsunade thought of when the Hokage wanted a problem solved. After all with notoriety came respect and prominence that Sakura would never achieve at the hospital.

“What you signed up to do, unless you’d like to off ramp into the hospital?” Her clone’s tone was sarcastic and Sakura shook her head.

“No, that’s not acceptable. I want to be the best, I have to be with my idiot teammates.” Sakura answered and the clone leaned back, eyes going distant before she nodded in agreement. “How is the studying going?”

“Reading has gotten easier, fuinjutsu is still complicated though. That said I don’t see why we couldn’t use it to do some truly outrageous things.” The clone paused, weighing her words carefully before deciding to keep them to herself. The idea would be transferred over when she dispelled so there was no point in speaking it into existence and possibly alerting anyone eavesdropping on her. After all she wasn’t a nobody anymore, she was the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage.

“I guess I could list skills I want to develop in the near future.” Sakura said finally and looked at her list. She actually had more abilities than she’d realized, because for all the jutsu she knew, she was slower and weaker than her teammates. She had no idea how she stacked up against others her age, but she’d been judged harshly during her initial ANBU review. ‘Will Tsunade teach me the Byakugo no In?’ Sakura wondered and then paused, her eyes following the nature chakra she could feel around her.

Chakra sense wasn’t sight, but it felt like sight. It gave the world coronas that persisted even when Sakura closed her eyes. They carried emotions and the color was determined by the personality of whatever she was looking at. Natural energy wasn’t one smooth color but rather differed depending on the source. Concrete and building materials were generally a dull white, trees were a very gently green while grass and weeds were a more tenacious green yellow. Humans came in all the colors of the rainbow and beyond, each color bringing to mind sensations, smells and moments in time that best defined the individual.

‘That’s a thought,’ Sakura could feel the power around her, saturating everything. She vaguely remembered both Sasuke’s curse mark and Naruto’s ultimate mode were powered by Nature chakra but it was dangerous. ‘Nine in ten died from the curse mark and only someone with inhuman reserves can learn sage mode.’ Sakura considered that information for a moment before calling up a small amount of chakra and twisting it on the tip of her finger.

The small vortex of power drew the surrounding nature chakra into its spin, pushing against the thin energy suffusing the air. Jade eyes watched the phenomenon and Sakura spent a few minutes admiring the beauty of the world she’d found herself in. Chakra was amazing and the people in the Elemental nations really did not appreciate it nearly enough. It was a miracle, life given supernatural acknowledgment.

‘My ally is the force and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the force flow around you. Between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere. Yes, even between the land and the ship.’ Sakura let the chakra she was releasing mingle with the nature energy, watched as they blended together into something not quite natural but certainly not entirely her own and then let out a sigh. ‘Not something I’m going to be trying without a lot of safe guards.’ Sakura smiled, trying not to get too excited.

Ninja hell wasn’t Star Wars. Natural energy wasn’t The Force. They were similar though and just as you could lose yourself to the force, you could lose yourself to nature chakra. ‘How much mysticism from my world crossed over and works here? How much do I know and what is a dangerous assumption?’ Sakura knew far more than the average shinobi. She knew what was possible, what heights humanity could truly reach in this world. Madara and Hashirama had been capable of reshaping the landscape. The sage of six paths had created the moon. There existed a genjutsu that could subsume all of humanity.

‘I’m the only one who knows.’ Sakura pressed her fist to her lips, eyes on the paltry number of skills at her disposal. The number of skills weren’t the problem, it was the level of skill that left her truly wanting. She had a solid base of jutsu, but none of the reflexes to call upon them instinctively in battle. Everything she did was thought out and intentional, which meant she would always be slower than more experienced or better trained opponents.

‘Might Gai and Rock Lee would be good sparring partners and…’ Sakura looked at her weights and wondered if she’d truly done her best over the last few months. ‘I’ll never truly know the answer to that. I won’t know if I’ve succeeded until Zetsu is dead and Obito is handled.’ Sakura tapped a finger on her table and made up her mind.

‘Tsunade, the ANBU I met with Hiruzen, Arashi and Might Gai,’ Sakura paused and then modified her list. ‘Team Gai, Lee, Neji and Tenten would all be excellent sparring partners and I need friends.’ Sakura thought, well aware that Ino wasn’t likely to approach her anytime soon, not after the preliminaries. ‘I still don’t remember what happened.’ Sakura noted grimly and rolled her scroll up. She had a plan of action, a list of capabilities, Hiruzen’s schedule and now she just needed to bring it to Tsunade and see what her shishou thought.

Chapter Text

Chapter 28

A pulse of chakra caught Sakura’s attention as she pushed open the door of Arashi Gin’s store. The man himself was behind the counter and he gave Sakura a measured look, his eyes moving over her well defined muscles and hidden weights. She was strong enough now to use the weakest of the weighted seals, thanks to Tsunade’s brutal training and her own previous efforts.

‘I’ve really come a long way, haven’t I?’ Sakura thought, head moving from side to side as she took in everything the shop had to offer. Barrier seals, security seals, explosive tags, storage scrolls, medical seals, ink, scrolls and even parchment, Arashi had a lot to offer.

“What can I do for you kid?” Arashi asked and Sakura pressed her lips together, because while the man had offered to help her, she wasn’t exactly sure how far that extended.

“Well I wanted to go over what changes I’ve made to my fuinjutsu project and perhaps get your opinion on natural chakra and nature transformations through seals.” Sakura saw the man’s eyes twinkle as she finished speaking and he gave her a wide, fierce grin.

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d get to asking that. Every seal master at some point asks the question, ‘If I can power my seals with natural energy, what about myself?’” Arashi chuckled and motioned for Sakura to take a seat behind the counter. Once the girl was seated he tapped his chin and gave her a look over. “You’ve got very small reserves, they’re growing but still quite tiny.”

“Yeah, so I’ll never manage sage mode the normal way. Before you ask, my teammate is learning under Jiraiya so I’ve done some reading.” Sakura shrugged, playing off her knowledge. The man’s use of nature chakra was listed in his bingo book entry but it never hurt to provide a reasonable answer to a question before people could make assumptions. This was ninja hell after all, everyone was paranoid.

“Well fuinjutsu is certainly your answer then.” Arashi replied, shifting in his seat and narrowing his eyes. “You’re too smart to have tried anything on your own.”

“Naturally.” Sakura agreed because she was not going to mess with nature chakra without as many safe guards as possible. “I wouldn’t want to die but…”

“But it’s a readily available source of power you want to tap.” Arashi’s understanding was immediate and Sakura could tell the man was very much making calculations and weighing how much help he wanted to offer. “Figure out that full body barrier seal of yours and make sure it’s removable and adaptable. If you can manage that in…” Arashi frowned, clearly unsure of what kind of time frame he wanted to set. “A month, then I’ll help you start looking into natural chakra.”

“A month, alright, I can do that.” Sakura knew it would devour most of her free time but it was a project she would need soon enough. ANBU traveled light and saw combat on almost every mission. Tsunade had let slip the casualty rates and most ANBU retired early due to being crippled in the line of duty, if they weren’t outright killed. ANBU were the best Konoha had, but for them there was no such thing as peace time. They fought constantly and it showed in how often they came home in black seals. Having a seal that was invisible until active because it was meshed into her natural chakra network would be invaluable and Arashi’s suggestion, making it removable and adaptable gave her ideas.

“Ah, there it is. You’ve certainly got the ambition a fuinjutsu master needs to truly claim the title. Now, anything else you needed?” Arashi asked and Sakura hummed, looking over what he had on hand. She picked up another stick of ink and a few spare scrolls before placing down her items on the counter.

“This and a meeting with the shinobi who buys your weights, if that’s still an option.” Sakura said and Arashi laughed.

“Hokage ain’t enough for ya?” Arashi asked and Sakura blushed furiously. She was Tsunade’s apprentice but the woman had said it herself, she wasn’t a combat specialist. She was talented sure, but her focus would always be medicine and Sakura wanted to be more than that.

“Sparring against other styles would be beneficial and the Hokage can’t always train me personally.” Sakura knew that even Tsunade couldn’t afford to make a shadow clone every day of the year. Sometimes she’d have to attend meetings personally or perform surgeries at the hospital. Even just being on call for a surgery was enough to keep her from practical training and Sakura needed to be strong enough to stand side by side with two demi-gods in only two or three years. She literally could not afford days off.

“Come back tomorrow morning then, I’ll introduce you.” Arashi promised and Sakura nodded to him, grateful for his help. He owed her nothing but his kindness might very well save not just her life but the world itself if she could somehow live up to the original Sakura’s achievements.

‘No pressure.’ The words were taunting and laced with malice, ripping through Sakura’s mind and stirring her detached fears back to life. For a brief moment, Sakura felt like she might lose control, like something was there, lurking beyond her own thoughts, waiting to supplant her. Her control reasserted itself violently and she tensed slightly, offering Arashi a tight smile as she gathered her new purchases, sealing them away in the tattoo inked onto her hip.

“Clever seal you’ve got there, you’re going to want to include it in your barrier seal’s construction or remove it.” Arashi advised and Sakura nodded, already aware that would only make her life harder but it would be worth it. Having seals integrated directly into her chakra coils made them damn near impossible to detect when they weren’t active. Only the byakugan or medical chakra could reveal them and both were rare beyond the borders of Hi no Kuni.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Sakura gave the man a wave and then stepped out of his shop and onto the sun soaked streets of Konohagakure.

The village itself was unlike anything from Earth. Many of the buildings were round or built in a haphazard industrial punk manner. Traditional Japanese, Chinese and Indonesian architecture was crammed alongside modern apartment blocks and the electrical cables that powered the village were a mix of traditional posts and less traditional armored cylinders that ran long rooftops and alleys, reinforced for shinobi to run on and to protect them from weaker jutsu and explosive tags. Trees and greenery were everywhere and the roads were a mix of smooth concrete paving and packed earth, depending on where you were.

‘What a beautiful mess of a village.’ Sakura jumped onto a nearby rooftop and took in the village hidden in the leaves in all its glory. ‘It might be a military dictatorship but…’ Sakura could still see the value in Konoha. The people were happy and Tsunade was a just Kage. ‘There are problems worth solving, rights that need to be recognized but Konoha isn’t hopeless.’ The dark realities of the shinobi world were inescapable but Konoha had been founded on a dream that was genuinely worth striving for.

‘After Kaguya.’ Sakura reminded herself and took off, racing across the rooftops and landing in front of the Hokage tower. Tsunade was already in her office waiting when Sakura walked in and the rosette placed her scroll in front of Tsunade, earning a cocked eyebrow. She’d added her near term goals to it as well as her current abilities and Tsunade unrolled it, reading over it and then glancing at Hiruzen’s training curriculum.

“I’m not surprised, Hiruzen did teach you for a month and from what I can see you absorb information like a sponge.” Tsunade said calmly, her fingers wrapping against the desk before she created a shadow clone and rose to her feet. “We’ll have two hours of practice this morning then we’ll begin working on healing injuries. Your idea of stimulating brain development with your chakra is fascinating.” Tsunade gave Sakura a curious look, as if she was searching for something. Whatever it was she seemed to find as she favored Sakura with a slightly crooked smile. “Come on, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. We need to build your reserves up so you can call on Katsuyu, she’s going to love you.”

***

Sakura pushed open the door to Arashi’s shop to find the man waiting for her along with one Might Gai. The green clad shinobi paused, recognition appearing in his eyes before he gave her a massive smile and a thumbs up.

“We meet again student of my most hip rival!” Gai thundered and Sakura winced at the volume. She was still somewhat sensitiveness to sound and light, a consequence of the injury that had landed her in shinobi hell. The man’s smile sparkled and Sakura blinked, fascinated as reality seemed to bend and warp under the sheer intensity of Might Gai’s existence.

“Is that a genjutsu?” Sakura asked and the man let out a laugh that filled the entire shop. “And um, it’s good to see you again Might-san.”

“Of course and it is good to see you as well youthful blossom!” Gai gave a thumbs up and then pivoted to Arashi. “This is the youthful kunoichi you told me about?”

“Yes,” Arashi said, seemingly immune to Gai’s cheer and antics. The old shopkeeper looked level as ever, unruffled and unbothered.

“I should have known. Young Sakura here is a true example of a kunoichi in the springtime of youth!” Gai’s beamed happily and then his face grew stern without warning. “I saw your fight during the third exam and during the invasion you held your own. You are still unsure of yourself however, inexperienced yes? I heard you developed total amnesia following a severe head injury and needed to be taught how to speak and read again, I’m glad your recovery seems so total.”

“I haven’t remembered anything from before.” Sakura offered and Gai’s eyes widened slightly. “And I’m still really behind my peers. I told you this once but I wasn’t exaggerating, Kakashi taught me nothing. I spent a month with Hiruzen and I’ve been learning from Tsunade since she woke me up in the hospital but aside from that? I’m just self taught.”

“I see,” Gai rested his hand on his chin, his face becoming pensive. His chakra swirled about with a mix of what felt like understanding and something she couldn’t place. “You have worked very hard then, haven’t you? I can see you’re wearing weights.”

“I woke up with nothing. I didn’t even know what chakra was. Most shinobi, hell, most people use chakra subconsciously, yes even civilians. You boost your strength with it, without even thinking about it. You reinforce your body to protect against impacts and blows, it’s a part of you but not for me. I didn’t even realize I had chakra until Kakashi brought it up and that was basically all he taught me, that I have chakra. It was important though, so I am grateful. He didn’t want to be a teacher after all, so I can hardly blame him for his lack of enthusiasm.” Sakura finished and Gai nodded, his face slightly sad.

“Kakashi has been through a lot.” Gai murmured, his eyes looking into the past, watching memories that Sakura could only guess at. “My team will be doing morning training while you are with the Hokage but we have a second training session after missions. You’re welcome to join us Sakura-chan.”

“I’ll be there.” Sakura promised and offered Gai her hand. He accepted the shake with a wide smile and gave her another thumbs up before leaving the shop like a normal human. ‘Is he less crazy than Kakashi?’ Sakura wondered, because for all Gai seemed insane, Kakashi only ever seemed to shunshin from place to place and he never used doors. ‘There’s no way…’

Sakura let her thoughts trail off as she headed to the Hokage tower. Tsunade created a shadow clone the moment she arrived and the pair headed out for the Senju training grounds. The wards here were thick, powerful curtains of woven energy that could keep out prying eyes and even deny entry. The grounds themselves were shaped by Hashirama, Tobirama and countless Senju during the clan’s heyday. Their chakra lingered on, saturating the earth and trees, flowing through the water and filling the rocks, mingling with nature and Sakura marveled at that fact before turning her attention to Tsunade.

“So, trying to meet up with Gai for some additional training?” Tsunade asked and Sakura blushed and looked away. “And I know a few ANBU would love to join our sessions. If the village wasn’t swamped with work, they’d be all over you right now.” Tsunade’s words sent a pang of longing through Sakura’s chest. She was desperately low on friends and Hiruzen’s guards had become a genuine part of her life. She didn’t know all of them as well as she’d like but Yugao and Genma had proven to be true friends she could rely on.

‘I also know that Neko or Yamato or Tenzo or whatever his name is promised to help me with sensing and nature chakra.’ Sakura didn’t know the man’s backstory beyond Root tragedy and maybe Orochimaru involvement. Still, she wanted to see him again because he, along with the other members of the guard, were not just helpful but fun to be around.

“I do miss them.” Sakura admitted and Tsunade grinned, amused by the admission. “What? I don’t have many friends and I want to be in ANBU so befriending ANBU is a logical step.” Sakura huffed and Tsunade shook her head.

“Little infiltrator prodigy.” Tsunade quipped and Sakura rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, puffing up as best she could. It wasn’t an impressive display sadly, considering she was twelve years old, pink and absolutely adorable. “Still with meeting Gai’s team in the evening, you’ll have more than enough sparring practice for the day so instead we’ll work on fuinjutsu and medical ninjutsu. Of course, we’ll still exhaust your chakra reserves and do strength training afterwards.”

“Well if we’re going to talk fuinjutsu,” Sakura couldn’t help the excitement that tinged her voice. Ninja hell wasn’t exactly a fun place to live but fuinjutsu was quite possibly the coolest thing she’d ever worked with. “I’m aware that I was on the infiltration and seduction track, so I wanted to make something that I could use on such missions.”

“Seals aren’t exactly subtle.” Tsunade replied as Sakura unsealed her research on the full body barrier seal. She handed it over to Tsunade who cocked an eyebrow at Sakura’s massive grin. The woman accepted the notebook and began to read through it, eyes widening slightly. “This would be…”

“Before you get excited, it doesn’t work.” Sakura sighed and tried to hide her frustration. “I got some advice from Arashi but getting the seal to play nice with other seals and the wearer’s chakra coils is a nightmare.” Sakura hadn’t truly dedicated herself to solving the problem previously but that had changed with Arashi’s challenge and she’d spent all of last night thinking on the issue.

“Of course it doesn’t work,” Tsunade murmured, looking over Sakura’s sketch of the seal. “And it’ll be incredibly inefficient. Take my own seal, the Byakugo no In. When it unfurls, it creates new pathways for chakra to flow so the turbulence doesn’t destroy the seal or damage my chakra coils.” Tsunade explained and Sakura briefly remembered the ribbons that would unfurl from the seal on the woman’s head. “You’re also wasting energy by having it protect everywhere at once instead of simply using enough power where necessary to counter an opponent’s attack.”

“That’s…” Sakura trailed off because she hadn’t thought of that. ‘Thirty years old is still younger then Tsunade.’ The realization that Sakura wasn’t older than the Hokage wasn’t exactly a revelation but it was a reminder that she wasn’t the only thinking, rational actor in the village.

‘Arrogant,’ the thought floated up from the depths of her mind and Sakura had to fight not to grit her teeth. She swallowed her unease and pushed away the creeping anxiety threatening to drag her under.

“A very good point but there is nothing on creating artificial pathways from seals or having a seal perform calculations except…” Sakura paused because she did know of a jutsu that did exactly that. “Shadow clones can think, they’re thinking chakra. Just as intelligent as the original.”

“Exactly and seals can take advantage of that capability, though making a self aware seal isn’t advisable. Kind of cruel really, but a seal that perform calculations is plenty good enough.” Tsunade closed the notebook and handed it back over to Sakura who sealed it away once more. “I thought you’d ask me about the sharingan first though.”

“Well…” Sakura’s pulse spiked and her mouth was instantly dry. She could hear her heart hammering away in her ears. Her head felt light as crimson eyes swirled into mangekyo and phantom pains flashed across her body. Skin was cut open, muscles sliced through and bone cracked to expose the marrow within. Sakura’s vision grayed out briefly and she stumbled, barely keeping herself upright. “I-I kind of d-don’t like to think about that.”

“You need to though, or you’ll never be confident enough to challenge your fear.” Tsunade replied smoothly and Sakura felt anger and helplessness swirling through her.

“You’re right, I can’t avoid this. Sasuke is going to need my help and if Orochimaru takes his body…” Sakura trailed off and forced down her fear with anger. Her pulse increased further and her ears rang lightly but she felt in control, even if she was still reeling. Taking a deep breath, Sakura exhaled, imagining that she was letting go of all her emotions, that they were simply washing away with her breath. “Alright, I’m good. Yeah I’d like to work that into this seal.”

“You’re not the first to think of this, which will speed this along.” Tsunade drawled and crossed her arms, reaching into the sleeves of her haori. A spike of chakra followed and Sakura felt the flow of natural energy shift slightly as Tsunade withdrew a scroll from her sleeves. “Caught that did you? I read in your file you were chakra sensitive and I know we talked about it before but-” Tsunade stopped and concern replaced contemplation. “You must be constantly uncomfortable.”

“It is what it is.” Sakura knew there wasn’t really anything that could be done. She’d looked up chakra sensitivity and there wasn’t even medicine that could dampen it, at least not for active duty shinobi. She was perpetually hyper aware of the fact she had not just a soul, but that energy was living in her body that wasn’t there before. It made sense that she was uncomfortable, constantly confronting that fact. “I manage.”

Tsunade tossed Sakura the scroll and she caught it, opening it after glancing at the name on the scroll itself. ‘Tobirama huh, yeah that tracks. I bet the man was partying in the afterlife when the Uchiha started showing up in droves.’ Sakura thought bitterly, well aware that Tobirama’s prejudice and machinations directly lead to the massacre. The Senju had been broken, their clan merging with the fabric of Konoha but the Uchiha? They’d been butchered by their own village after being marginalized and persecuted. Sakura still wasn’t too sure if Itachi was a good guy coerced into doing something horrible or a bad guy following orders, though recent events certainly lead credence to the latter.

“I figured the sharingan used the optical nerves and coils to force chakra directly into the brain.” Sakura spoke her thoughts as she read over Tobirama’s notes. “But that doesn’t account for how it overrides the victim’s ability to kai their way out.” Sakura added and continued reading before her eyes widened.

Uchiha who had developed the mangekyo sharingan had been literally burned alive by their own chakra run amok. Their emotions had grown so hot, their chakra had mutated their body, giving rise first to the sharingan then to the Mangekyo, a process that also altered the Uchiha’s chakra from human to something approaching demonic. It wasn’t quite bijuu chakra but it was similar in nature and tenacity, lingering in the victims and incredibly hard to remove, hence why a kai failed to break a mangekyo genjutsu.

“So it’s a different type of chakra,” Sakura knew that would in some ways make defending against the intrusion easier, at least with fuinjutsu. “But there’s no reason not to expand upon the idea and build up a resistance against all visual genjutsu.” ‘And perhaps even infinite Tsukoyomi.’ Sakura thought quietly and unsealed a fresh scroll. A moment later she withdrew a brush and took a moment to gather her thoughts.

‘You want to block foreign chakra from not just your brain but your eyes, ears, etc.’ Sakura thought, twirling the brush as she unsealed an ink stick and ground it with her off hand. Her mind was racing, ideas clicking into place as various things she’d seen in this world linked back with ideas from her homeworld. ‘Chakra carries intent, but intent could possibly be faked so, intent with a heuristic evaluation of what the chakra will do upon entering my system.’ Sakura frowned and then shook her head because even that might not be enough.

“Tsunade-shishou, would it be possible to make a seal that keeps all chakra out of my body unless someone else channeled a message in a specific frequency beforehand?” The question came from something that Sakura had just realized. Her defense seal could be more than just a physical barrier. It could have protection against genjutsu woven into it to begin with, after all genjutsu and ninjutsu were foreign chakra, from her seal’s point of view, the only difference was the amount of chakra involved.

“It would, however the hospital would have to know the pattern and frequency.” Tsunade replied, because otherwise the seal would reject even friendly medical ninjutsu. “As would your teammates in the field. That said, it does lower the chances of someone getting past your other defenses.”

“And it could be tiered, like certain pulses and frequencies for muscles, bones, etc, with a safety override in case of extreme injury.” Sakura was writing down her ideas as fast as her hand could go. This had promise, after all if chakra could perform calculations, it could reasonably deduce her physical condition and make allowances for foreign chakra that might save her life. No system was perfect, but it would be highly unlikely for Orochimaru or Itachi to ever gain access to the frequencies required to bypass her seal and even if they did, somehow, the seal’s heuristics might still stop their jutsu cold.

“No matter how good your seal, you’re training without it.” Tsunade warned and Sakura nodded, well aware that relying on her defenses would be foolish at best. If she began to feel invincible, she’d die the moment someone overcame her seal’s capacity to resist. A rasengan, chidori or even one of Tsunade’s punches could all easily pierce through her barrier seal. Offense would always be stronger than defense but that didn’t make such a seal useless, far from it since it would force her enemies to expend more of their chakra just to hurt her, cutting away at their stamina over the course of a fight.

“Of course shishou,” Sakura agreed as Tsunade sat down next to her, giving her advice as she finished writing down her ideas and then shifted to the next step in seal making. Once you knew what you wanted your seal to do, you needed exacting specifications, then you’d have to actually write the seal itself, stabilize it and then apply it. It was not a quick process, but now that Sakura knew what she wanted and that it was possible, she’d figure it out soon enough.

***

Sakura landed in the alley behind Hanazono’s and slipped in through the staff entrance. A pulse of chakra had her hair dyed black and she was soon showered, dressed and applying her makeup for a day’s work. The door to the dressing room slid open and Sakura glanced in the mirror, confirming the chakra she felt was in fact Akane. The woman’s control was excellent, to the point where she felt like a civilian even to Sakura’s hyper active senses despite the fact that Sakura knew she was ANBU.

“So,” Akane began, her tone carrying just a hint of warning as she walked in and closed the door. Her fingers brushed a section of wall and chakra lit up across Sakura’s senses as a privacy seal activated. “You have a guest making a request to meet you.” Sakura felt her stomach twist with unease. She knew that eventually she’d have to take such missions if she remained on the seduction track, but hadn’t expected it to get dumped on her so suddenly. “It’s not for sex.”

“Ah,” Sakura couldn’t completely hide her relief and then carefully detached herself from her emotions. Her control tended to slip during sparring practice against Tsunade. The woman was a walking natural disaster and dodging boulders, trees and earthquakes tended to bring out what Sakura usually kept suppressed. “So, are they here for company or something else?”

“You could consider it an interview of sorts.” Akane said carefully and Sakura tilted her head in question. “Your performance review was…” Akane trailed off, letting Sakura hang for just a moment before she gave the rosette a sly smile. “Impressive given your condition and history. You were well below the bar required for ANBU, at least at first glance however your chakra control allowed you to make up a lot of the difference. With proper training you’d be ANBU level in two months, at least given your current rate of growth.”

“Except I can’t do a boot camp style training regime without cutting into the time spent learning from Senju Tsunade, who is kind of the Hokage. I’m not willing to drop that apprenticeship, not even for ANBU.” Sakura countered and Akane’s answering smirk was sharp.

“You’d be a fool to. Making connections is important after all, which is why the request today is such a big deal. One of the elder council has noticed your potential, your rate of growth is reminiscent of only a handful of shinobi in Konoha’s history and ensuring shinobi have the tools and resources to maximize their skills and abilities is a matter of national importance.” Akane gave Sakura’s makeup a once over and then nodded with approval. “Excellent work by the way, considering how hopeless you were when we started, I’m amazed at how fast you picked this up.”

“I’ve got a good memory and plenty of motivation.” ‘Because I’m actually attractive in this life.’ Sakura added mentally, neatly brushing away her thoughts on herself in her past life. Haruno Sakura looked like a little doll and she was still trying to figure out why the girl had such crippling insecurities. She was the smartest of her age group, possibly even surpassing Shikamaru. Her achievements in canon were the stuff of legends and she even managed to land a blow on Kaguya, shattering her horn and very likely her skull as well, though that was a bit harder to tell from the pages of a manga.

‘Bullying can lead to lifelong trauma though and the life of a shinobi is violent and brutal.’ Sakura knew that the canon character had a rough life. She was isolated for most of it and likely had never got the socialization she needed to maintain a healthy psyche. ‘I know what that’s like, but everyone handles these things differently.’ Sakura met Akane’s gaze and cocked an eyebrow.

“Room 312, it’s just a meeting so if you feel pressured you can leave though I’d recommend you at least listen to what is being offered. Connections are important and this would be a powerful one to have.” Akane’s emphasis made it clear how big of a deal this was and Sakura just knew who was waiting for her. She nodded and made sure that none of her emotions were being broadcast in her chakra or through her expression.

‘An extra layer of defense wouldn’t hurt.’ Her fingers moved through the seals for the flower dance and the detached, calm of the jutsu settled over her. Sakura gave Akane an easy smile, her jade eyes alive with mischief.

“I’ll make sure to be on my best behavior, senpai.” Sakura let the jutsu guide her, while maintaining an iron grip over her thoughts. Akane deactivated the privacy seals and with one final look of approval, sent Sakura on her way.

Chapter Text

Chapter 29

‘Shimura Danzo, member of the elder council, unofficially removed from the position during the Sandaime’s reign following the Uchiha Massacre. Warhawk, with a voting record in sharp opposition to the now deceased clan.’ Sakura couldn’t remember much about the anime or manga. It’d been years since she’d read it and months since she’d been forcibly transmigrated into Haruno Sakura’s body. ‘Runs his own branch of ANBU called Root that handles ops too hot for regular ANBU. Political ideology is proto-fascism, with the main differences being cultural disconnects between Earth and Ninja hell.’

The facts that Sakura knew about the man ran through her head as she sauntered through the halls of Hanazono. The Flower dance jutsu kept her mind calm and her body loose and warmed up. There were no signs of the fear she was feeling and her thoughts were thoroughly detached from her emotions as Sakura called up every ounce of self control and discipline possible to make herself seem like nothing more than what she was on paper, a recovering amnesic prodigy, exactly the kind of person Danzo would be interested in.

‘312,’ Sakura thought, opening the door and stepping inside after confirming there was only one chakra present, not even the faint signs of a hidden ANBU or genjutsu. The room itself was set up for tea ceremony rather than anything scandalous and Sakura kept a careful hold over the flower dance, avoiding Danzo himself and only letting the jutsu latch onto the chakra radiating from him. ‘Nothing, so he’s got a defense against it.’ Sakura didn’t show any signs of concern and instead gave the man her service smile.

“Good morning,” Sakura bowed, “you requested me Honored Elder?” Sakura asked, not daring to move any further into the room without permission. Danzo was a control freak by definition and she needed to play this perfectly. ‘Cautious, but not paranoid, smart but not dangerously insightful.’ Sakura reminded herself as the man considered her, drawing out the silence and trying to make her sweat.

“Haruno Sakura,” Danzo greeted after a minute of waiting. Sakura hadn’t so much as fidgeted during that time, though it took all of her self control to remain both at attention and relaxed. “Hiruzen told me a lot about you. He was so happy speaking about his new student.” Danzo’s smile was genuine, his chakra lighting up slightly before the emotions were quickly hidden away. “He was a very good friend of mine you know, your first teacher. Thank you for making his last days so happy.”

“I…” Sakura felt the words like a punch to the gut. Danzo was a monster but he was being honest, Sakura didn’t know how to explain her certainty, other than his chakra felt genuinely truthful. “I miss him.” ‘He was still evil but he was kind to me.’ Sakura knew that Hiruzen had earned his death and she’d been the one to hold her silence, sending him to it unaware. “He was a good sensei.”

“Yes, he was called the professor for a reason, trained up three S rank shinobi including two civilian born.” Danzo agreed, expression going slightly nostalgic. “Men like him only come around once or twice a generation unfortunately.” Sakura could only nod in agreement, because as much as she disliked Hiruzen, he was a genius of a shinobi. A terrible leader, a worse politician, a war criminal even, but he was a brilliant warrior and teacher. “As you are his last student I feel I owe it to him to look after you. I know you are unlikely to take me at my word so I’ve prepared a gift for you, proof of my earnest intentions.”

Danzo reached into his haori and removed a sealing scroll, which he placed on the table and unfurled. A few hand signs had several large containers appearing before them, each full of soldier pills, though the coloration and texture was off.

“You are behind your peers,” Danzo confirmed Sakura’s worst fears but she hid her tension easily. She’d been promoted to chunin because of her intelligence and tactics, not her combat skills and she knew it. “And with your ambitions of making ANBU, you’ll need to work harder than nature will allow to make the grade.” Danzo motioned towards the pills, silently bidding Sakura to approach. She crossed the distance casually, neither hurried nor slow and inspected them while remaining conscious of the man before her.

“I’m guessing these aren’t soldier pills.” Sakura stated, careful not to call up any chakra lest the paranoid warhawk think it a threat. She glanced over the pill boxes and weighed her options before motioning at her pack. “Would you mind if I sealed them?”

“You may keep my storage scroll.” Danzo replied smoothly, resealing the pills and handing it over. “You have impressed me today. Your behavior is fittingly cautious and respectful considering the difference in rank between us.” Danzo’s expression was a calm mask but it wasn’t cold. There were still hints of false warmth, left over from their previous conversation. “I look forward to seeing where you go from here. Perhaps if you make ANBU we will talk again.”

“I look forward to it.” Sakura answered, indirectly declaring her certainty over her acceptance. Danzo gave her a brief look of approval and then motioned for her to leave. Sakura gave him a bow and left, slipping into the hallways silently, with all the learned grace she’d been taught while working in the brothel. She kept up the calm sway as she returned to her usual tasks for the day, wearing a light smile to disguise the fear and anxiety eating away at her.

‘Danzo’s noticed me.’ Sakura thought as she clocked out for the day and switched back into her street clothes. Her makeup came off quickly, a necessity now that her training for ANBU was getting serious. A pulse of chakra had her hair pink again and she looked in the mirror, ensuring that no hints of Tsubaki were left in Haruno Sakura’s appearance. ‘That means Root.’

‘You’d enjoy it, all the killing…’ Sakura grit her teeth and snarled at the mirror. She could see a spark of madness in her jade eyes, a hint of the suppressed emotions and trauma leaking through. It sent ice rushing through her veins and her gaze snapped away quickly, before the sensation could get any worse.

Leaving Hanazono’s, Sakura took to the rooftops and crossed Konoha in the blink of an eye. She didn’t even bother being subtle as she entered the Hokage tower and made her way to Tsunade’s office. If Danzo was eyeing her, she needed all the protection the woman had to offer. ‘Does he really think I’m dumb enough to use pills he’s given me without checking them?’ Sakura wondered and unsealed the pills outside of Tsunade’s office. She left the scroll rolled up on the floor and then stepped into the office proper, carrying the pill containers and placing them down in the center of the space.

“I’ll commend your caution, but there are procedures for this, which of course you wouldn’t know since it was covered in the academy.” Tsunade let out a tired sigh and her chakra swept over the room. She stood up, one of her hands lighting up with emerald light as she drifted it over the containers, the pills then Sakura herself. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen these. Orochimaru and I used to make them.” Tsunade murmured and Sakura arched a pale pink eyebrow in question. “They don’t have an official name because they’re too expensive to mass produce. They’re a custom recipe of soldier pill that lets you go without sleep, boosts your chakra regeneration and helps to ward off exhaustion. Danzo gave you these?”

“Yes, he said he was looking forward to my career.” Sakura answered and Tsunade hummed, handing the pills back. “They’re safe to use?”

“Physically, though going for days or weeks without sleep can fuck with you. One pill will last about three days or so.” Tsunade answered and Sakura pulled out one of her own scrolls, sealing them away without the storage containers. The Hokage smirked at the display and nodded to the door.

“Put them outside with the scroll you’re not keeping. I’ll have them taken care of.” Tsunade promised and Sakura nodded, taking the garbage out and then settling onto the couch to the side of the Hokage’s desk. “So, you have a meeting with Gai and his team soon, right?”

“Yeah but I figured we could catch dinner, unless you’re busy?” Sakura asked and Tsunade smirked and rose from her seat. She’d left a clone to fill in for the morning but she had to preserve her chakra for emergencies so she’d dispelled it once their training session had come to an end.

“Hey Shizune, let’s go take a break. It’s dinner time and we’re getting barbecue!” Tsunade cheered, keeping her volume just low enough not to harm her pink haired student’s sensitive ears. Shizune let out a sigh of relief and gladly put her pen down. The trio left the tower, walking through the streets rather than taking the rooftops. Villagers looked at Tsunade with open awe, waving or greeting her, while deferentially stepping out of her path as they made their way to a small smokehouse.

“Oh…” Sakura carefully controlled her reaction to the food on offer. ‘I’m in fucking heaven! Real barbecue! Not Korean stuff, genuine, American barbecue!’ Mad cackles filled Sakura’s mind as she ordered a smoked brisket and glanced over at Tsunade. “So, I’ve never seen food like this in Konoha before.”

“It’s from Kiri,” Tsunade replied smoothly, ordering some smoked pulled pork while Shizune got a mix of brisket and hot sausage. “They use it to make less profitable cuts of meat palatable, or preserve things depending on the situation. Got a taste for it during the war…” Tsunade trailed off, eyes going distant and filling with nostalgia for days long past. “So, what do you think?”

“It’s delicious.” Sakura answered, delighted by the sweat, spicy, smoky meat on her plate. The brisket was done just right, with a bright smoke ring and the entire dinning area was perfumed by the smoker running constantly nearby. “I didn’t know, I mean, I just, this, good, very.” Tsunade chuckled as Sakura tried to remain civilized but she’d been burying her homesickness under layers of denial and suppression and now it all came tumbling out as a craving for the familiar. The food truly was excellent, the spices blended just so, the sauce genuinely hot and leaving her mouth tingling with heat.

“After you’re done here, take it easy for a bit before heading over to Team Gai, it’d be a waste if you threw up.” Tsunade teased only to pause as a few stray tears rolled down Sakura’s cheeks.

There was no warning or chance to resist. Sakura knew that detaching her emotions didn’t mean they stopped existing. She was pretending to be okay, hiding her pain and eventually it would become too much and this, a taste of her lost home opened the floodgates. Leaning back, Sakura pressed her palms to her eyes, trying to hide her tears. Her breath stuttered, coming in uneven gasps but she managed to keep any hint of a sob from surfacing.

‘I’m pathetic.’ Sakura thought, shivering violently as she tried to get a hold of herself. Here she was, eating dinner with Senju Tsunade, the best of the Hokage and she was just breaking down into tears. A warm hand pressed on Sakura’s head and she sniffled, eyes turning up to find Tsunade looking at her with obvious concern.

“It’s alright Sakura, you’re safe here.” Tsunade murmured and Sakura felt a fresh wave of tears roll down her cheeks as her heart squeezed.

‘It’s not fair.’ The rosette thought, trying to stop her shaking shoulders. ‘I know I’m lucky, I know I’m doing well but…’ Everything she’d ever known was gone. She hadn’t been exactly happy on Earth but she’d been surviving. She’d viciously carved out a place for herself in this new world and even though she’d lost Sasuke and Naruto she’d take them back, by force if necessary. They were her children, hers to protect and shelter and she’d already failed them once.

“Easy, what’s wrong?” Tsunade asked and Sakura dug her nails into her scalp, using the pain to ground herself. Shivers ran through her body while her lungs ached in that uniquely miserable manner that only tears seemed to cause.

“Sorry I just, I got overwhelmed. I lost my team and I just, it hit me how alone I am without them and,” Sakura paused and considered Tsunade through her tear stained lashed. “I don’t have a family I remember and I think my parents hate me, or hated me. I don’t-” Sakura took in a shuddering breath and pushed those thoughts away as best she could. She was alone, her only two friends were gone because she’d failed them and she’d allowed Hiruzen to die.

‘I’m a mess.’ Sakura thought as she wiped her face, carefully removing any trace of her tears. The sadness lingered and the phantom pain of blades danced over her body, reminding her what had happened because she was too weak to change things.

“You’ll get through it.” Tsunade’s words startled Sakura out of her thoughts. The blond woman looked exhausted, but the pain she was showing was familiar, something that resonated deep in Sakura’s bones. “You’re strong, stubborn, smart, you’ll win. I wouldn’t have taken you as my apprentice otherwise.”

“Yeah,” Sakura let out a sigh and closed her eyes, forcibly relaxing her body. She imagined her pain, sadness and anger just sliding off her. Not repressed, but released and relief came quickly. It was something she’d only had to do in the worst of moments, letting go and just accepting there was nothing to be done about her presence in the elemental nations. She’d lost everything she’d known but she had gained a second chance and she would make that enough. “Sorry, the food is really good though.”

“I know, you devoured it damn near instantly.” Tsunade grinned and Sakura blushed, looking away as she picked at what little scraps were left on her plate.

***

‘I’m going to get wrecked but here goes nothing.’ Sakura thought, moving across the rooftops of Konoha and touching down just beyond the entrance to Team Gai’s training ground. She flared her chakra and after a few moments, Hyuga Neji and Tenten arrived, both looking dismissive. ‘Right, Tenten seems like the type to hate girly girls and flirts.’ Sakura looked to Neji and arched a pink eyebrow. ‘And I don’t know what his problem with me is, but he’s got one.’

“Come on, Lee and Gai are just wrapping up their spar.” Neji said and Sakura nodded, accepting the rejection for conversation. The boy didn’t want to talk and she wasn’t about to pester, teenagers could be prickly after all. Tenten stole a glance her way and scowled, their gaze locking briefly and Sakura gave the older girl a questioning look. Tenten scoffed and that was that.

‘Guess I’ll have to prove myself.’ Sakura thought, letting her smile widen slightly, from polite to just this side of flirty teasing. Tsunade knew the expression well by now, because Sakura made sure to wear it when she was plotting something relatively harmless, at least when she wasn’t concerned with keeping it a secret.

“Gai-sensei!” Rock Lee shouted and Sakura’s eyes snapped to bowl cut boy himself. He was covered in bruises and dirt, tears streaming down his face as he rose to his feet and launched himself at Gai.

“Lee!” Gai bellowed and the two hugged, a wave crashing down behind them, sea foam spraying through the air and a sunset appearing a moment later.

‘That’s not me.’ Sakura’s mind supplied and she blinked, squinting before turning her eyes to the two beside her. Tenten was rigid, doing her best to pretend nothing was happening while Neji was glaring at the floor, hands balled into fists.

“Can you two see that?” Sakura asked, grin widening until it showed all of her teeth.

“See what?” Neji asked, eyes narrowing into a glare that cut across to Sakura. “My teammates acting like fools?”

“No, the sunset.” Sakura replied and Neji twitched, unleashing a tidal wave of laughter. The sound drew Rock Lee’s attention and he practically teleported, crossing the distance faster than Sakura’s eyes could track. He just appeared in front of her, along with a blast of wind.

“Greetings most youthful blossom! It is a true honor to be training with you today!” Rock Lee chirped happily and Sakura gave him an awkward grin. His crush was obvious and she was not into children, not even a little bit.

“Indeed, we are lucky to have such a fine young kunoichi joining us for a training session!” Gai joined in the conversation and Tenten rolled her eyes. “Now, how would you like to begin?”

“Well, perhaps I could spar against your team? Get to know just how far behind I am?” Sakura asked, because she knew she needed the reality check. Team Gai were powerhouses but they weren’t too far ahead of Sasuke and Naruto, which meant she could use them to see where she stood.

“Very well!” Gai boomed and flashed a blinding smile while giving Sakura a thumbs up. The man seemed to glow, even in the steadily fading light of early evening and Sakura checked her network for foreign chakra, finding none.

‘Is it a false surroundings genjutsu?’ Sakura wondered but dropped her thoughts as Rock Lee stepped forward.

“Before we begin, could the audience remain quiet? Ninja fight with cunning and surprise as much as skill so I don’t need you giving away one of Lee’s maneuvers.” Sakura chirped, causing Tenten to scoff while Neji simply sighed and gestured for them to get this over with.

“I don’t know why we’re bothering.” Tenten began as Lee took off. Sakura pushed her chakra into her muscles and nerves, threaded it through her eyes and barely saw Lee closing the gap between them.

‘His chakra is anchoring his feet!’ Sakura thought as she desperately heaved herself out of the way of a punch. Wind blew past her head, whipping her hair into a frenzy but the kunoichi grade oil she’d set into it this morning kept it from getting tangled. The boy’s fist snapped back and his foot rocketed into Sakura’s guard, knocking her off her feet and sending her to the ground.

‘I can’t beat him straight up,’ the thought was calm and cold. Sakura let herself fall, her left hand slipping a kunai from her holster as she let out a pained cry, rotating her arm to hide the blade from Lee as she stuck it to her forearm with chakra.

“Sakura-chan!” Lee called out, suddenly worried and Sakura sniffled.

“It-it’s okay Lee-kun! I’m just not u-used to sparring. You’re very fast.” Sakura let her hair cover her face as she reached for the panic she always felt and forced it to the surface, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes as she sniffled. “You must work very hard.” Between the watery smile and her words, Sakura had Lee completely off balance.

Sakura could feel Tenten’s hatred, practically seething through her chakra but she ignored it. Lee stepped forward and offered a hand unprompted, completely forgetting the spar.

“It’s alright Sakura-chan! I’ll always be there to protect you!” Lee promised and Sakura accepted the grip with her right hand, flowing forward towards Lee, locking eyes with him as she drew her left hand up, sliding it along his chest and splitting his jumpsuit, not that the boy noticed. Lee was a blushing mess and he didn’t react even as Sakura gave him a poke just hard enough to draw blood without any real injury.

‘All his strength, all that speed, hard work and yet I could kill him easily.’ Sakura gave Lee a massive smile and stepped back, eyes arcing with delight as she held up her hidden kunai. ‘I missed fighting for fun.’

“I think that’s the match Lee-kun!” Sakura chirped, trying to hide the thrill currently rushing through her. Winning against Rock Lee wasn’t possible outright, but she was a kunoichi, honor and fairness weren’t a part of her skill set.

“Wha?” Lee stammered blinking and looking down, realizing he had a thin slash through his jump suit. “How?!”

“It would seem our youthful blossom is most clever! Lee you fool!” Gai thundered and Lee gaped in a mix of confusion and mortification at Gai’s admonishment. “Sakura-chan might be a soul in the springtime of her youth but you cannot let that distract you!”

“Yes Gai-sensei!” Lee shouted and then turned, bowing to Sakura. “Thank you for the match! I will do three hundred push ups to make up for my defeat and if I cannot do that I will do four hundred sit ups!” Lee declared and then rushed off to the side to begin his self assigned penalty.

“Tenten, Neji, which one of you would like to go next?” Gai asked and Tenten stepped forward, unsealing a pair of larger shuriken.

“I’ll handle this-” Tenten cut herself off at the look Gai sent her way. “I’m next.” Tenten growled and the man nodded, looking over at Sakura who had held her hand up.

“Wait! I need to tie my hair up if we’re going to be using blades. Do you even know how long it takes to grow and keep this nice?” Sakura let her voice grow just a bit shrill and she quickly pulled out hair pins and a tie, tying her hair into a braid and watching Tenten the entire time. The girl was practically seething at this point and Sakura knew exactly what had set her off.

‘She looks down on femininity.’ Sakura’s thought, analyzing the younger girl with well hidden sympathy. ‘I was like that, back when I was angry about being trans.’ Those were bitter memories but hopefully Tenten’s baggage was more typical teen angst. ‘I’ll speak with Gai after the matches, see how I can apologize properly, I can’t beat them fairly and they’ll learn from being humiliated by a weaker opponent.’ Sakura wasn’t sure if she could beat Tenten at all, but she’d try her best.

“Done! Oh, by the way Tenten-chan, do you want me to help you with your hair sometime? And your clothes are a little-” Sakura dodged one of the shuriken which cut through where she’d been standing. Tenten had hurled it with intent and Sakura brought her fingers together, flowing through a familiar set of seals as Tenten launched her next attack. The hook snap of substitution saw Sakura switching with a small boulder set within the thick trees surrounding much of the training grounds and Sakura immediately stifled her chakra before ducking into the underbrush.

“Is running and flirting all you know how to do?!” Tenten shouted and Sakura saw the girl unfurl a pair of seals. Chakra hummed through Tenten’s arms and Sakura realized the girl was preparing to unleash a storm of explosive tags, there was no other way ranged attacks from this distance could be effective after all.

‘I need something, I can’t dodge that fast.’ Sakura’s mind jumped around desperately and hooked onto a madcap idea. Her fingers danced through seals and a cocky smile split her lips as she shot forward, clearing the trees as the first kunai flew. Sakura could tell where Tenten’s intent was aimed, the flower dance allowed the user to read their target and find their ideal but four seals were hardly enough to convey such a complex meaning.

‘Hand seals, they’re seals, not signs.’ Sakura’s realization had been a gamble but one that had paid off. She dodged a second pair of kunai, her cheeks flushing slightly pink while warmth kept her muscles loose yet ready. ‘And if I form the seals with a slightly different intent, but the same function, reading my foe, ready state of mind and excitement.’ Sakura met Tenten’s eyes, a kunai spinning through her fingers with an entirely unnecessary flourish before she tossed it straight up drawing Tenten’s gaze, then slipped between eight kunai, explosions burning the air behind her but none of them catching her.

“Eyes on me Kunoichi.” Sakura’s voice swept in after the explosions, sultry and commanding as her fingers raced through seals she’d only ever used under the Sandaime’s watchful gaze. Tenten withdrew eight more kunai and launched them as Sakura finished and exhaled, a blast of wind scattering the other girl’s blades and racing towards Tentent. ‘Fuuton: Daitoppa.’ Sakura thought victoriously and twitched her pinky finger.

Tenten landed right as the kunai Sakura had thrown buried itself in the ground beside her ankle, then exploded with a thunderous flash and a furious bang. The girl’s face paled as heat caressed her foot, leaving a light burn but no real damage.

“I think that’s the match,” Sakura smirked standing tall but casual, the flower dance guiding her as she met Tenten’s eyes and pointed at the other girl, pointer finger extended, palm facing up and confidence radiating from her constantly. “Don’t you?”

“You-” Tenten began and Sakura caught her off.

“Uh-uh, none of that Tenten-san, you might think you’re stronger,” Sakura took a step forward, “you might be older,” another step closed the gap between them, each word guided by the jutsu. “But you’re going to have to do better.” Sakura grinned at Tenten, looking down at her despite being shorter than the other girl. Tenten’s brown eyes were smoldering angrily, yet there was something else there as well and the moment Sakura noticed she canceled her jutsu.

‘Yikes, that jutsu is dangerous.’ Sakura thought, checking her reserves as she casually offered the seal of reconciliation. “Good fight, Tenten-san, I look forward to sparring with you in the future.”

“Y-yeah,” Tenten stammered, taking a moment to gather her wits. “You, what did you do?”

“A wind jutsu and a lot of practice dodging the fallout of fights between my teammates.” Sakura lied, but she could feel Gai’s eyes on her now. The man was silent and pensive, his chakra well contained but she could feel the unease and concern within it. “Neji-kun?”

“If I must,” Neji let out a sigh and Tenten gathered what kunai she hadn’t detonated and then cleared the area for them. “Your tricks won’t work on me. I’ve seen how you fight, the outcome is already decided.”

“And yet,” Sakura answered smoothly, flowing through the seals for the flower dance as Neji did the same to activate his byakugan. Sakura finished a hair ahead and felt the by now familiar jutsu take hold. This time she’d cast it with confidence, knowing it would work and she carefully kept the jutsu from touching Neji directly, simply reading his intent through the chakra slowly leaking from his network.

“A genjutsu? No, what is-” Neji began before pausing, his eyes widening slightly. “Why is someone like you the Hokage’s apprentice?”

“Someone like me?” Sakura asked calmly, letting the jutsu guide her tone and expression. She slid into a guard from the Way of The Empty Fist and let her face harden into a blank mask. Neji’s intent carried through his chakra despite his caution and he shot forward, far too fast for Sakura to dodge entirely.

‘Going to have to block.’ Sakura grit her teeth as Neji’s arm lashed out and she rolled her forearm, sheathing it in chakra as Neji’s fingers unleashed a burst of power. His other hand jabbed forward and she redirected the strike, parrying desperately as she backpedaled constantly. ‘And enough of that!’ Sakura knew she was going to lose if she didn’t force Neji back so she slapped a pair of chakra strings onto his arm during his next attack.

“That won’t-” Neji began as Sakura’s foot fell like a hammer and the field shook. The blow was nowhere near Tsunade’s superhuman strength, but Sakura had trained first for a month under Hiruzen, then several weeks under Tsunade so the impact was still quite cataclysmic. Dirt exploded outwards and a wave of super compressed chakra formed a crater under Sakura’s heel, forcing the Hyuga back.

“Not done,” Sakura murmured, kunai sliding between her fingers and she threw them at Neji, wires trailing between them. The first wave was followed by a pair of kunai that ricocheted off the leading blades, causing several of them to arc around Neji as Sakura’s fingers flew through seals famous throughout the elemental nations. Flames erupted from her lips and a massive ball of fire, containing twenty five percent of her reserves roared towards Neji. “Katon! Goukakyuu no jutsu!”

‘The wires have him trapped, he’ll use rotation.’ Sakura pulled out another pair of kunai and tossed them in the shadow of the fireball, the blades tumbling on a lazy arc they were moving so slowly. Sure enough Sakura felt Neji’s chakra compress then explode outwards and she palmed two more knives, holding them in ice pick grips as she flooded her fingers and muscles with chakra, hoping it would hide the seals beneath.

Neji’s rotation was a multi-sensory assault, grinding down the world beneath his feet and unleashing a howling growl of friction. Chakra danced across Sakura’s senses while her fireball was torn to shreds, utterly unmade by Neji’s rotation. The boy looked at her, byakugan blazing and his stance instantly recognizable for anyone who had watched his match in the chunin exams.

“You’re in range of my divination!” Neji declared, dodging the slow moving kunai and shot forward. Sakura stepped back, right hand lagging slightly as she brought her left in towards her chest. “Two palms!” Two blows slammed into Sakura’s right arm, sealing the tenketsu as Sakura released her right kunai, revealing the explosive tag as the kunai in her left hand activated. Neji shifted to rotate, but in the accelerated world of chakra, Sakura matched him for once, his intentions broadcast to her through the flower dance.

Chakra rushed through Sakura’s legs, spine and core muscles, anchoring her to the ground while the barrier tag wrapped around the hilt of her left kunai roared to life. Chakra spilled out of Neji, whipped into a frenzy by his rotation. The energy ground against the world, slamming into Sakura’s barrier and stalling, aquamarine crashing against emerald like waves on rocks. Then the explosive tag went off and Neji went flying.

Shuriken whizzed after the boy who landed with a hand spring, smoke trailing from his clothes and a few light burns decorating his skin as he spun between the two shuriken which redirected themselves for his back, forcing him to spin into another rotation. Sakura could feel the timing and yet kept her face and chakra serene as she unleashed her finishing move. One of the explosive kunai she’d thrown earlier, after her fireball but hadn’t detonated, came to life with the tug of a chakra string and sank into the dirt between his feet the moment the jutsu ended but didn’t activate, for the message was clear.

The silence that settled over the training area was deafening and Sakura could hear her heartbeat hammering away in her ears. Heat suffused her body, her cheeks were flushed, her skin covered in sweat and yet she wasn’t nearly satisfied yet. ‘Kai,’ Sakura canceled the flower dance forcefully and shuddered at the wave of cold that followed. The warmth vanished in an instant and she felt the loss of awareness and guidance keenly, like a doll with its strings cut without warning and desperate for them to return.

“You are aware I could have lead with the sixty four palms.” Neji challenged as Sakura flicked her finger, her kunai flying back into her grip. She pocketed the blades and let out a tired sigh.

“Neji, you underestimated me. You thought you had me figured out but I’ve still got jutsu left you haven’t seen. You’re all faster than me, stronger than me and you have more chakra.” Sakura could feel her core aching. The moment she got home, she’d be taking one of Danzo’s pills to recover, otherwise she’d likely pass out. “In a fair fight, where none of you were underestimating me, I’d likely lose every time. But all of you looked at me and saw a pretty face,” Sakura met Lee’s eyes, “an embarrassing little girl,” Sakura glanced to Tenten then finally moved her attention to Neji. “And a prostitute.”

“Aren’t you?” Neji asked and Gai cleared his throat.

“What my youthful student meant to ask is, that jutsu of yours is meant for-”

“Seduction specialists, men and women who serve the village in ways considered less savory than violence. I know what I am and I’m not ashamed. I beat all three of you, because you couldn’t see past your own misconceptions and my facade.” Sakura hated to admit it but she’d never beat them again, at least not at her current level. There was no way Tenten would ever underestimate her after this and if the girl had come at her with a sword or hammers, Sakura wouldn’t have had much of an answer. Neji wasn’t vicious enough, too confident in his superiority and Lee was just infatuated. “This is why I’m a chunin and you’re still genin.”

“You’re-” Neji began and then cut himself off when Sakura unsealed her vest and pulled it on. She cocked a lazy eyebrow at him and tilted her head before grinning. Lee looked somehow even more smitten and Tenten looked contemplative. “I see, it would seem I still have much to learn.”

“Don’t we all, I suck at taijutsu. I can’t fight up close and from a distance if I can’t get enough time to plan, I panic. The only reason I won against you and Tenten is because I misused a jutsu usually reserved for seduction and made it work. If that had failed? I’d be the one eating humble pie.” Sakura finished and then looked to Gai. “Ah, sorry about lecturing your genin, I’m sure I made an embarrassing number of mistakes myself.”

“It’s quite alright! That’s what training is for! And besides it was a good lesson never to underestimate your opponent, no matter their specialization!” The last sentence came out somewhat stilted but Gai managed to put on a smile. “Now then, let’s begin properly! Sakura-chan, your taijutsu was most unique, but you’re clearly lacking in confidence and experience, so why don’t we begin there?” Gai asked, leaving his team to their own exercises. Sakura could feel their attention on her as she gave Gai a run down of her style.

“Gai-sensei, could you maybe give me some pointers on how to make up with them?” Sakura asked once she was fairly certain the other genin were out of earshot. ‘I might not remember most of the show, but Rock Lee, Tenten and Neji are just super cool, not quite as cool as Haruno I fought Aka-suna Sasori as a sixteen year old and lived after curing his poison Sakura cool but, still totally awesome.’ Sakura thought, giving the man her full force puppy eyes. The effects were clearly diminished because Gai knew what she was trying to do but he still gave her an amused smile.

“I wouldn’t worry youthful blossom, you’ve already made quite the impression. Just give them some time, your specialization is not one they’ve had any contact with yet.” Gai’s enthusiasm was somewhat toned down but his meaning was clear. Sakura was welcome to join their training sessions and perhaps she’d even end up making friends of Team Gai.

Chapter Text

Chapter 30

Sakura had made a breakthrough. Her misuse of the flower dance against Tenten had granted her a new perspective, not just in ninjutsu but in fuinjutsu in general. The symbols used were important to some degree, as the natural energy of the world recognized them and bolstered their power, but the intent was more important still. Unsealing the chakra pills Danzo had given her, Sakura crushed one between her teeth and let out a sigh of relief when fresh strength began to fill her. Her stomach growled and she threw together a quick meal before sitting down at her desk and getting to work.

‘If I can come up with a unique name for the seal, I won’t have to use a whole host of characters.’ Sakura thought and looked down at her notes, inspiration striking her without warning. ‘Aegis.’ Sakura felt the rightness of that settle over her. ‘Byakugo no in, the strength of one hundred and the Aegis, the ultimate defense.’ Sakura knew it wouldn’t be enough. The Byakugo had flaws, but perhaps she could bypass them. ‘After all the mokuton can create new life so there is no reason a seal can’t either, especially if it channels natural chakra…’

Sakura trailed off as she leaned back in her chair. Tsunade hadn’t given her the details on the Byakugo, but now she needed it. The seal would act as the anchor for her own or at least its expanded network would. ‘I’ll need to modify it so that the expanded network isn’t always dumping chakra from the secondary reserve.’ Sakura paused and then pressed her lips together. ‘The Byakugo is parasitic, it only stores the user’s spare chakra rather than generating some of its own. I wonder…’ Sakura knew her reserves were paltry but if she could make a second chakra core for herself, one that wasn’t simply parasitic, she’d solve the problem. Especially if that secondary reservoir had the same near infinite capacity of the Byakugo.

‘If you want to be S rank, you’ll have to become a monster. The kind of woman who could kill an entire clan in a night.’ Sakura’s mind whispered and she shivered because there was no reason this couldn’t work. ‘Yang energy drawn from natural energy, yin supplied by the excess within my body.’ Sakura knew there was an imbalance in her physical and mental energy. She was a thirty year old woman in a child’s body, there was no way she didn’t have an excess and if her theory on chakra boosted brain development held true, that difference might even grow rather than level out as she aged.

‘Perhaps one day I’ll even be able to integrate the seal into my network, rather than having it act as a secondary overlay.’ Sakura knew how important distant ambitions were. Finishing a project and finding yourself with nothing left to do could easily lead to depression so she set a goal then held quiet dreams of something even more impossible. The rosette grabbed a scroll and flashed a feral smile as she got to work, writing down notes and trying out a few different kanji combinations, trying to find something that felt right, that could truly carry her intentions.

***

Sakura stepped out of Hanazono and felt an incoming chakra a moment before Uzuki Yugao simply materialized in front of her. The rosette had instantly recognized Hyou’s chakra as approached, so she wasn’t startled when the woman smiled at her, exhaustion and unaddressed grief clinging to her features. ‘Her chakra is…’ Sakura could feel a bit of relief and happiness from her friend, but Yugao’s aura was a complex miss of sadness, worry, concern and affection. She wasn’t feeling just one thing, but rather a dozen different emotions of various intensities and most importantly, she was mentally exhausted.

“Sakura-chan, sorry for going dark but after the invasion things picked up and…” Yugao trailed off, her pain visible briefly before it was locked away behind a tight smile. “But I got something to make it up to you.” Yugao pulled out a storage scroll and after unfurling it, unsealed a pair of longswords, both dull and clearly meant for training but Sakura still froze, eyes locking onto the blades. “I got one for myself so we can spar together.”

“You,” Sakura began and took a breath before looking up at Yugao. She had considered Hiruzen’s guards her friends before but now she knew the feeling was mutual and a massive, blushing grin pulled at her cheeks. “Thank you Yugao-senpai.”

“Well I am Konoha’s premier kenjutsu specialist. I couldn’t very well not learn a new style given the chance and I like you. You remind me of myself, right when I joined ANBU.” Yugao spoke softly as she resealed the swords and then lead Sakura to the rooftops. The two kunoichi flowed over the village, making their way to a training ground covered in seals to keep out prying eyes. Sakura could feel the wards straining against her, but Yugao’s chakra cleared the way, letting them touch down in a dense Hashirama forest.

“Um, can I ask where everyone else is or rather, how they’re doing?” Sakura knew that they were all ANBU and they owed her nothing but she missed her friends.

“They’re doing well. They miss you by the way, I’m sure once things calm down we’ll be able to meet up for training though word has gotten around of your new teacher.” Yugao smirked and gave Sakura a teasing look. “People are going to talk Sakura-chan, learning from two Hokage at your age? A civilian born at that? Rumors are already making the rounds about blackmail or a hidden blood status. There’s a betting pool running right now on what clan you actually hail from.”

“You bet on blackmail didn’t you?” Sakura asked and Yugao grinned at her, answering the question. The woman had seen her trick two kage into being her sensei by wielding the secret of paperwork against them. “Well, I hope you can’t find any proof. The clan council are likely up in arms about me being appointed.”

“Yup, but so far Tsunade has ignored them.” Yugao replied, tossing Sakura her training sword. Sakura caught the weapon and sealed the sheath away as she drew the dull training blade. She gave the sword a few practice swings, checking its balance and then smiled. “Care to explain where you heard of Western swords, Sakura-chan?”

“I read about them and…” Sakura trailed off and looked at the sword in her hand. “Dreamed about them perhaps.” ‘How can I ever explain why I know how to use this? Hema was one of my favorite escapes, but here…’ Sakura gripped the sword and ran through a quick chain of strikes. The blade was perfectly balanced and clearly made to be used. This was no cheap reproduction blade, this was a tool made by a blacksmith who forged such weapons with the expectation they’d see action. “My skull was badly fractured and my memories were all but lost but I did see things. Images, snap shots, dreams. I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Well it’s obvious you know the theory, but your stance is all off. You’ve got no muscle memory even if you understand what you should be doing.” Yugao advised and quickly began helping Sakura correct her mistakes. The older kunoichi wasn’t wrong either. Muscle memory hadn’t really crossed over between bodies and Sakura was shorter besides, which meant she had a long road to relearn her skills ahead of her.

***

Blood dripped down her knuckles and splattered against the light brown dirt, split skin covered every knuckle and cracks ran through her bones but Sakura couldn’t feel the pain. For once she was letting herself feel with all the force of her soul. Her emotions were honed into to a razor’s edge, determination, wrath, excitement and spite driving her, fueling her chakra and muscles when even adrenaline might fail. Thirty years of hell were gripped tightly within fists far too small for the soul wielding them and Sakura exhaled, her focus drawing out the moment, stringing along time until the world seemed to freeze.

Neurons fired, muscles went taught, yanking on bone and chakra hummed with intent. Sakura felt her fist impact the massive boulder before her and carefully unleashed her rage. There was no fresh wave of pain, no worsening of fractures, instead stone gave way, cracks radiating through rock faster than the eye could follow and an explosion shook the training ground as shrapnel cut into the dirt. A dozen fresh streams of blood ran down Sakura’s body but they were immaterial, none of them had cut deep enough to reach anything important and injuries were so frequent she’d been unable to afford treatment more often than not back in America.

“Hehe, well look at that.” Sakura grinned, wiping blood off her face and only managing to smear it as her knuckles were torn open and bleeding freely. “I did it!” Sakura flashed her teeth at the ruined chunk of stone which had absolutely come apart, like one of the rocks she used to whip at small cliffs and outcroppings during her first childhood. “Fuck yeah!” Sakura screamed, her head swimming from excitement and the sudden release of tension. The rosette stumbled and a hand on her back steadied her before she could trip.

“Well done,” Tsunade’s words were full of pride and her chakra immediately went to work healing the injuries across Sakura’s body. “Next time though remember to shape the chakra so the debris flies away from you.” The uncertainty Tsunade had initially held towards Sakura was gone now, replaced by a growing sense of warmth and pride for her youngest apprentice.

“Ah, yeah I forgot, was working on getting my chakra to shatter the target in the first place.” Sakura admitted, taking a breath and rolling her shoulders. “So, I have a question or few.”

“Of course you do.” Tsunade’s tone was fond as she finished healing the apprentice she’d never meant to take. She’d agreed to return to Konoha and had known that meant taking some clan heir or other as her student eventually, once the council had worn her down. Haruno Sakura had been a surprise, an amnesic prodigy, Hiruzen’s last student and a startling reminder of all that Tsunade had lost over the years. “Ask away apprentice mine.”

“Okay, so I know I’ve mentioned my new seal a lot but I’ve hit another wall. I’ve got this idea for a second chakra pool, the Byakugo was the inspiration you see. The idea was, if this secondary seal could regenerate chakra on its own, then it would be vastly more potent. I tried mixing in nature chakra, converting it to yang chakra because well, Hashirama could create new life with his mokuton but I can’t get it to work.” Sakura admitted and Tsunade huffed a small laugh. “What, did I miss something obvious?”

“No, more like…” Tsunade’s eyes became nostalgic and she looked away from the girl, her eyes roaming the training ground, catching ghosts that existed only within her memories. “It’s not a new idea.”

“Oh,” Sakura managed and Tsunade could hear the dejection. “Well, that’s fine, at least I know my other idea is probably new.” Tsunade arched a blond eyebrow and Sakura grinned at her. “Chakra can be used to perform calculations and seals can be used to guide medical ninjutsu so, an addition to the byakugo that passively lengthens telemeres to their healthiest extent, repairs damaged dna, cleans up protein plaques and other prion diseases while clearing out cellular waste and toxins could neatly sidestep the seal’s main weakness and even add passive benefits.”

“You’d neatly bypass the Hayflick limit and eliminate cell senescence within the body.” Tsunade murmured and Sakura grinned before wiggling her eyebrows. “You’ve thought of more?”

“Yes, once the seal is complete, it could be used to artificially alter the natural chakra circulations within the user. When at rest our chakra still circulates, but what if it circulated naturally as healing chakra? Or perhaps changed the chakra nature or flow depending on where in our body it was? If we actively reached for control of our chakra, the seal already boosts our chakra control beyond what’s naturally achievable so why not take advantage of that when we’re not actively using our chakra? There are still things we could be doing, even if we’re not actively aware of them.” Sakura finished cheerfully and watched as Tsunade’s expression seemed to melt away. The woman just watched her for several long seconds, blank faced, her amber eyes sharp with intelligence.

“You can’t solve the nature energy problem, can you?” Tsunade asked and Sakura twitched, grimacing reflexively.

“Well, yes and no. Drawing in nature energy is easy enough, but converting it to Yang energy is basically a one to one cost, so if I supply one unit of chakra to turn one unit of natural energy into chakra, I get back one unit of chakra. It’s zero sum, but nature energy itself is dangerous, Arashi told me not to play with it…” Sakura trailed off and Tsunade let out a tired sigh and shook her head.

“I should have known when you came to me with your little bargain exactly what I was dealing with.” Tsunade’s words were fond despite the way her chakra twisted. Her face was expertly controlled, showing only mild amusement and she offered Sakura a hand, heaving her back to her feet. “What about your aegis itself?”

“Well, I’ve got the seal done but I haven’t figured out a way to get the expanded chakra network to be stable. The human body is always in motion so…” Sakura trailed off because currently every time she moved, the seal would become unstable and fail, which made it useless.

“That can be solved rather easily then.” Tsunade’s tone was oddly affectionate despite the resignation around the edges. Her chakra was saturated with nostalgia at this point and she nodded towards the Senju compound. “Let’s get working on the Byakugo, that should solve your problem, right?”

“Are you sure?” Sakura asked, because Tsunade hadn’t been teaching her for all that long. Sasuke had been gone for all of a month and she’d only been training with Tsunade for two weeks or so before his desertion. In short, this was very early to be passing on such a technique and Sakura didn’t know what to make of it. Tsunade looked at her and guilt colored the woman’s chakra, even though her eyes remained fiery and brash.

“Well, unless you’d rather I didn’t teach you?” Tsunade asked and Sakura shook her head no. “Then don’t complain, come on brat. Let’s get this seal inked.”

***

Silence filled the small shop as Arashi Gin looked over Sakura’s completed seal. He couldn’t copy it since it was already compressed but the function was instantly apparent as Sakura demonstrated the seal’s effectiveness in protecting her skin as she drew a kunai over her arm.

“Not even a mark, impressive.” Arashi murmured, looking at the girl who had stumbled into his shop only a few short months ago, barely literate and yet determined to make something of herself. Her progress had been nothing short of terrifying and she seemed almost hyper fixated on gaining strength. Her rate of growth was unsettling, though not something Arashi hadn’t seen before. “Making me really feel my age right now Sakura-chan.”

“Sorry, Arashi-san.” Sakura replied politely as the man leaned back in his chair and retrieved a pipe.

“Do you mind?” He asked and Sakura hesitated before motioning for him to go ahead. He let out a sigh and didn’t light his pipe, though he did stuff it with tobacco preemptively. He’d smoke after she left. He got up and left into the back room, retrieving a trio of scrolls and four old, worn out research notebooks that he’d personally carried to safety many decades ago. He placed them down on the counter and looked into the eerie light jade eyes of the fae child before him.

Haruno Sakura looked like a doll, beautiful but distinctly inhuman. Humans did not have jade eyes or white pink hair that glistened like pearl in sunlight. Her skin was just a bit too pale and despite the muscle definition she looked thin, elfish even. Her attitude and behavior only compounded the issue, she was far too canny and controlled for a child her age, especially one with total amnesia, but that in its own way was a tell. Sakura had likely forgotten how to mask such discrepancies, along with everything else she’d lost.

“Here, this should be a good start. The scrolls are on natural energy and contain the basic seals common in Uzushiogakure. The books are on how chakra interacts with matter and the mechanics governing its behavior.” Arashi knew the girl was the Hokage’s apprentice but nobody had understood chakra better than the seal masters of Uzushiogakure. They had turned their art into an exacting science. With nothing but ink, willpower and the barest embers of their own chakra, the shinobi of Uzu no Kuni had been a force equal to anything the great nations could field, which was why it’d taken a coalition including four Jinchuriki just to break the village’s defenses. “Read these and then make your own sensory seal, something with a good range that can be left somewhere and checked on from a distance. You’ve got another month.”

“A sensory seal shouldn’t be too hard.” Sakura murmured, ignoring the interested look Arashi sent her way. ‘I’ll need to see if Neko is around, his sensory skills would be the easiest to adapt to fuinjutsu thanks to his use of nature chakra.’ Sakura thought and resolved herself to ask Yugao if she could wrangle the man during their next spar. “Thank you Arashi-san, I’ll get it done.”

“I’m confident you will.” Arashi replied with an encouraging smile. Sakura gave him a nod, remembering Tsunade’s lecture about bowing and deciding she’d really rather not hear it again. Besides bowing wasn’t a part of her usual body language so it was hardly a difficult change to make.

***

Sparks flew as steel clashed with steel. Sakura’s foot locked into place after sliding slightly to the side, chakra anchoring her and arresting her movement with violent spontaneity. Her chakra reached out towards Yugao, tracking the woman’s intent and guiding Sakura’s movements, whispering where the next blow would fall a few moments before it was unleashed. Yugao was going easy on her, lowering her speed until they were evenly matched but the woman was so far ahead in skill it hardly helped.

“You’re rather thoroughly misusing that jutsu,” Yugao teased, smiling as she threw a zwerchhau, a slash aimed for the head where the sword was held parallel to the ground. Sakura met her strike and then immediately pivoted, catching the follow up strike in a shower of sparks. Yugao angled her blade and retreated, drawing the edge across Sakura’s arm, the draw cut ending the fight in another victory for the swordswoman.

“Still lost,” Sakura replied calmly, dispelling the flower dance and catching her breath. Sweat coated her body and her legs were trembling from exertion.

“Oh come on pinky, don’t be so hard on yourself.” Genma called out and Sakura startled, looking over at the man who was lounging on the branch of a tree that was currently occupied by several familiar chakra.

Jade eyes moved from Genma to a man with dark gray eyes and short spiky brown hair. ‘Neko, or rather Tenzo’ Sakura recognized the man, then looked to another brunette with a massive burn scar across his face, ‘Bat aka Raido.’ Sakura thought and then nodded to Gecko, or Genma rather, who she’d seen the most of after Yugao thanks to the chunin exams.

“Hey guys, long time no see!” Sakura couldn’t quite hide how thick her voice sounded right now. The flower dance was meant for seduction, not combat and while it was helpful it certainly had an impact on her behavior after an intense fight. Genma nearly fell out of the tree cackling while Raido frowned, but said nothing as they left their respective perches, dropping down to join Sakura and Yugao on the ground.

“Kid, you’re a riot. What the hell inspired you to use a seduction jutsu in combat and how did you get it to work?!” Genma asked while Neko, Tenzo, frowned beside him. Sakura rolled her eyes and huffed, her cheeks burning at being so directly called out without any hint of judgment. It was one thing to face down scorn with anger and grace, it was another to deal with good-natured teasing.

“Fuinjutsu gave me the idea and as for how? I guess I’m just that amazing.” Sakura chirped, despite her blush and grinned at Genma, wiggling her eyebrows. “Why? Jealous? I could teach you but I don’t know how much of my knowledge would work for you, you’re not exactly pretty.”

“Oof,” Raido laughed while Genma’s cackles increasing in volume. “How have you been kid?”

“Eh, I’ve been better. Lost my team, right after sensei…” Sakura’s stomach twisted and she was far too in tune with her emotions at the moment to hide her sadness. “It’s been rough.” She admitted and met Raido’s eyes. “But I’ll manage. I’ve got a new goal now, beyond ANBU.”

“Oh? And why haven’t you told me yet?” Yugao asked, her tone friendly but Sakura could feel hints of concern in her chakra.

“I’m going to kill Orochimaru.” Sakura stated simply, with such surety that the ANBU around her stilled. Her eyes were no longer smiling, instead she wore the same face she’d once donned in her past life, when things needed to get taken care of. “He’s a problem that has to be handled.”

“You’re-” Neko began then cut himself off. “Orochimaru is not someone to be taken lightly.”

“I am more than aware. I know how strong Hiruzen was and Orochimaru was stronger still. I’m learning from Senju Tsunade, who isn’t a combat specialist, I’m not blind to what my goal means and how high I’ll have to climb.” Sakura let her eyes blaze, the anger within her rising until it filled her chakra. The sense of something lurking in her thoughts faded away as she became all she was for once and burned with it. “I’m going to kill him.”

The ANBU exchanged glances and Yugao put a hand on Sakura’s shoulder.

“I told you she was ready.” Yugao said and her expression hardened. “You all know I joined only a few months older than her.”

“You didn’t have total amnesia.” Raido countered and Yugao arched an eyebrow.

“And I wasn’t nearly as competent, besides we’re here to help her.” Yugao pointed out and agreement moved through the group.

“I thought all of you were onboard with me getting into ANBU.” Sakura stated calmly, wondering where the disconnect had happened.

“We are, you’re made for it but I was hoping you’d wait a bit longer. A year or two, gather some more strength and experience but…” Genma let out a sigh and shook his head. “I should have known better, I mean I watched Hatake go from precocious brat to captain by thirteen.”

“He made captain at thirteen? Bastard, I don’t know if I can manage that.” Sakura cursed, earning a snort of laughter from Raido. “Maybe if I’d gotten brained earlier?” That had Genma gasping back a chuckle while Yugao simply wore a rueful smile. “What do you think senpai?”

“I think you’ll manage to make captain by sixteen, maybe even fifteen but no matter how good you are that kind of thing takes time.” Yugao replied and Sakura nodded, well aware she couldn’t exactly rush her rank. That would only backfire in the long run and she still had to live in this world once moon bitch was handled.

“Thanks,” Sakura murmured, surprised by how much Yugao’s words meant to her. She’d had friends before but her life had been absent of role models and mentors. She’d raised herself and did her best to do the same for her sister even if she mostly failed, driving herself forward despite the pain and hardship she faced down. “So, uh, Neko, Tenzo, could you help me with sensing? The natural energy is kind of…” Sakura frowned and then looked at the man. “Can I show you?”

“Show me what?” Tenzo asked, tone blank and chakra stilling suddenly. Sakura held up a finger and began to swirl chakra above it, forming a rotating sphere which drew in natural energy, mingling with it yet still obeying Sakura’s will. Tenzo’s eyes widened and he reached out with his hand, his own chakra brushing the vortex which wasn’t actually visible to the naked eye. “You’re controlling natural energy.”

“Sort of? I mean I haven’t actually used it for anything yet though.” Sakura crinkled her nose in frustration and Tenzo retracted his hand, expression becoming thoughtful. “I use it a lot in seals actually, but like not in my own body because that’s really dangerous without instruction.”

“Deadly,” Tenzo agreed and silence settled over the clearing. The other ANBU shifted slightly, Yugao moving to join Genma and Raido as they gave Sakura and Tenzo some space. “I suppose we’ll have to start first with proper sensing techniques then move on from there. I’m not sure what exactly you’re capable of since the mokuton is a bloodline but…” Tenzo trailed off and Sakura nodded in agreement, well aware that this wasn’t the kind of knowledge shinobi would share lightly. “I’ll teach you what I can.”

“Thank you.” Sakura replied softly and then looked over at Genma and Raido. “So, you two just here for fun?”

“Actually no, I’ve got an offer of sorts for you.” Genma replied and Sakura arched an eyebrow. “Tsunade-sama wants me to assist you with your aim. You’re not bad for a chunin but you’re nowhere near ANBU.”

“Ah,” Sakura knew that and so agreed easily. “And you Raido-senpai?”

“I’m going to help you train so you can detect threats even without chakra. Assassins don’t normally declare their intent and if you’re going into seduction, being able to be your own bodyguard could mean the difference between life and death.” Raido explained, arms crossed and a slight smile on his scarred face. “I expect you to show the same kind of determination and spirit you showed Hiruzen.”

“Of course!” Sakura chirped and then shivered as excitement worked its way through her body. Her arms felt like dead weights, her chakra was near empty but she’d already taken a chakra pill today and within the hour she’d be ready to go as medical chakra accelerated her body’s recovery thanks to her modified Byakugo no In. The diamond wouldn’t form on her forehead for years yet, the secondary reserves were beyond her reach for now but the more basic functions were active thanks to some tinkering Tsunade had helped her with.

“Why don’t we start with sensing since I’ve already run her ragged.” Yugao advised and Tenzo took the initiative, guiding Sakura through the basics of natural energy boosted sensory jutsu. The rest of the team broke off to see to their own training, except Yugao who stuck around to provide her own insights into sensing, since Sakura’s skills came from over sensitivity rather than a natural penchant for nature chakra.

‘This is nice, I wish it would last but.’ Sakura knew that a war was looming. Iwa had thirteen years to rebuild their jounin corp, Kumo had a little under eight years and while a ceasefire with Sunagakure had been signed, their word wasn’t even worth the paper it was written on. In short, another Great War could start at the drop of a hat and Sakura could see that all it would take is one wrong move, one misstep and the whole continent would be set ablaze. ‘All the more reason to get stronger fast, there is no guarantee this plays out like the manga.’ Sakura reminded herself and dove back into her sensing training, soaking up the information offered like a sponge.

***

If one were to look in on the small apartment belonging to Haruno Sakura, it is likely the voyeur would be rather startled by the sight that would greet them. Three pink haired girls were currently occupying the room, with stacks of books beside each of them, notebooks open and hands writing so fast they were constantly cramping. Sakura hadn’t studied this hard, ever, but there was simply too much to catch up on and ignorance would get her killed.

‘They’re all over the place as far as social development.’ Sakura thought, going over every major treatise and innovation on politics, economics and logistics she could get her hands on. Most would discount philosophy and economic theory when trying to make a mad scramble for strength but if war were to break out, Sakura would need to ensure she could maximize her impact and from what she was seeing, there was no shinobi equivalent to Clausewitz. They didn’t even have a concept of sales or income tax, nor did they fund the military with taxes of any kind. Missions paid for everything and it was a disaster.

‘It’s weakening the nation.’ Sakura thought, looking over the census books available to her. They weren’t entirely accurate due to shinobi paranoia but the trend was rather clear when you cross referenced the numbers given against the average count of shinobi involved in any given battle during the three great wars. ‘We’re bleeding shinobi, the first war saw nearly half of Konoha’s clans wiped out, with the second war adding another twenty five percent on top of that. The number of bloodlines in the village has dwindled to a mere handful compared to what it once was.’

“I have to do something.” Sakura knew that anything involving economic theory would be politically loaded. Taxes weren’t popular, even if they were necessary. Only the naive and the malevolent truly supported libertarianism, the rest of humanity had come to accept the reality that humans could not be trusted to self regulate their own greed. “Perhaps economic theory in the context of national defense? Tie that to an analysis of what war is and why war is?” Sakura knew it’d likely get her a few odd looks but she could feel the need to write in her bones. She had always been a writer, fiction, fanfiction, non-fiction, she’d done it all. Sakura enjoyed writing, at least in her past life, and while she’d never be able to dedicate the same amount of time to it here, she could wield her knowledge and ideas through her pen just as effectively as she could throw a kunai or command her chakra.