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Chapter Text

The drift in the wind suddenly changes, leaves bristling against their branches as Konoha bustles with activity. New teams are assigned with senseis, meaning that new beginnings are starting now. Genin teams are scattered throughout training grounds to different areas, based on their sensei.

Sakura finds herself checking her appearance in the mirror one last time, cursing to herself as she grabs a few kunai’s and shuriken. Her feet are moving quick on the floorboards, bag fastened around her waist as she adjusts her headband once more. Apparently, her teammate was Sasuke-kun and she couldn’t risk looking ugly. Not on her first day!

Creaking awakens through the house, her footsteps running around as she grabs her last items before heading out the door. A small pang darkens in her heart, her parents nowhere to be seen. They’d gave her a heads up before going away on a separate business matter, leaving Sakura to fend for herself. She knew how to take care of the house and herself at the ripe age of 8, capable of cooking meals suitable for her palette. I mean, who else is going to do it?

“I’m gonna be late!” Sakura ran through the door as her feet shuffle on the ground, her panting blending in with the sounds of the village. She used her eyes, seeing spiky black jet hair and bright yellow hair, two small boys arguing with eachother.

“No you idiot, that’s not our sensei. He’s older, probably like mid 40’s or something.” Sasuke was bickering about the looks of ‘Kakashi,’ wondering what their future sensei would look like. “Oh well, what if he’s like pervy or something?! Bet you didn’t think of that huh!” Naruto stuck out his tongue, pretending like he didn’t lose the fight. Both boys were about to restart, until a head of pink hair blew by.

“Sasuke-kun! I can’t believe you’re on my team! And.. Naruto.” She looked defeated when she saw his face, brushing a wisp of hair behind her ear as she looked at Sasuke. He didn’t react, just gave her an irritated look and scoffed to himself. “S-Sakura, wow, you’re so cute! We’re gonna be working together like, forever! Yay!” Naruto was about to give her a bear hug when she stuck her hands out and looked disgusted. He tried to continue and hug her again, but stopped when she bonked the crown of his head.

At last. Kakashi showed up, an orange book in his hand and his other stuffed in a pocket. He raised his fingers and saluted, face hidden behind a mask. “Yo! Sorry to be late, thought you guys weren’t that early.” He scanned all three children, attention focused on Sasuke and Naruto more than Sakura. She kept that small detail in her brain, heart pounding as she didn’t say anything. “Well, you all look like you have potential. Let’s work with that.”

His first test was simple, or so she thought. Apparently, Naruto and Sasuke are able to lightning and fire to their advantage, while Sakura stood on the sidelines. She crouched down and looked at the grass, deep in thought. Her eyes closed and she could feel inner coming out.

‘For Kami’s sake, why don’t you just tell him to teach you something useful instead of sitting like a duck? What’re you even doing, just looking pretty? That big forehead of yours doesn’t help, you need to cover it.’ Sakura was in her mind, quietly letting the background fade away as she settled. “Whatever! My forehead isn’t that big you’re just provoking me. And what the hell am I suppose to tell him? Oh, stop teaching Sasuke and Naruto, help the useless one instead! No, you just sound stupid.” Her mind cluttered with thoughts, the words floating in the air as she waited for Inner to respond.

She assumed the boys weren’t done training, not until someone shook her shoulders and pulled her out of her mind. “Sakura-chan! Are you with us?” Her eyes fluttered for a few seconds, seeing Naruto’s face right in front of her enraged her. She landed a big punch right in his face, his body stumbling back as he clutched his nose. Sakura was about to curse him, until she saw Sasuke and Kakashi at the side. He’d been staring at her, curiosity dancing on his face. She blushed and sat up straight, pretending like she didn’t just punch Naruto.

Of course, they went back to the usual rhythm a team would have. Kakashi walked behind them, paying attention as Sakura tried getting Sasukes attention while Naruto was trying to show off his skills. They looked like a handful, but Naruto and Sasuke had crazy potential for the future. But Sakura was a lost case, he’ll probably see her give up and go back to the peaceful life of a little girl. She’d take classes at the academy and learn etiquette and sew for the future, something like that.

He thought back to when he was training the boys, standing off to the side as Naruto and Sasuke tried to perfect fireball. His eyes lingered to Sakura, wonders building in his mind. She crouched over and huddled her head in her knees, chakra flowing through her veins, until it stopped. His instincts flared and he was about to run over, but then he felt it. A larger spark of chakra came from her, something ominous and terrifying. It wasn’t enough for him to get hurt, but the sudden change made him question. What was going on in her mind?

There was small doodles on the dirt infront of her, but it went uncompleted when she kept her head down. Her body was still breathing, but she’d stayed frozen in one spot. Kakashi was getting way too deep in this, so he turned his attention back on the boys.

It wasn’t until Sakura waved bye and ran off somewhere, his mind returning. “Where did Sakura go?” A chill ran up his spine. “She said she was gonna run home, family emergency or something.” Naruto picked his nose while talking, flicking the little booger onto Sasuke which caused him to blow up.

Kakashis eyes looked over to the side, seeing a sliver of pink hair disappear into the wind. “Training is dismissed, go home.” The two boys stopped trying to cut each others throats when their sensei vanished in a flash, sensing that something might’ve been up.

Chapter Text

“We have to go after them! What if she’s in danger?!” Naruto was about to run after them when Sasuke intervened. “No, she said it’s a family emergency. Let her have her privacy, just go home Naruto.” He walked away, leaving him left standing in the dust.

Kakashi caught up to Sakura instantly, or so he thought. She wasn’t there, not a sliver of pink or red in sight. Gone. He used his senses to try and find her, but there wasn’t any chakra signatures. Fuck. His next move was her house, teleporting in a flash landing right on her doorstep. He was about to enter the house when he could feel the same signature, hers. She was fine.

He breathed of relief, all fear wiped off his face. Kakashi lazily stuffed his hands into his pants and walked away, disappearing fast enough so no other shinobi spots him.

Well, thank Kami Inner knew how to switch spots with Sakura. She was outside in the backyard, meditating in the grass to gradually increase her mental and open her chakra. ‘What happened Inner?’ Sakura was in her body’s mind, quietly waiting for Inner to answer.

“You’re little sensei almost got you killed, my chakra was flaring so widely so I could make people go away. Holy shit.” Inner ran a hand through the pink blossom hair, getting back into the same position and remediating.

Sakuras chakra pathways were small, the amount of chakra in one wasn’t enough to psychically or mentally damage anyone. With the help of Inner, she managed to open up a flood gate which would help Sakura gain more chakra as she grows up, but it came with a price.

Chakra depletion is a problem for one, and the fact that Inner and Sakura are only 8 years old made this slightly harder. Sakura would have to study about training to become stronger, maybe to even keep up with her teammates. They switched places, her eyes familiarizing with the backyard of her home. Her parents didn’t even realize that she was the one taking care of the outside, too lost in their own adult lives to even pay attention to her.

She was sad, but knew that wasting tears on this matter wouldn’t help. Sakura pulled her emotions together and focused. ‘You’ll need to study about healing, chakra, chakra control, taijustu, and maybe even connect with water and earth.’ Inner made a mental note of where Sakura was at in her levels. “Jeez, that’s a lot, are you sure?” Sakura sat up from the grass and began to walk back.

‘Unless you want to fall behind your two idiot teammates, better start early than never.’ Psh, fine. Sakura slipped on her sandals, threw a tote bag over her shoulder and locked the door, walking to the local library in Konoha. The building was near the hospital, years of wisdom and knowledge built up in the walls. Moss and greenery slithered through the cracks, but it looked more aesthetic than ugly.

Sakura entered through the door, the shop bell ringing. She looked at the empty reception desk, the back door opened with sounds of shuffling inside. “Welcome! Remember to read the rules before continuing!” A woman’s voice yelled out, her attention turning towards the big bold letters on the wall.

* Please keep voice to a minimum!
* Respect all resources inside library
* Any damage is automatically charged to you!
* Read and have fun!

Well, simple rules. Her feet padded against the creaky floor, dust and cobwebs in corners. She dragged her hands on the spines of the books, looking for any topic or subject about chakra. It wasn’t until she looked, a dark red spine peeking out of the lighter set of books. Her hands pulled it out and she dusted the cover off.

‘Chakra Control: Maximize Power in Simple Ways.’ Huh, looks like it’ll work. She clutched the book to her chest and sat down in the book nook, opening the pages. There was multiple chapters about chakra control, from beginning to end. Diagrams, paragraphs, pictures, notes about how to precisely become good at controlling chakra within one’s body.

Each chapter she read made her more fascinated, all the information she was retaining locked into her brain. Now, it was going to make so much sense for her when she needed to control her chakra. ‘Hey, take out that one black book near the corner.’ Sakuras eyes popped up, seeing the small corner of black in the bookshelf. She placed down her book and walked up to the shelf, grabbing it out. It was a black velvet cover, hardly even touched and in pristine condition. Huh.

‘Mental Power and Ways To Win In Battle’ Interesting. “I wonder if this’ll make you stronger, Inner.” She sat back down, opening the cover just to be met with blank pages. ‘Let me take over.’ She couldn’t even protest before they switched places, Inner using her own technique to read. The pages suddenly had words, every single page showing various texts.

‘Strengthen your mind, don’t let anyone take over. Vulnerability and fear will weaken the body, be strong and confident. Want to overcome anyone in your way? Destroy them inside their mind, crush them and make them feel pathetic. No mercy until justice prevails.’ Inner was locked in, suddenly realizing the key to all her secrets.

Sakura came back, shoving both books into her bag as she left the store, paranoid of the clerk trying to snoop. ‘What’s you do that for?!’ Inner screamed on the inside, watching as Sakura darted around. “Somebody was staring, like watching me ever since I entered the book store. Need to go a different way home, can’t risk it.” Her hair was standing up on one end, goosebumps littering her pale skin. The back of her neck was sweaty, like she’d caught a fever.

It wasn’t until she stepped onto her front porch that the chakra signature was gone, or so. Sakura assumed she was safe before entering her house, slamming the door behind herself. Seriously, what was that? Well, whatever is was, she shook it off and went straight to bed.

Chapter Text

Kakashi was scouting out Sakura, trying to figure out her intentions at the library. He wouldn’t have done any snooping, but the fact that she had a weird chakra pulse during training made him think. Her presence was in the library, reading a book about chakra control. Maybe she was just trying to stabilize her levels? He breathed a sigh of relief before turning back around, when he could sense the sudden movement.

Thankfully, he’d slipped a disguise on to keep his identity a secret. A brown wig, brown contacts, and purple markings. His outfit was sage green, using a scarf to hide his mouth. The receptionist didn’t even look at him, too busy in the back doing something else. All he heard was a shout about rules and then the same old ruffling.

Kakashi pretended to be a passerby, sweeping through the shelves full of knowledge. Each book in here was either read by him, or too low in level to even interest him. He swiped the dust off a book done and rubbed his fingers, about to leave the store when her chakra changed.

Ominous, large, loud, all from her. It was the same in the forest, like a beast hidden inside her body. But that’s weird, Sakura came from a civilian background and neither of her parents were shinobis. His brain had thoughts circulating different theories, deciding which one was plausible.

His head slightly peaked out, his chakra masked to not alarm Sakura. She looked, slightly different. This time, the glint in her eyes was replaced with fascination, but not anything normal. The book she held was black, the pages blank, yet she continued to flip and read. What the hell? She mumbled something to herself, expression twisting into something else as she kept reading.

Kakashi was about to approach her, wondering what could be so interesting about the book. But, instead, she shoved the books into her tote bag and scrammed, catching him off guard. She’d bolted out of the bookstore and went through different alleyways, Kakashi running out right after her.

His feet ran across the tiles of roofs, breath caught in his throat as his eyes followed the pink blossom hair. She was trying too hard to lose the attention, going through narrow paths and crouching out of sight. Just as he caught onto her, she ran inside her house and slammed the door. Her chakra was back to normal, the same small signature. Fucking hell, just what is going on inside her?

Kakashi went back to his own apartment, thinking about the events that just happened. He mentally cursed himself, realizing his masked chakra faltered during the heat of the moment. His shoes were neatly placed on the rack near the door, feet pattering against the soft carpet as he walked to the bathroom. Even after going through years of elite training, working in ANBU, and being an elite jonin, his own student made him slip.

He peeled off the purple stickers on his face and took out the brown contacts, placing them back into the case. The brown wig laid on the counter as he washed his face, staring at his reflection. His eyes stared right back at him, deep and eerie. Whatever.

His clothes were strewn across the floor, too bothered to even clean up after himself. Kakashi flopped onto the soft duvet of his bed and silently thought to himself, letting the night take over.

-

Training came once again in the morning, Naruto and Sasuke already met at the training grounds. They looked like two feral cats about to snap at each other, when Sakura showed up. She didn’t try to interfere in their arguments, not blinking an eye when the two boys put their heads together. Instead, she sat on the side and waited for their sensei to come. The whole team assumed they would have to wait three hours like last time, but he showed up early.

“You’re not late! That’s a shock.” Naruto threw a kunai at him, watching as the blade was caught in his hand. “Yes, I’m not late this time. And Naruto, try to throw another kunai in my face and I’ll make you file all the paperwork for our team.” Kakashi smirked through his mask, listening to the sounds of an irritated Sasuke and shocked Naruto. But Sakura.

She didn’t try to scold him, or even hit him. Her eyes looked into the forest as she sat by herself, looking like she’d already seen a war in her life time. “Alright team, we’re going to practice chakra control. Or specifically, walking on water. Cmon, follow along.” Kakashi waved his hand and turned his back, walking at a moderate pace through the forest.

His kids followed behind, Naruto teasing Sasuke about their new assignment. “I bet you’re gonna fall into the water, dummy! I’m totally better at walking on water.” Naruto laid his hands behind his head and laughed, acting cocky. “Don’t make me drown you Naruto, I’ll do it.” Sasuke was about to grab his neck when he turned to Sakura. She barely reacted, making eye contact with him briefly before looking somewhere else.

She looked absent minded, like someone had snatched her soul and left an empty hollow shell. “Hey, what’s wrong with her? I thought she was gonna punch you or even try to yell at you..” Sasuke whispered into Naruto’s ear, confused. “I don’t know man, she hadn’t even looked our way within the hour of us being together. Maybe she’ll finally leave me alone and won’t hit me again!” Naruto was happy, but a part of him sad. Where was the attention?

Meanwhile, Sakura was listening to Inner. ‘He almost caught onto you yesterday, the masked chakra signature, the disguise, me switching places with you to read the book. Kami, he is one good jonin.’ “This is your fault for wanting to read the book in public, it was literally suspicious because any other person could definitely tell the pages were blank.” Sakura mumbled, making sure her teammates and sensei didn’t hear.

‘Whatever, atleast I can tell you about the book. It’s the key to my secrets, all the unanswered questions inside your mind. There’s ways on how to become powerful, like, godly.’ Sakura was feeling uneasy, not sure if Inner was bluffing or if she had to sacrifice something to become godly. I mean, training could atleast help, right..?'

“We reached the waterfall.” Kakashi called out to his kids, Naruto making a run for the water. He gleamed at the big river, the waterfall roaring. “Sasuke come look at this!” He pointed into the depths of the water, fish swimming around without a problem. “Alright, let’s get started. To put it easily, focus your chakra on the heels of your feet and walk across the water. Don’t lose your focus or you’ll plummet into the river.” Kakashi demonstrated, easily walking across the water like it was a floor.

“Cool!!” Naruto quickly focused his chakra and managed to walk a few steps on the water, shouting about his success before plunging in. His head shot out and he coughed. “What the- I thought I could make it all the way?!” Naruto felt his face flush, swimming back to the edge where he pulled his body up. Sasuke scoffed and used his chakra, running across the water with ease. He stepped on a nearby rock and grinned, acting like a wolf who’d taken over territory. “Ah great! Now, it’s your turn Sakura-“ Kakashi was interrupted.

Her feet moved, no, glided across the water as she made no attempt to look at Sasuke or Naruto. She was headed for the waterfall. “Sakura! Do not go into the waterfall!” Kakashi ran after her, grabbing her body before she could continue, picking her up. He moved her into a princess carry, almost about to fall into the water. “What- I was doing fine! I wasn’t going to head into the waterfall!” She looked up into his eyes, confusion spread all over her face.

‘Fucking shit. Whatever, have to try again later.’ Inner was annoyed, saved by the sensei once again. “I- just had to make sure, alright.” Naruto finally spoke up, confused about the situation. “Can we catch fish or something? I’m hungry!~” He whined, laying flat on his back. Sasuke glared at the two of them before he walked back, sitting near Naruto. “Because we all, collectively managed to walk on water, all of you must catch a fish. I’m going to gather firewood, and do not, hesitate to yell for me.” Kakashi warned all of them.

They all agreed, watching as he walked off. Naruto was the first one, rolling his pant and shirt sleeves up as he walked into the water. He waited for a fish to pass by, grabbing the tail with one hand as he proudly showed the fish. “Looks like I won!” His teeth flashed. Sasuke grumbled, using a makeshift fishing rod instead of dirtying his hands. He’d rather do laps than use his hands for something so tedious.

Sakura, couldn’t be bothered. Or so the two boys thought. She dropped her headband, tied back her hair and slipped her sandals off. “You’re gonna catch a fish Sakura-chan?!” Naruto was smiling ear to ear, excited for her. “Yup! I know my way around it, so.” She went deeper into the water, hands reached up high enough, using her eyes to an advantage. ‘Now!’ She reached into the water and grabbed the big fish, catching a nice piece of cod. “Looks like we have lunch settled!” Sakura stuck out her tongue, catching Naruto and Sasuke attention.

Before anyone could say anything, Sakura threw the fish to Naruto. Thankfully, he caught it with ease and held both fish, too dazed to say anything. Sakura got out of the water, channeling her chakra into her feet as she began to walk across. “Where are you going?” Sasuke questioned her, but then he noticed it.

The dark ominous chakra signature, like a ferocious lion. Sakura turned her head, green emerald eyes glowing, like someone possessed her body. “Keep it a secret and don’t tell Kakashi, yea?” Her usual bubbly demeanor was replaced with something more confident, like a cocky person. Sakura was walking towards the waterfall, and then she passed through the water.

“Found it.” Behold, infront of her eyes laid a sacred treasure. It was a pearl sword, forged centuries ago. The handle was still pristine, flashing with engraved gold and symbols. Inner had read about it in the black book, thankful for today’s assignment. She grabbed the sword and walked back out of the small cave behind the water.

“Sakura!” Naruto yelled, eyes widening at the sword in her hand. She kept it to her side, careful with the object. “Where the hell did you get that?” Sasuke shouted, slightly angered that she caught the item before he did. “Don’t try your little shit with me, Uchiha. I’ll slice your head off clean with this sword, so use your words nicely.” Sakura was meaner than before, pointing the tip of the sword in his direction.

Just then, Kakashi showed up.

Chapter Text

Now, what’re you supposed to do when one of your students are wielding a sword from Kami knows where, pointing it at an Uchiha heir, and their teammate is a sitting duck.

Kakashi dropped the wood from his hands and dashed towards Sakura, gripping her wrist up to avoid getting injured. Before any of them could talk, a loud rippling noise broke through the natures silence. He grabbed her body and ran back to the forest, watching as the water from the waterfall formed into a dragon.

The terrifying beast laid taller than the forests trees, water rippling through its scales as its breath drifts down. Well, team practice, right..? “Formation now!” Kakashi released Sakura and moved ahead, Naruto about to leap into action when three other smaller dragons emerged. They were the same form, just smaller. “Hell yeah! Let’s fight!” Naruto grabbed his kunai and sprinted.

Sasuke made his hand signals, launching a jutsu to slow down the dragon. Fire was used to his advantage as he blew it right on the water dragon, hoping to evaporate the creature. “Savor your chakra and focus on the main enemy!” Kakashi was doing one handed signs, using electricity to defeat the beast.

Sakura was switched in places with Inner, back in her body. She was holding the sword, realizing her next moves. Her hand gripped the handle as she held it up to the sky, and she whispered the words. “心剣.”

The pearl sword glowed as an emanating beam rose out into the sky, the three water dragons surrounding the weapon in a circle. Its body flowed like a river, droplets falling down as the beast dove back into the sword, the pearl sword glowing azure. Sakura bit back her words and held the sword with immense strength, trying the hardest to not let it go.

Sasuke, Kakashi, and Naruto rushed over to help, holding the sword with her as the dragon finally resided. Its form remained intact into the sword, the name ‘Suijin’ engraved into the material. “Well, that’s a load of paperwork then.” Kakashi mumbled to himself, grabbing the sword out of Sakuras grasp.

“Amazing!!!! We just defeated a water dragon!!!” Naruto was bouncing with energy, his energy radiating in waves as he celebrated the accomplishment. Sasuke even had a small smirk on his face, his ego inflated like a balloon. And Sakura, well. Inner was mad to say the least. ‘What the fuck?! That was MINE! I found the damn sword in the water! I didn’t read all of those pages for this shit!’ Sakura trembled slightly before coming back to her senses.

“Pack up your gear, we’re going back to training grounds.” Kakashi was still wielding the sword, just that the tip was pointed to the ground. “Sakura, you’re in for an interrogation.”

-

“As of August 8, this interrogation is officially under review. No information will leak out or into this room without any prior knowledge. The subject I am investigating is Sakura Haruno. I am going to ask you a set of questions and you’ll answer with only the truth. Do you swear?” Ibiki flipped through pages, pausing when Sakura went silent.

“I swear to tell the truth and only the truth. By the Gods of Konoha.” Sakura held it over her heart, waiting for a question.

“Where did you exactly find the sword?” Now, if she promised to only be honest and tell the truth, her fate wouldn’t be changed. But, if any lies were revealed, Sakura would face a consequence. “I went to train by the river with my teammates when the waterfall caught my attention. There was a slight shimmer behind the water, but I couldn’t directly walk over there yet. When Kakashi turned his back and walked away, I used my chakra to walk on the surface of the water and went behind the waterfall. In the cave, I saw the glowing pearl sword and grabbed it, walking back out.” Sakuras pulse remained steady, her tone truthful enough that Ibiki couldn’t suspect anything, yet.

“What about the part where you threatened Sasuke Uchiha? According to Naruto, you said. ‘Don’t try your little shit with me, Uchiha. I’ll slice your head off clean with this sword, so use your words nicely.’” Ibiki was intimidating her, very set on getting more out of the little girl.

“Yes, I did threaten Sasuke but I never genuinely did any damage. It was more like a calculated move, seeing how he’d react towards my words. You believe me, right?” Sakuras eyes glimmered with a shine, the same honest expression on her face. Her body language wasn’t directly saying anything, not even a sign of acting off.

“…You’re off the hook for now, but you’ll be assigned under watch. Just to smooth things out. Keep yourself in check, Sakura.” Ibiki dismissed her from the room, closing the folder. When she walked out, he let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. God, why a small genin out of all people?..

-

‘Jesus, he almost blew my cover.’ Inner was talking to Sakura in her mind, almost grateful that she knew how to lie and get away with it. “Why’d you even threaten Sasuke, I mean he’s not that bad~ He’s soooo cute..” Sakura was at home by herself, cooking up a small omelette while the rice boiled in the cooker. ‘He was getting on my nerves, more than energyball. God, what do you even see in him? Like, If I had to tolerate that attitude, I’d end up in more than jail.’ Sakura snickered, remembering that Inner was her built up emotions, feeding off her insecurities and resentment.

“I don’t know, it’s entertaining when you deal with him. When I do it, I turn into a blushing idiot and fluster.” Sakura finished cooking, turning the stove off as she grabbed a side dish. Her fluffy omelette laid on the porcelain dish while she scooped rice. She laid cucumbers, her omelette, and rice down on the dining table. “Thank you for the meal.” Sakura dug in.

‘Because I just can’t stand watching you get trampled, especially by nobodies. And definitely, not by an orphan.’ Hmm, atleast she had a point.

Sakura finished half of her meal, too full to continue. She moved quickly and wrapped up the leftovers, storing it into the fridge. Just then, Inner switched positions with Sakura. “What the hell Inner? You can’t just do that without giving me a heads up!” Sakura was fed up with her, but didn’t make any move to switch back. ‘Someone is watching, and it’s not ANBU. It’s more, huge.’

She walked along the walls, using the blind spots to her advantage when she could slightly see a figure. It looked, like Kakashi..? Sakura was mentally screaming to switch now, afraid of her own sensei finding out about her Inner. “Switch back now!!!” It was too late. The doorbell rang, the silence following after.

“Sakura-chan! Cmon, let your sensei in! It’s hot outside!” Kakashi was right on the porch, hand raised slightly just to knock again. Inner listened to Sakura and followed her actions. ‘Do you know how to mask your chakra..’ Inner whispered.

“How do you do that? I haven’t learned about that.” Hopeless. Inner wouldn’t be able to do it if Sakura couldn’t herself. She swung the door open and smeared a fake smile on her face. ‘Hi, Kakashi.’

He smiled back, a bag of dango held up in one hand. “I got you a sweet treat, just to make up for the interrogation.” Kakashi side stepped through the door and walked into her house, making himself at home. Inner bit back her harsh words, trying to act like Sakura. ‘Um, did any of the people say anything about my interrogation..’ She put her best innocent act on and smiled, her teeth gritting.

“Nothing out of the ordinary. Ibiki told me you might be pulled in again just for a follow up, he also said that you’re under watch. I noticed a wolf
mask in the trees.” Kakashi acted like nothing was wrong, but he took note of the body change.

Sakura was on edge, her tone, attitude, body language. She looked like someone used a puppet to imitate human emotions. Normally, Sakura would’ve dug into her dango, but she just left it on the table. Also. her eyes, are more.. bright. The usual light sage could catch someone’s attention, but. Her orbs were glowing clear, the color of emeralds coming to mind. A slight ring highlighting her eyes.

“Well, I’m off. Remember to get up for training, we have another meeting to accomplish.” Kakashi saluted and walked out, closing the door behind him. Sakura switched places, her chest slightly heavy. Did he know the truth..?

-

Kakashi could feel the same ominous chakra from the house. He’d strolled around to have a nice chat with her, but then it happened again. The same beastly chakra emanating from one person inside. Thankfully, he called off the wolf and moved in himself, dampening his chakra signature.

At his apartment, papers were spread out on the coffee table. Ever since he was assigned this specific team, wonders have started to linger.

Why is Naruto on my team? Sasuke looks irritated every moment? Sakura keeps quiet after the first day?  Sudden changes, movements, undetected behavior, right under his nose. He swiped his finger along the words of previous reports, trying to figure out this ugly pattern.

A coffee stained paper laid on the floor, words of lies written all over. It claimed that a beast was lingering in the streets of Konoha, residing inside a home. He’d kept it separate from the piles of papers, making mental notes.

‘Sakura threatened Sasuke at the river, sword pointed directly at his throat. Her eyes were shining once again, and he didn’t make any move. Naruto couldn’t help because of his lack of chakra control. She didn’t have the same cheery look when she was joking, more like a murderous look. If I wasn’t there, she might’ve tried to take his life right there and then.’

Kakashi remembered the exact moment. He walked away to gather firewood, instead hopping on a taller tree branch near the river to read privately. Yes, it was wrong but who cares? Icha-Icha was calling his name so fast. Besides, the kids could handle themselves. He cracked open the orange book and read the lewd pages, enjoying the scenes. ‘Jiraiya, you are one hell of an artist.’

Her chakra changed. “Keep it a secret and don’t tell Kakashi, yea?” His instincts raised as he was about to rush back, book to his side. Sakura walked into the waterfall, gone for a few seconds. ‘Where did she go..’ Kakashi looked at his surroundings, Naruto and Sasuke pausing. Just then, she emerged.

A sword, bright and shiny in the sun, way too powerful for a genin to wield. “Found it. Sakura! Where the hell did you get that from?” No, these weren’t the important factors… There.

Sakuras eyes dragged up towards the branch he was in, her pupils dilated. Then, with swiftness of a trained shinobi, she threatened Sasuke and acted like she didn’t spot him.

Just how was he supposed to dig into this little crack she made?

Chapter Text

He watched Sakura walk into the waterfall, not bothering to stop her. If her goal was to get something, than he’d rather step to the side lines. “We have to get her back out! What is she’s in danger?!” Naruto was finally using perfect chakra control when she emerged, a sword in her hand.

‘What the actual fuck?’ Sasuke faltered for a second, expecting anything but that. “Where the hell did you get that?” His heartbeat pulsed, nerves on fire. If she was going to use it against them, than so be it. But, no.

“Don’t try your little shit with me, Uchiha. I’ll slice your head off clean with this sword, so use your words nicely.’

Those words sent a chill up his spine, his hair sticking up. That wasn’t Sakura, even Naruto could tell. No, a possessed vessel, someone who holds power more than he did. He swallowed his spit and was about to lunge, but then Kakashi showed up. Thankfully.

Now, he and Naruto were training with Kakashi, just without Sakura. She got taken away for interrogation. “We’re gonna explore endurance, it’ll help build up and make it easier in the long run. Firstly, running laps is your warm up. Then, you’ll spar against eachother without any special moves. Lastly, I prepared weights for you to wear while exercising. Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to impress Sakura.” Kakashi snickered.

Sasuke looked unamused but he couldn’t pass up a showing off contest, especially if he could get the chance to destroy Naruto. “You’re on emo!” Naruto was full of buzzing energy.

Both boys ran around the perimeter of the training ground, trying to race each other to the finish line. Kakashi was wondering how Sakura was holding up. He’d been slightly worried, just the thought of it lingered in the back of his mind.

Then came sparring. “Alright team, firstly you two are gonna spar. No special moves, just a kunai and pure raw strength. Any rule bending and you’re gonna be sent back to learn etiquette in the academy, with the girls.” Kakashi grinned, the image of Naruto and Sasuke forced to learn something way out of their heads was funny.

“Aw man! That’s not fair Kakashi!” Naruto whined, slumping while Sasuke scoffed. “Get in position!” At last, came sparring.

Naruto was on the left while Sasuke sided on the right. Both boys held a kunai in one hand, the difference obvious on how they handle it. “Fight.”

Sasuke shuffled on his feet as Naruto dove right in, running straight towards him with his kunai. He’d jumped right onto Sasuke, trying to use his weight to push him off his balance. The sound of metal clashing in the air rang in Kakashis ears. “I’m gonna knock your ass to the ground emo!” Naruto’s smile reached up towards his ears, his face resembling a wild cheshire cat.

While Sasuke kept his composure calm, his teeth gritted. He pushed Naruto off with his strength and used that moment to lunge, Kunai raised to hit a vital spot. Naruto rolled over and dodged, using his feet to sweep Sasuke off his feet. Who knew that these two boys rivaled eachother so much they’d fight and get the chance to slash each other’s throat? Kakashi watched intently, using his precise eye to carefully measure each movement. If Sakura was here, she’d definitely comment about the fight, something like ‘At this point they’re going to kill eachother!’

Just then, Naruto regained his willpower and slammed into Sasuke, holding his body down with his weight as he raised the kunai. One hand was choking Sasuke as his hands tried to claw the hand off, Naruto’s kunai raised to stab him. He slammed it down, Kakashi hearing the gruesome noise of Sasuke forfeiting on his drawn breath. The kunai was an inch away from his eye, stuck in between his locks of hair. “Got you.”

“Well, props to you Naruto. Guess you won the spar this time.” Naruto went back to his cheerful demeanor, helping Sasuke to his feet as he tried to catch his breath. “That was fun! Good job emo.” Naruto smiled like a little kid, all teeth shining in the sunlight. “Tch, whatever.”

Kakashi then spotted the green blobs from a distance, raising his hand. “Yo! Guy sensei.” His team picked up their pace as they went over towards Team 7, their sensei paying attention to Kakashi. “If it isn’t my only rival! What’re you doing out here Kakashi?” He looked at Naruto and Sasuke, spotting the roughed up clothes and slight sweat on their skin.

“Just sparring with the boys. Wanna match against my team?” Kakashi leaned against a tree, basking in the shade as his fingers itched to grab his novel. “Sure! Neji, Rock Lee, pick your poison. Tenten will be the referee.” Guy stood next to Kakashi, watching his students begin their fight.

“How are you holding up recently? With the village.” Guy asked in a somber voice, his face relaxed as he watched the match. “I’m worried for Sakura, just that after the recent mission, something happened. Why does she have to be dragged for interrogation? I mean, I understand that more information has to be given before any assumptions happen, but I’m worried. My stomach has been turning every day.” Kakashi closed his eyes, a full body shiver crawling up his spine.

Guy listened, not replying instantly, He stood in silence and just let Kakashi gather his thoughts.

Naruto held up his end against Rock Lee, using his body to defend against the strong kicks and punches from bushy brows. Kami, he’d kill to just get this over with. Sasuke and Neji were handling themselves, his jutsus against byakugan kinda balancing. Tenten was bored of the sparring, watching from the side. She wondered where Sakura was, debating if she’d been a worthy opponent.

-

“The sword was forged centuries ago. No one knew of its location or whereabouts after it was crafted, the original document about the weapon practically had been damaged to pieces. How did a genin, especially an 8 year old manage to find it? She also sealed the water dragon inside, freeing tourists from any sudden attacks that had been happening in that area. We can’t charge her for anything because she solved our problem, but how.?” Ibiki watched from the double sided mirror, eyes locked onto Sakuras body.

She didn’t fidget, not even looking around. At most, her movements consisted of blinking and slight mumbling. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to mumble, but she did it in periods.

‘Why the hell are they taking so long? It’s an interrogation! Just move on and hurry up!!’ Inner was tired of staring at the same walls and needed a change of pace, Sakura keeping quiet or so. Sometimes she would whisper her replies back to Inner, but not really. Sakura could feel anxiety gnaw at her skin, goosebumps rising. The door opened with a click.

“You’re free, no charges or any offenses has been placed on your record. Get out of here kid.” Ibiki shooed her off and watched as she lit up, walking down the hallway after being let out. “She’s just a kid.”

-

The sunset bled into the once blue sky, hues of orange staining in with lilac, violet, and vermilion. Sakura had walked into the deeper part of the forest, a pouch of weapons with her as she changed into workout clothes. Her hands were wrapped in bandages as she punched the tree bark, the wood denting from the continuous hits. She kept her breathing calm, releasing chakra in each punch until it fell over, birds flying off the branches.

Her blood went cold when she felt someone else’s chakra, grabbing a kunai as she circled around. Sakura kept her voice silent, ears perked when she heard the crunch of twigs. She threw the kunai into the direction of the person, peeking out slightly as she realized who it was. Sasuke..

sasukes pov

He’d taken a walk around the greenery, taking a well needed break from his home and from Naruto. Kakashi had dismissed both boys after sparring, so he distracted his mind. Overwhelming thoughts dampened his focus, his face permanently wiped with a scowl. Just then, he heard the sounds of panting.

Sasukes chakra flared, assuming it was a small animal or little kid lost in the forest. He kept quiet as he slightly walked closer. Then, a kunai flew out and nicked his cheekbone, the crimson dripping down his side. “Sasuke? Oh my god- sorry!” Sakura emerged from the tree.

“You were the small chakra from the tree?” Sakura had a small bandaid in her hand as she placed it onto his small wound. “Yea, I kept my chakra masked just incase someone crept up on me.” She stood back, looking into his eyes. No glowing, like last time..

“Where have you been Sakura? What happened with the sword, and you threatening me? I never thought you’d say that to my face. Why haven’t you been showing up around the village, huh?” Sasuke rambled on with his lists of questions, Inner switching positions.

‘Listen, I haven’t been feeling well. So back off and keep your nose in your own business, stop trying to butt in.’ Inner had glared at him, eyes glowing neon. She relaxed her position, more mean with her words than Sakura. Her pupils dilated, smaller than before. “You, you’ve changed. I thought you were in love with me or something.. What happened?.” Sasuke felt a small crack in his heart.

Inner scoffed, using his mannerisms against him. ‘Don’t play coy, you don’t even try to reciprocate my feelings. How am I supposed to like someone who doesn’t even take my love into consideration.’ Inner scowled, her irritation bleeding into her tone. “He’s going to catch on act less mean!” Sakura slightly panicked.

‘I- just haven’t been like myself these days, so forgive me. My mood is sour this week.’ Inner flushed, a small pink dusting her cheeks, “Oh. Ok. See you in training for tomorrow.” Sasuke walked away and didn’t hear her respond, just the burning feeling of her eyes glued on his back.

That wasn’t Sakura at all. Her eyes were glowing, a small highlight around her orbs. She also had more chakra than when I remembered, like from the waterfall. It was more eerie, she wanted to take murder on me. The kunai? Kami, If I wasn’t walking an inch away, my eye would’ve been like Kakashis….

Chapter Text

Sakura forced her body up from the soft comforter, stretching her aches from yesterday. She slipped on her slippers and walked towards the bathroom, doing her bathroom routine like usual. Her team was assigned a special assignment for today, one that Kakashi wanted to surprise them with.

She packed her weapons pouch, carried a few bandages and slipped some breakfast into her system. ‘Why’d your sensei keep the assignment a secret, I’m dying to know.’ Inner was bored, wanting to see some action. “No clue, he just did. If it’s a mission out of Konoha that would be amazing!” Sakura felt her excitement flow in her veins. ‘I doubt it.’

Her sandals slipped on, the red haori she wore and headband tightened around her head was the common outfit combo she’d wear. Sakura locked her front door and paced herself as she reached Team 7’s training grounds. Naruto and Sasuke were already there, even with Kakashi. “There you are, Sakura-chan.” Kakashi smiled at her, his demeanor happy.

“How come you all are here so early? Even you Kakashi?” Sakura felt a small pit in her stomach, curiosity killing her. ‘Is it a mission..? Or perhaps a task that could get me more training.’ Inner commented, waiting for Kakashis answer.

“Im here to reveal the special assignment! Today, all of you are going to enter the Chūnin exams. It’s a specialized test to raise your rank from genin to chunin. I enrolled all of you in this, so don’t let your sensei down yeah?” Kakashi could sense the slight energy change.

“Are you kidding me Kakashi sensei?! I thought we were gonna go on a mission out of Konoha! Not take this stupid exam.” Naruto complained, face drooping comedically. Sasuke stayed silent, his eye on Sakura before turning back to Naruto. He raised his hand and threatened him, about to start another fight when Sakura became the psychical barrier. “Enough you two! We’re going to be using our chakra for these exams, so savor the fight for later.” Her face was marked with guilt.

“You know so much Sakura. I like that.” Naruto felt a deep blush in his face, his emotions wavering before he stammered. Even Sasuke smiled a little bit, calling Naruto an idiot. They all chuckled together, the usual team rhythm coming back, or so. “Let’s go.”

-

The first part was the written test. Genin from other nations besides Konoha came together to take the exam. Dozens, if not hundreds of students were all sat in rows, a paper passed out on each desk. Sakura kept her mind clear, Inner silent for once.

“Today, you are completing the Chūnin exams written test. When you finish, turn in your paper at the front and wait in the next room until directions are given.” A loud speaker echoed through the room, bringing all the students attention together. Sakura was separated from her teammates, Naruto and Sasuke in different ways.

Her pencil in her hand almost snapped in half from how hard she was gripping it, her heartbeat beating like a drum. “You may begin.”

She read through the questions with ease, even Inner didn’t need to step in to help. Sakura had already retained half of this information and knew how to answer, a smile playing on her lips.

Naruto was confused the first question, trying to spy on other papers around him. “Psst…. what’d you get for one.” His whisper almost alarmed the guards in the room, the speaker echoing again. “Any cheating is prohibited. Cheaters will be caught and forced OUT of the Chūnin exams.” He sunk down into his chair, relieving a sigh.

Sasuke was holding up until a certain question hit him. ‘What fluid do you use to help clean a wound without causing further damage?’ He looked at Sakura, hoping that she got his brain cue. “I can’t answer this without her…” Welp, guess he was stumped.

Sakura remembered other students like Ino, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, etc. She assumed that they would hopefully be able to pass without any failure, until she felt eyes in the back of her head. Ino formed her hand signs and used Mind Transfer Jutsu.

Inner caught the disturbance, seeing a small blonde girl in her space. “I’m going to use you to cheat, forehead. Sucks to be useless that you can’t even escape.” Ino laughed, looking at Sakuras test questions when Inner stood up.

‘Get the FUCK out of my mind.’ Inner grew to the size of a large titan, maybe the length of a stadium. Her hands gripped Ino as she squeezed her, the oxygen depletion hitting like a truck. Thankfully, Ino left after a few seconds, Inner able to rest in Sakuras mind. Sakura was enraged, mad that she’d been taken advantage of by her enemy. She bit her lip and finished her exam, rising to turn it in. Her feet reached the bottom of the steps as she turned the paper in, walking into the waiting room.

Her face was scrunched up, she wore her emotions on her sleeve. For kami’s sake, she couldn’t even snitch on Ino or she’d be targeted by her squad. If only someone could help her. ‘I don’t know who the hell she thinks she is but trust me, she can’t even break my power, and I’m not that strong.’ Atleast her true self managed to help her out.

inos POV

She hated Sakura, or most likely envied her. How did this forehead pig catch the attention of Sasuke but not her?! She had it all. A clan technique, way better proportions, and blonde hair that looked like sand, not the color of a pigs skin.

Also, she expected to be able to leech off Shikamaru or Choji for this test because why would a girl like her worry about studying? But no. She got placed in the upper row with a bunch of nobodies, the people on either side hiding their answers or too dumb to answer. She mentally groaned, when an idea came to mind.

She formed her hand sign and used Mind Transfer, entering Sakuras mental space. It was, weird.

Instead of seeing anything familiar like before, a large cherry tree swayed side by side as the petals dropped down. It was an endless void with just a large Sakura tree, but Ino remained serious about her first goal. She looked at Sakuras papers through her eyes when she felt it.

The presence of a monster, like a beast waiting for its prey. Ino caught herself breathing heavily, fear spiking her chest. Then, she saw IT.

A sakura, but not her. She was black, white cartoon outlined with Japanese words on her forehead. Her eyes glowed bright green, or more likely white. She snarled, growing 100x bigger than Ino in her headspace. “What- are you?!” Her body shook with shock, seeing double visions. Then, it spoke.

‘Get the FUCK out of my mind.’ It grabbed her body and squeezed her oxygen out, cutting her supply of air off. She could feel the pressure, her face turning purple by the time she got out. When she looked at her surroundings still afraid, Sakura had finished and turned in her test. What the actual hell was that..?

-

Naruto and Sasuke finished by the time Sakura had gotten bored, freely roaming the hallway. Her long pink hair sat on her shoulder as she looked out the arched window, lost in thought. She paused, listening to bushy brows.

“Hey Rock Lee! Eat this!” Naruto threw his smelly shoe at his face, a shoe pattern smacked dab in the middle. “I’ll beat you so hard in another sparring session that even Might Guy won’t forgive you!” Rock Lee charged ahead to provoke a fight with him, the twos energy making people stare at them.

Sasukes eyes remained on hers, there wasn’t a glow or highlight, just sage green iris. She gave him a gentle smile before looking back out the window, like all time seemed to stop. Before he could speak at all, other students began to come out.

Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino had came out all at the same time, looking like they’d fought in the war. Ino locked eyes on Sakura, her rage exploding like a boiling kettle.

“Sakura you pig freak! Your mind is so weird I couldn’t even cheat! What the hell is going on inside your mind?! Freak!” Ino shouted across the hall, pointing her fingers right at Sakura. Inner came out, the beastly chakra flare coming out.

‘Say that to me again, Ino.’ Naruto and Lee had stopped fighting, intrigued with the scene infront of them. The girls were more, graceful when they fought than the boys. Onlookers murmured as Ino quivered slightly, her chin raised high.

“I said, you’re a pig freak. Weirdo. Dirty ugly haired freak. Attention whore! All for the guys on her team.” Inner had ran across the hall and reached out to choke Ino, cutting off her oxygen supply in real life. She couldn’t even call for help, hands clawing at her wrists.

Shikamaru and Choji yanked Ino out of her hold, a mild look of concern drawn in their features. Just then, a teacher came out. “Keep it down in here!” Inner had veins twitching with rage in her neck, bright red drawing lines right down into her skin.

Naruto and Sasuke were by Sakuras side, holding her back incase Ino tried to fight again. “Just let it go, Sakura-chan.” She breathed, shifting back into her original position. Sasuke noted the glowing eyes and chakra change, finally realizing that something else had possessed her.

Well, now onto the next portion.

Chapter Text

Ino and Sakura had been separated from their teammates as they waited at different starting spots.

After the test results came back, half of the students attempting to become Chūnin had failed and were sent away. Sakura and Shikamaru ranked near the top, while Sasuke and Naruto were average. Ino placed in the middle because of her incomplete paper but whatever.

Now came the second test. The forest of death was a survival test, meaning that anyone and anybody could kill. Sakura knew the rules, any weapons were allowed as long as it didn’t exceed a certain level. Death was a high risk, meaning that if she wasn’t careful, her body would be forever trapped there. Konoha is very strict on the rule of death, meaning that no burial or special treatment would happen.

Sasuke had kept his eyes open, calculating each person near him incase they headed for his team first. He’d thought about using his sharigan once again after cheating on the exams, using the technique to grasp answers from Neji.

The loud boom speaker crackled as a voice came over. “Welcome to the second part of the exams! This part will determine your fate, so remember to watch out. Any deaths will be considered failure, and a proper burial won’t be held. Please step on the starting platforms and wait for the beep. Then, the number of teams left alive will be moved to the next stage. Good luck.” Sakura kept her head straight, heart pounding wildly as her ears perked.

Beep.

Every single genin ran into the forest, ninjas with weapons or special powers already aiming for one after another. Sakura and her boys stuck together. ‘The goal is to stay alive and remember to use your training for this.’ Inners voice cut through in her mind.

They managed to stay near the middle or so, not encountering enemies until now. A ninja from the sound village had preyed on Sasuke and Sakura. “Watch out!” Naruto pointed behind them as he pulled out his weapons, but it was a second too late. The person had paralyzed them with their bloodlust, and Sakura let out a piercing scream.

Inner didn’t respond.

Sasuke stabbed himself in the thigh, breaking free from the bloodlust. “Fuck.!” The bloody gaping gash left a trail as they tried to run away, taking different paths to hopefully lose the sound ninja. But then, everything flipped.

The sound ninja was a woman they assumed was friendly, her long black hair and pale skin making her seem normal. Until she extended her neck and aimed for Sasuke. “SASUKE!”

He’d been bitten on the neck, a snake bite contrasting from his skin. His hand slid over the mark, holding the wound. Sasukes vision was blurry and he could barely hold it together, body falling back into the arms of Naruto. “We have to run another way! GO!” Sakura shouted as Naruto carried his teammate on his back.

“Cmon Sasuke, stick with us..!” Naruto was worried, sweat running down his face. Both of them managed to reach a deeper spot inside the forest, trees surrounding the area. Sasuke and Naruto looked dead, so she sent them to rest. Naruto passed out safely on the grass, laid next to Sasuke. “Oh Kami, what am I gonna do..” Sakura placed wet towels on their foreheads, trying to cool their temperature.

‘Be cautious! The trees are never silent. If you don’t hear anything, not even a birds song, you’re in danger.’ Inner felt anxious, her repressed emotions catching up. Sakura had guarded her teammates with her might, eyes flicking to the area around her. She forced her brain to shut up as she listened to the forest. Silence.

“Well, what do we have here? A little kunoichi and her sick teammates.” Sakura turned around, facing two other ninjas. They looked older than her, one brunette and one male. “Hand over the scroll beauty, and you won’t get a scar on your face.” Cocky.

“Fuck. You.” She kept her ground, kunai in hand as she stood in a defensive position. “You asked for it little bitch!” The male launched for her first, using his strength to overpower her.

Inner had switched positions, her beastly chakra flaring as she fought against the bulky man. She stabbed his forearm, dragging the metal down as he screamed in agony. His teammate had snatched her head, pulling her backwards. “LITTLE FUCKER! ILL SHOW YOU NOT TO MESS WITH US!” She had pushed Sakuras body on her knees.

Just then, Inner was back inside her mind, not able to take the pain. “Ugh..!” Sakura had her hair pulled in a tight grip, her scalp tingling with pain. She gritted her teeth as her eyes were closed, thinking of a plan. The female ninja continued to attack her for the scroll, punching her face every single second until Sakura was fed up.

The man she injured wasn’t able to even attack Naruto or Sasuke, his forearm wound bleeding so badly he’d cowered and sat somewhere else. “Fucking bitch..! Bet your sensei didn’t teach you shit because you’re..weak!” He gritted his teeth, tongue filled with nasty words.

“Shut the fuck up Zaku! Stop trying to provoke her and get the damn scroll!” The female let her guard down for a second, marking her mistake. Sakura had used her kunai and sliced her pink hair off, the slivers of softness flying in the wind. She stood up and stabbed the female in the neck, slicing her tracheal cartilage and damaging her vocal cords. The woman is now unable to speak with her voice.

He watched in horror, the once weak little girl that could barely hold herself up now filled with unstoppable rage. ‘Sakura, let me help.’ Inner had repossessed her, eyes glowing with fury as she made her chakra signature large. Just then, Sasuke had already rose.

“Sakura. Who did this to you?” His body was covered in flame like patterns, the once snake bite turned into a tomoe symbol. Inner had looked at Sasuke, letting Sakura take over.

He’d lunged for the man, gripping his neck with monster strength, knuckles white from the amount of pressure he used. The man could barely fight back, staring into the red eyes of the Uchiha. Sasukes sharingan was activated, the copy wheel spinning. Zaku turned purple and stopped writhing, his breathing stopped.

Before Sasuke could tear apart the female ninja, Sakura ran behind him and hugged him. “Sasuke stop!.. Please..” He stood still, marks retracting as his senses came back. A part of him dulled, consumed in grief and darkness, yet he didn’t want to mention it. Naruto had woken up, assessing the damage that happened. The scroll had remained in his hands, a solemn expression on his face.

“Are you alright, Sakura? Did she do anymore damage to you?” He checked her body for anything else, scratches and bruises littered her skin, but then. Her hair. “Sakura-chan, you cut your hair.” Naruto had stood behind her, fingers brushing the edges of the poorly cut locks.

Sasuke felt his walls crumble, realizing that she was a changed person, no longer relying on Naruto or Sasuke. “I had to do it. Don’t worry about me, let’s just go to the finish.” Sakura smiled weakly, her two boys leading the front as she stood behind them, their backs to her. It hurt worse than cutting her hair.

-

Ever since Sakura was a small girl, she first encountered Sasuke nearby her house. She’d been strolling around after getting into a fight with her parents, dried tears crusting on her skin. Then, she paused and admired the sky, breathing in the air.

Sasuke was hiding behind a tree, his eyes locked onto her short fairy pink hair. “I want to grow my hair, or I’ll just cut it to keep it out of my way. Plus, who would care if I had long hair anyways..” He walked and stood next to her.

Her face blew up like a volcano, red flushing her features as she stuttered. “S-Sasuke-kun! You didn’t h-hear me, right..” Sakura hid her face with her hands, ashamed of speaking out loud. “I care if your hair is long. Please, grow it out for me, will you?” Sakura felt a small wave of love wash over her, she smiled. “Of course, anything for you.”

-

Now, Sakura could feel the shortness of her hair. She’d kept it so long because of her promise towards Sasuke, even if he didn’t remember it, but now the promise was broken. She didn’t feel sad, or upset about it, just indifferent.

‘At some point, you gotta decide for yourself what you gonna be. Can’t let nobody make that decision for you.’ Inner had spoken her truth, her spirit strengthened as Sakura had finally rid of her suppressed emotions. Inner became more stronger than before, like a ghost making its place in history.

Sakura turned her head, watching behind her back as she looked at the forest. By the time she swiveled around, they’d already reached the last part.

Chapter Text

The stadium was huge, maybe as tall as the current structure of the hospital. Sakuras eyes skimmed over the audience, people from different nations gathering to watch the final match of the exams. She spotted the more empty part and saw Kakashi, his prickly grey hair and crooked headband standing out. He was waving at them.

“It’s Kakashi-sensei! Let’s go!” Naruto had practically jogged over towards the stairs, his feet thumping against the heavy metal. Sasuke and Sakura were on his tail, slightly woozy from fighting.

“Yo! You all did fantastic in the forest of death, I’m proud of you all.” Kakashi had spotted Naruto first, ruffling his bright yellow hair as he sat down near him. Then, came Sasuke and Sakura. He quieted down for a second, analyzing their appearances.

Sakura had shorter hair, rough on the ends as bruises littered her skin, scraps, scratches, and blood stains on her red qipao. “The test is all about determination and adapting, so you won’t be healed until after your duel. Hang in there, alright?” Kakashi placed his hand on the crown of her head, her eyes drifting in and out.

While Sasuke looked more nervous, a tomoe mark formed on the crevice of his neck. His eyes were more dilated, pupils slightly shrunken. Less marks, but his forehead was shining with sweat and his headband had fallen lose. Most definitely got a little bit out of hand there. “Good job.” Kakashi acknowledged him and sat back in his seat, waiting for the announcement.

“The teams that have pulled through are 7,8,10, Guy, Baki, and Kabuto. Now, we are going to announce the fights for each round.” Sakura held her hands in her lap, mentally speaking by with Inner inside her mind. She could feel the injuries wear her down little by little, slightly pissed that Zaku and that random female ninja managed to do a number on her. She would need to train harder, faster, better in order to catch up.

“Now: Annoucing pairs! Rock Lee and Gaara, Naruto and Neji, Sasuke and Gaara, Hinata and Neji, Sakura and Ino, and Shikamaru and Temari. Come down to the stadium floor.” The speaker boomed through the audience, Sakuras ears slightly tingling from the fight. She’d needed a desperate healing, but waited patiently until after her fight.

Gaara was already on the ground, his sand gourd slinged on his back. His eyes were squinted, silent as Rock Lee spoke his honor. “I am Konoha's beautiful green beast! I will absolutely not lose to you!” Lees hands were wrapped in bandages as his cheeriness was oozing from him. Gaara looked like he couldn’t give a shit.

‘Kami, both these boys look like they’ll fight eachother for hours.’ Inner was pumped for her fight with Ino, various ways on how to beat her ass flying through her mind.

Both boys had been toe to toe, eye contact so deep it could cut someone. An official rep had his hand in between them, chopping the air the start. “Go!”

Rock Lee had made the first move, using his fists to try and aim for Gaaras temple, but his sand was faster. He’d just stood there as his grains protected him from any possible danger. Not even Lee could get one hit on his exterior.

“Why is he just standing there? Make a move or something weirdo!” Naruto had shouted into the stadium, the audience shouting together.

“Your sand won’t always protect you!” Lee had paused his relentless attacks of kicks and punches, standing on the other side when he looked at his sensei. “Guy Sensei, please let me remove them!” He’d stood up straight and pumped his chest, his confidence bursting.

Everyone had looked at Guy, waiting for his answer. “What’s happening..?” Sakura was confused, Kakashi intently watching the situation. “I think you should watch this closely, all of you.”

Guy had looked at him with one look and breathed, then he nodded. “Yes, my pupil. But remember that you must put them back on after.” He gave him a thumbs up, his approval lighting up Lees face.

“Yes! Guy Sensei!” Lee had rolled up his pant sleeves, unwrapping the weights around his ankles. He held them in both hands, holding them up. “Psh. Those are just measly 10 kg weights, he’s not gonna be able to make a dent in Gaaras sand.” Temari had commented to Kankuro, watching Lee.

Rock Lee had deeply breathed and dropped the weights, a crater forming on the ground of the stadium. The audience had paused all chatter, a deadly silence taking over. Temari and Kankuro gasped in shock, dread taking over.

Gaara barely budged, but before he knew it, Rock Lee started attacking. “I caught you off guard didn’t I?!” His excitement was clearly heightened, his voice booming. The sand around him had been almost slow, a slight crack that came between him and Rock Lee. Gaara didn’t say anything, just made a sound of irritation.

“Enough of your games, let’s end this.” His sand shot out and went to try and sabatoge Lee, grains flying around both of them. But then, the air settled. Lee had paused right infront of Gaaras sand dome, eyes looking like they’d peer through.

“M-MY BLOOD! ITS MY BLOOD! AAHHHHHH!” Gaaras piercing scream had rumbled the walls of the stadium, the red liquid trickling down his temple and onto the floor. Even the audience was too stunned to speak, quietened down so quickly that you could hear a pin drop. “Winner! Rock Lee!” Then, everybody cheered.

“What the hell? How did he even..?” Sasuke was confused himself, even Sakura and Naruto were stumped. Kakashi spoke up. “His weights are nearly 476 kg each leg, and even when he had them on his speed was exceptional. Removing them from the start progressed the fight and he’d managed to land a hit on Gaara, too fast even for the sand.” It all made sense in their minds.

As they moved Gaara away on a stretcher after he passed out, Lee walked back to his team as the announcer said the next fight. “Naruto and Neji! Let’s go!” Sakura had cheered him on, giving him words of courage before he stepped down.

Neji had always had an intimidating presence around other people, especially because of his pale violet eyes. He’d stood in the middle of the stadium waiting for Naruto, whispering under his breath. ‘Little fucker is talking shit about Naruto.’ Sakura had caught onto that, a flame of anger lighting inside her stomach.

Like last time, the rep had once started the fight with his hand, taking large steps away.

Naruto had his feet in a wide stance as one kunai was held inside his hand, smile curved. Neji used his Byakugan, the veins around his temple tightened as he ran straight. “Come at me with all you got!”

Neji had used his eyesight well, tracking Naruto’s movements as his Trigrams Sixty Four Palms began to attack him, overwhelming Naruto. “You’re NOTHING compared to me dumbass!” His words had appeared to damage Naruto or so, when he sealed Naruto’s chakra points. Naruto fell back on the ground, looking like he was a goner, when Neji was about to hit him once more.

A burst of smoke had come out as multiple shadow clones exploded, confusing Neji as he tried to track the real one. “WHOS THE DUMBASS NOW?!” All shadow clones had yelled at the same time. Neji tried to cool his emotions, hands punching through various clones as they disappeared into air. Naruto had distracted him long enough, tapping into the Nine-Tailed chakra inside of him, earning an instant sensation that resembled a power boost.

Sakura watched closely, her eyes watching the situation. She had to focus her attention on Naruto, the audience cheering loudly that she could barely hear. “GO NARUTO! BEAT HIS ASS!” Sakura had yelled at the top of her lungs, making sure he heard her. A rush of joy had flooded through her as she watched Naruto use his advantages.

At last, all the shadow clones disappeared from neji’s sight when he turned a second too late. Naruto’s fist connected with his chin, his body rising from underground as Neji flew back. His body hit the wall with a sickening crunch, the sounds of bones being broken repeated inside her mind. Naruto stood in the middle, blood rushing down his chin. His eyes were slightly orange, turning blue as he calmed down. “Winner! Naruto Uzamaki!”

Everybody erupted into a loud cheer, teams laughing and yelling at Naruto for his success. His head spun around as he spotted Kakashi and Sakura, both of them waving their hands. Sasuke was even smirking! His grin was huge on his face.

A stretcher eventually came out as they collected Nejis body, a green light hovering above his head as two others carried him out. Naruto climbed back up towards his seat and victoriously flexed, his teeth shining in the sun. “You did amazing Naruto-kun!” Sakura pulled him in for an unexpected hug, her warmth enveloping him as he tugged her tighter. Sasuke watched as they did, jealousy pulsing inside his heart.

Next came Sasuke and Gaara, his nonchalance noted inside Sakuras head. Kakashi saw the way she observed that detail, his brain filing that detail for later. Naruto cheered, even if Sasuke was an asshat.

This time, when it started Gaara had ran first. His sand acted as a shield infront of his body, the gourd on his back slowly adding more to his defense. Sasuke had turned into a protective position, eyes turned red as the sharingan spun. There wasn’t any back talk or insults, just raw fury.

Sasuke had tried to pierce the sand with his strength, his weapon barely budging against Gaaras sand. His feet lunged away from the middle, standing onto the side. He looked around with his eyes, then locked his position. Gaara was already hot on his tail, about to turn his sand into a sandstorm when Sasuke tried to punch him in the face.

It went off as a horrible execution, practically a poor attempt at trying to hurt the elite genin when he amped his power. Sasuke was using his knowledge of Rock Lees technique! The combined limbs of hands and feet had catched up with Gaara, provoking him as the memories of his last fight flashed through his mind. He scowled, letting the power of Shukaku take over.

The terrifying mutilated look of a half beast, half human made the audience flinch, less yelling and more murmuring had rocked the audience. ‘Just look at his sand, and his body.. Hopefully this doesn’t take long.’ Sakura had nodded, her emotions growing erratic.

Sasuke had used his new technique, a shocking move in the fight. His hands moved in a fast flowing way, the ball of chakra turning blue. “Chidori.” His hand flew fast infront of Gaara, piercing his powerful sand force. Blood trickled down, splattering his clothes and sand, the grains a dark maroon. Before anyone could continue, his siblings had stepped in.

“Enough! We’re taking Gaara back.” Temari and Kankuro walked over to Gaara, her large fan shielding him from Sasuke, acting as a barrier. Sasuke scoffed, irritated. “Fine. Tell hothead to control his emotions before fighting.” Like that, Sasuke was declared the winner.

Sakura felt herself shiver as she remembered it was almost her turn, her fear gnawing at the edges. Inner had hyped her up with words, promising that she’d be more powerful than Ino.

Sasuke had sat in his seat, eyes red from activating the sharingan for so long. Sakura felt herself almost instinctively reach out, but she didn’t learn medical ninjustu, instead focusing on strength and mental training. Naruto had exaggerated the fight with Sasuke, his imagination flying with colors. Kakashi had stared at his kids, realizing how different all of them would be in battle.

Neji and Hinata were next, Sakuras empathy showing. How could they place Hinata against Neji? She’s too timid for her own good, even if she was an heir to The Hyuga Clan. The crowd had became less enthusiastic for this fight, not interested in seeing a girl fight against a powerful boy.

Sakura watched as both used their byakugan, Nejis powerful strikes landing serious blows on her small body. Of course Hinata stuck up for herself, fighting against him as she used an overwhelming amount of power. They continued to blow and hit at eachother, Hinata exhaustion clearly showing.

Naruto and Sasuke didn’t comment on the fight, knowing how uneven the odds were. Even if both of them were born as Hyugas, Neji had received more discipline and training compared to Hinata, noting the fact that she’d been lacking in areas compared to Neji. ‘What an unfair fight, seriously who the fuck decided to put him against her? I swear they’re trying to ruin her image.’ “I know, it’s not even a big chance of her winning because of his difference in power.” Sakura had mumbled, pretending like she didn’t say anything to Naruto and Sasuke.

Neji had exhausted Hinata, her movements sloppy and energy sluggish, too tired to defend herself. He went in straight for the kill, about to punch her hard at her head. Just then, Hayate Gekko, Might Guy, Kakashi Hatake, and Kurenai Yuhi had stepped in, holding his limbs back. They’d all moved at lightning speed, interfering with the fight before any serious damage could be inflicted.

The crowd had booed, suddenly full of energy when they realized Neji could’ve almost killed Hinata. Sakura found her eyebrow ticking, her anger deeply rooted. Now, it was her turn:

Ino was excited to beat Sakura in the fight, cracking her knuckles and stretching her limbs when she’d caught onto the shorter length of hair. It brought back childhood memories of Sakuras short sandy pink hair, when they used to be friends before Ino bullied her. She bit down onto her lower lip, containing her insults. Sakura tied the headband around her forehead, the band tight on the back of her head.

“Cmon Sakura you didn’t come all the way to lose to Ino! Beat her blonde ass!” Sasuke had pushed Naruto back down into his seat, embarrassed at how loud his friend could be. Kakashi chuckled, remembering how encouraged his friends were when they were younger.

The fight began with a fierce clash, kunai against kunai, shuriken nicking skin. Drops of blood have rippled down onto her pale skin, the open small wounds being more painful than large ones. Inner had stayed inside her mind, letting Sakura handle the fight. “Let’s go you pig!” Ino had gripped her tight blonde ponytail and sliced the part off, the wind picking up tiny pieces of her hair. Inner was fucking furious.

“Fine! I’ll have you eating shit off the floor your bitch!” Sakura was about to run towards her when Ino used her clans special jutsu, locking her in place.

“That’s not fair?! Sakura can’t do anything against her jutsu???!!” Naruto was raging, eyes wide as he yelled at Ino from above. Kakashi assumed she’d lose, not having alot of faith in his student, but then.

Sakura twisted her limbs like a creature, arm swung in a contorted manner. She scrunched her eyes, Inner fighting with Ino inside her mind.

The cherry blossom tree was loud, wind blowing the petals into a storm as Ino could barely hold herself up. Inner was in the middle of the storm, her large form terrifying. She was not glowing, only her eyes were. Ino couldn’t hear herself or any thoughts, just the rushing of wind in her mind. She could feel two spirits inside her head. Inner moved.

She slowly reached out towards Ino, grabbing her body and squeezed so tight she was sure her organs ruptured. Her lungs weren’t receiving oxygen, brain starting to malfunction from the lack of air. Then, Inner punched her and she went out of her mind.

Sakura had opened her eyes, a red chakra connecting from her body to Ino as she broke out of her Mind Transfer Jutsu. Ino had fallen on her knees, eyes bunched up.

“What’s happening..” Sasuke whispered, slightly surprised that Sakura managed to shake Ino. She held up one hell of a fight after the forest of death, especially when she even managed to take care of Naruto and Sasuke by herself. Then, the jutsu dropped.

Ino took in shaky breaths, her eyes opened fast as she looked at Sakura like a monster. “How can you have two spirits inside of you?! Just what are you?!”

“I’m Sakura Haruno.”

She dropped from lack of chakra, falling onto her face, making Sakura the victor. “Winner! Sakura Haruno!”

Naruto was cheering the loudest, his words bringing great joy. Even Inner was laughing, her ego inflated because she managed to take out Ino. Sasuke was amused, his brain circulating with thoughts. Kakashi found himself taken aback, realizing that Sakura wasn’t a lost case; She had just as much potential as Naruto and Sasuke.

Her legs carried her up the stairs and she fell into her seat, clearly tired from fighting. Naruto had squeezed her tightly, bragging about his one and only girl being such a strong fighter. Sasuke even rubbed her hand, his touch of love being small.

“Congrats, all of you. You’re my best team yet.” Kakashi rubbed all three of their heads, earning a mean glare from Sasuke but Sakura and Naruto laughed with their chest. It reminded them of the photo they took together, Sakura and Naruto smiling while Sasuke glared.

Lastly, came Temari and Shikamaru. He didn’t even want to fight, declaring he’d forfeit from the ground and wanted to forfeit when her large gust of wind forced him into the wall. He fell back with a thud and looked up to the sky, regretting his decisions of becoming a ninja.

The announcer declared Temari as the winner, a full hearted laughter erupted from the group of people watching. It finally ended.

Team 7 has completed the Chūnin Exams.

Chapter Text

Sakura had woken up earlier this time, the sound of her doorbell ringing had disrupted her sleep. She felt grumpy, mad that she’d been waken up by somebody at nearly 5:30 am. Her feet dragged her out of bed, reflexively moving down the hallway towards the front door.

She had her hand on the door onob, about to twist when she’d sensed it. ‘Somebody purposely flared their chakra this early? Do not open the door.’ Sakura backed away against the wall, seeing the shadow follow along the window on her porch. Her heart pounded inside her chest, sweat forming on her brow when she saw the familiar color of orange. Naruto?

“Looks like she’s still sleeping, or something. Awh man!” A whiny yet pitched voice was outside, and then Sakura realized that it truely was Naruto. Her hand opened the door and she peaked her head out, seeing Naruto’s blonde face. “Naruto-kun! What’re doing here so early?” She rubbed her eyes sleepily.

Naruto flinched like a small cat getting caught before he settled down, flashing a small smile at her. “I’m here to celebrate our victory of promoting to chūnin! Cmon Sakura!” He’d gotten up extra early, probably because of his excitement from last night. It was almost 6 in the morning, but Sakura didn’t mind walking around in the cool breeze. “Let me go change- or I’ll just get ready for the day-“

“No! You just need a coat and then I’ll show you.” His canines peeked out like a fox, just like the nine tailed beast inside him. Sakura smiled before turning on her heel, opening the hall door as she grabbed the white cardigan from the hanger. A small mirror was hung on the wall, and she finally took a look at herself.

Her hair had been chopped around her neck, the ends rough from the kunai. She’d been bruised on areas like her arms and legs, the purple shade turning yellow. Sakura hasn’t realized it, but her eyebags were getting worse. How? She’d been getting proper sleep and good nutrition, so what’d been happening..? The door closed and she slipped on her sandals, letting Naruto grab her hand and lead the way.

He’d sped up slightly, eager to show her the surprise he planned. It was for him and her, the one girl who stood by his side through the hard challenges he endured. Then, came the grass field.

A breeze had billowed through, her body shivering as the sunlight started to seep through the shadows trees. There laid a pink and white plaid blanket on the grass, along with her favorite dango and strawberry cream cake. Sasuke was already there, his black hair swishing, headband not on his head. “Oh it’s so cute! Awhh!” Sakura had wrapped her hands around Naruto’s neck, giving him a small peck on his whiskered cheek.

His tan skin had turned a deep scarlet as Sasuke turned the other way, admitting that he wasn’t jealous. They’d both walked over and sat on the blanket, Sakura reached for the dango. Her tastebuds were satisfied from the sweet sticky dessert, eyes closed in satisfaction. “I want a kiss too..” Sasuke whispered under his breath.

Naruto snacked on seasoned crab sticks he snagged from the shop, enjoying the salty crunchy snack. Sakura had blushed before she leaned over and pecked Sasuke on the cheek, his pale skin turning red. He’d fumbled around, hand against his lip as he quivered. Sigh, boys.

‘I can’t believe Naruto did all of this! He’s so nice for planning this out.’ Inner let the happy moments sink in, admiring the scenery.

Sasuke had packed himself a few tomatoes, the red juice dripping from his chin as he continued to bite. Naruto was no different with his snacks, munching away with his large appetite. Sakura had ate a cake slice, the tart strawberries and fluffy whipped cream was a delicious combination.

They’d enjoyed the silence between them, their company being louder than words. As time had passed, the day was finally starting. The villagers had walked by the grass fields, spotting the odd colors of hair watching the mountains from afar. No one said anything, going along with their business.

-

Kakashi had celebrated hard with his senseis, appreciating the fact that his genin promoted to chūnin. His friends were pushing him to drink, the small shot of sake most definitely going to give him a nasty hangover. Guy was already drunk, his liquor limit shorter than anything else. His cheeks flamed red, babbling words about his young pupils as a loud thud followed. Welp, guess that’s solved.

Kurenai and Asuma could handle their drinking, looking like they weren’t even influenced by the alcohol. Kakashi kept himself to a limit, drinking small amounts to keep his head clear for tomorrow, but.

After Guy had passed out and was led home by a fellow ANBU agent was when everyone began to have fun. He’d witnessed about 7 new drink variations, three new bottles of wine he’d never heard of, and the stages of sobriety slipping. Asuma was flirting with Kurenai while her mask was still stone cold, glaring at his face. Welp, maybe it’d be time to go home.

Kakashi silently slipped away from the party, his head slightly woozy. If only tsunade was still in town to cure his hangover, but he probably bet she was out somewhere gambling and getting drunk. Then came his apartment. Suddenly, the world tilted as he laid on the soft fluffy cloud, too comfortable to even remove his clothing.

He slipped into darkness. Three giant kids, maybe his kids? appeared inside his mind. One was a black and white titan with words on their forehead and had glowing eyes, another was neon orange with black stripes all over, a fox perhaps? and came the purple skeleton knight with beady red eyes.? Kakashi had sighed, too tired to think about it.

Now, he woke up the nagging of Pakkun, the small chestnut dog tugging on his vest.A sharp pain stung his ear. “Oi! Ok jeez I’m up! By Kami..” Kakashi had sat up from his awkward position on the bed, glaring at his contractual dog. His head seemed to spin clockwise as he lifted himself up, the rush of an intense ache seeping into his mind.

“You smell like shit, look like it, and also sound like shit. Your genin are missing by the way.” Pakkun had nonchalantly said that. Kakashi has never gotten up so fast in his life, speeding through his routine as he slipped his vest on and ran downstairs.

His feet moved fast as he ran near the villages edge, a terrifying image inside his mind. Had they been killed? Incapacitated? Dead? Kakashi could feel his anxiety take over like a chill, but then he paused at the grass fields.

There laid his kids, enjoying the morning view as they laughed and ate together. Kakashi breathed through his mouth, the relieving rush running right into his body. Naruto turned his head and waved.

They were eating crazy snacks at the crack of dawn, but he couldn’t even be mad. Kakashi had stepped through the foliage and sat on top of the pink plaid blanket. “You’re celebrating the Chūnin exams, correct?” Kakashi rubbed Sakuras head as she licked cream off her lip. Sasuke was happily downing red tomatoes as Naruto laid down, savory crumbs smeared on his shirt.

“Yup. We plan to go out for the whole day!” Sakura had an eager edge to her voice, excited for the planned day ahead of them. Inner was even excited, controlling her emotions better than before. Kakashi nodded, letting the silence comfortably ease in.

-

They all celebrated at the villages fun festival, the finishing of the exams had launched into a huge celebration. Teams were all out, laughing and smiling with their families as they ate food and played games.

Kakashi was accompanying them, watching as all three played a dart game with balloons. Naruto could barely keep his wrist straight, Sasuke landing a few hits, but Sakura had shot down a whole row in a blink of an eye. “I won!” Her voice was full of energy, happy about the moment.

She carried around a pastel blue dolphin with an engraved orange hibiscus, claiming that it reminded her of their team. Even the air was filled with nostalgia and a twinge of hope, rest assured that the future was going to be destiny.

Then.

Inner had gone rampant inside Sakuras head, her ears bleeding and eyes straining as she couldn’t contain the voice inside. Sakura fell to her knees as she clutched her head, Kakashi immediately to her side as Sasuke ran off to get a medic. “Sakura are you okay? Can you hear my voice?” He had a worried look on his face, dread filling his body.

She couldn’t hear anything besides Inners voice, the loud chanting ringing in her eardrums.

‘Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up.’

The sight of the village turned crimson red, then she let her body fade into darkness.

-

Sakura had came back to life.

Chapter Text

Her eyes squeezed open and shut, the blinding lights affecting her vision. Sakura groaned, the aches lingering in her body. She was laying on a stiff bed, the clean white blanket on top of her clothes has sparked a memory.

Then, a nurse walked in. “M-Ms.Tsunade!” She ran out of Sakuras room and screamed hell for the head nurse, Sakuras head swarming. ‘Why the hell is she screaming so loud? Just shut up!’ Inner had aggressively yelled inside of Sakuras mind.

A hoard of nurses flooded the room as they checked on Sakuras current condition, an IV drip connected to her arm as bandages and stitches stuck onto her skin. “I- need water..” Her throat was dry, more than she liked. Immediately, one of the side nurses helped her to a small cup of the liquid, curing her dryness.

Tsunade barged in.

“Shishou?..” Her body was cradled in her masters arms, the seeping warmth activating the tear ducts. She weeped into her shoulder, murmuring about sudden collapsing and death. “What happened..?” Sakura felt a loss of memory inside her mind, not able to recall the events.

“You can’t recall?.. Every nurse in here must exit the room, now.” The nurses turned on their heel and walked out, shutting the door to give some sort of privacy. “Why am I in the hospital?.”

“Sakura. Listen to me, okay? You were healing the troops after a catastrophic attack happened, the akatsuki had done threatening damage. When we arrived at the scene, you buried your hands deep into each soldiers body and depleted your chakra completely. Nurses couldn’t heal as many as you did, which led to your exhaustion. You went to grab an extra med kit when you suddenly collapsed, Naruto caught you. He was screaming, Sakura. For you to wake up.”

Sakura kept her silence, the emotions inside her head coming to an abrupt stop. “We had teams of talented doctors and nurses working on you. Sakura, you depleted every ounce of your chakra and you almost died. I almost started a chakra transfer, if not for Naruto stopping me. You didn’t respond to our voices, and barely showed signs of being alive. It was hard without you, we-“

The door had slammed open as Naruto showed up, his blonde hair tussled as his outfit was rumpled. His eyes grew wide. “Sakura-chan.”

He threw her into his arms as they both shared an emotional hug, Sakura letting the waterworks flow. Her tears dripped down onto his shoulder, the fabric darkening. Tsunade smiled, silently walking out of the room and letting them have their moment.

“I- you can’t do that again, Sakura. Please. I don’t even want to see you like that, ever. You have to promise me.” His eyes were tired, the red cracks in the white showing. She smiled, a soft sob cracking through her voice. “I promise.”

The two of them sat in silence until Sakura spoke up.

“Naruto. I saw Sasuke, in my.. mind? It was when we were 8, freshly competing in the Chūnin exams. And I, couldn’t believe it. Just us being stupid and silly. Oh, Naruto. I’m so tired..” Sakura gripped him for support as she cried on his shoulder.

He grounded her, when she realized. Her hair was still long, not like the shortness she had when she was a child. The sandy pink framed her face like a delicate flower. Naruto smiled, rubbing her back.

“We’ll get through this, okay? We have to bring him back, to Konoha, to our team. Just the three of us again.” She nodded, and for once, the silence was comforting.

-

Sakura had stood up on shaky legs, the lack of movement making her frustrated. She’s been coddled by nurses and doctors all around, knowing that their only intention is to keep her safe, but Kami. It was suffocating.

She did a body scan on herself, her chakra warming on the inside. Sakura found small problems, but easily solved them to an extent. The halls were full of nurses as they brought in injured soldiers, but Sakura knew they’d rather die to the hands of Tsunade then let her try to help.

So, she went through a shortcut. Sakura grabbed spare clothes from a nearby drawer and snuck out through a window , her feet touching the grass. The feeling of reconnecting with nature had made her thrilled.

‘Let’s fucking go!’ She breathed in the crisp air, the difference in scent giving her relief. The hospital hade made her used to the smell of antiseptic, stale bandages and other bodily fluids. But, this was just the freshness of the earth.

Sakura ran freely, her stamina catching up with her as she let her inner kid out. She did cartwheels and laughed as the grass tickled her skin. Naruto walked by, than ran over.

“You’re not supposed to be out, Sakura!” Naruto had a worried look on his face, his eyes scanning her for any injuries. “Naruto just come and breathe with me! I’m fine, alright.” She smiled and took his hand, running through the fields.

They reached their old training grounds, the memories flooding back in. Sakura replayed what’d happened. The first test they faced, Sasuke and Naruto butting heads, Kakashi reading his lewd book. Sakura realized how much these people had meant to her, tears lining along her eyes.

Naruto smiled, watching her spark come back.

“I need a training dummy, like an aiming target.” Naruto was going to form a shadow clone when Yamato popped around, Sai lingering on his shadow.

“Hi Naruto. Ugly.” Sakura was about to use HIM as a training target. Yamato had shock written on his face as he looked at Sakura and Naruto bonding together. “Oh! Taichou, can you make a few practice dummies?”

“Mhm. Are you going to practice on these dummies, even if you just came out of the hospital? Don’t overdo yourself, Sakura-san.” Regardless, he gave in and used his wood technique, five practice bodies on the ground.

Sakura, Sai, and Naruto were lined up. Yamato watched from the side.

Sai used his notebook and ink, making beasts to destroy the wood.  A large black and white lion had clawed the wooden body, cutting the wood into pieces. Naruto used his rasengan and made it explode into pieces. Sakura didn’t make a move just yet.

‘Am I even strong enough..? Is my strength still small when I was a kid..?’ Inners voice had been louder than all of her thoughts, dread overcoming her. But, Naruto and Sai gave her a push.

“You got this Sakura-chan!” Naruto gave her a thumbs up and grinned softly. Sai nodded, calling her ugly yet saying that her intense strength wouldn’t let her down. She smiled.

Sakura first punched the wood, and it crumbled. Then, she used a kunai and stuck it into the wooden head, the paper she attached on the metal had made it technically, ‘evaporate..?’

“This isn’t going to work.” She mumbled to herself, breathing deep through her nose and exhaling. ‘Let’s show them who’s the fucking boss.’

Sakura jumped up into the air and aimed for the target. “CHA!!” Her fist connected with the wood, and instead of the dummy disintegrating, it didn’t budge. She felt herself flush but then she stepped back.

The wooden dummy was engulfed in the cherry blossoms branches, the head sticking out of the bark. Naruto gasped himself, surprised from the sudden burst. Sakura felt confused, where did a tree come from? Yamato was flabbergasted, looking at the wooden dummy he created being swallowed by The Sakura Tree.

Petals bloomed along the thick limbs, pink and dark scarlet waving in the wind. That’s something new.

‘Well, let’s hope that’ll stick.’

“What the freak! Sakura since when did you unlock a new weapon! Oh my god that’s so cool!” Naruto had turned her around and grasped her tightly, spinning in a circle as the two of them laughed their heads off. Sai watched. Yamato stared.

“I, I guess that’s from waking up after a few days?” She squealed, arms and legs clutching his waist.

New technique unlocked; Sakura Tree.

-

Kakashi was helping out with soldier training, showing blueprints and a plan to ambush the akatsuki. He had the voice of a commander, directly stating each and every single move. If you ever wanted to get the perfect revenge, get Kakashi onboard. He’ll have every single strand of hair in place you wouldn’t even suspect it.

Every soldier had listened to his words and locked the information into their brain, the meeting swiftly ending. He breathed, grabbing the leftover tea cup from his desk. His mouth opened as he chugged the rest, barely restoring his fatigue.

Her voice.

Kakashi ran out of the building and turned his head, staring at the long sandy pink hair infront of him. Sakura.

“Sakura-chan.” Kakashi was already behind her and bear hugged her, the suddenness making her surprised. Naruto had a wide smile on his face. She turned on her heel and was met with the old sight of her sensei.

“Hi, Kakashi-sensei.” Sakura had the same look on her face, no injuries or big changes. She was okay.

When he heard that she’d collapsed and almost died, his world tilted on its axis and flipped. He came close to permanently losing another close teammate, his heart slowly beating. But, Sakura wasn’t the girl that’d give up easily, no. She was stubborn.

She woken up, the news spread all across the village. Kakashi didn’t get to hear the full details, but he listened to the whispers of soldiers. “Sakura Haruno- that one medic who healed our troops. She woke up apparently.”

Kakashi couldn’t even give her a visit, his works spreading into every single moment of his life.

Well, now they were back together again, even without Sasuke.

“Oi! Sakura-chan, show him your new ability!” Naruto was bouncing with energy, probably excited to show Kakashi something. Sakura sighed and nodded.

Kakashi and Naruto were instructed to stand off near the buildings, just so Sakuras monster strength wouldn’t hurt them. She chose a broken log standing on its own.

Her stance relaxed before she quickly moved, punching the wood. It didn’t do anything, but then the pink took over. A blossom tree sprouted from the ground and engulfed the log, pink petals floating in the wind as the branches swayed. Kakashi paused, literally.

“Oh.”

Chapter Text

Kakashi was thinking about the words formulating in his mind, wondering how and what to say. Sakura had demonstrated her new technique, maybe one that has never been discovered.

He looked at the swaying tree of not of him, the pink petals mocking his thoughts. “I, um. How did this happen, Sakura-chan?” Kakashi turned to his fellow student, a wide eyed expression on his face.

“I wanted to go out and breathe real fresh air, so I snuck out through the window. Then, Naruto went with me and Yamato made us wooden dummies. I punched the first one and at the last one, well the tree grew. I’m not really sure how this happened.” Sakura pretended like everything was fine, when it really wasn’t.

Technically, this was considered HER technique because no other living person on earth has ever discovered this..

“Sakura you better get your ass back to the fucking hospital or I’ll punch you back there!” Tsunades loud voice blared from the hospital speakers, Sakura groaning as Kakashi and Naruto suddenly had a situation. She sighed and admitted defeat as she walked herself back towards the hospital.

-

“Sakura, care to explain WHY you were out of your bed?” Tsunade was glaring daggers into her eyes as she crossed her hands over her chest.

Her embarrassment showed on her face. Sakura fidgeted with the thin fabric of her blanket, fingers squeezing tightly. She breathed and then locked her eyes with Tsunade.

“I went to go training, just to see if I was okay and strong like before. But, I found out that I unlocked a new.. technique? I punched a training dummy and a sakura tree emerged from it.” Her voice was steady, showing that she clearly wasn’t lying. Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temple.

“I guess, if you discovered a new technique than you would be stable enough to be discharged. Also, remember to patent your technique so nobody can try to steal it, although I doubt anyone could.” Tsunade wrote on her chart and cleared her to go.

-

Now, Sakura was with Kakashi and Naruto. They were sparring together.

Naruto went easier on Sakura mostly because he knew she was just fresh out of the hospital, but also because he could easily put her at a disadvantage. The suns rays were hard on their skin, highlighting Sakuras back muscles. Kakashi squinted when he saw the small scar on her left shoulder, an X mark. Huh.

“Cmon Naruto! Show me what you got!” Sakura was bloodthirsty, her Inner voice starting to get louder and more aggressive. She was feeling the intensity of this spar, hungry for a real challenge. “I don’t wanna hurt you Sakura-chan!” Naruto bounced around on the old training grounds, his bronze skin glistening with sweat. Sakura felt herself blush before she regained her senses.

Kakashi was waiting for them to finish, reading Jiraiyas perfectly spicy and interesting novels. He grinned, not hearing the sudden pause. Naruto stood on one side, panting as he regained his breath. His headband, jacket, and tank top were abandoned on the grass. Now, he stood with his shiny abs and crazily toned yet lean body.

Sakura wanted to distract him too, so she stood still. Her hair was fastened up into a tight bun, her red clan shirt thrown behind herself. She took off her headband and tied it around her bicep, tying the navy blue ribbon. Naruto gulped and felt his teenager emotions flare.

“Play fair you two. Don’t try to aim for each other’s throats, alright?” Kakashi looked up and then went back to his book.

Sakura moved quickly on her feet, sandals giving a small advantage so she could bounce faster. Naruto used funny jutsus and harmless seals, but she needed more. “I’ll truly unleash my power so you don’t need to hold back.”

Sakura stoped in the middle and punched the ground, the tiles cracking underneath her monstrous strength. Pink petals flew out like confetti, the flowers flying around the area.

By now, Kakashi stood up and looked around the ground, trying to spot Naruto and Sakura. “What was that?!” Sakura took a deep breath and calmed her heartbeat.

Soon, the petals dropped onto the floor and it looked like a sakura tree threw up its flowers. Naruto stood dumbfounded, his eyes staring into the abyss. “Um, new techniques?..” Sakura scratched her head and kicked at the petals.

Now, Naruto moved and released shadow clones. Atleast a dozen of them flew around Sakura as they aimed to try and hit her, her kunai piercing the fakes.

‘Let me switch. I can see your tired.’ Inner took over Sakuras psychical body, eyes radiant bright green. She smiled wide, her pearly white teeth sparkling.

Inner used the kunai to her advantage as she stabbed each and every shadow clone, yanking one down by the leg. She sat her weight on top of Naruto’s clone and stabbed its head, disappearing into smoke.

Kakashi had now stood up and kept his hands to his side, watching Naruto stand on the tile as Sakura kneeled. They both saw it.

A murderous glint inside her eyes, sweat trickling down her skin. Bloodlust radiated like an evil aura from Sakura. She had stabbed the clone with such ferocity that you could’ve mistook her as an actual killer. The kunai seemed more deadly than it ever has in a regular shinobis life.

“Are you okay, Sakura?” Naruto was by her side when she looked up, the once shimmering light in her irises went away. “Oh! Yeah- just got caught up. Haven’t sparred like this in years, haha.”

‘Well, that was one hell of a spar, alright. He’s lucky that shadow clone wasn’t his actual self.’ Inner snickered, adrenaline running through Sakuras veins.

“Let’s take a break, yea?” Kakashi interrupted.

New technique unlocked; Petal Punch.

-

The three of them chose to eat at Sakuras apartment, or more likely it was her request.

She opened the door to her so called apartment, or the building she called home. In her past memories, she lived inside her childhood home. But now, it was just her by herself.

Naruto looked around first, his curiosity clearly showing. He expected the place to be more.. warm? Instead, Sakura kept it to a minimum. There were few pictures on the pale pink walls, and the floors were colder.

His eyes caught onto the one specific picture they all took together, the one where Sakura looked happier than all of them. It was framed in a seashell border, the words ‘FRIENDSHIP’ on the edge.

Naruto also realized how lonely the place was. Sakura barely frequented coming back to her apartment and parents house, usually spending shifts at the hospital as she helped there 24/7. He knew how stubborn she was when she locked in, like a determined cat trying to earn its prized possession.

He also realized how much she’d forgotten about Sasuke, barely even dwelling on his presence. As much as the two of them wanted him back, they knew it was impossible.

“Naruto! It’s not polite to snoop in other peoples business. Come help set the table.” Kakashi scolded him. handling the dishes as Sakura cooked. “Sorry Kakashi-sensei! I was curious about Sakuras place.”

She cooked a helpful of rice, garlic infused veggies, and miso salmon. Even if the food wasn’t like what Naruto ate everyday, he stomached it all and even went back for seconds.

“How come you chose to eat here instead Sakura-chan?” Naruto was on dish duty, washing off the bits of food from the porcelain. Sakura sipped on her last sip of water.

“I wanted to see my apartment again, reconnect with home. I think it’s because after I woke up, my parents didn’t really bother to even visit me, let alone try to contact. I saw them at the market and they wished me a safe recovery.” Sakura felt a bitter part of her heart grow, shoving those memories past herself.

They all stayed silent, basking in the comfort of each others company. Night began to fall, so Kakashi went home himself.

Sakura let Naruto sleep on the couch, changing out of his black and orange outfit. She went to go grab a pillow and blanket when she walked into the living room.

His back muscles were flexed as he pulled his shirt off, the dim light enticing. She turned cherry red, placing the bedding onto the couch as she sped back to her room. Her door slammed shut as she melted onto her carpet.

‘Stupid Idiot! I can’t believe you did that?!’ Sakura grumbled into her hands, the reliving memory of his body now branded into her mind. Later that night, she tossed and turned as she couldn’t sleep. The haunting memory of his muscles quite literally came back.

-

How can I tell if I'm in the right relationship?

Aren't you really supposed to know that shit?

Feel it in your bones and own that shit?

I don't know

Kakashi was busy the next morning, having to plan the next step for action when their was rumors the of Akatsuki. People were dropping like flies as the main leader, Pain, continued to search for each and every tailed beast. Naruto and Sakura knew what they were going against, so they decided to spar once again.

Naruto had worn a pair of sweatpants, his upper half nude. His bicep was wrapped in bandages, apparently he hurt himself in combat yesterday and needed to be patched up from Sakura.

They went out to the training grounds in the morning, the fresh dew dripping from the branches. Sakura wore a sports bra and boy shorts, a kunai holder attached on her thigh. She had her long sandy pink hair in a braid, keeping any loose locks away.

Naruto and Sakura stretched before going at eachother. “You have to fully go off on me, Naruto. I don’t care if I get hurt, I’ll heal myself. We need to be prepared alright? I just want to be a bigger help to the village and keep our community safe.” Sakura cracked her knuckles and bounced on the balls of her feet as Naruto stood on the other side.

Then I had this interaction I've been thinking 'bout for like five weeks

Wonder if he's thinking 'bout it too and smiling

Wonder if he knows that that's been what's inspiring me

He sighed, letting Kuramas chakra envelop his body. Naruto’s orange chakra signature wrapped around his bronze body, the difference making Sakura moderately nervous.

You could tell he was trying to hold back some of his strength, knowing that if he truly let himself fall to Kuramas will, he’d kill Sakura. “Just atleast let me hold back a little.” Naruto positioned himself into a protective position, hands infront of his chest. Sakura nodded, commencing the start of their spar.

She used her fists and punched the ground, trying to create a distraction . Cherry blossom petals flew up into the air as she rushed forward, about to try and take down Naruto when he used his shadow clone jutsu.

Multiple of them had crowded Sakura, easily being fought off even with Kuramas chakra. Sakura bit her tongue and continued to hold off each imposter. Her fists connected with the clones as they dissipated into thin air. She stood on the ground and breathed, using her sharper instincts.

‘Ten, seven, 2, four.. eight.’ Sakura used her right hand and punched the air, missing Naruto by a hairs thread. He shivered, almost facing an extremely dangerous injury. Naruto had black marks on his body, amping his power. Sakura smirked, finally feeling alive after years.

“You almost killed me Sakura!” Naruto laughed and lunged straight into the air, his hand forming a chakra ball. “Rasengan.” Sakura felt the electricity almost nip her body hair, smoothly dodging the attack.

Wonder if he's judging me like I am right now

I don't care

I'd rather tell the truth

Than make it worse for you

She could feel the level of chakra flowing through his body, zeroing in on his stomach. The pit of it all, Kurama locked away inside his body. Her limbs trembled as she regained her grip, and Inner used her upper hand.

Sakuras veins turned maroon, each and every single one coursing through her limbs. It crawled up her neck like spider silk, once pale skin now covered in red. She looked into Naruto’s eyes, a much more dark green encasing her eyes.

“I’m going to keep up, I have too.” Sakuras voice chilled the air.

Her body aimed for Naruto, her movements more smooth and less sloppy. Before, she was showing her weakness and looked emotionally stumped, but now? Sakura looked so badass in this moment.

Naruto defended against her attack with his arms, fighting hand in hand. The sound of skin on skin slapping, blood dripping, earth shattering had echoed through the village. A few people watched as the two teammates fought eachother, the silent battle they endured inside slowly coming out.

Kakashi had finished his meeting when he received news of Naruto and Sakura fighting. Instantly, he teleported to the training grounds. Instead of finding one dead blonde on the floor, he encountered a bloodlust Sakura and Kuramas vessel.

People were placing bets on one another, Ryō spread out on the floor. Some betted that Sakura would drop, while others said Naruto wouldn’t dare try and actually kill her. He almost told them off, if not for the sparring match luring him in.

Then, Sakura had that same monster chakra from when she was a genin.. Just this time, it grew. Her eyes locked onto Naruto’s body as Sakuras Inner had taken over. “Let’s finish up, alright?”

Sakura punched the already crumpled ground, a medium sized sakura tree sprouting. Her palm laid on the deep pink bark, slowly wilting. What?

She absorbed the chakra from the tree and launched forward, punching Naruto in the gut. He bounced back, spitting blood onto the floor. His attacks were no longer held back, instead more powerful than before. It was a blood festival, folding right infront of the village.

Both held up their end, eventually giving up as they collapsed on the ground. “Wow! You, really know how to fight, Sakura-chan.” Naruto caught his breath, letting Kuramas chakra back into his system.

“You- too! Naruto..” Sakura was exhausted to her limits, eyes dropping with sleep. She’d kill for someone to carry her back.

If the sun refused to shine

Baby, would I still be your lover?

Would you want me there?

If the moon went dark tonight

Like he read her mind, Naruto picked her up from the floor and brushed a pink lock away from her face. “Let’s go back, yea?” She giggled, letting his warmth seep into her cold bones.

And if it all ended tomorrow

Would I be the one on your mind, your mind, your mind?

And if it all ended tomorrow

Would you be the one on mine?

New technique unlocked; Live.

Chapter Text

Sakura had woken up at 4:00 am sharp to take shifts at the hospital, running off on a cup of tea and one singular soldier pill. She had a messenger hawk arrive to her window, grabbing the small letter from its leg as she read its contents.

Dear Sakura Haruno,

We are desperately in need of your assistance. Konoha and its resources are spread thin, and our nurses are limited. More and more people are getting injured within reasons that weren’t disclosed. Each hourglass is running low on its sand. Please come within five minutes.

Sincerely,
Tsunade Senju.

Her feet landed on the floor as she brushed her teeth and quickly tied her hair. Sakuras mind wasn’t completely up before she already was out the door, feet running across rooftops as she saw the top of the hospital in the distance.

The lobby was already in chaos, multiple soldiers she’d seen before were bleeding out. Tsunade barked out orders as she healed one after the other, clear exhaustion written on her face.

Sakura moved without direction, automatically taking in the next injured soldiers that had came in.

One had a nasty gash on the side of his torso, a fractured rib, a dislocated leg, and a slight concussion. The other next to him was even worse. Sakura had pulled them through the once white sterile walls, now stained with blood and tears. She had chakra already healing their wounds, sweat pooling on her skin. Sakura could barely breathe, placing them into a sanitized room as the cycle repeated.

It was impossible how many fallen had ended up at Konoha, especially in the middle of the night. Sakura had seen bloodshed before, but this was worse than before. Even Tsunade and Shizune couldn’t hold up.

Shishou had black lines running across her body as she healed with more precised chakra, knowing that she’d have to take a break atleast once. Tsunade was healing more than 4 people at once, each single wound closing as nurses pushed their beds to rooms.

Each and every single floor was packed, not having any extra spare rooms for assistance. Sakura performed open surgery inside a sanitary closet, using the help of two highly trusted nurses as she treated the fallen. Her regular healing chakra wasn’t enough for this, no, she needed MORE.

Sakura scrubbed her skin raw, trying to erase the memories of death and sorrow off. The heavy weight of not being able to save patients had suffocated her like a weight underwater. It was horrible, insanely horrible. Inner had tapped into her chakra reserves.

She activated a different state, lilac chakra enveloping covered her entire body. Sakura moved through the halls with precise agility, not wasting even a single second on the clock.

Green chakra that managed to heal wounds faster, more energy than before, moving in and out of floors to see soldiers unstable conditions. Sakura held her breath and continued to dive into the chaos.

-

Kakashi and his team were sent out to investigate nearby villages, the scene chilling to the bone.

Naruto had worn red robes and makeup, trying to keep himself more discreet. They all looked at the destroyed villages, wooden houses and once bricked buildings smashed onto the floor. He was already helping out the victims that had faced the problems, and Naruto received a lead.

“Orange hair, a swirled mask. Maybe even a human shark..? I can’t remember all of the members, but they wore black and red robes. They seeked peace if we sacrificed our souls, but we didn’t cooperate. The soldiers that guarded our territory faced their wrath. None of the houses we built with our own hands had survived.” Naruto recalled the villagers words, Kakashi and other members writing onto sheets of paper.

It seemed like The Akatsuki were already moving dangerously, stalking its claim on Konoha. Naruto wouldn’t let that happen, no, he couldn’t let it.

-

Sakura had been shaking as she continued to heal one injury after the other, her eyes bleary as her hands started to falter. Her energy had been cut short, not getting a proper breakfast had fucked with her system. Even the thought of digesting something made her gag.

Inner had taken over several times but Sakura always pushed her back, using her own strength and knowledge to help. Sakura had grabbed her dusty pink hair and almost ripped out a section of it, her frustration evident.

She couldn’t heal anymore, her hands trembled to much, and she was sloppier than ever. Shizune was at her side, an angry yet worried look on her face. “Sakura. Go take your break. We have enough nurses and doctors on deck through the hospital. You’re not going to be responsible for everyone here.”

Her words didn’t cut through, the green glow of her chakra becoming even more powerful, yet Sakura felt empty. She stopped and coughed into her elbow, red staining her white coat. “Go. To. Tsunade.” Shizune had pushed her off the patient and watched as Sakura limped her way there.

The door opened with a loud thud as Sakura collapsed onto the cold ground. She clawed at her neck.

‘You’re useless for this. You can’t even help patients. Just being selfish and irresponsible.’ It wasn’t Inner, but herself.

Sakuras hands scratched at the skin of her neck, Tsunade already crouched onto the floor next to her as she tried to calm her down. “Can’t- breathe..” Her lungs were constricting, trying to pump every ounce of oxygen inside her body.

Tsunade placed her hand onto her neck as she healed the raw skin, her airway opening. “What the hell were you thinking?! Shizune directly told you to stop and you kept going? Sakura you can’t kill your self for a patient! No matter who it is.” Tsunade solemnly looked down at the little girl, the small genin who went under her wing. She was terrified of losing someone so dear to her again.

Sakura nodded and passed out.

-

“Now, this world shall know pain.”

Konoha became brittle instantly, the buildings collapsing into pieces. The gates were forced open as debris rushed out, each home destroyed.

Sakura kneeled on the ground, her eyes watering. “No, what just happened..”

“NARUTO!”

Naruto had done a reverse summoning, multiple large and small frogs spawning around the flat deserted area. He stood on top of Gamakichi, Fukasaku poached infront of him.

Tsunade had released her special summoning; Katsuyu. The snail expanded into smaller slugs as it crawled around and healed the hurt. Messages were being exchanged as Tsunade watched the chaos unfold. Her heart ached.

The red robes and large black scroll contrasted with his orange-black jumpsuit. He entered sage mode, his eyes yellow compared to the usual blue.

He faced the responsibility of having to fight the jinchūriki, a thrill rushing through his veins. Tsunade was holding her own fight up against the others, using her strength derived from her chakra control. The Byakugou no In was activated, dark lines running down her body as the gem on her forehead glowed. She was tired.

Her body held up for long before Naruto arrived, eyes drifting close as she continued to fight. He caught her before she fell, hands clutching her body. “I got you, granny.”

Naruto had teleported back to his frog, placing her body down as the frogs handled their business. He looked at the remaining paths infront of him, knowing it wouldn’t be an easy fight.

Sakura ran over towards her, holding her hand as tears ran down her face. “Thank you for your labors, Lady Tsunade.” She passed out and entered a coma.

Asura Path was one of the Pains, the weirdly mutilated limbs made Naruto cringe. It immediately moved, using its limb and detached its arm. The arm had exploded right infront of Naruto, dodging the smoke and destruction caused from one singular attack.

He used two beasts to his advantage, the snail on his shoulder giving him advice. “You must be strategic, fighting blindly will only kill you in the end.”

Two large dogs tried to attack Naruto, but he summoned a large rasengan and knocked them down. His frogs friend had killed the mutt, spitting on its face. “Stay down fucking dog.”

Naruto punched one of the pains, its face crumpled as it laid on the ground. Naruto was tired of all this chaos and destruction, his blood rushing in his ears. “I’ll finish this once and for all. Shadow-clone jutsu!” Two other Naruto’s spawned next to him as Pain watched, scoffing under his breath.

“I also learned that jutsu. My sensei saught peace inside Konoha. But I’ll never bring that to this world.” Pains alternative stood alongside him.

“Shut the hell up!” Naruto threw a wind shuriken towards them, Pains other version summoning a jutsu to block it. “Deidara was right, this boy doesn’t listen.”

Sakura helped heal the injured, her green chakra flowing as wounds and punctures closed up. Her injuries were the least of her worries, too caught up to heal her own body. She was fed up with her hair, pausing infront of a soldier.

She grabbed the kunai and sliced through the sandy pink locks. It flowed in the wind as she got back to work, hair now out of her face. Sakura didn’t have an ounce of patience as she continued to heal and help.

Naruto used his senjutsu chakra, disrupting the Preta Paths flow. It turned into a frog statue. He was about to face Deva Path, Pains most prized form. Before any more killing could be done, he dispatched the giant toads and gained the upper hand, killing Fukasaku. Naruto’s eyes flashed one second too late, Pains gravity technique immobilizing him.

His body lifted into the ground before he slammed down, using Chakra Disruption Blades to pin him to the ground. Naruto’s snapped out of his Sage Paths Mode, head looking up at Pain.

“Why. How come you committed so much destruction in our world.” Naruto was enraged, his emotions getting him riled up.

“I couldn’t seek peace like my master Jiraiya wanted, no. In this world, hatred runs through the cracks like water, therefore, it must be brought with force.” Pain had turned on his heel, already commencing his plan to use the tailed beasts to create a super weapon against the country.

Hinata Hyuga had came to his rescue, her hands extended forward. “You’re a monster.” She was pissed that Pain bad hurt Naruto.

“I love you Naruto, so much. Ever since we were kids, you’d always be infront of me, so energetic and bubbly. I never had the courage to confess, but I’ll say it now. I will protect you to the end of the earth.” Hinata ran forward, but quickly got lifted by Pains gravity.

He lifted her body and slammed her into the ground like a sand bag, striking her body with the Chakra Blades. Naruto watched as the dust covered her body, not leaving him to believe if she died or was still alive. Kurama had waited for this moment.

Naruto was taken over by Kuramas intensive power, his true form showing. His dark orange tails waved in the air as he used his power against Pain, overwhelming him. The First Hokages necklace was used against the ferocious beast, failing instantly because of how unstable Kurama was.

Pain couldn’t handle the intensity of the battle, retreating to the village in order to get closer to Nagato. He was sickly wounded, bloody gashes and bone sticking out disgustingly.

Sakura had grabbed her few team members and jumped down into the pit. She landed near Hinatas body and instantly used her healing chakra, Flow activated. Pink chakra enveloped her body as she used more energy. Hinata barely held on, eyes fluttering as she almost approached death. “T-Thank you.”

Pain used his little bit of power, summoning a small moon in order to capture the Nine Tailed Beast.

Naruto was locked inside his own subconscious, calling out in despair. In response to Pains vision of peace, he founded the key to his question. Evil Pain had a plan on how to create peace with force, going against his masters wishes, while Naruto wanted them to come to light. He took advantage of his pain, The Nine Tails convinced Naruto to release the seal.

The seal turned distorted, even with the strength of the mini moon, the disrupted seal had let the eighth tail regrow, breaking out of the sphere.

Before Naruto could remove the seal from the ninth tail, Minato Namikaze popped up. The dimension around them was a faded sunset, his feet walking on top of clear water. “Naruto. You are one hell of a ninja, you know?” He looked up at the past Hokage, confusion filling his features.

“You’re my son, Naruto. The baby of Me and Kushina.” He pointed to his blonde spiky hair, about to point into his eyes when he realized they weren’t blue. “Naruto. I sealed the Nine Tails inside of you because the beast was forced upon Konoha. I assume that somebody in the Akatsuki had been behind this attack, and I couldn’t kill it with my team. But Naruto, listen to me. None of this is your fault, you’re not the one in control. You did your best and I’m proud of you for stepping up. You’re my true son.” Naruto felt his world suddenly lighten.

He processed the words inside his mind and went in. Naruto hugged his father, embracing the cold yet warm body. “Thank you.” His dad hugged him back, relishing in this moment.

Minato repaired the seal and sent Naruto to his final battle with Pain. Naruto’s chakra was surpressed as he confronted Pain for the finale, resuming their battle.

Pain had used different techniques and jutsus to fight against Naruto, but Naruto pulled his upper hand. He convinced him to summon dozens of shadow clones, leading to an open five second window. Naruto striked him with a rasengan, fully defeating the last body of Pain. Naruto used its black receivers to track down Nagato, following its traces.

A large makeshift tree appeared infront of his eyes, Naruto had looked at Nagato. Konan, the purple haired angel was standing next to him.

“Why do you hate Konoha so much.” Naruto was seething, patiently holding himself back from launching anymore attacks. “Konoha hasn’t always been like this. Before you known Konoha, the village was evil. You’d be bashed for your current actions if this was the past. I only found refuge in my teammates and my master, but I went against his wishes. He didn’t understand that you can’t create peace without forcing it.” Nagatos voice slightly trembled.

Naruto had realized how changed this was compared to the answers inside his head. He breathed deeply and looked up into his eyes. “It’s over. Your battle is finished. I have one last task for you. You have to heal everyone you injured in Konoha.”

Nagato abided, walking out with Naruto and Konan. He released a summoning jutsu that healed each and every injured person in Konoha. Now, the peace had returned.

Chapter Text

Sakura had exhausted herself as she took care of the remaining injured soldiers, the green healing chakra filling in the gaps.

One soldier had punctured his esophagus and didn’t make it in time, her bitterness biting the corner of her heart. She couldn’t mourn the dead without having to help another.

Naruto had thankfully been fine, no serious injuries scathing his skin. He tried to convince Sakura to take a break, but it was no use. She stubbornly put her foot down and healed everyone’s wounds, not including herself.

“Look, I’m fine! I have enough chakra to continue. How about you solve issues with Hinata, yea?” She gave him a solemn look while her hands pressed onto someone’s gaping gash, green chakra spilling out. He knew it wasn’t any use on trying to convince her, so he complied.

-

“Hi, Hinata.” Naruto scratched his head awkwardly, finding the right words. “Uh, about your confession. Listen, I think you’re an amazing girl but, I just can’t return the feelings. I’m just..” He sighed.

The mirror infront of him wasn’t helping, and his mind sure wasn’t. Naruto couldn’t run to anyone else besides Sakura for help, not knowing anyone so close to him that’s willingly able to give the right advice. How was he suppose to tell Hinata that he couldn’t return her love?

-

Sakura had taken a well needed break outside of the hospital, lighting up a cigarette behind a building. She puffed the smoke and blew circles, watching as it dissipated.

Of course smoking wasn’t really a good habit for a 15 year old medical ninja, but.. could you blame her? Sake and gambling had been her masters way of relief, but Sakura hates getting hungover. Plus, booze doesn’t appeal to her on occasion. She learnt how to smoke from Shikamaru.

It was after the Chūnin exams. Sakura had found herself wandering the village, anxiety gnawing inside of her as she mindlessly walked around. Shikamaru and bumped into her, instead of yelling at her he handed her a cigarette. Inner had suddenly found the plug she needed.

He lit the end of the small cigarette with his lighter, watching as Sakura inhaled the smoke and coughed. She laughed, her eyes closed. It changed his perspective on the girl.

Now, she used smoking as an outlet to her anger and other emotions. Sakura knew to not use it as much, but in these times, maybe one smoke wouldn’t hurt. Then, she heard the footsteps of Naruto near her.

The cigarette butt fell onto the dirt floor as she stubbed it out, waving the air to clear the smell. She patted her clothes down and walked out back onto the pathway, seeing Naruto there. He looked, dejected.

“Oh! Um, hey Naruto. What happened out there?” Sakura covered her cough, acting like she was clearing her throat. He looked at her, then threw his arms around her.

Sakura went into full patient mode, caressing his back while he hugged her tightly. “I-I don’t know what to say to Hinata.” He buried his face into her neck, eyes closed as he tried to suppress his emotions. She truly realized how bigger Naruto had gotten, especially when she was dwarfed by him.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Tell me what were you going to say.” Sakura scratched the back of his neck, listening to him rumble.

Apparently, he was too selfish and inconsiderate to even admit that Hinata wasn’t the one for him, not able to pull the courage together to talk to her. His problems twisted into pain from past battles, relationships, hell ever since he’s been young. Sakura patiently listened to him, clutching him in her arms like mama bear.

Barely anyone walked by them, seeing how Sakura smoked behind a hidden alley while Naruto probably walked anywhere his feet took him. She pulled his body away and looked at his eyes. Red, swollen, a little puffy. Guess that explains the wet sensation.

“Naruto, none of this isn’t your fault. Hinata doesn’t expect an explanation just straight away, and I know it was my fault that I sprung it on you. Don’t let this weight you down, alright?” She smiled in his eyes, her short sandy pink hair blowing in her face.

It was like an angel infront of his eyes. He stood there, nodding like an idiot.

“I- thanks, Sakura-chan.” Naruto flushed and covered his face, feeling Sakura pat his head as she chuckled and walked away. He clutched his heart and squatted down, happily burying his head into his knees.