"If you like the feeling of "just the tip of the iceberg" angst one chapter, and then drowning in fluffiness the next, then this story is definitely for you!" - RosaXanthina
SUMMERY: This is not where it started. These Exams aren't the beginning of Sasuke and Sakura. But, important things aren't defined by their place in life; they are defined by their influence. This is a roller-coaster of doubt, angst, and pure romance all bundled into one incredible adventure. Grow with us. Learn with us. Join us for The Jonin Exams.
WARNING: In this story, Sakura and Sasuke have their own demons to battle. This will end exactly how it's supposed to, on a HAPPY note. Even though everyone is sad and dramatic, there will be a light at the end of this tunnel. Chapter 5 is where the story picks up. Don't be intimidated by the chapter amount!
Note: Characters grow from their original portrayal.
[Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of its respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of BkCeallaigh. BkCeallaigh is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.]
Author's Note: I am looking for a Beta Reader. Please message me for inquires! Looking for someone to correct grammar/spelling mistakes. Thank you! (No time restraint, looking as of June, 2017.)
Chapter 1: Sakura, the Doer.
The woman stills, grinding her teeth painfully against one another.
They were all watching her battle. Everyone was staring at her over-flowing, bloody nostrils, and the bruises that littered her skin. They saw the tears that streamed down her face and the hesitation in her movements. They thought she was weak.
Sakura was not weak.
For so long, the kunoichi had followed behind Sasuke and Naruto like a puppy dog, yipping at their scuffles and crying when things didn't turn out as they should. The moment Jugo exposed her back would be a moment he would regret, for many decades to come.
If Sasuke was going to watch idly, he was going to watch her back.
With a burst of boldness and determination, the 20-year-old shinobi pulled the ripped sweater over her head and exposed her bare skin to the sun. The sudden hotness of the smoldering day pelted her back harshly as warmth rose to her peach-colored flesh. Her eyes snap open, and the diamond on her forehead throbs with its wanted release.
Her fingertips dance over the lavender mark, suppressing it's force.
She was thinking of embarrassment at this time. She did not feel exposed or timid or anything else but resolution, because there was an enemy before her that needed to be taken down. There was no room for prudence. Sakura had a battle to win, and nothing as petty as modesty would hold her back.
Refusing to juke from another hit, Sakura Haruno turns just in time to capture the obscenely morphed appendage that used to be Jugo's hand. Her glowing arm wraps around it, freeing her other hand just long enough to dig short nails into the armor of his throat.
Sakura aims for complete mutilation, by separating skin from bone.
Rearing back, she hits so hard that the trees and the earth shake in response. Purple liquid seeps from his wound and covers her skin, searing the tissue of her stomach. She hits so hard that she's unable to stop her wrath, even as the monster falls to the floor and she pins him below her.
"I am not weak!" she tells him between blows. "I will not bow down! I will not fail!"
There are people behind her—people there to help pry her off the surrendering man under her hips. His body cannot possibly hold up against such trauma. The diamond of Jugo's skin chips in thickening fragments.
"Stop," Naruto says while he glows a brilliant orange. His arms engulf her shoulders and Sakura is pulled away, kicking and screaming.
It was one of those days where the sun disappeared behind clouds, only to tease the village with a nice shadow. It was one of those days where people would walk leisurely. It was one of those days where everything was perfect for everyone else.
Today, it was one of the days where Sakura couldn't take it anymore.
"I can heal a hundred people at a time! I can summon slugs and axes and move mountains with a single punch!" The woman yells so loudly that her throat might give in.
"I know you can," Naruto tries to explain. He is not sure how to console her, or how to make things better. He'd always thought strong people like her couldn't ever possibly break down.
The extent of her thrashes, even in Kyuubi Mode, is enough to strain the Jinchuuriki. While Suigetsu and Karin rush to Jugo's side, Sasuke approaches with no protection other than his brutal indignation.
"Let me go! Let me—"
"Stop,"
The warmth of Naruto's encompassing hands washes away under the pressure of Sasuke's grip. Both of his eyes glow threateningly as he pulls Sakura to her feet and growls out his question. "What are you trying to do? What are you trying to prove?"
"Myself," the kunoichi screams out heartbreakingly.
A mirror is a wondrous object. In it, your likeness is portrayed down to the smallest of details. For someone like Sakura Haruno, details were imperative.
In her reflection, a young woman sits. Her pale face shows no wrinkle or blemish. Her waist, tapered and dainty, is only an accessory for long, lean legs that hide most of the muscle they surround. The oversized sweatshirt that falls from her humble chest like a curtain hides the boyishness of her figure. In the darkness of her bedroom, Sakura sighs.
Her mind was at the meeting she'd had with her fellow shinobi the day before. All of Rookie 9 had been called to the Rokudaime's office for an important announcement. It had been a few months since she'd seen most of her comrades—the hospital she ran was overflowing with patients, and Sakura rarely had time to mingle with old classmates.
The amount of power that had been gathered into a single room was astounding.
Kakashi Hatake addressed his audience with a lazy, colorless voice. He was, after all, a lazy, colorless man. "We are introducing a new examination this year for all Chunin who hope to move up in rank. There are far too many applicants to pass on simple recommendation."
Naruto huffed out a groan of annoyance. "Well, what's that supposed to mean?"
After the War, many aiding ninja were endorsed for their bravery and competence. Men and women fought alongside brethren, watched their teammates die, and pushed through difficult terrain just to come out of everything alive. Many Genin and Chunin, whether they were lucky or truly gifted, thought they deserved a promotion. Many parents and teachers thought the same thing as well.
"We're going to hold a Jōnin Exam. There are over one-thousand applications."
Kakashi let his words teeter in the air, watching as the cogs of their brains worked overdrive. It wasn't hard to comprehend his words—it was what his words entailed. A Jōnin Exam would be comprised of fresh-faced, just-off-the-battlefield, cocky subordinates. There was no way to tell the strong from the weak, or the deserving from the undeserving when the numbers ran so high.
"There's no way we could allow so many shinobi to join Jōnin status. That's unheard of." Sakura had blurted out.
The Hokage looked at her in a way that had reminded her of her past—when he had noticed her strengths and weaknesses and had acknowledged her intellect. It made her feel like a Genin all over again—the good days—before she considered herself a hindrance.
Kakashi's eyes were kind. "That is precisely why we're holding an Exam. So many shinobi contributed greatly to the war effort, but as everyone in this room knows, there is more to the life of a ninja than killing to save your own skin. We have to decide who deserves this furtherance, and who isn't yet prepared."
Back in the stillness of her bedroom, Sakura gazed at the scroll that she'd spread across her forearms. Contained within its yellow pages, the details of the Exam were jotted down formally. Sakura had already read the important parts—everything was to be separated into three sections, with a team of three for the first round, a two-man-squad for the second, and a one-on-one battle for the grand finale.
Looking into her reflection, Sakura shares a brilliant smile—she is ready and she is fierce.
Her hitai-ate sits proudly around her scalp. It's the perfect crown for a warrior queen. Soft, pink hair bounces gently along her shoulders as she makes her way to the training grounds, where Team 7 had agreed to meet.
If she were to be honest, Sakura would say that the reunion between herself and Sasuke had been completely underwhelming. She hadn't had a chance to say anything to him during the meeting, as he stood nearby the Hokage and didn't even bother looking at anyone.
Her cheeks slowly start to glow from the memory of their last interaction. Some nights, if she falls into a loose sleep, she can still feel the brush of his fingertips against her forehead. It is not nighttime, though, and she wasn't the same girl Sasuke had become accustomed to in their youth. Sakura is no longer bedroom eyes and bashful giggles. She is no longer Sakura, the daydreamer.
To her surprise, she is the last that shows up to Training Ground 3.
For such formidable ninja, neither Naruto nor Sasuke seem to notice her presence. They exchange blow after blow, pushing their bodies to limits beyond that of an average civilian. With the sound of their grunts and heaves looping around the field, Sakura finds content in her observations.
A long time ago, when they were all just children, Naruto would have never showed up to practice on time. Sakura would have been the earliest, just so she could have spent a few extra, silent minutes with the boy of her dreams, and Sasuke would have been neither late nor early, because he arrives precisely when he means to.
Without meaning to, a feminine giggle escapes her lips. She cannot help it, she's just so incredibly happy to see that, though things aren't exactly the same, things aren't bad either.
Naruto jerks his head towards the sound and greets his friend with an obnoxious, but amicable wave. He had the kind of personality that made even the most deviant of persons feel warm and invited. There was no one as cheerful, strong willed, or simpleminded.
"You finally made it! I've been here for hours. You're gonna have to buy me lunch, ya'know!"
Sakura makes her way to the two slowly, keeping her eyes low. Each step sent a bout of apprehension to flood through her gut. She can feel the clamminess of her palms, the dryness of her throat, and the pin-prickling nervousness that causes a chill to rake through her body.
"Are ya cold? It's only April."
The girl runs her hands along her bare arms, flattening the blonde hairs that grace the surface of her skin. "No, I'm sorry. It was just a jitter."
Naruto doesn't seem to need any more of an explanation. Instead, he slaps his hand on Sakura's shoulders and forces her chin up to look him in the face, so she can see every inch of his white, white teeth. "Sasuke got his arm back, can you believe it? Now I don't even have to hold back!"
As if Sakura needed proof, Naruto takes it upon himself to pull up the sleeve of Sasuke's left arm.
Sakura, by nature, is a healer. Her first instinct is to inspect and examine. The wrappings that twirl around his new appendage look askew, as if they'd been tampered with. There are angry, inflamed staples peeking from the top of the dressing, tugging on the recently attached skin. Letting her inquisitiveness get the better of her, Sakura gathers Sasuke's limb into her hands. "Did you re-wrap this? It doesn't look comfortable."
Sasuke is not gentle when he removes his new arm from her grasp. In fact, he is downright aggressive.
This doesn't offend Sakura. If anything, it makes her feel regret her boldness. She'd let her analytical side morph into something more meddlesome, and if anyone knew better than to touch someone without permission, it would be Sakura Haruno.
The girl clears her throat, trying to make light of the situation. "How does it feel?"
To her surprise, the man answers, albeit curtly. "Odd."
"May I ask you what you mean by that?" She cannot help it. Her nursing instincts are simply a part of her now. They bloom forth, imposing on his right to privacy. "Does it hurt? Is there any numbness?"
She was sure she sounded strange to him. Sasuke had been gone for a very long time. He had only seen bits and pieces of her medical-jutsu, and probably had no idea just how seasoned she was in her practice; Sasuke had more important things to worry about, after all.
With a low, belly laugh, Naruto pulls his own arm out for view. The perfectly spiraled wrappings are coiled in on themselves perfectly—it's proof that he allows his wife to doctor him, after all. "I guess "odd" is a good way to describe it. It really doesn't feel normal, huh?"
This intrigues Sakura. She had never heard any complaint from him whatsoever! "Yours feels different, too?" She asks. She finds herself drawn to his side. He makes her prying personality feel welcomed.
"Uh-huh. It kinda feels like..." The man trails off, trying to think of a good analogy. After a few more seconds of silence, a lightbulb turns on in his head. "It kind of feels like wearing a condom too tightly, ya know? It feels nice but it doesn't feel right."
A gust of wind sends a whistle through the air, echoing his words around the field. Sakura cannot help herself. Her forehead grows red with anger, and she curls her fingers into a fist so she can knock the absolute daylights out of her friend.
"OF ALL OF THE THINGS TO COMPARE IT TO, YOU BIG FREAKING PERVERT!"
It's true that things aren't exactly how they used to be anymore. But, that didn't mean everything had changed.
Before long, both Naruto and Sasuke are back to their original spar. Sakura finds that her eyes are drawn to Sasuke as he shakes the stiffness from his body, cracking his neck jerkily with his own hands.
Long ago, when had just entered puberty, she would have opted to peek at him from under her pale pink eyelashes. She was not ashamed to watch him anymore. Though, Sakura had to admit, she's not watching him only for his looks these days, no matter how handsome he may be.
Her mind drifts to his appearance. His thick, black hair was tied messily with a large horizontal binding that kept long tendrils from flying into his vision. Three silver chains dangled down the front of his shirt, reaching just past his navel. She watches as they catch the light from the sun, glimmering with each taijutsu movement.
Sasuke had grown even more masculine in the years he'd been away. It feels silly now, but Sakura remembers being incredibly attracted to the slender, toned body of his twelve-year-old self. So much had changed. Sasuke Uchiha was no longer an overconfident, boy. He probably wouldn't blush in an awkward situation, or lower his standards for ego-driven, alfa-male nonsense alongside Naruto.
No, Sasuke is a man now, with bone-crushing kicks and tight, well-defined muscles. Awkward situations now lead to lustful rendezvous. Ego-driven, alfa-male nonsense can be settled with hand-to-hand combat.
Neither Naruto, nor Sasuke seem to cling to the words of their past. Naruto was no longer an annoying prankster. He had become a gutsy, courageous ninja. Sasuke was no longer a cursed, callous avenger. He had rose from the ashes of his clan and completed every goal he'd set out for himself.
And Sakura, she…
She sighs, forcing her irises away from Sasuke so she can watch the spar as a whole. She follows every move and block, memorizing the natural flow of the battle. A lot could be learned by watching these two. There was no time for immodest ogling.
In that moment, Sakura decides she will no longer be a nuisance. She is determined to be a doer. She won't ask for promises that are hard to fulfill, nor will she rely on the strength of others.
Crossing her legs, the girl relaxes her hands by her side and falls into a state of meditation and chant, repeating her new mantra: "Sakura, the doer."