Without My Strength I'm...
"Useless," Sakura sighed. "Completely and utterly useless, what kind of medical experiment backfires so badly, I can't use a single ninja technique for God knows how long?"
Tsunade shrugged. "It could be worse."
"Could be worse?" Sakura repeated, very annyoyed. "I can't control my chakra! I can't heal, I can't fight."
"It will wear off." The Hokage smiled.
"You just find this amusing, don't you, Shishou?" Sakura frowned.
"I find your anger amusing." The Sannin smirked. "But the fact that we have to start again with this cure is annoying."
Sakura sighed. "What do I do until these side effects wear off?"
"Paperwork," Tsunade's smirk widened, "I have plenty."
"Fine," Sakura huffed. "Hopefully this wears off by the time I have to meet my team for a training session later."
"I doubt it will. What will you do if it hasn't?"
"Most likely get my ass kicked."
Tsunade laughed.
Sakura shot her mentor an unimpressed look.
"You're not useless without your chakra, Sakura," Tsunade smiled. "You're naturally strong."
"I can hit hard without chakra, training under you does help with that, but it's still not good enough when fighting against someone with chakra."
The Hokage shrugged. "Maybe your team will go easy on you."
Sakura sighed before replying, "I doubt it, I think Sasuke's looking for revenge after I knocked him out in the last training session. Sai doesn't believe in going easy after Naruto gave a speech about being good teammates, pushing each other to our limits... Kakashi really enjoys beating us at something and then teasing us about it, I think he misses being able to beat us so badly when we were genin," she paused. "Naruto would probably be the only one to be nice and go easy. He doesn't like hurting me anyway."
Tsunade smiled. "Then skip it."
"I've never skipped a training session," Sakura said with a frown. "I'm not going to just because I can't use chakra."
"There you go then."
"I'm just trying to make you feel guilty here... Is it working?"
"Nope." Tsunade grinned.
"Cheers, Shishou," Sakura mumbled. "You're healing me if my team half kill me."
"Your team do take their training sessions very seriously," Tsunade commented. "Will you not enjoy the challenge of trying to beat them with no chakra?"
"I enjoy challenges... I just don't like losing, and it's a struggle beating them with chakra."
"Stop complaining." Tsunade smirked. "We'll have a training session tomorrow?"
"What if I still have no control over chakra?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"It will be fun," the Hokage stated with a smile before turning and leaving the labs.
Sakura sighed again and looked at the empty vile of their 'cure'...
What a mess.
"Hey, guys." Sakura smiled as she walked up to her teammates.
"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted her happily.
"I was thinking..." She began. "Why don't we spar without chakra today?"
"Why?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"I use chakra without thinking about it." Naruto smiled.
"You've not used too much up at the hospital today have you?" Kakashi asked.
"No it's not that." Sakura sighed. "You know that cure that Tsunade and I were working on?"
"The one you've talked about for the past week? Yes." Kakashi smiled.
"Well it kind of backfired."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Are you OK?"
"I'm fine, it didn't hurt it's just... the cure was supposed to stimulate the diffusion at the receptors in the cells and push the drug around the body, effectively fighting the virus, but instead, it blocked the receptors altogether, more specifically chakra receptors... I can't feel or use even the smallest amount of chakra," she explained.
"So you can't fight?" Sasuke smirked.
"I can fight," Sakura frowned, "Just without any chakra."
"So you can't fight," Sasuke reiterated.
Her fist tightened.
"Perhaps it will be good practice for you to fight with no chakra." Kakashi smiled.
"It's not realistic that I ever run out completely," she argued.
"You do have the least amount of chakra out of the team," Sasuke commented.
Sakura narrowed her eyes. "But I have the best control over it, I'm careful, I use it wisely."
"Yet you have none now." Sai smiled.
Sakura's other fist tightened also. "You guys are purposely winding me up aren't you?"
"You were already wound up when you got her." Sasuke smirked.
"That's it," Sakura snarled, swinging at her teammate. Sasuke dodged out of the way and she growled, "Sasuke!"
She swung again and he moved, using the slightest amount of chakra in his feet to speed away at the last second.
"Stop using chakra." She frowned.
"No." He smirked.
"Just let me hit you!"
"Why would I do that?"
"Because you deserve it."
"I don't know, Sakura-chan," Naruto mumbled. "Even without your monster strength, I wouldn't want you to hit me."
Sakura turned around and hit the blond on the arm. The team watched as Naruto wobbled slightly, but managed to keep his balance.
"Ow," he mumbled and rubbed his arm.
The rest of the team relaxed, usually knowing well enough to prepare to run when she got angry, but it looked like she couldn't do that much damage.
Sakura sighed.
Naruto unzipped and pulled off his jacket, rolling up his sleeve a little, he looked at where she had hit him. She had managed to bruise him.
"What a small bruise." Sasuke smirked.
"Compared to your normal monster strength," Sai added.
"It's not monster strength." She frowned. "It's the control of bursts of chakra."
"That certainly wasn't monster strength." Kakashi smiled.
Sakura lowered her head.
"Can you heal my arm, Sakura-chan?" Naruto pouted.
"I can't," she mumbled.
"We're just teasing you, Sakura," Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder and then added, "Whilst you're not a powerhouse."
"You're all dead when I get my chakra back," she warned.
"For now," Kakashi smiled, "Let's train."
"My arm hurts." Naruto pouted.
"You're kidding." Sasuke scowled.
"No." Naruto's pout increased.
Sakura looked at the bruise on his arm. She did usually heal him after she hit him, but that didn't look too painful. His pout, as always, persuaded her to look at it again. Gently, she prodded around it, he pulled away slightly and she looked him in the eyes. He just smiled at her and she shook her head. Reaching for her medical pouch, she pulled out a small pot of cream and a roll of bandage.
"Reduced to cream and bandages." Sasuke smirked.
She ignored him.
"That's a bit of a waste on a small bruise like that isn't it?" Kakashi smiled.
"If it keeps him happy," Sakura mumbled, applying the cream with practiced efficiency.
"It does." Naruto grinned.
"He doesn't care about his injuries," Sasuke shook his head, "Unless you're healing them."
Sakura didn't reply. She finished tying the small bandage around his arm before smiling. "There."
"I like these healing methods better," Naruto grinned at her. "They take more time and care, you have to get closer."
Sakura frowned at him.
"Don't old healing methods include the medic kissing it better?" He asked.
"I will hit you again," she warned.
"He's just bolder without you being so much of a threat." Sasuke smirked.
Sakura tried to calm herself down. If she were to lash out at him again, surely Sasuke would just dodge.
"I want Sakura-chan on my team!" Naruto announced loudly.
Sakura looked at him. "But I have no chakra, I wouldn't be that much help."
"I'd still prefer you on my team," he smiled at her, "You're still strong."
She smiled back.
"You only want her on your team because you don't like beating her." Sai smiled.
"How about... A king of the hill type game?" Kakashi suggested. "Last one to steal Sakura wins."
"Hell no," Sakura growled. "I'm not playing the damsel in distress for your amusement."
"But I liked that idea," Naruto pouted. "I'd win."
"You would win," Sai smiled. "You don't give up when it comes to Sakura."
"A free for all then," Kakashi decided. "You can be with Naruto if you want Sakura."
"No." She frowned.
Naruto pouted.
"Sorry, Naruto," she pulled out her gloves. "Chakra or not, I'm going to kick all of your asses."
When Kakashi gave the word to start their free for all, the boys dispersed in different directions, she remained still. She was not going to turn and run. Without her chakra she'd be too slow to react to incoming attacks. Sakura was not surprised, that as soon they disappeared, Sasuke turned up behind her. Swinging around in time, she went to punch the Uchiha, when he caught her fist and smirked at her, she knew that she wasn't going to enjoy this training session.
Naruto barrelled Sasuke away and they broke out into a much faster paced spar.
Then Sai was on her. She drew a kunai to block his sword and immediately had to go on defence as he swung at her again. She frowned at him, but he just smiled back. He vanished and she spun around, however was too slow and Sai cleanly kicked her in the stomach.
Falling to the floor, she cursed, they'd barely started and she was already on her back. She usually used chakra when moving to her advantage, it greatly increased her speed, that's why she was such a good dodger, she knew just the right amounts to use to get to where she wanted to go.
Sitting up, she grumbled, she often used chakra to soften her falls and heal herself a little in the middle of sparring too. Sai stood waiting, smiling at her.
Naruto then charged at Sai, she turned to see that Sasuke was now fighting Kakashi.
Standing up, she frowned. "Naruto."
"Sakura-chan?" He glanced at her before dodging Sai's sword attack.
"Stop protecting me, this is a free for all," she said with a frown.
"I'm not," he smiled, "I'm fighting everyone."
"Everyone but me," she shot back.
"Coincidence," he laughed. "Behind you, Sakura-chan."
Turning around, she saw a Naruto clone sneaking up on her. "You're not supposed to warn me about your own attacks," she mumbled.
The clone smiled at her. "I don't mind."
Sighing, she charged at the clone, annoyed when he dodged.
"No chakra is so frustrating," she grumbled.
"Yeah." He smiled.
"You don't know," she kicked the clone in the stomach and with a 'poof' it vanished, she turned to look at the real Naruto. "You use mass amounts all the time and never run out."
Sensing an incoming kunai, she whizzed around, deflecting it.
Sasuke smirked and stepped forward.
"You're really enjoying this aren't you?" She asked him.
"You're the one who wanted me to see you as a decent sparring partner." He shrugged.
She had show him she could still be a decent sparring partner.
Sakura hit the floor again. She didn't know how many times it was, but it was really getting annoying. When she stood up, she slammed her heel into the ground in frustration.
Sasuke ignored how the ground cracked a little. Smirking, he asked, "Got your chakra control back?"
"No," she grumbled. "I probably won't for several days."
When she sensed Kakashi behind her, she turned to hit him.
Jumping back, he held up his hands. "I think that's enough for today."
"Why?" She raised an eyebrow.
Naruto jogged over to them. "You're bleeding, Sakura-chan."
Sighing, she studied her cuts and bruises, she was bleeding from several points on her body. "And?"
"Do you usually cushion the blows with chakra?" Kakashi asked.
"Yeah," she shrugged, "And usually close any wounds before they bleed, I constantly heal the bigger injuries if I have the time."
Pulling off her gloves, she frowned when her knuckles were slightly red.
"You think as a ninja, you'd train enough so that your skin would be tougher." Sasuke smirked.
She frowned. "My skin is softer than you guys."
"You are a girl." Sasuke shrugged.
"You're really rubbing it in today, Sasuke." Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Is your ego bruised that much after I beat you so badly in the last team training session?"
Sasuke noticed Tsunade coming over and smirked. "I just expected more from the Hokage's apprentice."
Punch.
Sakura sighed in relief as Tsunade painfully whacked Sasuke across the training grounds.
"Thank you, Shishou," Sakura said. "These guys have been making similar remarks about you all afternoon."
Her team stiffened and her smile widened. This was the fear she missed from her boys when she had her chakra strength.
"Have they now?" Tsunade smirked. "I trust you hit them?"
"I tried," Sakura grumbled.
"Granny, can you heal Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.
Tsunade glanced at her apprentice. "No, we're going to have a training session now."
Sakura's eyes widened. "What?"
"Ready?" The Sannin grinned.
"No." Sakura stepped backwards in a futile move to defend herself.
Tsunade smirked and punched her apprentice in the stomach. Sakura flew for a moment before landing on her back hard, it felt like all of her friends were taking this opportunity to get payback for something that she had done. When she opened her eyes, Tsunade was there.
"Remember last week when you found my sake hiding spot?" The Hokage asked.
"And confiscated six bottles of sake?" Sakura winced.
Tsunade smirked, raising her foot she slammed it into the ground by Sakura's side, the earth split and she fell into the crater.
"Ow," Sakura grumbled in pain. She was still slightly winded from the first attack.
"I win." Tsunade grinned at her.
"So cruel, Shishou." Sakura pouted.
"I remain guiltless." The Sannin shrugged before walking away.
Grumbling, Sakura pushed herself slowly to her feet. "I'm not beaten yet."
Tsunade smirked before turning back around to face her. "I was expecting a surprise attack."
"There's nothing surprising about a slow attack," she mumbled in reply.
"True... You can never surprise me anyway." The Sannin smiled.
Sakura sighed, holding onto the edge of the crater, she pulled herself upwards before rolling out of the deep hole. "I think you broke my ankle."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, but didn't move.
"You still think I'm going to try and surprise attack you don't you, Shishou?"
At least the Sannin did not treat her as useless or predictable just because she didn't have any chakra readily available.
"Yes, you did say you were not beaten yet."
"You didn't beat me." Sakura frowned. "You cheated."
Tsunade smirked.
"You still broke my ankle though," Sakura said, putting her leg out in front of her, she looked at her fracture.
Tsunade studied her apprentice. "You've probably broken more than your ankle, look at you, you're a mess all over."
Sakura didn't reply, but reached for her medical pouch.
Tsunade walked over and knelt by her side, taking her arm first, she began to heal her apprentice.
"Guilt?" Sakura asked.
"Sympathy."
Sakura snorted. "...I told you I'd get my ass kicked."
"I thought you did well."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You were watching?"
"Yes." Tsunade smiled. "The entire time. You may have had no control over chakra, but you still should have sensed me."
"I was kind of busy," the pink haired medic mumbled.
"That's no excuse." Tsunade finished healing her apprentice's upper body and turned her attention to the broken ankle.
"I know." Sakura sighed.
"You're very frustrated today." The Hokage hummed.
"It's my team." Sakura frowned.
"I thought me hitting Sasuke would have cheered you up."
"Oh it did, but I was kind of hinting for you to hit the rest of them." Sakura smiled back.
"Why?"
"They were all taking advantage of me."
"They always take advantage of you," Tsunade laughed. "Everyone is always taking advantage or your kindness. Your team constantly leech the benefits of you being a medic and of your willingness to help them with everything."
"They're my boys." Sakura shrugged. "Someone has to take care of them, they certainly don't. Though you'd think after all I did for them, in a situation like this, that they wouldn't tease me."
"You're fun to tease." Tsunade smirked. "Yet not so fun when they're aware you could kill them in one punch."
"I guess," Sakura mumbled. "But when I get my chakra back, I am so going to beat them."
Tsunade laughed. "Until then, there's extra paperwork to be done."
Sakura pouted.
Three days later, Sakura woke up full of energy - she had her chakra back! She had never felt so relieved, or powerful, as she flexed her muscles and allowed the chakra to flow throughout her body. A smile crossed her face, she had another team training session today.
The team observed as Sakura slowly walked towards them.
"Morning, Sakura-chan!" Naruto beamed.
"Hey, guys." Sakura gave them a small smile.
"How is it on the chakra front?" Kakashi questioned.
"Don't ask." Sakura frowned.
"So we can do that 'whoever captures Sakura last wins' game?" Sai smiled.
"No." The pinkette narrowed her eyes.
"We still probably could," Sasuke smirked. "You couldn't stop us anyway-"
All of a sudden, Sakura shot forward, using her chakra to her full potential to get to, and hit Sasuke as hard as she could without completely breaking him. Unable to block, Sasuke was flung across the training grounds. The remaining males swallowed and watched as the annoyed kunoichi cracked her knuckles and her eyes flashed dangerously.
"You were suppressing your chakra?" Kakashi asked slowly.
"Yes," Sakura said with a wicked smile. "And now that my chakra is fully back, I am going to kill you all."
"Why?" Naruto nervously took a step back.
"Your behaviour the other day has not gone unforgotten, you were teasing me, patronising me and taking advantage of my unfortunate situation," Sakura growled and pulled out her gloves.
Not taking any risks, Naruto turned and fled as fast as he could, shouting, "Don't kill me, Sakura-chan!"
Kakashi, Sai and Sakura watched as the blond ran past Sasuke, not bothering to help his seemingly unconscious friend.
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "And I wasn't even going to hit him, he was my only nice teammate."
"I was nice," Kakashi replied.
"You were amused, admit it, you liked being able to beat me so easily." Sakura frowned.
"Not at all, Sakura-chan," Kakashi smiled.
Sakura didn't phase. Kakashi always called her 'Sakura-chan' when he was either teasing her, or trying to avoid being hit and/or shouted at. He knew he was in trouble. She knew he was hiding slight fear at her badly hidden anger.
Sakura pulled on her black gloves to tighten them. "Now," she smiled, "Who's next?"
After the team training session, Sakura was happy... Kakashi wasn't... Sai now understood more of the emotion 'fear', Sasuke did not remember it and Naruto was still missing. Tsunade was next on the list.
Sakura smiled to herself.
Without her chakra, without her well-known inhuman strength, she would remain one hell of a scary kunoichi.
Author Notes:
I wrote this in three or so pieces, partly because my writing was interrupted by the need to sleep and the fact that I needed to leave for college (which I finished a few months ago, this story is pretty old now) so I didn't have the time to finish it. Throughout writing it, I thought that perhaps Sakura seemed a little too angry? Though she could be scary if she wanted to, and that Sasuke was slightly too chatty with his insults?
Overall it was really for humour purposes. Sasuke using Sakura's misfortune as an opportunity for revenge. With Sakura's normal routine of life being shaken (unable to work as a medic, train effectively or control her team) due to lack of chakra, would be irritating for her.
She still had her chakra, just couldn't use any of it, so she wasn't in danger due to it all being gone or something, in case anyone thought that.
Thanks for reading!