Usually her blackouts took brutal tolls on her physical and mental constitutions. Upon awakening it is obvious Sakura won't be expecting herself to even see straight for the next several minutes after getting up on her feet, never mind trying to walk. It's unfortunate, it's irritating, and in Sakura's eyes it's pitiful. The girl had gone through this many times in the past on countless missions as a member of team seven, broken or whole. With or without Sasuke. A pathetic reoccurring trend popular and akin to only Team Kakashi. It isn't team seven without a fainting female kunoichi. Sakura detests such unspoken gossip, however can't help but believe that those invisible words may be true. It's not that Sakura tries her best to faint, in fact she makes extraordinary efforts to refrain from ending up in such a submissive state. Haruno Sakura, a perfect student, a decent kunoichi, and clever at medical ninjutsu. Her combat's satisfactory, albeit straightforward and easy to anticipate as long as to not underestimate the girl. At least Naruto's been proven to be a good sport by the time the both of them parted ways on their special sanin training for the three years that separated them. He had already well accustomed himself, responding to Sakura's tendencies in the heat of battle. One could even argue that Naruto and Sakura had mastered a special, unique type of teamwork only applicable to just the two of them. They say it is so irrefutable that even Kakashi, their sensei, did not need to worry about backing the two of them up when under the pressure of a feisty attack. Talk about prince charming Uzumaki, come save the day to scoop up his darling beloved pink haired princess. Yes, this has also become another unspoken rumor that ran bitter on this kunoichi's tongue. Not that she can truly hate it, no, of course not. Sakura's unconditional gratefulness towards Naruto remained intense and never tarnished. This feeling of reverence even dates back to when they were still genin, fresh from the academy. Sakura just desired to refrain from becoming a burden to her team members. The last thing the girl wanted was to distract Naruto during times when his complete concentration was needed.
All accounted for, being a medical ninja undoubtedly has its perks. Sakura's sharp. No doubt about it. Though it is not on the level of a prodigy like Sasuke, or founded by the experience of a wise shinobi like Kakashi. Sakura still manages to make her mark as a moderately cunning ninja, cultivating her intelligence as best she can. Naturally, she'd figure there must be a threshold somewhere that could clear a way through her denser-than-brick blackouts while on enemy territory. She needed to be aware of her surroundings no matter what the cost and take in the information as it comes, even when collapsed and unconscious. Consciousness. That's the key. Sakura needed to somehow remain focused and somewhat conscious during her blackouts. If she could not fight, the least she could do was actually know what is happening around her. With the help of her master, the fifth hokage and legendary sanin, Tsunade, encouragement undoubtedly smiled upon this mere medical student.
The formula, product, or logic behind her concoctions requires not to be inscribed in detail, however Sakura never once quit to continue experimenting each effect of her alterations and the results it gave her. Call her crazy, call her mad. Sakura's determination had hardened, and she swore to herself that she'd find a solution, somehow. Like a maddened chemist the kunoichi would be found on miscellaneous missions trying out odd food pills and liquidized medicines before the prime of ambush or battle. The results were either reasonably successful or dangerously fatal to both her health and the team. Success rates of a mission would decrease, decline if ever her experiments were to go wrong. It appeared that the new generation of leaf shinobi are stronger willed towards protecting their comrades than completing their tasks. Regardless of Sakura's conditions, her friends had never once contemplated abandoning her.
Naturally the negative effects of Sakura's creations would anger Naruto, especially after witnessing several accounts of defective, and sometimes harmful medicine throughout their missions together. Though rest assured, Sakura was always one sweet talker whenever it came to deceiving him. Sakura could never bring herself to truly fool Naruto if it meant hurting him, but some could say that it is because of Sakura's determination to become stronger that held the power to calm Naruto and his habitual obsession to protect one of the original members of team seven.
"Relax, Naruto. Trust me, I'm working on a new potion that will help me get stronger. Please, just try to bear with me. It'll all work out when I've finally figured out the formula, you'll see. It can't harm me."
However Sakura would always assure him in such a somber tone.
"Just…Naruto, listen…I…I need your help. I need you to watch my back. I'm asking too much, I know I am, but please…just cover for me…in case something goes wrong."
In which Naruto would only smile warmly, as if waiting for Sakura to speak those words all along. He does not hesitate to reassure her with that dazzling smile of his, that cheeky thumbs-up, or his unconditional support.
"Of course, Sakura! You can definitely count on me." Of course Naruto would protect Sakura until the bitter end. Asking protection or support from him was easier than asking a question from a teacher in the middle of class. Even though Naruto knew very well what Sakura was capable of, he always thought she could do better, and so he never hesitated to do these little things for her every now and then. He is that kind of guy, after all. His friends meant the world to him. He'd fight for them in a heartbeat, even Sasuke was no different.
Naruto admired Sakura. Naturally he would respect her wishes and, like any other friend, would do whatever he could to support his own teammate (which in this case was to bail her out every time she gets whammed full on by an enemy attack at point blank). Sometimes Sakura would purposely throw herself in the line of danger, just to see if the effects of her medicines would do her any good. (Naruto obviously would beg to differ, and the two would constantly argue about that afterwards). Clearly Kakashi had his doubts. Being her mentor, he had the right to have concerns. However he understood Sakura on a level only a true teacher would know about their student. He knew that Sakura did not make these decisions hastily or based on emotions riled up and upset over things she held dear to her heart. Because of one and two, Kakashi felt that perhaps Sakura was on the right path. Perhaps Sakura was onto something useful. A chance of Sakura surpassing her master, Tsunade, and creating something of her own measures that could benefit Konoha was likely. She only needed the right push, the right resolve. Kakashi felt that she had found it. Three years after graduating the academy and Kakashi felt that Sakura had finally found something she was absolutely comfortable with. She had found her will of the fire, hardened as stone and ready to be thrown. She could not be wavered by a devil's eye, especially now that Sasuke had returned. It seemed that everything had lined up before Sakura, perfectly. However, skepticism was always welcomed, especially around shinobi, and Kakashi was certain that perfection was never at hand.
On an ordinary day when robins sang symphonies in peace over a clear blue sky, her Master, Tsunade, had summoned her disciple out of what appeared to be by a whim during one morning when her missions were declined to a minimum C-rank grade. Chaos had hovered into the negatives for activity since the fourth great shinobi war. The only troubles any of the villages faced nowadays were robberies and gangs, the leftover remains of crazed or starved men who lost their homes when Juubi cleaned its plate across the world and left miscellaneous leftover debris from its mighty attack. Not to mention the reconstruction of most of the demolished were considered laboring C-grade tasks as well.
"Yes, m'lady? You needed to speak to me?"
Sakura, who was all smiles at the time, held her psychology texts tightly to her chest as her sweet voice cooed with every word uttered, unaware of what may be in store behind the fifth hokage's lips. The scene played out unsuspecting with Sakura's typical imagination, fitted to perfection with her memories; a comfortable hokage with tea to the side, stacks of thick layered books and enormous scrolls creating mountains over her working table and at her feet. Countless.
Tsunade appeared graceful that day. Perhaps that would have to be her first sign of suspicion. Usually the leaf's hokage looked very haggard when submerged into endless paperwork, never mind detailing her irritable behaviour that followed it. Her seat had eased back, turned away from her recent pupil; too busy gazing at her village- no, at the clear sky that hovered above the world. Another messenger had brought a letter from somewhere far away, she noted. Judging by the feathers on its wings, it might have been a bird from Sunagakure. Someone would take care of it, she was sure. Someone always did.
"Sakura, you are an adult, now." Tsunade unexpectedly chuckles softly after saying so. "No, you've been an adult for quite a while." She then proceeds to clear her throat, a small sign of faint anxiety that emerges from her student.
"Chunin-level kunoichi no longer have a need for their mentors, their teachers, their…Masters."
At that moment Sakura's heart had instantaneously skipped a beat, emerald eyes diluting when pooling her visions of the woman who spoke to her. At the speed of light her mind conducted several flashbacks belonging to a memory of a similar speech Iruka had given the former students of the Academy at their graduation. Yet, Tsunade's words were nowhere close to the congratulation speech Iruka had given them as a sign of their dismissal as mere children of the Leaf. No, those words were far different from what she had heard several years ago.
The kunoichi swallowed difficulty as she listened to her Master's fluidly speaking lips; words that were at first foreign to her brain soon after began to break through her head.