Ok it took me like 2 weeks but finally chapter 3... After my burst of inspiration for the beginning, and the end but I can't do anything with that until I actually get there... but I've been writing blindly for most of the chapter, like I havn't been into it, I've been writing words but haven't felt them... if you can understand that. But towards the end I've started to get back into it and can feel what I'm writing... I hope this doesn't suck as much as I thought... here goes nothing...

Sakura awoke the next day with her body very sore. She felt horrible yet still inner Sakura praised her, "Now that's the kind of training you need to be doing cha!" 'But I can barely walk… ugh I'm so stiff' "Well get used to it, remember you have training… every… single… DAY" 'Ugh please don't remind me…' Sakura slowly drug her body down the stairs and out the door. She somehow managed to make her way down to the training ground. She wasn't surprised to see Naruto already there but she was a little annoyed. She had to pretty much force herself down there and here he was just raring to go.

"Hi Sakura-chan," said Naruto. Giving her a quick lookdown and said, "Wow you look terrible."

WHACK

Sakura hit Naruto on the head, "What the hell is wrong with you, you never say shit like that to a girl!"

"Ow, well you're never supposed to raise a hand to your Sensei," said Naruto rubbing his head. "Let's just start today's training. I know it may be repetitive to ask but first things first try the Shadow clone jutsu, it's gonna be the first thing we do at training."

Sakura thought to herself timidly 'Even after that sleep last night I think a Shadow clone jutsu is out of the question. Maybe if I just…' Poof, out of the smoke appeared a perfect clone right next to Sakura.

"Wow Sakura-chan that was…" Naruto started but then got an irritated look on his face. "Sakura, what is this?" he said pointing at the clone.

"It's a Shadow clone," she said with a bead of sweat dripping down her face.

"No. No it isn't," he said bluntly, "You can't trick the master. You think I'm so dense I don't know the difference between a Shadow clone," Naruto waved his hand through the clone disrupting it's form and causing it to disappear, "and just an afterimage." She really hadn't intended on making an afterimage she actually thought she made a Shadow clone or at least hoped. 'I guess subconsciously I was so sick of failing that I madeanafterimage instead' Sakura inwardly sighed, 'But I highly doubt Naruto would believe that, or understand it for that matter.'

"N-no I wouldn't try to trick you Sensei," she said with such an innocent look Naruto just let it go.

Naruto sighed, "Well anyhow that actually leads us into your training for today. I know you're probably not used to training so hard and by the looks of it your body is very sore." He smirked at this, feeling he accomplished his goal.

"Say what?" asked Sakura confused.

"Today's training will focus a lot less on your physical strength and a lot more on your mental strength," he said pointing at his head.

Sakura had to fight back a laugh. "And what does he know about mental strength?" teased inner Sakura, 'Tell me about it'

Naruto unaware of Sakura's mental conversation continued. He made two clones appear on either side of him. They all three jumped out of sight then a few seconds later they all reappeared. The one on the left started off, "Ok this is your test, you have to pick out which one of us is the real Naruto," the one on the right continued, "which one is the Shadow clone," the one in the middle finished, " and which one is an afterimage." They all three smirked, "Choose wisely".

Sakura concentrated, she marched in front of each Naruto and looked everywhere she thought might be a tell. One time when she was inspecting their backs one of the Naruto's turned around to say, "Hey back there keep your eyes above the waist," Sakura blushed but continued with what she was doing. The Naruto's snickered at her. After what seemed like forever Sakura thought, 'I have no idea which one is which. They all look the same to me, I guess guessing is the only other option.' She stopped in front of the Naruto on the right, "Ok this is the afterimage," she said trying to look convincing.

The Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure about that?"

Sakura hesitated. Then she replied, "Yes."

"How sure?" asked the Naruto, "Sure enough to let me throw this shuriken at you?"

"Um well I…"

"Come on if you think I'm just an afterimage then this should just pass right through you and not leave a scratch."

"S-sure I'm positive," worryingly said a scared Sakura.

"Alright then," said the Naruto as he got ready to throw the shuriken. He threw it through the air, Sakura shut her eyes tight, and it passed right through her body just like Naruto had said. "Good guess," was the last thing the afterimage said before it disappeared. Then another Naruto jumped in, "But can you tell me why you chose that one as the afterimage?"

Sakura froze, she should have known he would ask why but she didn't think Naruto would be so thorough. "Well," she dropped her head in shame, "no".

"Come on Sakura you should know that from back at the academy," scolded Naruto, "Here let me show you." Naruto summoned another afterimage but made sure both Naruto's made the hand sign because Sakura still needed to pick out the Shadow clone. "Look at the ground, remember afterimages don't have a shadow because they don't have a physical form, they're only an image." Just as Naruto had said there wasn't a shadow to be seen. "But because Shadow clones have a solid form they aren't so easy to tell from the real thing, but there is a tell," added Naruto, "It just takes skill and knowhow and you'll be able to do it in your sleep."

"Sit down and close your eyes," instructed Naruto. Sakura obediently did so. "Now Shadow clones have a physical form, but their entire being is made of chakra, so their body is constantly giving off a lot of chakra. If you clear your mind and focus you will be able to feel this chakra and pick out the Shadow clone no problem." So Sakura cleared her mind and tried to feel out everything around her. She felt at peace while she did this. Then she noticed something, a strange feeling coming from one specific direction. At first she couldn't find a word to describe it, but she soon decided, 'warm'. Without opening her eyes she pointed towards the Naruto on the left and said, "You are the Shadow clone," with that he grinned and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura felt something pull her up and grab her, "Yes Sakura-chan good job."

"Now for something harder," Naruto summoned a hundred Naruto's, "Alright this time you just pick which are Shadow clones and which are copies. I want you to hit all the copies with shuriken and all the Shadow clones with kunai, that way I'll be able to tell how you do." Sakura began at once targeting each Naruto with deadly accuracy and quickly striking them down one by one. When she finished up Naruto judged how she did, "Ok I put out 30 copies and 70 clones, but you seem to have about 45 shuriken out here. Alright now let's go again."

After a few more hours of this training they called it a day. "Ok now let's go eat."

"Just for your information I'm not gonna pay for you this time," Sakura reminded Naruto.

His hopes dropped, "I know."

Sakura giggled at his expression, "Come on let's go."

Training went on as usual for the rest of the week, same time everyday only taking a break on Saturday and Sunday. Sakura was slowly improving, she was getting stronger and more skilled with each passing day. She was getting strong enough that when her and Naruto would spar he wouldn't be afraid to throw a punch. At first he didn't want to hurt her but after a while she insisted he start to fight back, and soon after he didn't have much of a choice. But as much skill as she gained and with the skill she had with her chakra control the Shadow clone jutsu seemed all but possible. But she wasn't going to give up just yet.

'Training training, training,' Sakura sighed, 'it's just so repetitive, day after day, I'm starting to get sick of it.' She slowly made her oh so familiar walk to the training ground, she sighed again. Naruto was there before her as always. And today they started with some sparring. Naruto charged Sakura, as he ran Sakura stood her ground. He threw a punch but Sakura easily interpreted his attack and dodged it. She grabbed his arm while she dodged and threw him towards a tree. But he recovered and jumped off the tree into another assault. This time hitting her, she slightly moved out of the way so it wasn't a direct blow but it still made contact and pushed her back.

'She barely even tried to dodge that attack,' thought Naruto, but hearing the sounds of snapping wire he quickly jumped out of the way of a barrage of shuriken and kunai. 'A trap!? When did she have time to set that?' Naruto quickly took the offensive summoning a hoard of Shadow clone to push Sakura back towards the river. It worked and she fell back towards the river. As she landed on the bank two shadow clones jumped out of the water in a surprise attack but as their blows landed Sakura disappeared with the substitution jutsu into a nearby tree.

With all the training she had been getting she could easily tell the real Naruto out of all the Shadow clones frantically running around below her. So she hit the real one with her specialty, a genjutsu.

Sakura jumped out of the tree right in the middle of the Naruto's, all at once they attacked. Several started by throwing kunai, then the rest came in for close combat. When there seemed to be no resistance anymore Naruto undid the jutsu leaving just him and Sakura. But as Naruto approached Sakura he heard strange sounds coming from her. She was clutching her stomach and crying. Naruto stood in shock, and upon further inspection of her clutched stomach her shirt was becoming stained with blood. "Sakura-chan! Oh no, please no, Sakura I'm sorry!" said Naruto panicking.

"Naruto…sniff… you over did it… you jerk," Sakura managed to say through the pain and tears. Naruto slowly tried to make his way to Sakura who soon started to cough up blood.

"Ahhhhhh!!" shouted Naruto grabbing his head in a confused pain, "I'm sorry Sakura-chan! I'm sorry I'm sorry," he muttered this over and over.

Sakura, who still stood in the tree, began grinning at her jutsu's effectiveness, though now she thought she may have overdone it a little. But as Naruto knelt next to what he believed was her wounded body he reached the peak of his emotional stamina and he just couldn't bare anymore of this torment his body gave out and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Wait what?!" as soon as the words left her lips she felt the cold hard steel of a kunai pressing against her neck. "Check mate" whispered a familiar voice in Sakura's ear. "But how did you escape my genjutsu without me even knowing I was watching the whole time, and I hit you directly with it."

"I told you how to tell a Shadow clone from the real thing… but I never said that you couldn't get around that little detail now did I?" gloated Naruto.

"Come on tell me, how'd you do it?" asked Sakura pushing away the kunai.

"Well what good of a Sensei would I be if I didn't pass on my knowledge to my student."

'Alright he has been getting way too much enjoyment out of this whole Sensei thing… I'm starting to regret starting it,' Sakura inwardly sighed, but quickly brought herself back to reality not wanting to miss what Naruto had to say.

"First off I snuck away while the clones surprised you from the river. Then I made a clone with a lot more chakra than usual so he didn't have to give off so much at once and had him try to repress his chakra, giving the illusion that it was me. Then I just waited for you to get caught off guard when the clone disappeared," explained Naruto.

"Wow that was pretty clever considering who came up with it," said Sakura.

Naruto nodded at this, "Yeah… Hey wait what are you trying to say?!"

Sakura giggled, "Nothing. Let's just get on with training."

"Fine, let's try some taijutsu practice, and I mean strictly taijutsu." They started to spar. It went on for an hour taking a short break every 15 min. They were both getting tired after the training.

"Ok now we'll end today with the usual. Give me a Shadow clone!" Naruto demanded.

Sakura stood up from the tree she was leaning against. 'Come on, you can do this just focus.' Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated her chakra, she was very careful of how she released it. She focused harder, letting out more and more chakra, molding it just the way she needed it. The ground started to shake and chakra danced this way and that, it made it's way into the tree she stood under. It shook from the chakra being poured into it but Sakura took no notice of any of this, she merely continued concentrating her chakra, 'It has to be perfect' she thought to herself. Her eyes burst open flaring with chakra and she almost screams, "SHADOW CLONE JUT-" but she was cut short as a branch snapped and hit her on the head knocking her out cold.

Everything was a bit hazy as she came to, but there was one distinct thing that stood out from everything else, "Pink…"

OOOOOOHH SUPER OBVIOUS CLIFF HANGER!!!!!!!! Ha ha yeah... I'll try to work harder on chapter 4