Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto.
At the bottom of each chapter, there are responses to reviews from the previous chapter. After all, this story is written for the fans, it would be negligent of me to not respond!
CHAPTER BEGINS..
A female roar of frustration echoes throughout the eastern side of Konoha Village..
"Aaarrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
* * *
A rather sweaty and smelly Sakura sat down, half-stumbling and half-collapsing onto the ground of Training Area #1, landing none too gently on her rear end. Thankfully, the earth was soft and forgiving, and her buttbone did not register any semblance of pain, although her spine was jolted a bit by the shock. She did not notice any of it, however, as one thought completely dominated the interior of her noggin:
"There's no way Naruto mastered this technique in one day! He has to be lying!"
But she knew that Naruto was not the type to fib. As a matter of fact, his blunt frankness was both one of his greatest strengths, and one of his worst drawbacks. So therefore, she held up the open scroll before her face one last time, poring over the text for any detail, minor or major, which she might have missed. But as she searched, she already knew the answer. She had not missed any details. She was just not able to perform the Kage Bunshin yet. Damn it all to heck!
With one hand, Sakura put down her newest prized possession, the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu scroll which Jiraiya-san had written for her. And with the other hand, she picked up a quart-sized bottle of fruit punch Gatorade. It was already pretty much empty, so she had to tilt it to a drastic angle just to coax out what little thirst-quenching fluid she could. But it's ok, she told herself as she swished around the last of the sugar water inside her mouth, enjoying the smooth and subtle flavor. It was almost five o'clock, the arranged meeting time between her and Shino-san. She would have to leave soon, anyway.
For a moment, she allowed herself to be distracted from her task at hand, as she wondered about what sort of clothing Shino had picked out. He seemed to be a guy with decent taste, and she had clearly dictated for him to pick out "sharp" clothing that had an "edge" to it. Unfortunately, a little goblin was dancing around in the back of her head, cackling at her faith in Shino's choice of clothing -
Inner Sakura shouted, "Shut yo trap!", as she squished the little goblin with an overhead fist. "I don't have time for this crap, I got myself a technique to master!"
Outer Sakura nodded with determination as she stood up. Yes, she would worry about Shino's clothing later. Besides, he seemed like a responsible guy who would hold onto his receipts; she could just make him return the clothing in case he had bought nothing but, say, suspenders, tweed coats, orange jumpsuits, and/or ivy green bodysuits.
She pounded a fist into an open hand, as she growled, "Okay, one more try, and I call it a day. Let's make this one count, Sakura!"
Her head lolled about, stretching and relaxing her neck as she turned to face the setting sun over the faraway hills. And as her head wobbled about like that of a kuniochi bobble-head doll, she rapidly reviewed the Kage Bunshin inside her mind..
Kage Bunshin requires that the user funnel her chakra in an extraordinarily complicated manner, a manner where she simultaneously uses both brute force and delicacy to distribute a massive amount of chakra equally throughout the enitre body. And although Sakura's chakra control is superior, her chakra stamina is not. Therefore, per attempt, she had been trying to create only one Shadow clone, for the sake of not wasting chakra. But since this was her last attempt, she might as well go out with a blaze of glory! This time, she would try to create two clones!
She was done working out the kinks in her neck. With a yell, she drew herself taut as she assumed a moderately shallow horse stance, her feet parallel and pointing straight forward at almost two shoulders' widths apart. Hands resting loosely by her side, she wriggled her fingers as she slowly inhaled a deep breath, hard staring eyes seeing nothing as she focused on preparing herself for her umpteenth attempt at Kage Bunshin.
It is time! With a tight grunt escaping from her throat, her hands whip upwards to her chest, and their fingers stab into each other, set in the proper seal. She then ferociously scowls at the sunset, and she shouts, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Within her, the dam bursts, and chakra explodes outward - poof poof! She barely has time to evaluate whether the chakra distribution was proper or not, before two Sakura clones appear next to her, one on each side..
* * *
As soon as she gained her bearings, however, the real Sakura could already tell that this attempt was a failure, like all the previous ones. The chakra release had felt too much like the normal Bunshin no Jutsu, where only illusions are created, not actual physical clones. To confirm her conclusion, she reached out to poke one of the Sakura clones in the forehead. And her finger passed right through the intangible phantasm's charmingly wide forehead (or so she wished), penetrating all the way up to the second knuckle.
While the Sakura clone looked up at the finger on her forehead, the real Sakura was pissed off. Tired, sweaty, smelly, and pissed off. "Damn it all to hell!" She turned around to test the other clone's forehead with a probing finger, and the results were the same: a mere illusion.
"Gah!" Her clones vaporized into smoke as she dropped onto her rear end again. Legs sprawled out before her, she was too tired to do anything except lean back and stare vacantly up at the sky. What the hell was she doing wrong -
"Sakura-san."
"Ack!" The sudden voice startled her, and she was up on her feet in a jiffy. But much to her relief, it was only Shino standing by her empty Gatorade bottle and scroll, not some foreign ANBU nin dashing over to cut her throat. She sighed in relief, already plunking her rear end back down onto the ground. "Oh, hey Shino-san, how are you doing?"
Face hidden behind that coat and those shades, as usual. "I am fine. You?"
"Okay, I guess. Pooped out to hell, though." A pause, then she blinked. "What are you doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet in front of Ichiraku Ramen."
"I was on my way there, but I heard you shouting. So I followed your voice instead, in case you were in trouble."
"You could hear my voice?!" She then ahhh'd in comprehension. "Oh wait, I get it. You must have been using that secret listening ninjutsu of yours, huh?"
"No, I was not. You just happen to have a very loud voice, that's all."
She blurted quite loudly: "Really?!"
"I think the entire eastern half of the village heard your shout."
"Oh, I see... hey, was that a joke?"
Somehow he seemed to shrug, even though he remained motionless. "More or less."
She sat there for a moment, gauging the degree of amusement which had been generated by his "joke". Then she concluded with a tired grin: "Hah! Not bad! Keep it up, Shino-san!"
"No problem." He scanned the training area's clearing now, his head swiveling about so smoothly and evenly, his movement seemed more mechanical than human. "Sakura-san, you should not be training here alone. It is not safe."
"You really think so?" Still sitting, she pulled her legs up against herself now, and she hugged them as she rested her chin on her knees. Forehead and all, she nodded to the village buildings merely twenty yards away. "I picked this area because it is right next to the village. I don't think those guerilla enemies will strike this close to home."
"Hmm. True. But one can never be too sure." Shino's head tilted down towards the scroll spread out on the ground. "What is this technique you are practicing?"
Sakura paled in apprehension as his straying eyes wandered over the scroll. "Ack, Shino-san, don't look! It's a secret - "
"Kage Bunshin?" Shino's low deadpan voice was no more, elevated half an octave due to the curiosity factor. "You are practicing Kage Bunshin?"
"Ssshh!" Sakura had somehow teleported to his side, and she had a frantic finger up to her lips. "Don't tell anyone about this, okay?! Keep it a secret!"
"No problem."
His response of merely two words was not enough to pacify her anxiety. "Shino-san, I don't think you understand, you can't tell this to ANYONE! Okay?!"
"I understand."
Her anxiety was still not wholly pacified, but his total response of four words would have to do, she supposed, lest she risk being bothersome and naggy. "Okay, thanks, Shino-san!"
"No problem."
His head was still tilted down, and he was apparently reading the scroll at his feet. She was not quite sure, though, since she could not see his eyes behind the glasses; for all she knew, he could be scrutinizing their shoes or something along those lines. But as it turned out, her initial impression was correct, as he voiced an observation:
"These instructions are incredibly complicated."
"Yeah they are, huh?" She then paused. "You know, I got mad at Naruto yesterday because he couldn't remember the instructions while he was trying to teach me.. but really, it wasn't his fault, now that I think about it. Anyone would have a hard time remembering all this stuff, let alone a guy like him."
"Mmm." Shino nodded as he continued to read. "This is rather interesting. It demands chakra manipulation which I have never attempted before."
"You want to learn this technique too, then? I can lend the scroll to you after I'm done with it."
"I appreciate the offer, but maybe later. I am currently attempting to master a different technique."
"Oooh really? Which one?"
"A ninja never reveals his secrets."
Outer Sakura blinked at the rebuff. "Oh, okay.." Meanwhile, Inner Sakura was tearing out her hair as she bellowed, "Damn it, he never tells me anything about his techniques! All he does is blab that secretive mumbo jumbo!"
Then Sakura suddenly realized out loud: "Hey, that's not fair! You found out about my Kage Bunshin, but you still won't tell me what you're practicing?!" She placed her hands on hips. "Honestly, Shino-san, you could at least give me a hint."
She tried to stare him down as best as she could, which was difficult since she was the shorter person by far. But Shino refused to make eye contact, as he look away to the training area's clearing. He wore a thoughtful look on his face now, apparently contemplating the pros and cons of revealing his secrets..
He then said, "So, have you mastered the Kage Bunshin yet?"
Inner Sakura screamed in frustration as she repeatedly banged her head against a wall: "Damn it, he's changing the subject on me!" Meanwhile, Outer Sakura was sheepishly shaking her head. "No, not yet.. but I've only practiced for a day now, so I'm not discouraged by any means!"
"That's good."
"Yeah, I really feel like I'm making progress, too. But I keep doing that stupid regular Bunshin instead of Kage Bunshin, damn it. Worthless afterimage clones!"
Shino did not respond to her whining, as he was scanning the scroll once again. He then asked, "Have you been practicing any other techniques lately, Sakura-san?"
She suddenly became inexplicably bashful, as she toed the ground before her. "Well.. sort of.."
"Hmm?"
Shino's innocent grunt was unimposing, giving Sakura the room to freely decline or accept his question. And after wrestling with herself for a moment, she decided that his curiosity was only casual; therefore, if she told him, he would definitely not make fun of her. So she said:
"Well, before I started practicing Kage Bunshin, I had been practicing Katon Goukakyuu for the longest time.." (= great fireball)
Shino's eyebrows raised at the mention of the Chuunin-level fire-based technique. "Interesting. Isn't that a technique which Sasuke Uchiha uses - "
"Ssshh! Ssshhhhhh!" Sakura had a finger up to her lips, and she was shooshing him so zealously, her face was turning dangerously purple. "Keep your voice down! Someone might hear!"
Shino took a moment to look around at the very empty clearing around them, confirming that they were, indeed, very much alone. But he said anyway, "I apologize. I will be more quiet."
"Shino-san, WHATEVER you do, even if someone is torturing and interrogating you, you cannot tell anyone about this! Because I don't want Sasuke-kun to know about it until I'm ready!"
"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow at that. "Why keep it a secret from Sasuke?"
A beam of excitement from her now. "Because when he comes back to the village, I want to surprise him! He will be so happy when he finds out that I've mastered one of his techniques!"
"I see. So you have mastered it already."
Her smile drooped to downturned crestfallen lips, and the air of levity about her became perceptively dampened. "Actually, no. I haven't even been able to master that technique, let alone Kage Bunshin.. I guess I need to train more."
"Perhaps. However, you do look like you've been training a lot today."
"I do, huh?" Sakura reached up to wipe semi-clean her sweaty and dusty brow. "Well, I do train every day, but I never did push myself to the extreme like I did today - "
Shino actually interrupted her, for once. "Sakura-san, have you tried to perform the Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu today?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious." He cocked his head now to the side. "You know, perhaps you should try it right now."
"Huh?!" Odd request, she said to herself. "Why now? I'll just fail again."
A cryptic gleam passed over the lenses of his sunglasses. "You never know, Sakura-san."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean, the results might be surprising."
She grumbled at that. Damn Shino, did he ALWAYS have to be mysterious and freaking hide everything? "Oh fine, whatever, I'll give it a shot." She yawned as, with an air of indifference, her hands started to dance with each other. Seal one, two, three..
Shino's eyebrows suddenly furrowed in consternation upon the realization that she was facing directly towards him. And his voice was urgent, as he started to back away: "Sakura-san, perhaps you should - "
Sakura wasn't paying attention to him: "Blah blah, Uma, Tora - " (Horse, Tiger)
Shino was still talking to her: " - turn around before you do the jutsu - "
Sakura was still not listening to him. Her seals done, she then stated in a lackadaisical monotone: "Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu." And she blew out with her mouth, all the while thinking, "Geez, why am I even doing this, Shino is such a weirdo - "
FWOOSH!
Her eyes popped out of their sockets as a huge spout of fiery orange flame belched out of her lips. What the hell?! She was actually doing it?!
A few brief seconds passed, but it seemed like an eternity to the dumbfounded Sakura, as she wondered to herself, "Is this a dream?!" But nope, it was real. The fire was still there before her, still going strong. Undoubtedly authentic and dangerously hot. Holy cow. She had done it. She had pulled it off!
Sakura was too shocked, really, to actually appreciate her success. So she simply stood there, gaping dumbfoundedly at the blaze gushing from her mouth. But how did Shino-san know that she would be able to do it -
Oh crap! Shino-san! She was aiming her fireball right where he had been just a moment ago! Oh crap oh crap, she couldn't see anything because the fire was obstructing her field of vision, oh crap oh crap oh crap!
The kuniochi immediately cut off her jutsu, and now she was confronted by a large looming cloud of ashen smoke, with neither sound nor sight of the bug boy. She cupped her hands in front of her mouth, and she hollered into the smoke: "Shino-san! SHINO-SAN! Are you okay?! Speak to me - "
A rather weak and bewildered voice: "Ouch."
"Shino-san!"
Pure unadulterated relief washed through her as the smoke cleared to reveal Shino a small distance away, flat on his back and lying on the ground. His entire body, clothing and skin, was lightly singed. His face was covered with soot. And his hair was oozing smoke. But at least he seemed unharmed for the most part, if not severely rattled.
"Shino-san!" Sakura was already by his side, fretting over him like an anxious mother would over a toddler who had just skinned his knee on the sidewalk. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't think that I would be able to do it, you were right, I should have aimed the technique somewhere else, come on, speak to me, Shino-san! Shino-san, if you see a light at the end of the tunnel, whatever you do, don't walk towards the light, okay?! Don't walk towards the light - "
Shino abruptly sat up, his voice already returning back to its normal deadpan. "I am fine, Sakura-san. No need to worry. I was already moving away before you started the jutsu, therefore the damage was not serious." But apparently even he was not convinced, because his hands were now patting down his entire body, making sure that he was, indeed, unharmed.
The signs of movement were enough for Sakura, though, and she sighed as she sat down heavily next to him. "Oh geezus, Shino-san, that was a close one! You had me worried for a second there! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done the technique right next to you!"
"No problem." He had finished patting himself down, and his hands were now back in their pockets, of course. "Just remember, Sakura-san, it is dangerous to play with fire."
She blinked. "You're not mad at me?!"
"No, I am not."
"Oh.. weird." She scratched her head at that. Gee, almost anyone else would have blown their top at her - she blinked again. "Huh? Play with fire? Shino-san, did you just tell another joke?!"
A solemn nod from him. "Yes, I did."
A third blink from her. Then she started to laugh. "Haha, that was a pretty good one, Shino-san! Play with fire, hee hee!" She then stopped herself to sigh in relief, her frayed nerves returning to smoothness. "Gee, so you're not mad at me at all?"
"Nope."
She glanced over at his face to make sure that he was telling the truth, and sure enough, he was as placid as always. A small sound of confirmation from her: "Hmm." And then, a small smile. "Geez, Shino-san, you're a pretty patient guy, huh?"
"I think I am."
A typical Shino response, she thought to herself. Her smile widened as she stood up now. "Well, that's good, Shino-san! Because now, it's time for me to critique your clothing!" Hands on hips. "So, did you go shopping like I suggested?"
"Mmm." He nodded as he stood up with her. "I did go shopping today." His head gestured to the tree by her Gatorade and scroll. "The clothes are over there."
"Cool! Let's take a look!" Sakura fairly skipped over to the tree now, where she found a large paper cream-colored shopping bag. Then she dropped down to her knees and practically ripped the bag open. "Ooooh, I can't wait to see what you bought!"
Shino was already behind her, even though she hadn't noticed his approach (no big feat of stealth on his part, since Sakura's eagerness had her practically stuffing her entire head into the bag). "I bought both shirts and pants like you suggested, Sakura-san."
"Great job, Shino-san! Okay, first up?!" Sakura extracted the first item of clothing from the bag, a neatly-folded pair of earthy brown corduroy pants. And her excited face promptly tightened into a countenance of mild disapproval. "Corduroy?"
"Mmm." He nodded. "I liked the color."
She unfolded the pants "Well, the color and shape isn't too bad.." She groaned in dismay. "But.. corduroy?!"
Shino's brow was faintly puzzled by her condemning words. "What's wrong with corduroy?"
"Corduroy is so last year, Shino-san! It went out of fashion MONTHS ago!"
"Oh."
"Don't worry, though!" She warmly smiled to allay any bruised feelings that he might possibly be experiencing. "You can just return this when you have the time!"
"Very well."
"Ok, next item.." Sakura stuck her hand back into the bag and rooted around some more. "Voila!" She pulled out another pair of neatly folded pants. "Now what do we have here?! It is.. uh.. oh." Her heart sank at the sight of a solemn maroon corduroy. "Another pair of corduroy pants."
Shino explained somewhat unnecessarily: "I like corduroy."
"I can see that." She didn't bother to examine this pair of pants, as, with a palpable air of distaste, she placed it on top of the first pair. "It's ok, Shino-san, you can just return that one too.." With a sense of dread, she now reached into the bag once again. And her voice, no longer as enthused: "And next up is.."
A long-sleeved collared shirt. Made of ivory white corduroy.
"More corduroy?!" Alarms were going off inside her head now, as she dropped the shirt and plunged her face into the bag. Corduroy to the left, corduroy to the right. Corduroy here, there, everywhere. Oh dear, this was trouble indeed.
Head out of bag now, she half-exclaimed and half-shouted: "What the heck, Shino-san! Didn't you buy anything else besides corduroy?!"
"Yes."
Sakura grasped desperately at the thread of hope floating just beyond her reach. "What did you get? Where is it?!"
"I bought some black woolen socks." Shino knelt down beside her to peer inside the bag. "They should be in there somewhere - "
"Aaaaaarrr!" Sakura crashed and burned all the way to the ground, landing face-first onto the pleasant-smelling grass. "This can't be happening!"
"What's wrong, Sakura-san?"
She sat back up in a flash, brushing away a grass blade which was clinging to her nose. "Shino-san! You are going to return those clothes! Got it?"
His voice was deadpan, yet plaintive: "But... I like corduroy."
Sakura would not be denied, as she crossed arms over chest. "Ok, fine, you can keep them. But you're not going to wear those things around Ino. Got it?!"
No sign of irritation, despite her bossiness. "Hmm. I understand."
"Honestly, Shino-san, what is with you and your corduroy fetish?!"
"Corduroy is comfortable and durable. And it makes virtually no sound when you move about. Perfect outdoor clothing for a ninja."
"Arrrrr, Shino-san! You're not going to go out on a mission with Ino! You're going to go out on a date! You don't understand, corduroy is a fashion disaster! It looks too juvenile, no adult man would be caught dead wearing corduroy!"
"But I am not yet an adult man. I am only thirteen years old."
Sakura blinked at that. "Well, uh.. that's not the point! If you want to impress a girl like Ino, you have to act and dress like a mature man. Now, your behavior is okay, but the clothing? Corduroy?! Not on my watch, Shino-san!"
"I see. So what do you suggest I buy, then?"
"Well, first thing tomorrow, I want you to go out and buy something sharp and - no, wait, hold on. Don't go shopping by yourself, okay? Bring someone with you to help you pick stuff out.. like your father! Yeah, your father's an adult, he'll know what's tasteful!"
"Mmm. Very well, I will go shopping with my father sometime this week."
"Excellent! If you go with your father, there shouldn't be.. any.. problems." She stopped talking now, as she stared suspiciously at the serene Shino. Instinctively, deep down, something was nagging her. Something was wrong, terribly wrong with her suggestion.. she then asked: "Shino-san, what type of clothing does your father wear?"
"The same as me."
Horror had her firmly by the throat now, as she gasped: "You mean.."
"Mmm." Shino nodded, confirming her worst suspicions. "He prefers to wear shorts, coat, and sunglasses."
A stunned Outer Sakura said, "I see.." Meanwhile, a flustered Inner Sakura screeched like a banshee: "Oh my god, what kind of grown man wears shorts and sunglasses all the time?! That is simply unbelievable! Wow, so this is what happens when there isn't a woman in the household! The men become walking and talking fashion disasters - "
Sakura suddenly calmed down, totally at peace with herself. Ah, it was all so clear now. There was no way around it. She knew what she had to do. She knew what had to be done.
She stood up. "Shino-san. Let's go."
"Hmm?" Shino stood up now. "Where are we going?"
"We are going shopping. And I am going to pick out clothes for you."
His puzzled eyebrows raised to the highest they had ever been. "Hmm?"
CHAPTER ENDS
Notes: Remember, Chapter 8 is up also! Go ahead and read that one now... man, two things that no one ever thought would ever happen, they just happened! Sakura masters a new technique, and Shino is getting new non-corduroy clothes! Wow! ... on a more serious note, ugh, it was hard for me to get going on this chapter. But once I got in a groove, I was able to scribble down most of this... damn, it was really a pain to type "Katon Goukakyuu" over and over..
RESPONSES TO CHAPTER 6 REVIEWS:
Koyoru: Not enough Shino in the previous chapter? Well, I hope you got your fill of Shino in this chapter. And you say he should have gone shopping with Sakura in the previous chapter? Well, I was way ahead of you there, I already had this chapter all planned out a couple weeks ago.. oh, and you're demanding that this be a SakShino fic? Well.. hmm.. I'm glad you like the fic so far! (yes, I am changing the subject, a la Shino-style)
Liika: Glad you liked the fic! And you think it's gonna be SakShino, huh? Well.. hmm.. how about them Yankees?
Shino Bee: I'm glad you're enthusiastic about the fic, but don't hurt yourself over it. That means no banging your head on desks.
Xoni Newcomer: I'm glad you like the fic, even if you're not a Shino or Sakura fan! As for your nitpick, that is a very valid point, but I cannot answer it just yet, due to spoilers and stuff..
Tasha3: Sakura is bashed all the time for being weak, of course no one's gonna blame her for wanting to be buffer! Glad u liked the fic!
Jaques Rio: Yeah it would be weird for a girl to be intimate with a guy who's a bug nest. But hey, it's what inside that counts, right? Oh wait, what's inside Shino again? Bugs. Ok, never mind that cliche.. as for Sakura dreaming about Hokage? That was her runaway train part, not the realistic part. But hey, you never know what the manga has in store for Sakura... as for Jiraiya being OOC? Yeah, that was a little OOC, but I just wanted to write up another Inner Sakura's reaction, hehe..
Peter Kim: Holy crap, you put a lot of thought into potential Sakura techniques! Well, as you can see, she's already got that fireball technique down.. we'll just have to wait and see if she can master Kage Bunshin..
ccs_lover: As you can see, Sakura has not mastered Kage Bunshin, hehe. Glad you think it's adorable!
DocDragon: Come on, give Jiraiya SOME credit. He's a pervert, and he's a womanizer, but I don't think he'd do such a cruel thing to a little girl.
Katsuhito Sage: No internet for weeks? Ouch.. and yeah, she's training now! Thanx for reading!
Bana Random: Poor Shino? Nothing bad happened to Shino in the last chapter, did it? Either way, thanx for reading!
!() : I dunno if you accidentally cut off your name or something, but glad you liked the fic!
At the bottom of each chapter, there are responses to reviews from the previous chapter. After all, this story is written for the fans, it would be negligent of me to not respond!
CHAPTER BEGINS..
A female roar of frustration echoes throughout the eastern side of Konoha Village..
"Aaarrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
* * *
A rather sweaty and smelly Sakura sat down, half-stumbling and half-collapsing onto the ground of Training Area #1, landing none too gently on her rear end. Thankfully, the earth was soft and forgiving, and her buttbone did not register any semblance of pain, although her spine was jolted a bit by the shock. She did not notice any of it, however, as one thought completely dominated the interior of her noggin:
"There's no way Naruto mastered this technique in one day! He has to be lying!"
But she knew that Naruto was not the type to fib. As a matter of fact, his blunt frankness was both one of his greatest strengths, and one of his worst drawbacks. So therefore, she held up the open scroll before her face one last time, poring over the text for any detail, minor or major, which she might have missed. But as she searched, she already knew the answer. She had not missed any details. She was just not able to perform the Kage Bunshin yet. Damn it all to heck!
With one hand, Sakura put down her newest prized possession, the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu scroll which Jiraiya-san had written for her. And with the other hand, she picked up a quart-sized bottle of fruit punch Gatorade. It was already pretty much empty, so she had to tilt it to a drastic angle just to coax out what little thirst-quenching fluid she could. But it's ok, she told herself as she swished around the last of the sugar water inside her mouth, enjoying the smooth and subtle flavor. It was almost five o'clock, the arranged meeting time between her and Shino-san. She would have to leave soon, anyway.
For a moment, she allowed herself to be distracted from her task at hand, as she wondered about what sort of clothing Shino had picked out. He seemed to be a guy with decent taste, and she had clearly dictated for him to pick out "sharp" clothing that had an "edge" to it. Unfortunately, a little goblin was dancing around in the back of her head, cackling at her faith in Shino's choice of clothing -
Inner Sakura shouted, "Shut yo trap!", as she squished the little goblin with an overhead fist. "I don't have time for this crap, I got myself a technique to master!"
Outer Sakura nodded with determination as she stood up. Yes, she would worry about Shino's clothing later. Besides, he seemed like a responsible guy who would hold onto his receipts; she could just make him return the clothing in case he had bought nothing but, say, suspenders, tweed coats, orange jumpsuits, and/or ivy green bodysuits.
She pounded a fist into an open hand, as she growled, "Okay, one more try, and I call it a day. Let's make this one count, Sakura!"
Her head lolled about, stretching and relaxing her neck as she turned to face the setting sun over the faraway hills. And as her head wobbled about like that of a kuniochi bobble-head doll, she rapidly reviewed the Kage Bunshin inside her mind..
Kage Bunshin requires that the user funnel her chakra in an extraordinarily complicated manner, a manner where she simultaneously uses both brute force and delicacy to distribute a massive amount of chakra equally throughout the enitre body. And although Sakura's chakra control is superior, her chakra stamina is not. Therefore, per attempt, she had been trying to create only one Shadow clone, for the sake of not wasting chakra. But since this was her last attempt, she might as well go out with a blaze of glory! This time, she would try to create two clones!
She was done working out the kinks in her neck. With a yell, she drew herself taut as she assumed a moderately shallow horse stance, her feet parallel and pointing straight forward at almost two shoulders' widths apart. Hands resting loosely by her side, she wriggled her fingers as she slowly inhaled a deep breath, hard staring eyes seeing nothing as she focused on preparing herself for her umpteenth attempt at Kage Bunshin.
It is time! With a tight grunt escaping from her throat, her hands whip upwards to her chest, and their fingers stab into each other, set in the proper seal. She then ferociously scowls at the sunset, and she shouts, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Within her, the dam bursts, and chakra explodes outward - poof poof! She barely has time to evaluate whether the chakra distribution was proper or not, before two Sakura clones appear next to her, one on each side..
* * *
As soon as she gained her bearings, however, the real Sakura could already tell that this attempt was a failure, like all the previous ones. The chakra release had felt too much like the normal Bunshin no Jutsu, where only illusions are created, not actual physical clones. To confirm her conclusion, she reached out to poke one of the Sakura clones in the forehead. And her finger passed right through the intangible phantasm's charmingly wide forehead (or so she wished), penetrating all the way up to the second knuckle.
While the Sakura clone looked up at the finger on her forehead, the real Sakura was pissed off. Tired, sweaty, smelly, and pissed off. "Damn it all to hell!" She turned around to test the other clone's forehead with a probing finger, and the results were the same: a mere illusion.
"Gah!" Her clones vaporized into smoke as she dropped onto her rear end again. Legs sprawled out before her, she was too tired to do anything except lean back and stare vacantly up at the sky. What the hell was she doing wrong -
"Sakura-san."
"Ack!" The sudden voice startled her, and she was up on her feet in a jiffy. But much to her relief, it was only Shino standing by her empty Gatorade bottle and scroll, not some foreign ANBU nin dashing over to cut her throat. She sighed in relief, already plunking her rear end back down onto the ground. "Oh, hey Shino-san, how are you doing?"
Face hidden behind that coat and those shades, as usual. "I am fine. You?"
"Okay, I guess. Pooped out to hell, though." A pause, then she blinked. "What are you doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet in front of Ichiraku Ramen."
"I was on my way there, but I heard you shouting. So I followed your voice instead, in case you were in trouble."
"You could hear my voice?!" She then ahhh'd in comprehension. "Oh wait, I get it. You must have been using that secret listening ninjutsu of yours, huh?"
"No, I was not. You just happen to have a very loud voice, that's all."
She blurted quite loudly: "Really?!"
"I think the entire eastern half of the village heard your shout."
"Oh, I see... hey, was that a joke?"
Somehow he seemed to shrug, even though he remained motionless. "More or less."
She sat there for a moment, gauging the degree of amusement which had been generated by his "joke". Then she concluded with a tired grin: "Hah! Not bad! Keep it up, Shino-san!"
"No problem." He scanned the training area's clearing now, his head swiveling about so smoothly and evenly, his movement seemed more mechanical than human. "Sakura-san, you should not be training here alone. It is not safe."
"You really think so?" Still sitting, she pulled her legs up against herself now, and she hugged them as she rested her chin on her knees. Forehead and all, she nodded to the village buildings merely twenty yards away. "I picked this area because it is right next to the village. I don't think those guerilla enemies will strike this close to home."
"Hmm. True. But one can never be too sure." Shino's head tilted down towards the scroll spread out on the ground. "What is this technique you are practicing?"
Sakura paled in apprehension as his straying eyes wandered over the scroll. "Ack, Shino-san, don't look! It's a secret - "
"Kage Bunshin?" Shino's low deadpan voice was no more, elevated half an octave due to the curiosity factor. "You are practicing Kage Bunshin?"
"Ssshh!" Sakura had somehow teleported to his side, and she had a frantic finger up to her lips. "Don't tell anyone about this, okay?! Keep it a secret!"
"No problem."
His response of merely two words was not enough to pacify her anxiety. "Shino-san, I don't think you understand, you can't tell this to ANYONE! Okay?!"
"I understand."
Her anxiety was still not wholly pacified, but his total response of four words would have to do, she supposed, lest she risk being bothersome and naggy. "Okay, thanks, Shino-san!"
"No problem."
His head was still tilted down, and he was apparently reading the scroll at his feet. She was not quite sure, though, since she could not see his eyes behind the glasses; for all she knew, he could be scrutinizing their shoes or something along those lines. But as it turned out, her initial impression was correct, as he voiced an observation:
"These instructions are incredibly complicated."
"Yeah they are, huh?" She then paused. "You know, I got mad at Naruto yesterday because he couldn't remember the instructions while he was trying to teach me.. but really, it wasn't his fault, now that I think about it. Anyone would have a hard time remembering all this stuff, let alone a guy like him."
"Mmm." Shino nodded as he continued to read. "This is rather interesting. It demands chakra manipulation which I have never attempted before."
"You want to learn this technique too, then? I can lend the scroll to you after I'm done with it."
"I appreciate the offer, but maybe later. I am currently attempting to master a different technique."
"Oooh really? Which one?"
"A ninja never reveals his secrets."
Outer Sakura blinked at the rebuff. "Oh, okay.." Meanwhile, Inner Sakura was tearing out her hair as she bellowed, "Damn it, he never tells me anything about his techniques! All he does is blab that secretive mumbo jumbo!"
Then Sakura suddenly realized out loud: "Hey, that's not fair! You found out about my Kage Bunshin, but you still won't tell me what you're practicing?!" She placed her hands on hips. "Honestly, Shino-san, you could at least give me a hint."
She tried to stare him down as best as she could, which was difficult since she was the shorter person by far. But Shino refused to make eye contact, as he look away to the training area's clearing. He wore a thoughtful look on his face now, apparently contemplating the pros and cons of revealing his secrets..
He then said, "So, have you mastered the Kage Bunshin yet?"
Inner Sakura screamed in frustration as she repeatedly banged her head against a wall: "Damn it, he's changing the subject on me!" Meanwhile, Outer Sakura was sheepishly shaking her head. "No, not yet.. but I've only practiced for a day now, so I'm not discouraged by any means!"
"That's good."
"Yeah, I really feel like I'm making progress, too. But I keep doing that stupid regular Bunshin instead of Kage Bunshin, damn it. Worthless afterimage clones!"
Shino did not respond to her whining, as he was scanning the scroll once again. He then asked, "Have you been practicing any other techniques lately, Sakura-san?"
She suddenly became inexplicably bashful, as she toed the ground before her. "Well.. sort of.."
"Hmm?"
Shino's innocent grunt was unimposing, giving Sakura the room to freely decline or accept his question. And after wrestling with herself for a moment, she decided that his curiosity was only casual; therefore, if she told him, he would definitely not make fun of her. So she said:
"Well, before I started practicing Kage Bunshin, I had been practicing Katon Goukakyuu for the longest time.." (= great fireball)
Shino's eyebrows raised at the mention of the Chuunin-level fire-based technique. "Interesting. Isn't that a technique which Sasuke Uchiha uses - "
"Ssshh! Ssshhhhhh!" Sakura had a finger up to her lips, and she was shooshing him so zealously, her face was turning dangerously purple. "Keep your voice down! Someone might hear!"
Shino took a moment to look around at the very empty clearing around them, confirming that they were, indeed, very much alone. But he said anyway, "I apologize. I will be more quiet."
"Shino-san, WHATEVER you do, even if someone is torturing and interrogating you, you cannot tell anyone about this! Because I don't want Sasuke-kun to know about it until I'm ready!"
"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow at that. "Why keep it a secret from Sasuke?"
A beam of excitement from her now. "Because when he comes back to the village, I want to surprise him! He will be so happy when he finds out that I've mastered one of his techniques!"
"I see. So you have mastered it already."
Her smile drooped to downturned crestfallen lips, and the air of levity about her became perceptively dampened. "Actually, no. I haven't even been able to master that technique, let alone Kage Bunshin.. I guess I need to train more."
"Perhaps. However, you do look like you've been training a lot today."
"I do, huh?" Sakura reached up to wipe semi-clean her sweaty and dusty brow. "Well, I do train every day, but I never did push myself to the extreme like I did today - "
Shino actually interrupted her, for once. "Sakura-san, have you tried to perform the Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu today?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious." He cocked his head now to the side. "You know, perhaps you should try it right now."
"Huh?!" Odd request, she said to herself. "Why now? I'll just fail again."
A cryptic gleam passed over the lenses of his sunglasses. "You never know, Sakura-san."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean, the results might be surprising."
She grumbled at that. Damn Shino, did he ALWAYS have to be mysterious and freaking hide everything? "Oh fine, whatever, I'll give it a shot." She yawned as, with an air of indifference, her hands started to dance with each other. Seal one, two, three..
Shino's eyebrows suddenly furrowed in consternation upon the realization that she was facing directly towards him. And his voice was urgent, as he started to back away: "Sakura-san, perhaps you should - "
Sakura wasn't paying attention to him: "Blah blah, Uma, Tora - " (Horse, Tiger)
Shino was still talking to her: " - turn around before you do the jutsu - "
Sakura was still not listening to him. Her seals done, she then stated in a lackadaisical monotone: "Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu." And she blew out with her mouth, all the while thinking, "Geez, why am I even doing this, Shino is such a weirdo - "
FWOOSH!
Her eyes popped out of their sockets as a huge spout of fiery orange flame belched out of her lips. What the hell?! She was actually doing it?!
A few brief seconds passed, but it seemed like an eternity to the dumbfounded Sakura, as she wondered to herself, "Is this a dream?!" But nope, it was real. The fire was still there before her, still going strong. Undoubtedly authentic and dangerously hot. Holy cow. She had done it. She had pulled it off!
Sakura was too shocked, really, to actually appreciate her success. So she simply stood there, gaping dumbfoundedly at the blaze gushing from her mouth. But how did Shino-san know that she would be able to do it -
Oh crap! Shino-san! She was aiming her fireball right where he had been just a moment ago! Oh crap oh crap, she couldn't see anything because the fire was obstructing her field of vision, oh crap oh crap oh crap!
The kuniochi immediately cut off her jutsu, and now she was confronted by a large looming cloud of ashen smoke, with neither sound nor sight of the bug boy. She cupped her hands in front of her mouth, and she hollered into the smoke: "Shino-san! SHINO-SAN! Are you okay?! Speak to me - "
A rather weak and bewildered voice: "Ouch."
"Shino-san!"
Pure unadulterated relief washed through her as the smoke cleared to reveal Shino a small distance away, flat on his back and lying on the ground. His entire body, clothing and skin, was lightly singed. His face was covered with soot. And his hair was oozing smoke. But at least he seemed unharmed for the most part, if not severely rattled.
"Shino-san!" Sakura was already by his side, fretting over him like an anxious mother would over a toddler who had just skinned his knee on the sidewalk. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't think that I would be able to do it, you were right, I should have aimed the technique somewhere else, come on, speak to me, Shino-san! Shino-san, if you see a light at the end of the tunnel, whatever you do, don't walk towards the light, okay?! Don't walk towards the light - "
Shino abruptly sat up, his voice already returning back to its normal deadpan. "I am fine, Sakura-san. No need to worry. I was already moving away before you started the jutsu, therefore the damage was not serious." But apparently even he was not convinced, because his hands were now patting down his entire body, making sure that he was, indeed, unharmed.
The signs of movement were enough for Sakura, though, and she sighed as she sat down heavily next to him. "Oh geezus, Shino-san, that was a close one! You had me worried for a second there! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done the technique right next to you!"
"No problem." He had finished patting himself down, and his hands were now back in their pockets, of course. "Just remember, Sakura-san, it is dangerous to play with fire."
She blinked. "You're not mad at me?!"
"No, I am not."
"Oh.. weird." She scratched her head at that. Gee, almost anyone else would have blown their top at her - she blinked again. "Huh? Play with fire? Shino-san, did you just tell another joke?!"
A solemn nod from him. "Yes, I did."
A third blink from her. Then she started to laugh. "Haha, that was a pretty good one, Shino-san! Play with fire, hee hee!" She then stopped herself to sigh in relief, her frayed nerves returning to smoothness. "Gee, so you're not mad at me at all?"
"Nope."
She glanced over at his face to make sure that he was telling the truth, and sure enough, he was as placid as always. A small sound of confirmation from her: "Hmm." And then, a small smile. "Geez, Shino-san, you're a pretty patient guy, huh?"
"I think I am."
A typical Shino response, she thought to herself. Her smile widened as she stood up now. "Well, that's good, Shino-san! Because now, it's time for me to critique your clothing!" Hands on hips. "So, did you go shopping like I suggested?"
"Mmm." He nodded as he stood up with her. "I did go shopping today." His head gestured to the tree by her Gatorade and scroll. "The clothes are over there."
"Cool! Let's take a look!" Sakura fairly skipped over to the tree now, where she found a large paper cream-colored shopping bag. Then she dropped down to her knees and practically ripped the bag open. "Ooooh, I can't wait to see what you bought!"
Shino was already behind her, even though she hadn't noticed his approach (no big feat of stealth on his part, since Sakura's eagerness had her practically stuffing her entire head into the bag). "I bought both shirts and pants like you suggested, Sakura-san."
"Great job, Shino-san! Okay, first up?!" Sakura extracted the first item of clothing from the bag, a neatly-folded pair of earthy brown corduroy pants. And her excited face promptly tightened into a countenance of mild disapproval. "Corduroy?"
"Mmm." He nodded. "I liked the color."
She unfolded the pants "Well, the color and shape isn't too bad.." She groaned in dismay. "But.. corduroy?!"
Shino's brow was faintly puzzled by her condemning words. "What's wrong with corduroy?"
"Corduroy is so last year, Shino-san! It went out of fashion MONTHS ago!"
"Oh."
"Don't worry, though!" She warmly smiled to allay any bruised feelings that he might possibly be experiencing. "You can just return this when you have the time!"
"Very well."
"Ok, next item.." Sakura stuck her hand back into the bag and rooted around some more. "Voila!" She pulled out another pair of neatly folded pants. "Now what do we have here?! It is.. uh.. oh." Her heart sank at the sight of a solemn maroon corduroy. "Another pair of corduroy pants."
Shino explained somewhat unnecessarily: "I like corduroy."
"I can see that." She didn't bother to examine this pair of pants, as, with a palpable air of distaste, she placed it on top of the first pair. "It's ok, Shino-san, you can just return that one too.." With a sense of dread, she now reached into the bag once again. And her voice, no longer as enthused: "And next up is.."
A long-sleeved collared shirt. Made of ivory white corduroy.
"More corduroy?!" Alarms were going off inside her head now, as she dropped the shirt and plunged her face into the bag. Corduroy to the left, corduroy to the right. Corduroy here, there, everywhere. Oh dear, this was trouble indeed.
Head out of bag now, she half-exclaimed and half-shouted: "What the heck, Shino-san! Didn't you buy anything else besides corduroy?!"
"Yes."
Sakura grasped desperately at the thread of hope floating just beyond her reach. "What did you get? Where is it?!"
"I bought some black woolen socks." Shino knelt down beside her to peer inside the bag. "They should be in there somewhere - "
"Aaaaaarrr!" Sakura crashed and burned all the way to the ground, landing face-first onto the pleasant-smelling grass. "This can't be happening!"
"What's wrong, Sakura-san?"
She sat back up in a flash, brushing away a grass blade which was clinging to her nose. "Shino-san! You are going to return those clothes! Got it?"
His voice was deadpan, yet plaintive: "But... I like corduroy."
Sakura would not be denied, as she crossed arms over chest. "Ok, fine, you can keep them. But you're not going to wear those things around Ino. Got it?!"
No sign of irritation, despite her bossiness. "Hmm. I understand."
"Honestly, Shino-san, what is with you and your corduroy fetish?!"
"Corduroy is comfortable and durable. And it makes virtually no sound when you move about. Perfect outdoor clothing for a ninja."
"Arrrrr, Shino-san! You're not going to go out on a mission with Ino! You're going to go out on a date! You don't understand, corduroy is a fashion disaster! It looks too juvenile, no adult man would be caught dead wearing corduroy!"
"But I am not yet an adult man. I am only thirteen years old."
Sakura blinked at that. "Well, uh.. that's not the point! If you want to impress a girl like Ino, you have to act and dress like a mature man. Now, your behavior is okay, but the clothing? Corduroy?! Not on my watch, Shino-san!"
"I see. So what do you suggest I buy, then?"
"Well, first thing tomorrow, I want you to go out and buy something sharp and - no, wait, hold on. Don't go shopping by yourself, okay? Bring someone with you to help you pick stuff out.. like your father! Yeah, your father's an adult, he'll know what's tasteful!"
"Mmm. Very well, I will go shopping with my father sometime this week."
"Excellent! If you go with your father, there shouldn't be.. any.. problems." She stopped talking now, as she stared suspiciously at the serene Shino. Instinctively, deep down, something was nagging her. Something was wrong, terribly wrong with her suggestion.. she then asked: "Shino-san, what type of clothing does your father wear?"
"The same as me."
Horror had her firmly by the throat now, as she gasped: "You mean.."
"Mmm." Shino nodded, confirming her worst suspicions. "He prefers to wear shorts, coat, and sunglasses."
A stunned Outer Sakura said, "I see.." Meanwhile, a flustered Inner Sakura screeched like a banshee: "Oh my god, what kind of grown man wears shorts and sunglasses all the time?! That is simply unbelievable! Wow, so this is what happens when there isn't a woman in the household! The men become walking and talking fashion disasters - "
Sakura suddenly calmed down, totally at peace with herself. Ah, it was all so clear now. There was no way around it. She knew what she had to do. She knew what had to be done.
She stood up. "Shino-san. Let's go."
"Hmm?" Shino stood up now. "Where are we going?"
"We are going shopping. And I am going to pick out clothes for you."
His puzzled eyebrows raised to the highest they had ever been. "Hmm?"
CHAPTER ENDS
Notes: Remember, Chapter 8 is up also! Go ahead and read that one now... man, two things that no one ever thought would ever happen, they just happened! Sakura masters a new technique, and Shino is getting new non-corduroy clothes! Wow! ... on a more serious note, ugh, it was hard for me to get going on this chapter. But once I got in a groove, I was able to scribble down most of this... damn, it was really a pain to type "Katon Goukakyuu" over and over..
RESPONSES TO CHAPTER 6 REVIEWS:
Koyoru: Not enough Shino in the previous chapter? Well, I hope you got your fill of Shino in this chapter. And you say he should have gone shopping with Sakura in the previous chapter? Well, I was way ahead of you there, I already had this chapter all planned out a couple weeks ago.. oh, and you're demanding that this be a SakShino fic? Well.. hmm.. I'm glad you like the fic so far! (yes, I am changing the subject, a la Shino-style)
Liika: Glad you liked the fic! And you think it's gonna be SakShino, huh? Well.. hmm.. how about them Yankees?
Shino Bee: I'm glad you're enthusiastic about the fic, but don't hurt yourself over it. That means no banging your head on desks.
Xoni Newcomer: I'm glad you like the fic, even if you're not a Shino or Sakura fan! As for your nitpick, that is a very valid point, but I cannot answer it just yet, due to spoilers and stuff..
Tasha3: Sakura is bashed all the time for being weak, of course no one's gonna blame her for wanting to be buffer! Glad u liked the fic!
Jaques Rio: Yeah it would be weird for a girl to be intimate with a guy who's a bug nest. But hey, it's what inside that counts, right? Oh wait, what's inside Shino again? Bugs. Ok, never mind that cliche.. as for Sakura dreaming about Hokage? That was her runaway train part, not the realistic part. But hey, you never know what the manga has in store for Sakura... as for Jiraiya being OOC? Yeah, that was a little OOC, but I just wanted to write up another Inner Sakura's reaction, hehe..
Peter Kim: Holy crap, you put a lot of thought into potential Sakura techniques! Well, as you can see, she's already got that fireball technique down.. we'll just have to wait and see if she can master Kage Bunshin..
ccs_lover: As you can see, Sakura has not mastered Kage Bunshin, hehe. Glad you think it's adorable!
DocDragon: Come on, give Jiraiya SOME credit. He's a pervert, and he's a womanizer, but I don't think he'd do such a cruel thing to a little girl.
Katsuhito Sage: No internet for weeks? Ouch.. and yeah, she's training now! Thanx for reading!
Bana Random: Poor Shino? Nothing bad happened to Shino in the last chapter, did it? Either way, thanx for reading!
!() : I dunno if you accidentally cut off your name or something, but glad you liked the fic!