The Alternate Path

By Inner Self

Chapter X: Substitution of Time

Need reviews! I wish to be loved! (equals motivation) you've seen how long I stalled! I'm sorry! And when I stall, I create more stories (pilots) which slow down the updates. In a snowball effect, I become burdened (or blessed) with more stuff to update! So please take the time to give me advice, etc. (reviews, ).

I NO OWN NARUTO!!

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Ino has been coming around the training site, coincidentally, ever since Tsunade-taishou fled the city. Apparently, Ino had gotten acquainted with taishou's traveling buddy and her pet pig. That suits Ino well to hang out with her fellow boars...but I don't think it would be wise to say so aloud! Who cares; I must make mental note to bring that up!

We are practicing our healing techniques today since Ino suggested it. She says that I should at least learn to stop the bleeding in major cuts. After looking at the supplies taishou left me, Ino and I both agreed that the best strategy would be to evade eighty percent of the time against Sabaku no Gaara and throw a critical hit (the Heavenly Chakra Punch) at any chance we get. Basically, we improvise. We're good at that.

"Dang! This is one hell of a miracle worker we met!" Ino's going through the gift Tsunade-taishou gave me yet again. "3 Blood replenishing pills, 4 soldier pills, 2 medic scrolls, and 2 basic poison antidotes! If you get through this match quick enough, you'll have plenty to spare for the next!"

"After the workout with Sandman, I won't need any of that! I'll shoot up a 10 levels!"

"Are you referring to videogames again? That's so geeky!"

"Its not like I play them. I just watch Naruto play... I swear!"

"Oh, yeah. Whatever!" I knew that was coming. You can always detect Ino's sarcasm. Or when I'm lying because even an academy student can see through me.

"Well, I don't play anymore. How can you when under the pressure of being the future's greatest kunoichi? Training cough and conditioning my haircough is all i have time for."

Ino sighs, "Ah, poor Sakura! That forehead must be absorbing all the sun's rays! After all, there's no way I'm going to lose to you!"

"Grr!!" And there is no one there to stop the fight that is to come. The rivals battle it out for longer than any Tsunade would dish out.

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"Oh, my God!" Ino blurts out when Sakura is catching her breath, "We forgot to study our medical techniques!"

"..." Likewise, so did Sakura, "thanks a lot Ino-pig!" Sakura throws a side kick at Ino and then stops mid-chamber. "Its late. We should get goin--OMG, are you all right?!"

Ino falls over. Fearing a heart attack, Sakura prepares to pump chakra into Ino's chest, but Ino starts to roll over in the grass, gripping at her sides. "Oh, come on." Sakura chuckles and assists Ino in getting up.

As they are walking to fork that divides their pathways home, Ino's stomach growls.

"Aha! Now who's unladylike, porky-little-Ino!" Sakura laughs at Ino's embarassment.

Ino gets an evil gleam in her eye. "You know what we should do?" She pauses until she detects the curiousity in her friend's eye. "We should go have some Yakiniku. Our mom's will be so pissed!"

"And you'll be insane! Do you have a death wish?!" 'OMG, I'm going to die and it's going to be all that pig's fault! Note to outer self: beware of dumbass pigs!'

Ino turns around towards the restaurant district, pulling Sakura with her. "Yeah, well just think of it as your training assignment at home! Homework! You love homework? Yes you do!" Ino goes off on a rant like that of someone holding a newborn baby.

All Sakura needs to do to get Ino to shut up is administer a death glare.

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When they reach the restaurant, they start up a silly arguement about ketchup and mustard, attracting the attention of some of the usual customers.

"I'm telling you, ketchup goes with everything!"

"Fore-head, how many times have I told you not to use it for facials! All it manages to do is expand that space above your brows!"

Death glares all around!

"Okay, pig, answer me this: How come diners always put the ketchup on the table and keep the mustard secluded behind the counter?"

"Because its more valueable! One packet is equal to a whole crappy bottle of ketchup!"

"..." Sakura hadn't thought up any b.s. as good as that. But that didn't mean she would admit that Ino had won. "Hmph!"

"Ahem," someone replied from behind their booth, two over. "Could you keep it down. If you didn't happen to notice, you are indoors."

Ino turned around was about to give him some smack, but she pauses with her fist halfway in the air when she hears the boy mutter something about troublesome. "Aii, Shikamaru!" Ino rushes over to his table and hugs him. The passing of love dies down after she jumps over him and proceeds to hug Choji. "Dude, I haven't seen you guys in forever!"

"Relax. Its only been a week or two."

"But it is good to see you both again." Asuma replies welcomingly.

"Both?" Choji asks and then remembers that Ino was fraying with someone which caused them to notice her in the first place.

"Konbanwa you guys." Sakura introduces herself and sits next to Asuma. Ino's already occupied the last spot next to Shikamaru and Choji. They both sit near the aisle and Choji has the window seat.

"So how have you all been?" Sakura starts the conversation with small talk, but since the Chuunin Exam is nearing the next test, the question holds more weight.

Shikamaru replies for the group, "Well, if Ino hasn't told you yet, Asuma has been helping me with my training. Its been troublesome the way he's been setting me up against Choji. Augh, and the sessions last for hours. My chakra's always drained at the end of it."

Choji eats another bite of Bar-B-Q'd pork and then continues the conversation by asking how they'd spent their time.

"Well, I went to Kakashi-sensei after the Second Exam and asked him to help me with my training, but he ran off with Sasuke and told me and Naruto-kun to learn under a special jonin. Naruto-kun was reluctant and ran off to escape the guy. I decided it would be best to do the same and went in the opposite direction to run home and sleep, to be refreshed for the next day. They probably forgot about me."

"I found Sakura when she was coming out of the hospital and forced her to get a head-start on her training. Hello, Fore-head only had a month to train for her fight!"

Shikamaru cuts in. "Oh yeah, she's fighting Sabaku no Gaara. I tell you that guy creeps me out the most of all the outsider shinobi here at the test. I don' t think you should fight him."

Choji agrees by spitting almost spitting out what he was eating and nodding vigorously.

Sakura makes a face at their lack of support.

"Well," Asuma speaks, "I think Sakura should continue training and then on the last day, depending on how much she's grown, decide if she wants to give it a shot. After all, the tournament is going to have the same rules as the Pre-lims did. When she starts losing, the judges will stop the match."

Ino cuts in, "But she's not going to lose, right Sakura!"

"No way!" A confident smirk graces both of their faces. "Don't be too shocked when you see me out there."

Asuma appologizes, "To be the constructive critic, I must say that I have doubts..." He looks over at an annoyed Ino and stresses, "with good reason. Keep in mind that that boy is not normal."

They nod and Ino continues with the story. "So we went to Kurenai-sensei's house, but of course, she had to train Shino. Her pupils come first although she set us in the right direction by suggesting the back section in the library."

"Then Ino and I wasted our morning looking for books on genjutsu. They only had paperbacks and old worthless scrolls. We went out to lunch and then departed."

"I went back to study up on some medicinal plants. Who knows; father might start selling them if I provide some. And I could practice making ointments with the extras."

"You little geek!" Ino sticks her tongue out at Sakura.

"Here they go again... how troublesome."

"Any ways..." Asuma tries to get the story going again.

"And when we were eating lunch, that Temari girl showed up."

(Choji) "Shikamaru's match?"

"Yeah, and she started giving Sakura b.s. about regretting not being able to have a rematch, you know, with her match being Temari's brother and all."

(Choji) "They're related?"

"I think so. Why else would she go near him?"

(Shikamaru) "When did you fight Temari?"

Sakura turns away from eating, "When I was in the Shinomori." And tries to return to eating.

"Could you spare some information?"

'Damn it, I'm hungry! And the waiter hasn't found us yet so were stuck mooching off you guys!' "Well, all you have to do is be aware of her fan. And take her off guard or she'll blow your attack away. More importantly, if you were like me, and were to use a close combat attack, you would have to substitute every five seconds to avoid the magnitude of her itachi no jutsu. You can do any of these things from what I've gathered during my skirmish with her and from watching Ten Ten's battle. Since your style involves trapping your opponent, its obvious that I should suggest you do the former." With that said, Sakura goes back to eating.

"I suggest you burn her and make sure you bring along a gigantic wooden stick."

"Bwahaha!" Sakura nearly chokes ("Sakura are you okay?"). "She calls herself the wind witch!" (A/N: Actually, I do, but whatever.)

"And the next day you ditched me!"

"You were taking too long, probably doing your nails."

"So when I left you for dead, I went over to the library again. Having no luck once again, I go eat, and run into some foreign woman, probably an ex-Shinobi. Actually, she looked more like a nurse. Anyway, she ended up teaching me for a couple of weeks while Ino-pig was doing who knows what."

Ino chews, swallows, and then nags; the usual lunch routine. "For your information, I went to look for you at the library, Fore-head, but you were already gone. On my search, a pink pig happened to pass by..."

"You sound like Kakashi."

"But the lady taught me some mad skills! And left out of the blue, but that doesn't matter! In two weeks time, I'm going to be ready Sabaku no Gaara!" 'Shannaro!' Sakura slams her hand into the table and it flips over into the aisle.

"Hell! The last bite of a glorious meal!" The waiter finally showed up only to be hit in the face by a red-hot piece of pork Bar-B-Q.

Everyone's eyes bug-out. Sakura scratches the back of her head. "Ehehe... Gomen-nasai."

A guy carrying a doll, with a kitty-eared hat, wearing make-up thinks over the incident he's witnessed. He sets down his cup and decides its worthy of a report to none other than Sabaku no Gaara himself.

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Shannaro! I'm so happy! I was hoping to right the fight into this chapter but it gets bumped over into the next one. I promise to update sooner from now on...If you review!

Jiraiya even agreed to review my other story! (Haha, the poor perverted sap.)

Inner Self