What it means…

Chapter 9 - Becoming stronger

The sun is still low, his ray of light piercing through the leaves, and birds are singing for not more than an hour when Team Seven meets in the woods behind Tazuna's house, their feet wet with dew and their eyes not yet quite open. However, the three students are more than ready to start the new and long-awaited training session. Kakashi, still indisposed by the excessive use of his Sharingan, has crutches to help him stand and his features are drawn, his only eye surrounded by dark circles.

"How are you supposed to teach us something if you can't even stand on your own?" Sasuke observes, skepticism clear in his voice.

"Don't worry, Sasuke. You are the ones who will do most of the work anyway… But, if you're in such a hurry, I guess we'll start now. First, what I'm going to show you today is the foundation of all training and it's neither a jutsu nor a new fighting style."

"What is it? What is it?" Naruto's voice quivers in excitement.

"Tree climbing."

"Did he just say 'tree climbing'?"

"I think he has not quite recovered yet, maybe he should have stayed in bed…", Sakura worries.

"Sensei…"

"I'll show you", her sensei interrupts her.

Kakashi walks slowly towards the nearest tree, his students looking at him, not convinced at all. However, their expression changes when the silver-haired man begins to climb the tree, his body parallel to the ground, his feet and crutches the only things that touch the trunk. He then continues his way up a branch high enough, and finds himself head down, his hair still bristling in the same way, seeming in agreement with gravity for once. When he meets the gaze of the three teenagers, their eyes are round like balls. He chuckles while returning slowly back to them.

"So, still not interested?"

The trio is silent, but their determined expression says it all, so he explains to them, with the help of Sakura the bookworm, the basics of chakra. When everyone, except for Naruto, seems to understand the real interest of the exercise, he goes on and teaches them how to focus chakra to a specific place in the body – for example, the feet. After that, the three students become silent and, with their eyes closed, begin to practice what they have just learned and thus, channel chakra to the sole of their feet. When they feel ready, they rush to trees just ahead of them. Unsurprisingly for Kakashi, Naruto is the first to fall after a mere step on the trunk, though he's quickly followed by Sasuke, who managed to climb a little higher, but not that much.

"It's pretty easy, don't you think?"

Hearing the voice of his only female student in the air, Kakashi looks up and sees Sakura, sitting on a tree branch, who waves at them with a proud smile on her face.

"Oh, look at this. It seems that Sakura is the most advanced of you three. Probably the closest to become Hokage. The Uchiha clan may not be that powerful after all!"

"Could he praise us for the sole purpose of praising us? Obviously, we aren't important to him, he prefers his male students and doesn't event hide it."

"It's okay, Hana. He knows that's what the boys need to stay motivated. I, on the other hand, am not a competitive person by nature. But I admit that I would have preferred he hadn't put me in this position vis-à-vis Sasuke. I don't want him to resent me or anything…"

"Oh, please, shut up. I don't care if that boy is upset or not. I just want our stupid sensei to do his job and teach us as if we were the equals of the boys!"

"Mm. I understand your point…"

"… and if it makes you feel better, I'm sure Sasuke is more impressed by you than upset right now."

"Sakura. Since you are already so talented, perhaps you would like to take the day to rest? You could help Tazuna's daughter in the house, I think she needs to go shopping for some vegetables today…"

"Oh, hell no!", Hana thinks and her words escape Sakura's lips. A blush creep on her face then as the silence settles and stretches into the clearing. All the males of Team Seven are now turned to her, surprised. "Uhm… I mean… I was hoping I could train too, you know… I'm behind in other areas and I don't think it's time to relax, on the contrary… with all due respect…"

Kakashi stares at her for a while with first an incredulous look that slowly turns into something close to interest. "Alright, no problem…" A hand on his chin, the man seems to think for a moment. "Mmm… you could go to the river and I'll join you there in about… let's say thirty minutes. First, I have to make sure the boys get better, but you can start with a classic fitness training while you wait."

"Hai! Thanks a lot, sensei!" She exclaims before jumping into the nearest tree and heading to the meeting point, leaping from one branch to another. After a while, she emerges from the forest and stops herself in front of the river. Kneeling, she starts by splashing her face with water, then watches her reflection. Her long pink braid dangles, the end almost reaching the stream, and the wound on her forehead is in sight. In spite of it, Sakura feels pretty. After all, this scar is proof that she can be useful and save lives. Turning away, she starts her training with determination, doing push-ups, then sit-ups, until Kakashi emerges in turn from the trees behind her, exactly thirty minutes later.

"We should talk to him like that more often, he begins to respect us."

"Or fear us…", Sakura adds.

"If you have finished your training, I will start the lesson." Kakashi stops and looks at her, so she nods quickly. "Okay. So, first, I would like to test your chakra control before deciding what suits you best. To begin, I want you to try to walk on the river, as you saw me doing in my fight against Zabuza. It's more difficult than tree climbing, it requires more precision, I warn you, but it's the same process".

While he explains everything to his student, he monitors her reactions with his lone eye, noting in passing her tense small figure and knitted eyebrows, his eyes lingering for a moment on her forehead, where her new scar is visible. "She seems really determined. Maybe she's right, maybe I should help her more. After all, she is indeed the weakest of the trio. She has no demon inside her or any special technique up her sleeve, and she doesn't even come from a shinobi family, so she has no one to help her other than her team… and if something were to happen to her, I would be at fault."

Meanwhile, Sakura is slowly channeling her chakra to the sole of her feet. When she feels ready, she walks towards the river and gently places a foot on the water. Seeing that it remains on the surface, she decides to put the other one too. At first, she begins to sink slowly, the water covering her legs up to her knees, but after a minute of intense focus, she emerges and heads to the center of the river, where she lets herself swing to the rhythm of the waves.

Now, Kakashi is really impressed. He would never have thought that his little student would have so much control over her chakra at such a young age. "You may not need to be a genius, after all… I wonder if…" An idea popping up in his mind, the silver-haired man calls Sakura back and after complimenting her, explains to her what she could do with this potential: medical ninjutsu and enhance her physical strength. Although Kakashi is no medical ninja, he can explain to her the basics of enhancing strength. He himself doesn't use it, even though his chakra control is pretty good. "Few people can master it, but it's worth a try. It may not be the Sharingan, but for Sakura, who has absolutely nothing to defend herself other than her superior intelligence, it can be game changer…"

So Kakashi begins his lesson and when he sees that his student is ready to start the training, he turns to leave. However, as he is about to jump, Sakura's voice stops him:

"Kakashi-sensei! Thank you for your help. I don't feel so useless and helpless now that I've found my strength. And it means a lot to me that you are taking your time to teach me something personally. Thanks again…" The girl's face is tilting downward in a respectful bow, and her ears are turning red.

"Mah, Sakura, it's nothing, really. I'm glad you appreciate it though. If you want, we could look for medical ninjutsu back in Konoha."

"It would be wonderful!" She says, circling him with her arms in a tight embrace.

At first, that mark of affection renders Kakashi motionless and uncomfortable. He was never one to show his emotions. But after a moment, his arms close around her small figure by themselves, and a hand puts herself on the top of her head, ruffling her hair a little. Then his mouth starts to move.

"Sakura… I know you've been training hard since the bell test. I saw a change and I'm proud of you. I just hope your determination will not falter, because the career you have chosen for yourself is not easy… Just know that I will always have your back, no matter what you need."

"Hai! Thank you, sensei." Sakura steps back to look into his eye and what she sees surprises her. Behind his cold, calculating gaze, the man seems to her like a still fragile little boy filled with sadness. She is about to ask him what is wrong when he suddenly breaks eye contact with her and turns his back on her.

"See you at diner." And with that, the silver-haired man goes back to the clearing where he left the boys. However, all the way, he can't take his mind off of his precious student. He guesses it's because he knows what it means to be a shinobi. Heck, you can say he understands all that it implies since his father committed suicide when he, himself, was still an academy student. Moreover, when looking at Sakura, he can't stop the memory of his teammate, Rin, who was killed by his hand, from reemerging… He can't lose this pink-haired girl too. He has to protect her… because Kakashi also thinks he understands what it really means to be a kunoichi, and for people like Sakura or Rin, it can be the most difficult and dangerous thing to be.

The next morning, when Sakura wakes up, she notices that Sasuke and Naruto are already gone, their blankets folded and placed against the wall with their pillow. At this sight, she feels guilty. "No wonder I'm the weakest. I'm the one who puts the least effort… But it will change!" After engulfing her breakfast and helping Tsunami with the dishes, she runs towards the river, avoiding the clearing where the boys are, and as soon as she arrives, she begins to practice walking on the stream again, something she starts to find easy. An hour later, Sakura decides she's ready for the next stage, the interesting part of her training, so she kneels on the earthy floor and closes her eyes. She stays in that position for a moment, trying to feel her chakra in her body and move it as she pleases. Ten minutes later, she begins to focus on her fists, which she places in front of her on the floor. When the amount of chakra in her hands resembles the one she used when she walked on water, she tries to release it all at once, aiming specifically for her knuckles, but nothing happens except a slight crack on the floor that Sakura can't really tell if it was there before or not.

"It's so difficult! I wonder if it's because I don't use enough chakra… But if it's the case, then this technique really takes a lot of it… And I don't have a large amount in reserve. Maybe I can't do it…"

"Oh, come on, don't give up already! You are really good at everything that involves chakra control, Kakashi has told you so, right? Ask him for advice on how to increase your chakra reserve next time you have to opportunity to train with him. Don't worry. In fact, we are really lucky that you are in control of the body right now. I'm not even able to create a clone of myself…"

"Stop it! You managed to create one after only two days of practice. That's truly impressive!"

"Well, thank you, but I think it's mostly because your body was accustomed to the action… like when I avoided Tenten's kick without knowing what I was doing it."

"Mhm… Maybe you're right… but whatever, you're the one who did it. Stop doubting yourself!"

"Aa. You're right. I'm starting to sound just like you…"

"What!? I don't doubt myself!" Her voice echoes suddenly in the clearing before mingling with the sound of the river.

"I said nothing…"

Sakura quickly turns around to see Sasuke watching her at the edge of the woods, his right side leaning against one of the trees, arms crossed.

"Sorry, I was talking to myself… Sometimes I do this to, you know, cheer myself when I want to give up…"

"Hm. What are you doing?"

"Well, Kakashi taught me a way to become physically stronger without using the strength of my muscles, but that of my chakra instead. Although, I must say that it's really difficult. I haven't been successful yet…"

"Sounds complicated".

"Yeah it is…"

Then, a silence falls in the clearing. The two teenagers look at each other, Sasuke observing the petite form in front of him and wondering how a girl who doesn't even come from a prestigious clan can be so good at something that he can't really grasp, while Sakura plays with the hem of her shirt, clearly uncomfortable under the intensity of Sasuke's gaze and blushing profusely. After a while, the pinkette breaks the silence.

"Sasuke… I'm sorry…"

At that, the boy's eyes widen, but he quickly recomposes himself.

"Why?"

"For taking away sensei yesterday… I know how important it is for you to train with someone powerful…"

"Hm."

The sound of the river fills the air again and Sakura slowly bends her head and stares at the floor, silently hoping he will tell her something more than "Hm" and "Aa" one day.

"And… I'm sorry for my past behavior…"

"What do you mean?" He subtly frowns and stares at the top of his teammate's head.

"Well… me fangirling you and all…", Sakura whispers, still looking at the ground, the tips of her ears clearly red.

"You apologize too much."

Sakura's eyes leave the ground and returns to her teammate, surprise now written all over her features. When she realizes how stupid she probably looks, she relaxes her shoulders and cracks a smile.

"Mmm… Maybe you're right… you're not the first to tell me… Anyway… I just wanted you to know we're teammates now… Which means that I really care about you and your safety because that's what teammates do. And if I want to train with you, it's because I want to become stronger with you. I don't want to be left behind watching you and Naruto gain strength while I still need protection… And it was really selfish and immature of me to follow you around, to want you to notice me and like me without even trying to get to know you for real… I'm sorry for that too."

She is about to drop her eyes to the ground again when Hana stops her. "Don't! You are apologizing. There is no shame in that. You are strong and you do not doubt your actions. Show him!" Sakura keeps her sea-foam eyes glued to Sasuke's obsidian ones, and chews on her bottom lip a bit as the silence stretches again.

"Hm. You're right, it was immature."

At that, the girl lowers her head in defeat.

"But… Sakura… I don't think you're a selfish person."

She suddenly lifts her head, her eyes wide and a smile appears slowly on her face. After staring at him for a moment, she says:

"Well… less than you, that's for sure."

Slowly, a smirk emerges on his lips.

"Tch. Diner is ready."

And with that, Sasuke jumps into the nearby tree and runs in the direction of Tazuna's house. When he hears footsteps behind him, his smirk widens a bit.

[AN]

Thanks to Snowcatt for pointing out some of my mistakes! I've rewritten all my previous chapters and paid more attention to my verb tense... I think I've fixed a lot of mistakes... It's probably easier to read now. Thank you to everyone who likes my story, even with those flaws!

And Phantomgirl21, I'm happy you like the storyline, I'm working hard on it ! I hope other people enjoy it too! Please review if you do (or if there is something you don't like too, of course).

Thanks for reading/following/reviewing!