A/N: I have confused myself, but no more. Despite what may have been written, at this point in the story, there is still six months before their graduating exams. I think in a chapter before this I mistakenly said it was one month, but that was not in my plans. The timeframe is six months.
Chapter 10: Stabilizing the Foundation
Late in the night, when the village was still and all who could find peace in their homes slept easily, a lone shadow slinked through the Uchiha clan's abandoned district. This was where only the ghosts and shades of the slaughtered Uchiha family still roamed, but now moved something among the living.
Sasuke Uchiha sat in his home, up late that night as he went through various scrolls in order to better prepare himself for the training he would put himself through the next day. He was certainly surprised when a knock came at his front door.
But this was different from that which clung to the shadows and wanted to avoid all attention.
It moved through the district, completely unaware that the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan was awake and greeting a guest into his home. This was fine, though. It wanted nothing of Sasuke Uchiha at the moment.
No. It moved to the police force department where, in an abandoned cell, sat its target.
The door to the cell creaked open slowly, bringing light in through the growing space where a metal sheet door had once kept darkness inside.
Sai sat in complete silence as that intruder stepped into the faint moonlight.
It was an old man. One who appeared injured and calculating.
His lone eye was brown, sharp with wisdom and experiences that were not for the faint of heart.
"Hmph… they certainly left you in a better condition than I would have at their age… Pitiful really. Hiruzen's foolishness has made their generation weak with resolve. As prospective ninja, they should have beaten you and gotten all the information they could out of you. Instead, they simply let you to rot in this cell. It would have been a waste, but still they hadn't even bothered to try… Pathetic…" Danzo said, mostly to himself as Sai sat before him with a wide smile.
A fake smile.
"That's not the full picture though, hm. They also left me this nice juice and a few apples." Sai brought attention to the small plate of refreshment that was beside his cell's bed. It was curious to him, but Danzo scowled at it harshly.
"They are even worse than I thought, then… Hiruzen has truly made the village weak." Danzo turned his back to Sai and the plate of food, but Sai was still staring at it. His smile having dropped as soon as Danzo turned from him.
It was rather curious that they showed him such kindness. They had given him food and drink, something Sai found very unusual. Everything he had been taught by Lord Danzo said that they should have left him to starve for days on end if he did not cooperate with their initial interrogation.
But there came no interrogation. No starvation. Nothing except the plate of apples and juice.
Why though? Weren't they training to become ninja? Were they not supposed to be harsh and unforgiving to spies and infiltrators?
All of this was out of deft for Sai. He simply did not understand this. The reasoning behind it. The logic of any of it.
Sai's grin returned. How interesting of them, he thought. Naruto and his little group were certainly something new that Sai had not expected and was quickly growing all the more curious about as time ticked by him.
"Hmm, this was a failure. A small one, but still a failed mission. You must disappear from their senses and memories now, never to be seen again." Danzo said as he began to hobble toward the exit. "I am most concerned with that Uzumaki boy's power. His weakness aside, he is growing too powerful too quickly if he could stun a shinobi of your level with simply the weight of his chakra. Though from what your ink clone scroll informed me, he caught you off-guard. You disappoint me, Sai. You will need more training. Shock and surprise are unbecoming of shinobi. I will have a few operatives beat this weakness out of you."
"Of course, Lord Danzo." Sai grinned, because it was nothing new. Nothing out of the ordinary for their faction of ninja. Just same old, same old…
Nothing at all like Naruto and his group of… Divisions, as they called themselves. Sai's smile faltered a little.
This bored him. Ordinary bored him. He wanted the unusual.
"But, if I may, Lord Danzo." Sai spoke up, raising his head to Danzo, who must have been expecting Sai to say something because he was already turned around to watch Sai critically. "The mission has yet to fail. They have yet to reject me. It is possible that I can still infiltrate their group of friends. From there I will continue to observe their little play group as they grow stronger, gain Captain Uzumaki's trust, and eliminate him and the others if the time should ever come. After all, it would seem that kindness is their weakness. One that I do not share."
This answer seemed to please Danzo as he made gruff chuckle at the back of his throat. The old war hawk turned back around toward the doorway and began walking away from Sai. "I am not worried. The Roots of Konoha shall forever remain strong. Sarutobi's loose reign over Uzumaki is nothing more than shortsighted dribble that will become ruin in the future. If you should succeed in your mission to join them, which you will, you are to do what you can to make them more in line with our ideals. Understood?"
He made no mention of how Sai was referring to the Uzumaki boy as Captain. He didn't care. So long as Sai remembered who his true superior was in the end. He left Sai in the cell while wondering what the future had in store for the Uzumaki boy.
The jailer of that power.
Later that same night, Shikamaru and Choji enjoyed their stay together in Shikamaru's room as they conversed about the day's events.
"Hard to believe we got two members for the price of one." Choji said, munching on a bag of chips even so late in the night.
Shikamaru only grumbled about it. "What a drag… at this point, I'm not even sure which one is worse. Sakura has some kind of Hollow-like entity inside of her… and that Sai guy wants to be Gin Ichimaru, a person known for being a traitor to Soul Society even if he was secretly helping them."
"You don't trust him?" Choji asked, giving Shikamaru a look.
Shikamaru shot a deadpan look back at the chunky boy. "And you do?"
Choji smiled with a shrug as the bag of chips crinkled in his hand. "You got me there. We hardly know anything about him other than his name being Sai and his interest in joining the Divisions. He's been watching us for such a long time and even knew about the creation of our Zanpakutō. He's certainly proven himself a wily character. Heh, heh. Just like I always imagined of Gin Ichimaru!"
"Yeah, and that's what bothers me about him appearing now instead of before or later." Shikamaru crossed his arms as he sat atop his bed. Choji had grabbed the spare futon and was more than accustomed to sharing the room with him. "Do you think he knows about the other stuff, too?"
Choji gained a thoughtful look, but then sighed. "We've no reason to doubt that he might. We weren't exactly being secretive about the swords, but we weren't advertising them to the village either. The other stuff… we were more careful to keep concealed… There is always a chance that he might know about one or two things. In fact, he might know about it all as if he were with us from the very beginning. However, until he tips his hand of information, we must keep our own close to chest. Never let him know more than we know for sure that he knows."
"Geez," Shikamaru chuckled, shoulders relaxing a little, "you spend way too much time around me being serious and all… You are slowly, but surely turning into another member of the Nara clan."
"The same could be said about you becoming an Akimichi." Choji smiled, "Here. Want some chips?"
"Eh, sure. Why not. I can eat."
And the two shared snacks and laughs late into the night.
Elsewhere in the night, Sasuke was surprised and a little startled to find Kiba Inuzuka knocking at his front door.
"Inuzuka, to what do I owe the disturbance at this hour?" Sasuke asked, though allowed Kiba into his home without further complaint, "There has not been an emergency, has there? Last I heard, Sakura Haruno was recovering well in the village's hospital with us able to see her come the morning."
Kiba waved it all aside. "No, no. There is no emergency, and Sakura is just fine. I came here because… Well, it's a little embarrassing to say… I don't exactly know how to come out to you about this… The words I wanna use escape me… Geez, this is going worse than I ever thought…!"
Sasuke gave Kiba a deadpan look. "Inuzuka, I understand that we all received quite the panic because of Haruno's Hollow attacking us. And that you may feel that the next skirmish we encounter would be more perilous. However… if you are here to confess your love for me, then you will sadly be disappointed that I return no such affection for the male gender."
"WH-WHAT THE FUCK, SASUKE?!" Kiba screamed, horror written across his face as he stared in shock at the last Uchiha. "DUDE! NOT GAY, NOT GAY, NOT GAY! KIBA INUZUKA DOES NOT SWING THAT WAY!"
"Of course, you would make such a scene after rejection. Do not worry yourself, though. I will pretend this never happened to the others. Though Naruto will probably figure it out. He suspected you had feelings for me."
"WHAT? WHAT THE HELL? NARUTO, THAT BASTARD! I DON'T LIKE YOU, JACKASS! NARUTO WAS PROBABLY TROOLIN' YA, DUMBASS!"
"Of course. If that is the way you want to continue, I will play along."
Kiba looked to be at the edge of his sanity, and Sasuke was taking great pleasure in it. Serves him right for coming to the Uchiha's home in the middle of the night as if they had not spent to entire day together earlier. Whatever Kiba had to say to him should have been said then, and not right as Sasuke was finally dragging his tired ass to bed.
"I don't like… I'm not gay… Look, I came over here because I want to be your subordinate, not your lover!"
"So, you are into submissive role play… That I did not need to know…"
"I WILL SERIOUSLY KILL YOU, UCHIHA!" Kiba grabbed Sasuke by the collar of his robes and yelled in his face.
Sasuke smirked as he got in one final jab. "I refuse to kiss you, Inuzuka. No matter how you try to take advantage of my exhausted state."
Kiba quickly let go of Sasuke and hopped back as if attacked. His face was burning bright red, and he was stuttering and shaking his head.
Finally, Kiba took a deep breath and regained control of himself. This was ridiculous. He had played right into Sasuke's little amusement. He should have known Sasuke was goofing on him from the very beginning.
"Look," Kiba bowed at the waist, "I thank you for the noble welcome into your home. I apologize for coming here at this late hour to bother you. I only hope to express my desire to learn to be more like you."
Sasuke's smirk dropped from his face as he considered Kiba for a moment. "You wish to become my student? That seems foolish."
"Not your student, no." Kiba shook his head, "I want to be your Lieutenant. Your second. You are Sasuke Uchiha. Even before you joined us you had this air about you that screamed how untouchable you were."
Sasuke remembered that air around him. That dark cloud that had hung over him until he had friends and comrades like Naruto, Ino, and the others. "I am deeply ashamed of that period in my life. Never again mention it."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever. But now though you have this noble refinement that everyone sees in you. It says to others that you are not to be approached with anything that wastes your time. That is what I want to learn by sticking closer to you as your Lieutenant. Look dude, I don't know much of anything about being nobility even though I am a major clan heir like you and Hinata."
Sasuke gave Kiba a very chilling look filled to the brim with haughty pride. "Do not ever again in life lump those of the mighty Uchiha into the same category of common rabble nobles like the Hyuga or the Inuzuka."
Kiba pointed at Sasuke, grinning wolfishly as he did. "See! That's exactly it! That is what I want to learn! That comment alone shows how you can express your nobility and convey your pride in the Uchiha clan without resorting to fist-fights like I do most of the time. I'll never be gentle and graceful like Hinata, or as nonchalant about things like Shikamaru and Choji. People talk shit about my clan, and it pisses me off! I want to stand out and do my clan proud!"
Kiba then crossed his arms, a grimace flashing across his face. "The Inuzuka clan have always been looked at in mixed regard for as long as I can remember. Thanks to our ninja dog companions and roguish appearances, people think we're a bunch of brutes with nothing better to do than beat rocks together or fight. We have brain and brawn, dammit! We are teachers and vets and healers and rescue workers. We pull our weight around the village, but don't get half the respect of the other clans! It pisses me off to no end!"
Sasuke again considered Kiba, regarding him now with an unreadable expression. Then he stepped passed Kiba, barely brushing shoulders with the Inuzuka heir as he moved toward his bedroom.
"I will admit that I was once one who gave no thought to the Inuzuka outside of their animal affinity, but you have struck a chord with me tonight. Fine, I will grant your request to act as my adjutant. However, do not take this position lightly. I am strong, and my second must be strong as well. The weak will be cast aside. I am not like Naruto or Hinata. I do not suffer fools or weakness."
Kiba grinned again, throwing Sasuke a thumbs-up. "You won't regret it, Captain! I will not let you down! Take notes because I, Kiba Inuzuka, from this point onward swear to one day surpass you in terms of power, skill, and charm. You can count on that!"
Sasuke was cold as ever in his retort. "The day will never come for you."
"Watch closely, Sakura-san." Hinata said as both of her hands began to give off a gentle green glow. Sakura's eyes widened as she sat up straighter in her hospital bed. "This is medical ninjutsu at its initial state. It is a simple jutsu for me to perform, given that training the Byakugan is far more difficult and I have been doing that since I could walk."
Sakura said nothing as she continued to stare in awe at the green glow of Hinata's hand. Hinata was her first visitor of the new day aside from her parents, who were greatly worried about her, but had been put at ease when the Third Hokage himself had come to inform them that Sakura was succeeding in her training and had just had a little accident.
Honestly, Sakura didn't remember very much about the whole day apart from her joining the Divisions. It was all blur of things that made no sense, but luckily Hinata had explained to her that she was now a part of their group of friends and that Sasuke would be coming by to see her later with the others.
"It is the manipulation of one's own, or the patient's body for the purpose of healing. Even in this practice form, it requires very advanced control of one's own chakra. To make it practical and effective, you'll need extensive knowledge and study in subjects like herbs, medicines, the human body and even poisons."
"That is… it's simply incredible, Hinata!" Sakura said, though she was a little disappointed when Hinata stopped her medical ninjutsu and the green glow disappeared faster than one could blink. Hinata even appeared winded after the display, the midnight-haired girl was breathing fast as if she had just run a mile.
"It is, but it is still very far from being used for any duration of time. I can only use it for small cuts and wounds at the moment. I'm still a while off from healing anything bigger than training bruises. The reason I'm showing you this is because aside from myself, you have the best chakra control. In fact, because you possess such a small pool of chakra, you have perfect control over it from your training at the Academy."
Hinata was smiling at her, but Sakura felt like she had just been backhanded by those words. "Small chakra… I sound so inferior…"
"Oh, don't worry, Sakura-san." Hinata giggled, lightly laying a hand on her shoulder. "Your chakra capacity will increase with time and training. From what your parents said and Iruka-sensei's observations, you don't really train much outside of what we do at school. That is going to change now that you're a part of the Divisions. We'll be really tough on you, but while you're perfectly under control of your chakra, teaching you to use medical ninjutsu as your first skill will help you catch up to us in no time at all."
"Oh really? That sounds amazing! Thank you, Hinata!" Sakura smiled brightly up at her.
Hinata might have neglected to mention that teaching Sakura to heal as her first skill mostly meant that she would be healing herself through their rigorous training as they brought her to the brink of collapse. They only had six months to cram into her all the skills and strength of the Divisions that had taken them three years to perfect to their current level.
Oh well, Hinata was confident that Sakura would be fine. Well… mostly…
And hey, if she got hurt, it was just the universe's karma from all the times she had hurt Hinata's Naruto-kun…
"No need to thank me, Sakura-san. After all, we're part of a team now." Hinata smiled, a little sharper than she meant too. Though Sakura didn't seem to notice at all.
Hinata reached into her sleeves and retrieved a scroll that was bordered with light green and tied with a red cord. "I will help you study this scroll for the day. You have very high grades in memory recall and Iruka-sensei praises your ability to put theory into practice. Please, show me your skill."
"I will do my best…" Sakura mumbled as she took the scroll and began reading through it.
It wasn't until around noon that a knock came at the door to Sakura's hospital room.
"I hope you ladies are decent. I'd hate to stumble upon some kind of life-long fantasy." Naruto's voice floated into the room, even as he came in without waiting for any kind of response. Hinata blushed, but Sakura watched him enter with annoyance clear in her expression.
"Naruto, you idiot! Don't talk like a pervert around us!" Sakura berated him, but then winced as while she shook her fist at him wildly, she felt her muscles ache in protest.
Whatever training she had done with Hinata and the others had put a real strain on her body. Sakura only hoped that when she was released from the hospital that her mother had a nice, warm bath waiting for her at home.
"Well now, seems you're as lively as ever, Miss Haruno. That's good! You're really going to need that high spirit for all the training you'll be put through." Naruto smiled, taking out his small paper fan as he fanned himself lightly. "I can tell by the scroll in front of you that Hinata has taken the initiative in introducing you to the first part of your training, which is becoming proficient enough in medical ninjutsu to heal minor injuries."
"Yeah, Hinata is really great at helping me understand the things I don't get. We're actually done with the scroll after this last bit." Sakura relaxed herself, knowing that getting annoyed by Naruto's cheap antics would only hurt her more than him in her current condition.
"Then please, don't let my presence distract you. If I can be of any assistance, simply let me know." Naruto said as he sat in the chair in the corner of the room closest to the hospital bed.
Sakura was still so surprised by Naruto's personality. He was still immature and annoying, but there were now times over the last few years where he became calm and could easily get along with anyone. He would help out around the Academy if someone needed a training part, or if anyone needed a bit of life advice. Naruto was even given charge of discipline at the Academy for a few months earlier in the year, which was shocking to many when he became a success at it. The irony of the whole situation was lost on none. Still though, Naruto for the most part was cocky and playful, whipping out that paper fan when he wanted to be silly or making weird comments from the manga series he and his friends read, but no one else did.
"Okay then, we've been over the theoretical part, and we're finally at the last of it. Then you'll just have to practice the technique until you've got it right. I'll help you with that as much as I can, but don't feel too bad if you don't get it for at least a few weeks. It's an incredibly difficult change in chakra that is not easy for anyone." Hinata said as she unraveled the scroll to its last part.
"The last part of our study is this: The Mystical Palm Technique, or more commonly known simply as the Healing Jutsu." Hinata began as she settled at Sakura's bedside. "This is the practical application of medical ninjutsu that I showed you earlier. It is medical ninjutsu which allows the user to speed up the body's natural healing process by sending chakra from the hands into a wound or afflicted body part. This allows the user to heal a patient without the need for medical equipment or surgery, making it very useful on the battlefield. It can be used to treat both external and internal injuries. However, as I said earlier, it is vital to have perfect chakra control before even attempting this. You must match the amount of chakra used to the severity of the affliction or injury. Because of this high level of difficulty in chakra control only a fair few highly skilled medics can use the technique, and even fewer become medical ninja to use it in missions and battles. Only a couple ninja aside from the legendary Tsunade Senju are able to heal grievous injuries and can use the ability at a short distance away from the target instead of through direct contact."
"So, it's possible to send the chakra from a distance… That sounds near impossible." Sakura commented, and Hinata had to agree.
"But people have done it. Which means that we must stride to exceed their example." Hinata said with conviction. Sakura had to stare at the girl. While she was still timid and shy, Hinata had come a long way from the girl she was a few years ago. Now she was comfortable enough to speak to people above a whisper and even took part in class instead of trying to shrink down and remain unseen.
"If the technique is performed with too little power, it won't heal the patient properly, healing the injury too slowly in the best of cases. However, if it is done with too much power, there is the likely chance that by sending an excess amount of chakra into the patient's body, the user will overload the patient's normal circulation of chakra within the body, trapping the now-victim in a comatose state."
"I guess that can be used for if I'm forced to treat an enemy, or if I get held hostage, huh?" Sakura looked up again at Hinata, who nodded.
"Yeah, I never thought of it that way, but you'll need to prove to us that you can properly execute the technique before we let you anywhere near a person with it."
"What will I practice on then?" Sakura asked.
"You'll be practicing alongside me and Choji on fish fresh from water, sealed within scrolls." Hinata answered, getting a shocked look out of the pink-haired girl.
"Ch-Choji? You mean even he can use medical ninjutsu?" Sakura was surprised to say the least. "I never really saw him as the healing type."
"He's not. In fact, he's barely able to control the jutsu because he still lacks the proper chakra control. But he's a lot better with it than Sasuke and Naruto."
"Hey! Not in front of Sakura, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted from his chair, making Hinata giggle while she blushed.
"Those two overload the jutsu… and, well… its not a pretty sight, is all I should say."
"Why I never…" Naruto muttered while crossing his arms and putting his nose in the air, making Hinata giggle again and even Sakura smiled a little at his antics.
The Hyuga girl turned back to the patient. "Nevertheless, it is a very hands-on healing method, so you'll need supplementary material to properly use it. That you'll be studying in your free time in order to catch up. I have faith that you'll make us all proud." Hinata smiled gently at Sakura, who felt that she was underserving of the girl's belief.
"Not even in their gang for a day and already they believe in me… How can they be so confident I'll succeed in any of this…" Sakura thought to herself, looking down at the scroll in her lap. "No, I can't let the down. Especially my Sasuke-kun! And Hinata is so nice and sweet, I'd feel bad to disappoint her. I have to get the hang of this stuff right away!"
"And I guess that's all for the scroll." Hinata turned to Naruto, "Is there anything I'm missing from the explanation, Captain?"
"No, you did well, Hinata." Naruto said as he got up from the chair to stand beside the bed, opposite of Hinata's side with his back to the window. "Though there are a few things I'd like to point out as supplementary information that might help a book-smart person like yourself, Sakura-san."
For some reason, him using her name so formally made Sakura feel hurt. "He's so cordial to me now… like he doesn't even want to know me anymore…"
"There are three forms to the healing technique that you'll come to find out, so please practice each of them as much as you can. We'll get you texts and scrolls on them later today, but for now just try to keep what I'm about to say in mind." Naruto started off, closing his paper fan as he pointed it directly between Sakura's eyes. "The first form is the support technique, the basic Healing jutsu itself in the green form that healings wounds ad injuries. This is strangely enough the most difficult of the three forms even though it is the most basic. This is because the other derived jutsu use less chakra control and more of the user's own ability with medical ninjutsu as a whole."
"Okay, so what are the other two?"
"So eager still, Sakura-san." Naruto opened the fan and hide his chuckle behind it. "Calm down, I was getting to that. The second form is the offensive form. It is short and simple. The technique is named the Chakra Scalpel and performs just as that. It is a small sharp blade made entirely of the user's own chakra to make highly accurate incisions necessary for surgeries and anatomical dissections. Unlike regular scalpels, the chakra scalpel can make cuts inside the body without creating an actual open wound, limiting the risks of an infection. Though it requires less than perfect chakra control, it does have a much higher degree of precision needed to be effective. Because of this requirement, using the chakra scalpel offensively is highly unusual, especially since one of the main rules for a medical ninja is never to participate in direct combat. Not to mention that in heated combat, even the greatest medics won't be able to exert the precision needed to make fatal cuts."
"But it can still be used like a scalpel, though, and cuts through anything it touches. Meaning it could still be effective enough to slice through muscle tissues and tendons, rendering the target immobile." Sakura said, putting the things she had just read to theory.
Naruto grinned at her like a massive beast taking in the sight of its prey while Hinata looked stunned.
"Ino was right about you, Miss Haruno. You truly will make a great addition to our Divisions." Naruto said like a mad scientist who had found a golden goose. Sakura gulped.
"Your theoretical knowledge and deductive reasoning skill is astonishing, Sakura-san! I would have never thought of that idea so quickly!" Hinata praised, making Sakura blush.
"I'm just book smart, though. I'd probably have a very hard time putting theory to practice." Sakura admitted, but Naruto's grin only seemed to grow wider at that.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head, Sakura-san. That's why you'll be training with the Divisions from now on. By the time exams are upon us, you'll not even recognize how weak you once were in comparison." The blond said, once again closing the fan with a snap as he tapped it along his shoulder a few times. Again, Sakura gulped. Naruto had that crazed researcher look again.
"Now then, I believe I should tell you the last form of the Mystical Palm technique that can be used. This is the defensive form of the jutsu, called Puzzling Operation jutsu. It is used to disable an opponent by inserting your chakra into the nervous system of the opponent at the very start of your battle. As the body is controlled with electrical signals from the brain through the nerves, the user of this technique cuts off those electrical signals. The enemy becomes unable to make their body move as they want."
"There is also the ability to take it a step further through changing the nature of one's chakra to give it the properties of electricity, creating an electric field." Hinata put in, making Naruto smile at her as he pocketed his paper fan.
"Yes, Hinata, that is right. This takes the move to a whole other level by disturbing those signals in the body and deranging them. It is appropriately named the Body Derangement technique and works by using the lightning chakra in the hand, as soon as a strike of the hand lands, to pour electricity into the enemy's nervous system. This will severe the signals and wreck the enemy's body control. The target's body moves in any way, except how they want it to move. For the common man, battle, not to mention even just walking, will become impossible afterward, allowing the medical ninja to assassinate the target or flee from the battle all together."
"Healing, severing, and disrupting… the abilities of a medical shinobi are so diverse and amazing…" Sakura said, more to herself than either of the two in front of her.
"True, but it takes years to become a top-rate medic-ninja." Naruto smirked, "However, because you possess so little chakra and have perfect control over it, your training will be much easier than anyone else who could even hope to be a medic. You start now, and you'll have the Mystical Palm technique down by the end of the month. In two months, it will be perfected, and then we can move on to helping you learn the other two forms of medic-ninja power."
Naruto looked like he wanted to say more, but then something shot through the open window of Sakura's hospital room. Naruto didn't even turn to it as he put a hand beside his head and caught whatever had been aimed at the jugular vein of his neck. Hinata gasped, but Naruto only smirked wider. He turned toward where he had been sitting earlier.
"Ino, Ino, Ino… you have to get up pretty early in the morning to hit me with a kunai that slow." Naruto bragged, spinning the knife on his index finger.
Sakura gasped as in front her eyes the chair began to flicker as if not really there, and Ino appeared sitting in it with an annoyed expression.
"Damn, thought I had you that time with your attention on Sakura and Hinata. Oh well, if at first you don't succeed…" Ino smiled thinly, giving off an ominous cackle like a scheming witch.
"S-She…! She just tried to murder him! And he's not only okay with it, but he's joking about it!" Sakura gaped at the two as they bantered back and forth. Naruto even had to catch another kunai that came from the window again.
"Who do you have throwing these for you this time?" Naruto asked, snagging yet another kunai from the window before it could even enter the hospital.
"I promised Moegi some training time if she helped me with this. Her throwing speed is a little slow, but that's why I had hoped you were properly distracted." Ino sighed, lounging now in the chair as casually as a queen atop a throne. "You can stop now, Moegi! He's not dead!"
"Aww, will you still teach me the Byakurai technique?" the voice of a very young girl came through the window. A second later, Sakura was shocked as a little girl sat in the windowsill as if it were natural.
"Of course, you little cutie! We'll plot Naruto's death another time. Right now, my attention is needed here." Ino chirped happily, to which the girl Sakura could only assume was Moegi cheered and disappeared from the window.
"Nice to know you motive people by trying to kill me… Really says a lot about our friendship…" Naruto deadpanned with a shake of his head.
"While at least I'm teaching others like you asked. I mean, I still think it's dumb for us to be spreading our techniques to other people, but at least those kids joined the Divisions under the Head-Captain. And I can't bribe Moegi with candy or comics like I do with the other two kids she hangs out with." Ino pouted, making Naruto chuckle before he turned back to Sakura.
Naruto reached inside those black robes of his, pass his white haori, in order to find something. Then he pulled out a scroll that was bordered blue with a green ribbon tying it close.
"One last thing Sakura-san before we let you take it easy for the rest of the day." Naruto said as he untied the scroll and unraveled it to reveal a summoning seal. "This contains the fish that you'll be practicing on once you get the technique down path. We made it very simple, just in case you were unfamiliar with summoning scrolls. All you need to do is put a bit of chakra into the center seal, and the object inside will be summoned. In this case, the object is a fish that will live for about five minutes if you can't keep it alive using your medical ninjutsu. So, in other words, one of Kami's poor helpless creatures will have its life in your hands. So be sure when you unseal it, ne."
Ino smacked him upside the head, and Hinata seemed to approve. "You moron, don't go putting it like she's some kind of murderer! Its only a fish! Maybe we should let her practice on you instead, you poor helpless jackass!"
"Ow! That hurt! Hinata, help! Ino is being mean to me!" Naruto poked at his fellow blonde while whining to the Hyuga princess.
"I'm sorry Captain, but you deserve it this time for trying to make Sakura-san feel bad." Hinata said without hesitation, a tiny frown on her face. "We're trying to encourage her, not get in cheap shots at her resolve to further herself and help the Divisions."
"Man… these guys are so weird…" Sakura grimaced as Naruto began to fake tears, saying that everyone was ganging up against him. Hinata and Ino ignored him though. "How is it that Sasuke-kun could be part of this group of misfit weirdoes? Even Ino has become something kind a parody of herself…"
"Glad to see your so deep in thought there, Forehead." Ino said, standing over Sakura where Naruto had been. Naruto was now in the chair, his crocodile tears gone as he sat with his hands on his knees. "This scroll is yours to use, however the ink on it is real, so you'll only be able to seal small things and animals into it. Sorry if you wanted to use it for a survival pack, but that won't work."
"Oh, that's not a problem. Thanks anyway." Sakura said, especially because she knew next to nothing about sealing and summoning. All she knew was what the Academy taught them about the two fields of shinobi arts, and that basically extended to recognizing explosive tags and that summoning was what powerful ninja used in order to have help in battle.
"Yeah, well, if you ever need a survival pack scroll or some paper bombs, just let us know. Naruto's gotten pretty good with the Sealing Arts, so we'll just make him do it for free instead of going to a weapon supply shop." Ino went on as she sat herself at the edge of the bed casually. "Though as a member of the Divisions, you have to buy all your weapons and supplies from the Yadomaru family shop from now on. The daughter of the blacksmith is one of our members. She's a little strange, keeps calling herself Senpai, but its all cool so long as you don't make any crazy requests from her. She takes every one of them seriously."
"Oh… Umm… okay…" Sakura honestly didn't know how to respond. She was also a little thrown off by how casual Ino was being with her. Just the other day Sakura had been arguing with her about being Sasuke's true love.
Then again, Sakura honestly could not recall the last time Ino had even argued back with her. It was always a cool comment here, an offhand observation there. Ino would talk circles around the subject of Sasuke, but only now did Sakura realize that Ino had not declared love for Sasuke since that day Naruto had come back to the Academy and beat Sasuke with sheer stupidity as his weapon.
"Sakura-san, are you feeling alright?" Hinata was now looking at her with some concern. "Shall I call a nurse for you?"
"No, no! I'm fine! Really!" Sakura waved her hands, but the flinched as her muscles ached. "A little pain, but I'm okay. I mean it. I was just in my own head, is all."
"Well, take it easy on that inward concentration while we're here." Naruto said, sitting up a little at her words. "Not sure we would be a hindrance or help in subduing you again what with that inner Hol—Hmn hmn hhnnm!"
Ino had covered his mouth with an annoyed expression, glaring at her fellow blond. "You idiot! Don't bring that up! The less she knows and remembers about all that, the better! I'd hate to fight that thing again!"
All Naruto could do was nod, and Sakura was utterly confused as to what they were talking about. Fight what thing?
Ugh, they were so weird…
"Well, I was asking if you feel well enough to attempt the healing technique we went over. You might not get it right the first time, but it will give us a clue as to help you when we really start your training. The hand seals for the jutsu are: Ox and Tiger. Aside from those, you can do whatever hand seals help you to concentrate your chakra." Hinata said while Naruto and Ino stopped glaring at each other to direct their attention back to Sakura.
Now all of them were crowding her bed.
"Umm, s-sure, I can do it. Why not, right?" Sakura chuckled nervously, but the others seemed very confident and at ease.
"The ratio of chakra is about four-to-five, with four being parts spiritual energy while five is physical energy. Then you channel it to your hands, centering the chakra in your palms." Naruto said, sounding strangely serious for a demonstration of practice. His blue eyes were also very sharp. Sakura took notice that all of them had become serious.
"B-But that's an imbalance of chakra." Sakura said, but the other three just looked at each other.
"Yes, but this isn't an Academy-level jutsu. It can be learned by an Academy student, but it is much more advanced to put it to healing work." Naruto said, looking at her a little confused.
"Sakura…" Ino said, staring right at her and into her eyes, "You do know that most techniques beyond the Academy use chakra in proportion, right? Like, the jutsu we learn there that use a perfect balance of chakra is only to help us feel the chakra and how to properly mold it to our will. Have you never studied further into Yin or Yang properties than what they told us at the Academy?"
"Umm… W-Well… I was going to, okay!" Sakura defended herself, making the others falter.
"You mean to tell me that you didn't train outside of the Academy and didn't even bother to read anything outside the Academy texts?" Ino looked like she was caught between angry and dizzy. "And people thought you were my rival all these years… I thought you were my rival… How…?"
"Man, oh man, you were so gonna die out there if we hadn't got a hold of you, Sakura-san." Naruto said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "At least I trained outside the classes. I could take a punch and throw one just as well as anyone. I might not have the book stuff down, but I'm scrappy and unpredictable."
"Sakura-san, I will help you as much as I can." Hinata said, though she was gazing at Sakura now as though the girl were a fragile object. The pale-eyed girl looked afraid to even touch Sakura.
Sakura could only sigh. She went from smart to stupid in the eyes of all three of them in sixty seconds flat. Even Naruto, who apparently knew more about healing and sealing before Sakura had known, and then still even more.
"So, that ratio was four against five, right?" Sakura said, and then concentrated on her chakra.
"Yes, this is because you'll be focusing on healing physical wounds rather than restoring chakra. That we'll teach you once you've got the healing technique down. The Chakra Restoration technique is a Divisions' only ability. Now then—WHOA!"
The gasps that went out around her were like music to her ears. If there was one talent Sakura truly did have, it was perfect control of her chakra at will. Small or not, no one else in all the school could boast the same. The gentle green glow coming off her hand was soothing, and this new version of chakra left her skin tingling in a manner similar to dressing in freshly laundered clothes.
"Oh my…" Hinata placed a hand over her heart while she gaped like a fish.
"But that's impossible! No one can get it on the first try! It's too advanced!" Ino gasped, her eyes wide with shock and awe.
"Interesting, Miss Haruno… Very interesting indeed…" Naruto muttered, cerulean blue eyes locked onto Sakura's hands.
But just as quickly as that calming sensation and tingling came to her, not even thirty seconds later found Sakura feeling winded and weak. The strain this jutsu had put on her was unreal. The only time she had ever felt so drained was back when she first joined the Academy and was made to learn the three integral techniques: Replacement, Clone Body, and Transformation. Her lungs couldn't fill with air fast enough, and her hands which had just been consumed in a healing aura were now shaking like leaves in the wind.
"Interesting for sure, Miss Haruno. You possess so little chakra that while you can perform the jutsu at will and without hand seals, you can't maintain it for any extended period of time. Well, that makes things all the easier on our part, though. You'll just be training so hard for the half year that you'll gain the strength needed for those healing powers to work."
A knock came to the door of her room, and Sakura pleaded for it to be her parents with the way Naruto and Ino were going on and on about the rigorous fitness they were going to put the hospitalized pinkette through.
For once in her life, Sakura was not happy to see Sasuke. Well, not as happy as she normally would have been. And that decreased even further when he joined the conversation with talk of weights and time tables and finding out her chakra nature. She was embarrassed to say that she had no idea what her chakra nature was in front of Sasuke, who looked at her with a curl of his lip that made her heart break a little.
Then Kiba Inuzuka walked in looking all the more smug before Ino bopped him on the head. Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi waited out in the hallway, saying the room was looking a little too crowded, but they still chimed in on the conversation when their input was needed.
Finally, after being subjected to their looks and near condescending conversation, Sakura's parents were guided into her room by a nurse that let them all know she was free to go with an order of bed rest for the next couple of days. Naruto made to argue but was tied in white bandages by the nurse who dragged him away, saying that his hand was still to be looked at after whatever happened in Sakura's joining the Divisions. The others made farewells as they greeted Sakura's parents and then made excuses to leave. Ino went through the window, which worried Sakura's mom. Hinata and Sasuke disappeared from the room in blurs, which startled her dad. Shikamaru and Choji walked away in normal fashion, which disappointed Sakura who thought they might be just as weird or impressive as the others. She had actually thought they would meld into the floor or something. The pink-haired girl was disappointed when the Nara and Akimichi clan heirs simply walked down the hallway and left casually.
Sakura was super thankful though when instead of scolding her or even bringing up the incident that had left her hospitalized, her parents hugged her tight. They said they were so proud of her for making friends and joining a study group as they thought it was called. Then they walked her home, and Sakura's smile grew three sizes as she sank into a warm bath while her dad and mom made her a plate of cookies with a bowl of ice cream to help her relax.
Sakura dearly loved her parents.
A/N: And now Sakura has officially joined the band of nutcases that is the Divisions. She better get a good therapist for all the insanity they'll put her through.
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