I don't own Naruto

Chapter 25

It's been three weeks.

Three weeks since the forest of death.

Three weeks since Orochimaru attacked.

Three weeks since I sent Ino to the hospital.

There is only one week left until the finals.

I'm actually kind of surprised that the exam is still going on. In my spare time, those rare moments after training when my body is too tired to move yet not quite to the point of passing out, I do research. I researched Orochimaru and found all the terrible things he's done. The killing, the maiming, the human experimentation…It makes me fear what this Mark really is

I may or may not have gotten into some personal records I wasn't supposed to. I found Anko Mitarashi, out previous proctor, who was his student. She, too, bears his mark. Hers seems to cause extreme pain and at one point gave him a kind of control over her. It also mentions something about a 'power' that would emit from it when she was under distress, at least it did before she was sealed.

The Copy Nin himself told me a partial Mark like mine and Sasuke's could not be sealed, so that options out. And so far only Inner can feel it itching. I bothered her enough one night to get her to spill about the chakra disruption she took care of. Apparently Orochimaru's chakra was infused into the Mark and was 'bunching up', Inner spread it out and made it dissipate. Basically the Mark was rendered null and void, but why would it still itch? It bothers me.

The worst part is that Orochimaru was never caught after his attack, the Hokage didn't even spread the word of his sighting. It is all very hush hush. I mean come on! He was after Sasuke, one of the sons of a powerful clan head. The exams should have been postponed and a manhunt started!

I know he was the Thirds student and all, but Orochimaru is a serious threat!

He's part of the reason I'm training so hard. I never want to feel as helpless as I did in the forest of death. It was pathetic.

And it will never happen again.

Hell yeah! We will kill whoever tries that again. Preferably with that new jutsu you came up with.

We both know that was an accident. And poor Shisui, there's no telling what would have happened to him if her hadn't dodged.

Serves him right for interrupting us while meditating, he knows that we are experimenting with chakra during those times.

Yeah…experimenting….I guess we can call it that.

I vividly remember that fiasco.

Shisui had left to get us lunch once again, and like always I meditated while waiting for him. All day I had been practicing the warm-up. It takes a full hour and a half to complete at my current speed, but I can finally do the entire thing. Took long enough. Though Shisui was right, my reflexes and overall stamina has greatly improved.

Needless to say my bones were like leaden pipes and my muscles screamed at me.

Folding myself down into my meditating pose I closed my eyes and felt for my chakra. I had recently been trying to generate the 'harmful' chakra that was written in Tsunade's notes, with no results.

Instead of spreading my chakra senses outward, I pulled them in. I could feel every whirl of my chakra within my body, though I had no taste of it. I traced my chakra pathways for ages it felt like, pulling so far inward the outside world disappeared.

Chakra, when examined as closely as I was, felt like liquid wind; uncontrollable and wild. Like a river with no set current, constantly changing directions…yet at the same time following an invisible path that circulated it, like blood, throughout the body.

I felt powerful when I could feel the entirety of my chakra swirling like a storm.

I just floated along with it for a while, getting familiar with its nuances. I circled the clump the never left the area around my heart. I even ventured up into my brain and found the point that was generating the chakra. Turns out prodding that point gives a little shock and causes it to generate faster. Need to remember that.

Inner tried to remind me about the 'harmful' chakra I was supposed to be generating, but I didn't really hear her…I felt her words.

Following that feeling I pulled back until I could just barely feel my body. I concentrated on my hands, pulling chakra to my palms. I envisioned my chakra as sharp, sharper than a kunai, just as the notebook said.

My chakra felt no different to me.

I tried harder, but still felt nothing different, that's about where it all went weird.

Shisui had snuck up to me and was standing only a few inches away when he yelled "Wake Up!" I was so startled that I struck out…

Luckily he's not Shisui of the Body Flicker for nothing, he flicked away. In the process he dropped a melon he had promised to bring back and I ended up palm striking it. It flew right towards my pseudo-teacher, hitting him right in the chest. Served him right for scaring me.

He was laughing away with the melon held firmly to his chest, completely intact I may add. At least until he cut it open…

Using a kunai he sliced the fruit open and ended up with a handful of melon juice. The inside was completely liquefied, not a single chunk of melon meat was left…

To say he freaked out would be an understatement. There was a lot of yelling about not trying to kill friends and a lot of apologies and 'I didn't mean to's.

That was a couple of days ago and since then I have only generated what I can only assume is harmful chakra a few more times. Shisui refuses to let me practice with him, says it grosses him out, so I can only try it when he leaves for lunch or after the day is over.

It would make the perfect finishing strike for Dosu if I could only tone it down a little. Right now it only liquefies the insides of whatever I touch.

It would end the fight quickly

Yeah, by killing him! That might be taking it a little too far.

…Plus I'd rather not be called a monster again.

I would, the fear is exhilarating.

No and that's final. I can almost call it up at any time and I still have a week to work with it. Which lead to my next problem…the Body Flicker technique…I just can't get it.

It still takes one seal, which Shisui pouts about because it took him ages to get it down that far, but I need it to work without any seals. I just can't seem to force the technique to start. With a single seal I can start the technique and push the chakra into the right form without any problem…besides some aiming issues once in a while. Shisui has had to come save me from being arrested for trespassing on the roof of the Hokage tower a few times. I even scared the heck out of my father by appearing in his study.

But without the starting seal the chakra does not want to go anywhere.

With only a week left I'm getting a little desperate. I've been exhausting my chakra every day again, not matter what Shisui says, and I still can't get it right.

And now this is happening…

"What do you mean Shi-kun?"

"I'm so sorry, princess! I have no choice in the matter; believe me I wouldn't if I didn't have to."

"Slow down! Why have you been apologizing nonstop since you got here?" He is actually on his knees and had been since I arrived in our little training grounds.

"I'm being sent on a mission."

"Okay…but why are you apologizing?"

"It's a weeklong mission…I'll barely make it back in time for the finals."

Now I get the meaning behind his words…He'll have to leave before my training is complete. Well three weeks ago I wasn't expecting to even have a teacher, much less get as far as I have.

"That's alright I understand. Duty calls and a ninja cannot ignore it, go ahead."

"You're the best, Princess! See you in a week." He envelopes me in a friendly bear hug and spins me around once.

"Yeah, well, you just better make it back in time to see me kick some butt at the exams."

"Wouldn't dream of missing it, I have a bet going you know. You'll win me a lot of money, so no slacking off." With a final laugh he bounds away. No telling what kind of mission they would send that man on…

Well…I now have an entire week to train by myself…joy.

Time to go back to what I was doing before Shisui showed up in my life…planning the defeat of Dosu.

The plan hinges on getting the Body Flicker down. It takes little chakra so I can do it multiple times, at least long enough for a single fight. I can dart in and deliver a hit with the harmful chakra as long as I can get that under control too.

If I get neither technique under control I can always fall back on my wirework, it might just trip him up. Or maybe I can exhaust his chakra by using the one seal substitution every time he attacks…Eventually he'll see through it, but maybe I'll get enough time to….

Argh, he is too much of an unknown factor. I'll just have to train and play it by ear. Maybe I'll pull a Naruto and a miracle will happen.

Alright then that's enough of that.

Time to start my warm-up I guess. I fall into the starting position and relax. This position has become very familiar in the recent weeks, and as I move through the slow part my mind goes blank. There is only me and my muscles, dancing together to a slow ballad.

Soon enough the unheard music picks up and I change my tempo. Faster and faster until my movement crescendos into a beautiful finale an hour and a half after the first note. I'd like to see a musician play for that long.

The rest of the day is spent alternating Subbing with one seal and destroying fruit with chakra. By nightfall the clearing has a distinct citrus aroma and I've once again ended up in a thorn bush.

This is going to be a tough week without Shisui to find your lame ass when you miss. Prepare yourself for Inner-sensei.

Kill me now…

A little shorter than I would have liked, but oh well off to work I go.

LoonyTuned: Thanks x3. That's times 3, not a smiley face

Twisted Musalih: Thanks hope you like this one too.

crazykushina: Thanks I'll try

crystalthrone: Thanks and prepare yourself the finals is coming soon-ish

.Blossom: Thanks so much for reviewing, I noticed how you reviewed so often as you found and read my story and I really appreciate it. Her Subbing ought to get more interesting so stay tuned ;)

Luna Sakura Valentine: Thanks, she's not really easy to write. And she is a beginner so she has to do stupid things and Inner is supposed to be mean, who wants a nice voice in their head, that's crazy oO.

xVentressx: Very bad, those are some creepy dudes. And don't worry Inner is 'more' just Sakura has a nice case of denial. And see what I did there, her stamina is increasing, just a little slowly. Thanks for updating.

BriEva: Your welcome and thank you for such a long review. Don't get discouraged Inner is not all that Sakura thinks she is, denial gets the best of us. I thought the whole Subbing with air would be cool, sure makes Shisui jealous. And ANBU is very serious, and dangerous, and a bunch of other bad things. Yet it may be fun to write an ANBU mission. May be Inner will switch out with Sakura for those missions. Not telling on the itching. I think I'm going to actually have Sakura fight Dosu, but Gaara will actually enjoy her fight… and its repercussions. I like your suggestions, but some of them are already in course (1.) practicing and meditating will build them quite well, I'll explain it better in another chapter. And her attack to compliment the Body Flicker is not really a formal technique, just something she stumbled upon. Thanks tons for the ideas, maybe in the future, after the exams, she will realize she needs something long range.

joys: Thanks I can't either.

Guest: Thanks so much reviews like yours really lift my spirits. I think Shisui is going to get a complex about the younger generation surpassing him so quickly, haha.

Princesa Solitaria: Thanks. Shisui is adorable and so fun to write.

crimson dragonX: Hey that's awesome! I'm leaning towards a self created demon with a little bit of denial added in on Sakura's part. I really like your food for thought, I was thinking maybe have them use each other to keep sane or something like that later on.

SoraLover987142: It's gonna be a while. I plan to have her keep it a secret from a really long time then have it bite her in the butt

BloodRiddenPast: Thanks I'll try to get one out soon

Brittany: Yeah, weird she was put on a team with a former ANBU as her captain, huh?

Mylla-chan: I try

Lisa loves anime: Truthfully I like Itachi better, right now he doesn't have much of a personality but he will be awesome later. I hate what happened to him in the anime/manga…and who doesn't love a bad boy. I have no problem with Sasuke, but I love to have him portrayed as a protective older brother to Sakura as he will be later (Naruto too). Thanks for your opinion though I really did consider it before I started writing.