AN: Note that I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of the characters from either Anime. This work is a fanfiction written out of my love for the series and not in any attempt to make a profit.
Proofread by: Me, but hopefully not for much longer. It seems that my two proofreaders are getting back on track, and I've found a third one that will get on it as soon as they're caught up with the story so far.
As you might have already seen by the title, I had fun with this chapter. Nothing inappropriate happens here, but know that some adult humor is certainly being introduced and adult topics are brought up in this chapter.
Now, I should also tell everyone that I've taken the time to go back and edit the previous chapter. An oversight on my part meant that the previous chapter was not in fact as canon-compliant as I had thought, and Sasuke's fight with Temari had to be rewritten. As a result, the post-fight conversation between the members of team 7 also changed, and it would be a good idea for readers to go back and re-read the edited portion of the chapter, which is the first part.
Chapter 26: Sakura, surrounded by perverts
Naruto's match didn't last too much longer. Once Naruto got bored of taunting his opponent, he quickly overpowered him with numbers, using his shadow clones and that was that.
"It seems like the odds are in our favor this time. With everyone from team seven passing on to the third exam, you will make up roughly one-third of the participants from here on out. While it doesn't guarantee either of you will actually advance to Chūnin, it does make it statistically more probable that you will be promoted." Kakashi remarked as the next matchup was being decided. With only six of the participants left, there weren't many options, but Sakura couldn't help but hope that the matchup would turn out favorable for Karin.
While Sakura was worrying for Karin, the matchup was decided, and Sakura found herself blindsided by the matchup she ended up seeing. Sakamoto versus Ino Yamanaka.
"Ino…" Sakura muttered, feeling somewhat nostalgic about her former friend. A sense of regret worming itself up from her memories.
"We should never have declared war like that. We might not both end up winning Sasuke's heart, but we can't be sore competitors about it. We should probably try and make up with Ino after this." Inner suggested, surprising Sakura with her proposal.
"Wait, what? What brings this up all of a sudden?" She asks, hoping for some clarification.
"Win or lose, Ino used to be our friend, and the feud we started with her is incredibly silly in hindsight. She had been nothing but supportive until that point. Now that we're no longer in the Academy and about to become Chūnin, we should try and hold onto the friends we have. We might end up having to confront Ino in the third exam if she ends up winning here. I'd rather she be happy for us than envious of us." Inner explained, and Sakura found herself unable to do anything but agree with her. It was silly in hindsight. Regardless of who she or Ino wanted Sasuke to pick in the end, fighting over it was useless. Sasuke was the one who would make the choice in the end, and benign on the same team as him, Sakura had an immense tactical advantage. In her current situation, there was no need for her to continue pushing Ino away. Their rivalry didn't have to be in the way of their friendship. Hopefully, Ino would agree with her.
"Now then, since the remaining matches hold little significance to us concerning the team, perhaps we should get down to the matter at hand." Kakashi proposed, reminding Sakura that she was there for reasons other than watching the ongoing preliminaries.
"Right, of course. Sorry." She apologized, sitting down on the couch.
"Perfect. Now as I said before, we should go over the examination you will have to go over. While it will essentially be nothing more than a normal hospital visit, you should be aware that when it comes to Kekkei Genkai, the Council doesn't mess around. You will have to provide blood tests, MRI scans, the whole shebang. It will be a long, drawn-out process so you will likely have to stay at the hospital for a few days. Before this, I suggest going home and informing your parents about what is going on, as well as explaining your options. I imagine they might have some ideas and preferences themselves regarding what you end up deciding on, as this concerns them as well." Kakashi began explaining before Sakura interrupted him.
"Wait, my parents will be affected as well? How do you mean?" Sakura asked him to clarify. Rubbing the back of his head while considering how to best explain it, Kakashi paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, before he began clarifying.
"You're their daughter. That means that your Kekkei Genkai originated either from one of their bloodlines, remaining undiscovered until now, or is the result of their genes coming together to form a new Kekkei Genkai. Either way, there is a possibility that if you ever have any siblings, they too will carry the genes for your Kekkei Genkai. If so, they contracts you sign will have to cover such an eventuality, and for this to happen, we'd need their cooperation." Kakashi explained while Sakura began understanding that she would have to explain to her parents what she was planning to do and get their blessing to go through with it. Technically, she could likely find a way to go through with it, even without their blessing. Although, she'd prefer to have it.
Sakura's parents were civilians after all and had originally been against her becoming a Shinobi. She had convinced them to enroll her in the Academy anyways, and when she had shown promise, they relented, telling her that if she ever felt like quitting, they wouldn't hold it against her. Despite them being supportive since then, she knew they worried, and now she was worried that they'd take this opportunity to try and convince her to go back to being a civilian again.
"They're our parents. Besides, we've proven ourselves over and over again, haven't we? We're going to be one of the eleven Genin out of one hundred and fifty-three participants to make it to the third exam. We might even make it to Chūnin at the age of twelve!" Inner argued, trying to reassure Sakura.
"I suppose that's as good of an argument as any. You're right, I shouldn't have to worry about this." Sakura admitted, smiling slightly while mentally thanking Inner.
"Great, now how do you think they'll react to knowing about me?" Inner questioned, feeling it was her turn to be assured by Sakura that everything would be fine.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, not quite comprehending what Inner meant or wanted her to say.
"I mean, how do you think our parents will react to knowing that they technically have two daughters living in one body?" Inner clarified.
"Oh, that's… Hmm, I don't know? It's a bit difficult to imagine, but you're still me, to a degree. I don't think they'll treat you any differently than they do me. We'll just have to introduce you properly." Sakura decides. Inner contemplates it for a bit before agreeing.
"Inner making her own opinions known?" Kakashi asked suddenly, causing Sakura to suddenly become conscious of how he was looking at her.
"Uh, yeah. How did you know?" She asked, already fairly certain she knew the answer.
"It doesn't take a Sharingan to notice that you were distracted. It's brief, but now that I know to look for it, I can see it when your attention drifts inward. I suggest that you go through some training to make it unnoticeable, or a way to split your attention better." Kakashi explained, making Sakura nod, a bit embarrassed.
"Sorry. I'm fairly certain that I can communicate with Inner properly without getting distracted already, I was just focusing a bit much on my own thoughts when she decided to participate." Sakura explained.
"I see, either way, it wouldn't do to give such moments away, so my suggestion still stands. I will make sure to mention it to the Sensei I'll be introducing you to. Hopefully, he will accept to train you." Kakashi told her, before remembering a certain detail about Jiraiya. "Or you accept him as a Sensei for that matter." He added.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, and Kakashi considered if he should tell her, before deciding she should know, rather than be blindsided and cause a scene later on.
"The person I have in mind, his name is Jiraiya, and he happens to have a reputation." Kakashi began, only to notice a glint of recognition in Sakura's eyes before she interrupted to ask.
"Wait, as in one of the legendary Sannin? That Jiraiya?" She asked Kakashi, making him blink in surprise.
"You've heard of him?" He asked her, before realizing that she had already met Orochimaru, and likely had found out about Jiraiya by proxy.
"Yeah, Tenten mentioned him and Tsunade used to be on a team with Orochimaru," Sakura explained. "Although, I don't know why you'd choose him. He's not even in the village, is he?" She asked him, confused as to why he was Kakashi's first choice, or how Kakashi was even going to convince someone like that train her, not that she'd end up complaining… Although Kakashi did mention he had a reputation, could it really be that bad?
"Well, I have it on good authority that he is or will be here for the third exam of the Chūnin exams. You see, he is also known as the Toad Sage, a title he earned due to mastering Senjutsu, the art of molding chakra together with Natural Energy for a more powerful chakra, Senjutsu Chakra, allowing him to enter what is known as Sage Mode. This is the primary use for learning to control Natural Energy, and considering the very few individuals capable of using Sage Mode, it stands to reason he is the best choice, as he was my own Sensei's Sensei." Kakashi revealed while Sakura digested the information, and Inner excitedly celebrated their guess about combining Natural Energy with chakra being correct.
"I see, that's great. But what's this reputation you mentioned?" Sakura asked, curious and a little displeased to see Kakashi sweatdrop before bringing out the book he usually reads.
"Well, he happens to also be one of my favorite authors," Kakashi admits, stunning Sakura to simply look at him in disbelief.
"You have got to be kidding me! Do all men grow up to become pervs? Is this why Naruto's sexy Jutsu is so effective?" Inner demands to know, while Sakura recovers and groans.
"You mean to tell me he's also a pervert?" Sakura asks in despair, weighing the benefits of having a Sensei against the cons of learning how to make Senjutsu chakra on her own.
"Now, don't be like that Sakura. It's perfectly good literature, just a bit on the adult side." Kakashi tries to convince her.
"I won't hear it. It's smut, plain and simple!" Sakura refutes, pointing at Kakashi's book accusingly. "I can understand that such a topic might appear in adult literature, but not in books revolving solely around the subject! It's disgusting!" Sakura claims while Kakashi takes offense at her claim.
"Now, Sakura. There's no need to denounce it like that. Have you ever even read it? Right now, you're too young to appreciate it, but as you grow older, I'm certain you'll grow up to appreciate a well-written novel like this." He tried to convince her, only for Sakura to huff and turn away from him.
"As if. As long as Jiraiya isn't any worse than you, we won't have a problem, but I won't be reading any of his novels, and that's final!" Sakura tells him, disgusted with the idea that he thought she'd ever even consider reading something like that.
"Well, I'm curious," Inner tells her, much to her horror as she tries to comprehend the implications of her Inner self considering it.
"You're not helping! I'm not going to read something like that for your enjoyment!" Sakura protests, while feeling Inner's growing amusement.
"Oh, well I'll just read it whenever you're asleep then," Inner tells her, knowing that if she wanted to, Sakura would be unable to tell she was doing it, or stop her from doing it.
"Oh god. Please don't. I don't need you to become a pervert as well." Sakura pleads with Inner, only for Inner to laugh.
"Oh, Sakura. Everyone's a pervert, some just decide to hide it." Inner tells her before Kakashi decides to intervene.
"Well, that's a little presumptuous of you. The icha-icha series isn't the only thing Jiraiya has written." Kakashi revealed, prompting Sakura to turn back to look at him unimpressed, her arms crossed as she raised an eyebrow.
"That doesn't subtract from the fact that he's a pervert," Sakura tells him. Kakashi sighs and gives up.
"Well, at the very least, please meet with him before making any assumptions about him. He is one of the few who can teach you, and also one of the few I think I can convince to teach you, so it's him or nothing." Kakashi tells her, giving her a pointed look.
Uncrossing her arms, Sakura relents. "Alright, we'll see what kind of person he is before making any decisions," Sakura tells him before her disposition suddenly changes and she smiles at Kakashi.
"Sensei, you wouldn't let me borrow your book, would you?" She asked him before her expression morphs into a horrified one.
"INNER!" She shouted enraged, and Kakashi decided to promptly leave the room before he ended up laughing out loud. He had better common sense than letting himself become the target for misplaced anger.
AN: Now, what was I thinking with this little ending? Simple, Inner lacks many of the limits Sakura does. She is far more direct and unrestrained than Sakura. She is not bound by the same moral or ethical confines as Sakura, but we haven't seen much behavior like that because while she doesn't have as many filters, she still has enough to know what she should and shouldn't say to Sakura. Their coexistence is a very delicate balance. I could liken it to Inner being Sakura's Id, but it is not a correct depiction of Inner as she also shows clear signs of possessing her own Superego and Ego.
Either way, here I decided to give a harmless example of Inner showing her unrestrained side. Sakura has been conditioned to consider sexual acts as something disgusting, while Inner isn't affected by it to the same degree, if at all. Sex is natural, and with the limited understanding a twelve-year-old would have, concerning the topic, Inner would be more curious than disgusted about it. Besides, if she could get some enjoyment out of it by annoying Sakura like she is, it's a win for her.