A Life of its Own

by zeraslam6

It's said that in this game of life, all one's life is only worth what you make of it. So, with the chance to steer that game wherever she wishes, will life end up imitating art, or will Haruno Sakura force it to go her way? The future is a fickle mistress, but such is life. Sakura-centric. Slight AU, with elements from The Gamer mixed in. Formerly called This Game of Life.

37. Haruno Sakura

A Life of its Own, Interlude

Such is Life

Haruno Sakura

Quick note – there's a lot of statistical info with skills and numbers in this chapter. If that bothers you, feel free to skip or skim the descriptions – they're mostly to establish the scope of Sakura's abilities, but how effective they are will be shown in story. I made this chapter a bit longer to compensate for all of that, too. Enjoy.

---

Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. This… It must've been some sort of joke! There's no way that this was real – no way that her home had been..! But even as she tried to protest the idea that this ever could happen, her eyes confirmed it. The message held the official stamp of the Land of Fire, and of the Hokage. The code for the transmission was one that Konoha normally only used in wartime, and one of the more urgent ones at that. If this was faked, then there was a spy or infiltrator so high in the Leaf's ranks that it may as well have been real anyway – anyone who could've faked something like this essentially had the village wrapped around their finger anyway.

Sakura could do nothing but accept the message she held as fact, and so she continued to read it, terrified beyond all belief to what else it may hold.

The village was attacked during the Chunin Exams by a coalition force of Sunagakure and Otogakure shinobi, the operation we now know to have been organised and spearheaded by Orochimaru, who himself was the leader of Otogakure. While we were able to eliminate Orochimaru, this came at the cost of the Third Hokage's life.

Sakura gasped, the words bringing tears to her eyes. Hokage-sama had fallen?

The invading shinobi were being pushed back, and it had looked for a time like we would manage to repel the attack. However, Sunagakure's jinchuriki unleashed the full power of the Ichibi, and the devastating power of the Shukaku is what sealed our fate. I was able to seal it back within the jinchuriki after I finished off Orochimaru, but by that time it was too late.

The village has been completely destroyed. As I said earlier, those who are returning to the country should report to the capital, as that is our new base of operations for now and the foreseeable future. Finally, for those of you worried for your friends and loved ones… The death toll was massive, and the number of people either still injured or completely unaccounted for even greater. However, I have compiled a list of those known to have been killed or missing at this time at the end of this message.

This is the most dire situation the Leaf has ever seen since its inception. All of you who are returning, get back here as fast as you can, even if you have to tear all of the muscles in your legs to do it. And those still on mission, complete them to the absolute peak of your ability. The fate of our home very well may rest on it.

- Jiraiya of the Sannin

The tears were truly beginning to build, as Sakura quickly moved on from Jiraiya-sama's main message, panicking as her eyes fell on the list of those missing and dead. Please please please please please- Her breath hitched as she saw the first name she recognised, right at the top of the list.

Akimichi Choji – MIA

The first tear fell, as Sakura kept reading, hoping beyond hope that her friends would be safe. At least with Choji, it looked like a lot of his clan were also missing, so he was probably safe somewhere with them. He'd be fine. He had to-

Haruno Kizashi – KIA

Haruno Mebuki – Missing

Sakura choked out a sob, her hands shaking. She felt sick. She should stop- stop reading, not while she had tears and snot running down her face in an ugly cry, but something caused her to keep going.

Hatake Kakashi – MIA

"Even Kakashi-sensei!?" She managed to scream out between sobs, only barely managing to keep her emotions in check at this point, though she still continued reading. It's fine. He's missing. He and mom… they aren't dead. They can't be. There's- There's no way. Her eyes widened at the next name on the list she recognised, spotting that Hinata was missing, and then realising that an absolutely absurd number of Hyuuga were either missing or dead, to the point where she thought the clan as a whole might actually die out from this event.

Inuzuka Kiba – MIA

Even though she didn't know Kiba that well – and didn't even like the bits of him she did know – just seeing yet another name she recognised was almost enough to start her off again. She realised that with the alphabetical ordering the list with in, the only person she knew even somewhat well that wasn't on the list so far had been Shino, and that scared her even more, and yet she kept reading.

And the next entry almost broke her.

Kokuma Ami – MIA

She actually had to set the list down for a moment, fearing that her heart might burst apart from how fast it was beating. The repeated, non-stop gutpunches of people on the list had weakened her, and seeing her on there… it made her blood turn to ice. She didn't just feel sick anymore, she was sick, throwing up nothing but bile on the roof beside her, and turning back to look at the scroll with fear.

It- It's okay. She reasoned, trying and failing to calm down, the emotional high being so great that even the Gamer's Mind's effect on her was minimal, mostly because even logical thinking wouldn't help at all in this situation, other than allow her to hope for those only listed as missing. She's missing. She's only missing. Her, Mom, Kakashi-sensei, Choji – they're all fine. They have to be fine!

Once she was over her emotional retching, she went back to the scroll, tears temporarily abated as she began to read again. She thought that she was through the worst of it, sighing in relief as Aya and Shikamaru weren't on the list, along with Rinka and Asuma-sensei. She flinched at seeing the Third's name, but moved on. The lack of names she knew had the double effect of buoying her, making her feel like the worst was over, but then…

Umino Iruka - MIA

She breathed a sigh of relief, and yet felt guilty at the same time. Seeing Iruka's name meant Sasuke was safe, but she felt bad about being happy to see his name. Still, she had never been particularly close to him. The only one who really had been was-

Uzumaki Naruto – KIA

Sakura screamed.

---

The first thing Sakura did upon finishing that list was send a message back to Jiraiya, asking about her current situation and her conflicting orders. As soon as that was sent, she retreated to her room, allowing absolutely no one in, where she wallowed in her own grief and remorse. No one saw hide nor hair of her until five or six days after she first went in, when a message returned for her. Even then, she exited her room for only a moment, for just barely enough time to take the message and go back inside.

Despite that, Touka managed to take a glimpse of her new mistress's eyes, and what she saw shocked her - the once vibrant, cheerful jade orbs that she had come to admire in some way looked… dead. There was no life, no vigour behind them, and more than anything, it made her fear that Sakura was about to take her own life in the clear ocean of grief she was drowning in. She tried to do what she could to comfort the other girl, but was completely ignored. It seemed that she would not allow anyone to help her, and so Touka hoped she was still capable of helping herself.

---

Seeing that her father was dead and her mother was gone had rocked her.

Seeing that Ami was missing had threatened to break her.

Seeing that Naruto was dead actually had.

Sakura's world had turned grey. She felt detached from the world, and nothing she did or said could provoke any emotion from herself. She sat on her huge bed, simply staring at the wall opposite her. She still couldn't believe it. How could Naruto have died? That idiotic, stubborn, childish, boorish, determined, talented, charismatic, amazing…

She hadn't even got to tell him that she believed he'd become Hokage.

A tear rolled down her cheek at the thought. She smiled bitterly. Turns out there was something she could still feel. She brushed off the tear, getting up and standing in front of the mirror. She tried to smile, to get back that light, to be able to try and assure the people outside that she was fine now… but the smile looked fake. Even to her. So she decided not to bother. Her mouth set in a thin line, and her eyes held nothing in them but apathy.

She slipped into her black training top that had once just been her undershirt but was now pretty much her trademark, now that she had burnt her dress to cinders because of the memories she couldn't help but reminisce on every time she saw it, along with her black shorts. Her hitai-ate went on as a hairband, as it normally did, and she looked at herself again, seemingly ready, and yet… something was missing.

She turned around, seeing that pink scarf draped around a chair. She walked over to it, calmly, before hugging it to her chest, and then wrapping it around her neck, the thing being the only splash of colour in her outfit. Now she was ready, once she slung her weapons pouch on. She'd spent enough time moping. Jiraiya-sama had said she would be completing the mission herself, and she intended to do just that.

If not for herself, then for the few friends she had left.

---

Touka jumped in surprise, as Sakura strode out of her room. Her eyes still scared the servant, and yet… Something was certainly different. The air about her was different, or perhaps it was the way she carried herself. "Touka." She asked, her voice cooler and more even than Touka had heard it before, something about it lighting a fire inside her.

"Y-Yes?" She said, cursing herself for stuttering and making herself look a fool.

"Thank you for waiting on me. I'm fine now."

She obviously wasn't, but Touka… She found herself liking something about this new Sakura, and she bowed her head not in respect, but more in an attempt to hide her rising blush. "Of course, Sakura-sama. I live to serve."

"Mm. Let's go." She said simply, walking off to the main section of the palace, and Touka quickly rushed after her, now more than ever endeavouring to follow this girl – no, woman – wherever she asked.

---

The full case and trial of Abarai Honda and his goons came and went in the few months after Sakura left her room, but she found that she hardly cared, where before she knew she would have. Instead, she spent almost all of her time training, even moreso and harder than she had been prior to learning the state of her home. Every waking hour was spent doing some form of training, whether it was physical work or study to raise her stats, sparring with the samurai to train her swordsmanship, or outside with a clone to work on her skills. She ensured a clone was with Chichiatsu at all times, said clone completing whatever errands and tasks Chichiatsu had for her, replacing itself every four to eight hours.

As her stats and clone skills grew, the amount of time the clones could last for became exponentially larger, and Sakura found herself training that much harder because of it as the fear of not having enough chakra to form another clone quickly became a non-issue. Within three months, she was able to defeat some of the weaker samurai through sword skill alone, and she had raised her DEX, VIT, WIS and STR to 50 each, which both allowed her to gain skills for each skill, and finally meant she had finally met the requirements to learn Dawn of the Vermillion Bird, which she promptly did.

Heroic Might (Passive) LVMAX
An ability given to those blessed with tremendous power. The user possesses great physical strength, casually reaching beyond the limits of most men.
50% increase to physical attack damage.
50% increase to STR related skill effects.

Iron Body (Passive) LVMAX
An ability given to those rare few born with surpassing vitality. The user possesses a body with great resistance to harm and unending strength to endure.
50% increase to stamina recovery rate.
20% decrease in damage from physical attacks.
10% increase to total HP amount.
10% increase to total stamina amount.
30% increase to VIT related skill effects.

Amazing Grace (Passive) LVMAX
An ability given to those with tremendous mastery of their own bodies. The user possesses refined control and coordination, displaying elegance in everything they do.
50% increase to movement speed.
30% increase to attack speed.
10% increase to evasion.
30% increase to DEX related skill effects.

Nature Affinity (Passive) LVMAX
Long ago, Man, who was born from dust, realized the power of nature and the light that shines within all life, burning away the darkness. This skill increases the user's sensitivity and control over those forces, improving their affinity with the elements.
25% increase in mana recovery rate.
10% increase to elemental attack.
10% increase to elemental defence.
50% increase to element related skill effects.

Dawn of the Vermillion Bird (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%
Legend tells that during the height of war, a majestic bird rose from the crack of dawn to end the battle singlehandedly. The penultimate technique of the legendary Suzaku, Lord of the South.
500% increase to physical attack damage.
500% increase to attack speed.
500% increase to movement speed.
500 HP used per minute when active.
500 MP used per minute when active.

Sakura was beyond pleased in the gains she had made, now having added a katana resting on her left hip to her regular loadout. Though she hadn't gained any levels, her massively higher stats and skill levels meant she was far more powerful than she had been, and she hadn't even used her levelling points to get this far. She was especially impressed with Dawn of the Vermillion Bird – while it required constant upkeep that meant as she was currently was it could only be used for a minute, the power boost it gave her was utterly ridiculous, especially considering that this wasn't even the final skill.

That being said, she had taken note of how much slower her gains had come as the numbers had increased, and knew that eventually, if she wanted to make any meaningful gain in strength in a reasonable amount of time, she would be forced to use her points. Seeing this, she resolved to stockpile all the points she could until such a time came. That of course meant that she would have to gain points somehow, and the best way to do that would be to kill people, as she had discovered with Abarai's thugs, which is how Sakura found herself eliminating a bandit camp.

---

The bandits were so weak that Sakura eliminated them almost instantly, her new sword flashing through the afternoon air as she sliced and slashed her way through the group of bandits. The fight, if you could call it that, lasted less than three seconds, and Sakura found herself feeling almost disappointed – the strongest emotion she had felt in months. They hadn't even been enough to level her up. She sheathed her blade and turned to leave, before she heard a groan behind her.

Turning back, she saw one of the bandits with a severed leg and several missing fingers trying to crawl away. She placed a hand on her blade, preparing to end him with a single swing… but thought better of it, instead slowly approaching the man, who tried in vain to scramble away faster as the spectre of death approached.

Sakura caught a fistful of the man's hair, flipping him over forcefully as he screamed so that he was face up. She then proceeded to almost straddle the man, sitting on his chest with her knees on his arms. Her eyes unfocused, the man in front of her disappearing, instead being replaced by a shadowy figure that she couldn't make out the features of, apart from one – a brand-new, gleaming Suna forehead protector.

She raised a fist, and then brought it down on the man's face like a hammer.

She beat his face in for what could have been three minutes as easily as it could have been three hours, endlessly smashing her fists into the skull of the long dead bandit until a spike of pain hit as she ripped open her knuckles on a shard of his skull. She returned to the world, hand covering her mouth as she took in what she had done and the utter devastation she had wrought on this man's corpse.

Disgust, guilt and shame filled her as she turned to the side and vomited out her spartan breakfast of fish and rice, yet still she couldn't help but feel the spark of pleasure that made her feel hot and slick deep down inside her.

---

Sakura fell into a routine again, still spending most of her time just training, but also eliminating bandit camps whenever asked by Chichiatsu. Despite her disgust and mental condemnation at what she had done at the first camp, she found that if her focus ever wavered while fighting, she would find herself in the same position, over and over. It was starting to happen more times than it didn't, and Sakura was horrified to think that she was beginning to like it, the dark pleasure she got from it starting to overpower the shame. Yet still… no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop herself.

She resolved to not think about it, instead thinking on her training again. She had gone from strength to strength, having now reached a level of kenjutsu and iaijutsu mastery that the only samurai she still couldn't beat was Toyohisa himself, and in only six months, too. Her skill training was going well, too – many skills being much higher levels than they had been before this training had begun, and she had developed countless new ones, too. Her stats however were beginning to stagnate, but she found that even now she just naturally was able to raise her INT and WIS easier than her physical stats, both of them having broken 100 while she struggled to reach STR 80, the threshold for Vermillion Bird of the South.

Her INT and WIS training had provided her with three skills each upon both hitting 100, and she wondered if there was a pattern – she would have to wait and see upon reaching 150 in a stat to check, though.

Sensing (Active) LVMAX
An ability given to those with the natural ability to perceive and detect the people and creatures around them through their chakra.
Range, breadth and detail increase with INT, and related abilities.
50 MP used per minute while active.

Medium Mana Capacity (Passive) LVMAX
An ability given to the few mana users that are born with an exceptional ability to handle mana.
Mana-based attacks are 15% stronger.
10% less MP used for all attacks.

Mana Regeneration (Passive) LVMAX
An ability given to those with a special heritage that allows for faster recovery of MP.
MP regeneration increased by 100%.

Harmony (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%
An ability given to the few that are born with an exceptional insight into the patterns of mana and a great affinity for the elements.
Grants resistance to elemental attacks. Resistance to a specific element is equal to the average resistance to all component elements.
15% less MP used for all elemental attacks.

Path to Enlightenment (Passive) LVMAX
An ability granted to those who have understood their purpose in life, and have begun to awaken and transcend their physical and mental limits.
The threshold for increasing the user's statistics is decreased by a percentage of their WIS.

Mystical Generator (Passive) LVMAX
An ability granted to those with accelerated mental faculties that are naturally bursting from the seams with excess magical power.
Increases MP by 30%.
Increases the effect of WIS and INT based skills by 20%.

She wondered briefly what the skills meant by 'mana'. From context, they were obviously talking about her MP, meaning her chakra, but the fact that they consistently used that term was confusing, especially considering she'd seen skills that used the word chakra before. However, she quickly dismissed the line of questioning as irrelevant – whatever the case may be, the skills worked, and who was she to question her ability? She still didn't even know where it came from, or even everything it could do – she chalked that up as just another one of its oddities.

She was far more interested in a skill she had just gained the day before.

Kundalini (Active/Passive) LV1 EXP: 28.10%
The manifestation of one's soul, now too large to be wholly contained by one's mortal frame. Through training and focus, the user has awakened the very energy of their consciousness in the base of their spine, a power greater and truer to one's being than the imitation called 'chakra'. This energy, the purest form of divine femininity, allows one to light up the dark with their very soul and drive back those they consider evil. The effect of the user's 'Chakra Enhancement' skill may be enhanced by spending more MP.

Even if she ignored how powerful this skill sounded, it was incredibly important and useful because it told her one thing – if she raised a skill's level to 100 and 'mastered' it, she could gain new, more powerful versions of that same skill for that effort. And considering any skill that reached level 100 was by definition already powerful and useful for her to use it so much… She returned to training with even more vigour, special attention now being paid to ensure she was always training as many skills as possible. She wanted to take advantage of this as much as she could.

---

Just as the Sakura that emerged from her room days after the Konoha Crush was like a different person to the one who had entered it upon receiving the horrible news, so too was the Sakura who had taken her place eighteen months after the fact. She could smile again – in fact, it was odd to find her not smiling – but the smiles were… twisted. Not exactly genuine, in a way – they simultaneously hid and hinted at something more behind them, something darker, a notion reinforced by her deep gaze that glinted with the light of mischief, and to some, misfortune.

Some, like Toyohisa and Mitsuki, were very much put off by this, while others, like Chichiatsu and Touka, found it endearing, even alluring in some way. The mystery behind her gaze and her grin scared some and drew others, and Sakura found herself enjoying that very much – it was a little game of hers to see whether someone would be attracted and repulsed by her now, and once one or the other was confirmed, it was even more fun to either have them wrapped around her finger, or so terrified by her very presence that they couldn't handle being in the same room as her. She'd succeeded in doing the former with a few people, but the only ones she really managed the second with were bandits and random muggers. She just guessed she was scarier in combat.

The now 13 – almost 14! – year old girl had grown a lot in the year and a half, having hit her growth spurt and still in the process of growing. Her bubblegum hair was as vibrant as ever, now flowing down to her waist in a roughly braided ponytail. Her trademark bangs still framed her face as they always had, though they were noticeably wilder and more unkempt than one would expect her to have, yet still no less lustrous than the rest of her locks.

In terms of attire, she'd barely changed, keeping the black training top and shorts with bindings underneath them, though she had actually traded the more traditional sleeved top for one that was more of a vest-sports bra hybrid, leaving her shoulders and stomach bare. Instead she had picked up a white Chinese styled top scattered with sakura petal designs and lined in red that she left unbuckled, using it as more of a jacket than a traditional top. Her katana remained securely fastened to her left hip, and as always, Naruto's scarf was wrapped around her neck.

She no longer wore her hitai-ate – the rough, constant training had worn it out, leaving the fabric almost completely frayed. She'd contemplated stitching the metal plate onto Naruto's scarf, but she hadn't gone through with it yet, reasoning the forehead protector was useless here – no one knew what it meant anyways, so using it as a shinobi signifier wouldn't work, and considering she wore it as a hairband, it wasn't particularly useful as a defence mechanism either.

She shrugged, stretching and rolling out her body as she rose from her bed, a series of pops and clicks rewarding her as she did so. The biggest change had been in her body – where she had once been thin as a twig, her body now looked as if it was carved out of marble, all rippling muscle and flawless skin. She looked at herself in the mirror, a lethargic and knowing smile on her face as she saw how tousled and messy her bangs were right after getting out of bed. She wouldn't brush them… She never said anything about it, but she knew that Touka went absolutely wild when she was just at that sweet spot of uncaringly messy yet still effortlessly presentable, and today was one of those days. She'd be able to get the other girl to do absolutely anything today.

"Maybe I should take this as a day off, then…" She murmured, her voice having deepened from that of a girlish student eager to find her place in the world to the smoky drawl of a woman who knew exactly what they wanted in life and how they would get it. "I can play with her a little." She finished, eyes flashing vermillion for a moment as she shuddered in equal parts pleasure and anticipation, as she raised a finger to her mouth, lightly chewing on the nail.

She did think she deserved a day off, honestly. She hadn't taken one in a year and a half, and she'd made a lot of progress besides.

Name: Haruno Sakura
Class: The Gamer
Level: LV 27
HP: 2398/2398
MP: 2893/2893
STR: 117
VIT: 109
DEX: 132
INT: 172
WIS: 159
LUK: 10
Points: 70

Shockwave (Active) LV34 EXP: 32.01%
A skill to create a wave of destructive force using one's physical strength. By gathering power within one's fist and unleashing it upon impact, the user's strength can be felt from beyond the reach of his physical body.
Target receives damage normally.
Everyone within 5 meters of the target receives 59% damage.
Everyone with 10 meters of the target receives 27% damage.
Damaged targets may be knocked down.
Range: 10 meters.

Devastating Blows (Passive) LVMAX
A skill to cause massive damage with physical attacks. Whether naturally or through extensive training, the user has learnt to unconsciously use her mana to penetrate the defenses that surround her foes. Upon being used, a fraction of the force of the attack can ignore both physical and supernatural protection, wreaking havoc upon the enemy within.
All physical strikes possess 5% defense penetration.
May cause internal damage.

Divine Strength (Passive) LVMAX
An inborn ability to reinforce one's body with mana, strengthening it beyond the limits of flesh. Because of the flow of energy within one's body, the output of the user's muscle fibers greatly exceeds the normal, enabling them to exercise unbelievable strength.
100% increase to Physical Attack Damage.
100% increase to lifting capacity.
100% increase to jumping distance.
Physical attacks may knockdown or knockback targets.
Low chance of stunning foes.

Riposte (Passive) LVMAX
The ability to follow up a successful defence with an immediate and powerful attack.
Immediately counterattack.
100% increase to attack speed.
Damage increases relative to damage received.

Supernal Condition (Passive) LVMAX
The ability given to those with a body rivalling that of the gods. Their all-encompassing, limitless vitality allows them to draw on the heavenly light that lives in all things, allowing their matchless body to exist on a higher level for a time.
HP can be temporarily increased through meditation.
Stamina can be temporarily increased through meditation.
STR can be temporarily increased through meditation.
VIT can be temporarily increased through meditation.
DEX can be temporarily increased through meditation.

Second Chance (Passive) LVMAX
The ability to survive, drawing upon one's innermost stores of power to continue fighting after an otherwise lethal blow. By using one's mana to activate important portions of the body, the user of this skill can survive an attack that would reduce his HP to 0 with 1 HP remaining.
This technique may only be used if the damage caused by the attack is no more than 1000 points higher than the user's remaining HP.
Second Chance may only be used once a day.

Yellow Road (Active) LV52 EXP: 0.32%
The ability to change the direction of one's physical body solely through the use of one's mana. By creating a 'pathway' with one's power, the user may cause their body to follow it without any loss of speed. Even shifting direction while in midair is possible, as is the creation of complex routes by using multiple, connected paths.
Change direction towards a specified point.
Additional 196 MP consumed per additional point.

The Four Winds (Passive) LVMAX
An ability born from an inherent skill at using mana to enhance to movements of one's body. By guiding power in accordance to one's movements, it is possible to properly grasp the flow and let it hasten one's movements until the user's attacks are no more than fading blurs and lingering pain.
100% Increase to Physical Attack Speed.
50% Increase to Physical Attack Accuracy.

Angelic Steps (Passive) LVMAX
An ability born from an inherent skill at using mana to enhance to movements of one's body. Thanks to the natural structure of one's body and soul, this skill passively bolsters the user's speed and grace to inhuman levels.
100% Increase to Movement Speed.
50% Increase to Evasion.

Extrasensory Perception (Passive) LVMAX
The inborn ability to perceive the world through the broad senses of the mind, rather than the limited ones of the body. Takes many forms dependent on the mentality and natural abilities of the user, but can grow with time and training. The power of this skill increases with level, INT, and through related abilities.
Expands Sensing to encompass low levels of Clairvoyance and Clairaudience. Improve by increasing INT.

The Mathematician's Answer (Passive) LVMAX
A skill granted to those who have learned to wield their great intelligence as both a sword and shield, applying mathematic principles to real situations. Although greatly improving the user's ability to perform calculations as a side effect, this skill's main purpose is to broaden the natural effects of INT, owing to the user's heightened thought processes. INT may be used to improve or replace DEX and LUCK for applicable purposes, such as enhancing attempts at evasion, greatly improving the accuracy of attacks, or improving the likelihood of Critical Hits.

Quick Soul (Passive) LVMAX
Denoting an inherent malleability of the soul, this skill allows the user to easily shape their mana into useful forms, greatly lowering the charge time of other skills in the process. The effectiveness of this skill increases with user level.
Reduce the casting time of all skills by 5 seconds. If this reduces the minimum charge time of a skill to zero, the skill may be cast instantly up to 5 seconds of charge; further charge time functions as normal.
MP costs are unaffected.

Hyper Soul (Passive) LVMAX
An ability given to those born with souls naturally able to contain and conduct great amounts of energy, this skill allows the user to channel great power into their other skills. By increasing the cost of a skill and charging it for a time, the user may greatly increase its power. The length and breadth of this skill increase with INT.
All skills without prolonged effects may now be charged. Both cost and effect increase with charge time.
Skills that already possess charge times increase their maximum charge time by the amount granted.
Current charge time granted: 5 seconds.

Mana Reactor (Passive) LVMAX
Given to those with souls capable of drawing upon great power in times of need, this skill greatly increases the user's MP regeneration when their power runs low.
Triple MP regeneration when MP is below 10%.

Manafont (Passive) LVMAX
An ability given to those that naturally overflow with so much magical energy they are closer to a phenomenon of nature than a regular human, this skill allows the user to both contain and expel their ridiculous magic power whenever they wish.
Increases MP by a further 40%.
Allows the user to use all of their remaining MP on a skill of their choice, ignoring the skill's normal cost, increasing the damage, effect and range by a factor of the amount of MP used.

Empathy (Passive) LVMAX
A skill granted to those born with a natural understanding of the people around them, this ability allows one to perceive the emotions of others. The range and depth of this ability increase alongside one's WIS.
Range: 1 kilometer.

Balance (Passive) LVMAX
An ability given to the few that have honed their natural talents to achieve nearly unmatched insight into the truth of the world, thereby obtaining a tremendous affinity for the elements of nature.
20% less MP used for all elemental abilities.
Increases damage of all elemental abilities by 20%

Understanding of the Enlightened (Passive) LVMAX
A skill granted to those who have achieved an awakened mental state, reaching a greater understanding of all things. Experience gains for both levels and skills are increased by a percentage equal to the user's WIS.

Body of the Enlightened (Passive) LVMAX
A skill granted to those who have achieved a state of physical transcendence. All benefits of WIS are doubled and Magic Resistance now applies to all forms of attack, including the imposition of unwanted status effects. The user never receives negative repercussions from lack of food, water, or sleep.

Vermillion Bird of the South (Active) LV100 EXP: MAX
Legend tells that during the height of war, a majestic bird rose from the crack of dawn to end the battle singlehandedly. The ultimate technique of Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South, is a skill that grants a surge of tremendous power at great cost. The user's heart burns with an amazing fury, setting the air and their very soul alight with vermillion flame as they mark the very earth with their might and rend the wind with their speed.
The skills 'Vermillion Bird's Grace,' 'Feathers of the Vermillion Bird' and 'Dawn of the Vermillion Bird' are activated at no additional cost.
The skills 'Vermillion Bird's Beak,' 'Vermillion Bird's Talons,' and 'Vermilion Bird's Wings' may freely enhance applicable actions at no additional cost.
Double the effectiveness of all skills activated in such a way.
Triples the user's Fire Affinity and the effectiveness of all fire based skills.
Increases STR by 50% when fighting unarmed.
Increases DEX by 150% when fighting unarmed.
HP may be spent instead of MP for all skills besides Vermillion Bird of the South.
10 HP used per second while active.
10 MP used per second while active.

She grinned, especially when she thought of the Vermillion Bird of the South. It wasn't just because of how powerful it was, or even because of the fact that because it was mastered and her HP and MP were so high now that she could essentially ignore its cost, especially if she simply just used the Mystical Palm and healed herself using her own HP to do so. No, it wasn't any of those, though they were pretty good too.

It was because she'd gotten its evolved version.

Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%
The personification of the Vermillion Bird's Legend, born from a lifetime of study, refinement, and struggle; the ultimate technique of Suzaku shares his name for it was the product of his life as the Martyr of the Warring States. As its predecessor focused on the power of the heart, soul, and the fire borne from both, so too does its evolved form, opening the Eighth Gate of Death to truly flood the body with the flames of the spirit. While not wholly, instantly fatal like the Eight Gates Released Formation, the power of the Eighth Gate even by itself is more than enough to crush bodies and end futures, and so Suzaku's final contribution to the world should not be taken lightly.
The skills 'Suzaku's Grace,' 'Feathers of Suzaku' and 'Dawn of Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird' are activated at no additional cost.
The skills 'Suzaku's Beak,' 'Suzaku's Talons,' and 'Suzaku's Wings' may freely enhance applicable actions at no additional cost.
Quadruples the effectiveness of all skills activated in such a way.
Quintuples the user's Fire Affinity and the effectiveness of all fire based skills.
All non-elemental skills become fire elemental.
Increases STR by 200% when fighting unarmed.
Increases DEX by 500% when fighting unarmed.
HP and MP may be spent interchangeably for all skills apart from Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South.
1000 HP used per second while active.
1000 MP used per second while active.

Now this baby… now she was talking. The fact she could only use it for two seconds right now was irrelevant – she'd figure it out. It's not like this was the only skill she'd mastered, either – staples like her clones and her Magic Bullet had also undergone their own evolutions, but this was the big one. Her next goal was to create some sort of automatic healing skill that could take care of the HP drain if she used her HP to power it. If she could work that out, then she'd just need to increase her MP so she could stay in the form longer. That did remind her though – the cost displayed in the skill description was before any MP cost deductions were made because of her other skills, so if HP was no longer a factor, she'd probably be able to use the skill for what, 5 seconds as she was now? Maaaaybe ten? Still not great, but… considering how much stronger she'd be, did she really need even that much time?

There was of course also the factor of higher skill levels driving the cost of the skill lower and lower, which would make things even more manageable. It'd be great. But, she sighed to herself, almost brushing her hair back before that smile returned to her face as she remembered what she'd been thinking about earlier. Day off. Let's go play with Touka. She shook her head, quickly checked and made sure everything was where it should be, and slid the door open, seeing her attendant waiting patiently outside as she always did.

"Touka-chan!" She purred, the huskiness of her voice turning almost gravelly as she wrapped an arm around the girl who now only stood around shoulder height with her. "I've decided I'm taking a day off from training today." She leant down, placing her mouth inches away from the other girl's ear, before whispering, "And I feel like I've been… neglecting you." She ran her hand down Touka's arm, feeling the other girl melt at her touch as she barely kept herself together, eyes screwed shut and face crimson. "So I thought we should… play. Do whatever you want to do, for a change. How's that sound?" She disengaged, rising from her ear and letting go of her arm, but cupping her chin as her hand drew back, gently raising Touka's face until she was looking into Sakura's eyes.

Sakura couldn't help but smile as her eyes raked down Touka's body, noting her heavy breathing, the way she shuddered at every touch, how even when Sakura was basically forcing them to make eye contact she still tried to look away in embarrassment. Either she'd caught her on a really good day, or she'd just done an excellent job of it today. Either way, her smile grew into a playful, seductive smirk as Touka struggled to respond, finally choking out a more than enthusiastic "Yes, Sakura-sama!"

"Great!" Sakura finally stopped teasing her, her childish nature on full display. "Lead the way."

---

"So, this is your room?" Sakura curiously asked, her high-running emotions causing her to unconsciously activate Vermillion Bird of the South, transforming her jade eyes into the burnt orange of a carnelian, the iridescence of her chakra causing the shimmering colour to shift and glow in slightly different shades depending on what angle one looked at it from. Touka's breath caught in her chest as she stole a glance at the other girl, the light catching in Sakura's eyes like sparkling gemstones.

She didn't know what it was about her – there were noble ladies in Swamp, like Akai-sama, that were far more classically beautiful, but something about Sakura… There was just some kind of… radiance she exuded, that couldn't be captured by words. She wasn't beautiful in the way that women who spent half their waking hours taking care of their appearance were – no, it was more casual, far more rough and rugged, and yet… no less – perhaps more, even – alluring. Perhaps it was just because there truly was no one like her in the capital – no, the country – and that was why…

"Touka-channn…" Sakura's purr broke Touka from her thoughts as she blushed, furiously shaking her head to chase the thoughts away. They were foolish anyways. Sakura would never even look at someone like her if not for her being assigned to be at her beck and call, and Sakura had told her she already had someone back home… Even if she was currently missing.

"Yes, Sakura-sama. Please, have a seat." She gestured to the small table in the middle of the open plan kitchen/bedroom combo, and Sakura obliged, daintily sitting on the table instead of the chairs placed around it. Touka let out a huff as she saw her doing it. "Sakura-sama…" Sakura fiercely grinned, her tongue peeking out of her mouth as she did, hopping back off the table before placing her hands in her pockets and wandering around the room.

"It's bigger than I expected… I don't even get a kitchen like you do."

"Surely you don't expect Chichiatsu-sama's chefs to prepare food for one like me, do you?" Touka asked, looking in one of her cupboards for some tea. Sakura nodded, the servant girl having a good point. She noted how sparsely decorated the room was, which made her wonder if that was because she didn't have the money to decorate it, the time to herself to enjoy it, or a combination of the two. Sakura sat, her curiosity abated for now, waiting for the tea.

Once Touka brought two steaming cups of the stuff and sat down herself, Sakura thought it time to ask the question that had been on her mind from the moment she'd found out where Touka was taking her, though she chose to wait until Touka was taking her first sip, the ever present glint of mischief shining bright. "So are we gonna fuck now or later? Cos I can do both." Touka seemed stuck between spitting out her tea and trying to quickly inhale what was in her mouth, failing, and then choking on it. After a moment, she had managed to swallow down the tea, and after a moment more had regained her composure enough to hit Sakura with a withering glare despite her blush, the pink haired girl having started howling with laughter at her reaction.

"Sakura-sama!" Touka exclaimed, incensed.

Sakura's laughs settled into giggles, the dozy smile from earlier in the morning reappearing as she started playing her game again in earnest. "Seriously though, I mean it. I mean, a girl can only take so much staring, y'know? If you wanna see me naked that bad, all you gotta do is ask. Least I can do for you."

Touka looked away, embarrassed, that hated stutter reappearing as she tried to speak to this woman who seemed to be able to put anyone off-balance with a single sentence. "S-Sakura-sama, I-I…"

Should I go harder than this? …Nah. She might be foreigner trash, but I like her. If I wanted to make sure she'd follow me back to the Leaf sure, but I have no use for her there. I don't need to break her heart when I leave. "Listen, Touka. I'm not gonna push you to do things you don't wanna, but that means you've got to have the guts to speak up when you want something from me too. It's a two-way street, y'know?" She stood from the table, Touka staring at her in shock. "Let me know when you have the courage to do what you want." Sakura said simply, before walking out of the room, smiling softly. If I wanted to, I could make her mine… But it wouldn't be useful, or a challenge. It'd be a fun game, though… and isn't that enough?

---

Sakura went to find Chichiatsu, eyes still shining like polished jewels. Here was another one that she could make hers completely in a night… He was a good deal more useful than Touka was, especially in the long run… But all he really had was money, and making him hers would tie her to this country, at least until such a time they had an heir, and even then she wasn't sure she could push him to elope. He was a good, dedicated leader… which just made him a more appealing pet, and one that she knew she could not have without sacrificing everything else.

"Morning, Chichiatsu-dono! Got anything for me to do?"

"Oh, Sakura-kun." Chichiatsu intoned, seemingly looking over some sort of paperwork. "There's a new bandit camp… on the other side of the country. They've been there a while, it seems… It's just taken word a long time to reach here. Oh, and I received a message for you, too."

"Message?" Sakura blinked. From who, Konoha? She hadn't expected to hear back until around the time the mission was over. Jiraiya's message had made it clear that she was to stay until the mission duration was over.

"Yes, here. I was about to send someone to come and find you for it. Here it is." The busy daimyo said, handing the scroll over. Sakura plucked it from his dainty fingers, reclining in a chair in Chichiatsu's well kept office and beginning to read.

Sakura,

You're still alive, right? I'm pretty sure you aren't weak enough to die in a country with no shinobi, but you never know.

Jiraiya's gone. You can come back now. We don't need the money.

Sasuke

She raised an eyebrow at that. Jiraiya was just… gone? The hell did that mean? And since when did Sasuke have the authority to tell her she could come back? She sighed. Even if this isn't fake, I'm not going to just go back now. It'd be a waste of both money and my time. This mission is by far the best training time I'll get in my life, and I'm going to make the most of it. Sorry, Sasuke. She rose from the chair, picking up a blank scroll and one of Chichiatsu's messenger hawks as she left the room.

---

Sakura flew through the trees as she raced to the location the bandit camp had been reported to be in. Though the forests were sparser and the trees smaller than back home, she had gotten used to the difference, her far stronger body and greater control over her chakra being more than enough to compensate for the larger jumps she had to make between branches. I'll take it slow, this time. I want to have fun with this one…

She opened up her senses, closing her eyes and allowing her Sensing and its attached Clairvoyance and Clairaudience to take over. There's a scouting/hunting party of seven five hundred and seventy three metres to the south-west, and the camp itself is eight hundred flat to the south, with another fifteen. Easy pickings. I'll start with the scouts. She dropped to the ground, using an earth technique she had developed based on her Sensing to keep track of their locations.

Chakralocation (Active) LV10 EXP: 32.15%
The user sends a pulse of chakra through the earth that bounces back to them upon hitting another source of chakra, allowing them to take a snapshot of the living things in the surrounding area.
Range increases with skill level and INT.

She began to stalk the scouting party, keeping track of their movements by using Chakralocation with every step she took, the MP drain almost completely negligible. Once she had the slow moving bandits in sight, she briefly considered how to go about taking them out, before getting over herself and simply leaping at one, driving him into the marsh the group had been navigating around.

The bandits wildly looked around, searching for the pink blur that had attacked one of them, as well as the man himself, though they quickly saw his body rise up through the muddy swamp water, his entire chest cavity seemingly just missing. What sounded like the screams of the damned pierced through the quiet, as two of the six remaining burst into flame, while a girl flipped onto the ground in front of them, her eyes shining with wild glee and a feral grin on her face.

The four of them instantly knew what was going on. This was her. The demon ninja witch, the pink demon, the pyromaniac… The few people who had survived her or managed to see what she was capable of without her attacking them all had different names for her, but they all agreed on one thing – if she came for you, you were already dead.

The four men turned to run, even as the two still burning screamed bloody murder as they tried to put out the flames that burnt hotter than anything they had ever seen and felt before, trying to roll around on the ground as their skin sloughed off and their tongues fried to bubbling grease. One of runners didn't even get to turn, his head separating from his body before he even was able to register that it was time to run. Another made the full revolution, only to get a hand that pierced through his back and out of his chest as if it were made of butter, dying instantly as his spine was severed and heart destroyed.

Another one made a step, Sakura in turn stepping on the ground an instant after him, earthen spikes instantly rising from the ground and tearing him apart in a shower of gore, yet doing just shy of enough damage to kill him instantly, leaving the man to choke and die on dirt and blood as he paled at the sight of his own entrails. The pink haired ninja Lunged at the final man, tackling him to the ground as her thumbs rested over his eyes and her hands on his skull, pressing down until both his eyes popped and his skull shattered inwards in a mess of blood and bone, though not before he screamed his heart out at the sheer pain he was in before he died.

Sakura sighed, licking some of the blood off of her right hand, not feeling satisfied with just that. Luckily for her there were fifteen more of the scum to kill.

---

Sakura waltzed into the camp like she owned it, the bandits all turning to look at her as she did, one by one realising what was going on. Sakura's grin turned downright predatory as they all rose to flee, yet she didn't move to chase them. Instead, she simply put her bloody hands in her pockets.

And released the restraints she held on her Killing Intent.

The effect was instant – the raging cocktail of emotions that had formed her into what she was now - anger, hatred, bloodlust, despair, hope, love and many, many more – being so strong that it seemed to have a physical effect on the bandits, all of them stumbling and many of them seemingly unable to stand again. Five of them died on the spot from feeling her unchained psyche, the primal fear that they felt from the dark, sinister chakra she output causing their hearts to stop beating. Two more found themselves unable to breath under the weight of her emotion and power, and another four killed themselves to escape it. Only four of them managed to survive just her Killing Intent, and even then two had been driven completely mad by it. She could see that from their glazed eyes.

She scowled, disappointed. She had barely even started letting loose her real killer instinct, yet almost all of them were already dead. She had wanted to take her time taking these ones apart, but it looked like she'd only get to have her fun with two of them. Still… Her frown faded, instead being replaced by a vicious, twisted grin, green eyes turning orange with a flash and shining with anticipation. I can really get to work on these two.

---

The sun had set by the time Sakura was done, the two men in question both still alive, but one had long since been driven mad like the two others that were still alive, and the other one had simply broken under Sakura's – in her opinion – light touch. She stepped away from her handiwork, pleased that her healing skill was good enough to keep someone alive while she removed all the skin off of their body after they'd already had most of their bones broken. "That's what you get… Swamp scum." She spat directly onto the man's chest, getting no reaction from him, though she hadn't expected any.

A ball of fire hot enough the edges burnt blue appeared in her hand, and she threw it up in the air as she turned and walked away, thoroughly bored now that she'd made that evil trash suffer as much as she could. The Atom Blazer hit the ground of the camp a few seconds later, detonating and vaporising most of it, while setting what remained on fire. Sakura was already on her way back to the palace.

---

After that day off, Sakura noticeably cooled on her training, despite having herself said that this mission was a golden opportunity for it. She still trained every day, though the intensity and amount of training done each day slowly began to wane, as she found that her stats were rising slower and slower each passing day, and while she could see the progress being made with her skills easier than with her stats, they too grew quite slowly, even as they rose to higher levels.

As the time spent actively training waned however, she spent more and more time trying to figure out how to heal herself without having to think about it and only needing to supply the chakra. From what she remembered, Tsunade had some sort of medical technique that outright made her immortal while she was using it. She didn't need something that powerful, but the fact that that existed at all spurred her on, as if that were possible, some sort of general healing technique should be as well.

It took her about a year to figure it out, although in that time there were many periods where she became frustrated and gave up for a time, making no progress. It was during one of those periods where she finally managed to break the 150 barrier for one of her physical stats, that being DEX. She'd already passed 200 for both WIS and INT by that point, but the climb to 250 for those seemed as hard as the climb to 150 for the others. There had been points where she had considered giving in and using her points to boost her stats to those thresholds, but each of those breakthroughs had motivated to keep going as she was, even if she was getting diminishing returns.

Another one of those periods had gotten her experimenting on what she could use her sword for other than just straight fighting with it. If that's all she could do with it, there was hardly any point to even having it, seeing as she could just… make one out of chakra whenever she wanted. She found that she could enhance the blade with earth chakra to make it sturdier, or superheat it with fire chakra, though not both at once. That was something she couldn't do with her created weapons – once they were formed, she couldn't modify them, only make new ones, and that included any added elements they had. She could make a flame sword, but she couldn't make a sword then set it on fire.

Still, within a year, Sakura finally had the skill she was looking for. It ate up more MP than she was exactly comfortable with, especially with the exorbitant cost of Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South, but that was a problem that would solve itself through mastery and greater strength, and the issue of greater strength was another problem that seemed to paradoxically become easier to obtain the more powerful she became, despite the diminishing returns she was having.

Name: Haruno Sakura
Class: The Gamer
Level: LV 31
HP: 4650/4650
MP: 7789/7789
STR: 159
VIT: 151
DEX: 167
INT: 211
WIS: 214
LUK: 10
Points: 90

Kiai (Active) LV12 EXP: 32.83%
Using their godly strength, the user of this ability enhances their body so much that simply throwing out their arms causes the release of an omni-directional shockwave that can send enemies and projectiles alike flying.
Damaged targets will be knocked down.
Range increases with skill level and STR.

Mighty Strikes (Passive) LVMAX
The user's physical strikes can pierce through all but the strongest defences, causing horrific amounts of damage to those who are not adequately guarding against them. The user's unconscious enhancement of their attacks with their mana has reached such a high level of proficiency that even flicks are capable of causing serious damage.
All physical strikes possess 45% defence penetration.

Restraint (Active) LVMAX
The user's strength has grown so massive that if they are not careful, they can destroy everything around them without even knowing it. This skill allows them to rein in that strength, only releasing all of it when necessary.
The user can temporarily reduce all their STR, DEX and VIT by any percentage they choose. Whenever they choose to remove this reduction, their STR, DEX and VIT are increased by a factor of how much they were lowered and how long they were lowered for until the end of the next battle.

Bloody Rage (Passive) LVMAX
The user of this goes into a frenzy at the smell of blood, whether it is their own or the enemies, allowing them to draw out strength they didn't know they had.
Increases STR by the percentage of HP you have lost, and the average percentage of HP lost by your enemies.

Godly Power (Passive) LVMAX
The user's inborn ability to reinforce their body with their mana has reached such a level that almost no one alive can reach the same level of physical output as them, their muscle fibres being even stronger than steel.
175% increase in physical attack damage.
200% increase in jumping distance.

Determination (Passive) LVMAX
The ability to push through even the greatest harm, this skill draws on the overflowing power hidden in one's body to allow them to keep fighting as long as they still have the will and the light to do so.
When the user of this skill's HP reaches 0, their current MP will be converted into HP.
Determination can only be used once per day.

Sufferance (Passive) LVMAX
The ability to endure grievous harm to return a bone-crushing counterattack.
Riposte can now activate without a successful guard, and when activated this way will always deal a Critical Hit.

Qigong (Active Passive) LV6 EXP: 20.92%
Within all living things flows the power of life—the aura of one's soul. A spiritual existence that protects and reinforces the user, it has been the guarding light of mankind since time immemorial. Throughout the millennia, man has cultivated countless ways to draw closer to this light and strengthen themselves. One such method is to draw in that light and gather it within the body, connecting one's spirit more closely to their physical body. This skill represents a natural talent for that technique, born from the natural meridians within the user's body that carve out a complex pathway of channels and vessels that ease the flow of energy between body and soul, allowing for an unusual form of physical and spiritual.
HP can be improved through meditation.
Stamina can be improved through meditation.
Strength can be improved through meditation.
Dexterity can be improved through meditation.
Vitality can be improved through meditation.
Stamina may be consumed to temporarily increase the power of one's physical abilities.

Inerrant (Active) LV2 EXP: 4.27%
The ability to use one's all-surpassing vitality to outmatch the ill effects placed on the user by others, activating the body to purge all unwanted ailments. They can also take the beneficial enhancements placed on them and absorb them into their vital stores, soothing the body.
When under a harmful status effect, the user can remove it by paying HP.
When under a positive status effect, the user can remove it to gain HP.

Solipsism (Passive) LVMAX
An ability given to those whose bodies are unmatched by anyone else in the world of man. Their exceptional vitality is visible even by simply looking, and the pride of their unrivalled physicality shines through all of their actions.
100% increase to stamina recovery rate.
30% decrease in damage from physical attacks.
40% increase to total HP amount.
50% increase to total stamina amount.
70% increase to VIT related skill effects.

Utsusemi (Passive) LVMAX
The user moves their body at such speed that they can dodge an attack that appears to have already hit them, leaving behind an afterimage and confusing the enemy.

Sandals of the Messenger God (Active and Passive) LVMAX
The user's dexterity and grace are completely unmatched, allowing them to perform feats no normal human could, ones more befitting celestial beings above.
150% increase to movement speed.
For one minute, the user is able to run on the air as if it were the ground. You can only use this ability of the Sandals of the Messenger God once per day.

Divine Grace (Passive) LVMAX
The natural ability of the user to enhance their movements with their mana has increased to the point that even their walk is mesmerising to those who have not seen it before, and their true moves cannot be seen by the naked eye, allowing them to engage, attack, defend and retreat before most even realise they intend to fight at all.
150% increase to physical attack speed.
100% increase to physical attack accuracy.
100% increase to evasion.
100% to DEX related skill effects.

Senka (Active) LV23 EXP: 28.38%
Using their surpassing speed, the user dashes past their opponent, attacking them with such speed to be untraceable to the untrained eye. If the attack is successful, the enemy will be instantly incapacitated, whether this means unconscious or dead is entirely up to the user.

Eagle Eye (Passive) LVMAX
The control and knowledge the holder of this ability has over their own body makes it far easier to determine where the weak points in other bodies are, allowing them to make their strikes incredibly precise and therefore extremely debilitating.
Doubles the chance of landing Critical Hits.

Castitas (Passive) LVMAX
The rejection of the impure that shields one from corruption—the eternal love that remains when ephemeral Lusts are washed away. The mana of living beings naturally shields them from many threats and passively prevents malicious effects from being formed within the body, washing away the mana of others as it tries to take shape. Against attacks that completed outside of the body, however, it may only serve as a protective shield against harm. Not so to the user of this skill; to them, even the solid structure of completed attacks may be washed away, like building of mud swept away by a river.
For twice the MP cost of the targeted ability, an MP-based attack that affects the user may be completely dispersed in a flare of mana. All harmful effects, even those which take place independent of damage, are completely negated—it is as if the attack never made contact at all.
Against attacks with a material component, only MP-based abilities are negated, leaving the physical attack to be defended against normally. Further, against attacks which target an area, only the user is protected.
Abilities which do not have targets or which do not target the user may not be negated.

Temperantia (Passive) LVMAX
The control and restraint that holds back the endless hunger of Gluttony; the prudence and sound judgement that allows one to reach the truth. This skill allows one to improve the efficiency of charged attacks.
Halve the MP required for each second of charge time.

Caritas (Passive) LVMAX
The generosity and sacrifice that cannot be seized by the hands of Greed. Similar to the process in which a soul infuses all living beings, this skill represents the ability to sacrifice one's own soul to bolster the light of another's—for greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.
The owner of this skill may sacrifice their own MP to restore the MP of another.
Range: 70 meters.

Industria (Passive) LVMAX
The effort and passion that succeeds where Sloth might make one falter, this ability represents an inherent quality of persistence within the mana of its wielder. As a result of this skill, the mana of the user displays a natural integrity that allows it to better retain its structure over a period of time.
Skills possessing a duration last twice as long as normal.
Skills which require upkeep over time now double the length of time between payments.

Patientia (Passive) LVMAX
The calm forbearance that outlasts the self-devouring flames of Wrath; the steady endurance that leads one to finding hope. This ability represents the quality of one's mana that allows it to retain and recall specific pattern. By using this skill, another skill may be precast and then drawn upon at a later time, paying the full cost to give the technique form in one's mana. The resulting skill is in all ways like it would be had it been cast normally, with the except of charged skills, in which case the ability may cast with whatever charge has been prepared beforehand.
Max Number of Precast Skills: 1.

Benevolentia (Passive) LVMAX
The loving-kindness that soothes the flames of Envy and mends that which it would destroy. This skill characterizes a natural tendency of one's mana that allows it to more easily mend wounds and reinforce the body, that those one loves will not perish.
Double the effectiveness of all Healing and Support skills.

Humilitas (Passive) LVMAX
The quality and purity of spirit that comes not of thinking less of oneself, but of thinking of oneself less, this ability represents the quiet Humility that surpasses even the most ostentatious displays of Pride. This skill denotes an enhancement and refinement of one's mana, such that it is capable of producing and supplying a greater amount of energy per unit.
Reduce the MP cost of all skills by 50%.

Psychometry (Active) LV1 EXP: 23.32%
A skill given to those with the ability to feel the impressions left on objects by the mana of living beings and draw information from them. By piecing together thousands of different markings on an object, entire scenes may be reconstructed, potentially long after the event itself occurred. Powerful scenes may leave stronger impressions, but the user's ability to piece together faint traces, as well as to draw information from them, increases with both WIS and skill level.
Base time: 1 week.

Delusory (Active) LV27 EXP: 82.58%
An ability born not from an understanding of lies but of truths. In grasping the nature of the world hidden behind the veil of perception, one has gained the power to manipulate that veil and craft illusions around oneself, transforming thoughts into light and light into ephemeral form. The energy required and difficult increases with the breadth of the illusion and decreases with INT, WIS, and skill level.

Tranquility (Passive) LVMAX
The wisdom of enlightenment has brought with it the ability to see through the truth of the world just as many see through its lies, and that ability allows the user to truly be at peace, as they can see everything what it truly is.
Enhances the Gamer's Mind to be able to purge all mental effects rather than just debilitating ones.
Allows the user to choose what effects to purge.

Unity (Passive) LVMAX
An ability given to those who have surpassed all limits and seen the truth, glimpsing the light from which all things come and return. By grasping this truth, however slightly, the user has obtained a true connection to the world around them by understanding even that which is above the minds ability to comprehend.
25% less MP used for all Elemental abilities.
50% increase to the effectiveness of all Elemental abilities.

The Soul Within (Passive) LVMAX
An ability that those who's magical power is so overwhelming that it has become intertwined with their very soul, becoming a living ley line that generates and provides mystic force to the world around them. One with such a soul's ability to both create and destroy with mana is completely unmatched, their power being enough to completely recreate the very fabric of the world should they choose to.
Increases WIS by 100%.
Doubles the effectiveness of all WIS based skills.

The Hidden Heart (Passive) LVMAX
A skill given to those of such spiritual wisdom and power that they have outgrown the limits of their own souls and reached beyond. Circumventing their own boundaries, the user crafted a nascent soul and merged with it to stimulate his own growth beyond the natural limits of both their mortal and immortal frames. This 'second heart', though young, shines with its power and potential.
Double MP capacity.

The Unseen Form (Passive) LVMAX
A skill granted to those of such enlightenment that that can no longer be considered wholly physical or spiritual entities, but instead a mixture of both. Existing in two worlds simultaneously, those with this skill may interact freely with either world and is more resistant to effects that come solely from one. Furthermore, by drawing from the power of their dual existence, they may rise above the concerns that bind others.
Effects:
Causes the user to exist as a dual entity, made as much of spirit as flesh.
The user of this skill may draw sustenance from his soul rather than his body, circumventing the need for biological necessities, including air.
As an existence that is at once body and soul, the user may draw upon both to fortify the whole. Physical Resistance and HP Regeneration are added to Magical Resistance and MP Regeneration. Magical Resistance and MP Regeneration are added to Physical Resistance and HP Regeneration.

When she had first read the description of the WIS skill The Unseen Form, she had become excited, thinking that the skill meant that she'd outright be able to visit the Pure World and see her father and Naruto again, but she'd quickly discovered that that was not what the ability meant, discovering that the spiritual world they mentioned was still very much tied to the physical plane of the Impure World, only allowing her to see things that most wouldn't be able to with regular vision.

That crushing discovery had caused her to relapse for a couple of days, remaining in her room and speaking to no one.

Speaking of her skills, however… a few others stood out – namely Delusory, another one of the ones she had gotten for raising her WIS to 200. The skill was to create illusions, which seemed completely useless at first glance, considering that she already had the ability to use genjutsu, but Sakura quickly realised the benefits of it – since unlike genjutsu, the actual illusion wasn't defined at all, the skill could be used however she liked – essentially it was the ability to cast whatever genjutsu she liked. Plus, since it wasn't a genjutsu per se, she also wondered if the ways one would normally escape a genjutsu would work with this skill, which was something that needed further testing.

The INT skills in general were incredible, and the specific applications of each were too many to count, and she was still working to find more niche uses for each. But by far the best skill of them all was Qigong. By simply meditating, she could permanently raise her physical stats, just when she had thought she had reached the point that outright training them was useless, outside of long extended periods. Plus, it was a way independently raising her HP from her VIT, which was something she needed – even with the massive MP and HP growth she'd had and the massive decrease in cost of her skills, MP ones especially, and with the Cell Mystic Activation, the automatic healing skill she'd developed, she still could only use Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South for fifteen seconds, tops. It was a marked increase, and one that meant training the skill to reduce its cost was much easier and effective, but it still wasn't at a level where she was happy with it – if there was an enemy that she'd need to use it to fight, she wouldn't be able to keep up the fight for very long.

As her HP was the main limiting factor however, Qigong would help that become a non-issue, at least in time. The primary goal now was… She sighed. Learning meditation. It was a real easy way to get stronger, so she wasn't complaining, as such, but… "Meditation's so boring!"

---

Sakura's eyes flicked up. Even without Sensing, she'd be able to feel chakra of that level easily. Whoever had waltzed into her territory was throwing enough chakra around to terraform it. She growled as she thought of who it could be, mainly settling on the idea of it being a Kumo-nin who had forgotten themselves on the way back to the Land of Lightning. She'd had a few run-ins with some of their careless trash before this, when they started sending in people to go check out what had happened to the Abarai brothers. She had thought she had made it clear that Kumo was not to touch her toys, not while she was still here… Perhaps they were calling her bluff now. It made sense – she was young, after all, and by herself. If they'd called the bluff when she'd first made it two years ago she'd have been fucked, but now… She smiled, quickly excusing herself from Chichiatsu's side and bolting out of the palace.

---

Sakura stopped on a tree, looking at the scene below her. The three people gathered there were so focused on each other that they hadn't noticed her. The former marshy forest they were standing in had become a clearing, the ground completely torn up and burning. One woman stood facing two men, she noticeably more injured than the other two while twin tails of bubbling red chakra swished behind her, the rest of her body covered by the same chakra in a cat-like shroud. She was panting quite heavily, her clothes looking ragged and her blonde hair a mess, and as Sakura looked around, she saw what she assumed to be the remains of what had been her team.

Cat Playing in the Clouds
LV 73
Nii Yugito

The other two were both wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them. One held a huge tri-bladed scythe and some kinda spike weapon, while the other didn't seem to be holding a weapon at all, instead having three black… things stood behind him.

Great Gospel of Jashin
LV 66
Hidan

Only Money Revives My Dead Heart
LV 70
Kakuzu

Hmm. High levels, though that's to be expected. A voice in her head told her that she should retreat, as just comparing these levels to hers should tell her that she'd outmatched, but Sakura quickly silenced it. She knew for a fact now that just displaying her level didn't actually really show her how strong someone was compared to her – the proof of that was a year ago, when she had begun to slow down on training. She had been equal in level to Toyohisa then, yet she completely outstripped him in terms of power. The question was… how much? She had felt the amount of chakra being used, and while she already knew in sheer volume she didn't have enough to match that, she was more confident in terms of strength, especially considering all the ways she had to boost her power enough to flee if she was overestimating herself.

She could also see that while she had been right in the sense that a Kumo-nin had been causing all of the ruckus, she wasn't the aggressor here, or the one she could fight. The injuries on both sides proved it – all of her squad was dead and she was injured, yet these two were pretty much fine. With their levels, the two of them should easily be able to defeat her, even if neither one was quite as strong as her alone, so the only reason the fight had gone on long enough for her to even arrive is because she had something they wanted. So the side that'd probably annoy more people to help would be… the Cloud girl. Besides, they're all foreigners anyway, so what does it matter? Her eyes gleamed, turning orange, and she pounced, interrupting whatever conversation they were having, diving straight for the weaker one with a scythe with a flying kick.

To his credit, he just about managed to block, her foot driving into the handle of the scythe rather than the man's body, though his quick defence was completely blown apart, Sakura's unexpected level of strength sending the improperly anchored and braced missing-nin flying. By then Sakura was already flipping away, hands streaming fire as she blasted Kakuzu with her Atom Blazer. The other nin was just as quick to react however, and defended himself with a wall of water, while Sakura landed lightly on her feet next to Yugito. "If I help you kill these dudes, will you get out of my country?" Sakura asked cheerily.

The shocked jinchuuriki took a second to respond, realising that this was the girl that there had been reports about – Swamp's sole ninja. Either the reports had been wrong or this girl was good at hiding her power however, as she wasn't anywhere near B-rank like they had said she was – that exchange, however brief, solidly put her as at least A-rank, and more than likely S – leading her to wonder how one as young as her became so powerful, and why Konoha would ever leave her here to her own devices when surely one with her kind of strength would be more useful back in the Land of Fire. She nodded, tabling her thoughts for later – whatever the case, she was thankful the girl had arrived. She had purposefully started throwing more chakra around than necessary to try and signal her, and if she hadn't arrived soon, she would've been forced to either use the Nibi's full power or be captured by these two. "I only wish to return back home."

"Sweet. I have dibs on scythe then!" Sakura's mouth split open in a huge grin, teeth gleaming like blades in the afternoon sky. True to her word, she blazed forward at Hidan, rearing her fist back as crimson chakra coalesced around it. The former Yugakure shinobi had recovered by now, laughing at Sakura's mania – or perhaps just laughing at nothing – swinging his scythe directly into her travel path. It hit true, two of its three blades piercing right through her, and Hidan, Yugito and Kakuzu were all shocked at the ease that she had been killed, considering her entrance. That shock dulled all of their senses, if even for a moment, and so they were all surprised again when Sakura continued her attack as if nothing had happened, her hand spearing down and separating Hidan's outstretched arm at the elbow.

Sakura leaped back, pulling the scythe out of her as she did, Hidan's severed forearm still gripping it tightly. Yugito watched as her wounds seemed to simply disappear as if by magic, and then her thoughts turned to the chakra that had covered her hand before she had struck, and the fact that she was, as far as the older reports were true, a Konoha nin that had for whatever reason been relegated to this country without her team. The final nail in the coffin was her age, and things quickly fell into place for the older Kumo kunoichi. Things made more sense now, though she still didn't understand why the Leaf would send someone like her away, when she was a weapon to be used in its defence. She would have to inform Raikage-sama when she returned that she had found the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. After all, who else could heal themselves so quickly, other than the Slug Princess?

Sakura, oblivious to the whirring machinations going on in Yugito's head, giggled at the sight of Hidan's arm hanging off her new weapon, beyond pleased that she'd gotten herself a souvenir. Hidan too found himself laughing, at the seeming kindred spirit he was fighting against. He'd never met anyone so willing to injure themselves just to attack their enemies and do such seemingly miniscule damage in return. "Who the hell are you, you crazy bitch? Are you a follower of Jashin too?"

"Who the fuck's Jashin?" Sakura spat, before charging Hidan again, holding his scythe aloft and pushing him away from the clearing and deeper into the surrounding forest. Kakuzu's beasts moved to intercept, but they were blocked, Yugito's twin tails extending and defending her.

"You're fighting me." The Kumo-nin intoned, now completely confident she would be leaving this country alive with the assistance of who she thought was her sister-in-arms. Kakuzu scowled, knowing that he hadn't been paid enough for this, already thinking of exit strategies. Hidan would almost certainly get carried away and keep fighting till he couldn't any longer, but that wasn't the problem – it was the pink girl, who seemed like she'd do the same, but unlike him, she also healed from the damage she took, so he'd probably lose that fight. He couldn't fight the jinchuuriki alone, let alone her and her friend – but he also knew if he waited until she was done with Hidan, she probably wouldn't let him leave. He had to go now if he wanted to survive.

"What a pain." He muttered.

---

"Where'd you even come from, you little cunt? We killed all of the cat bitch's teammates already!" Hidan screamed hysterically, swiping at her with the black spike in his hand as Sakura danced away twirling his scythe, keeping an eye on her HP. The hit she had taken earlier had dealt a decent chunk of damage, though it wasn't anything too serious, as long as she started healing if this took a while. Her HP regen was essentially nullified due to Vermillion Bird of the South, so she'd have to use the Mystical Palm or the Cell Mystic Activation if he hit her again, and both had their flaws.

Even with Benevolentia and Industria, my skill with the Mystic Activation isn't high enough that the healing would offset the cost if I used my HP, so I'd have to use MP, and even then it still eats that like a bitch. Mystic Palm heals more than it takes even if I use HP, but then I only have one free hand, and I want to keep this scythe away from him if I can, and I'm not exactly a master with it. "None of your business, freak!" She screamed back, smiling widely with excitement even as her brain went through scenario after scenario, trying to see what the best way to fight this guy would be.

From his loadout, he seems to be a melee-range fighter. It'd make sense – his friend didn't seem to do much if any fighting himself, leaving it to those black things. He'd charge in, while the other one is mid-range support. So then, assuming that… She easily dodged a swipe of the man's spike, amateurishly raking the scythe along his back as he did so, her incredible strength meaning that the normally ineffectual strike did a noticeable amount of damage that her opponent simply seemed to shrug off, trying to attack again as Sakura retreated, snorts of mirth escaping her. The smart thing to do would be to fight him from mid-range, but the fun thing would be to beat him at his own game. And since this is a pretty good test to see how strong I really am…

Sakura stopped moving, Hidan doing the same once he realised she was still. She spun the scythe, resting it on her shoulder. "Let's have some fun." She giggled, before charging straight at the man.

"You're pretty goddamn crazy… If you weren't a fucking heathen, you'd be my type!" Hidan cackled, charging right back at her, spike raised so he could finally get a taste of her blood. His eyes widened as she vanished before his eyes, before realising that no, she had suddenly changed direction – but rather than going to the left or right in an attempt to circle around him, she had gone up – and somehow hadn't lost any speed in doing so. She threw his scythe back down at him, forcing him to dodge to the side, where she appeared again, having instantly changed direction again, this time coming down. A sword was in his face before he could blink, and he knew he couldn't dodge cleanly in time, instead taking a page out of his opponent's book and diving into the attack.

Sakura's Swamp-made katana split Hidan open from right hip to left shoulder, even as he drove his spike into her own right shoulder. The immortal man leaped back, wrenching his weapon out of her, glad he had finally made contact, while Sakura looked at him quizzically, wondering how he was still moving so quickly considering almost all his organs were in plain view. "Don't you feel pain or something?"

"Of course I do! And it feels good…" Hidan moaned, drawing a pattern with his sandal on the ground. "I'd be worrying about yourself now, though, you little bitch… Don't worry, though. I'll make you feel great before I send you off to see Jashin!" He shouted, licking her blood off of the black spike. Sakura watched in fascination as his skin turned black, with white markings all over it. It reminded her of a skeleton more than anything. Hidan laughed manaically, clearly unhinged, as the smell of all of the blood spilt also began to get to Sakura, causing her to join him with another fit of the giggles.

"Curse Technique… Death Controlling Possessed Blood!" Hidan shouted, before raising the spike that Sakura now recognised as a stake made for torture rather than a weapon used for fighting, and bringing it down on himself, piercing his own heart. A moment passed, Sakura feeling odd for that time, before the metallic, coppery taste of blood filled her mouth and she was forced to cough it out, falling to her hands and knees. She glanced at her HP, which had suddenly fallen dangerously low, and a quick Diagnostic scan showed her heart was completely destroyed, before the Gamer's Body quickly restored it.

She stood, not bothering to wipe away the blood, and activating the Cell Mystic Activation as she did so, powering it with her MP. "Ow." She said, spitting out the last remnants of blood in her mouth. "That hurt." She finished, grinning at HIdan through blood-coated teeth, the vulgar Akatsuki member for once finding himself at a loss for words. Sakura stared at him blankly. I think I've had enough fun fighting him. He hurt me, so now he's going to suffer. Just need to figure out how he did that and stop it.

Hidan grit his teeth, beyond confused. "I don't know how the fuck you survived that, but-" My HP's high enough to use it for a moment. For a second, Sakura turned on Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South. Her orange eyes darkened, turning the crimson colour of fresh blood, while her body heat rose, blood and chakra evaporating and mixing into what looked like scarlet flames that ran down her body, while the same chakra flooded through her hair, turning it the same colour as her eyes. She Lunged forwards, grabbing Hidan by the face and throwing him out of the circle he had drawn, the throw sending him crashing through multiple thick trees before he flew into a rock.

Sakura quickly deactivated the technique, even that short period of using it having brought her already low HP back into the danger zone, rushing over to where Hidan had landed, finding a completely, horribly mangled – yet still alive – pile of blood, guts, ruptured organs and bone, that tried screaming insults at her as she approached but failed, his diaphragm having torn in two at some point during his Sakura-assisted flight. Sakura felt positively giddy – both because of the blood making her want to go into a frenzy, but also due to the fact that he was still alive despite the punishment she'd dealt to him, and his mind hadn't broken either. She could have so much fun with him…

Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!

She sat down, ready to get started, when Yugito dropped down next to her. She'd forgotten all about the Kumo woman and her opponent. "My opponent fled." The other woman said. "I see that your battle went well."

"Mm. That all? Shoo then, go home. I've got things to do." Sakura said, dismissing Yugito without even looking at her. "Oh, and tell your musclebound idiot of a leader to not mess with Swamp ever again, okay? I don't want him pulling stupid shit like what he tried with Abarai two and a half years ago. I won't have it."

Yugito's tone was even, despite the insult Sakura had thrown at her Kage, knowing that if this girl was truly what – no, who – she thought she was, she would easily be able to match the blonde Cloud kunoichi in raw strength, and likely would also be able to back up the threat. "I will. I just wanted to ask. I saw the last portion of your fight, and that technique you used at the end… I wanted to know what it was."

Sakura's head whipped around, and Yugito took a step back as she looked in the younger girl's orange eyes, the unbridled rage and killing intent taking even her aback, and she had felt the full brunt of the Nibi's anger on multiple occasions. "None of your business. Get out of here, before I change my mind." She stood up, turning around and taking a step towards her. "Unless-" Yugito vanished as soon as Sakura began to approach, not even thinking about risking her life fighting someone like her.

"Tch. Foreign scum." She scoffed, spitting on the ground. She glanced disdainfully at the still trying to speak head of Hidan, and crushed it underneath her heel, no longer in the mood to take her time with him.

Once she was sure that she was far enough away, which meant once she was past the Land of Lightning's border, Yugito took the chance to catch her breath, knowing just how close she had come to dying just then. At this point, after feeling that dark, almost venomous chakra, there was no doubt in her mind. She had to tell the Raikage that the Kyuubi container had marked the Land of Swamps as its territory. There was no one else the girl could be. Yugito scoffed at the name the younger shinobi had given her, the one that was currently printed in the Bingo Book. Harukaze? She was nothing like spring. That implied beauty, grace, love… that thing wasn't grace, or beauty. She was death incarnate.

Yugito realised that, for the first time in her entire life, she was scared. That feeling that she had given off, right at that last moment… If she hadn't run right then, she'd be dead. She was almost certain of it. She shook her head, sweat pouring off of her as she chuckled. To hell with Spring Breeze, that didn't describe her at all. No… she was like a feral animal, one that would never die. What was that name, that Omoi had come up with? The one that everyone had laughed at? Eien no Sakura, right?

That fit far better. Eien no Sakura. The only shinobi that could make Nii Yugito lose her nerve.

-END OF THE INTERLUDE-

---

And there it is, the end of the Interlude! Next chapter will be the first part of Act I. Man, I should find a better way of keeping track of Sakura's skills. The document I've been using's fifteen pages long at this point. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the Interlude as a whole. The fun starts soon.