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: Author

Now, this chapter is a bit later than most of my late chapters are. Well… I got called away to do a bunch of stuff at the worst time possible. Hopefully, I didn't ruin somebody's day with this delay. So, just enjoy the chapter instead of wondering about it.

Chapter 120: Trust and Motivation


Sakura and Heikō continued their practicing of the Calm Golden Path whenever the opportunity arose. Unlocking their first tenketsu, and seeing quite the improvement from having done so was a great motivator. Sadly, there was a big downside to practicing the technique. Meditating to bring balance to their bodies and themselves took time, time that went to waste if they were interrupted, and couldn't be used to do anything else productive at the same time.

After Sakura and Heikō had explained the idea behind the Calm Golden Path, Naruto had been disappointed, realizing almost immediately that it would be pointless for him to even try, as he was far too restless and full of energy to sit still for long periods of time. Sasuke had been put off by the long time frame and the unpredictable result of the practice but had still inquired about it until Kakashi mentioned how he might be more suited to learn how to unlock the Eight Inner Gates. Sakura made sure to explain exactly what mastering the gates entailed and how it was viewed from the perspective of someone following the Calm Golden Path. Even so, Sasuke was eager to learn, and Kakashi promised to consult Gai about it since he believed Sasuke could do it but wanted to be sure and get a second opinion.

Their return to Konoha was simple, and after reporting the success of their mission, it turned out that Tsunade was free to see them, so Sakura took the opportunity to reveal her and Heikō's success in opening their first tenketsu, as well as the pleasant surprise of their increased chakra reserves.

Upon entering, Sakura and Heikō were amused to see Tsunade now employing the Shadow Clones as suggested, two of them sitting either side of Tsunade, in their own chairs, while working on paperwork, while a third stood by the side of the room, reading from scrolls piled up next to her. Sakura noted that Shizune wasn't present, but assumed Tsunade had sent her somewhere, now that the workload had lightened tremendously for the both of them. Shizune deserved a break in Sakura's opinion.

"I swear, every time we meet, you're even more unbelievable. Are you certain I can't convince you to become my apprentice?" Tsunade asked Sakura almost immediately, not bothering with formalities or even greetings. Sakura smiled but shook her head, amused.

"I'm sorry Hokage, but I wish to pursue my own path for now. I can't afford to stop now and focus on becoming a medic-nin." Sakura reminded her, making Tsunade sigh, although she was smiling anyway.

"Well, it was worth a try I suppose," Tsunade told them, amused.

"Well, if you really want another apprentice, then why not Karin Uzumaki? Last I saw her, she wanted to ask you about becoming your apprentice." Sakura explained, which made Tsunade groan.

"Just call me Tsunade when we're in private." Tsunade told Sakura, scowling slightly at the title, before answering them." Yes, I am aware of Karin. She came to me before your team left on your mission. Unfortunately, considering her circumstances, I am hesitant to take her on as an apprentice. She hasn't even been in the village for a year. The chances of her being a spy or a sleeping agent are too high. I'm surprised she even was made a Konoha Shinobi on such short notice." Tsunade explained, making Sakura frown before she stepped forward.

"Tsunade, I don't think there's anything to fear. I was the one who saved her during the Chūnin exams, and Naruto is her only family. I doubt she holds any loyalty towards Kusagakure after how they treated her and her mother. I vouch for her, and I'm certain Naruto would do so as well. Besides, she's gone through Torture and Interrogation, didn't she? They cleared her!" Sakura pointed out, only to be confused as Tsunade sighed again.

"While I trust your judgment, whatever sob-story she told you and your team can't really be confirmed. As for Torture and Interrogation, she was barely even questioned if you look at the report I got. It's a shame, she's got talent, I'll give her that, but I find it irrational to just trust an Uzumaki dropping in from nowhere." Tsunade argued. Sakura felt upset, while Heikō wanted to tell Tsunade that she was being unreasonable. Did she not trust her own Shinobi, her own Torture, and Investigation division?

"Well, if you don't feel like you can trust the judgment of others, why don't you give Karin some sort of test? A way to determine if you can trust her?" Sakura suggested, hoping to give Karin a chance. Thankfully, it seemed like Tsunade considered the idea as she leaned back in her chair with a thoughtful expression.

"I'll think about it." She finally said, making Sakura smile, which in turn made Tsunade shake her head. "You see her as a friend, and you trust her already. You refuse my offer and try and hand it over to your friend instead. May I ask why it is, you're so adamant about becoming a frontline fighter? From the records I have, you were slated as a Genjutsu type out of the Academy, yet here you are, looking for ways to increase your chakra, strength, and combat ability, rather than becoming a Medic-nin or Genjutsu specialist, which seem to suit you far better." Tsunade inquired, pointing out their odd choices.

Sakura and Heikō paused at the sudden question, thinking it over in their head for a moment, while Tsunade waited for their response. It wasn't as if Sakura and Heikō hadn't thought their decisions through, but they couldn't just come out and say that their goal was to make sure they were strong enough to stand side-by-side with their teammates once the opportunity to avenge the Uchiha clan suddenly came along, or was sought out, once they all felt ready. Purposefully going after Itachi Uchiha, when one of them was the last loyal Uchiha, another the sole heir to a newly established Shinobi clan, and currently the only user of a powerful Kekkei Genkai, and the Nine-tails Jinchūriki. Their request would never be approved, and so they couldn't afford to spill the beans, least of all to the Hokage. Sakura might have been considered a Genjutsu type, but what was the point of her and Heikō mastering the craft, if it would end up being useless against Itachi? They had no delusions that they would be able to trick a Sharingan, no matter how good they became at performing Genjutsu.

Considering their dilemma, they decided to settle on telling part of the truth, omitting the revenge plan that could end up labeling them all as flight risks, and forced into retirement to ensure they passed on their genes.

"It is actually precisely because we were considered a Genjutsu type that we decided on working on our taijutsu and physical prowess. Just like a medical-nin would prioritize learning medical skills and jutsu than combat-oriented ones, a Genjutsu specialist would focus on breaking and making Genjutsu. Such heavy specialization is dangerous, and while the same applies to Taijutsu, our decision offers more options. By strengthening our body, we've increased our chakra reserves significantly. It is the lifeblood of all Shinobi, and it only makes sense to strive to increase one's reserves of, and control over chakra. With this, all Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu become easier and more powerful, not to mention that should any of those skills fail, the Shinobi in question will be in a far better condition to manage a retreat or change tactics." Sakura began explaining, frowning inwardly as she felt that despite the honest and easy logic, that she wasn't quite selling their conviction and decision to focus on anything that would help their goal to keep their promise to Sasuke as team seven.

"Besides, physical skills take longer to acquire or regain than those involving chakra or understanding. Muscles, conditioning, and health can not be acquired as easily as knowledge or jutsu. It made more sense to us to first address our weaknesses, before building upon our strengths. It will be a lot easier to remain on our current level once we decide to focus on Ninjutsu or Genjutsu than it would be to catch up once we finished learning, or mastering those fields. Additionally, with our increased chakra reserves presumably, now enough to learn to use Shadow clones, I feel our decision was justified, as making these clones will increase our productivity immensely." Sakura added with a smile, making an obvious show of looking at Tsunade's own shadow clones working on paperwork next to Tsunade.

Tsunade sighed at the explanation but nodded in understanding. "I see, you make a good point. I suppose you'd like me to check your reserves then, and permit you to learn the Shadow Clone technique as soon as possible?" Tsunade asked, and Sakura responded with a big smile, which made Tsuande chuckle slightly, before gesturing for her to come over.

With a quick check, Tsunade confirmed that Sakura and Heikō now indeed had the combined chakra reserves of a Jōnin, qualifying them for the minimum chakra restriction that had labeled the technique forbidden in the first place.

"Alright, you're free to learn how to use Shadow clones," Tsunade told Sakura, who couldn't contain her excitement, thrusting her right fist towards the ceiling in celebration.

"Cha!" She exclaimed, before realizing what she had done, blushing slightly as she lowered her arm, pretending it didn't happen, while Tsunade and her clones all tried to hide their amusement.

"Well, I suppose I can understand your excitement. I felt the same when you explained how little people actually take advantage of this technique." Tsunade told the Haruno twins with a happy smile, before surprising them with an offer. "How about I cut down on the trouble for you to find a teacher, and teach you the technique myself?" She offered them, which Sakura happily accepted with a nod and a smile.

"That'd be appreciated." She told Tsunade, who then got up from behind her desk, and led Sakura out the window. Sakura couldn't help but chuckle as Heikō and her felt one of the ANBU guards hidden in the room sigh at their departure through the window, rather than the door.


Shadow clones were in one word, amazing. Tsunade had taught them and continuously warned them not to experiment with making multiple clones until their reserves improved further.

It was funny, really, that now that they had access to Shadow clones, their growth would become exponential. They'd be able to improve their reserves quicker while adding more training into their schedule, and as their reserves grew, the more they'd be able to add to their schedule, and incidentally also their reserves.

Of course, before any serious training could take place, the technique itself had to be properly tested. The odd stipulation that one needed reserves comparable to a Jōnin had always struck Sakura and Heikō as a little odd. Questioning Naruto about the technique until Kakashi had forbidden them to do so anymore, had made them wonder how a technique that used half of your chakra could end up killing you, when either way, you would retain at least half of your chakra, which shouldn't constitute a danger, even if it happened to someone with only civilian levels of chakra. Naruto had claimed that the clones themselves never really seemed to cost any chakra beyond the half they required to be made.

Asking Tsunade hadn't given any answers either, as Tsunade had simply told them to shut up, and that they would figure it out once they had performed the technique themselves. Tsunade happened to be right about that.

As soon as Sakura first attempted the technique, she could tell why Jōnin level chakra was required. Naruto's chakra reserves were likely bottomless, as he didn't seem to notice, or simply didn't understand the process, but Sakura and Heikō could feel and understand exactly what their chakra did as they performed the technique.


AN: Woo! Shadow clones. Next chapter, we will explore how Sakura and Heikō perceive their function, as well as why the technique is called the Shadow Clone Technique. Until then, anyone has any guesses? If yours are better than mine, I will credit you… provided I decide to use it of course, and you give me your permission. Either way, I would love to discuss theories and ideas with people, even if I don't get permission to use their idea or guess as to how the technique works.