Chapter 1
Haruno Sakura had always told her friends that her family was not ninja, that she was the first Haruno to become shinobi. Though this was not a lie, it was also not entirely the truth. She was the first Haruno to become shinobi, but other members of her family had once been ninja. The Suiren (lily) clan was an old one, and one her great-great-grandmother, her namesake, was the last of. Like Rock Lee, Suiren Sakura did not have the ability to mould and use chakra. She was the last member of a small clan that had only known power in its youth. With her passing their family secrets fell into the holding of her husband, and were passed down through time as the forbidden holdings of the Haruno clan.
They were sealed in a chest by Suiren Sakura's will hlden for the next member of her blood that held the ability of a shinobi. It was a seal that had killed many who had attempted to open it since, grandsons and granddaughters, cousins and nieces and nephews. Enough died from trying it that it had been locked away in the Haruno clan house behind locks and bars, traps and pits so that none might try it again.
None did. Thick layers of dust built up over everything and it was all but forgotten. Haruno Sakura though remembered; she remembered because her grandmother had told her of the chest, and because she possessed one of the elusive traits of the long lost Suiren. Haruno Sakura had the eidetic memory of that lost clan, once told something, or once she had read it she never forgot.
It had taken Sakura two hours to work through the protections that had guarded the chest, but after the events in Wave Country she would not let mere time dissuade her. Naruto, Sasuke they had both been so strong back when they fought Zabuza, and later Haku. She was tired of being the smart but weak one. Tired of being 'forehead girl' the one that everyone else attacked, or in a few rare cases protected.
She would gain the strength to be the protector rather than the protected even if it killed her.
So far it had not even come close. The traps had been good, but had not truly be designed to stop a determined ninja. Though Sakura was not the best fighter, or the best ninjutsu artist in the academy she was one of the best planners when she bent her mind to the task. It had taken time and a lot of kawarimi to get through the traps, and Sakura was exhausted.
It had worked though. Now all she had to do was open the chest.
"A blood seal." Sakura recognized the way the chest had been sealed. They had covered them in class. It was a blood seal, and she also knew it was something else. A retribution seal to kill those that tried to open it that were not of the blood.
Sakura worried her lower lip with her teeth trying to decide now whether or not to continue on or turn back. The voice inside her head, her 'inner' self was strangely silent right now. Normally it would be egging her on, and its silence was disturbing.
Sakura suddenly came to a decision, and before she even realized she had moved her thumb was burning from the bite of her teeth. The bloodied hand slammed down on the seal as her left hand made the half ram seal.
"Kai!"
The release of the seal was anti-climatic. The chest simply fell apart in a flash of smoke to reveal the contents. That was something that Sakura was not expecting, and she had been expecting more in the chest itself as well.
There were three scrolls, some very old clothing, and six dozen polished metal objects about the size and shape of a water lily pad. Still this was what Sakura had came for, and bare minimum or not, she was not going to leave without it. She carefully put away the clothing into her pack and left as silently as she came.
Sakura decided she would stop by a tailor before reviewing the scrolls the first step to claiming her ancient heritage was looking the part.
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'Family Jutsu of the Suiren Clan' the scrolls were labeled, along with a stark kanji for one, two, and three. It was obvious which scroll was meant to be opened and it did not take genius for Sakura to do just what was indicated.
'The basis of the Suiren Clan techniques is the division of the self that is, and that self that could be. These are commonly known as the conscious and the unconscious minds. The one that is two.' Sakura nodded softly to herself. The unconscious mind was often known as the suppressed mind. It was what controlled the instincts, the body when it was asleep, and often came forth in times of great stress. She continued to read to find out just how that could be used in a family technique.
'The Suiren which the clan named after is composed of that which is seen the flower and the leaf, and that which is hidden by the water the stem, and the root. The whole of which is the plant that gives, or takes life. So to the family techniques combine the shown and the hidden. Suiren becomes the two that are one.' Sakura read that over a second time trying to understand the meaning in the words. To look underneath the underneath as Kakashi-sensei had taught her. It sounded like it meant that the Suiren would somehow combine the conscious and the unconscious minds into a single force.
Sakura grinned as she continued, seeing that she had indeed saw successfully below the surface. 'The first step of the Suiren technique combines the mind that is, with the mind that could be into a self imposed whole. No longer will the minds be split and at odds with each other they will work together towards all goals. The mind will be whole. The Suiren family are suited for this merging because the mind that could be is unusually strong, close to the surface, and easily merged.' Sakura smiled again as her inner self loomed large in her mind and raised a fist to the sky while shouting "Yatta!". There had to be a drawback, and indeed there was.
'Unfortunately the mind is not meant to forever be two that are one. It was designed and meant to be one that is two. Towards this end it is necessary for those who undertake the technique to learn a second, that of the artificial splitting of the mind, the Crease. After merging and while in the Crease no non-family genjutsus will ever be able to affect the user, nor shall the user be able to utilize any non-family genjutsu.' Sakura frowned as the first jutsu in the scroll was not the merging of the minds but that for imposing the Crease. It was not a hard jutsu just a minor C ranked self-healing persistent genjutsu, which required a mirror.
Sakura practiced the seals for a long time. She had to make sure she could cast this correctly before she went on to the next step. In fact the scroll would not open up any farther as it was, and Sakura hypothesized that it was because she had to cast it correctly before she could move on to the next step.
The self cast genjutsu explained part of the metal weapons she found though. Their burnished faces could be used as mirrors on the battlefield. If the Suiren family techniques had more self genjutsu then there would be a need for mirrors on the battlefield. Their shape made sense now as well taking it from the flower that the family was named after. The edges were currently dulled, but had obviously once held an edge. How they were used without any visible handle was something that Sakura still did not understand. Hopefully that would be explained as the scroll continued.
It was only an hour before her normal time of going to bed before she felt confident in using the new genjutsu. She stepped into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Her hands flashed through the seals and she stared into her reflections eyes as she finished the last one.
"Suiren Family Technique, self-genjutsu Crease of the Mind!" Sakura started as she heard her voice, because she had not spoken. Her reflection smirked for an instant as she realized its mouth had moved before she fell to the floor in a heap.
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Morning. It had to be morning. The birds were singing, there was sunlight streaming through the window, and though she could not remember how she got there she was in bed. Sakura could tell it was early, much earlier than she normally got up. Kakashi had said they were going to meet at nine today, and right now it was maybe five forty-five barely past sunrise.
Sakura could not hear her parents moving around right now, which gave credence to the early morning hour. They were usually up for an hour or two before she woke herself getting ready for their jobs. This was new, and she did not really understand why she wanted to start the day right now. Get a shower in and start learning new things from the scroll.
The scroll, the genjutsu she cast last night before bed. It all came rushing back to Sakura. The scroll was still open on the floor where she had been reading it at the foot of her futon. She was sleeping in the nude, something she had always wanted to do, but had never gotten the nerve up to try. The genjutsu that created the 'Crease', and doing something she had never done before suddenly fit together as if they were a puzzle. The 'Crease' was actually the method by which the minds were integrated!
Sakura pushed out of bed and made her way into the bathroom. The first thing she noticed in the mirror was the fact that she had seemingly gained ten pounds of muscle overnight, to the detriment of the softness she once had in her belly and in the flare of her hips.
'Kami, I look even more like a boy now.' Sakura groaned as she looked in the mirror turning this way and that as she took in the rather muscular figure she had morphed into. The stomach was not bad as she feared being that it was now flat, trim, narrow. In fact even without the extra pounds she used to have on her hips it made them look wider than they had been. Still the extra muscle in her arms and back made her look like a freak.
Sakura shook her head and slipped into the shower. Freak though it looked she felt more powerful than she ever had in the past. It was easier to breath and she moved smoother than she ever had in the past. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing Sakura decided.
Refreshed by the shower she made her way back into her room wrapped in a robe. Sakura immediately settled in by the scroll while she continued to dry her hair.
'Successful completion of the 'Crease' genjutsu the first time will result in several changes to the user. There will be a period of unconsciousness when the mind that could be will craft the body into that the use truly desires. This might take a period of several days, months or even years to complete in some cases. Minor changes will be evident almost immediately.' Sakura growled at that. This was the body she wanted? There was no way that could be true. She looked like some butch freak.
Sasuke would not like the way she looked now. Sakura thought about that for a moment before she realized that she did not feel the crushing blow that would have once been to her. So what if the brooding Uchiha that would not give her the time of day liked the way she looked or not? He had never expressed an interest in her, and truthfully she forgot exactly why she had started to pursue him. It had been the thing to do at the time, go along with the crowd, and what had it cost her? Perhaps her best friend.
"I am not going to let him rule my life again. Ino's my friend, and I'm going to get her back." Sakura gave a nod as she voiced her promise to herself. It was going to be difficult to prove to Ino that she meant it, but she would do so no matter what the cost. Even if it meant throwing away her chance at Sasuke, not that she wanted that chance much anymore. Sakura snorted and turned her attention back to the scroll.
'The 'Crease' has many levels of release. Normally when not training or asleep the genjutsu that was cast to establish it drains a very small amount of chakra to keep itself active. To decrease the level of seperation one molds a specific amount of chakra and with the seal of the Ram disperses part of the genjutsu with a simple Kai. To completely disperse the genjutsu this will need to be done four times.' Sakura frowned as she followed along. She was in a genjutsu right now? It did not feel like she was in one, but then again the best genjutsu were the ones that integrated flawlessly with reality.
'The levels correspond to not only greater integration to the artificially split minds, but to the unlocking of increased physical and mental abilities. The first level corresponds to 'clarity of the mind'. The user is able to think faster and more clearly than ever before as unwanted and unneeded doubts are cast aside. The truth of self and of others are revealed. The second stage of release allows the body to be used to its fullest extent. Unconscious controls on muscles and speed are discarded. The third level unlocks the full potential of the mind's control of the body. The heart pumps or does not pump as the mind wills, pain and fatigue are mere memories. The final stage of release is to be avoided if at all possible. The locks and fetters of the mind are discarded and the full potential of its power is realized. Know that the further release that is required the greater the chakra usage and control must be.'
Sakura mulled that over. It appeared that the scroll was attempted to indicate that the mind was the source of all powers for the Suiren family techniques, the stronger the will the stronger the ninja.
'The hidden techniques of the Suiren are weapon techniques. They require excellent to perfect chakra control to use as well as the release of the first two levels of the 'Crease'. The pads are your weapons and their control will be by the string of either wire or chakra. There use is a dance. The first dance is the 'Dance of the floating Lily' and uses one pad.' Sakura felt her smile widen as she continued reading ravenously through the scroll. Here was where it was getting good. She still did not know what the first genjutsu did but here was a skill that obviously built upon it.
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Sakura was almost late to the morning meeting, meaning that she had gotten there right when Kakashi said they were to meet. Like usual the jonin instructor was nowhere to be seen. Sakura knew it would probably be noon before he showed up but she did not like being late herself.
"Oi, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out gleefully as she walked closer to the pair of boys. Both were looking at her strangely, and she felt her anger rising as they stared.
"What the hell is your problem!" Sakura shouted glaring at both of them. Naruto seemed to take it in stride, but Sasuke seemed rather surprised. She suddenly realized he would be since she had always doted on his word before. About time the stuck up bastard to a hit on the side of the head. Maybe he would look up and pay attention to something other than himself.
"Ano… Sakura-chan you look different." Naruto hesitantly replied.
Of course she looked different. Sakura had taken the time to stop by the tailor on the way to the training ground and had found he had finished the first of a dozen new outfits. Gone was the red and white dress and in its place was instead rather traditional shinobi clothing.
It was a one piece suit of gray. Though the wrists, ankles and neck bore tightly to skin, the rest was fairly loose to allow easy movement. Sakura thought it was a little plain, even with the white Lily pad emblem on the back but it made her look, serious. It was something that had felt right the moment she had looked in the mirror. In addition to the kunai holster hung from the belt, she had three of the lily knives complete with ninja wire and control rings.
"Oh, you like my new look?" Sakura gave Naruto a smile before looking to Sasuke. He was the strongest one here, and she wanted him to help her get better. "Ne Sasuke could we train while we wait for Kakashi-sensei?"
"Ehh." Sasuke turned away in what had to be a refusal. Sakura glared at him for a long time contemplating how it would feel to belt him upside the head. Maybe he just needed a physical reminder of just which was the stronger gender.
"Ano Sakura-chan I'll train with you!"
Sakura stared at the shorter, blonde haired member of their team for a few silent moments. Her mind was clear, and for the first time she could remember she actually studied him. She knew he was strong, he had defeated Haku after Sasuke had fell. He had been a key part of the attack that had freed Kakashi sensei. More importantly she suddenly realized was his ability to use Kage Bunshin, and a lot of them.
"Sure Naruto, just let me set a couple rules ok?" Sakura noticed his face fell a bit but she tugged him over by his sleeve and out into the open part of the training ground. "First no thrown weapons, second you can only attack me with your clones you have to stay here, and third you've got to wait until I say we can start ok?"
"Why?" Naruto asked looking confused.
"I've got a new technique I want to practice Naruto. It is a weapon technique, and I'm just learning it." Sakura left out that it was a technique she had just read about a couple hours ago in a scroll and had never actually used it before. "Two clones for now? And please Naruto I need to practice so don't go all out."
"A new technique? Sure I'll help!" Naruto gave a nod as he did his signature technique. "You guys know what Sakura wants, so make sure Sakura gets it!"
Sakura slipped her right hand through the control ring for one of the lily knives and let the ninja wire that connected the two hang loose. She lifted the knife up before her face with her left hand as she looked into the reflection of the eyes.
"KAI!" Sakura released the chakra she had gathered with the word and suddenly it seemed like she was looking at a different person. Her reflection was so calm, so collected and with a determination that shone in her jade eyes.
Sakura looked up at the two Naruto clones and started to channel chakra into the ring, and down the wire to the blade. A seal began to glow on the broad weapon, and the wire drew out in a tight stiff bow.
Sakura launched the blade with a flick of the wrist, much like throwing a kunai, and then started the prescribed motions of the control ring. At the end of the wire the heavy blade was much like a kite. More muscle was required to keep it moving, but to change the direction of the chakra lightened weapon only the lightest movement of the wrist was needed.
"Come at me."
Naruto's clones did, and for a moment Sakura knew fear. They were coming at her in way that Naruto had never come at her before. Sakura suddenly realized he was taking her seriously. A grin spread across her face as she whipped the weapon back and took out one of the two clones.
"Sakura-chan, you're good at this! You sure this is a new technique?" Naruto complained before poofing in another clone without having to be asked and sending it after her.
Sakura grinned in reply as she twitched the blade back, the wire slicing through another clone. That was interesting, the wire could be used as a weapon too. She narrowed her eyes as she continued the training losing track of time, and not noticing that Sasuke was watching as well Sharingan whirling madly.
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"Yo." Kakashi's arrival was a surprise to all three but neither Naruto nor Sakura was going to let him by.
"You're late!" The both screamed in unison, the training forgotten as Sakura pulled the lily blade in.
"I was walking on a sidewalk filled with cracks, and I couldn't dare break my mother's back." Kakashi waved off the protest as both gennin continued to glare at him.
Neither knew that Kakashi had been observing them from the beginning, he always did. Being late allowed the jounin to observe them working together, or not working together when he was not around. It let him see them face of adversity.
Or so he told himself.
Truthfully he had not wanted to pass them, but the council had its fingers in everything and Sasuke had to be a genin, and he had to be on Kakashi's squad because of the Sharingan. At least the chunnin exams might finally get this problem off his hands. Kakashi liked the three, but he just wasn't a teacher. He never would be a teacher.
That had been made pointedly obvious by the sudden change in Sakura. He had never seen this coming, and had not realized she had that much hidden talent. She was fast, fluid, and her control over the chakra laced wire and blades had been perfect.
Not only that but his experienced eye had noted that she moved with more strength and purpose than he had ever seen in her before. It was as if someone had taken Sakura and replaced her with an idealized version of her. Kakashi narrowed his eye as he looked at her, deciding that he did need to press this point.
"Sasuke, Naruto go spar." Kakashi put enough command in his voice that they did not argue but backed away out of listening range to do so. He had already put forward Team 7 for the chunnin exams and he needed to make sure that whatever Sakura had done did not endanger herself or the team as a whole.
"Sakura just where did you learn that?" Kakashi asked being rather blunt in his question. It was a skill he had never seen before.
"A scroll Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi thought about that for an instant. It was obvious that the girl was telling the truth, but not the whole truth. It did not matter her getting this strong this fast meant that she had gotten access to a family technique scroll, and the family techniques that could be used by others were often harmful to them.
"Sakura, it was a family technique scroll was it not?" Kakashi waited until she gave a nod before continuing. "Family techniques can be very dangerous for non-family members to use."
"But, I am family. It was my great-great-grandmother's family techniques." Sakura looked up at Kakashi as she let him into the secret. "The Suiren clan. Besides the base technique is the dangerous one, and unfortunately I have already done it."
Kakashi listened as Sakura filled him in on the events of the evening before, her change in the morning, and her thoughts on the matter. The more he learned the more worried he got. The physical changes weren't too worrying as what she described was well within the possibilities of ninja techniques but the method which they were obtained was setting off alarm bells in his head.
"Genjutsu that are cast upon the self and that act upon the users mind to remove sub-conscious barriers are very dangerous Sakura." Kakashi could not believe the girl had done this without seeking outside aid. Then again she tended towards wild swings in mood and personality far more so than the average teen girl. Rin had never been that bad. It was easy to believe that it was a very minor bloodline ability that the Suiren family techniques were built around. He raised his voice as he called out. "Sasuke, Naruto you will train together for three hours and then break for the day. I'm taking Sakura with me."
Kakashi ignored their protests; it was rather easy with the treasure of literature in his hands. He chuckled now and again at the subtle interplay of puns and characters. The man was a genius. Sure it was porn but it was well written porn!
The sudden surge of killing intent let him know that they had reached his destination. With a sigh Kakashi tucked away the precious Icha Icha novel and looked up at the red-eyed woman who was trying to kill him with her stare.
"Yo." As greetings went Kakashi thought it was best to keep things short and succinct, and a yo did that better than anything else. Besides his fingers were busy telling Kurenai exactly what she needed to know without having anyone else overhear. ANBU sign language was good for that.
"Team, we're breaking for lunch. Meet back at the Hokage tower in two hours and we'll pick up a mission then." Kurenai waited for them to move off before rounding on Kakashi again. This time he shuddered a little at the stare that she was leveling on him. "How the hell could you let this happen! Self-genjutsu are kinjutsu and yet you let one be used by a genin!"
"Its not like I had a hand in it Kurenai. She found the scroll in the family vault. As soon as I figured out how bad it was, I brought her straight here to see you." Kakashi motioned over to Sakura. "So how bad is it?"
"How can it be bad? The technique was a simple D ranked impulse masking technique!" Sakura growled looking from one to the other.
It took a moment for the genjutsu specialist to run through a series of seals before whispering the name of the jutsu under her breath. Kakashi began to get worried as Kurenai frowned thoughtfully as she looked at Sakura.
"Well, she was telling the truth. She is in a genjutsu, and other genjutsu does not work on her. As for all she says it did." Kurenai frowned slightly as she really looked at the other girl. "I need to know the seals."
"Show her Sakura." Kakashi leveled his glare on his student and the pink haired kunoichi failed to shrink back as she would have just days ago.
The seals were made slowly and Kakashi could have done it afterwards even without the Sharingan eye. Twenty seals, that was a fairly long string for something that Sakura seemed to think was a D level genjutsu.
"Hrm, she is right though, that is a D rank genjutsu. Plenty of control, very little power, lots of precision." Kurenai was mumbling to herself and Kakashi kept his ear open. The genjutsu mistress had a habit of letting fall little tidbits of information as she talked to herself. "When you woke this morning did you notice anything different in the way you felt or acted?"
"No." Sakura said bluntly and Kakashi was taken a bit aback.
"Kakashi?"
"Sakura is blunter today than she has been in the past. Her mood swings aren't as wild, but she is more confident and aggressive." Kakashi paused for a moment before deciding to continue. "I have to say I believe that she is telling the truth about the integration."
"If she is, then the worst has already passed. She's still alive, and if it hadn't gone right she'd be dead." Kurenai looked over at Sakura before she continued. "Genjutsu that acts upon the mind of the caster are very dangerous Sakura. Even the smallest flutter of will, of chakra, or of a seal can make them go horribly wrong. I won't ask you to reveal family secrets to me, but I strongly suggest that before you use any other of the family genjutsu techniques that you come to discuss them with me."
"Yes." Sakura's voice was sullen, a tone that Kakashi had rarely heard from her. Kakashi watched as Sakura met the other woman's eyes steadily before giving a shrug of her shoulders. "This was the only genjutsu technique in the first scroll, and the scroll advises that I have to reach the third level of release before being able to move on to the second. Besides there are four weapons dances that I need to learn before I continue on."
"Four?" Kakashi looked at his weakest student, the word shocked from his lips. The first was impressive enough, and though it depended more upon chakra control than anything else it would be an impressive mid-ranged technique when she mastered it.
"Yes there is the Dance of the Floating Lily, the Dance of the Giant Lily, the Dance of the Choking Lily, and finally the Dance of the White Lily."