Chapter 17 The Record

Morning came and everyone woke up at their own pace, except for those who had night shifts and were finally able to go home and get some sleep. Sakura was one of the former, rising from her bed with a yawn and a stretch.

'Okay, so I feel like... myself again. Maybe Ino is right about the-' Sakura thought, only to stop and freeze when other memories involving her blonde friend popped back into her mind.

"Oh, oh my lord. Did I... did I really... do that?" Sakura asked in disbelief and shock, touching her lips. "Why did I do that? And why... did it feel so damn good?"

Memories of that kiss kept playing in her mind, despite the fact that they were technically Dark Sakura's memories. With those memories came the pleasure. The softness of Ino's lips, the playfulness of her tongue, the plushness of her ass, the pressure of their breasts against each other, it felt so right to her. As right as kissing Naruto had.

"Why did it feel right? I never thought of Ino that way before... or have I?" She asked herself, letting her mind go off on its own for now. "Okay, if I understand this correctly, then this dark side isn't a separate me but every thought I pretend I never had. That means she thinks whatever I think, but she doesn't pretend not to. So if she's into Ino, that means at some point I thought about 'being with Ino' and ignored it rather than addressed it."

She sighed and slowly got out of bed, getting dressed. "I just don't understand this other personality. I can understand being based on repressed thoughts and wants, but why does she want what she wants? Why does she want the three of us to become Naruto's lovers? I never would have done that with Sasuke-kun, and honestly if I do get serious with Naruto I see myself getting territorial over him too. I'm more interested in being the one woman in Naruto's life rather than being one of three."

She paused for a bit as she changed her bra. "Or am I only thinking that because I'm supposed to think that? Social convenient says that relationships are supposed to be monogamous. It's one thing to share Naruto to help him gain some perspective, but forming a long term harem? Why would I want that when I could have him all to myself?"

She then felt a pang of pain in her head, like a headache that lasted just long enough to get her attention then faded away. Nonetheless, she winced and grit her teeth while putting one hand on her scalp until it did.

"Was that... her? Dark Sakura, are you trying to communicate with me?" She asked herself, but she got no answer. She took a deep breath and resumed dressing herself. "I have an idea, but right now I need to do something else."

Once finished, she went down stairs. Her parents were there, breakfast ready, but strangely both looked as if they had been waiting for her.

"Sakura, we need to talk." Mebuki Haruno, her mother, started, giving her an empty plate to get herself prepped.

"Okay, what about?" Sakura asked as she dished up.

Kizashi held up a piece of paper, with whatever on it unseen by the pinkette girl. "We got a notice from Hokage-sama. She said you've gone on strike."

Sakura paused for a moment. "Oh, I probably should have seen that coming. Of course she'd tell you, and the other's parents."

"Why did you do it Sakura? Why would you quit being a ninja?" Mebuki asked.

Sakura sat down and sighed. "I didn't quit, I went on strike, and I don't regret it. As for why, my teammate is still being hindered by this village and I want to make a stand against it."

"This is about Naruto?" Mebuki asked.

Sakura nodded. "Ever since he's come back from his trip, I've been learning a few things about him."

Kizashi and Mebuki shared a look, one that Sakura knew the meaning of. During the mission to rescue Gaara, Naruto had confessed to her that he contained the Kyuubi, and Kakashi had later in private confirmed to her that all the adults in Konoha knew too. Including her parents. When she got back, she had asked them point blank if that was true, and they admitted it. She then asked them if they had ever used that against him, and they said they didn't want to talk about that. Not too long after that, the mission to find Sasori's informant came up and the issue was put on hold.

"The thing that bothers me the most is that Naruto is being held back, and I'm pretty sure that it's not accidental." The young medic continued, her tone only slightly accusatory. "Naruto wants to become hokage. You know it, I know it, the hokage knows it, everyone knows it. Yet no one seems to actually want him to accomplish that goal. Not even the people who claim to support him. What does that sound like to you?"

"Sakura dear, the boy isn't ready to become hokage." Kizashi told his daughter.

"I understand, but think of it like this. Let's pretend that I'm twelve again and trying to become Tsunade-sama's apprentice. I make no secret of this and train to be accepted, but Tsunade-sama makes no effort to acknowledge me and people like you and the jounin make no effort to help me get acknowledged. Sure, you say to my face to keep my spirits up and keep trying, but at no point does anyone actually do anything on my behalf to help me succeed. No one teaches me any kind of medical jutsu in the meantime, no one tells me of any student programs, no one asks Tsunade-sama why she's ignoring me. Everyone just pretends my dream doesn't exist as soon as I'm not around. So tell me, if that was the case, what would you two do about it?"

Kizashi and Mebuki weren't sure what to say, but they didn't look too happy with it. More saddened, or shamed, since they knew what point she was getting at.

Sakura took a bite of some toast. "Basically that's happening to Naruto. He might not be ready to become hokage right now, but no one is doing anything to change that. No training, no help, no defense, just 'keep at it and someday you'll get the job'. Hell, I'm half-certain that even Jiraiya-sama barely did anything and he had over two years to do something. Frankly, I'm sick of it. Naruto's suffered enough already and he deserves the chance to see if he can be a good hokage. But since no one is taking this seriously, I had to do something drastic to get the point across."

"Still, going on strike?" Mebuki asked.

Sakura nodded. "Do you have a better idea?"

"It's not your problem to solve. If Hokage-sama doesn't want to teach him anything that's her right."

Sakura frowned. "Is it her right to prevent him from becoming chuunin despite all his accomplishments? Is it Kakashi-sensei's right to deny teaching Naruto anything despite it being his literal job to teach him? Is it Konoha's right to keep judging Naruto for something that happened over fifteen years ago? And keep using every criticism since then as justification for it while ignoring everything that proves otherwise? At what point does it stop being a right and start being an abuse of power?"

For a moment none of the three Harunos said a word.

"So I'm going on strike until the hokage decides she will take Naruto's dream seriously and give him a chance to succeed. If Naruto never becomes hokage, it should be because he chose it, not because everyone else wanted him to fail."

"What will you do for work in the meantime?" Kizashi asked.

Sakura shrugged. "I could see if I can make arrangements to help at the hospital despite being off the books. Or I could become a freelance medic, maybe set up my own suburban clinic. Or I could get a job at Ino's shop. It depends on how long this strike will go on, but I'm not going back to shinobi work until someone finally gives my friend a chance to succeed."

"What if that never happens?" Mebuki cautiously asked.

Sakura thought it over. "Then I guess I officially become retired."

After breakfast, Sakura decided to do something that she should have done a long time ago. She checked her family's old scrolls and books, the ones her father had tried to get her to read years ago. She needed more clues as to the nature of Dark Sakura, and if it was in there she was going to find it.

"Wow, so my family used to be partners to the Yamanaka clan?" Sakura thought out loud after reading through some of the scrolls. According to these, the Haruno and Yamanaka were originally ally clans before the hidden villages were founded, though the Yamanaka had the advantage of numbers and skills. The Haruno lacked a specialty, but this made them more adaptable for other tasks that the Yamanaka were too specialized in. Over time the Yamanaka forged better bonds with the Nara and Akimichi clans since their skills proved to be more complimentary, and the Harunos sort of drifted away without becoming adversaries.

In the years they cooperated, the Harunos attempted to develop skills that would work with the Yamanakas, often focusing on the physical while the other clan focused on the mental. A few tried to make their own mental jutsu, but this was deemed as a risk that could turn the Yamanakas against them, so this avenue was not pursued for long. There is one notable Haruno who claimed to have achieved some results, a man named Wakeru Haruno.

'Oh, could this be what Dad told me about?' Sakura asked.

Wakeru said he had found a way to defend his mind from outside influences. If the Yamanaka were like a spear to the mind, he wanted to see if a Haruno could be like a shield. He informed the others that his mind was safe from outside influence because now he had two minds, thus if one was tricked the other would take over and be safe from the danger until it had passed. This would provide a measure of genjutsu immunity, torture resistance, and secret keeping. Along with that, Wakeru said his memory and speed of learning were improved, and in his words 'best of all the Yamanaka cannot betray me now'.

'Two minds, this could be it.' Sakura thought.

Unfortunately, from that point on Wakeru displayed unusual traits. At random times he would change how he spoke or interacted with others, and in some cases acted unconcerned with the thoughts of others. He had been expected to lead the clan one day, and at times he would behave completely unfit for the role, both present and future. He would claim to be envious of others and now brave enough to ignore his duties and embrace the more juvenile activities of others. But in time Wakeru would return to normal, remembering what he had done and feeling shame, often trying to make up for his actions.

Sakura blinked. 'So if this is the same as me, then Wakeru's dark side made him ignore his duties and act like someone who had none. That would be like if Hinata acted more like Naruto then like an heiress.'

As time went on, Wakeru was considered insane and a potential threat to the clan. When he learned of this, Wakeru exiled himself to avoid risking others or himself in case his attempt to give the Haruno an advantage would indeed just endanger them. For years he was not seen, and in time the Harunos joined the new village of Konoha, following the Yamanaka clan. When there, they encountered a woman named Mazeru, claiming to be Wakeru's wife, with their child. Wakeru himself was not present, but his wife had a book of his details on his condition to give in case anyone else showed the same condition as him. She and the child were considered members of the clan, though neither showed any insanity. Wakeru's whereabouts since then remain unknown.

After that the subject changed, so Sakura lost her focus. 'Okay, it really sounds like someone else in my family had what I have. Maybe I can find that book, maybe it will offer some clues on how to deal with it.'

Putting the scrolls away she checked the old-fashioned books in storage since the record specifically said it was a book. One that caught her eye was small and had the hiragana for Wakeru on it, so she immediately picked up it and opened it. Surprisingly, this book was mostly blank, with only one page having any writing on it.

To my clansmen, it was my hope to give the Haruno something that would help them rise up and be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with our ninja allies. In my attempts, I found something that does work, but the process to make it work is difficult. My method first divides the mind in two, needing a strong outside source of chakra to do so. Once done, the second mind works with the first one, resulting in someone who can the mental abilities of two people. This does have benefits and the two minds can coexist, but as I learn there is a drawback. The second mind appears to be unhindered, showing the darker aspects of the first mind often best left unseen. I was a clan heir, and I spent my life trying to fit that role with dignity, but my second mind paid that no heed. I learned this was not an accident, the second mind was merely the result of my own desire to not be clan heir. A desire I did not know I had until my second mind was allowed to live it.

'It is it. This really is what I'm experiencing.' Sakura thought. 'But wait, this says that a strong outside source of chakra gets this started. Naruto using Kyuubi's chakra and hitting me with it could fit that role, but surely I'm not the first Haruno since Konoha was founded that got exposed to it. There has to be more to how this works.'

I learned I had no control over when one mind took control and then switched to the other. But memories were retained, simply viewed through a different perspective, and I could communicate with the other mind by writing to them and letting them respond. After a bit, we both concluded that our minds needed stability and thus had to unite back into one. This proved difficult, as the second mind was the result of parts of me I had until then ignored. Embracing those into me on a regular basis was not something I was enthusiastic to accomplish. But my wife Mazeru, my rock in this time of turmoil, she gave me the strength to make peace with my own inner self. Having someone there to keep me up even knowing my flaws was a godsend for me.

'Like Naruto.' The pinkette thought happily.

So I believe I have achieved true balance and unity. I feel as if I am seeing the world for the first time, as if I have been reborn. My mental and physical attributes have improved tremendously, as if there were locks on myself that I have rid myself of. I have been told that the body has eight gates within it that limit the use of chakra, could the mind have something similar that my condition has unlocked? Have I removed some kind of mental inhibitors that held me back? I should take some time and see what this truly gave me. For now though, I believe this trial has proven to accomplish something, and so I think I will name this ability to gain two minds and turn them into one better than the sum of its parts Hekikai.

After that there was no more.

'He must not have been able to write anything before he disappeared. I'm assuming something happened, why else would he not join Konoha with his family?' Sakura thought, looking through the other pages to confirm they were blank. After a bit she stopped but still held onto the book. 'At least I know that this Hekikai isn't dangerous, but it could look that way from the outside. And combining my mind with Dark Sakura is not only possible, but beneficial. I won't stop being me, I'll just...'

She stopped when she looked back at the open page, seeing something that wasn't there before. A line by her fingers.

'What the... that wasn't there before.'

She moved it and slowly the line faded. Carefully, she rubbed the paper again, and she could see a faint line appear. So faint that if she wasn't looking for it she wouldn't have seen it at all.

'Wait a minute, could that be what I think it is?' She wondered, leaning in and breathing softly on the paper. A clearer image appeared for a moment, the Haruno clan symbol. 'It is, invisible ink seen only via heat. There's more written here.'

Turning back to the second page, Sakura systematically used her breath and body heat to slowly make out what was written next.

The Hekikai is even greater than I originally anticipated. While it does improve the self once completed, there is another benefit that could give the Haruno the greatest ninja ever. Though I have yet to find its limits, that will require more careful testing, but for now I believe it is without limit. However I greatly fear what will happen if others learn how to achieve this, so I must hide this information from unworthy eyes.

'That explains the invisible ink.'

The Hekikai is not restricted by blood, it can be shared. As a result, I fear it is not a kekkei genkai. Or perhaps it is, but a Haruno can share it with others. Like if an Uchiha could allow others to copy their jutsu without actually giving them the sharingan. I'm still not sure. Only inheritance will determine for certain. What I do know is that I can split the minds of others into two, like what happened to mine. However this is easier to do with a consenting mind or defenseless one, so while it could disorientate an enemy in combat I do not recommend it.

Sakura blinked. 'Share it? Does that mean if I wanted to, I could actually bring out Dark Hinata like Dark Sakura joked about? Same with Ino? Or Naruto?'

Another mind that's split can with effort achieve unity as well, allowing them to reach the same level of rebirth as myself. They feel empowered, invigorated, younger too when I use it on the elderly. I believe that the Hekikai allows a ninja to get the maximum benefits from their training and open up new possibilities they otherwise wouldn't have. With this alone, the Haruno would be the most valued shinobi available as we could enhance all others we consider allies. We tear them down but allow them to be rebuilt as better than they were before. Who wouldn't want us as an ally?

Sakura nodded. 'Yeah, it may be a support skill but it's a damn effective one.'

The best benefit from the Hekikai comes from after it is shared. If you are a Haruno and you possess the Hekikai, I urge you to share it with someone you trust. More than one if possible. A loved one is best as the bonds of love will make it work longer than others. If you share the Hekikai with someone and help them achieve unity, they will be able to support you in a way no one else ever could. You will be able to achieve true unity, and with it more power than any one person ever could.

"Sakura, can you come here for a bit?" Mebuki's voice could be heard calling out.

"Coming Mom." Sakura called back, pocketing the book to read the rest later. 'I've got the find the others later. They're going to want to hear about this.'