Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters associated with it
Dear Readers - Thank you for your patience. The two platforms have now caught up with each other and I can finish the story on both simultaneously. Having made it through twenty chapters is quite an accomplishment, and this holiday season I am so thankful for your continued support. Please observe the trigger warning below before proceeding, and thank you for continuing to stick with our journey up to this point.
TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of extreme bodily injury and suffering. Please read at your own discretion.
A One Month Bet
Gaara awoke early on Saturday, stiff and fatigued after another restless night. He had tried his best to get some real sleep, knowing he would be forced to appear before his villagers today. Unfortunately, a particular kunoichi kept flitting in and out of his consciousness, making it hard for his brain to finally rest. How long would he keep having these dreams, he wondered? Weeks after she was gone? Months? He growled low in his throat in frustration.
He ambled lazily to the bathroom to examine his appearance. It was rare these days that he ever ventured into the sun, and so now his skin was beginning look paler and more sullen that it used to be. His hair had grown shaggy and unkept, and his five-o'clock-shadow was verging on untidy. Well… he couldn't do much in the way of helping his hair or pallor, but at the very least he could shave and wash himself. Better to look the part of Kazekage, even if he didn't really feel like being one today.
With a hot shower and a sharp kunai knife, Gaara forced himself to assume the look of a respectable Kage. He'd spent years developing his persona into being one worthy of respect. There were still older members in the community that looked down on him, disgusted that the former Jinchuriki could assume the honored title of Kage. Beyond that, he'd only been fourteen when he accepted the role, giving some of the citizens even further reason to believe him unqualified. Now, after six years of successful leadership behind him, the disapproval of his appointment was lessened. Even so, it couldn't hurt to look as professional and mature as possible for his subjects.
Gaara adorned his finest burgundy uniform, followed by his Kage robe and hat. He buckled his gourd into place. Alright, he thought, Let's get this over with.
X
In the last week, the sparring fields had been transformed into nothing short of a stadium fit for a proper tournament. The food vendors had pressured their Kazekage into allowing their business at the event, and so the morning air was filled with the delicious scents of fried goods and salty oils. Villagers were buzzing and milling about, making their way to the make-shift seating areas that had been hastily assembled preceding the competition. Just settled off to the side of the sparring grounds, three large tents had been erected. The crisp, cotton cloth shaded the area that would belong to the medic team, so that they were close enough to the battles and competitors could be quickly whisked away to be treated. On the opposing side of the field, a high shaded box was positioned for optimal viewing, where the Jonin judges panel, a few elders, and the Kazekage were seated. A perimeter of one-hundred yards had been marked as the official sparring arena, and presently there were eighteen chunin, six jonin, and one spiky-pigtailed announcer standing in the center as the crowds began to settle into their seats.
"Good morning!" Temari yelled, with a natural command in her voice that left no room to question who was in charge of the event. "We are pleased that you are here to join us at this, our first official Chunin Advancement Sparring Competition!" The crowd cheered as Temari stood with her arms outstretched, clearly enjoying the spotlight. "I am Temari, your hostess and Chief Jonin Advisor for this competition. If anyone thinks to disregard the rules and expectations of this event, they'll be answering directly to me." She shot a warning glance at the nin behind her, who all either nodded or grimaced sheepishly at her warning. "This competition is held to showcase Suna's best and brightest fighters! I'm sure we will see some incredible sparring today, and I encourage our competitors to fight hard. We are prepared and ready to treat any injuries that may occur with the help of Suna's own medical nin unit, led by our guest, Chief Medic Haruno Sakura, the highest-ranking medical advisor from our allies in Konohagakure."
There was polite applause from the crowd as Sakura stepped forward, and she and her team of medics all bowed towards the crowd. From high in his covered box seat, Gaara could only just make out the glint of pink dipping down and back up again. He adjusted in his seat and averted his gaze back to center field, where Temari was already moving forward with her speech.
"—and once we have concluded our midday break and Jonin exhibition, we will return for an afternoon round with the morning's winners. Our esteemed panel of jonin advisors—" she gestured to the box seats. Kankuro grinned and waved to the crowd while two other shinobi also gave polite acknowledgment, "—will serve as the deciding judges in the event of a draw."
She turned to address the competitors, "Now all of you signed up for this, so you know the rules. You're each limited to twenty minutes to fight. A siren will be blasted to tell you when to begin and when to end. When you hear that final siren, you will immediately stop attacking. If anyone tries to land a blow on their opponent after the siren is called, they will be immediately disqualified. Do I make myself clear?"
The chunin all nodded furiously. "Good." Temari hissed. "You must also stay within the parameters of this arena. If you are using Genjutsu or Ninjutsu you can be airborne or you can go underground, but you better stay within those sidelines. Got it?" Again, nods. "Alright," she concluded, "Well let's see some good, clean ass-kicking, then!"
She turned back to the crowd, "Well it sounds like the competitors know the rules, and I believe the crowd is ready?" The spectators roared with excitement. "Well then, we look to our noble Kazekage for permission to commence!"
All eyes in the vicinity swept upward to find Gaara, looking nothing short of magnificent in his bright white and sapphire robes. He stood to his full height, gazing over his villagers with pride and esteem. The very air hummed with anticipation as the villagers gazed at their Kazekage with admiration and awe. Arms outstretched, Gaara called, "Begin!"
X
The competition was fantastic. The chunin pairings had been assigned by the jonin advisory panel, and they were all well-matched. And boy, did these kids deliver! Ranging in ages from thirteen to eighteen, the teenagers battled fiercely. The first fight was between a female nin and a male nin who looked to be twice her size. If one would've guessed at first, it looked like the boy would've easily pummeled the girl with his heavy physical attacks, but in no less that thirteen minutes she had him rolling on the ground, bawling like a child. Apparently, she was a skilled genjutsu fighter with the ability to make illusions that mimicked being consumed and overrun by scarab beetles. Sakura shuddered to think about being on the receiving end of such an attack, but at least the physical cleanup was minimal. The boy had only landed one blow on her, and so the medics were able to heal her rather quickly. The second fight was a bit bloodier. Two brothers from the same clan and with the same ninjutsu technique were apparently trying to reconcile some long-brewing competitive streak that had both of them hungry for the win. They effectively beat the crap out of each other, and it was declared a draw at the end of the buzzer. The jonin panel declared the older brother would proceed onward, but only because the younger forgot to pay attention to the time limit. He was already in the process of landing a final punch to his sibling's front teeth when the ending buzzer sounded. Though it was an accidental technicality, the panel concluded he would be disqualified. The medical team had quite a time patching up both brothers after the fight concluded.
All the other battles were equally entertaining to watch. The chunin demonstrated some powerful and impressive techniques, some of which Sakura recognized from previous Chunin exams battles. Those had been when these fighters were genin, though, and by now their techniques had unmistakably matured. There was one fighter than could make small but concentrated explosions by using his chakra to compress the sand around him so tightly that the particles literally combusted from the pressure. Another fighter was able to effectively teleport (at least that's what it looked like when she moved so impossibly fast), and she landed blow after blow after blow on her opponent before he could even form his ninjutsu hand signs. Sakura's favorite battle, though, was a case of classic underdog victory. A meek looking boy was paired against a rather mean looking chunin who fought with double katana. The crowd was obviously under the impression that the Katana fighter was going to win easily, but to everyone's surprise, the smaller boy's ninjutsu technique was based on evasion, and it proved to be very effective. He used concentrated reserves of Chakra to alter the positions of particulate matter, which was an exceptionally handy trick to use in a field full of sand. Essentially, he would pull himself into a hole in the ground like a vacuum, and so every time his opponent swung a blade he would – Shoop! – disappear into the ground, leaving only a little pile of sand in the spot where he was. He would rematerialize a moment later above ground again, ten feet away, leaving his opponent staring blankly at the dead space in front of him with all of his momentum wasted. This pattern continued again and again, with the meeker-looking ninja constantly popping in and out the dirt like a meerkat, as though he had pre-designed tunnels already carved out underground. The mean looking chunin swung again and again, each time becoming more and more disoriented and frustrated. The crowd laughed at his embarrassment and the general ridiculousness of the fight itself, making the katana ninja appear even meaner and angrier than before. In the last moment of the battle, the swordsman gave a valiant final effort, charging at full speed and swinging a chakra charged slice at his opponent just milliseconds before the latter Shooped! into the dirt again. The mean chunin slid to stop himself, panting and widely angry, only to discover that his right foot had escaped the perimeter. "Out of bounds!" Temari called from her spot in the tower box. "Disqualified!"
It was a clever maneuver. The meek chunin had kept Shooping! closer and closer to the edge, knowing his opponent would follow. The last attack was a close call though, as the swordsman had just about caught up to his rival's pattern, and the final slice of the katana had given the winner a sharp new haircut. The spectators roared in support of the winner, who looked just about shocked as the loser did. He had obviously not expected to win, either, but he quickly became the crowd favorite.
After the chunin battles were completed, nine winners were announced, and the advisory panel took a break to reconfigure the new pairings. In the meantime, some of Suna's top Jonin team leaders took to the arena to provide continued entertainment for the crowd. The bouts were impressive, since these fighters were professionals. They weren't fighting for a win, per se, but the competitive air was still electrified anyways. The jonin demonstrated superior offensive, defensive, and evasive tactics, but when a blow landed, it landed hard. Many of them would finish their battle, bruised and bloodied, shake hands, and then walk side-by-side to the medical tent in good humor.
Sakura and her team kept busy, trying to make sure the nine winners were patched up well enough to continue competing. They buzzed around like worker bees, wiping away blood, mending cuts and broken bones, and trying to reduce swelling with intermittent chakra sessions. They also focused on cleaning up the losers, as the chunin (though bitter about defeat) were eager to be discharged so they could continue watching the tournament. Only one patient seemed unable to bring himself back to full capacity: scarab beetle boy. Though the medical unit had checked him over thoroughly, the lasting effects of the genjutsu had made him paranoid and he kept constantly checking down his shirt, pants, socks and shoes for imaginary beetles. The medics had to keep a watchful eye on him, or else he would've completely stripped himself naked. "That one's gonna need to see a different kind of doctor…" Miekuyu joked quietly to Sakura.
She snickered, feeling overall pleasantly well with how everything was going. No one had really gotten banged up beyond repair, and she was pleased to see how well her medics were handling the burden of healing living, breathing patients. At least one badly broken arm had come through the line, as well as a dislocated shoulder, some rather deep blade wounds, and some really nasty beatings. To her surprise, none of team members had panicked, puked, or fainted (thank goodness), even with the groans and wails coming from teenagers in pain. She was pleased to see her two initial considerations for Chief Medic were performing well under pressure. Miekuyu was diligent about using his taller, beefy stature to help transfer the injured onto gurneys so that the other medics could work with them. He was also carefully moderating his peers around him and constantly checking if anyone needed any supplies, gauze, water, etc. It seemed in some ways he was closely following Sakura's example as a leader, which if anything, Sakura considered to be a good sign, even if she felt like his constant presence near her was a little much – at least he was making himself useful. To her credit, Mei Tai was also keeping up extraordinarily well. She analyzed each new injury carefully, was kind and gentle with her patients while she healed them, and took her time to ensure their completed treatment instead of hurrying from bed to bed. She was methodical at checking for any unseen injuries, just in case they had sustained any damage to internal organs. Most of the medics focused on fixing the visible, the bleeding, but Mei Tei was careful and meticulous in ensuring every patient that came her way was fully examined and cared for.
Sakura sighed contentedly as she observed them. She felt confident that no matter who she chose, it would be a good fit for the position. As the morning waned into the afternoon, the Jonin panel eventually announced there would be a sudden death battle between the three lowest scoring chunin so that the tournament could continue with an even number of competitors. Meerkat boy, the bloodied brother, and a girl who excelled in aerial weaponry were given a maximum of five minutes to try and push one of the three out of a smaller perimeter that was etched in the sand by Temari. Meerkat once again delighted the crowd by Shooping! into the ground, leaving the brother and the girl to battle it out. As the girl's primary tactic, however, was to leap into the air and rain daggers down on her opponent, she made the crucial mistake of forgetting the newly set boundaries of the sudden death battle. She managed an impressive backwards flip attack, aiming three kunai at her target. One of them hit successfully, stabbing the brother on his upper shoulder, but she unfortunately had exerted too much force behind her leap, and she landed outside the edges of the inner circle. "Disqualified!" Temari announced.
The medical team quickly tended to the bloody-brother so that he would be ready for his next real tournament match, and the remaining eight winners were announced into four new pairings. This time the pairings were more closely aligned to the types of jutsu the fighters were predominantly using. Unlike the chunin exams, this judging panel wanted to see taijutsu matched with taijutsu, genjutsu matched with genjutsu, and so on. Some of the fighters used combinations of styles, but overall, they were similarly matched. Sakura and the rest of the medics took a quick break to refresh themselves, hydrate, and clean the medical tent area before the second round began.
The first three fights proceeded as expected. The taijutsu fighters came back the most beaten up, while the genjutsu fighters dealt more with mental fatigue when they had concluded. The last match up was paired with two of the lower-scoring ninjutsu users: Meerkat Boy and Mr. Sand Combustion (as Sakura had taken to calling them). At first it seemed to be a repeat of the previous battle, as Mr. Combustion attempted to aim explosive attacks at his opponent, only to have Meerkat Shoop! out of the way. However, only moments in, everyone (including Mr. Combustion) had come to realize the meeker chunin's major flaw. Every time he pushed himself underground, he was sacrificing his visual lock on his opponent. From his seat in the high box, Gaara also watched closely as the older chunin, the one who could compress sand particles, waited until Meerkat boy disappeared into the ground. He sunk his fingers into the dirt, feeling, waiting… and Gaara sensed what was about to happen. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand erect, and his chakra felt electrified…
The frustrated chunin had figured out what to do, and he was not about to be made a fool like the Katana fighter. With fingertips submerged, the young man finally felt what he was looking for. Signing quickly with his free hand, he sent a surge of chakra into the ground, and with a horrifying moment of silence, a small diameter of earth suddenly seized and then erupted, expelling a cloud of sand and dust into the air. There was a collective gasp from the crowd, and Gaara leapt to his feet, knowing instinctively that something was terribly, terribly wrong. The other members in the box looked to their Kazekage in surprise, but they did not sense what he could. He felt it in the sand, in the air that was still residually electrified with chakra. In a newly formed crater in the ground, the crumpled body of a boy lay in the center. As the dust began to settle, he could tell that the boy wasn't dead… he was moving, or attempting to, but something wasn't right.
Gaara's eyes darted to the other chunin, not but twenty yards away, running toward the crater with a visible amount of chakra energy blazing in his hands. He was either unaware or uncaring of his opponent's physical state… He's…He's going to kill him if he strikes again…
In a swirl of sand and wind, Gaara reacted. He appeared suddenly in the center of the field, in front of the boy in the crater. The sand in his gourd erupted, and he was already in position to accept the advance of the boy running at him. The chunin's eyes grew wide with fear and realization when he saw his Kazekage before him, but it was too late… sand particles were already being sucked relentlessly into his pure ball of energy, and he had to release it. Gaara signed quickly, mechanically, not even thinking about the shapes as he made them. He created a vacuum of energy, wrapping and swirling and shaping the sand into a concentrated, churning, mass of chakra and electricity. The wind was whipping him, screaming around him as he were in the eye of a tornado. It yanked and scratched at his robes, threatening to pull him off balance, but he held his ground. Kneeling, he inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the heat and the energy and the sand. There was only shadow of a pause, a brief millisecond of silence as if all the sound in the world had been sucked into a void—and then he exhaled. A sudden release of energy exploded from in front of the Kazekage, it's shockwaves rippling out and away from the direction of the stands and spectators. The blast echoed like a bomb detonation, and the villagers cried out in fear and shock. Sakura gasped in horror at the blast. Gaara!
Panicked voices arose in the crowd, as jonin rushed towards the arena to check on the survivors… if there were any. The young chunin that had been running towards Gaara had been blown backwards away from the blast, almost all the way to the edge of the arena. He was scuffed up and shaken, but otherwise unharmed. All eyes turned to gaze into the slowly settling dust, and they saw it. Like a beacon in the haze stood the white and blue figure kneeling with arms outstretched in the direction of the blast. Behind him, a solid dome of sand had connected to the edges of the crater in the ground, protecting what was underneath from sustaining any harm in the explosion. Cheers began to erupt as the crowd realized their Kazekage had just managed such an amazing feat of strength and jutsu, but as the dome started to disintegrate away and snake back into Gaara's gourd, the voices began to murmur with concern. What… had happened… to Meerkat boy?
Gaara turned around to see not a boy any longer, but something horrible beyond description. His gaze traveled around the arena and searched desperately until he found what he needed and locked in with them: sea foam green orbs, laced with fear. He needed her. Now. "SAKURA!"
She was already sprinting. "Some of you, with me!" she called, and her team dissolved into a hurried disarray of bodies. With a chakra-fueled leap, she was already there beside him. She saw it, too, and felt for the first time in a long time that she might faint. This boy had been… exploded… from the inside out. When his opponent had combusted the sand around him, he had been literally mangled by the blast with nowhere to escape. Only his head, which had been closest to the surface of the ground, seemed to have received the least damage. Any deeper and his skull might've been crushed. His body was disfigured, limbs torn and bent at disgusting angles, and he was bleeding profusely from something that had been severed, likely by his own bone shards.
And perhaps the worst of it was… he was still alive.
He was coughing and gasping shallow breaths. His eyes were darting wildly around, searching for anything to look at. He was in shock. He was dying. Dropping to her knees, she yelled, "Someone! Clamps! Now!"
Another body dropped beside her, and she guided the extra pair of hands to wear the most blood was. "Find the hemorrhage. Plug it. We won't be able to save him if he bleeds out before we can get to the other parts!"
"Save… him...?" the voice sounded unsure.
"Just fucking do it!" she yelled. She was so rattled at the sight of this poor boy, broken and battered, that she had a hard time stilling her nerves to concentrate on her chakra.
"It's here sensei… the Femoral artery."
"Pinch it tightly. I'm going to start there. Keep an eye on any other bleeding you might see. Someone else – keep his focus alert and on you. Do not let him close his eyes!"
Sakura took deep, measured breaths willing herself to regain control. Her chakra flowed, warm and strong through her fingertips, and she stretched her hands across the shattered pelvic bone and across the boy's upper thigh. She felt in her subconsciousness the fragments of bone beginning to recede from where they punctured through the flesh. She focused her energy on the viscous blood flowing over her fingers. Following where the other pair of hands was already waiting, she carefully pinched together the two tiny pieces of tissue until she felt the blood pulsating in a steady path, no longer leaking out onto her hands.
She breathed. The hemorrhage was contained. What next…? She swallowed, feeling like her throat was filled only with sand. Other hands were working around her, her dedicated team jumping in to assist. She focused on her next objective: the torso. The boy's ribcage had been crushed, and at least one of his lungs was punctured.
"Someone here," she commanded.
"Yes, sensei!"
"I need you to lift hold the ribcage carefully. I need to get to the lung, or he'll drown in his own blood."
Bloodied hands and arms danced around her, the warm glow of chakra shining dimly in the shadows of the early afternoon sun. While another medic's hands carefully pulled at the ribs with an almost magnetic tug, Sakura searched quickly for a… There! She felt under the skin the tiny erratic rhythms of bubbles dancing under the tissue. It was air escaping through the punctured lung cavity. With another deep breath she concentrated – focused – feeling without feeling the tissue as it pulled back together, cell by cell, fiber by fiber. As she focused on the soft tissue organ, other hands were working on repairing the ribcage, and finally in the precious moment that it all fit together, there was a cracking sound and the boy let out a sudden, loud gasp, making them all jump nearly out of their skins. Though it scared the ever-living hell out of her, she knew it was a good sign.
"Yes!" she panted, "Good! Breathe! Stay with us, kiddo!"
"Tut-su-yo…" the boy choked.
"Tutsuyo?" Sakura asked, ready to cry tears of joy that he was awake and aware. "Don't worry Tutsuyo, we've got you!" She continued hurriedly scanning his tender abdomen for signs of other damaged organs.
"My… legs…"
Sakura glanced to look at the boy, then down to the two medics that were aligned on either side of his legs. One of them was Miekuyu. "His legs?" she demanded.
"We've realigned all the joints and connective ligaments," Miekuyu answered. She noticed he was up to his elbows in blood. He had been the one stemming the femoral hemorrhage. "We've already healed the bones themselves, all the way up to the pelvic bone."
If it wasn't the legs themselves, then it was…
"Sensei!"
Mei Tai was on Sakura's other side, cradling Tutsuyo's head in her lap. She had her hands on either side of his temples, but her gaze was straight forward and glazed over, as if she was seeing into another plane of vision. "It's the spine," she said mechanically. "I can feel it… his nervous system extends down and outward through his arms but… then it stops…"
Sakura's heart sank… this could only mean that his spinal cord was damaged. No medical nin, not even Tsunade herself, could repair a severed spinal cord. Once connection to the brain was lost, there was no reviving it…
"Wait…" Mei Tai said, her glazed eyes widening. "No, I can feel it! Yes! I can feel the nerves lighting up, but its diminished… like its being pinched off…"
Sakura felt like vomiting from the nerves wracking her body, but she choked it down. "Mei Tai, can you tell which vertebrae?" Maybe there's still a chance…
"Lumbar curvature," Mei Tai said, still in her glazed over voice. "Number… three… and two!"
"Help me turn him over…Gently!"
Miekuyu once again used his brute stature to carefully heft Tutsuyo's body and rotate him onto his stomach. The other medics helped, trying to ensure his spine did not twist in the process. "Hands away," Sakura commanded firmly. "I need space to feel."
She used a kunai to tear off the remaining bits of fabric that was once Tutsuyo's shirt, and carefully began touching and feeling the ridges along his spine. Almost every inch of his skin was bruised, turning sickly shades of purple and yellow. She felt him tense and quiver at her very touch. "Hang on Tutsuyo," she said quietly. "Just hang on for me…"
She started at the base of the boy's neck and carefully walked her fingers down the spinal line, carefully checking each vertebra. As she neared the pelvis, she finally felt them: just as Mei Tai had described, two of the tiny bones were not aligned as they should be. Sakura could feel through the skin that it appeared they had splintered into small pieces that moved around loosely under her touch, but somehow, by some miracle, the shards had not severed the spinal cord. She knew what she had to do, but it was so inexplicably dangerous… With a deep, stabilizing breath, she sent waves of chakra through her fingertips and into the point of impact. The chakra reverberated through Tutsuyo's flesh and bone like a sonogram, giving Sakura an image of the damage in her mind's eye. Seven fragments… She would need to link them back together and reform the vertebrae, but she had to do so around the delicate strands of the spinal cord. If she made one small mistake, this boy… this child… would be paralyzed for the rest of his life.
You can do this, Haruno. It was Tsunade's voice whispering through her mind. Sakura knew it was just a figment of her imagination, but it helped to steel her aching nerves. Calm your mind. Focus.
With chakra vibrating from her very core, Sakura carefully pulled and pushed the fragments as though playing with wet sand. Her breathing slowed, but the very air around them felt like static electricity as pure energy ebbed from Sakura's being. She worked as though in a trace, almost as if she was meditating. Once the fragments were pulled into place, she began the delicate process of coaxing the very fibers to reach out, twist, and lance together…
Suddenly, there was a nauseating Click! of bone hitting bone, Tutsuyo let out a howl of pain.
"Ah! Tutsuyo! What happened, sensei?" Mei Tai asked, still holding his head in her lap.
Sakura pulled her hands away and sat back hard on her backside, feeling lightheaded from exertion. "What do you feel?" she asked the boy, hoping against hope that it had worked. "Can you feel…anything?"
"I feel... Tingling…" the boy answered gruffly.
Sakura let out a breathy sigh and let her hands fall limply to her side. "That's natural," she said wearily. "You lost a lot of blood, but as it begins to recirculate through your legs, you may feel tingling, or even painful pinprick sensation… Can you feel that happening?"
"Y-yes," he choked, "Yes… it feels like needles…"
"Let's turn him back over, please." The medics did as she asked, while she shuffled down towards the boy's feet and removed his sandals. She counted the seconds with bated breath, knowing it would take a moment for the blood flow and feeling to return. Once he'd had a moment to readjust, laying on his back, Sakura lifted one of his feet and gave it a hefty flick right in the arch.
"Argh!" Tutsuyo exclaimed, clearly shocked that she felt the need to flick him on the tender underside of his foot.
"So, you can feel that?" Sakura asked calmly.
"Yes!"
"Good, how about this one?" She aimed another powerful flick at his other foot.
"Ow!" he said. "What was that for?"
Everyone in the nearby vicinity seemed to breath a collective sigh of relief, and some people even started to gently laugh. Sakura placed his foot down gently. "It's what we do to babies when they're born, to make sure they can feel pain and make them cry so we know their lungs work."
"I'm not a baby!" Tutsuyo exclaimed, and again some of the observers laughed. Sakura, too, smiled down at him. Even as badly battered as he was, he reminded her of a young Naruto.
"No, you're not." She chuckled, "You're very brave."
Miekuyu used his strong arms to lift a wearied Sakura to her feet, just as some other medics were running over a gurney. "He'll need rest, and I want round-the-clock observations monitoring his recuperation. He's going to need frequent Chakra sessions to help manage the pain and recovery process."
"Yes, sensei!"
She took a moment to survey her surroundings. Suddenly the world was turning again, quickly enough to make her head spin. It felt like time had stopped in the moment when Gaara had locked eyes with her. It was the first time she had truly ever seen panic and fear in his usually dark and unreadable gaze.
Gaara…
"Tutsuyo! Please… please, he's my son! Please let me through!"
Away at the edge of the arena, a distraught woman was being held back by two jonin, but Sakura made a motion to let them know it was alright. The woman ran, scarves and wraps billowing in the wind. Her face was caught somewhere in between young and lovely and worn and aged by years of working in the sun. It was a face streaked with terror and tears.
"Please… my son… is he alright? Please…" Her eyes scanned Sakura's blood-soaked uniform and arms caked with blood and dirt.
"He's alright," Sakura smiled.
The woman burst into fresh tears, thanking Sakura and bowing repeatedly so much that she could barely walk straight. Sakura tried to help her walk the rest of the way to her son without accidentally rubbing the mother's shawls with her own son's blood. As Tutsuyo was carried off on a gurney, with his mother right beside him, he gave a pitiful wave to the crowd, which erupted into cheers. They were simply relieved to see that he was alive. Sakura continued scanning the crowd until she saw him. Gaara was standing next to the other chunin boy, the one that had caused the first explosion, as well as Temari, Kankuro, and the rest of the jonin panel. They were presumably reprimanding him for the damage he'd caused. No doubt, after the commotion that had just happened, they were likely considering if they should or shouldn't continue the tournament.
As she gazed at Gaara, he suddenly turned to look directly at her. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks, knowing that he'd caught her looking for him. The rest of the medics were beginning to make their way back to the tent, so she turned to do the same, until she heard her name. "Miss Haruno!"
Gaara was escorting the other chunin back towards the medic tent, and they would intercept Sakura along their way back. She waited awkwardly as the sun beat down on her, turning the blood on her arms into cakey brown flakes. Finally, they reached her, and Gaara said to the Chunin, "Go on and have your wounds tended to." They boy obeyed, hastily. He had but only a few cuts and scrapes, but he looked rather happy to escape the watchful eye of his Kazekage. Gaara then turned his gaze to Sakura. "I'll walk back with you," was all he said.
Sakura was nonplussed. "Okay..." They started toward the tent.
"Sunagakure is indebted to you." Gaara watched Sakura from the seclusion that his Kage hat gave him. He knew outside onlookers would not be able to see or read their conversation if he kept his gaze angled slightly downward.
"I beg your pardon?"
"You saved that boy's life." There was a shimmer of admiration and gratitude in his voice. In truth, Gaara was completely in awe of Sakura in that moment. He had never actually witnessed a healing session like that in person. When he had first gazed down at the mangled body of the young chunin, he had thought him already beyond saving. Gaara was prepared to watch that boy die, and he would've hated himself ever more for letting it happen. But Sakura had come down like… like an angel. She was entirely in command of the situation, and she saw life worth saving in the boy that Gaara didn't even believe was still there. He simply couldn't tear his gaze from her as she worked. It was… incredible.
"Well, if you want to be completely technical, I saved his legs. You saved his life." Gaara shook his head in disagreement. Sakura scoffed. "You're kidding right? You absorbed an actual explosion and then redirected it."
"It's my duty as Kazekage to protect the citizens of my village. But you… you are from the Hidden Leaf… you saved someone that you had no obligation to. That is what is so admirable, and it is why our village owes you great thanks."
Through the formality of what he was saying, Sakura could almost pick out the hidden meaning… he was… complimenting her. "Don't be ridiculous, of course I had an obligation to do what I did. Suna is our ally. But even so, every medic has an obligation to preserve life."
"It was magnificent, Sakura."
He stopped walking, just as they were nearing earshot of the medic tents. Sakura felt like her heart jumped into her throat. After days of not speaking to her, not even looking at her, Gaara now had his eyes fixed on hers. It was the same eyes that had looked at her on the roof. Temari's words from the night before wafted into her mind… When he looks at you, I can tell he's really seeing you.
Unable to formulate a response, Sakura simply gaped at him in astonishment. Was he really seeing her right now? Was he seeing the internal struggle she was fighting? One side of her wanted to remain distant and professional—just accept his compliment with formality and make her way back to Konoha with all this mess left behind her. The other side wanted to bridge the gap—break past the expectations of what was proper or appropriate and instead finally demand of him what he really wanted from her. Friendship? Sex? Something more? Could he see that he was driving her crazy?
Gaara, to his credit, could not see all these thoughts brewing behind those jade-colored spheres. He was enveloped in his own internal struggle. A week in her absence had left him feeling emptier than he realized, and now having her there in front him had him reeling in all those familiar emotions from before. The animal inside him wasn't roaring though… instead it felt anxious, like a dog left outside in the cold, wanting only to be brought back inside, warmed up, and comforted by its master. His body wasn't aching for physical intimacy as it had before… this time he simply felt that he had missed her. He wanted to be able to share her company again. He had to tell her this… he wanted to repair the damage he had caused that night on the roof. Now was his moment. "Sakura," he began, "I –"
"Kazekage-sama, Sakura-Sensei, pardon the interruption,"
ARGGH!
Gaara turned to view the intruder that had so quickly shattered his opportunity: it was the blonde-haired medic that had been the first to provide assistance when Sakura was healing the chunin. He carried himself with a sense of entitlement that irritated Gaara, but nonetheless he nodded politely to his citizen. The medic inquired, "We… that is to say… the medical nin unit, are curious if you and the jonin panel have made any final decisions about the tournament, sir? Will it be continuing?" He crossed his arms behind his back and puffed out his chest, almost in a militaristic fashion. Gaara glanced to Sakura, as she was also looking at the medic. It irked him that another man was drawing Sakura's attention away from what was once a promising moment of reconciliation.
"Yes," Gaara said curtly, also drawing up his full height. He stood perhaps only an inch taller than the other man, but it was enough that it made him feel slightly better. "We considered cancelling the remaining matches, but thanks to Miss Haruno's excellent leadership and the impressive efforts of the Suna Medical team, the jonin council feels confident we can continue without further concern of dangerous injuries occurring. We now have full confidence in the excellent skills demonstrated by our medical staff."
He said the last part loud enough that other medics in the tent had overheard him, and they were excitedly tittering at the edges of the tent. Sakura bit her lip to keep from smiling like an idiot, but her cheeks burned red. She would have never, in a million years, expected to hear Gaara praise her medical team and… herself… so openly.
"Thank you, Kazekage-Sama," Miekuyu said proudly. "It has been an honor to work under the instruction of Sakura-Sensei. She has been… an amazing teacher."
Miekuyu's gaze drifted to land on Sakura, and immediately Gaara felt inflamed. There was something about the man's gaze that felt wrong to Gaara, as though it carried more than just admiration for one's teacher. Sakura, simply overwhelmed with flattery, shook her head and walked pass both of them. "Stop it! Please! All the great work we have done here has been a team effort… and it will continue to be that way until the Tournament is over. Come on you all! Stop jittering and get back to work!"
She huffed off towards the tent, where the other medics scurried away from her like obedient mice. Gaara still glared at the medic whose traitorous eyes continued to follow Sakura as she walked away. It took all of his self-control to retain his composure as the man turned back and said quietly, "Man, she's really somethin', huh?"
Almost as if he had forgotten he was standing next to his Kazekage, he suddenly made surprised sort of "Oop!" sound and then bowed apologetically to Gaara. "Better get back to work then, sir. Thank you for your time," and he walked away.
The beast inside of Gaara did howl this time, snarling and biting at his insides. Its animal instincts had sensed something new and menacing from this intruder: a threat.
X
As the buzz of excitement faded from the shock of the previous fight, the rest of the tournament proceeded without much incident. The fights were little longer and more drawn out than before, but there was distinct air of pulled punches. The competitors did not appear to be fighting as hard as before, as though they feared another accident might occur. Still, the matches were entertaining to watch, and the medical team took time to enjoy their moments of rest and watch the competition unfold. Sakura snuck away, her body aching from the fatigue of expelling so much chakra, and she found a nearby water spicket where could hastily clean herself off. She moved as though in a trance, feet moving and arms working, but her mind was in some faraway place. All her thoughts were occupied by the look Gaara had given her, the confession that Temari had made, and the uncomfortable feeling of dread that accompanied the dawning of this new realization.
Is it true…? Inner Sakura wondered, sounding just as dazed as her outward counterpart. Could he really… have feelings…for me?
Surely not… He just couldn't. He was the Kazekage for heaven's sake… and she was the apprentice to the Hokage of a village hundreds of miles away. He would never put his desires for her over his duty to Suna, and she couldn't be asked to that for her village, either. If there was any chance that Gaara had – she gulped – feelings for someone else, as she had assumed, then that would be a more reasonable circumstance for all parties involved. Maybe Temari was… wrong.
"All cleaned up, sensei?"
Sakura felt like she was being pulled up from deep underwater to return to reality. Miekuyu was approaching the spicket, clearly to do the same thing she was doing. He looked just as dirty and bloody as she had moments ago. "Heh, yeah." She responded. "I don't think I can save my uniform, though. I just cleaned it yesterday."
"Nah, you look great, as always" he said casually, leaning down to rinse his arms with water. Sakura blinked at the forwardness of his compliment, but perhaps it was just Miekuyu's confident nature. Besides him being sort of arrogant, he had really done excellent work that day, pulling extra weight to help the other medics around him and being the first to jump in and help her with Meerkat boy when he fell in battle. It took a strong leader to show resilience in the face of something so graphic and horrible, and he had not hesitated to jump right in and stick his hands into the bleeding, battered body of a patient verging on death.
"Good work today, Miekuyu." She said. "You've done well."
He glanced up from wiping his arms dry and smiled a dashing grin. "Well, I learned from the best."
Sakura smirked, and left to make her way back to the tent. She knew she wasn't the best – that title was reserved for her esteemed Hokage – but the exhausted kunoichi finally allowed herself a moment of grace to accept pride in herself and in her efforts. Today had been unexpectedly trying, but the overall results were absolutely better than she could've hoped for. Everything that she had worked so hard for in this month-long wager was playing out in her favor. The medical team had proven their worth and tenacity in the face of real-world trauma, she had proven her worth as a capable and reliable instructor, and she had received official recognition from Gaara, the Kazekage himself, congratulating her efforts after so blatantly trying to obstruct them. All that remained was to set up a system that would keep the medical unit in good standing after her departure, so that they would continue to grow, refine, and hone their newfound skillsets. She had less than a week remaining, but it would be plenty of time to establish a protocol framework that would keep the medical unit in good working order once she was gone.
The tournament eventually concluded without further incident later that afternoon. Temari announced the winner to be the genjutsu warrior, Beetle Vision Girl, as the overall champion of the event. The young chunin was allowed to meet and shake hands with Gaara, who formally offered his congratulations and endorsement of her should she be recommended for jonin consideration. Sakura stood patiently with her team behind her, knowing the moment was about to come when Gaara and the elders would ask for her recommendation of the new chief medic. She had told the team this moment would come eventually, because obviously she would be returning to Konoha within the fortnight, but they didn't know in advance that she would be announcing it at the tournament. She angled to keep it a surprise.
Temari concluded her official congratulations for the chunin champion, and made a final address to the crowd, "Well now that that's settled, we have one final announcement to make before we conclude. Our esteemed Chief Medic, Haruno Sakura—" the crowd cheered as her name was called, louder than they had at the start of the tournament. Apparently public opinion of Sakura had skyrocketed after they witnessed her literally put the pieces of a human person back together. "—Yes, yes… Suna is very grateful to Haruno-San for her work today and for the last several weeks. She has been gracious enough to devote her time and efforts into the instruction of our medical team, but in due time she will be returning to Konohagakure."
The crowd groaned quietly in disappointment, making Sakura feel almost guilty for needing to leave. Temari gestured for Sakura to step forward. The medic team shuffled nervously behind them both, and Sakura felt butterflies in her stomach as stepped up to address the crowd. She didn't particularly like public speaking, and she was still unsure of her decision… Miekuyu: quick witted, attentive, and a charismatic leader? Or Mei Tai: patient, diligent, and methodical. Miekuyu had been the first to dive into operating, no questions asked – when he was needed, he was there. But Mei Tai had accomplished something that Sakura had never witnessed before… she channeled her chakra into the boy's very nervous system, seeing and feeling what could not be seen under the blood and tissue and bone matter. Sakura knew she would be an unparalleled medic in in her lifetime… but would she be ready to take on a position as important as this one so quickly? Perhaps Mei Tai would eventually surpass her peer… but presently she was still so young…
Sakura gulped the warm, dry air. "Thank you all," she began. "I cannot express how grateful I am to the villagers of Sunagakure that have so graciously welcomed me to stay here. You have an incredibly talented hospital force that I have been honored to work with, and I am very proud of this Medic Team. They saved lives today, and I can assure you that they will continue to save many more in the future."
Sakura bowed to the group of medic nin that were awkwardly bustled into a group, and the villagers cheered with pride for their own. Her students looked shocked and awed at her show of kindness and respect, and they all together looked incredibly bashful about the attention they were receiving. Sakura rose and turned back to the crowd, "As I will be returning to my home village, it is my privilege to pass on the title of Chief Medic to one of Suna's own…"
The medic team all began to look around at one another, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation. Some looked panicked, others looked excited. Sakura smiled and her gaze wafted across all the faces, catching on only two…
Miekuyu…? Or Mei Tai…?
With a breath, she squeezed her eyes shut tight and yelled the first name that came to her mind:
"Asano Miekuyu!"
The crowd roared in congratulations. Some of the girls in the team were physically jumping up and down in excitement, and some of the other medics clapped him on the back supportively. It seemed many of them weren't at all surprised, though the man in question appeared to feign shock at the announcement. The small group of elders, jonin, and remaining chunin participants gathered in the center all clapped politely as the handsome blonde medic stepped forward to accept his title—all but one. Gaara could not believe his fury. This buffoon was Sakura's choice for Chief Medic? He watched with disdain as the man strutted out like a spoiled peacock, took both of Sakura's hands in his, and bowed low to her so his forehead brushed her hands. Gaara felt the vibrations of his gourd, in anticipation of a fight, reverberating through his body.
What is she thinking?!
Despite attempting to stay focused on the sparring matches all day, Gaara had had a difficult time not watching Sakura throughout the tournament. She was all that occupied his thoughts, and even as far away as she was, her signature pink dome made her easy to spot. But after they had been interrupted by this man during their conversation, Gaara tried to reflect where he had seen the man before, and it dawned on him that a different signature glint, a golden one, had been trailing Sakura's movements all day long. When she was at the edge of the tent, this man was conveniently nearby to exchange conversation. When she rushed to the aid of the injured chunin, he was right next to her in seconds. When she walked away from the grounds to wash her hands, he was conveniently also there... He was like a puppy following his master… or was there more to it than Gaara had realized before?
Kankuro, who was pleasantly observing the new Chief medic announcement, immediately felt the disturbance in the energy around him. Glancing to his left, he saw his brother, dark and menacing under the shield of his Kage cap. The villagers would not have noticed, but anyone close to the Kazekage in this moment would have realized he looked primed with murderous intent. Kankuro shifted to catch his sister's eye on the other side of Gaara, and when he did she too took notice of the dangerous vibe surrounding them. Temari inched casually closer to her youngest brother and gently placed her hand on his arm. "Gaara," she whispered urgently, "What's wrong?"
The touch of his sister's hand seemed to momentarily draw Gaara back into the present. He inhaled sharply, willing the fresh oxygen to calm his nerves, but he still gazed at the new chief medic with disgust and hatred. Was he… did she… he couldn't fathom even the thought of it. But if she didn't want him following her around, surely she would not allow it to continue? He knew Sakura to be incredibly strong willed and independent—she'd clearly demonstrated that to him on multiple occasions by now—so if she felt for any reason that she didn't want this man's attention, she would've stopped him by now. But today, of all days, Gaara happened to notice that he was in Sakura's proximity quite frequently, and then she just so happened to award him the title of Chief Medic? Surely this was not just a coincidence…
Perhaps that's why she's been avoiding you… his mind whispered hauntingly. She's been spending more and more time at the hospital…
…Perhaps it's because she's been going to see him…
…Perhaps you were nothing to her after all…
He suddenly imagined, as in an out-of-body experience, the figures of two entangled bodies on the roof of the Kage tower. It was his body embracing Sakura, but in a horrible twist the body morphed before his eyes. Dark red hair lighted to blonde, pale white skin turned amber bronze, long lean muscles bubbled into bulky ones.
He imagined this man taking Sakura… his Sakura… No!
"Gaara!" hissed a voice back in the real world. "Get a grip!"
Gaara blinked again and he felt like he was thrust angrily into the harsh, bright sun. The crowds were dissipating, and the remaining jonin had already begun to walk away towards the remnants of the spectator stands to make sure everyone exited safely and there were no stragglers. The elders were talking amongst themselves and the medic team was gone, already trudging back to clean up the medic tents. Only Gaara had remained stationary, as though he had become a statue of pure white marble and blue granite. His siblings were standing nearer to him now, as though trying to shield him from anyone noticing his strange behavior. Temari, hands on her hips, assumed the persona of an irate parent. "What has gotten into you, Gaara?!"
Gaara realized his hands were clenched so tight that it made his finger joints ache. His bandaged hand screamed with the sting of fresh scabs being torn open from the stress. He took shallow breaths to steady himself, unsure of how to articulate what he was thinking, or if he even wanted to…
His sister, however, was not letting if off without a fight. "Tell us what's wrong," she demanded. "We saw you freeze up, and you looked ready to kill someone. We were worried the elders were going to notice. What the hell happened?"
Gaara clenched his jaw. "That man… the medic…"
"Who?" Kankuro asked, "The new guy Sakura picked to lead the team? What about him?"
"He… and Sakura…"
Temari seemed to grasp the situation first, and she quickly jumped into reparations, knowing her brother could escalate again at any moment. "What? You think Sakura has had anything to do with him? Absolutely not! Listen, I hung out with Sakura yesterday and she told me all about that guy—" Gaara flicked his gaze to his sister, but she held up two hands in defense. "I'm telling you she has no interest in him. She thinks he's a meathead. She said the other girls in the unit were all over him and that she thought it was disgusting!"
These words circled slowly in Gaara's mind, but he still had a hard time reconciling them with the images he'd already fabricated in his imagination. "But she chose him to be the Chief Medic."
"So? All that means is that he's good at healing. She had to pick somebody."
Gaara groaned. "But he's been following her all day!"
Temari, hands on hips again, now pointed an accusing finger at her brother, "Listen to me – I'm telling you she has no interest in that guy. If he was following her around today, it might have been – oh, I don't know – because she was the commanding medical officer for this whole event! Of course she's going to have her unit following her around all day!"
Before Gaara could retort, Temari continued, not letting him get a word in: "Now I'm about tired of this front you're putting up, because I talked to Sakura last night and there are definitely some pieces out of place here. She's confused, you're confused, everyone's confused!" She looked her brother squarely in his eyes. "Now you either do want to be with Haruno Sakura or you don't, but whichever option you decide you better get your head out of your ass and start acting on it. Because if you don't, it won't matter if Meat-Head Medic wants her or if you want her—either way she's going to be gone."
With that, she stomped away, leaving both her brothers stunned and silent in the middle of the field.
This was a heavy chapter. I hope you enjoy some time to rest your mind before continuing forward.
Thank you for reading,
Olly