A/N: Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter. As a head's up I'm not going to make Sakura mega powerful. I'm only going to give her the chance to be taken seriously unlike in the manga. Of course, new medical techniques will be introduced but let me write it out first. :)
REVIEW: I MADE THOSE CHANGES TO THE MISTAKES. :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Everything hurt.
Blinking rapidly from bright ceiling lights the headache in the center of Sakura's forehead persisted. Waiting for the blurred edges of reality to settle vibrant jade flicked left to right trying to assess the situation. From the white walls, clean floors, and smell of antiseptic the only plausible solution was a hospital. Staring back at the ceiling the possibility of the Konoha hospital being rebuilt was impossible. Pink eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.
Sakura had been there when a beast bomb blew the top off. She was there when the walls oozed blood. She was there when –
Shizune.
Shizune protected the childrens ward before being slaughtered.
The underlined sadness bubbling within her chest triggered what there hadn't been time for. Tears moved down her cheeks, but she let them. It's not like she could move to wipe them. From the position of her body Sakura concluded each limb was constrained. She didn't want the sadness to overwhelm what was not known. For instance, how is she alive? Last time her eyes were open her Shishou –
Tsunade. "Shish-shishou"
The strangled cry was but a whisper. Swallowing to salivate her parched throat Sakura tried again. This time it was louder.
"Shishou!"
How long has she been laying here?
Sakura's mind was racing in panic. She was alive, constrained to a bed and couldn't move. The worst situation a kunoichi could be in. Hurting her already fragile throat a scream came next.
"TSUNADE!"
Fortunately, someone stepped into the room. Sakura almost expected Ayame the head nurse of the hospital to come in. Instead someone else, a woman with brown hair and purple eyes gapped before dashing out the room.
"W-wait!" Sakura's call didn't stop the nurse. Footsteps could be heard running the down the hall followed by some commotion. Afterwards a few more footsteps were walking back towards the door. It was opened cautiously. Four shinobi covered in black with masks covering their faces flooded in the room standing by the window and each corner. The next person to walk in the room was a familiar face. Vomit collected in Sakura's throat. It was Hiruzen Sarutobi the third Hokage who was alive, breathing and making everything she believed a lie.
"Last time we shut down the whole hospital." He started slowly with a cane taping against the ground steadying each foot. The room stilled when he approached the side of Sakura's bed. Her gaze caught the tail end of each anbu pulling out a kunai.
"Do not make us repeat the same actions as last time. "
Pink lips moved to ask about the unknown, but nothing came out. There was something missing - something the Hokage was not telling Sakura. This was the first time she awoke from being dead. Then again, the man in front of her should be dead too.
Hiruzen sighed looking down at the patient who was a mystery. No relation to anyone in the village or identification from where she came from. He knows that she is a ninja of high caliber. The evidence is clear from the limp in his leg.
Sakura gritted her teeth from the pain it took to turn her head. Just what was wrong with her? She knows for sure that she died drained of chakra but didn't understand why she was in so much pain. As if seeing the question in her eyes Hiruzen tilted his head looking down at her.
"I know your wondering why you can't move. It's a forbidden jutsu but we needed a way of restraining you. "
It occurred to Sakura in that moment that she felt nothing. Besides the pain there was no chakra circulating through her body. Usually there would be a small simmer of chakra building in the core before dispersing to other parts of the body but there was no such thing. Her chakra network did not seem to exist. Against her will tears sprouted falling down the sides of her face scrunching in loss.
The Hokage watched her unsure if the kunoichi understood the meaning behind it. Remembering the incident two months ago when Sakura first woke up there was a gleam in her expression. The hospital lost a whole wing including the previous nurse working her room. Hiruzen didn't understand the difference from now compared to then, but the murderous gleam in those jade eyes were gone. Though, he was skeptical why there was such a large change.
Deep in thought, Hiruzen didn't see the mental change cross Sakura's face as she tried pushing each emotion down for the moment. Blinking away the access tears Sakura looked around the room trying to calm herself not letting the intimidating presence of anbu deter her. It was hard accepting more calming thoughts when all she wanted to do was freak out.
"Why…why are you doing this to me?" Sakura tried speaking up, but it came out as a whisper. Probably screaming before wasn't the best course of action. There was nothing to be done about it now. She needed answers.
Hiruzen gave Sakura an appraising look. He hadn't expected her to not remember the last time she awoke. Instead of avoiding the subject he indulged her with an answer.
"When you awoke from a coma two months ago you attacked the hospital."
From the widening of her eyes Hiruzen could see the onslaught of tears building again.
"Do you not remember?"
Sakura lips trembled with the answer, ''No…"
The Hokage looked around the room nodding to an anbu in the corner; said ninja stepped forward exiting the room. When the door clicked shut Hiruzen turned back to Sakura. She couldn't tell what he was thinking from the blank expression on his face. Usually he was known for expressing his feelings to an extent.
"What is the last thing you remember?" Hiruzen said, puzzled by the turn of events. He thought it would be easy to charge said ninja with bodily harm, murder and unwanted demolition. Maybe there was more to the story.
Wishing she could wipe the tears from her face Sakura blinked rapidly to clear her vision. Other than her emotional brain lapsing in judgement she was trying to think straight. This all could be some horrible dream before her actual venture to death.
"Death…Everyone died in the war."
"War? The Third-Shinobi War ended some time ago."
"I mean The Fourth-Shinobi War. "
Hiruzen paused unsure how to counter that answer. Everything telling him to turn around and walk out was heightened. Though the prospect would be easy a feeling deep down told him to stay put. Despite Sakura's innocent appearance he learned once not to underestimate her. If she couldn't remember what happened last time, is she telling the truth now? Maybe or maybe not.
Making up his mind, Hiruzen told another anbu across the room to bring back 'Hawk' the first anbu that walked out. Nodding the anbu left for a few minutes before escorting Hawk and another man inside the room. As if a hot poker burned her eyes Sakura squinted at the man with short blond hair and blue eyes. Looking past the muscular features, he could be a carbon copy of her best friend Ino. Immediately Sakura averted her gaze failing to stop the next image of Ino fighting amongst her peers then alone before being staked to death by a reanimated Asuma.
"Are you afraid of him?"
"No, but he reminds me of what she could do."
The Hokage wanted to ask who 'she' was but thought better of it. It would be easier to get answers another way. Waving over the blond in the room he stalked closer as two anbu pushed the hospital bed away from the wall. Sakura hadn't seen them move previously; living without chakra would be harder than she thought.
"Since we do not know who you are this is an investigation. My subordinate will infiltrate your memories to see if what you said was true.''
"It is true."
"We will judge for ourselves."
Once the carbon copy of Ino stood behind the bed cool finger tips pressed against Sakura's scalp.
"You won't feel a thing." A rich baritone chirped before a spark ignited within her dreams blocking out the hospital room until all she saw was darkness.
I can't believe you're letting this happen… Another voice spoke in repressed irritation.
What the-Who are you? Sakura couldn't see herself though the darkness did morph into a grassy hill. Above her there were blue skies. Peaking behind a tree she found no one to match with the voice.
Your other half dumbass. Then it clicked. The annoying, cynical undertone with hints of violence could only be…
Weren't you supposed to be-
Dead? No. I only waited until you needed me again. It was bound to happen.
Where are we? Sakura didn't recognize the landscape. It didn't seem like a place that existed within Konoha. Another question arose but the voice spoke first.
Safe from the blond roaming around. It didn't answer Sakura's question but it was something to worry about later.
I'm not hiding anything.
No, but Tsunade-sama didn't see it turning out this way. I don't think she anticipated her apprentice giving up.
I…I haven't given up.
Finally, the image of Sakura's inner self manifested as an eighteen-year-old scowling with a glare.
You have no chakra and can't protect yourself.
I died! The last expression of Tsunade flashed across Sakura's memory. It's something she didn't want to repeat.
You awoke at one point and didn't consider the environment you were in. How do you think we got into this situation? Inner- Sakura yelled raising a brow in challenge.
I don't know. I can't even remember the last time I awoke. I just remember Tsunade-
You remember her because you don't want to remember why she sent you back.
The Yamanaka roaming through Sakura's head had hit a dead end. After unveiling each trap there was a steal door he couldn't break to get to her memories. There was an ancient seal printed on the front of it. From Inner-Sakura's place a grin spread across her face feeling the frustration. There was no way it could be broken. Inner Sakura turned back to Sakura assessing her outer-self with a look of boredom. The poor girl probably didn't know she was thirteen-years-old again.
Look we don't have all the time in the world to sort this out but Tsunade left a gift for you.
What kind of gift? Sakura wanted to know what it was. Her Shishou leaving a gift was important since she didn't give them out freely. Inner-Sakura sighed as if speaking with a child. She could see it but the other couldn't.
…One that would replenish your chakra network.
It is impossible…they took it somehow. The small light of hope in Sakura's eyes started to dim yet this only pissed off Sakura's inner self. She didn't understand how her outer self didn't assess every option in the book. Inner-Sakura's next words were cutting but she hoped would help.
No, idiot. If you looked closer at the problem, you could see the heavy layer of suppression gengutsu covering the inside of your body!
Those words echoed without restraint. When the drip of anger surfaced to fold of Sakura's expression her concentration turned to figuring out the problem. Evaluating her entire body, it would seem the chakra network was ripped from existence but there was a waiver. The waver was a blanket of chakra thin enough to cover the small particles of veins connected to the network. That is why it hurt too much to move. There wasn't one blanket but multiples sitting on top of each chakra vein pushing down any remanence making it hard to maneuver her body. It was made to trick a ninja into thinking their chakra network was gone.
Every muscle brimming in pain relaxed into the hospital bed making Sakura look at ease. The Hokage thought the Yamanaka stumbled across some memories until his fingers pulled away from Sakura's scalp.
"I'm sorry but I could not break the seal this time." The Yamanaka admitted defeat stepping away from Sakura's bed. Her eyes were still closed until she opened them. They immediately went to the Hokage. Hiruzen thought about the possibility of evasion but a seal like this needed to be broken. He would need to find a seal master to look at it. The origins of the seal were a mystery to him. The description is foreign and unknown to any books they may have.
"Did you find what you needed?" The question was so innocent Hiruzen did nothing but glare at her. Sakura held his gaze without flinching. There was no reason to back down now.
"Could I ask you something?"
Hiruzen's gaze turned into slits, "Yes, you can."
"When can I leave the hospital?"
A/N:
Leave a review and let me know what you think. I always like when the readers give their option on the characters as well :D
Until next time.
-NuteWelt01