While naruko was training under Jiraya, he tried to teach her the water walk technique but a long time ago Riba taught her so there was no point. Then she almost punched him in the face because she felt his hand on her stomach. Thinking that he was trying to harass her, but he was just examining the seal orochimaru placed on her. She then told him about the blood jutsu because he wouldn't shut up about it and it was really starting to get on naruko's nerves.
After removing the five-pronged seal, Jiraya taught her how to summon toads. Even though she struggled with it for a while she eventually managed to summon a toad called Gamabuta. She even meet the nine-tailed fox when Jiraya pushed her off a cliff. After summoning Gamabuta naruko passed out.
Three days later naruko slowly started to open her eyes and saw that she was in the hospital again. Looking to her right she saw shikamaru sitting next to her bed. "So you finally decided to wake up huh?" Shikamaru said. Naruko sat up groaning and said "how long was I out?" "Three days" shikamaru said. Naruko's eyes widened in shock and thought 'I've been asleep for that long.'
Witnessing naruko's worried expression shikamaru wanted to cheer her up but he honestly didn't know how. Luckily sakura came rushing in carrying a flower that was meant for rock lee. When sakura entered the hospital she found out that naruko was brought in three days ago. Hearing this sakura immediately rushed to naruko's room.
Upon seeing sakura naruko smiled and said "hey sakura." Sakura immediately ran to naruko. "Naruko are ok? What happened?!" Sakura said while checking to see if naruko had any cuts or bruises completely ignoring shikamaru.
Naruko honestly didn't know how to react. She was happy that sakura was concerned about her well being but she was also a bit sheepish since this was the first time sakura has been this concerned for her.
Without a doubt sakura reminds naruko so much of Shakira. She used to act this way every time one of her friends were hurt. She always acted like an overprotective sister hence why naruko, Yuko, Levi, Damien, and Amy used to call her the overprotective big sister of the group.
Flashback
Naruko was going to meet her friends at the cherry blossom tree. When she got there she saw her friends talking with one another. "Hey guys!" Naruko shouted then ran towards them. Everyone turned to look at naruko and they saw her running towards them in the same plain black shirt, pants, and gloves she always wore.
When naruko got close to her friends they saw that she was covered with cuts and bruises. They also noticed big cuts on her arms as well. Seeing this Shakira ran to naruko cupping her face with a worried expression and said in a fast tone "kitty are you ok? What happened? Why are you covered in cuts and bruises?" "Kira calm down I'm alright" naruko said. (Kira is Shakira's nickname.)
Everyone went over to were Shakira and naruko were. Damien started to laugh and said in a joking manner "why are you all in her space Kira? Y'know you're not her mom." Shakira looked at Damien mad and said in a calm yet threatening tone "Damien if you know what's good for you you'll shut your mouth before I shut it for you."
"I'm gonna take a wild guess that you were training with your dad again. That's why you're covered in cuts and bruises" Levi said. Naruko scratched the back of her head and said "yep, you guessed it Levi." Shakira looked at naruko and said "again, I swear cat you really should talk to your father about taking it easy on you when you two are training. I mean he's the village's strongest jonin and your not even a genin plus he knows that he's stronger than you so why does he always have you train to the bone?"
"That's just the way it is Kira. My dad wants me to work hard because he believes that the only way to be successful in life is through hard work. That's why he has me work myself to the bone and that's the exact same reason why I don't ask him to go easy on me. I believe that too so I work really hard each and everyday" naruko said.
"Well would you look at that. Seems like you're really taking after your old man kitty" Damien said. Naruko looked away flattered as a faint blush appeared on the girl's face. Shakira sighed and said "fine I'll drop the subject for now. I'll be right back. I need to get something from the store real quick." She started to walk away but stopped when she heard Yuko say "what are you gonna get from the store?"
Shakira turned her head to look at her friends. "I'm getting some bandages and medicine for kitty's wounds" Shakira said then continued walking but stopped again when she heard Damien ask, "hang on. Do you mind if I come with you? There's some things I need to get for my mom." Shakira sighed, turned around and said "fine. Does anyone else wanna come or need anything?"
Levi took his glasses off and said "well I could get some new glasses. The one's I have are getting pretty small." Levi put his glasses back on. "I'll come along." "Alright let's go." Shakira, Levi, and Damien started walking. "Remember whatever you two get your paying for it and don't turn this little trip to the store into a brawl" Shakira said. "Yes ma'am" both Damien and Levi said.
"Geez from the way she acts towards us I'm surprised that she's an only child" Amy said. "What? Do you not like how she treats us like we're her siblings?" Naruko said. Amy's eyes widened in shock as she looked at naruko and shouted "wha- that's not what I'm saying at all!" "Yeah right" naruko said. Amy got up in her face and said "hey! She's a better sister than my actual sister so don't ever think that I don't appreciate the fact that she treats me little a sister!"
Naruko flicked Amy's forehead and said "you do know that I'm just messing with you." Amy, shocked, looked away embarrassed and blushing "You are so easy to mess with y'know that pinhead." Amy looked back at naruko and said "oh yeah. Well you are just as gullible as I am so you have not reason to make fun of me pigtails." The two glared at each other for a couple of seconds then stared at one another smiled and started laughing.
Flashback End
Naruko smiled looked at sakura and said "I'm alright sakura. I'm just tired from training" "Training? What kind of training knocks you out for three whole days?" Just as sakura was about to say something else she finally noticed shikamaru. "Oh shikamaru I didn't know you were here as well… sorry" sakura said. "It's fine" shikamaru said.
Naruko could see in shikamaru's eyes that he didn't mind that sakura ignored him. She then noticed that sakura was holding a flower. "Hey sakura who's the flower for?" Naruko asked. Shikamaru sighed and said "if it's for sasuke you're just wasting your time 'cause he's still not here." "Well it's actually for lee. I brought him one a while ago but it should be wilted by now" sakura said shocking both naruko and shikamaru.
Sakura stood up and said "well I should go and check on him." "Is it ok if I go with you sakura?" Naruko asked. "Are you sure? Shouldn't you stay here and get some rest?" Sakura said. "Sakura I've been out for three days. I feel just fine and I wanna see how he's doing" naruko said. Sakura smiled and said "If you're sure then come on."
Naruko got out of bed, looked at shikamaru and said "are you coming?" "Yeah sure" shikamaru said. They left the room and headed to rock lee's room. Upon entering lee's room they saw gaara who was trying to kill lee. Seeing this shikamaru used his shadow imitation jutsu to stop gaara.
While gaara couldn't move naruko rushed at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing you fucking bastard!" Naruko shouted then punched him in the face. Sakura stood there terrified and shaking recalling what gaara did to lee during their match.
"What. the. hell. do you think you're doing?" Naruko said with a deadly glint in her eyes. "I was trying to kill him and if you get in my way I'll kill you too" gaara said calmly. Gaara was starting to creep shikamaru out while sakura stood there trembling in fear.
'Something is not right with this guy but those eyes they're… really sad. I had those sad eyes before but I can tell that there's more to him' naruko thought. Gaara looked at naruko and said "mother told me that we're similar. Just like me there's a monster resting inside of you all though we are nothing alike. When I was born into this world the first life I took was that of my mother. Also I could become the strongest shinobi. I was born a monster with a sand spirit sealed inside me and that spirit is called Shukaku."
"You're parents were definitely twisted treating their own child like that" shikamaru said. "I have no ties to my family. To me they are nothing more than lumps of flesh" gaara said. The more this guy talked the more shikamaru and sakura wanted to leave.
Gaara then explained his back story. Shikamaru and sakura had trouble wrapping their heads around gaara's twisted way of living but naruko could understand what gaara was saying. She honestly felt bad for him. She had people in her life who deeply cared about her while gaara had no one.
'He… he's just like me. Ever since I was born people called me a monster, a thing, a demon. Because of how the villagers treated me it caused me to not have any confidence in myself, thinking that my life had no meaning. Hell I even questioned my own existence a couple of times. That was until I left and found a whole bunch of people who cared about me. They helped me become strong, smart, confident, and they helped me see that my life does have meaning to it. When I came back I found out that there were a couple of people here who also cared about me. If not for them I could have ended up just like him' naruko thought.
As gaara was about to kill them, might guy came in and stopped him. As gaara was leaving he stopped and said in a cold tone "you guys got lucky but just you wait. I'll kill you all." Shikamaru and sakura watch on in fear as gaara left while naruko looked sad thinking about what he had told them. "Gaara" naruko whispered.