A:N: Back for another chapter, lots of training.
Naruto woke that morning to find Sakura already dressed and out of bed, much to his disappointment…
Sakura heard him stir. "I didn't mean to wake you up handsome." She whispered, resting her arms on the edge of the bed and smiling.
"Stay in bed!" He said lazily, holding her hand.
Sakura ran her hand against his face consolingly. "Sorry, I have genjutsu training with Kurenai this morning and I'm not about to keep a pregnant woman waiting."
"Alright…" He said reluctantly. "Maybe I will work on one of my dad's ninjutsu."
Sakura thought for a moment. "From what I have read his other signature ninjutsu was flying rajin; Kakashi would know about it; Minato was his Sensei and squad leader."
"Guess I should get dressed then."
"Sorry but plus I want to keep working on chakra nature infusion to fight with elemental taijutsu anyway."
"Looks like we're both going to be busy today." Naruto said with a smile.
"I'll find you later for some sparring first, okay."
"You won't be able to tire me out as easily if we spar." He warned seriously.
"Hmm…We'll see." Sakura said as she kissed Naruto goodbye.
Kurenai was waiting at the entrance to the training grounds and greeted Sakura casually when she arrived.
"You look well rested, good, it will help your genjutsu training." She said.
"Spending time with Naruto does that," Sakura admitted with a smile.
"I heard about your time in the hospital, getting the Hashirama Cell; you'll need similar mental discipline to be good at using genjutsu; now let's start by going over the basics." Sakura nodded, listening. "Genjutsu alters perception by altering one or more of our senses, affecting our central nervous system and overall chakra flow to the brain. Yin release is also fundamental, as I'm sure you know since you are highly resistant to genjutsu." She told the young pink-haired Kunoichi, who nodded in understanding, so Kurenai continued. "Now, trapping someone in ninjutsu requires heavy concentration. It would help to focus on the illusion you want to trap a target with and on disrupting chakra flow to their brain. When you affect the central nervous system, you can use genjutsu freely, assuming your target struggles to resist it."
"Is this any different than the Sharingan?" Sakura asked uncertainly.
"Certain Sharingan users were known for creating powerful genjutsu, but it is much harder a skill for non-Sharingan users to master." Kurenai explained.
"I need to be able to fight Sasuke but I've been thinking genjutsu might be the sort of thing that he would never expect from me so I want to make sure I get really good at it." She said seriously.
"That will take complete discipline and mastery of genjutsu; do you have time necessary?" Kurenai asked seriously.
"I can do it," Sakura said determinedly.
Kurenai was blunt. "Let's get started then."
Meanwhile, Naruto sought out Kakashi to see what he knew about Minato's signature ninjutsu technique.
"You want to learn flying Rajin?" Kakashi was surprised.
"Could you teach me? I mastered the Rasengan in less than a week." Naruto said hastily.
"I don't have time to teach you that Naruto; I am always helping strategize for the war." Kakashi was blunt. "Besides, your father didn't earn the nickname yellow flash of the leaf just for his hair. Flying Rajin requires tremendous speed and precision, and you struggle with both." He was very matter of fact.
"I can do it, give me a day, teach me how to do it and I will practice on my own from there, please." Naruto pleaded.
Kakashi sighed deeply. "Alright, I will teach you Minato's technique formula and the fundamentals of the ninjutsu but I really don't have time to train you, you will have to master it by yourself." He said apologetically.
"Thank you, Kakashi Sensei." Naruto said giving him a grateful thumbs up.
True to his word, Kakashi taught Naruto the necessities of flying Rajin technique along with Minato's technique formula, leaving Naruto to train by himself. Only when Sakura found him several hours later did he stop and take a break…
"When I mentioned flying Rajin, I didn't think you would try to start using it right away," Sakura admitted with a surprised look.
"When have you ever known me to pass up an opportunity to get stronger and learn something new." He sounded exhausted.
"I haven't; that's why I came to check on you since you've been here all day," Sakura said with a knowing but concerned smile.
"I'm getting the hang of this, a little, I think," Naruto said, breathing hard.
Sakura picked up a nearby Kunai, one of many that she noticed were marked with specific Kanji. "A technique formula, so this is how flying Rajin works." She said, studying the Kunai with interest.
"You should keep one with you. That way I can be instantly at your side." Naruto said affectionately.
"Hmmm…" Sakura said thoughtfully. "I have a better idea; mark me like these Kunai are marked, and you will always be able to find me instantly."
"Are you sure? It can't be removed." He cautioned her.
"Yes." Sakura assured him calmly.
"Alright, where do you want it, your forehead?" He asked.
"No, my back," Sakura said quickly. "I'm saving all the space on my forehead for something else." She was vague now.
"I'll need a minute so take off your shirt and turn around." He said casually.
Naruto placed a seal on Sakura's back in the middle, though it took several minutes to apply. She felt a unique sensation momentarily, realizing that Naruto had probably created the seal and infused it with his natural chakra so that he could identify where exactly to teleport too.
"Okay." He said calmly.
"That tickled a bit." Sakura admitted as she put on her shirt again.
"Sorry," He said.
"How did you create a technique formula this quickly?" She asked curiously.
"I didn't; I'm using my Dad's. Kakashi showed me how to copy it exactly." He explained to her.
"How's it going?" She asked quietly.
"I'm trying to practice by warping to various trees I've marked with these Kunai; I've been at it for hours." Naruto sighed. "It turns out sensing chakra of the things I've marked is a lot harder than it seems." He didn't elaborate, sitting down instead.
"How's your chakra control?" She asked quietly.
"Not as good as yours; I've only managed the flying rajin a handful of times." He was disappointed with himself.
"I'll wait along the forest at the farthest point; you teleport to me," Sakura said calmly.
"Wait, what happened to your genjutsu training?" He asked.
Sakura answered hesitantly. "As long as I know what they look like, I can make anyone see someone who isn't there. It took all morning.
"You have that look in your eyes," Naruto said quietly.
"I'm trying to make sure I can fight Sasuke if I have to; he doesn't think I'm a threat. The war is his window to attack the Leaf Village." Sakura said seriously.
"Yeah, probably." Naruto agreed, sighing. "Alright, Sakura, you hide, and I'll warp to you." He said, standing again.
"I'll count how long it takes; that way, you know how your training is going." She squeezed his hand encouragingly, then leaped off to hide.
Naruto had always taken sensing chakra for granted and regretted that now; he knew he needed to get much better at sensing chakra without transforming into sage mode if he wanted to use his dad's most famous technique regularly.
"You are hiding, but where?" Naruto said anxiously to himself.
Sakura knew detecting chakra required control over your own, and she knew this wasn't Naruto's strength as a ninja, but she hoped that having her to focus on would help him as he tried to master the flying rajin technique. After about five minutes of silence in her immediate area, Sakura heard Naruto appear behind her.
"You did it." She said quietly.
"That's not easy; it didn't scare you?" He said.
"Well, no, but you are not trying to kill me." Sakura pointed out rhetorically. "You did good though, Naruto!" She said, turning and smiling at him.
He sighed. "I need to make sure I can do it instantly."
"If you can do it while fighting, you will be in good shape; I might as well use my elemental taijutsu." Sakura put space between them.
Naruto watched as Sakura's left hand became the earth and her right became flame while both feet turned to wood.
"You took my idea and ran with it," Naruto said proudly.
"Get ready, I'm not holding back." She said seriously.
Sakura wanted to push Naruto to teleport as fast as he possibly could, by using the marking on her back to get behind her. As soon as they started an exchange of close combat, she traded punches with him, each harder than the last.
"Sakura, I don't want to hurt you." He said hastily, blocking but not attacking back.
"Last time I checked you have to punch back to hurt someone." She said bluntly. "Are you really so afraid I can't take a punch! Come on Naruto I'm not doing this just for you, stop blocking and hit me!" Sakura punched him square in the jaw with her flaming right hand to emphasize her point.
"Ouch, Hot, hot, hot! I can't hit girls!" He said, panicking.
There was a hardness in Sakura's eyes that was not usually there. "If you don't fight back, I'll knock you out, and that would be bad considering we're pretty far from the village and surrounded by forest that can catch fire from my fist!" She warned seriously.
"What are you trying to do?" He asked, blocking her punches with increasing sloppiness.
"You want to use flying rajin; you have to get faster and stop worrying. About me, or about trying to be a carbon copy of Minato and make it your own! Sakura shouted.
Something in Naruto let go, and soon the two of them were exchanging blows at a rapid pace. and suddenly he was teleporting behind Sakura every time she threw a punch, Sakura was pleased, as Naruto was a much better ninja when he relied on his instincts. Sure, he wasn't a born genius like his father, but he was just as skilled as a Shinobi when pushed to take things seriously. The sparring ended as Sakura landed on her back, following a punch to the gut that caused her to stagger and lose her footing, and Naruto pinned her to the ground.
"Glad you finally got serious, Naruto!" Sakura said bluntly.
"You will be lethal with this elemental taijutsu." He said, helping her to stand again.
"If you can find a way to mark opponents, using flying rajin with your taijutsu would give you a major edge. You were much faster like that." Sakura said thoughtfully.
"Should we go again?" He offered.
Sakura shook her head. "It's late afternoon, and between the two of us, we've been training all day; let's get some food before we think about more training."
"I am hungry." He admitted.
Back in the village they spotted Sai who was drawing by himself, he seemed to be perfectly content.
Naruto was surprised. "Hey Sai we thought you would be training."
"I do train, at dawn, it was always typical in the foundation and I haven't stopped doing that." He was very matter-of-fact.
"So you save the rest of the day for drawing," Sakura said quietly.
"I suppose drawing is meditation for me, and I won't have time once the war starts." He answered without looking up from his sketchbook.
"You don't seem worried about the war ?" Naruto said enviously.
Sai was very matter-of-fact. "The Foundation was always preparing us for a civil war within the village because of clashing ideals of those in charge, so I am already prepared for war."
"Do you want to get some food with us?" She asked.
"No, I am not hungry." He said bluntly.
Walking away from Sai, Naruto whispered to Sakura. "He is still odd."
"He closed off his heart for years that's what the foundation, what Donzo did." Sakura sighed.
"Sasuke killed him." Naruto frowned.
"You need to prepare yourself for the possibility of having to kill Sasuke; he is probably set on destroying the village." She said bluntly.
"You are convinced he will use the war as a distraction." He said.
"Yes, he has snapped Naruto; what Itachi was made to do, it's left him fully consumed by hatred." There was pity in her voice.
"That's the other reason you didn't want me off on that secret island for tailed beast training ." He looked at her worried expression.
"He was powerful enough to battle all four of the five Kage and kill Donzo. You have the best chance of stopping him if—when he attacks, and after what happened when Nagato attacked…" She sighed. "I respect Lady Tsunade but it's the dumbest strategy in the world to send you off for secret training when you are our best hope in dire situations."
"That's quite flattering Sakura, I'll buy lunch." Naruto said smiling at her.
Lunch once a day was it, otherwise Sakura and Naruto were training. An explosion rocked the forest floor, leveling surrounding trees.
"I missed!" Naruto said anxiously.
Sakura had just jumped out of the way; she smirked. "That's a destructive ninjutsu, but you'll have to have a better aim to hit me with your Rasenshuriken!" She weaved several signs. "Wood release infestation of tree roots!"
"Oh, you gotta be kidding; sending the forest after me!" Naruto was running for his life now, trying not to get caught by the roots spreading along the ground.
"You can't run forever!" She warned pretty casually.
It was true; the ground was increasingly unstable, and roots were spreading rapidly.
"How is Sakura so good at wood release already!" He was thinking anxiously. "It's like she took control of this forest area's soil, spread her chakra in the soil; she's directing roots using her chakra." He sighed. "I guess I am about to find out how good I am at this flying rajin thing." Naruto was shocked that Sakura could send the roots as high as she wanted, following him as he attempted to stay airborne. "Seriously… Okay, distraction, but she'll expect shadow clones, so..."
Sakura knew Naruto was up to something. "I caught him too easily… That must be a shadow clone…." Yet there was no indication of this, only the sounds of Naruto's struggle to break free from being caught. "Something is off…."
The thought had barely left her mind when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Flying rajin barrage!" Naruto said triumphantly.
Sakura still managed to anticipate the attack; Naruto had yet to perfect his version of the flying rajin technique.
"Your real self was the distraction!" Sakura said with a smile as she began to fight three shadow clones."
"I knew you were too smart for me to use shadow clones like I usually do." Shouted the real Naruto, still trapped within the roots that chased him.
"How are you maintaining shadow clones when the real you is trapped?" She asked curiously while they continued to fight.
"I haven't been meditating only for the peace." He said.
Sakura suddenly understood. "You've been working on your chakra control."
"Maybe…" He said vaguely.
Sakura sent the three shadow clones flying backward when she got an opportunity.
"Let's try this one more time…" Naruto hoped it would work this time.
A few moments later, a kunai infused with wind nature pierced the roots at their weakest point freeing the real Naruto.
"Flying rajin barrage!" There was certainty in his voice now.
Naruto's second attempt was successful, teleporting to Sakura both in front of and behind her, leaving no space. The impact of getting punched from both sides was painful, and Sakura reached her limit, staggering back to her feet.
"You got me, ugh…." She said slowly, fighting not to fall over as she healed various wounds with medical ninjutsu.
"Are you sure you are okay?" He asked, frowning.
"Sore, but what would be the point of being a Kunoichi if I can't handle your best during training." She had an oddly defiant smile.
"It's been four days, every day, after your genjutsu training with Kurenai." He reminded her. "I've never seen you like this, Sakura."
"Like what?" Sakura asked, eyebrows raised.
"You just keep going lately; we haven't stopped," Naruto said worrisomely.
"You don't need to worry about me. Now, Ditch your clothes."
"Wait, what?" He was sure that he had misheard her.
"I can heal you from the chakra cloak much quicker that way. Now, let's work on taming the nine tails. Besides, we'll have to wash blood out of them otherwise." Sakura told him seriously.
"I don't know." He said nervously.
"You know I won't let him take over your body; the only thing that you need to worry about is controlling that chakra."
Naruto was downcast. "It's so much hatred, Sakura; like Sasuke now, but ten times worse."
"I know releasing the seal is overwhelming, but I'm going anywhere, Naruto." Sakura put her arms around him and smiled encouragingly.
Naruto sighed. "I nearly killed my master because I can't control this power and hurt you."
"I did not have hashirama cells and wood release back then." Sakura reminded him calmly.
Naruto nodded and took off his clothes, putting them in Sakura's bag; then, he unlocked the seal from within the space reserved for the nine tails.
"The foolish brat still thinks he can control my chakra, come on then Naruto, I'll show you how futile this is for you!" The nine tails laughed derisively.
Almost instantly, Naruto struggled to hold back the beastly rage of the nine tails.
"I know it's a lot, Naruto, but I'm right here." Sakura said quietly. She reached out and took his hand from within the red chakra cloak. "It's not your rage or your chakra Naruto; you have your own."
The cloak increased from two to four tails, and for the first time, Sakura felt the intensity of the nine tails.
The nine tails was laughing now. "He can't hear you, Sakura foolish woman, Naruto will always be at my mercy whenever the seal is unlocked, and you won't be too far behind as long as your chakra remains linked to Naruto. You are about to know how in over your head you are!"
The ground shook violently. Naruto roared just as violently, grabbing Sakura with his fox-like limbs; it was painful.
Despite getting squeezed so hard she thought her bones might break if it lasted too much longer, Sakura was still able to weave hand signs.
"Wood release: rising root strike" She said with gritted teeth.
Roots shot out of the ground right under Naruto, knocking him in the air and releasing Sakura from his grip.
"You ruined my shirt!" She threw aside her ripped and battered shirt. "Now I'm angry!"
"She should be unconscious!" The nine-tailed fox was angry.
"Naruto, stop letting the rage of the nine tails consume you." She said bluntly.
"She won't stop getting in my way!" He roared.
Sakura had seen this shockwave the other times that Naruto succumbed to his tailed beast state; it was powerful.
"Naruto, I know you're conscious, stop letting the nine tails win!" She was angry now.
Sakura was back in front of the nine tails again just like the day she created the seal link…
The demon fox was laughing again. "My will is too much for him. Naruto is weak and pathetic!"
"You love to hear yourself talk, were you like that when you were sealed inside Kushina?" She asked impatiently, appearing in front of the demon fox.
"Get out of the psyche plane!" The beast growled harshly.
"I'm not going anywhere." She said bluntly.
"You think your mere presence here changes anything? You are no match for my power!" He said harshly.
She laughed. "I'm not stupid enough to fight you nine tails.
"Then why are you here?" He asked impatiently.
She had walked up close and folded her arms thoughtfully. "I want to know why you hate humans so much?"
"For generations, we tailed beasts have been imprisoned within humans, sealed away without freedom. If I'm not sealed inside a member of the Uzumaki clan another human is trying to control me and steal my power! Years, decades, centuries! Never anything more than a means to an end for you wretched Homo Sapiens and you ask me why I have so much rage!" He roared in total disgust.
She looked completely unfazed. "Do you seriously think yelling is going to intimidate me?"
"Kushina had that same overconfident attitude, and she ended up dead!" He reminded her harshly.
Sakura shook her head, "You are so blinded by rage that you never stopped to realize that it wasn't any easier having you sealed inside of her than it was for you to be sealed in her."
"What makes you think that you know anything about it, you brat!" He spat angrily.
"I don't, not directly, but I've been on Naruto's team for years; I've watched him struggle, and so have you, and yet whenever the seal is unlocked, you throw a temper tantrum."
"You mock me? I have a right to my hatred, I am a living thing, my power is not weapon to used and stored away over and over!" He shouted furiously.
Sakura was incredulous now. "Living things, you have the nerve to play that card, Kushina and Minato were living things too, and you guaranteed that they couldn't see their son grow up, and Naruto, Naruto never had a choice." Sakura was furious now. "He is forced to be your Jinchūriki and still you take advantage of his emotions and possess his body when he is the only hope that you or any of the other tailed beasts have of being accepted one day!"
"Spare me your lecture; I have kept that idiot alive since he could speak, yelling about being Hokage one day; he doesn't even have a strong enough will to handle my chakra or my hatred, now GET OUT!"
Sakura was once again focused on her actual surroundings. With Naruto still berserk in his tailed beast state, Sakura kept dodging his rampage of attacks.
Sakura was oddly calm but couldn't help but talk aloud to herself. "Dammit, Naruto, he needs to learn to control this tailed beast state. That's the point of unlocking the seal in the first place. I can't bail him out with the sealing jutsu."
Sakura was caught once more as the shockwave from an attack knocked her off her feet, she was grabbed and slammed into the ground by her legs. If not for having Hashirama cells, she would have been gravely injured. As it was, Sakura staggered to her feet; what remained of her clothes were ripped, so she cast them aside, a look of quiet fury on her face.
"Fine, COME AND GET ME, NARUTO!" Sakura yelled fearlessly.
Sakura had no idea why it came out of her mouth, but the smaller fox that was Naruto came charging at her, tackled her to the ground, and roared violently in her face.
It happened suddenly and without warning; Sakura watched in shock as a rampaging Naruto attack himself, Soon Sakura couldn't believe what she saw. Naruto was, for lack of a better description, figuratively split in two. One-half of his body was that of a tailed beast, and the other was human…
"What in the name of Kami?" Sakura said in amazement.
"What, his will, I can feel him fighting back against me" He roared bitterly.
There was a long scream from Naruto. Then he spoke, though it was difficult while he struggled against the will of the nine tails.
"UGGGGH, YOU ARE IN MY MIND YOU STUPID FOX, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!" He yelled through the pain, his voice warped between man and beast.
Naruto's chakra suddenly burst forth, overpowering the chakra of the nine tails. Moments later, Naruto fell to the forest floor with a thud.
"Naruto!" Sakura shouted anxiously.
Sakura wanted to run but could only stagger and limp to him slowly because her legs felt like lead, but she did manage to lock the seal on the nine tails.
"Damn her, who does that brat with no clan think she is? Not only has she linked herself to this cursed seal, but now Naruto and this wretched girl are unlocking it and locking it whenever they want! If either of you think I will just bend to your whim, think again!" The fox was irate.
Sakura was smiling despite rather heavy fatigue. "He did it; he gained control over the tailed beast transformation; next thing will be sustaining it while keeping control over his mind and all that chakra." She laughed. "I'll have to bring a third person when we continue this, so they can help us get back to the village in better shape." She groaned, "My clothes have been ripped to shreds." She sighed. "Honestly, I hoped that the first time I needed to do this would be my shining moment." Sakura bit down on her dominant thumb drawing blood. "Oh well… Summoning jutsu!"
There was a loud popping noise nearby and a slug appeared though, it wasn't as large as Sakura hoped.
There was immediate concern from a delicate sounding voice. "Oh dear, Sakura, what happened here?"
"Naruto is still training; try to maintain control over the nine tails chakra, we're pretty beat up, but the progress was worth it."
"I will heal you both and information Lady Tsunade right away!" She said quickly.
"Thank you, Lady Katsuyu; I don't have the energy to heal either of us."
"Yes of course, hold still; I will heal you both." She assured kindly.
"I haven't broken any rules by summoning you, have I Lady Katsuyu?" Sakura asked worrisomely.
"Don't be silly; I'm not nearly as stubborn as the toads and snakes are." The kind slug assured her.
"I'm still grateful and sorry the first time I summoned you wasn't more exciting," Sakura said apologetically.
She maintained her reassuring kindness. "You are not bothering me, Sakura. We entered into a contract shortly after the battle against Pain; I knew that you were the only one with medical skills capable of protecting the entire village, just as Lady Tsunade had done."
"I… Thank you, Lady Katsuyu." Sakura could stand now, but her body was still considerably sore.
"Know that I will always answer your summons; you may still be sore for some time." The slug turned her attention to Naruto. She was somewhat anxious. "He is alright, but pushed himself a great deal in trying to control the nine-tails chakra. Please wait here; I will ensure others know you need help returning to the village."
Sakura watched as Lady Katsuyu split herself into two parts; one vanished, undoubtedly to find Lady Tsunade in the village, while the rest began healing Naruto.
"If you like, I can separate myself further and cover your body." Katsuyu offered gently. "It will provide further healing, which, even with your newly regenerative cells, would be beneficial."
Truthfully, Sakura had forgotten that she was not wearing clothes anymore, only remembering once the wind started to howl.
"Naruto needs you more than I do now." Sakura walked to collect her bag and threw on Naruto's pants and jacket.
"You should know that Lady Tsunade is sending Sai and Ino to aid you and Naruto in returning to the leaf village as she is quite busy with continued war preparations." Lady Katsuyu told Sakura calmly.
"I appreciate all your help so much Lady Katsuyu." Sakura said affectionately, petting the slug on the head.
"I will continue to monitor Naruto until help arrives." She said seriously.
"Thank you," Sakura said sincerely.
Sakura and Naruto flew back to the village on one of Sai's ink birds. Using wood release to create a house just as Yamato had done, Sakura dressed before leaving, both herself and Naruto, who wasn't awake yet. Sakura was relieved to hear the sound of Naruto's snoring on the way, as it meant he was not in any danger and only heavily asleep from extreme exhaustion.
Ino scolded Sakura loudly, "Next time, keep somebody close by so that the two of you get back to the village in one piece if you are going to train to complete exhaustion."
"The nine-tailed fox is far too powerful for other people to be anywhere close; I learned the hard way, that's why I got hashirama cell injections." Sakura began seriously. "Even with that, the nine-tails chakra is powerful enough to drown Naruto in rage." Her expression was stone-faced.
Ino was blunt. "That's why you should have let Naruto go wherever Lady Tsunade wanted to send him."
"Do I need to remind you how bad it got the last time Naruto was taken off-grid for training, and that was only a handful of people?" Sakura said grossly. "Lady Tsunade's plan was foolish, this is a war against Madara Uchiha, someone who should be dead and is widely seen as the second most skilled ninja that has ever lived. I'm sure many people would like to believes they are a match for Madara, but its ridiculous."
Ino sighed deeply, hesitant as she spoke again. "Sakura, don't you think your feelings for Naruto— "
"No!" Sakura said seriously.
"So you think Naruto is more powerful than an entire army of ninjas from the five great nations and the five Kage that lead those nations." Ino said incredulously.
"I do." Sakura said bluntly.
"But Naruto does not have control of the nine-tailed fox, and even you know that without that power, the difference he can make in the outcome of the war will be a lot smaller."
"The war is the least of all my reasons for my most recent choices, I am making sure that Naruto will be here to protect the village when Sasuke attacks it." Sakura wasn't not speaking emotionally; if anything she sounded matter-of-fact.
There was silence following these words, and nobody said anything more while they flew back to the village...
Naruto woke up in the leaf hospital. "What's going on?" His memory was hazy at best.
Tsunade was standing over Naruto. "You pushed yourself to exhaustion training." She knew everything because her face was angry.
He looked contemplative. "The last thing I remember is working on Flying Rajin."
"You overtaxed your entire chakra network, but," She glanced at Sakura, looking at her student with an angry face. "Don't worry, Naruto. Flying Rajin has nothing to do with your current condition. Sakura says you are using it rather well in almost no time."
"Then why…"
"Trying to control the nine-tails chakra landed you here," Tsunade said seriously.
"I failed." He said.
"Not exactly; I think you overpowered his chakra with your own; it exploded out of you, and you returned to normal but you were split in two," Sakura said calmly.
"What?" They both looked surprised and confused.
Sakura explained, trying to recall. "You were rampaging as a tailed beast, and then you started attacking yourself. Next thing I know you were caught between the two, tailed beast state and the human. That's when your natural chakra kind of exploded, and you passed out fully human again."
"How do you both feel now?" Tsunade asked.
"Fine," They said.
"Sakura, I need to speak with you alone!" She said evenly.
She was blunt. "As soon as Naruto is well enough, I'm sending him off for training like I originally planned."
No, he needs to be here to defend the village," Sakura said icily.
"Other ninjas are more than capable of doing that." She said sharply.
"Not Sasuke, he attacked the five Kage summit and killed Donzo; if you leave the average ninja to defend the village, you are signing their death warrant!" Sakura said anxiously.
"Do you honestly think you and Naruto are the only ones who could stop Sasuke?" She looked impatient now.
"No, but you Kage will be busy with Madara I'm not willing to send others to their deaths when it's very likely they won't be able to stop Sasuke, and I know Naruto isn't either."
"That's why you are still so adamantly against my idea." She said.
Sakura implored her master. "Lady Tsunade you will never understand the things that happened while you were in your coma. Four of the five Kage fought him at the summit, and he more than held his own, and then there's the war. What do you think will happen to the tens of thousands of inexperienced ninjas on the battlefield?"
Tsunade looked angry now. "Sakura I've fought in the name of war, you have not, please don't act as if you know more than me. I'm the Hokage, not you!"
"Lady Tsunade, with all due respect, when it comes to Naruto and Sasuke, I know them both far better than you do!" Sakura had fire in her eyes. "I'll leave you to plan for the war all you want, but anything with those two, I'm making my responsibility no matter what you think!" She was done talking and was already walking back to Naruto's room.
"Sakura!" There was a pause, and Sakura turned to face her master. "How's your capacity."
Sakura smiled. "I'll be at full capacity during the war."
"I clearly can't change your mind." She sighed.
"Sorry, but I will never agree with keeping Naruto away from the war, not even to control the nine tails chakra. My gut tells me that thousands of average ninja will die if Naruto isn't on the front lines from the second the war starts." She was adamant.
"I'm not sure Shikaku will agree with our best defense being a good offense as a battle strategy, but if that's going to work for anyone within the Allied Shinobi Forces, it's Naruto and you; he will be discharged at the end of the day." Tsunade looked like a mother worried about children. "Sai goes along when you are training with Naruto from now on, he can get you back here quickly since you insist on pushing yourselves to the point where you need medical attention." She was the one who was adamant now.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade." Sakura was very grateful.
Naruto wasn't happy he couldn't leave the hospital right away until Sakura reminded him that a few hours was nothing compared to three weeks. After getting home, the first thing that he did was eat a large bowl of ramen.
"Sakura, you don't have to stay unless you want to; I don't mind." He looked at her with a casual smile.
"I don't want to go home; my parents will just ask questions I don't feel like answering." She admitted rather shyly.
"Can you fill in the blanks on what happened after I unlocked the seal?" Naruto asked quietly. "I don't have a clue, and it bothers me." He sighed.
"You were rampaging in your tailed beast state, four tails to be exact, but you had five when things got rough," Sakura explained.
Naruto was confused. "Four tails right away, but that doesn't make sense; it's not like I was angry."
Sakura shoot her head. "I don't think this was about your emotions, Naruto; we were training intensely and then decided to unlock the seal. I think the nine-tailed fox took advantage of the energy you already spent training." She reasoned calmly. "Things just escalated from there; we're both still sore."
"You got hurt like that day with Pervy Sage," Naruto said flatly.
"That's always a risk when we unlock the seal on the nine tails. He hates being locked up, and he definitely doesn't like me; I remind him far too much of Kushina, so I think with that combination, he can't help but throw a tantrum when he gets the chance." Sakura smirked in amusement.
"You said I controlled his chakra?" He asked.
Sakura was hesitant, unsure of what to think or say. "Well…your chakra just…exploded out of your body, suppressing the nine-tailed fox and his chakra. I have never seen regular chakra act like that." "You were caught between a fox and a hard place." She wore a slight grin for a moment and then sighed. Sakura looked at Naruto. "Do you remember anything once the seal was unlocked?" She asked curiously.
"Barely, all I remember is feeling like I was split in two…" He shrugged. "It doesn't matter though. I'll never be as weak as I was when my dad stepped in to save me. I'm just sorry you were hurt." He said quietly.
There was determination in her eyes. "I know what I got myself into, stop worrying about me." She dismissed bluntly. "We just have to remember not to pace ourselves going forward." She said with cautious optimism.
Naruto sighed. "I wonder how much we can do before the war and I wonder what the other side has been doing this whole time."
"I don't know but only time will tell." She said with a serious voice.
The Nine tails wasn't sure what to think of the current generation. "That idiot Naruto, he is still trying to control my chakra but his will might be stronger than I thought. Old man, I remember what you said at the end. Maybe it's coming what you spoke of so long ago…" The fox was intrigued, if nothing else.
A/N: I am still thinking about out how to describe genjutsu training. I haven't figured that out yet. Also working out how to alter the start of the war since Yamato is not in a position to be captured with how I have written things thus far. Luckily the training gives me space to consider some ideas on how to proceed.