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Chapter Two - Tiger, Tiger

"Kakashi, you realize it's not your fault," Tsunade said slowly. He was gazing intently at the seal that was on her neck, and the ring of symbols that Tsunade had put around it to keep it under control.

He chose to ignore her sympathy. "What was it?" he asked.

"She was bitten by a shadow devil," Tsunade said in a matter-of-fact tone. "If they bite something and don't kill it, they leave their mark on it. It's like they're planting a seed in the victim. If the victim is weak," she looked back down to Sakura, "then the seal will take over them. Slowly, the victim-"

"It's just not a victim," he said coldly. "Just say it."

"If Sakura can't overpower the seal, then the shadow devil that's implanted into that seal will take over her mind and warp her."

Kakashi closed his eyes. Sakura was not Sasuke, she wasn't some prodigy that could easily take this. She was small and frail, she was delicate. He was truly worried for her.

"When Sakura wakes up, we'll work out a schedule of rigorous training. That's all that we can do for her," Tsunade said.

"I'll do it," Kakashi stated.

Tsunade shook her head, "I'm sorry, Kakashi, but I need you for other things."

He waved his hand. "It can wait."

"Kakashi," Tsunade said sharply, "I understand that you're worried about your student, but you are a shinobi! You will do as I say. I will assign Gaara and Temari to her, and perhaps some others."

"I said I wouldn't let anything happen to her," he said after a moment of silence.

"There are things out there that even you can't protect people from," Tsunade said, choosing her words carefully. "Don't beat yourself up over it." She squeezed his shoulder lightly then walked out of the room.


Temari stood up when Tsunade entered the room, but Gaara just stared ahead as if she never came it. Tsunade just cleared her throat as she took a seat at her desk. She laced her fingers together and crossed her legs.

"I have an assignment for you two."

Temari's eyebrow arched in suspicion. "You're letting us be Leaf shinobi?"

Tsunade smiled. "Not yet. Think of this as trail period."

"What will you have us do?"

"The girl that was escorting you, Sakura, has fallen ill. The only way that she can hope to lead a normal life is to become stronger. I need you two to train her."

Temari snorted. "You're kidding, right?"

"I'm afraid not. And since there has been some... problems lately, you two must do it. I need all of my shinobi for other things."

"We will do it," Gaara said, cutting off whatever sarcastic comment that was about to spill from Temari's mouth.

"Great. You will, of course, be paid. I have also assigned you two to an apartment complex near the training grounds," she handed Gaara an envelope. "You two are dismissed."


"Mom?" Sakura opened her eyes, but quickly regretted it. The overhead lights were murder for her headache.

"Sakura?" A male voice whispered.

"Kakashi? Where am I? Why are you here?" she asked. She tried to sit up, but her back begged to differ. She groaned and fell back to the bed. "Kakashi?" she waited for him to answer.

It took him a long time to talk. His mind was a mess, he couldn't pick out coherent fragments to put together. "I'm sorry, Sakura."

She looked at him oddly, "For what?" Suddenly, a searing pain stabbed through her neck and into her spine. She cried out then clenched her jaw shut. Tears welded up in the corners of her eyes as she desperately hoped for the pain to subside. "Kakashi!"

He winced as he heard the pain in her voice. It wasn't fair for her. If he was only stronger...

She sighed as the pain retreated. She was rubbing the back of her neck as she bit back the rest of the tears threatening to fall. "Is this from that demon?"

He nodded . He clasped his hands together and propped his arms on his legs. He rested his head on his hands while watching her.

"So, what's wrong with me?" She asked him. "What's going to happen to me?"

"If you don't become stronger," he said, "you will lose control of your body and turn into the shadow demon."

Her mouth opened slightly, but she didn't say anything. She just stared at him, not sure of what to say. "I'm going to die."

"No, you won't Sakura. I won't let you die-"

"Oh my God," she covered her face with her hands, then ran them up through her hair. She grabbed her pink locks, ready to pull them out in panic. "I'm going to die! How can I possibly overpower a demon seal?" She looked back up at Kakashi, tears freely flowing. "I'm not Naruto! I'm not Sasuke! I can't do this!"

"Sakura, you can't give up," he said calmly. "You'll be able to get over this."

He wasn't even sure if he believed what he just said. If Sakura was already giving herself up to death, there was no hope.

"You just have to believe in yourse-"

"Don't tell me that!" she screamed. "You don't even believe that I can do it!"

"Sakura," Kakashi placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed firmly, "you are a jounin! You are part of the elite shinobi of the Leaf! Don't tell me that you can't overcome this!" He was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince her.

Sakura stared at him, the tears subsiding. Her heavy breathing calmed by her will. "What am I going to do?"

Kakashi returned his arms to their formal position as he spoke. "You will undergo rigorous training everyday til you are strong enough to handle this thing. You won't be going on any missions til then." Sakura gripped the hospital bed sheets as she nodded.

She smiled, though fake. "It's just a little training, right? Training is never a bad thing." Every word she spoke was forced right through her teeth, and Kakashi recognized it. "I could use it too, being stronger." She tried smiling one more time, then looked back down to her bed.

Kakashi just nodded, not trusting himself to speak.


Sakura returned home the next day. Tsunade had given her a scroll of duties she was supposed to complete as she became stronger. Of course, it really only said for her to train, but it gave her specific times and workouts on a day to day basis. She was supposed to return to the hospital every other weekend to check up on her progress.

She unrolled the scroll, scanning it briefly. She gasped, realizing who her trainers would be. "Gaara and Temari? Why did it have to be them?" She looked over the scroll again, looking for anyone but them. "I see. Kakashi, Gai, Sasuke... But they aren't in here nearly enough. Two full months before they're training me. Even then, they're too few and far between the sand devils." She sighed and rolled the scroll up again.

"Sakura."

She looked up, smiling at her mother. "Yes, Mom?"

"If you... you know... need anything, we'll always be here for you," she said kindly.

Sakura nodded happily. "I know, thank you mom!" Sakura embraced her before smiling some more.

"Don't worry about chores while you're training," she said. "I'll take care of them for you. You just need to concentrate on getting better."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know, I know. But you're going to be worn out, and the last thing that should be on your mind is washing the dishes."

"Thank you, Mom."

She gazed back to the dresser that she had set the scroll down on. The picture of Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke and her caught her eye. She held it up, smiling.

"I think I need some cheering up."


The knocking on Naruto's door caught him off guard. The vase that he was balancing on his head fell off with a crash. "One minute!" Naruto yelled as he picked up the pieces of the vase and threw them away. "Hello?" He opened the door. Immediately, he grinned as wide as he could. "Sakura-chan!"

"Hello, Naruto-kun," she said quietly, "May I come it?"

"Yeah, yeah!" He opened the door wide enough for her to enter, "So, how's it going Sakura-chan?"

"I'm fine, Naruto-kun. And you?" She said, smiling to the best of her abilities at that moment.

"Great, great, great! I've been nominated for ANBU, I was thinking of joining!" He proclaimed. "I was training just then! I'm going to be strong!"

"Joining ANBU, eh? When is the test?"

"Mmmmmm in about four or five months," he said in a matter of fact tone. "Sasuke was nominated too! If he makes it, I definitely have to make it!"

"Great." Sakura smiled.

"Neh, Sakura," Naruto suddenly looked seriously at her, "Is something the matter? You never come by my flat."

"Ah, it's nothing. I was just a little bored, and I haven't seen you for a while since you became a jounin before me," Sakura said happily. "I just wanted to have some fun."

"Well, you've come to the right place! I, Uzumaki Naruto, will make you happy!" He proclaimed.

"And you can't go back on it, because it's your ninja way," Sakura said, giggling softly.

"Yeah, that's right!" he said, adjusting his forehead protector.


"Here!" Naruto handed Sakura a vanilla ice-cream cone as he plopped down on the bench next to her. He grinned in his usually childish way, then turned all of his attention to his treat.

"Naruto-kun, I was wondering," Sakura was staring intently at her ice cream, "how... how do you live with the nine tails still in you?"

"Hmm, well, I haven't really thought about it. It's just in me, that's all," he stated as he licked his cone.

"It doesn't interfere with your life at all?" Sakura asked.

"Nope! Sometimes when I get angry it gives me some of its chakra, but that's about it."

"I see," she said, watching the ice cream melt. It streamed off onto her hand. She didn't even bother to lick it off. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I think I'll be going now."

"Wait, Sakura," he stood up to stop her, "I think you can do it."

She looked at him oddly, "What are you talking about?"

He grinned and pointed at her. "Don't play dumb! You can do it, Sakura-chan!"

She smiled in return.