(A/N) A Time jump from the last chapter, about two months worth, just to get everyone moving(literally). Also, i would like to find a beta-reader or two..my email is and my yahoo messenger is raditz85 (i stopped getting on aim since i discovered the LAUNCH radio thingy on yahoo....)
-Chapter 7-
-Hyperbolic Time Chamber-
(Team Piccolo)
Sakura stood unmoving. She held the Kunai in her hand, poised to throw. She caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of her eye.
"Ha!" She flung the kunai at lightning speed, only to have it land with a thud in the ground. She gasped in frustration as she received a quick blow from the opposite side, sending her to the ground. She used the momentum from the blow to flip back to her feet, and had already retrieved the Kunai.
"I thought i told you. Stop using your eyes!" Yusuke suddenly appeared in view in front of her, seeming to come from no where as he stopped his super fast movements around her. He had increased greatly in speed since their training had begun. He was already about as fast in here as he had been outside.
"It's not possible!" Sakura yelled in frustration. She wiped away the sweat that was freely streaming down her face. "You're too fast for me." She angrily chunked the Kunai into the ground at her feet.
"Hey, don't start throwing a tantrum just because you've fallen behind." Yusuke gave her a sarcastic look. "What was it you said about not falling behind when we first got here?"
"Dammit!" Sakura swore, picking the Kunai from the ground. She closed her eyes, remembering all of the words their Sensei, Piccolo, had spoken before they started their training on their own again.
"You need to sense you opponent. Not just their Chi, but their very being. You have to read their heart beat, their breath, the small shifts in the air from their movement, even their thoughts will betray them in battle. You must achieve perfect focus. Once you have done this, a large difference in speed wont make a difference. You don't need to be faster than your opponent if you can tell what their doing before they do it." She took a deep breath and focused her mind once again. She stilled her heart, lowering her Chi and masking her presence. She could tell that Yusuke was moving around her from the sound of his feet, tapping against the floor. But it wasn't enough. She couldn't use that to catch him, he was too fast. She threw the Kunai one more time, this time ahead of where the sounds told her he was heading.
"Are you even trying to do this?" Yusuke seemed to materialize out of nowhere again, far from where her weapon had struck. She nearly screamed in frustration.
"I told you I can't do it!" She fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands. Yusuke stopped stunned for a moment by her sudden change. "I'm just weak. I'll never be able to get stronger."
"Alright, this is getting ridiculous." Yusuke sighed and shook his head. "I know you're a girl and all, but even for a girl you seem really down on yourself." He squatted in front of her. "What makes you think your so weak?" She looked up, a few tears still running down her face.
"Because I'm always behind everyone else. No matter what I've done, it's never made a difference." She wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. "It's pointless to even try and train me!" Yusuke stared at her for a minute before standing back up.
"Look, heres the short version. I don't give a crap how weak you think you are or how pointless you think it is, I'm training you until you get it right. Now get up, your wasting time." Sakura looked up.
"What makes you think I can do it?"
"Because even if you haven't noticed it yet, you've gotten a lot stronger from when you first came here. But for some dumb reason you keep putting yourself down, acting like you'll never be as strong as me or Kuwabara."
"But thats true!"
"Why?" Yusuke turned to her angrily. "Why is it true? What makes you think you can't be stronger than us?" Sakura sniffed and looked down.
"I told myself before, when I was tired of being the one who was saved all of the time, that i would get stronger, and I would be the one saving them." She laughed harshly. "But nothing changed. I couldn't catch up to them. I couldn't even beat my friend Ino. I've been following the two of them around, acting like part of the team, but I was just fooling myself. They would be better off without me."
"Damn-it..." Yusuke sighed and grabbed her shoulders, standing her up suddenly. "Listen and listen good." She stared at him in surprise. "You made the decision, not to be the one being saved, right? What did you to make that true? Did you start training like hell every day? Did you go off and train like you life depended on it? Or did you just assume you're determination would magically pull you through?!" Sakura looked down, unable to meet his eyes. "I remember when i started training. The first time I didn't put any real effort into it, and that showed when i barley ended up saving the day, and almost killing myself in the process. The next time I took it seriously because the people I loved were in danger, and i got stronger, a lot stronger. But it wasn't just determination. I had to give it every ounce of effort i possibly could, and then squeeze out even more. You can't improve past your limits without reaching them and surpassing them." He let go of her and took a step back. "If you ever think it's not worth it, and you should quit, then you're not trying hard enough, if you think about anything else but your training." He took a step back. "You're going to get this, and were going to continue our training after you do. So hurry up, i don't feel like sitting around waiting all damn year! If you don't want to hold anyone back then just keep trying until you die!" He disappeared again, moving at blazing speed around her. "Because stopping to cry about it is just gonna hold us back even more!" She clenched her fist in determination.
"I'll do my best." She clutched the Kunai until her knuckles turned white. "I wont give up until I die!"
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(Team Goku)
Kurama raced through the air, flipping and changing direction constantly in mid air, to work his reflexes and speed. He and Naruto had both changed to the training outfits Goku had brought them, a black tank top and baggy white pants. It was much easier to move in than his stiff looking school uniform. He had continued his training since the day they had fist arrived here. Goku had told them both that they would not talk about the matter of the Fox demons until five months had passed, and they had both improved greatly. Kurama was frustrated, but he also saw how it was a good motivational tool. He was training as hard as he could, waiting for the day he could give Naruto his answers. He was furious at the fact no one had told him before. Naruto deserved to know what was happening to him. He dropped back to the ground as he stopped to catch his breath. He glanced over to see Naruto Continuing his own training. He was struggling to pull himself into a sitting position.
"One hundred and...seventy...." Naruto gasped as he fell back flat on the ground. He lay there, unable to do anything but try in vain to get his breathing back to a normal pace. He had been going all out since the day they had first arrived. Throwing himself head first into his training was the only way he knew how. But this time he also needed his questions answered. He opened his eyes to see Kurama standing over him, a hand offered to help him to his feet. Naruto took it, and Kurama uneventfully helped him up. They had both found that since the first time, the energy from the fox demons had stopped reacting on touch. Naruto had been uneasy around Kurama, and tried to keep his distance for the first few weeks, but Goku had insisted that they were to train closely with each other, and to train together as much as possible.
"It seems your stamina is finally balancing out." Kurama noted, as Naruto regained his lost wind quickly. "Although your fox spirit does heal you, you seem to have a large amount of stamina naturally as well. You are a perfect match..." Kurama treaded lightly on the subject, not saying too much. Naruto avoided his gaze as he usually did when Kurama started talking about Kyubii in an almost friendly way. He still hadn't been able to accept that it was more than just a cold, mindless monster. Kurama knew that from what Naruto had probably experienced of it, anyone would draw the same conclusion. But he failed to realize that it had been locked away inside of him for so long. Nothing could endure loneliness that long without suffering the consequences. But what he still did not know was why it had attacked the village in the first place. From what he knew of the Kyubii, it did not attack carelessly and randomly, without some reason. It would have to remain a mystery, however, until he had a chance to talk with Naruto. He would also like to speak with the one who had done the sealing.
"I think I'm really getting used to this place more." Naruto admitted, the excitement slightly showing in his voice. "I cant wait till I get back to the others, and show them how strong I am!" He grinned at his companion. His uneasiness around Kurama had disappeared after a month of training side by side, each one helping the other. Naruto regarded Kurama as a human, no matter what he said before. He was too nice to be a monster. Just like a real person.
"I'm sure everyone will be impressed." Kurama smile warmly. "But since they are training in these conditions also, I believe we must keep training as hard as we can, or they will quickly surpass us. We must train until the very last days of our time in here." Naruto nodded in agreement, reinforcing his determination.
"I'll give it everything i have!" He thought for a moment. "Oi, Kurama...I know we need to increase our strength, but I have a little trouble working on my speed." He grinned sheepishly. "I'm not very good at all that acrobatic stuff you're always doing, but I was thinking that the best way we can build up speed and battle reflexes would be to spar a lot." He looked up hopefully at his partner. "Do you think we could include more of that in our training together?" Kurama was surprise Naruto was comfortable enough with him to make such a request.
"Very well, if you think it for the best." Kurama stepped a few paces away and turned to face him. "Why don't we start right away." He sprung from a crouch, flying at Naruto.
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(Team Vegeta)
It was extremely fortunate that the three teams had been safely divided into three completely separate dimensions. Vegeta's training area was marked with various scorch marks and the base was shaken up, and covered in shrapnel.
"Much better, now just keep it up, and you'll be there in no time." Vegeta coached Inuyasha as he held his Tetsusaiga in front of him, sweat poring from him, his hair matted down from being soaked. He had lost his shirt long ago, the heat of the room made it necessary to dress as light as possible. The only thing he kept track of was his red kimono, sown from the hair of the fire rat. It was left back at the entrance, much too valuable to misplace.
"It's too much!" Inuyasha struggled to hold onto his swords transformation as he swung it around as fast as he could, concentrating on every move of his muscles. "I didn't know holding the transformation could actually tire me out. I've never done it for so long at one time before." He stopped to regain his footing as he pivoted on one foot, lunging in the other direction, before stopping to fall to one knee, bracing himself with the blade.
"Just keep it up." Vegeta gave him a disgruntled look. "I hate to admit it, but a technique i learned from Kakarott may actually come in handy training you three." He glanced over at the other two, who were continuing their own training slightly off behind him. "Learning to hold your transformed state, and make it as natural as your normal body, so much so you hold it in your sleep. This will save the energy used to transform, which can be used to increase your stamina greatly in battle. Or, when possible, achieve an even higher form." He gazed at each of his charges in turn. "I don't know enough of your powers to tell you if you have one, but finding your hidden strengths will be up to you to do on your own." He scoffed as Sasuke fell to the ground once again, a hand held over the curse seal on his neck. "Don't tell me you haven't gotten around that stupid thing. It ceases to be amusing, now that it has slowed your training dramatically." He walked over to the struggling boy.
"I can't stop it." He admitted coldly between clenched teeth. "It responds to my chakra. When i get close to my limit, it starts forcefully pulling out all of my reserves." He flinched at the searing pain as the seal shifted again, then slammed a fist into the ground in frustration. "If I can't get rid of it, I'll never be strong enough!" He sat there, angrily catching his breath as the seal slowly withdrew from the side of his face.
"So thats why you have to get rid of it!" Vegeta pointed out impatiently. "If you don't have the mental discipline to keep control of your own energy, to keep it from being manipulated by an outside force, than you have no right to assume you will grow into anything at all, even if the damned seal was removed!" He glared down at Sasuke angrily. "You find the strength to remove it within the next four months. If, by then you haven't found the strength to do it, you will be kicked out. You don't deserve this training." Sasuke cursed himself as he rose to his feet. He couldn't afford to waist that much time! Only half a year would remain for his training, where as everyone else had received a whole year's worth. He couldn't allow that to happen, he couldn't allow himself to fall behind so much.
"You're starting to disappoint me, Hiei." Vegeta called to the last member of his squad, who was in the process of reverting from his green, eye covered demon form. "You're growth was impressive at first, but it seems you've hit a wall." He smirked at the look of anger on the demon's face.
"I don't understand. I have been holding my transformation as long as possible, but it never seems to increase the duration, or the ease..." He clenched his fist in frustration. "I just don't understand."
"Perhaps you've taken you're form to it's limit." He pointed to Hiei's forehead. More precisely, the Jagan eye that rested there. "And perhaps you're relying on that thing in your head, when you should be focusing on your own powers."
"The Jagan amplifies my powers." Hiei retorted. "Although they were weakened when it was implanted, they have fully returned, and the Jagan multiplies them many times over. It is for the power it gives me that I rely on it."
"Fool." Vegeta spat, causing Hiei to grit his teeth in anger. "You rely on the toy to boost your power, but did it ever occur to you that it could be holding it in? You channel your energy through the eye when you transform, but when it gets close to it's maximum, whats to say that the eye doesn't shut it down on it's own? There can be no growth if you can't push yourself too you limits."
"No..." Hiei regarded his situation in disbelief. What Vegeta said made sense. Of course, the eye was trying to keep his power regulated, like an automatic overload protector, to put it simply.
"If you don't find something new, I'm going to have to start training your basic limits right away, to make up for the lost advantage of a permanent transformation."
"Of course!" Hiei's eyes widened. "I should have been using it all along, i have been wasting my time!" Vegeta watched him curiously.
"What are you yammering about?"
"Just stand back and watch." Hiei once again removed the bandages from his arm. "Dragon of the Darkness Flame!"
"I've seen this trick!" Vegeta was exasperated, until he saw the dragon emerge, and suddenly U-turn, heading right back at Hiei. "What the..." The two collided, and the dragon seemed to engulf him completely, Hiei was no longer visible through the black energy swirling in his place. Vegeta took a step forward, unsure of what happened, when suddenly the energy suddenly condensed, all at once, into a single spot. He watched in amazement as Hiei appeared from the mass of energy, the black crackling aura seeming to draw into him until it disappeared.
"This..." Hiei slowly opened his eyes, which now seemed to be filled with the black flame that formed the dragon. "...is my true power." A smile slowly spread across his face. "Shall we resume our training?" Vegeta threw his head back laughing. He had chosen the right students. He knew he was going to enjoy the last ten months of training. Once the Uchiha boy and the half breed had proven themselves, they could get down the the serious training.
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(A/N) The training is progressing, and the final leg will play out next chapter. Everyone begins their true training for the last few months left to them. Can Sasuke break the curse before his time expires? Also, Naruto and Kurama both learn the secrets of the Kyubii, and Piccolo's students finally graduate their basic training, and move on to Piccolo's personal boot camp. Finally, Vegeta pushes Inuyasha to find his hidden power, but he may end up pushing too hard for the dog demon to handle. ((As stated above, i would love some beta-readers, just contact me at the addresses I listed if your interested.))