Summary: She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.
Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.
Past Peripheral Vision
Chapter Three – Sighted Determination
She was brushing her hair self-consciously; up fifteen minutes after five in the morning to make sure everything would go smoothly at the Academy. Today, she was going as a guest speaker in class to introduce to the students what being a Medical Specialist was all about. This meeting had been assigned a week before her training had started. When she had visited the Godaime yesterday, Tsunade had reassured her that it was alright to miss the morning session and that she had permission to remove her hitai-ate while in the demonstration. The afternoon session was far more important to begin with. Tucking the stray strands back, she looked at herself in the mirror. She could see absolutely nothing but she was sure that she had looked fine. After all, her mother had decided to revamp her entire closet and she knew that her mother was one of those people with impeccable fashion sense, even for a kunoichi like herself.
She was still wearing the same sleeveless upper attire but this time, it was a shirt, the white circle at the back obvious against the red of the material. Her new shorts were still black but now covered up to the midsection of her thighs. The redness was broken by a light, tan colored skirt that ended an inch above her shorts, two wide slits at the side, held together by a belt buckle. Her shinobi sandals were now black, covering the entire of her shin, ending an inch before her knees. Her gloves had remained part of her ninja attire. "New outfit to match the new me, symbolic," she said to herself, making sure that she had everything with her. Assured that she was ready, she made her way out of her room. She had made a mental note to thank her mother. She had used her fifteen minutes this time to check out the new set of ninja garb she had.
"Morning," said Sakura cheerfully as she sat down to eat. It was already six when she had gone down to eat breakfast. Her parents smiled in return as they greeted her. "Okaa-san, thank you for the clothes you bought for me. They look wonderful," said Sakura, a tone of appreciation in her voice. Her mother smiled and said it was nothing. She needed a wardrobe change anyway. She had worn the exact same thing since she was twelve and the only new addition was the red gloves she wore. Sakura laughed nervously as her mother set down a plate of eggs and a piece of toast before her. Sakura began eating; skillfully using her chopsticks to pick up the eggs and put them on top of the toast, acting as some sort of filling.
"How has your training been going, dear?" asked her mother, wiping her hands on her apron. Sakura mentioned that the Jounin from yesterday was going to teach her something new, a use of a weapon only a certain family could use. She had obtained special permission to learn how to wield the weapon. "That's nice, dear," said Sakura's mother, a bit saddened. She and her husband were simply civilians in Konoha but their daughter was a kunoichi. The fact that their daughter, named after spring's most beautiful flower, voluntarily joined the world of blood and war broke their hearts. It was because it was what she wanted that they had decided to support her in every way that they could. Sakura had finished breakfast in twenty minutes. "Good luck, Sakura, with your presentation at the Academy and your training later this afternoon," spoke her mother, "Do you know what time you'll be back home?"
"I'll be home maybe seven at the earliest. I want to catch up with what I've missed in the morning," replied Sakura before making her way to the door. Her parents looked at each other, a bit worried. Their doubts had lessened when they had found out that it was for her training but they hadn't seen her remove her blindfold at all. They were beginning to forget that their daughter had green eyes until seeing a picture of her with the same green optics wide open and her smiling face reminded them of how their daughter was supposed to look like. They had to cast their fears and doubts aside. They knew their daughter was strong-willed and that in the end, they'd see her smiling face again with her beautiful jade, green eyes wide open.
Sakura had reached the Academy with hardly any trouble. Umino Iruka, her sensei back then, was still teaching but had been going out on missions more often. She had heard that Hinata was going to replace him, as he wanted to go back out on the field after years of being a teacher. She didn't blame him. Teaching was one of the things she wasn't cut out for. Hinata, on the other hand, was perfect for the job, in her honest opinion. Opening the doors to the Academy she stepped it. It had been a while since she was last within the place which had launched her into a journey of being a kunoichi. Walking down the otherwise empty hallway, she felt a surge of chakra come out to her left. It was strong but too weak to be of Chuunin level. He was probably an Academy student. A familiar pair of white eyes had spotted her.
"Sakura-chan, why are you wearing a blindfold?" asked Hinata, jogging towards the pink haired girl. The Godaime's apprentice had laughed nervously, saying it was training. "Oh, really? For what?" asked Hinata softly, her shyness taking over once more. Sakura had explained it was for her Tai Jutsu. The chakra source from earlier had left, telling Sakura that it was only she and Hinata who were left in the corridor. "I'm glad you were able to make it, I mean, with your training and all," said Hinata sincerely as she guided Sakura towards the room she taught in. "Shizune-san and Godaime-sama are far too busy and you seem to be too but I'm still glad you were able to make it," added Hinata.
"It's no problem. In fact, I was eager to volunteer," said Sakura with a grin, "I mean, I wonder if I could interest any one of your students to become a medical specialist just like me!" She added the last part with a laugh. The Godaime had two apprentices, Shizune and herself. Shizune had been teaching a Chuunin how it was to become a medical specialist. The name escaped her but she'd remember later on. "Did the class you're teaching now ever remind you of how we were when we were still under Iruka-sensei?" asked Sakura casually, almost near the classroom. Hinata said a sorrowful yes. "Hah, I wonder who was worse, us or them?" asked Sakura good-naturedly. Hinata made no reply as she slid the door open. It was a bit past seven and classes usually started then.
"Ohayou gozaimasou, Hinata-sensei," uttered the class in monotone as twenty-seven students rose, greeting the Hyuuga heiress. Hinata smiled and told them to greet Sakura. "Ohayou gozaimasou, Sakura-sensei," they said once more. Sakura smiled back in return, greeting them. She felt all twenty-seven inquisitive gazes on her, wondering why she had her hitai-ate around her eyes. She could read their minds. Was she really a ninja? Ninjas had to be able to see, after all. Or at least most of the ninjas they had seen were able to see. Motioning for them to sit down, Hinata had begun to speak, giving an introduction to Sakura before letting her get started on the demonstration.
"Godaime-sama has noticed the dwindling amount of Medical Specialists in Konoha so she had decided to send a high-ranking Medical Specialist to have a demonstration. There are seven classes here and because of that, each day, there will be a demonstration in a different class, not necessarily the same Medical Specialist," explained Hinata in a loud voice. Sakura had never heard the Hyuuga heiress speak that way in her life. "Today, you guys are in for a treat. The Medical Specialist here with us today is no ordinary medical specialist. She came from the same class I did, four years ago, and was in the same team as the Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi, a Genin under special care of Jiraiya-sama, Uzumaki Naruto, and the last Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke. Not only that, she had started her training as a Medical Specialist three years ago and has been under the Godaime herself. Today let me introduce to you our speaker, Haruno Sakura." Claps resounded in the room as a sign of respect.
"Excuse me, Sakura-sensei, why are you wearing a blindfold?" spoke up a feminine voice, raising her hand. Sakura bent her head slightly, reaching for the knot on the back of her head. Undoing it, she removed the hitai-ate from around her eyes, still closed before opening them to get used to the light once more. Fixing her hitai-ate into a headband, she made sure all the strands of her rosy tresses were behind her ear. Looking back down, she opened her jade green eyes, sparkling. "Kirei," murmured the feminine voice as she looked at Sakura's jade green eyes. All the students seemed to be captivated by it, except one. Hinata motioned for the girl to tell Sakura her name. "Oh! My name is Kazuya Fuuko," she said, bowing slightly, "It's nice to meet you!" She had actually talked to the Chuunin she had admired! It was a great day for her already.
"Yes, nice to meet you too," spoke Sakura. The name sounded familiar but she shook it off. Fuuko's cheeks reddened slightly as she nodded, sitting down. "Now, do you know what a medical specialist is?" Chorus answers of a medical specialist being a ninja who could fight on the battle field but primarily had a role of being the healer for the basic 4-man team. Sakura was impressed that they knew this much. Stealing a glance towards her friend, Hinata's face gave away the fact that she had lectured them a bit on Medical Specialists before Sakura had come. "Okay, a Medical Specialists main purpose on the battle field is, like you've said, to heal. Of course, Chiyute no Jutsu does the trick primarily for wounds on the field," began Sakura. As she was explaining, she had picked out a kunai and created a small wound on her left forearm. Performing a few hand seals, a steady glow of blue light appeared on her hand. Swiping her open palm at the wound, she had healed it. Awestruck gazes appeared as Sakura had continued to explain what it took to become a Medical Specialist.
Hinata found herself listening to Sakura as she continued to explain. She had even gone to the board and began drawing diagrams of the human body, showing the fatal points that if at all harmed, could deal an automatic death. Even Hunter Nin had to know this, as they had the job of killing those who had become Missing Nin and destroying their body so no trace of Konoha Jutsu could be dissected. Occasionally, the students asked questions and Sakura had been patient with answering them. When they were done with the basics of human anatomy, Sakura had mentioned that Biology, more specifically Botany, had some use in the ninja world. A Medical Specialist had to know this to pair off with Toxicology, as repairing damaged cells and tissue wasn't the only job. Hours had passed and it was fifteen minutes before noon.
"As a last note, let me recap on what I've discussed today. First, we discussed what a Medical Specialist is and the job of one in and out of the battle field. You have been introduced to the most basic of Medical Jutsu, Chiyute no Jutsu and its counterpart, Satsugaite no Jutsu. Human Anatomy was introduced and a good bit of time was taken up discussing solely that," spoke Sakura as she put the chalk down on the ledge. The interested Academy students nodded as they waited for Sakura to continue. "So, now's the time I tell you what you need to become one. Of course dedication and hard work is already a given but most importantly, chakra control. You need perfect, if not close to perfect, chakra control as you're dealing with lives here. Too little or too much chakra can prove to be your downfall as a Medical Specialist. I'm sure Hinata can teach you how to better your chakra control, as she comes from a family that needs it the most." Hinata blushed slightly at the complement. "Any last questions?"
"Yes," said a male this time, raising his hand. Sakura nodded and waited for him to speak his mind. "My name is Shibahara Kyouta and I'd like to know, if it isn't too much of a burden, to ask you, Sakura-sensei, why you have decided to become a Medical Specialist?" he continued as he remained standing, "From what I've heard about you, your skills as a Medical Specialist are second only to Shizune-sensei and Godaime-sama and at such a young age as well. I've heard your Tai Jutsu is very much like Godaime-sama's and that you're naturally talented in Gen Jutsu like Kurenai-sensei." Sakura managed to look at Hinata momentarily. The Hyuuga mouthed that during the Gen Jutsu demonstration, Kurenai had visited the Academy, being the foremost specialist in Gen Jutsu and qualified to teach as a Jounin. Kurenai herself had taught the Hyuuga, after all.
"Why did I take such a daring leap, Kyouta-kun?" began Sakura as she ran a hand through her short, rosy tresses. Images of the time she had first taken the Chuunin Exams flashed in her mind, how she had sacrificed her long tresses to keep Sasuke and Naruto safe when the Genin from Otogakure had ambushed them. "Let's just say it's all for the sake of friends, for bringing someone back and proving to him that I'm not that weak teammate he used to remember," said Sakura with a slight smile on her face, "I'm sure you've heard of the incident involving Uchiha Sasuke, am I right? He is the last Uchiha who had betrayed the village, only to regain its trust back and is now a Chuunin." Kyouta nodded, knowing everything about the prodigy he could dig up from the files about him. Sasuke was strong and he did it mostly on his own. Kyouta admired the Uchiha for that. "That's all for today. Please don't be afraid to approach me if you see me or anything. I'll be glad to take a break from my own training to talk to you," she added.
"Jounin Exams, am I right? Training for the Jounin Exams next year?" asked Kyouta. Sakura laughed and nodded as she undid her hitai-ate and wrapped it around her eyes once more. Kyouta was naturally inquisitive and wanted to learn more. He would make a great shinobi one day. She'd only hope that he would become a Genin when the time cametwo yearslater. "Thank you, Sakura-sensei," he said as he sat down once more, a passive look on his face. Hinata had motioned for them to stand up to greet Sakura goodbye. Their voices had a more eager tone to them this time around, clearly impressed by what the sixteen year old had known. They were all just six years younger than her, after all. Without another word, Sakura waved goodbye and began walking out to her own training. She had arranged to meet with Aya at Ichiraku.
At Ichiraku
"Oy, Sakura!" shouted Aya as she put her hands around her mouth, making it act like a microphone. Sakura smiled as she waved her hand before jogging towards the Jounin. "How was the demonstration? Good I hope," asked Aya as she and Sakura sat down at the table. The pink haired girl had been having ramen for lunch for the past three days. In her mind, she hoped she wouldn't get addicted to the stuff and have it day in and day out like Naruto. A nostalgic smile found its way to her face as she ordered a bowl of miso ramen. She hadn't seen Naruto since yesterday. He was most likely off doing another week long mission or something. He didn't seem to show any particular interest in participating in next year's Jounin Exams. She made a mental note to ask him why the next time around. "I have your Crescent Blade, it's under the bar," said Aya softly as she ran her fingers through her goldenrod tresses.
"Oh, really? Thank you very much for going out of your way to help me in my training," said Sakura sincerely as she bowed slightly. Aya shook it off, a grin on her face, saying it was worth it. Even if she had only seen Sakura train once, she had a feeling it wouldn't be a waste to let her learn something the Mikizuki Clan protected. After all, the Godaime herself had taken her in as an apprentice. Being able to earn the Godaime's interest was something hard to do and a girl as young as she was able to do such a feat. "I think I may have inspired a couple of people to become Medical Specialists during my talk earlier," said Sakura sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. Aya looked at her, a curious expression on her face. "Yup. I'm not too sure but I've heard from Hinata that a particular Kazuya Fuuko admires me for being able to ask Tsunade-shishou to train me. And Shibahara Kyouta was particularly inquisitive." Aya let out a laugh.
"I have a friend from Fuuko's family, her sister to be exact, Kazuya Ran. She's still a Chuunin and she's just hardly much older than you, a year or two at the most, but since I'm usually in the same shift as her when it comes to guarding the South Gate, I got to know her," explained Aya as their bowls of ramen were set before them. Picking out a chopstick and breaking them, she continued. "I think during her spare time, if she's not out on missions or anything, she trains under Shizune-san, to become a Medical Specialist just like you. When I ask her how her training is going, she blushes, saying she's not good enough yet unlike you. You were so much better than her after three months into the training. She probably talks to her sister about you, saying that Fuuko should try to become a Medical Specialist as well. The two of them have perfect chakra control you see," concluded Aya.
"From what you said, Aya-sensei, it makes me want to make sure Fuuko-san becomes a Genin two years from now, so that I can teach her the tricks of becoming a Medical Specialist," said Sakura with a grin. Aya nodded as they continued eating. Their lunch was uneventful, as always, filled with mostly how and what Sakura done during the demonstration and deeper into the topic about Medical Specialists. Aya was truly intrigued by all this but never was the type to become a Medical Specialist. Very few were even the type to become one in the first place, the main reason why their number had been dwindling as of late. And for those who were the type to become one, they never realized their full potential as they had hardly any knowledge as to what a Medical Specialist was.
After their lunch, they had walked towards the forest, still amiably talking. The Jounin's hand gripped the long handle that connected the two ends of the Crescent Blade together. Her own Crescent Blade was hanging on her back, her Moon Blade hanging off her hip. Sakura's Crescent Blade was wrapped in bandages, to protect the blade and to avoid provoking confusion as to why the Jounin was carrying a lethal weapon casually and freely. When they had reached the forest, Aya had motioned for Sakura to wait as she removed the bandages. Long strips of white fell to the forest floor, the silver of the blade glimmering due to the sunlight. "Sakura, remove your hitai-ate," instructed Aya as she held out the Crescent Blade. The Chuunin nodded as she affixed the hitai-ate the way it had always been before she had started the training.
"And that's the Crescent Blade you're going to use. It was forged to fit your exact specifications which I got from Godaime-sama," explained Aya as she let her fingers run along the silver of the blade Sakura was currently holding. It was only now that Aya had seen the jade green of the girl's optics. "For two hours each day, you're going to be learning the basics of the Crescent Blade without your hitai-ate around your eyes. When you've mastered it, you will be back to wearing your blindfold as you refine your techniques. I'm sure you can manage it when you've mastered the basics of the Crescent Blade. After all, Godaime-sama had called you a prodigy at learning," added Aya as she laughed slightly, Sakura reddening in embarrassment. Up in the trees, another prodigy was watching. They wandered near the area he had always trained in. Standing up, he jumped down and began walking away, forcing himself not to look back at the girl who had always adored him.
As soon as he was confident he was a good distance from them, he began performing a series of hand seals known only to one other Nin in all of Konoha. A blue light sparked in his hand as chirping was heard. Pushing himself off from his perch, he began initiating the straight thrust motion of the Jutsu he was going to use. Slamming his open palm against the debris in front of him, the broken concrete blew up into dust. Sighing, he slumped down to the floor to rest a bit, to regain a bit of the strength he had just used to use the Chidori. "Why the hell am I so affected by this!" he shouted as he slammed his fist onto the forest floor repeatedly, his body hunched as he screamed silently for answers. Birds flew, chirping, as they went away from their homes for a while. "It's not like she means anything to me more than my teammate!" he shouted again, his vision blurring slightly as he found unwanted tears collecting in his eyes, "I'm not even supposed to cry for her!"
Hours had passed since Sakura had gotten the Crescent Blade from Aya. Basic motions were taught to her as Aya explained the objective of learning how to wield the Crescent Blade. Because it was curved, it had a wider field of attack. One swinging motion could create a line of attack for one hundred and eighty degrees. Spinning around like a full circle would allow a field of attack of a flat three hundred and sixty degrees, a full circle. If a back flip was performed and the user was holding the Crescent Blade, a straight line of attack was formed. Lodging the Crescent Blade into a victim and spinning the Blade around with the weapon still lodged in the victim was lethal. The versatility of the Crescent Blade was what made it dangerous. The fact that a Mikizuki was a genius at how it was used and had all knowledge of the various styles that could be applied to it made it fatal to clash against one.
"You remind me of a younger me when I was first learning the Crescent Blade," said Aya, a nostalgic tone in her voice. Sakura had long put back the hitai-ate around her face as she had finished her training with the Crescent Blade for the day. The pink haired Chuunin looked at her, a confused expression on her face. "The way you're learning it, it reminds of how I did. I remember experimenting with the basics of the Crescent Blade. If you initiate an attack with it, striking your opponent at one side and completing the full swing allows roughly a hundred and eighty line of attack from the Tip A to Tip B. The degree of sharpness varies as well from each point, the sharpest being the tips, dulling slightly at the curved edges only to sharpen one more as it reaches the other tip. With the knowledge of its sharpness, its range of attack makes the user a force to be reckoned with," explained Aya as she ran a hand through her goldenrod hair, "And you, Sakura, your innate book smarts and obvious determination to succeed, you are on your way to becoming the strongest shinobi who can wield the Crescent Blade, outside of the Mikizuki Clan."
"Th-thank y-you, A-aya-sensei," she stuttered, a blush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. Indeed, she wanted to become the strongest kunoichi she could be. With Aya's help, as well as the Godaime's if need be, she had enough confidence to truly excel and hope to be appointed Jounin in next year's exams. "Sasuke-kun, I will get over you and show you just how strong I can be," she murmured quietly to herself, the wind blowing as the short, rosy tresses flew slightly. Her long, pink hair, gone because she stood up to protect her team four years ago, her eyes, blindfolded to help her see past what only the eyes could and her clothes, changed to say she would move on from the past and walk with her own two feet. All were symbols that the kunoichi Haruno Sakura would be reborn to prove her worth as a Konohagakure no Sato Nin.
Tsuzuku…
Chapter three, easily the longest in Past Peripheral Vision, hope you enjoyed.
Hah, I don't think you saw the first part coming. You'll be seeing more of Fuuko and Kyouta every now and then as they're not just… random Academy students I decided to name. They've got a much more important role.
And, Sasuke-kun's confused now! Why does he feel this way about Sakura when she's really just a friend to him? We all know why of course.
I hope my explanation of how the Crescent Blade is used was understandable enough. The Crescent Blade, you see, unlike a regular sword, is curved and it's attacked in a swinging motion, kind of like those swinging boats you see in theme parks. You need to know your angles to know if your opponent is within reach of the Crescent Blade's range.
Oh yeah. This story will cover both the training and the Jounin Exams. Hopefully, by chapter ten or something, I'll be at a point where the Jounin Exams are about to start. Yes, it'll take a while for our dear Sasuke-kun to realize his feelings.
Anyway, I'll try to update next week seeing as I won't have access to the computer on May 14 – 15. I'll be out on a family trip. If I'm unable to update, think of the length of this chapter as a pre-apology.
As usual, here's the chapter preview!
Next Chapter: Chapter Four – Pushing the Limits
Chapter Preview: It had been three weeks since her training began. Her fingers were already starting to get calloused that it was no longer uncomfortable for her to be holding the Crescent Blade for long periods of time. The basics were drilled in her mind and today, she was going to start using the Crescent Blade with her blindfold on. Indeed, she had been determined to learn and master the Crescent Blade. Aya had spied the pink haired girl training even past the set training schedule. Occasionally, she'd spy someone else with her, a blonde boy with ocean blue eyes, helping her train. When she was resting, they were talking like friends. Aya was impressed with the way Sakura was dealing with things. "Guess you were both right, Kakashi-kun, Godaime-sama, that Sakura is indeed one who is determined to learn all she can about things," said Aya to herself as she walked away from the forest. Behind her, she could hear things being sliced. Sakura was still training and it was almost eleven in the evening.