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 Eighteen – Kuchiyose no Jutsu

Weaving her fingers expertly, Sakura tied the final knot for her hitai-ate. Running her fingers against the cold metal, a somewhat satisfied smile found its way to her face. Tucking a stray strand behind her ear, Sakura exhaled a breath. Checking for creases, Sakura inspected the condition of her clothes. The night before, she had made sure that she had everything ready for today. It was a rare occasion to be able to train personally with the Godaime and today was one of those days. She had signed a contract long before but never really had the opportunity to practice. She could do it to a limited extent but not by very much that it would be a useful Jutsu to know during battle. Although she wouldn't use it as often as compared to other Jutsu, it was advantageous to know it this early in her career as a kunoichi. With one final check, Sakura made sure she was ready. As she made her way out of her room, her fingers brushed against the note she had received the night before.

Sakura,

Tomorrow, meet me in my office the same time you meet Aya for her regular training with her. Just bring the scroll that I had asked you to keep since that time. You don't need to bring extra kunai, shuriken, or your Crescent Blade.

Sakura, you don't need to wear your hitai-ate as a blindfold anymore. Your progress for the past seven months is enough. For the remaining five months, your training will consist of learning things that require your eyesight. I did not foresee this when you first began your training but seven months blindfolded will suffice. The blind training has served its purpose.

"Sakura, your eyes!" said her mother, surprised, as the Chuunin entered. Blinking, Sakura focused her green gaze towards the older woman. The Chuunin greeted her mother with a smile. "Aren't you going to wear your hitai-ate?" she asked, slight worry obvious in both her eyes and her voice. Sakura shook her head, humming a soft tune, as she picked out the bowl of chilled fruits she had placed there the night before. "Oh, oh okay," said her mother, her tense shoulders relaxing, a smile appearing on her face. Turning around, she resumed her earlier task of washing the dishes. "You are still going to train today, right?" she asked as she let warm water run over the wet ceramic. Sakura made a reply of affirmation as she popped another fruit into her mouth. "With Aya-san or with Godaime-sama?" she asked again.

"Tsunade-shishou is going to train me today. I'm not really sure for the rest of the month but I think she'll at least oversee it personally," informed Sakura quietly, picking up another fruit piece. She could see cold air rising from the fruit as she stared at it before popping it into her mouth. Her mother looked back at her, a curious expression on her face. "I'm really not sure but I might be focusing on practicing Kuchiyose no Jutsu," said Sakura with a rueful smile on her face, "I mean, Tsunade-shishou did ask me to bring that to her today." As she spoke, Sakura jerked her head to the direction of the scroll that was leaning against the wall. A slight look of confusion crossed her mother's face, the water still running against the dishes. "It's one of the many scrolls here in Konoha you use to contract an animal race," explained Sakura as she set down the fruit bowl, empty of its contents, "Naruto and Jiraiya-sama have a contract with frogs, like Yondaime-sama, Kakashi-sensei has a contract with dogs, and Sasuke-kun has a contract with snakes. Like Godaime-sama, I have a contract with the slugs."

"S-slugs?" murmured her mother, her eyes widening in disbelief. Sakura nodded once more as she stood up, stretching her arms. Her shirt rose slightly, a tiny portion of her stomach peeking out. "A-are you s-sure a-about that, S-Sakura? Why s-slugs?" stammered her mother, her skin paling. Sakura knew her mother had a fear of slugs ever since she was small. Apparently her brother had once left her in a dark room with a quite a number of slugs in it, as a joke. In the end, her mother had gotten traumatized and her uncle had received a fairly painful punishment for doing that. Smiling, Sakura made a motion to reassure her mother that these slugs wouldn't attack anyone who was not, in any way, attacking Konoha or the person who summoned them. "O-okay t-then. T-take care," said her mother weakly, color returning to her face. With another smile, Sakura picked up the scroll and left her house. She had twenty minutes to get to the Godaime's office. It was more than enough time.

"Sa-ku-ra!" said a familiar voice, the figure squatting on top of a large pole. The named kunoichi looked up, wondering who called her. Smiling she waved hello, or what looked to be an attempt to wave. In a swift motion, he jumped down and stretched his legs a little, slightly sore from squatting for a while. "Need any help?" he asked, his lone eye catching the sight of her carrying a huge scroll. A grateful smile appeared on Sakura's face as she handed him the large scroll. "Ah, a contract," he said as his calloused fingers ran against the scroll's body, "I remember the first time I signed a contract. Sensei was so disappointed I didn't contract myself to the frogs. But, then, he understood why I didn't anyway, after I told him the reason why." A cryptic smile found its way to his face as he turned his head towards Sakura. "Could you guess why, Sakura?" he asked as they continued to walk along. The Chuunin thought hard but came up with no answer. "I joined the ANBU. It's a lot more strategic for me to have a contract with an animal race that could help me track down my targets, as opposed to frogs, logically speaking," he said, shifting the position of the scroll on his shoulder.

"That's right, Kakashi-sensei used to be an ANBU Captain," said Sakura softly, her jade eyes glazing over. Silence reigned between them both; the only sound was the occasional breath of wind that chose to pass by. Opening her mouth, Sakura looked as if she was going to ask a question. However, she decided against it. Kakashi looked at her, elbowing her slightly as if prodding the Chuunin to go on. "You have to take a test to become part of the ANBU, right?" Kakashi nodded, his eye narrowing. Sakura didn't look to be like someone who would make it to the ANBU, or even if she did, she wasn't psychologically prepared to handle the strain of an ANBU. Very few people lasted very long in the ANBU. Most of them stayed there for at most a decade before going back to be an ordinary Jounin. "Haha, no, I'm not planning to become an ANBU. Becoming a Jounin is enough for me," reassured Sakura, sensing Kakashi's apprehension.

"Then why did you ask?" questioned Kakashi, shifting the scroll once more. Sakura shrugged carelessly. She had a feeling he already knew. Suddenly, realization dawned upon him. "Oh, it's about him isn't it?" he asked though in the back of his mind, he already knew it as a fact. He just needed someone else's opinion on this. Sakura nodded as she continued walking along, her hands behind her back. "This is Tsunade-sama's scroll, right? Or, at least, the scroll under her protection for the time being," spoke Kakashi, eyeing the large bundle he had with him. Again, Sakura nodded. "You know, you're really growing up to be another Tsunade-sama. Both gifted in the Medical Arts, both having that amazing strength and both having the same attitude, among other similarities," noted Kakashi, a smile beneath his mask. Sakura blushed, her head bent down. It wasn't very often she received a casual compliment like that from anyone. "It's a good thing, Sakura! It doesn't hurt to have more than one Tsunade-sama in Konoha," he stated in mock defense. The blush on her cheeks only reddened. "Well… as long as the others similar to Tsunade-sama don't have a penchant for gambling…" he added with a quip.

The rest of the trip was a pretty quiet journey. She didn't even notice that she was already inside the building, the giant scroll in her arms, when she had snapped out of her reverie. Kakashi had long departed her presence, reasoning that he was about to depart for a mission when he had suddenly seen her leave her house. It wasn't a big deal waiting for her and helping her out. He wasn't on such a rush anyway. It was a minor mission, after all. As she made her way towards Tsunade's office, quite a number of Chuunin had greeted her, polite in their language. A couple of the Jounin who were there had even offered to help her carry the scroll to Tsunade's office, their language somewhat polite. Everyone who worked there directly had come to be affectionate towards her, at least the ones who were older than herself. Soon enough, she found herself in front of the office.

With a soft gulp, Sakura had knocked on the door of Tsunade's office, her left hand balancing the scroll. For some reason, she found herself nervous, even if she had no reason to be. She had been doing this for the past four years anyway. After hearing a distinct 'Come in!' from within, Sakura pushed the door open, the scroll in her arms like a giant teddy bear. "Tsunade-shishou," whispered Sakura as she kicked the door close with the heel of her foot, "I brought the scroll." Looking up, the Godaime motioned for Sakura to sit down first at the couch as she finished signing a couple more documents. Behind her, Shizune was hawking her every move. "Ah, Shizune-san, good morning," greeted Sakura as she waved towards the Jounin. For a few moments, a look of ease found its way to her face before the usual worrisome expression reappeared.

"Sakura, leave the scroll with Shizune and we'll go to a different training area after this. I've arranged for all the important documents to be signed by Shizune as my proxy," instructed Tsunade, aimlessly pointing behind her as she motioned towards Shizune. Nodding, Sakura stood up, the scroll sliding down against its rest. Shizune had left her normal post behind Tsunade and assisted Sakura in keeping the scroll aside. In the room were three kunoichi contracted to the slugs. Sakura's name was in the most recently filled up spot, her blood already dry since that time. Beside her name was Shizune's and before that, Tsunade's. "Shizune, I'll be guiding Sakura today and for the rest of the month, you'll watch over her, alright?" instructed Tsunade, standing up and wearing her normal coat over her clothes. Her Jounin assistant nodded as she fixed up the last of the papers. "I would have asked Aya but she doesn't have a contract with the slugs. It's better for someone who has a contract with the same animal as you do to watch over your training for this month. Next month, Aya will oversee your training once more," informed the Godaime as she began to walk out of her office. Quietly, Sakura followed her master to their training grounds.

The Training Area

"Even if you've made a contract with the slugs, it doesn't mean that you've had much practice in summoning them," explained Tsunade as the wind blew past them, the grass in the field rustling against each other. Lifting her thumb to her lips, Tsunade bit it, blood seeping through. O-hitsuji, Saru, Inu, Tori. Placing her hand on the ground, symbols had automatically begun to spread out into a circular form. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" shouted Tsunade as smoke began to appear. A slight smirk found its way to Tsunade's face the moment the smoke cleared. "Sakura, meet Katsue," introduced Tsunade, motioning towards the slug, "Katsue, meet Sakura." The slug moved its antennae in greeting, bowing its head slightly. Sakura waved her hand, a little nervous at the sight of the giant slug. "Sakura, your goal for this month is to be able to summon Katsue, one of the biggest slugs and a direct daughter of the Slug King, Katsuyu. Summoning him will be for another time," instructed Tsunade as she waved her hand in the air. With a nod, the slug bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Hopefully, you will see her again soon."

"O-hitsuji, Saru, Inu, Tori," murmured Sakura, forming the appropriate hand seal as she murmured the name. She only did that when she wasn't used to the Jutsu just yet. It also helped her remember what the order of the seals was. Looking up at Tsunade, she received a slow nod of confirmation. Lifting her thumb to her lips, she felt her teeth dig into the skin, piercing it. A slight sting of pain rushed through, cold air brushing against the small wound. "O-hitsuji, Saru, Inu, Tori," she murmured once more, performing the same hand seals. Spreading her right hand down on the ground, Sakura watched as her chakra rushed to her finger tips, a circle with runes appearing beneath her palm. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" As she lifted her hand, Sakura watched in anticipation, hoping that what she summoned was of a fairly reasonable size. As soon as the smoke dissipated, her heart sank. On the ground was a small slug, no bigger than two fingers and no longer than her index finger.

"It's alright. Even Shizune and I started out like that," said Tsunade, trying to encourage the younger girl. Looking around, Tsunade made sure that they were alone. "Here, if it's any consolation and most likely it is, Naruto couldn't even summon a frog the first time he tried. It was hardly much more than a tadpole really," spoke Tsunade as she ruffled Sakura's hair, "At least your first summon is more or less a garden slug, right?" Sakura's cheeks reddened slightly as she broke into a grin. "Now go on, continue your practicing!" instructed Tsunade as she turned around and began walking towards a tree, "I'll be working on some things under the tree. If you can summon anything bigger than that, call me." Sakura nodded as she waved goodbye to the small slug, understanding the motion. With a small pop, it disappeared.

For the rest of the day, Sakura continued summoning slugs, taking an occasional break in between to recover. Practicing summoning was extremely draining, the Jutsu itself using up a little more chakra than the normal Jutsu. Sakura had managed to summon a slightly bigger slug, as long as her entire palm and reaching just a little bit of her fingers. A small swell of pride gushed within her as she watched the small animal scurry about, twitching its antennae every time it moved. Tsunade was standing right behind her, a small smile on her face. Sakura really was a talented kunoichi, though it was most likely because of her psychological immaturity that it was only now that her talents were really flourishing. That and the way she was being trained was probably geared towards Nin Jutsu and Tai Jutsu, too generic a training style when there were always chances of a shinobi being geared elsewhere. The slug, noticing it wasn't needed, disappeared with a tiny pop.

"Sakura, tomorrow, Shizune will meet you outside of the tower for the rest of your training. I'm sure by the end of the month, or maybe even a little earlier, you'll be able to summon Katsue," said Tsunade, the wind blowing the few stray strands of hair away from her face. The Chuunin nodded as she looked up at the Godaime, a slight note of satisfaction on her face. "Today was a pretty good first try, considering you really haven't done much with the Kuchiyose no Jutsu except sign a contract with the slugs," continued Tsunade, stretching out a hand to help up the squatted Sakura. Staying in any position for so long usually ended up with the person getting cramps. The Godaime was certain Sakura would be getting cramps any time soon. "When you're done here, you can already head home, or to wherever you want to go afterwards. Same time tomorrow," instructed Tsunade. Another nod came from Sakura as she bowed slightly in respect. With a small wave, Tsunade began to walk back to her office, most likely going to be greeted by a frantic Shizune.

Looking at the sun, Sakura made a rough estimate of the time. She was already twenty or so minutes late and if she ran quickly, she'd be there in about ten. Taking a deep breath, Sakura had begun moving. They'd most likely understand anyway, if she explained why she was late. Or, they could guess for themselves. Either way, she'd hope she didn't hassle either of them. The busy late afternoon atmosphere in Konoha had begun to settle down as she moved quickly on the streets, careful to avoid anyone who looked to be finishing the last few moments of their working hours. The stalls around were starting to close, save the few dining stalls that would be open for another couple of hours. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she came to a sudden halt, a bright orange-clad figure standing beside the most famous stall of all, Ichiraku Ramen.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" shouted Naruto, his hands waving wildly in the air. A slight giggle escaped Sakura as she waved her hand in return before speeding up slightly to meet the blonde boy. A familiar face poked out from the stand, a disgruntled look written on his visage as he narrowed his eyes slightly. "What took you so long? Sasuke-teme and I have been waiting for thirty minutes now!" asked Naruto, his ocean blue eyes expressing his curiosity. Narrowing his eyes, he noticed subtle marks on her thumb and that her right hand had been shaking. Realization dawned upon him as he remembered the symptoms. "Ah! You've been training the Kuchiyose no Jutsu haven't you, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto frantically as he grabbed her hand, panicking somewhat, "With what race? I'm with the frogs and Sasuke-teme is with the snakes…"

"With the slugs," said Sakura as she shook off Naruto's grasp on her hand, "And I'm fine, really. Would you think that Tsunade-shishou would just leave me there if she didn't think I was fine?" Naruto laughed sheepishly as he stepped aside, letting the sole female Chuunin inside the modest stall. "Beef Ramen for me!" ordered Sakura as she sat down on a seat to Sasuke's left. Naruto would probably sit beside her rather than sitting beside his fated rival. It was always like that for them anyway. "Naruto, it's your treat! You're the one who invited us to this after all," said Sakura amiably, facing the blonde boy with a wide grin on his face. Naruto stared, his eyes bulging slightly as he had begun to complain. "Nope, doesn't work for me! How about you, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, facing the ever stoic Uchiha.

"Hmph," he mumbled, turning his gaze away. Sakura shrugged it off and took no notice, continuing her chatter with the blonde Chuunin. It was always like that, even during their Genin days except even Kakashi would eat with them then silently slip off, pointing towards Naruto to the owner, telling him that Naruto would pay for his meal. Facing straight, Sasuke managed to tilt his gaze sideways and observe Sakura. She had indeed worked herself out today, her right hand still shaking, although much less. The small wounds on her thumb had already become scabs. It would heal soon enough. Without much of a reaction, he had realized something. The three of them had the exact same summons as the Legendary Sannin and were trained somewhat to be like them. And funny how the day they became a Genin Team four years ago, was the exact same day that the Sannin became a Genin Team themselves.

Tsuzuku…

…Actually, no, I'm not sure but I just wanted to add that for the effect XD! No one ever really knows when they became a team I think, unless people pay attention to tiny details like that… Ehe…

It's a little over two weeks since I last updated and I hope you liked this chapter! Eight more chapters to go before a tiny break and up comes PPV:AT! Hooray for that.

Maybe, I'll update PPV with chapter nineteen this week but don't get your hopes up. I've got some other dedications outside of writing as well!

…I actually don't have a lot to say except thank you for all the reviews! I never really expected this story to get beyond a hundred, if at all it even got to a hundred. Now, it's getting closer to four hundred! Thanks for all your support!

And now, I leave you with the chapter preview to chapter nineteen!

Next Chapter: Chapter Nineteen – Summoned Katsue

Chapter Preview: Sakura breathed heavily, trying to regain all the lost air. The smoke was starting to dissipate as she crouched down. The eyes of the Jounin with her widened in both surprise and elation as the smoke cleared enough for her to see who was summoned. Looking up, the jade eyes of the Chuunin registered that a slug was summoned but didn't really note who. Twitching its antennae, the slug looked down at the Jounin, bowing its head slightly. Shizune waved hello before pointing towards Sakura to the slug. Turning its head, the slug looked at Sakura who was staring in awe at its size. Clearly, she hadn't summoned slugs as big as this one just yet. "Sakura-san, we met a month before. I'm Katsue, the one Tsunade-sama had assigned for you to summon in one month," introduced the slug, "Congratulations."