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 Nineteen – Summoned Katsue
Shizune leaned back against the trunk of the tree, her dark optics watching Sakura's every move. It was pretty early when they started training. Before they parted ways the day before, Sakura had pleaded with her to start an hour early. Today was the last day of the month the Godaime had given her to be able to summon Katsue and she did not want to disappoint. Looking up at the slowly brightening sky, Shizune had begun contemplating on some facts she had learned about the Chuunin in front of her. She was the fourth to have been able to see Sakura's growth as a kunoichi after her Academy years.
Umino Iruka had seen to development of the basic skills every ninja should have. Sakura had learned much from those years, earning the discipline needed to be a good shinobi and perfecting all the basics that was learned through the years. Hatake Kakashi, the first Jounin to watch Sakura grow up, had instilled in her a sense of duty, teamwork and friendship. Though he had helped further her knowledge as a ninja, without those three values, the knowledge was all for naught. The Godaime herself had been approached by Sakura. Since then, Sakura had grown to become similar to the Godaime in talent, mind and strength. Mikizuki Aya had stepped in, refining everything that the Godaime taught her and adding to her repertoire of attacks, jutsu and strategies. She had been watching Sakura try and perfect the Kuchiyose no Jutsu, something the Godaime was too busy to do and something the others could not watch over. They weren't bound to the Slug race after all.
Since the training had begun, Sakura had continuously improved in the size of the slugs she was summoning. Those she had been summoning, as of late, were about twelve feet long, impressive for one who was practicing for only a month. However, she was assigned to summon a twenty foot long slug by the name of Katsue. She hated admitting defeat but she hated disappointing even more so. By admitting defeat for this particular task, she would inevitably disappoint the Godaime. Shizune herself had, at times, consoled Sakura. For the past couple of days, she was consistently summoning slugs with an average size of twelve feet. But, that was eight feet short of what she was assigned to summon.
Beyond the trees, a pair of sharp onyx eyes watched as the slug she had just summoned disappeared in a pop. She'd have to stop and rest in a few moments. He could see it in her form, how haggard she was from all that chakra usage. From this distance, he couldn't see her fingers clearly but he had an assumption on how they looked like. Her thumb was probably nicked in so many places already, a couple of them deep enough to form scars. Her fingers would probably be twitching in pain. Dealing with so much chakra in a particular area of a shinobi's body was painful for a lot of people. He vaguely remembered Naruto's story on how he mastered the Rasengan, his entire right hand shaking from the sheer amount of chakra he had used in practicing that technique. He himself remembered the pain when he himself was learning the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. Looking at his right hand, he saw a few of his thumb's faded scars, triggering memories he'd prefer not to surface.
Flashback: Three Years Ago
"Sasuke-sama, concentrate," spoke a voice, the words ringing through the mind of the thirteen year old Missing Nin. His glasses glistened in the dim light as his fingers adjusted them. It was impressive that this boy would go as far as betraying his village in order to kill the last living man who carried his blood.
"Kabuto, shut up," hissed Sasuke, his right arm hanging limp from the pain. It had been almost a month since he had started practicing the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. He had been vaguely impressed when he had seen Kabuto summon the Snake King, Manda, killing everyone who was trying to infiltrate into Orochimaru's camp. The Snake Sannin had seen Sasuke's impressed face and offered the scroll to him, presenting him with the choice to become a Snake Master himself.
"My apologies," whispered Kabuto, shrinking back into the shadows. Shying away from the few strips of light that managed to seep through from the blinds, Kabuto watched Sasuke at a distance. Ignoring the silver haired male, Sasuke spread open the wound on his thumb, fresh blood rising at his action.
O-hitsuji, Saru, Inu, Tori. As the names of the hand seals appeared in his mind, his hands had automatically formed them, the seals tangible for but a few split seconds. Opening his eyes, Sasuke pressed his right hand into the ground, the fresh blood meeting with the dried blood that had caked on the floor. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
Smoke appeared as Sasuke straightened his back. He had already managed to summon one of Manda's strongest sons, a direct son of his at that. As soon as the smoke started to clear, Sasuke felt the tingling and numbing sensation in his right arm grow. He would have to stop. If he pressed this training further, he would be unable to summon for a long time, his arm needing much more rest than usual if so.
"Tch," grumbled Sasuke, supporting his weakened right arm with his left, as his onyx eyes met with the dulled ochre optics of the snake he had summoned, "It's you again."
"Ssorry to disappoint, Ssassuke," hissed the snake, its forked tongue lashing out. Lowering its head, the snake had slowly poked Sasuke's weakened right arm, earning a sharp look from the Uchiha. "Tomorrow, do not ssummon, Ssassuke," hissed the snake in warning, lifting its head slightly, "It'ss much worsse than you think."
"Yes, Manden, I know," replied Sasuke gruffly, watching the giant snake's every move. Out of all the snakes Sasuke had summoned so far, Manden was his favorite. Out of all those who had summoned him before, Sasuke was Manden's favorite. Regardless if Orochimaru or Kabuto had summoned him to fight against Sasuke, he would turn his back on them and fight for the Uchiha.
Manda hadn't really noticed Manden's strength, often looking in the direction of his snake brethren, much like Sasuke's own father. The late Uchiha Patriarch looked towards Itachi with pride and towards Sasuke as if it was just according to the flow of the world for him to exist. The similarities of their pasts just made them connect on a level only they could understand.
"Tell Manda that one day, I will summon him with my own strength," said Sasuke, letting his left hand rest on top of Manden's scaly head.
"Yess, Ssassuke," hissed Manden in reply. Lifting his great head, Manden looked towards Kabuto, his forked tongue lashing out rhythmically. "Anger Ssassuke in any way, Kabuto, I will be the next ssnake you ssummon and you will pay," it hissed, anger seen in its dull ochre eyes before disappearing with a loud pop. Down below, a smirk graced Sasuke's face. Manden vaguely reminded him of a girl back in Konoha who would risk everything for him, both her life and her heart.
"You heard the snake, Kabuto," said Sasuke as he turned around and began walking back to his own quarters, "Don't you dare piss me off." Up in the balcony, Kabuto's grip tightened so hard on the glass he had been holding, causing it to break.
End of Flashback
"Sakura, good job, you should rest now," called out Shizune, snapping the Chuunin out from her deep concentration. Her muscles relaxed as she turned to face the Jounin, a cheery smile playing on her lips. "Here you go," said Shizune, handing the Chuunin a towel. She knew how harsh Tsunade could be as a master, undergoing Sakura's days herself long before, but she understood that Tsunade had a reason for everything she put into the training regimen. "Don't worry. I'm sure Tsunade-sama will understand. Summoning twelve foot long slugs is a feat in one month. It usually takes a couple of months to master that," consoled Shizune, a slight smile on her face, "If it's any consolation, it took me a little over a month to get where you're standing now when I was going through the same thing."
From where he was, Sasuke could read the words Shizune had just spoken. He had trained himself to do that long before, memorizing the countless lip movements possible. While he was resting in order to regain his chakra, Sasuke had busied himself with that. With the help of his Sharingan, it was even faster for him to learn it. He deemed it a useful ability, if in case he couldn't hear anything but needed to gather information to help him out. Deep within, he felt a faint gush of pride when he had read Shizune's lips. For some reason, he had automatically assumed Sakura had been better than Shizune. After all, she was Sakura. Those he was teamed up with when he had just become a Genin must have had some inkling of talent to be teamed up with him. Grudgingly, he had to admit Naruto had some.
"Feh, I shouldn't even be here," he mumbled to himself. Turning around on his heel, he began to walk away. He had just gotten a mission from the Godaime, rising as early as four in the morning to answer to her call. He had to leave at 6:30 in the morning in order to get to the next village in time for the opening of the bank his target was aiming for. He had just been passing by when he saw Sakura training feverishly and had decided to stop for the time being. He could spare about ten minutes of his time and it wouldn't make any difference. He was early anyway. "You had better summon that slug you're aiming for, Sakura, or you've just been training for nothing," he whispered to himself as he sped up, "You're trying to prove yourself to me right?"
Noon: At Ichiraku
"Well, at least you've elevated to summoning sixteen-foot long slugs on average, right?" said Shizune optimistically, patting Sakura on her back. The tired Chuunin nodded slowly, her eyes half-closed as she leaned her head against the table. The Jounin smiled slightly, understanding that Sakura was probably too tired to care for conversation. "Miso Ramen for Sakura and the Special Ramen for me," ordered Shizune, as the stall owner finally catered to them. They weren't the only ones in the stall. A couple of fairly new Chuunin were there as well, chattering excitedly. They still weren't used to the thrill and the rush of being appointed Chuunin, the Exams ending only three months prior.
"Yeah, at least," said Sakura quietly, closing her eyes. She hadn't felt this exhausted in ages. Though she was doing the same thing every day for the past month, today, she was exerting more effort than usual. Drumming her fingers lazily against the counter, Sakura waited for her ramen. "Ne, Shizune-san, how long have you known Tsunade-shishou?" asked Sakura suddenly, sitting up straight, as she looked up at the Jounin, her gaze locking evenly with Shizune's. Shizune kept quiet, wondering why Sakura had asked in the first place. As if reading her mind, Sakura had opened her mouth to speak. "I was just wondering, I mean, ever since you've both arrived here four years ago, you were always with Tsunade-shishou," explained Sakura, a rueful grin on her face. Before Shizune was able to reply, however, a familiar pair of Academy students appeared.
"…Sakura-sensei!" said Fuuko in surprise, her crystal blue eyes opening in wonder, "What are you doing here?" A wry grin found itself to Sakura's face as she sat up straight. Looking over Fuuko's shoulders, she noticed that there were people behind her. Behind her to her right was Kyouta, a half-sleepy look on his face as he tried to rub the tiredness away from his eyes. Another male was beside Kyouta, a ripple of curiosity appearing in Sakura's eyes. Shizune looked at them with a slight tone of amusement, Sakura being somewhat popular with the young Academy students. "Ah, Shizune-sama!" said Fuuko suddenly, realizing who was beside Sakura, "Is Ran-nee-san doing well?" Shizune nodded with a smile, waving slightly. Turning her attention back to the Chuunin, Fuuko said, "Ne, Sakura-sensei!"
"Not allowed to have ramen for lunch, am I, Fuuko?" asked Sakura with a laugh. She watched the young girl blush slightly, out of embarrassment. Kyouta yawned loudly, tears escaping from the corner of his eyes. A slight giggle escaped Sakura as she heard the sound. "Kyouta-kun, why don't you sit down? The heat usually makes me sleepy so maybe that's why you are," suggested Sakura, patting on the empty seat beside her. This time, it was Kyouta's turn to blush slightly, as he went inside, sitting on the seat that Sakura had just pointed to. Her ramen had just arrived when Kyouta sat down. Picking out a pair of chopsticks, she began to eat. "I remember seeing you when I went to the Academy for that talk but I don't think I caught your name," said Sakura, swirling her chopsticks in the bowl of steaming hot ramen.
"Fuyuzuki Shuunto," introduced the male, digging his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket. With a bow, he showed his respect towards the Chuunin, as well as the Jounin, "Fuuko and Kyouta have told me all about you, Sakura-sensei. It's an honor to meet you." Sakura's cheeks colored slightly, a laugh escaping Shizune's lips at his words. A confused look found its way to Shuunto's face, looking at the Jounin for some sort of clarification.
"No one usually says that to Sakura," said Shizune as she set down her bowl of ramen, "Or, at least, not to her face anyway." Realization dawned upon the three Academy students as they nodded. "Listen, don't you all come with us afterwards and see what Sakura's doing. Maybe, it'll be good for you to see variations of techniques that she knows. It could even serve as inspiration for you three to work harder as Academy students," suggested Shizune. At those words, Fuuko, Kyouta, and Shuunto nodded with enthusiasm. Shizune could see Sakura had some sort of effect on the Academy students, or at least on Fuuko and Kyouta as she wasn't very well acquainted with Shuunto.
Late Afternoon
At a distance, Fuuko was cheering Sakura on. The Chuunin felt even more fatigued and exhausted than she usually did, but the antics of the Academy student cheered her up, even a little. A weak smile found its way towards Sakura's face as she nodded. The three Academy students watched in awe, as Sakura had continuously summoned giant slugs. Her determination was seen through the sizes of the slugs she had summoned. She was now constantly summoning eighteen foot long slugs. The three Academy students watched in anticipation as she began to perform the Kuchiyose no Jutsu once more. She could probably only do it one or two more times, given her current condition. Laying her right hand flat on the forest floor, she shouted, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A large puff of smoke appeared at her words.
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."
"Y-you're not k-kidding, right?" asked Sakura, tears of happiness starting to collect at her eyes. The slug shook its head, forming what everyone else assumed to be a smile. The tears had just started to flow without any warning as Sakura stared up, Katsue's antennae still twitching. "Thank God," she murmured, trying to stop her tears from flowing but failing. Shizune felt a swell of pride rush from within her, watching as Sakura continued to stare up towards Katsue with her wet eyes. She may not have actually helped Sakura advance further, her job for the past month merely watch over Sakura as she practiced the Kuchiyose no Jutsu, but seeing Sakura make an achievement like that was still something in her eyes.
"Ano, why are you chuckling, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto, looking up at the silver haired Jounin beside him. Kakashi looked at the blonde boy beside him with a cryptic smile. "…Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto, slightly uneasy.
"No reason, Naruto," said Kakashi as he pocketed his hands, "I just find it funny how you three are so similar to the Legendary Sannin, you to Jiraiya-sama, Sakura to Tsunade-sama, and Sasuke to Orochimaru, to an extent. You even have the same summons as them. What a coincidence, right, Sasuke?" Looking over his right shoulder, Kakashi's lone eye spotted the Uchiha resting on a tree branch, as if he had been watching Sakura since she had continued her training.
"Don't just put me into your conversations, Kakashi," spoke Sasuke as he stood up. The Jounin smiled once more as he watched Sasuke jump down from the branch with ease. "It's really pointless," he added as he began to walk away.
Tsuzuku…
…And here is chapter nineteen! I hope you've all liked it.
I was looking at the main documents for PPV and PPV:AT and I've decided something. I'm going to make a third part, making this a trilogy. PPV deals with the training. PPV:AT will deal with the Jounin Exams themselves plus one year after the Jounin Exams. The third part will deal with the rest of their adventure until the end of the story.
I'd like to thank SunshineandDaisys for all her wonderful reviews. When I was reading them yesterday, I was happy that someone took the time to write all those meaningful reviews and read each chapter for all its worth. And at her review for chapter eighteen, she even made a summary of what had happened since chapter one until chapter eighteen! She even pointed out some things about what the fanfic talked about which I didn't even realize until she pointed it out.
…Darn. I didn't mean to be that deep until she made me realize about it. –laughs–
So, for all that and inspiring me to finish up chapter nineteen in two days, chapter nineteen is dedicated to SunshineandDaisys.
Oh yeah, for all of those wondering, Kyouta, Fuuko, and now Shuunto, aren't just characters I randomly decided to put in the fanfic for the heck of it. They will be playing a part every now and then, especially in the third part of this story.
So, hopefully, I'll be able to release chapter twenty soon! For now, I'll leave you with a chapter preview and me going… GASP! HE'S BACK!
Next Chapter: Chapter Twenty – Return of the Daimyo
Chapter Preview: Two pairs of teal colored eyes watched their surroundings as the carriage moved forward. One was male, his hazel colored hair tied back into a simple ponytail. The other was female, her dark black locks hanging freely. "Ne, ne, Onii-sama, how were they like?" asked the female, breaking the silence as she looked at her older brother, "You were at the village once before and you have so many stories about it! Tell me!" A laugh escaped the older male's lips at the enthusiasm of his younger sister. "Kouji-nii-sama!" she pouted, crossing her arms, as she narrowed her eyes, "Tell me about the ninjas of Konohagakure no Sato!" With that, Kouji opened his mouth wider and began to laugh even louder. "Onii-sama!" she wailed, clawing at him pathetically.