Chapter 21
A Foreign Presence: Forging a New Link
I wonder how the others are handling those missions Kakashi-sensei took them on, Amari thought as she checked out of the hospital. Several days had passed since she unlocked the memories of Itachi Uchiha and learned her past life was quite literally locked behind a gated compound.
The new knowledge was…Amari wasn't sure how she felt. Part of her wanted nothing more than to rip the door open and regain the fragments of the past she lost. Years passed without even the slightest hints at her old life. In the end she resigned to never truly learning and forced herself to move forward. If that meant Amaririsu would be a different person in comparison to who she once had been, that was okay because Amaririsu was who she was now. But…deep down she still yearned to know who she had been, who she had loved, who she had lost, if her family would be proud of her or if they abandoned her.
The answers to those questions would come with extreme pain; Amari never deluded herself into believing otherwise. Remembering her old name and the voice of her cousin reinforced that fact. But…was it wrong for her to want all of the shattered fragments back? Without those pieces, could she ever truly be whole? Could she ever truly say she knew herself? Amaririsu was Amaririsu, certainly, but what about Haya? Haya and her family deserved to be remembered.
She couldn't just let them be lost to time when they were a part of her.
Yet, as much as she wanted to remember everything, Amari knew she wasn't ready. By only remembering the small pieces of her past she was left with aches rippling across her heart and fears of the pain destroying her. Even the new memories of Itachi came with pain. She…she remembered how close they were. He had been such an important figure in her life, a boy—man—who lifted her from despair when the other Uchiha's believed her worthless…and when she too began to see herself as a pointless waste of air.
And now he was gone. Severed from her life with no chance of repairing the void left behind. How many others? How many others did she have to remember? Would the pain only increase with every new precious person? No…No, she was not ready to remember. She could not rip that door down and regain what she lost yet. For now they could remain safely tucked away, out of sight and out of mind until she was ready to face her past.
I wonder if I'll ever be truly ready. Could anyone be ready to regain a life they couldn't go back to? To remember people who they cherished but couldn't ever see or hug or speak to again?
"Sensei…I'm scared of remembering…I'm frightened of what kind of pain it'll bring me. Of the grief I know is waiting for me. I'm afraid…I'm afraid of how alone I will feel without them in my life. My hands tremble…and my heart feels cold when I think about what these memories might do to me. And I- I'm afraid I won't be strong enough to fight it."
Those words and feelings still rang true. Just thinking about the grief awaiting her or how alone she might feel…Amari shut her eyes and inhaled a deep breath to stop the sudden increase of her heartrate.
"I won't lie and tell you that it'll be easy if you do remember your past. Remembering will hurt. But no matter how much it hurts, know that you will not have to shoulder the burden alone. This team, Kurenai, even lazy Shikamaru will be here to support you when or if that day ever comes. Never forget that."
Remembering the comforting words of her sensei eased her back into a state of calm. One day she would have to face her past, but she wouldn't be alone. Never. She had her teammates, her mother, Shika and others. They would be there to pick her back up, brush her off and help her to keep moving forward.
Inoichi Yamanaka, the father of Ino and Head of the Yamanaka Clan, had been the one to bring her out of her mind. His mastery of his Clan's mind based techniques made it relatively easy for him to reach her. Despite only ever meeting in passing at his family's flower shop, they had a nice conversation about the mechanics behind her mindscape. He immediately recognized the genjutsu and, thankfully, was cautious enough not to push into her past memories.
Getting her memory wiped would be such a drag.
Unfortunately Amari wasn't sure how she even knew of the consequence. She could remember talking to someone, but every time she tried to recall who it was she came up blank. Inoichi believed the person she tried to remember was a manifestation of her consciousness, there to help prevent her from falling into full panic mode.
With his information gathered, he helped her to get back to reality without much fuss. Well, not until she woke up and found her room occupied by Kakashi, Kurenai, Inoichi and Shikaku.
"Ugh, my head. I feel like I've been on the receiving end of another one of Guy-sensei's and Kakashi-sensei's ridiculous challenges," she had muttered upon waking.
Her comment earned her relieved chuckles from Kakashi, Kurenai and Shikaku.
"We're glad you're okay, little shadow."
She would later learn Shikaku had been at the flower shop when Sakura went looking for Inoichi. Concerned about her and hoping he might be able to formulate a plan should they need one, he came along to check on her.
After she and Inoichi explained everything they knew about the genjutsu keeping her memories repressed, and testing to ensure Itachi's name wouldn't send her back into her mind, Amari opened up about what few memories she could fully grasp of her relationship with Itachi. She told them of the profound feelings his words once gave her, how he used to train her and her last memory of him the night of the massacre.
Hearing of his tears and apology before repressing her memories seemed to be difficult for the four Jōnin to comprehend. It didn't add up to them, just as it didn't make sense to her. No coldblooded murderer would shed the tears. Inoichi and Kakashi even questioned if she was certain she was remembering it correctly or if Itachi might have forged the memory. If Kurenai had doubts, she didn't voice them. She just kept an arm wrapped around Amari, holding her close to anchor both her daughter and herself in the comfort of an embrace.
Shikaku was the only one who appeared to consider the possibility it wasn't a planted memory. Then again, he wasn't one to dismiss anything regardless of how unbelievable it might seem. Unbeknownst to Amari, there were deeply personal reasons causing him to piece together their invisible puzzle.
Honestly, she couldn't and didn't blame any of them for disbelieving her memories. No matter how nice he had once been to her, no matter how deeply she once cared for him, he was still responsible for massacring the entire Uchiha Clan—including her family. He was a rogue shinobi, one she couldn't let her guard down for if he ever showed up again.
Amari was actually quite scared for what the Sharingan genjutsu on her mind meant.
"This genjutsu he placed on me…It can't be undone without wiping my memories. But what if…what if the true purpose of it is something far worse."
"You're worried he's using you as a sleeper agent," Shikaku stated instead of asked.
She nodded. "What if…what if he's waiting for me to get stronger so he can turn me against all of you?"
"While I understand your fear, it's unnecessary," Inoichi informed. "From what I was able to analyze, the genjutsu isn't nefarious in its creation. It has placed blocks on your memories and is actively protecting you, but it lacks the mechanics necessary to force you to do anything against your will."
"So it won't turn me against my home?"
"No," Inoichi stated. "I've seen my fair share of spies. While Itachi definitely seeks to hide your past from everyone, his genjutsu cannot turn you against Konoha or your friends."
The relief his words gave her was indescribable.
Their conversation did not last much longer. The adults each took their leave shortly after, allowing her teammates to swarm the room. Much to her surprise, Sasuke was the first one in the room, his onyx eyes alert in a level of protectiveness she had never seen in him. He was also a bit more touchy feely than usual—out of sight, of course. While Naruto was crushing her body in a bear hug, almost in tears as he told Amari how worried he was for her, Sasuke's hand rested on top of hers.
When Naruto finally allowed her to breathe, she did her best to reassure them all she was okay while also reassuring Sasuke it wasn't his fault.
"Stop blaming yourself, Sasuke," she said. "It was just an accident. Besides, I learned a little more about myself and my past, and that's a good thing."
It took a lot of convincing, but the guilt in his eyes did lessen tremendously by the time she was done. With the drama out of the way, they were finally able to properly talk about what would happen over the next few days. Obviously her stay in the hospital would be longer than she wanted, and in the meantime Kakashi would be taking her three teammates on D-rank missions to keep them active.
Her teammates were getting restless, and there seemed to be an underlying tension between Naruto and Sasuke since their return from the Land of Waves. She had noticed it days ago, but she had been trying to piece together the reasons so she could nip the problem at the bud before it could grow even larger. From her observations, Sasuke's defeat at Haku's hands was eating at him, and not doing any serious missions was only piling onto his irritation. A huge oversight he seemed to not even be conscious of was how much he neglected to train since the Land of Waves.
He just seemed to be going through the motions, not at all putting forth the same effort he used to. I'll have to talk to him about that. Sakura, too, because I want her to get stronger in taijutsu.
It was something she planned to work on as soon as she left the hospital behind.
Over the course of the next few days, Amari spent most of her time reading the book her mother left her and spending time with Shikamaru and Mimi, both who dropped by to check on her at different hours of the same day.
Although Amari would have liked to spend time with Shikamaru outside of the sterile white walls of a hospital, it was still really wonderful to be around him again. Definitely since it allowed her to play shogi as they caught up on everything from the Land of Waves to the present day. He, of course, won their game; though Amari deluded herself into thinking she may have almost beat him. She was so close, she could feel it! Next time she would win!
Through their conversation, Amari could tell his worry had grown thanks to the recent events. Shikamaru wasn't one to be very forthcoming with his feelings. He'd call it troublesome. But Amari could hear all the things he didn't say loud and clear.
When Asuma and the rest of Shikamaru's team showed up to get him to go train, he parted with a comment that spoke volumes. "Try not to be so troublesome, 'Risu."
Translation: Please be careful. I don't want you to get hurt.
Amari smiled reassuringly at him. "I'll do my best, Shika."
With him gone, she was left alone until Mimi showed up with Aoko. Apparently she heard from Kiba that Amari was still in the hospital after four Jōnin rushed to help her a few days prior. Curious and worried about her safety, she decided to come check in to make sure she was okay.
The two kunoichi spoke at length of what had happened and of the upcoming Chūnin Exams. According to Mimi, Guy had already signed his team up for it and she was dying to know if Team Seven planned to join.
Amari could only burst her bubble. "Sorry, but I honestly have no idea if Kakashi-sensei will sign us up."
"Oh…Well…Damn." Mimi frowned. "I was really hoping to fight you again."
"Well, there's still about a week until the Exams, and knowing Kakashi-sensei he's probably thinking over it really hard. If he does let us participate, we won't know until the last minute."
That did the trick in lifting Mimi's spirits. Personally, though, Amari wasn't sure they were ready for it. The Exams would be full of Genin from all the Shinobi Nations, and not all of them would be fresh faced like her team. Some would have a year of experience on them, like Mimi's team, others could be even older and stronger. But if Kakashi did sign them up, she wouldn't be against it. It might end in a crushing defeat, but it would give her a chance to test her strength against shinobi from all across the shinobi world.
The mere thought of fighting tough opponents left Mimi on the verge of bouncing in her seat in excitement. Admittedly, it excited Amari a bit too. But she knew she had a lot of work cut out for her based on what she had seen from Team Guy. If she was going to be able to go toe to toe with Mimi on even ground, she needed to start training harder.
It wasn't until today—the day after being visited by Shikamaru and Mimi—that she was finally getting out of the hospital. The first order of business was to find her team. They'd probably be near their usual meeting location if they were coming back from a mission, otherwise she'd have to check the training grounds and then their homes.
After saying goodbye to the nurse, Amari exited the building and began ninja jumping with her Byakugan activated under her bandana, searching high and low for any signs of her team. They weren't at their usual meeting spot, not that she expected them to be standing around there waiting for her. She hadn't even known the doctors were letting her go until a few hours ago.
Guess I'll have to expand my search. A few minutes of Body Flickering across the rooftops in search of her team finally ended when she came across Konohamaru, his friends, Sakura and Naruto. Some stranger wearing a black outfit held the grandson of the Third Hokage by his blue scarf. On his back was some strange item wrapped under bandages, but she ignored that for the time being. I leave them for a few days and they manage to start a fight with some strangers? Amari came to a stop on a tree branch in the distance to survey the situation before jumping in headfirst. Why am I not surprised?
The boy wearing black had a kunoichi teammate; her sandy blond hair was tied in four separate ponytails, her outfit was a single light purple off-the-shoulders garment that went halfway down her thighs with a scarlet sash tied around her waist. She also wore fishnet over her shoulders and legs, specifically her right calf and left thigh while her black forehead protector hung around her neck. On her back was a thin but long black rectangular object that appeared to be a fan of some sort.
From what little she could hear at this distance, the kunoichi seemed uninterested in the whole scene while she attempted to get her teammate to let go of Konohamaru. Naruto suddenly charged in. "Put. Him. Down!" he shouted.
Heightened to alert, Amari's mind and body started taking in details at a faster rate. Sakura stood with Moegi and Udon, a look of worry clear on her face. Her caution was noteworthy enough to keep Amari from jumping straight in. More Intel needed to be acquired before she launched a counterattack.
As Naruto charged in, Amari's Byakugan eye widened as it caught sight of chakra strings launching from the black garbed strangers fingertips. The strings weren't dense enough yet to be seen by the naked eye, making it impossible for Naruto to dodge his enemies attack. Without the aid of a dōjutsu, Naruto was knocked back and onto his butt from an invisible attack.
"Konohamaru!" Moegi and Udon cried in unison for their captured friend.
"Ah! Let me go! You're hurting me!"
"That's the point, you little punk."
Amari snapped instantaneously.
Nobody harmed her friends, especially one as young as Konohamaru.
Between the assault and comment, he had just enough time to blink. As his eyes opened, however, he found a kunai blade resting against his throat and a dark presence next to him. "Let. Him. Go." Her tone was as cold as Zabuza's killing intent made her feel. The two foreigners gasped in shock at her sudden appearance, but his teammate instantly started to move to his defense. She quickly found a clone of Amari pressing a blade to her throat as well. "Do not. Make me. Repeat myself."
"Amari!" Sakura, Naruto, Moegi, and Udon cheered in happiness.
"Sorry I'm late guys. Checking out of the hospital was bothersome, though making these chumps regret laying a hand on Konohamaru more than makes up for it."
"Kankurō," the girl pleaded, a look of fear in her eyes. It wasn't the blade that caused the fear. No, she carried herself with the air of a seasoned kunoichi and couldn't be so easily intimidated. What caused her fear was the level of killing intent crashing off of the two Amari's into the two foreigners. They were drowning in her intent, seeing the visage of a demonic black dragon shrouded around her despite there being none in visual sight.
Before the boy—Kankurō—could let go of Konohamaru, Amari attached her Shadow to him and began unclenching her empty right hand, forcing him to do the same as she stared a hole straight through him. "That's a good boy," she said in a condescending tone. Konohamaru dropped onto his feet, looking hurt yet absolutely thrilled to see her. "Go to my clone, Konohamaru. She'll take you back to the others."
Her clone put her kunai knife back as Amari detached her Shadow from Kankurō, who appeared to be paralyzed in fear from a mixture of her killing intent and the control she took from his body. "Thank you, Big Sis," Konohamaru thanked as her clone walked him back to the group.
Now we have you two to deal with. "You have a lot of nerve touching the grandson of Lord Third."
Both gasped at the revelation of who he had just laid a hand on.
"You're bluffing," he tried to retort, narrowing his eyes at her.
"You think I would waste my time on a bluff?" Kankurō did not respond. Clearly her kunai knife against his throat dissuaded him from talking and believing she would bluff. "You had a cute trick tripping Naruto like that, but you don't fool me. Touch my friends again." Amari's eye became a slit as more killing intent flared to life, making him visibly shiver. "And I will make your worst nightmares feel like a glorious reprieve."
She lowered her blade from his throat and placed it back into her ninja tool box, reining in her killing intent as she turned to leave. As she took a step forward, Amari's Byakugan caught sight of Sasuke appearing in the nearby tree and Kankurō suddenly reaching for her. "You brat!" he shouted.
"Amari, look out!" Sakura yelled.
Amari could have dodged and attacked the shinobi. She could have turned around and sent such a wave of killing intent at him that he'd see the darkest pits of her anger. Instead she Body Flickered up and into a sitting position next to Sasuke. Much as she might have enjoyed pummeling Konohamaru's assailant, she hadn't been so blinded by emotion to not take in tactical information.
These guys are Sand shinobi, likely here for the Exams. No way did she want to be responsible for an international incident. Besides, Sasuke handled it by throwing a rock hard enough to draw blood from the hand meant to grab her. "I was wondering when you'd reveal your presence. Couldn't resist making a dramatic entrance, could you?" she teased her teammate.
Sasuke hummed in amusement, a smirk pulling at his lips. "I figured you could use a warm-up after being cooped up so long."
"You know me so well," she continued to tease. "But to be fair, punks like these aren't enough to give me an adequate warm-up. I'd need a real challenge."
"Hmph. Fair point."
Kankurō growled under his breath as he held his wounded hand. "Arrogant little brats."
Sasuke casually tossed a smaller rock in one hand as he stared down at the two ninjas. "Threatening a kid is pretty low. Didn't they teach you any manners in the Sand?" Sasuke asked, earning another growl from the black garbed shinobi. He stopped tossing the rock, crushed it and let the dust particles fall from his hand. "Get lost," he warned them.
"Or we'll make you," Amari added, her voice firm.
The blonde of the duo actually blushed and smiled as she looked at Sasuke. Seriously, what was with girls around their age? Amari rolled her eye and deactivated her Byakugan. Girls can be so weird.
Speaking of which, Moegi, Sakura and Udon were squealing over their cool demeanor. Konohamaru on the other hand…
"Why aren't you as cool as them, Boss!"
Glancing over, Amari smirked at Naruto's shoulders and head slumping in depression.
"Hey punk, get down here and bring that tiny brat with you."
Tiny brat. Amari's eye twitched. Oh, she would make him eat those words.
Sasuke sent a deadly glare at Kankurō, and she could almost feel his anger beginning to irradiate off of him.
"Little snots like you two always piss me off. You talk tough, but you can't back any of it up. It's the common trait of a Leaf shinobi."
"Watch your mouth before I knock your teeth in," Amari threatened.
Kankurō grinned and grabbed one of the wraps on his shoulder that held the thing on his back up. "Go ahead and try it. I'll take you both on at the same time." He pulled the contraption off his back and set it down next to him.
His kunoichi teammate's eyes widened in shock. "What are you doing?! Are you actually going to use the Crow for this?"
Crow? No way was she referring to the avian species. What Kankurō carried didn't even appear to be alive, and it was far too large to actually be any type of crow. And his teammate seems to be worried about him using it against us. Obviously it was some kind of weapon, but what? In preparation for a fight, Amari activated her Byakugan to analyze what his weapon might be. It's a puppet, she noted, not at all surprised by the revelation.
His use of chakra threads had been the biggest hint to his fighting style. Suna was known for their use of the Puppet Master Jutsu, which used chakra threads attached to inanimate puppets to attack enemies. Although inanimate, the puppets were still deadly weapons. Or, well, it was more accurate to say they were equipped with deadly weapons and mechanisms all capable of being activated at a distance by a thread of chakra.
"Hmph, at least he has the brains to take us seriously," Amari said out loud. "Still, you'd think a Puppet user like yourself might reconsider revealing his weapons tricks before a real fight."
If her knowledge of his weapon surprised him, Kankurō didn't show it. Instead his grin became wilder. "You two won't even be worthy of a real puppet show."
"Kankurō. Back off."
Chills shot down Amari's spine at the calm, gravelly voice coming from the other side of the tree. So…evil. Next to her, Sasuke's eyes grew wide as he too became aware of the far stronger and deadlier presence.
"You're an embarrassment to our village."
The two Sand shinobi stiffened visibly at the new presence. Then fear took over their features, though Amari couldn't blame them for that. She had to consciously exude killing intent, but this shinobi…
"Uh…hey Gaara," Kankurō greeted, the nervous smile on his face and intonation of his voice speaking volumes.
Whoever this shinobi is, he's the leader. Whether because of the fear he controlled them with or the strength she could feel without her Byakugan sight was hard to say. No ordinary Genin could move so quietly and fast without anyone noticing. Amari herself hadn't even sensed his presence until he decided to make himself known.
Who the hell is he?
As Kankurō tried apologizing and blaming them for the confrontation, Amari tapped Sasuke's leg to get his attention. When his eyes met her one, she flashed her Sharingan in an effort to get him to activate his. He seemed to be on the same wavelength, activating his Sharingan without asking for elaboration. Immediately she started mouthing her thoughts to him.
"We need to watch our step right now. This guy…His chakra seems to know no limits…and it's pure evil. Be careful."
Sasuke gave a barely visible nod of understanding and deactivated his Sharingan.
"I'm sorry for any trouble he caused," Gaara apologized, though his voice remained flat, indifferent to everything around him. It only sent more chills down Amari's spine.
I don't like the feel of this guy at all, Amari thought. Gaara suddenly disappeared into grains of sand, reappearing on the ground next to his teammates before telling them to go.
In foolishness or bravery, Sakura stepped forward and demanded to know who they were and what they were doing in the Leaf. According to the kunoichi of the trio, they were here to participate for the Chūnin Exams. The girl's name, based on the Ninja Identification Card she revealed, was Temari.
Either way, if this Gaara was going to enter the exams, Amari wasn't sure she wanted to be a part of it this year.
Sasuke motioned for her to follow him as the Sand trio began to leave before jumping off the tree. Reluctantly, Amari followed after him. "Hey you, identify yourself," Sasuke called.
You brought me down here to find out more about the scary kid? Amari groaned internally. Oh man, this is going to be such a drag if you cause a fight.
Temari turned around, her smile returning as a light blush tinted her cheeks. "Hmm? Do you mean me?"
"Ugh, another fan girl," Amari groaned, rolling her eye.
Sasuke, despite his seriousness, actually smiled at Amari's comment. "No, him. The guy with the gourd on his back."
Gaara stopped walking and turned back around to face them. He was pretty short for a boy, shorter than Naruto actually. He had short, spiky red hair, fair skin, and pale blue-green eyes. He lacked pupils and eyebrows equally, and if that wasn't strange enough, the left side of his forehead had the kanji for "love" tattooed or carved in red. Amari wasn't sure which.
His outfit consisted of a short-sleeved black full body suit with three-fourth lengthed legs and an open neck. A white cloth went over his right shoulder and left side of his hips along with a wide leather band system, likely meant for holding his gourd up. His black forehead protector was over the band.
"My name is Gaara of the Desert." Somehow his cold eyes managed to drill even further into their souls. "I'm curious to know about the two of you as well. Who are you?"
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke said.
"And my name is Amaririsu Yūhi," Amari said.
No other words were spared between them. The two Uchiha's met his cold stare with unwavering stares of their own, none of them willing to back down whatsoever.
"Hi there! I bet your dying to know my name right?" Naruto asked in a cheery voice behind them.
"I couldn't care less," Gaara responded before turning back around ninja jumping away with his team.
Normally Amari would have comforted her friend, but three more chakras caught her attention. None nearly as strong as Gaara, but their presence also held evil within it. She turned her body and stared right at them as Naruto started yelling at Sasuke over…whatever he was angry about. Amari wasn't listening. These shinobi bore a Village symbol she had never seen before, the symbol of a music note. One of them had their entire head wrapped in bandages while his male and female teammates appeared to be normal. Although upon closer inspection, the other male shinobi seemed to have something strange just beneath the surface of his body.
She allowed a smirk to curl onto her lips. Interesting.
"Amari?" Sakura's voice broke her from her stare.
She offered her teammate a reassuring smile. "It's nothing to worry about." The trio in the tree disappeared. Nothing to worry about for now at least. Amari deactivated her Byakugan and walked over to her teammate. "Sleeveless looks nice," she complimented.
Sakura's outfit remained relatively the same, only now her top was sleeveless. As someone who wore a tank top constantly, Amari liked the new look.
Sakura made a sound of confusion at first then looked down at her outfit. "You think so?"
Amari nodded. "Yep."
Sakura smiled in response and gave a confident nod. Confidence in her looks is good, but I need to get her confident in her abilities as a shinobi. I'll ask her about training; don't know what kind of day they had before this.
"You want to start training or are you too worn out from missions?" Amari asked. I've been in a bed for a few days so I have a lot of energy to let loose. Examining her team, she could see Naruto of them all was a little beat up, though he had his usual energy to him. Sakura and Sasuke appeared to be no worse for wear, though Sakura did show signs of mental exhaustion. Probably from dealing with the boys without me to balance them out.
To Amari's utter surprise, Sakura nodded and smiled. "I'm up for it. Let's go now."
So eager…Amari smiled but allowed her eye to shift to Sasuke. What did you say to her Sasuke? There was no doubt in her mind that something had happened since she was gone. The rift between Naruto and Sasuke over their rivalry seemed to have grown, but Sakura seemed more distant from the boys, more reserved.
"Okay, let's go to our usual training ground. Boys." Sasuke and Naruto dropped their glaring contest to acknowledge her voice. "Stay alert. With all these other shinobi around, it would be best none of us let our guards down."
They both nodded. "Where are you going?" Naruto asked.
"Going to train with Sakura since you two are too busy with your lovers quarrel." Both boys blanched. "Once you two remember the importance of training together instead of staring each other down, come find us." Without waiting, Amari grabbed Sakura by her bicep and Body Flickered down the path and out of sight. "Sorry about that, Sakura. Didn't want to give them a say in the matter."
"No harm done." The two began walking to training ground three. "They've been like this ever since the Land of Waves," Sakura said thoughtfully.
"I noticed too. Haku really did a number on them in his Ice Mirror Jutsu. Naruto wants to prove he is better than Sasuke, and Sasuke is tired of doing D-ranked missions and wants to become stronger."
"And we're stuck in the middle," Sakura groaned.
"Problem is Sasuke isn't training as hard as he could. He's been distracted, even before my trip to the hospital. Naruto is also being too big of a knucklehead, thinking more on trying to make Sasuke look weak than actually training to do it. Troublesome boys." The Shadow user shook her head. "I have to get their heads back in the right mind." A giggle made its way out of Sakura. Confused, Amari turned and raised an eyebrow at Sakura. "What's so funny?"
"I was just thinking about how similar they're acting to how I used to act when it came to you. Instead of actually trying to do anything to improve myself, I started calling you names." Sakura offered an apologetic look. "Sorry about all that."
Caught off guard, Amari smiled awkwardly. "No worries. We're a team now and I'm happy to help." Though I am going to find out what the hell Sasuke said to you to make you apologize for the name calling. Not only was she really eager to train, but apologizing to me for something back at the Academy?
Something serious definitely went down in her absence, and she planned to find out.
Still, overall this was good. Without the boys around, she could help Sakura improve her abilities and build their bond as friends and comrades.
Once they finally reached the field Amari moved to stand across from Sakura. "All right, first I want to analyze your abilities so I can see the strengths and weaknesses to your fighting style. Then after that we'll work on amplifying your strengths and covering your weaknesses."
She activated her Sharingan and took up her fighting stance. I need to go easy on her. Sakura's confidence in her physical skills is exactly where mine was when I woke up in the orphanage. Without Ryu and Kasai motivating me to get better, I would have stopped trying. From what I remember of Itachi training me, he didn't give me a choice but to get better. Mom was a mix of the both; she motivated me to get stronger but never went easy on me. Thanks to her training, I learned not to leave myself open by taking hits.
Which means I need to channel Mom and Itachi so I'm motivating yet giving her no other choice but to get stronger.
"Do not hold back. I am not going to beat you down, but I will not go easy on you. No one ever learned without making mistakes," Amari said.
Sakura gave a confident nod and took up her own fighting stance and charged in, throwing a series of punches in an attempt to land a blow.
Straight forward approach. Amari blocked two punches, batting them to the sides to open Sakura up for a strike. She landed a kick to her stomach to knock her back a few feet. Sakura recovered quickly, creating two illusionary clones before charging back in.
What are you planning here? You know I can see through it. Each Sakura pulled out kunais then promptly tossed them at Amari. Seeing the real blades, Amari dodged out of the way, leaving her on the back foot as Sakura's leg swung right at her face.
Diversionary tactic to get me on the defense. A good move. Amari blocked the attack and the series of follow up strikes before sweeping Sakura's legs out from under her and pinning her to the ground. "You left yourself too open there," she informed before standing up. "You're very straight forward in your attacks, which isn't actually a bad thing. With more speed and strength it wouldn't matter if I could see your attacks before they came because you wouldn't be trying to hide your movements." Just like Lee. "If your opponent didn't have the speed to block, you'd nail them. And you're diversionary tactic was a good move as well. Against an opponent without dōjutsu, which is pretty much everyone, it'd leave them more open."
She offered a hand to her teammate and helped her onto her feet. "Come on. We've barely even begun real training."
Amari whipped Sakura into shape for an hour, teaching her along the way about the different mistakes she was making and complimenting her intelligent tactics when it was appropriate. As expected, Sakura's intelligence made her a quick study. She didn't suddenly start pushing Amari to fight as seriously as she would against Sasuke, but she was correcting mistakes, improving simple things like not shutting her eyes after taking a hit.
If I can get her to do this every day, Sakura could improve so much. Amari dodged away from a punch, back flipping onto her hands and then pushing off to land on her feet. Across from her, Sakura inhaled and exhaled heavy breaths. Exhaustion was settling in, her moves were getting sloppy and that was the worst thing to do in training. It created bad habits that were harder to get rid of. Pushing her any further today won't do us any good. She needs to be able to walk tomorrow.
Her teammate's taijutsu wasn't the best, but they had already made small improvements to the flaws the standard Academy taijutsu classes let slide.
Sakura charged in again only to have her fist caught by Amari. "That's enough for today. If we continue like this you'll only hurt yourself, and that would be counterproductive." Her teammate didn't offer an argument. She gave a tired nod before collapsing into Amari's arms. "How about we go get some ramen? A good bowl ramen from Ichiraku always gives me an energy boost."
She nodded into her chest but made no move to go anywhere. "Here, I'll carry you." Without giving her an option, Amari picked her up bridal style and started walking back to the village. "When we get closer, I'll put you down so you don't have to hear it from Ino or someone about me carrying you."
"Thank you," Sakura thanked quietly.
Amari smiled softly, happy to help her teammate from getting teased by others for having to be carried. For all the confidence Sakura could exude, she really didn't have much. She was rather fragile when it came to her abilities as a ninja; being on a team with three strong teammates who constantly protected her didn't help it whatsoever.
"The weakest link," Kasai's voice echoed in Amari's thoughts, replacing her smile with a frown. No way am I going to let her feel that pain any longer. Truthfully, out of the entire team, Amari could understand Sakura's thought patterns best. A little more than two years ago she had been just like her, physically weak and more focused on a boy than training.
I need to talk to her about what Sasuke said. Unlike me with Ryu, Sasuke doesn't pay any mind to Sakura's feelings. All Amari wanted to do was help Sakura become stronger. Even though she didn't have the large chakra reserves that Naruto had or the natural skill Sasuke had or a balance of both strength and smarts like Amari, Sakura had a lot of potential to become a strong ninja.
Her chakra control was amazing, possibly one of her greatest attributes besides natural intellect. With more practice it was possible she could have better chakra control than Amari herself. By gaining mastery of chakra control she could open many doors for herself in the future. Options to follow any line of work she wanted would give her more free will over her destiny as a ninja than being stuck as a regular soldier.
When they were almost at Ichiraku, Amari let Sakura get back on her feet. She immediately braced her when she nearly fell over. Maybe I pushed her a little hard. Amari wordlessly wrapped one of Sakura's arm around the back of her neck and supported her the rest of the way. It was possible she had just physically worked the hardest she had ever worked, and if she was still "dieting" it'd only handicap her further.
Why did Academy girls have to obsess over boys instead of focusing on getting stronger? Their idea of a diet is to basically deprive themselves of proper nutrients to remain skinny. It's just stupid. Not eating enough only takes away from your energy storage, which then in turn makes you tire out easier. If they ate correctly and exercised they'd remain in good shape.
Amari sighed inwardly. I seriously sometimes wonder if others could learn a little from the Akimichi's…though the amount of food they eat would really deter regular ninjas.
"Welcome, Amaririsu," Ayame greeted them when they arrived at Ichiraku.
Teuchi, the owner of the shop and father of Ayame, had his back turned at first, but at hearing his daughter's voice he turned around and grinned at the young kunoichi. "Ah, greetings Amaririsu! It's been some time since you've been here. I was worried I lost one of my favorite frequent customers!"
She smiled bashfully. "Sorry for worrying you. They've been holding me hostage at the hospital after a little training incident I had with another team," Amari explained.
"Coming back from training?" Teuchi asked, taking note to Sakura's tired form.
"Yep. Your ramen has always helped me so I decided to let my teammate in on our secret." He laughed joyfully. "I'll have my usual. Sakura what would you like, and you aren't getting out of this by saying you're on a diet."
To be honest, it didn't look like Sakura would have fought against it anyway. She lacked the energy to debate against her teammate. After perusing the menu, she ordered a bowl of miso ramen the same as Amari.
Sakura was the first to finish her bowl, nearly devouring it within a few minutes as if it was the first meal she had in days…which is a distinct possibility, now that I think about it. Regardless, her fellow kunoichi ordered a second bowl.
By the time Amari reached the bottom of her second bowl, the sun was nearing the horizon. Going to need to get home soon but… Amari looked over to her teammate, who was more than satisfied by the food in her belly. It's time I confront the Sasuke issue head-on.
Teuchi and Ayame were always the type to leave others to their private conversations, so there was no worry about talking here.
"Sakura." Her teammate hummed in response. "What did Sasuke say to you today? Don't lie. There was tension between the two of you and I know you weren't the one to cause it."
A sullen expression took over Sakura's features. "He had just finished telling Naruto his skills were terrible. Stupidly I thought he'd want to go and do something. Told me I should stop flirting and focus on my training because I was as bad as Naruto…then he said I was worse than Naruto."
Amari bit back the words of contempt for her fellow Uchiha. She cared for her team, but Sasuke's ego and his harsh words to Naruto and now Sakura never ceased to get under her skin. It was likely the subject they'd have the greatest issue getting past with each other. They were meant to be a cohesive team, yet he didn't care if he crushed all of Sakura's confidence or not. Had he already forgotten about everything that had happened in the Land of Waves? Or was his loss to Haku the main cause of his spiteful attitude?
I was gone too long, but that doesn't mean I can't fix this.
"You know, Naruto's skills really aren't that bad. In fact I'd say Naruto's strength and skills have grown immensely since the Academy. Sasuke's just too proud—" And a big jerk some days, "—to admit that. And so what if your skills aren't that great right now? Do you think Sasuke was always as good as he is now?"
"Ye—"
"No, he wasn't," Amari interrupted her teammate. Sakura let her eyes meet Amari's one. "He may have a natural talent, but even naturals have to train or they risk being outmatched by someone who has trained so hard to become better than them."
Like Naruto does against Sasuke…Like Lee does against Neji.
"I've been useless to you guys from the start, though. I haven't helped at all," Sakura said.
Her words strummed a harsh cord within Amari's heart, bringing forth a memory that set fire to her being.
"I'm so sorry Ryu! I- I should have let you go! I just wanted-" She wanted her friends to stop fighting for real. She wanted to keep them safe and in her arms…but her actions cost her them both. "I was…I was too weak to do anything. I was just a burden to you, I always have been."
Sasuke, she growled internally, if you weren't my teammate, I'd destroy that ego of yours until you were begging for my mercy.
Nobody should ever have to feel those same feelings she once held. Those dark, suffocating feelings of uselessness, they were nearly as poisonous as the anger flooding her veins.
"Then you will become stronger."
"You are not useless," Amari stated firmly, her features and eye shifting into seriousness. "You are smart, you are strong willed and you will not be known as the weakest link. Never let someone's words crush your self-esteem. Sasuke may be physically strong, but I know for certain he has forgotten where real strength comes from."
Anger for Sasuke being so callous hit her hard. Following that was the empathy and compassion for Sakura believing herself worthless. Maybe Sakura hadn't been focused. Maybe she hadn't been able to keep up with them physically, but it wasn't as if Sasuke had any room to speak. Naruto, her clone and him had all been beaten down, defeated or put into a death-like state by Haku. And now he was acting as if he was the strongest in the Village while neglecting his training.
Arrogance like his is so damaging to the team. I have to get through his thick skull. That was later, though. Right now Amari had to focus on helping Sakura. She could not allow her teammate to fall down the dark road Sasuke had practically shoved her onto. No, in fact she refused to allow Sakura to walk the path she knew too well.
"Real strength doesn't come from physical prowess or strong jutsu's. Real strength comes from here." Amari put her hand over her heart. "It comes from having people you consider precious and the will you gain to want to protect them with your whole being. When you have precious people, no matter how beaten down you are you will always get back up to keep them safe.
"Haku said the same thing to us during our fight and it seems Sasuke has already forgotten his lesson. It is why Naruto was able to beat him after Sasuke got hurt. It's why Sensei could have taken down Zabuza and Haku if we were hurt. It's why I was able to hold my own against both of them and why Haku nearly crushed three of us at once."
Amari stared hard at her teammate, trying to pass on as much of the strong will she had gained by sacrificing a piece of her heart on the bridge. "No matter how strong an enemy is, as long as you have people precious to you, you'll never give in. You will fight harder than your enemy because you can't let down the people who depend on you."
She poked Sakura in the forehead, a gesture she only shared with those she cared for as close friends and family. "That's why if you had to protect us, you would continue to get back on your feet no matter what. Because you have real strength in you. Because you have an indomitable will and you care deeply about each of us regardless of how knuckleheaded Naruto can be or how late Sensei is or how much you wanted to pulverize me.
"You are strong, Sakura. You are a valued member of Team Seven, a valued friend and I will do everything within my power to help you become stronger."
What Sakura did next surprised Amari. Arms enveloped her in a hug she hadn't been prepared for, nearly knocking her out of her seat as Sakura hugged her tightly.
This was…this was unexpected...yet not unwelcome. Amari hugged her back and couldn't help but smile. This was what she was meant to do. This was her duty as a balancing point, and it was fulfilling in ways she couldn't describe.
After they released one another, they shared smiles before bidding farewell to Teuchi and Ayame. Together they walked back to their respective homes, talking to one another about the spar as Amari gave her what tips she could without showing her. Tomorrow they would take a slightly different approach to training, where instead of sparring to find out her abilities they would begin to focus on getting her faster and stronger in taijutsu.
Having Sakura use her chakra to enhance her own speed and strength was a route Amari saw as promising. She already had impressive chakra control, so teaching her to take advantage of it would certainly help her in a fight. Getting her to use her mind would be another bonus; she had the intelligence there, the main issue of this all was getting her to the point where she would use all of her strength and intellect at the same time.
The battle ahead of Sakura would be tough. She'd have to fight against the doubts holding her back; the voices that told her she couldn't do it or it wasn't possible. It was a battle Amari herself had fought and would no doubt encounter at different points in her life.
But they wouldn't be alone in their fight. Never. Together they could forge a new, stronger link and keep moving forward as Leaf kunoichi.
I'll help her find her strength. That's a promise.