[Restart]
I am getting ready to add angst and stuff into the story, starting with blatant distrust and working my way up from there. I'm not sure if this will scare you, but I'll make sure you know Sakura is always looking over her shoulder.
[Restart]
A stinging pain in her abdomen broke her from her thoughts. She cried out in pain, for the hundredth time today, as the long strip of metal twisted and was roughly pulled out, her blood greedily following.
Under the hue of the red sky and the black sun, no one could help her. She was in a obsidian color here, where even she could not tell the difference between her skin and the ground, wherever it was.
Being crucified on this god awful cross.
Her once green now blue eyes shut tightly in pain once again as a kunai seeped into her thigh.
'Get through it.'
A senbon was dragged from underneath cracked lips all the way down to her chest, flirting with the arteries hidden by rough skin on her neck.
'Get through it.'
The shuriken attacked her arm, getting acquainted with the once red now black spurting out from her veins.
'Get through it!'
She let her eyes flutter closed and focused on the pain. Focused on every little scratch, every little sting, every little gash.
The pinkette heard the sound of glass breaking, and opened her eyes to see the Tsukiyomi world destroying in shards.
She fell from her cross, her injuries disappearing but the pain remaining as she fell face first onto the ground.
"Good."
She dragged herself up onto her knees, onto the dry brittle grass, and looked up at her tormenter, her teacher.
Silky black hair into a low ponytail and blood red eyes with a backdrop of onyx, he stared down at her pathetic form impassively.
"Do it again, and do it faster."
'If I'm going to go back in time I have to be ready,'
Was what she said to herself in alternative of breaking down.
Circulating what little chakra she had left in her body she jumped to her feet, ready to endure.
[Restart]
—Restart—
"endure"
[Restart]
Naturally, the first thing they did was report to Kakashi.
Sitting around the rickety table at eight in the morning, the sun wasn't even visible over the morning mist.
Sakura had her hands clasped together in front of her nervously while Sasuke relayed the information they had gained from the enemy. Kakashi looked sullen, from being woken up when he would've procrastinated or from the new info, she did not know.
He soon spoke up, bringing her out of her thoughts. "This is...fortunate, in a way," he started apprehensively. The pinkette took a sharp breath, this could possibly affect future events.
"We don't have to necessarily go after Zabuza anymore..from what I've been told he was only in it for the money, and now that he's being betrayed...well. That's one less enemy we have to deal with, but this also brings up more."
Her eyes narrowed a bit at that as Sasuke deflated at the prospect of losing a rematch. What happens next?
"If Gatō plans to attack the town again, he's our new enemy. "
Oh.
'At least Zabuza and Haku will live.'
'This was originally a favor for Naruto, but do they hold any value in his heart now?'
She let her hands relax. "If Gatō is as big as people say he is around here...wouldn't he have a hideout?" She questioned, looking for Sasuke to see their objective. The avenger perked up at that.
"Good eye, as always, Sakura," Kakashi complimented, expecting her to beam proudly under the praise. Instead, all he got was a bitten lower lip and lowered eyes. Interesting, he'd file this away for later.
"So that means...we have to take out their entire hideout.." she mumbled distractedly.
'This is fine. Naruto told me stories about how the bandits took over again after we left, so this is fine..'
"But why the entire hideout?" Sasuke inquired quietly. Kakashi was more than happy to share. "We were hired to protect the bridge builder, yes? Well, Zabuza and Haku are no longer interfering, but Gatō is. Ergo, we must eliminate him. And the only way to keep him from coming back-"
"-Is to destroy all his forces and weaken him to the point of surrender. Or kill him." Sasuke interrupted rudely before going back to his aloof posture. Sakura inwardly applauded his speedy understanding.
They discussed tactics for most of the afternoon, the Uchiha adding his five cents in between, but mostly just observing.
Kakashi put his masked jaw in his palm. "So, I hear you guys have been training after hours. Any progress?" The two Genin jumped at that; how'd he figure it out?"
"As sharp as ever, sensei," the emerald-eyed girl congratulated sarcastically. "Well, we keep getting sidetracked and-"
He smiled like a teenage girl.
"Sidetracked? With what? Do tell."
"A-as I was saying, we were-"
"Hn. It's just chakra control training."
A little miffed at being interrupted twice, but not enough to hide her surprise, she glanced at Sasuke with slightly wide eyes before turning back to Kakashi. "You heard Sasuke-kun. Anyway, I need to get going over to the clinic, we've got a long-term patient I have yet to fully diagnose. See you later, Sasuke-kun, sensei."
She spared them a small wave and a smile before turning on her heels and marching up the creaking staircase. "Naruto's going with you! Wake him up!" Kakashi called behind her. "'Course!" The Haruno responded, reaching the top of the stairway faster, now that there was a destination in mind.
The real oak wood was solid under her bare feet as she barged into the room the three students shared for the mission. On the askew futon in the middle of two empty and folded ones, was a sleeping ball of orange and blue.
She let out a snigger before kicking her long-time friend in the behind. The ball shot up at the sharp pain before rubbing its rear and cursing under his breath. He immediately turned on the person behind him to give them a talking to before he spotted a flash of pink.
His stern gaze melted into a warm and excited beam. "Sakura-Chan! 'Mornin!"
"Good morning, Naruto. I've got to go to the clinic and Kakashi said you'd be guarding me. Are you up for the task?"
The blonde jumped up from his futon. "Always!"
[Restart]
"Is that her?"
"Yes, it's her...!"
"Our savior!"
"The Pink Doctor!"
The familiar smell of antiseptic calmed her jittering nerves almost immediately. Honestly, if an enemy were to recognize her with that ridiculous nickname going around..she tuned out the talking Naruto was doing in her ear and opened the curtain separating her from her enterprise.
The pinkette saw nurses happily scurrying to and fro, a stabilized man in the corner of the renovated tent getting the most treatment.
She sidestepped a bandaged child easily and pulled on her lab coat, noting that Memura-san was not here today to take care of the high-tiers.
The numbers coming to the small hospital were rapidly decreasing after she made order in the village, and their resources were increasing in precision. And as everyone says apparently, even the nurses, it's all thanks to the 'Pink Doctor.'
Sakura quickly moved over to the not-there-yesterday pristine desk and chair where scrolls and calligraphy pens were laid out and checked the instructions she made the day before, happy to see many scrawled notes at the bottom with different diagnoses.
"Wow, Sakura-Chan! Quite a business you've got running here! Though I wouldn't expect any less from you!" She smiled at the compliments she didn't deserve that the Uzumaki graced her with.
"Thank you, Naruto, but you don't have to stay. Start training if you'd like." He looked relieved at this because he gave her a thousand watt grin before rushing out of the tent, and she could hear the tell-tale pops of Shadow Clones echoing throughout the area.
'One disturbance gone.'
'You're so rude.'
She turned on her heel, the gravel floor crunching underneath her reinforced sandals, and walked with purpose in her steps toward the only patient that even generally needed her attention.
He was in much better condition than the last time she saw him; his skin was in a healthy flush instead of the sickly green bordering on purple she saw last time, and checking his vitals his blood pressure is in control.
A quick diagnostic Jutsu later and she found that while the bacteria may not have been fully identified, with closer inspection it was nothing new and what the nurses have been doing so far was correct.
A feeling of pride welled up in her chest. Looks like all her hard work has paid off; they'll be just fine on their own. "Let me congratulate you all on your work with this man," she started, looking at his peaceful face.
"I didn't contribute in any way yet you still pulled through and saved him, even more impressively done overnight. I'm extremely proud, and certain you all will operate smoothly without my guidance."
Their chakra signatures rippled with bashfulness as they happily went back to work. With an exhale, she wriggled her toes in her sandals before stepping out of the tent, a Kage Bunshin exploding at her feet.
She jumped back instinctively before analyzing the sights before her. It didn't take much effort to hold back her gasp.
It seems Naruto inadvertently took up the reins of entertainment and busied everyone waiting in line with his sparring spectacles. And with further observation there are people gazing heatedly at the fight and even a few bets being placed.
'I don't want to take away the crowd's fun, but I'm done for the day. We need to get back for team training.'
'And I'm sure Naruto would love to show you his progress so far..'
She brought a latex covered hand up to her mouth and coughed conspicuously. "Ehh, Naruto," all the clones stopped and stared at her expectantly. It cost five of them, who got tripped and punched since their attackers didn't stop in time. "Sakura-Chan?" They all said simultaneously.
"I'm finished here, wasn't much work to do, so...we have to get back to team training." She could see he wasn't about to move, so she threw him a bone. "I'm sure Sasuke-kun hasn't gotten too far in his training, so you must be ahead. But it doesn't hurt to check.."
Now that got the ball rolling. "No way is Sasuke-teme AHEAD of me!"
'You have no idea.'
"Come on, let's go prove my awesomeness to his cold fishness-ness!" He grabbed her hand, jerking her forward slightly before taking off in a freezing sprint, clones dispersing left and right covering the duo in chakra-laced smoke.
They emerged from the cloud quick enough, wisps clinging to their skin gracefully before Sakura caught up with Naruto's demanding pace.
Not too long after the ground they were walking on switched from dry gravel and dirt to lush green grass. They ran into the training field where the team usually practiced, the pinkette finally letting go her hold on her chakra and falling to the ground, exhausted from the high speeds.
'Strong who?'
'Inner, you little-'
"This early?" Sasuke said, sliding down a tree silently. Was that a senbon stuck to his bicep? She squinted a bit to get a better look but his clothes had already settled.
"Yeah, Sakura-Chan organized the clinic so well there was barely anything for her to do!" Naruto commented behind her. She shook her head slightly to rid herself of dumb thoughts before turning to Sasuke, giving him a grin. "It's all thanks to the nurses. Anyway. What have you done so far, Sasuke-kun?"
"Just chakra control exercises. You two, laps around the field till I say so." Naruto glared in resignation and was about to take off once more before Sakura's hand on his collar stopped him. "Naruto, do your chakra control exercises while running, they are supposed to be second nature to you."
He contemplated for a nanosecond before giving her a foxy grin. "You're so smart, Sakura-Chan!" He said, before taking off, plucking a leaf from a stray branch on his way.
"Get moving." Sasuke reminded her. She took a deep breath before following Naruto.
[Restart]
"That's enough."
Sakura collapsed before her brain caught up with her body and held her hands out in front of her to soften the fall. Having successfully diverted breaking her nose, she rose up onto her knees, just in time to catch the canteen of what she assumed was water thrown from Naruto.
"Thank you," she said breathlessly. She inhaled the liquid in front of her, circulating healing chakra through her muscles and veins to relax her body and lower her heart rate.
Soon she was back in order in less than 30 seconds and she jumped to her feet, hungry for more.
'No kidding. I've-we've been waiting for this!'
"Woah! You were just exhausted a second ago!" Naruto exclaimed. She threw him a peace sign. "Chakra control, of course! I circulated healing chakra through my muscles and veins to relax my tense body and lower my heart rate!"
Sasuke looked a bit surprised, evidently having not known what use chakra control would really be to him. Though Naruto started jabbering about how she was the best in no time. "Can we get back on subject please?"
"Hn. You two, come here." The two weaker Genin walked up to the prodigy Uchiha. He knelt down as he took a Scroll from his hip, bringing his fingers to his mouth and wiping some of his blood inside the intricate seal patterns, which soon erupted into puffs of smoke.
'Ah, I was told by Ino clan children learned how to use storage seals at an early age. I wonder, why didn't he demonstrate back then?'
Once Sasuke waved the smoke away he pulled out eight thick black straps, four in each hand. With a sideways glance she discovered that Naruto was mesmerized by the whole process.
"How..how'd you do that?" He whispered for once, too taken aback by the performance he just witnessed to even incorporate an insult in his words.
'I Of course he'd be interested in fūinjutsu. With a father like Minato and a mother like Kushina, a godfather like Jiraiya..'
Sasuke ignored the blonde easily, instead opting to throw the bands in their faces. They had the decency to take a step back catching the surprisingly weighty objects, what Sakura quickly recognized as shinobi default weights, rubbery in their hands.
"They're weights," Sasuke explained, mostly to Naruto having noticed Sakura's recognition. "Clip them on to your ankles and wrists, and don't, ever, take them off unless you're showering."
Sakura heard the telltale snap of the weights falling into place snugly onto her ankles and wrists, and stood up once more. It didn't take Naruto long to get his weights on, too.
She let a small wave of nostalgia fall over her, remembering using the same weights, adjusting the amount nearly every other day, during the nine grueling years under Tsunade's tutelage.
The pinkette acknowledged fully that the weights contrasted starkly with her outfit, as did her hair.
'Why couldn't we have made our outfit match our eyes instead? This is hideous.'
'It's just training, I'll change my outfit after we get back to Konoha. When'd you turn into Ino?'
"Channel chakra into your weights and stop once they glow. Keep putting chakra into your weights after you grow adjusted to the first count. It should only be about 5 pounds." Sasuke droned, snapping on his own weights.
The Genin complied and she saw Naruto visibly sag as the weight was added. She channeled her own chakra into the weights and nearly fell over after they started to glow. That was a surprising difference. Well, with this body, it was.
'I wonder if we're ever going to actually get to Naruto's training.'
'Most likely not, but we're all prodigies here, so.'
'You consider yourself a prodigy
'Gasp. Are you exiling me from your body? I'd like to see you try.'
'Ooh, he's saying something.'
"...and finish with five laps. Sakura."
She stared at him, now at attention. Naruto grumbled rebelliously as he ran off to do one exercise after another. "We have time. Spar with me." She stilled.
'I thought that was just a night thing. Oh well, he did say whenever we have time.'
"Okay, Sasuke-kun," she replied obediently, following after him as he walked ahead, his form deftly avoiding a stray kunai from Naruto's workspace.
Sakura plucked it out of the air dangerously, deciding to keep it till she can find a way to replenish her lackluster amount of weapons.
Wind whistled delightfully, ruffling her dress and allowing goosebumps to inch up her exposed legs as she stopped in the clearing, the lagging breeze from Sasuke's motion just now reaching her.
"Get ready," he stated. The boy slid cleanly into the Uchiha fighting style, the Interceptor Fist. Sakura silently critiqued his stance as she went into the standard Academy fighting style.
She felt uncomfortable as Sasuke eyed her up and down disapprovingly. She stayed stock still in her stance, not attempting to give him tidbits of the one she's created over the years. After all, Kakashi might be watching.
She signaled this to him with her no-nonsense expression and he responded with a resigned 'Hn,' before racing at her.
They sparred for a while, the clap of flesh against flesh the only significant sound in the dull fight. Sakura was confused; the last time they fought, it was exhilarating and the pinkette had trouble keeping her grin off her face.
But now, she was hard-pressed not to frown, but Sasuke had no such restraints. He was brooding publicly and she could see he knows this fight it boring, too.
He suddenly halted. "Stop. Just stop..." The boy commanded. She stopped, straightening up, a rather thick sheen of sweat glistening on her skin. He stared her up and down critically, as if she were the problem with the sudden change in enjoyment, before he averted his eyes shrewdly. He looked as if he wanted to put his head in his hands.
"Lap 5 times around the field. When you're done, 100 pull ups from sturdy branches. When that's over, 50 push ups then go through your katas. Stretch then repeat till I say stop. " She couldn't quench the relieved smile that creeped onto her face. Finally she was getting somewhere. So without any complaint she started a light jog around the large area.
She watched Sasuke stare at her in her peripheral vision in masked confusion before remembrance and acceptance from what she'd been able to tell flashed across his features as he swiftly turned around towards Naruto.
She focused her attention ahead of her, jerkily sidestepping a tree she was about to collide with due to her lanky limbs and sped on forward.
With the wind chilling the sweat on her brow, she trained. Soon finishing her laps she went straight into the more hands on exercises, starting all over again when finished and not complaining once.
Her body weeped at the stress she was inflicting but the pinkette didn't let that get to her. Even though she didn't feel much difference when Sasuke finally called her off and she dropped in a heap to the ground, like a switch had been turned off, she knew it was doing something.
"Hn. You're done."
Sakura watched Naruto screech with relief, for once out of energy.
'What could Sasuke have come up with to actually deflate that boy so much?'
'Dunno, but I'd love to have a copy.'
"Tomorrow, same routine. Dobe, go to Kakashi, he needs to fill you in on something."
Oh yeah, Naruto wasn't there when we planned for the hideout!'
'No dip.'
"Sakura. Stay here, I need to speak with you."
[Restart]
Over the days, weeks, months Sakura's been back in time, plagued by sleepless nights and constant worrying because she has not achieved anything to alter the storyline, she has become...lax, towards her infiltration duties to look the same, and put her mission ahead of her cover. But really, even with her stellar disguise there are some things she just can't hide.
Such as the small wince she exhibits every time she sees Naruto bounce around happily, innocently, when not even a full year ago he died in her arms, blood seeping out of his lifeless body and onto the cold hard ground, revealing to her the cold hard truth.
But it rewinded, everything rewinded, and she was forced to plaster a smile, to comfort the boy. But his eyes would always look dead to her.
She couldn't help but slightly recoil when Sasuke approached her, and fighting with him her survival instincts kicked in and she forced herself to stay away from choking him mercilessly in her once callused now soft hands. She couldn't hide the small amount of schadenfreude she felt when he was injured, or unlucky.
Some things follow you into the next world, and juggling with so many issues at the same time she will slip. So...
She hasn't ever felt more afraid when Sasuke pinned her behind a tree, blocking her from breathing with his arm and a kunai pressed to her throat.
Her breathing quickened, her pulse exploded, her eyes blurred with tears, and her arms twitched with the need to kill.
'Kill him, do it now!'
The Uchiha's face darkened with not at all hidden angst and suspicion. "You're not from here, are you?" He got close to her face, his breath flirted with the tip of her nose and she felt it twitch, itching to smell Uchiha blood. He couldn't have figured it out..!
"What do you mean, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura muttered, fighting to keep control over her emotions and her body, she wanted to see red. Her hitai-ate slid off her head when he pushed her harder against the bark, sliding at his foot and stopping there while her bangs slid down her face and obscured her eyes completely behind curtains of baby pink, stopping at the bridge of her nose.
"Who are you! You're not Sakura!" She swore his eyes flashed red and her heart leapt to her throat as the tears finally spilled over.
Please, don't let him activate it like this...
"It was all for you.." she didn't realize she was whispering and it wasn't just in her head, and she could hear Inner speaking through her.
"Don't...don't touch me...!"
Sasuke hesitated at hearing her octave change drastically before he was pushed off roughly and pinned to the ground, Sakura on top of him with crazed green eyes. She got into his face, and he could pinpoint the yellow flecks hidden deep inside them as he confirmed his scary suspicions. This wasn't Sakura.
"I'm still me. Nothing has changed, Sasuke-kun! So help God if I want to better myself! Can't you look past your ego for once and see me
She didn't mean for that last part, or any part of what she had just said to slip out, and Inner certainly regretted it. These words were not meant for this Sasuke.
"Why would I need to? You're already suspicious enough, suddenly changing your entire demeanor.. for an infiltrator, you're not very good at your job." He was apprehensive, looking at her with guarded eyes. He held his kunai in an iron grip, apparently waiting for the right moment to strike his unstable opponent.
Sakura put her head in her hands and screamed, releasing all the pent up frustration she'd built up over the past few years from this problem and the next.
"NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU, SASUKE! I just want to change! I want to help! I want to be USEFUL!" She was spouting nonsense at this point, unknowingly sealing her fate as an enemy in Sasuke's eyes.
"I'm here, can't you see what I'm going through? I'm tired, and I'm worried! Everything is falling apart! It's all...already apart..you destroyed my life...I hate you so much but I love you so much..." she began mumbling to herself, a one man entertainment at this point. Putting the facts, unchangeable and solid, in front of her face: she was in love with Uchiha Sasuke, and that was never going to change.
She didn't realize she was being steadily backed into a wall before her back hit wood, and the sharp edge of a kunai was slowly but surely splitting her throat. She gasped in surprise as she regained control of her small meltdown and realized she was about to die. Sasuke gazed at her once more, eyes flashing from onyx to crimson rapidly.
Oh, please don't activate because of me
"Give me one reason to believe you're a loyal shinobi of Konoha." He looked at her with shuttered eyes, and she could tell he didn't want to have his first kill behind a tree by himself. She regained control of her feelings and emotions, choosing her words carefully. "You once said to Naruto three years ago...that you appreciate intelligent company. "
'That was the reason I was so smart all along, heh.'
He looked surprised at this admission but she didn't stop there. "What would I really have to gain by sitting down in a classroom and staring at you for six years?"
His grip on the kunai lessened slightly. "Sasuke-kun, you said it yourself..I'm weak. And annoying. And irritating. And a bother. And a stalker. But I want to change. So I can be useful. If not for my team, to prove my own existence. So much has already been taken from me..-" she cut off her swerve onto unsafe grounds when his kunai tightened. "I'm real, okay! That meltdown...wasn't meant for you. I'm sorry."
He stared at her for a good minute, an agonizing minute as her life stood in his hands, before he unceremoniously dropped the kunai and it impaled the ground before her. Their faces were so close, expressions covered by their hair, breath tickling each other's cheeks, but he never looked so unattractive to her.
She would never see him the same way again.
The Uchiha backed up slowly and cautiously, going arms length away from her prone figure. "Fine. I believe you, for now. But you're going to need more proof for now, I've got my eye on you. "
He jumped into the treetops and leaped away from her still form.
'So easily..he was about to kill me so easily because I was a threat?'
'He was going to kill me so easily because I changed?'
'He was going to take a life, my life, someone he had known for six years because I'm getting in the way of his selfish goals?'
She felt fear, yes..that's what it was, sit at the pit of her stomach. Fear of Sasuke. Fear of just how far he was willing to go to get the job done. Fear of her teammate. Fear that she recognized too well to be normal.
Those insane red eyes.
And she didn't think this one would be going away any time soon.
END OF CHAPTER 9
So, how did you like that? I can say shamelessly that I did not start writing this story till what, 7:00 PM today? Even with all my extra time. But I hope you liked it.
See what I did there? Adding angst to the story. I'll pile on a lot then get rid of it little by little. Some things just won't start till the Chūnin Exams.