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Here's the next chapter.
Sorry for the late update! My computer has gone kapooey for a long time.
Chapter Eighteen
She was running. Running as fast as her legs would allow her to run. The land was smoking as broken and bloody bodies lay all around her. She didn't know where she was or why she was here. All she knew was that she was running towards something, or someone. A lonely figure finally came into her sight and she slowed down. Her hand was shaking as she slowly rolled over the body. She gasped as she looked into the souless,dead eyes of Sasuke Uchiha. She looked around at the other dead bodies around her and started to feel salty water in her eyes. All of her friends and family were dead. Not a single soul was alive except for her. She finally broke down and cried as she lay her head on Sasuke's bloody chest. She was useless. She couldn't save even one of them. Suddenly a sound broke through the silence. It was a laugh. An evil, lunatic laugh. She slowly looked through tearstained eyes towards the sound. There stood a man about ten feet away from her. A man with spinning red tomoe eyes. He stared at her with a feral grin for a second before he rushed towards her. In that split moment of time she could see someone else hidden in trees far away from her. It was a woman she thought dead. Her blue hair waved in the wind while her cold, heartless green eyes never left hers for an instant. She let out a silent scream as she realized what was happening and the man's blade was inches from her heart...
Sakura shot up in bed, gasping and sweat rolling down her face. She looked at her surroundings. It was just a dream. She thought thankfully, seeing her familiar bedroom. Sakura rubbed some of the sweat off with her forearm and looked at the clock. It was only three in the morning. She groaned and got out of bed to fix herself a cup of hot coffee. As the coffee was boiling Sakura couldn't help but think. What was that dream all about anyway? Is it telling me that something bad is going to happen? I hope not. Deciding she wasn't going to get any more sleep that night she downed her coffee in one gulp, wincing at the bitter taste, and got dressed. It was warm outside so she wore a simple black t-shirt, red shorts with the white Haruno circle on the sides of them, and her long black boots. She grabbed her weapons pouch and locked her door. Thinking that everyone else must still be asleep she quietly headed towards the training grounds.
Upon arriving, she found that she was not alone. Kakashi Hatake was leaning up against a tree, Icha Icha Paradise in hand. "Morning Sakura, up mighty early this morning aren't you?" He said matter of factly, without looking at her. Sakura lifted an eyebrow and walked over towards him. "Not as early as you apparently Kakashi sensei. Why are you up this early anyway? You are usually late." Kakashi sweatdropped Is this what people think of me nowadays? He finally lifted his eye towards her. "I guess I just had an urge to be early for once, and it looks like it paid off." Sakura cocked her head, a curious look in her eyes. Kakashi's eye closed in a smile. "I got to see one of my former students. Whereas had I been late, I wouldn't have seen you." "It just depends on how late you would have been. I don't even know why I came here." Her perverted sensei looked back down at his book. "You couldn't get any sleep last night could you?" Sakura shook her head. Kakashi nodded once. "Makes sense seeing how it's getting close to that time again." Sakura stared at Kakashi, trying not to let her inner turmoil show.
In three days time, it would be the exact date that Sasuke had left her on that bench all those years ago. It was depressing really. To have seen him not too long ago and not be able to bring him back home. Sakura sighed. She hoped she had helped him a little at least. She stood there thinking a little more until Kakashi broke the silence. "There is no use standing here pondering over the past. There are better things we could be doing this early in the morning, while no one is around." Sakura looked up at him suspiciously. "What would that be exactly Kakashi sensei?" Kakashi winced and shut his book. "First of all, don't call me sensei anymore when I'm not. It just makes me feel old. Secondly, I thought we could do a little one on one training since I haven't really had a chance to do it with you yet." He smiled while Sakura gaped at him. "Are you going to teach me a new jutsu too Kakashi!" He chuckled. "Yes. One that I feel you are suited for." Sakura was excited. "Then tell me what it is!"
Kakashi told her that he hadn't taught her anything beforehand because he knew that Naruto and Sasuke would have interfered saying that she was too "fragile". Sakura sighed and said she understood. He said that the concept of the jutsu would be almost similar to Gaara's. Sakura looked confused so Kakashi elaborated. "I will teach you how to transport all of your chakra to one point and then separate the elements so that they come out in five different colors and, possibly, forms." Sakura nodded, starting to understand what Kakashi was getting at, a little bubble of excitement starting to well up inside of her. Seeing that he had his former student's full attention he continued. "By releasing your chakra that way it will form a powerful barrier to you and a menacing weapon to your enemies. Your chakra will wrap around your enemies, immobilizing them, and eventually, crushing them. Think of it as another, stronger form of your "rainbow" ball." Sakura could just picture it, only one thing was unclear. "You said my chakra would take on "forms". What kind of forms do you mean?" Kakashi smiled. "What sound does your chakra make when you release your rainbow ball?" "A dragon..." Sakura said hesitantly. Kakashi nodded once. "Then most likely your chakra will take the form of a dragon. Or should I say, five dragons."
"Then those five dragons would take on the form of each of the elements and practically wrap themselves around the victims and cause them to catch on fire or something right?" Sakura asked, much more excited now. Kakashi stared at her for a few moments. She's changed. He thought. I can remember the old days when she would scream at the sight of blood, or even someone dead. "Something like that." He said out loud. "How long is it going to take?" Sakura asked, now serious again. Her gravity-defying haired sensei thought for a moment. "There's no way to tell that. It just depends on how fast you learn I suppose." Sakura grinned. "Good thing I'm a fast learner then ne?" Kakashi blinked. "Why? Is something bothering you?" Memories of that dream came back to her. She didn't want to admit it but she had a foreboding feeling something bad was going to happen and she wanted to be as prepared as she could be for whatever occurred, if it ever did. She looked back at Kakashi with a fake grin on her face. "No, nothing's wrong, why would you think that?" Kakashi gave her a hard stare, then sighed. "I'll let you have your privacy for now, but you can always tell me what's wrong." Sakura smiled. "I know that. Then she got that hard glint in her eyes. "Are we just going to stand around here all day talking, or are we going to start with my training?"
It took three days for Sakura to learn the jutsu. Kakashi was impressed. "It took Sasuke a whole month to learn the chidori even with his sharingan, and you can learn an even more advanced jutsu in just three days!" He got a sad look on his face. "I underestimated you when you were younger. I'm sorry." Sakura looked at her sensei in shock for a moment, then her expression softened. "Don't worry about it. I admit I was really immature back then anyway." Kakashi nodded. "Well, I'm off now." He said opening his book. Sakura nodded. "Thank you for teaching me everything you knew." Kakashi smiled with his lone eye and poofed away. Sakura gathered her weapons and headed home. She was used to her sensei's abrupt disappearances. He had nothing else to teach her anyway. Her apartment came into sight and she walked even faster. It was time for a nice long shower.
She was running in a field of corpses again. Yet, this time she knew where she was and what was going to happen. A dead Sasuke below her and a glimpse of blue and heartless green behind the red eyed man's close profile. A blade inches from her heart...BANG BANG BANG. Sakura woke with a start once again at the sound of pounding on her door. She groaned and got out of bed, a little thankful that her dream couldn't go any further.
