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Friends x and x Loner

"Again!"

Sakura parries Killua's punch and jumps back. Killua sighs.

"Don't retreat! Again!"

Sakura parries Killua's punch but hesitates to counterattack, causing Killua to suddenly appear behind her and swipe her legs out from under her. She fell with a yelp.

"Hesitation could mean death! What are you doing?!" Killua said as he held out a hand to her.

Sakura huffed as she accepted the help and got up. "Sorry... But you hit really hard! I don't want to get hit again!"

"Then stop hesitating! As long as your defense is good, you won't get hit. But don't run away either!"

Sakura sighed. It had been a week since she had started training with Killua and a week since her "misunderstanding." She briefly remembered how much of a fool she made of herself that day.

"I'm taking you in!" Sakura had said as she shakily held up a kunai and took a fighting stance. She watched as Gon and Killua just looked at each other, one in guilt and the other in annoyance. Killua mumbled something to Gon that she couldn't hear and Gon sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. 'Are they trying to play it off?' Sakura thought. "Explain what's going on! Now!"

Both boys looked back to her and Killua sighed. "Look, Pinky, I know you want to be a ninja and everything but... No offense, you're kind of weak right now. Gon and I know a boy that's years younger than us that would easily knock you out. Are you sure making demands is the smart thing to do when encountering potential threats? Don't you guys have some type of protocol for that?"

They did have a protocol. It was to try and leave without arising suspicion from the infiltrators and then report to the Hokage or another shinobi, preferably at least a jounin. But Sakura didn't have that luxury right now. She tightened her hold on her kunai when Gon started talking to Killua.

"Hey, Killua, you're making it seem like we ARE threats." He said before turning to her. "Sakura-san, I know this seems strange but let us explain. We aren't dangerous at all!" He said while walking closer to her slowly with a smile.

Sakura would've believed the boy and his innocent smile if it wasn't for the way him and Killua had easily dodged her weapons a few moments ago. She had precise aim but they immediately moved their heads out the way, not even bothering to dodge with the rest of their body. Not to mention that afterward she saw them immediately tense up in a ready stance as if they were about to attack her. The white aura was troubling too. "If you truly mean that..." she started, "Then explain from where you are! Don't come near me!"

Gon looked slightly hurt but nodded and stopped walking before sitting on the ground and holding his hands up. He looked back at Killua and the white-haired boy sighed before also sitting down on the ground. Gon looked up at her and said, "We're not from around here, as you can see. The Hokage is letting us become ninja and told us to keep a low profile because... well, we're not like regular ninja."

What the hell does that even mean, Sakura thought before Killua spoke up. "What Gon means to say is that you guys use chakra, and we use something else. That's what the aura that you saw was. The Hokage told us to keep a low profile for now because it would lead to too many questions and people would become suspicious of us like you are now."

"I've never heard of a ninja that doesn't use chakra," Sakura said.

Killua sighed. "Well get used to it Pinky." Gon sternly looked at him, as if saying 'be nice!'. Killua shook his head and met her eyes. "Besides, do you think you know about everything in the world? That's arrogant. No one knows everything. For all you know, there could be ninja that fight without any type of special ability."

Sakura definitely couldn't imagine that. If that were true, that person would have to rely only on taijutsu and weapons. It wasn't impossible, but was very unlikely. "Fine. But even if that's true, you two seem to be very well trained. I've never seen somebody dodge a kunai as quickly and effortlessly as you. Not even the top student in my class. Who trained you?"

She saw Killua open his mouth to speak, but Gon beat him to it. "Well, I've always had good senses. Killua too. But our mentor helped us improve them. I guess Killua's assassin training helps too—"

Assassin training. Killua had assassin training. From the way Killua shouted "Gon!" and the boy covered his mouth in self-surprise, Sakura knew that he didn't mean to say that. Which means it was something they were hiding.

Ninjas and assassins sound similar, but are very different. A ninja is one who protects and serves the village, but an assassin works for money and usually targets people of note for assassination. 'The Hokage!" Sakura concluded. They could have been hired to infiltrate and kill the Hokage!

Before she knew what she was doing, Sakura threw the kunai in her hand at Killua and started rushing through hand seals. "Oi! Listen—" Killua had tried to say. But Sakura was in panic mode.

Suddenly, two clones appeared which slightly surprised the boys. Sakura and her clones started running circles around them as she went through more hand seals. Right as she reached the last seal, both Gon and Killua looked directly at her knowingly.

'They know!' She thought. Terrified, she activated her substitution jutsu and switched with a branch in the forest behind her.

As she started racing back to the village, all she could think was, 'I knew there was something weird about those boys! Especially Killua! If that's even his real name!' She started jumping through trees, thoughts racing a mile a minute. 'But... I never realized that they would be dangerous... they didn't seem dangerous... especially not Gon...' She was so confused, and she considered the possibility that she really was jumping the gun. But it wasn't like going back to them to verify would be the smart thing to do. If they really were infiltrators, she could be killed!

'Wow... is this the type of things I'll have to be dealing with as a ninja? My life being at stake just as it could be right now?' She thought before shaking her head. 'No. Forget that right now. I have to get to the Hokage to clear all this up!' Before she could get far though, both Gon and Killua suddenly appeared in front of her. Before she could let out a scream, Killua covered her mouth and Gon stopped her from flailing.

"Easy damn it! We're not going to hurt you! Let us explain!" Killua yelled.

After a while of struggling, she had calmed down and listened to them, figuring it was better than trying to escape again and dying. When they cleared the air by saying Killua is from an assassin family but ran away with Gon, Sakura calmed down slightly. She knew they could be lying, but something told her they were telling the truth. They even offered to bring her to the Hokage to verify their story. She felt stupid now. She knew she had probably jumped the gun.

"Before that..." she started. "I want to know. How are you two so good? You instantly picked the real me out from the clones and caught up to me in no time, even after I used a substitution!"

"We could sense you. The clones didn't give off any aura." Gon said. Sakura was confused. Aura? Like the white aura he had before? "I could smell you too. Your shampoo is very strong!" Sakura didn't know how she felt about that.

"That, and you were the only one that made indents in the grass and had a shadow. The clones were clearly illusions. They won't fool anyone who has good senses or is just observant." Sakura should've figured a basic clone jutsu wouldn't work on a boy with assassin training. "I read about the substitution jutsu in those textbooks though. Nice use of that by the way. But your speed just isn't a match for ours, even with the head-start from the jutsu."

Sakura watched them silently for a few moments before sighing. These boys were crazy talented, while she was such an idiot. "I'm not sure if I can completely trust you, but it's not like I could run away if you were enemies. Let's go to the Hokage like you said." They nodded and both got up, motioning for her to lead the way. She smiled. "If the Hokage confirms your story..." Which she knew he would, "...then I'd like for us to stay friends. If that's okay with you guys." Gon cheered and Killua huffed, but they both agreed.

As the three of them walked off to the Hokage's Office, Sakura realized that most of her stress had come from the fact that she had grown comfortable with these boys in such a short amount of time and the threat of them being enemies shook her to the core. It was like a wake up call for the crazy things that would happen in her life as a kunoichi. However, it also made her realize that she wanted to get to know them more. This was just supposed to be a two-way deal, she helps Gon study and Killua helps her get stronger. But honestly, despite the mystery around them, she wouldn't mind having them as comrades or even friends.

It wasn't until then that Sakura realized she actually didn't have any real friends. As she watched a yelling Killua scolding a laughing Gon, she hoped this would be the start of something good. That this wouldn't end in disaster like her last 'friendship.'

A week later, and Sakura doesn't know if she could call it something good. Their stories had been confirmed by the Hokage, who had told her, "Be good to them Sakura-chan. And please don't reveal their secrets to others." But, she didn't know if the training Killua was putting her through was worth it.

After that incident, Killua told her that she was not only severely lacking in basic physical abilities like strength, speed and durability, but also didn't know how to defend herself. So he had prioritized sparring during their training sessions. He said that she could do pushups, lift weights, and go for runs on her own time so it wouldn't make sense to make them priority. Instead, he helped her improve on the basic fighting style that she had learned from the academy, mostly the defensive side.

"You were doing better yesterday and the days before. What's gotten into you, Pinky?" If Killua didn't stop calling her that.

"Maybe it's because of the fact that you punched me HARD in the gut yesterday!" Sakura said.

Killua raised an eyebrow. "I thought I already apologized for that. Besides, it's your fault for reacting to slow. Enemies won't show you any mercy."

Sakura opened her mouth to retort, before closing it and sighing. Just last week she had went out of her way to never get sweaty or dirty during training in the academy. Now look at her. Drenched in sweat and dirty from constantly falling to the ground. She wondered if it was too late to reconsider her choice of career.

"Hey, Sakura." She looked over at Gon, who was cross-legged on the ground reading from the textbook. He met her eyes. "A genjutsu works by disrupting the chakra of whoever it's placed on right?"

Sakura recited what she knew from the academy. "Well, that's only one type of genjutsu. There are two types: direct genjutsu and area of effect genjutsu. An area of effect genjutsu doesn't work like that. It's when someone coats a specific area with their chakra to change how it is perceived, usually by sight. This tricks the senses without having to disrupt a specific target's chakra," she explains. "But yeah, you're thinking of a direct genjutsu."

Gon hummed. "So, does that mean that me and Killua can't be affected by direct genjutsu? Because we don't use chakra?" Oh, right. They use something called 'Nen.' They had told her about it after they left the Hokage's office a few days ago. They said it was similar to chakra in that it could amplify the body and be used for special abilities, but it focused on manipulating one's aura. They had asked her not to tell anyone about it and she had agreed. Not like she really had anyone to tell. Except maybe inner, who she hadn't heard from in a while now, strangely enough.

"That's a good question, Gon. That's information we'll need for the future," Killua said while sitting down. That meant it was time for a break. "Another good question is that if it does work on us, how will we escape it? I read in the textbook that shinobi can break out of it by correcting their chakra flow. But can we do the same with aura? And what about those area of effect genjutsu? There are so many things to consider." He had such a contemplative look on his face that Sakura had to stop herself from giggling.

"Well, how about we test it out? I know how to use a basic genjutsu from the academy." Gon and Killua looked at her in surprise. "I was one of the few who could learn it because of my good chakra control. I know how to break you out of it too so don't worry."

Gon jumped up with a smile. "You're amazing Sakura!" He said. If this boy was a charmer now, she didn't even want to think about when he got older. "If you could take a break from your training to help us we would really appreciate it!"

And take a break she would. "Well, of course! What are friends for after all!" She said, laughing nervously. She could feel Killua's eyes on her and she had a feeling the boy knew she was trying to put off her training.

Killua held up a hand. "Hold up, Gon. How far have you gotten with your studies? We only have a week left you know. It wouldn't be good for you to start getting distracted."

"It's fine Killua! The method Sakura taught me really helps! When I study while practicing Ten, it really helps me retain information!" He said. "You can quiz me when we get back home. I'll pass. Promise!"

Killua looked at him for a moment before nodding and turning back to her. "Alright pinky. Floors all yours. Show us what this genjutsu stuff is all about."

Sakura's eye twitched at the nickname but she nodded and stood up. She closed her eyes and called upon her chakra before going through a series of hand seals. On the final seal, she started appearing hazy to Gon and Killua, and tree leaves started floating around her.

Gon and Killua instantly used Gyo. Even with aura focused in their eyes, they couldn't see through the genjutsu. Nothing had changed.

"What do we do?" Gon asked Killua. But Killua seemed just as confused as he was. Gon activated his Ren which startled Sakura and made the illusion waver slightly. She quickly recovered and it stabilized.

Killua saw this and took note. "So they have to be maintained... any disruption of their focus or mental state could interrupt the genjutsu. Or at least, for this particular genjutsu. There are most likely others like this, though."

Gon finally released his ren and sighed. "It's no use! Gyo and Ren don't work, and we can't use En! What else can we do?"

"Who said Gyo doesn't work?"

Gon and Killua swiftly turned around to see Bisky standing there looking amused.

"Bisky! How long have you been there?" Gon said.

"Long enough." She walked forward and looked between the two boys and at Sakura, who was surprised at her appearance but still focused enough to maintain the genjutsu. "You're not using Gyo correctly. It's true that we can't be affected by direct genjutsu and that this is an area of effect genjutsu. But, Gyo is meant for you to see through hidden aura or, in this case, chakra." She pointed at chakra. "Her chakra isn't exactly hidden. It's taking the form of the illusion but your mind is being tricked into perceiving it as something that it's not. To counter this, you should focus some aura into your eyes and some into your brain, because that is what's being deceived," Bisky said. "You're used to only using Gyo outside the body, but I'm sure you boys can pull this off."

Sakura was surprised at the amount of expertise this girl seemed to have. She didn't seem much older than they were but was acting like their teacher. Her voice even sounded older than a kid's should. Maybe she was in her late-teens?

"Thanks Bisky! We'll try it!" Gon and Killua turned back to Sakura and followed Bisky's directions. They struggled a bit with focusing nen into their brain since it was inside the body instead of outside, but they figured out that they could use the aura contained within them and move it around. After a few minutes of struggling, Gon got it first. "Oh! You were right! Sakura looks normal and there are no leaves around her!" Killua nodded in agreement about a minute later.

Bisky hummed. "You'll have to practice more. You two won't be able to pull that off during combat if it takes you minutes to do it right. That'll put you at a disadvantage against genjutsu users." She turned to Sakura. "You can drop the genjutsu now young lady." Sakura quickly released the genjutsu and felt instant relief. Keeping it up even just for a few minutes really drained her chakra. She was tired now. "Thanks for helping these boys. I was planning on getting someone else to cast a genjutsu on them so they can learn how to counter it, but there's no need now. What a coincidence that you were already helping them practice!"

"Yea! Sakura is amazing! She's one of the only people in her class who could even use genjutsu!" Sakura blushed. Gon would be the end of her. "She's the person who helped me study better too!"

"Sakura, huh? That's a nice name." Bisky said before turning to her. "My name is Biscuit Krueger, but you can call me Bisky. And these two knuckleheads," she said before resting her hands on the boys' heads, "are my beloved students. I appreciate the help and friendship you've given them. I almost expected them to stick to each other like glue and not talk to any other kids their age." She laughed, even when Gon and Killua said "Hey!" in unison.

Sakura couldn't help but smile. She seemed nice. "It was no problem. I needed help myself, and your students are very good fri— " She just realized that the girl called them her students. "Wait, students? Wow, but you're so young!"

Bisky threw her head back and laughed while Gon looked nervous and Killua looked annoyed. "Fifty-seven." At Sakura's confused face, Bisky elaborated. "I'm Fifty-seven years old. Turning Fifty-eight soon."

"BISKY?!" Gon and Killua shouted together.

Sakura thought she was joking, until Bisky spoke again. "Well, it's okay right? She's your friend after all. If she can keep Nen a secret, why can't she keep this a secret too?" Sakura wondered how many surprises these people were full of.

"...Well, it's not completely unheard of," Sakura said. "One of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade, is around your age but I've heard she is able to use a genjutsu to make herself look young. But you..." she pointed at Bisky, "...you look like a kid! That's crazy!" After a moment, she added. "No offense! I meant it in a good way!"

Bisky just smiled. "I can take other forms besides this too." Gon and Killua looked at each other and looked back at her as if to say 'You can?'. "But I prefer to use this form because it leaves people unassuming. Besides, it lets me blend in with these two more easily." She tilted her head at Sakura. "I know it's getting late, but would you like to come over to my apartment for dinner? Gon and Killua will be coming too."

Sakura avoided Gon's and Killua's gazes. "I don't know... I don't want to intrude..." Killua had smacked her upside the head. "Hey! What was that for, idiot?!"

Killua smirked at her. "Stop saying foolishness stuuupid. You won't be intruding. You're a friend."

"Yeah! How could you think that Sakura? You're welcome anytime!" Gon said. "As long as your comfortable."

Sakura smiled. She truly didn't know how she got new friends so suddenly, but she felt her heart warm. "Ok! Well let's go! I'll just tell my parents I was over at a friend's house." They still believed her and Ino were friends. She would just give them the excuse that she went to her house.

As the group was walking away from the training field, laughing and making jokes, they didn't notice a blonde boy in an orange jumpsuit walk by and turn his head to look at them before walking away. Or at least, Killua and Sakura, who were busy bickering, didn't notice. But the two others, Bisky and Gon both noticed. Bisky just kept walking, but Gon looked back in the boy's direction curiously before turning back to the conversation.

Gon knew he should be focusing more on what his friends were talking about, but his mind wandered to the blonde boy. He glanced behind him once more and saw the boy's back getting farther and farther away. He had only caught sight of his face for a moment, but for some reason, he had looked very sad to Gon.

Chapter 5 End