Hana is in no way a self-insert or the main focus if this fic, even if most of the story will be told from her perspective. She's a bit of a cynical ass who knows what's to come and is older than Sakura so she will inevitably do a lot of instructing. But I also don't want her to just take over Sakura's body and do whatever she feels like doing (maybe occasionally?). Instead I want Hana to help Sakura mature a bit and build on her self-confidence, which she clearly lacks, especially in her genin days. Seriously, Sakura may act tough but she's only second to Hinata in the low self-esteem department.
P.S. talking, talking, too much talking! :c
Chapter 3: Books, Kicks and Hot Springs
Sakura came back very late that day. Her worried parents tried to find out what had happened but she waved them off with some half-assed excuse. She lay in her bed as the hours crawled by but found it difficult to sleep. Finally, as the clock hour handle approached 5 a.m. she gave up and got up.
The streets of the hidden village were almost completely deserted as she made her way to the nearest training grounds. Once she was there she proceeded to practice her taijutsu until she was completely exhausted 2 hours later.
"I can't believe I ever thought my training was adequate for a ninja! What was I even doing all these years?!" -I truly didn't know what to answer to that so I kept quiet.
"The Konoha library should be open by now, you wanted to find something there, right?"
Yeah, we'll need to do a bit of research before we can devise any plans. Let's go
The library was empty, save for the staff when we entered half an hour later. There were shelves upon shelves stacked with scrolls and books waiting to be explored. This could take a while…
Let's start with finding everything we can on the Konoha Sannin. They're the key figures in all this mess.
We searched all morning but didn't find as much as I had hoped. There was a record of their team members and mission statistics (so that's where Kabuto got his info! And here I thought he was some kind of super spy when all he did was bother to read a few official documents!), some scrolls from Tsunade's medical research, a book detailing how the three ninja earned their title, a few technique descriptions mentioning their names and even a porn novel from Jiraiya. And that was it. The least information we could gather was on Orochimaru but that was to be expected, what with him being a top-class traitor and all. We suspected that more important information was kept within the Hokage's building but that place was obviously off-limits. Probably the only person able to pull off a break in there without significant punishment was Naruto.
Next we tried to find information on the council members but with little luck. I filled Sakura in on the circumstances of the Uchiha massacre, omitting as much gruesome detail as possible but she was still fazed beyond words. She also didn't agree with Itachi's idea of what acting in Sasuke's best interest was like and, honestly, neither do I. Changing the past was impossible though, so we focused our efforts on future events. The library only provided us with the council members' names and an old document stating that Danzo was once on the same team as the Second and future Third Hokages. I also had to tell Sakura of Sarutobi's connection to Danzo to explain the more than lenient punishment he received for wiping out a whole clan: apart from being stripped of his second-in-command status and "officially" disbanding his ANBU branch he came out of the mess pretty clean. Even Itachi did more by threatening to expose Konoha's secrets to other hidden villages if Danzo ever touched Sasuke!
The conversation then turned to Root and how it still functioned despite the Third's direct order. I truly haven't a clue what to do with Root but I hope we can still meet and recruit Sai one day, somehow.
Meeting a dead end with info on Danzo we returned to the more pressing matter of the Sannin.
"Sooo, in a nutshell, Jiraiya-san was Minato-san's mentor and will train Naruto in the future while Tsunade-sama will become my boss and teach me medical jutsu. And then there's Orochimaru, who, due to a childhood trauma went crazy over the idea of immortality and learning every single technique in existence, apparently became a pedophile who recruits little kids for his experiments "by the truckload" and, unless we somehow stop him, plants a hickey on Sasuke-kun's neck and convinces him to abandon his village and friends in favor of revenge and living with a middle-aged supposed homosexual. " Sakura sounded as revolted as I felt.
He's also a former Akatsuki member who tried to kill Itachi for his, eh, beautiful eyes…
Akatsuki?
Um, let's leave them out for now, chances are your head will burst if I tell you everything that's brewing up in this world all at once. Not to mention it would probably take me more than a full day of non-stop talking.
I have the distinct feeling that you're underestimating me right now.
No, it's actually you who's underestimating just how fucked up things can get when you're friends with Naruto and a teammate of any Uchiha. Especially the Uchiha. "Fucked up" is like their clan motto.
Sakura looked like she was about to counter my last statement but I didn't let her
And speaking of Naruto, I have some fun facts about him too, but I suggest you take a seat first.
The young Kunoichi definitely wanted to discuss the Uchiha matter further but curiosity got the better of her.
Ok, so I already told you that Minato is Naruto's father-
Yeah, I still can't believe it..
Wait, it gets better. About twelve years ago Konoha was attacked by a nine-tailed beast and the village suffered many losses from his rampage. The fox demon was eventually stopped at the price of the Fourth Hokage's life, you know this. What you don't know is that the beast wasn't just defeated: Minato and his wife Kushina, the demon's previous human container, sealed him within their own son
"They WHAT?!" Sakura stood so abruptly the chair fell over. Totally saw that coming, uhuhu…
The very few library visitors looked at her in surprise. She blushed, apologized and picked up her chair.
What a dramatic reaction. I knew you had it in you!
You know, sometimes I feel like I really hate you...
Only sometimes? I need to work har-
So, Naruto -Sakura cut me off ..Is that why our parents told us not to go near him? I had always assumed he must have done something terrible to earn such a reputation. I thought they just didn't want us to hang out with a prankster and troublemaker…
Shunning a kid for pranks? Sounds pretty extreme. Then again, these people think that letting young orphans live by themselves is normal.
Child protection organizations would have a field day here.
If Naruto ever becomes Hokage I'll make sure he never lets a single kid in our village suffer like that again.
Tears were forming in Sakura's eyes once more but I've already reached my quota of crying girls for a while.
Oh come on, this is turning into a sob fest! With all he had to deal with Naruto still grew up to be kind-hearted and cheerful. If you really feel sorry for him and want to help then you can start by acting a bit nicer to him
I am nice to him! I only punch him when he does something stupid... It's not my fault he does it on a daily basis!
Uhuh. Are you also going to deny your blatant favoritism towards Sasuke?
I…really do feel sorry for Naruto, he never knew what family felt like. And you're right, I should be nicer. I can't bring back his parents but I hope I can become like a sister to him. He definitely fits the role of an annoying little brother perfectly! … But if you want to talk about favoritism I think Sasuke-kun is so much worse-off: after all, he knows exactly what he's lost. That's why I fear he'll never accept us as his family…and it only makes me want to try even harder.
I don't know. Sasuke may never openly admit it but he definitely considers Naruto his friend, probably due to their similar circumstances. You, on the other hand-
I understand. I'm not someone he can relate to. I can't even begin to imagine how much suffering they've both gone through.
They're not the only ones. Ninja history is filled with losses and sacrifices. A lot of your future enemies will have a dark and bloody past, including Orochimaru. His motives are actually kinda understandable… Though I personally still consider him the definition of "Insane" …Before Sasuke set a new level for the word after learning the truth about Itachi. I mean, have you seen his face?
I don't think I can forgive that Snake, regardless of his hardships.
You and me both, but I'm not sure we're in a position to judge him.
So you're saying we should just leave him be?!
For now let's focus on protecting Sasuke and disrupting Orochimaru's assassination attempt on the Hokage. If we're lucky, he'll be caught and dealt with by people more suited for the job than us.
*Sigh* Alright, I can't argue with your reasoning. Come on, we've wasted too much time here, let's head back to training. Sakura scooped up some scrolls and books to take home with her and proceeded to the exit
Planning some bedtime reading?
Well, yes. Or do you honestly expect me to wait for Tsunade-sama to teach me any decent ninjustsu?
Medical books? I'm in! I actually want to become a doctor too so it'll be interesting to learn medicine from this world's perspective. We could compare our knowledge.
Really? What a coincidence. I guess it's fortunate we ended up together. Now if only you wouldn't talk so much…
Hmph! I think I'm being a bad influence on her
You're also sarcastic and irritating.
Okay, too much. Remind me again who called you annoying the very first day you were assigned to your team?
Oh, shut up!
***
Sakura sat on the ground and tried to catch her breath. She spent all her time until evening practicing throwing kunai and shurikens. From what I've seen so far she was nowhere near, say, Sasuke's level, but she wasn't bad either.
"This isn't going to work."
I didn't understand what she meant. Why? You're pretty good at this.
How am I supposed to stop Orochimaru with a kunai?
Good question. Well, if we're lucky you might not need to fight him at all but I'm not getting my hopes up. There's not enough time to learn anything too complex either
What if I don't participate in the Chunin exam? Sasuke-kun and Naruto will have no choice but to sit it out too since only a team of 3 can participate.
Sasuke will never forgive you if you delay his quest for power. Besides, who's to say Orochimaru won't attack him within Konoha? He'll actually have fewer witnesses to worry about. And if the Snake isn't seen before the final round of the exam how are we supposed to warn others of his plan without making you sound like a paranoid psycho? We're not telling Saske about Itachi yet for the same reasons
That much I understand. I'll need to show him some solid proof if I want him to believe me.
In Orochimaru's case even your word will do but only if someone else at least sees him first
Nothing is ever going to be easy in my life, is it?
Easy is never on the menu with you ninja.
So what's our plan with Orochimaru?
I'm working on it. If you end up fighting him your only chance is the element of surprise in combination with a jutsu you're good at. What are your key strengths? I know you're smart..
I'm good with chakra control.
The combination of the two should mean you're good with genjutsu but I've never really seen you use it. You've dispelled other people's genjutsu a number of times in the story though.
I was actually praised for my skill with illusions back in the academy but I don't like using it
You prefer not using something that could give you an advantage? How so?
Genjutsu isn't very popular amongst ninja due to it's complexity and lack of actual physical damage. It also requires good chakra control, knowledge of your environment and concentration. I am capable of performing a convincing genjutsu on the enemy but I need too much time to cast it. The one time I tried doing it during an actual practice fight I nearly had my arm broken. In a real fight I would have been long dead.
Well this sucks. Then again, practice fights were probably one-on-one, right? But now you're part of a team. I'm sure Naruto and Sasuke can keep the enemy off you long enough to make this work.
Won't that just mean that they're protecting me again?
Not if your jutsu ends up saving all your asses. Then it would be called effective use of teamwork. Surely it's worth a try?
I'll brush up on my genjutsu knowledge by tomorrow. I wonder if there's anything relatively simple that I can do with my good chakra control to at least relieve my teammates from the burden of constantly defending me. I want some offensive skills besides my projectiles but ninjutsu takes too long to master.
Oh, oooh, Idea Cake!
Beat em up!
"Excuse me?"
Legs are the hardest place to accumulate chakra, right? Then what about the hands? If you could gather your chakra around your fists you should be able to pack quite a punch. Last time after Tsunade's training you could easily put holes in rocks. I'm pretty sure you were using some kind of earth technique with it but the general idea should be the same.
It's not as easy as you may think. Walking on trees requires a constant small precise amount of chakra. If I did the same with my fists the punch wouldn't be that powerful. I'll need to boost my chakra level in my hand to a maximum right before the hit and then quickly retract it or else I risk wasting all my reserves in one go. And concentrating too much energy in one spot is pretty dangerous to the body.
Oh come on, you're an expert in chakra control, how hard can it be?
Sakura sent some energy into her right arm and tried a mild punch on the wooden pole only to jump back with a yelp. Severe pain shot up her arm to the shoulder.
…ok, I guess it is pretty hard.
Sakura spent the rest of the day hitting practice poles. In just a few hours she managed to find the perfect balance in chakra levels before and after the hit but beating up hard surfaces still hurt a lot.
Hey, maybe this technique was a bit early after all? You're going to injure yourself at this rate
Did you think I'd be afraid of a little training when my teammate's safety depends on it?!Who do you take me for!
Sakura punched the wooden pole angrily and wailed in pain. She was already making progress- her punch left quite a big dent in the wood.
Sakura-chan, you're pretty cool!
The girl blushed slightly but hid it hurriedly and said: "Thanks. Now let me concentrate"
***
It was already way past midnight when the Kunoichi finally came back home. She warned her parents this time so they were already sound asleep when she returned. Grabbing some leftovers from dinner she dragged her feet to her room, feeling as if her every muscle was burning from overuse.
I suggest you do some meditation to relieve the stress on your body before going to sleep. Otherwise I'm not sure you'll even be able to move tomorrow.
Sakura agreed and sat on the floor cross-legged, closing her eyes. I tried giving her some pointers but she was doing fairly well even without my help. She cleared her head of any thoughts, steadied her chakra flow and relaxed. I guess they studied meditation in the academy? Even so, it was amazing how all the disturbing things she had recently learned didn't hinder her concentration…like it did for a certain someone I know, heh.
Sadly, when she was done and crawled into bed, even with all her exhaustion weighing over her she still had trouble falling asleep. Once again I felt guilty for ruining her peaceful days but stopped myself before I could make another apology. It was better she learn the truth now and prepare for the worst instead of being helpless to change anything later.
The next day she woke up at dawn to do some running before meeting up with her team. They weren't assigned any missions today so they practiced together instead. Sakura surprised her teammates when she asked if she could try her genjutsu on them but they agreed to help. Sasuke took no time in breaking the jutsu by activating his sharingan while Naruto didn't even notice when the technique took effect. Sakura had to release him from it later. Kakashi took the opportunity to explain more about genjutsu and ways of breaking it and afterwards expressed delight at Sakura's sudden progress.
The girl rushed away for solo training the moment they were dismissed and felt slightly proud of herself as she left bigger dents in the wood with every passing hour. Finally, her hands where aching so much she decided to switch to kicks instead. Focusing chakra in the legs was harder but more rewarding as she could place more powerful hits. One of her kicks finally shattered the top of a wooden pole but the edge of her dress got caught in a splinter and ripped. Now she had another matter to take care of: her wardrobe. Dresses were fashionable and made her look more feminine but Sakura understood it would probably be impractical to continue wearing one. Before setting out the next morning she rummaged her dresser for any suitable attire.
She took out an old long red shirt and fastened a wide brown belt around it, securing a pouch at the back. Then she found her black shorts that were slightly longer than the ones she used with her dress and decided to wear them. Sakura's knuckles were bruised from all the hitting so she wrapped bandages around her wrists and fingers to conceal them - she wasn't sure she wanted her teammates to find out what she was up to just yet. The girl finished her new look by tying her long hair into a loose ponytail.
"Great, now I almost look like a boy"
Don't worry too much. You won't be a flat chest forever
Sakura went pink and issued some empty threats in return.
The next few days were spent in a relatively similar manner: Sakura woke up early, went running, then met up with Team 7 for practice, trained by herself afterwards, read books before meditating and going to bed. We also had a few uneventful visits to the library where we further discussed the ninja world and our future plans topped with a near-futile search for information on the Jinchuriki, amongst other things.
The Kuniochi also met Rock Lee on one of her running exercises: he was sprinting in the opposite direction when he caught sight of Sakura and crashed spectacularly into a nearby wall the next moment.
Urgh, what's wrong with Fuzzy Brows other there?
Hey, don't be like that! I think he just fell for you. Literally. Plus, he saved your life in the Chunin exams last time.
Sakura frowned deeply "I just keep getting saved, don't I?"- With a huff she increased her running pace.
On the fourth day Sakura's team was finally given a new mission. They were to deliver a package to a family from a village on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water. Before setting out Kakashi issued a warning to his genin teammates:
"This mission is supposed to be a peaceful one but we will come within close proximity of another country. I hope you have enough sense to refrain from causing unnecessary trouble. The last thing we need right now is an international incident"
The three young ninja nodded in understanding and set out. The assignment included quite a bit of walking and Kakashi was soon bored enough to take out and read his favorite book. Naruto walked ahead of the group, constantly urging the others to hurry up. Sakura slowed her pace slightly to match up to Sasuke's, who was walking behind everyone else. The boy looked dissatisfied with something, probably because the mission wasn't supposed to involve any fighting, which, in his perspective, made it a waste of time. He glanced at the girl beside him as they walked and the slight crease between his brows deepened. Sakura couldn't bare his gaze and averted her eyes. The feeling of uneasiness enveloped her as they continued to walk in silence.
The trouble started back when she came to practice in her new attire. Naruto actually confused her for a boy and she punched him but then he noticed her bandages.
"Sakura-chan, what happened?"
"Hm? Oh, this? I was careless and burned my hands while baking the other night. It should heal in no time" She cringed internally for making such a lame excuse but faked a broad smile and Naruto didn't pursue the issue further. The others definitely didn't look convinced, though, and ever since that day Sasuke seemed to act even more distant in her presence than usual.
Sakura was getting more and more conscious of the awkward silence between them and, unable to bear it any longer, desperately tried to start a conversation with her gloomy teammate.
"Um, Sasuke-kun.. Th-the weather seems nice today, doesn't it?" stupid, stupid, stupiiiid!
The weather? Seriously?
Sasuke pretty much expressed what I just said but with looks alone
Sakura thought frantically of something to say:
"W-what I mean is, we're heading towards the the Land of Hot Water, right? There are a lot of hot springs there. With such great weather it would be a waste if we don't even visit one.."
The boy turned away from her. "Focus on the mission, Sakura."
"Yeah, I guess you're right, sorry." Great.
Now the atmosphere between them seemed even worse.
Kakashi heard their conversation and added his own 2 cents: "Not a bad idea, Sakura-chan. We will be spending the night somewhere before turning back anyway. We might as well enjoy ourselves."- Nice one, Kakashi!
"Kakashi-sensei, you're the best!"- the girl exclaimed with delight
"I'm not paying for you guys though"
"Cheapskate!"-Sakura said behind the jonin's back, her vein bulging.
The package delivery assighnment went without a hitch and Team 7 was free to return back to Konoha. The only "enemy" they had to face in the whole mission was a drunken shinobi who accidentally bumped into Sakura. He scolded her for being a little girl who can't see where she's going and Naruto was on him in seconds, demanding an apology to her. The ninja punched Naruto hard in the face but Sasuke was already behind the man and with a well-placed hit to the back of his neck the man was knocked out cold.
"Trash"- Sasuke said as he looked down on the unconscious shinobi and continued walking.
"Geez, Naruto, didn't Kakashi-sensei say not to cause trouble?"
"But, but Sakura-chan, it was his fault!"
Sakura sighed and grabbed Naruto's arm "come on, we better get out of here before we cause another scene"
Naruto blushed as he followed her: "Sakura-chan, you're being so forward today!"
"What did you say?!" The girl turned and punched him with irritation "Hmpf!" -She stormed off, leaving the boy behind.
Kakashi looked at his students in amusement and said under his breath: "Is this what they call though love?"
***
The day was soon to turn into evening and the jonin allowed them all to stay in a nearby ryokan till morning. Sakura was actually against the idea- she didn't want to spend the money she was saving up for new equipment and only mentioned hot springs before to keep the conversation going. It was too late to refuse though, so she gave into the temptation of a relaxing bath after a long day's walk. She parted with the boys and entered the women's section of the baths.
The male part of the team entered their respective bath section and started undressing. Sasuke meticulously folded his clothes, Naruto threw everything into one big heap and Kakashi replaced his mask with a towel wrapped around his face. The fox boy suddenly had an idea and grinned broadly: "Hey, Sasuke"-he said quietly "what if we transform in to girls and sneak insid-"
Sasuke glared at his friend "No! Only a looser like you would think of something so stupid."
"Teme, what did you say?!"
They were about to enter the bath when they heard a girl scream
"Isn't that..Sakura? Wait, Naruto!" –The Jinjuriki ran out into the corridor before Sasuke could stop him.
Sakura was undressing when something caught her attention. She looked at her panties and saw a small blood stain.
"KYAAAAA!" What is this?! Internal bleeding from down there? Was I hit and didn't notice?!
Pfft. It's called a period, honey. Didn't they warn you in the academy or something?
Before she could evaluate my words the door burst open, revealing Naruto and Sasuke in nothing but towels, covering their lower parts. Naruto looked flustered and worried:
"What happened, Sakura-chan? Was there a pervert?" …And then his face went beetroot red while Sasuke hurriedly closed his eyes and turned away.
Sakura managed to cover herself with a towel just in time but it still exposed a part of her naked thigh while the cloth she pressed against her body traced her small but very present breasts.
Burning with embarrassment and anger the Kunoichi screamed again and flung every solid thing she could get her hands on at the two boys. Then she raced to the door and slammed it shut, crying: "You're the pervert, you idiot!"
By the time Kakashi casually walked into the corridor he saw baskets, bottles and a scrubbing brush scattered everywhere. Naruto was wiping blood away from his bruised nose while Sasuke sat on the floor with a look of deep irritation. Even he somehow managed to get himself hit on the forehead with a shampoo bottle.
Kakashi fought hard not to burst out laughing. Naruto was one thing but Sasuke would never live it down if he did.
Sakura looked like she wanted to drown herself in the hot spring. She performed a jutsu that young girls were taught back in the academy to stop the bleeding and fired insult after insult as her head filled with my giggling. Teasing her is almost too easy.
I panicked, okay?
I know and it was epic! You guys are so fun to watch
If only you knew how much I hate you right now
I think I have a general idea…
***
Sakura ignored me and avoided her team for the rest of the day, refusing as much as eating with them and even moved her futon to the farthest corner from the sliding door, even though she was given a separate room.
Oh come off it already! Accidents happen
The girl pulled her blanket over her head.
Sasuke-kun saw me naked. How am I supposed to look at him now? -Her inner voice sounded miserable.
I'd be more worried about Naruto, if I were you. Duck Ass at least has the tact never to mention what happened
Sakura flared up instantly: Insult him again, I dare you!
Hmm, tempting.
Why are you so harsh on him, anyway? You've never even talked to each other.
Let's just say he reminds me of a certain person I know. I hate bastards like him! You dated one, smarty pants…
Oh, very mature of you, vending out your frustration on my innocent teammate!
Ok, I know she's right but I'm never admitting it!
You think your Sasuke-kun is an angel or something? FYI, the guy tried to kill you!
Sakura fell silent. She looked at the door separating her from the boys' room and whispered: "That will never happen"
And what, pray tell, makes you so sure?
Because I won't allow it. Whatever was written in that story I will never let happen again.
Even the part when you marry sir porcupine? This is bad, I'm already running out of insults for him…
"You never told me I was married to Sasuke-kun!"
Surprise. Also, you should repeat that louder, I don't think he heard you yet
God, you're sour!
I do my best
Afterwards Sakura spent half the night pestering me for details. By 3 a.m. she finally gave in to exhaustion and I watched over her as she lay wrapped around in her blanket like a cocoon. She was crying in her sleep…
_
Ryokan= traditional Japanese inn with and onsen (hot springs)
Teme= a rude way of addressing someone (very informal). It can be seen as an equivalent to the word "bastard"