Amnesia

Chapter 11: From Big Idiot to Lesser Idiot

Tsunade looked up from her desk when she felt the ground shaking. A big smile formed on her face. This was no earthquake. She knew this tremor very well. Sakura was mad, very mad - hopefully at her. Tsunade had been itching for a spat, and even if Sakura couldn't physically attack her it would be interesting to see what she could do. It wasn't like the girl needed chakra to be strong, and she often produced extreme and amusing facial expressions.

When the door barged open, Tsunade made sure her face was completely blank. However, to add fuel to the fire, she reached under her desk and picked up her bottle of sake. She acted like she hadn't even seen Sakura - though she could feel the anger from the young medic, that was for sure. Taking a sip of sake, she smiled before putting it back down on her desk. She then looked up at her apprentice and spoke calmly, "Ah, Sakura, I didn't see you there."

Sakura looked like she was going to burst; her fists were tightening and her eyes shone with a ferocity that Tsunade loved to see. Even without memories of all the training they did together, Sakura could still be a scary woman. It seemed the girl had kept some of her personality...or she had grown very confident in the past few weeks. Although perhaps she got some of that fire from her mother, that woman seemed very argumentative.

Nobody picked a fight with the Hokage.

Nobody except Sakura.

Tsunade was glad that was still the case because she'd missed this side to the girl, as bizarre as it was. There was nothing more thrilling than seeing her pink haired medic break walls and make grown men wet themselves. Although...old Sakura knew the limits and just how far she could push them – did this Sakura know how far she could go before she would go beyond the point of being amusing?

"Do you have something to say to me?" Sakura smiled through gritted teeth.

This was the calm before the storm. Sometimes, if she really wasn't up for a fight, Tsunade could apologise about what was clearly wrong there and then. But right now, she didn't want to - and truthfully she didn't know what was wrong.

She titled her head. "How's chakra forming going?"

"You would know!" Sakura shouted, unable to control her temper any longer.

"Would I? Why is that?"

"You've been spying on me! Had people watching me when I'm alone, even when Naruto is with me!"

God damn Naruto.

"You have no right to invade my privacy like that! I am not some medical experiment for you to study and see how I react to different situations. You're really not helping me out here!"

As Sakura rambled on, Tsunade took another sip of her sake.

"Tsunade Senju!" Sakura growled.

The sannin raised an eyebrow. Now that was new. Nobody called her by her surname. She forgot the last time it had been used and in such a tone... She frowned. Not that she cared when Sakura disrespected her - she did it all the time. Still, she played along. "Yes, mother?"

"You're so immature! You're not taking any of this seriously! It's very serious! I-I..." Sakura trailed off and frowned to herself.

"You what?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"How do you threaten the Hokage of Konoha?" Sakura grumbled, realising she was getting nowhere.

Tsunade smirked. "You don't."

"I'm going to steal all of your sake!"

"Mmhmm." Tsunade hummed and drank more alcohol.

"And what the hell is this business about slippery trees?"

Almost choking on her sake, Tsunade coughed slightly before laughing out loud. Seeing Sakura's amusement only made her laugh more.

Whack.

Tsunade stopped laughing and glanced past her desk to see a heavy book face down on the floor. She then looked back at a now happy looking Sakura. Her apprentice just threw a book at her head... Tsunade gave the girl a death glare. "What did you just do?"

"Do you not remember?" Sakura answered, not faltering at her mentor's scowl. "I just threw a book at your head, like you did the other day. I was just returning the gesture. Have you got amnesia now? Did I hit you a little too hard?"

Tsunade smirked dangerously. "I don't know... What was your name again? I know your features... Girly pink hair, a big forehead..."

Sakura's jaw dropped open.

Tsunade had never mentioned Sakura's forehead as a way of insult before. She knew the girl was sensitive about it, or at least had been when she was younger... And those memories of her childhood were probably a lot more prominent right now since she couldn't remember her later memories. Tsunade looked for signs of hurt in Sakura's expression but there was only anger.

"I don't think it's amnesia," Sakura spat back. "It must just be old age."

Old age.

Now Sakura did use that as a way of teasing her - when she seriously wanted a fist to her stomach.

"Don't worry, grandma, we can get someone to watch over you 24/7 in case you really do have amnesia. Wouldn't want you doing anything stupid would we? Old people can go a bit loopy anyway. You're more likely to have dementia."

Naruto took a deep breath as he walked up the corridor to the Hokage's office. Sakura picking a fight with Tsunade - what harm could be done? Surely it couldn't be as bad as when Sakura had her memories, she couldn't blackmail the sannin or use past events against her. If it goes serious Sakura didn't even have her monster strength for a spar. He listened closely but it was silent.

He stood up a little taller. Maybe it had all blown over already. Good.

There was a loud smack and then a deafening crash. Naruto's eyes widened as Sakura flew through the wall of the Hokage's office and hit the corridor wall in an explosion of plaster and dust.

Panicking, he sprinted to his teammate's side and shouted, "Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto?" Sakura mumbled with her eyes closed, her face contorted in pain.

"Are you all right?" he asked quickly before looking through the hole in the wall to see a smug-looking sannin. "What the hell was that for, Granny?"

"She called me old." Tsunade shrugged and reached under her desk before pulling out another bottle of sake and popping its cap. "Besides, she still has the body of a ninja."

Sakura opened her eyes and tentatively pushed herself up into a sitting position, and then a standing position. Ignoring the pain, she walked back into the Hokage's office as normally as possible. "You said I have a big forehead," she said, but her voice was not as loud as earlier.

Tsunade sighed and took a sip of her sake, thinking of what to say. Punching her apprentice satisfied her need to...punch her apprentice. Every now and then she got that urge. Sakura similarly liked to make fun of her in return on the odd occasion. But sometimes, one of them pushed it too far and it was very rarely Sakura - because that girl was just way too emotional.

"So what?" Tsunade answered. "I've always said it suits you."

"Suits me?" Sakura repeated.

"Yes."

Sakura stood there in silence for a while, frowning to herself before she spoke, "You shouldn't be drinking so much."

Tsunade reached under her desk again and pulled out another bottle of sake before throwing it to her apprentice. When Sakura almost dropped it, Tsunade sat up straighter, a little panicked. If Sakura had dropped her sake just then, she would have been prepared to really hit her.

"You can't bribe me." Sakura frowned at the bottle in her hand.

"It's your favourite." Tsunade argued.

"Really?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Yes... I'm sure Ino has got you to drink by now and so you've realised how much you like sake, right?"

Sakura shrugged passively.

Tsunade smirked. That meant 'yes'.

"Still...it's not much of an apology," Sakura added.

"I'm sorry for saying you had a big forehead." Tsunade smiled.

"And?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

Tsunade mirrored her apprentice's expression. It was rare she said sorry to the girl, so Sakura was pushing it if she wanted two apologies.

Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry for calling you old."

"You always call me old," she replied, as if it were no big deal.

"You're not old."

The sannin smiled. "I'm sorry for punching you through a wall."

"Yeah..." Sakura stiffened. "Can you fix that?"

"The wall?"

"Me."

Tsunade smirked. "You walked it off like it was nothing."

"I'm glad you thought that, but I think you broke my back," Sakura mumbled.

"Fine, if it's that bad, I'll take a look at. Head up to the hospital," she ordered.

Naruto, still stood in the wall rubble, watched as Sakura walked passed him and then as the Hokage followed. Both of them exited the room through the gigantic hole, each of them with a bottle of sake in hand.

He never understood the bond those two had. Many a times they would shout and fight and half kill each other and then they'd just smile, shrug it off and talk as if nothing had happened. They fought like two guys, solving their problems with fists instead of angry words (although sometimes they did both), never falling out for too long.

Naruto knew for a fact that when either of them were angry, any sane person made themselves scarce - and when they we're both angry, not even Shizune jumped in to break it up. He shook his head and looked up to see Sakura exit through a door down the corridor, Tsunade then glanced over her shoulder, signalling for him to wait there before she mouthed to him 'slippery trees'.

He looked at the floor and Tsunade smirked before following her semi-hobbling apprentice.

The Hokage watched Sakura attempt to get comfy on the bed, but her discomfort was clear. She probably had damaged her back quite badly.

Tsunade walked calmly to the stool next to the bed before sitting down and ordering, "Sit with your back to face me."

"Why?" Sakura asked.

"So I can heal your back."

Sakura sighed but turned around anyway.

Tsunade smirked. "You just wanted to watch me heal didn't you?"

"Yeah," her apprentice grumbled in reply.

Tsunade laughed. "Is that the only reason you asked me to heal you?"

"No," Sakura shook her head, "it really does hurt."

Tsunade studied the girl's injury and raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's badly bruised, but not as bad as I thought it would be... You only broke one rib."

"Only?" Sakura glanced over her shoulder, wincing as she did so.

"It could have been a lot worse."

There was a small silence before Sakura asked, "Then why wasn't it?"

Tsunade didn't reply.

"Did I heal it when I was unaware?"

"No. But it looks like you cushioned the blow." Tsunade hummed.

Sakura's eyes widened. "How?"

"I taught you how to. You build a protective layer of chakra before impact, like pre-healing, to soften big blows. But you used to use it a lot. You may as well if you can control chakra as well as you could and move it to different parts of the body within seconds. It's great for switching from offence to defence as quickly as possible or vice versa."

Sakura nodded. "I see."

There was another silence.

Tsunade let out a small sigh. Truthfully, the fact that Sakura possibly used chakra didn't make her feel better. So far, Sakura's abilities had only been awoken by pain and danger, while that was a good thing and might save her life one day... She didn't want Sakura getting any silly ideas to try and get her full ninja and medical skills back.

"You know, earlier I wasn't talking about apologising for the forehead or punching me through a wall thing," Sakura broke the silence.

"Oh?" Tsunade mumbled.

"The spying on me has to stop."

"It was for your own safety."

"I know but it's not fair." Sakura frowned. "I don't want my privacy being intruded upon every day for the rest of my life."

"OK. Is that all you were mad about?" Tsunade asked.

"...Yes."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "You seemed very worked up."

Her apprentice hesitated. "What did you tell Naruto about? I was having a very serious conversation and he started talking about trees and that I couldn't climb them."

Tsunade smiled. "I was drunk when I made that up."

Sakura gave a small snort before replying, "Well it's an interesting way to reject a girl."

"Reject?" Tsunade repeated. "It wasn't a rejection. He most likely butchered it. It was a poetic story about you and men. The men were represented by trees."

Sakura laughed. "I didn't get that from it at all. Still, whatever you said, he must have changed it."

"Why?"

"Ino told me that Naruto probably got awkward after our conversation yesterday, which you likely know about because you're a spy, because he must have thought I was talking about Sasuke. So I went to explain that I wasn't and he just said he knew, therefore he must have been awkward because of me possibly talking about him in that way."

Oh Sakura... Tsunade didn't know who was worse, her apprentice or Naruto. Naruto probably, he'd seemed to let a few things slip today and Sakura made it worse by not giving him the chance to explain. Naruto had never been a good message delivery boy. She probably shouldn't have confused him by throwing trees into the mix.

Tsunade shook her head. "Sakura, I also explained to Naruto that you were not talking about Sasuke before he spoke to you."

The realisation hit Sakura. "Oh."

"Yes, 'oh'. You didn't give him a chance to explain did you?"

"No," Sakura mumbled.

Tsunade smiled. "I'm sure if you did, he would have made something cute out of it."

"I was angry over the 'you spying on me' thing." Sakura sighed but then asked, "You'll stop that now right? I even unconsciously help myself if I ever get hurt, and how can I get hurt in Konoha?"

"You? Easily." Tsunade received a very hostile look. "Fine, no more people watching you, but you have to promise to behave."

"Thanks, shishou." Sakura smiled.

Tsunade sat there for a little while. Something wasn't quite right here.

Yes, Sakura always had a short temper, but with her amnesia, she wouldn't think that part of her personality would be that prominent still. Then her using chakra unconsciously again, was it really because of danger? That wasn't even the fishiest thing. "How did you know my surname was Senju?" She asked.

"You're the Hokage...everyone knows..." Sakura replied.

"I wasn't the Hokage when you were a child. Did you know of me when you were eight years old?" She questioned.

Sakura's smile fell and she frowned in confusion. "No I didn't. Maybe I heard someone say it. I just knew it."

Tsunade nodded. This was definitely fishy. In her short temper outburst did she remember this information? What really pushed her to be so mad? Danger didn't make her mad and it didn't make her remember something about this life she shouldn't have known – or did it? This just didn't add up. "Sit here for a moment," she ordered. "I'll get Naruto to return your love book."

Tsunade walked around the bed and smirked at the small blush on her apprentice's face.

As soon as she entered the corridor leading to the Hokage's office, Naruto jumped forward. "Is she OK?"

"Of course."

Naruto looked at her in disbelief and pointed at the new entrance into the Hokage's office.

Tsunade snorted and walked up to her room, once again entering through the hole in the wall. "She's fine, I healed her. She was more bothered about you letting slip that she was being monitored, and the fact that she thought you knew she was originally talking about you and not Sasuke."

"Oh." Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"I specifically told you after last time," she began with a frown. "Not to let Sakura know the rules concerning her amnesia."

"Well it's unfair!" Naruto frowned back. "Who wants to be followed their whole life?"

"...You let it slip on purpose?"

Naruto was aware that if Tsunade decided to punch him, he would go through the hole in the wall, then the corridor wall and therefore down several flights to the ground below. He shuffled between his two feet. "Maybe."

The Hokage frowned. "I told her she won't be watched anymore anyway, happy?"

Naruto frowned to himself. "I think she should be one more time."

"Why?"

"I think she's planning to go into the Forest of Death," Naruto announced.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Why would she do that?"

"Because she thinks danger is helping her get back her abilities."

"I possibly think so too." The sannin hummed. "But it's temporary to that moment, and danger seeking is more likely to get her killed than fix her amnesia."

Did she really still think that danger was the key to unlocking her apprentice's memories? She wasn't so sure anymore. At first she did, but now she was beginning to question it. It seemed that Sakura had come to the conclusion 'danger equals abilities'. Therefore it was very possible Sakura would do something like enter the Forest of Death.

"I may have also let slip about the loose fence near the 44th gate." Naruto winced. "I got carried away with the story about Shikamaru having to track that animal... But now I'm more than suspicious that Sakura-chan wants to go in there."

Tsunade sighed. She picked up Sakura's book off the floor and threw it at the boy before ordering, "Get that plan out of her head, while you're at it, give her this book and you might as well clear up the Sasuke mess too."

Naruto looked at the book before nodding. "Have any advice on what I should say?"

Tsunade laughed. "I think it's best you come up with the words on your own. After you've done that, find Kakashi, I'm sending you on a two-man mission."

Naruto pouted.

"Don't give me that look." Tsunade scowled, not willing to take any more trouble from either of the teenagers today.

"But I want to be here in case Sakura-chan tries to do something dangerous," he whined.

"I'll deal with it." Tsunade nodded. "But at least try and deter her."

"You'll fix the fence just in case?" Naruto asked.

"Yes."

Naruto nodded and left the room.

Tsunade sighed. When it came to Sakura, that boy was always making even more of an idiot of himself than usual. At least he was on the ball. She also thought that Sakura was planning something stupid and this Forest of Death plan might just be it. She knew what to do and this time Naruto's idiocy may have helped them out. She smiled to herself, that boy had less skills with women than Jiraiya.

Tsunade reached for another sake. Shoot. She'd given her last bottle to Sakura...and now she had a hole in her wall.

Taking a deep breath, she shouted, "Shizune! There's a hole in the wall again."

Naruto put on a big smile as he entered the room Sakura was currently sat in. He walked up to the bed and handed over her reading material. "You forgot your rubbish book."

Sakura laughed as she received the book, she looked down at it, checking it for any damage after she had thrown it at her mentor's head. There was a small silence.

"I'm sorry-" they both said at the same time.

Sakura frowned. "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"I upset you. I made you think something that wasn't true," he elaborated.

"I didn't let you explain," Sakura countered. "And Tsunade may kill you for letting the rule about me being watched slip but I appreciate it. There aren't any other rules that invade my rights or privacy are there?"

Naruto grinned. "Nice try, Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled back.

There was another small silence.

"You know it wasn't about Sasuke then, so we're cool? There's nothing awkward between us? We're still friends?"

Friends? Naruto tried not to wince, he smiled. "Always, Sakura."

He thought that maybe she liked him. She knew he liked her. But he couldn't really explain how he felt about all of this after she just said that, could he? "I'm going on a mission with Kakashi-sensei," he announced.

Sakura didn't look as displeased as she usually did, but she said, "Aww, you're not chasing Sasuke again are you?"

"No." He smiled slightly, not quite managing a bright expression.

"I don't like this." She frowned.

"What?" His eyes widened.

"That as soon as Sasuke's mentioned, everyone goes sad," she explained. "How are we going to bring him back if we can't even talk about him? He makes things awkward and he's not even here."

It would be nice to have a more positive outlook on getting their friend back – because either way, he would never give up on his best friend or his promise to Sakura. He smiled honestly. "You're right."

Sakura smiled back. "Good."

Naruto turned serious again. "But I do have to go now. You won't go doing anything dangerous whilst I'm away right?"

"Of course not." Her smile turned unnaturally wide.

"Because earlier on, I had the impression you wanted to go into the Forest of Death or something."

"Oh no." Sakura shook her head. "Your description of the place was enough to scare me away forever."

"OK, that puts my mind at ease, knowing your safe whilst I'm not around," he added.

Sakura continued to smile.

"See you soon?" He got up and headed to the door.

"Yes," she nodded, "be safe."

"You too." He grinned at her before exiting the room.

After he shut the door, his smile fell. Sakura was lying to him. She still wanted to go into the Forest of Death and put herself in danger to try and counter her amnesia.

At least Tsunade was going to fix the fence, right? Sakura shouldn't be able to get in even if she tried. He'd come back from his mission and everything would be fine. He prayed that would be the case.

"We're still friends?" Sakura repeated to herself before mumbling, "Sakura, you idiot!"

Naruto obviously knew what she was planning. It made her guilty that she still wanted to go through with her plans. It had to be danger that was unlocking her abilities, maybe even her memories! Knowing that could be the case excited her to no end. She had to try. Naruto wouldn't be here to stop her. Tsunade was stopping the spying act. Everything was falling into place.

But could she lie to Naruto? Do something that could possibly hurt him? Risk annoying Tsunade and then getting punched through another wall? Was it worth that risk?

She didn't know the answer. She'd go home tonight and think it through. Tomorrow she could be safe in bed...or in several pieces on the forest floor. Hopefully, she'd be forming and moulding chakra. She tried not to dwell on just how unrealistic and optimistic that plan was.

Author Notes:

Hey look at that! Two days in a row. The chapter I stated would be this one, in the last author notes, has now been pushed to being the next chapter. I'm finally getting into my ideas for this story. I promise that Naruto's idiocy in the last chapter was trying to benefit the plot, and I hope I redeemed him a little bit in this chapter. The chapter title is named after him. I also apologise for the joke at the end of the last story, it was a little mean.

I wrote more than half of this chapter last night... Then it's always great to wake up to emails and reviews :) thank you all. I also love knowing your theories and predictions for what you thought might have happened earlier on, or what you think will happen in future chapters. It's really interesting to read, as well as your feedback/constructive criticism.

I posted four other stories today too. I made the story covers like I said I would in yesterday's author notes. Sometimes it's nice writing and finishing a lot of stories before uploading them. I've also replied to all the reviews I received so I've been very active with this website today! It's a good way to get me back into writing.

Thank you for reading! :).