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Disclaimer: I do not own naruto but I do own this idea
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Victory is a sweet thing, Naruto decided as he reviewed the notes that he had picked up from the academy roof only minutes ago. It was two days after his little battle with Sakura and so far almost everything had gone according to plan, better even at times. Since the previous day Sakura had been begging off training, stating a desire to research something. An added bonus was that Kakashi had thought that her absence was a good excuse to suspend group training for a few days so Naruto was free to train on his own for a while as some henge'd kage-bunshin kept watch on Sakura. She had been quite diligent in working herself to not only make the ordered notes but become somewhat competent in the practical use of the techniques.

Though thinking of how he went about creating the illusion of knowing said techniques sent a wince through Naruto and caused him to massage his toes slightly in remembrance of the several gashes he'd had because of the semi-rusty nails he'd used to fake the wall-walking. Though he did grin as he thought about his fake shunshin. Making an overpowered kage-bunshin and nigh-instantly dispelling it had created quite the smokescreen for him to dive behind and simply crawling along the roof gave the illusion that he had vanished.

Now though, he had the notes he needed and as such it was time to train. He had found a special training ground a long time ago, even before his academy days. While it was run down and remarkably disused, it was far off the beaten path.

Though he kept feeling like he was forgetting something every time he saw one of those odd three-pronged kunai stuck into various trees and logs.

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Sakura was understandably twitchy as she left her home on the third day and walked towards the alley where naught but three nights ago she had been beaten to a bloody pulp and been introduced to the greatest secret Konoha kept within it. As she entered the alley she desperately hoped that since she had completed her assignment she wouldn't get attacked a hard as she was before. A hope that was thoroughly blasted as she was suddenly hit with a rather excruciating kick to the spine that threatened to snap her in half.

Lucky for her it simply sent her head first into the alley forcing her to execute a rather painful repetition of her first entry into said alley, that is, with a rather poorly done tuck-and-roll and several painful abrasions. As she looked up at her faceless assailant her hands went into a, by now, familiar double seal that she activated with a mutter and promptly vanished with a puff of smoke.

The alley was silent for several moments before Zan began to chuckle quietly and shook his head in amusement.

"Good work Haruno," he said after a few moments before suddenly lashing out behind him and grabbing her by the throat and wrist stopping her attempted kunai slash "But not even close to good enough."

With that he wrenched her wrist caused a grotesque grating sound that would have sent her screaming if not for the hand wrapped around her throat. Instead her hand convulsed, releasing its grip on her kunai sending it clattering to the ground. Then with a slight grunt he lifted her off the ground and threw her into one of the alley walls. She slowly picked herself off the ground, leaning against the wall for support only to have the breath driven out of her as Zan drove an elbow into her sternum and found her own kunai being pressed against her neck.

Her eyes snapped shut as her life flew before her, her body so caught up in the fear of death that it froze and all her senses dulled into a quiet murk as they waited for the killing blow to send her into oblivion. And waited. And after what seemed like an age Sakura opened her eyes to find that her assailant was no long mere millimetres from killing her. Indeed he was leaning against the opposite wall of the alley watching her and spinning the very kunai that had drawn a faint line of blood from her neck.

Slowly her senses came back to her and things suddenly seemed sharp and fresh while her body felt sensations of relief that she had never before felt. Subconsciously she knew that she was in a minor state of shock but currently she felt like things had just gotten better for some reason. It was because of this sensitivity that she caught the kunai that Zan had lobbed at her. And while she marvelled at what her sense of touch was telling her about the grip of the kunai she also marvelled at the opaque monotone voice that sounded out from in front of her.

"Come at me. Only this time," She could feel the smirk in his voice and some dormant part of her mind squirmed at it's sound "no weapons"

Slowly, unhurriedly, one could even say luxuriously, she pocketed her kunai and with a silent charge-

Her training began once again.