Chapter 13 – Not Going To Be Easy

"Jiraiya, what is with all this racket?"

And as a blonde left the cabin, a blonde who looked so very beautiful to Sakura, she felt all breath leave her. This was Tsunade. It didn't even need to be clarified for her. She could tell just by the woman's aura (Itachi's memories helped, too). This woman was powerful, she could tell already. There was just something about her that screamed everyone else was beneath her, that she would have no regrets and nothing would hold her back from putting somebody in their place.

"Tsunade–sama," Sakura breathed before taking a step forward boldly, surprising them all with her sudden confidence. "I have a favour to ask of you. Please make me your apprentice!"

The woman paused – they all did, really. Nobody had been expecting Sakura to just blurt it out as she had, not even Itachi. However, she refused to show her nervousness and instead stood tall, fists clenching by her sides as she took even breaths. This was it. If Tsunade said no, then she would have to find some way of persuading the woman into saying yes. She had to make it known that she was serious about the training. This meant so much to her.

Instead of answering, Tsunade tilted her head to the side, blonde hair swaying gently in the soft breeze that brushed through the clearing. If they weren't surprised by Sakura's bluntness, then they were by the fact Tsunade didn't even seem to think long about it. All she did was assess Sakura's eyes before a small smile pulled at her lips.

"First things first: what is your name?"

Damn it, she had forgotten to introduce herself! Deep breaths. She couldn't show how scared she was of being told 'no'. "My name is Haruno Sakura."

The smirk slipped away from Tsunade's lips. "Haruno Sakura! I can sense through my connection with Itachi, that you also share a connection with him. Is that correct?"

She frowned softly. "It is, but I don't want you to see me as just his mate. I want to be seen as my own person."

And the smirk was back on the blonde's lips, her honey brown eyes seeming to grow distant, like she was recalling a fond memory. Her expression was serious once more not even a moment later. "Your eyes tell me that you're intelligent, that you have a medic's heart. Years of this life can also show me that you have great potential."

Her breath caught and through their bond, Itachi could feel hope flaring largely within her. Despite how she was feeling, however, there was a determined expression on her face, one that was screaming that she wanted to be taken seriously. He was not offended by the fact she didn't want to be seen as his mate. Haruno Sakura was her own person and there was not a chance in hell that he would allow her to live in his shadow.

"Very well." Tsunade smiled.

Nobody had seen Sakura smile so brightly.

"In return, know that I will be strict."

Sakura nodded once, straightening up. "Yes, Tsunade–sama!"

By the blonde's side, Jiraiya smirked and folded his arms over his chest, leaning back against the doorway. It surprised Sakura only vaguely that Naruto was standing by his side instead of with them, but his grin was so large that it took away any confusion she had felt. Behind her, the Sabaku clan glanced at one another, Temari smirking proudly whilst Kankuro huffed with amusement. Had anyone really doubted Tsunade's response?

Itachi couldn't help but feel proud of his mate and stood beside him, Sasuke watched Sakura's back, watched how tall she held herself and the fact he could feel her happiness in the air around them.

Watching the girl for a moment, Tsunade nodded once. "We will begin tomorrow. You're still young by the looks of things, so go find yourself a room and rest up."

It took a lot to hide the fact Sakura was almost trembling with excitement. "Thank you." She glanced over her shoulder. "Itachi?"

He nodded once, following after her, although paused when he reached Tsunade and Jiraiya. "There are a few things we must discuss later on tonight."

A single blonde eyebrow raised and an unimpressed look was on Tsunade's face. "That we do."

It was late at night when Itachi finally approached Tsunade and Jiraiya, Sasuke close behind him along with Naruto and the Sabaku clan. Itachi felt horrible for keeping Sakura (who was currently sleeping and resting up for tomorrow) out of the fast approaching discussion, but he refused to have her be a part of it. He refused to have her mixed up with Orochimaru and his vile head games. No, Sakura was to remain pure and untainted. She would not be troubled by their problems.

"Uchiha Itachi." Tsunade sighed, sitting back in her seat and casually throwing an arm over the back of it. "Well, everyone take a seat. It seems we must go over a few rules."

They did so without a word, all watching Tsunade blankly save for Naruto, who had never felt so relieved to see both Tsunade and Jiraiya before. Just as the blonde opened her mouth, he cut her off. "Where's Shizune–nee–chan, Baa–chan?"

The woman shook her head with a light scoff, though there was a warmth in her eyes. "She finally fell in love."

He grinned in response, crossing his legs in his seated position on the hard, wooden floor, and resting his hands on his knees. "Really? Do I know him? What's he like? Is he good to her?"

"Of course he's good to her!" Jiraiya chuckled, his voice rumbling deep within his chest. "Do you really think Tsunade would let him live this long if that wasn't the case?"

Well, when he put it like that…

"Before we begin," Itachi spoke up, his voice low and quiet, "I would like for us all to agree on something."

Like earlier that night, Tsunade raised a fine, blonde eyebrow, seeming unimpressed. "This is about your mate, isn't it?" He nodded once. She waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. I also have a thing or two to say about her." There was a serious expression on her features as she sat up, narrowing her eyes on him. "I told you the risks of turning others into what we are and yet you deliberately disobeyed me, Uchiha. When I turned you, I did so because you had a mere hour to live, if that, and I saw the potential in you. This girl–"

"Was like myself," he answered tonelessly, features just as blank. "Unlike myself, however, instead of an hour, she had a single minute left. I admit to acting without thinking, changing her without knowing, but know now that I do not regret my choice. No matter what you say to me now, I will never regret changing her."

Her eyes narrowed a fraction more. "You are lucky that I believe you, Itachi. As a medic I'm trained to see what's been fixed – being a vampire does not excuse her from this. Not only as a medic, but also because of my gift, I can see the horrors of what happened to that girl. Just one look at her eyes can show me that and I truly hope that I don't come into physical contact with her, because I sure as hell do not need more haunting memories stored away up here." She tapped the side of her head harshly, eyes hard. "Taking Haruno Sakura on as my apprentice, however, means that at some point, I will have to come into physical contact with her. You will explain to her exactly what my gift is and make damn sure she knows that she will not be able to hide anything from me. Understand?"

Itachi nodded once. It was not a conversation he was looking forward to. "Understood."

Then, her eyes moved over to Sasuke, who was standing beside his brother's seated position on the small sofa. "And you, Uchiha Sasuke. You want to kill Orochimaru."

Silence for a moment, before he said rather bluntly, "I do."

Something flashed in Jiraiya's eyes, but the man continued to rest in his seat beside Tsunade.

"You might want to try toning down your hatred," Tsunade muttered. "I could sense it miles away, which is how we knew you were coming." Standing up, she sighed and made her way over to him, making Sasuke straighten up. It was without warning and without permission that she placed her hand on his forehead, green chakra glowing around the room. "Good. You've been working on it."

When she had sensed the fragility of Uchiha Sasuke's mind, Tsunade had made her way straight for the boy with Jiraiya and Shizune by her side. It was sentimental and foolish of her but she couldn't help but think of all those she had changed as her children. No, Tsunade would never mention it out loud and she would sure as hell never admit it to anyone, but it was the truth. They were all, in a way, like her children. And the second she sensed Sasuke's distress, despite being on the other side of the planet, Tsunade had dropped everything and tracked down the Uchiha clan.

Frowning, she dropped her hand away after carefully extracting her chakra. "But it won't last much longer, that dam I put in there." In response, the youngest Uchiha shook his head. "There are already leakages, am I right?" He nodded. "Listen to me, Sasuke. In order to overcome this, you have to kill the one who cast it over you. Even Shisui's eyes cannot touch this mess inside your head."

"…I know."

He had already tried to help him. They all had.

"And it has to be you who kills Orochimaru. It can't be Itachi."

"I know."

She nodded once, glancing down at Itachi. "Obviously, you know all of this already. It's why you haven't tracked him down and killed him yourself."

"It is."

Sighing with frustration, Tsunade sat back down in her previous seat, rubbing her aching temples. "This is all so troublesome. Sabaku clan." She instantly had their attention. "Thank you for protecting Naruto for as long as you have. That idiot could start trouble in an empty room."

"Oi!" the blond snarled angrily, jumping to his feet. "Says you, you old hag! You're always getting into fights and–"

Tsunade was immediately yanking him down to her level, apparently not seeing him as much of a threat to actually stand up. "What was that?" she asked slowly, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Did you just call me an old hag?"

Blue eyes went wide.

"Tsunade." Jiraiya sighed, grabbing her hand. "Don't hurt the kid – he's overexcited about being back with us, obviously."

Raising an eyebrow, her eyes never left Naruto's. "Well? Is that the case?"

Even though his pride was screaming at him to disagree, Naruto quickly nodded his head. Man, Tsunade was even scarier than Sakura and for the past few months, he hadn't even thought that such a thing was possible.

There was a reason why all vampires were so obedient towards the two sitting on the sofa. There was also a reason as to why the two had almost every hunter on their backs. Why? To put it plainly, they were pretty much the creators of vampires. Sounded a little impossible, but they were more or less the original vampires. They'd been around for so long that even they had difficulty keeping track of time. Tsunade and Jiraiya held such dangerous knowledge, such powerful jutsu and techniques, that it made them terrifying despite their appearances.

All vampires, even if they wouldn't outwardly admit it, respected and feared the two of them. And, in a way, the two were connected to every vampire that was currently living. For example, since Tsunade had changed him, and he had gone on to change Sakura, she was also somewhat distantly connected to Sakura. Just like if Naruto was ever to change anyone, Jiraiya would be somewhat distantly connected to them.

It was why they had so many targets on their backs, why it was close to impossible for anyone who wasn't directly changed by them, to track them both.

It was said that, centuries and centuries – possibly even millennia – ago, there had been a team of three. Back then it hadn't been too strange to come across warriors who were capable of wielding their chakra and using it for every day tasks, or especially for battle. Over time, people had forgotten how to summon their chakra, how to use it to their advantage.

Anyway, there had been a team of three, a very powerful team who were known as the 'Legendary Sannin'. They were greatly respected by thousands! One day, however, the third member of their team turned against them when they figured out he was involved in dark magic, the stuff that instantly handed you a one–way ticket straight to the deepest pits of hell, should you even consider practising the stuff.

Probably wasn't too difficult trying to figure out who the traitor was.

After a fierce battle, it was said that the two teammates had left the battlefield, just barely clinging onto what little was left of their lives. That was the part where the story became uncertain, however. Like with all beliefs and religions, the beginning of vampires was shaky. It was no different to the argument of how the universe started. Was it the big bang, or was there really a God out there? There was no way of truly knowing.

Since then the two had vowed to try and defeat their teammate and over the centuries – or millennia – it had resulted in many fierce battles that would have left any weaker man dead. And over time, the female member of the team taught herself how to heal with chakra, how to boost her reserves so she could heal thousands at a time, saving those who got caught in the battles.

And now here the two members of that team sat.

Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"Tsunade–sama," Itachi called when she effortlessly threw the blond male to the ground with a snarl. "Please do not go easy on Sakura."

"I have no intention of doing so."

Good. She wouldn't appreciate it in the least and he wanted her to achieve all the goals she had set for herself and more.

"I'm going to question her tomorrow, but tell me, Uchiha. Has she healed anybody?"

"Before being changed, Sakura was training to become a doctor and despite her age, was already allowed to work in hospitals, due to her intelligence – although obviously not allowed to participate in surgeries," he recalled his mate's previous words. "Since being changed and discovering how to use her chakra, Sakura has gone on to healing two different people with it already, after coming across Nohara Rin."

Jiraiya's features became blank as many eyes shot to his accusingly. He would not explain his actions or silence to them and since Tsunade raised an eyebrow at Itachi, pushing him to continue, it seemed she wouldn't make him, either. No doubt he'd have to explain everything to the blonde later that evening, though. She was the only one who could drag answers out of him.

"Her chakra control is as close to flawless as I have ever seen," he told her and whilst they couldn't be sure, they could have sworn that there was pride in Itachi's voice. "Also, Sakura is a quick learner. Everything Rin–san had to teach her in the basics of medical–ninjutsu, was learned in a matter of weeks."

Leaning forward, seeming more and more intrigued by the moment, Tsunade asked, "Has she ever tasted human blood?"

This time, it was obvious he was feeling proud of Sakura, for Itachi smirked. "Not a single drop has passed her lips. Her restraint is like her chakra control."

"Remarkable," Jiraiya complimented, truly amazed. "And you say she's healed people, too?"

"Yes. While one of them was of our kind, the most recent to be healed, was not. She managed to resist the temptation and instead saved his life."

"I have to admit, I'm intrigued," she murmured in return, eyes shining. "It's been so long since I've seen an innocence such as hers. It's as though it… lures you in."

Naruto snorted, already knowing that, while the others all inwardly agreed. Something about Sakura definitely lured people in – nobody was an exception. Either it was in a romantic way, or a friendly way, you were going to be lured in. Itachi just so happened to be the one who fell the hardest, who was lured in with an iron tight hold that he had no desires to break.

"I believe we have a miniature Tsunade growing." Jiraiya smirked.

However, instead of agreeing, Tsunade shook her head, blonde hair moving with her. "No. You're wrong," her voice was still a thoughtful murmur, eyebrows knitting together and completing the look. "I don't want Haruno Sakura to become a miniature version of myself."

The next five words that left her lips, left them all breathless and stunned.

"She's going to surpass me."

"Show me everything you have."

Sakura hesitated for a moment, intimidated by the blonde's powerful aura. "You mean weapons?"

She waved dismissively, placing one of her hands on her shapely hip. "Sure, those too. Come at me with the intent to kill."

Once more, Sakura hesitated. This was a joke, right? Some kind of test? Surely Tsunade didn't expect her to actually attack her with the intent of killing her? It was… wrong! Tsunade had never wronged her, had never given her any reason to attack her. Then again, this was training. How was she supposed to learn if she couldn't even throw a punch?

Reaching to the pouch Sasuke had given her, Sakura took out a kunai. It was a spare pouch that had belonged to him and was filled with kunai, shuriken and explosive tags. The thought of having such destructive power in just a small, beige pouch resting on her hip, was terrifying.

The others were all sitting on branches or under the shade of trees, watching the first sparring session of many with such intensity, that it made her incredibly nervous. It was like they were all – yes, even Itachi – expecting high results out of her. Why would they–

Tsunade was charging towards her without warning, making Sakura tense up further.

"The ability to dodge the enemy's attack is the most important thing for a medic who is in battle," Tsunade yelled as she ran. "Medics must never be hit by the enemy!"

Sakura could barely register a word.

And then suddenly, Tsunade was disappearing, making her eyes go wide until a shadow began to grow larger and larger over her. The sight that greeted her when she looked up was petrifying to say the least, considering all she'd been told about Tsunade's monstrous strength. The woman was coming down on her with one leg raised high into the air, ready to be slammed down on top of her head. Behind Tsunade, the sun shone brightly, threatening to blind her if she looked into it for too long, but how could she not when she had to watch all of the blonde's movements? If she took her eyes off her for even a second, then it could be disastrous.

Sakura leapt backwards just in time, eyes widening in horror as the clearing shook, as the ground gave way beneath Tsunade's foot like it was absolutely nothing. It crumbled beneath the older woman, but she didn't spare it a second glance and instead pushed off an unbroken piece of ground, darting towards Sakura once more with her fist drawing backwards.

She followed her instincts and squeezed her eyes shut, arms weakly raising and shielding her face.

"Don't close your eyes!" the blonde all but screamed at her, but her voice was too angry and low to sound like an actual scream – more like a growl, when Sakura thought about it.

The second Sakura touched down onto the ground, she literally felt her stomach caving in where Tsunade struck her and for a moment, all she could see were stars. No, not even stars. It was just pure white with a high pitched sound screaming in her ears. Smashing backwards into a tree couldn't capture her attention and having it break in half couldn't capture her attention, either. All Sakura could feel was the agonising feeling of her stomach, the pain only seeming to impossibly increase at the sight of it.

Sakura fell forward without moving, too in shock at such rough treatment and unable to breathe or so much as blink, due to the spasms of pain.

Somebody was by her side in an instant.

"Tsunade–baa–chan, you're being unfair! Sakura–chan's not used–"

"Stay out of this, Naruto," the woman snarled at him, pushing him away from Sakura as she stood before the girl. Reluctantly, Naruto backed down, glaring over at Itachi when he made no move to help his supposed mate. "Why the hell would you close your eyes when the enemy's right in front of you?" Tsunade demanded angrily.

Weakly, Sakura tried her best to stand, body trembling with the effort.

It took her a few minutes, but eventually, she was standing.

It didn't matter to Sakura that she was clutching her stomach tightly, didn't matter that her body was still shaking or that she wanted nothing more than to give in, that the others were watching in stunned horror.

She had to do this.

Once more, despite her agony being obvious, Sakura narrowed her eyes, her features setting into stubborn determination. "Instinct," she retorted, surprising them by making the hand seals she'd seen on Rin's scroll and healing herself. "Despite training with others and despite my past, I'm not used to such treatment."

The blonde nodded once, glad to know that Sakura knew where she went wrong and understood that it had to change. That wasn't even mentioning the short healing session she just gave herself, which surprised her. "I told you that I would be strict and I will not go easy on you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Tsunade–sama." Now that the pain was easing, Sakura stood up straighter. "Can we try again?"

She smirked in approval.

And like the first time, Tsunade attacked without warning, but Sakura forced herself to keep focused and not listen to the human instincts that lingered in her mind. Instead she dodged every attack she could, understanding that this was a training session in dodging, and not fighting back.

Leaning backwards, Sakura watched as the fist went flying over her head and a second later, she caught it, using all the strength within herself to launch Tsunade across the clearing and put some space between them.

It was slowly that the older woman crept closer to her, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

She found it.

But just as her fist began to glow blue with chakra, just as her foot created a small crater in the ground, Sakura reached into her pouch for another kunai to try and distract the woman with, only for her hand to brush along a scroll.

Obito's gift.

Yanking it out of her pouch, Sakura risked a glance at it and quickly made the 'release' seal he had taught her before leaving. And in place of the scroll was something that had all Uchiha as well as Tsunade and Jiraiya, halting, had them tensing.

Tsunade came to an abrupt stop at the sight of Sakura wielding a wide fan, one with three tomoe on it. They all knew who it had previously belonged to and it sent ice cold shivers up their spines. Following the bandaged handle Sakura was holding tightly, determinedly, their eyes lingered on the brown border around the hourglass shaped fan, on the red tomoe, on the chain that was attached to the handle, though the other side fell uselessly to the ground, considering Sakura had not connected it to anything.

"Obito's story wasn't lies," Sasuke breathed.

Itachi appeared by Sakura's side in a second, startling her as he held his hands out for the fan. Frowning in confusion she handed it over, watching him assess it with hard eyes.

"Itachi?"

"Where did you get that?" Tsunade demanded, looking at the fan with a mixture of disgust and fear. "How the hell did you get that?"

"I…"

"It was a gift," Itachi told her, eyes flashing in warning as he sensed Sakura's distress, as he sensed the suffocating feeling washing over her. "Uchiha Obito gave it to her."

"And how did Uchiha Obito get a hold of it?"

Sakura glanced between the two with wide eyes. What had she done wrong? Obito had told her to use the weapon during training… So she had.

"He came across Uchiha Madara, but Madara is dead now," said Itachi seriously. "If you wish to know the full story, you will have to speak with Obito–"

"To hell I will," she snarled, hand lashing out and grabbing Itachi's.

And in that moment, Sakura saw red.

It just couldn't be helped.

Her foot smashed into the ground before she whirled around in a jump, going onto kicking Tsunade in the stomach so she was thrown away from them. The blonde was speechless, they all were, but Sakura refused to back down as she breathed heavily, glaring at Tsunade as she forced herself to come to a stop, feet digging harshly into the ground.

"You–"

"Don't touch him!" she yelled angrily, fists clenching. "You touched him and… and I felt you through our connection and…" Sakura shook her head, pink hair lashing around her face at the sharp movement. "Our bond is private – not something for you to just intrude on like that!"

Itachi was stunned to say the least. Never – and he seriously meant never – had anyone, including Sakura, gotten so possessive and territorial over him before. It was… a new experience, to say the least. So many different reactions were warring away inside of him, making it hard to think clearly. A part of him wanted to hold Sakura back, to tell her that it wasn't like that and it was merely Tsunade's gift (which he had yet to talk to her about). Another part of him wanted to watch her continue to act in such a way, as it was so very mesmerising and impressive (what with her going up against Tsunade and making it known that they were mates). Finally, a different part of him wanted to show Sakura that he was hers, that their bond was private and Tsunade meant nothing. He wanted to drag her into the cabin and do things he shouldn't even be thinking about at a time like this.

The blonde raised her hands, eyes hard yet understanding. "Clearly there's been a misunderstanding."

Fiery green eyes narrowed dangerously, her upper lip curling.

"You're still young, Sakura. Believe me when I say: I know that those feelings are tearing you up inside, making you think illogically. However, what Itachi has failed to tell you is that I have a gift. Like the Uchiha have their Sharingan, I have the gift of seeing everything in somebody's mind with just one touch. Sometimes, I don't even have to touch them – I can see it in their eyes."

The eyes were the window to a person's soul.

"I understand that Itachi was the one who changed you and not only that, but he is also your mate. You are bound to feel possessive of him and your bond." Honey brown eyes narrowed and as they did, everyone tensed. "However, that kick was a one–off. If you ever attack me like that again outside of training, I will not hold back while I put you down. Is that understood?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed.

Slowly, her clenched fists relaxed and Sakura straightened up, forcing herself to be calm despite the white hot anger pulsing around her body. "Yes, Tsunade–sama."

Edited on: 02/09/2016