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Cliché was the word of the day.
And as we all know, overuse and lack of originality was what best defined it. Just as cliché as it would sound when I would say that here I am with another writer's block, or more importantly there they are holding a meeting regarding the unforseen event that had taken place. And there was the Hokage, who ever was so dignified in his coat at the far end of the long table, utterly denying that he saw Naruto's ambushed and should he had, his assigned ANBU would have interfered, only to realize that one platoon had been easily taken down with a lone survivor that relayed the tragic information.
The ANBU then explains how they were sucked into a trance, with only him managing to break through it. When they all asked how, his answer only seemed to shroud them with a melancholiac mist.
"It must be the works of a Sharingan"
"How can you defend that?" queried Tsuande who sat on the Hokage's left.
The ANBU removed his mask, revealing his very own on his left. "Does that answer you, Tsunade-san?"
"Could it be Itachi?" suggested Anko, it might make sense since the Uchiha holocaust had been as fresh as only eleven months ago.
A solemn silence dawned on them. The Hokage took a long thoughtful drag before smoke billowed around him, "Hatake-san, what do you suppose we should do then?"
"If I may suggest, we must first try to solve how they managed to enter our walls, second, we must try to track down those intruders, and lastly, we learn of their motives before taking the next move."
"And the children," added the Hokage, "we must call on the attention of all our ninjas within our village to look after them inquestionably so"
Time flew unnoticeably quick as they've managed to reach out to Jiraiya through Tsunade to track those men and study them. Since then, he barely returned home back to Konoha as the Hermit took on the dire mission.
And Naruto?
Well of course it was such a traumatic experience to have gone through it all alone. Which was why Sakura's Sundays had been intended to remain free from any schedule as arranged by the Hokage. This was only to nurture the bonds between the two and observe if their tandem might help improve each others progress, but most importantly, to observe if spending time with Naruto might possibly spark a part of her memory.
After all, they all must know what her plans were.
When Sakura woke three days later, she spent two days with Tsunade explaining as much as she could regarding the encounter that took place and resting all the while, before the third day required her to return back to her training. Weeks of alternate training came from Kurenai, Gai and Anko until three months passed where she was finally put on probation on whether or not she has graduated from their tutelage. She was given a month to rest and strategize her way into achieving her independence from her mentors, and she was very much eager to apply what they have inculcated into her.
So there she was in the Sarutobi's training grounds, darting here and there with weights strapped on to her ankles, waist and wrists as she threw a projectile of weapons onto trees blindfoldedly. She danced in and out of the freshly cut lawn and back to the semi-forest until the sun rode high into the sky parching her dry mouth.
She plopped onto the ground with her back flat against the cool grass, yanked her blindfold off and squinted her eyes at the blinding sun, which she then discovered was a very difficult adjustment since darkness blanketed her vision throughout her training. The cool wind brushed the heat away from her skin as she took her time drawing in deep long adjusting to the harsh brightness.
If it weren't for her acute sensitivity to one's chakra signature, she would have punched the bouncing blonde boy who randomly blocked her sun and grinned toothily down at her.
"Hey Naruto," smiled a tired six year old
"Sakura-chan, that was so awesome!" praised the boy, "wanna play ninja and see my awesome cool moves?"
She laughed mirthfully at his suggestion, "why not?"
"Great! Let's go!" he began reaching for her wrist before he strained as he struggled to even lift her hand.
"These are really heavy Sakura-chan," mused Naruto as he squatted closer, poking the black bulky pouch that hugged her tiny wrist.
"Hm?" Sakura looked at where he held her, "oh this, yeah, they are quite heavy."
"Can I try them on?" grinned the energetic boy as he fumbled around for the strap.
"I have some lighter ones that might-"
"Got it!" exclaimed the victorious boy who managed to undo her weights.
"You sure did, Naruto" she lifted a tired smile as she watched him drag her weights across the dirt in his feeble attempt to run with it. But as far as his puny muscles went, his progress was merely six inches away from her.
The pinkette propped herself up with her elbows and watched him fascinatingly, "As I was saying Naruto, I have lighter ones that might suit you well"
The stubborn boy shook his head, "I want to become just as strong as you are. Stronger, even. And when I do, I'll instantly be the next Hokage!"
She furrowed her brows the moment déjà vu seemed to cloud her thoughts as she watched the determined young boy struggling, constantly leaning back forty-five degrees from the ground. His heels dug the ground only to achieve those almost futile attempts to move another inch.
"Do we really need weights to play ninja?" asked Sakura, fighting back an amused smile
"Yeah!" perked the boy, "that way I'll grow muscles!"
With a sigh she lifted herself up and placed her weightless left hand on his shoulder, effectively stopping himself from any danger of breaking his spine or tearing muscle from dragging the hundred pound weight off the ground. "Muscles don't just pop out in one day, Naruto. Come on, I'll give you my lighter ones"
It was amazing how that conversation eventualy led her to give him those mini-training in between the breaks of her own, and she loved the way she managed to help Naruto get a better aim at his targets, form his own string of taijutsu from sparring with her almost daily but still he can't seem to get his Genjutsus right. He would always pour in too much or too less chakra that would easily break his hold when trying to conjure a simple clone.
It wasn't long before her own test came and went, with Kurenai it was quite smooth as Sakura turned the tables by getting Kurenai caught in her own genjutsu.
Fending weapons off with Anko seemed a little difficult, because pain was never out of the question. Her own sensei would actually drive a kunai through the child's stomach had she not used Gai's trained speed to blur out of the way and pin the madwoman down prone to the floor with hands pressed against her back, a readied kunai against her neck. Anko giggled, proud of her product while an angry Tsunade constantly admonished her colleague as she healed both hers and Sakura's deep wounds, all of which were a few centimeters from vital organs.
Because of the obsolete spar, they had to delay Sakura's appointment with Gai until tomorrow.
Sakura was surprised to see Naruto among her audience, which she only expected to have the Sarutobis, Tsunade, and her other mentors.
"That was so awesome!" was what Naruto would gleefully chant around Sakura over and over. Though flattered, her little six-year-old self felt guilty for having Naruto witness what she was capable of. She didn't want to brag her moves and definitely abhorred the idea of Naruto sensing in their attention deficiency in regards to the young Uzumaki.
After their voracious little get together around the Sarutobis dinner table and all went home for the day, tiny Sakura who was tucked in her own bed waited for Tsunade to enter her quaint room.
And when she did, Sakura lay down all that disturbed her and ended it with a question of, "why don't you guys treat him like the way you do to me? I know I'm just as orphaned as he is"
#
A thrown punch merely brushed through her cheek bone as she flipped a kick before somersaulting away. Flurries of punches and blurred kicks were thrown here and there as they danced in and out of their audience's eyes. Dust picked up where ever they went, giving away the only proof that they'd been there for a second. Until Sakura eventually, yet impossibly, managed to catch up with Gai and land a roundhouse on his flank, the impact sent him forming a crack to the ground as he lay flat, therefore concluding her graduation.
The tiny girl plopped to the ground perpendicular to the green spandexed man, both heaving in fatigue. Suddenly, Gai began crying, which startled the tiny pinkette.
"what's wrong Gai-sensei?" she crawled her way over to him as Tsunade already came and began healing bruises and whatnots.
"Yeah, Gai, can't take the fact that a little girl beat you?" teased the blonde as she healed away a nasty bruise on Sakura's right shin.
"It's not that," began Gai, fighting back tears, "It's just that I'm so proud that my student, burning ever so much with passion has finally bloomed in the midst of her springtime of youth!"
Both girls just shook their heads, with Sakura palming her face.
After Tsunade's healing session, Sakura was surprised that Naruto wasn't there, disappointing her a little, and much to her dismay, so was the Hokage.
#
Chakra wove through Naruto's moist skin as he threaded them out of his tanned forehead in a feeble attempt to glue a fallen leaf to his skin. He scrunched his face concentrating too much, and when he managed to hold the leaf for a little over a few minutes, he let out a proud laugh as he ran to the wisened man, "Hey old man! Look! I did it! I'm doing it!"
When an irked Hokage did turn to look at Naruto's grinning face, the leaf detached itself from Naruto's skin and began dancing its way to the ground. With a long drag, he sighed, "Again"
He watched the boy's face transform from mirthfully proud to infuriatingly exasperated as he began pawing his forehead in search of the glued leaf muttering that it was there and that it was impossible to have fallen.
The Hokage merely shook his head in mild levity and watched the sun crawl its way to its vast throne. Naruto may certainly resemble his father, but he surely got his patience and attitude from his mother. A solemn smile graced his lips as nostalgia emanated.
It wasn't long before a long line of unforgivable curses rolled off his tongue as he began tearing his leaf into pieces like a disgruntled feline.
The Hokage chuckled, musing that this was going to take much much longer than it did for Sakura. It wasn't that he had forgotten his promise to the late Hokage, it just seemed only fitting if Minato's own sensei were to personally train Naruto. However, the hermit hadn't returned yet from his field research. Seeing to it that Sakura's opinion had reached him through Tsunade, it would be rude if they dismissed their Elder's words. Though she may now be in the form of a child, she was still a legendary veteran that walked alongside the First Hokage and helped form Konoha.
"Old man! I said Look!"
Had the Hokage's senses been primitive, he would have attacked a bushy green monster who stood before him with two blue eyes bearing a wolfish grin.
The Hokage did nothing more but laugh his heart out. The boy may be a little rough around the edges, but being the product of Uzushiogakure's famous Uzumaki and Konoha's child prodigy Namikaze, Naruto was a walking vessel of pure potential.
A/N: and there you have it! The sixth chapter! My gawd, i Know how long it had been since my last updateu
But here it is anyways!
In the next chapter, you will eventually see their progress and possibly Team Seven!
May I now hear your opinions as to how this went. I know this chappie seemed a bit rushed, but I eventually had to summarize Sakura's training and show some love to Naruto, so that everything will fall into place in the next chapter:)