A/N: There's a review and a follow and for some odd reason, it made me happy that someone has done something like that. Thank you very much. Anyways, to an avid fan, the last word will make you think of another anime.

Sakura-Fairy-Tail: You are the first and only reviewer but somehow, it made me happy that even though I'm not accustomed to the Naruto world, my effort is still appreciated. Thank you very much. And don't worry, I think I've decided who I'll pair with who. :D

Chapter 3

Sakura Haruno was an intelligent girl but a troubled one and it doesn't refer to her split personality disorder.

The sun was already high up in Konoha sky and the verdant ambiance of the surrounding spring did nothing to ease her growing anxiety since being discharged from the hospital. She rounder a corner, found a grassy clearing and sat by the shade of large tree. She wanted to calm down but the words really tugged at her, not to mention degrading for a Chuunin like her, who by the way was one of the heroes in the last war. She could feel the unrest, the irritation and the blood boiling.

How could she not? It started a while ago…

It took quite a while for Sakura to finally register everything that happened in the course of minutes and realized how uncharacteristic everything happened.

One, she called Ino the Pig, Ino-chan, which promptly earned her a hard-earned slap across her face, which, by the way, hurts like hell.

Two, she was a highly regarded medic, second to her Master Tsunade, but why the hell was she in the hospital bed? Has her idea of vacation shifted to sleeping with a dextrose attached to her?

And three, there were people watching her.

"What?" She asked, squirming under their gazes. She was not used to this kind of attention. Normally, she was to one donning those look to her patients. God, so this was what it felt like when you were the one under a stare. She felt like a guinea pig. And so, from this day forward, for better or for worse, she vowed that never, ever will she put her patient under such an intense gaze. "Ino-chan, what's happening?" She turned towards her friend.

A soft surprised look momentarily flashed across Ino's face before she shook her head and leaned towards Naruto, who was happily and contentedly munching a noodle. "Naruto, answer me truthfully. Did she hit her head?"

Naruto looked straight in the platinum blonde's and shook his head as if saying a definitive 'no'. Sakura sighed in relief. Thank the heavens she didn't hit her head, have a concussion, then die. She still has yet to find the man of her dreams.

"What's wrong?" Sakura questioned. Just what the hell was wrong with these people? And their faces! Did somebody…you know…die? Wait, was she the one who died? Panic rose to her throat at the thought that, after all, she was as good as dead. But then again, she was here and not in some high heavens of burning hell. She was still alive. Yeah, that must be it. She opened her mouth to complain about their relative silence but before she could so much as to utter a single word, Kakashi beat her to it.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Kakashi leaned in to check her. And in that close proximity, Sakura realized how much old he has gotten. His age was quickly catching up to him and despite his natural handsomeness. Sakura, with her fine medical eyes, could see the growing wrinkles and crow's feet in the minimal exposed skin oh her teacher's face. Truly, the work of a Hokage was an aging factor. Somehow, she worried about Naruto's way of dreaming and perception of a Hokage.

"No." She answered after a moment, checking her system with her chakra if any of her prized possession called organs were still intact and in tiptop shape. Well, there certainly was a small lump on the back of her head but other than that—which can be quickly healed—nothing came up.

"Then why are you calling Ino, Ino-chan?" Shikamaru, with all of his boredom, quipped. He crossed his arms as he walked towards her, staring at her with a scrutinizing gaze. Oh, great! Now, he's suspecting her for being an impostor.

One.

Two.

Three.

It took her three full seconds to finally register that question in her mind and, oh, shit! It felt like being slapped all over again, only this time, it was across the other cheek and hurts more than the physical blow she received from her very own, Yamanaka Ino. What the hell was she even thinking of calling her that? Yes, they have reconciled long ago but never—she meant that in any possible meaning of the word—again did she so brave the stupidity to actually mutter again those words. But hey, she's stuck in this situation, might as well go through with it. Come on, they'll be nakama and giggle buddies again.

"Oh…that…" With all of her supposed-to-be nakama resolve, that was all she mustered? How pathetic of her. And she's said to be equal in intellect with this Nara pineapple. Brushing that thought away, she asked something simpler. "Anyway…if I'm here, then where are my parents?"Although, that 'simpler' began to creep to her that she widened her eyes in horror. What if they were panicking that she's been holed up in the hospital this whole time, unconscious? What if…

"They don't know." Her master, Tsunade finalized. If that was the former Hokage's tone was like that, then it was the time to get down to business. Oh, Sakura could just conclude the next thing that her master would say. She will definitely discuss her medical reports regarding how and why she had just fainted right in the middle of the day. The Godaime recomposed herself, adjusted her clothing, exhale a rather large breathe of air and looked directly at her. "Your life is in danger."

Wait. What? What did just her Master just said? That wasn't what Sakura expected. She could feel a smile was on its way on her shishou's lips. Okay, enough of the joke. She mustered a chuckle. Seriously, sannins, despite their fearsome reputation, really have fun-loving personalities. Jiraiya—may his soul rest in peace—was a pervert. Orochimaru was a weirdo and her Master? Who knew the feared combat medic nin and princess has a sense of humor? She looked again at her shishou to see that the prank was already busted and the acting should stop. But Sakura's smile faded when she saw that Lady Tsunade's face was set in a stern expression. Uh, oh.

"The Strength of a Hundred Seal…" Tsunade started in grave voice. Sakura's hand instantly flew towards her forehead. "…I commend you because you've quickly mastered it just before activating it but…" Her voice broke in the last word. Struggling, she continued her statement. "…doing so, without even having letting the body to adjust to the surge of the massive chakra, the cells will eventually…the cells will eventually…the cells will…"

"…start to break down." Kakashi finished for her, seeing as the former Hokage was on the verge of breaking down herself. "And the body will start to weaken."

Now that they've all mentioned it, everything was true. She did launched a huge attack against the clones just as the seal appeared on her forehead, she summoned Katsuyu along with Sasuke and Naruto, she had healed a massive network of the allied forces, she even shared some of her chakra to Obito. Apart from that, and most especially, she had sustained injuries that otherwise would kill her if it's not for the effects of Creation Rebirth. By the releasing vast reserves of chakra all at once, she forced her own body's cell division to reconstruct all damaged tissues and organs, hastening the process of producing cells through division. It was a form of immortality. However, it all comes with a price. A cell can only divide a finite number of times and by speeding the division, she's basically shortening her own life. She knew this and she still did it. All to protect her loved ones. All to repay Naruto's kindness.

"That being said…" Shikamaru cut her from her stupor. Sakura looked up to see them gazing at her, Naruto eyeing her with something akin to worry and his mouth started to open to protest. She shook her head no. "You are now extricated of your status as a ninja."

"What?!" Sakura suddenly stood, facing the pineapple head bastard with the hardest glare she could muster. He flinched and shifted in his position. Good, that got him. She stabbed a finger at his vest and proclaimed. "I've worked years to get me where I am now and I am not letting anything or anyone to just take it all away, ya' hear me?"

Someone chuckled. She turned her glare to whoever was the source of that grating noise. It was her former lazy teacher. Noticing that he was the only one having a laughing fit in the silence of room, Kakashi halted and winced at the look his former student was giving him. Seriously, he's the teacher but sometimes, really, sometimes, Sakura scared him more than the Dobe and Teme combined. He composed himself to avoid her daunting glare and cleared his throat. "I figured as much."

The look in Sakura's eyes finally softened a fraction and was replaced was by confusion. She opened her mouth to speak but Shikamaru interrupted. "After last night's attack on you, we'll make a deal."

"A deal." Sakura repeated, suddenly feeling stupid.

"Troublesome. Last night's attack was not just any coincidence. After the war, Konoha's force dwindled and now, after a year, we are still recovering. I won't be surprised that the same thing will be repeated again. It could be an attack from the other countries but we can't bare our fangs now, would we?" Shikamaru drawled lazily. "So the deal is, if you want to live, which I have a feeling you do, you will not use taijutsu and medical jutsu."

"But I want to fight!" Sakura reiterated, her voice rising again in irritation. How could she fight? And what's the deal if there's not actually beneficial for her in this compromise. This was a silly joke.

"Calm down, Sakura. It is only for a year to give your body ample time to adjust. Medical ninjutsu requires the double effort of casting a normal jutsu since it actually shares a part of your chakra to others. Taijutsu, on the other hand, uses you body and we don't want damage now, would we?" Tsunade, now calm and collected, chided her.

"Then how can I fight?!" Sakura questioned.

"Sakura, it's time to resume your training." Kakashi intervened, smiling behind his mask.

"Training?" Naruto suddenly quipped from the sidelines, his ramen long gone in the trash bin.

"Yes. Training in Genjutsu. She had already mastered the basics in dispelling one so I have confidence that she'll be able to create one." The current Hokage answered.

"But why?" The blonde boy fired back.

"Sakura has a natural affinity for creating illusion techniques right from the start and from what I've seen years ago in your Chuunin exam and Ino's stories, there's something inside her that was capable of repelling any mind-based jutsu, sort of like an instant defense mechanism." Kakashi finalized. God, he wanted to get this over with. There's still too many things he has yet to do in the office.

"Doesn't that still use chakra?" Ino asked.

"True. But it is still minimal than that of healing and punching boulders and combined with Sakura's excellent chakra control, she'll use it to its maximum efficiency without wasting any chakra." The silver-haired man answered.

"I'm sorry that you won't be able to fight like before but this is the only option you have if you still want to continue fighting." Tsunade coaxed from beside her.

"I'll do it." Without hesitation, Sakura answered. If this was the only way, then so be it. Besides, it's only for a year and this training could prove beneficial in the days to come.

"Then I guess you'll be a Hokage apprentice a second time around." Kakashi replied with a small smile.

So, here she was, sitting and contemplating how could she cast a genjutsu when Kakashi-sensei was busy being a Hokage and Kurenai-sensei was busy being a mother. She couldn't even bring herself to interrupt those two from their own duties. True, Kakashi-sensei said that he will teach her how to cast one but still, she can't be that thick-faced and parade at the office and demand for a session. He has a village to rebuild. And Sasuke—the only other person she knew who could create one—was nowhere to be found. So, as an introduction to this new subject of her ninja life, she borrowed a book about genjutsu and all of its basic know-how. She sighed and took a look from her surroundings. She was in a clearing with three stumps lined side by side in the glade in its center. Ah, this place, the Third Training Ground. After admiring its supposed beauty, she decided that she should definitely start her lessons if she wanted to progress even a little bit. She opened the book.

I.Introduction

Genjutsu is a kind of Yin Release and is one of the three specialties of a ninja along with ninjutsu and taijutsu. Much like the former, it requires the use of chakra and hand seals. However, unlike the two mentioned, instead of attacking the victim's body, it manipulates the flow of chakra in the victim's brain, thereby disrupting their senses.

Sakura sighed. She already knew this from the academy, so she just skipped a few more pages to find the way to properly cast it.

II.Application

One of the most frequent uses of genjutsu is the creation of false images or the invoking of trauma upon the victim since the body believes that the pain is real. It can also be used to manipulate others, similar on how brainwashing works by feeding the victim suggestions. Interrogation is also one of the things that can be made by breaking one's will

Genjutsu is created when a ninja controls the chakra flow of the victim's cerebral system, thereby affecting their five senses. This is done by entering one's system through the five senses: a flicker of light seen by the victim, a simple touch to one's skin, a bell's tingling sound, a taste of food or the smell of a perfume. However, one must infuse their chakra in one of these to enter the nervous system. From then on, the user will be capable of controlling the victim's mind. On the other hand, the use of genjutsu requires skill that is to say, very precise chakra control and high amount of intelligence.

'So, that's it? I just have to make someone sense a chakra-infused something to enter their nervous system?' She thought, suddenly disbelieving at the fact that most genjutsu made a fool out of her. And to think that she even knew how to dispel one! Anyways, if she remembered correctly, Kakashi-sensei taught them back when they were still in genin how to cast a simple genjutsu. It was just a black room, nothing too flashy. So now, in theory, she could make her opponents see or feel what she wanted them to.

"Yo! Sakura-san, what are you doing here?" Sakura looked up to see Tenten and Lee looking down at here with a combination of amused and confused expression.

"Oh, nothing. I was just reading a book." She replied, smiling and closing her book. She stood up and dusted her clothes. "So, what brought you two here?"

"Oh, nothing." Tenten tucked her hair in her ear and looked away. Sakura was surprised by the random action that she can't help but squint her eyes in curiosity. Wait. What's that? Was that what she thought it was? There, there, plastered in the face of the woman before her, was a faint tinge of pink. A blush. No wonder Lee didn't greet Sakura with the overly poetic introduction about spring, beauty and yonder. Konoha's Beautiful Green Wild Beast has finally found himself a girl. Oh, Neji in heaven would have had fits if he was in the clouds above. "Just training."

In that instant, something struck Sakura. Oh, yeah, right. Training. She still has yet to try casting illusions. And there's already two people here who she could try giving one. Such luck that the forces of nature have bestowed upon her. When she saw them already in the middle of the clearing and taking their stance, she stopped herself. Maybe she could ask them later.

To say that the training regimen of Team Gai was gruesome was absolutely an understatement—and Sakura pretty much knew what gruesome meant—it was beyond that. Her mouth hang wide open as she watched the two clashed with each other in perfect synchrony. And the passion…God, she was almost jealous that Rock Lee of all people managed to advance in the love department where she was left in the dust. Come on, even Lee has someone to love. There were punches, bunch of shurikens, kunais and senbons fired at the utmost angles and there were some that flew towards her in a deadly speed—thank God for the evasive skill Tsunade-shishou taught her—and the shouts of lotus this, lotus that. But above all those supposed to be bloodbath sight, Sakura envied the look each other gave to one another. Never in her entire life thought that, 'Man, Tenten was such a lucky girl,' or 'Whoever Lee loves was such a lucky girl,' but she did. She honestly did thought of those things a while ago that she forgot that she has to create her own genjutsu.

Come to think of it, maybe she has something that she can learn from the both of her friends. Maybe she can find something she can call hers like Rasengan to Naruto, Chidori to Sasuke. Try as she might deny that fact, it still got to her that she was still left staring at their backs even though she fought and studied so hard. Wait, Rasengan and Chidori wasn't even a type of genjutsu…

But then again…she was specifically forbidden to use healing and taijutsu. Ninjutsu wasn't in the equation. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Smart, Sakura. Casting genjutsu and ninjutsu requires the same amount of chakra. Healing was the only exception because it gives chakra at the cost of chakra, thereby quickly draining the medic of their reserves.

She took a gaze towards the two fighting figure. Lotus was Lee's signature word, a flower. Flower identifies with spring. Today was spring and today, she found out that she was to learn new techniques. Her name was a flower. A senbon dashed towards her and pinned itself with the tree behind her. It shook a little and she looked up to see that a cherry blossom has fallen. She smiled slightly.

Senbonzakura.