A/N: This is the longest one yet. I was told that the first 17 chapters should have been over the period of a few weeks, but the first day was the most important. The next few chapters will have time skips all over. This chapter takes place after school and it is important that I showed it this way for the later chapters. I hope you guys like reading this as much as i enjoy writing and I am sorry it took so long, but it's hard to write with a broken hand...lol. Before I forget, I own nothing, so...yeah.
CH. 18: Skill Assessment and Training Regime
Sakura's bike echoed through the division as she pulled into her driveway. Temari's convertible pulled into the driveway across the street, and Sai just fell from the sky on Sakura's roof. He sat at the peak of the roof and looked down at everyone. When Sakura took off her helmet and got off her bike, she looked up to see him waving at her, a goofy smile on his face.
Shino saw the direction she was looking in and looked up to see his young soon to be lover grinning and waving. Shino chuckled and disappeared, only to reappear right beside the artist. Sai smiled up at him, a blush on his usually pale face.
"Kochou…be careful up here. I do not want you to fall and hurt yourself, even with your skills a freak wind could knock you off. You also make an easy target up here. If The Center sends someone after you they will spot you for sure. Let's go down and be with the others." Sai nodded and stood. He gave Shino a smirk before he did a back flip off the roof, landing perfectly center in the flagstone. Shino chuckled at the youth's antics and disappeared once more.
Everyone went into the house after laughing and joking around outside. Sakura unlocked her door and took Hime out of the pocket of her jacket and put her down. The kitten took off upstairs towards her litter box, or that was what Sakura assumed.
Sakura walked from the garage to the kitchen, passing through her utility room to take off her shoes. Everyone followed suit and gaped at her house. "And you live here alone?" Ino asked from her spot in Kiba's arms. Kiba nuzzled her neck, making her giggle. He reminded her of a dog wanting her attention.
Sakura chuckled until she heard a heavy thump upstairs. She arched a brow and closed her eyes. Her eyes came open again and she had laughter in them. "Seems Hime made a friend at school today too. And she invited her home as well. HIME! Bring your friend down precious!" she yelled up the stairwell. Everyone looked at her, especially Kiba.
"You actually think that little cat can understand you?" he asked, his eyes small dots of black, looking at her like she'd lost her mind. Sakura turned to him with an arched brow.
"Of course she can Inuzuka. I'm the neko jinchuriki. All cats understand me, no matter how wild. How do you think I saved your ass in Africa when that lioness caught you chasing one of her cubs? I merely told her you were a dog and didn't know any better, no offense Akamaru. She was quite willing to overlook the incident if only she could swat you once. That's why you have a big ass claw mark on your thigh. She told me later she was trying to make sure you couldn't pup. I scolded her, but she just laughed." Kiba looked horrified and lowered Ino so that her bottom was covering that part of him.
"That's just evil Sakura-san." Kiba squeaked out looking down at Ino. Ino smiled at him and rubbed her face against his chest. He smiled at her and scowled when he looked up at his boss.
"Kiba, take Ino to the overstuffed couch in the living room. She and I need to talk about the decision her parents made while she was sleeping. The rest of you, go out into the back yard and start warming up. We are going to have a skill assessment before dinner.
All six of Sakura's operatives groaned in protest. "Sakura-chan…do we really have to do it BEFORE dinner?" Choji's stomach growled it's agreement to Choji's complaint. Sakura looked at the energy converter and arched a brow.
"I have leftovers in the fridge Choji. You can eat those to charge your energy stores. But I don't want to cook while you guys are testing the new recruit's skills and if you eat before the rest of the squad will be sick before the assessment is done." She held her finger up like she was explaining this to a child. Everyone nodded in understanding and headed outside.
Except for Naruto. "I'm hungry too Sakura-chan. I can't fight on an empty stomach and that Elemental Rasengan took a lot out of me. Do you have any ramen?" the blonde made a face at her to show her he was dead serious. She arched a brow and her eyes flickered silver as she delved into his body with her second sight. She chuckled at what she saw.
"Seems Choji isn't the only energy reservoir here anymore. You have chakra backups, did you know that Naruto?" she asked leading them into the kitchen.
"I was told I had lots of stamina and that's what made my appetite so outrageous, but I really don't know what you just said means." he put his hands behind his head and followed her, Choji right beside him. Choji looked back at Michi, who was asking Kiba what was wrong with Ino.
"Sakura-chan…I fired a lab tech today at the hospital. You know I never abuse the power you gave us at the hospital, but this guy grabbed Michi and was going to hit her. The other nurses told me it's not the first time they've seen him hit her, but every tie they report it, he doesn't get fired. I think we have a Center mole in there. Choza thinks so as well. I talked to him when Michi went to the resident's office to tell him she was leaving. The resident was out at lunch according to Choza." Choji referred to his dad by his first name because he didn't want the man to come into harms way should anyone know the truth.
"I already know this Choji. Thank you for bringing Matsuro's attitude to my attention. I'll be paying his another visit it seems. Choza called me two weeks ago saying he found Michi in her house with bruises on her face and arms. Her little brother was standing behind their older brother holding a gun to his head. Gato beat Michi when she refused to cover his debt by marrying Matsuro. Matsuro threatened Gato to pay up or die." Sakura discussed this without qualms in front of Naruto, which made Choji nervous.
"Sakura-chan…not to be rude to Naruto, but this is SHINOBI business, isn't it?" Naruto shrugged and stopped in front of the cabinet closest to him and looked in. It was full of all the flavors of ramen available in stores.
"I think I died and went to heaven!" Naruto yelled and dug out four or five boxes of different flavored ramen. Sakura chuckled and looked at Choji.
"Why do you think I'm having a skill assessment? I'm not just adding ONE member to our team…I'm adding 7 new operatives all together. Since Kiba doesn't have a team right now, he's going to take care of Ino until she can learn her kekkei genkai. The other six of you are going to help me with the new recruits, which are all outside warming up. Excluding the one raiding my ramen storage." She laughed as Naruto sucked down the ramen, one after another. Choji looked at the boy and saw eight empty containers already.
"Naruto, if you eat all that you have out you're not going to want to eat Sakura-chan's cooking…and she is the best cook ever raised in the city of Kagure, perhaps all of Fire Country." Naruto looked up from another empty container and looked at Sakura.
"Don't worry Choji. As unbelievable as this sounds, his energy reservoirs are larger than yours. He's also a jinchuriki, so he has to eat a lot to maintain that stamina. He can eat until I need him outside. Hurry up though Choji, I'm going to need you soon." with that said, she walked out into the back yard, which was huge considering this was a suburb.
Sakura could hear the tingle of Hime's collar and smiled as the little calico rubbed against her legs. She looked down to see that a rather large, one-eyed black cat was sitting by her, watching Hime like an indulgent older sister.
"You are welcome in our home anytime, old one. I am sure that you will be able to teach Hime much more about herself than I can with Saiki." she smiled as the older cat looked up at her with a small growled meow and licked her tail.
Sakura laughed and stroked the older cat's head. "Welcome to the family Ichimanako. I'll be right back, watch over her for me, alright?" Sakura smiled and ran into her house and upstairs. She grabbed something out of a box by her dressed and something from her jewelry box.
She ran back downstairs and out the door to where the two cats were. She looked down at the hand made color around Hime's neck, and the other collar I her hand. It had the image of a sistrum on it, embroidered with silver string on the dark leather. She bent down and put the collar round Ichimanako's neck. She smiled at the perfect fit.
She them took the intricate black eye patch with Uraeus, the Serpent Eye of Wisdom, embroidered with thick silver thread and a topaz center. "Bastet would be proud that one of her favorite pets had descendants that still lived. These are gifts, from me to you, Ichimanako. Cherish them, the way Bastet cherished your ancestors." with that, Sakura went up to the young men and women that were stretching out.
Sakura smiled at the young people and started her instructions. "As with every other employee I have ever hired, you will have to test your strengths against me. But before you all panic, I want to test you against some of my top people, my SHINOBI members, which you have become rather good friends with from what I can see." she laughed at the blushing faces of several people. She turned her back on the ad looked over her shoulder.
"As soon as I explain the arrangements to Ino, she and Kiba will be joining us for this battle royal." she ran in the house and into the living room, where Kiba had Ino in his lap, nuzzling her.
"Well, I know who I'm NOT putting on a team with you Kiba…you'd never get anything done." Sakura teased, chuckling at the two. Kiba growled at her with mock aggression.
"Whatever…she's not getting out of my sight unless she's with you. So there's no way the others will team with her unless you or I am there." He growled again, this time the pitch was serious. Sakura gave him a searching glance and saw something she never expected to see in Kiba…he was in love.
"If that is truly your wish, than I can do no other than ensure she is safe. But she can't be on a team with me. She's recon and ambush, like Sai. She's also going to be trained in medics for our teams. Think of her as your own personal nurse." Sakura smiled at Kiba's surprised, and extremely delighted, face. Her words finally registered to him and he looked at her in question.
"You heard me right Kiba. She's going to be offered a position in SHINOBI, you as her captain. But she will have to prove herself like everyone else had to." Kiba growled at her, but she held up her hand.
"I want to see just how skilled her kekkei genkai really is. I know she repelled the orderly in the hospital with her mind. If her skills are good enough, she'll be handed over to Sai for further training in recon, and then to me for her medical training. She has to learn how to control her mind manipulation." She looked straight at Ino this time, her emerald eyes flashing sterling.
Ino gasped and looked at Kiba nervously. He grinned at her and she felt a little better. "Sakura-san…I…" Sakura chuckled at her. She took Ino's hand and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Ino…you don't have to be so formal and you don't have to apologize. I know what Sasuke did to you. When I touched you in the parking lot, your memories became my own, including when you save Hinata. Sasuke did this to you because you are a threat to him and he realizes that now. You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for. You buried your kekkei genkai because you were afraid of it and there was no one to tell you what it was. We are here to show you how to control it so that it will never control you." Ino nodded and Sakura felt her relaxing.
"Also, your unique abilities have made you a target for an organization called The Center. They kidnap kids like us, with kekkei genkais, and experiment on us. The young man, Sai, was believed to have a kekkei genkai. His memories were stripped and he was programmed through behavioral modification to be an emotionless killer." Ino looked horrified and Sakura could feel the pity she felt for Sai.
"They treat their female subjects, especially ones as beautiful as you, Tenten, and Hinata, like whores. They rape them over and over, until they either submit or kill themselves. I refuse to allow that to happen to the three of you. You all have very strong and unique kekkei genkais, and I want to help you." Ino had tears in her eyes and she was pushing back into Kiba, who was growling in response to her fear. Sakura reached out and touched Ino's cheek. The girl stiffened, then relaxed completely. She stared at Sakura as she girl's eyes clamped shut and tears fell down her face. Ino couldn't understand what was going on.
"Sakura-chan…are you okay?" Ino shifted in Kiba's lap, making the Inuzuka look at his boss. He knew immediately what the woman had done.
"Dammit Sakura-chan. You can't take on everyone's pain every time. It's going to kill you someday! CHOJI!" yelled the brunette who was now panicking. Choji stuck his head in the room and saw Sakura. He immediately whistled, bringing Hime running, along with Ichimanako.
Seeming to pick up what was going on from Hime, the older cat started rubbing against Sakura's legs while Hime jumped into her lap, purring and rubbing her head against the jinchuriki's face. Sakura laughed through the tears she'd taken from Ino.
"I'm fine girls. I'm able to detach myself from this pain more easily now. Tsunade-nee-san is connected to me and helps me deal now." She smiled at them, but they were staring over her shoulder. She turned around to see an enraged Gaara staring at them. She chuckled and reached out to him. He disappeared with a swirl of sand, only to reappear in the chair with her, holding her to him tightly.
"Why are you crying mitsukai-chan?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. Sakura put her hands on either side of his face.
"These tears are not mine Gaara, they are Ino's. She's still not strong enough to accept what I had to tell her for her own safety, so I took them. She still has the knowledge I gave her, but she no longer feels fear of it." Sakura laughed as the tears continued. Ino looked at Sakura with wide eyes.
"Why would you take my pain into yourself?" she whispered, tears of guilt and gratitude in her eyes. Sakura turned and looked at her.
"It's my gift…I'm much stronger than anyone else here mentally and physically. I can handle this kind of pain…it's all I've can remember of my past and I can accept that. My only fond memories are of my nee-san, Ji-chan and Obaa-chan." she gave Ino a reassuring smile and leaned into Gaara once more.
The emotions that Sakura took from Ino dissipated and she looked at Gaara. "Panda-chan…I need you and Kiba to leave so that I can talk to Ino about what happened and the deal between me and her parents." she kissed his kanji and smiled at him. He scowled, but complied, knowing Ino needed privacy for this.
"Call me if you need something." he said simply, then left. Kiba looked at Sakura like she'd lost her mind. Sakura's eyes hardened and she pointed out the door. He looked at Ino like she could help him, but she looked at him pleadingly and he sighed. He set her down and kissed her lightly before grabbing Akamaru by the scruff and dragging the large white dog out.
Akamaru whined at him, not liking being taken from Ino's company. "If I can't stay with her neither can you." he growled petulantly. He gave them one last pout and walked out the door. Ino giggled at him and looked at Sakura, her eyes still sad.
"Ino…I can't undo what he did, but I can heal your body of the pain and damage." Sakura saw the pain in the girl's eyes as she thought about what she'd lost. Ino's eyes filled with determination after a few minutes.
"Do what you can to help me function. I'll take it from there." Sakura smiled at the blonde's strength of will. She nodded and put her hands on Ino's face, then her chest, then her stomach, and finally her legs. Ino stood up and stretched a little.
"I haven't felt this good in a long time…wow." she balled her fists up several times and released them. She then did a front flip and then a back hand spring. She smiled at Sakura and ran out the door. Sakura heard a yelp and then laughing from the others. She headed out the door to join them.
As she walked out she saw Ino straddling a stunned Kiba. She was laughing and teasing the Inuzuka about being alert. Sakura smirked and her eyes started glowing. Suddenly Ino was lifted from the ground as Sakura lifted her hand. Everywhere Sakura's hand went, so did Ino's body.
Kiba kept wide, black eyes on the blonde, but she seemed to enjoy herself after the initial shock. Ino giggled and pretended she was super man. Sakura decided that Ino had had enough and released her hold on the girl. Ino dropped into Kiba's waiting arms and giggled, nuzzling the feral looking youth affectionately.
"Ino…one thing I didn't get to mention is I talked to your parents about you seeing a doctor about what happened." Sakura watched the girl's reaction. Ino stiffened and shook her head emphatically.
"I won't go to a doctor Sakura-chan. The ones that I see look at me funny and always ask weird questions. They always want to draw blood, no matter what is wrong with me. I refuse, even if you saved me." Ino tried to get out of Kiba's embrace, but he lightly bit her shoulder, making her yelp and glare at him. He nuzzled her gently in the same spot and licked it.
"Ino…the doctors you refer to are no longer working in hospitals because they were spies for The Center. I have already apprehended all of them and they are locked away. HOWEVER" Sakura spoke over Ino as the blonde tried to refute her. "I will be your doctor for this. I know you better and I can protect you. Plus, you'll be living with me for the duration of your treatment and longer if you decide that you like it. Tenten is already living with me and I have plenty of space." Ino's eyes lit up with hope. She jumped out of Kiba's arms and ran up to Sakura.
"You mean it? I can live with people my own age?" she looked so happy, Sakura could only laugh. She nodded and watched in amusement as Ino jumped up and down and ran back to Kiba, jumping on him and squealing in delight. Kiba winced at her high tone and she gave him an apologetic smile.
Sakura was about to suggest they start the skill assessment when Choji and Naruto walked out. "Sakura-chan…I'm ready for whatever you need me to do." Choji patted his stomach and smiled. Michi giggled at him and walked over to him. Choji put his arm around her waist and pulled her into a hug. She blushed happily and just leaned against him.
"You're just in time. Choji, since you are a virtual tank in your armor, and that is your particular skill, I'll need you to test Kankuro and his puppets. DO NOT underestimate those puppets. They were made by Sasori, you remember him don't you?" Choji's eyes narrowed as he looked at the laid back brunette that lounged against the house a few paces away.
"Sasori, huh? Can't forget him…he's the one that kidnapped Cheela for The Center. It's a good thing I had the Akimichi Soldier pills. He may have gotten her there otherwise." Everyone looked at Choji questioningly, especially Michi.
"Who's…who's Cheela?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes. She thought maybe it was a girl Choji loved. Choji looked down and her and sighed.
"Cheela is my thirteen year old sister. She was kidnapped three years ago by Sasori, an operative of The Center. He'd been modified and stripped like Sai was. He used to be a very talented puppet maker before it was found out he hand a kekkei genkai and The Center took him. Cheela doesn't have the kekkei genkai, they just used her to get to me. Sasori was the only one that knew I had a sister and who she was. I killed him before he could relay the message." Choji shut his eyes as he remembered his sister's screams. Choji opened his eyes and there was sorrow there.
"I left my family the day I returned Cheela. I told my parents why she was taken and told them I was leaving so they would be safe. Sakura-chan gave them the money and even staged their deaths so that The Center could never use them against me again. Your security guard, Choza…he…he's my dad. That was the first time I had seen him in three years. I can never go home, never see them again, or The Center will target them." Choji looked down to see tears in Michi's eyes. Tears for him, tears for his pain.
"Choji-kun…I…I wish I could help…" she buried her face in his chest and just held onto him tightly. Choji kissed the top of her head and smiled.
"You are helping me more than you will ever know right now, Michi." he said his eyes lit with happiness. Everyone looked at each other and a collective 'Awwww' went out. Both young people blushed and smiled.
"You're just jealous…" Choji said, sticking his tongue out at them. Everyone laughed and Choji let go of Michi. He walked over to Kankuro, who was looking up at the sky and chuckled at the brunette.
"Ready, Mater Puppeteer?" he asked in a teasing manner. Kankuro looked at him with a bored expression. He then stood up straight and looked at Temari. Temari arched a brow and Kankuro sighed.
"You forgot my scrolls, didn't you?" he asked glaring at his sister. Temari sweat dropped and searched her belt, which had many compartments. She made a happy noise when she found what she was looking for and threw all three of them to her brother.
"Start carrying them yourself if all you're gonna do is insult me, baka ototo." she stuck her tongue out at him as he scowled at her. He flipped her off as he unsealed one scroll.
"Summoning Jutsu: Karasu" he threw the scroll up, his blood lining the document, and made the hand seals to summon the last puppet his best friend ever made.
Choji watched the young man summon the puppet. A shaggy looking four armed cloaked figure stood in front of Kankuro. Before they started, Sakura explained the rules. "The rules or these matches are as follows: 1) First blood wins the match, 2) If the recruit wins, he or she may choose a sparring partner for your first training session, and lastly 3) All the recruits will face me when everyone has gone, so that you can recover from these smaller sparring matches." Everyone nodded, but Naruto didn't understand something.
"Why do we have to fight your employees before we fight you?" he asked the question while scratching the back of his head. Sakura chuckled at him.
"That way I can be sure of your abilities and not use too much of my power. Someday, I will explain to you just how dangerous I really am…but not now. Now, we have fun!" she yelled and pumped her fist into the air. She walked between Choji and Kankuro.
"Alright now…you two give your best and fight to win." she jumped out of the way as she started the fight with a yell of 'hajime'. Choji took a stance that looked like a sumo wrestler and put his hands together in front of his face.
His eyes started to flicker as he activated his kekkei genkai. "Secret Technique: Super Multi-Size Technique" he yelled and started to grow, and grow and…well, he got so big the houses only came to his shoulders. Kankuro gave him a bored look and unsealed another scroll.
"Summoning Jutsu: Sanshouo." A large, lizard-like puppet with sharp teeth emerged and Kankuro quickly hopped into the hollow chamber in it's back.
"He must not be in the mood to fight to call out Sanshouo this early." Temari commented, her eyes wide in confusion. Sakura look at the girl, then back at the two puppets. She activated her kekkei genkai to see what was going on, as did Hinata and Neji. Sakura chuckled at the ingeniousness of this plot. Choji stomped on the lizard puppet, only to jerk his over sized foot away in pain.
"Whatever that thing is made of…it's fucking hard." Choji complained, rubbing his foot with one hand and balancing on his other foot. Sakura chuckled and watched Kankuro manipulate his other puppet. The first puppet, Karasu, flew up into the sky and into Choji's face.
Choji tried to catch it, but it was too fast. He didn't want to move in case he damaged one of the houses. He finally got tired of the puppet and went for the source: Kankuro. Choji picked the lizard puppet, Sanshouo, up and tried to force the back hatch open. It wouldn't budge. He was about to start shaking it like a kid would a Christmas present when Sakura called the match.
"Kankuro wins!" Sakura yelled and jumped from the ground to Choji's shoulder. She put her hand to his face and drew away a bloody palm, showing it to Choji.
"You were so intent on Kankuro that you failed to notice Karasu draw first blood, as is the rules of the match. You did good though Choji…Kankuro is really good with his puppets and only you could have made him pull out the stops." She smiled at the giant sized youth and jumped down.
Choji shrank back to his normal size and a wide eyed Michi looked at him with awe filled eyes. "That was so cool Choji-kun!" she squealed and ran over to him, glomping him on the spot. Choji chuckled at the young woman and sat on the grass to watch the next match. Kankuro resealed his puppets and walked over to Choji.
"I'm sorry that Sasori was too far gone to realize he was hurting your sister. He used to be a really good friend of mine. He disappeared without a trace a few years back, before we moved here. I always wondered what happened to him." a sad look crossed the puppeteer's face, but he shook it off.
"Thank you for putting him out of his misery. I know that if he'd been himself it would have killed him to act that way." Kankuro offered his hand to Choji, who shook it hardily and then patted the ground next to him. Michi moved in between Choji's legs and leaned against his chest and closed her eyes.
Choji smiled at her and waited for the announcement of the next two contenders. Sakura stepped forward and smiled. "Next, I want Hinata to show me her skills and fight Shino." she said out loud, then walked over to the bug master. "I suggest using your Bug Calling Technique. She has an unusual defensive/offensive attack and it would destroy your friends." Shino nodded his thanks for the warning and walked to where Choji had been before.
Hinata walked slowly to the other side of the make shift battle arena and looked at the floor, nervous. Sakura noticed this and walked over to Hinata and took the girl's hands. "Hinata…I know you can do this…show Naruto how strong you really are girl!" she whispered excitedly to the violet haired girl. Hinata smiled and looked over her shoulder at Naruto, who was yelling and cheering her on.
"Hai…Sakura-chan." she said and took up the Gentle Fist fighting pose. Shino put both of his arms out to his sides at shoulder height. The faint buzzing of insects could be heard.
"This fight is over." Sai said from the sidelines, sitting right beside where Naruto, Temari and Shikamaru were standing. Shikamaru nodded in agreement, while Naruto shook his head in denial.
"My Hinata-chan is not so weak…you'll see!" Hinata heard him and took up a stance that made Neji's breath catch.
"She couldn't possible have learned that…she's far too gentle!" his cry brought the stares of the others. Hinata took a deep breath and started the hand seals. As she did the seals, she talked to her older cousin.
Hinata heard what Neji said and closed her eyes. He was right, she was far too gentle to use the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. But this was something of her own creation. Hinata smiled as she remembered Naruto's excitement when she had showed him this technique. She activated her Byakugan as the last seal was performed.
Shino waited, but she didn't move. He sent the hornets he'd called to himself after her, thinking it may be some sort of trick. He noticed a green and black yin-yang with kanjis surrounding it form under her feet. Neji stiffened as he realized that this was not the Eight Trigrams technique that he used, but something far different.
"Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Hinata yelled and the hornets started falling in large quantities. Neji noticed they were being sliced perfectly in half, but without activating his Byakugan he couldn't see what was going on.
Sakura smiled smugly as she watched the silver eyed girl do her secret technique. She could sense the awe in everyone present, including Gaara. She looked over at him with an arched brow that plainly said 'What? You thought she was COMPLETELY defenseless?' he chuckled at her and appeared right behind her, taking her into his arms.
Shino watched as his insect army was destroyed. To say he was impressed was an understatement. Though he had lost the battle, he'd won the war with a carefully thrown kunai after her chakra threads had retreated. Blood dripped from a tiny cut on her index finger.
"Match goes to Shino, but Hinata gets props for destroying his insect army. No recruit has EVER, in the history of SHINOBI, destroyed them all. Hinata holds new record for number of Shino's insects killed." Sakura beamed at the girl who looked oddly depressed. Sakura waved her over, and hugged the girl. Hinata gasped in surprise and Sakura explained her actions.
"Shino is a captain for a reason Hinata. I didn't expect that you'd beat his army; you surprised even me with the creativeness of your technique. I'm proud of you for how far you got. The point of putting you up against Shino was to witness your technique and the varying powers you are able to push it to." Hinata's eyes widened and she smiled, nodding in understanding. She turned to Shino and bowed.
"Thank you for the fight, Shino-san." she smiled and walked back over to Naruto, who had a very surprised Sai and Shikamaru standing with him.
"That was a surprise to say the least." Sai stated, looking at Hinata admiringly. He smiled at her as she blushed and then stood. He walked over to Shino to ensure that his teishu was okay. Sai gasped when he looked at Shino's hands.
"OKAA-SAN!! Come quick! Shino-teishu's hands are in ribbons!" he yelled, catching Shino as he slumped over. Hinata's eyes filled with tears.
"SHINO-SAN!" she screamed and tried to run to the older man. Naruto held on to her though, waiting for Sakura to reverse most of the damage.
"Well I'll be damned…Hinata won after all." Sakura smiled at Shino, who scowled at her. He grunted and turned his head away from her. She chuckled and took his hands into her own. A soft green light encased his hands and when he lifted them they were perfectly fine.
Shino looked up to see Hinata crying on his behalf. He stood, with Sai's help, and walked to her. He put out both his hands to her, causing her to look at them. She saw they were okay and calmed down.
"Hinata-san…you should not feel bad for defeating an opponent. One day, you may face someone you care for or loved once. You can not hold back, for if you do, you will die. You did very good and I am proud of you. You are the second female to ever beat me, and the first female I have ever used that summoning on. You also beat me, a captain, with your unusual offensive defense. Had I been anyone but Neji perhaps, I would be in serious trouble right now." He smiled through his mask at the girl and patted her hand reassuringly.
Naruto beamed at her and she just giggled. Sakura chuckled and went back to Gaara. "Next match is between Tenten and Neji." she said, a mischievous look on her face. Neji sweat dropped and Tenten smirked.
"Looks like I don't have to hold back now that we are fighting for an assessment." she chuckled and grabbed her large scroll, about to strap it to her back. Sakura walked over to her and put a restraining hand on the scroll. Tenten looked at her in confusion.
"Until you learn to control you kekkei genkai, this scroll is way too dangerous. The sealed creatures in here require large amounts of chakra to summon. I'll teach you how to use it myself, but until I do, I would like it if you refrained from using it in battle. I don't want you brought into a hospital on the verge of death anymore." She said, then glared at Neji, who backed up with his hands up defensively.
"Now Sakura-chan…she wasn't that bad off. I used some of my healing on her and stabilized her, so she's fine now, ne, Tenten-chan?" he asked, his eyes begging her to save him. She chuckled and looked at Sakura.
"Neji didn't do anything wrong. The guy just pissed me off by admitting he murdered my grandparents and my parents. My anger translated into me using a destruction spell. That's not his fault and he would have been hurt had he been close by." she said, putting an appeasing hand on her friend. Sakura glared once more at Neji, then walked back to Gaara.
Neji gave her a 'You're a goddess' look and went to the opposite end of the arena from him. He walked to the arena's edge and looked across at her. She smirked and disappeared, or so he thought.
He heard something whiz by his ear and saw her behind him. He smirked at her and activated his Byakugan. He was surprised to see no chakra lingering where she had been. He looked around her and felt something go through his left sleeve.
"Neji-kun…what's the matter? Having trouble keeping up with me?" she purred, then disappeared again. Neji processed what she said and his eyes widened in sudden realization. She wasn't blinking, she was fucking running in circles around him!
"You're fast, I'll give you that. But you have to take into account that speed isn't everything." he said this as he took out several shurikens out of his hip pouch and threw them at her. She held out her arms, activating her kekkei genkai.
The weapons froze, tuning themselves to her. She smirked at him, as he cursed himself for not remembering her special ability. Before anyone knew what was happening, all their weapons were torn from them, except Temari's fan, which was chakra infused, and Sai's panting tools.
There was a cloud of weapons all around Tenten. She smirked at Neji and started sending them at him en masse. Neji quickly formed some hand seals and yelled out "Eight Trigrams: Palms Heavenly Spin!" all of Tenten's weapons were deflected. Tenten growled and jumped into the air.
"Rising Twin Dragon!" she yelled and so many weapons appeared that even Neji thought he may not block them all. He did the Palms Heavenly Spin once more, only this time one of the weapons flew back at her and cut into her shoulder.
"Neji wins!" Sakura cried out as she ran to Tenten, who sat on the ground pouting. Neji's eyes were wide with disbelief…he'd hurt her. She scowled as everyone babied her. She looked at Neji for assistance and he walked over to her and picked her up, after Sakura healed her wound.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered into her hair as she walked over to an empty spot in the grass and sat down. She smiled and leaned back against him to watch the other fights.
"You don't need to apologize. It was an accident…you didn't throw it…it just bounced off your defense and I was careless." She rubbed the back of her head against his shoulder and sighed contently. He nuzzled her neck and sighed as well.
Sakura smiled and looked at the remaining people that needed to fight. "Shikamaru…you make Temari show me what she's got." Shikamaru grinned and walked to the arena. Temari pulled out her iron fan and pumped chakra into it, making it over five foot this time.
"Oh shit…He must have pissed Temari off. She only makes it that big when she plans on calling Kamatar to fight at her side." Kankuro pulled out Sanshouo and hid inside, peeking out through the slits in the teeth.
Temari got right down to business. "Sand Storm!" she yelled, waving her huge fan. Shikamaru found himself blinded and his shadow couldn't find its target. He could, however, see her eyes change when she activated her kekkei genkai.
"Wind Release Severing Pressure!" she did this to keep Shikamaru pinned and thinking while she made time to summon her companion. She landed and bit her finger, smearing the blood right under the three itten's on her fan.
"Summoning Jutsu: Kamatar!" she yelled and smirked as high speed winds erupted from her fan. A one eyed weasel carrying a nasty looking scythe appeared. Kamatar went after Shikamaru with his scythe. Shikamaru smirked and made his hand seals.
"Shadow Possession!" Kamatar stopped dead in his tracks, struggling to reach its target. Temari watched in horror as Shikamaru turned the weasel around and attacked her with her own companion. She dodged and flew up into the air with her fan. She stood and looked down at him, eyes narrowed. She performed some hand seals and two small upside down right triangles sitting side by side appeared on her forehead.
Shikamaru wondered what she was up to. He'd never seen those seals before. "Wind Release: Avenging Desert Winds!" she picked the sand up from under her and swung it with all her might. Sand and damaging winds erupted from the fan, being held in the arena by Sakura's powers, and Shikamaru watched as Kamatar disappeared.
Shikamaru felt the blades of chakra embed into his skin and burn him. He hissed and knew he'd wasted too much time in the beginning and that he'd just lost. "Temari wins!" Sakura's call confirmed his suspicions. He sighed and waited for Temari to land on the ground once more. She ran to him with concern on her face.
"Shikamaru…I'm-" she never even got to apologize because he smirked and kissed her right in front of everyone. Gaara and Kankuro narrowed their eyes, but wisely stayed where they were while Sakura beamed at the two love birds.
"Temari…I knew you were strong and now I won't have to worry that you will get hurt without me with you. It makes me feel better that you beat me." Shikamaru smirked and put his arm around the shocked girl's shoulders.
Temari was blushing bright red and her mouth was hanging open just a bit. She smiled at Shikamaru and jumped on him, kissing him enthusiastically. Shikamaru blushed, but put his arms around her nonetheless. Sakura 'awwwww'd them and clapped her hands.
Sakura walked over to Ino and smiled at the girl. "You feel up to giving us a demonstration on your mind control techniques?" She asked the blonde, who fidgeted nervously. Ino looked at her with scared eyes.
"Sakura-chan…I've never used them on anyone without a good reason. I can't exactly control them that well. But I'll try my best…who are you pairing me up against?" She asked, with a nervous look at Neji and Choji. Sakura sighed and took the girl's hands.
"Ino-chan…I have to put you up against the only two man cell here because I know you can control large groups with your kekkei genkai, so you'll be facing Kiba and Akamaru. He won't hurt you, but he's going to fight you because that's what I need him to do, for your safety. I have to know what you can and can not control and he would do anything to keep you safe." Sakura saw the pained look Kiba's face and heard the whine from Akamaru. Ino looked pretty upset as well.
"I'm sorry guys, but this is the way it will have to be for now. If you impress me I may let Kiba teach you a few skills from his personal arsenal for your own defense." Both youth's eyes lit up at the prospect. She chuckled and put her hand on Ino's head, like a doting sister.
"Let's see what you got…blondie." Sakura noticed Ino's vein pop out on her forehead as the girl turned to Kiba. He arched a brow and she just glared. Akamaru whined again, not wanting to fight his master's woman.
"I'll show you what I'm capable of Sakura-chan…" she growled and started making hand seals. A pinkish colored energy rolled off of her, not quite chakra, but it was powerful just the same.
Kiba found he had a hard time walking, like gravity itself had increased. Sakura walked out of the sphere Ino had created and felt the change immediately. She knew gravity didn't change…it was one of Ino's mind tricks. Kiba backed away fro the energy as well, and felt instantly better.
Ino allowed the energy to engulf her, her normally baby blue eyes turning neon pink due to her kekkei genkai activating itself. Kiba circled her and tested for weak spots. He jumped at her once and was repelled by a shield. Akamaru sniffed around her and relayed his findings to Kiba.
Ino smirked and decided to work quickly. She made more hand seals and made her way between the two. She finished her last seal and the energy burst from her body, encompassing both the dog and its trainer. Sakura blinked and watched in fascination as the dog attacked its trainer and the trainer attacked his dog. They used some of their more powerful single person attacks on each other, but never drew blood.
By freak accident Akamaru scraped Ino's shin and made her bleed and the match was called. "Kiba wins. Even though they were fighting one another, Kiba and Akamaru are still a team. But I am very impressed Ino." She said and smiled at the blonde. Ino smiled and released her jutsu and Kiba just looked at them.
"What happened?" he asked, looking down at himself. Sakura and the others just laughed.
"Ino made you and Akamaru fight one another. It was cool." Naruto bounced up and down and looked at Kiba, who stared at Ino. Ino blushed and smiled nervously. Kiba smirked at her and walked over to her, nuzzling her neck. Akamaru walked over to her and sniffed her leg where his back claw caught her; he whined because he knew he hurt her. She patted his big head and cooed to him.
"It was my fault you cut me Akamaru…don't worry about it." She scratched behind his ear and he grumbled happily. Kiba smirked into her shoulder and continued nuzzling her. Sakura smirked at her friends' behavior and looked at Lee, who looked bored.
"Yo…Lee! You're up against Naruto!" she called over to him, smirking as the taijutsu specialist arched one bushy brow as he looked at the kitsune jinchuriki.
"WHAT!?" yelled Naruto, who was pointing at Lee. "I have to fight HIM!? What do you take me for?" he yelled, scowling at the young woman. She smiled evilly at him at looked over at Lee.
"Lee…give the fight five minutes then take off the bracers and legwarmers. Another five minutes and you can use your kekkei genkai. But ONLY in this fight with Naruto." Everyone saw Lee's face light up as Sakura gave her permission to do the two things he'd never been allowed to do at the same time: remove his weighted training clothes and activate his kekkei genkai.
"Why is he so excited NOW?" Tenten asked while Temari nodded her head, wanting to know why as well. The six other operatives just looked on stoically.
"Because he is forbidden to do both of those things at the same time unless explicitly told to do so by Sakura-san." Shino answered their questions. They arched a brow and looked at one another.
"Why the hell would that matter?" Naruto asked as he walked up to confront Lee. Gaara watched with unease. There was something about this young man that gave the sand user a bad feeling.
Sakura started the fight with another 'hajime' and walked back to Gaara, who looked on with an emotionless face. "Pay very close attention, koi, because next to me…Lee is the most powerful taijutsu user here. He's also the only one to ever draw blood from me…intentional or otherwise. He was very feral when I first came across him." She looked at her crush from the corner of her eyes. Gaara looked at her the same way and just grunted, focusing on the battle once more.
Lee stood there, his hand out in front of him, the other behind his back. Naruto just squinted at him and crouched to where it looked like he was trying to take a shit. Lee arched a brow. "If you will not come at me, I will demonstrate for you why I am the taijutsu master of my unit." Lee's voice held no egotism or arrogance, just truth.
Before Naruto could blink, the youth was gone. Naruto could feel Kyuubi shift in him and looked around with Kyuubi's senses. Naruto gasped when he sensed Lee above him, but it was too late to move, so he just blocked the attack. Two small craters appeared around his feet as he held off the attack.
They exchanged blows, but after five minutes, Lee backed off and stood on top of the light pole in the empty lot by Sakura's house that served as part of Sakura's yard. He looked over at Sakura, who nodded. He removed the bracers and dropped them, watching as they sunk into the ground about six feet. Temari's eyes bulged.
Lee then sat and started removing the legwarmers. He held them up and Naruto noticed the weights on the inside. "So he trains with leg weights…what's the big deal?" he demanded, giving Sakura a bored look. She smirked evilly and picked her cats up. She stood right in front of Gaara, his head over hers so that he could still see. Sakura gave Lee the nod and watched in slow motion as the weights fell to the ground.
"Hold on Panda-chan or you'll get blown away." she whispered and put up a shield to protect her cats. As the weights hi the floor, a three hundred foot crater appeared around the two articles of clothing. Many eyes bulged, including the SHINOBI squad members. They knew he trained with weights…but not that heavy…and he was so fast with those weights on…
Lee got a feral smirk on his face and then he just disappeared. Sakura was the only one that could follow him, besides Gaara. Naruto was getting hit from all sides by Lee, never even seeing it coming. Sakura frowned when Naruto hunched over, his shoulders shaking. When the blonde looked up again, he was smiling.
"Finally…someone that I don't have to hold back around…" He said, his chakra levels rising. THIS was what Sakura had waited for. She watched as the two exchanged blow after blow, one matching the other. What Sakura knew that her team did not was that Naruto had yet to use his tailed beast's power.
"Naruto…stop toying with him and use Kyuubi's powers as well. Stop holding back, Lee can handle it. If you get out of control, Gaata or I are here to stop you." Sakura saw the horrified look on Hinata's face and calmed the girl with a single glance. Lee looked ticked off at the thought Naruto was holding back.
"If you hold back any longer…I will seriously hurt you Naruto-san…" the older boy stated plainly. Naruto stiffened and started growling.
"You sure you can handle this?" Naruto asked, his manner becoming more feral by the second. Lee looked at Sakura for permission and then used the hand seals that Sakura had taught him to release his kekkei genkai.
Naruto watched in fascination as Lee's skin became a dark tan color, tinged with red undertones. His eyes became white slits in his head and his hair stood straight up. His muscles didn't bulge out like they had expected, but his strength was increase, that much everyone sensed.
When Lee's transformation was done, red eyes laughed at them. "That was impressive, I'll admit. But wait till you see this…" Naruto crouched down on all fours and they could all see the red chakra form around him. One red tail of chakra sprouted from the rear side of the chakra that formed around him. Then another, and another, until there were four tails total. Sakura sensed that Kyuubi was fighting to take over and her eyes started glowing.
Naruto's head whipped over towards her as she slapped a seal on the demon fox's personality, allowing Naruto to stay in control. Naruto was surprised…he had never been in control of this form, so he just smirked and looked at Lee. Another tail started growing as he drew on more strength. Sakura arched a brow and rolled her eyes at his arrogance.
With a speed that even Lee could not match, Naruto took off towards the taijutsu master. Lee, startled at first, countered just barely. Sakura watched with her senses as the two moved about so fast they were invisible to the naked eye. After a few minutes, Sakura disappeared, only to reappear between the two, both their fists held in opposite hands. She didn't look strained at all, but both fighters looked as if they had all their strength going against her.
"Naruto wins. Lee, your arm is broken…come with me." She growled the last part, giving Naruto a death glare. The kitsune snorted and reverted back until his eyes were their natural blue. Hinata hesitated once before running to Naruto, who grinned broadly at her. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Michi rushed to Lee to help Sakura set the broken arm and mend it properly. Lee hissed at the pain, but endured it. Sakura walked over to Naruto, hand seals working the whole time, and then punched Naruto in the stomach so hard, that the boy fell to his knees.
Fingers smoking, Sakura's angry expression cooled. "I see what you meant earlier Naruto. I am sorry I made you go through with that. I never dreamed that using the Kyuubi would damage your body." She whispered and helped him to his feet. Naruto cursed at her and glared at her.
"What the fuck did you do to me? Kyuubi is not happy at all. He's calling you an interfering bitch that he's going to bite the next time he sees you." Naruto rubbed his sore muscles. Sakura chuckled wickedly.
"Tell Kyuubi that Saiki said he could kiss her furry ass. Even with only six tails, Saiki is more powerful than the nine-tailed fox. Mainly because I can use all six of her forms while you have only three with your sanity intact. If he would teach you to merge with him instead of fighting you for control then you'd be even more powerful…and the damage to your body less extensive." She hissed, knowing the kitsune could hear her. Her eyes narrowed as he grunted.
"What do you mean 'merge'? What 'extensive damage'?" the blonde arched a brow at her ad Sakura's eyes widened. She looked at Gaara, who also looked perplexed. She slapped her hand to her forehead.
"Forget I said anything…I'll train you in this myself at a later date. Right now, we have one more fight before all of you have to fight me." A wicked look appeared on her face as she looked at Gaara.
"OH Panda-chan…you are the next recruit to fight." She smiled at him, rocking on the balls of her feet. He arched a non brow and stared at her, arms crossed over his chest.
"And just WHO is my opponent mitsukai-chan?" he asked haughtily. Sakura gave him an innocent smiled and just turned away from him. She pulled the white blouse out of her corset top after unfastening the attachments that help the outfit together. Her creamy shoulders and lush cleavage was bare before him and he blatantly stared. Her necklace hung between her breasts, shining.
Gaara growled when he noticed other males staring at her. He used his sand to cover her, glaring daggers at each individual. Sakura chuckled at him and brushed off his sand. Gaara looked at her and his pants became tighter. "You are going to fight in high heels?" he asked, feeling slightly insulted. She chuckled at him once more and ran her hand over her cleavage. He watched her, mesmerized.
"Baby…I won't even break a sweat. Give me a good workout and I'll give you a treat later, Panda-chan." she whispered the light part, and even as far away as it was, he heard it.
He smirked at her and took his position at the other end of the 'arena'. His arms crossed over his chest, he just stared at her. Sakura stood there, the sun bouncing off her creamy skin. Gaara wanted to kiss her shoulders and make his way down. He liked what he saw at the moment.
While he was contemplating, she stalked him. She moved as quietly as a leopard, and so slow he didn't even know she was moving. With a burst of movement, a crater appeared behind her as she took off at him, like there was a strange force field around her. She threw regular punches, not using any chakra or activating her kekkei genkai. Gaara dodged, watching her face as she fought him.
Deciding he had down her regular pattern, he started trying to beat her, but his sand was repelled by her shield. She glared at him, noticing he wasn't even trying. "Gaara-kun…You have to at least attempt to fight me." she scolded, wagging a finger at her.
Gaara grunted and arched his non brow at her. She started to feel the energy buzz inside her. The warrior in her was demanding to be let out. She smirked and just stood there, in the same pose he was in. Gaara kept attacking with his sand, and he actually got her once, but then she reappeared behind him, her hands snaking down the front of his thighs.
Gaara's breathing hitched as he continued trying to fight her. He glared at her and stated plainly. "If you are not going to take this serious, then why should I? I will only seriously fight when you do." he stood his ground as he watched her contemplate him. Her face became blank of emotion and he wondered what was going on.
"You want to see my true powers?" she asked, looking around at everyone there. She saw curiosity in everyone's eyes, even her operatives. She nodded and spread her feet should width apart. She grabbed her right wrist and put it only inches above the ground. Energy started crackling around her. Suddenly, a beam of silver energy exploded upwards from her.
Sakura grit her teeth from the weight of all the energy. She felt her body being pushed down upon until there was a crater where she was standing. She screamed as the energy started internalizing, turning her eyes silver. A halo appeared over her head as the silver chakra formed a shield around her in the shape of a large cat, much like Naruto's red fox form. Her first chakra tail was followed quickly by three more.
Naruto watched in horrified fascination as the beautiful Sakura went down on all fours, her back arching like a cat. Her silver eyes held a feral light, and Naruto wondered if this is what he looked like when the red chakra formed around him. Naruto counted four tails and knew that the neko had a total of six. It amazed him Sakura could control that many. But as he watched, to more tails appeared.
Naruto's breathing stopped at the sight of the six tails. Saiki was completely in control now. He shifted nervously, bringing Hinata closer to him. He heard the tinkling giggle that was NOT Sakura's. Silver eyes met his and fangs grinned at him.
"You think I'll hurt someone…I can smell the apprehension and fear all over you Kyuubi. But I have a little secret for you…I am neither Sakura, nor Saiki…I am both of them…a combination of the demon neko's power and wisdom, and the human's intelligence, compassion, and her kekkei genkai has yet to be activated, so I still have access to that power. I will show you the true power of the one that caused the slaughter of her entire clan…all so one man could control her and have her power." the one using Sakura's voice stood on her two human legs, even as the neko body around it protested.
She made several seals and then sparks started flying around her. Her eyes took on a pink hue, glowing completely, no irises or pupils, just blank pink eyes. She raised her hands heavenward, and everyone felt the shift in the sky. Sakura/Saiki/Other Being looked at them and smirked.
"You wanted to see my true power…here it comes." She took out a small flute, which seemed to appear from no where. As she put it to her lips, a soft tune played out…soothing and gentle. Everyone found themselves entranced by her. Suddenly, blue orbs started popping up around them. The orbs settled around Sakura and took on the shapes of people.
"She's doing a soul calling…that can only mean that her clan was once guardians of the Gates of Paradise." Temari looked dumbfounded. She had heard of clans whose sole purpose was to lead souls to the Gates of Heaven, but she'd never met one…until now. They watched as the souls of small children gathered around her and hugged her, seeking comfort. Grownups looked around, unsure of what was going on. They hesitantly looked at the beautiful woman before them.
"Are…are you…an angel?" a young woman asked hesitantly. Sakura stopped playing her flute and smiled at her. She put out her hand to the young woman.
"No…I'm the one that's going to show you the way to Paradise. Your family is waiting for you. They have been worried about you." She said calmly, as if she had done this multiple times. She crouched low to the kids, giving them a mischievous look.
"Who wants to play a game?" she asked, feeling their small, spectral fingers on her. She giggled and ruffled a few heads of hair. They all eagerly raised their hands.
"There is a man, at the top of those clouds. He is a very nice man and he has a surprise for you. Let's see who has the best floating abilities and can get to the top first. I will be right behind you, so don't worry." she smiled at a few uncertain faces. But when she told them she'd be with them, they were no longer scared. She turned to the adults.
"Michael would like to see you all as well. You can't stay on mortal earth, not without a body. That chain attached to you…it's what keeps you here. Relinquish all ties here…I can help you." She smiled gently. There was a sobbing young woman in the back.
"I…my children…what am I to do…I can't…just leave them." she wailed, looking at Sakura with her heart broken eyes. Sakura bowed her head, then looked up and smiled.
"What is your name, and where did you come from? I may be able to help your children. I have a corporeal form here, I also have lots of money. I will take care of your orphaned children." she put her arm on the woman's shoulders, calming her. Gaara watched this unfold, and knew he'd lost. He could never fight her…ever. Gaara walked up to the souls, making his way to Sakura.
The children gave his scared looks as he passed. He smiled at them, showing he wasn't as mean as he looked. It caused several of the kids to blush and a few to laugh. He turned back to see Sakura looking at him, laughter dancing in her eyes. Some of the male adults that had been looking at Sakura appreciatively, even though they were dead, scowled at Gaara, who made his way to their savior's side.
The sobbing woman's cries became softer as Sakura calmed her. She looked up to see Gaara looking at her. He smiled at her and she gasped. She reached out to the young man and her eyes were extremely wide. "You…how can it be…the last time I saw you…you were just a baby…" the woman said, caressing his face. Gaara gave her a startled look.
Tears poured down the woman's face. She looked at Sakura and then at herself. "How long have I been dead!?" she almost screeched, looking at Sakura with wide eyes. Sakura looked away and murmured a soft 'Eighteen years'. The woman cried out, stepping away from Gaara.
"I've left my kids alone that long!? What kind of mother am I!?" she crumpled into a heap. Temari saw the woman and she gave a strangled choke. She went to the woman on wobbly legs.
"M-Mommy!?" Temari had tears flowing from her eyes. Both Kankuro and Gaara looked at Temari with surprise. Temari was the only one that could remember what their mom looked and sounded like.
The woman looked up and saw Temari. She cried harder, seeing her daughter so grown up. "My babies…they are grown…Temari…please…did you take care of your brothers like I asked you to!?" she wailed, wrapping her arms around the young woman's shoulders. Temari could feel her mother, cold, but she could still feel her.
Gaara stared at the woman that his older sister had just confirmed was his mother…the one he'd killed. Gaara had tears falling down his face. Kankuro saw this and hesitantly made his way over to them. Kankuro was the only one that knew what their father had told Gaara when Gaara had come to them, looking for his mother.
Temari saw Kankuro move to their younger brother, who looked like he would break any moment. Sakura was concerned as well. She could feel pain…immense and ugly…swirling in the man she loved. She wrapped her arms around him from behind. He clung to her hands, his grip slightly tighter than normal, but not painful.
Kankuro took Gaara's shoulders and looked in square in those cold, confused, jade eyes. "Gaara…I know father told you that you killed mother." he stated loud enough for both women to hear. Temari's head shot up angrily and the ghost woman choked out a cry of denial.
"THAT'S A LIE! FATHER IS THE ONE THAT KILLED MOM!" Temari screamed with as much hate for that man as anyone had ever seen. Temari ripped herself from her mother and ran to her baby brother. She wrapped her arms around him as he sank to his knees, Sakura still holding him from behind. Temari held his head close to her heart.
"My beautiful baby boy…my fire-headed son…" the ghost woman took a few steps towards the distraught boy, then sank down, right into Temari's body, temporarily giving her a corporeal form. Tears flowed down his mother's temporary face…the face of his older sister.
"Gaara…right after you were born, your father took you from me. He said that I had been unfaithful to him. He had brown hair and he didn't know how a child with red hair and green eyes could be his. But you look exactly like my twin brother when he was your age. He died long before I met your father, but I was so happy to see him living through you." she smiled, but tears continued to fall.
Gaara processed what he was being told. He hadn't killed his mother, his father had. At that moment, Gaara hated his father more than anything else. A disgusted grunt came from somewhere in the back of the ghostly gathering. Sakura's silver eyes snapped up, seeing through all the other ghosts to the one that had hurt her love the most. Sakura disappeared from behind Gaara and came face to face with the murderer himself.
"So you think his pain is justified do you?" she asked, her voice deadly. The man looked at her like 'I'm dead you stupid bitch, what more can you do to me?'. She smirked evilly and drew her fist back. It crashed into the ghostly man's jaw, sending him careening through a telephone pole.
"DIDN'T YOU UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!?" she screamed at the man, glaring at him with eyes full of righteous indignation. She walked up to him, and as she did, wings erupted from her back.
"I AM GABRIELLE…I AM THE FUCKING GRIM REAPER FOR SOULS YOU IDIOT!" she hissed as a scythe appeared in her hand, its three blades unnerving for the ghost. Everyone was looking at the commotion she was creating. Gaara saw her silver trimmed wings and gasped. She looked at him over her shoulder, the blue stone in the center of her forehead glowing silver.
"Sakura…" he whispered, looking at her in awe. She looked away from him, ashamed.
"I am not human…I am not of this world. I come from another world entirely. My clan was destroyed by a mad man who wanted to harvest my power. He murdered them right in front of me…made me watch as he gleefully tortured everyone I loved. When he tried to take my nee-san…my powers erupted in hatred, rage, and pain. I wanted him to suffer as he'd made me suffer. The power that blew me into this realm…it was my using the most inhuman technique my clan was taught by the gods. I ripped his soul out of his body and sent it to the underworld. I sealed his soul there, so he can never be reincarnated, never given a second chance at life." Her voice was low, and surprisingly, sad.
"Because of what I did…I was sent here, away from my home and stripped of my memories…until I met you…Gaara." She looked at him with love in her eyes. It was obvious how she felt about him, and everyone could see it. She was afraid of losing him too.
"How could you love something like that?" the ghost man sneered, giving Gaara a disdainful look. "He has a demon inside him…he's nothing more than a rabid animal that needs to be put down." He regretted his words when the young woman in front of him turned her cold sterling eyes on him.
"You should have just kept quiet human. See, not only am I an alien…but I'm also a demon container…just…like…Gaara." She said her wings bursting and disappearing as her neko companion became enraged. Six silver tails flashed at the ghost, showing her agitation.
"You better apologize, or Saiki is going to show you what Orochimaru felt when she ripped him apart." Sakura's voice was gravelly, no longer the angelic soul caller, but the vicious demon. The children crowded around Gaara and his mother, who had abandoned Temari's body. Even as angry as she was, she turned gentle silver eyes on the children.
"Gabrielle is waiting for you in the clouds children…go see her. She wants to show you around her home." she said, her voice gentle as well. The children looked up to see the pretty lady from before, but only the ghosts saw her this time. The children and most of the adults became orbs once more and followed the angelic woman above the clouds.
Sakura turned her attention back to Gaara's father, who just glared at them all. Before anyone noticed, Sakura had her hands planted in the specters chest. The man gasped, as he actually felt pain from this. Sakura smirked evilly and leaned in close to him.
"Enjoy your stay with Orochimaru…" She said, as he disintegrated into nothing. She turned to see everyone, including her team, staring at her. She sighed and walked to Gaara's mother.
"I can't bring you back from the dead Karura, I don't have a body to put you in…but I can give you peace." She said and held her hands out to the older woman. Karura put her hands in the young woman's and looked back at her children. Tears trailed down her face once more.
"I'm sorry I left you all alone…I wanted to stay and watch you grown up…but…" she started sobbing again and Sakura hugged her. She murmured something and Karura went still, her crying stopping, and her face happy. She looked up and slowly started to fade out. Gaara looked at Sakura in question. She smiled at him.
"She is being reincarnated as we speak. She will be able to find you…eventually. Normally they don't allow conscious memories to translate over, but I am the one that sent her, not the council." she smiled at him, but her smile was short lived when she started falling, face first, to the ground. Her knees hit, and she was sure she was about to face plant when Gaara caught her in his lap.
Gaara stroked her hair from her face and looked at her with concerned jade eyes. Sakura lifted her hand to his face and smiled. "I love you…Panda-chan." she said, before she passed out. She returned to normal, her blue stone gone, her necklace hanging haphazardly against her chest. He looked up at her team and looked for Neji.
"Has this ever happened before?" he asked but no one answered. Getting irritated, he sent his sand into a mini sand storm to pull everyone out of their shock. When he was sure everyone was paying attention, he restated his question. Everyone shook their heads negatively…except Sai, who was scratching his head, like he was remembering something.
"I have seen the woman with wings on two occasions…I think. The memory is hazy, but I can see her smiling face clearly. She…I was…I can't remember anything more." Sai looked at the others, confusion all over his young face. Shino stiffened at the implication.
"You think she tampered with our minds to hide herself?" he asked, praying to Kami he was wrong. Gaara arched his non brow and scoffed at them.
"Her memory alterations don't work on people kekkei genkais. Or anyone else she has a deep connection with for that matter. Her powers are what protect you from having your minds tampered with in the first place. Why do you think she is the one that always allows herself to get captured by The Center in order to gain information? They can't alter anything in her head because she was not born on this plane of reality." Gaara lifted her in his arms and took charge of the situation.
"This skill assessment is over. No one will be fighting Sakura this time. She's seen the skills and she will make out the training schedules accordingly. Go inside and wait for us. I'm going to wake her up…and she is NOT going to be happy about it." Everyone caught his drift and scrambled into the house, not envying him this task.
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The reason I revealed this skill of Sakura's was important to a later chapter, so I will cross that bridge when it gets here. In case you are confused, there are actually 4 faces of Sakura. There is the emerald eyed girl we all know, the glowing eyed psychic that is the combination of Sakura and Saiki, the silver eyed cat form of Saku/Saiki, and Gabrielle (the soul her kekkei genkai gives her; Tsunade has one as well, named Noel) It's sort of a spin off of a Ichigo's soul reaper's socitey from Bleach, but it is one clan. I hope you enjoy!!
ch. glossary:
Ichimanako--> name of the cat Hime befriends that means 'one eye'
sistrum-->musical instrument formed as a sticklike wooden or metal object with a frame and small metal disks that rattle when shaken.
Uraeus, Serpent of Wisdom--> one of the divine eyes, this one was said to have been given to Bastet by Ra for defending him against Apep
ototo--> younger brother
glomping (glomp)--> tackling (or jumpin on) someone and covering them in affection (hugs, kisses, etc.)