Chapter 24

Sakura and Kagome met up the next morning in order to go see Sasuke at the Hospital. It hadd to be the first time Sakura had seen Kagome dressed down and without all her weaponry. Still she covered every inch of her skin. The knowledge that Kagome did that everyday gave Sakura a new perspective on her teammate. Walking into the hospital was a new experience. The nurses became silent when Kagome came ino view and Skura remembered what Kabuto had told Sasuke before the chuunin exams. Kagome had been treated her when she was very young for serious injuries. Which of the nurses had helped her? Sakura wondered. Then she realized she had stopped and Kagome was walking away without her. Together hey found Kakashi in the hall outside what they assumed was Sasuke's room.

"Hello girls, I'm sorry but Sasuke can't have visitors just now." He told them.

"I see." Sakura said a little down cast.

"He's fine. Last night he roped me in to training him alone for the next month."

"Then what about the rest of us?" Kagome asked.

"Naruto said something similar. I managed to find an elite trainer for him, I could do the same for you if you think you need it for the next part of the exam." Kakashi offered her. "I don't believe you need help but..."

"No it's fine."

"Of course."

There was little more for any of them to say. They exchanged quick farewells and the girls left. Despite the lack of necessity of her training at the moment she had hoped to be able to train with her teammates as a way of fulfilling her promise to Lee. It now appeared that she was on her own. She sighed. There had to be another way to train. Would Guy take her under his wing if she told him her promise to Lee?

"Sakura, are you alright?" Kagome asked.

Sakura realized she'd beenn following along in miserable silence. "It's just...I know it's not important for me to train but I had really hoped to train with you guys. When Lee helped me I promised I would get stronger and be worthy of his help. Now Lee can't get stronger and I don't know what to do anymmore."

"I could train you. I need a partener." Kagome offered.

"Really?!"

"Yeah. I don't mind. Kakashi was right. I didn't show my hand during the prelims so I have more I can use if necessary. It would be more useful for you to train than me and I'm willing." Kagomme shrugged.

"Yes! Yes, of course!" Sakura shrieked. "Thank you!"

Kagome smiled. She wasn't so sure Sakura would be thanking her after they started working. The two agreed to meet the next morning after breakfast where they had trained with their squad. Parting with Sakura Kagome found herself wandering until she found herself at the training grounds. She summoned a few clones and began to work on a strategy for fighting Dosu and Hitomi. It was possible she'd have to take on both in the exam. She wasn't sure which one would be harder. She knew very little about both. Starting with what she knew about Hitomi, she knew that she had fallen for a genjutsu once but her partner had not fallen for it twice so it was more than likely she wouldn't fall for it twice. It could be that they were trained to adapt immediately to any technique they saw. Which meant that she would only be able to use a jutsu or technique once in their fight. Also anything she used on Dosu would be out for her fight with Hitomi. She sighed. She needed to eat and she had a month to decide what to do.

Back n the village she bought some food and took it with her to the shrine. It wasn't until after she finished that Kakashi arrived. They sat in silence as he gathered his thoughts. He wasn't even sure he should tell her. Still he steeled himself for the worst and opened his mouth.

"I know about Orochimaru." He said.

He saw her tense. "Know what exactly?"

"I kow he was the one who killed your family. I know he was the one who...I know he was the one who hurt you. He told me."

She was breathing heavy, panicing. Was that all Orochhimaru had told him? Nothing else? She glanced out of the corner of her eye at her sensei. Yes, that was all. She could tell when he was holding back and this time he was sincerely putting everything out there. There was pity in his eyes, a saddness that told her he was painting a picture of her past. He only knew half the story. Only knew half of her pain.

"So?" She asked harshly.

He flinched. She was bristling and trying to protect her wounds. "You don't have to hide the pain around me. Remember? I ampart of your family now, wither you want me or not. I'm here. I won't tell anyone but I want to tell you the same thing I told Sasuke: revenge won't fix he pain. It won't bring them back."

"If I take down Orochimaru it won't be out of revenge. I want to take him down so that no one will be hurt by him again. My pain, my past, those are my burdens but I want to insure that he doesn't do that to anyone else ever again." She said angrily.

"Then there is something else I need to ask you. Why would Orochimaru chose you? Why would he think you are so important in what's to come?"

She froze. In the past, the feudal era, she'd played a role in the fate of the jewel. Here that didn't seem so important. If he thought she was still important maybe the jewel still was. "I don't know." She said dumbly.

Kakashi din't doubt her though he knew there was more to it than that. He wouldn't push though. If it came down to it he would find out. He doubted that it would ever come to that because he and he others would protect her from him or she would kill him out right. "Then what is your plan for the next month?"

"I'm going to train Sakura and attempt to develop a strategy from what I know about the two I coulld be facing."

"You'll be training Sakura?" He watched her with a shocked expression.

She smiled. "Well, she made a promise to Lee that she woould become stronger to be worthy of hiss aid and now that...well now she feels like she should be training even harder and I could turn her down. Besides I can use her as a sparing partner as she gets better."

"Good luck and good night." He said standing.

Shee looked up a the darkening sky. "Goodnight Kakashi-sensei."

The next morning Kagome prepared her plan to train Sakura as she made breakfast. As Iruka had explained Sakura's weakness was her physical strength and stamina. She would have to start by working simple weigth lifting and endurance training before she could begin working manuvers. There was also her strength of mind. She was smart but it had been dulled by her need to prove herself and impress Sasuke. With that out of the way she would probably benifit from some light reading. So before Kagome went to meet Sakura she stopped and borrowed some weight belts from the Academy and a book for beginners on medical ninjutsu. Still early to their meet Kagome sat in the shade reading her own book.

"Kagome!" Sakura greeted. "I'm sorry I'm late my mother wanted me to stay back and help so I did a few chores."

Kagome checked the time. It hadn't been that long. "It's ok. Plenty of hours in the day." She put the book down. "First things first I thought we should discuss the way I plan on handling this. The way Iruka explained it was that you have the mind to become a chuunin but you lack the physical strength and stamina so that is what we will work on first. I have weights here foryou to wear as we work and during normal activities. Over time we will increase the weight until the heavy load feels like nothing. At the same time we will do some endurance training to increase your stamina."

"Okay, but what about actual taijutsu." Sakura asked.

"We'll work up to that. First we need to give you a strong foundation to build on. Also, I think you should read this, to keep your mind sharp."

"Medical ninjutsu?"

"It's a good skill to have. We may not be on the same team forever, Sakura, someday they might need you to heal them." Sakura took in Kagome's face. It wasn't a joke. "And maybe, if you really work at it you might find the answer to helping Lee."

In that moment Kagome knew she was right about Sakura. She caed aobut Lee but it was more than the superfical crush she'd had on Sasuke. It even looked as if Sakura was interested in learning to heal. It would be usefull and it could help Lee. But it would take time but if Sakura had a goal Kagome was sure she would do better. As soon as the shock and awe had worn off they got to work. At first it was slow going, Sakura could barely stand with the weights at their lowest setting but soon she got used to them and they were off. For the first few days they walked and did some simple stretches but soon they moved up to short runs around the grounds. It was on one of these runs that they ran in to Tenten and Neji.

"Oh hey," Sakura said when they made it in to the clearing. She was clearly winded but the only one polite enough to speak.

"Hey, you guys," Tenten said shocked.

Kagome only nodded. Since Neji's fight with Hinata Kagome could barely stand him. It took all she had not to punch him in the face. He lookked her inn the ees as if he coulld sense her growing hostilities. Just as she was about to ask though Sakura pulled the attention back to herself. "How is Lee?"

Everyone stood in silence for a blinked before regaining her composure. "He hasn't been talking much and he still can't move very much. The doctors haven't been very optomistic."

"Oh, I see," Sakura said looking away.

Kagome noticed her fist clenching at her side. Her resolve to help Lee wasn't wavering, it was getting stronger. Now she just needed to work and keep working. Settling against a tree Kagome watched determination paint Sakura's face. It was strange how much Lee had come to represent inn the few weeks they had known him. He was now Sakuura's focus, her goal. She would become stronger to be worthy and become better in the hopes that she would be able to help him be a ninja again. It was exactly what she had needed.

"What about you? What are you two doing out here?" Neji asked.

"Sakura here is training." Kagome answered.

"Sakura and not you? It would seem that it would be you training not acting as the trainer since you were the one who made it in to the finals." Neji said with a smirk.

"I working on it. I don't plan on tiring myself out for the next month and anyway what I'm focusing on is none of your concern now is it?" She looked him dead in the eye.

"Oh, it is. I want to fight you, Kagome Higurashi, and find out just how strong you actually are."

"Then you'll have to survive Naruto, who I do believe is out for your blood. And if you do, pray you don't meet me because I felt Hinata's organs failing because of what you did and will find a way to inflict that pain on you." Her anger was begining to surface and even Neji was taken aback. She was the reserved one and now they could see, she did feel.

Neji narrowed his eyes but Tenten jumped in to stop the arguement. "So, umm, Sakura what are you training for then?"

Sakura looked away again. "I promised Lee I'd get stronger in order to pay him back for helping me. I just figured I should work harder now since..."

"Let's go Sakura, break's over." Kagome said before Sakura could think of finishing that sentence.

The two spent the next month training. Kagome found Sakura's work ethic improve impensely as they work. She managed to read through half the books on medical ninjutsu Konoha had available in the library and had progressed to be able to keep up with Kagome without the weights. Taijutsu that Sakura had struggled with since the Academy was now coming to her easier. Kagome was satisfied that when the team came back together Sakura would have surpassed Naruto and would be able to continue to close the gap between her and Sasuke and Kagome. Kagome was proud but now it was time to focus. The chuunin exams were resuming and she was going to bea anyone who sood in her way. Neji, Sasuke, it didn't matter.

A/N: So this took a lot longer than I planned. I wanted to tell you guys there are three planned chapters left, the exam, the invasion, and the aftermath. I really will be working on geting them posted before I leave tomorrow but if I don't I won't be posting for the next three weeks. I have been packing and that's why I haven't been able to post so, wish me luck.