Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto, and I claim no part of it except for this story.
Sakura was pacing about her room half-an-hour before she was designated to meet Lee at the training grounds. Taking his advice, she was dressed in black ninja capris and a bright red tank top that had the Haruno clan circle on her back. Her hair was tied into a neat high ponytail that cascaded down her back before it ended mid-way. It was quite a significant change from her usual attire, which admittedly limited her mobility. She could not help but feel a little odd by what she was wearing, but she decided if she wanted to change herself, a change in wardrobe was a good place to start.
But she was not having a problem with anything she was wearing, but the implication of her training. Even though she had not even started, she was doubting her decision to train with Lee because even though he seemed strong and wanted to help her, she was afraid to making a fool of herself in front of him.
However, it was this fear that was holding her back from becoming stronger.
Sakura plopped herself on the bed and crossed her fingers as she bobbed her leg up and down. She twiddled her thumbs nervously at her predicament. She had never been physically strong, and there was no way she could make a significant improvement in time for the Chūnin exams, which were in three weeks.
Sakura squeezed her hands together. Come on, coward. You have to do this! How will you even be able to look your team in the face if you don't? She thought to herself. She thought of how she would disappoint Sasuke and Kakashi, and even a disappointed Naruto left a bad pain in her chest.
She then realized what little credit she gave the "dead-last" of the team. He did not deserve that title, but he took it in place of her. He might not have had much in terms of ninjutsu, but he had the courage and willpower that she never had, plus the believe that he could beat anyone he aspired to, even someone who was obviously leagues ahead of him, like Sasuke.
In the end, Sakura saw that she had mocked Naruto for her exact predicament, except he had taken it differently. He had taken every single negative comment that people had given it and used it to fuel his resolve to achieve his dream. That was something she was hoping to do: turn what people said about her to her strength. Sakura had no right to criticize him for doing something better than she could ever do.
Although he could be annoying, a little crude, and pretty moronic at times, he was still someone who never gave up and fought for the people he cared about. Sakura did not know why she had realized it so late, but she was one of those people who he cared about, and she barely even bat an eye towards him. In a life where reliable people are difficult to find, she could not push someone who had so willingly trusted her unconditionally.
Uzumaki Naruto had the qualities of a great Hokage.
She knew that she had to start acting more like a teammate to him. It was going to be hard, because he still acted like an idiot and she had low tolerance for people who did that, but she knew she had to start seeing her teammates more like friends if they were able to form any kind of strong bond. Even though she admitted in her mind that she would always care for Sasuke more than the rest, she knew that it should not come at the cost of anyone else on her team.
Sakura was broken out of her thoughts when she noticed the time on the clock. It was ten minutes to seven.
She quickly rushed around her room to tidy a few things up. She slipped on her ninja sandals and gathered her weapons pouch, since she was not sure what Lee had in store for her. She could not be too prepared.
Sakura then rushed over to the mirror and started to prim up her appearance, making sure that her hair was smoothed down perfectly, her lips were well moisturized, and she was looking presentable.
When Sakura started to check the fit of her clothes on her body, she realized her mistake. Ninja could not care so much about their looks. When Haku and Zabuza fell in battle, they didn't care about looking "presentable". The stereotype that kunoichi had to be graceful but powerful was a horrible farce. They were like that even though they did not care about their appearance. The reason they were graceful was because they put faith in their power, not in their beauty. All her life, she had cared about what others thought about her appearance, and nothing else seemed to matter.
A ninja's true way was to not care about what others thought. It was to fight for what one believed in.
Before she could fully examine herself in the mirror, she stopped and looked herself in the eyes. For the first time, she saw a doll staring back at her. Not implying that she was beautiful, but that everyone was trying so hard to circumvent her to make sure that she would not break. She had been pampered her whole entire life to believe that appearance was the only important thing in life. However, she now knew that was not the case.
Suddenly, the doll's emerald eyes started to narrow at her in slight disgust. She saw the doll's fist clenched as she reigned it against her. Sakura almost wanted to quiver away under that intense glare, but she kept herself fixated on the green orbs that she had stared into almost every single day. But this time, they looked different. They looked…almost angry.
The raised fist came toward Sakura with an intent to punch her right in the chest. Then, before Sakura knew what was happening, the human-sized mirror had toppled over and smashed into many little pieces with a loud sound accompanying it. Sakura had to back up to avoid getting her feet cut.
She looked at what she had done to the very reflective source that she had spent hours in front of for years. She had no idea what had come over her to do such a thing. The punch she had given it was not strong enough to crack the glass on its own, but the force was sufficient enough to knock it over so that it shattered. She could not believe that she had just destroyed something that had meant so much to her. She started to tear her hands through her hair, messing it up a little bit in her frenzy. Her parents would be furious. Perhaps if she just sat them down with a nice cup of tea (because they really loved their tea) and told them that it was just an accident, they would buy her a new one.
But looking at the glass shards beneath her, she found herself wanting that new mirror less. Though it was not the cause of all of her problems, it had still caused some of them. The constant worry about her appearance hindered her from practicing her skills, and it was best to cut the weed off at the roots.
She could survive without a piece of glass to stare at herself in, and she was going to prove it.
Sakura looked at the clock and saw that it was only three minutes away from when her appointment with Lee was. She really had to hustle if she wanted to make it on time.
Before she made her way out of her room, she stopped in the doorsill, looking back at the broken vanity.
Seven years bad luck, huh Inner? Sakura asked herself. Inner smirked and nodded.
More work for us, then. Inner replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. Sakura could not help but smile a bit in agreement.
Sakura would be lying if she said that she didn't feel a little bigheaded about the events that happened that morning. Her breaking of the mirror might have symbolized a change in her attitude, but her physicality would not change as fast. Her first training session with Lee proved that.
She had ran all the way to the training ground, but she still ended up a few minutes late. When she got there, she saw Lee doing some push-ups on his thumbs – something she thought only happened in books – while an older man hovered over him, coaching him on his form and keeping track of the number that he had completed.
Sakura's assumption that Lee looked up to his sensei proved to be one hundred percent correct, which was evident just by their clothing. Lee looked like an exact replica of his sensei. Same bowl-cut hair, same green spandex suit, and upon closer inspection, same bushy eyebrows.
As Sakura approached, Lee immediately shot up to greet her. Despite being drenched in sweat and looking as if he had just run across the Land of Fire and back, he still had the energy to smile brilliantly at her.
"Sakura-san! I am so happy for you to have made it!" Lee said as he made his way over to her.
"Sorry I'm a little late. I was…having a bit of trouble with my mirror." Sakura ended lamely. Lee just nodded his head as if he had understood exactly what she had been through.
"It is no trouble at all. The day has just begun! Come, I would like you to meet Gai-sensei." He said as he quickly took her hand and dragged her towards the older version of him with such force that it looked as though she was flying behind him. When Lee stopped abruptly in front of his sensei, Sakura stumbled forward a little bit to regain her balance. "Gai-sensei! I have met the youthful blossom who I have told you about." Lee said as he motioned to her. Sakura raised her hand in a shy greeting.
Contrary to her reticent hello, the older man, who Lee had dubbed Gai-sensei, gave her a smile and a thumbs up that mimicked his student's. "Sakura-kun, if I am correct? The power of youth shines brightly in your eyes!" He exclaimed.
Sakura just nodded, a little unsure of what to say. Seriously, what is it with these guys and youth?
"You are Kakashi's student, yes?" He asked her. Sakura nodded. "Ah, my long-time rival. He and I go way back to our academy days." Gai said as he put a hand to his chin. "Is he still tardy to all of his meetings?" Gai asked.
"He's not just like that with us? I thought it was because he didn't like us. He always came up with some lame excuse like that he was lost…"
"…on the road of life?" Gai finished. Sakura nodded, amazed at how spot-on he was. "That's Kakashi for you!" Gai said with his eyes closed and a wide grin. "Anyway, Lee told me that you are trying to improve your physical prowess. We would be honored if you trained with us, Sakura-kun."
"The honor is all mine. But just to warn you, I have very little experience in rigorous training." Sakura said, scratching the back on her neck as it started to heat up in embarrassment.
"I see. Lee!" He called out to his student. Lee immediately stiffened his position and stood upright, as if a sergeant had just called out an order to his soldier. "This will be a great learning experience for you as well. Part of being able to use your power is being able to control it to the point of a beginner." Gai-sensei instructed. Lee's eyes shined in admiration for his mentor as crocodile tears started to rush in a stream down his face. Sakura just stared at him, a little concerned.
"Gai-sensei is so wise! I will do as you ask of me, sensei! I promise to make you proud!" Lee cried zealously.
"Oh, Lee."
"Gai-sensei."
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!" The two cried as they hugged each other tightly, a sunset appearing in the background to shine a beautiful light over the master and the student.
Sakura had to rub her eyes a couple of times at what she was seeing. It was seven in the morning. Where had the sunset come from?
Is this some sort of genjutsu? Sakura asked herself as she continued to rub her eyes.
"Oh no! Do you have sand in your eyes, Sakura-san?" Lee asked her. When Sakura stopped rubbing her eyes, the sunset was gone, and Gai and Lee just stared at her worriedly as if their spectacle had never happened.
Seriously…what had she gotten herself into?
"Enough dawdling! Line up, my youthful students!" Gai-sensei called. Lee immediately stood attentive, and Sakura just slowly lined her feet up with his. "Because Sakura-kun is new to our regiment, we will start her off on a beginner level. Five laps around the village for a warm up. No breaks!" He ordered.
Five!? She could barely run a half-mile without tiring out.
"Hai, Gai-sensei. Come along, Sakura-san!" Lee said as he took off towards the border of the village. Sakura watched in awe at the speed and endurance he ran at. She could not help but admire his resilience.
"That means you too, Sakura-kun." Gai-sensei said expectantly as he watched her stare after Lee with a dumbfounded face. Even though he was pleased to have someone recognize his student's abilities, the training session was supposed to be about her.
Realizing her delay, she quickly bowed in apology to the Jōnin and ran off after Lee, at a notably slower pace. Gai frowned to himself when he watched her leave. He was more than happy to train her, but Kakashi was capable of training her himself. Gai wondered to himself why Sakura had not gone to him.
Did his eternal rival even know about the blossom's goal?
Sakura's lungs had never burned so much in her life. She had barely gotten through her first lap before she felt like the contents of her stomach were about to resurface. She tried her best to breathe through her nose and out through her mouth, but her lethargy was starting to catch up with her.
"L-Lee…I don't think I can go on any longer." Sakura said as she dropped to her knees on the dirt path, panting from the lack of oxygen. She cringed at what Lee's reaction might be to her lack of ambition. She did not know how he was even able to keep going at his normal energy. She felt as if she had just ran a marathon.
Sakura was met with a pleasant surprise when Lee jogged next to her and squatted down. He put a hand on her shoulder, his face soft and understanding. "Get up, Sakura-san." He said to her. His voice held no trace of annoyance that Sasuke's might have when they were training, and it was not filled with desperate cheerfulness like Naruto's. It was filled with a sense of sympathy, but not the kind that tried to belittle her.
Sakura took deep breaths to get her body to stop aching from the lack of air. "I-I don't think I can." Sakura breathed out. "I'm so sorry Lee. I know you were excited to take me on as your student." She said as she buried her face in her hands. "I'm really not cut out to be a ninja. I can't help but give up too easily." She said.
"But you cannot use that as an excuse." Lee said. "It is easy to give up, but if everyone did that, then no one would become stronger. Look up there, Sakura-san." Lee said as he pointed to Hokage Rock, where all of their previous Hokage's faces stood prominently for everyone to see as they watched over the village. Sakura looked at the highly respected faces as Lee continued. "All those men up there had earned their position through hard work and dedication. When our village was at risk, they gave their lives to ensure its safety. If they had given up, then none of us would be here." He then turned back to Sakura, who was still staring at the mountain. "Giving up was not an option for them, and even though we are not living in the same situations as them, we cannot think of advocating the behavior they fought against." Lee stood up, making Sakura follow him with his gaze.
"But they were all so much stronger than I am. I just come from a civilian family who has no means of being…" Sakura started.
"Sakura-san, I think you will find it more beneficial if you don't try to think of reasons of why you can't do this. Instead, think of why you can." Lee said, looking down at her with a smiling face. "I believe you can do it, so you should too." Lee said with one of his toothy smiles.
Sakura looked down at her hands on the ground. She clenched her fists together, taking some of the dirt into her palm. Lee was right, of course. Giving up would not only be disrespecting him, but everything the Hokage had risked their lives to protect. She loved her village, and she believed in her mind that she would do anything to protect it. With how she was at the moment, there was nothing she could do. It was time to prove that she could also be a protector of the village she held dear.
Lee smiled as he recognized the revelation that Sakura was having. He knew what it was like to want to give into what other people said and to just believe that nothing was going to improve no matter how much effort was put in. But he was living proof that the notion was false, and the sooner that Sakura understood that, the sooner the barrier would be lifted for her to actually begin her training.
Lee outstretched a hand to help her up. She looked at the hand that had intruded her peripheral vision. She could not help but look up at her friend with elation. She had never met anyone more understanding and concerned about her wellbeing as a ninja. But she could not let him carry a burden for her. She knew that to get stronger, the first person she had to prove her worth to was the person who had stepped up to help her.
For the first time since she had known Sasuke, he was not a top priority in her mind.
Sakura looked at Lee's hand with a genuine smile as she just shook her head. She raised herself from the ground and took his hand in both of hers, clutching it tightly.
"Thank you…Lee-san." She said, adding the honorific to his name. She needed to acknowledge him as her superior as he guided her through her training. He deserved every ounce of respect she could produce from the fibers of her being. Taking her on was in itself a challenging feat, but Lee decided that she was worth it.
Now she had to prove to him that he was right.
Sakura released his hand and gave him one last smile before she started jogging again. Her legs still hurt, and her body still screamed for her to stop, but she kept going. No matter if her pace was slower than she wanted it to be, she still never gave up the race. She would reach the finish line, collapsed lungs or not.
Sakura had finished her five laps and returned to the training ground with sweat dripping down her forehead as if she had just taken a swim. Lee jogged casually beside her, not looking even the slightest bit tired. She could tell that there were many moments where he wanted to race ahead of her and encourage her to pick up the pace, but he didn't. He stayed with her through her battle.
He had already proved to be a fantastic teacher in her eyes.
Sakura laid back against a tree stump as she took a shaky sip from her water canister. The cooling liquid was a welcome sensation to soothe her chest and her breathing. Her face broke out in a small smile as her body started to calm itself. Throughout her training, Sakura had small thoughts about how that run would be the end of her and that she would never be able to finish.
One run was too little to change anything about herself physically, but she definitely realized that the first step in overcoming her weakness was to not be so dramatic. It was not going to be the end of the world just because her legs were tired or if she was having trouble breathing. No, those were just obstacles that had to be overcome, and her pessimistic thoughts did not help in the slightest.
She looked over to where Lee and Gai were talking to each other, and based on the not-so-furtive glances towards her, she knew that Lee was describing to his sensei about her capabilities. She got up and started to make her way towards them, ready for an analysis or an explanation on what she had to do to improve. She expected Gai to shake his head in slight disappointment or to breathe a heavy sigh to indicate that she had a long way to go.
Instead, the bushy-browed sensei looked straight at her, catching her glance. She wanted to close her eyes to avoid the pitiful glance that she was sure he would give her. But, like a lot of other things leading up to that point, Sakura was wrong.
Gai held up his thumb and gave her a curt nod, as if he was…proud of her. How could he do something like that? She had just started, so she had made absolutely no progress at all, and the only thing that she had shown was that she had absolutely no stamina whatsoever.
When Sakura had approached them, Lee looked at her with an eye-squinting smile, one that was so genuine that it made her feel so guilty that she almost gave up on him. Gai-sensei walked up to her and bent down a little bit, giving her a slight pat on the shoulder.
"Well done, Sakura-kun." He said firmly. It was not the kind of coo that a mother would give a child based on a decent effort. It was more authoritative than that, as if he was actually proud of her
Sakura shook her head in disbelief. She turned her head downward so that he would not see the tears that began to overtake her eyes. "But…I didn't do anything. I started to give up half way through. If Lee was not there to tell me to keep going, I wouldn't have." She explained to him.
Gai could sense that she was getting a little emotional, but continued in the same tone. If she happened to cry, then he would let her cry. "But in the end, you didn't." He said. "Everyone feels like giving up along the way, but it's those who strive towards the finish line that are the victors. It does not matter what place you end up getting in the race. Even if it is last, there is proof that you tried, instead of getting no place at all if you gave up half way." Gai explained.
Sakura could see his logic in that, but that didn't change the fact that she needed Lee's motivation in order to keep going. However, that was all in the past, and the more she dwelled on it, the more horrible she would feel, and that self-deprecation would not get her anywhere.
"Now, on to business. Your team is meeting at eleven, correct?" Gai asked. Sakura nodded her head, internally correcting the time to be nine, but it was implied to be eleven. She was ready to get down to business. "It is nine right now. I will release you in exactly an hour and a half. Since you seem to have expended your physical capabilities at the moment, we will do thirty minutes of meditation. It is key to maintain one's youthful mindset!" He said enthusiastically.
"Hai, Gai-sensei!" Lee exclaimed with a salute. Gai looked over at her to see if she was still up to training with them,
To show that she was still determined to become better at whatever field she could, she stood upright just like Lee and saluted also. "Hai, Gai-sensei!" She replied with a smile. The sight of the little cherry blossom copying his student was nothing short of amusing. Her eyes were closed as she tried to produce the biggest grin she could, kind of like they did. Although it did not shine in the same way, she was giving it all her effort. Just by the way she smiled, Gai could tell that she would do fine under Lee, no matter what he decided to throw at her.
Sakura took pride that she could muster up a look of enthusiasm that resembled Lee's to a certain extent. She would not run from anything either of them gave her. She was done running. She was ready to face her problems head on.
"And by the way, Sakura-kun, what size are you? I would love to make you a suit that matched ours." Gai asked as he motioned to the uniforms that he and his student were wearing. Lee looked at her and nodded ardently. Sakura had to stop herself from visibly wincing as all of the color drained from her face.
Maybe there were a few problems that she still had to run from.
A figure watched over their little spectacle from the trees above the training ground. The figure smiled a little bit at the pink-haired girl's willingness to train. It was a huge improvement from what he had saw in the academy.
He had planned on giving her a test like he had Naruto and Sasuke to see if she would be up to taking the Chūnin exams. However, with the help she had decided to receive, it looked as though she did not need more of a test. It troubled him slightly that Kakashi was not the one training her, but even he saw how the scarecrow put more emphasis on the other two. While he hoped that she did not separate completely from her original sensei, he thought that training with someone new would give her a good change of pace.
With that, Iruka disappeared back into the trees. His observational period was over.
Hi everyone! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I hope things are progressing at a good pace right now. Just to reiterate, Sakura hasn't made much progress physically, but she is starting to slowly change her mindset.
Do you guys think that the pacing is good? Too fast? Too slow? Please let me know! Remember, any comments or criticisms are 120 percent welcome.
As always, I hope that all of you beautiful people are having a great day wherever you are. Good luck to everyone starting school, starting a new job, or...basically doing anything in life! See you guys next time!