All rights to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Before Sakura could realize what she was doing, she bolted towards the hospital, the scroll from the hawk in hand. She clutched it intensely but refused to let her grip mar the message on it. When she reached the grocery store, she was out of breath from her excitement and her long run. She was about a block away from the hospital, but she wanted to read over it once more, just to make sure that what it said was real.
In neat and formal Kanji, it wrote:
To whom it may concern,
If you have received this message, this means that you had participated in the preliminary rounds of the Chūnin exams this year, but failed to proceed to the final round. However, due to Kankuro of Sunagakure forfeiting his spot in the finals, the spot is now open to those in the preliminaries that are in fit enough condition to compete for reentrance.
In three weeks' time, exactly a week before the finals of the Chūnin Exams start, you will race to the top of Mount Amano, where the border of the Land of Fire meets the Land of Rivers. You will be required to recover an artifact from the mountain, while trying to keep your other competitors from doing so. The objective is to make it down the mountain with the artifact before anyone else can.
This will test your resourcefulness, as no other information other than that supplied here will be given to you. If you do not return with the artifact by sundown, then you will not be able to enter the exam again. This is the final chance.
Meet at the edge of the Forest of Death at four o'clock sharp exactly seven days before the finals.
Sakura's euphoria settled when she read the note over again. Even with her extensive knowledge of the geography of the continents, she had never even heard of Mount Amano, and a part of her doubted it even existed. She would also be going up against the competitors of the previous round, all of whom probably want the spot as much as her. She leaned against the convenience store wall and slid down it slowly, as to shrink herself away from the bustling hurry of the street in front of her.
A feeling of doubt loomed like a dark cloud overhead, her hope withering and dying away like the transition between summer and autumn. She would have to fight the people that she thought that she would never have to, and the people that she could not bear to see again.
Oto's team was not disqualified because both Kin and Dosu lived, but she doubted that those two would be in the condition to fight after what she had done to them. However, that still left Zaku. She knew he had been there during the preliminaries, and if what she heard from Naruto was correct, he was one of the people who did not win. That meant that there was a chance that she would face him once more.
Sakura's doubt began to eat away at her conscience as she thought more and more about it. Inner, who had sensed her anxiety and tried to calm her down, was unsuccessful in her attempts. Sakura clenched her eyes shut as she remembered the monster she had become in order to protect herself. There was no saying that she would not do it again if she had to, but she did not think that she would be able to handle such a stress on her mind. But if this was the case, how would she ever become a capable shinobi?
Hey, stop wallowing in self-pity, because it's really pissing me off. Inner said sternly as her conciliatory attitude dissipated. If you're not going to respect yourself, how can you expect others to respect you also? Think about all you have accomplished thus far.
But- Sakura tried to start.
No buts. It's time for you to realize that it is not the other people that are keeping you from achieving your goals, it is yourself.
Yeah...yeah, you're right. Sakura thought as she stood up on her feet with a newfound resolve. I'm in charge of what happens next, aren't I? Sakura thought with a proud nod of her head.
That's the spirit, champ! Now hurry up and go to the hospital. Inner said. Sakura grinned to herself and took off running around the block towards the large rectangular building in the middle of the village. Oh, and Outer? Sakura hummed internally in acknowledgement. I want you to know that I am getting sick of these pep talks. Either shut up and move on with life or complain to someone else.
Or what? Sakura taunted playfully. It was just an internal battle from then on.
Sakura finally made it to the hospital, her muscles aching from her long run. The scroll was stashed inside her weapons pouch and she had a small paper bag in hand, with the contents being a container filled with curry pilaf, one of Lee's favorite foods. When she entered, she asked the receptionist which room Lee was in and went on her way, giddy about the news she was about to give him.
She took the stairs until she reached the fifth floor of the hospital. The smile she had on when she entered had never left her face. She couldn't believe that she had this opportunity, and hoped that her mentor would be proud of her.
"-status on his condition?" She overheard one of the nurses walking in the opposite direction as her say. Sakura did not think much of it and kept on walking.
"Not good. His whole left side is broken and when he came to us, he had lost so much blood that we were barely able to keep him alive. He went into anaphylactic shock afterwards." The other nurse said gravely.
"What is his name again?" The other nurse asked.
"The one in room 502? Oh, I believe it is Rock Lee. He was fighting in the Chūnin Exams." She finished. Sakura completely froze at this, looking back down the hall as if the nurse would suddenly catch herself because she made a mistake. "From the looks of it," the nurse continued, "it would be a miracle if he can ever resume his career as a ninja."
Sakura's eyes widened in shock at the news. She then picked up her pace towards room 502, almost breaking the door down as she threw it open. Laying on the bed, in a peaceful unconsciousness, was her mentor and one of her closest friends. His skin looked even paler than it usually did and his breathing was labored. Bandages adorned his entire left side, even covering up part of his face.
Sakura let out a quiet sob as she looked at his state. Her purpose of being there forgotten, she placed the takeout food on the table and pulled up a chair next to him, taking his uninjured right hand into both of her own and holding them up like a prayer. It couldn't be that Lee had to quit his career as a ninja. No one, absolutely no one, had worked as hard as he had for his title. After everything he had accomplished, there was no way that it could be taken away with just one battle. She could not imagine a world where Lee had not found her and taught her everything she had known about perseverance and determination, and the will to never give up.
If anyone deserved the title of a great shinobi, it was Rock Lee.
She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she did not hear the door open surreptitiously behind her. It was when the intruder entered into the room that Sakura finally felt their chakra signature, which was a very familiar one. Sakura sprung from her chair, one hand in her weapons pouch, and turned with a fierce glare towards the redhead who stood in front of her.
"What do you want?" Sakura asked with an unexpected calmness. Gaara looked completely unfazed as his eyes focused on the figure behind her. Sakura looked behind her to make sure that his sand had not crept up on Lee while she was not looking.
"You never answered my question." His raspy voice responded.
Sakura raised an eyebrow and relaxed a little. "What question?" She asked suspiciously.
Gaara looked irritated at the fact that he had to explain it to her. "The question I asked you and the Jōnin instructor." Gaara responded as he took a step forward. Sakura went back into her defensive stance, but refused to back down. "Why do you care so much about him?" He emphasized every word as if there was venom on the tip of his tongue.
Sakura fought the urge roll her eyes. Why was he still on about that? "Isn't it obvious?" She asked tauntingly. She then stopped herself from saying more. No, it might not have been obvious to him. She saw something in him that reminded her of Naruto – that loneliness and ostracism of an abandoned child. Sakura dropped her cool exterior and answered him truthfully. "I care about him because I'm his friend."
"Friend?" Gaara whispered the word as if it was a secret that he did not want people to hear.
"Yeah…you look out for your friends, just as they would look out for you." Sakura said with a smile as she turned herself completely towards Lee's bed. It somehow did not feel that she was in the presence of an enemy anymore. "Your friends are there for you when you are feeling sad and lonely, and will pick you up and give you the confidence you need to stay strong. They're the only ones who will be blatantly honest with you, but that's because they love you, and you love them because of everything they do for you." Sakura finished.
She then turned towards where Gaara was standing to see if she had made some sort of impact on him, only to see that he had completely vanished. There was a trail of his sand in his wake, scattered over the hospital floor. Sakura looked down sadly for not being able to get through to him. She couldn't find it within herself to forgive what he had done to Lee, but there was a part of her telling her that he could not help it. It was all he had known growing up: how to hate and how to kill. At least, she thought so, anyway.
There was something that resonated with her pity when she looked at Gaara. To know that there was someone who did not even know the concept of love and care hurt her deeply. It did not matter that Gaara looked like a monster to everyone else. To her, he just looked like a little neglected boy trapped inside the box of society's expectations.
The body beside her stirred a little bit as a groan resonated through the room. Sakura snapped her head towards her mentor, who fidgeted slightly under his blankets. Lee opened his eyes to see Sakura hovering over him, a relieved look on her face.
"Lee! Lee, can you hear me?" She asked as she clutched the side of his bed. His dark eyes turned towards her and he made his best effort to give her a lazy smile. "Thank goodness you're-" She was cut off when his eyes slowly shut out of exhaustion, leaving her talking to herself once more. She reached out and touched his hair and tried to restrain a sob from escaping her mouth. Lee just looked so…broken. No matter how many times he was pushed down or tired or beaten, he had always gotten back up. Seeing him that way took every ounce of confidence Sakura had within her.
Suddenly, a nurse entered the room. "Excuse me, ojou-chan. The visiting hours are almost over." She notified. Sakura nodded in understanding without turning to see her, so the nurse left quietly.
Sakura swallowed back her cry as she forced herself to smile for her injured friend. She patted his head fondly. "Goodbye Lee. I'll come back soon, okay?" She whispered. Her only response was the deathly silence of the room, so she swiftly made her departure. When she exited the hospital, she realized how dark it had gotten. She felt a sudden rush of lethargy from the day's events, and immediately wished more nothing more than a warm shower and some of her mother's cooking.
Sakura trudged her way down the street towards her house, distracting her tired thoughts with the pleasant chirping of the crickets and the beautiful luminescence of the moon. She breathed in the fresh air of Konoha's streets and allowed it to relax her nerves. All the stress she was taking on, from the upcoming second chance to Lee's fatal injuries, was finally getting to her, and no matter how much she tried to run from it, it would always come back to eat away at her consciousness.
Sakura was startled out of her thoughts at the sound of maniacal laughter that penetrated the stillness of Konoha's night. Sakura shook from a chill that she felt wash over her as she turned towards the source of the noise. A bit in the distance, walking towards her from another end of the street, were two figures. One seemed to be supporting the other slowly as they struggled to move the other on their feet. Sakura could not make out who they were, but from the looks of their silhouettes, they were most definitely female.
"I don't want to go back, I still have one more game to play!" One of the women shouted as she tried to stagger away from the other. Sakura could tell by her slurred speech that she was drunk.
"No! You have to stop this before you completely go bankrupt!" The other cried out in exasperation. Sakura's ears perked at this voice; it was someone whom she knew.
"I won't go bankrupt! I'm the best gambler there is!" The woman yelled as she tried to regain her composed posture.
As the two figures came closer, Sakura was able to make out their figures in the lamplight. Her eyes widened as her suspicion was proved correct, because out of the shadows stepped none other than Shizune, who was supporting a blonde woman that had her hair tied into two ponytails.
"Tsunade-sama, you know what happens when you drink too much." Shizune said. "I always have to end up dragging you back to the hotel." Shizune grumbled afterwards. Tsunade seemed to hear this, but before she could say anything, Sakura decided to jump in.
"Sh-Shizune-san?" Sakura asked in a tentative voice. Shizune's head turned towards her, at first confused about who was calling her. Upon seeing the characteristic pink hair, she knew immediately who it was.
"Ah, Sakura-chan!" Shizune greeted fondly as she repositioned the woman on her shoulders so that she would not fall. "What are you doing outside so late at night?" She asked curiously.
"I'm just on my way back from the hospital." Sakura said as she trailed off when looking at the unkempt blonde. "Is she alright?" Sakura asked.
"Oh, yes, she's fine. She just had a little too much to drink." Shizune said, that last few words coming out scornfully. Sakura's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to inspect the woman's face closer.
When the blonde woman lifted her head, Sakura almost staggered back in embarrassment. Slung over Shizune's shoulder was Senju Tsunade, the greatest medical ninja to ever grace Konoha. Sakura could not believe that she did recognize the name right away, but the woman before her did not fit the description of someone as old as Senju Tsunade was supposed to be.
The woman's frazzled blonde hair fell carelessly over both of her shoulders and almost shaded her honey brown eyes. Her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink from the alcohol she had drunk, giving her what seemed to be an even younger complexion. Sakura forced her eyes not to trail lower to the woman's breasts, because they seemed to be the most prominent aspect of her body. However, Sakura was not vulgar and would not violate one's privacy.
"Oi, little girl," Tsunade called to her. Sakura's face flushed as she looked directly into Tsunade's eyes. Tsunade's arm lazily unwrapped itself from Shizune's neck as she practically stumbled towards her. "why aren't you looking where you're supposed to, eh?" She asked. Sakura's face bore an even darker shade of pink than her hair.
"W-W-Wha-" Sakura could not finish before she was engulfed in a hug by the older woman, crushing Sakura completely into her chest. At that moment, Sakura believed she would faint, both from embarrassment and lack of air. Sakura struggled against Tsunade, but the older woman kept an iron grip around her shoulders. She could feel herself suffocating until Tsunade was pried from her by Shizune.
"Tsunade-sama! How crude!" Shizune cried as she moved to help Sakura up. "I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan. Tsunade-sama usually isn't like this."
"I-I'm alright." Sakura said as she panted in order to get air in her lungs. "Shizune-san? Why are you still in the village? I thought you said your stay was only temporary…" Sakura asked.
Shizune broke a sweat and rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. "Well, you see, we usually never stay this long in Konoha. However," Shizune started as she turned a stern glare towards Tsunade, who puffed her cheeks and looked away, "Tsunade-sama decided to stay here in order to try to win all of the bets in the village. You see, with Chūnin and Jōnin Exams, spectators from all of the lands place bets on who they think is going to advance. Tsunade thought that it was a great way to make money." Shizune moved in closer to Sakura's ear. "But actually, all Tsunade-sama's been doing is losing it."
"I heard that, Shizune!" Tsunade called. Shizune just rolled her eyes in discontent.
"Anyway, we're leaving tonight because the next round will not start for another month. We'll be back by then." She said. "Come on, Tsunade-sama. Good night, Sakura-chan!" Shizune said as she collected Tsunade and started to walk off.
In a spur of the moment decision, Sakura called out to them. "Wait!" Shizune turned around and Tsunade glanced at her from her periphery. Sakura hadn't thought her entire plan out, but she knew what she wanted to do. "Please," Sakura pleaded as she got down on her knees, "take me with you."
Shizune and Tsunade both displayed their own version of shock. The raised eyebrow of the blonde woman almost sapped all of Sakura's confidence out of her, but she persisted with her goal.
"You…want to come with us?" Shizune asked. Sakura nodded her head fervently. "Why?" Shizune asked in a soft tone.
"I…I need to get stronger. But…i-it's not just that! I have goals that I want to achieve and I need training in order to do it. I have a chance to compete again in the exams soon, but I won't be able to pass the qualification at my current state." Sakura said.
"So why do you want our help?" Tsunade asked soberly. Sakura could feel the fingers digging into her palms slip because of sweat.
"I've heard so much about the legendary Sanin, specifically the strength of Senju Tsunade. You also have the most extensive medical background in the entire Land of Fire. That's something that I want to learn. I want to learn to be a medic so I can protect those closest to me and I will have a purpose greater than fighting on my team."
There was a long silence, and Sakura almost took it as a rejection without any words. While she wallowed in her own self-anguish, she did not notice that Tsunade had gotten closer to her. She kneeled on one leg and looked down on the girl in front of her. Tsunade had seen her fight in the preliminaries. She had potential, she would give her that. The way she had stood up that Hyuuga male showed her grit and resilience to fate. Tsunade could see the whole of Sakura's past in her eyes. She was born a civilian, and didn't care much about the kunoichi title until she had actually become a genin. Because of this late realization, she had worked harder to improve herself, but it was hard to come back from a childhood lacking in at least substantial training, especially if one was not originally from a shinobi family.
She could see that she was trying so hard to make up for who she used to be.
"You said that you had other goals than just becoming stronger." Tsunade started. Sakura looked up to face her, her emerald eyes glistening in the moonlight. "What are they?"
Sakura gulped. "Above anything else, it is to protect my family and my village. I want to be someone who can be relied on rather than a liability. Also…there is someone I want to prove something to. Someone who thinks that I can't be who I want to be through hard work."
Tsunade sighed. "It's the Hyuuga male, isn't it?" Tsunade asked. Sakura nodded. "Tch, those stuck up little-"
"Tsunade-sama!"
"Oh calm down, Shizune." She turned back towards Sakura. "So, you want to try to prove to him that hard work trumps genetics?" She asked.
"More like trumps fate." Sakura replied.
"I see." Tsunade said as she stood up. "I hate people who think that they can predict everything that happens. If we were able to do that, so many innocent lives would not have been lost. They think that it's someone's destiny to die in battle." Tsunade scowled. "I think you're goals are achievable, kid." Sakura's eyes brightened at the news. "However…I'm not the one you should be asking for help."
Sakura immediately felt a weight fall onto her, crushing her chest painfully. Sakura gave a deep sigh of resignation, but did not say anything further.
"I'm sorry, kid." Tsunade said. "But I'm long past being a medical ninja. I do any of that anymore. If you want to learn the skills, I would suggest someone in the village that is still in the practice."
"But they're not the best of the best, like you are!" Sakura cried out spontaneously. She then immediately held her tongue in reverence.
"I've made my decision." She stated. She then placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "But I wish you the best of luck in the exams. If you truly have a chance to get back in, you need to snatch it any way you can." She said as she got up and started to walk away, leaving Sakura on the ground. Sakura, while in deep conflict, refused to cry. Things weren't always going to go her way, and she had begun to learn to accept that.
"Wait, Tsunade-sama." Shizune said before Tsunade had walked too far down the road without her. "If you're not going to train Sakura-chan," she started as she kneeled next to Sakura, "then I will."
"Shizune…"
"Please, Tsunade-sama. She wants to learn from you, and if you're not going to teach her, I'm the closest person she can come to. And I'm willing to do it." Shizune bowed before her, and Sakura copied her action.
"…So what are you supposing I do?" Tsunade asked.
"Oversee our training together. Please, Tsunade-sama. This would be a great learning opportunity for both Sakura and I." Shizune finished. Sakura felt so touched that Shizune was willing to go against her mentor in order to teach her that she was practically shaking with excitement.
Tsunade was silent for a few moments. "Fine…you may stay." Tsunade consented. Sakura wanted to jump with joy, but restrained herself.
"Thank you so much." Both Sakura and Shizune said simultaneously.
"However, I will have to supervise each training session. If Sakura is to learn medical ninjutsu, then she is to learn it right." Tsunade demanded. Although this could be implied as a questioning of Shizune's capabilities, the younger woman just smiled and nodded.
"Perhaps it's better if we stay in the village then. The best medical facilities are to our disposal here." Shizune proposed.
Tsunade did not seem to like anything about that idea, since she didn't like spending much time in her home village. In spite of this, Tsunade sighed and consented, only if Shizune was willing to pay for all of her booze. Shizune visibly paled at that, but thought of Sakura's sake over her own.
"Go home and rest up, Sakura-chan." Shizune said as she touched the tip of the girl's nose. "Training begins tomorrow in front of the hospital, nine o'clock sharp."
"Hai!" Sakura said as she bowed to her new mentor. "Thank you, Shizune-sensei." Shizune blushed and became giddy about the novel honorific. Sakura then turned towards Tsunade. "Thank you as well, Tsunade-sama." After that, Sakura promptly got up and left, running home in order to burn off her exuberance. She smiled the entire way home, but kept her excitement to herself in order to avoid other irritating other people at night.
Sakura knew that she would need more training than what she received from Tsunade and Shizune. However, she was now one step closer in achieving everything she wanted to prove to the world: the weak were not born weak, and the strong were not born strong.
She would make sure to exemplify that fact.
"I didn't think you would accept, Tsunade-sama." Shizune asked as she happily walked along the street with Tsunade, almost with a skip in her step.
"Well, when you have a student willing to teach another, a mentor has to at least be there to make sure that they do it right." Tsunade replied.
"Do you really think I'm incapable of teaching her on my own? Or is there another reason to why you're staying behind?" Shizune asked with a sly smile.
Tsunade's lips quirked up a little bit. "Of course I trust you enough to train her. I want to be there because that girl interests me." Tsunade said as she looked into the dark void that was the end of the street. "There is something about her that tells me that she has dormant potential within her that has been oppressed this entire time. If she is weak now, it is because she has not had a chance to tap into it."
Shizune hummed. "So what if your hunch is incorrect?" Shizune asked, not even believing her own statement.
"Shizune, I'm disappointed. My hunches are never incorrect." Tsunade said proudly.
If this was gambling with money, then Shizune would beg to differ. But when Tsunade gambled with her trust in people, it was as she said, her hunches were never wrong.
Hello everybody! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I have a couple of things to say below, so please read:
Please understand that I did not put Sakura back into the exams because of popular demand. There are people that she is going to meet along the way of improving herself that need this essential step. This story is going exactly the way I had planned it to and even though I appreciate all of the comments that you give, I want this story to be written from my ideas.
Also, with her loss before, it will only strengthen her resolve to fight for a spot this time.
Anyway, if you have any questions or comments, please don't be afraid to review below and let me know your thoughts! I always love reading them!
Special thanks to: Butterflygrin, Shadow werewolf54, Aka, EVA-Saiyajin, theclassifiedwords, Shy911, Chimera-kuun, Aztrel, Twisted Musalih, Marisilveirad, Cruisegirl86, and BoycottingLove!
***Just to let you know, I may or may not be starting another story soon. Please keep on the lookout for that!
I hope that all of you are having a fantastic day wherever you are! See you guys next time!