The next day, Sakura meets her team on Training Ground 3, where Kakashi is late as per usual and Sakura suddenly faces questions from her teammates.
"Sakura, how are you able to move so fast during your fight with Gaara and Orochimaru?" is Sasuke's first question the moment he faces her while Naruto says, "Yeah! And where did you get your superstrength, Sakura-chan? You never explained to us during our fight with Orochimaru!"
Sakura lets out a sigh before she starts to explain the beauty of chakra.
"As you both know, I have perfect chakra control," She begins as she looks at them. "So I used my chakra to increase my speed and strength by cycling chakra through certain parts of my body. I learned to do that after reading a book from the public library."
She half lies.
"But what about the water and earth jutsu? How and when did you learn that? And why didn't you tell us about it?" Naruto asks while Sasuke nods his head.
"I learned the jutsus some time ago while we were doing D-rank missions, Naruto. As for why I didn't tell you guys about it, it's because I just don't want to. I can't reveal every little jutsu I learned to you guys, especially when we are going to fight against each other in the Final Chuunin Exam."
"But Sakura-chan!" Naruto whines. "That's not fair!"
Sakura sighs and opens her mouth to say more but that is when Kakashi arrives.
She is shocked to see the silver-haired jounin there so early than usual. Kakashi usually arrives two hours late or even more, but it seems today is not that day.
Sakura frowns at Kakashi in suspicion, who simply greets them like nothing out of the ordinary is happening.
"Yo!" Kakashi says with an eye smile.
"Kakashi-sensei, you are not that late!" Naruto burst out, pointing at the silver-haired jounin.
"Well, I wasn't delayed along the way. That's probably why I am not that late," is Kakashi's dry response. "Anyway, I have great news for you guys. Since the Final Chuunin Exam is a month from now, I have found some temporary teachers to train you."
"Yes!" Naruto yells, pumping out his fist up in the air. "Who is going to train us, Kakashi-sensei?! Did you find someone super cool to train us?!"
"As a matter of fact, yes…" Kakashi remarks. "Sasuke will be training with me for the Final Chuunin Exam. Meanwhile, Naruto…you will be training with Ebisu."
"Who is Ebisu?" Naruto asks, frowning.
"He is the personal trainer for the Hokage's grandson," Kakashi informs Naruto, who looks doubtful.
"As for Sakura," Kakashi then turns his attention to her. "You will be training with Kurenia. A genjutsu specialist. She expressed interest in training you after she saw your genjutsu during your fight with Gaara."
Sakura is surprised that Kakashi even found her a teacher and somewhat feels disappointed that it is Kurenai. Kurenai had already taught her before and she had learned a lot of genjutsu techniques from her during her first life.
She feels like she has nothing else to learn from the woman. Other than perhaps hone the techniques that she has learned from Kurenai.
"Naruto and Sakura. You will start your training with your teachers tomorrow. Naruto, you will meet with Ebisu in Training Ground 6 at 0700. Sakura, go to Training Ground 4 at around 0600 to meet with Kurenai. Lastly, Sasuke, meet me at the gates around 0600 sharp. We will be training close to the Konoha borders and bring your pack. Did you all get that?"
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura responds just as Naruto and Sasuke echo her.
"We won't be training today. So I will be dismissing you early," Kakashi tells them.
"Yes!" Naruto yells in excitement while Sakura rolls her eyes at Naruto.
"Be on your best behavior tomorrow, you two," Kakashi says as he looks at them.
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura replies while Naruto just nods his head.
"Alright, you are all dismissed," Kakashi orders right before he disappears in a swirl of leaves.
Sakura stares at the spot where Kakashi used to be with a frown on her face.
"Ne, ne, ne Sakura-chan! Do you want to eat ramen with me?!" Naruto suddenly asks her.
Sakura turns to face the blonde and says, "Sorry, Naruto. Not today. I have somewhere else to be."
"Oh, alright, Sakura-chan," the blonde responds with a hint of disappointment in his bright blue eyes.
Thereafter, Sakura pivots around and leaves, but not after sensing her teammates staring after her.
Sakura enters the hospital with a bouquet of flowers in her hand.
She walks towards the nurse station where she asks for directions. The nurse at the station gives it to her and Sakura walks deeper into the hospital and towards the room that the nurse directed her to.
Sakura nears room 45, where she hesitantly knocks on the door. She only feels relief when there is no response from the other side. She is kind of expecting for the family to be there but glad that they aren't. So she enters the room and looks towards the boy lying on the hospital bed.
She has been told that the boy hasn't woken up yet after she placed a genjutsu on him. As can be expected if the boy doesn't learn anything soon from the recurring genjutsu she has placed on him. The only reason Sakura cast that particular genjutsu on him is because she wants him to learn something from it, most certainly about friendship and love.
She dearly hopes that he does learn something and he won't hold a grudge against her.
Sakura sits on the vacant seat next to the hospital bed while she places the bouquet of flowers on a nearby table.
"Hello, Gaara…" She murmurs as she gazes at the red-headed boy on the bed. "I hope you won't kill me once you wake up…"
Her voice trails off and she looks back at the young man on the hospital bed. "You don't know how much your life could mean to someone. And I need you to realize just how important you are to people, even more so to those who care about you.."
She smiles sadly at the sleeping boy and takes a deep breath. She knows that there is no point in staying here any longer than needed for visitation. It would be best if she was out of this hospital before his siblings arrive.
The pinkette stands slowly and walks towards the exit of the hospital room.
She passes by several nurses and doctors and some patients but none of them notice her presence. They are too busy dealing with their own work that isn't related to her.
She steps out of the hospital and looks up to see the sky. It's beautiful today as always.
Sakura sighs as she closes her eyes and lets the sun's rays hit her skin. She likes this time of day the best.
Sakura has seen a lot of breathtaking moments during her stay in Konoha. But never had she felt so comfortable and calm with a view like this.
It's one of those moments that Sakura has wanted for a long time now. Just being able to take a break from her world to appreciate nature and relax. She didn't expect to have it granted to her.
Sakura starts walking away from the large hospital and towards the street, the direction that will lead her back home.
She sees a few people walking through the streets, probably heading to a shopping mall or a bar or something else. But they are all distracted. Probably looking forward to their weekend plans with friends.
Sakura smiles at them. She wishes she could say the same thing, to some degree.
As a shinobi it isn't easy to keep her guard raised every single moment. She keeps on keeping a close eye on her surroundings, ready to defend herself if there is any sort of danger present.
But despite the fact that she lives in Konoha there's always a part of her that expects there to be some sort of problem whenever she goes outside. Like some sort of attack, or some villain coming from the shadows that would try to kidnap her.
However, Sakura finds peace. She knows that if someone tries to kidnap her she will be able to defeat them in one move. That if someone tries to harm her she'll be able to protect herself.
At least that's what she believes.
Sakura shakes her head. Now isn't the time to think about that.
Right now she needs to think about a solution to a problem. Something that might help her escape her current circumstances.
She's still trying to think of that solution when she walks through the streets of the city.
People pass her by, either paying no attention to her or looking straight ahead. Many people don't look at her. They're too caught up in their own conversations or whatever they are doing.
And that's exactly what Sakura likes about this moment, though it may feel a bit odd to the other onlookers. She loves the atmosphere of it all. She never thought she'd experience such tranquility again.
She doesn't remember the last time she has enjoyed something. Ever. So to be experiencing that right now feels nice for some unknown reason.
She stops and takes a breath. She breathes heavily and exhales slowly.
This is just a temporary respite from the stress of her life but for now, it should be sufficient. At least she thinks so, anyway.
Thereafter, she arrives home and tells her parents about her new teacher. Both of her parents are ecstatic that Kakashi has managed to find a new teacher for her prior to the Final Exam. Meanwhile, Sakura just wonders if the invasion is still going to happen despite her interference.
Before she goes to meet Kurenai the next day, Sakura receives a message from the Hokage about some vital information. She learns that the Sand nins have left the village in the middle of the night.
Sakura wonders if the Sand siblings were told about their father's demise or if they were told to retreat because the invasion has been foiled. Sakura suspects both happened and hopes that Orochimaru no longer intends to invade Konoha now that Sand Village seems to have changed their minds.
Afterward, at exactly around six in the morning, Sakura meets with Kurenai on Training Ground 4.
The woman is punctual unlike Kakashi.
"Hello, my name is Haruno Sakura," is the first thing she says to the woman, who accepts the hand she extends to her.
"Yuhi Kurenai and I will be your trainer for a month," the red-eyed woman tells her as she shakes Sakura's hand.
"Thank you for taking me as your student temporarily," Sakura says to the woman as the woman finally lets go of her hand.
Kurenai simply nods her head in response.
"I must admit I was quite impressed with the genjutsu you did during your fight with the sand nin," Kurenai says to her.
"Thank you," Sakura says, grinning wide with pride.
"I will only be assessing your genjutsu knowledge today before I can come up with a training schedule for the entire month. So what other genjutsu do you know?" the woman asks her.
"Well, I know some D-rank to A-rank genjutsus." Sakura tells her. She also knows some S-rank but she isn't going to show it to Kurenai yet.
"You know that much?" Kurenai remarks in obvious surprise.
"Yes," She replies.
"Show me the D-rank genjutsu you know first," The woman suggests.
"Alright. I will start with D-ranks," She says while she swiftly starts forming hand seals and molding chakra into her hands.
Thereafter, she cast the genjutsu on the woman.
"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!" She calls out after finishing the hand seals.
At once, the genjutsu settles over Kurenai, who easily dispels it by disrupting her chakra flow after a moment.
"I can see that there are no faults in your Hell Viewing Technique and that's great…What other D-rank techniques do you know?" The woman inquires with apparent interest.
Sakura starts forming another hand seals for a different D-rank genjutsu under the watchful gaze of her new sensei.
"Crimson Leaf Dream!" She exclaims.
She allows a surge of chakra into her hands while she forms the dog hand seal.
Sakura notes the way Kurenai lets the genjutsu wash over her - probably to examine the details within the genjutsu - right before Kurenai dispels the illusion again in a matter of seconds.
"I can see the red mist in your genjutsu. The genjutsu itself looks perfect. Now, why don't we proceed to a C-rank genjutsu?" The woman says to her.
"Yes, Kurenai-sensei,"
She first forms a dog seal, then a boar, which is followed by monkey and hare. Lastly, a Serpent hand seal to tie all the chakra up into a Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.
Afterward, Sakura watches as Kurenai dispels that one too after a second.
"Go on," The woman prompts and Sakura is all too happy to showcase the techniques she has learned in her first life.
It takes her nearly an hour to show everything she has learned to Kurenai, who now looks more than impressed at her genjutsu skills.
"It looks like you have a lot of genjutsu in your repertoire already. And you already know most of the genjutsus that I am willing to teach," is Kurenai's reluctant admission. "May I ask who taught you these techniques?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I answered you," is Sakura's evasive answer. "Anyway, I may know the techniques but I haven't completely mastered some of them yet, especially the A-rank. Can you at least help me hone these techniques prior to the Final Chuunin Exam?"
"Of course, I can do that if that is what you want," Kurenai says to her.
"That's what I want," She assures her.
"Then, I will make a schedule for you so that we can incorporate a training regimen that will suit you best," Kurenai tells her.
"Alright," is Sakura's response.
"So meet me here tomorrow. Same time," Kurenai says to her.
"Yes, Kurenai-sensei," Sakura responds.
"It was nice meeting you, Sakura." Kurenai says to her, smiling.
"Likewise," Sakura grins right back.
As she leaves the Training Ground, she continues to think about the uncertain future. Now that she has revealed the invasion to the Hokage, Sakura is more than anxious about the possible Fourth Shinobi World War.
She can only hope that nothing drastic will happen while she is in that timeline. She has already changed so much. Now, she isn't quite sure what the future will bring her.
She hopes that she is still alive by the time it is the Final Chuunin Exam. Otherwise, all the things she has changed will be for naught.
AN: Thanks so much for reviewing mlgmudkip2004!