The first thing Sakura notices when she begins to wake up is the smell of her old shampoo. After a stern talking to from Ino about ninken being able to track her by any distinct smells, she had switched over to non-scented soaps. But, as she took a deep breath, she could smell the old, strawberry smell that was an instant comfort. It reminded her of simpler times; she hadn't been chosen to be the apprentice of a legendary shinobi, Sasuke hadn't gone berserk, and life wasn't so full of the unexpected.
"Time to get up, pup."
Eyes snapping open, Sakura met the smirking face of Pakkun.
"P-Pakkun!" She yelped, scrambling to sit up. "What are you doing here?"
Looking around, Sakura's eyes grew big as she saw all of Kakashi's summons sitting in her room. Half were laying on the bed with her, while the others were enjoying her fluffy rug. Many tails began to wag, and she couldn't help the large smile that took over her face. She had always loved animals, but due to her father's allergies, she had never been allowed a pet.
When she had decided to enter the academy, she had seen her first ninken and instantly knew she wanted one, or possibly a summons if possible. The only problem was ninken were very hard to acquired—the Inuzuka's ninken rarely chose someone outside of the clan—and the Academy's library was empty on anything to do with animal summons. Even the genin section of the shinobi library had limited resources. She had asked Iruka about them once, but he didn't have much experience with them.
But, looking down at Pakkun, Sakura felt like slapping herself. Why had she never asked Kakashi? Many clans had their own summons contracts, the Hatake clan included, so she should have asked him much sooner. And thinking about it, the Sannin were renowned for their summons. Maybe Orochimaru would let her sign the snake contract?
"Pup."
"Huh?"
"Get ready. The boss has breakfast waiting."
"Oh!" Blushing, Sakura scrambled out of her bed, and wrinkled her nose at the state she was in. Still in yesterday's clothes, she had spread dirt and blood across her sheets. She had been so tired, she had only gotten her shoes off at the door, but nothing else. Ignoring the dogs watching her, she quickly threw off her disgusting clothes and rushed for the shower. She stunk!
By the time she was clean and in a shirt and shorts, she felt infinitely better. The small headache she had woken up with was gone, but her stomach was grumbling angrily. Thinking back, she didn't have dinner the night before. With the fights the day before and her use of physical strength and chakra, it wasn't surprising that she was practically starving. Usually, she was able to grab at least a ration bar before going to bed when she had stayed up too late studying.
Looking around, she smiled down at all the dogs waiting for her. Crouching down, she scooped up Pakkun, who didn't seem to mind in the least.
"Nee, Pakkun, why are all of you here? Not that I mind."
"Boss wanted extra security incase anyone got any bright ideas to come after Orochimaru's newest apprentice."
"Why would someone want to attack me?" Her eyes widened and unconsciously hugged him closer.
"Don't know if you know this kid, but when someone gets to be as powerful as the Sannin, they usually have a ton of enemies," Pakkun told her simply, leaning into her absentminded petting.
"I guess that makes sense," she murmured. It had never occurred to her that could be a possibility. Even with Kakashi being a legend himself, nobody had come after her or her teammates to get at him. "Thanks for looking after me."
"No problem, pup. Now, lets get you something to eat."
"Hai."
Slowly making her way downstairs with a racket of claws scraping against wood following her. Akino and Uhei were shoving themselves against her legs, nearly tripping her in the process, but she didn't mind at all. She really loved feeling their protectiveness, even if she thought it was a tad ridiculous since she was in her house with Kakashi looking after her.
"Morning, Sakura-chan," Kakashi called out as she rounded the corner and stepped in the kitchen. Nothing really seemed out of place—Kakashi looked the same as ever, there were a few cooking pans on the stove, and delicious smell wafted through the air.
"Good morning, sensei," she smiled. Taking a seat at the kitchen island, Sakura kept Pakkun in her lap and was pleasantly surprised he didn't ask to be put down. Oh, how she wanted her own summons!
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, but I wish I had at least gotten into my pajamas," she grumbled. Kakashi chuckled as he pushed a few eggs around in a pan. She never thought she would ever see him so domestic, but ever since yesterday, she felt as if she had seen a lot of different sides to her teacher. During the night, he frequently came to check on, asking her simple questions until it became obvious she could answer things in her sleep. He didn't let her go back to sleep until she found the correct ratio of yin and yang chakra needed in increasingly difficult justu. It had been fun showing off, but all she wanted to do was go back to sleep, even if she knew why he continued to wake her up to see how her concussion was progressing.
Silence fell over them as Kakashi continued to cook and ignored the many hungry eyes staring up at him from the floor. Sakura played with Pakkun's paws, loving the softness of the pads of his feet. But, as she stared at her sensei, she could feel her questions on the tip of her tongue, before one finally slipped loose.
"Sensei, how did you get your summons?"
Kakashi stilled before turning his eyed to stare at her in surprise. Ducking her head, Sakura could feel her face heating up. She tried not to ask him too many questions since she had seen how he blew the boys off, and had assumed he didn't want to really answer them. For her, she had taken it as a challenge to find the answers for herself, but she had found little on summons.
"Ah, well, I can't go into it too much," he admitted, giving her a slightly regretful smile. "It's a clan secret, but I can tell you the basics. For generations, the Hatake clan has had a contract with the wolves, but as the times changed, I was able to shift the contract slightly."
"Can you only sign a clan's summoning contract if you are from that clan? Or can someone steal the contract and sign it?"
"Signing a contract isn't just simply signing a piece of paper," Kakashi explained. As he spoke, he picked up the pan and slide a few eggs onto a place. He added sausage and fresh fruit to the place before setting it in front of her. Without any encouragement, Sakura began inhaling the food. She didn't notice the pleased look Kakashi was sending her. "To complete a contract with a summons, you must sacrifice a bit of chakra and blood, but that wouldn't guarantee that you'll be accepted."
"So, could it be feasible to sign a clan contract?" Sakura spoke around a mouthful, too interested in the conversation to use the manners that had been drilled into her mind since she could form words.
"Yes, but it's extremely unlikely the summons will accept you. They chosen that clan for a reason and a person would really have to prove themselves to be accepted into that contract. The easiest way would simply to integrate yourself into the clan."
"And what about contracts that aren't part of clans? Like the Sannin?"
"Already getting ready for your apprenticeship, Sakura-chan?" Kakashi asked lightly, giving her a soft eyes smile.
"What? I didn't mean it like that!" She waved her hands frantically. She didn't want to make Kakashi think she wanted to get rid of him as her sensei! "I don't know anything about summons and was curious!"
"Maa, it's fine," he waved her down. "As for the Sannin, they each went on their own journeys to meet their summons and signed contracts that haven't been signed in a long time. However, from what I've heard, Orochimaru-sama's kids have signed the contract too. It's normal for a student to take on their sensei's summoning contract if they are worthy and not already promised to sign a clan contract."
"It's not possible to sign two, right?"
"No. I've found most summons are very possessive of theirs. And would see you signing another contract as the greatest betrayal."
Sakura nodded, absorbing the information. Her mind was going a mile a minute as she tried to think about what she knew. If Orochimaru's old apprentice had already signed the contract, would he also let her? Or was there a limit of people able to summon from a particular contract?
"What if someone doesn't have a clan contract and their sensei doesn't pass down a contract? How can they sign a contract?"
"Well," Kakashi thought carefully. "The best way would be to do a reverse summoning?"
"A reverse summoning?"
"Yes. Instead of the animal summon being brought to the summoner, the summoner would be taken to where the summons live. From there, they would meet their chosen summons."
"Wait, does that mean someone can chose their summon? Or does the summon choose them? How is it decided? Through chakra, your ancestry, or something else? How many animal summons are there even? How would you even reverse summon—"
"Sakura."
Her mouth snapped shut. Kakashi was sending her a critical look and she had to force herself not to squirm in her seat. It felt as if he was truly looking at her, through her, and into her soul. What did he see? Was she worthy of whatever he was thinking?
"Why are you asking so much about summons?"
"Uh, well," she dropped her eyes and looked down at Pakkun instead. The pug simply blinked up at her, chewing on a sausage he had swiped from her place. "I'd really like a summon some day."
"Well, if you'd like, we can add that to your training when we talk to Orochimaru-sama."
"Really?" She tentatively met his eye and felt a spark of hope in her chest as he nodded.
"We'll be meeting with him soon, so finish your breakfast. I can hear your stomach from here."
Blushing at his teasing, Sakura polished off her food and asked for seconds. She could remember the lecture Asuma-sensei had given her and Ino when he had caught them talking about diets. They had both been given extensive homework on nutrition from the man until he was satisfied they would give up on such a silly notion. Honestly, why the Academy didn't teach such things was beyond her, but she was glad that her friend's sensei had been kind enough to look out for her.
She had only just finished off her second plate when there was a knock at the door. Instantly, a wave of nervousness rushed through her, and she regretted the extra sausage as her stomach rolled. The thought of having a Sannin in her home was incomprehensible. And she looked awful! She hadn't bothered with her normal dress, instead focusing on comfort, and she had barely combed her hair.
Kakashi didn't seem to notice her internal conflict as he waved her to follow him to the door. Her nails dug into her palms as she stared the door with terror. Yesterday had been a blur after that final hit from Sasuke, but now everything was crystal clear as she waited to see Orochimaru to be on the other side. But, as Kakashi opened the door, they were met by a someone else.
She had no idea who this was.
He was about the same height as Kakashi, had short spikey hair that was held up by his happuri forehead protector. Sakura couldn't tell if he was annoyed or indifferent by the way his facial expression, but she hoped it was the latter.
"Yamato-san, we weren't expecting you," Kakashi spoke lightly, but the question was clear in his voice. What are you doing here?
"Good morning, Kakashi, Sakura-san," the man nodded at them and sent Sakura a small smile. "Orochimaru-sama asked me to escort you to the Orochi compound this morning."
"Is that so?" If Sakura hadn't been watching them so intensely, she would have missed the tightening of Yamato's eyes while Kakashi's stance shifted to position her more behind him. Frowning, Sakura wondered what this was all about.
"I am glad to meet you, Sakura-san," Yamato turned his attention towards her, and instead of feeling intimidated, she could feel the genuine friendliness coming from him. "You can call me Tenzo. I was very excited to hear that Oro-sama took on another apprentice."
"Thank you. It's nice to meet you, too." She bowed slightly, not knowing how to feel about this. Was this one of Orochimaru's many kids that everyone talked about?
"Let's get one our way, we won't want to keep him waiting."
"Kami forbid," Kakashi mumbled.
The journey to the compound was quiet as Tenzo led them through the village and towards the outskirts. Sakura had only ever visited the Yamanaka compound a few times, and the Nara compound for Shikamaru's birthday when they were kids. She wasn't sure what the etiquette would be when visiting a shinobi's abode. As a child, she had been trained how to talk to merchants, business partners, royalty, and even the daiyamo, but training on shinobi politics wasn't something her parents had bothered with. They hadn't thought of it, even after she had twisted their arms to allow her to enter the Academy.
Tenzo sent her a few encouraging smiles as they passed through the gates of the compound, while Kakashi moved closer to her. He had sent his summons away when they left, but she had a feeling he wanted to bring them back. Continuing through the luscious front garden, Sakura couldn't help but stare at the beaty of it all; the trees' branches somehow flowed into each other, while a small field of flowers of all kinds threatened to take over the smooth, cobbled path leading to the traditional style house. In a far corner, she could see a herb garden, while she heard the small rush of a stream not too far away.
Following Tenzo up the steps, Sakura nearly jumped when a large python greeted them at the entrance. The snake was yellow with white markings, but even with the bright coloring, she had nearly missed it until they had almost walked over it.
"Kiiro," Tenzo sighed. "You can't keep sleeping in front of the door."
"I am waiting for Dara-kun," the snake hissed petulantly.
"I know, but you're going to be stepped on."
"A risk I'm willing to take." The snake nodded in determination.
"Fine. Just step over him."
Doing so, Sakura smiled down at the snake and quietly praised him for his dedication. She had no idea who he was waiting for, but it was admirable. Kiiro hissed at her happily before curling up further.
The inside of the house seemed to be equally lavish as they took their shoes off and were led down several halls, past countless rooms that Sakura desperately wanted to peek into. Her innate politeness kept her from doing so, but the burning need wouldn't diminish any time soon. She knew compared to other major clan compounds, the Orochi compound was smaller, but it still felt far enormous in her opinion. Finally, they were led into a room with tatami mats.
Sitting at a low table at the center of the room, was Orochimaru. He was sipping a cup of tea, while three more cups were waiting for them. An assortment of sweets and snacks were also on the table, completely inviting if this was a normal social call. Even the beautiful view of the garden would have soothed her nerves if she wasn't about to be sitting with her current and new sensei.
"Kakashi-kun, Sakura-chan, please have a seat," Orochimaru smiled at them pleasantly, waving a long-sleeved arm towards the cushions across from him. He was wearing a dark blue kimono with his hair down, which Sakura had to admire. During the Chunin Exams, an enemy had pulled her own long hair and she had decided to cut it. Kurenai-sensei had told her that until she could handle protecting herself, she should wait until she was a higher rank to have such long hair.
It spoke volumes that Orochimaru was able to have hair that reached his hips. However, it was the white flowers that were woven into the hair close to his temples. Her mind easily identified it as bloodroot, which could cause organ failure if ingested. How he made something so deadly look so beautiful was stunning. When he raised his eyes to meet hers, she found herself blushing at being caught staring.
"I was hoping we could discuss your training, Sakura-chan," Orochimaru's voice was deep, but had a soothing lilt to it that began to settle her frayed nerves. He graciously handed each of them a cup of tea as they sat down. Tenzo sat to Orochimaru's left as Sakura and Kakashi sat across from him. "Ah, before we start, I believe there's someone who would like to meet you properly."
Confused, Sakura watched as Orochimaru reached behind his ear and pulled a small, brown snake out. She hissed at being woken up, but she immediately began to wiggle out of his grip as she tried to get to Sakura.
"Momoko!" The snake cried in joy as she was sat down and slithered over to Sakura. Eyes wide, Sakura didn't hesitate to offer her own hand as she picked the little snake up. "I am very proud of you. You showed tremendous bravery and determination during your fights."
"Oh! Thank you," Sakura stuttered. She wasn't expecting such a compliment from an animal she hadn't realized was a summon. "I didn't know you were at the tests."
"She refused to be sent back until she knew who I had chosen," Orochimaru shook his head. "Yua was one of my first summons and has been the leading factor in who I choose as my students."
Sakura blinked, looking back and forth between Orochimaru and the little snake. Something clicked into place.
"She was part of the test," Sakura said slowly, looking at the Sannin for confirmation.
"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, shoulders tensed.
"The day you told us about the test, I saw a snake that needed help out of a benjo ditch." She explained. "Was she put there to see what my reaction was?"
"Yes," Orochimaru answered simply. "You and Aburame Shino were the only ones to pass that portion of the test."
"Huh." Was the only thing she could say. To think that even before the assigned day, she was being watched. She really hoped he hadn't found her lacking in those few days.
"I am excited to watch over your training, Momoko," Yua spoke up. "You show great promise."
"Yua," Orochimaru spoke up. "Her name is Sakura. We have spoke many times about you calling them by their proper names."
"Just as fitting," Yua said graciously.
"Yua has asked to be your guardian during your apprenticeship, if you would like. She will stay with you day and night, guiding you when you are in need. But, be warned, like her nestmates, she enjoys getting into tea."
"He is exaggerating."
"I, very much, am not."
Sakura couldn't help but watch the little exchange between summon and summoner as the little snake met Orochimaru's eyes fiercely. She could only hope that one day she would have such a relationship. Looking down at Yua, she wondered if maybe she would be signing the snake contract. The little snake curled around her fingers, as if doing laps.
"Ahem," Kakashi cleared his throat. "I believe we were to discuss Sakura's training?"
"Of course," Orochimaru nodded and pulled a scroll out from under the table. Opening, Sakura could see that it was quite long. How much was she expected to do?! Before she could look at it closely though, Orochimaru had pulled it away, searching for a specific section before laying out a blank part of the scroll. "Before you and I discuss her past and future training, I wish to ask Sakura-chan if there are any areas she would like to focus on in the first parts of her training."
Her eyes widened. She was seriously being asked what she wanted to do? She couldn't think of a time anyone had truly asked her since she had convinced her parents to let her be a shinobi. Thinking critically, Sakura nodded before squaring her shoulders and met Orochimaru's eyes.
"I wish to explore all parts of being a shinobi, but specifically, I wish to learn kenjustsu and sign a summoning contract."
"Oh? And what contract were you hoping to sign?" His question wasn't condescending, merely curious, but she was surprised he had asked. Kakashi had told her it was customary for a student to sign their sensei's contract.
"I wouldn't mind the snake contract," she told him truthfully as she glanced down at Yua, who was slowly making her way up her arm. "But, if possible, I would like to find my own contract."
Orochimaru stared at her with piercing look, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking. His eyes were just like a snake's, and she had to wonder if he shared any other characteristics with the reptile. Eventually, he nodded and began to make notes on the scroll. His writing was elegant as he carefully held his sleeve out of the way to write. She swore she saw something slithering inside a sleeve, but she couldn't be for certain. He had a special relationship with his summons if he allowed them to slither all over him without fuss.
Speaking of, Yua had finally made her way into Sakura's hair and was hiding under her hitai-ate. Smiling, Sakura carefully stroked the snake and felt thrilled to have her own companion.
Once Orochimaru was finished writing in her request, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Sakura-chan, would you like to accompany Tenzo into the garden? I'm sure he would love to show off his work."
Shoulders slumping slightly, Sakura could tell she was being dismissed. Wasn't this about her future? Shouldn't she have a say in all this? Sure, Orochimaru had asked her what she wanted to learn, but ultimately, it would be him and Kakashi that would dictate what kind of shinobi she would become. Glancing over at Kakashi, she saw the way his back was ram-rod straight, and his hands were carefully laid flat on his knees as he kept eye contact with Orochimaru. Sensing maybe this was more than two men discussing her future, Sakura nodded and matched Tenzo's small smile.
Following him, she sent one more glance at her two sensei before Tenzo closed the shoji doors.
"Come on, I'll show you our pond," Tenzo put a gentle hand on her shoulder and led her down the engawa towards where she heard the rushing water coming from.
Just like the front garden, the rest of the compound was awe inspiring. There were so many plants in bloom and thriving that shouldn't have been able to in this weather and climate. Nonetheless, everything looked healthy as a zephyr played gently through the garden. In the center was a small pond that had a stream rushing from it and toward a small grate in the compound's walls. The more she looked at the pond, the more she was confused by the shape of it.
"Why does it look like that?" She asked, pointing to the overall shape of it.
"My little brother thought it would be fun to play with explosives in the backyard. It was Kabuto's idea to fill it in with water before Oro-sama came home." Tenzo chuckled at the memory. "Although, he was more upset by Nagato-nii and Yahiko-nii stealing fish to fill the pond with. The Hyuuga weren't very happy with their koi going missing."
Sakura couldn't stop her giggles as she imagined the uptight Hyuuga discovering a pond empty of fish. She smiled at the natural beauty around her as she sat on the ground next to Tenzo. If this was where her apprenticeship was to take place, then she was excited. She had already spotted dozens of poisonous plants spotted around the place, including the patch of bloodroot that must be adorning Orochimaru at the moment.
"Oro-sama told me that you have incredible chakra control," Tenzo began.
"Um, I'm not really sure," Sakura fidgeted slightly.
"Have you learned tree walking yet?"
"Yeah. I got it on the first try, but Kakashi-sensei just told Sasuke and Naruto to do better. It took them several days to get it."
"On your first try?" Blinking at the surprise in the man's voice, Sakura glanced up and saw his impressed expression. "I do not know anyone who had gotten it that quick. Oro-sama told me that his own sensei had only shown his team, and made them figure out how he did it before explaining. It took them all half a day, if I remember correctly."
"Even Tsunade-hime?"
"Even her." He nodded. "Mostly because the Third Hokage truly wanted them to figure it out for themselves."
"Why didn't he help them?"
"When you're dealing with three genius six-year-olds, you would want to challenge them. Or at least, that's what I was told. That being said, what you did is incredibly impressive. Have you accomplished water walking as well?"
"Kakashi-sensei hasn't had us try that yet." Sakura shook her head.
"I'm sure it will come just as quickly," Tenzo smiled at her encouragingly. Even though she had only met him an hour ago, Sakura could feel that he was completely honest in his want to see her success. She couldn't believe someone could be like this, especially after only meeting her. Even her sensei at the Academy had looked at her like the rest of the civilian born students. "Have you done the leaf exercise?"
"Yeah, we did that in the Academy," Sakura frowned. "Isn't it the easiest chakra exercise?"
"Yes, but I want to see if you can put a spin on it." Tenzo handed her a leaf from a nearby sapling, taking one for himself as well. Placing the leaf in the palm of his hand, he began to make it rotate slowly without moving his hand or fingers. Staring in awe, Sakura wished she had thought about doing that. She had always been cautious about experimenting by herself that involved any type of chakra; she had read too many warning stories about the dangers of practicing by oneself.
Taking the leaf, Sakura closed her eyes. Focusing on her chakra, she channeled a small amount into the palm of her hand just like she did during the typical leaf exercise.
After watching Hinata and Neji's fight during the Chunin Exams, she had started to study tenketsu and the pressure points in the body. She had become very impressed with the Hyuuga's kekkai genkai and wished she had the ability to see the pin-prick points on a person's body. Instead, she had challenged herself to memorize each point, even going as so far as to draw them on her own body. She had gotten quite a few strange looks from her parents, but she had been determined.
Through her research, she had learned that many ninja simply used the tenketsu in their hands or feet for jutsu, but it was possible to use other points. It was simply harder to do so and that was why most didn't bother. Again, she had feigned from experimenting in fear of damaging her own chakra, but here with Tenzo, she felt confident she could risk playing around with her chakra.
So far, a thin layer of chakra had been used to keep the leaf attached to her hand, and she already knew how she would spin it. Using small pushes of chakra, she would keep a control on its moment and still keep it stuck to her hand. However, when she pushed chakra into the leaf, she felt it accept her chakra.
Furrowing her brow, Sakura was confused.
When she used her chakra to tree walk, she normally had her shoes on and didn't have a direct connection to the tree, so she had no idea if the trees soaked up her chakra like the leaf. Feeling adventurous, she balanced the yin and yang chakra in her hand so as to not overwhelm the fragile leaf before pushing the smallest amount she could into it. Once again, it took the chakra with no issue, and if she wasn't mistaken, it had taken more than before.
"Sakura-chan?"
Did everything take chakra like that, or was it only with something that was still growing? If she tried this with a rock or another material, would it have the same affect? For example, what would happen if she did it with water? She had seen quite a few water justu during their mission in Wave, so maybe that was how Zabuza and Haku had performed some of their techniques?
Instead, Sakura began a steady stream of chakra into the leaf and could feel it shift in her palm. Was she moving it? While it had been her ultimate goal, finding another way to do it was exciting. Relaxing her body, Sakura focused deeper on her flow of chakra, keeping the balance within her as she felt the leaf more in her hand.
She swore she could even feel the strands of yin and yang chakra intertwining to form the flow of chakra. The leaf continued to take it, almost calling out to her to follow a certain path inside of it. Listening, she imagined the leaf's own body and filled the gaps that were missing with her own chakra.
"Sakura-chan!"
The leaf was singing in happiness. It greedily took her chakra and form small pods with it, before they burst open. Smiling at the affect, Sakura encouraged the leaf to keep doing that, both of them excitedly doing it over and over.
"Sakura!"
Flinching harshly, Sakura dropped what she had thought to be a leaf and whipped her head around to stare at Kakashi in fear. What was going on?! Why did he sound so panicked?
"It's alright," Tenzo's voice was next to her, his own hand taking hers gently. "You're not in trouble. Nobody's hurt."
Trying to regulate her breathing, she stared at Tenzo and swore he was looking at her in adoration. Confused, terrified, and fearing a panic attack, Sakura desperately glanced back up to Kakashi and saw Orochimaru behind him, looking curious before beaming at her with pride.
"Looks like I will have my third mokuton using student."
What?
At his nod towards the ground, Sakura looked down at the leaf she had dropped and frowned when she found a long branch. All over the ground, dusting both her and Tezno, were dozens upon dozens of sakura blossoms.