Who Are You Really.
Chapter 8
Sakura had her hands on her knees, huffing and puffing, but she couldn't catch her breath for long. Kurenai-sensei had found her. This was evident because of the three kunai that had impaled themselves in the location where she had just been recovering moments prior. As Sakura repositioned and mentally prepared to engage the Genjutsu specialist, she placed a hand on her own body as she ran across the field. She stopped her chakra flow completely and instantly felt the effect on her body. Her movements visibly slowed. She was attempting Genjutsu Dissipation, in which a ninja needs to stop the flow of chakra in their body and then apply an even stronger power to disrupt the flow of the caster's chakra. Sakura was able to reflect genjutsu to a basic chunin level.
It had been 2 weeks since Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto's battle with Zabuza and Haku. Kakashi-sensei woke up 5 days after his battle with Zabuza. He was immediately confronted by an angry Sasuke, who accused the ninja of stealing a Sharingan from her clan. Kakashi, in a roundabout way, told Team 7's genin that he hadn't stolen his Sharingan but had been given it by a former friend. Sasuke hardly accepted this when she first heard it. Apparently, a Uchiha giving something away like their Sharingan to someone was akin to giving that person a piece of their soul; sharing something that she doubted a true Uchiha would share with a 'pervert'. Team 7 had learned a lot in the two weeks after fighting Zabuza and Haku, and in the words of Kakashi, Sakura had 'grown the most'. They were still on their S-ranked mission of escorting the bridge builder, Tazuna, who was now halfway complete with his bridge, with still no more signs of Gato or his henchmen. Every day and night, Kakashi and Kurenai would go out and gather information about Gato and his organization; Team 8 stayed to not only better guard their prisoner Haku but also help gather information needed to protect Tazuna and capture or kill their new target, Gato.
Gato was the leader of this local crime syndicate which Kakashi believed was a front for something else. Apparently, something wasn't sitting right with their sensei, but he hadn't divulged what his ideas were. Although prior to his business in the Land of Waves, he was a straight-laced businessman, apparently, he wasn't rich enough. Although he was among the top 10 richest people in the world, he started getting into illegal activities such as drugs, human trafficking, murder, kidnapping, and a list of other crimes he currently stands accused of. Team 7 and Team 8 were now on orders by the Hokage to find evidence of these crimes and to capture or kill the newly labeled terrorist to Konoha, Gato. Kurenai and Kakashi told them that terrorists like Gato were becoming more and more common in the world, reports shared by the other Hokage; they were finding that individual businessmen/missing shinobi were acting in an unusually terroristic manner across the world. Since Team 7 and Team 8 had been successful so far, the Hokage allowed them to keep this S-ranked mission, but both Kakashi and Kurenai were being held under strict scrutiny. The term terrorist is a new ideology to the shinobi world. With the outbreak of random violent crimes against both shinobi and civilians, by both shinobi and civilians often working together, the 5 great Kage have come together and come up with the idea of terrorism. Still a fresh concept, there's a lot of politics involved with how the Kage and their shinobi should react to terrorism. The problem is that often, like in their current situation, they would be acting against a 'terrorist' in another land who is also not a citizen related to the victim village.
In their case, it was a 'terrorist'—Gato—who is not a civilian of Konoha, terrorizing the Land of Waves, which is not in the Land of Fire and therefore not within the political jurisdiction of Konoha. Although this was an easier case to work on since the Land of Waves did not have shinobi, meaning if push came to shove, Konoha and the Hokage could just bully the Land of Waves' governor politically. The Hokage was still watching both teams and their handling of Gato. Kakashi suspected that the Hokage would likely use them as guinea pigs as to how to handle terroristic encounters in the future. Kakashi said this mission, with all its details, was something ANBU usually would handle or at least very experienced Jonin; but the Hokage was too understaffed to be able to send the proper shinobi needed.
After waking up, Kakashi immediately went to train the three genin. He had focused the majority of his time on Sasuke and Naruto, pawning Sakura off to Kurenai. Sakura liked Kurenai a lot. After her fight with Sasuke, Kurenai and she talked and got along well. Although it was embarrassing for her to see the fight between Sakura and her former idol Sasuke, Kurenai was very understanding and never mentioned it. Kurenai had taught her genjutsu, and Sakura was now able to perform one intermediate chunin level genjutsu, due to her chakra control. Sakura turned out to be very effective at spotting and dismissing Genjutsu. It honestly felt good to be called a 'genius' for the first time by someone like Kurenai-sensei.
Her role model Kunoichi, Kurenai, was known as a Master of Genjutsu around Konoha. She specialized in it; she was the first famous female genjutsu user not related to the Uchiha clan in Konoha. She was intelligent, kind, by the books, honest—a perfect woman. She had told her that originally, she, Kiba, and Shino were supposed to be on the same team, while Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto were supposed to be on the same team. Kurenai had suspected, just like Kakashi, that Sakura could be Konoha's next genjutsu master. Her testing for chakra control was always excellent in the academy, but they were simple tests.
Kurenai had pitched to the Hokage that Sakura be a part of Team 8 but was denied. Kakashi had made a deal with the Hokage who gave him Naruto but had to train Sasuke and her.
The Hokage specifically assigned me to Team 7 for a reason; otherwise, why her? He could have just chosen Naruto or Sasuke. Well, I guess Sasuke should be with Kakashi anyways, since they both have Sharingans.
Sakura didn't feel angry at Kakashi for stealing her away from Team 8, though. She was more curious as to why Kakashi wanted to train Naruto so much. Sakura was made painfully aware of just how wrong she had been about Naruto; Sasuke's brutal truths made her realize just how subpar she was. After Naruto woke up a second time, he was immediately challenged by Kiba Inuzuka. Witnessing the graduating dead last of the Academy, both classes' singlehandedly and wholeheartedly destroying the Inuzuka heir—who was the number 1 male in their graduating class (A), not including the other graduating class (B) of their year, which had Hinata's elder cousin Neji, who was also a supposed prodigy shinobi—was both humbling and frightening. Naruto was in a league of his own, and Sasuke was no different, so she couldn't imagine someone like Neji.
Both Kakashi and Kurenai had told Sakura that, in no uncertain terms, she was probably amongst the weakest in her graduating class as a shinobi. Graduating rank didn't mean anything out in the real world, and she needed no better example of this concept because she was teammates with Naruto. She learned that Naruto was, indeed, for lack of a better description, a 'monster,' as Zabuza said. He had what seemed like unlimited chakra, although comparing his chakra control to someone like her or even Sasuke was unfair, purely because of the amount Naruto apparently had. What Naruto lacked in chakra control, he made up for with the amount of chakra he had, backed by good taijutsu that was improving daily, powerful jutsu, and he also was very adept at fuinjutsu. He used all these skills in such an unorthodox way he was truly unpredictable to regular shinobi like her.
Sakura prided herself in the Shinobi Academy for being smart. Behind Sasuke, she was the second smartest girl, book-wise, in class.
She was very adept at recognizing patterns and using her general knowledge in a meaningful way. But nothing about Naruto was regular; he was a walking anomaly to her.
Even Kurenai was shocked speechless the first time she saw Naruto use his clones, and that was just in a casual meeting. He caught everyone off guard except Sasuke, who was with the real Naruto training. When he fought Kiba, he not only defeated the Inuzuka heir with clones; the real Naruto was busy studying fuinjutsu. Oddly enough, Sasuke was also there, reading a scroll.
This was a trend she noticed at least 4 different times in two weeks.
A pattern is a justifiable basis for a hypothesis. I just need to understand why Sasuke.
Naruto's clone managed to seal away Kiba's chakra with the same fuinjutsu that was sealing away Haku's ability to use his chakra. This, coming from someone just months ago who couldn't perform a single clone in class, was completely mind-numbing for the pink-haired kunoichi.
Sasuke was just as scary, if not scarier, because, unlike Naruto, who showed restraint when fighting with Kiba and training in general, Sasuke was ruthless, uncaring, and even cruel. She also had been taught genjutsu by Kurenai. The training sessions between her, Sasuke, and Kurenai-sensei were challenging and tense; Sasuke hated her, and any half-hearted attempt Sakura made to reconcile with the Uchiha was instantly shot down. Much like the very true rumors about her 'genius,' she mastered the art of genjutsu in just a week and a half of studying under Kurenai. Her three tomoe Sharingan, which was the same level as their Jonin sensei, had shocked both Sasuke and Kakashi. She managed to copy, memorize, and learn all the genjutsu techniques that Kurenai had to offer at a ridiculous pace. Sasuke was such a natural prodigy that the girl even learned Kurenai's personal jonin-ranked Genjutsu called 'Alternate Reality.' She also mastered another one of Kurenai's techniques called the 'Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death,' although Sasuke was only able to cast these two genjutsu once. Her learning it so fast and with such proficiency was amazing. Sakura now understood the true power of the Uchiha clan and their Sharingan. What terrified her was that, according to Naruto, who heard from Sasuke, Sasuke wasn't even very impressed by the genjutsu she learned; she had faced one from her brother that could do 'more than hold a person'.
Saying that her teammates were without weaknesses was far from true. Naruto often ran headfirst into things, usually waiting until after to truly think about explaining his thought processes and subsequently his actions, which resulted in Team 7's only loss against Team 8 in their team versus team training events. Sasuke's weakness was harder to notice, and to be honest, she would be surprised if anyone discovered and used it. She was still debating if it was even a weakness considering everything else. Aside from Sasuke not having unlimited chakra like the apparent anomaly of Naruto, all her ninjutsu combined with her Sharingan meant that Sasuke basically ran through chakra as fast, if not faster than Naruto. The girl was extremely proficient in taijutsu, thanks to Kurenai and Kakashi's training along with her Sharingan, she was becoming an expert at genjutsu, her ninjutsu was improving at a phenomenal rate, on the verge of learning Kakashi's self-made technique he used to slay Zabuza, called the 'Chidori'. Sasuke's only noticeable weakness to Sakura, was Naruto, but good luck figuring that out.
And better luck using it against her.
If you had to fight Naruto or Sasuke one on one, Sakura was convinced that person was screwed. If you had the unfortunate opportunity to fight them together, you might as well quit.
Team 8 was full of equally gifted shinobi. Sakura always knew that becoming a shinobi would be hard, especially for someone like her who doesn't come from a shinobi family, much like Naruto. But unlike Naruto, she wasn't blessed with absurd amounts of chakra. All she had was a below-average amount, and due to not having a lot, she was very good at managing it. Hearing stories from Iruka and Ino's father, she thought that shinobi were the cool heroes. That can be true, but if shinobi were heroes, that meant they were also the villains. Sakura, being born of civilian parents, had no idea before becoming a Kunoichi just how scary and intimidating shinobi can be. Zabuza, Haku, Kakashi, Kurenai, Sasuke, Naruto, Shino, Kiba, even Hinata.
All these shinobi, if Sakura had to face them one on one, in a life-or-death battle like a real shinobi, she wasn't sure she would survive, let alone win. She had been training with Kakashi; her ninjutsu was extremely limited, she could still only cast the basic genin level attacks a handful of times, her physical strength and stamina wasn't enough yet to handle the drain of chakra depletion training Sasuke was undergoing. Yet, she had to survive against people like them. Part of her wanted to quit, but she knew that quitting now would only prove Sasuke right about her. That truly pissed her off thinking about it. Sasuke is a person she still begrudgingly admires. Although she is not anything close to your average Kunoichi, or even your average female, Sasuke was undeniably strong, with a strong will. That was something Sakura truly admired about her teammate. She had been self-reflecting heavily along with talking with Kurenai-sensei; she had made up her mind to prove Sasuke Uchiha wrong, although everything she said was true. There was more to Sakura; she was willing to show that she could be more than a 'sheep.' She was surrounded by anomalies that were Team 7. She may not have the predatory instincts of Sasuke and Kakashi, and she may not be something like Naruto, but she could still find a way to distinguish herself as a respectable Kunoichi to someone like Sasuke!
Shino was the surprising strength of Team 8. Sakura thought that Kiba, with his dog Akamaru, would be the 'top dog' on Team 8. If you fell into the trap Team 8 presented, you'd believe it. Kiba was loud like Naruto, brash, and outspoken, the self-proclaimed 'leader' of Team 8 behind Kurenai. Team 7 had fallen for the trap; their first team versus team battle against Team 8 resulted in a crushing defeat for Team 7. Naruto, along with Sakura and Sasuke, foolishly thought if they could take out Kiba, they'd roll over the two quiet members of Team 8; they had rushed in headfirst because of Naruto and were soundly defeated even after taking out Kiba.
They were far from right. Along with almost flawless tactics and teamwork displayed, Team 8 had Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga. Shino was the backbone of Team 8; his proficiency with his clan's bugs was intimidating, his intelligence was far beyond that of a normal Genin, and he was backed by a Hyuga, not just any Hyuga, but the heir to the clan, Hinata. Hinata, although the weakest member of Team 8, was not a pushover either. Shino used Kiba as bait to place a bug on each of them; he used Hinata's eyes to find them and encircle the three. Kakashi had tasked Team 7 with evasion against a specialized tracking team.
Strangely, these past two weeks, Sasuke and Hinata have been speaking, although mostly it's the quiet Hyuga trying to talk to the emotionless Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura has witnessed Sasuke speak to Hinata arguably just as much as Sasuke has spoken to her in the months since they became teammates. Sakura didn't understand why they were 'friends' in Hinata's eyes, based on their interactions; Sasuke merely tolerated the Hyuga, which says a lot. They also were more rivals than Kiba and Naruto. Kiba's demeanor hadn't changed since his loss to Naruto; he actually became more overbearing and hostile to Naruto after losing to him.
Sasuke flat out challenged Hinata in front of everyone, shocking everyone at dinner seemingly out of the blue. Sasuke then proceeded to get into a bloody battle with the girl; the fight was so dangerous and obviously deadly serious that Kakashi and Kurenai stepped in and scolded both Genin for taking a 'spar' so seriously. Sasuke had beaten Hinata terribly, but Hinata had managed to inflict some internal wounds that had to be healed by Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke seemed like she was trying to kill Hinata, Hinata did not hold back either, probably fighting for her life. Her clan's taijutsu against Sasuke's clan's taijutsu, with her Sharingan and flexibility, was a sight to see.
Hinata was deadly if she could touch you; her clan's taijutsu would be able to render body parts useless and stop you from using your chakra. Against Sasuke's flexibility, Sharingan, and her clan's taijutsu, allowed her to predict and counterattack the Hyuga. Their match was technically undecided, but Sasuke would have killed Hinata or herself, per the words of Kakashi, when she attempted to Chidori the Hyuga after an exchange of words during their spar. Both girls left the duel beaten, although Sasuke got her most obvious wound from her Chidori attempt; they slept for two straight days before they were recovered enough to move again.
Hinata, who was normally very timid and quiet, still tried to talk to Sasuke even after the Uchiha tried killing her. And when Sakura tried asking Hinata why, and what made Sasuke so angry at her during their spar, Hinata didn't tell her anything, only saying that their fight was 'personal, and they both fought to prove their resolve to each other, at least that's what I believe; Sasuke-chan wanted to see.' Oddly enough, after their fight, Sasuke put up with Hinata, and Hinata didn't hold her near-death experience against Sasuke. They had formed a sort of visible understanding; over what, Sakura had no idea. Although Sasuke didn't go out of her way to challenge Hinata again or to speak to her, she didn't always flat out ignore Hinata like she did everyone else.
A genjutsu specialist was, for lack of better words, both annoying and terrifying. A great genjutsu user could freeze your movements without you even realizing it; if you weren't paying close enough attention, like Sakura right now, they'd use that against you. Kurenai used Sakura's over-cautiousness against her. The moment Sakura had stopped her chakra flow to perform Genjutsu Dissipation, Kurenai-sensei was behind her with a kunai to her throat.
"You were too cautious this time," Kurenai said from behind Sakura, the cold blade of her kunai still placed at the younger kunoichi's throat.
Sakura sighed before putting her hands up in defeat. Fighting someone whose abilities you knew and revered was challenging, to say the least. Sakura had been placed in genjutsu so many times she was now proactively dispelling genjutsu that hadn't even been placed in the first place. She had no idea how Team 8's genin managed.
This was what allowed Kurenai to use her slowed movements to get behind her like this. If she were someone like Naruto, maybe she could use this as a trap.
At least that is what I believe he'd do.
"I know. I surrender," Sakura said sadly, feeling the kunai remove itself from her throat.
"You have improved and studied very studiously in your genjutsu. Trust your instincts; you know how to dispel genjutsu already. That is the first step in being able to defeat a genjutsu user. You can recognize when you're placed in one, even at the Jonin level. You are good; don't be so hard on yourself," Kurenai told her as they headed back to Tazuna's house.
"I understand, Kurenai-sensei, but the split second it takes to recognize that I have been put into a genjutsu will leave me open. I didn't want to provide you with that opening. Also, it's scary still. Some of the genjutsu you and Sasuke have put me in are literal nightmares."
Sakura wasn't lying. Both Kurenai and Sasuke had been able to place Sakura in genjutsu before. Sasuke was arguably scarier than Kurenai when using genjutsu. If you fought the Uchiha when she was going all out, like against Sakura, Sasuke had placed Sakura in a genjutsu just by looking into her eyes once! And worse, lately, Sasuke has been walking around with her Sharingan activated, trying to emulate Kakashi. Although she can only last what seems to be 8-10 hours, it still means that it's dangerous to even look at her!
The genjutsu Sasuke had placed on Sakura gave her nightmares for 4 days straight. She used the shared experience from their fight with Zabuza and created a genjutsu in which all of Team 7 died, leaving Sakura to be brutally butchered by Haku and Zabuza.
Kurenai, when she was teaching Sakura how to recognize and dispel genjutsu, had placed the girl in a genjutsu for an entire day. In the genjutsu, she was being ignored by everyone, no matter how much she tried to talk and speak to someone; everyone ignored her. Although, in reality, from the outside perspective, she went the entire day without speaking. What had alerted her that she was in a genjutsu was Naruto overhearing a conversation between him, Kakashi, and Sasuke. Naruto was annoyed that Kakashi and Kurenai both decided not to involve him in learning genjutsu because the amount of control it would take for him to learn would take years and years of chakra control. He at least wanted to learn to get rid of it. Kakashi told him it still means he needed to increase his chakra control and that most people wouldn't even be able to disrupt his chakra enough to put him into a genjutsu.
"It is best to remain calm in all situations as a shinobi. You cannot always proactively defend against your opponent's techniques; most times, you will not know them, so being adaptable will keep you alive, Sakura-chan," Kurenai said.
"Understood, Kurenai-sensei."
As they walked, they sensed a spike in chakra. The chakra signature was recognized by Sakura and Kurenai as Naruto and Sasuke's chakra signatures.
"Bastard!" They heard Naruto's voice to their right, some distance away. They also heard a lot of commotion coming from that direction.
"Let's go get them before they destroy the forest." Kurenai said with an exasperated sigh.
Who knew Kakashi's students would be such a headache? Sakura was okay, but between the gloomy and brooding, easily angered Uchiha and the hyperactive Naruto, Team 7 was filled with…personality.
Another loud boom was heard as Sakura approached the area where Naruto and Sasuke were training. As they entered the training area Sasuke and Naruto were using, they were met with the sight of thousands of Naruto's clones fighting each other, Rasengan in hand, mercilessly destroying each other. Both Kurenai and she stopped; Naruto's clones fighting each other this way was not a mix you just wanted to carelessly walk into.
Sasuke must've put Naruto in a genjutsu.
One of Naruto's most noticeable weaknesses was his susceptibility to genjutsu. Him not having a focus in chakra control meant that he didn't have the refined capabilities needed to immediately recognize when placed in genjutsu. Naruto had a sea of chakra; genjutsu was like taking a bit of color dye oil and pouring it into someone, in a way that tricks the body. Most people, compared to Naruto, had a bucket full of chakra, if that, whereas Naruto had a whole sea or ocean. For most people, noticing that someone had poured oil into their bucket would be noticeable, and if trained, even civilians could see through genjutsu. Since Naruto had so much chakra, he often took a lot longer to notice his chakra had been disturbed. He still required more training in chakra control to be able to notice genjutsu at the level of Sakura, and no one would be able to be as efficient at using, recognizing, and dispelling genjutsu as an Uchiha and Kakashi.
They watched in amazement as Sasuke weaved in and out of the battling clones, in the midst of the all-out clone war. Sasuke and her three tomoe Sharingan were searching for something, while tossing kunai and attacking unsuspecting clones.
Sasuke ducked under the arm of a Naruto with a kunai in hand, grabbing that Naruto's arm and performing a single-arm shoulder throw. She slammed that Naruto onto the ground, straddling him with a confident smirk as she held a kunai to his throat, much to that Naruto's annoyance.
"I finally found you," Sasuke said with a smug smirk on her face, Sharingan literally spinning as she looked down at Naruto.
Sakura had seen that same spinning Sharingan; it terrified her—it was the last thing she saw before seeing and feeling herself get beaten in her genjutsu by Zabuza and Haku. But Naruto was indifferent about it at best. At worst, he simply never cared, always looking at Sasuke in the eyes, risking being placed in genjutsu every time. The Sharingan didn't even have to spin to put you in a genjutsu. Sakura learned from Kakashi that the Sharingan users' Sharingan would spin if that person was very mad or excited. Sasuke was almost impossible for Sakura to read and understand. All her current understanding of the girl seemed to have something to do with Naruto. Either something Naruto told her directly about Sasuke or something that she has observed between them. Her and Sasuke's relationship at the moment was pretty much non-existent.
I wouldn't be surprised if it's both, she thought.
"Bastard!" Naruto hissed up at her defiantly, as his shadow clones continued their individual wars with each other around the two.
"Surrender, pipsqueak. I know it's you!" Sasuke said, still straddling Naruto, a light blush on her face as she pinned their blonde teammate to the ground.
'Pipsqueak' was a unique insult that Sasuke used for Naruto; she guessed it referred to Naruto's shorter stature during their academy days. Sakura was unsure why Sasuke still used the term, though. Naruto had grown significantly taller since they left the academy. He had to be 6'0, putting him as the second tallest in their class (A) after Shino. There was so much Sakura still didn't understand about her teammates, especially when it came to their relationship.
"That's so unfair. Even Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan can't tell the difference between me and my clones. How is it you can? What's the secret? Tell me, bastard!" Naruto hissed.
Sasuke smirked, leaning down to whisper something inaudible from Kurenai and Sakura's location at the edge of the training area. Whatever the Uchiha said to Naruto obviously disturbed him; his face blushed beet red, and he turned his head to the side, obviously embarrassed by what the Uchiha said.
"Bastard, don't say things like that! You know I don't understand what you mean! Now get off me!" Naruto said, embarrassed. As he struggled underneath Sasuke.
Sakura was shocked but, at the same time, not surprised to see Sasuke's smirk turn to a full-blown smile. It was the first time Sakura had ever seen Sasuke smile. Although it was a teasing and flirtatious smile not directed at anyone but Naruto, Sakura recognized Sasuke's undeniable beauty in the moment. Although the Uchiha still wore her gender-ambiguous clothing, with her tight chest wrapping, now that she knew Sasuke was a girl, it was impossible for her to see her any other way. She felt dumb for even believing otherwise.
"Do you surrender, Uzumaki Naruto?" Sasuke said, smile still on her face as she lightly dragged the kunai across the blonde's exposed chest in the gap between his shirt and its fabric. Her smile was teasing but also menacing. Sakura had no idea if Sasuke was attempting to flirt or enjoying the idea that she could kill Naruto in that moment. From what she was learning about her teammate, it could be both.
"Yeah… Yes… Now get off me, dickhead!" Naruto said, his embarrassed blush still on his face.
Satisfied, Sasuke hopped off Naruto, although she lingered for a few moments before moving. She reached a hand down to help Naruto up, who just smacked her hand away, standing on his own. When he stood, he dispelled all his clones, proving to Sakura and Kurenai that Sasuke was right and she had managed to find the real Naruto within the hundreds, if not thousands, of clones that had just surrounded them moments ago. Naruto's breathing began to noticeably increase, and it took him a few more moments to begin to walk as he shook off the headache of dispersing all his clones at once.
Sakura had learned that the clone jutsu Naruto used was the 'shadow clone jutsu', a forbidden jutsu that allowed him to create real look-alike clones that not only operated individually from Naruto but allowed him to gain their experiences. Naruto had been using them seemingly nonstop since waking up. He often would leave a clone or two with Tazuna as extra protection and always seemed to have a clone studying one of the scrolls he brought with him. In essence, Naruto was training almost 24/7. The downside, and the reason the shadow clone jutsu was forbidden—and Kakashi had warned Sasuke several times from attempting the jutsu—was the amount of chakra it took just to make a single clone. That, along with the backlash the dispersed clone caused, was too much for Sasuke and Sakura to handle, in their sensei's opinion. Sakura was okay with not being able to perform the jutsu; she had her hands full at the moment trying to master genjutsu to the level that Kurenai and Kakashi expected of her. Sasuke was more adamant about attempting it but listened, for the most part, to their sensei.
Sakura saw the concern on Sasuke's face as Naruto held his head to try and ease the headache from dispersing his clones, before he turned and glared at Sasuke again.
"Putting me in a genjutsu and making my clones believe that they were attacking you was just evil, bastard!"
Sasuke smirked at this as she walked away, heading towards her and Kurenai.
"Well, you should stop using them against me. I have obviously found a counter to it. If you use the same tactic all the time, people are bound to develop ways to beat them, no?" Sasuke said teasingly as an annoyed Naruto followed her.
"Well, usually no one can tell the difference between shadow clones, but of course, you're my kryptonite; it just had to be you, bastard! You fight so dirty I just want to... Urrggh!" Naruto said, more annoyed, taking a fist and punching it into his other hand multiple times, showing Sasuke what he wanted to do to her face.
This made Sasuke smile harder. Naruto was right. Kakashi-sensei was shocked when he found out from Sasuke that she could tell the difference between Naruto and his clones. She had proven it multiple times to the jonin. Oddly enough, Sasuke couldn't tell the difference between Kakashi-sensei and one of his shadow clones, but she could tell the difference between Naruto and his. Even Hinata, with her family's Byakugan, was unable to tell the difference between shadow clones and their caster. It was an anomaly that Kakashi had never heard of before. It really did seem like Sasuke was Naruto's kryptonite when it came to his use of shadow clones. Kakashi had originally had a theory that Sasuke, due to being an Uchiha and her new three tomoe Sharingan she got after the fight with Haku, had naturally been more in tune with her Sharingan, allowing her to see the differences between shadow clones and their caster, but this was immediately proven wrong when Sasuke couldn't tell Kakashi apart from his shadow clones.
Sakura also remembered that back when they were doing their follow-on examination with Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke immediately noticed that the clone Naruto sent to confront Kakashi was not him. Then, Sasuke's Sharingan was a two tomoe one, so Sakura was under the impression it might not have anything to do with Sasuke's Sharingan at all, but she needed more data to even formulate a proper hypothesis. Naruto's shadow clones were proven by Hinata to not have any noticeable differences, because her Byakugan couldn't differentiate between the blonde's clones and him, nor Kakashi's clones and him. So, no one really understood why Sasuke could tell the difference, adding that to the list of special things that was Sasuke Uchiha.
This, in Sakura's opinion, seemed to greatly satisfy Sasuke, especially that Hinata couldn't tell the difference. While at the same time, it greatly annoyed Naruto. Naruto seemed proud of his accomplishments 2 weeks prior and saw his hard work paying off in real combat; he was incredibly thrilled that he had 'one-upped' Sasuke with the Demon Brothers. Sasuke seemed frustrated with herself for whatever reason. She had been training almost as ruthlessly and relentlessly as Naruto since the day she woke up. Naruto tactically was a nightmare in individual combat, so besting him was an impressive feat, Sakura felt could only be done by a prodigy of equal measure, which was Sasuke.
In their training, she had seen Naruto best all the genin present in one-on-one sparring. Unless given restrictions by Kakashi or Kurenai, Naruto could seemingly create thousands of clones; no one could handle that, but of course, Sasuke now could. As soon as she was proficient enough in genjutsu, she used that against Naruto immediately. Sakura would have to keep that trick in mind for her next spar with the blonde; although she still doubted it would do anything but give her a few more minutes against Naruto. Kiba, Hinata, and even Shino, who Sakura thought stood the best chance against the waves of blondes, were soon outpaced by Naruto, and he hadn't even used them to the extent she just saw him attempt it against Sasuke!
"They are terrifying," Sakura mumbled to herself, only Kurenai could hear it, though. Kurenai offered her a small smile before saying, "Yes, they are extremely talented genin, thankfully they are on our side."
Sasuke reached Sakura and Kurenai first, barely even acknowledging their presence. The smile she had with Naruto evaporated into her usual brooding and unwelcoming scowl; she just walked past them with a still frustrated Naruto on her heels. He seemed to be taken out of his thoughts by her and Kurenai's appearance.
What didn't make sense was why Naruto was an anomaly; he had more chakra than what should be possible, so much so that it didn't matter how much control he actually had. He was like a walking basic shinobi principle rule breaker. Then, Sasuke's Sharingan being able to see through a jutsu that no one else could or has before was another anomaly. Even Kakashi having a Sharingan in the first place was an anomaly, then there is her... Sasuke was right. She isn't better than Naruto; she was the weakest genin on this mission. She needed to prove herself to Sasuke and Naruto.
"Oh, hey Sakura-chan, Kurenai-sensei, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked them with his usual smile on his face, one that Sakura was beginning to call Naruto's standard smile. The one he'd give anyone at any time.
"We heard you and Sasuke training and decided to pick you two up. We are headed back to Tazuna's," she replied as she turned to match his pace, the three of them trailing a short distance behind Sasuke.
"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" Naruto said, rubbing his stomach, excited that Tsunami would have lunch ready for them by now. Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter, had been extremely kind to the shinobi, probably because they had saved her father. She had been working hard to fill the appetites of the eight shinobi guests at her father's house. Her son Inari was a huge fan of Naruto. Apparently, prior to Team 7 defeating Zabuza and Haku, Inari had lost his father 2 years prior to Gato's henchmen. The boy was filled with sadness and doubt that his world, which revolved around his small village, would get any better. After Tazuna returned with Team 7, and Inari heard about their exploits, specifically Naruto, the boy was now all over Naruto, always asking questions to the teenager and saying that when he got older, he wanted to be brave like Naruto and his father. Naruto, not being used to the praise, had been just as kind to the boy in return. Their relationship seemed to grow so quickly it was as if they had been friends their whole lives.
"Don't eat too much, Naruto. If you fall asleep while we are on guard duty, Kakashi-sensei will ban you from dinner again!" Sakura warned him.
"I won't. Sheesh, I fall asleep one time, and no one lets me live it down."
From the information that Kurenai and Kakashi had been gathering about Gato and his crew, Zabuza and Haku seemed to be his biggest aces in the hole. Gato had been in hiding ever since the defeat of Zabuza and hadn't made any more attacks against Tazuna, but with the bridge close to being finished, and rumors going around the village about Gato, Team 7 and Team 8 couldn't be too cautious.
"You are lucky you are not my student, Naruto. Kakashi is far more lenient than I," Kurenai said.
Naruto just grumbled something inaudible under his breath.
They reached Tazuna's house and were met with the sight of Team 8, including Kakashi, sitting at the dining table with Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari eating lunch.
"Hey, Kurenai, let me talk to you for a second," Kakashi said to the other jonin as soon as she entered.
Kurenai nodded in response and led the two out of the room.
"Naruto-kun! Did you win this time?" Inari said excitedly to Naruto.
Naruto just sighed before shaking his head. "No, the bastard cheated," Naruto said, offering an excuse to the young boy. In response, Inari just grumbled much like Naruto. Sakura sighed; Naruto's influence was obvious on the boy.
"You'll get her next time!" Inari said hopefully. Sasuke, in response, rolled her eyes, and Naruto gave Inari his signature smile with a thumbs up, which the boy replicated almost perfectly.
Sakura started eating her food as she observed the interactions around the table. Today, Team 8 had been training early in the morning like Team 7, but with Kakashi as their leader. Kiba, Shino, and Hinata all looked thoroughly beat up. Bruises could be found scattered across the skin of each shinobi equally. Sakura felt bad for the team; she knew that their sensei could be merciless with his training and likely didn't hold back, putting them in compromising positions. She experienced his brutality herself with her morning physical training.
Whereas Kurenai tended to focus on individual strengths and weaknesses with her training methods, Kakashi definitely took a team approach, often taking on the entirety of Team 7. Team 7's teamwork has improved, and outside of their one loss, they managed to get 3 victories against Team 8. Sakura could admit that she had very minimal input in those three wins; Sasuke all but ignored her, whereas Naruto was more likely to hear her ideas out. Still, between Naruto and Sasuke's efforts and their unusual compatibility, they overwhelmed Team 8 with pure numbers and brute strength. Kakashi and Kurenai had assigned different objectives in each team-on-team battle. Their most recent one was obviously inspired by recent events; Team 8 had been tasked with the responsibility of protecting Kurenai-sensei from being captured or killed by Team 7.
Naruto and Sasuke literally walked right up to Team 8 and fought them side by side, just the two of them. Sasuke had decided that Sakura could just find an opening to kill or capture Kurenai, but Sakura had the lingering feeling that Sasuke just wanted her out of the way while she and Naruto handled Team 8. Naruto immediately agreed with it, of course, and they actually managed to pull it off. She had never seen so many bugs in her life until that day. Shino had tried his best to fight Naruto and Sasuke along with the rest of Team 8, but Sasuke would transform into Naruto clones. Naruto had transformed into a demon wind shuriken at one point. They did combination attacks literally without planning them beforehand; she knew this because she was there. It was a spectacle to watch, and all she had to do was throw a few kunai at Kurenai from a safe distance away. Team 8 stood no chance; really, the fighting lasted about 2 hours before first Kiba was ruled 'dead' by Kakashi, then Shino. By then, Hinata, who was the only one left and was also the main defense against Sakura throwing kunai at Kurenai, was too much for her to handle, and she was eventually overrun by Naruto's clones and Sasuke.
"Naruto, just because Team 7 is up 3-1, don't go telling people you're better than us!" Kiba growled at Naruto from across the table.
"We are better, though; that's why we are winning 3-1, dog breath!" Naruto said, glaring back at Kiba.
"You wanna fight again, dead last!" Kiba said, standing and threatening Naruto.
Sakura sighed; this felt like an everyday thing at this point.
At least they were consistent.
"You need me to teach you the same lesson again?" Naruto said, still sitting but with a glare.
"Kiba, sit!" Kurenai said as she and Kakashi walked back into the dining area.
Kiba just glared at Naruto as he sat down.
"Good boy!" Naruto teased.
Sakura chuckled at this, and she noticed Sasuke also had a smirk. Hearing her chuckle made Naruto turn to her with a smile, the smile; that was different from his usual one, it felt... warmer...
She smiled back in return but saw Sasuke glaring at her from the corner of her eyes. Scared, she stopped smiling, looking down at her food, taking a bite with one hand while using her other hand under the table to perform genjutsu dissipation on her leg.
Truly terrifying, I get it, don't mess with Naruto... got it. But he is my teammate too, Sasuke.
Naruto was a trigger for Sasuke. If she wanted to receive any type of acceptance from Sasuke, she would follow Kakashi and Hinata's advice; she needed to be careful when dealing with Naruto around Sasuke. To Sakura, it was obvious, taking in all the information she had from her observations of the two since becoming Team 7. That either Sasuke loved Naruto, or Sasuke was extremely protective and territorial of him, her only 'true friend' if you'd call them that. Any insult from anyone directed at Naruto was confronted immediately by Sasuke; the only person allowed to insult Naruto was Sasuke. She imagined that Sasuke's glaring eyes were like staring into the predatory eyes of a hawk: emotionless, unblinking, uncaring, just the perfect image of death. If Sasuke was like a hawk, then they mated for life, and whatever Sasuke's intentions were for Naruto, she was defending him or her 'territory' just as violently as a hawk.
Naruto wasn't holding how she had treated him against her. He never seemed to bring it up, nor, when she got the opportunity to speak with him privately, had he asked for any sort of apology. When she did apologize to him, he just shrugged it off, seemingly more embarrassed than her, and offered her excuses. He was truly kind.
"Naruto, don't tease Kiba," Kakashi said with a lazy sigh, sitting down next to her.
Naruto just muttered something like 'he started it' under his breath.
"Tazuna, will you still be able to complete your bridge in the next two weeks?" Kurenai asked.
"Yes, we are making good pace; thanks to you all, my guys and I can work without worry!" the bridge builder said, smiling at us.
Kakashi whipped out his book, and Sakura internally convulsed at the perverted action. She looked around to see every female either looking at Kakashi with the same disgust she felt, or, in Hinata's case, blushing shock. The poor innocent Hyuga was still baffled by her sensei's perversion.
"I wouldn't be too carefree."
Tazuna's face shifted to one of slight confusion, and this time it was Kurenai who sighed.
"Tazuna, we have received reports that Gato and his men are on the move. Apparently, in two weeks, Gato's men will be arriving on a ship. These men are supposedly backup for Gato and will be used to stop our progress with the bridge. Gato also plans to escape the Land of Waves on the ship." Kurenai said, filling in Tazuna and Teams 7 and 8 with the information that Kakashi had just told her.
Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami all looked horrified. Sakura figured they should be they had a very powerful man as an enemy who marked them for death. Any sane person would be a little cautious.
"Awesome! We know when they are coming, so we can just go beat them up, capture Gato, and go home." Naruto said excitedly, earning him a skeptical, almost hopeful look from the civilians.
Kakashi sighed, "Yeah, Naruto, that's the idea… Tazuna, do you happen to know anyone around the village with a large vessel that they would allow us to use? Preferably something with multiple decks?" Kakashi asked, his eyes never leaving his book.
This made Sakura curious. Why would Kakashi want a boat?
Tazuna shook his head no. "No, I don't. We are a small fishing village; we rely on trade mostly. Gato has bought out all the shipping vessels that my friends used to own, so every ship you see at the port of a significant size is owned by Gato."
Kakashi nodded his head in response, muttering "figures" under his breath but not adding anything else to the conversation. Kurenai just stared at Kakashi with a look that Sakura felt almost daily dealing with the members of Team 7. It was a look that screamed 'really?' in a sense of disbelief.
Sighing, Kurenai asked Kakashi, "Well, would you be able to pull it off still, Kakashi?"
Kakashi just shrugged at her in response. "We could try. If Gato's smart, it could set off warning signs for him, but as long as we do it without making too much noise and get rid of it once the time comes, everything should be okay, I guess." Kakashi said nonchalantly, turning a page in his book.
All the genin were looking between the two jonin with questions in their eyes. It was obvious that the two were planning something, and it seemed like everyone was dying to know what it was. Naruto was the first to crack.
"What are you two talking about, Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi just looked at Naruto, giving him an eye smile. "Me, you, and Sasuke are going to do something…fun." Kakashi said.
Naruto looked visibly excited. Sasuke was looking at their sensei with a questioning look, with a hint of curiosity. Sakura, she felt wholly left out. Not only had Kakashi pawned her off to another sensei for most of the two weeks, but now he was leaving her out of Team 7?
She sighed, looking down at her plate, picking at the remaining food on her plate.
I really am as useless as I thought Naruto was.
She didn't notice Kakashi glance at her over his book, so his voice speaking to her caught her off guard and made her jump in her seat slightly.
"I am surprised you didn't ask why I wasn't bringing you, Sakura." Kakashi said in his usual bored and uninterested tone.
Sakura sighed again. She already knew that Team 8 probably realized she was the weakest link in her team, but she'd be lying if she said the thought of having her sensei bring it up here, in front of everyone, wasn't embarrassing.
"No, I believe I understand, Kakashi-sensei. I trust your decision," she said half-heartedly. Although she knew she had to earn her place amongst the team, she vaguely wondered if she'd ever get the opportunity.
Kakashi eyed her silently for a moment before speaking, "It's a three-person job, Sakura. Don't overthink it." was all the encouragement her sensei offered.
Nodding her head in understanding, she remained quiet.
"So! What is it!" Naruto practically shouted at their sensei.
Tazuna looked at his watch before saying, "Well, sorry to interrupt, but I have to get to work," he said to the group. Immediately, Kurenai stood up.
"Team 8, Sakura Haruno, with me. We will be watching over Tazuna today. Tazuna, is it possible to bring Inari and Tsunami with us? Kakashi and his team will be unable to guard them in the meantime, so it is best if they come with us."
Tazuna turned to Inari and Tsunami, asking if they could join them at the worksite today, which they both immediately agreed to.
Kurenai smiled and nodded her head. "Good, allow me a moment to better secure our prisoner. I will be back shortly. Sakura, come with me," Kurenai said, standing and leading them upstairs. As they headed towards the room that Team 7 slept in with Haku, Kurenai spoke to her again.
"Kakashi meant what he said. Naruto and Sasuke are the best choice for their mission. Their teamwork, along with their capabilities, will make things a lot simpler. He is not leaving you out of Team 7, rest assured," Kurenai said to her kindly.
Sakura sighed.
Am I that easy to read?
"Okay, thank you. What are they going to do?" Sakura asked. She couldn't help but worry about her teammates, and her curiosity was piqued.
"They are going to steal one of the shipping vessels that Gato has at the port."
Sakura grew quiet at this. Why? Why was Kakashi going through the effort of getting them a ship? It's not as if they can't just walk on water.
They entered the room in which Haku was still bound and restrained. Naruto's chakra suppressant seals were still on him, and the boy was heavily bound, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Kurenai turned to her.
"I want you to use your genjutsu on Haku. If you fail, it's okay, I will take over. It will be harder to do because he knows it's coming, but I still want you to do it. This is a great opportunity to practice," Kurenai said to her with a small smile.
Sakura looked at her somewhat disbelievingly. Haku was, from what she heard, an extremely gifted shinobi. Putting him in a genjutsu that he knew was coming seemed impossible. She wasn't Sasuke; she didn't have that type of ability yet.
Did Kurenai bring me here just to see me fail? Wait… no, Kurenai isn't like that. If she brought me here, it's because she believes I could do it. But I only know one genjutsu, and it's an intermediate chunin-ranked one. Will it be enough? Probably not, but I must try!
Sakura stood there and thought for a moment about what genjutsu would be good for someone like Haku. The idea was to distract him from realizing they were gone. At least that was what she believed was Kurenai's intention. She needed something that would seem normal to Haku, something that wouldn't be too unusual, which was really hard knowing that he knew he was about to be placed in a genjutsu. Although he would have no way of getting out of it, he still had the mental preparation to not fall for it so easily.
She made up her mind, before quickly running through a few hand signs, before placing a single finger on Haku.
She saw Haku's eyes looking at her, unamused and bored. His pupils dilated for a moment, and Sakura knew she was successful. Kurenai observed them with a bright smile on her face. They quietly left the room as to not disrupt his genjutsu.
As they left the room and headed back to Team 8, Kurenai asked her, "So, what was the genjutsu you decided to use?" She asked.
Kurenai saw the dilated pupils of Haku and knew immediately that he had been caught with the Genjutsu. Whatever Sakura had decided to create in the mind of Haku was very convincing to get him immediately trapped.
Sakura cast her a bright smile in return.
"I made a genjutsu in which I failed to cast it. Right now, he is seeing you giving me a lesson in genjutsu in order to be successful next time." Sakura said.
Clever, you used the knowledge your opponent had against him, as well as his doubt in your abilities to catch him off guard. He probably won't think anything is wrong for a few hours.
"I knew you could do it, Sakura-chan. You just need to believe in yourself."
Sakura smiled; she'd prove to Sasuke that she could distinguish herself as well! And she was more than a 'sheep.'
Later that Day at Midnight
Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi had been observing the boats coming in and out of the docks since early that afternoon. Gato's boats were obvious; they were the ones with the motley crew on the biggest ships coming into port. For a crew of what appeared to be mainly bandits and sailors, they seemed tough but nothing that Team 7 couldn't handle. Kakashi told Naruto and Sasuke they were going to wait until nighttime to start their attack and seizure of the ship. Kakashi had picked the ship most similar to the one reported to arrive with Gato's backup. He wanted to give his team and Team 8 as much advantage as possible. To accomplish this, he discussed with Kurenai earlier that day about seizing a ship Gato currently had at port in the Land of Waves, or borrowing one, to practice with both teams on how they would go about attacking and seizing the ship two weeks from now.
Kurenai was aware of this idea. Being an experienced Jonin, she knew that, at least among Konoha's elite ANBU missions, a lot of their training, if the information was reliable, which it often was at that level, involved 'mock runs' or 'dry fires' of their missions beforehand. This was an example of his ANBU experience impacting this mission.
He explained the idea and concept to Naruto and Sasuke as they waited for nightfall. Naruto was super impressed and excited to be chosen to help him with seizing one of Gato's boats. His Uchiha student, in her own unique way, also expressed her satisfaction at being selected for this mission. "This is going to be like a real ANBU mission, isn't it, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto couldn't hide his enthusiasm, bouncing slightly on his heels.
"Yes, Naruto, very much like one." Kakashi replied with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Sasuke, always more reserved, simply nodded, her eyes sharp and focused. "I'll make sure we succeed." she stated confidently.
After Kakashi and Kurenai were confident that the two teams could work together flawlessly in seizing a boat, the confiscated boat they used to practice would be destroyed. Kurenai mentioned she'd be able to place a genjutsu on the boat in the meantime, but that would only buy them a week, so both teams had roughly a week to work out any kinks that could come with such a large-scale seizure as this. Add that to the fact that the ports would likely have increased security after they managed to steal this ship. Their upcoming mission was progressively getting more and more complicated.
Kakashi guessed that the mission had already been trending in that direction since the appearance of the 'Demon Brothers of the Mist.'
They watched as the last of the crew exited their targeted ship, leaving behind a small skeleton crew on the ship as security, and the small unsuspecting security team that guarded the port.
"Alright, it's time to move." Kakashi said calmly, looking at his genin.
"Remember, our objective is to get in and out with the ship; deadly force is authorized. Disperse!"
Kakashi watched, impressed, as his two genin immediately went about conducting their task. In the upcoming assault, Naruto and Sasuke would play a major role. He needed to determine if they would be able to accomplish his plans. No better time than now to figure that out; if they got their hands on this ship, it would greatly increase the outcome of their assault two weeks from today.
Shaking his head out of his thoughts, he joined his genin in their attack.
Let's see what you two are made of! he thought, a sense of anticipation filling him as they moved toward the ship, like shadows blending with the night.
A/N Hey another chapter in the books, there is a few things special about this chapter i hope you all realized. Like it primarily being from Sakura POV, I thought it was a good chance to show her experiences and thoughts to this point. We are reaching the point of AU diversion so I want to warn you guys now... this story may not go the route you expect, I am trying to emulate Naruto, and Shippuden but not straight up copy it. Somethings lore and ability usage may not be completely perfect, also not everything is always as it seems.
If you are expecting a story full of Lovey Dovey stuff also, please relax... This will be a slow burn, with set back and mistakes. Just like the Sasuke in Naruto. Almost all my stories embody a realistic approach that 'people' or 'characters' are not perfect. Please don't get too angry with me or mad because things aren't as you wished they would be allow; the story to play out. Lastly, I never intended this story to be harem-based story. So, if you're sticking around for that sorry but not in this story, this is a love story backed by action and politics. The reason for this is because I personally cannot see a female Sasuke sharing her love interest, at all. No more spoilers will be offered but I just wanted to address that honestly here.
Also, you guys are honestly so impressive. The number of Reviews for this story makes it my best story so far, also with the number of followers it has, the only stat that this story is not #1 on my page is favorites, and that's okay, because of this I will prioritize writing this story. I just ask that the love you showed so far, continues even if you don't like something, feel free to tell me every review is read and honestly I read most of them more than once, if you don't like something that won't affect me, but cussing and calling me names is just rude and sadly I deleted my first negative comment recently due to this, usually I leave them because all reviews are welcome but when your calling me names, because of a fictional story I am creating; I find it incredibly rude and demoralizing. I am trying my best to work on these stories almost daily it feels.
With that said I hope you all stay till the finish though until next time!