J A D E

Chapter Thirteen

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto runs to me, hugging me tightly. I hug him back and grin at the goofball. I have known him for already one year. Currently, we are five, and Naruto keeps irritating me more and more as time goes.

"Naruto-kun, I am training." I mumble as I manage to get rid of his tight grip around me. Naruto pouts, but nods. I think, he is very scared of Ninjas, that keep training me, even though he does not admit it.

"Sakura-chan is going to spar with us, now." Shisui-san says in too smiley face. I know that he cares about me too much, he often referred to me as his little sister. And made sure that Naruto knew it as well.

Naruto nods and stands next to overly irritated Ibiki-sensei and energetic anko-san. Though, he stands nearer to Ibiki-sensei than maniac. Itachi-san appears between him and Anko-san, letting Naruto to breath out.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, tell me when you are ready." Shisui-san calls out and I nod, indicating that I am already ready. "Show me the jutsus, you were telling me about earlier, okay?" I nod and he disappears. I close my eyes, jumping just in time to avoid his kunais. "Not bad." He smirks and continues disappearing and appearing with intent to harm me.

I jump towards him, engaging him in taijutsu. I manage to avoid most of his punches and kicks, while also managing to land a few.

I have fought with Madara. I can win over Shisui. I can do it. I have to do it.

I collect my chakra in my right hand and hit him square in the chest, make him fly several meters away. I hear Naruto gasping loudly and cheering on me, bringing a smile on my lips. But instead of losing my concentration, I use the several seconds I won over Shisui-san and start making hand-signs of the jutsu, I have secretly been studying over a year.

Ox. Monkey. Hare. Rat. Boar. Bird. Ox. Horse. Bird. Ox. Horse. Bird. Rat. Tiger, Snake. Ox. Ram. Snake. Boar. Ram. Rat. Monkey. Bird. Dragon. Bird. Ox. Horse. Ram. Tiger. Snake. Rat. Monkey.

Shisui-san starts running at me with high speed, his eyes widening at the sand seals, I am making, fastening his pace with kunai in his hands.

Hare. Boar. Dragon. Ram. Rat. Ox. Money. Bird. Rat. Boar. Bird.

"Water Release: Water Dragon!" I yell loudly managing to perform it just before Shisui-san leaps to me. As soon as he jumps in the air, he is attacked by water dragon, weaker than Zabuza's, but strong enough to throw him across the training ground. It was not strong enough to inflict any serious damage, other than hurt his ego.

My head starts spinning, blurring everything around me, before everything fades to black.

***

Itachi catches Sakura, before she hits the ground. He looks at the girl, perplexed, astonished even. He looks up from Sakura, to Shisui, who is limping his way towards them, gasping and wet. His eyes frozen on Sakura in Itachi's arms.

"Was it...?" He whispers in a low voice, his chest aching from the chakra enhanced punch, while his limbs ache from having been hit with Dragon Jutsu. Ibiki nods and sighs, taking Sakura away from Itachi's hands.

"Will Sakura-chan be okay?" Naruto jumps in front of Ibiki, his blue eyes wide and pooled with tears.

"Yeah, brat." Ibiki grins down at blonde and then looks at pinkie in his hands. "She is just tired, but I am going to take her to the hospital, anyways. Want to tag along?" Ibiki asks Naruto with soft tone, damning himself for getting soft because of the two children.

"Can I?" Naruto asks hopefully and smiles after Ibiki nods. Naruto clenches his hand on Ibiki's coat and smiles up at the older man.

Ibiki sighs and leans down, holding Sakura in one hand, while picking up Naruto with other and disappears.

Anko follows him in suit, knowing better than to leave Ibiki alone in hospital with Naruto while Sakura is in the room.

"Only known user of this jutsu is Zabuza Momoichi." Shisui breaks the silence and looks at his younger cousin. "Sakura does not even know about his existence. I and Ibiki-san made sure that she got nowhere near the Bingo Book." He adds and sighs.

***

"I don't like it." I whisper to Kakashi as we stand behind Sasuke and Naruto. My eyes is trained solemnly on Madara Uchiha, who is gaining more and more power as time goes by. "Boys can't attack him." I add with a loud sigh. Sasuke looks at me, raising his eyebrows.

"Why can't we, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asks in saddened tone. He looks at Madara and then back to me.

"Because he is too strong." I shrug my shoulders and rub my temples. "You can't simply attack him and survive it. Five Kages fell." I swallow the raising bile in my throat. "You need to find a way to overpower him somehow, while I can attack directly, this way this attention will shift to me and you will have an opening." I whisper the plan in a low voice. Naruto opens his mouth to protest, but Sasuke beats him in it.

"Tch. You are too weak, Sakura."  Sasuke's voice pierces through my heart. "You will just die."

When I open my eyes, only thing I can see is familiar white. I sit up, ignoring the needles attached to my body. I have been in hospital for more than once during the past year. Not to count my visits here during previous life. I worked here. I lived here. It has become my sanctuary, when I was alone with no one to turn to.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, you are awake." One of the nurses smiles at me happily. "Morino-san and Naruto-kun are waiting for you outside." She informs me and helps me to take all the wires out of my body.

"Sakura-chan! You are alive!" Naruto shouts loudly, crushing me into a tight hug, tears streaming down his body. I giggle, hugging him back and barely managing to peel him away from my body. I look up at Ibiki-sensei, who has worried, nervous and angry expression plastered on his face.

"I am sorry." I look down and wait for him to say something bitter to me. I know I would have said something. After all, I am his responsibility and I should not have worried him, at all.

"It's okay, brat." Ibiki smiles at me and shakes his head. "Come on, let's leave this brat at home, we are going to Hokage-sama's office."

***

When I step inside the room, I gulp down the nervousness raising inside of me. All the clan heads are already presented. Shisui and Itachi are standing besides Fugaku-san. Shisui-san has worried look on his face, which disappears as soon as his eyes land on me.

"I have heard about your new jutsu, Sakura-chan." Third Hokage smiles down at me, while smoking his pipe. I blush at his statement and look down. "You are quite skilled, aren't you?" He chuckles kindly and shakes his head. He knows that nothing will force me to attend academy earlier than I have to. He knows that nothing will change my mind. "Due to the fact, that you are already at Genin's level, if not chunnin's, and you don't want to attend academy earlier or finish it earlier, we have thought of some solution." All eyes flicker to him. "Well, Elders found a solution." He adds in distasteful tone.

I look around the room, only to notice troubled faces. Even Third seems not to like the solution, he is about to tell me. I look at Ibiki-sensei, who is clenching his fists tightly not to unleash his anger on anyone. My gaze drifts to Shisui-san, whose eyes are wide and scared.

"You will not only be attending tortures and interrogations, but you will be performing them as well." Third whispers in barely audible tone. His statement causes chaos in the office. Inoichi-san starts protesting against it, saying that it would affect my mental state terribly. "This is not all." Third says in defeated tone. "Danzo-san insisted that while she attends Academy, she is also to perform low-ranked missions, or accompany people, she is familiar with on higher ranked missions." The eerie silence falls in the office. No one whispers a single word. All of their eyes are trained on Third Hokage, wide, angry.

"I protest." Ibiki-sensei is the first to break the pregnant silence. "I don't think it will be good for Sakura to perform interrogations at such an early age." He grits his teeth and shakes his head. "And one of the reasons, she did not want to become shinobi earlier than planned is because, she wanted to have a childhood."

"The missions will be brief and short-termed and it will occur occasionally. Once or twice a year." Third explains and looks around the room. "It is not under consideration." He adds and sighs once again. "You are all dismissed."