Unfurling Bud

Chapter Thirteen

'...' - Eliza talking to Inner Sakura.

... - Inner Sakura speaking.

The next morning, I woke up early out of habit. The sun just barely peaked out out of the navy-colored sky, and my parents were still fast asleep- judging by their peaceful chakra signatures. I stretched and got out of bed, preparing to go out.

After I finished, I slid downstairs and grabbed an onigiri out of the near-empty fridge. I opened the front door and stepped out, turning in the direction of the library. The dark sky enveloped me as I took a deep breath of the cool air and closed my eyes.

Let's do this! S- Shannaro! I opened my eyes and nodded to myself.

When I entered the library, I walked to the genin section and paced back and forth the aisle until I found the scrolls that I wanted. I reached for ones labled 'Basic Genjutsu' and 'Basic Ninjutsu' as starters. The dust flew in several directions as I pulled the scrolls free, causing several loud sneezes to escape my throat. The library obviously needs some extra help. Through watering eyes, I noticed that most of the scrolls in this aisle needed serious dusting. The job was far too large for just a few people. I waved the dust away with my free hand and left the aisle.

I quickly sat down with my two scrolls and opened one up. Randomly, I decided to try the one with genjutsu first. Hell Viewing: Demonic Illusion Technique... D-rank. Causes the victim to face their worst fears...

Just like the one Kakashi used on me.

I shuddered. Yeah, I could probably use this. It's not too hard and will have a slight impact. Well. It did on me, but I'm pretty sure I'm not a good example... It doesn't take much to freak me out.

I flipped open the notebook that I brought with me and started taking notes. How nostalgic. And to think there was finally a day where I was whole-heartedly taking notes. Not that I was a terrible student before, but who likes taking notes? Not me for sure.

I scanned through the scroll several times before I continued onto the next scroll. I totally forgot how tedious note taking was...

The process continued on for a while before the sun rose high in the sky. Rays of sunlight streamed through the windows of the musty library, reaching out to touch the edges of the frayed scrolls. By that time, my fingers felt cramped and rigid, neck sore from craning to see the small print of the scrolls.

I yawned, then sneezed, pulling my arms as far as I could from my body. Satisfying cracks sounded along my back and neck. Then, my stomach suddenly growled- as if knowing I was about to leave. I patted my stomach decisively and cleaned up my area as efficiently as I could.

After gathering my materials, I all but ran out of the library due to the obnoxious growling sounds coming out of my stomach. I hadn't realized that I was that hungry. Now, where to go... As I pondered and looked around the area, I spotted a yellow dot in the distance. As it grew closer, I could make out an orange jump suit.

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto greeted, now a few feet away. Due to brightness of the sun, I could not make out his features, but the orange jumpsuit gave it away. I waved and stepped to the side, just when he barreled into the spot where I stood originally. When he stopped, he continued, "Whatcha doing?"

Odd. His voice... There was a thickness layering his words that made my stomach turn. As I glanced at his face, I felt myself stiffen minutely. His eyes were red-rimmed and shadowed, glistening, with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.

I scrambled to reply, before the silence became awkward: "A-ah, nothing much."

"Aha! Really? That's good!" He raised a hand to his head, closing his eyes for an eye-smile.