Sakura Shippuden (#2 Sakura Trilogy)

Sakura Shippuden: [Chapter 11]

Training with Tsunade was still terrible. Again and again, she would remind Sakura: "You'll have to use it eventually." Tsunade was relentless in both attacks and these insinuations, and it was only a matter of time until Sakura had to relent.

But Sakura didn't want to use Shōkuton. Using it meant she needed Orochimaru's power. Using it meant losing herself, and that she was vulnerable; that she could be manipulated into using them against the people she cared about. Sakura never wanted that to happen again. Many covet Shōkuton, she thought to herself, but they will never get it. I will not be used. Late at night, a small voice in the back of her head nagged mockingly, sounding mean and cruel and whispered things to her: "You have nothing else. Give up now. Sasuke has left you, and Naruto, too. Even your so-called friends fear you." Those words repeated themselves to her now, as she dodged the punches and kicks and flying boulders.

Sakura shivered from a particularly close call with Tsunade's fearsome axe kick, and somersaulted backwards. I have lost everything. Her stomach sank. I do not have anything to fight for. She clenched her hands tightly into fists. Live for. Her stance faltered. Die for.

Find a new purpose, Sakura.

Sakura froze. Hashirama? She probed into the recesses of her mind, trying to find that presence. A boulder flew by another she was hiding behind. The grass rustled as Tsunade approached, and Sakura quickly performed hand signs before digging into the boulder. It melted like butter, and quickly, Sakura hid inside, closing up the opening. Hashirama? She tensed as she heard Tsunade muttering to herself. She was right next to her. Hashirama?

You need to find a new purpose, Sakura.

Sakura sighed quietly, angrily, fisting her hair in her hands and closing her eyes in frustration. Tsunade's walking had stopped. When they opened, she was no longer in hiding, but standing on water, a figure clad in red armor ahead of her. "Hashirama?"

He turned, and Sakura kneeled with her head looking down at her reflection. Her face was solemn and grim. She peeked at Hashirama's. He stood silently. But why, now if all times, was he trying to contact her? She peeked again at his reflection, but the ripples from her fluctuating chakra made it hard to get a read on him.

"Stand, Sakura." Slowly, she obeyed, her eyes trained on the man in front of her. Hashirama smiled, his eyes sad as he closed the gap until they were standing five feet apart. "You're trying to control Shōkuton, yes?"

Sakura nodded quietly. She flexed her fingers. "I do not want this power. But many people expect me to rely on it. Is it wrong to think so?" She stared down at her hands impassively, trailing the lines and grooves, the calluses from time and effort out into training. And your granddaughter teaches me nothing of use — read this, Sakura, carry that over there, Sakura. She promised to teach me medical jutsu, but all she wants is for me to work on this instead. I want to help others. That is acquired by becoming a medic. I do not want to inflict pain on others anymore. Shōkuton is a curse to me and others.

Hashirama sighed, and Sakura's hackles rose. "Like most kekkei genkai, there are serious downsides. For the Uchiha, those that reach a certain level are inflicted with the Curse of Hatred. The Hyūga brand their branch members to prevent mutiny. And with Shōkuton, there are dire consequences for not controlling it properly. That's why my granddaughter wishes for you to learn how to control it."

Sakura blinked, confusion bubbling inside.

"When the war was being waged, I discovered my powers. The one that could possibly end the war that had taken so many lives," Hashirama said tightly. "And so, one day, I practiced by the lake, controlling tree roots and whatnot. Tobirama, who watched all my moves, was not far behind, and yelled at me in fear. I heard a tantō being unsheathed, and before I knew it, my powers overtook the situation." He watched Sakura, who listened quietly. "It was an Uchiha boy, who couldn't have been more than eight years old. I had impaled him with one of the tree roots I had been practicing with. It took me a long time to forgive myself and find it in me to re-continue my training. And now, I will say the same thing to you that a close friend once told me: 'Unless you take on the bitter truths, you will never move forward, but instead linger in the past.'"

Sakura looked up from her inner thoughts to Hashirama.

He was smiling sadly. "And now, I'll pass on that piece of wisdom to you, Sakura. In order to progress, you have to first forgive yourself. Only then will you find peace within yourself."

Sakura looked down at her reflection, recalling Hashirama's earlier words. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply, then opened one to peek at her surroundings. The man watched her curiously, then laughed. "You can't get rid of me that easily, little kunoichi." Hashirama smiled warmly, ruffling her hair, to her displeasure. "I'm proud of you, Sakura." Their world shifted, the ripples in the water trembling violently. "And that must be Tsunade, I'm afraid. She was a troublemaker from the start."

Slowly, Hashirama and his world faded from her sight, and Sakura found herself in the stuffy hiding spot. It looks like she had been found. Dark mutters of threats were heard very quietly on the other side to her, but nothing intelligible. She shut her eyes. Hashirama did not instruct me on whether or not I was required to use Shōkuton. Nevertheless, I do not think Tsunade is willing to give me more time. Sakura reached internally for the turmoiled sensation in herself, desperately trying to balance between her and the feeling. There. All the things she had done, everything she was ashamed of, what she feared — everything from her innermost thoughts to actions she carried out daily; Sakura relived all her despairs, but she did not waver. She gritted her teeth, holding onto herself steadfastly as charcoal black eyes, quirked lips, and nighttime encounters barreled into her, and then, it all stopped.

Suddenly, a calming effect washed over her, and Sakura, in the back of her mind, heard a large crack. The dimming daylight of a cool day flooded her eyesight, and when Sakura finally got over her initial confusion, she turned around, hearing slow clapping.

"Congrats, Sakura. You've finally managed to connect with Shōkuton," Tsunade smirked and cocked a hip. "Tomorrow at noon, my office in the hospital. Don't be late." She gave Sakura a noogie, something Naruto had explained to her once, then left her by herself.

Sakura looked around to find herself standing in between two halves of the hollowed out boulder, and a five foot radius of grass up to her waist, rustling from the wind. Grass that wasn't there before. She blinked, twisting to get a full 360° view, then wondered if her brain had finally turned to mush or what she was seeing was real. Sakura flexed her hands, watching the grass sway with her movements.

Her palms were sweaty, her heart was racing, and Sakura was absolutely convinced either she or Tsunade had lost her mind. Or both. Suffice to say, Sakura entered the Haruno household with a bit of pep in her step.

[A/N]: Sakura finally managed to conjure Shōkuton and reconnect with Hashirama, albeit momentarily!