❈—21:: Team Training [II]

Sakura Haruno

"So, um," Sakura began, trying not to let her trepidation show as Naruto and Sasuke walked off with Kakashi-sensei's clones, "will we be fighting today, sensei?"

"Us? Nah, that's for those two," he said gesturing in the general direction his clones were leading the boys. "You and I are going to be working on something much more important today; your chakra."

Sakura's interest, and relief, spiked significantly at those words.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really really," Kakashi answered.

"Oh. Okay."

Sakura hadn't forgotten what Kakashi had told her the day before about having tips for dealing with paltry chakra reserves as a ninja, she simply hadn't expected that he would want to start work on them with her right off the bat.

Then again, it was better to start now; hopefully, she would have mastered whatever she needed to by the time her team went on any important missions.

"So, um, what are you teaching me?" Sakura asked, curious and, naturally, a little excited at finally facing the possibility of overcoming her greatest weakness.

"Well, I thought we should start with something fun," Kakashi said. "Chakra respiration."

"Chakra respiration?" Sakura parroted with a perplexed frown.

Chakra respiration is the natural and automatic process of all organisms whereby they 'inhale' and 'exhale' chakra from, and back into, their environment.

It is a rather important biological function, since keeping an organism from inhaling or exhaling chakra causes chakra toxicity, a very serious condition that can and will, if not treated quickly and appropriately, cause death.

Sakura didn't know if she liked Kakashi talking about chakra respiration in a conversation about being economical with chakra.

"How does chakra respiration help with my reserves?" she asked unable to help the smidge of uncertainty in her tone.

"Well," Kakashi asked, "what happens during chakra respiration?"

Automatically, Sakura jumped back into classroom mode.

"The body inhales and exhales chakra from its surroundings," she answered simply and immediately.

Kakashi blinked at her promptness.

"You're one of those kids who always raised their hands first for every question, aren't you?" he asked.

Sakura glared at him.

Kakashi smiled.

Going back on topic, he asked: "How is chakra respiration affected during periods of intense and/or stressful activity?"

Sakura frowned, not because she didn't know the answer, but because she couldn't see where Kakashi was going with this.

Nevertheless, she answered: "Chakra inhalation pauses because the body's own reserves are fluctuating too wildly."

"Yes," Kakashi agreed, "but…?" he asked leadingly.

Sakura frowned again, and this time it was because she didn't think she knew the ans—oh.

"Inhalation stops, but exhalation continues," she said, realization dawning. "You can actually lose anywhere between two to nine percent of your reserves that way."

"Bingo," Kakashi said. "Which is why you're going to learn how to pause chakra exhalation during times of intense/stressful activity."

Sakura's growing elation died a swift death.

"What? Sensei, chakra exhalation continues for a reason. If the body doesn't vent all that chakra out then chakra toxicity builds up much faster."

Kakashi nodded. "Which is also why you'll be taking up daily meditation, so you can manually clear out your chakra network."

That made sense. But even so.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, "it'll be fine. I've been doing this since I was about your age, and look at me. I'm fit as a horse…" A pause.

"Well, except for my aching back, missing eye, partial deafness, and my left knee that keeps making that weird creaking noise. But besides all of that, perfect health."

Sakura rolled her eyes, but she couldn't resist a smile.

"Okay," she said. "How do I do it?"

"Focus," Kakashi said and Sakura immediately closed her eyes and calmed her breathing. "Feel your chakra. Feel its breath. Can you feel it?"

Easily.

"Yes," Sakura said.

"Good. Now, focus on its exhalation, only on the chakra leaving your body. Do you have it?"

A second of deeper focus.

"Yes."

"Good. Now, remember that it's your chakra. It's yours to control as you please. It's yours to keep. So, keep it."

For most people this would be like grasping at water with their fingers. For the lucky ones it would be like using their cupped palms to stop a bucket of water being poured onto the ground.

For Sakura Haruno, it took thirty seconds of effort.

"Okay, got it," she said.

"Great," Kakashi complimented. "Now for the most important part. You need to learn how to maintain that while undergoing intense and/or stressful activity."

Sakura's eyes slammed open.

"Um, what kind of intense activity are we talking about?" she asked carefully.

"Well, fighting," Kakashi said. "What else?" And then he punched her in the face.

"Argh!" Sakura screamed and grabbed her jaw. "Kakashi-sensei, what the hell?"

"I honestly thought you were going to dodge that," Kakashi said.

"You sucker punched me," Sakura said angrily. "How was I supposed to dodge?"

With little thought, Sakura activated The Mystical Palm Technique and healed the still forming bruise.

"You shouldn't always do that," Kakashi said. "Healing yourself will not always be an option and you need to learn to fight through pain."

Sakura shot the jōnin a nasty look.

"I'm serious, Sakura," Kakashi said. "This is important. I'm not saying it out of some sadistic desire to see you suffer; I save that for Naruto."

Kakashi patted her shoulder affably. "Nothing but the VIP treatment for my most important student."

"Sensei, getting punched in the face is not VIP treatment," Sakura deadpanned. "And you really expect me to believe that I'm your most important student?" she asked, dubiousness more than obvious in her tone and expression.

"Of course," Kakashi said, like it made no sense that she hadn't realized that already. "You're thirty-three percent of the reason why I agreed to be this team's sensei."

"Really?"

… Wait.

"Kakashi," Sakura bit out, "thirty-three percent is a third."

"Your point?" Kakashi asked unperturbed.

"You have three students!" she tried to keep herself from yelling.

"Yes," Kakashi agreed easily, "but one of them is the grandson of the Third Hokage in all but name and the other is the last Uchiha."

Sakura blinked. "Oh," she said.

"Yeah," Kakashi agreed.

"Oh," Sakura said again, and again Kakashi agreed: "Yeah."

Sakura swallowed, taking in her sensei with new eyes.

He wanted to train her? Her specifically?

Sakura had never even considered that their sensei could possibly have had any interest in her before meeting them. Sasuke she completely understood, even Naruto, as much as it pained her to admit, but her?

I mean, she was fully aware that she was not a mediocre ninja, you didnt come out fourth place overall in your academy year without being a cut above, but even so…

"Why?" Sakura asked finally, when she could get her mind working again.

"You remind me of me," Kakashi said, and Sakura's eyes widened. "I almost wasn't allowed into The Academy. If not for my father and the overwhelming talent I showed for the ninja arts, I wouldn't have been. They said my reserves were too small; barely better than a civilian's."

Sakura twitched at those words; she'd heard them before. In fact, she'd heard all of this before.

She too had almost been rejected from The Academy. It was only after a test was done and it was found out that she had a bloodline ability (inherited from her civilian father no less), which gave her her pink hair and her peerless chakra control, that she was given special allowance.

"They said I would likely never make it past genin," Kakashi said, his voice pulling Sakura from her thoughts.

The jōnin looked distant, lost in a memory, but even through his mask, Sakura could tell he was very cognizant of the irony of his last statement.

"I guess the joke's on them," Kakashi said.

Sakura smiled a little.

Kakashi was right, now that she knew his story, she did see the similarities between herself and him. The only difference was that, where Kakashi had apparently had the support of a parent, Sakura hadn't.

The only reason her parents had let her try out for The Academy was because they'd expected her to fail. That and the fact that the village frowned on civilian parents keeping their children from taking the test if they want to.

When she'd been given special allowance, even though she technically hadn't made the cut, her parents had nearly lost their minds since The Leaf's laws gave Sakura final say in whether or not she wanted to join, and she had wanted to.

Sakura didn't think her mother had ever forgiven her for that.

Kakashi's voice drew her once again from her thoughts.

"I would like to see what you can become, Sakura," the jōnin said. "Without having to spend the years I did figuring out how to work around my chakra issues.

"And I won't lie to you; no matter what I teach you there will be many times when you wish your reserves was anything but the D-grade it is. But, if… no, when you master these techniques that I have to teach you…" Kakashi paused and stared at her, his gaze considering.

Sakura found herself standing straighter.

"I really am curious to see what you become."