Hello everyone! Since starting this new schedule, I have thankfully been able to get to work on all my stories and will soon be able to catch up on things. I am also starting something else for these stories, but for that you can check out my tumblr for more info.
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
The sun rose above the mountains illuminating the peaks and casting a warm golden glow over the dense forest below. Sunrise and sunset were Sakura's favorite times of the day, she would be up before the sun and meet it at the top of a mountain far out into the wilderness. It was a good but swift climb up the mountain from there and that's where her day would be most of the time.
She would stay, maybe up to three days at a time, training constantly.
For hours she moved through a series of forms, her body flowing from one movement to the next with grace and precision. She practiced strikes, kicks, and grappling techniques, each one honed to perfection from years of dedicated training. It took a while for her muscles to burn with exertion and with determination fueling her efforts, it's why she had to stay on the peak for days at a time.
Despite her constitution being comparably weaker to some of her classmates, Sakura's ability and strength far exceeded an average human's. She had taken inspiration from Rock Lee's training regime. He was always so excited to tell her about his training activities, exercises, and sets. It was useful to Sakura in this case who had been attempting to exhaust her chakra to the point where she would have to push out to activate. This was without the use of her reserve in the Bayakugou seal.
It might not have made sense but it was a matter of creating a suitable environment and situation where she would be able to bring out that same charka as before.
It was nothing more than a working theory, an experiment with many failures thus far. But Sakura had been referencing Naruto and the times he had lost control with the nine tails chakra to consider these instances.
It's why she kept far out into the mountains to avoid civilization and catching attention. It was a great risk that she wasn't fully aware of and until she could be certain that nothing like the episodes of Naruto losing control of his power would happen to her, Sakura needed to keep away.
When she was near the point of exhaustion, that's when Sakura would stop all of her training, move to a body of water and simply sit out in a cave and meditate. From the outside, it would appear as if nothing was happening but this was not meant for relaxation. Instead, when she did this, Sakura would break out into a sweat, her body would shake and her muscles were tense with weight.
It was hard for Sakura at the start of her career as a shinobi. Kakashi was there as her mentor but while his time might have been evenly split, his actions varied with each student. He spent more time training with Sasuke, due to them sharing the Sharingan and they were similarly attributed in their nature. Naruto had to be constantly observed to ensure that there were no incidents, not just due to his character but with the Kyuubi as well.
And even when he argued for more training personally from Kakashi, he was denied that until later years. Until he found Jiraiya who taught him.
In that aspect Sakura was late to the party, confiding in Tsunade and requesting her to be her teacher.
It didn't matter though, she might've been a slow learner under these circumstances, but she did learn. And it had been enough to keep her moving forward. Now she would have to do the same again. If she didn't, she would allow herself to remain stuck, it didn't matter if she succeeded or failed in leaving this world, she just needed to make sure she was moving forward.
Even now as she failed to make sense of the power she had, and was yet to find a way to place it in her hands, Sakura wouldn't stop thinking, hypothesizing, and testing. That was her way of showing strength, and persistence, regardless of the likely outcome.
It had taken some time, but Sakura was finally able to feel something regarding this new chakra sensed within her. When she meditated, she would feel like she was about to open a stream but was blocked by a gate she just couldn't push through and when she tried, it was always the same result. Shooting pain in her chest, would squeeze the air out of her lungs and make her feel like she was drowning and the longer she pushed, the longer she felt that.
But it meant there was something there. She just had to figure out how to slowly create a crack in the gate so that the power would trickle through at a rate that she would be able to handle. Sakura thought that she was going to die when she used that chakra. Somehow her instincts were telling her that she was going to meet her end with this release but she hadn't.
As she sat near the edge of a lake, able to listen to the flow of the water as her guide, Sakura breathed in deeply, taking the scent of the forest, pine, and earth. She concentrated her mind on a single point, looking for the gate and then pushing against it.
When it came to chakra control, Sakura had created a technique for herself using visualization as a focal point in training for control. There was something about creating a structure in her mind that just made her chakra flow easier. And push through pain and exhaustion. A lesser experience with the same amount of fatigue was when she started preparing to receive the Bayakugou seal and had to maintain a stream of chakra into a dam, for three years.
When she gave Naruto advice when they were learning to climb a tree with their chakra, she wasn't focused on everything around her, because as a gennin with little experience in battle, Sakura knew she wouldn't be able to do anything automatically. There had to be a manual focus that could shift in time to react to the actions that were being taken, and that process could be repeated until it became like muscle memory.
Of course, she didn't give that explanation to Naruto since she worried his attention span wouldn't hold long enough.
Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead, but Sakura kept oblivious, focused on one task alone. To get herself through those gates and access that chakra. She was able to locate it, the center of her chest, feeling it beat with her heart and then she would try to access it. That's when complications occurred.
When she pushed against the force, she would become frustrated and that made it harder to hold her concentration. It was like trying to keep your head underwater and keep swimming down when your body, your brain begged for oxygen. It was a herculean task to ignore that natural calling for survival.
Her body was burning, but she kept trying to force her way through, to touch that power.
Sakura couldn't see herself, but she had been taken into a light glow, an aura coming off her body like a mist, and then it vanished. Because she had to breathe.
Clutching her chest, Sakura convulsed, trying to hold herself as still as possible with her strength and calming her mind so she didn't bite her tongue off.
This lasted for a few minutes before Sakura was too exhausted to move. When her mind was clear of alert, she realized that she probably lasted longer than yesterday. That was a good sign for her. Even if her muscles felt like they had just come out of a spasm and it hurt to move.
Dry heaving, she knew that she would be skipping meals since the last time she attempted to force-feed herself against her nausea she lost more than she gained.
Her tights were loosening around her waist from the days that went on like this, but also the way she had been using her chakra, and consuming her energy faster than she replenished it.
Her greatest concern wasn't that she might lose her life in this training, but rather what could happen if she lost control of this power. Sometimes she would question if it was the same as having a jinchuriki. Her greatest fear was that it would be exactly like that.
Thinking back to how Naruto and Gaara had been taken over by their rage and emotions. It made her physically ill.
Because of that ever happened to her. Sakura knew that there would likely be no one in this world who could save her, or stop her.
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Sakura decided that she didn't like bars at night.
A dingy bar at night can be a bleak place, often situated in a less desirable part of town. The exterior of the bar is usually uninviting, with peeling paint and dim lighting. As you enter the bar, you're hit by a musty smell, a mixture of stale beer and cigarettes. The atmosphere inside is dim and smoke-filled, with flickering fluorescent lights casting a sickly glow over the patrons. The bartenders are usually gruff and uninterested, going about their business with bored expressions.
That's what made it the perfect meet-up place for Sakura and Giran.
"So why are you curious about them?" asked Giran, taking a puff of his cigar.
"Why is that your business?"
"Considering your request, I believe it is,"
"Your task is just to give information, nothing more," Sakura adjusted her mask, pulling it further over her nose. She hated the smell of smoke. "If you want more funds-
"That's not the issue here. It's the subject. As you said, the league has been making names recently, and even with their big boss gone it's not like they're easy pickings,"
It was interesting that GIran had so much positive feedback to give on the league of villains. As Nemesis, Sakura would come out to meet him when he had information regarding her requests, but as far as finding individuals with teleportation quirks, the list was limited. The population was one percent of the one percent and the details that were offered, through means Sakura didn't bother to hear about, revealed a pattern of limitations and conditions that wouldn't allow her to reach her goals.
Another issue was dealing with the league of villains. While she wasn't certain what her position in this world would be, Sakura knew that she did not want the league to continue running around and it gave her one more thing to hold her focus. A simple goal. If only.
It seemed like the league had gone into hiding since losing the real power and brains behind everything. However, if Tomura was planning on taking revenge, Sakura knew she would likely be the one he would aim for, or at least be one of the main targets. She was counting on that, and since it was publicized that she no longer attended U.A. and was running wild, he might attempt to search for her.
And Nemesis gave her direct access to information in the underworld.
"Didn't you say the league was recruiting before? What happened there?"
Giran folded his arms, "That was before."
The broker wouldn't say any more than that, and Sakura couldn't shake the feeling in her gut that leaving Tomura alone would come back somehow in a bad way. It seemed that for now, they intended to lay low and no one was willing to share information on any sightings.
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Her common sense dictated that she wouldn't be able to find the League by chance. Sakura decided to take another tactic, baiting them out. She walked around crowded districts, hoping that she might draw in the wrong one.
But it wasn't just the villains that might be looking out for her.
She walked around the more public spaces, where rumors drifted of sighting of the league members. Sakura didn't know if they decided to scatter around, with Kurogiri that was certainly a probability and a good tactic.
Of course, there were plenty of other villains roaming about, especially now, and they were hit with a new sense of bravery since losing the Symbol of Peace. No matter how she thought about it, the way things were going didn't look good for heroes. They were already perceived to have that glossy image of perfection and righteous individuals with the same morals and thought patterns. But that was far from reality and it was starting to show just how different each hero was from the other. How they were able to handle villains was playing an especially troublesome contribution to this and it was making people uneasy.
After buying herself a drink, Sakura walked to the park, the area was wide, and crowded, making her easy to spot. This was likely a futile attempt to act like a sitting duck, but she didn't have anything else to do in the city for the rest of the day at least. But she did have other plans set so that she wouldn't waste the trip just coming out to see Giran.
Of course, there was hardly a dull moment.
The sudden boom of the explosion echoes through the city, rattling windows and shaking buildings. The ground trembled beneath Sakura's feet as if an earthquake has struck. A massive cloud of smoke and debris rises into the air, obscuring the sun and plunging the city into a murky, dust-filled twilight.
The explosion seems to have come from a central location, but it's hard to tell where exactly amidst the chaos. Sirens blare in the distance, and the sound of shattering glass and falling debris can be heard all around.
While people began scattering, Sakura went toward the source of the explosion. Fire rages amid the destruction, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky. The air is thick with the acrid smell of burning materials and the bitter taste of smoke.
Emergency responders and heroes were arriving on the scene, but it was clear that the damage is extensive. People are screaming and crying, their faces streaked with dirt and tears. The sounds of chaos and confusion are everywhere, with people frantically searching for loved ones or trying to escape the danger.
The culprit was a behemoth of a villain standing at five meters at least, that was rampaging through the city. She didn't know the reason for this, but he was tearing through everything in his way. Sakura knew that he was only human with a little extra but it was quite a share.
The first thing she saw was that when his feet hit the ground, he shook and cracked the roads. His skin is rough looking and as red as blood, and its muscles bulged with four arms that gave an incredible strength.
"Stop right there villain,"
She had become more familiar with the heroes, especially those standing in the top twenty, Kamui Woods, Mt Lady, and Edgeshot. These heroes were now on the scene and moving fast to evacuate citizens and handle damage as well as the four-arms culprit.
"You had better stop your rampage immediately!" Kamui Woods warned.
The red-skinned man laughed, "So-called heroes swooping in to save the day, how nice."
"This is your last warning to come quietly," stated Edgeshot.
"Haven't you had enough? Without your precious Symbol of Peace to hide behind your heroes are really showing your worth. Nothing!"
From a straight viewpoint, he was surrounded by the three heroes and police sirens were blaring in the background already. It seemed that his fate was sealed, however, the villain moved. He raised all fists into the air and jumped, slamming right into the building next to him. The foundation began to crumble. A heavily occupied building at that, judging from the screams that followed.
Mt Lady activated her quirk and grew meters tall so that she was able to hold onto the building and keep it from collapsing. She could feel the weight of the building bearing down on her, and for a moment, she wondered if she could handle it. But then she looked at the terrified faces of the people trapped inside, and she knew she had to try. She took a deep breath and heaved.
The strain was enormous. She felt her muscles bulging and her joints creaking under the weight of the massive structure. But she refused to give up. With gritted teeth, she pushed herself harder and harder, sweat pouring down her face.
Around her, she could hear Kamui Woods shouting out instructions, his voice calm and reassuring even as the chaos raged around them. She caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye, his arms extended and stretching out with wooden roots in all directions as he carefully guided the frightened civilians to safety.
The people were frantic, crying out in fear and desperation as they ran past her. But Mt Lady remained steadfast, her focus solely on the task at hand. She could feel the building swaying under her feet, threatening to topple over at any moment. But she held on, her arms aching with the effort.
The three heroes then spotted the blur of pink flashing into the building. "What was that?" asked Kamui Woods.
Half a minute passed before he finally received an answer, as Sakura came crashing through one of the broken windows, on her back a ball of about ten people on her narrow shoulders. She placed them safely on the ground before moving back into another building to resume her search.
"Was that kid….?" Mt. Lady slipped.
"Focus!" Edgeshot ordered. There was an alert put out from the commission for heroes to be on the lookout for Sakura Haruno but they had to prioritize.
"We have to stop him," Kamui Woods said, his voice urgent. "But we can't let anyone get hurt in the process."
Edgeshot could already see the villain attempting to escape further into town, using the chaos to create obstacles for the heroes who would want to follow. "You handle things here, I'm going after him!"
Sakura jumped out of the building with the last of the civillians, in all the chaos the heroes didn't have time to scold her for acting or her appearance. And she took advantage to go in and save everyone inside.
"That's the last," Sakura said, placing the people down. It was awkward when her back wasn't as broad as her strength but she managed to haul as many as she could out.
There were ambulances and police already on the scene helping people and keeping others behind the line of destruction. Unfortunately, there were also news crews about.
"That's everyone," Mt. Lady was still stabilizing the building. Kamui Woods attempted to approach Sakura after he lead the civilians to safety but she wasn't wasting time sticking around.
"Wait Haruno-
She was already gone.
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Edgeshot's eyes narrowed as the villain suddenly darts away, his movements were fast and with his strength, he was able to carry his weight like a feather and take giant leaps. With his quirk, Edgeshot foldabody, he could manipulate his entire form to shift, strength, and become as thin as thread, he was able to maneuver and keep up with the villain but not yet able to catch him.
Behind the cloth over his face, Edgeshot's face is a mask of fierce determination as he narrows the gap between them.
"It's over!"
"Ha!" The four armed villains leaped into the air, using the buildings to catapult across the city, crushing pieces that threatened to fall.
The villain looked ahead, realizing that Edgeshot was closing in, he saw an opportunity after catching sight of the bullet train heading forward. Without hesitance, he rushed straight for the tracks above, and no one was able to stop him from crashing straight through them. Knocking out the metal and creating debris as well as a giant gap between the tracks.
"Oh no!"
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Sakura caught up to Edgeshot quickly, she just had to follow the trail of destruction left behind. She saw the villain had torn through the tracks for the trains and there was one on the tracks very close to reaching that gap.
As she got closer, she could see the bullet train hurtling toward them at breakneck speed. It was heading straight for the gap in the tracks.
Edgeshot was already there, his eyes scanning the tracks as he tried to figure out how he was going to stop the train before it reached the gap, obviously with the close distance it wasn't going to be able to stop in time.
Sakura already knew a way to handle the situation but it was going to be rough. "I can slow it down manually," she said, her voice filled with determination.
With that, she ran towards the front of the train. Balancing on the top, she was sighted by Edgeshot, but again she didn't want to speak to the hero. When she was at the front of the train, she carefully slid down the nose until she could feel the heat of the tracks beneath her feet as she got closer and closer. The train was moving faster than she had anticipated, and for a moment, she wondered if she had made a mistake.
But then she gritted her teeth and planted her feet firmly on the ground. She pushed down with all her strength, using her immense power to slow the train down. The metal screeched and groaned under the strain, but Sakura held on. The tracks broke under her heels that were planted firmly and she had to close her eyes with the debris flying around her.
She could hear the sounds of people screaming behind her as the train slowed down. Her feet dug deeper into the ground, her muscles stiff. She had to do this gradually because if she had brought the train to an abrupt halt, she could injure a lot of people and it would be equivalent to a crash. It was helpful that the breaks were working and she could hear it making that familiar screech of metal.
Finally, the train came to a stop just short of that gap. Sakura heaved a heavy sigh and climbed back on top. There was Edgeshot, he had been holding onto the train.
Sakura's eyes trailed around, "Looks like you let him get away huh?"
Edgeshot looked haggard from the experience. "Sakura Haruno,"
She gave a pointed look, waiting for him to continue.
"By order of the Hero Safety Commission, you have to come with me,"
Clicking her tongue, Sakura looked out into the distance. She wouldn't waste her breath arguing, or reasoning.
When Edgeshot attempted to reach for her, she vanished in a puff of smoke.