The Sakura Legend

Naruto's House

Inside Naruto's house, Sakura announced to everyone that for the next few years, she would be leaving to train with a powerful ninja. The reactions varied.

"If Sakura leaves, then there won't be anyone constantly clinging to Sasuke, will there?" Ino thought excitedly. She had long been displeased with Sakura and Sasuke's frequent after-school sparring sessions, but Sakura had been aloof and strong, so she could only watch helplessly as Sakura used sparring as an excuse to get close to Sasuke. If Sakura knew what Ino was thinking, she would probably say disdainfully, "If you want to go for Sasuke, I'll even provide the bed."

"Sakura-chan, h-how long will it take for you to come back?" Naruto asked, a little dejected.

"Ah, yes. This is the Third Hokage's decision; I have no choice."

"Then what about your studies at the academy, Sakura?" Choji asked, munching on potato chips.

"Idiot, since the Third Hokage is arranging for Sakura to train outside the village, she'll obviously be taught by a powerful ninja. Maybe when she comes back, we wouldn't be able to beat her even if we all teamed up," Shikamaru explained to Choji, somewhat exasperated.

"Ha... haha. Shikamaru, you can't say that. The Third Hokage arranged for me to train outside the village to learn medical ninjutsu from a medical ninja. He thinks I have a talent for learning medical ninjutsu," Sakura said, not wanting to discourage everyone further. Although Tsunade was famous for her medical ninjutsu, her strength was equally formidable.

"Haha, looks like I have a chance to beat you, Sakura!" Kiba said, a bit excited. He had always aimed to surpass Sakura and Sasuke. Hearing that Sakura would be studying medical ninjutsu for a few years, he felt he might have a chance to catch up to her.

"That's impossible, Kiba. If you ask why, it's because the position of a medical ninja in a team is no less important than that of a combat ninja. Iruka-sensei once said that if two teams of equal strength undertake a mission, the team with a medical ninja has a higher probability of completing the mission. So, if Sakura learns medical ninjutsu, then you will have no chance of winning, Kiba," Shino said to Kiba matter-of-factly.

"Haha, haha, okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Today is Naruto's birthday; we're here to celebrate," Sakura said, quickly changing the subject as the discussion veered off course.

Naruto smiled more that day than he had in a long time.

The next day

Sakura didn't say goodbye to Naruto. She was afraid he would start crying again. She only encountered Sasuke on the way to school. Sasuke's eyes showed a hint of reluctance at her departure. Of course, Sakura didn't misinterpret it; Sasuke was reluctant because he'd have no one to spar with after she left. After Sakura left, there would be no one in the class who could be his opponent.

"Naruto will be a good opponent. You must have felt it during the tree-climbing practice that day," Sakura said, patting Sasuke's shoulder with a knowing air.

"Hmph," Sasuke turned his face away and grunted.

"Naruto will be your lifelong rival, and also your lifelong friend. Cherish that," Sakura said to Sasuke before leaving.

"A friend, huh… Hmph, that guy," Sasuke's lips curled up slightly, his thoughts unknown.

When Sakura arrived at the main gate of Konoha, Jiraiya was already waiting. Seeing Jiraiya yawning, she asked, "Jiraiya-sama, didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Ah… Sakura, you're here. Let's go. Ah… I had a little drink last night," Jiraiya said, yawning.

Seeing Jiraiya like this, Sakura understood. Yesterday was Naruto's birthday, but it was also the anniversary of Minato and Kushina's deaths. He probably went off to drink alone to drown his sorrows.

The two of them set off from Konoha village, one after the other.

"Jiraiya-sama," Sakura said, feeling there was something she needed to ask of Jiraiya.

"Hmm? What is it, Sakura?"

"Um, I have a request I'd like to ask of you," Sakura said. Although she believed that Jiraiya would eventually take Naruto as his disciple, she wasn't sure what Jiraiya was thinking now. Jiraiya had strong principles, and it was difficult to change his mind once he had decided on something. He could have retreated from the Rain Village, but he didn't.

"What is it? Go ahead, Sakura. Although I'm not your teacher, since the old man thinks so highly of you, as long as it's not too difficult, it's fine," Jiraiya said.

"Um, I'd like to ask you to guide Naruto in his training while I'm away," Sakura said, a little nervously, unsure of Jiraiya's response.

"Hmm?" Jiraiya turned his head, looking at Sakura with some surprise. The Third had asked him to teach Naruto because he was worried about the Nine-Tails' rampage, but why was she so concerned too? Had the Third told her everything?

"I'll teach him," Jiraiya said.

"Ah, really? Thank you, Jiraiya-sama!" Sakura said, surprised and delighted. She hadn't expected Jiraiya to agree so readily.

"But not now," Jiraiya added.

"......" Sakura now wanted to strangle Jiraiya. Couldn't he just say everything at once? Did he not know it would take her breath away?

"Why, Jiraiya-sama?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"Because what he needs now is not my training, but a solid foundation," Jiraiya continued, turning to Sakura. "Sakura, concentrate chakra in your hand."

Sakura was puzzled, but she did as Jiraiya instructed. Jiraiya reached out and took Sakura's hand, which was concentrating chakra, and sensed it slightly.

"It's just as I thought. Sakura, honestly, I've never seen anyone who can control chakra as precisely as you do," Jiraiya said. "The flow of chakra needs to be carried by the chakra pathways, but unlike physical training, chakra pathways are very difficult to develop quickly. That's why children who are too young are not allowed to extract chakra. If they forcefully extract it, it will cause permanent damage."

Sakura was shocked when she heard this. Wait a minute, I started extracting chakra when I was three years old. Did Jiraiya discover that my chakra pathways are damaged? Sakura asked nervously, "Jiraiya-sama, did you find that my chakra pathways are damaged?"

"No, your chakra pathways are perfectly fine. That's why I said I've never seen such fine chakra control. You can subtly control the extraction of chakra without harming your chakra pathways. Such control at your age isn't something that can be achieved through effort alone; only someone with this kind of talent can do it," Jiraiya said, looking at Sakura.

"Hmm?" Sakura was a little confused. "But I didn't deliberately control it?"

"That's why I said it requires talent, not something you can learn through training. Although you didn't consciously control it, your body's self-preservation ability automatically helped you do it. This requires at least an adult's mental strength. But generally speaking, young children don't have such strong mental strength. For example, I can control chakra like you do now, but I couldn't do it when I was your age. So, you really have the talent to inherit everything from Tsunade," Jiraiya said seriously to Sakura.

Sakura fell into deep thought. Hearing Jiraiya mention an adult's mental strength, and knowing her own situation, she understood. She found the reason. Her current mental strength.asxs. was much higher than the original Sakura's, but it seemed that was all. She still needed to work hard.