[GUtW]—❈—40:: A Kunoichi's Resolve

I honestly don't know if I quite like how this chapter came out, but it is what it is.

I'm sorry if it doesn't appeal to you.

—❈—

Sakura Haruno

"Wakey wakey, Sakura," the voice of Kakashi Hatake pierced through the lifting veil of unconsciousness blanketing Sakura's mind.

"Wha— how…" she opened her eyes and took in her sensei squatting beside her where she laid in a narrow cot in a depressing room.

What? Where was she? How did she get here? Last she remembered she was…

Sakura shot up on the bed.

"You drugged me!?" she screamed.

Kakashi looked unapologetic. "Well, I did tell you you lacked the clearance to know where I'm taking you," he said.

"That still doesn't make drugging me okay, sensei," Sakura said, though the original heat was quickly petering out. "What did you even put us in suppression cuffs for if you were just going to drug us anyway?"

"Thoroughness," Kakashi answered simply. "You have ten minutes to arrange your stuff; I'll be waiting."

And with those words, the jōnin opened the only door in the room and steps out into what looked like a huge underground chamber.

Sakura watched him go, then looked around the room again; her first impression had been pretty spot on, the room really was depressing.

Ten by ten feet, the room contained nothing but the small springy cot she was currently on, rough, unpainted walls, a naked electric light bulb, and a shower curtain slid aside to display a shower and (surprisingly neat) WC in the opposite corner from the wall; that was it.

Well, not quite, the two-week bag she'd packed on Kakashi's request sat on the rough, stone ground by the cot.

Sakura took in the room for several seconds. Was this place for prisoners or something? the girl wondered.

And what did Kakashi mean "arrange her stuff"? Where exactly was she supposed to do that here?

There was no wardrobe, no cupboards, not even a freaking stool. Was he… he was messing with her wasn't he?

The girl held back a sigh.

Naruto was often rude and crass, but Sakura had to admit that her loud, blonde teammate was onto something in calling Kakashi Hatake a bastard.

Leaving her bag on the ground, Sakura walked to the door Kakashi had walked through, and opened it to find what she'd previously spied; a huge underground chamber.

It was brightly lit, like a sunny noonday, and while the walls, floor and ceiling had the look of natural earth, they had the texture and hardness of something prepared by human hands.

No, wait.

Sakura reached her senses into the wall closest to her, and she barely even had to try to sense it; fuinjutsu, the chamber was practically covered in it. It was invisible to the naked eye, but obvious to her chakra sense like the golden mop on Naruto's head on a sunny day.

Kakashi stood in the very center of the chamber a hundred metres away, and Sakura walked to him.

"Sensei, where are we?" she asked when she got to him.

"ANBU training facility," he answered. "For the next thirteen days, that—" he pointed behind her at the room she'd woken up in "—is home, and this—" now he gestured at the chamber around them "—is where I will break you in the hopes that I can rebuild into something better. Something stronger."

Sakura swallowed.

Kakashi gave her one of his strangely obvious smiles, strange because conveying expression should rightly be near impossible with ninety percent of his face covered.

"Nervous already?" the jōnin asked, then tutted: "And after your moving declaration to Sasuke too."

Sakura scowled, and almost unconsciously, her spine straightened.

"There she is," Kakashi said, sounding pleased. "You know, I'm surprised it took you as long as it did to realize it."

"Realize what?" Sakura asked and Kakashi's only response is a look that implies a very pointed 'seriously?'

Sakura flushed.

"How could I have known he would prefer… that?" she asked defensively.

The pointedness of the 'seriously?' in Kakashi's look doubled. "It was pretty obvious, Sakura," he said.

"To you maybe," Sakura grumbled, but without any real heat. In hindsight, it had been pretty obvious, she just hadn't seen it until she had.

The obvious thing they were, of course, talking about, was the realization Sakura had come to a few… how long had she been here…?

Whatever, it was the realization she'd come to back at Serenity Park; the realization that Sasuke found her more likable (and maybe even attractive?) when she focused less on him and more on ninja stuff.

Specifically, when she showed her strength.

It made sense, in many ways, after all, considering what had happened with his family it was unlikely that Sasuke would want a woman who can't protect herself and maybe even… their family (goodness, just thinking it made her blush), but Sakura had never even considered that all these years.

And it probably had a lot to do with the fact that she just didn't like fighting.

She didn't hate it, she was a ninja after all, but she didn't really like it either; hurting people, getting hurt, sweating, she just wasn't a fan.

… Well, that wasn't quite true.

See, there had always been a part of Sakura that really enjoyed fighting. A part of her that enjoyed the rush of it, the intensity, the struggle, but especially, the victory.

It was this part of her that had led her to sign up for The Academy in the first place despite her parents being firmly against it.

Unfortunately, Sakura was rather… apprehensive of that part of her. This… other Sakura.

She was like a more gung-ho version of the girl that took over if Sakura let her.

It felt weird.

But, if Sasuke preferred her to be that version of herself, then maybe…

"You know you don't have to change yourself for him, right?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura blinked.

How did Kakashi know what she was thinking? Could he read her mind or something?

"Yes," Kakashi said, "but that's not important. You know you don't have to change yourself for him, right?" the jōnin repeated.

"It's all well and good that you know what catches his eye now, but making it the center of your identity is neither a good idea, nor will it win you any points with Sasuke.

"Besides, if he can't appreciate you as you are then that's his loss, isn't it?"

"Is it?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.

Kakashi sighed. "You need better self-esteem," he said and Sakura flushed.

"Look," the jōnin continued, placing a hand on her shoulder and locking gazes with her, "Sakura, you're strong, you're beautiful, and yes, your sense of humour is virtually non-existent and you really need to work on your social skills, but, you're a catch, and this thing with Sasuke is going the way it is, less because of who you are and more because of who he is."

Kakashi seemed to stare right into her soul. "And I think you know that," he said.

He was right. She did. And that was why she tried so hard, because Itachi had done something… awful, and near irreversible to his brother, and somehow, Sakura knew, that if she could only make Sasuke love her he would be better.

And he needed to get better.

She sighed.

"I'm of half a mind to tell you to drop this whole thing," Kakashi said, "but I think we both know you won't. So, I'll tell you this instead; you've been at it for two years, prepare to be at it for a few years more, because to win this thing with Sasuke, you have to play the long game. Okay?"

Sakura nodded.

The long game. She could do that.

"Good, now please let's stop talking about feelings and start throwing rasengan," Kakashi said, making a comically pleading face.

Sakura rolled her eyes, but she nodded more than a little eagerly; the prospect of learning The Fourth Hokage's jutsu was pretty enticing.