The afternoon sun hung high in the sky, the sweltering air thick with the incessant, rising and falling chirp of cicadas in the mountain forest.
"It's almost the end of March already!" Sakura tilted her head back, looking at the sun. Time had passed unknowingly. Junko's graduation exams are coming up soon. I wonder if she'll pass.
Sakura wasn't particularly worried about most people back in the village, but Junko was different. With Danzo lurking, eyeing her like a tiger stalking its prey, Sakura worried about the choices Junko might face. She had warned her, but… would Junko actually listen? Sakura wasn't entirely sure.
She had intended to find a chance to talk properly with Junko about Danzo's recruitment offer, but then her own troubles had exploded before she got the opportunity. Now, she was powerless to intervene, too far away for her reach to extend. Master Tsunade didn't seem particularly focused on Junko either. Ultimately, the choice would rest with Junko herself… or perhaps, terrifyingly, it wouldn't even be up to her at all.
Dwelling on this now won't help, Sakura chided herself. And more importantly, aren't I supposed to be training Seijutsu right now? Why does my mind immediately wander to all this random stuff the moment I try to meditate?!
Frustrated, Sakura scratched her head. The training method for Seijutsu did seem similar to what she knew of Toad Sage Mode training. It required stillness, merging with nature, and sensing the flow of natural energy within it. Of course, this was a conclusion Sakura had reached only after suspecting Seijutsu might be a form of Sage Art.
The book Chief Suga had given her back then only mentioned achieving absolute stillness for the first stage, offering no further details. This vaguely defined training method, combined with Sakura initially believing it was just an advanced concealment technique, led her to discard it after failing to achieve the required stillness.
It wasn't until recently, when the possibility dawned that Seijutsu could be Sage Art, that she'd dug it out again and compared it to her knowledge of Toad Sage Mode, noticing the similarities in the initial training approach.
However, the later stages diverged significantly, in ways Sakura found baffling. The first stage of Seijutsu was stillness. But the second stage, according to the book, was… "Revival."
What the hell is that supposed to mean? Revival??? Sakura pondered, completely perplexed. The third stage was simply described as the integration and mastery of the first two stages being Seijutsu.
Sakura couldn't fathom what the book meant by "Revival." Did it simply mean… stopping the stillness? That seemed ridiculously obvious, stating the redundant. Did they expect someone to remain motionless forever? She truly couldn't figure out what the second stage, "Revival," referred to.
Well, Stage Two isn't my current problem. If Stage One truly was analogous to Toad Sage Mode training, then the description for Stage Two was almost certainly simplified. Maybe she really should go to Red State Island and ask Chief Suga for clarification, instead of sitting here playing nanny to Mei Terumi.
Having finished her chores, Mei came outside the cave and saw Sakura sitting motionless on the ground. After thinking it over, Mei decided she still needed to talk to her. Although Sakura knowing her real name had shaken her, careful analysis afterward suggested Sakura probably wasn't an enemy trying to extract Kirigakure intelligence.
Her reasoning was simple: she was still alive and hadn't faced any interrogation whatsoever. If Sakura wanted information, she likely would have acted already. Still, Mei knew nothing about Sakura's true identity or motives. Even if she didn't seem like an enemy, Mei felt a responsibility for the village's safety; she had to figure out what this girl was really up to.
Sakura tried her best to empty her mind, to push away the miscellaneous thoughts. But the moment she closed her eyes, ideas and worries surged forth, coming thick and fast. The more they came, the more agitated she felt, and the more agitated she became, the harder it was to maintain the necessary stillness.
"Um…"
Just as Sakura felt she was finally starting to grasp that elusive feeling, a soft, somewhat feminine voice sounded beside her ear. Instantly, the fragile sensation vanished without a trace. Choked with anger, Sakura spun around, glaring furiously. Mei Terumi was limping towards her.
"What is it?" Sakura asked, her tone clipped and annoyed.
Seeing Sakura's furious expression, Mei didn't know how she'd managed to offend her this time. Hesitating, she asked somewhat randomly, "When will my leg be healed?"
"Is that all?!" Sakura laughed, devoid of humor, anger simmering just beneath the surface.
"Not entirely," Mei said, taking a moment to compose herself. "Let's reintroduce ourselves properly. My name is Mei Terumi."
"Oh!" Sakura feigned wide-eyed surprise. "You're also named Mei Terumi? What a coincidence!"
"Er." Mei was momentarily choked up, forgetting what she'd planned to say next. Could it really be just a coincidence? She looked uncertainly at Sakura, but caught the faint, teasing, not-quite-a-smile on the girl's face. She instantly knew she was being played.
"I sincerely wish to speak with you," Mei stated earnestly, dropping the pretense.
"If you were so sincere, why did you drug me?" Sakura countered sarcastically. "If I hadn't happened to be reasonably strong, wouldn't I have been captured by you?"
"Because you clearly weren't from the Land of Water!" Mei argued reasonably. "Only outsiders inquire about Kirigakure intelligence. I have a responsibility to ensure the village's security!"
"Funny, I haven't seen foreigners in the Land of Fire getting arrested just for asking the way to Konoha. You Mist Village folks really are something else!" Sakura scoffed, curling her lip dismissively.
"I don't wish to debate this. Every village operates differently!" Mei shook her head, pressing on. "Based on our contact these past two days, I don't believe you're an enemy hostile to Kirigakure. However, to be on the safe side, I must understand your purpose here."
"Sigh!" Sakura shrugged helplessly. "Why do you keep forgetting your current status? Are you the captive, or am I?" She was genuinely exasperated by Mei's persistence. Still trying to figure out Sakura's motives when her life was literally in Sakura's hands… Truly worthy of being the Fifth Mizukage, I suppose.
"In exchange," Mei offered, "I can tell you what you want to know about Kirigakure, provided I know it!" She added quickly, "Of course, I won't reveal classified secrets."
"Alright, alright, you win! I give up!" Sakura relented with a sigh. "Look, I ran out of money and couldn't afford food. I was trying to freeload off a friend's older brother, but he ditched me halfway. So, I ended up stranded here. Satisfied?"
"Then why were you asking about Kirigakure?" Mei pressed immediately.
"Just curious!" Sakura waved her hand dismissively. "If you don't have any more questions, go back inside and rest. I need to train, and I don't have any questions for you."
Mei looked at Sakura's impatient expression, wanting to say more but stopping herself. Finally, she limped back towards the cave. Sakura's story sounded somewhat like a joke, yet strangely… Mei had a feeling she wasn't entirely lying. And Sakura hadn't asked her a single thing.
No, wait. Perhaps Sakura avoided asking questions precisely because she didn't want to reveal her true objective? If so, her goals here must be significant. But… but her overall behavior didn't seem particularly purposeful either. Mei felt completely overwhelmed, her thoughts tangled. Which is the truth?
(As the saying goes, the smarter the person, the more they tend to overthink. While Sakura's story had certainly been watered down, omitting key details, it was, in essence, true.)
Sakura once again settled down to attempt her stillness meditation. This training wasn't related to ninjutsu or chakra manipulation, areas where her natural talent shone. Therefore, that aptitude was useless here. The Sage Art chakra stored in her Yin Seal would eventually run out; it was crucial she learned to gather natural energy herself.
Although Sakura used Sage Art chakra quite proficiently now, it wasn't energy she had refined herself. It came from the Gelel Stone embedded within her. If she couldn't learn to gather natural energy, this potent chakra source was effectively a one-time use power-up. She did have another Gelel Stone, a gift from Ranke, but due to the suddenness of recent events, she hadn't brought it with her.
Looks like I really need to step up my training in the coming days, she resolved grimly. Otherwise, once Mei Terumi fully recovered, keeping her suppressed might become considerably more difficult.