The inert body of the fake doctor lay against the opposite wall and Tsunade lowered her arm, with no trace of a tremor in her hand, only a murderous tension that made the veins in her forearm stand out.
"Shizune."
Shizune, who had run in after the crash, stared with wide eyes at the hole in the wall and then at the man on the floor.
"Tsunade-sama! What has...?"
"Shut up and work. Get me Ibiki Morino."
"But it's midnight, the Torture and Interrogation department must be..."
"I don't care if he's sleeping, eating, or in the bathroom, so I want him here in five minutes," cut in Tsunade. "And tell him to bring his nastiest tools because this wretch has a seal on his tongue and I have no patience for solving riddles."
Shizune nodded, pale, and disappeared down the hallway at full speed. Tsunade turned toward Sakura, who was leaning against Sasuke's bed breathing as if she had just run a marathon, while her green eyes darted from the man on the floor to the knife gleaming under the moonlight a few feet from her toes.
"Are you hurt?"
Sakura shook her head, unable to speak due to the dryness of her throat.
"Stand firm. You are a medical ninja, not a damsel, so if they want you dead, there is a reason."
The door to the room, or what was left of it, filled with two figures as Kakashi and Kurenai entered with weapons in hand.
"Tsunade-sama," said Kakashi, his single visible eye scanning the room in a split second. "What happened?"
"Look at his tongue," spat Tsunade, releasing Sakura to walk toward the intruder, whom she lifted by the collar of his coat with one hand to pry his mouth open, squeezing his jaw until it cracked.
Kakashi stepped closer and saw the black markings on the pink muscle.
"The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal," muttered Kakashi. "Danzo."
"That old mummy..." Tsunade dropped the man, who fell like dead weight. "He just made the last mistake of his miserable political life. Attacking an Uchiha is one thing, I can understand that from his twisted logic of security, but attacking my apprentice, in my hospital and under my watch..."
She wiped her hand on her coat as if she had touched something filthy.
"This is a declaration of war," said Kurenai, stowing her kunai but without relaxing her stance. "If Danzo is moving pieces so aggressively before the exams, it means he feels threatened."
"He feels threatened by what he cannot control," said Kakashi, looking at Sakura, "and Sakura has become a variable that wasn't in his files."
Sakura looked at her sensei.
"Why me? I'm just a Genin, I don't have a Sharingan and I'm not special."
"You are the apprentice of a Sannin who shows abnormal growth in a matter of weeks," said Tsunade, turning toward her. "To a man like Danzo, unknown potential is more dangerous than a declared enemy, so he wants you off the board before you turn into a queen."
"Tsunade-sama," interrupted Kakashi, his voice calm but tense. "If we take direct retaliation now, a civil war will break out in the middle of the exams. With the Sand and other dignitaries arriving, Konoha will look weak, and that is exactly what he wants to destabilize Hiruzen."
Tsunade cracked her knuckles, and the sound was loud in the silent room.
"I won't give him a war, Kakashi, I'll give him a nightmare. But first..."
She turned to Sakura, who was hugging herself to stop the trembling in her hands.
"Did you get that, brat? They don't want you dead for being weak, they want you dead because you are a threat. If you were useless they would ignore you, but they have marked you as a danger to Konoha's shadow."
Sakura looked up.
"A threat?"
"A priority level threat," confirmed Tsunade. "Feel proud and then prepare for hell, because starting tomorrow you are not going to sleep, you are not going to eat, and you are not going to rest until you are capable of ripping the head off anyone who tries to touch you."
"I'm ready," said Sakura, and though her voice trembled, the words came out.
"You better be. Now get out into the hallway, I need to speak with the adults about how we are going to skin this rat without staining the carpets."
Sakura nodded and left the room with steps a little firmer than before. In the hallway, the silence of the hospital at night was oppressive and the lights flickered slightly. Sakura leaned against the cold wall and slid down until she was squatting, burying her face in her knees.
"Sakura-chan."
The voice made her snap her head up. Naruto was there, barefoot, in his orange pajamas with messy hair as if he had just jumped out of bed and run there.
"Naruto..."
He approached quickly and crouched in front of her while his blue eyes scanned her face and arms looking for wounds.
"I felt... I felt something ugly," he said, placing a hand on his chest. "Like a cold punch to the gut. Are you okay? Is Sasuke okay?"
Sakura looked at her own hands, which were still trembling slightly.
"A man came. He said he was a doctor."
Naruto grit his teeth.
"Did he hurt you?"
"No. I stopped him, Naruto, I stopped his hand." Sakura closed her fist, looking at her white knuckles. "A month ago I would have frozen, but today I saw the glint of metal and my body simply... moved."
"That's great, Sakura-chan. You are strong."
"I was scared," she confessed, and a solitary tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm scared now. Tsunade-sama said he came for me, that he wanted to kill me."
Naruto went very still and the goofy, sleepy expression disappeared from his face, replaced by that steel seriousness he had shown in the Land of Waves.
"For you?"
"Yes. She said I'm a threat."
Naruto sat on the cold floor next to her, stretching out his legs.
"I shouldn't have gone home," he muttered, frustrated. "I should have stayed here. If I had been here..."
"If you had been here you would have made noise and he would have attacked differently," said Sakura. "Maybe he would have used explosive tags and maybe we both would have died."
"No," said Naruto firmly. "I wouldn't have let him touch you."
Sakura turned her head to look at him.
"Who would take care of Sasuke-kun if I wasn't here?" asked Sakura softly. "Who would punch you when you act like an idiot?"
Naruto let out a short laugh.
"Nobody hits as hard as you, Sakura-chan, that's why you have to live and that's why I'm not going to leave your side." He turned his face and smiled at her. "I'm serious. From now on we are shadows, so where you go, I go. If you go to the bathroom, I stay at the door, and if you go to train, I train with you."
"That sounds like a stalker, Naruto," she said with a smile, wiping away the tear.
"Call it whatever you want. VIP Protection."
Light, quick footsteps echoed in the hallway.
"Naruto-kun? Sakura-san?"
Hinata appeared around the corner wearing a jacket over her sleepwear and breathing heavily, with her Byakugan activated and the veins around her eyes bulging.
"Hinata," said Naruto, standing up.
"I felt... I felt a disturbance in Sakura-san's chakra through the... you know," said Hinata, touching her chest shyly in reference to their Falna connection. "What happened?"
"They tried to kill Sakura," said Naruto, without sugarcoating it.
Hinata gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth, and her white eyes fixed on Sakura.
"Are you...?"
"I'm fine, Hinata. Tsunade-sama arrived in time."
Hinata walked toward them and her usual shyness seemed to be replaced by an urgent concern as she knelt on the other side of Sakura to take her hand.
"I'm glad," said Hinata. "I'm so glad."
"Thanks for coming," said Sakura, squeezing Hinata's hand. "It seems the alarm system works."
"We're a family, aren't we?" said Naruto, scratching the back of his neck. "Family feels it when one is in trouble."
The room door burst open and Shizune came out dragging the unconscious and bound body of the fake doctor, followed by Ibiki Morino and two ANBU.
"Don't worry, kids," said Ibiki as he passed them, his voice raspy. "This little bird is going to sing the whole opera before dawn. Let's go."
They took the man away and Tsunade came out behind them, followed by Kakashi and Kurenai. The Sannin looked at the trio of Genin on the floor.
"Good, everyone is here, which saves me time."
"Granny Tsunade..." started Naruto.
"Shut up and listen closely." Tsunade crossed her arms, her presence filling the hallway. "The situation has changed. The enemy is no longer just outside the village, he is inside and has the keys to many doors." She looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi, double the security on Sasuke with rotating Jonin shifts. I don't want any ANBU you don't know personally near that room."
"Understood," said Kakashi.
"Kurenai," continued Tsunade, "you and your team will handle peripheral surveillance. Hinata, I want you to use those eyes, so if you see a chakra flow you don't like near Sakura or Naruto, scream."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama," said Hinata, standing at attention.
"And also..." she pointed at Naruto and Sakura while looking at Hinata too. "Tomorrow at 5 AM at Training Ground 7. You are going to wish you hadn't been born."
"Me too?" asked Naruto.
"You're the bodyguard, aren't you? You need to be able to stop something more than a two-bit thug, so I'm going to teach you to hit so hard his ancestors feel it."
Tsunade turned and started walking toward the exit.
"Now go home and sleep if you can, because it will be the last quiet night you have for a long time."
"Wait, Granny," called Naruto.
Tsunade stopped but didn't turn around.
"Are you going to see the Old Man? The Hokage?"
"Yes."
"Tell him..." Naruto clenched his fists. "Tell him that if that Danzo guy touches my friends again, I won't care if he's a council elder. I'll come for him."
Tsunade turned her head slightly and a fierce smile appeared on her profile.
"Don't worry, brat, I'll give him the message. But first I'm going to have a little chat with my old teacher."
The Hokage's office was plunged in gloom, with only a desk lamp illuminating the papers in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, who looked older under that yellow light.
The door exploded.
The hinges gave way and the wood splintered as the double doors flew into the office, hitting the floor with a crash. Hiruzen didn't even blink, he put down his brush and sighed, watching the smoke from his pipe.
"Tsunade. There are more conventional ways to enter, like turning the knob."
Tsunade walked in over the remains of the door, in no mood for jokes, up to the desk where she slammed both palms onto the surface, making the solid wood creak.
"You know why I'm here."
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair.
"I assume it has to do with the incident at the hospital."
"Incident? You call an assassination attempt on a Leaf Genin inside my facilities an 'incident'?" Tsunade leaned forward. "Danzo has crossed the line. No, he has erased the line and spit on it."
"We don't have conclusive proof that it was Danzo," said Hiruzen calmly, though his eyes were weary.
"He had the cursed seal on his tongue!" shouted Tsunade. "He is a Root agent! How much more proof do you need, a letter signed before the council? Wake up, old man! Your old friend is hunting the new generation."
"Danzo believes he acts for the good of the village," said Hiruzen, closing his eyes. "His methods are extreme, but..."
"His methods are bullshit," she cut in. "Attacking Sakura Haruno... Do you know why? Because he is afraid of what she can do, afraid of what Naruto can do, and afraid of losing his grip on power."
Tsunade rounded the desk and grabbed Hiruzen by the robes, lifting him slightly from the chair. The ANBU in the shadows tensed, but Hiruzen raised a hand to stop them.
"Listen to me closely, sensei. I came back to this hellhole for a reason: to save the Uchiha and to see what the hell is going on with these kids. I didn't come back to watch your indecision let my students get killed."
"Your students?" Hiruzen looked her in the eye.
"Yes, mine. I've claimed Sakura, and Naruto... well, the brat sticks to me like gum, so they are mine." She released Hiruzen, letting him drop back into the chair. "I'm going to train them, I'm going to make them untouchable, and if Danzo sends another one of his dogs..." Tsunade leaned in until their noses almost touched. "I will go to his hole, rip out every root he has planted, and then use his other eye as a marble. Did I make myself clear?"
Hiruzen looked at her and for a moment saw the passionate young girl he had trained decades ago, not the woman embittered by loss. He saw the fire. A small smile formed under his mustache.
"Loud and clear, Tsunade."
"Good." She straightened up and adjusted her clothes. "And I want a budget to repair the door, for the hospital wall, and for extra medical equipment."
"I'll deduct it from Root's budget," said Hiruzen.
Tsunade stopped halfway to the shattered exit, turned, and looked at her teacher.
"You'll deduct it from Root?"
"It's only fair, isn't it? If his agents cause damage, his department pays." Hiruzen picked up his brush again. "Danzo hates it when his funds are touched, so it's a way to send him a message without starting an open war."
Tsunade let out a short laugh.
"Old fox. You still have some teeth."
"Make them strong, Tsunade," said Hiruzen, his voice turning serious again. "The Chunin exams are close and I have a feeling something bad is going to happen."
Tsunade nodded once and left the office, leaving Hiruzen alone among the rubble.
Training Ground 7. 5:00 AM.
The morning mist still covered the grass and it was cold. Naruto was there, hopping from one foot to the other to keep warm, while Sakura was stretching, her face a mask of grim concentration. Hinata was sitting in a lotus position under a tree meditating, though her eyes opened every few seconds to watch the path.
"She's late," said Naruto. "She said five o'clock and it's five-o-one."
"She's a Sannin, Naruto, so she arrives when she wants," said Sakura, touching her toes. "Besides, she's probably buying coffee or sake."
"I hope coffee," murmured Naruto.
"Good morning, worms."
The voice came from above and Tsunade landed in the center of the field creating a small crater and dispersing the mist. She didn't bring coffee, but a bamboo stick in one hand and a look that could cut glass. Shizune landed behind her carrying several boxes of medical supplies.
"Granny! You're late!" shouted Naruto.
Tsunade moved the stick so fast Naruto didn't see it coming and the bamboo hit the top of his head with a loud THWACK.
"Ouch!"
"Lesson one: I am never late, you arrive too early or the time is wrong. And lesson two: Don't lower your guard."
Tsunade turned to Sakura.
"Sakura. Yesterday you almost died. Do you know why?"
"Because I was weak," said Sakura without hesitation.
"No. Because you were slow," corrected Tsunade, "and because you relied on your eyes. The assassin distracted you with one hand while the other killed you. In the chaos of battle, your eyes will lie to you and your fear will lie to you." She started walking around them. "Naruto. You have chakra to spare and you could flood this field if you wanted, but you fight like a drunk in a tavern, without discipline or precision."
"Hey! I've won a lot of fights!" protested Naruto.
"Against idiots and bullies. Against an elite Jonin who really wants to kill you, you'd be dead in three seconds."
Tsunade stopped.
"The only reason you are still alive is luck, and luck runs out, so today we are going to build something that doesn't run out." She held up a finger. "Control." She held up a second finger. "Evasion." She held up a third finger. "And the ability to hit so hard the opponent never gets up again."
Tsunade pointed at the ground with the stick.
"Shizune, prepare the field."
Shizune nodded and began placing paper tags on the ground forming a wide circle around them.
"What is that?" asked Sakura.
"It's a chakra minefield," explained Shizune with a nervous smile. "If you step wrong, it explodes; if you use too much chakra, it explodes; and if you don't use enough chakra, it also explodes."
Naruto swallowed hard.
"And if we stand still?"
"Then I hit you with this," said Tsunade, waving the bamboo stick. "The objective is simple: you have to cross the field to reach me and touch me. Just touch me. If you succeed we have breakfast, and if not..." she smiled cruelly, "well, Shizune brought plenty of bandages."
"That's impossible!" shouted Sakura. "We would need perfect control not to activate the tags!"
"Exactly," said Tsunade. "You have three seconds before I start hitting. One."
"Wait, wait!" Naruto waved his hands.
"Two."
Hinata activated her Byakugan immediately.
"I see the flow! There are pressure traps!"
"Three."
Tsunade disappeared and reappeared in front of Naruto throwing a strike with the stick. Naruto jumped back by instinct and his foot landed on a tag.
BOOM.
A small explosion threw him into the air and he landed face down in the mud.
"Dead!" shouted Tsunade. "Sakura, move!"
Sakura ran to the right channeling chakra into her feet, but she used too much and the tag beneath her glowed.
"Shit!"
She jumped just before the detonation, but the shockwave threw her off balance and Tsunade was there to give her a light shove on the shoulder that sent her rolling.
"Dead! Hinata!"
Hinata moved with grace dodging the tags her eyes could see, but Tsunade gave her no respite and stomped the ground, creating a shockwave that made Hinata lose her footing.
"The terrain changes, princess! Adapt!"
Hinata stumbled, stepped on a tag, and was engulfed in black smoke. Tsunade stood in the center, immaculate.
"Pathetic. Get up. Again."
Naruto got up spitting dirt, wiped his mouth, and looked at Tsunade.
"This... this is going to be fun," he gasped.
"No," said Tsunade. "It's going to be hell."
Hours later the sun was high and the three Genin were lying in the grass, covered in soot, bruises, and mud. Tsunade was sitting on a rock drinking water, without a drop of sweat.
"Better," she conceded. "Sakura, you managed to take three steps without exploding last time, that is progress. Naruto, you stopped screaming before jumping, which is a miracle. Hinata, your vision is good but you hesitate before moving, and doubt kills." She stood up. "Ten-minute break. Shizune, heal them."
Shizune ran toward them with her hands glowing green.
"You're doing well," she whispered as she healed a scrape on Sakura's cheek. "Usually people quit in the first hour."
"We can't quit," said Sakura, clenching her teeth. "He is coming."
Naruto looked at Sakura and Hinata.
"And we have to be ready."
Tsunade heard that and turned around so they wouldn't see her smile. They have guts, she thought. They lack technique, brains, and common sense, but they have guts.
"Break's over!" she shouted. "Round two! This time I'm going to use my fists!"
"What?!" shouted the three in unison.
"Move or bleed!"
**
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