The Isolation of Inner Sakura

Chapter 17
The Unplanned Battle pt. 5

I stood and faced Sasuke as he struggled with his own body.  He really hadn’t understood.  As a medic-nin I was taught everything about healing the body where to touch to ease pain and what to touch to stop blood flow.  As a hunter-nin I had extensive training in how to harm the body of a fellow ninja by learning about and memorizing where every tenketsu, and pressure point  were located on the human body.  I sighed in relief and knelt by his head.
     “You can’t even get up, the fight is over.”  I said to him.  “But before I unbind your limbs I would like you to say that you agree to this loss.”
     “Why?  You need me to be even more humiliated than I already am?  Damn you Sakura!”
     “No, you simply lost today, and this was a good training exercise for me as well.  But you forget, while you’ve been gone I was trained by Godaime Hokage, I’ve also fought Itachi several times, not to mention for the last few years I’ve had rotating anbu training partners even when I was just a chuunin.  There really isn’t any shame in losing to me, I simply have different training.  And while I will never be as powerful as you or Itachi, I’d like to think that my knowledge allows me to be superior to the average ninja.”
     “I have been training under the legendary Sannen Orochimaru, and I’m one of the only Uchiha that was able to get the Mangekyou sharingan.  I refuse to believe that I am inferior to you or that I’ve been beaten.”  I just sighed and grasped my mask speaking before I lifted it.
     “If this had been a full on ninjutsu battle, I’m sure that the situation right now would be different, but as it is it’s much worse than you think, Uchiha.”  I heard collective gasps from my subordinates as I pulled the mask loose to reveal the blindfold.  I unwound my eyes and blinked as I opened them to the fading light around us before looking down at him.  His eyes were wide in disbelief.  “Do you yield this fight?”  I asked staring down at him making my voice sound cold and hard.
     “Yes.”  He whispered.  “Yes, I admit defeat.”
     I rolled him over to access his pressure points once more and swiftly yet carefully pressed the counter pressure point and massaged the area to get the blood flowing properly again.  I spotted him watching me with his sharingan on.  I paused a moment.
     “Those are only the counter pressure points for the blood flow.”  I tried to explain.  “If you pushed these pressure points, one of three things can or will happen.  One, absolutely nothing.  If you don’t hit it precisely with enough pressure nothing will happen.  Two, If hit too hard you could cause muscle failure in which the ligaments and muscles will spasm so rapidly that they can tear themselves from the bone itself.  Three, when used without being a counterpoint you will actually increase blood flow and chakra into that area of the body which would eventually kill the person if left untended, but could also lead to an effect similar to the opening of one or more chakra gates which would allow the person total and complete use of their body and chakra without restraint.  So I don’t recommend the use these on yourself or others until and unless you know what you’re doing.”  I stopped talking at that point and finished massaging blood flow back into his left leg.  I moved to his arms and I could feel him watching me again.  I just sighed and massaged his arm to return feeling quicker.  I leaned over and grabbed his left arm and did the same.  
     “Why can’t I move yet if you released them?”  He asked as he tried to move his arms to sit up.
     “You’ll need to give them a few more minutes, that’s why I massaged them, it helps the blood flow back to your arms and gets it flowing normally again.”  He just grimaced and I slid my arm behind his shoulder and pulled his right arm over my shoulder to help him sit up, and then stand slowly and shakily.  I helped him over to our comrades who now seemed to have forgotten all about the beating he gave them the day before.  There nothin’ like watching the enemy that kicked your ass the day before get trounced by someone in a blindfold to inspire goodwill and foster new friendships.  At least now that they thought he had been thoroughly humiliated that is, I could see some of the sly grins on their faces.
     “Man!  I can’t believe he lasted a whole hour against the Captain in a one on one taijutsu fight!”  Haruko exclaimed in admiration.  “Man you gotta teach me that move you did when she was on your back and you flipped her and…”
     “Yeah, but I’d like to know how he managed to even move his leg after she numbed it up from the knee down.”  Koneko put in while I rested and got a drink for the both of us.  I drank from my canteen and wiped sweat from my forehead.  I handed the canteen to Sasuke and he took it hesitantly still flexing and clenching his fists.  Either he did it because he was angry at being beaten or to get the feel back into them.  He absently raised the water bottle to his mouth drinking deeply.  I watched him as we sat side by side and wondered if things could possibly go back to the way they were.  But I knew it was a silly thought, it was impossible.  I looked across the clearing toward Konoha where we’d head after a short break.
     I felt a sudden tingle on the back of my neck and stood up.  It raised the hair on my arms, and I had to refrain from running my hands over them as I stood trying to see, hear or sense whatever was out there.  I had the very bad feeling that it was Itachi; I remembered having the same exact feeling right before he ambushed me in my own bedroom.  
     “We need to get moving guys.  Kou, Tatsumaki, help Sasuke while Koneko and I get Haruko.”  I slung my pack over my shoulder and grabbed one of Haruko’s arms pulling her to her feet and Koneko slid in under the other arm.  We’d move faster this way.
     “What’s wrong Captain?”  Koneko asked as we ran through the trees supporting most of Haruko’s weight.  
     “Nothing yet, I just felt uneasy all of a sudden.  And the last time I had that feeling Itachi attacked me in my own bedroom.”  I paused as I continued trying to sense throughout the area, but I couldn’t feel anything.  “So I don’t even know if anything is wrong, but I’d rather not take the chance since none of us are in good enough shape right now to fight a tough enemy seriously.”
     “I agree.”  I heard the muffled voice from behind as Sasuke put in his two cents.  That came from perhaps just losing against me or maybe just the fact that he still couldn’t really move his body well.  Fortunately we were only about five miles outside of Konoha.  But if Itachi wanted to attack, he would do it whether or not we were close to Konoha, it wouldn’t matter.  And we would all be just as dead, because I really couldn’t fight right now.  My chakra was still low from healing this morning and the fighting yesterday.  I wouldn’t be able to hold him off, Sasuke would feel obligated to jump in again, only he’d get himself killed this time.
     I thought all of these thoughts on the way back to Konoha, and still I wondered what would happen when we got back.  
     
     We slowed our pace a bit as we neared Konoha.  Sasuke was finally able to let go of Kou and Tatsumaki to run on his own, so we let him carry Haruko as a sort of penance for injuring her in the first place.  I put my mask back on before we went through the gates and we went straight to the hospital.  But even as we went I felt the weight of the stares as one by one, they noticed the younger Uchiha was with us.  By the time we reached Konoha Hospital we had a crowd and as we pushed through the doors, I saw Tsunade standing in front of the main desk trying to talk to a young couple.  She looked up started, words forming.
     “What is going on here?”  Then she spotted Sasuke carrying Haruko, her eyes narrowed on the man but she didn’t say anything except to the people trying to crowd around in behind us.
     “All of you, this is not a theatre but a hospital, so unless you have business here, GET OUT!”  She finished up with a shout, causing the crowd to disperse and rush out the doors in fear of her wrath.  “Bring the girl in here and set her on the table.”  Tsunade motioned for us to follow her into the closest empty examining room.  We all crowded in and shut the door on the curious faces of the nurses outside.  
     “Uchiha, Sasuke.  I certainly didn’t think to find you among the party when they returned from their mission.”  She switched her gaze to me and asked, “Does this mean you were successful?”
     I just nodded and motioned to Kou who held out the box to the Hokage.  Then he stepped back to stand by Haruko who was sitting up on the exam table.
     Tsunade just looked at the box for a moment before opening it and looking at the object inside.  I must admit, it looked a little like a white cigar in there wrapped up so small with nothing showing but the sheet itself and a few bulges here and there that could only have been elbows and feet.  The strangest thing happened then; a solitary tear slipped out of Tsunade’s eye and rolled down her cheek, just one tear, which she quickly wiped away before tucking the box into her coat pocket.  She turned to Haruko and had her lay back on the table stripping her efficiently of her outer apparel leaving her lying there in only the bandages that she always wrapped around her chest to hold her breasts in place (I had been unable to convince her of the superiority of the chakra infused bra that I wore).  
     Tsunade placed one hand on her forehead and the other on the remainder of the stomach wound.  “Hmm, pretty good field work Sakura, there’s only a few places that could use any real work.”  Haruko had her eyes squeezed shut, probably in embarrassment at baring herself to everyone.  I knew I would be.  “I’ll just take care of those problem areas now and have Haruko stay the night for observation.”
“Oh, no.”  Haruko moaned.  “Godaime I’m just fine, why don’t I just come back tomorrow sometime…”  She begged piteously but I interrupted before Tsunade could reply.
     “Tsunade Kou also has some cracked ribs after you’re done with Haruko.”  Tsunade just nodded as she continued to concentrate on Haruko.  
     “If you’re going to tell on me, I’m going to tell on you, Sakura-sama.”  Kou threatened.  “Godaime-sama Haruno-san took a sword through her shoulder during the fight with Orochimaru.”  
     “You rat!”  I exclaimed, playfully whacking him in the arm
     “Ow, Sakura-sama, I’m a wounded man here.  You should be gentler with me.”  He returned with that playfully evil glint in his eye.  We all laughed at the comment except for Sasuke and Tsunade, who was still concentrating her chakra.  It didn’t take long though and Tsunade motioned me forward.  I took off my vest as I sat on the table along with the mesh shirt leaving only my sports bra.  
     “It went all the way through I see, and the wound has reopened since you bound it.”  Tsunade said in a grim tone, for some reason she had this strange ability to assess the damage without even removing the bandages sometimes.  I frowned at that too, I had reopened the wound twice?  Even with an extra chakra infusion?  “Lean over the table so that I can touch the back of your shoulder, Sakura.”  I slid off the table and bent down so that my elbows rested there comfortably.   “I’m going to have to cut away the bindings here, oops.”  
     I felt a draft as the bra and bindings fell away and my breasts burst forth.  I gasped in horror and grabbed for my outer armor to cover myself with.  
     “Holy Shit Sake’, I never knew you had breasts!”  Haruko yelled.  I looked up and grimaced.  Koneko and Haruko had covered Kou’s and Tatsumaki’s eyes but Sasuke had no one to prevent him, he simply stood there his mouth and eyes wide a crimson blush spreading slowly across his features before turning quickly to face away from me.
     “Tsunade-sama, if I find out you did that on purpose, I swear to you I’ll make sure you can’t find where you hid your sake’ for a month.”  Tsunade just covered her mouth and laughed as she pressed her hand over the wound and started work.  I could feel her chakra start pouring into the wound only to pause and then continue.
     “Have you tried to heal this already, Sakura?”  She asked her voice carefully empty.
     “Yes, right after we got out of the complex, and then again after it broke open in the fight with- well that’ll be in the report, but I infused it this morning as well so I was surprised that you said it had broken open again.”  I glanced back over my shoulder at her, “You know I can’t sense the wounds in myself as well as in others Shishou.  What’s wrong with it?”  I asked
     “Kusanagi has partially cauterized this wound and it went through your shoulder blade, we’re going to have to call in the bone and burn specialists for you again.”  I flinched and dropped my head to the cushy table.
     “Not again.”  I moaned.  The groaning broke off as I tried to smother myself in the vinyl table cushion, surely that would be a better way to die…