Chapter 27

The first thing Tsunade did was offer me a small vile of thick, green juice. My face was burning hot as she pulled it out from her well-endowed chest.

"We're going to travel out of the village so we can train openly, but we don't want anyone following us, whether it's your masters or those goons from before. Drink this. It'll mask your scent for a few days."

I pulled the small cork out and sniffed it, eyebrow quirking in surprise when it didn't smell foul. Instead, it was a citrusy scent with just a hint of different herbs. Going out on a limb and choosing to trust these people, I tossed back the entire vile, gagging after I swallowed it because it didn't taste nearly as good as it smelled.

Shizune reappeared, then, followed by a purple-haired woman who was holding two travel packs. Tsunade took them, handing one to Jiraiya and one to me before facing the women again, "Shizune, Anko, if anyone comes looking for this girl, you're to tell them she stopped for a meal and left. You know what to do if there's trouble."

Both women looked at me before returning their gazes to the taller woman and nodding in understanding. Then, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and I left the underground bar via the same door we entered through.

~

We traveled well into the night for hours before finally coming upon an oasis. Outwardly, it appeared just to be another cave, but upon navigating a long and winding tunnel, the three of us entered a gigantic cavern.

Lush grass and plants lay about, and a pond sat calmly at the far end. Fireflies were the only light source, but vampires don't need it anyway, so visibility was no issue. The atmosphere was humid and warm, a stark contrast to the chilled wind of the dry desert night outside. A pleasant aroma of flowers and nature met my nose.

"It's beautiful…." The others made non-commital sounds of agreement as we crossed the ample open space to stop at a plot of stone near the pond.

I stifled a yawn, garnering a chuckle from Jiraiya. "I shouldn't be surprised that you need sleep as well, but somehow I am." He momentarily knelt to rustle through his pack before pulling out a bedroll and handing it to Tsunade, who wordlessly accepted it and began setting it up. I slid my own pack off and fished out another, unrolling it so I could slide into it and prepare to get some rest.

Even if these people hadn't done anything to earn my distrust, I slept with my back to the cave's wall and woke up at the slightest sound for a long time. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I found myself dreaming of Sasuke.

When I woke up the following day, it was bittersweet. Even if it was in my dreams, seeing his face only proved to dig the knife deeper into my heart. So, eager to hurry the process along, I immediately joined Tsunade in the middle of the cavern.

The sooner I can maintain control, the sooner I can meet the Ame advisors currently trying to follow my trail in battle. Once that's done, I can travel to Amegakure and defeat Yahiko. Then I can return to him, to Sasuke. He won't be in danger because of me anymore.

"Tell me what you see when you visualize your energy."

I clenched my fists at my sides, "It's like a horse's reins. If I lose my grip on them, that's when I…."

She nodded in understanding, "The longer they're loose, the harder it is to grab onto them again."

Tsunade didn't wait for me to confirm her statement and continued, "The fact that you had an answer for that question means you're much further along than you think. Visualization is the hardest part."

She asked me to try and lift a medium-sized stone nearby so she could see what I'm capable of, and I hesitated, glancing at Jiraiya, "I'm not sure if I… Well, can you stop me if I lose control?" The woman made some sort of sound that meant yes.

Left with no choice, I tried to amp my anger up by thinking of the things that'd been on my mind when I woke up shackled by those traffickers. The reins were there, hypothetically, and my grip on them was solid as energy began to shoot up my veins. At first, nothing happened as I focused entirely on the stone. I could tell I was close to succeeding, that the item was just about to lift from the Earth.

Still, it became impossible to push myself further without the reins pulling against my strength. They became taut as though the horse they were strapped to was sprinting wildly and just barely obeying my command.

"Keep going. Push yourself to the very edge. I'll be here to bring you back."

Despite her reassurance, I couldn't spare Tsunade a glance but wordlessly allowed the words to quell my unease. Mentally tightening my grip even more, I opened the door on my rage slightly further so it could pour through at a swifter pace. A huff passed my lips as I grit my teeth in response to the heightened sensation flooding my senses.

The stone finally rose from the ground. I made the mistake of being distracted by my glee. I nearly lost control of it, so my body naturally sank into a crouch, something I've naturally defaulted to whenever it gets hard to bear the emotions.

"Don't make yourself smaller! You need to stand tall. Stretch out your limbs so the energy can flow evenly through you."

Panting for breath and sweating with effort, I heeded her advice and forced myself upright once more.

"Good, now hold it. Maintain control for as long as you can. Figure out how to manipulate your energy by picturing it as your horse. Guide it with the reins, Sakura."

I tried to make sense of her words but lost my grip when attempting to adjust the trajectory of my energy flow. The door holding back my overwhelming emotions flew open, and the stone burst into a million pieces. I was left gasping as I tried to stop myself from losing it altogether.

"It's alright. You're doing so much better than I did when I was in your place."

My eyes darted to her, and a growl rumbled from my chest before I barked, "It doesn't feel like I'm doing well!"

The woman smirked. Rather than give me space or try to pin me down to prevent me from attacking anyone, she walked around me with a studious gaze, "Have faith in yourself, or you'll never master it. Now, get your mind in the right place. Tell yourself you're capable. This is your power, your body. Believe it. Don't just think it."

Nodding quickly, I did as Tsunade instructed. At first, I couldn't wrap my head around the concept of believing the short mantra she offered, so nothing changed.

"Release the tension in your body, Sakura. Nothing about this can feel strained."

I dug my bare toes further into the dirt for a moment, clenching my fists so tightly that blood might've been drawn on my palms, but then I forced my fingers to spread, my limbs to relax. Suddenly, my mental strength seemed more solid. I grasped onto the feeling eagerly and told myself only positive things. I can do this. My teacher told me I would be stronger than her, too. The only thing stopping me from being great is myself, and I'm done with that.

Slow and steady, the emotions sank back into their hypothetical room, and I was able to slam the door shut. They were like a cloud of smoke being sucked back into the flames by a black hole or wind tunnel.

I worked on catching my breath as I turned to face Tsunade, feeling both excited that I finally calmed myself down with my own strength and disheartened that I couldn't even hold a rock up without losing my grip. We wordlessly walked over to the pond and knelt to scoop some water into our hands to drink.

"Tell me, what are you using as fuel?"

I looked over to see Tsunade staring at me, so I let the rest of the water in my palms fall back into the pond, "I'm sorry?"

Her brow twitched, but she didn't lose her temper, "What do you think about when you want to use your energy?"

Her voice insinuated that she already knew the answer, but I responded anyway, "I picture things that have made me angry in the past."

The tension in her face relaxed instantly, and she laughed softly at first but quickly became more loud and boisterous.

Heat met my face as I stared in disbelief, getting a bit annoyed, "What's so funny?"

The blond woman sobered up, wiping a tear from her pretty eyes as she held her stomach. Once calm again, she said, "Never use negative emotions as fuel. Even I wouldn't be able to control myself if I did that." Her head tilted slightly as she looked me up and down, the aura changing from the humorous one she created, "I'm impressed you've managed all you have! I'd even wager you'll master your energy before the day ends."

My mouth fell agape, "What! That quickly? But you said it took you-" "I'll take you up on that bet, Princess! Loser buys the drinks?" We turned to see Jiraiya grinning with his hands on his hips.

"You're on! Let's get back to it, Sakura. I've had my eye on a particularly rare bottle of sake." Feeling incredibly unsure, I allowed her to lead me back to the open area, where she immediately returned to instructing me.

"This time, I want you to think of your happiest memories. Remember as many details about them as possible: how the air smelled, what temperature it was, and what you wore. Anything you can think of."

The first thing that came to mind was the night Sasuke returned home after Gaara nearly killed me in Sunagakure. That was when I first realized he cared about me and wasn't just pretending to so his brother could continue enjoying my sister's attention. The way he kissed me so passionately, holding his breath as though he was just as overwhelmed as me. His arms had wrapped around me so tightly, yet he offered a gentle restraint as though he was terrified of hurting me.

And his eyes… Oh, his eyes were so unguarded and warm that night, even in the dark. Sasuke let me see the real him for the first time; no matter how short-lived it was because I was too weak to remain awake, it was enough to plant the seed of a great and powerful love.

"That's it! You've got it! Now focus on how it feels, the reins in your hands."

My eyes widened as Tsunade snapped me out of my blissful reminiscing to make me realize an energy more cool and pliable than before was flowing through me like the steady waters of a river. The reins were firm and flexible in my hands.

"I-I…This is…!"

"Lift the stone, Sakura. Focus."

Nodding, I turned my eyes onto the stone she was pointing at and was so stunned when I immediately made it lift into the air that I nearly broke into laughter, a broad smile crossing my face, "I'm doing it! And it's easy!"

Jiraiya groaned while Tsunade snickered, "I knew it." She gestured for me to sit the stone back down, and I did, delight making me giddy when I didn't feel even a little threat of losing control.

"The more you practice, the stronger your energy becomes and the easier it'll be to use. Let's move on." I brought my hands to my cheeks, feeling exhilarated as I let the warm, loving energy within me sink back down so I could focus on her instruction.

"Not all angels are blessed with the same abilities. Are you aware of any others you may possess?"

After I explained how I could view and share memories, she took on a curious expression, "I don't have that ability. Is there anything else?"

Blushing, I awkwardly said, "I don't know. My blood strongly affects others, but I'm not sure if that's what you mean."

She shook her head, "That trait pertains to us all. How about we test if you share my ability?" I nodded, coming closer to her as she motioned for me to do so, and we walked over to the pond's edge.

Tsunade swiftly caught a fish with her bare hands, slicing a cut into its side with her nail before sitting it on the stone ground and hovering her hands closely over it. A soft, green glow emitted from her palms, and I watched in awe as the wound healed and the fish returned to flopping around as though it'd never been injured.

"That's amazing!"

She returned the animal to the water before retrieving a different one. After cutting a smaller, less deep slice into its side, she laid it before me, "Focus your energy into your palms and imagine the wound healing. Picture it clearly in your head. If you share this ability, that's all you need to do for it to work."

Nodding to myself, I got into the happy state of mind I was in earlier when I lifted the stone and brought both hands mere inches above the fish. We both gasped when the same green light from her came from me, and the wound closed before our eyes. Once it was completely gone, I placed the fish back into the water and faced my teacher with a shocked face.

She sighed in what appeared to be insincere irritation, "I thought it'd at least take the entire day, but here we are."

My eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

Tsunade grinned for the first time, "I've taught you all I can. All you can do now is practice until it feels like second nature."

Tears welled, and my chin quivered, "A-Are you serious? But-" "You're right to be surprised. It took me over a decade to learn what you did in mere hours. I've never witnessed anything like it. Look." She gestured to the water, lifting one of her hands and making it glow above the water to produce some light so the pond could create a reflection.

I gasped when I realized a tiny diamond-shaped crest was embedded in the center of my forehead, "How do I…?"

She shook her head, letting the glow of her palm fade, "You don't need instruction for that. Your body will naturally store excess energy there. Be warned. If it ever breaks, consider yourself and those around you to be in extreme danger."

She refused to elaborate.

Her proud aura became more severe as we got to our feet and began walking over to Jiraiya, "I need you to listen well when I say that you need to be careful. If you're right and there's someone who can make you act against your will, this strength will be the downfall of you and everyone you love. Don't let that happen." I nodded with a frown.

The woman eased up ever so slightly, her tone taking on a warm feeling it hadn't before, "If you're ever in distress or feeling weak, rely on the positive fuel and let it give you strength. Promise me you'll never use your anger and fear again."

"I promise, Tsunade. I may never be able to repay you for this."

She suddenly laughed before pointing at Jiraiya, who groaned with a hand to his forehead, "You may not, but he can! Cough up the money! I want my sake!"