Darkest Before Dawn

A Challenge!

Training- Month One

   "Alright, Sakura! Listen up!" Tsunade ordered. Sakura stood about a third of a mile away from her shishou, "For this first bit of training, you're going to be dodging things I'm sending your way. Pretty easy, right?"

   Sakura nodded. Tsunade summoned ten clones and created a circle around Sakura. The original then brought her hands up into the tiger seal.

   "Kokuangyou no Jutsu!"

   The girl's world turned to black as all she could see was utter darkness.

   "Tsu-Tsunade-shishou?"

   "Just dodge."

   Kunai, shuriken, boulders, and lightning made way towards her.

~

   The Master lazily rapped his fingers against his desk and stared outside his window. He was growing increasingly bored as the days passed. Sakura was only sixteen, and he had two more years until she would return to Konoha. 

   "Sir! We've gathered more news for you!" one of his followers exclaimed, walking up to his desk. The Master motioned for him to continue.

   "Sakura is now under the tutelage of Tsunade Senju, the slug sannin! What is your plan of action?"

   The Master hissed in annoyance and leaned back into his chair. Her again. Causing more complications than she needs to. A smirk crawled onto his face. Her training with Tsunade could prove fruitful. The stronger she was, the more exciting it would be to take her down.

   "There is no plan of action. If Danzo were still alive, we could have used him, but since he's not here, we'll let Sakura do as she pleases. For now. We'll let her train with Tsunade, but all I want you to do is find Danzo's missing arm and eye. Do you understand? We'll need it in the future." said The Master. His follower nodded and disappeared from sight.

~

   Sakura felt like she was dying.

   The training grounds around her were mutilated to the point of never fixing itself. The grounds were upturned and the trees were strewn across the ground. Tsunade had finally let her clones and the genjutsu dissipate and was now crouched in front of Sakura, who was battered and bruised amidst the destruction.

   "Well done, Sakura." she grinned, "You've done well. I didn't think you could've dodged the lightning. And since you've done great today, I'll double the amount of clones tomorrow!"

   Sakura groaned.

Training: Month Three

   "... Where did you find two half-dead baby sea otters, shishou?"

   "Tsunade-sama! Did you take those babies away from their mother?! How could you do that?!"

   "Oink!"

   "Shizune, shut it. We'll return them when they're better. Sakura, heal them. Now. I don't care how long it takes."

Training: Month Four

   Sakura was walking through Shikkotsu Forest, home to the slugs. It was dense with dark greenery and was littered with numerous bones that went as tall as a hundred feet in height. Sakura had only read about this place in books. This forest was legendary, just about as legendary as Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave.

   "Are you lost, young one?" a voice questioned softly. Sakura turned around and came face to face with a very, very large slug.

   "I... think I might be, miss. My name is Sakura Haruno, and I was sent here by my shishou to see the Slug Sage."