Deceitful (A Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter 61: Sakura

"Is that why my mental health is on track to getting better?" I questioned through gritted teeth.

"Yes. You heard Samantha mention the gene also altered mental states. Ever since you've been in Konoha you've had a few obstacles but for the most part are on the upward trend. That's your body stabilizing itself in the absence of the gene." Kakashi explained quietly, sweeping his hair out of his uncovered eye.

"Great, I can't even attribute that to being my own hard work. That's, that's really something." I shook my head with a smile of disbelief at the revelation.

"No, you can't." He affirmed quietly.

I stared at the ground and averted his gaze, genuinely unable to form words. Fiery anger clouded my judgement and made it hard to focus, let alone be rational.

For most of my life, I had been quick tempered. 

I always expressed my emotions, through a combination of sharp words and clenched fists. With age and experience, I had learned that it wasn't the most effective way to deal with things.

It was a weak point that could be exploited.

One taunt could set an emotional shinobi off and goad them into doing something reckless, like charging forward without caution. And that could lead to a whole set of problems in of itself. In short, I'd learned to mellow out and keep a clear head. Nowadays, though my annoyance threshold was low, I never really angered to the point where my judgement was truly compromised.

Well, up until now.

Tension weighed the atmosphere down and waves of emotion flowed through me. I balled my shaking fists, not having to look to know the red crescents left by my nails littered my palms. It was taking all of my self control not to beat the living crap out of Kakashi, which almost shocked me.

I was livid. Here was a person who I never could've envisioned inciting this much negative emotion from me.

Yet, here we were.

"So now what? I'm back to my boring, old useless, failure of a self?" I scoffed, my bitter words stinging as I swallowed down any hurt they caused. Guess that was still a soft spot. I inwardly rolled my eyes, my thoughts flashing to the time where I reassured Yamanaka-san that I was past my childhood trauma.

"Sakura." He spoke softly, full of a gentle comfort that made me almost partially forget what I was so angry about. My name was spoken in a consoling tone, full of tender care and attention. I looked up from the grass towards his face, my unshed tears resurfacing. This time, for a different reason.

A look akin to warm sympathy played on his softened features, right before they morphed into something else entirely.

"There wasn't a point in time where you weren't completely useless, even now. It was always obvious why I took a shine to Sasuke, and anyone could see even Naruto had immense potential. Yet there you were, little Sakura, a perfectly average ninja who always was left in the dust. Forced to grow in the shadow of two teammates who were heading towards greatness. Your own identity gone.. So you see, you can't go back to being useless when you never really stopped being useless in the first place." He spoke coldly with a casual shrug of his shoulders, eyes giving away nothing.

Kakashi was one of the best shinobi the Leaf had. 

Educated in a variety of methodologies, he knew exactly how to manipulate and take down enemies. It was an ingrained, reflexive talent of his, and it was a power I'd always been in awe of. Though now, as I was on the receiving end, I felt the extent of his manipulation and knew that it'd work. He knew his words would sink their claws into my being. Kakashi knew I'd have to react to that.