My strength – (KisaSaku english version)
Part 1 of 3

Konoha, Land of Fire, Saturday morning.

Sakura had gone training hard near the river, that day.

She often did this, that was her special place. If we can call it so.

Maybe it was the only place where she didn’t risk causing damage because of her huge strength.

Strength...

Sakura didn’t think she was strong. People thought it. She had gained confidence along the years, that was true, but she didn’t feel strong...

Nothing!

She had made too many mistakes during the missions, and this sometimes had nearly cost her life, or worse, that of her comrades.

That place, so, represented to her almost an outburst.

It was her private temple...

But not today.

She suddenly noticed that something was wrong. There was a strange atmosphere in the air. Nearly... Fog?!

And it was strange this, because the water of the river flowed rather fast, not allowing in that way to the liquid to stagnate and form vapour.

There was something wrong...

Suspect had the best on common sense, and curious she went near the impervious water. And this time she really noticed something extremely strange.

Because near an almost dead tree, there were incredibly known clothes.

Akatsuki’s uniform.

And she was scared, Sakura, because she had already fought against an enemy of that group, non so much time ago. And she had nearly died, trying to defeat him.

The girl suddenly protected herself, conscious that, nevertheless, she hadn’t chances to survive.

Because she didn’t know yet who the hell was her enemy.

An enemy who was the personification of the word strength.

[...]

“So?! What the heck are you looking at, little girl?”

He had come out of the water so suddenly she nearly didn’t notice...

She had literally paled before that horrible vision. I’m finished...

And this was not because he was completely naked, not because his skin was of an absurd slightly blue colour... But because his aura spoke to her too much clearly, for he, and only he was the owner of the strength.

The word itself was his property!

He had passed her like nothing, directing to his clothes. As if before him there had been a child, not an expert chuunin.

She glanced at him... Incapable of saying a wise word. Because she really couldn’t do anything against him.

“What...?! You’ve never seen a naked man, little girl?! Don’t they teach you these things there at the Academy?”

And he smirked while he saw her getting away her look, humiliated. Because she really couldn’t do anything against him.

She really couldn’t do anything against Hoshigaki Kisame!

He dressed up quietly, and with a fast movement he pulled out his sword Samehada. The sceptre of his strength. And he looked with evilness at the defeated girl. Yes... She was already defeated without any fighting.

“Do you want to fight, baby?”

Sakura gave a start, hearing that too much ambiguous question. He was approaching nearer and nearer... What to do, damnit?!

She didn’t think twice, if he wanted her body he had to try to gain it!

She immediately protected herself, ready to jump at any of his sudden and suspicious movements. That time she would have given a trial of her strength!

He laughed at the sight of her being so determined. He didn’t think twice to attack.

[...]

“On the left... On the left, damnit!”

“What...?!”

“CAREFUL!”

“Shit!!!”

The attack was so powerful that she flew away for many metres. Making her fall badly on the hard stones near the river.

“Sakura?! Are you allright?!”

It was strange... Funny... To hear his uncertain voice so concerned about his young pupil’s fate.

Pupil...

Yes, because now Sakura Haruno was Kisame’s pupil... The Shark Demon’s pupil. Incredible, right?! And it was all the consequence of an incredible coincidence. Even if it was more correct to call it madness.

A madness of both.

Because a week ago she lost against him. In an humiliating way. He had defeated her with a wave generated by his sword.

Like a wave... He didn’t even lay a finger on her with his sword!

At the beginning of the fighting she didn’t even have the time to attack that she had already been knocked out.

And she really felt like dieing inside that day, Sakura. Her pride was literally destroyed.

Because it was impossible that she, who had been trained by the Godaime herself, would loss so clearly.

And she cried... The ninja cried a lot. Tears of rage and humiliation.

“Why... Why am I not strong, damnit!!”

“Because you need to train... Behold the why!”

His voice interrupted her tears. His tone was serious and authoritarian. He didn’t kill her...?! Why he was hesitating?!”

He had win against her, he could do to her whatever he wanted... But he didn’t seem to be interested in his just obtained victory.

Then, when he asked her if she wanted to train with him to become stronger, she nearly bursted into laughs.

Why on earth a mukenin would have had pleasure to follow an enemy?

She asked him this, but he didn’t answer. He only said that if she wanted to become as strong as him she had to come back in that place the day after.

Even if her mind told her to let go... Even if it told her with rage to ask for help... Sakura the day after was there punctual, ready for her absurd training.

And that went on for a week.
The natural horror for her enemy had nearly vanished and she had begun to call him “sensei”...

“Kisame sensei...”

She laughed at that thought, because she only had to be ashamed for having accepted a thing like that.

But her craving for strength was much... And he had, more or less, a relationship with her extremely professional.

Training together was the only interest for both... All that interested politics or moral ethic was out of discussion.

“You get easily distracted Sakura... But today it got better than yesterday!”

He helped her to stand up, with his usual smirk of winner on the lips.

However the girl knew that his smirk wasn’t denigrator.

They didn’t teach him how to smile... His life had always been difficult...

They went by the fire they had just switched on, and sat on the blankets, that were used as pillows.

“You’re getting better... You know?”

She weakly smiled, because, even if his words were true, she didn’t feel powerful yet. Thirst... Thirst of power.

She calmly pulled out of her bag breakfast for both. She had prepared it, but that didn’t seem to “bother him”.

It was a courtesy between teacher and pupil. That was all.

She handed one of the little basket to the blue monster, the other was kept for her. And they began to eat.

But immediately she noticed how his expression changed nearly suddenly in a perplexed face.

“Sakura... Am I wrong or my meal is a bit more... Elaborate than yours...?!”

She wasn’t telling lies, but she didn’t want to give him difficult explanations.

“I’m not hungry, sensei...”

It was an excuse too much banal, but anyway never out of style. Obviously she couldn’t tell him that she began to have respect for his menacing appearance. It would have been so much wrong...

After all he was an enemy, and she stayed with him only to become stronger. She couldn’t clearly give respect to that person. If she would do this, she surely betrayed her village.

They ate nearly all their meal in religious silence.

But at a point Sakura couldn’t stay in silence... She couldn’t stand it anymore!

She had to know why he had suddenly decided to follow her in her training. Even if it cost her life!

She encouraged herself and breathed long...

“Sensei...”

Her voice was so tiny that he nearly didn’t notice that.

“Uh?! Sakura, what’s the matter?”

He had just finished eating that he had already switched on his opium pipe. An intense smell of tobacco spread rapidly around the two.

“I... Oh, crap! I can’t stand it anymore! Do you want to explain me once for all why YOU... A mukenin... have decided to train so suddenly an idiotic enemy ninja? Were you maybe bored...?!”

Her outburst came out nearly from the desperation, but he, however, decided to react in a totally unexpected way.

He simply began to laugh. Making her more pissed.

“Sakura... Maybe you’ll get angry... But I have to confess you that I’ve watched you since a long time! Before meeting you... I often came here to relax... And I often saw a girl who was training like mad... And was crying! A girl who damned herself for non having enough strength to protect who she loved... And with rage asked to the sky why she hadn’t got the strength... Why she hadn’t got the power!”
It was obvious that he was referring to her...

“And when I saw you... I couldn’t help but to compare you to me! Even I, when I was young, asked to the sky to give me the sufficient strength to protect who I loved...”

Love?! He?!

“But you’ve finally obtained what you wanted!”

She found that it was an absurd thing that a so wrong person had been so like her! he was a “bad guy”, damnit! How dare he do such comparisons?!

He smiled, seeing her so pissed. Before giving her a right answer, he inhaled other sweet smoke from his long pipe.

“Eh, eh! I know now you’re very pissed with me... But believe me! If I have obtained what I wanted, it’s only because I’ve done a very wrong thing! That is to become what I’m now!”

Sakura jumped... Hearing those words. He... Had obtained that strength only behaving badly during his life?! But why damnit?!

Then... All the things that they taught her since she was young weren’t useful?!

“Obtaining strength and power behaving wrongly is the easiest way... But soon you suddenly repent to have obtained it in that way... Because you inexorably realise that you’ve lost a lot! Firstly the affection of who you had close to you... Or the scarce respect of who already considered you a monster since you were born...”

This last sentence was obviously referred to him. How she thought... After all he hadn’t had to have a happy childhood. Maybe monsters come out from the people’s evilness, not from fairy tales.

“Kisame... I...”

"Don't worry Sakura..."

She blushed, because in facts her thought had been relatively idiot during those last times.

To obtain strength at all costs?! For what?! For finishing like him?!

Silently she observed her “sensei” standing up and taking with elegance his sword, who was in the soil. Then, always giving her his back, he went by the river.

“If I’ve decided to train you... It’s because I see in you what I was... A boy full of hopes, but thirsty of strength! And I don’t want that the same disgrace who happened to me... Even happen to you... Sakura...

If you follow my teachings, you’ll obtain what you want in a honest way...”

Then he went into the water and vanished. With the fog, that usually surrounded their rendez-vous.

The girl breathed lightly, thinking about those last words. Because she was been really tempted to obtain strength with the easiest way.

But who could “save her” better than him, convincing her not to commit such an action?!

Who, if not a person already in the darkness, can understand the emotions that she had in her heart? Being able to “save her” from a possible catastrophe?”

There wasn’t nothing to do...

If Sakura wanted Strength... She had to follow the blue...