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"To be successful at anything you don't have to be special. You simply have to do what most people are not. Consistent, determined and willing to work for it."
Found this and thought about our special kunoichi, who put so much of herself on the line, that hasn't been explored yet.
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CHAPTER 57: Trembling glass
Cracking was all that could be heard.
The sound of stone threatening to crumble and to take down as much as it could with its misshapen mess as its final act. A fortress that appeared to be made of fine marble, patterned with carvings that would make you stand still for more than a minute to admire, but far more solid than the appearance would dictate. The smallest particles, which were once part of such magnificent structures, were no more than an unsightly pile of rubble that continued to build and create more of an unsightly display. The floors lay littered with objects that shone brightly against the light, dominated by silver and gold. A single figure strolled through the debris as if all were well, no fear, no concern, absolutely nothing but determination in each footstep, in each stride, making its way to the goal. It was as if engaging a force of nature; it wouldn't be stopped.
A soft voice let out a rather heavy sigh, "My, my, my, look what you have done." There was a sharp click of the tongue, with exaggerated distress. "My dungeon is barely standing; you must have been in quite the rush to get to the treasury if you're willing to destroy most of it. Care to explain why?"
Green eyes, like emeralds, shimmering and hard stared back into unique purple eyes, fading into blue and. Then, taking a step back, observed the figure, a djinn with hair that was as bright green as a clear waterfall. Horns accessorized with ivy and jewels peering out of the hair, curled downward and reaching the being's cheeks, barely touching, ears pointed with earrings hanging from them. Wearing a simplistic toga that covered but did not hide everything as it was translucent, although much still couldn't be seen as the flesh was covered on one side, there were black markings that covered nearly the entire half, revealing some skin in between with spiral patterning here and there.
"You really should be more considerate of someone else's home." The djinn stared down at Sakura, whom she placed at eighteen. "I don't believe you are incapable of speech. At least introduce yourself."
Despite the obvious attempt to coax the girl into talking, she was not giving an inch; if she was going to be moved, it was going to be under her own terms and not the mighty, stunningly elegant female djinn who hovered above her in every manner of speaking.
"It's common etiquette to give your own identity before asking someone else's."
The corner of the djinn's lip curved upwards, her eyes dancing in amusement. "I am Orias, the djinn of transmutation and stability. Now who exactly are you, my wild little human?"
The pinkette stared blankly back at the djinn, "Sakura Haruno-your king."
It was in that moment, after that statement, that Sakura wondered-no, recollected-what had brought her to this point, how she had come to this at last, to the final moments here. Going throughout this year…
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..
..
"Good morning, Sakura-sama."
That was the routine greeting that occurred every morning when Sakura entered the Pharmaceuticals research department, by more than three dozen people. This department was run by Sakura and her team of specially selected employees from the Sindria Company. After Serendine's harsh exit almost half a year ago, Sinbad didn't have to do much to convince Sakura to take in more employees to assist and expand the company's branch in Pharmaceuticals. As most of Sakura's products had been increasing in demand and were also in need of new production, that meant more workers in the department aside from Sakura.
There was a problem, though. Because no one had the advanced medical training behind them as Sakura had, she basically started from scratch with a selection of employees. So she had to handle their training on her own and in a short amount of time. Sakura had to find time in her extremely tight schedule to do that. She first had to find and organize reading material for potential co-workers. That alone took up a lot of her evenings as she crammed three months of material into one month and compiled it into readers for the applicants.
After that, she had to create several written tests based on the relevant reading materials, and another month went by. In that she had lost more than half of her applicants. She had deliberately made the first test extremely advanced for the purpose of rooting out those who were determined to do their jobs right. The Pharmaceuticals department needed employees who were alert, thorough, had sharp minds, and were patient because, out of all the other departments in Sindria Trading Company, Sakura's was the most liable. If defective goods from that department were handed out to the public, the damage could be irreversible.
Those who made it through the written part of the evaluation then went on to the practical tests, which cut down the number of applicants again, but not as much as the written test had. Being pressed for time had put Sakura under pressure to train as many workers as she realistically could. The upside was that Sakura, already having been in the position as the applicant's years ago, was able to make the best decision and had ended up with more employees than expected for the first recruitment.
Now she was working with a substantial number of employees under her. She had been able to leave them to create the current products while she continued to create new ones and improve on others.
After the first group of employees was appointed, the department for Sindria's Pharmaceuticals was expanded. Along with the increase in workers, there was an increase in workspace. The room they operated in was large enough to accommodate all the necessary equipment, employees, and products. Despite the new space, it was quickly transformed into a larger version of Sakura's previous workspace and obtained the previous attributes. Including the strong herbal smell.
Sakura began her routine checkup, going around the different areas to inspect. There were separate areas for the different types of products produced, ranging from herbal medicines to food pills and anti-venoms. While Sakura was making her rounds at the different tables, going through several charts and doing a bit of quality inspection, a young woman, with tanned skin, shoulder-length dark hair, and hazel eyes, came up to Sakura holding several folded scrolls neatly in her arms. She held a neutral expression as she went over to the pinkette, not the least bit deterred by the tower of parchment covering most of her upper body.
"Good morning, Sakura-sama."
Sakura smiled back at the girl, "Hello, Aisha."
Since the first test, Sakura had found Aisha to be one of the most promising applicants and had a certainty that she was going to make it to the end of the training, and she did. She had been determined to make it into the new department, and Sakura found out why immediately after she was hired. Aisha had heard of Sakura's medical abilities and was looking to expand her knowledge in the medical field as more than just a pharmaceutical developer but as an actual physician. And she wanted Sakura to train her.
Although Sakura had taught the new recruits how to create medicinal products and such, she hadn't taught them how to properly administer them or any other form of medical practice that would qualify them as physicians. The reason for this is that it would've resulted in a much longer training regimen that they did not have time for. Sakura explained this to Aisha several times, but the girl would not let up and was as persistent as she was determined. So Sakura had agreed to begin training her, although it couldn't be full-time. By far, all she did was give Aisha some separate material to study and a few general first aid practices, but she was going to move on to more advanced training with her at a later date in the year.
When Sakura had given Aisha an entire long list of readings to do, she almost felt sorry for the girl when her face fell at the large stack that was arranged for her. It took Sakura back to a time when she was training under Tsunade, and the woman had given her nearly an entire library to read, which took nearly three months to complete. However, Sakura was impressed when the girl managed to make it through the first month and decided to seriously take Aisha under her wing.
Therefore, Aisha had become Sakura's assistant.
"Things seem to be in order. What do we have for today?" Sakura asked as she walked to the door on the other side of the room, which led to her office.
While she still shared an office with Sinbad and helped him, it was barely half of her day since most of it was taken up with this new department. Thus, she and Sinbad were kept separate for a good portion of the time.
"We're a bit behind on making the food pills for today's shipment, and we're not sure if we're going to be able to fill in all the orders. We don't have enough hands in that section. That, along with the teas, is in high demand. The other medicines will definitely be finished on time."
Sakura crossed her arms. Despite the current compilation of employees, orders continued to go through this department, and it was still difficult to keep up with demand at times. Especially at a time like this, when Sindria Trading Company was pushing new projects with the most promise.
"Alright, um, which sector would you say doesn't need as much attention for today?" Sakura asked, walking to her desk that sat with scrolls and paper standing tall and waiting for her attention, while most of her office walls were occupied with shelves. Despite the stacks of work, Sakura continued to keep her office orderly so she wouldn't end up losing any important documents. Something both she and Sinbad had learned a long time ago not to do when you are running a company.
Aisha barely thought for a moment before she responded equally. "The anti-venom shipment is only due in two days, so I suppose that would be the right sector. However, they are still in demand. Heliohapt and Cartago are in the Dark Continent, which has an array of poisonous animals and plants that were without an antidote until you began making them, Miss Haruno."
Sakura drew in a large breath and exhaled, then pinched the bridge of her nose until an idea came to mind. "Alright, take off half of the staff from the anti-venom section for the food pills. If we're behind, I'll just finish up myself before the shipping dates. Keep me up to date on progress; I'm going to try and perform a miracle over here and finish all of this today." Sakura directed Aisha's view to the piles of paperwork. "I've also got some new ideas for products that I'm going to start on today, but until I can confirm which have a possibility of being valid, can you make sure-
"That no one outside of the department hears about it, or you'll have to stay up all night figuring out the product like last time." Aisha finished, turning back to the door.
"Thank you, Aisha." Sakura waved as the girl left her office. Sakura reached for her quill and began on the first scroll….
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..
As the hours went by, the stack on Sakura's desk lessened, even though she knew there was another desk that was probably doing its own piling. She had been using shadow clones for days now, and at a certain point, she had to draw back and give herself a brief resting period.
After completing most of the documents for the day, Sakura went to her own table set on one side of the office with all of her own personal selection of herbs and equipment for personal use and experiments. No one else was allowed to tamper with her work. Currently, she was brewing a very foul-smelling concoction. It was meant to stiffen and settle into a cream substance to relieve muscle pains, but the smell was almost too much to stand, and because it was currently being heated, it would remain in liquid form until left to settle.
"This should do it," Sakura said to herself, waving her hand over the fumes, feeling tingling in her overworked hands. The small fire, set on the table, was boiling the mix and creating steam. Taking a glass jar that stood alone with several other containers, she brought out three Roka seeds and threw them into the mix before stirring with a stick. Sakura found that the seeds sweetened bitter-tasting medicines and neutralized the smell.
Once the smoke faded, she stopped and set the pot on one side of the table. Going back to her desk to complete her work.
'It should be ready tomorrow.'
Then Sakura heard the distinct sound of wood shifting, then glass breaking, several voices growing in panic, and immediately rushed out of the office to see what had happened.
Following the pointed stares at one of the sections, Sakura saw a man on the floor, curled up and clutching his arm tightly. There was a visible spot of dampness on his clothes, mixed with red, and there was also a strong smell in the air that burned her nose.
"What happened!?" Sakura demanded, kneeling down in front of the man to pull him up, lifting him easily and setting him against the wall, away from the mess.
Aisha appeared beside Sakura hurriedly.
"He slipped and fell into the shards. The bottle contains poison for one of our anti-venoms!"
"What poison?" Sakura placed her hand on the man's damp forehead before forcing his mouth open, none too gently, and shoving her fingers inside, all while keeping a composed expression. She then started removing his top to get a better idea of where exactly the wound was and saw several small shards of glass stuck in his arm, splattered with blood, the skin turning a sick navy blue.
"A black-striped bat spider, I believe. The venom is fast-acting." Aisha informed.
"Get me some clothes now."
One of the onlookers ran and returned quickly with a dry wash cloth, in an instant, when it was handed to Sakura. She ripped it to create a ribbon and tied it tightly on the man's forearm, just above his wounds.
"Aisha, grab my tweezers and make sure they are clean. Also get the anti-venom for the poison."
Aisha immediately went to do as Sakura had instructed, but then she called out. "There isn't any anti-venom made yet! We won't be able to make one in time to save him!"
There were worried mumbles all around, but Sakura silenced them with a firm raise of her voice.
"Enough!"
Frowning, Sakura took the tweezers from Aisha when they were handed to her and started to quickly remove the glass shards. The purple blotches of skin made it easier for Sakura to see the shards. Sakura didn't look back at Aisha as she called on her again.
"Aisha, go to my office and look in the back shelves; there's a jar of green liquid without a label. Pour that into a bucket of water and bring it here now."
Without question, Aisha rushed into Sakura's office. Sakura listened to the man's breathing, which was growing heavier but more constricted. Aisha called for everyone who had gathered around to step back as she came through with the pail of water.
"Alright, now I need help holding him down."
Three other co-workers stepped forward quickly, crouching down to restrain the man's weakening form, holding down his legs and arm.
"Get ready."
Sakura placed her hand over the liquid solution, her hand glowing with chakra. As she drew it back from the bucket, nearly half of the liquid in the pail had followed, following her hand and held beneath her palm as if floating on its own. Sakura placed it over the man's arm. Using chakra, she pushed the liquid into his skin, through the tissue.
Closing her eyes, Sakura started to gather the poison from the cells and muscle tissue, gathering as much as she could since she would only be able to do this once. Using her chakra to draw the poison into the liquid like a conductor. She then withdrew the liquid and as she did, the man started screaming and withering with what little strength he had in an attempt to get away from the source of pain. Soon enough Sakura had managed to withdraw the poison. She placed her hand back over the pale. Stopping her chakra and allowing the bubble to drop into the bucket, taking on its round shape once more, now filled with blotches of purple in it.
Sighing, Sakura stood up after instructing the workers to take the injured man to rest somewhere else in the room while she went over to the table where the glass had been dropped. She told someone to clean up the shattered glass and to make sure they wore gloves while she quickly made an antidote.
Aisha watched the pinkette from behind while she started the anti-venom. All while keeping a calm demeanor.
"Tilt your head back," Sakura instructed the man softly, lifting his chin while pressing her thumb down to open his mouth. She placed the cup to his mouth and poured the antidote into his mouth before quickly sealing his mouth to ensure he swallowed all of it.
"Okay, good." Sakura placed the cup to the side and put her hand on his shoulder. "You're going to be just fine."
"Thank you, Haruno-sama."
..
..
After properly healing the wound, Sakura gave the worker the day off and took over the shift instead, even while she had plenty of work to keep her busy. She had already cut the number of workers for the day and gave them the job of getting that day's shipment done on time. Which they managed to do. Sakura, on the other hand, remained behind as she did most days while everyone else's shifts ended. That was in the late afternoon, at the end of sunset.
When Sakura was able to return to her office to finish the paperwork, she found Aisha waiting for her.
"Is something wrong, Aisha?" Sakura asked, stepping over to her desk and sitting down.
Aisha stood in front of the desk, appearing to forcefully hold herself as straight as possible. "Sakura-sama, will you teach me that technique?"
Sakura raised her eyebrows, leaning against her hands on the desk. "Technique?"
"The one you used to extract the poison." Aisha clarified.
Sakura realized she was referring to one of her medical jutsu and sighed, "Aisha, that isn't possible."
Aisha frowned, "But you know I'm a quick study; I won't take up your time! I'll learn fast."
"It won't matter," Sakura said, holding up her hand when she noticed the girl was ready to protest once again.
"What do you mean?"
"I cannot teach you certain techniques because they are only applicable to me." Sakura shuffled some papers around on her desk and found some reports to finish before going to see Sinbad to deliver documents that required his signature. "You may go, Aisha."
The girl still had some fight in her eyes, but she saw the way the pinkette had clamped herself. She wasn't going to explain any more to her than that, and she was already behind on her work because of the incident earlier that day. Aisha bowed her head in respect and left.
Although most of the members of the Sindria company were aware of Sakura's odd abilities. It was seldom that anyone had asked about them. Even Sinbad hadn't been persistent in finding out about her list of skills that were beyond normal human abilities.
Thinking back to today, Sakura couldn't help but smile a little. It had been a while since she used her healing abilities for any reason. For a moment, she felt like something had come back to her, and even though it was fleeting, she appreciated getting a taste of it.
"You seem to be in good spirits now, my king," Beleth observed.
"Which is strange considering the mountain of work standing on your desk." GAAP chimed in.
"Exactly, so why are you smiling?" asked Sitri
Sakura opened her mouth, wanting to reply out loud since she was the only one in the faculty now, but then an image flashed, and Sinbad's voice sounded within her head.
"Let it go."
Her face fell, and she turned back to her work, looking for distraction.
'It's nothing.'
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..
Sakura stared blankly at her reflection as she brushed through her hair, mixing in the oils she had to set in so that it would keep her hair straight instead of having its usual wild tinge and sharp ends. A while back, she had stopped caring to really keep her hair compared to when she was twelve because it was too much of a hassle. Hence, she preferred her hair as short as possible. Though Sinbad had continued to argue with her about growing her hair out, she gave in.
While preparing for bed, she told Sinbad about the day's incident with the accidental poisoning. Because of that, she hadn't been able to hand in her reports for the day.
"It's okay, you can give them in tomorrow," Sinbad said, coming up behind her. He took the brush from Sakura's hand and started combing through her hair himself. He really enjoyed the feeling of brushing through her hair and running his fingers through her growing locks. So far, her hair was barely at her shoulders; it grew very slowly. "I'm just glad you were there to help; who knows what might have happened to him if you weren't."
Sakura made a soft humming sound in response, resting her hands in her lap. Relaxing as she felt the brush run through her hair. It was a different sensation to have someone else do small things like this for you. Especially when it was Sinbad. And for a moment-she was able to forget everything.
"How are things going in your department? Aside from the occasional poisoning?"
After chuckling at the dry joke, Sakura answered. "Everything's on track; it's still a bit of an effort to keep up with market demand since there's been an increase in orders, but it shouldn't be a problem."
"Why don't you just have another recruitment evaluation?" Sinbad chided.
Sakura frowned, "Sinbad, another recruitment evaluation would mean I'd have to sort out reading material, tests, practicals… It's a lot of work."
"Have some of your current members help you," Sinbad suggested.
Turning her body sideways to face Sinbad, Sakura shook her head. "They are still getting accustomed to their positions; they aren't able to train new recruits yet. They've only been working for a few weeks. Don't worry about production; I can get things done."
"I know," Sinbad sighed. "It's just that construction on the island has been going very well; in fact, they're ahead according to reports, so we might end up leaving sooner than expected. So before then….
"You need me to pick someone to take over the branch here with enough employees because the department is going to split." Sakura finished, understanding.
"Exactly, and the Pharmaceuticals are making good money and showing potential for increasing profits, but once we move, you're going to be busy there, and you need someone who can take over for you."
Holding her chin, Sakura thought about the situation. Depending on how much time she had left, she would most likely only be able to perform one more recruitment.
A large portion of their profits went towards the island's expenses; Sakura even put up the rest of her dungeon treasure to help with the payoff. Renovation for the island was also a high cost in itself, and there was the palace, which was being built from the ground up.
"Alright, I'll start working on the second recruitment tomorrow."
Smiling, Sinbad gave Sakura a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, Sakura."
Taking her hand, Sinbad brought Sakura to her feet and began leading her towards the bed. The pinkette took a final glance at herself in the mirror, her hair swaying lightly and peaking from behind her shoulder.
The lightest bristle of disdain overcame her, like the brush of a feather before it was gone.
"You liar."
"Please…."
"Liar…."
She reached out towards him. "I'm sorry."
"Liar."
Her voice was soft as she pleaded, barely a whisper, but the desperation was evident on her face as she attempted to grasp the figure. "Forgive me..."
"LIAR."
Pushing the covers frantically off of her, like it was a weighted net crushing her body, Sakura sat up quickly. Her chest rising and falling in quick, heavy heaves, her body wrapped in a cold sweat. Barely aware of the morning sun shining through the open window. She couldn't see it, though; she couldn't feel the warmth; she felt cold. Even after her breathing had regulated, she felt like she might stop altogether.
It was always the same. The same nightmare, the same setting, the same montage, and it always left the same bitter aftertaste in her mouth that stayed with her for hours. Making it difficult to eat despite her hunger, to swallow anything despite her thirst. It was as if her body was torturing itself.
The only spontaneous thing about the nightmare was that it didn't appear on a loop; it was sudden, unexpected, there on some nights and gone on others.
Shoving away the rest of the covers, Sakura prepared herself for the day. Rushing to get out of the room and to work where she could distract herself for the longest time possible.
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-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter (107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113)
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-Through the Looking Glass chapter (56, 57, 58, 59)
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