One week later. Akatsuki hideout (Top secret location). Sakura has made vast advancements in the art of poisons and her strength has given her a lot more power when it comes to swinging her scythe. Tenten has learnt Explosive Style and has just arrived back at the hideout, carried in by Deidara when they arrived in the morning. He had stayed up all night to make sure that Tenten didn't fall off, and was now zombie-esque and needed to sleep.

"So, crazy guy, ya gonna take back your pest?!" Deidara screeched. "I gotta sleep, so ya better teach 'em something and not just leave them to us like you do with the cleaning up, yeah?!"

Hidan merely rolled his eyes. "It's one shitty week with you, then one with me, then one with another member, and so on until every member has had a week and then I'll train 'em full time for a while and release them as full-fledged Jashinists, kay?"

Deidara merely grumped and went to his room. "And Tenten, good job on getting your upgrade. I swear it'll help, today's the day." He yelled over his shoulder and left. 

Sakura was kinda confused about what upgrade that was, but she didn't enquire. She felt so much stronger, as though she were actually doing something, making leaps and bounds into the unknown, becoming stronger than Sasuke or Naruto. 

"So Tenten-chan, what did you learn this week?" she asked excitedly. "I learnt a great deal about poisons! And I've gotten a lot stronger without chakra, plus in my alone time I've cultivated all the techniques Tsunade-sama taught m-"

"Tsunade?" Hidan interrupted. "That bitch? Ugh, never wanna hear her name again. Wanted to sacrifice her, she'd be great, but she got away."

Ignoring Hidan, insulting her former master, she turned to Tenten, and asked, "What did you learn?"

Tenten knew how excited Sakura had been. Sure, Sakura hadn't gotten the double scythe, but after a while it had seemed fine. But now with this new news that Tenten had gotten a basic understanding for art, Sakura would definitely be dispirited, maybe sad, or feeling lost. But sooner or later, Tenten would have to tell Sakura anyway...

"I learnt a bit, but it's still not great. Deidara's a great sensei when you agree with his opinions in art." Tenten said, not lying outright but not exactly telling the full truth either. 

"Cool," said Sakura, "And what are we learning today, Hidan-sensei?"

"First I'll check up on how you bitches are doing. But today, we're not learning. We're doing. I'm going to pit you against each other, and whoever wins this battle will get a rather good prize, if I do say so myself. Let's get going."

He turned and started running. Tenten leapt after him, and Sakura followed quickly. He led them to a clear patch in the forest, where he told them to stand in the center. He jumped into the forest, and preformed hand seals. Then, bam, there was a barrier around them, circling the whole clearing. Hidan whistled, and all the Akatsuki members circle around the circle barrier which circled the circle of a clearing in the forest. All of them were here to see this special event. Hey, they didn't get much entertainment besides the ordinary missions and killings and Jinchuuriki-captures. Konan and Pein sat in the back, watching like hawks while all the other Peins sat shrouded in darkness. Hidan took a front row seat to watch the bloodshed, and Kakuzu was just glad that he didn't have to spend any money, so he just sat wherever. Tobi couldn't make up his mind and switched from place to place with more energy than all the Akatsuki combined. Zetsu couldn't make up his mind - the front row for gore or the middle for the ability to move wherever he wanted in case he didn't want to see gore - so he sat in the front-middle-ish. Sasori and Deidara were excited to see what their students could do, so the front became pretty loud. Itachi sat at the back with a crow perched on his shoulder. Kisame sat in front of Itachi, but pretty close by. 

Soon, all were ready to see the carnage that the two kunoichi would - hopefully - provide. But Sakura and Tenten just sat there. 

"I'm not fighting her!" Sakura yelled. "You crazy motherfuckers!"

But curiously enough, Tenten didn't say a thing. She merely looked up, eyes dramatically darkening. 

"Why not, Sakura? It's just a test." She grinned. "Nothing will happen. Besides, do you really think the Akatsuki would let us out of here without some fighting?"

Deidara shifted nervously behind Tenten, hoping for the best. Sakura stared at Tenten. "You.. you would attack me?"

"Why not, Sakura? I thought we'd come here to get stronger, so much stronger. You've got incredible healing powers, you'll be fine. I'll be fine too, I'll beat you."

Sakura pondered a moment, confused at Tenten's change, then shrugged internally, and attacked. She swung her huge, heavy, one-scythe at Tenten, with a lethal poison whose only antidote Sakura had. Tenten easily jumped out of the way, almost with contempt. She reached for her scrolls, but Sakura leapt right over to Tenten, scythe sweeping through the air so fast that it whistled, nearly catching the edge of Tenten's hand but she did rip the page that Tenten held. So close, yet so far. 

"Summoning Jutsu!" Tenten cried, and bam, there was a light brown bag slung over her shoulder and her scythe, which she hadn't had before, was clutched in her hand. "Hey Sakura-chan, think that poisons can defeat-" here Tenten broke off a second, glancing Deidara's way, and both chorused, "TRUE ART?!"

Putting one hand in her light brown bag, she grabbed a handful of clay, and a distinct smacking or chewing sound came from the bag. Confused, Sakura stopped and stared. Her direct and powerful attack stopped, and for a second the clearing was silent except for the chewing from the bag that Tenten had her hand in, and the occasional squeal from an energetic, orange-masked shinobi. For a solid ten seconds, those were the only sounds in the circle. 

Then Tenten pulled her hand out of the bag, slowly and dramatically. She opened her hand. Flipped it upside down. Let go of whatever she was holding. It dropped. Twenty tiny spider-like creatures crawled on paper-thin legs, slowly approaching Sakura. Sakura's eyes widened. An upgrade. Deidara. Hands in her mouths. She's giving up herself for power... Power? That's what I want. But why don't I have power? I know. I need to work harder. I need to defeat Tenten and then I need to learn more useful skills. What do I have? Tenten has Explosion Style. I've got a poison who's antidote only I have. So use this. 

Sakura grinned. Tenten hadn't been the only one to learn. She - Haruno Sakura - would win this, if she could. She'd do this like Naruto, except that instead of fighting for friends who eventually betray them, like Sasuke, she'd fight for herself. Let's see who will win - Explosion Style or poisons. 

___

Continued next time, yay, cliffhangers.