(A/N: Play music for more effect.)

"Sakura, take Tazuna away from here!" Kakashi yelled, grunting as he dodged a poorly thrown spear.

She nodded, and snatched the wrist of Tazuna, pulling him forward harshly.

So this is what happens when a mission goes wrong, Sakura thought. This is what happens when you are not prepared. However, unlike my incompetent 'sensei', I am always prepared.

Two of the mercenaries are following. You can either fight them now, and risk the chance of more coming...

Or I can lead them away, and pick them off. They should not be any stronger than the Demon Brothers. Those two were only Chūnin, which I am far more advanced and superior.

"Pinky," the bride builder said nervously, "two of them're coming our way!"

"Hn." Had Naruto and Sasuke been there, the blonde would have yelled in protest, and the dark-haired boy would have smirked and called his friend an idiot. Instead, they were resting from chakra exhaustion as a result of climbing trees all day the previous one. "According to my calculations, you weigh..." Sakura turned briefly and scanned her charge. "200 pounds. I weigh about 90."

It was true. She was scrawny compared to the rest of her class of genin, and many of the girls asked her what her diet was, so they could be like her. Sakura did not understand why her small frame was so desired. She had asked Ino Yamanaka, who had told her it was 'all the rage' to be thin.

If there was one thing Sakura could change, it wasn't her pale skin that never seemed to tan, nor the abnormal freckle on her eyelid, but her form. She deemed her body to be physically weak, and in return, could not develop into the shinobi life she was created for.

With weights, however...

Wordlessly, the small genin let go of the older man's now red wrist, and unclipped her weights from her arms and legs mechanically. She tied her hair up quickly, seeing that it had fallen from the usual ponytail. Sakura stretched her muscles and then, taking Tazuna by surprise, flipped him over her back like a sack of potatoes.

Taking one more look over her shoulder and only seeing one hired soldier, she deduced that they had split up to catch her and the man she was currently holding quicker. As predicted, more men had shown up, both on her left and right.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Yes, Lee, my youthful little genin?"

"I have watched you spar youthfully with others, yet in a rare occurrence, when they managed to land a blow on you, it does not affect you whatsoever! Tell me your secret, Sensei! Is it that the power of youth?"

Sakura, along with Neji, listened in newfound interest. Gai chuckled. "Unfortunately, Lee, you can't perform the technique because it requires chakra."

"Oh." The spandex-clad boy frowned, frustrated that he still couldn't tap into his chakra.

"However," The man said in a brighter tone, "It is always beneficial to learn new things, right, Sakura?" He looked over to Sakura, and she nodded quietly in response.

"It is beneficial to know what you may someday be up against."

"Exactly!" Both nearly identical student and teacher beamed at her with mega-watt smiles.

"Right..." Neji covered his eyes from the radiant light that had come from his team. "But how do we do it?"

Gai smiled even bright, delighted his quiet student had spoken. "Easy! You focus chakra around the part you're protecting!"

"...So it may operate similar to a cushion," Sakura muttered, and closed her eyes in concentration to the bottom of her feet, or more precisely, the calcaneus, where the majority of her weight was supported. She also focused on the tibia and femur, as well as the lower spine, all places that aided in holding her up.

Green orbs reappeared as her eyelids snapped open, and with a running start, jumped off the bridge. When her feet left the handrail, Tazuna gave a loud yell, signifying his distrust in the girl and his anxiety.

The fall, Sakura knew from the bridge builder himself, had a 15 metre drop, or roughly 50 feet. As soon as her feet touched the water, she bent her knees to lessen the amount of momentum from her fall, but still winced when she felt a sharp sting in her ankle. Immediately, she knew.

Ignoring the protest of her aching bones, she shouldered Tazuna once again and broke into a sprint. I miscalculated. Perhaps I have overestimated my skill as well. Had I not been dawdling with others while 'training', this incident could have been avoided. However, there is no use in complaining now. I must devise a flawless plan, this time, without imperfection.

The whole time, the man she was carrying figeted, causing Sakura to snap, much like her ankle. "Refrain from moving," she snarled, and he stopped, surprised by her outburst. The pinkette quickly recovered the emotionless facade, and continued running across the water, her eyes like a hawk's, piercing her surroundings for her prey.

Deciding it would be better for her to fight off the mercenaries while she had her charge run away, Sakura headed for land. "You must seek shelter while I fight," She explained, setting the man on his feet. The old man only nodded wearily, and jogged slowly to a shed near the pier, next to a few boats.

"Well, well," a dark, sinister voice mused after half a minute of silence. "Looks like the old man left the little...genin to fight me!" A tall, lean figure emerged from the suddenly manifested mist.

"I am more than a mere genin," she stated, hand in her kunai pouch, ready to spring at any moment, trying not to give away that she was injured.

"Ohoho, I doubt that...Konohagakure, right?" Sakura heard the sound of a blade being pulled from its sheath. "It just so happens I have a score to settle with your village!"

Sakura lost her cool for a second. Will we see this happen again? If so, when?

Will we see Sakura's special powers?

If so, when? If not, why?

FIGHT SCENE! Who will win?!