"Well?"

I glared across the field at Ihaku, gasping for breath. I had sprinted all the way here, and that, coupled with the chakra exhaustion from all the practicing of the Kage bunshin meant I was extremely tired. I had forced myself to eat one of those strange chakra-restoring pills that Sakura made and brought to the training field where Naruto was training in his chakra nature with Yamato and Kakashi, but it only succeeded in making me feel slightly sick. I think it may have worked a little, though. Even if it wasn't quite worth that disgusting taste.

"You learnt Kage Bunshin, right?" he asked when I said nothing, expression clearly showing his distaste at having to be here, "I expect at least four clones."

I blanched- four?! The most I could successfully create was three, and even that was a struggle. What if I couldn't do it?

I frowned, hardening my resolve. I couldn't back out now. I wanted to get stronger and show this guy I wasn't useless- show myself I wasn't useless. If I wanted to ever move on with my life, I had to get stronger. There was no other option for me.

I formed the hand seals and focused on my inner pool of chakra, splitting off a much smaller portion, then another, and then another. I sweated as I struggled to split it again, but managed it, and finally forced it out of my body. The fourth clone spluttered and poofed out of existence before her feet could even touch the ground, and my eyes widened.

"Heh... guess you really are useless." Ihaku muttered, as I clutched at my shirt, eyes wide with the loss of the route to learning my clan's jutsu. He turned to walk away, and my frustration rose.

"Wait, damnit!" I roared, something inside me snapping in my panic as I formed the hand seals again, "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Chakra rushed out of my body in a flare of demonic power, both mine and Izanami's energy pouring into several hundred clones that filled the clearing and surrounded Ihaku. He stopped, staring at their angered faces while I gasped for breath and dropped to my knees. He didn't seem at all impressed, but did turn to me, and shrugged, sighing.

"Guess I'm sticking around a bit longer, huh..." he glared at me, "Well, you better not waste my time, Gaki."

I just breathed hard, glaring up at him in determination, "I won't lose and I won't give up, so you better teach me well, Jiji!"

"Well then, let's go." he said, "Up, and we'll begin."

"What? But-"

"No buts. You want me to train you? Give me a hundred push-ups." he ordered, and I glared.

"What?! No way, how is that related to ninjutsu?!" I demanded, and he folded his arms, a business-like expression taking over his face.

"A strong body makes a strong mind, and a strong mind equals better chakra control. 'Cause it's gonna have to be real precise for the Kinzokuton. You're never going to be able to use Asuka style with those weedy girl arms." he said, and I scowled.

"There's nothing wrong with my arms! I am a girl, after all!" I snapped, "And what's with that? Kinzokuton, kinzokuton, you keep going on about that! What is it and why's it so great?!"

He sighed heavily. "You really know nothing about the Asuka clan, do you?"

My expression was stoney- it wasn't like I had any choice. My Mother died before I could be taught. I lost it and killed her. It angered me that he would remind me of that.

"Well, it can't be helped, obviously." he folded his arms, annoyed, "Kinzokuton, or metal style, isn't exactly a kekkei genkai, but it is only used by the Asuka clan 'cause only we have the right kind of chakra. That doesn't mean any Asuka can use it, though. You have to have that kind of chakra, enough of it, and a strong enough will."

"Then how will I know if I have the right kind of chakra?" I pressed, and he sighed again, pulling a small rectangle of paper from his kunai pouch and crossing the clearing to stand just in front of me. He handed me the paper.

"That is chakra sensing paper. Push some of your chakra into it."

I focused, and released some chakra from my fingertips. Nothing happened. "Did I do it wrong?"

"Idiot, there's no 'wrong' way to release chakra into paper. You either did it or you didn't." he grumbled irritably, taking the paper from me again, "I had a feeling you'd have it. It's natureless chakra."

"Nature...less...chakra...?" I repeated, thoroughly confused, "Chakra has natures?"

"Just what have you been learning so far?!" he asked, losing it and thumping me on the head. I yelped and glared- he was acting like a male Sakura, except more angry and less fangirly. "Chakra can have one of five natures, earth, lightning, fire, wind or water! Some people have more than one, and few in the Asuka clan have none! It means we can use any jutsu nature, but ours are a lot weaker than those with a chakra nature, so our ancestors developed the metal style by some sort of shady method and here we are today. Now, push-ups!"

Ihaku's rushed, impatient explanation left many questions in my head, but he refused to answer any more and gave me no choice but to excercise until I pretty much passed out from exhaustion.

Over the next few weeks, the physical training was relentless, and each day I got home with my legs feeling like lead. If I ever complained, Ihaku only said that I could give up now if I was going to be a baby, but then were would I be? Somehow, those words were always enough to convince me to keep pressing on.

With all of the physical labour, you can imagine my surprise when that bloody redhead woke me up at four AM to start the next phase, holding a strange box that rattled with every movement like some sort of maracca.

"Up!" he growled, shaking the box over my head violently, the sound abrasive in my ear drums. Still very tired, I pulled my covers over my head, only to have them yanked from me and my body slung into the air. I landed painfully on what I presumed to be Ihaku's shoulder, and before I could catch my breath to protest he had marched with me to the training field. He then dropped me on the ground- after shouting many times "If you hit me again, so help me, I will drop you.". I probably should have stopped thumping his back at that point.

"Hey, what the hell?! I'm in my pyjamas!!" I exclaimed angrily, and he just threw some clothes at me.

"Just put those on and hurry up about it." he ordered, and I glared.

"Like I'm getting changed with you right there!!" I shouted, and he rolled his eyes.

"You've hardly got anything I'm interested in, little girl." he retorted, "And anyway, who're you calling incestuous?!"

"You even brought a bra?! Wait a sec- this is mine!!" I flushed red with embarrassment, "You went in my underwear drawer?!"

"-the hell?!" he spluttered, a slight red on his cheeks now, "Would you rather not have a freaking bra?! Shut up, who cares?!" he turned his back to me, fists clenched and ears red, "Ugh, you're so annoying, Gaki! Go die!!"

"You go die, Hentai-man!!" I screamed back, scrambling behind a bush to get dressed. I was still grumbling about his pervertedness when I returned central to the clearing. "I'm dressed."

Ihaku turned around, and we glared at each other for a while, before he finally sighed, muttering something about frivolous little girls with tiny brains. A tic mark throbbed on my cheek, but I let it go, wanting to get on with the session rather than annoy myself by wasting time arguing. He gestured for me to sit opposite him as he did so himself, placing the box on the grass in front of his legs. I sat warily, and he opened the box.

Inside were hundreds of tiny silver beads, and a strange pouch that looked as though it would carry senbon needles. I shuddered at the nostalgia, but looked up at my 'sensei' to distract myself.

"What's this?" I asked, curious, and he frowned.

"If you'd give me a chance, I'll tell you. Jeez." He snapped back. I scowled, but let him continue, "These beads are made of Ichiban-Muzukashi, the hardest metal in existence. You need to perfect your chakra manipulation to the level that you can stretch each of these into a single senbon. Once you have done that, put them in this pouch." he abruptly stood up, "I'll be back in an hour to check your progress."

"Wha- you aren't staying?!" I demanded, and he rose an eyebrow.

"No, I've got better things to do than hang around here watching you struggle. What, you want me to stay or somethin'?" he replied snarkily, and I glared.

"Like hell I do! But aren't you supposed to, I don't know, teach me?!" I exclaimed, and he smirked.

"No, it's better if you learn this way." he said.

"How?!" I snapped, and he shrugged.

"I've got a plate of sticky dango with my name on it, that's how." when my eyebrows rose incredulously, he smirked wider, "I didn't say it was better for you."

Then he vanished, leaving me to fume about his lack of involvement in my learning process. He hadn't showm me how to do it even once, or told me how to do it. He only said what I was supposed to get done- what kind of teaching is that?!

I pummelled the ground for a while to work off my anger, before deciding I would do this task, and complete it to an extent that would shock that annoying smirk right off Ihaku's face when he came back. I sat in seiza in front of the box-o'-beads.

I picked up one of the metal spheres and rolled it between my thumb and forefinger, wondering just how to go about this. I supposed that, since it was chakra manipulation, I'd probably need to insert my chakra into the metal, and shape it that way. But it was much harder than I initially thought.

Doing this, I couldn't help but wonder how difficult it must be for Gaara to merge his chakra with his sand when wishing to manipulate it. And to be able to do it on such a wide scale, too... My chakra just seemed to slide right off the edges. The metal's structure was so dense that my chakra just did not seem to fit inside it, so I was sweating just from the exertion of trying to force chakra into something that was already at full capacity.

With great effort, I managed to thread my chakra through the metal, and when I finally did, I cheered, throwing my arms up in the air. Then I cursed, realising my concentration had dissipated and therefore so had my chakra.

"Damn it!!" I immediately began the process again, then stopped, remembering what Kakashi had told Naruto when he was beginning his new training. Perhaps that method would work for me too- I mean, Sensei did say I had the largest untapped reserve of chakra that he'd ever seen. If it worked for Naruto, then it should work for me too, right? With less danger, too, since I'm already merged with Izanami and her good side was potent today.

I nodded to myself, hoping I would be able to reproduce as many clones as earlier. My hands formed the seals, and as I yelled the jutsu name, a hundred clones burst into existence. I smiled proudly.

"Okay, each of you grab a bead and get to work!" they did as I told them, and I returned my focus to the rounded piece of metal in my hand. I placed it between my palms and closed my eyes, brow creasing with the effort of pushing chakra into it, but it came easier doing it the second time. I knew the point of entry now, so I could weave my energy through.

I was aware that it had been way more than an hour- three and a half at least- when one of my clones finally shouted out in exultation. I quickly rushed over, forgetting that Ihaku hadn't bothered coming back, and she held out her metal piece in her hand. It wasn't much of a difference, but rather than the metal being rounded, it now had a slight, blunt point on each end. So, sweaty and dishevelled, pretty much dead on our feet, but we had made some progress.

"Everybody watch as clone 74 does it again!" I commanded. She placed the metal on one palm and placed the other over it, with a slight gap. I could see the slight blue haze as she focused her chakra, and then slowly pulled her upper hand vertically away from the other. The metal stood on point on her bottom hand, and began to stretch.

"Woah... that is cool..." I mumbled, a few other clones, whispering in awe along with me. I shook myself -so that I wouldn't start drooling at the thought that eventually, doing something like this would be second nature to me- then turned to the other clones.

"Okay! You saw what she did, let's go again!" I exclaimed excitedly, dashing back to my place to get started again.

We continued with no signs of stopping, and I managed to stretch the bead a little, and that was great, no matter how sweaty I got doing it. It wasn't until my stomach growled that I realised how late it had gotten, and I laughed to myself.

"Guess I do need food after all..." I mumbled, "Heh, I could've been like one of those cliché sparkly vampires out of that book Sakura likes..." I bared my teeth as though I had fangs, then burst out laughing. 'Still,' I thought as I stood, 'I better get something to eat and then go home and have a shower.'

"'Kay, everyone put their metal back in the box!" I waited for them all to do so, then dispersed them. Suddenly, I felt a hundred times more tired, as though ten tonnes of weight just piled on my back. My knees staggered, and I dropped. I frowned in confusion, struggling to keep my eyes open, but I failed, passing out.

When I woke again, I was back in bed, a strange but familiar scent in my room. I frowned, inhaling, trying to pin it, then sighed relaxedly. It was a nice smell, and comforted me for whatever reason.

Then I bolted upright, recognising the scent and realising why it was all over the room.

"Oi, Gaki, what're you doing?" Ihaku demanded, hanging lazily from my bedroom window, "You were supposed to be at training two hours ago."

"What..?" I mumbled, then flared up, "Don't you complain at me! You were supposed to come back yesterday, but you never did!"

He seemed surprised by the level of my anger, but glared at me anyway, "I did, but you had already passed out and were being carried away by some weirdo..." his voice faded out, and I glared at the ground.

"Fine. Let's go train." I hissed, cutting him off mid-sentence, then standing up. He just frowned at me, then shrugged in an 'I-really-don't-care-about-your-teenage-girl-problems' kind of way. The redhead leapt out of the window, and I followed, but my mind was elsewhere.

Just what was that bastard Sasuke trying to do by coming to the Leaf?

- - -

*lifts eyebrows* oooohhh, Sasuke has been stalking Sachi a bit, maybe? XD

Welp, vote, comment, fan, those things that people with heads and shoulders and bums do. Yhyh.

P.S. Also check out this pic that @JocyMacias found for me. It looks so much like how I imagined Sachi initially that it's untrue... before I decided that she was gonna merge with Izanami and have white hair in Shippuuden, that is. Enjoy, and thank you Jocy for finding it for me! :D  http://i41.tinypic.com/153ww8p.jpg