Space to Breathe - [ Sakura Haruno ]

CHAPTER 28

Ibiki was surprised as a small scorpion appeared in front of his office door, a scroll almost twice it's size strapped to its back.

The small creature crawled up his desk before it disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Ibiki couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as he picked up the scroll.

He hadn't expected a message from Sakura so soon, but he wasn't about to complain.

Opening the scroll, he began to read.

______________

Ibiki-sensei,

I know I've been gone less than a month, but I wanted to fill you in on my progress with my training, and let you know of the development caused by Kakashi's gift.

After we arrived I began training to both further my Kenjutsu and began my Earth Release training.

So far, I've masted the Dance of the Crescent Moon and a couple Earth Release Ninjutsu. It was difficult at first, but I got the hand of them eventually.

The development I spoke of is that Kakashi actually gave me a fantastic gift, and I wanted you to thank him for me.

He gave me a storage scroll containing over three hundred technique instructions. Many of them are useless, and a number of the Water Release Ninjutsu inside I have already mastered, but I have already made use of it within my Kenjutsu, learning the Samurai Sabre Technique from the Land of Iron.

He may have been a terrible sensei, and I have still yet to receive an "I'm sorry" from him, but he is a good comrade, and I would appreciate if you could deliver that message to him for me.

Other than my own progress, the rest of our team is doing well, also.

Shino is working hard in our Kenjutsu studies and Nanako is making progress in one handed seals. Masato is already better than me at medical Ninjutsu and both Kiba and Hinata are working to improve their abilities with clan techniques.

The mission itself is monotonous and dull, but recently it has become batter. The head samurai of the Daimyo's guard occasionally joins Shino and I for Kenjutsu spars and a few others have followed suit. I haven't learnt much from him directly but he is skilled, and practicing against various opponents is helpful.

Hinata and Kiba have been doing routine perimeter and interior scans of the Daimyo's residence three times a day, and we have yet to find anything of danger towards the Daimyo's life.

Shino and Masato have both been taking turns to stand guard at the gate, and Masato's sensing range has improved quite substantially for it. Shino's insects have gotten better at avoiding the rain thanks to this too. It is surprisingly wet in Mountains country.

Nanako has been helping me with my training, since she herself is skilled with Earth Ninjutsu, and it has helped a great deal. Her skill with her ninja wire has also improved incredibly, something I thought impossible after her showing in the chunin exam. Honestly, I think she'd be a harder fight now than she was during the exams, even without Ninjutsu. Especially now that Masato has helped her tattoo her summoning contract onto her arm, so she can perform the technique without seals.