Ino

Ino? What was she doing here? Ino was leaning against the desk lazily. Sakura shrugged.

"Lady Tsunade? You called for me?"

Tsunade cleared her throat and, as if it was planned ahead of time, Shizune suddenly closed the curtains over the windows, plunging the room into semi-darkness, and left the room in a hurry. Sakura could've sworn she heard the door lock as well. She turned back to Tsunade and Ino.

"Yes. Sakura. Ino here had come to me asking to be made my apprentice as well." Tsunade stated.

'What?! Ino be her apprentice?!' Inner Sakura complained. 'This is totally my thing! Typical Ino, trying to steal it!'

However, outer Sakura just gave a **** smile. "I-is that so? That's great."

Ino smirked at Tsunade's side. She stared directly at Sakura and moved ever so closer to Tsunade.

'Oh that bitch knows exactly what she's doing.' Inner whined.

Tsunade looked from Sakura to Ino and back to Sakura, as if she could feel the tension between the two girls. She squinted suspiciously "-Yes... it is.... However, I do not have the time to train two of you-"

Now it was Sakura's turn to smirk at Ino. No way was Tsunade going to give the position to Ino after all the hard work she put in. Ino seemed to think this too, as her coy smile dropped instantly. She looked down in disappointment.

"Th-that's too bad, lady Tsunade. I'm sure Ino will be able to find something else to d-" Sakura began.

"-so I have **** but to make you two compete or being my apprentice." Tsunade interrupted.

"Compete?" Ino and Sakura said in unison.

"Yes. I want to get started right away." Tsunade walked to the door and unlocked it. She flicked the lights on dramatically and the room was bright again. "Ino!" Tsunade barked suddenly, making the blonde girl jump. "As Sakura knows well by now, being my student means you have to do things you aren't always comfortable with with tenacity and vigor." Sakura nodded her agreement, remembering a particularly horrible time she had to learn about male anatomy. "This training competition will see who is willing to put aside their modesty-" Tsunade glared at Ino's leaning on her desk. "-and laziness to do what needs to be done in the name of being a medical ninja."

Once gain both girls nodded their understanding. Tsunade opened the door and stepped halfway out.

"I won't let you down Lady Tsunade." Sakura said, taking a step forward to follow her mentor, Ino quickly doing the same. They were stopped as Tsunade held up her hand. "You girls are going to stay here."

"What is the test?" Ino interjected, clearly a bit anxious.

"I'll explain it to you soon. You two can start by taking off all your clothes and throwing them out the window." Tsunade said casually. "I'll be back in an hour to check on you."

"W-wait wha-?" Sakura began, but she was cut off by the door slamming closed and the distinct sound of it locking again.

The two girls turned to each other. Ino spoke up. "Did she say to take off our clothes? Like all of them? Right here and now? In front of each other?"

Sakura could only nod, knowing this was absolutely something Tsunade would as- no, this was something the Hokage would order them to do.