Kushina sat cross legged underneath a tree as she breathed in and out. She felt each exiting gust of air tumble past her lips and with a sigh she opened her eyes and stared up at the sky.

Leaning back on her hands, she thought about the voice from before. It had been a week since she had last talked to whatever was inside her head and her mind was as silent as ever, leaving her to wonder if she had just imagined it because, really? An inner? Who was she, Sakura Haruno?

Maybe, she reasoned, just maybe she had been too stressed out due to all the training. Maybe, just maybe, her brain had cracked under the pressure and created a split personality to give her a pep talk and - UGH!

Tugging at her red hair, Kushina scowled. There was no way she had not heard a second voice in her head! She wasn't crazy enough to be hallucinating! At least not yet!

If what - or rather who - she thought was trapped in her head, was actually in her head, she was in for a wild ride. Kushina wondered how guilty she would end up feeling when she managed to verify that it was indeed the canon version of herself who was stuck in her thoughts.

So now the only question was, where did it - she? - go?

Did it take energy for canon!Kushina to communicate like that and by doing so, had she used up the bit of it she possessed?

Was she trapped in her mind or something, like the fox was trapped in the seal?

God Kushina hoped not.

Deciding she would get no answer anytime soon, she focused back on the task at hand. Chakra control.

Grimacing at the pile of burnt ashes in her lap, she brushed them off and tried to recall what her mother had told her.

Chakra took time and a great deal of training to gradually build up, so the key was not actually having chakra, but being able to sufficiently control and conserve it. Everyone had chakra - which was evident or they wouldn't be alive - but only skilled shinobi could correctly mold and manipulate it to its fullest extent.

Moulding chakra involved the extraction of energies from both the body's cells and the mind's consciousness, then mixing them together within herself. The amount of each energy will differ based on the type of technique she wished to execute.

Now her problem was that she tended to create too much or too little chakra for any given technique, resulting in the chakra being used inefficiently. So even though she was able to mould the chakra in the correct jutsu position, she couldn't get the amount right. Meaning the desired technique, if executed, would not be as effective or wouldn't work at all.

And when she overshot the amount of chakra in the technique, it wasted energy. And wasting energy also created weaknesses like early exhaustion, which would - if she weren't an Uzumaki - hinder her capacity to fight long-term battles.

There were three primary exercises she could use to practice control. The forehead leaf thing, water walking, and the tree climbing technique. Seeing as how her mother wouldn't let her near water or up a tree until she could rest a leaf on her head without zapping it, the other options were a moot point.

So perseverance was the key to this, that and patience.

Placing another leaf on her face, she let out an annoyed sigh.

"This is gonna take forever!" She complained to the empty garden as she wished for some company.

Stupid chakra exercises.

Falling into step with her katas, Kushina turned to look at the other red headed girl beside her and she frowned at how good Michiko was. She wasn't jealous but she was pretty sure Michiko had just started learning those moves. And Kushina knew that the other girl's parents were taijutsu specialists but still, shouldn't she be better than her?

Kick upward, hook leg behind into a roundhouse, fall into horse position and ease foot behind the body.

"Why are you here?" Kushina questioned, with a grumble in her voice as she spared the girl another glance.

Step forward with a punch, heel in the air, send it downwards, shift weight.

"Because this is what friends do." Michiko answered shortly, coming out of her own aerial aerobic like katas. Said girl began to circle an invisible opponent with her hands out in front, fingers splayed wide. "Friends train together."

"Friends, of course," The young heiress said rolling her eyes. "How about I ask another question instead, what are you doing?"

Michiko halted and shot her a look. "Senkai buyō."(1)

There was a pause and a moment of disbelief.

"That's a three levels higher than the one I'm doing." Kushina said after a beat of silence. "So why are you doing it?"

Sweep the ground with a foot, flip away, land in a crouch and move into a handstand.

"What do you mean why? It's what leads up to learning the official clan fighting style." She asked perplexed and Kushina rolled her eyes.

Deciding that she couldn't have a proper conversation while flipping all over the place, the future jinchuuriki stopped her katas and turned to face Michiko.

"I know that, I've seen my parents practice it." Kushina said, falling into a cross legged position. "But why are you learning it, isn't it really advanced?"

At her words a blush seemed to spread across Michiko's face and she was intrigued. Now she had to know.

"Are you gonna tell me or not 'ttebane?" She inquired raising a brow and the other girl nodded.

"Well," Michiko coughed with a red face. "You're doing a lot of really good things and getting stronger, and I uh...didn'twanttobeleftbehind!"

Staring blankly at the girl, Kushina furrowed her brow. Wow, what a motor mouth.

"I didn't quite catch that," She hummed leaning forward a bit. "Want to repeat it for me? But this time louder?"

Michiko nodded once again before she took a breath, opened her mouth, and was as she promised, louder.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT BEHIND!" She yelled and Kushina flinched minutely. "You already know fuuinjutsu-"

Kushina snorted. "Hah, I wouldn't go that far."

"And learning chakra control-"

"And look how well that's going."

"And if I don't step it up, you'll find someone better to be friends with!"

For a minute, all Kushina did was stare before she shook her head in exasperation.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard Michiko." She said bluntly ignoring the girl's flinch. "I didn't even want to be friends with you, so why in the world would I go be friends with someone else?"

"Um, well-"

"And also," She interrupted. "I think it's unnecessary for you learn something because or for me. Do it for yourself or not at all, I don't like codependency."

Michiko looked crestfallen and Kushina sighed.

"But I'm flattered." She said. "You're a good friend, dattebane."

Now Michiko seemed relieved.

"But I still want to learn and not just because of you." She insisted. "I don't want you to get too bubble headed without anyone to challenge you."

Kushina smirked. "You have a long way to go then, just do you know.'

"Not really." Michiko chirped. "Don't think I've forgotten about what you said earlier. Not good at chakra control, and okay with seals? I'm halfway there already and I didn't even have to do anything."

Kushina glared blue daggers at the gaily laughing girl, wishing her eyes were real knives.

"You know what Smarty McSmartMouth? This will be the last time I do say anything uplifting for you."

"Aw you know I was kidding." Michiko smiled. "Right Shina-chan?"

"Don't be so familiar peasant."

"OI!"

1 - The whirling dance. This is one of the fighting styles I'm giving the Uzumaki. It's similar to capoeira.

Michiko was less annoying here but I really like her. She's a kid so yes she's gonna act like a kid. I hope you guys don't hold her childishness against her (but it's cool if you do lol).

Also if you like Star Wars go check out my Star Wars SI-OC called A Force Users Guide To Dealing With The Darkside (And Also Sith Lords).

Oh yeah, and pretty soon I'm gonna publish a Teen Wolf SI-OC who's gonna be Cora's twin sister.

Show of hands, who caught the chapter title song reference?

Edited: 4/30/16