A Dose of Venom
is the second entry in Androgyninja's Mithridatism series, following A Drop of Poison. As such, there are naturally Late-Arrival Spoilers for the first story to be found below. Tread carefully.
After Sasuke made it all too clear just how little he cared about "civilian-born" ninja like herself, Sakura set out to prove to the shinobi world just what she was capable of. And her efforts have paid off... perhaps a little too well. For while she's certainly gained their attention, not everybody is pleased by her progress. And even those who support her may be focused more upon her worth as a weapon than as a person.
She even earned some regard from Sasuke, but... in a way that made it painfully clear that he still just didn't get it. He didn't understand. Neither did Naruto, for that matter.
...But what does that matter? Both are gone now, off on some mission she wasn't invited along for. Team Seven has splintered apart, and Sakura continues her quest to prove herself... and maybe figure out just who she is along the way. Maybe.
This fanfic contains examples of:
- All for Nothing: Played darkly when Inoichi reprimands Ishino for illegally Mind-Walking Sakura, as he complains that the violation didn't even turn up anything useful.
- Armor-Piercing Response: Kakashi warns a bunshin of Kabuto that they're still considered to be a traitor to Konohagakure. Kabuto just laughs, declaring "Oh, but it was a traitor to me far before I became a turncoat. Loyalty is a two-way street, is it not?"
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Inoichi pulls this off in Chapter 7 when Sakura's memories blur for three seconds during his Mind Walk interrogation. He notices that Sakura's left thumb is broken, remembers that no such injury has been reported, and deduces that she broke her own thumb to cover something up. He further realizes that she had no opportunity to do anything treacherous for those three seconds without pre-planning that the evidence and her memories don't support, and correctly realizes that she's hiding a jutsu she's not supposed to know (the Mokuton).
- Blaming the Victim: As Ino notes in Chapter 8, Sakura being targeted could be used to "justify" her being reassigned somewhere to put her out of sight and out of mind.
- Bothering by the Book: Shizune swiftly makes clear to Danzo that he cannot intimidate her. If he wants to speak to the Lord Godaime, he'll have to make an appointment rather than barging in and demanding an immediate audience.
- Brought Down to Badass: Thanks to overusing the Mangekyo during the Konoha Crush attempt, Shisui has been rendered temporarily unable to use his Sharingan at all. This doesn't prevent him from taking more missions in ANBU and proving himself to be just as dangerous as ever, "special eyes" or no.
- Bullying a Dragon: Ishino has a very unprofessional interest in Sakura after her actions at the Chuunin Exam. Somehow, he never considered that she might find a way to break free from his mind-walking technique as well.
- Butterfly of Doom:
- Sakura's efforts to get recognized have been rewarded by promotion to chuunin rank, but have also earned her enemies hidden within Konoha itself who are implicitly willing to sabotage her career.
- Thanks to their match actually happening inside the arena, Shino gets promoted alongside Shikamaru and Sakura.
- With Obito and Madara Killed Off for Real, the worst of the Kirigakure civil war doesn't occur and Mei Terumi takes over as the Fourth Mizukage rather than the Fifth.
- The Chains of Commanding: A snippet of Shikamaru's time as a chuunin reveals he has to live with the burdens of command, including getting his client and one of his teammates killed.
- Child of Two Worlds: In the wake of the Konoha Crush and losing her parents, Sakura finds herself straddling the gap between civilians and shinobi, keenly aware of how she is no longer accepted by the former but is still considered an outsider by the latter.
- Conditioned to Accept Horror: Sakura admits to Ino that it bothers her more that she isn't bothered by the fact that she's killed fifteen people than the actual deaths themselves.
- Conflicting Loyalty: Inoichi may be a loving father who sympathizes with Sakura's circumstances, but he's also the head of the Yamanaka clan, who largely despises Sakura after she managed to break out of their signature technique during the Chuunin Exams. He also has to balance this with his loyalty to Konoha, especially after realizing that Sakura is hiding something about what happened during the ill-fated mission to the Land of Hot Water.
- Disproportionate Retribution: It's heavily implied right from the get-go that Sakura has made enemies who are more than happy to see a promising young chuunin dead simply because she happens to come from a civilian background.
- Divided We Fall: Even with Konoha fighting to recover from the Konoha Crush attempt, there are still people within the village who are more concerned with sabotaging Sakura's fledgling career.
- Establishing Character Moment:
- The shinobi tailor Akio Sehei immediately asserts himself as a judgmental Jerkass when he denies Sakura service due to the tattered state of her attire, criticizing how she hasn't tried to get the blood out of it yet.
- Kazaze Chitage, Sakura's new team leader, takes her aside in order to warn her that she won't be able to account too much for how Sakura was recently promoted, presenting herself as somebody who tries to take care of her team... before advising her to replace her dress, unaware of its significance to her.
- Sakura's therapist Ishino quickly establishes himself as a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing as he asks her several leading questions, then forces a Mind Walk on her against her will.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Downplayed. Sakura isn't really happy that Genma recommended her for chuunin without consulting her, but accepts his explanation (remaining a genin would have left her vulnerable to being forced out of the shinobi forces entirely) and expresses intent to continue under his tutelage, even if she doesn't quite forgive him.
- Flipping the Bird: Karin flips Kabuto off after he remarks that he brought her lunch just to ensure that "our favorite blood bag is well nourished."
- Foil: Tenten's status as one for Sakura is further expanded upon: It's revealed that Tenten's parents were also civilians, but died before she was old enough to retain any memories of them, growing up in one of Konoha's orphanages. Like Sakura, she considers herself to be the Only Sane Man in her team, and is intent upon proving her worth to the world despite believing that there's nothing particularly special about her.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Played With; after Tenten learned about the Caged Bird seal, she made quite clear that she didn't consider this to be an acceptable excuse for how Neji was treating her and their team. However, getting it out in the open did help them start to understand each other much better.
- Hourglass Plot: In A Drop of Poison, Ino was envious of how Sakura had grown closer to Hinata, Kiba, and later the rest of Team 8, while their former friendship remained strained despite how Sakura was no longer pursuing Sasuke. Now their circumstances are flipped: Sakura and Ino have started repairing their old bond while her connection to Team 8 has been strained by the fallout of the Chuunin Exams, with Ino positioning herself as a blockade between Sakura and Team 8 much like how she'd previously seen them as an obstacle.
- How We Got Here: Seen in Chapter Six: "Ask Me A Question, Look For The Lie", wherein Sakura is interrogated about the results of their latest mission, cutting back and forth between said interrogation and the events leading up to it.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Tsunade needs some booze trying to negotiate Konoha's new position with the other ninja villages.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: Iwana Shimura alarms Sakura by noting that her parents died in the Konoha Crush, something she never disclosed. They try to play it off as overheard gossip, but Sakura doesn't buy it.
- Insistent Terminology: Shizune makes a point to refer to Tsunade as "Lord Godaime" when speaking about her with Danzo, in order to emphasize that Tsunade is the new Hokage and thusly his superior and should be treated as such.
- Internal Reveal:
- In Chapter Three, Sakura learns that Kabuto betrayed Konoha after Ishino Mind Walks her looking for information about the med-nin.
- In the same chapter, Ino learns about a lot of what Sakura has gone through, including her fifteen kills and the deaths of her parents.
- Chapter Five reveals via Flashback that Neji has informed Tenten and Lee about the Caged Bird Seal and how the Main House of the Hyuuga uses it to control the Branch.
- Jerkass Has a Point:
- Subverted with Akio. While he clearly thinks that he's got ample reason to critique how Sakura hasn't taken the best care of her clothes, he's completely ignoring the fact that Konoha is currently recovering from the Konoha Crush.
- While the rest of Ishino's evaluation is invasive, out of line, and probably illegal, he makes a salient point about how Sakura has taken her restored friendship with Ino for granted and hasn't really made a genuine effort to reconnect with her. Sakura doesn't contest this, and confides in her after the Mind Walk.
- Laughing Mad: When the Konoha gatekeeper asks Sakura what happened to her squadmates (they're all dead, one by her own hand), she responds with unhinged laughter.
- Mind Rape: Happens when Ishino forcibly enters Sakura's mind, attempting to find any memories he can use to paint her as potentially traitorous.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Ironically enough, Ishino encourages Sakura to make more effort to reconnect with Ino, which bites him in the backside given how enraged Ino is to learn that he used their clan's techniques to hurt her friend.
- Oh, Crap!: Shikamaru can't quite hide his reaction upon seeing that one of Sakura's new teammates is related to Danzo Shimura, quietly and discreetly pointing out their name to her.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Tsunade is genuinely thrown off when the traditionally isolationist Kirigakure sends out feelers for an alliance with Konohagakure.
- Pensieve Flashback: The Mind Walk jutsu allows the user to physically enter someone else's memories. It has been used twice in the story so far:
- In Chapter 3, Ishino Yamanaka illegally uses one on Sakura to investigate her acquaintance with Kabuto.
- In Chapter 7, Inoichi Yamanaka uses one on Sakura, who is being investigated for possible treason and murder after she killed one of her squadmates on a mission. His investigation confirms her story, thankfully.
- Plot Parallel: Sakura's conflict with Akio in the opening chapter effectively recreates her central conflict in miniature. The tailor immediately rejects her based off initial impressions, writing her off as "clearly incapable" and showing No Sympathy for her circumstances. Sakura then resolves to prove her independence by gathering the materials she needs to do the job herself, impressing him enough that he agrees to help... but only on his terms, showing how Sakura's work is only beginning.
- Psycho Psychologist: Sakura runs afoul of Ishino Yamanaka, a "therapist" who lies to her face about Mind Walks being standard evaluation techniques and then forces one on her when she refuses to consent.
- Put on a Bus: At the end of A Drop of Poison, Naruto and Sasuke left for Mount Myoboku, taking them away from Konoha for the time being.
- Rage Breaking Point: Tenten hit hers with Neji when she and her teammates were separated from Gai during a terrible storm. As they huddled together in a cave, Neji declared that "I can't die here. Not like this. Not with you two," causing Tenten to finally snap and demand to know "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He responded by revealing the Caged Bird Seal to both of them.
- Rank Up:
- Along with Shikamaru, Sakura and Aburame Shino were promoted to chuunin in the wake of the Konoha Crush.
- After the aforementioned Konoha Crush, Akasuna no Sasori becomes the Godaime Kazekage.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: Discussed in Chapter 8; Ino notes that all of the recent incidents surrounding Sakura might lead to her being posted somewhere outside Konoha, such as on a border patrol.
- The Resenter: During a secret-exchanging session, Ino confesses that she fears Asuma still resents being saddled with Team Ten, noting that he's tricked them more than once and might choose to do so for something other than a Secret Test.
- Rule of Symbolism:
- Despite being personally recommended by one of her mentors, Akio refuses to serve Sakura, criticizing the disrepair she's allowed her civilian-made dress to fall into. This reflects how she isn't fully accepted by either shinobi or civilians, being judged by their closed-minded misconceptions.
- Sakura's problems worsen after an ill-fated mission to the Land of Hot Water. In other words, she's metaphorically in "hot water" with Konohagakure.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: It swiftly becomes clear that Sakura has made enemies who are fully willing to use their position to screw with her, starting with her gear allocations being sabotaged while she was away.
- Scylla and Charybdis: Discussed when Genma explains to Sakura why he and her other mentors pushed for her promotion. Sakura notes that becoming a chuunin makes her "cannon fodder facing even bigger threats" than before; he acknowledges that she's correct, but staying a genin would have given others even more authority over her... including those who disagree with her remaining a shinobi at all. Making this a matter of deciding whether it was worth forcing her to face more dangers in the field in order to protect her from enemies within Konoha itself, or leaving her a genin and more vulnerable to sabotage.
- Sherlock Scan: Played With; Akio judges Sakura harshly based off the poor status of her attire, pointing out how she hasn't even bothered to wash the blood out of her dress and dismissing her as yet another example of a "ninja brat" who doesn't know how to take care of her clothes. This is rooted just as firmly in his own personal biases as his observations.
- Skewed Priorities: Played for Drama; despite how the village is struggling to recover after the Konoha Crush, there are still some who consider it more important to undermine Sakura's growth as a shinobi and potentially cause her death.
- Sole Survivor: Sakura ends up being the only survivor of her mission to the Land of Hot Water. Three of her comrades are killed in an ambush, while Iwana Shimura attempts to destroy a scroll they retrieved and is killed by Sakura when she refuses to cooperate.
- There Are No Therapists: Averted while also being Played With: Psychological evaluations can be made mandatory, and Sakura is ordered to undergo one. She privately notes that the building is right next to the Intelligence Division, with its neighbor serving as an unspoken threat. Making matters worse is that her assigned therapist is a Yamanaka, making their interest in her strictly less than professional.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Shikamaru observes that his new chuunin team goes on missions regularly enough that he'll have to start getting up early, much to his understated dismay.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Played With; Karin and Kabuto frequently bicker and snipe at each other in order to help conceal the fact that both are plotting against Orochimaru.
- We ARE Struggling Together: The divide of distrust between Konoha civilians and shinobi makes the rebuilding efforts in the wake of Sound and Sand's joint assault all the harder, with people from both sides not respecting or wanting to work with each other.
- Weirdness Magnet: Ino notes that incidents such as the upset showing against Neji and an entire chuunin team getting wiped out tend to plague Sakura, even if she's not at fault.
- Wham Line:
- During an ANBU mission, Shisui finds a profile containing information about him, coupled with a damning note scrawled upon it that reveals exactly what the people gathering this intel were after: Potential host.
- In Chapter 8, Tsunade reveals that Kirigakure has approached them for an alliance, much to the shock of all present.
- With Friends Like These...: Invoked by the title of Chapter 8, which features the Running Theme of various friendships and alliances, touching upon Sakura's relationship with Ino and Team 8, Tsunade contemplating a potential alliance with Kirigakure, and a bunshin of Kabuto delivering valuable information to Kakashi. This could also specifically refer to Inoichi, who appears to be on Sakura's side, but remains a Wild Card due to his Conflicting Loyalty.
- With This Herring: Played for Drama. Sakura is twice told that her allotted gear for the month has been claimed already despite her not actually claiming said gear, meaning she has to make do with what she's got plus handouts from Iwana. She justifiably assumes that someone high up is screwing with her in order to derail her career. Ultimately, it takes the head of the Yamanaka clan personally intervening to deal with the sabotage.
- You Owe Me: Defied. Iwana tries to convince Sakura to destroy a scroll they were ordered to retrieve by reminding her that he'd provided her with gear; however, Sakura makes it clear she's not willing to commit treason for him.
