Grudges
Grudges
Sakura didn't have a hard time forgiving people. Despite some truly horrific betrayals—Sasuke, case in point—she had been able to forgive. Sasuke had come back voluntarily, and she was one of the first to thaw towards him completely.
Ino, however, was a different story.
They had both grown long past their teenage grudge over Sasuke, and become closer friends despite it, or perhaps because of it. In fact, there were very few things that Sakura refused to forgive.
The Chunnin Exams were one of the few.
Sakura refused to forgive Ino for the Mind Transfer Jutsu. Ino had sunk too low. She was essentially saying that the only way to win was to take over Sakura's mind. Sakura treasured the sanctity and security of her mind, and Ino had intruded. Trespassed. Violated it.
Everyone had assumed that a mixture of Sakura's fighting heart, defiance, and Naruto had thrown Ino out, but Ino—the lone one—had hit the nail on the head. Sakura had two spirits, and both despised Ino's cowardly action.
So when Ino had fallen in a mission, and was inches being killed, Sakura had done nothing. Ino's betrayal went deep. Too deep.
