Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

A/N: Enjoy

Song: Say it Now by The Afters. Good song to listen to when reading this. This is the video I was watching to help me with getting this written. You should watch it! www. youtube . com watch?v=ge4AJ2ybVE8 (If you want to find it put a / between com and watch. It erases every time I try to put it there.)

Non-massacre

"Talking"

'Thinking'

What No One Saw

Chapter 1

Sakura plastered on a fake smile that no one ever saw through. Her team greeted her and they went to the training field. She went through the daily routine of training with them, being her usual cheerful self as she didn't measure up to her teammates during training.

How could see ever possibly measure up to them?

She never really thought about it until after the Chūnin exams, but she was really nothing compared to them.

Their training sessions were a daily thing, unless they had a mission, and they were pure torture for her. Not that anyone knew. She had the perfect façade of a cheerful, innocent girl. No one ever saw the pain radiating beneath the surface.

How could anyone possible notice her pain when they were much too focused on her team?

Perhaps she should explain.

Sakura Haruno was a thirteen year old girl, a Genin of Konoha. She had shoulder length bubblegum pink hair, which everyone thought she prided herself in. Her eyes were the brightest emerald green she had ever seen, even more vivid then her father's. She had flawless white skin. Then there was her forehead. Ever since she was young, it had been larger then normal, which got her teased merciless by the other kids. Everyone thought she only cared about how she looked, that her appearance and getting the attention of boys was her goal.

But truth be told, she hated everything about her appearance, from the pink hair to her large forehead.

Her pink hair was bright and stood out. It was not a color a ninja should have. It stuck out so much and drew unwanted attention to herself and the blue headband in her hair. When they saw that blue headband, she saw the disbelief shining in those eyes. She could tell what they were thinking.

How could this little pink haired girl be a ninja?

Then there were her eyes, so bright and full of life. Whenever she looked at the picture of her team, she saw her eyes and compared them to the rest of her team. Her teammates' eyes didn't smile, weren't full of life, and were full of hardships. They were dark and shadowed, while she was the odd ball out with the bright vibrant colors of her hair and eyes, though Naruto came close to her with his brightness of blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and his orange clothes. But, the pain radiating from Naruto still existed.

What was she compared to a team full of people who had faced hardships since they were children?

Then there was her skin, flawless as can be. She never had a pimple before and there was not a single scar littering her body. It was flawless, smooth as butter. The only roughness of her skin would be on her hands from her countless training, but no marks marred her skin. She's seen her teammates' bodies. They were littered with scars, either from training or missions. And yet hers was not decimated. All of them were ninjas, yet she didn't have a single scar.

And then there was her forehead. It was large and stood out as much as her pink hair. It was what caused her confidence to go flying down as a child. Ino saved her and helped build her confidence, but the insecurities still resided in her heart and mind. Nothing could help her escape from this pain.

Compared to her team, she was nothing.

Her looks were the only thing she had going for her, and she absolutely despised them.

She knew she shouldn't be comparing herself to her teammates, but she just couldn't help it. Ever since she became a Genin, all she could do was watch her teammates' backs. She watched as they walked farther and farther away from her.

Her teammates were amazing, strong and confident. She could never hate them, bad mouth them, or say she wished to leave them.

She didn't need to.

They were leaving her.

Her team, since she became a Genin at twelve, consisted of Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and their leader, Hatake Kakashi.

At first she was extremely happy with this team, but things change.

People change.

Sasuke Uchiha.

What could she say about him? He was simply amazing. Ever since the Academy days, he had been strong and proud. Maybe too proud, as it was hard for him to submit to teamwork when he thought he didn't need it. Sakura couldn't blame him. He was the second heir of the Uchiha Clan. Ever since young, he has been undergoing strict training to become an amazing and powerful ninja one day. He was already way ahead of Naruto and Sakura by the time they became Genin.

Still, even though he was proud, he became a close friend and teammate. He really cared for his team, and was maybe a bit protective of them. He was an awesome tag team with Naruto. Those two were best friends by now and could read and understand each other with a simple glance. They knew what to do in a fight and trusted each other to do it.

Then there was Naruto Uzumaki.

To put it simply, he was the Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja of Konoha. When he first became a Genin, he was always loud, impulsive, and didn't know when to hide and when to fight. He wasn't at Sasuke's level, but he was still strong and had amazing chakra levels, if the amount of clones he made were anything to go by. Unlike Sakura and Sasuke, he was an orphan. His parents died shortly after he was born.

And as she just recently found out, he had the nine-tails sealed within him. It was sealed in him shortly after his birth. Sakura almost cried hearing that. She couldn't believe that Naruto had to go through such a thing. He was so nice and caring. He didn't deserve that, but it also helped her to realize that was why everyone in the village despised him. He was the Nine-Tails, but Sakura wouldn't judge him on that. Like Sasuke once told her, she didn't understand the hardships he and Naruto were faced with. While Sasuke was a clan heir with pressure pushed on him to succeed and become great, Naruto was an orphan who struggled on his own with no family to guide him.

Then, there was their leader, Hatake Kakashi.

Perverted. That was the first thought that came to Sakura's mind when she thought of Kakashi. But despite that, he was a strong and loyal leader to his team. He taught them teamwork and to never leave a friend behind. Though, he may not always be there when they need him, he is a trustworthy man. He just disappears in missions sometimes to test them. They all know he will not always be there so they have to learn to be strong without him around. But that didn't mean he wasn't watching. He would watch them in missions when he left to jump in if things ever got too much for them.

He was a legendary ninja. They called him Copy Ninja Kakashi. It was said he copied over one thousand techniques. He was not a part of the Uchiha Clan, yet he had a Sharingan in his left eye, which he kept covered unless in a dangerous fight. Kakashi was a great and caring leader, but Sakura noticed one flaw with him.

He didn't believe in her. She noticed it during their training. He was more focused on helping Naruto and Sasuke, and no matter how much she thought about it, she just couldn't blame him for it. No matter how much she wanted to push the blame and say it wasn't her fault he didn't teach her like boys, she couldn't.

Of course almost all of his attention was focused on the boys.

She saw it. Kakashi saw it. Sasuke and Naruto saw it. Everyone in the village saw it.

She was nothing.

She really understood nothing.

It's why she hates looking in the mirror so much.

She was on a team of legends.

First was Hatake Kakashi. He was a legend before they were even born.

As for Sasuke and Naruto? They were legends in the making. One was the second heir to the Uchiha Clan and the other was the Nine-Tails. They were both extremely powerful, strong, brave, and loyal. They never failed when they put their minds to something.

What was she compared to them?

Nothing.

Sakura Haruno.

She was not the daughter of famous ninjas like her teammates. She was not from a clan. There was no one to train her outside of the academy.

All she was, and all she'll ever be, is a little girl, daughter of a civilian couple, pretending to be a ninja. There was just no point in trying anymore.

The attack on Konoha during the Chūnin Exams proved it.

Kakashi fought off multiple Sound Ninjas.

Sasuke and Naruto fought Gaara together, efficiently saving Konoha when they defeated him, even though they lost their Hokage in the attack.

And what did Sakura do?

Absolutely nothing!

She needed saved!

What the hell kind of ninja is she if she only ever needs saved?

After the Chūnin Exams, everyone began to look at Naruto in a new light. They still did not like him all that much, but it was a start. Everything was beginning to change. Her team was acknowledged for doing so much to save the vil–

No.

That wasn't right.

Kakashi. Sasuke. Naruto.

They earned recognition for saving the village.

What no one saw was that Sakura just trailed behind them, head bowed. It was always like this. Not seen, not acknowledged.

Not that she cared to be acknowledged by the village. The only acknowledgement she desired would be from her team that she was strong and could defend herself.

It was a dream of hers.

A very impossible dream that she knew she would never see come true.

And now, their newest Hokage was Tsunade, having been found by Naruto and Jiraiya.

And now, today was the last training Team 7 would have in a long while. Naruto was leaving the village for special training from Jiraiya. Sasuke was leaving as well for training with Kakashi.

They were leaving Sakura behind in the village to watch their backs as they walked even farther away from her.

When they first told Sakura, she had smiled brightly and told them to train hard and that she would be waiting for them, like always was left unsaid.

What no one saw were the tears glistening in her eyes.

What no one saw was the way she hid her hands behind her back as they closed so tightly around each that if it wasn't for her gloves, her nails would have cut into her skin.

What no one saw was how fake her usual cheerful smile was.

What no one saw was how quiet Sakura was as the boys talked excitedly about their special training.

Sakura was nothing.

Why did she ever become a ninja?

It was only natural for her to stand at the gates to watch the four leave the village for who knows how long. Naruto gave her long, strong hug, which Sakura returned just as viciously, desperately wanting to say something, anything, that was clouding her heart, but she held herself back. She would not let her friends leave knowing that slowly and surely Sakura's heart was breaking.

Sasuke gave her a few words and a smirk, not much because they were never close. It was probably because Sakura once had a crush on him. The crush died along with the pain aching in her heart. She did not deserve Sasuke or anyone, not with how weak she was. Like it matter, he would never care for her or think of her as a close friend like he did with Naruto and Kakashi. A daughter of civilians was way too beneath his radar.

A nobody like her deserved nothing or anyone. She would just drag someone else down with her.

When Sasuke moved over to his brother to say his goodbyes, Kakashi came over to her and ruffled her hair. Sakura gave him a bright smile in return. It took all her willpower to keep the tears from appearing. She would not say goodbye with tears pouring down her face.

Kakashi's hand strayed in her hair longer then it usual did. Emerald eyes blinked up at him, wanting to show confusion, but only portrayed emptiness. She knew that no matter how hard she tried to hide it that Kakashi would see it. He was a trained veteran. In a moment of weakness, her wall broke for a moment before it was quickly back up and her eyes were sparkling once more at him. Sparkling with tears, but neither of them would say it was tears that brought the sparkle back.

The Jōnin looked like he wanted to say something, but after a moment, it disappeared and his hand disappeared from Sakura's hair, making her feel even lonelier then before.

Watching the backs of team walk away from the village, Sakura thought that she now understood what Sasuke said about her not understanding the hardships and pain that he and Naruto faced. As they walked away, Sakura's heart shattered into a million pieces. Her boys were gone from the village, leaving her behind in the village to remain safe because they all knew the truth.

She would not be able to keep up any type of special training.

She was not strong.

She did not have the amazing chakra levels they did.

She would have just been in the way.

She should have stayed as a civilian. It would have made her less of a burden.

And then maybe, Naruto and Sasuke could have gotten a teammate who didn't drag them down. Gotten a teammate that didn't weaken them and mess up missions.

When they were almost out of sight, Naruto turned around and waved to Sakura with a huge grin that radiated so brightly that Sakura could see it from this distance. The girl halfheartedly waved back.

When they were gone from sight, Sakura spun around on the spot and ran off down the street, tears pricking at her eyes. Why did she ever become a ninja? What could a little girl from a civilian family possibly hope to accomplish as a ninja?

*Tsunade*

It was such an annoying task. Team 7 had just left the village today for their separate special training, and that left Tsunade tasked with going through their files before putting them on leave. She didn't want to accidentally try to put the team on a mission. Leafing through the records of Team 7, Tsunade paused on the file of the only girl in the team. She had briefly met the girl at the hospital when she was visiting the boys, but she had no idea she was on their team.

Sakura Haruno.

Looking down at her smiling picture, Tsunade felt her lips tug into a smile. The girl looked so cute and innocent. It was hard to believe she was a ninja.

As she looked through the girl's file, her smile turned to a frown. The girl was from a civilian family. Now, Tsunade had no problem with the girl wanting to be a ninja. Her problem was the team she was placed on. Who in their right mind would put a civilian couple's daughter with the legendary Copy Ninja Kakashi and an Uchiha heir and the Nine-Tails. The group was destined to be legendary. They were all going to be really strong and famous, except for this girl. She had no bloodline, no special Justus, extremely low chakra levels compared to her team. There was not one thing special about her.

Compared to her team, she was nothing.

She should not have been placed on that team.

So, why was she with them?

*Sakura*

It wasn't until she reached the familiar training ground that Sakura stopped running. She fell to her knees, turning her face to the sky. Green eyes glared through her tears at the bright, clear sky. Oh, how desperately she wished for it to be raining right now. She wanted to have ice cold rain hitting her skin. She wanted to let the rain drown her in her sorrows.

Her throat constricted painfully as she tried to keep the tears in her eyes. She didn't want them to be pouring down her face. Tears drenched her eyelashes, but she still refused to let them slide down her face.

Being on Sasuke and Naruto's team was no longer a dream. It was a nightmare. Why, of all teams, did she have to be placed on that one? Why couldn't someone else have taken her place? A weak little girl like her had no place on a team full of future legends. All being on that team did was show her how truly pathetic she is. She tried to act all grownup and smart, like she knew everything, but she knew nothing.

Until now, she truly had no idea of the pain and pressures that Sasuke and Naruto went through. Until now, she had no idea of how it felt to be left behind. She saw it from the moment of their first mission outside the village. She saw them getting ahead of her, but she tried her best to keep up.

It never worked.

She was not meant to catch up to them.

They had each gone their separate ways outside of the village with strong teachers, and she was left here with no one. No one was going to train her. No one wanted to waste their time on her, a pathetic waste of space.

By the time Naruto and Sasuke got back, they would be so powerful.

She would be completely left in the dust.

She should just quit.

*Tsunade*

Tsunade leaned forward, planting her elbows on the desk and locking her fingers together so she could rest her chin on them. Her eyes continued to stare at the profile of Sakura in front of her. "Team 7 was destined to be great. They were to be legends, all except this little girl. It was cruel to put her on that team." She murmured to herself, staring at the picture of the girl. Her team had just left the village today, leaving this poor girl behind without a teacher. She probably already felt insecure when with her team, because they were already so strong. They were leaving her in the dust, leaving her to remain weak. "This girl will break."

Tsunade closed her eyes, but she still saw the girl's picture in her eyes. "And when she does, she will either rise from it and grow into a strong, determined, proud girl who will be a legend." An image of the girl, fallen and beaten with no one by her replaced the smiling picture. "Or she will break from this and never be able to get back up. She will be completely destroyed. If she breaks from this and cannot rise from it, not only will her life as a ninja have been destroyed, but also a life of being a confident woman in the future."

*Sakura*

Sakura yanked her headband out of her hair, staring at the stupid thing. The past thirteen years have just been wasted on her trying to be a ninja. She should have known better. A child from a civilian family wanting to be a ninja? It would never work. Why didn't she listen to her parents and decide not to be a ninja?

It was a fool's dream to think she could ever make it.

Her hand gripped the headband tightly as her arm fell limply to her side. Ino was right. It was a miracle she ever passed the Genin exam. There was nothing special about her. The only reason she was alive now was because Sasuke and Naruto always protected her. She couldn't do anything for herself.

Sakura wasn't sure how long she kneeled on the ground, staring blankly at the sky. And, guess what, she didn't care! It no longer mattered. It's not like she had anything to do anymore. Her team was gone, along with the only people she could ever train with. There was no way for her to get stronger after this.

Not like it matter.

No matter what she did, she never got stronger. No matter how hard she tried, she would always be below her teammates.

Hard work would get her nowhere. She tried to work so hard, to train as hard as her teammates. It did nothing. She didn't have the skill, the strength, the stamina…the harder she tried, the more she knew she was working herself into an early grave.

She should have died on one of her missions. At least then, she wouldn't have to feel her heart cracking and breaking into so many pieces with no one to come and pick up the pieces and take the time to put it back together.

Eventually, Sakura picked herself off the ground, turning her eyes away from the now dark sky. She was probably late in getting home, but she didn't care.

Nothing mattered.

She trekked into her house, ignoring her mom's angry and worried rants about where she has been, removing her sandals. Without a word, she walked passed her mom, shoulders slumped as if a heavy weight was pushing her down. Her legs felt like lead, but she forced them to move and climb the stairs, each step feeling like it was more difficult than the last.

When she got to her room, she felt so weak and out of breathe, like she had run a marathon. The door shut quietly behind her. Not bothering to turn her light on, Sakura walked over to her bed, headband dropping from her hand and clattering loudly to the ground in the quiet house. From the light of the moon flittering in through her window, Sakura noticed the note resting on her pillow as she collapsed on her bed, back resting against the wall.

Reaching towards the note, Sakura flipped it open, almost scared of what was in it. It only consisted of two words, written in the familiar writing of her sensei.

Stay strong.

Sakura stared at the words blankly. Stay strong? How could he say that when they all know that she has never been strong? She could do nothing for herself. She always needed someone by her side or she would just end up dead. There was not an ounce of strength in her.

She kept on rereading those words over and over again. Each time she read them, her breathe got heavier and heavier. Her throat felt so clenched with pain that it was getting hard for her to breathe.

And after fighting them for so long, fighting them for months, she felt them slip.

Her control slipped and the tears slid down Sakura's face. It started out as a few silent ones with her breathing ragged before any self-control she had left slipped as well.

And soon, she was sobbing, sobbing so loudly, she was sure her parents heard her. But they could do nothing to comfort their daughter because she had locked her bedroom door. Not wanting to wake the neighbors or let them know someone was crying, Sakura grabbed her pillow, pulling it into her chest. With it wrapped securely to her chest, Sakura buried her face in it, muffling her heart wrenching sobs.

Why does she even try?

Eventually, Sakura fell onto her side, pillow still pulled to her chest, and fell into a fitful sleep, crying in her sleep until she ran out of tears.

She would never be strong.

*Tsunade*

There were very few things that weakened Tsunade. Very few people knew what those things were, and Tsunade liked to keep it that way. She had to be strong. She was now the Hokage. She could not cave to her weaknesses.

So when she came into the office the next day, hung over, ready to shove all of her work aside to sleep, Tsunade almost destroyed the Hokage Tower when she found a pink haired girl standing in her office, dressed in sweats with her headband clutched tightly in her hand. To think, it was only yesterday when she found the girl's file. Her team leaving the village must have been the final straw for the girl.

They had destroyed her.

Instead of sitting behind her desk, Tsunade stood in front of it, looking down at the pitiful child before her. One of her biggest weakness was a crying girl, and when the girl raised her head to look at Tsunade, the Hokage saw how red and puffy her eyes were and the tear streaks that strained her white skin, marring it to be pink and puffy; her heart melted at the sight. The girl had been crying for a long time.

Without a word to her, Sakura walked forward and put her headband slowly and gently down on the desk. Her hand paused for a few moments, staring at the headband before she released it and walked out of the office.

Tsunade stared at the headband with a frown. She picked it up, weighing it in her hand as she looked back at the door to her office, silently praying the girl would come rushing back in, claiming that she made a mistake.

After a few silent minutes, in which there were no footsteps outside her office, Tsunade moved behind her desk and opened the top drawer. She placed the headband in the drawer and closed it. It was only six in the morning and already she felt the need for a bottle of sake. She had no idea of what was going through that girl's mind, but whatever it was, it wasn't pretty.

*Itachi*

On top of the Hokage Tower, Itachi watched the pink haired girl leave. She was easy to spot with her pink hair. He had been surprised to see her come here so early in the morning. He was even more surprised by the way she was dressed. Of all the times he saw her around the village and with her team, he had never seen her dressed like that.

Upon seeing her leave with her headband no longer in her hand, Itachi closed his eyes and looked away from the girl. He could not imagine the pain that girl was going through right now, and to be frank, he didn't think he wanted to know. He has never once known what it was like to be so beneath his team and not be able to keep up with them.

When he saw her at the gate yesterday, he had known that something was terribly wrong. He and Kakashi both saw it. Her insecurities were rising, but until this morning, he had not realized just how high they had gotten. It was like she was waiting for her team to leave so she could quit.

If she was left alone like this, she was going to be completely broken.

Jumping down from the roof to the ledge outside of Tsunade's office, Itachi looked in the window to the see woman leaning back in her chair and rubbing her temples. Pushing open one of the windows, the ANBU captain climbed inside. "Hokage-sama." He greeted.

Tsunade cracked an eye open to look at him. "Itachi." She murmured.

"Haruno just left."

"I know."

Itachi watched her for a moment before walking around to stop in front of her desk. "You're not going to let her quit like this, are you?"

"It is her choice." Tsunade replied.

Itachi put his hands on the edge of the desk, curling them around it. "She is already destroyed. Leaving her alone now will crush her completely and there will be no way to bring her back."

Tsunade dropped her hands to the desk and raised a brow. "What does it matter to you?"

"She is my little brother's teammate." Itachi answered immediately.

Tsunade shook her head, frowning sadly. "Then you best leave it. Do not approach her."

"What?" Itachi hissed, almost getting ready to slam a hand on the desk, but restraining himself in time. "How can you say such a thing? As the Hokage, you are supposed to watch over the village and its civilians."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Do not tell me what to do, Itachi. I'm ordering you to stay away from her. She does not need her teammate's brother coming to bother her just because he feels obligated since he is her teammate's brother."

Itachi frowned, moving away from the desk. As much as he didn't want to, he could see where Tsunade was coming from. He couldn't just approach Sakura because she was Sasuke's teammate. That would just make her feel worst. It wouldn't help her with anything. She would know he was only there because he felt obligated to help her since Sasuke was on her team. There was no way he could do that to her. If he made her feel worse, she would just be lost sooner.

Tsunade turned around in her seat to watch the rising sun. "She needs to find the will herself. If she doesn't have the will of fire, she'll never be a strong shinobi."

A/N: I love writing angst and came up with this idea when I was taking a shower. I really think too much when I'm tired. I'll admit this was hard to write, I kept crying, especially since I was playing sad songs while writing this to help me get the right feelings, but then again, it might have been because I was really tired when I wrote this and was thinking more into it then I should.

I think this fits anyone. It is the insecurities that we all feel so I just had to write it. I know that there are times when I feel unimportant to my friends and they or I might be better off without each other. That is just me though. Knowing those feelings makes me enjoy writing angst. It is a good way to let your thoughts out. I wonder if any of you can relate to Sakura's feelings?

This was supposed to be a one shot, but it got too long so it's going to be a few chapters long. It is actually becoming more then it was supposed to be. Ooooh well.

Please Review!