Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Familial dysautonomia or Riley–Day syndrome. A rare disease famous in public as a "no tears and no pain" condition. Few know that there are more symptoms peculiar to it.

"Chikushō, I won't make it on time" she was trying not to panic. But the feeling was growing inside her. It seemed to overwhelm her soon. If she continued to move in the same slow pace she would not make it on time.

It's funny how life works. When you are in hurry never anything goes according to your plan. If you drive there will be a traffic jam or an accident on your way. If you walk all of a sudden there will be many people on the streets. You even might forget something important and will need to return back. But when you have a plenty of time...? Roads and streets are empty. No construction works going on. All traffic lights are working well. You even can find your damn keys right away. Isn't it ironical?

Trying to get through a crowd of people can freak a person out. The level of irritation can rise so high you will not want to go to public places for at least month. The inner Sakura felt this urge to kick somebody's ass to release all frustration.

People in the crowd were reluctant to notice anybody but themselves and their friends. Couples were like in their own world where nobody except them existed. The mood of a celebration was in the air. Nobody wanted to hurry but to seize the moment. This explained why so many women and men were sending Sakura disturbed and angry looks when she pushed or asked them to move aside. Although she did not like to be rude the girl continued to move through the mob. She was entrusted with a very important task by the person she had worshiped for most of her life. She could not let her down. It was the girl's chance to stand out and win over her idol's trust.

Sakura was not the only one who tried to become as good as her shisou. There were 3 other girls Sakura was aware of. All were competing with each other for their sensei's attention. The reward was more than worth it. It could provide the winner with the knowledge one would not find anywhere else, with a world-wide recognition and with the bright not to mention wealthy future. Who would not dream about it?

FD is a disorder of a person's autonomic nervous system. This system is responsible for body functions such as digestion, heart rate, inhalation-exhalation cycles, urination etc. Have you ever heard about the fight-or-flight response? A reaction that helps people to realize the fact that they are in a dangerous situation right now? A reaction that is vital for survival? When the autonomic nervous system does not work properly this reaction is not working well either.

Sakura was not from a famous, powerful or big clan. It could not be called a clan at all. There were only 3 Haruno: her father, mother and her. She did not complain. No. She had not been deprived of anything in her life at all. Her parents had been taking care of her. She got all the parental love a child could get. From a certain moment in her life she had starved to become somebody worthy and useful. She hated to be helpless. She wanted to succeed and become somebody. She felt the need to repay her parents for everything they had done for her. She wanted to provide them with the life they deserved.

Sakura's father would work extra hours if he saw her or his wife looking at a very expensive thing they could not afford. She knew that he would rather sacrifice his sleep and pleasure to keep both his most important females not deprived of anything. It was easier for him than to see them upset... even if for a second. He thought that it was his fault. They were not poor. No. There were not rich either. Neither for Sakura or her mother it mattered. But Kizashi was quite a stubborn man. From time to time he felt guilty thinking of himself as of a bad father and husband. Behind his always smiling face it was difficult to discover how gloomy he could get sometimes. His daughter understood his feelings well. Her sharp mind and developed observation skills let her pick up and analyze most of information with an impressive speed, whereas her emotional side, especially intuition, would usually bring her to even more accurate conclusions. That was one of the reasons why she was predicted to become a great medic.

Sakura's mother was a strong-willed woman. She could be called a fighter. She had never done anything in her life that she did not want to. She understood feelings of her husband. She could see how hard her darling anata was trying. As for Sakura... Her daughter's emotions often were a mystery for Mebuki. Sakura's mood in front of her parents could change fast. Her teenage years were especially difficult for her mother to handle. Sakura seemed to inherit her rough side of personality. Although Mebuki was often being strict with her daughter she deeply cared for her. She would praise Sakura in front of everybody whenever she got a chance. Kizashi was by the way no different from Mebuki in this aspect. He talked about his precious daughter's achievements even when he was under anesthesia in a hospital. His speech was more like a continuous mumbling. Nurses could not stop his talking. They had to increase the dose of narcosis to calm him down. The anesthesia won the battle with his consciousness and he passed out. They then finally felt relieved.

A carefree future where they would not have to worry about anything. A future where they would be able to have whatever they want to. That was a simple sincere wish of Haruno Sakura when she was 8 years old. The wish soon became a goal of the 18 years old lady. She believed if she accomplished her goal they would be even happier...

Average lifespan: 40 years. It has increased significantly over the last 3 decades rising from a lifespan of 15 years. This was achieved due to successful researches that contributed towards exploring this syndrome in more detail and resulted in a better understanding of some of the most dangerous symptoms. Special procedures and medications are compulsory for people with Familial dysautonomia, and the earlier the treatment is started the more there are chances for patients diagnosed with this syndrome to live on their own. Otherwise and in general, a supervision is advised in order to provide them with an immediate help in case of emergency. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of treatment centers and there is none in Konoha. Yet.

At first she was slightly pushing people in front of her. She hoped they would pick up the fact that she was in hurry and let her pass. Yet her gentle touch by her petite hands did not seem to bother anybody. It did not even make people to turn around and pay attention to her. Becoming more and more irritated she started to press harder on their backs. That did not go unnoticed this time. People around her were sending confused and disturbed looks when they were pushed aside. At that moment she did not care about their opinions as she usually would. However, she still felt a little bit guilty albeit tried not to think about it.

Running as fast as she could she finally managed to get out of the crowd by turning to a side street. The alley seemed to be deserted at that time of night. It was not illuminated well. Only one street lamp was definitely not ample. But Sakura knew the place so well she would not mind if there were no lights at all. A sigh escaped her mouth...The emotional stress started to affect her. Sakura was well aware of the fact that her feelings were a great obstacle for her from time to time. Yet there were cases when only because of them she had been able to go on.

She shifted feeling a bit uncomfortable. The noises of the crowd nearby were still heard clearly but they were more distant now. Sakura slowed down her pace from running to a slow walk. She finally arrived at her destination. It was 2:57am. "Â, yokatta... just in time..." she thought moving closer to the wall of a building on her left in order to relax now for a bit. She squatted down leaning her back against the wall behind her. Her gaze was first directed towards her knees that were reddish. Her emerald eyes lingered on them for no reason. From a mix of sounds carefree chats and laughs were reaching her ears. Wincing her face she closed her eyes tightly and seconds later the pink haired girl slowly opened them again. She blinked for several times until the black spots appearing in her eyes disappear.

There was a reason why so many people were out at that late time of night. People were celebrating. Konoha, the place Sakura was originally from, was a capital of the Fire country. The one that was considered to be one of the most developed countries out there. Konoha was a center of everything. So, one would think that there was nothing surprising about a big city having a really good nightlife. However, even with this in mind an outsider would be amazed by the celebration that was still going on even during the night.

Paper decorations seemed to be almost everywhere. There were all kinds of them: big and small, enormous and tiny. Shining brightly they were being swung by a light breeze, smiling teenagers trying to reach the handcrafted decorations and by others who just brushed against them accidently.

Symptoms: dysfunction of both autonomic and sensory nervous systems (excessive sweating, crying issues i.e inability to produce tears, sleep apnea, insensitivity to pain).

Haruno decided to avert her eyes from her limbs towards the night sky as her neck had started to become sore. For the girl The Tanabata Festival was associated with a long-awaited meeting. The one that you wait for the whole life. Once it comes you wish for it to happen one more time. Thus leaving you in anticipation again. Sakura woke up everyday with a thought "What if... today...?". The thought she always tried to dismiss. She did not want to feel disappointed and heart-broken in the end... But no matter what, somewhere deep in her soul, she always hoped the life would prove her wrong. Yet at the end of the day she went to sleep with the awful feeling of self pity . The feeling that later would be transformed into an intense disgust towards herself for still having hopes for the next day in her heart.

She sighed quietly looking back at her knees. Her legs started to become numb. She stood up shaking off dust from her back and checked what time it was already. Her watch showed 3:18. "I could have taken my time on my way here" she looked around. The narrow street was still empty. "Shikata ga nai" was now said aloud. The only thing left was to wait. "Heh, this is something I have honed over these past years..." a small bitter-sweet smile appeared on her face as the thought crossed her mind.

Shizune finished talking. The medical documents she had been holding in her hands were put on a table in front of her. It was not hers. It was not her cabinet but her sensei's and the owner of the hospital. The working place seemed to be too messy for a person of such a high rank. Shizune did not have her cabinet but was always welcome here. Most of her time she spent supervising the newbies. So, she did not stay in one place for long and therefore did not need a cabinet at all. After finishing her report there was pure silence. The other woman had been listening to her student without interrupting her. Although Tsunade did not utter a word there was no tension in the air. Shizune had known her shisou for ages. She had confidence in herself and was sure she understood her teacher well.

"As usual, Shizune ... Ganbattane." A blond woman finally said standing up from her seat. Tsunade's face did not convey any emotions. She headed towards the before exiting the room she stopped. Holding door's handle with her head down she added "You have been working hard ... I think you should have rest now. Go home." Tsunade pressed on the handle and the door opened. She now was gone leaving her apprentice in confusion. Her words surprised Shizune. "What's going on, Lady Tsunade?... ". She had confidence in herself and was sure she understood her teacher well...

"You should not fall asleep...Sakura-san" the said person immediately opened her eyes wide. She stood up right away feeling embarrassed for being so unprofessional. Her cheeks blushing and hair messed up a bit. "Ano, gomenasai..." Sakura mumbled not looking at the stranger yet. "You must be Kabuto? ...Kabuto-san?" She now lifted her eyes and saw a good looking man with greyish hair. How old was he? 24? 25? "25" Sakura tried to guess. "Hai, Kabuto Yakushi. Yoroshiku. " He said pushing up his glasses. "She must be 18-19 years old. Definitely. " Smiling he continued "I have heard a lot about you, Sakura-san. Answering all the questions on the entrance exam for the Konoha's hospital is impressive." Sakura was not surprised he knew this much about her. The hospital of Konoha was famous for its outstanding performance. That year Suna's and Konoha's medical schools decided to have one exam. Passing it allowed students to choose to which one of them they wanted to study in. Tsunade-sama and Chio-baasama had came up with them to choose the best out of the best. To say that the exam was difficult is to say nothing. 87% of students failed it completely not being able to do most tasks.

2 years ago:

Shizune was the one who checked Sakura's work. "Sugoi!" she could not believe somebody got 100%. All other examinators lazily turned around. "Where is Lady Tsunade? She must see it!" Shizune exclaimed already rushing out of the room towards the lady's office. One of the examinators became curious about his colleague's strange behaviour. "I wonder what so special about that work..." he said looking at the wide open door. "I guess somebody managed to answer half of the questions." a dead bored person replied yawing at the same time. "At least cover your mouth with a hand. Nobody wants to see your hole, stupid" somebody snorted and was immediately slapped. "Urusai, baka!"

Tsunade was scrutinizing the work of a girl that had obtained a perfect score. She tried to find at least one mistake. But those were vain attempts. The blond smirked looking at the photo of the pink haired girl. "Sasuga, Sakura... Haruno Sakura." she placed the girl's paper with answers on her table and turned around in her seat. Looking out of the window she said "Shizune, keep me informed about her from now on". Shizune could not restrain herself and shouted out "You see. You see. I said to you there is something about this girl!" she started to laugh heading out of the room ."Isn't it wonderful, lady Tsunade? " were her last words before she disappeared behind the closed door. Tsunade still facing the window closed her eyes and sighed. "Shikata ga nai" she smiled. "New generations will always surpass the old ones, huh?" the blond stood up and approached her window. It was late evening. People were going home. The sun was not high in sky anymore but was soon to disappear behind the Konoha's mountain. "Yokatta" she exhaled the smile never leaving her face."Yokatta".

"It is impressive..." he repeated crossing his hands and looking up at the sky. "You should be proud of yourself." It was 3:32 am. Her mind was blank. He gave her the creeps. She felt uncomfortable. Why was she here? Sakura observed the man trying to analyze him. "He is definitely not stupid." The mentioned person was still glaring at the sky. "What the hell is he doing?" she winced . "I..." she started but thought "What is he planning?"." I am... proud." she concluded still wincing. Kabuto did not react. He looked uninterested. "Yeah... " he finally averted his eyes from the sky and was looking at the pink haired girl. A smirk appeared on his face "I felt the same way when I was 14."

-"Is there a cure Shizune? "- the brown eyes were directed at her student.

-"None of which I am aware ..."- the apprentice admitted without hesitation. Tsunade sighed. She had known that already but hearing that was still not easy.

- "It can't be helped then..." - she uttered placing her palm on the forehead-" I need to call to a certain person... Shizune, call Sakura. She needs to be here as soon as possible."

-"Hai!"- Shizune hurried towards the door but was stopped by her teacher's voice.

-" Shizune! "- she looked at her shisou confused -" Let it be out secret. Don't disclose it to anybody. Not even to Sakura."

-"I don't understand what you are talking about, Lady Tsunade."-Shizune smiled leaving her cabinet.