The practical usage of sadness
It starts with failure. Team 7 does not pass The Bell Test and the three genin go their separate ways. But instead of returning to the passive life of a civilian, Haruno Sakura is drafted into the dubious and treacherous world of Konoha's undergound, all-female military unit. Sakura will not let it end with failure, not if she can help it.
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The tears do not stop and they continue to fall onto the sheets and pillows of Sakura's bed. Her childhood bedroom all too small yet also impossibly large and empty in the wake of her loss. Loss, it was the only word to explain the emotion coursing through her and bringing forth this deluge of tears. Before that feeling of loss, however, there were feelings of anger, regret,and denial.
Hatake Kakashi, the jounin she was assigned to and supposedly guaranteed to be her teacher, had revoked her status as genin that afternoon for failing a secondary test that involved retrieving an item off his person. To think that something as measly as two silver bells could determine her path as a kunoichi this much.
She genuinely felt true anger- nothing like the childish sort she felt towards Ami and her gang of bullies- after being told that the concept of teamwork went well beyond her head and that pursuing a ninja career was impossible.
After that brief flash of anger faded she wondered if it was even worth trying at all given that it was painfully obvious her skills outside of the classroom would be useless even if she did pass. While she stayed quiet ruminating over lost chances that afternoon, Naruto and Sasuke did not. The blonde headed boy's uproar was a given, a firecracker in appearance and personality, but her third teammate took her by surprise by his outburst.
Alone in a quiet bedroom, she could still hear his words ringing in her ears.
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"Is this some kind of damn joke?" The Uchiha whispered, face twisted in a sneer.
"What was that, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked with neither face nor voice betraying emotion. Sakura wondered if it was worse than him showing pity.
"I said," His voice starts to escalate after each word, "Is this some kind of fucking joke!"
A single, visible eyebrow raises, "Not at all-"
"Oh, shut up! These two fools I can understand! This deadlast barely has any self control and would sooner kill his teammates off than try to help them!" By now the Uchiha was trembling, his fists clenched in anger as he swings a look of contempt to the other boy. Only shame fills the blonde's face, looking down in resignation.
Then he aims a look at Sakura and she flinches which, looking back, she wonders why she was even surprised. He was right after all.
"Don't even get me started. This snivelling, little, child, would die even before the deadlast. Completely and utterly useless."
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Sakura hides from her parents, jumping out of the window at dawn and not caring about her appearance for once. Looking down, a dribble of blood alerts her of the wound on her right knee which is well enough given she did jump from a two-story window. She decides to pull out her old headband and use it as a temporary fix.
Besides the small tingle of pain, she carries on. Her destination was The Academy, where she would see where she will be placed due to being a freshly minted 'flunkee'. The headband in her pocket carries with it an uncomfortable weight, bothering her more than the recent wound.
The sight of the cylindrical building brings back memories, most of them fond, yet Sakura could not help the malicious feelings that begin to well up in her. Was she destined to return and keep coming back to this place, forever stuck as the small girl who came with big dreams of being a ninja? Would it always be a dream for her?
"Ah!- Hey, Sakura." A flash of blonde steps into her view and snaps the reverie she was in.
With nothing but bad feelings in her heart, she refrains from lashing out at the other boy, "...Naruto."
Noticing the awkward tension, the boy continues, "Um, so, I just got out from talking with Iruka-sensei and, apparently, I can still be a ninja!... Just, ya know, not on a team and stuff."
"You'll be made into an apprentice?" Sakura crinkles her eyebrows together. Apprenticeships were given only by the senior ninja, not the other way around. So who could have asked to train this knuckleheaded boy?
"Yeah! How'd ya know?"
Her pink head shakes a negative, "Nevermind that, Naruto. Who's going to be your teacher then?"
"I dunno, this Ebisu guy or whatever. He sounds kinda lame but whatever, anyone'd be better than that other asshole, believe it." Both twelve year olds make a face at the mention of their previous teacher, agreeing at once.
"Oh, and uh, I wanna let you know that I tried getting both of us to be Ebisu's apprentice so that we stick together," A faint blush colors the boy's tanned cheeks, "But Iruka-sensei said that Ebisu only wanted me, so, sorry."
Sakura was honestly shocked. She did not expect this from Naruto, who was so brash and annoyed everyone with his attitude.
Apparently it showed on her face because the next thing she knew the other boy was waving a hand in front of her face, "Uhh, hey, Sakura-chan? What's wrong?"
"N-nothing. Just, thank you, I guess. You didn't have to do that for me, Naruto," And after realizing her past interactions with the boy, "Especially with the way I've been treating you."
"That was nothing! Really! Don't be sad, Sakura-chan! Um, I'll go back in and make Iruka-sensei take both of us just wait here!"
Sakura grabs the boy by his collar before he rushes of back into the building, "Naruto! It's okay, really! I'll go figure things out myself, I promise."
"Uh, alright," Scratching the back of his head and proudly putting on a smile, "Then, I guess I'll see you around, Sakura-chan!"
Mustering up all the good will in her, "I'll see you around, Naruto-kun."
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A/N: When you're in "anger, regret, and denial" from having your laptop stolen from you, just start writing a new story. The cause behind the lack of ANY updates from me is because, like I said, my laptop was stolen and I was waiting for my new (and sadly downgraded) laptop to come in the mail.
Hope you enjoy the result of my anguish.
P.S. This was written with high emotion so grammar, syntax, blah blah blah could be off. But then again, when is it not lol