Chapter 1: Author's Point of View

The air was still and hot, an uncomfortable combination but it was better that way. With nothing tossing around the scent of the Hidden Leaf ninja, the enemies would have a harder time finding them around the city.

Despite her mother's request, the pink haired ninja closed all of the windows and locked them, trying to assure as much protection for her family as possible. Her parents were stubborn and declined Tsunade's offer of shelter at the hospital. They didn't want to be a burden when by the end of this day, there wouldn't be one empty room available anyway.

The young girl's mom stood against the doorway, watching her daughter whirl around in panic while making sure that she had all of her weapons that she could possibly carry. Her pink hair was flying behind her as she ran to each corner to check on everything before departing. Her mom took a step forward. "Sakura, there is nothing else you could possibly be forgetting. Why don't you go ahead and meet with the rest of the shinobi?"

She instantly stopped her frantic search and turned to look at her mom. In all honesty, she was just stalling to spend a little more time in this house. If anything were to happen while she was gone, this would be the last time she would be in the very place that she grew up in. She wasn't worried as much about her parent's safety; no, they could keep themselves safe for a few hours for she had told them where to go in case of an emergency, but the house two story house was not indestructible.

Sakura turned her bright blue-green eyes in her mother's direction before quickly drawing her into a hug. She didn't know why she had such a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach but maybe it was just because in about an hour, she was going to fight in one of the biggest wars ever to be fought at the Hidden Leaf Village of Konaha.

Her mom hugged her back tightly and then released her. "Go say goodbye to your father and then head off. You might be the Hokage's student but I doubt under these circumstances that she will be as forgiving as usual for your tardiness. Now go on, I'll see you whenever everything calms down. I love you, my little Cherry Blossom. Please, be safe." He mom told her, giving her a small peck on the forehead.

Sakura grinned uneasily. "I love you too mom. You guys be safe and remember where I told you to go if something goes wrong. I'll be as careful as possible." She turned on her heel and dashed into the kitchen to say goodbye to her father who told her the same thing as her mom did. She assured him and then quickly left, trying not to worry too much.

'They'll be okay,' she told herself. To save time, she jumped from roof to roof, running as fast as she could to the hospital where all of the Chunin and Jonin were supposed to meet. The village was unnervingly quiet as everyone went into hiding, most of them underground, to protect their families from the upcoming battle.

As she finally made it to her destination, Sakura was quickly swallowed into a hug by her yellow-haired friend who was basically bouncing with excitement. "Naruto, calm down. Now is not the time to be giddy. We need to stay focused if we want everyone to make it out of her alive." Sakura chided him as he released her. All the people around her seemed to be on edge yet Naruto was acting like he was going out for his birthday.

Sasuke stood directly behind him but she couldn't bear to look at him. She hasn't been able to think of even a few words to him since he returned a month ago to join the village again. Sakura couldn't imagine how someone could turn their back on their village for so long, only to return and have things be perfectly normal again. It didn't make sense how easily he weaved back into everyone's hearts when he returned. She had been trying to find him for so long and now that he was actually back and constantly begging for her attention, she rejected him. The whole thing felt too alien and she wasn't going to risk having her heart broken again.

A hand landed on her shoulder and she turned her head to look at her former teacher, Kakashi. Sakura's stomach burst into butterflies as she gazed up at his face that only revealed one eye. It was also a little hard since he was a foot taller than her but even then, it only made her now burning cheeks to glow a dark red significantly more.

She didn't know what this feeling was that she experienced every time Kakashi turned up around her. It was almost like what she used to feel around Sasuke but so much more intense. His one exposed eye kindly looked upon her face and he couldn't help but admire her beauty.

The kunoichi's wide eyes were staring up at him and her pink hair lay limply against her shoulders from the intense heat blazing around them. He wished that he knew what he was feeling every time he saw her, the tightening of his stomach and restricted breath every time she looked at him should have been a clue, but the only thing that came to his mind was truly impossible. He didn't love Sakura; he merely was concerned for her safety, right?

"Sakura is right, Naruto. If you don't keep a level mind through all of this, someone will get hurt. I taught you all everything that I could in case something like this was to ever happen and I expect you all to use your skills." Kakashi told the three new Jonin. He removed his hand from Sakura's shoulder as a yearning to run his hands through her hair pulsed through him.

Naruto dismissed his words and ran off to find other people to annoy for the moment while the three then stood in awkwardness. Kakashi could barely contain himself from strangling Sasuke to death right in front of all these people, who was simply staring at the ground with an emotionless expression on his face.

He couldn't understand how the boy could run off and be companioned to one of the deadliest ninja to ever walk this Earth, and then walk back into the village a few years later and be accepted back whole-heartedly. He was different now; very straightforward and mischievous when around Naruto but then incredibly sweet around the girls, especially Sakura.

That just made Kakashi's blood boil like never before. How dare he try and kill her multiple times, break her heart, and then just return out of the blue and try and win her back? It didn't add up and honestly, he was glad that the girl rejected him every time, barely even batted him an eye at him. Kakashi had trained that girl since she was very young and the thought of her getting hurt pained him.

"All right everyone, I have a few words to say before our enemies arrive." Tsunade announced loudly from the hospital doors, capturing the attention of the twenty or so ninja standing around. Silence fell upon everyone once more as the blonde woman cleared her throat. "I apologize for the risk that I'm putting you all at right now but I have no other choice. You have all done your fair share for this village and I am more that appreciative of that, but now I need your help more than ever before. As we discussed before, Orochimaru and his followers are currently on their way after declining our peace efforts. They want Sasuke back but he can't have him. Uchiha is home to stay and for that reason, we will defend him until the end.

"Our families have been hidden and protected for their safety so we can solely direct our attention on our biggest problem. Some of you may lose your lives and we will forever remember and honor your bravery if that is to happen, but let's try and keep the casualties on their side, not ours. While the Sound nin have a small number to fight, they are strong and will kill anyone without any remorse or effort, so do not underestimate any of them. I'm leaving Orochimaru to Sasuke and myself while everyone else can just pick who they want to take down. Try not to let your egos get in the way. You are to handle one person at a time and if you see a teammate surrounded, help them if possible. Now, I think it's about time to go. Stay away from the large clearing, that's where Sasuke and I will be fighting and I don't want anyone getting hurt accidently for trying to help. The two of us can handle him. So go on, do your best and stay as safe as possible. Don't be stupid." Tsunade finished her speech with a small glare at Naruto who laughed out loud before bouncing away towards the trees of the forest.

With one last glance at her silver-haired companion, Kakashi, Sakura jumped into the trees with her comrades and decided to send out shadow clones while she blended into one tall tree in particular. Her four identical clones instantly spread out in different directions as she crouched low on a branch.

She had never heard the forest that is usually fluttering with life be so quiet. It was eerie and completely foreign. It wasn't a good thing when everyone was trying to hide. They could be heard so much easier now. She could see the last of the Leaf nin jumping into trees to blend in and some even hid under the ground, hoping that their opponents wouldn't pick up on their scent right away.

Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted from the direction that the clearing is in and all hell broke loose. Kunai and shuriken flew through the air from all directions. Sakura leapt from her hiding spot as a series of sharp weapons hit the trunk where she was just standing. As her feet touched the ground, a low chuckle reverberated in the air around her. She knew that whoever just decided to fight her was altering the sound around her already. The Sound nin were known for wasting no time when it came to battle.

While taking small notice how her comrades had all fled to other parts of the forest, leaving her all alone, she drew three kunai from a patch on her hip. From the shadows, Kabuto leisurely walked out, a small smirk on his lips.

"Well, Sakura, you have grown up quite a lot. If it weren't for your hair I wouldn't have recognized you." The white-haired man stepped closer before stopping and pushing his glasses further up his nose.

Sakura didn't want to jump right into the fight like she usually did; she wanted to play around and think about things first. This wasn't some B-ranked mission; this was life or death so she needed to plan out her strategy carefully.

She leaned back on her heels and smirked at him. "Isn't it a surprise meeting you here, Kabuto, and on such a lovely day too. Didn't have anyone else in mind to go after?"

The Sound nin chuckled. "No, I wasn't in the mood for some mediocre fight today. But with you, it would be interesting; the great student of Tsunade. You know, lots of people have heard of this surprising strength that you possess; any chance that I'll get to see it?"

Sakura was slightly surprised by his knowledge but she pushed the emotion back. "I don't know, I only use that when I'm angry. I might take you down before it comes to that point." She responded calmly.

Kabuto pushed his glasses up again and then crouched, getting into a fighting stance. "Let's see if I can coax it out of you then." He would try everything in his power to anger her. He wanted to see what all the rave was about when it came to this seemingly innocent girl.

Sakura quickly dodged the sharp weapons he threw at her and ran in a circle, coming up behind him before he could even blink. She kicked him in his back, sending him flying into a nearby tree. A cracking sound emanated from the dent in the wood form the impact of his body. She smiled brightly, realizing that he was nervous and therefore missing her fast movements.

Kabuto slowly climbed back to his feet and smirked. "Well, I see you've gotten fast. But I doubt you've gotten faster than sound itself." Suddenly, a terribly loud shrieking sound pulsed around Sakura as she dropped to her knees. She held her ears tightly while thinking of what to do.

'Wait, maybe if I interrupt the sound waves…' Sakura thought before stumbling to her feet. She ran over to the nearest tree and kicked it hard enough for it to snap in half and crash to the ground with a loud thump. The ringing in her ears stopped instantly.

Kabuto's eyes widened when Sakura smiled menacingly and stepped forward. "My turn." She said before disappearing. He whirled around repeatedly, trying to find where the pink-haired menace had gone to but he couldn't spot or smell her for the life of him. Distantly he could hear the sound of clashing kunai but he knew the girl hadn't given up on this fight; they both were too prideful for that, so he decided to draw her out with his words.

He smirked. "Maybe this is why Sasuke never returned your love. He knew you were too weak and would never be able to stand up for yourself. The only thing you've got helping you out is your strength and the fact you can kick like a damn horse." Not even a trig snapped at his tantalizations. A frown fell upon him as he thought about how much she really did change. Any ninja could feel the strong chakra she held within herself, it was obvious, but there was also anger; anger that he planned to play on.

"Come on Sakura, I know that you can at least do a little better than this. A fight between the two top medical ninja should be more interesting than this. What would your parents think? What would Kakashi think?" Kabuto questioned, his eyes wandering around his surroundings.

The second that he mentioned her family, Sakura dropped from the high branches of one tree and landed a few meters in front of him. Her back was turned to him while a tan cloak blocked the sight of her usual uniform. Kabuto frowned when he felt the enormous amount of chakra coming from her.

'There's no way that she can use this much chakra and still be able to stand so how is she still fighting?' Hiding his surprise, Kabuto threw a kunai at her but she didn't even move. The knife embedded itself deep into her back but she didn't flinch at all. His eyebrows drew together. There was no way that she would just allow him to do something like that especially if it was just simple taijutso.

Suddenly, what he thought was Sakura turned slowly to reveal a wooden figure of her, her hair an exact replica of the real girl. Her puppet seemed even more menacing than his opponent was and that sent his nerves on edge. 'Since when did she get a puppet and learn how to control it too?' Kabuto was horrified with his new discovery. 'I didn't research the young girl enough, obviously.'

The odds of this fight suddenly tipped in her favor. Sakura knew all of his tactics and fighting strategies but at this point, he knew nothing of what she was bringing to the field. It was all surprises.

Kabuto couldn't even smirk at that point as fear puddled in his stomach. Some fight this was turning out to be… The puppet shot forward with a blurring speed and began the intense battle. The two rolled around and flipped from each other's attacks. This was taking way longer than Kabuto thought it would. He figured that it would be over in minutes and now it's been at least a few hours of just fighting a puppet, not even the real thing.

The wooden figure stopped and stepped back, leaving the heavily breathing Kabuto to take a small break. "I'm impressed Sakura, I didn't know that the incident with Sasori had this kind of impact on you. I do have to say, puppetry suits you well. I wish that your parents could have seen you fight one last time." While he then expected the puppet to move again, he barely had time to grab a kunai when Sakura fell on top of him, stabbing him in the right shoulder while he embedded his weapon into her stomach.

They were breathing hard while Sakura dug the kunai into him more, forcing him further into the ground. Her blood dripped from her wound onto is hands while his blood stained the grass beneath him. "Don't EVER mention my parents. They have nothing to do with you. I let it slip the first time but two is just too much." Sakura growled.

Kabuto couldn't help but shudder at the incredibly crazed and angry look in her eyes. He knew that that was what he needed to say now to make her angry, talk about her parents. Despite the pain, he gave her a dazzling smile while realization dawned on her face.

"What did you do to them?!" she screamed, jumping back up onto her feet as if he never hurt her. The white-haired ninja stumbled up as well and tried stalling in order to figure out what to do next.

"Why sweetie, you didn't think we were just going to take down the Shinobi of the village, did you? No, that would not be good enough. We figured that if there were any of you that survived then we could find other ways to hurt you—," Kabuto barely had time to dodge the bombs that she then threw at him. They all made small explosions but he knew she wasn't done.

Sakura was beyond angry now. She realized that she would be using every ounce of her chakra to destroy this man. She wanted him to feel all of the pain that could be possibly inflicted.

A huge explosion went off about a mile and a few seconds later, a series of cheering from her comrades filled the space around the two battling nin. Orochimaru had finally been killed. Different chakras could be felt getting closer but she paid them no mind. She was just focusing on killing the man in front of her.

Kabuto looked very scared then, realizing that his supposedly unbeatable master had been killed finally. He was the last ninja left alive from his side and there was no escaping this one. With all of the Leaf shinobi surrounding them to watch the fight, there was no chance that he'd get past them all.

Sakura jerked on the chakra threads that were flowing from her hands and her puppet jumped into action again, taking all of the hits from kunai and shuriken while Sakura sent jutsu after jutsu at the young man. Faintly she realized that almost all of her friends were watching the remainder of the fight since the Leaf had technically already won. This was it; she was the last one fighting.

Sakura threw a huge ball of fire at Kabuto which he dodged but he didn't realize that her puppet had followed his movements and stabbed him with a series of knives. He stumbled backwards and then tried to talk to her again. He wanted to see her ultimate power before she killed him. He wanted to see what the weak little girl had turned out to be.

Kabuto unexpectedly slashed her across the chest and back before he pushed his glasses back up his nose and smirked while she fell to her knees and gasped in pain. "Well Kakashi would be proud, wouldn't he? Too bad you'll be digging his grave after all of this." He said cockily, another smirk resurfacing.

Panic and unimaginable anger filled the young woman at the very comment of her former sensei. Kakashi couldn't be dead, right? No, Kabuto has been here the whole time so he wouldn't even know if Kakashi is dead. She couldn't help but allow the panic to eat away at her insides though. She was more worried about how Kakashi turned out than any other shinobi fighting with her. 'It's just because you've known him for so long.' She tried to convince herself.

Kabuto realized that he almost pushed her to her limit so he said that one thing that truly made the girl snap. "I hope you have fun holding a funeral for your parents and dear Kakashi. Why don't you give them my apologies while you're there?"

That was the end of it. He cried out in horror when he could see her chakra flow around her and cover her feet and arms. Her small body was shivering in anger and before he could even blink, she ran at him with unimaginable speed and hit him into the ground as hard as she could. Her vision was filled with a hazy red as she felt his body slip further and further into the rock-hard ground under the force of her fist.

An explosion larger than the one from miles away erupted in the small clearing, breaking and blowing away trees all around them while bits of the debris cut deep into her skin. Kabuto died on impact, but Sakura couldn't help but stab him one more time in the heart to assure that he wasn't just faking it.

She was panting hard, blood dripping onto the destroyed ground from the slashes in her skin. He had hurt her badly but she wasn't even paying attention to that right now. While cheers sounded around her as the Leaf nin jumped up from their hiding places, Sakura took a huge breath of relief when her eyes met those of Kakashi's. He had his sharingan exposed but as soon as she saw that he was safe, she took off towards the village as fast as she could.

Villagers were coming out of hiding and cheering in happiness that their village had won but she paid no mind to them. Her thoughts were on her family.

After jumping from roof to roof, her two story house came into view. She dropped down by the front door quickly but froze when she realized that it was cracked open. A feeling of dread like no other settled upon her as she slid her shaking fingers around the wood and pushed it open. Tears brimmed her eyes.

"No." she whispered. The house was destroyed, picture frames shattered and furniture ripped to shreds. There were deep scratches in the walls and glasses from the kitchen were laying in sharp pieces everywhere. "Mom, dad?" she called out, stepping into the home that was perfectly clean just this morning.

The sun was setting in the West, creating an eerie glow to light up the walls faintly. Sakura walked slowly in, leaving the door wide open behind her. There was no response to her calls and at that point, she didn't expect there to be.

Sakura moved towards her parent's bedroom, whose door was also cracked open. She didn't waste any time pushing it open to reveal its horror.

Her parents were on the floor and their blood was everywhere. The repulsive red liquid was smeared on the walls and floor, making the gruesome discovery seem more like a horror film than reality.

A strangled cry slipped past her lips as she ran to the two people who truly loved her and slid onto her knees. They were side-by-side and their eyes were already closed, almost as if in their last moments they just allowed this to happen. The tears that she had holding back leaked from her eyes as she frantically slipped one hand onto each of their chests.

Using the remainder of her chakra, Sakura tried to heal them, hoping it wouldn't be too late. She was already weak after using so much chakra and energy for the fight but she didn't care. Horrible and painful sobs emanated from her chest when neither person's heartbeat started up again.

Sakura started screaming louder than she has ever done so before. The hurt in her chest was excruciating while she forced more and more power from her into the two people who she could always count on to be there.

Banging could be heard from downstairs and the thumping of feet running sounded soon after. She didn't care who it was though, or whether or not they were here to kill her. They might as well do it.

The broken cries and screams never ceased, even when the gasp of whoever had followed her could be heard. She was shaking uncontrollably on the floor as the blood of those who raised her soaked into her clothes and stained her skin. She cried harder when realizing it was still warm.

Two strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her up from the floor. Sakura began thrashing and screaming but her protests were growing weaker. Her chakra levels were damn near nonexistent and the loss of energy from the fight as well as her injuries extent was all taking a toll on her.

She was turned around to face Kakashi who stared of her worriedly and inspected her distraught form. His words of comfort did not help her, as he lifted her up into his arms and turned towards the door. She was still sobbing but everything about her was quieting down, which worried him.

Under any other circumstances, he would have been extremely happy when she curled her tiny and bloody fingers around his vest to pull herself closer to him, but now all he could do was panic when she limply let go of reality.