I honestly forgot about this story I had started to write. This will be slowly updated as well. I jus wanted to post it. c:

Title: Lady Ninja

Summary: Etiquette consumed her life. Her early days were filled with dancing, flower arranging, reciting poems and cooking. Now she has to stumble along to find her ninja way. AU.

Cherry Blossoms

From the moment she was born she was told that her namesake signified love and the female mystique; beauty, strength, and sexuality. In everything, she must be beautiful, graceful, well-spoken and intelligent. Ballet, dancing, flower arranging, reciting poems and cooking was her life and it consumed her.

She was groomed to be perfect and this included her ninja training which her mother personally oversaw with the instructor hired to train her. Though entirely unsightly, her mother wasn't above hiring seductresses who killed, seduce and coerce for a living. She learned to be graceful in every attack, soft in every word spoken, controlled in every expression and silent in every step.

Reality came crashing down on her when Iruka was calling out the names for team placement. She was a well-versed and intelligent girl and was the top of her class in theory. She was going into the ninja world where she could possibly die. Her namesake signified love and the female mystique but it also meant a timeless metaphor for human existence, her existence. Cherry Blossom season is powerful, glorious and intoxicating, but tragically short-lived — a visual reminder that her life is fleeting.

Sakura sat at the back of the class alone, observing her classmates as they anticipate what team they'll be put in. Her mother made sure she was immaculate before she left their estate. A red ninja kimono with her clan symbol printed on the back that stopped just short of her knees, a black obi tied around her, black and red geisha slippers with black stockings that reached mid-thigh and her new black forehead protector expertly knitted onto her sleeve. Her pink locks fell to her back in soft waves with some tucked behind her ear with a finish of blossoms her mother hand-picked and placed in her hair.

The Harunos weren't some prestigious clan like the Uchiha, Uzumakis or Hyugas. They were a civilian clan but a very rich clan. Her clan was as prestigious as it can be among civilians but in the ninja world, they were nothing. Observing the clan heirs interact like long lost friends struck a chord in her heart. She never made friends since her first academy days. She wasn't allowed to make friends with clan heirs. Her mother hated them and made her an outsider in a class filled with clan heirs.

"Team 7!"

She waited with bated breath.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga."

They were all clan heirs of powerful clans and this was unprecedented. She had already calculated everyone's team placement based on their skills, personalities, and connections. She had expected Hinata to be placed with Kiba and Shino due to their abilities but she was wrong. She knew Ino would've been placed with Shikamaru and Choji simply because of who their parents were. However, she couldn't calculate her own placement.

"Team 8!"

She sighed.

"Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame and Sakura Haruno."

She was stunned. Two fairly powerful clans and her in a team together. However, the placement didn't seem right. She never expected to be placed with them since her abilities lie elsewhere. Nonetheless, she got up and slowly walked over to her new teammates over at their table.

"Hello. I hope we can work well together." Sakura greeted immediately as her manners demanded it.

"Tch, sure thing princess." Kiba snapped, not looking at her. Sakura schooled her expression and replied with a smile. She looked at the dog in his jacket before turning to Shino.

"Hm," Shino said, nodding his head at her, which she returned with a smile. She sat down near teammates as they wait for their new sensei to arrive. Her mind began quickly feeding her information on her teammates.

Kiba Inuzuka and his companion, Akamaru. He's headstrong, egotistical and brash which seemed like a common trait among Inuzukas. He placed 8th overall in class while she placed 3rd only behind Sasuke and Naruto. His skills include enhanced canine-related senses, his most powerful trait being his sense of smell, surpassing that of ninja hounds. By concentrating his chakra to his nose, Kiba can increase his sense of smell a thousand fold, allowing him to easily distinguish people by their scent. His sense of smell can clearly determine the physical condition of an individual, even from a considerable distance.

Shino Aburame, the silent boy. He's respectful, insecure about being ignored and has a need to let people know he's there too. He's the complete opposite of Kiba which she knew will clash of course. As a member of the Aburame clan, he was infused at birth with a special breed of insects that use his body as a nest and feed on his chakra, living in a form of symbiosis. In return, they attack and do other tasks as he commands forming which is the Aburames main form of fighting style.

This information was textbook and what she gathered from her observations. Her classmates had a tendency to show off all of their skills while she had to keep hers hidden. According to her last tutor, the element of surprise was a ninja's best friend.

"Are you Team 8?" a voice snapped Sakura from her musings. She looked up and settled her eyes on her new sensei; Kurenai Yuhi, Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress.

"Yes, Yuhi Sensei," Sakura spoke up, standing and bowing slightly before plastering a smile on her face. Kurenai smiled before looking at her other teammates.

"Follow me," she said before dissolving into green leaves.

"What the hell?" Kiba yelled, causing Sakura to wince as his voice. "She shows up and leaves just like that?"

"Arf Arf!" Akamaru barked.

"Maybe she's testing us," Shino interjected.

"Shino san is right." Sakura smiled at Kiba. "You're an Inuzuka. Track her scent."

"Stupid Princess," Kiba mumbled under his breath before he began sniffing around in the air. "I can't smell her at all."

Sakura turned to Shino. "What about you Shino san?"

"My kikaichu aren't sensing anything either," Shino replied.

"Then that means my theory must be correct," Sakura stated, earning looks from her teammates.

"What do you mean princess?" Kiba asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

Sakura smiled before bringing her hands together and formed a seal. "KAI!" she exclaimed. Their surroundings warped and melted away revealing Kurenai in the same spot she was. Sakura looked up at her sensei and smiled. "That Yuhi sensei placed us in a genjutsu."

Kurenai smiled. "Beautifully done. You made sure to include your teammates and asked them for their opinion before coming to your own conclusion. Your quick notice of genjutsu must mean you're adept at genjutsu as well."

"Thank you Yuhi Sensei." Sakura bowed before smiling at Kurenai. "You're too modest as I'm sure any of my teammates could've figured it out."

"Tch, the princess is right," Kiba smirked.

"Arf!" Akamaru barked happily.

"Hm," Shino added.

Kurenai chuckled. "Well, I guess we can start your real test tomorrow. Meet me in Training Grounds 8 tomorrow morning at 6 sharp. Don't be late." Sakura watched as her new sensei disappeared and proceeded out of the classroom.

"Sakura-san, do you want to eat with us somewhere?" Shino asked her.

Sakura looked back and shook her head. "No thank you Shino san," she replied.

"Tch, don't bother with her Shino. She's a stuck up little princess that won't make it long in the ninja world. She'll be lucky enough to make it to chunin. Us clan heirs are much better than some civilian bitch." Kiba sneered.

Sakura smiled. "Goodbye Shino San and Kiba san," Sakura said quickly before leaving her teammates behind.

"She's a stuck up little princess that won't make it long in the ninja world."

Her namesake signified love and the female mystique but it also meant a timeless metaphor for human existence, her existence. The cherry blossom season is powerful, glorious and intoxicating, but tragically short-lived — a visual reminder that her life is fleeting.

She felt like she was walking for hours as what Kiba said played on her mind. She stopped at the familiar brown wooden gates that led into her estate. The moment she stepped inside, servants stepped behind her, walking slowly along with her. It was a reminder of her status in the civilian world but the ninja world was another ball game.

For her entire life, she was equipped with many things and her mother even tried to equip her adequately enough for ninja life but she felt like it wasn't enough. She was painfully unequipped for such a life and what it would bring.

How would she find her footing in such a life?