Bright green eyes, cherry blossom hair. A long fringe hides her shy smile.
They bully her for her forehead, when really, they envy her intelligence. She yells and cries and hides away, but they never stop and never give up.
Not until she intervenes, of course, with her cute blonde bob and pretty blue eyes.
It's her first friend. And she is ecstatic. Someone to play with, someone who cares, someone who can make it stop hurting inside.
All she has ever wanted, really, is to be accepted.
Under Ino's guidance she blossoms, hinting at the strong, beautiful kunoichi that she will one day become. For now, though, she is just a little girl, skipping through the meadow with a red ribbon in her hair.
She can't remember feeling this happy before. She's got some of the best scores in the Academy, and a new best friend. For all she knows, she's at the top of the world.
They make an unlikely duo, the pretty blonde Yamanaka, and the pink-haired civilian wallflower. But that's okay, because they are the best of friends and nothing in the world will ever change that.
Nothing in the world but Uchiha Sasuke.
She still remembers the first time she saw him. Spiky black hair, obsidian eyes. A stark contrast to her own vivid colouring.
He's smart and powerful and oh so cool. A member of the prestigious Uchiha clan, one of the most renowned clans in Konoha. She instantly falls in love.
The only problem? A certain Yamanaka also has her eye on him, and is determined not to be beat by her shy wallflower friend.
The days of her being a wallflower are long gone though. She's stubborn, vivacious, and smart, all wrapped up in one. She's gained some much-needed confidence, and can't wait to step out of her friend's shadow to be her own person.
She is eternally grateful for her first friend, of course, but she doesn't need her anymore. And she's definitely fed up with always being second-best.
When the day comes, harsh words are said, pledges of undying love are recited, and a red ribbon is returned to its first owner.
It's amazing, really, how two of the smartest kunoichi of their generation can squabble and bicker over something as insignificant as a crush. But that's exactly what they do, not noticing that, by doing so, they are alienating the very object of their affections.
The two former best friends go head to head in nearly everything. From taijutsu spars, to basic ninjutsu, to tests of strategy, they fight for that coveted top spot in the Academy. She is determined not to lose, no‒ she needs to win, needs to prove to herself and to everyone around her that she is more than just "Ino's friend".
She may not be as beautiful as the Yamanaka, or as graceful, but she is no slouch either. Her test scores are outstanding, nearly on par with prodigies of generations past.
It seems that her large forehead came in handy after all.
Graduation finally comes.
In place of a red ribbon tied in a floppy bow, her cherry blossom locks are now adorned with a dark blue hitai-ate, proudly displaying the insignia of Konoha.
Best of all, she is on a team with her Sasuke-kun. She doesn't really care for the loud-mouthed blond idiot, or her eccentric, not-to-mention-perverted sensei, but if that's the price for being on Sasuke-kun's team, then she'll accept it.
It turns out, though, that her so-called love for Sasuke becomes her undoing. Kakashi doesn't even need to try. A simple D-rank genjutsu, and she never even has a chance.
In all honesty, the whole bell-test is quite an embarrassing ordeal. Not like the three, freshly-graduated genin had a snowball's chance in hell against an ex-ANBU captain in the first place, but still. She hopes against hope that they passed though, because otherwise she'll lose to Ino and that is unacceptable.
When they finally pass, she ignores Naruto's exuberant exclamations about becoming Hokage and subsequent invitation to Ichiraku. She's still stuck in her inner world, gushing about how damn cool Sasuke-kun was, never mind the fact that Kakashi led him in circles without even trying.
She runs after him as he leaves, hoping for a glance, a word, anything, from the stoic boy, but he has disappeared before she has even gone two steps.
That's okay though. She has all the time in the world to make him love her.
Being a ninja, however, is not all that the story books make it out to be.
D-rank after D-rank, it's not wonder that even Sasuke can't help but agree with the blond idiot when he asks for a harder mission.
She doesn't mind the easy missions though. She's apprehensive about potentially leaving the village for the first time in her life, but she doesn't say anything in fear of seeming weak to Sasuke-kun.
When the Demon Brothers attack, she is petrified. It is all she can do to keep herself from collapsing in fear as she attempts to guard Tazuna.
Sasuke-kun, though, is as cool-amazing-awesome-hot as always. He doesn't flinch, doesn't falter, even as their sensei is seemingly ripped apart in front of their eyes.
It is the first time she feels something akin to respect, instead of devotion, for him.
The mission doesn't get easier from there. She thought she knew fear, but when Zabuza comes, even her Sasuke-kun is petrified. And if Sasuke-kun is unable to do anything, then what can she do?
Now she truly knows fear. Or at least, that's what she thought.
For the third time this mission, she is forced to revise her definition of that word. Nothing can beat the horror of seeing Sasuke-kun so bloody, his form deathly still.
It is the first time she has seen death, and it is the first time she feels something stronger than just a crush.
She knows she is weak, and oh how she hates herself for it. She vows to get stronger, to protect those that she cares about.
For all her declarations and promises though, it isn't until the second stage of the Chunin Exams that she truly understands that she must be stronger. And even then, the realization nearly came too late.
Sasuke-kun unconscious and feverish, Naruto's chakra dangerously dormant, no Kakashi-sensei to save them. It is up to her to protect them, and she nearly fails them all.
With shorter hair and a new-found resolve, she does her best to shield them from harm. She tries so damn hard, but Oto is just too damn strong, and she can't do a damn thing but take the blows and keep their attention off her team.
She barely even notices the familiar blonde-haired, blue-eyed kunoichi that was once her best friend.
In the preliminary stages of the third round, she's bruised, battered, and more exhausted than ever. That changes once she sees who she's up against.
She is itching for a chance to prove herself against her best-friend-turned-rival. This isn't even about Sasuke-kun anymore; it's to prove that she is no longer the silly little wallflower at the academy. It's to prove that she is a kunoichi, through and through.
And prove it she does. Matching the blonde blow-for-blow, she even manages to shake off the renowned Yamanaka technique.
Still, it isn't quite enough. There are no winners in this match. The two girls fall at exactly the same moment, neither one having given an inch during the fight.
She is proud of herself nonetheless, because now she knows what she is capable of when she puts her mind to something.
Then the invasion comes.
One moment she's cheering for Sasuke-kun, the next, a genjutsu is cast on nearly everyone around her and she is running for Sasuke-kun, determined to protect him this time.
And she does. There's not much she can do against Gaara, but what she can do, she does so willingly. But Gaara is on another level, and she doesn't even see it coming.
One moment she's in front of Sasuke-kun, and the next, she is in a world of pain and darkness.
The Third Hokage is dead. He, along with countless other shinobi, died fighting for the village.
Even Naruto is quiet. The whole village mourns in silence, with only Konohamaru's sobs punctuating the air every once in a while. But then the sun shines through, reminding her that even the darkest days have their brighter moments.
Then Uchiha Itachi makes an appearance. Kakashi-sensei is down, and so is Sasuke-kun. She feels so damn useless, just sitting there in the hospital room.
For maybe the first time ever, she puts her trust in Naruto. Trusts him to bring back the one woman who can save her Sasuke-kun.
They say love is blind, and that saying is never truer than with her infatuation with Sasuke.
One would almost have to be blind to ignore the increasing broodiness that loomed around him after those exams.
She remains oblivious though, as she feeds him apples and chatters on about nonsensical matters that he truly doesn't care about. She doesn't notice how much he hates this, because she is too busy thinking about how she finally gets to be close to her one true love.
Then one day, Sasuke snaps. And Sakura is terrified beyond belief, because as much as she loves Sasuke-kun, she now cares about Naruto too.
She doesn't think she could handle having both of them hurt.
It is times like these when she truly appreciates having a child-prodigy-turned-ANBU-captain-turned-Jounin as her sensei. Not that she knows much about his history, but still.
She shudders to think what would have happened if Kakashi-sensei had been just one second later.
When Sasuke-kun leaves Konoha, all she has are her words to make him stop.
What else can you say though, when even a confession of love isn't enough to convince him?
She hates herself for it. She knows that Kakashi-sensei would have stopped him. She knows that Naruto would have talked him out of it. And what did she do? What could she do? All she had were her words and her feelings.
She knows she has to get stronger. To bring Sasuke-kun back. To help Naruto. To become a full-fledged kunoichi of Konoha.
It is with this in mind that she goes to Tsunade-sama.
She doesn't know what she's truly getting into though. The next two years are hell.
AN: So that was my take of Sakura's thoughts during Part 1. First time writing in forever, so hopefully there weren't too many grammar mistakes in there!
This is a planned two-shot, with the next chapter covering Sakura's thoughts during Shippuden. I may or may not write some more two-shots/one-shots in this style for other characters, so please let me know which ones you want or even if it's even worth pursuing. Constructive criticism always welcome :)
Thanks for reading!
Cover Art: kivi1230 on DeviantArt