Strength
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
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Chapter 1: Prologue
I sat on the edge of my roof, feeling the light breeze cut through my newly acquired short locks. I sighed, looking up at the night sky. There was no visible moon tonight, so the sky was as dark as it's ever been. I gazed at the millions of tiny little stars, mesmerized by their beauty.
My mind wandered to what had happened recently. Just yesterday, I was in the forest of death, fighting for my dear life. I remembered everything…the screams, the battles, how everyone seemed to be ten times stronger than me. Even shy little Hinata had managed to put up a good fight with her chakra abilities. Even she displayed her techniques and bloodline limit.
But me. What did I do? Throw a couple punches, taunted Ino, and told everyone how much I loved Sasuke-kun.
Pathetic.
I sighed. What is love anyways? I've been chasing after the guy for so long, yet I don't even know the meaning of the most important word in a relationship. Love…Do I truly love Sasuke-kun? Or is this merely a childish crush?
I looked down at my hands. They were soft, like a child's. I imagine that a real shinobi's hand would be full of scratches and bruises, proof of their training. Not soft and flawless like mine.
What am I doing here? I am in one of the best shinobi villages in the world, yet all I do is worry about my hair. How could I let myself fall this far?! I clenched my fists in frustration. I specifically remember my dream on the first day I entered the ninja academy was to become the best kunoichi in the world. What happened to that dream?!
I smiled sadly. No…I know exactly what happened. I started to get teased and my self-esteem was brought down. Soon, running away from bullies became a number one priority. Then…I met Ino. Ino, who I looked up to. Ino, who shinned in class and was kind to me. After that, I guess some of her girly attributes started rubbing off on me. I became more confident. I started paying more attention to my looks, like wearing dresses and making sure my hair was neat. Suddenly, I became focused in my social life. I wanted to be like Ino, popular, pretty, friends with everybody.
Falling for Sasuke-kun was soon to come after as well. He was the most popular boy in our class, so naturally I, along with many others, adored him. Then as I grew older, I started dedicating more and more of my life to him: reading fashion magazines, spending my allowance money of beauty products, and let's not forget dieting as well. The academy work was easy, so I didn't have to take my grades seriously in order to pass.
But now…I see the truth in my actions. Now that I've experienced the outside world, I saw what I must seem like to other ninjas out there.
Weak.
That is most likely my biggest attribute right this moment…
…So what am I gonna do about it? Moping won't get me anywhere.
I stood up…and for the first time in my life…I decided to take some action.
It's time to show the world who Haruno Sakura really is.
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AN: Okay…I know the first chapter's short, but it is a prologue. I promise that future chapters will be much longer. Anyways…..REVIEW!!!!!!!!!