Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

In the populous and militant village of Konoha, stood the Ninja Academy. It was where children toddled to when they chose to diverge from the normal civilian path and learn the ways of shinobi. To steal, lie and kill. Not that many actually knew they were to do that.

Though, some children who attended were not always to eager to do so. Some were the prestigious sons and daughters of clan heads, only going to please their parents. Some were airheaded brats who thought that being a shinobi was easy and could gain popularity by being able to do a few 'tricks'.

And some were the ones who yearned to wear the metal forehead protector and protect their village to the end.

One of those children was Haruno Sakura.

She had been filled with nonsense that she could be anything and had chose to be a shinobi. The pink haired girl who could barely reach the dinner table wanted to learn the ninja arts.

It was a shock to her parents. How could their sweet angel be filled with such thoughts? As civilians, they had no true understanding of the ninja world, but knew enough to not get involved. But, they simply thought she would burn out or lose interest and let her attend the Academy. She wasn't serious, so no harm done, right?

Unbeknownst to them, Sakura was very serious.

It all started with a simple conversation that would unravel her world.

I huffed softly, letting the breeze chill my irritated mood. The civilian children were making jokes of my hair color again. It wasn't weird, just...unusual and distinct.

I stomped away from the bright playground, mood soured and energy drained. My foot kicked the pebble in front of me and I shoved my hands in the pockets of my green dress.

'Stupid, annoying, kids.'

I was only six myself, but at least I had the decency to not tease and bully others. Why would anyone do that?

'Because they're brats without education,' inner Sakura helpfully supplied.

True, to some extent. I scratched my cheek and let my legs wander, knowing I still had time before I had to go home. Civilians and shinobi alike were out and about, some preparing to close up their markets and others heading down to the bars. This area of the village was much more populated with ninja, if the weaponry stores were anything to go by.

I didn't quite understand why ninja did what they did. Didn't they just use fancy tricks to frighten and rule over the weak? At least, thats what mommy and daddy say. To me, they were a mystery.

My feet stopped when I entered a training field and though my head gave off warning alarms, curiosity pricked at me.

'What better way to find out, than watch them train?'

It was probably a terrible idea, but I was impulsive enough to step into the grounds and watch with awe as a shinobi demolished a tree. The shinobi in question was doing strange things with his hands and then shouted out words that made no sense.

What the heck did, 'Lightning Style' even mean?

The ninja had a shock of silver hair and seemed to be relatively young, a teenager perhaps. White lightning seemed to be hovering in his hand (how did he do that?) and he smashed his fist into the already injured tree, a crater forming in it.

My mouth gaped at the strength he showed and my knees wobbled. 'Were all shinobi like this?'

I was almost tempted to jump out of the bush I hid in to talk to him, but he beat me to the punch.

"I know you're there. Come out," the voice called out in the most tired voice I had ever heard.

Though, that wasn't the point. How did he know I was even there?!

Red faced, I reluctantly stepped out of the bush to meet the eyes of the ninja. Well one eye to be exact. The other was covered by his forehead protector. Odd.

He seemed to scrutinize me and sighed heavily, his stiff posture rolling into a slouch. "Oh, you're just a kid, nevermind."

That was a bit anticlimactic.

I rose an eyebrow but shrugged at his bland response. "How'd you do that, shinobi-san?"

He blinked once and slouched even further and I rose my other eyebrow in questioning.

"Chakra. Stuff you don't understand, kid."

By the noncommittal response he gave, I realized he wanted this conversation to end. Not that I cared.

"Look, shinobi-san, I wanna know what this ninja business is all about. My parents don't say anything to me, so why don't you tell me. What is great about being a ninja?"

I wanted to know badly. Cousins, uncles and aunts from my family died from being involved in the ninja world. Why would anyone want to apply for a job like that?

The man in front of me narrowed his eye at me, but I just met him with my own sharp stare. Everyone constantly said I was far too mature and intelligent for my age, so maybe he would get that.

"Being a shinobi is not the job everyone thinks it is. It's not just performing tricks and just for show. It certainly isn't all that pleasing and fun. It's about protecting your own and the people you care about. Even if that means killing to do it. Being a shinobi is for the ones who truly want to protect their loved ones, no matter the cost," he answered solemnly.

My eyes widened. That was a surprisingly good answer. But enticing as well. "Thank you, shinobi-san."

The man shrugged uncomfortably and went back to beating up the local plant life. I went home the long way, thinking hard about what he said.

He had something going on about protecting your loved ones. It would be sad if dad and mom got hurt. If I was strong, I could protect them from anything. Killing someone was less glamorous, but if it were to protect the people I loved...

Then I would.

I just had to start somewhere.

"Mommy?" I called out hesitantly, hiding the book on chakra I was reading under my pillow.

Mom entered my room with her apron still on and smiled. "Yes, Sakura-chan?"

I fidgeted in my seat. "I was wondering...if I could enter the Academy!"

Mom's smile dimmed and her eyebrows lowered dangerously. She only made that face if she was confused or angry. "W-What? Why?" she sputtered.

I gulped nervously at her tone. "S-So I can protect you and daddy."

Mom sighed, rubbing her temples and leaned onto the wall tiredly. "What made you think that we need to be protected, Sakura-chan?," she asked softly.

"Because there's bad people in the world. That's why people become ninja. So they can protect people from the bad ones," I explained, plastering a neutral expression in my face.

I stared at my mother's eyes, which were shining with sadness and pride. She needed to let me do this. I didn't want to grow up and work at dad's store. Or a measly civilian for that matter. I wanted to be powerful.

"Please, mom."

"Alright, alright. I'll talk to your father tonight. I'm not promising anything," she conceded sternly, arms crossed defensively.

I grinned at my mother. "Thank you! Thank you!" It wasn't a confirmation, but it was better than nothing. I would be a real ninja one day, that I was positive of.

What I hadn't known was how many trials I would go through.

Dad hadn't been pleased about my announced career choice. He had lectured me of the dangers and problems that came with being a shinobi. But, eventually he had compromised with me and filled out the enrollment papers for me to enter the Academy.

I had been pretty ecstatic about it. Since it took a couple of days for my information to get in the system, I'd start school on Monday. It was Thursday afternoon, so I had a few days to prepare.

The information sheet that were for parents advised me to wear breathable clothes in order to move more freely. So I begged mom to take me to one of the shinobi shops and buy me new clothes. She had grimaced, but grudgingly walked me to one of the shinobi districts.

It was stranger in those districts. Quieter and filled with paranoia. No one talked much and I stared in awe at the ninja who soared across the rooftops, looking fierce and powerful in every way.

Mother clung close to me, gripping my pale hand so tight I feared it might break off. She was vigilant, as if she almost expected to be attacked. I said nothing, but smiled when we reached the clothing store for shinobi of all ages.

The kid section was surprisingly large and I managed to find some pretty kunoichi dresses that mother became fond of. I didn't buy any of them though. Instead, I chose tight black pants and some red sleeveless shirts. Then to top it off, I grabbed a small pair of black shinobi sandals. My mother was surprised at my choice of clothes, but she just shrugged tiredly.

It made my chest prickle with guilt at mother's dejected appearance, but I shamelessly couldn't bring myself to care. I knew what I was getting into. She apparently didn't understand that.

She would soon enough.

On the fateful day of Monday, I was a bundle of nerves and could barely contain the glee off of my face. Mother had prepared a large breakfast and father actually stayed in the morning to walk me off to school.

I had tightened the small ponytail on my head and slipped off my house shoes in place of my sandals.

"Ready, Sakura-chan?" dad asked with concern. He looked old, much older than I ever saw him before.

I stared at his dark green eyes seriously.

"Yes."

And then we began the journey to the Academy.

It was pretty close by and we only walked on the gravelly paths of Konoha for about ten minutes. The sun was shining brightly and the hashirama trees danced in the wind.

A large, well-decorated building stood in front of us. It had decently sized grounds and I could already see many children walking inside the doors of the Academy. Some were tall, others just being able to form sentences, but all went there for a sole purpose.

To learn the ways of a shinobi.

That entailed many things of course, but for me it would be to find strength for others who couldn't.

I turned to mother and father, smiling slightly. "I love you."

"We love you too," mom replied softly, her body relaxing from her tense posture.

Father was still rigid as a metal rod and walked up to me with a serious air. "Sakura, I want you to promise me something."

"What?"

"If this becomes too hard to handle or it's too much stress, let us know. We will understand, but don't hide away from us once you enter. I've seen what this place can do to innocent children. I don't want to see you grow up so fast, sweetie. I love you too much," he said somberly.

I nodded vigorously. "I promise."

Since I had started a month after the opening ceremony, I was to be the 'new girl.' A nice kunoichi from the graduating class had directed me to where the beginning class would be.

I had stepped into the buzzing classroom with caution, quietly observing the gaggle of children around me. There were a downright shocking amount of clan children and a couple of normal ones. They were probably from shinobi families or small clans.

There were no civilian pink haired girls.

I breathed in deeply and held my head high. Like I'd ever let some clan kids intimidate me. My feet shuffled towards two men seated at a desk. One was young with spiky brown hair. The other seemed older and had a mop of white locks.

"Excuse me?" I started.

The tanned man looked up from his clutter of paperwork and smiled softly. "Yes?"

"I just enrolled in. Here are my enrollment forms," I explained politely, keeping my face blank.

"Oh, that's right. You're Haruno Sakura right? Well, then I'm Iruka and this is Mizuki. I expect good things from you, Sakura-chan," Iruka-sensei said.

I nodded and decided that I was dismissed, walking towards the back of the classroom. It was much more reminiscent of an auditorium and the farther you went, the higher it was. Many of the kids stopped their rambling to stare at me, many whispering to their friends, trying to not act obvious.

I wasn't blind or deaf, however, and simply ignored the comments on my 'weird pink hair'. It wasn't anything new and I plopped on the seat in the back row. It felt calming to have a wall on your back and the people in the front.

Iruka stood to attention and the classroom straightened. "Students, I have an announcement. We have a new student. Please introduce yourself," he said, gesturing to me.

I forced the heat that was steadily rising to my cheeks to calm. I never appreciated being put on the spot. My legs wobbled when I stood up, but my voice came out clear and strong.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. I'm six years old and I enjoy reading books. It's nice to meet you all." I made a quick bow and seated myself back down. The students were glancing at me curiously and I avoided their burning stares.

"Now, do you have any questions for Sakura?"

'This fucker', Inner Sakura growled.

I silently chastised her offensive language and gritted my teeth. Public speaking was also a thing I was not well versed in.

Immediately, dozens of small hands went up. Iruka let a boy with red markings on his face speak. He looked distinctly like the Inuzuka's I had read about in the library.

"What clan is the Haruno clan?" he asked in his raspy voice.

I internally sighed and answered the question as professionally as I could. "I do not belong to a clan. My parents are civilians."

The class seemed pretty surprised at that. It was alright, since children from civilian families rarely became shinobi. It was something that was just not done.

'That's why we'll be the best and prove them wrong!' Inner Sakura cheered.

I mentally agreed and watched as a sneering faced girl was called on.

"Why is your hair so ugly and pink?"

I bristled at the insult and I could hear Inner raging inside of my mind. The class gasped and the girl just smirked, waiting for a reaction from me. I could tell Iruka wanted to intervene, but I shot him down with a raised brow. He nodded. It took a lot of calming breaths to not let tears prick at my eyes.

"My hair is pink because of genetics. I wouldn't think it's ugly since you're wearing it all over your clothes. So, if you think pink is ugly, I guess you're ugly too," I stated in a calm tone, Inner Sakura cackling madly. Let's see how she deals with that.

The girls eyes widened and the class erupted in a fit of giggles. I gave a cocky grin and the the girl flushed, sitting back down with downcast eyes.

Bullies were pretty common for me, so I knew how to deal with them. Just sound so smart they feel idiotic.

"Alright, class settle down. Now, why don't we..." Iruka started, already mumbling to himself and scribbling something on the chalkboard.

Now that the attention was off of me, I gave a hearty sigh and slumped in my seat.

I guess this was the beginning of the end.

Author's Note:

I have taken the liberty of creating a Sakura centric story that makes sense and posting it here. There's probably some typos, but that will be edited later. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story and this version of Sakura.

I honestly believed she deserved better character development. In this fanfiction, she's much more mature, but I'd like to think she would grow up earlier after being bullied so much. Her insecurity issues are still there, just much more hidden. Plus, a split personality with a shitload of snark? I think that'd make anyone a little grown up.

Please comment your criticism and feedback!