Disclaimer: Savannah does not have the artistic talent to draw even moderately accurate human beings and therefore does not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. She does, however, own any original characters that exist in this narutoverse.

Hey so this is my first time publishing anything on fanfiction, so no flames please only constructive criticism. (I'm still in high school so I'm not going to have perfect grammar.)

Sakura/Sasuke's Thoughts

Normal Text

Flashback

[Author's Note]

The clock read 4:30 AM and the room was silent in the room except for the sound of the fan lazily rotating attempting to cool the room currently plagued by Konoha's summer heat. Haruno Sakura, dressed in a burgundy cropped tee and black shorts furiously scribbled lyrics she knew she would forget in the morning if she didn't write them all down. Erasing the tired page of her red Moleskine notebook in frustration, the rose haired teen fought off thoughts of her two ex band mates.

A very haggard Naruto bangs open Sakura's bedroom door and runs into the room panting heavily.

"GUYS WE HAVE AN INTERVIEW!"

Two heads looked up at the hyperactive blond in response to his sudden outburst, one uninterested and the other almost as exited as him.

"Naruto are you serious!?" Squealed the twelve-year-old pinkette.

"Believe it! This is the best thing since ramen Sakura-chan!"

"With whom?" Sasuke asked.

"Hidden Leaf Productions! Who else teme?"

"Will there be others competing for a spot?"

"…I hadn't thought about that."

"Naruto no baka!" Sakura teased. All three of them laughed, even Sasuke was wearing a lopsided grin.

As it turned out there were other groups competing for a record deal, but somehow the band Team 7 made it through. Unfortunately their victory was bittersweet. Orochimaru, Sound Production's president had poisoned Sarutobi Hiruzen, president of Hidden Leaf Productions. Senju Tsunade was his successor. Orochimaru had also made a victim of Uchiha Sasuke, claiming that he could make Sasuke an even better singer and guitarist than his brother, effectively stealing him away from the team. Ironically the night before he had left for Sound Productions, the three seventh graders had made a promise.

"We'll always stick together no matter what right?"

"Team seven for the win, dattebayo!"

"Hn."

Sasuke's betrayal had a huge effect on the team, especially Sakura. Nobody knew except for her, but Sakura somehow figured out he was leaving and had confronted him at the bus stop.

"So you're really going then? And there's nothing I can say to make you change your mind?"

"Ah."

"What if I told you I loved you…more than anything? What if I asked to go with you?"

"Annoying. Go home Sakura."

The bus left abruptly and she was not fast enough to catch the driver's attention. She sat on the cold bench at the bust stop the entire night, and eventually fell asleep.

It had been a week since Jiraiya, a legend in the music industry notorious for his provocative lyrics, had recruited Naruto. She felt useless, and wondered if her weak vocals had pushed Sasuke to leave for Sound Industries. With all the courage that she'd collected in her wiry twelve-year-old body she prepared to take the chance of a lifetime:

"If I may, Tsunade-sama I would like you to please accept me as your apprentice."

"You've got guts, kid. If you're going to be my apprentice though, you're going to have to start calling me shishou."

The nineteen-year-old brushed a stray tear away and forced her mind to concentrate on the present.

"Sakura get up! It's time for your one on one with Tsunade-sama and it's already seven fifteen!" Shouted Shizune, Tsunade's assistant.

"I'm awake."

"Ok, wake the other girls up too will you?"

"Sure Shizune."

Sakura quickly combed back her waist length tresses into a messy bun, threw on a blush colored skirt paired with black converse and knee-high socks, and topped of the look with two rushed coats of mascara. She hurried downstairs yelling "everybody up!" then jumped in her car and sped off to Hidden Leaf Productions.

The teen greeted Ritsuko, the receptionist and climbed the stairs to the president's office.

"Tsunade-shishou, I've finished the new warm up exercises you asked me to and—"

"I don't need to seem them, I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Sakura asked, pulling a frown, "not something bad I hope."

"No, nothing of the sort. You see I don't have anything left to teach you, you have surpassed me. You had perfect control when you came to me the only thing you needed to work on was your range and you have that down now. I think that you're ready to move on to bigger things."

"…" Sakura stood speechless. This was not what she had expected at all.

"If I really wanted you to come in for practice I would have instructed Shizune to get the girls over here too if only to watch. I want you to start taking gigs around Fire Country."

"I guess you're right. But do you really think I'm ready?"

"Absolutely."

"Then I'm in! I'll go get Ino, Tenten, and Hinata."

"Not so fast. This is a big decision. The one I'm considering booking soon is close to the Sound border." The rosette gave her shishou a look. "Meaning there is a big chance that you will run into Uchiha Sasuke as he is known to frequent the outskirts of Fire Country, are you ready for that?"

Sakura seemed to ruminate on the idea for a moment and then fired back with a sardonic grin. "Shannaro! I'm not going to let my old feelings for that ass get in the way of my career."

"Then I'll call to confirm, now go tell the band."

"Thank you Tsunade-shishou!" Sakura yelled as she raced back through the sunlit hallway and down the stairs back to the parking garage.

Upon arriving back at the apartment that she shared with the three girls (and Shizune), she carefully removed her shoes and walked into the kitchen where they were having breakfast. Tenten, the drummer of Flower Tilt was eating cereal perched on the counter, Ino the lead guitarist at the table, and Hinata their bassist at the window seat.

"Girls, Tsunade-shishou set up gig for us at a club!"

"Where?" Hinata asked demurely.

"The only one bordering Oto apparently."

"You mean Club Anbu? The one Sasuke is known to hang around?" Tenten inquired skeptically.

"I guess."

"And you're alright with that?" Ino challenged.

"Honestly, I don't know, pig. But, I already agreed so there's no turning back now…"

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Hey so let me know what you thought. I know it was short but that's only because this is my first time writing fanfiction. I may decide not to continue the story so any feedback will be helpful. I'm planning a sasusaku reunion in a couple of chapters so be patient.

Thanks :D

Savy-chan