To anyone that thinks this looks familiar, I broke up my series of drabbles, A Collection of Nin, into a bunch of oneshots. This was my first one.
Sakura had been studying under Tsunade for almost a year now, mostly doing the work of interns rather than that of a chuunin. Today she was asked to bring the Fifth Hokage a volume from the records room. It wasn't until she had practically ripped apart the records room looking for it that she remembered.
She had borrowed that volume a week ago.
Apologizing to the scandalized chuunin that ran the records room and promising to put everything back if Tsunade gave her the time later, Sakura rushed home.
It only took her a minute to realize she had put it in the shelves with her own books. Somehow, it had been put in amongst her numerous unmarked journals, and as she pulled it out one of those unmarked books fell out with it.
Immediately, Sakura recognized it. It was a scrapbook her mother had put together for her when she graduated from academy and became a genin. All of a sudden, it wasn't such a big deal to get that volume to the Hokage.
The first page was a picture taken by her non-ninja mother on Sakura's first day at academy. It was before Ino had given her that ribbon, so her hair hung across her face. Sakura smiled down at the girl half her age, so unknowing and excited.
The next few pages were filled with various highs and lows of her childhood. The people around her differed from picture to picture: most of them had Ino but some of them had other girls and there was the occasional shot with her parents. Finally, she reached the last page. There was only one picture there, taped in by Naruto a year and a half ago. Written across the bottom in Naruto's messy handwriting were the words "BEST TEAM EVER!"
Sakura's smile faltered. It was a picture taken by her mother when she demanded that team 7, including their unpredictable teacher, come over for a picnic. It was a small Polaroid where Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke had pulled their headbands down over their left eyes, Kakashi just barely leaning into the picture in the background. Naruto had demanded to put it someplace special, where Kakashi couldn't do something to it. Sakura laughed at this. She was sure that their teacher wouldn't destroy a picture like that, sure that he had absolutely no reason to, but Naruto had been adamant. She was sure he only did it so he could see her room, but Sasuke came with them, so she was happy. When he put the picture into this scrapbook, though, Sakura had lost it, claiming that he ruined it.
Now, she couldn't find a single thing wrong with it.
Placing the scrapbook carefully on her beside table so it was opened to that picture- beside the one of team 7 all of the team has- Sakura picked up the volume Tsunade wanted and left with one last glance at the picture.