Flicker the squirrel sat on a tree branch, his tiny mind contemplating a serious matter.
Get the nut? Or stay in the nice, safe tree?
The object of the debate lay on the forest floor, looking very tempting and delicious. It was a very good-looking nut.
Get the nut? Or don't get the nut?
What Flicker didn't know was that the debate of the nut was trivial compared to the danger of a large, pink-haired fury headed his way.
Luckily for Flicker, he was feeling kind of risky that day. He scrambled down the tree to retrieve his prize. He settled for a moment on the forest floor to admire his nut before turning to scurry back up into his home up in the tree.
CCCRACK! With a loud crack, the tree snapped in half, its tall, straight trunk, with Flicker's home inside, falling to the ground right where Flicker was sitting. His tiny black eyes stared at his impending doom, one thought now in his mind.
The nut no longer seemed worth it.
BAM! The tree crashed to the ground with a deafening boom. Sakura kept moving, leaping from branch to branch, occasionally punching innocent trees in blind rage.
In short, Sakura was pissed off.
Now, Sakura had a short fuse and little patience for fools. That combined with her partnership to Naruto and Sai lead to daily explosions of anger on her part. But this time was entirely another matter. To make an analogy, her frequent fits were like little plastic water guns to the AK-47 of this state of fury. Her vision was tinted red and her whole body was numb with anger and frustration and pain and confusion.
Only one person could make her feel like this. Sasuke.
Sakura had long gotten over her childish crush and worship of her peer. Those feelings had long since been replaced by feelings of admiration and respect as a ninja and a friend. Yes, his betrayal had hurt and, yes, it still hurt, but Sakura had never quite hated him for it, though she probably should have. She always believed, deep in her heart, that together she and Naruto could bring him back. Today she felt differently.
The day had begun badly enough. Sakura had a long shift at the hospital, caring for suffering patients, many of them dying. The small bits and pieces she'd heard spoke of the terror the Akatsuki was causing and their alliance to a new group called Hawk. A group headed by none other than the infamous Benedict Arnold, Sasuke Uchiha. Every time she heard the name Hawk or the name of its leader, Sakura's fists clenched just a little tighter and her eyes narrowed just a little bit more.
The messenger carrying news of a new Sasuke sighting had especially unfortunate timing to relay the message to Tsunade while Sakura was present. This was the last straw for Sakura. She whirled out of that office so quickly she hardly had time to see the terrified look on the messenger's face. Sakura got to the nearest window in the hospital and hurled herself out into the forest to begin her infuriated rampage on the forest and, ultimately, poor Flicker's home.
After leaving a long wake of felled trees behind her, Sakura was beginning to feel a little calmer. She stopped on a tall pine just outside a small clearing in the forest. She leaned against the trunk and slowed her breathing. In, out, in, out.
After about five minutes of just resting, a flash of color across the clearing caught Sakura's eye. She turned to face the disturbance and red eyes caught her green. The curious eyes belonged a female ninja, standing, hands on hips, directly across from Sakura. The eyes glared from behind a pair of wire frames perched on the girl's nose. Her hair was just as flaming red as her eyes, long and smooth on one side, but tussled and unkempt on the other.
"Who the hell are you?"