A/N: This is an AU, if you haven't caught on. It's a lot bigger than you may expect however. The series explored things like the origin of chakra and the history of the world in depth. I never really liked it. Past the Wave arc (Yes, the very first arc) I saw a pretty massive change in the tone and direction of the series, it almost felt like a different story entirely. But that pilot gripped me. It made me interested, even if what followed was a very typical shonen, apeing DBZ to a fairly large degree. Not a bad thing, but not what I was hoping for.

So you'll see in this story (should I ever have a spare hour to write more than a paragraph or two again) a different interpretation of the world. I can't promise it will be perfect, but I'm trying. If something seems strange or you don't understand what's up, drop me a review and I'll add it to the things I need to weasel in to explain the universe. Or if I can't, I'll just answer it, lol. For one, the Hokage actually is paying attention, we get told bunches about the Professor, Sarutobi Hiruzen. But he honestly doesn't have much to show for it in the manga that I can tell. I am writing him to more live up to his title.

So to Insanity's Prophet at least, hope this meets expectations. On with the show.

Misery is an easy thing to fall into. When you have chosen a path that your parents do not truly support, when you leave behind the known and push to something new. Poetic terms for joining the ninja academy as a civilian born. In her first week she knew no one, just hid behind her hair and did what she was good at, absorbing information like a sponge. It was within the first month that every question the instructors threw at her she could answer, if shakily. It was her one point of pride, but she could barely raise her hand for the dirty looks the other children gave her. It was easier to disappear into the crowd. It was a month before it happened.

"Hey! Why do you hide your face like that?" The little girl with the hair so blonde it was nearly white asked her after school as she trudged toward home. "What?" she asked quietly her head snapping up to the young girl standing with hands on her hips, sly smirk on her face. "I asked why your hair is in your face?" she asks bounding over. Sakura's mind produced a name to go with the face quickly, she'd tried to commit her classmates to memory. In case she ever got the confidence to approach one of them. "O-oh… I um, I don't.. Like…" she mumbles trailing off and looking down at her shoes as she feels soft fingers touch her face and run through her hair gently, to paralyzed by surprise to do anything for a long moment. As something gets tied to her head. "There! See? You have a pretty face." the other girl says hand on chin seriously considering, though she never quite loses that smirk. "Um, you're Yamanaka Ino, right?" Sakura asks her cheeks warming up. "Yup! That's me! Beautiful, skilled Ino!" she declares striking a glamorous pose with v for victory and a wink. Sakura can't help but giggle. "There! You can smile! Can't be friends with a girl who can't smile!" she declares clapping her hands together, bouncing back a step. Sakura looks up and smiles wider with a giggle. It was the beginning of something great for the little pink haired girl.

"Hey Pinkie! Got those noodle arms ready?" Sakura's stance held. But there was a tremble to her as she squared up against her opponent. He was a boy, not much larger than herself. It is one thing to know something, and another however to feel it. Right now she felt the mouse against a lion. Her hesitation cost her as he darted forward at Mizuki's word and she barely got her arms in the way of the kick that pushed her back. Even as she was trying to recover from that hit she was clipped by a punch that scraped her cheek. She backpedaled, reeling as another fist came in, she saw it, the opportunity she'd been hoping for he was just a little far away to be throwing the punch, he would have to overreach his balance to hit her. She started to pull back but realized already her reaction was too slow, as the fist caught her right in the chin and sent her, arms flailing, to land seat first on the ground with a wuff.

"Enough. Sakura, don't just let him wail on you. Stand up, again." Mizuki said sternly as the boy smirked and got back into stance. Sakura stood up, brushed off her red dress and wearily got back into stance.

"Begin!"

Sakura sat quietly in her seat to the right of Ino, the girl wearing makeup that wasn't even smudged after Taijutsu practice. Sakura's left eye was held closed, a small package of ice held against it with one hand as she doodled in her notebook idly. Ino had her shoulder turned away and was talking to whoever on the other side, Sakura couldn't see who without turning her head. She knew Ino was disappointed in her, she could read that much from her friend's decision to not say a word to her. To make matters worse, Sasuke had been right in front watching her get pummeled for four rounds. She managed to hit her opponent three good times…. For the dozen she accepted. Her Taijutsu wasn't very good. Her Ninjutsu was better! But she didn't have a clan to learn anything flashy, and her chakra reserves were… well, if chakra was water, she felt like a raindrop.

It had been growing, she'd been practicing at least a little every day. But it was hard. Very hard, when you were also expected to help in the shop when you got home. She didn't know how Ino did it. Found time for training and for gardening. It was a mystery, maybe she didn't need to sleep. Clan techniques were so cool, they knew so many secrets and tricks to make things better and easier than anything Sakura could make. She had to content herself with the Academy basics. That was all she had to lean on. Her Internal Technique was good as her External, but still limited by her pitiful supply of chakra.

She wouldn't let herself pout, but she really wanted to. She wanted to cry again, but that was best served for after dark, when she was alone. Her parents didn't want her to be Shinobi. She had picked the worst year to be in the academy, she had seven, Seven! Clan children in her class. And they dominated the class rankings… well, almost all of them, none of them could keep up with her in academics; math, history, language, these were places Sakura was top. She had been around numbers all her life! Too bad what that really said was she would be better in her parents shop than in the ranks of Ninja.

She pushed the ice into her black eye until it hurt, stifling the tears that threatened to fall. She reached a hand up and pulled off her head scarf, it was stiflingly hot suddenly. She'd realized early on that Pink wasn't the best color to show off in class. It was Sasuke who had taught her that, He'd taken one look at her and frowned, scowled even. Funny when you love and idolize someone how much their smallest gesture matters to you. She was smart enough to know it was probably just a crush, but for three years she's pined quietly from a distance. She'd seen how Sasuke looked at the other girls who bothered him, she'd gotten the message even if they chose not to even Ino seemed to ignore his hints. She'd heard a lot of insults about her hair over the years, but the look of raw disapproval in his handsome, classically pretty features cemented it. She'd started covering her head after that, tying her hair up in a bun at the back of her head with a nuetrally colored scarf over it. That with her dark red dress, like burgundy, she was a lot less eye catching than she had been in her first year. It had shocked Ino, but the class had become easier on her. When her difference to them wasn't staring them in the face, they ignored her more and she had more room to grow. It was a hit to her, admittedly somewhat fragile, self-esteem however it was worth it. Sasuke had seen it and subtly nodded. His approval, the Genius of their class, the prodigy had approved of it. It had been an argument with Ino that had escalated to shouting, but Sakura had held firm against her first friend. It hurt, and it had driven a wedge between them that was widening as they both pined after the same boy.

Ino had built so much of her up. For her first four years Ino had pushed her to grow, had taught her to stretch herself more and more. It was only in the last year that things had gotten…. Strained. They'd both changed. It was a little at a time kind of thing. Ino had gotten taller, her hips and chest had filled out. She had tone and poise, like a forest cat. When she looked at herself, Sakura could admit, she was all lean muscle and bone. Her baby fat was all gone and she'd shot up nearly fifteen centimeters before she just stopped. She was almost as tall as her mom, but she'd stayed plain her hair color aside. Her hips were relatively narrow, her chest was nothing remarkable. Her mother insisted she was a late bloomer, but Sakura was suspicious. Puberty was what it was, and her little crush had blossomed some. She wasn't the only one who had an eye on the Uchiha heir after all.

She had more rivals for his attention than ever. It was embarrassingly hard to compete. Ino had become a rival. This was a school for Ninja, being bombastic and loud was discouraged. This didn't mean that they were quiet about everything, and Sasuke was definitely something they were not quiet about. There were six of them competing for his attention… Well, Five. She didn't know if she could really count herself in the running as it was. Sasuke just looked right past her usually. It hurt, but she knew why. She was smart, it was the one thing she had going for her in spades; smart and aware. She knew she wasn't that beautiful, she was pretty. Like a small wild daisy. But there were roses in the running. She couldn't claim to be strong, there were sunflowers in the running. She was second best, at best. So she Tried. Really did, she put in effort more and more every year. The only solace she took is that he seemed nearly as disinterested in everyone else. He was cool, the epitome of Fudoshin! The immovable, in the moment, and unflappable. His poise nearly eternal. The only one who could break him from it… She paused to look over covertly at the mop of wild blonde hair currently tinkering with string in his seat, tying and untying knots and humming tunelessly as Iruka worked at his desk during self-study. The blonde was an enigma. He had nobody, no allies, no real friends. His skill however was beyond question even if his use of his talents was an utter waste. She frowned sharply but jumped a bit when Naruto's head turned just a bit to catch sight of one of his sharp blue eyes. She recoiled just slightly as his smile softened as he glanced up at her uncovered hair, and winked at her. She shivered and looked over at Sasuke who was diligently working at his seat. There was always something about Uzumaki that bothered her. It just tickled her brain to tell her he was no could tell others felt it too. There was an unapproachable aura about the kid. Being around him for too long could give an eerie feeling that was unaccountable. That he seemed to like her only made her feel more uncomfortable. She'd found small bundles of wild flowers on her seat now and again, small handmade things as well. She hadn't kept any of them, she didn't want him getting ideas.

"Alright class! Time to move on!" Iruka called interrupting her introspection, she tried to open her mind and focus on the lesson.

The ringing of the bell for the day was almost a shock, Sasuke could only blink as he snapped out of the lecture, it was mostly review for him, truth be told, but that was no reason not to pay attention, not to excel. It wasn't just expected of him by others, but by himself. He had been found wanting once, now he pushed to ensure it would never happen again. A dream, true, but the motivation was helpful. He picked up his things, stowing them efficiently and stepped from his chair to his desk and then channeled just a burst of chakra to his legs to boost his jump. It was a basic technique, but the gasps of his classmates almost made him sigh. He objectively knew his control needed work, he still landed several feet short of the door, and landed in a brief crouch. There was still room for improvement, he quickly made it through the door even as the first round of cooing began. There was little he had less patience for than the pointless war for his attention by the girls in his class. It was an embarrassment. He didn't have time for so shallow of people as them. Skill before beauty, poise before vigor. Not that he had time to consider dating. It was a distant thought at best. His priorities were cemented. He headed straight away to the Orphanage. His home for now. His rightful estates stood empty, locked and patrolled by the Hokage's order.

Heading in the same direction as him he felt the presence. He could always tell when that fool was looking at him, it made his hair stand on end. He locked eyes with the other boy, their competition was largely one sided, but he knew that above all when Naruto was after you, you had to be careful. He may have acted like an idiot but he definitely wasn't a complete one. "Fight me! I demand a rematch!" the blonde shouted, hopping up into the center of the path and getting into a sloppy ready stance. Sasuke turned his back, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "No. we'll be practicing again in class in two days. I have somewhere to be." He said and started to walk straight away from the blonde to get some trees between him and the annoying fool. Then he paused, there was a subtle change in the air. He stopped and stood. Then Naruto spoke up from behind him, "Fine! Walk away! Just admitting I'm the best!" he says sharply, petulantly. Sauske almost took another step but something felt wrong. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a quiet breath and really looked. There, a straight line, a trip line, just at ankle height along his path just one more step up. He made to step over it and paused. The air hadn't changed, another moment he saw it, far subtler, far tighter. A second wire stretched at the level of his toes just beyond the first, where he'd step to step over the trip wire. He put his foot back on the ground and turned around. "Nice try." he said and gave himself a spark of chakra to boost his hop over both, landing smoothly on his back foot, only needing two little steps to arrest his momentum completely. Naruto's pout was fierce. "Next time." was all the blonde said as Sasuke turned his back on him a second time and walked away as he heard the rapid footsteps of the other boy's retreat. He spared a glance back and saw the cunningly concealed wide mouth bucket. He guessed it was probably full of water, but with Naruto…

Sasuke put it out of his mind. It was unworthy to dwell on it. He walked the well worn path to the Orphanage. He arrived and pushed the doors open into the noise and the chaos of the dozen or so children there. The two he was looking for ran straight at him, he knelt and opened his arms just in time to catch them. "Cousin!" the two little girls squealed as he smiled. "Mika, Isoko, were you good today?" he asked them pulling back as they looked up at him, their dark eyes sparkling. They chorused yes and rushed into telling him about their day, their voices overlapping as they tried to talk over each other until he put a hand on each of their heads. "I know I have two ears, but I can't hear either of you." They both apologized and he smiled. They were small, true, and before the… event he had barely seen either of them. But now the three Uchiha were all each of them had left. A clan decimated, but there was hope. There was something besides anger and darkness to drive him, they were still there, no doubt. He felt the anger rise, threatening as ever to drown him, to consume him. But he set it aside with a practiced hand. There were two who needed him. That feeling, they let him set aside the nightmares. It was not easy, but it was his duty. It grounded him as he listened to the little girls recount their uneventful day in fanciful terms as he sorted any important information out of their stories. He said his goodbyes to them with the excuse that he needed to train, his Genin exam was coming up. They understood immediately. They were clan children afterall, the importance of such a thing was pushed into them from an early age. He ended up back outside at a nearby training field, he wasn't keen to miss dinner with his cousins, they would never forgive him if he did. He trained with obsessive fervor, practicing every trick and technique he might need tomorrow. Failure was a non-option. Genin were considered adults, in the loosest sense, and once he graduated he could rightfully claim his clan compound again. No more living in the loud, overcrowded orphanage. It would be some time before he could take in his cousins. Just another goal.

Blood, smeared on the walls, the floors. The smell of spilt entrails. Every corpse with empty eyes. The dark swirling red and black, it consumed his vision, smearing his vision crimson. "There is no value in killing you. If you wish to kill me, then Hate me, Detest me, Curse me, Survive, and grow strong in your anger. I lost all hope for the Clan..."

"Sasuke…" His eyes were open, his hand on a blade, still hidden beneath his pillow. He let go of it as he sat up in his futon to the small face looking down at him. "I had a bad dream." Sasuke let out his breath, and flopped backward a second before responding, looking up at the ceiling. "Okay." he said as the little girl laid down next to him and he put an arm around her as she was quickly back to sleep. He lay awake another few minutes, anxiety scratching at the back of his brain. Fear for himself, he had been helpless, fear for his future, he was still so weak, so far behind his brother, but most he was afraid for his cousins. They leaned so heavily on him. He knew. To them he was the only remaining vestige of home, the only shade of their lives, so cruelly shredded by the insane actions of his brother, his enemy. He tightened his grip on Isoko, "I will protect you, and one day, I will avenge you." he said as he let his eyes close.

"Team Seven, lead by Hatake Kakashi. Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka said evenly reading from his notes. Sasuke was tense, bristling almost, Haruno he could handle, she was quiet at least, she had some skill. But to land on a team with Uzumaki. He glared at the back of the boy. Sitting in a place he didn't belong. He'd failed, fair and square. And yet, here he was, Hitai-ite and all. He knew that the kid had someone looking out for him. But this was just the worst kind of favoritism. He took a breath and let it out. No use getting angry, he couldn't contest the decision. The assignments had all been made with the Hokage's approval and influence. There was something in this team he wanted for each of them Time to suss out what it was. He sat as he listened to the other teams get announced. Hyuuga, Aburame, Inuzuka, a tracker team if Sasuke was any judge. Odd Jounin sensei though, Yuuhi had only made Jounin last year. A Genjutsu specialist for a tracking team. Sarutobi's team, Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka. Absolutely no surprise there. That combination was well known even outside the village due to their fathers. Both teams left with their Jounin and he was left waiting. He could wait.

Sakura's heart was pounding as she got up from her seat and paused as Sasuke's eyes shot to her, pinning her for a moment as she clutched her hands together in front of her chest then let them drop as she tried to casually walk over and sit two seats down from Sasuke. He watched her the whole way but as soon as she sat down his eyes slid off her smoothly. Then started darting around the room. She was alert instantly, glancing around herself, they were alone. They were not supposed to be alone. The hairs standing on the back of her neck told her naruto was still around. Even if they'd temporarily lost sight of him. "Neh, what are we looking for?" a very loud voice asked very close to her. Sasuke actually twitched as both their heads whipped around to stare at Naruto sitting on the table behind them with the kind of smile that said something is about to happen. They both warily started to look around. Sakura searching her desk while Sasuke looked up immediately. "Nah, I wouldn't do anything to my teammates!" the blonde said, with such a hurt voice that Sakura actually felt a little guilty. "I just put a little something up for our la~te Jounin sensei!" He says pointing to the door where an eraser is wedged into the door. "Are you joking, any ninja worth his salt isn't falling fo~" Sasuke says as Naruto lazily extends a finger and points low. Where a tiny wire wraps around the doorstop, holding tension in a trip wire rigging a small object in a sling up by the ceiling. "What." Sakura says as Sasuke frowns. He didn't have enough time to rig all that in the spare minute. He'd been sitting in his seat napping since the teams were announced, he didn't have time to be in the rafters setting a trap like that. Sasuke looked at Naruto with searching eyes. Closely scrutinizing the blonde who sat utterly relaxed with a big smile on his face.

"I know what I'm good at!" he says smugly, looking proud of himself. Sasuke was just about to stand up to take it down when the door started to move. A mop of grey hair pushed in through the door as the Eraser fell and let out a poff of chalk, which Sasuke just let his mouth fall open even as Naruto started to grin as the rest of the trap sprung into motion, the swing started just as the masked Ninja finished stepping into the room putting a hand up to his head and the satchel swugn down from the ceiling and hit him right in his armored vest. The satched turned out to be more chalk dust that expanded in an ever increasing cloud as the grey haired ninja stood quietly a few moments and uzumaki could not contain his giggles holding his middle and laying on his back kicking his feet with mirth. The ninja walked out of the cloud, half his body white as snow. "Maaa….. Well, that was eventful." the ninja said trailing off as he brushed off his hitai-ite with one finger.

"Alright, I assume you three are mine, let's go." he said as he turned around and started slouching his way back out the door with a hooked thumb. Sasuke stood, full of apprehension, he knew the name Hatake. Copy-Nin Kakashi, Jounin Elite. It had been the one shining point in this otherwise upsetting door. But he couldn't help but feel that his mental image of the man was tarnished already. He glanced at Haruno, she looked to also be doing a kind of mental arithmetic. But they both dutifully followed. They were almost out of the room before Uzumaki recovered enough to bounce up to his feet and jump after them landing perfectly behind them at the door without so much as an extra step. "Hey! Wait for me!" he called in the air. Sasuke blinked, looking down at the blonde's feet as they stepped out of the door. He turned his head back to the ninja walking ahead of them at an easy swagger, not even minding the chalk dust that still followed him like a cloud.

Never judge a book by its cover.

A/N: a little introduction is in order. We'll see more of Sakura in the coming chapters. She's a little more than she was in canon. She can be my favorite character depending on how she's written. Also, lateness.