Sakura: 11
Itachi: 16
This chapter gave me a few problems so I hope you enjoy it. I'm sorry for the long absence, I'm currently studying abroad while studying for the LSATs.
Sakura strolled over to the lone figure in beige under the shade of a tall tree outside the Academy. Her hand dug into the bag around her shoulder as she ignored the idle chatter of the people in the yard. Her grandmother informed her earlier in the week that it was a tradition for her to attend the Academy graduation every year. Sakura had been roped into it and had woken up in the predawn hours in order to help make onigiri.
"Um…hello. Did you get an onigiri?" Handing the mentioned snack to the boy, recognition dawned on her, remembering that she had seen him in the school a few times by chance. Every time she had seen him, he had a determined, fierce look on his face but today, at a time when he should be celebrating, he seemed disheartened.
It appeared as though she had surprised him with her question but he recovered quickly and accepted the onigiri from her palm. "Thank you Sakura-san."
Her pink brows dipped down for just a second as she wondered how he knew her name but figured it was just because of the rumors and her grandmother. "You're welcome…uh…I'm sorry, what is your name?"
"My name is Rock Lee."
"It's nice to meet you Lee-san." Sakura smiled politely, the same practiced facial expression she gave to everyone she met. The other Academy graduates were talking excitedly with their peers and parents except for him. She wondered if he was like her, a loner.
"I have heard about you Sakura-san. The teachers say that you are improving more than any of the other students. To already be able to perform the clone and substitution jutsu after just three months. You must be a prodigy."
His odd avoidance of contractions threw her off slightly and his praises unexpectedly put her on edge. "Thank you. But I'm not a prodigy Lee-san."
"But you must be! How did you learn how to perform jutsu so quickly? I on the other hand cannot do a single ninjutsu. I am useless as a Shinobi." Lee ducked his head in shame.
"I worked hard to be able to do all that I can." It was a facet of the truth. When she first started training to become a Shinobi, she was almost quite literally trained into the ground. However, since she already knew how to perform the jutsu required by the Academy, she simply made a shadow clone and had it practice for her.
Sakura had never heard of a Shinobi who was unable to perform even the simplest of ninjutsu. He must have been exaggerating; she thought to herself as her mind got sidetracked wondering what the requirements of graduation were. There was a Jounin who was supposed to help her with her mission but she had only gotten one message from him or her.
She watched with wide eyes as Lee crushed the onigiri in his hands and grasped her own between his now sticky ones. "Please! There must be a secret technique or a training regime you went through in order to learn the jutsu!" Seeming to realize what he had done, he immediately released her hands and bowed low. "I am so sorry Sakura-san! I apologize for my rude behavior. What is worse, I wasted the food you prepared for us."
Uncomfortable with his outburst, she tried to calm him down with soft hands and an apologetic smile. "It's alright, Lee-san. But, I really did just practice every day for hours." It was another lie she fed him. She would normally leave it at that but she was sympathetic, it was obvious he cared greatly and he had the same drive she had when she first started training with the Akatsuki.
If possible, his face fell even further. "I understand. Thank you Sakura-san." He bowed to her again, the picture of propriety and manners.
"Uh, Lee-san?" Once he met her eyes, she smiled more warmly. "Those who work hard to achieve talent are more respectable than prodigies. You may not be able to perform jutsu, but I think you have more passion than others." Her words had a positive effect judging by the grin on the older boy's face. "I believe that passion will make you a very successful and talented Shinobi."
"Thank you Sakura-san. You are very wise for your age."
Her lips curved upwards, a semblance of the first genuine smile she had while in Konoha. "You're welcome Lee-san. Congratulations on becoming a Genin." She left him with another onigiri and continued going around until the bag was empty.
"Itachi-san, did you know that Sakura had family left? I heard the brat's staying with her grandmother. Heh. Guess that explains why she had to be with a member at all times. I thought it was just leader being over protective." Kisame's attempt at small talk almost always took him to the topic of Sakura. The two Shinobi took their time across the sweltering heat of the desert, where the only sounds were that of Kisame's talking and the occasional wind.
"Hn." Of course Itachi knew Sakura had family left. He had suspected something when he met her, which was why he kept pressing the issue of her origins. As a Shinobi for Konoha, Itachi had heard the story of Haruno Sakura but he hadn't paid much attention. When he became an ANBU operative, he didn't have the luxury to do side missions like search for a missing girl.
The five year old pink haired girl he met matched her description even though it didn't make sense that she would be in the hands of the Akatsuki. His mind had quickly strove to think of a reasonable explanation but found none.
As time progressed and because Sakura didn't seem to realize her connections in Konoha, Itachi didn't feel it was necessary to tell her of her only living relative, not when the Akatsuki had gone to such great lengths to keep the truth from her.
The members got updates every so often about Sakura and her progress in Konoha. She was doing well for the time being, successfully keeping herself under the radar of the Hokage and Sarutobi Asuma, who stopped trailing her after the first month. They had also heard she had her first contact with the Jounin they had helping her. It was for her written test scores. Based on what they projected, if she was to be in the same team as the Kyuubi, she needed the highest scores. It was not a challenge of course, as Sakura knew far too much for her age in the first place.
Finally, they learned that even after the first few months of being in Konoha, Sakura had yet to make contact with the Kyuubi at all. Itachi mentally commended her on her patience, as did most of the other members of the Akatsuki. However, the mission itself wasn't what was important. If Sakura failed to bring in the Kyuubi, it would be simple enough for anyone else in the organization.
What Itachi wanted to know and was the most curious about was whether or not she had met Sasuke, and her thoughts on returning to Konoha. Was she happier there? Would she want to return to the Akatsuki now that she found her grandmother? Would Sakura find out his crime and stay away from him? It was unlikely that the events of the Uchiha massacre would be revealed to her but for an inexplicable reason, he had a slight fear she would uncover it. If she did, would she join his brother? No different than any other mission, Itachi had more questions than could be answered and the hypothetical were weighing heavily on his mind.
In stark contrast to those around her, a young pink haired girl leisurely walked the streets of Konoha with no destination in mind. The mild weather was perfect for a stroll but Sakura didn't want to leave the limits of the village.
For once her mind wasn't preoccupied with anything in particular and she rather liked that she didn't have worrisome thoughts. Now that she had been in Konoha for about three months, she no longer received obvious stares of distrust except at the Academy. For some reason the girls there thought that she liked Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura still didn't know what his relationship to Itachi was but it was obvious that there was some sort of family tie.
Disregarding the fact that Sakura devoured any and all information, Sakura was curious beyond belief simply because she would learn about Itachi. She was practically drooling for the details. They could be brothers, cousins, even uncle and nephew. She even would have considered father and son if the age difference wasn't so small. Hell, they could be third cousins or some sort of far off relative but with their similar looks and even the way that they said "hn" the same way had her think that they were closer.
She needed to know. Why had Itachi left Konoha? What was his relationship with Sasuke? What was Itachi like before he had joined the Akatsuki? Sakura wanted to know everything about the older Uchiha. Not only because she had feelings for him but because he was so mysterious. She knew she didn't have a chance getting straight answers from him. Even after three years of knowing each other and living together, he never divulged personal information.
In fact, Sakura knew more about his kekkei genkai, the Sharingan more than she knew about its wielder. The only reason for that was because she had looked it up.
Suddenly hearing a squishing sound, Sakura looked down to see that she had stepped in mud or what she hoped was mud. Groaning aloud, she spotted a rock next to the corner of a building she was passing and walked over to start scraping the bottom of her shoe off. One arm was outstretched with her hand on the building to keep her balance. She was almost done with she felt someone slam into her full force, knocking her to the ground.
Momentarily dazed, she heard a few people yelling in the distance. Standing up, she started dusting herself off. When she looked around to glare at the person who ran into her, she saw her target, Uzumaki Naruto straightening the goggles on his forehead. Footsteps grew louder and she could make out the name that they were calling. Realizing that they were after him, Sakura pulled him away from the street and started sprinting away from the commotion.
Seeing a narrow alleyway, Sakura pulled him into it and held her breath as the angry mob passed them by.
"Wow! Thanks Sakura-chan! I'm sorry I ran into you earlier." He had the grace to look apologetic even as he flashed her a giant grin.
"You're welcome. Why were they chasing you?" Happy for her good luck, Sakura finished dusting herself off and moved her hair away from her face.
"Heh heh." Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave her a sheepish smile. "I just decorated the outside of their houses."
"You mean graffiti." Shaking her head at his immaturity, Sakura couldn't pass up the opportunity to speak to him outside of class. "I was going to eat lunch. Do you want to join me?"
"Really Sakura-chan? What about ramen. I know a great place and I have a coupon we can use for a second bowl of ramen for free!"
He simply looked too excited for her to deny him so she agreed. As they walked side by side, Sakura couldn't help but ask. "Why did you graffiti those people's houses?
Naruto moved his hands from cradling the back of his head to place them in his pockets. His orange clothes had spots of paint and dirt but he didn't seem to care. He shrugged and kicked up dust as his foot connected with a pebble on the street. "It doesn't matter, they can't tell on me anyway."
Sakura tilted her head to the side. His mood had changed so drastically. "Are your parents…on a mission?"
He shook his head, before his demeanor changed again. "There it is! Ichiraku!" He ran off before her and sure enough, there was a ramen shop. "Come on Sakura-chan!"
Trailing behind him, Sakura sat next to the now hyperactive boy on the counter and ordered a miso ramen.
"Naruto-kun?"
"Yeah, Sakura-chan?" His chopsticks were already in his hands, awaiting the bowl of ramen he just ordered. He wasn't even paying attention to her.
Any remarks about her own parents died on her lips and so did saying that she understood what he was going through. It had taken three months in Konoha to simply talk to Naruto. "I'll pay for lunch." She said instead, with a bright smile.
"Really Sakura-chan?! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Ramen is my favorite you know." His blue eyes unbelievably wide, his attention was drawn away from the cook as he looked at her with a grin that took over his face.
Sakura laughed for the first time in three months. "I can see that Naruto. I got money last week from obaasan for…my birthday."
"It was your birthday?"
She shook her head. "It was my mother's. My birthday was almost 7 months ago."
"Then why did your obaasan give you a present last week?" Smiling sadly, Sakura pointed to the two large bowls coming towards them. She could tell she had to spell things out for him. Naruto never stopped to think or tried to analyze any information.
"She must have gotten the dates mixed up. There's our lunch."
Starving, and though the food was hot, Naruto practically inhaled his ramen. However, as he continued to think about what Sakura had said, he began to slow down and take the time to chew. "Sakura-chan. I think we're similar."
"What do you mean Naruto-kun?"
"We both grew up without our parents and the village doesn't like us very much." When Sakura had first started attending the Academy, Naruto realized that Sakura was an orphan after overhearing a couple of girls in the class gossip about it. He'd wanted to get closer to her in the hopes that they would become friends. After class, he ran after her and overheard two adults discuss something about distrust and avoidance.
It caused Naruto to abruptly stop in his pursuit as he found out they were more similar than he realized. Still, he had always wanted someone who understood him and his loneliness within the village and it seemed as though he got one. But they had never spoken to each other before. Sakura appeared reserved in a lot of ways and cold. Naruto didn't want the friendship he fantasized about in his mind to be just a dream. Her melodic voice took him out of his reverie and his food.
"Naruto-kun, why do you stay here? I mean, if the villagers all dislike you, wouldn't it be better to move?"
He swallowed the food in his mouth before answering her question. "I've never left the village before. Besides, I'm going to be the next Hokage! That way, everyone will have to respect and acknowledge me."
It was his dream, one that he had no qualms about expressing. He was going to show everyone that he was strong enough to become the Hokage and prove that he wasn't a failure. He knew he wasn't the best in the class but he was the most motivated. That was for sure. Why limit himself, he mused. He was going to become the strongest ninja ever!
"Sakura-chan, do you think about leaving Konoha?" He turned his head to her, waiting for her answer though she fell silent.
"Sometimes I think that's what everyone wants me to do." Naruto dropped his chopsticks in his nearly empty bowl and shook his head violently.
"You can't do that Sakura-chan! Leaving is like giving up! Besides, you're my friend. You can't leave." Giving her a bright smile, he held his face in the same expression until she eventually smiled back at him.
"Where were you before you came back to the village?"
"Kirigakure. I was in an orphanage there but none of the people really accepted me. I thought that if I came to Konoha, I would at least be among friends. Thank you Naruto-kun."
"You're welcome Sakura-chan! No one in the village understands what it's like."
She nodded solemnly "like we're nonentities."
"What does that mean?" His new friend was really smart and he was lost.
"It means they don't see us, they consider us unimportant."
"Exactly! But once I become the Hokage, all of that will change. When we become famous ninja, everything will change."
Naruto was elated. At last, there was someone like him. Someone who understood his pain and loneliness and more importantly, she considered him a friend. Suddenly, their earlier topic came to mind as he finished his ramen. Her grandmother had thought that Sakura's birthday was her mothers. Sakura still had family left but there were also problems? Did that mean her grandmother thought Sakura was her mother? Feeling guilty for thinking she was more fortunate than him, Naruto realized that there were things about Sakura that he couldn't understand.
He had been alone for so long that the thought of any family whatsoever sounded like a dream. Yet, the pretty girl next to him was sad for it.
The next day, Sakura awoke relieved that some progress was being made on her mission. After their lunch, Sakura and Naruto had talked for a few minutes on their lives and their future dreams. She hadn't found an opening to have him leave the village as of yet but she had gained his trust and friendship, two things that would definitely help in the future.
The weight that had been lifted from her was tremendous. She no longer felt the nagging or the worry while in class. The chance meeting was like a gift, something proving that things were going right.
Her joyfulness was interrupted when Iruka announced their taijutsu matchups for the day. Everyone was to go twice and both of her opponents were troublesome for very different reasons. Yamanaka Ino was one of the girls who accused her of having a crush on Sasuke. Every part of her loathed having to hold back against her but it was something that had to be done. Her luck had turned.
When their match came up, Sakura mostly dodged and took hits to her less vital points. Even then, she could feel herself moving away from each attack and had to force herself to stop quickly in order to meet the punch or kick. Slowing her movements, she heard the boisterous yelling of her name. Naruto was the only one cheering for her. With an inward smile, Sakura advanced in her attack.
A right cross sent the other girl stumbling back and again, through years of practice, Sakura's hands made the first hand sign. Growling with annoyance at the taijutsu match, Sakura forced her hands apart and leapt at Ino with a flying kick, which hit her squarely on the chest.
Purposely taking huge gulps of air to appear winded, Sakura inched forward. She had sweat and dirt on her face and she knew that she had a few bruises around her body. When the blonde haired Kunoichi got up, Sakura sighed, knowing she had to lose another fight.
When Iruka finally stopped the match only five minutes in, Ino was the victor. However, she did receive praise for improving so drastically in so little time. Even so, Sakura was still considered one of the weakest in taijutsu and ninjutsu fights.
In Naruto's fight, Sakura carefully observed his movements and determined his abilities. He was a bit crass and never thought through his attacks just like his words, but he had tremendous stamina. After the five minutes were up, he wasn't even breathing heavily. She also knew from the ninjutsu training that his chakra levels were much higher than what a normal boy his age should have. It left fighting him and dragging him away from the village out of the question. Unless, she was with him after he completely tired himself out fighting another person.
Her second opponent surprised everyone. When Naruto spoke up on her behalf, Iruka simply answered with an "everyone fights each person in this class at least once". As soon as the names were called, Sakura realized that her luck the day before was simply a fluke. Her opponent was Uchiha Sasuke.
Facing off against arguably the most talented student in their class, Sakura prepared herself for a quick defeat. After all, if she couldn't even defeat Ino, there was no way she could justify or explain defeating Sasuke.
Cursing her bad luck, Sakura maneuvered around the makeshift arena behind the Academy and all but ran away from each of his attacks. While Naruto exhibited a headlong tendency to fight, she could feel Sasuke's eyes analyzing her movements. If she wasn't careful, he could potentially see through her deceptions. She only hoped he didn't use the Sharingan, that is, if he even had it.
Moving quickly enough to dodge or block most of his attacks, Sakura however, couldn't afford to make any counters or attacks of her own.
She could tell he was getting frustrated at her constant running away but she couldn't exactly do much else. Two minutes in, Sakura took a punch to her gut that she couldn't escape. Taking the blow, she fell to her knees while Iruka called off the fight.
She was fine of course; having moved away enough that it really just grazed her but would leave a small bruise.
"You're too weak to be a ninja." Over her slight coughing and winded state, she distinctly heard his words as he walked past her. Sakura glared at his retreating back and straight at the fan on his clothes. How dare he say that and in a voice that so reminded her of Itachi. It was like being kicked while she was already down. He wasn't even worthy of being related to Uchiha Itachi and in that moment, Sakura despised her role in the mission. She despised having to put up a front of being weak when she wasn't.
She heard the other girls yell Sasuke's name, congratulating him on the fight and remarking on how cool he was. It made Sakura sick and her anger got the better of her, shattering her coolheaded façade.
Wiping the spittle from her chin with her arm, Sakura rose to her feet. "Wait, Iruka-sensei. The time has not ended yet. Please, allow us to finish."
She didn't know what possessed her to make such a request, especially when there was nothing more she could do. All she wanted was to not appear weak. Sakura still had the desire to keep fighting.
Iruka eventually caved to the determined look in her eyes and Sasuke once again appeared in front of her. He was nothing like Itachi. Never, in any of their training sessions the past three years, had Itachi put her down as Sasuke just did.
Getting into a fighting stance, Sakura increased her speed only slightly but enough to keep Sasuke blocking and dodging her attacks. Feigning left, Sakura hit him with a kick to his side, sliding him back in the dirt. When he grabbed her leg, Sakura aimed a punch at his head but he jerked it back. Countering with an elbow he couldn't escape, Sakura heard gasps and sudden silence.
As the fight continued, the rational side of her fled her mind completely as she grabbed his arm after dodging a punch and threw him over her shoulder, effectively using his momentum against him. When his back blew up dust from the ground, Sakura smirked. "You shouldn't act all high and mighty Sasuke-kun." Mocking him, Sakura watched as he swiftly got to his feet and hit her with a combo attack that sent her reeling. Tasting blood, Sakura once again whipped her chin, panting.
When Iruka called time, Sakura appeared close to passing out and once again, she had lost. Appropriate as she'd just contended with one of the top students in the Academy. On her back and saved from another blow, she rose gingerly, dusting off her clothes. A yellow and orange blur bolted for her. Naruto held her up, yelling at the top of his lungs about how cool she looked and that she was awesome. Managing a smile back at him, Sakura limped back to the other students with his help.
Glancing at Sasuke, she saw his expressionless face as he took his spot, ignoring the girls in class. They shot glares at Sakura, displeased with her treatment of their idol. It felt good beyond words to be able to knock the Uchiha back a peg. How dare he call her weak! Once the mission was over, Sakura was going to beat him to a pulp.
For now, she would explain her progress as training and adrenaline. Consequences be damned, she'd let off some stress.
"That was amazing Sakura-chan! How do you train? We should train together!"
Naruto was still next to her, speaking loudly in her ear even as another pair started their fight. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I don't really know what came over me." Smiling sheepishly, Sakura didn't have the heart to tell him she trained with her grandmother. It would be akin to rubbing salt in his wound. Besides, she feared that if she got unnecessarily too close to him, it would make someone wary of her intentions towards him. She was balancing herself on a thin line, the same as with everything else.
He punched the air in front of him and kept going on about her fight. "You gave him the one two and he was so stunned. Did you see him? Serves that Sasuke right."
She couldn't help but chuckle. "Thank you Naruto-kun. But I doubt it'll happen again. I just caught Sasuke-kun off guard." Judging by the stiffness in the Uchiha's back, Sakura guessed he had heard her.
Don't forget to review. It lets me know you liked it and provides important feedback. I hope you like the spine I gave Sakura in the end. I was fed up writing her as some weakling. The next chapter will be the start of canon. Don't worry, I won't change too much and I'll try not to make it weird. I also tried to explain why Naruto and Lee start liking her. In the manga, it just seemed like Naruto liked her for her looks and Lee randomly falls in love with her at first sight. It was very, very annoying for me.