So I'm flying back up to Canada on Wednesday so that's really exciting. I may or may not update on Wednesday we'll see how I feel. Though I have to say that I'm thinking I'm going to split this story up into at least two parts because this is getting rather long. I think I may go to the point where the canon series time skips and do that for mine so that this will go until the time skip and then the next one will start after the time skip. I'm not sure how everyone else thinks about that, but I have had some people complain that it's getting long, and on top of that I'm not sure how long this story will be. I know it's partially because my chapters are really short because I only have one POV per chapter. The only reason they aren't very long is that I have a tendency to ramble so I try to keep them shorter so that I don't repeat myself too much which I'm writing and such. Some are a bit longer.

Chapter 34

Sakura

It's been a few weeks since we became a team. Training with the boy is interesting. We've also been having a lot of missions though they are mostly simple things that aren't that fun.

"I can't believe we have to weed," Naruto says. "I mean all these plants look the same."

"No, they're different," I say.

"Huh? How can you tell?"

"Well, Ino does run a flower shop with her family?"

"So are you two still friends?"

"Well… we have our days," I say.

"It's pretty stupid you two stopped being friends just because you thought Sasuke looked cool. I mean I like Sasuke too, he's a loveable jerk, but that doesn't mean I want to lose any other friends I could have over him or nothing."

"Anything, Naruto," Sensei says looking up from the book he was reading in a tree.

"Right, anything," Naruto says.

"Guess love is just like that," I say.

"Then love is dumb."

"Careful what you say there," Sasuke scoffs.

"All I'm saying is that you two shouldn't fight over stuff like boys cause that means that you're stopping being friends over something silly."

"Maybe…" I say looking down at the plants. It isn't the easiest to tell but also reading up on the things we had to learn in class I know which ones are weeds and which ones are herbs. "I can show you if you want."

"Thanks Sakura," Naruto says.

I go over to him and look at the row he's working on. I can feel Sasuke watching from a few rows down. I point out the differences in the plants.

"Thanks Sakura! You know you're really awesome!"

"Thanks," I say smiling a bit. Still… the three of them know each other so well it feels awkward sometimes. Like I don't really fit in and I'm only here because there needs to be a team of three. Naruto and Sasuke don't act like I' a waste of space or anything and they haven't made fun of me, but still…

I can't help thinking they'd rather be on a team on their own. They say they've been through alot and I know nothing about any of that. I've had a pretty normal life in general. It's not that I want to have a bad life, but they act like there are these big secrets they hide.

Sensei has a lot of secrets I can tell that, but I suppose that's to be expected of a ninja as strong as he is, but Naruto and Sasuke….

I know Naruto has been hated for some reason and Sasuke lost his family, but is there more to their lives that no one knows about? Probably, but I wish they'd just come out and tell me.

Isn't trust part of what it means to be a team?

At least they don't bully me about how I look or anything. In a way I never expected them too. Even though Naruto has been one for pranks he never seemed to bother me much with them. Sasuke on the other hand just isn't one for bullying or anything.

I'm really happy he's on my team. I hope that's not wrong. I mean I was so excited that I could be on his team. He's so amazing and talented as a ninja. He's so handsome too. He was always top of the class and he still excels in our training as a team.

"Hey, Sakura."

I blink. "Huh? What is it, Naruto?"

"I was gonna ask you about some plants, but you totally spaced out all like in your own world so I was just making sure everything was alright."

"I'm fine," I say. "So what plants are you unsure about?"

"These ones," he says pointing to a cluster of plants near his feet.

I go over looking at my own rows. Apparently I'd been doing it without thinking. At least I wasn't completely spacing out. They must think I'm strange for doing that. I'm not even sure why I'm thinking about this.

Don't Naruto and Sasuke live together though? I mean that doesn't mean much, but it's kind of unfair that they live with each other and I'm just stuck not. Not that my parents would want me living somewhere else like that. They still treat me like some kid even though I'm a ninja.I guess I am just a genin, but still…

Am I just an outcast? I wish I could tell what they thought of me. I wonder if they find me annoying and a waste of space, but just don't want to say it.

"These ones are weeds," I say pointing to them.

"Thanks Sakura, you are really helpful," Naruto says with a grin.

"You're welcome," I say. Maybe Naruto doesn't think I'm a waste of space. It's hard to tell with him. Sometimes he acts goofy and stupid, but other times he acts really serious. I'm not sure which side of Naruto is the real Naruto. I wonder if sometimes he just puts on an act.

Sasuke and sensei rarely say much unless they need to. I want to talk to Sasuke more, but I'm so nervous I'm going to get all embarrassed. I mean he knows I like him, but… that doesn't really mean anything. It must be really annoying to him to have me constantly saying I love him.

They probably do think I'm annoying. Sure I'm good with picking weeds and knowing information, but that doesn't really help. If we were on a harder mission I'd be so lost. I was pretty much dead weight during our survival exercise. I couldn't really hold my own like the boys could.

I focused so much on being smart and I thought I was great because of it. I aced every test the teachers put in front of me. I rarely struggled with theory, and I was able to do basic things so easily that I thought I had it. Sure I didn't have special jutsu like Ino or her clan, but I still felt like I had my own skills to add to a team.

Now that I'm on a team I see how badly I really do on missions. Sure this is easy, but what happens when we're going to get into a fight? Then where will I be? I won't be able to do anything. Knowing the logistics of fighting doesn't help in the long run.

I wonder if I'll ever catch up to the boys…

After we finish we report into the Hokage and leave...

"Sakura, do you have some time?" sensei asks.

"Sure, Kakashi-sensei. What's wrong?"

"I just noticed you seemed really distracted lately and I was wondering if you had something you needed to talk about."

At first, I wanted to say it was nothing, but…

"I just feel…"

"Like you're not good enough and an outcast on the team?"

"I… how…?"

"I'd be surprised if you didn't feel like an outcast. Naruto and Sasuke have grown close since Sasuke's family was killed and I've known the boys for a while. They were your classmates, but you didn't interact much. Furthermore, you don't have a lot of background training and you see the boys with all their physical skills."

"I don't want to pull the team down because I don't know how to fight very well."

"That's what training is for. No one expects you to be good right away. Sure there are some people who are skilled from the beginning, but some aren't. That's just the way things are. Teams like yours are put together to balance out the teams, but it is a bit of a struggle since you have to have the best and the worst student together usually causing conflict and a sense of a lack of worth from any or all of the team members."

"All I had in the academy were good grades."

"Intellect isn't something you should degrade. People like Naruto force a situation. What I mean is that he doesn't think all the time when he acts. He rushes in and it tends to work out for him. He has some cunning, but elaborate plans are not his thing. For a general in war, however, an elaborate plan would be a vital thing. Many missions fail due to poor planning. It may not be something you think about right away, but not only do you have to be physically strong you have to be mentally strong as well."

"But then Sasuke has both that."

"In every generation, there is always someone who is a genius at almost everything. So good that no one really rivals him, but that's not always as good as it sounds. Besides even idiots have proven their skills. One of my best friends was an Uchiha, but unlike the rest of his clan, he was a complete and utter moron yet… he was one of the most amazing ninja I ever met…"

"Oh...did he…?"

"He died in battle during the third world war. I owe him my life," he says.

"I'm sorry," I say.

"It's alright," he says, but somehow I have a feeling it's not alright.

"Thank you, sensei," I say after a pause.

"You're welcome. You're an important part of the team, and you will find your calling even if you don't know it yet."

I not. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He looks at the sky for a bit as if thinking then looks at me. "See you tomorrow."

I head home. Maybe my life is normal compared to their,s but… I don't know if that's such a bad thing, and I'll do what I can for my team. I'll make sure I'm helpful to them.