THE CHERRY BLOSSOM FIELD
"I-I'm coming…h-hold on." Sakura's hoarse voice seemed unfamiliar even to herself as she dragged her exhausted limbs through the dirt, rubble and rocks. Not even flinching at the heaviness of the sooty air she was inhaling, her jade eyes constantly hurled left and right until they rested on two very familiar figures sprawled on the completely destroyed battlefield.
"Sa-Sakura-chan…" Naruto, managed to whisper despite the fact that his face held innumerable cuts and bruises, unending blood and sweat. She raised a hand to silence him, covering the last few yards to reach her fallen comrades.
The pink-haired kunoichi squatted for a closer inspection. Naruto was resting on a bed of shuriken, kunai and the likes. His clothes were dirty and ridden with blood, his and others'. The red liquid stood out in such a stark contrast to his lively, blonde hair and the broken hitai-ate (forehead protector), also soaked in blood, was a poetic testament of just what he had been through.
As her eyes travelled downward, all the alarm bells in her head started going off. Instinctively, her hands hovered over his abdomen, emitting a green glow, indicative of medical chakra flowing out. Her mind started spinning with the sheer urgency of his condition that she had almost forgot about-
"Aargh!" A sharpy cry jolted Sakura as she jerked to her left. Black hair, black-grey eyes and a blatant, obvious pool of blood greeted her. Sasuke winced again, his eyes closing tightly. Without wasting a fraction of a second, Sakura managed to position herself to crouch between the two critically injured males, one hand each hovering over their almost-crimson forms. A steady supply of refined chakra erupted from her worn fingertips, trying to keep more blood from spilling out.
They're going to die at this rate!
Wailing sirens rang about her head once again as an intrusive image of her teammates, dead, in her lap forced her to make a life-altering decision, literally. Her Byakugo (Strength of a Hundred Seal) had long since receded from its peak and was now in the last fleeting moments. Her own heavy injuries were constantly hammering on her entire body as she struggled not to fall forward. The last of the Byakugo was not capable of healing both her injuries and give enough chakra to her hands as well. So, it was a choice between saving herself or them, really.
And she chose them.
With a last final push, she directed all her chakra to her fingertips which then transferred it to the jinchuriki and the youngest Uchiha, patching up their most devastating wounds first. Not a second of regret happened, for she would rather embrace death than see a world without those two.
The black-haired teen's eyes flew open and widened in realisation. Gathering a little bit of his strength, Sasuke tried to push the medic's hand away, but she caught it and held on firmly, a determined glace locking him in place. His words left her as the actual gravity of what she was doing began to hit him square in the face.
"Sakura-chan! STOP! What the hell are you doing?!" Naruto's sudden outburst halted her adrenaline and she almost fell on her face. Catching herself just in time, Sakura could hear her own laborious breaths and taste metal on her tongue. Straightening her back with immense effort, she raised her head to look at the two most important people in her life.
"Baka(idiot)…" She breathed with a dry chuckle while continuing her medical procedure, ignoring all the calls of protest from either. The task at hand was saving them, whether they wanted it or not.
"Sakura…" She raised her head at the almost-whisper. The onyx-eyed ninja was staring at her with an unreadable expression on her face, eyebrows scrunched up. "Nande(why)?"
She merely smiled at him for a second before turning to Naruto, who was looking at the pink-haired girl with tears glistening at the corner of his eyes. His shouts had dwindled down to mere mumblings and it was taking a lot of willpower from Sasuke to not break down himself.
"Sasuke, Naruto" His head jerked up as he tried to look at her through his black bangs plastered on the front of his face. The rising sun was shining with the light of a new day, a promise of something better. Then why did Sasuke feel like dying?
Satisfied with her healing, Sakura withdrew her hands. Her whole body was shaking violently as blood escaped from the corner of her mouth down to her chin and even lower to her neck. Slowly getting up, she looked at the glowing sun for a second before resting her gaze on them, with her hands clutching her sides. As another trickle of blood dripped from the side of her head, her emerald-green eyes suddenly showed solace, as if soaking in every last second of her friends, the cold Uchiha and the knucklehead jinchuriki. A smile descended on her lips. "I will not let you guys die."
A surprised expression laced with gratitude and shouts of 'Sakura!' and 'Sakura-chan!' were the last her senses registered before she let go of herself completely. Her body was in pain, but her mind was at peace. As she finally felt her head connect with the cold, hard and uneven land…
"I will always be with you Naruto, we're friends! Besides, I'm not going anywhere until you become the Hokage"
…
"Ne Sasuke, it doesn't matter how far into the darkness you are right now. I-We will be right where you left when you decide to turn back to the light. I'll wait."
…..
…..
Gomen(sorry) Sasuke, Naruto. Looks like it's the end of the road for me.
CHAPTER 1: TEAM SEVEN
Six years earlier…
"Tou-san, I'm leaving!" A little pink-haired girl called out, strapping on her shoes as she strained her ears for any sort of acknowledgement. Satisfied at a 'take care, Sakura', she opened the door and left.
The jade-eyed girl let her thoughts fly with the wind while she did her routine laps around the village. Sakura had been practicing and training by herself for quite a few years, so it almost came as a second nature to her.
She would run halfway through the village where she would be greeted by an old woman who would ask Sakura how she was, to which the young girl would reply 'fine.' At the gates of Konoha, she would be greeted by the two ninja joined at the hip, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, who would ruffle her unusual hair and then proceed to listen to how her training was going on, offering their own two-cents with promises of officially training her when she graduated from the academy. She would then thank them and be on her way.
It was the daily routine for a couple of years now.
As she neared the training grounds, she was caught off guard by another presence in the vicinity. Always being adept at chakra control, at least that's what she had been told by her instructors, it had been relatively easy to study how to sense someone else based on their chakra pattern from the scrolls she had once found in her attic…unless of course, the ninja is masking it.
She continued walking, careful to keep her guard up in case it was trouble. As her vision caught up with her sensing ability through the foliage, she saw him.
Black hair. Black-grey eyes. Panting breaths. Five shuriken at his disposal.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Sakura didn't make a move. Instead, she stood there just watching. His movements, his form, his aim. It all made perfect sense when he moved. There was a certain deliberation in his actions. They were urgent, quick, but graceful and calculated. He had been at the top of the class in almost all aspects. His aim was amazing, his understanding was adept, his taijutsu was one of the best and he scored straight As, which would put him in another pinnacle of areas if not for Sakura herself. She had excelled every single exam thrown at her during the academy. She was practically a genius by those standards, although it never really felt like that to her.
She was broken off her reverie as the boy in front of her, who apparently hadn't noticed her or simply didn't care, threw yet another barrage of shuriken on the already battered scare-crow. Four of them hit bullseye, right on the vital organs. However, one of them went straight above the scare-crow and towards a little squirrel. The creature seemed oblivious to the incoming weapon, nibbling on the nut in her small paws.
In a split second, Sakura picked up a small pebble and threw it towards the shuriken. Calculating the momentum of the air and the force required was easy, but she was well aware that her aim was not always perfect, even after training. She just hoped it was enough to deter the weapon from its path and save the innocent creature.
Her baited breaths were released when she heard a small 'thuk'. The pebble had hit the shuriken dead-on and the metallic weapon fell on the grass below. Startled by the sudden noise, the squirrel had animatedly fled from the scene, leaving a half-eaten chestnut behind.
"Bullseye!" The rosette cheered, throwing her hands in the air.
Sakura watched as the raven-haired boy turned to her, a blank expression and slightly raised eyebrow as he looked at her for a second, then turned to his fallen shuriken, back to her, back to the shuriken, and again back at her.
"Good morning, Sasuke." She smiled, giddiness about the fact that her training was paying off not subduing in the least.
"Morning" he replied before walking and picking up his fallen weapon, searching for any traces of damage. There was none. She had managed to stop it without inflicting any kind of scratches. Hmm.
"I'll go train on the other side of this field." He turned at her voice. She was pointing in the opposite direction. "Do you mind?"
Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. Taking it as an affirmation, she waved him a quick 'bye' before jogging. Onyx eyes followed her retreating back for a few seconds before resuming his own training.
-oOo-
"Come on!" Ino whined for the umpteenth time, casually flipping her long, blonde ponytail. "Aren't you guys done yet?"
Sakura opened one eye to look at her and raised an eyebrow. A small smile played at her lips as she saw her pouting. Her lone eye then turned to the man sitting across her. Blonde, tall and well-built, eyes closed but always careful.
"Ino." He spoke in a deep voice, his eyes still closed and his hands never leaving the meditation position. "How long has it been?"
"Already over an hour!" The little girl snapped back, swinging her ponytail again.
Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the prestigious Yamanaka clan, gently opened his eyes and darted them to the pink haired girl sitting across from him. "Sakura, we're done for today."
"Hai, Yamanaka-san." Sakura answered, bowing slightly and getting up from her cross-legged position.
"I've told you so many times to just call me Inoichi-san." He uttered in an amused tone, shaking his head.
"But Yamanaka-san, you're teaching me something. It won't feel right…" Sakura started but the blonde man just waved his hand carelessly.
"What's the matter, musume(daughter/girl)?" He asked with a frown, looking at her daughter who was glaring at him.
"Tou-chan, it's not fair." The aquamarine-eyed girl reprimanded, putting her hands on her hips for emphasis. "I sometimes feel like you're stealing my only friend!"
Inoichi blinked a few times and suddenly guffawed loudly, his laughter reverberating in the empty compound. Even Sakura broke into a flurry of giggles, which only intensified as Ino glared at her and pouted even more.
"Gomen gomen(sorry)." He managed to speak after a few moments, an amused smirk playing on his lips. "You can have your friend back."
As the two girls were leaving, his deep yet warm voice echoed in the hallway. "Good luck for tomorrow's graduation exam, Sakura!"
"Arigato(thank you), Yamanaka-san." The rosette managed to respond before she was yanked away by her hand.
"Why you…tou-chan always…MY friend…shopping…always training…" Ino grumbled under her breath, stomping on the ground as she walked. "You always do this, Sakura! You promised you'll come shopping with me! I am hungry and I'm so mad and I need new weapons I need to train and…"
The pink haired girl gave an apologetic smile.
"Gomen Ino, but look! We've still got plenty of time. I'll help you with your shopping and get you a new kunai." She offered as a peaceful truce, raising her hands in surrender. When her friend didn't respond for a whole minute with still narrowed eyes, she sighed. "I'll buy dinner and even let you style my hair. I know much you want to do that."
The blonde seemed to consider her for a second as she closed her eyes and brought her hand under her chin. A few seconds later, her lashes fluttered open. But Sakura had already received her answer way before in the form of a small, upward twitch on the Yamanaka heiress' lips. "Throw in a couple of hours of training as well, and we have a deal, Forehead girl."
"My forehead is not even that big!"
-oOo—
"Am I prepared?" Sakura asked no one in particular. Her room was a mess, indicative of her head. Scrolls were strewn around, occupying most of her single bed and half the floor. Clothes were dumped in a corner, unfolded. Kunai and shuriken were carelessly spilled on her desk while mounds of paper were littered here and there as well.
"How's my favourite daughter doing?" A joyful but solemn voice penetrated the otherwise quiet room, and the door creaked just a little. Distracted, the girl looked up to, her hands still grasping the scrolls firmly.
"I am your only daughter, Tou-san." She answered, shaking her head slightly. A wild strand of her cherry-pink hair escaped from the back of her ear, landing on her left cheek.
A free laugh echoed from the walls as Kizashi shifted some of the things occupying the bed and sat down, regarding his only daughter carefully. Sakura had grown into a fine girl, no doubt. She was hardworking, smart and caring. Unfortunately, the years also saw her grow sombre, quieter.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" He asked, hoping to capture any sort of reaction, but she remained still. She made no movement, except her eyes blinking a couple of times. Her short locks blew slowly from the air entering through the open window. The room was dimly lit by a single lamp, a whitish yellow glow encasing her pale skin.
Kizashi stood up, intending to close the window, for the weather was getting chilly. A few seconds went by without much talk. Still facing away from her, he started. "You don't have to be nervous, Sakura. I've seen you work everyday tirelessly. You have beaten all academic records for Kami's sake. If anyone should graduate, it has to be you."
"I'm not nervous about tomorrow." A soft yet firm whisper made the man turn around. His eyes once again regarded his daughter, albeit in a new light. In a few quick strides, he regained his initial position beside her.
"Then what is it?" He questioned curiously. Sakura did not answer, her emerald eyes merely flickered to him for a second before returning to the object of her interest: a scroll on chakra-control.
"Talk to me, musume." He urged when he received no response. His hand went up to touch the young girl's shoulder, flinching a little when he felt her stiffen. A few seconds later she relaxed, and turned to face him properly, crossing her legs on the bed.
"I'm worried about what would happen after tomorrow if I graduate." She uttered, playing with her hands on her lap. On receiving a look of encouragement from her father, she continued. "If I graduate, I'll become a kunoichi. The missions come next and even though I'll start at a very basic level, as I improve the ranks will also increase. I know what I was getting into when I decided to become a ninja but…all of this together, that too in the long run seems overwhelming. Who knows what sort of danger is lurking around out there? What if one day I…"
Kizashi was in a fix. Being a civilian, he wasn't aware of what the shinobi stood for. He knew ninjas were supposed to fight for the village and even die for the village…but what for?
When Sakura first expressed her desire to enrol in the academy, he couldn't hide his distaste. Losing one of his precious people was already unbearable, he wouldn't know what to do if his daughter was to meet a similar fate. But he also knew very well where she was coming from. Besides, it is her life after all.
He always knew what to say when she would run to him saying she doesn't want to be a ninja anymore and deep down, a small but dark part of him was longing for that moment. But as the days rolled by, all he saw was her determination rise and flare. The way she acted, studied, trained and learned; it was all the evidence one needed to acknowledge her resolve and eventually, he had made peace with that fact. Even if he wasn't a shinobi himself, he was still her father and could help her with anything, he believed.
Now the first time she ever asked anything of him, his words failed him.
He wrecked his brain, trying to figure out what to say to make her feel better. Does she want to quit the academy? Quit being ninja? Does he want him to? Where would it lead her then? All these questions whirred in his mind.
"I just…I want to protect you, tou-san." She whispered, risking a glance at her father, who was looking at her with an unreadable expression. "That's my main priority. But what if, one day, I don't return from a mission? Who will protec-"
Her words receded as she felt two strong arms grip her into a tight hug. She blinked twice before folding her arms over her father's comparatively bigger back. She didn't complete her sentence; she felt no need to. He didn't respond to it, didn't know how to. They sat in a comfortable silence; a pin could be heard dropping in the quietness of the room.
"It's moments like these Sakura, when I wish time would just stop. You're barely twelve and it already feels like you're growing up so fast." He muttered in a soft, melancholic and loving tone. His hands ruffled her cherry-pink hair, untying any knots. "You'll become a fine, a very fine kunoichi. I just know it."
-oOo-
"Alright, Sakura Haruno, you're up." A spiky haired male with a scar running across the middle of his nose called out, looking up from his clipboard. "Proceed to the room next door."
"Good luck, Forehead!" Ino whispered, giving her friend a pat on the back. "Not that you need it."
"Thanks, Ino-pig." Sakura flashed a smile before leaving the classroom with light footsteps. It didn't take more than a couple of steps to arrive at the room where her graduation exam was to take place. It was simple, really. She had practiced the jutsu more times than she could count, but the familiar mixture of exhilaration, excitement and nervousness that seemed to go hand in hand with every exam was starting to surface. Trying to calm her nerves, she grabbed the doorknob and twisted it.
Once inside, she gently closed the door behind her as two pairs of eyes followed her every move. Iruka, her spiky-haired academy instructor in a standard shinobi vest and the only authority figure she saw in a more personal light, and Mizuki, a white-haired man in a similar vest giving her a warm smile, were sitting in front of a large table decorated with multiple hitai-ate (forehead protector). Each hitai-ate consisted of a blue ribbon, folded neatly underneath a lustrous metal plate, which had the hidden-leaf symbol embedded in the middle.
"You have to perform the bunshin no jutsu (clone jutsu) for us, Sakura, as I'm sure you already know." Iruka said with a contagious smile, then fell back into silence.
Sakura nodded once, taking a deep breath. Making the hand signs, she concentrated and focused on a small amount of her chakra with ease. "Bunshin no jutsu!"
Immediately, five clones of the pink-haired girl poofed into existence.
-oOo-
"He he he." Naruto was practically bubbling with excitement, obvious by the fact that he struggled to keep still. Small shivers ran down his spine every few seconds. He had graduated! He! Graduated! For the first time in three years!
Not even what had happened with Mizuki the day before could hinder his sheer joy and exuberance at the fact that he was now a genin, which meant he was one step closer to being the hokage! His dream was close now, he could almost taste it.
He had to tell someone about it!
As he looked around, his eyes narrowed when they landed on the boy sitting beside him. Clad in blue T-shirt with white shorts and ninja sandals, his chin was resting on his intertwined fingers. His eyes were open barely a slit, and looking at him one could see he was in a world of his own…and who knows what it was about?
Sasuke Uchiha.
Before he could make any move, he was very rudely interrupted with a high-pitched, whiny voice.
"Hey! Let me through!" Naruto turned around to meet fierce aquamarine eyes. Ino was looking at him in anger, almost all up in his face. Her face was a little red and her breaths were small and shallow. Assuming that she had ran quite a distance would be fair. He fumbled back a few inches in defense. That blonde was intimidating as it is, and now seeing her seemingly pissed off left him with an uneasy feeling.
"Oi Naruto! Did you not hear me? Move your ass! I want to sit on the other side of you!" She thundered, pointing an accusing finger at him. As her eyes flitted to the other boy, her cheeks blushed a deep shade of red. Her demeanour changed completely from how she was behaving a mere second earlier. Her hands clasped in front her of her chest and her pupils literally turned into hearts. What more, he saw something deeper in them. Something Naruto longed to see in someone's eyes for himself….
He wasn't sure of the feeling that erupted in his entire being when someone treated this particular guy with…with love and admiration and whatnot.
What he was sure of, was that he hated Sasuke Uchiha. That guy acted like he was so cool, not caring about anything. He was the most popular guy in the whole class, and it didn't help the knucklehead blonde's irritation much that all the teachers seemed to adore him. And all the girls loved him to no end.
All these thoughts made Naruto narrow his eyes and grit his teeth. What is so special about this guy anyway?
In a flash, he jumped up and crouched on the desk in front of the raven-haired boy. Naruto squinted in inspection and the Uchiha returned the gaze in equal intensity, narrowing his eyes. He formed a scowl noting how uncomfortably close the stupid blonde was; he could practically feel his breath on his face for kami's sake.
"Naruto! You baka! Get away from Sasuke-kun!" Ino yelled, flexing her arm dangerously in mid-air.
"Move it!" Sasuke snarled.
Naruto made no movement to get away, he kept staring at him. He just didn't get it! Why were all the girls so obsessed with him? What did he have? He wasn't even that good-looking!
"No way, really?" A voice cut in through his thoughts. Before he could react, a hand carelessly nudged his right foot roughly, leaving him stumbling forward.
What the…
-oOo-
"Shit shit shit, I hope I'm not late" Sakura muttered as she ran through the academy doors and straight towards the stairs. Her apparel made it much easier to move around, as opposed to the casual clothing she usually wore. It had been a gift from her father for graduating the academy, a very generous gift at that.
She was donning a sleeveless red top, grey-black shorts and a faded pink apron skirt with slits in the front and sides. Her weapon holster was strapped to her right thigh and she wore black ninja sandals. Her elbow-protectors were the same colour as her skirt and her hands were covered by black fingerless gloves. Her hitai-ate was fastened across her forehead, a few stray pink bangs partially covering it.
As she opened the door to her classroom, the sight that greeted her was…interesting to say in the least. Naruto Uzumaki, the prankster of the village and Sasuke Uchiha, the brooding prodigy were locking lips in front of the entire class. Umm…
The room was pin-drop silent for a second as no one knew how to react. However, soon, a group of girls started screaming their head off and a very mad Ino grasped Naruto's collar and began shaking him violently. Sasuke held his neck, making sounds of disgust and puking motions as if the kiss had left a rotting sensation in mouth…it probably had.
"Bastard, I'm going to kill you!" The Yamanaka heirness yelled, throwing the prankster on the ground and raising her fist.
"It was not my fault, dattebayo(believe it)!" Naruto bellowed before jerking his head in his hands and closing his eyes tightly to brace himself for the impact. A few seconds went by and when he felt no pain, he slowly opened his eyes.
A flash of pink and red, and Naruto could've sworn he saw an angel from heaven if she wasn't wearing ninja-suited clothes. Not that angels couldn't wear ninja clothes. She was facing away from him, her hands help up in protest.
"Easy, Ino. He just said it wasn't his fault." Sakura tried to reason the raging blonde. "It was an accident, right Naruto?"
She turned a little towards him, left half of her face in view. But he didn't care about that. What completely ensnared him was the look in her emerald eye. That look. One that didn't exude anger or disgust or resentment, but mere warmth, belief, care.
She believed him when he said that it wasn't his fault for kissing that stupid Uchiha. She believed him when he said that it wasn't his fault. She believed him when he said-. She believed him. She believed. She believed. She believed…
"Right Naruto?" She repeated, a little raspier than before, encouraging him to catch up to the situation. Thankfully, Naruto halted his thoughts and nodded vigorously, blabbering about how he was pushed from behind and that he would never kiss someone like Sasuke-bastard in a million years and how he tasted like stale sardines.
"So I need to beat up the person who pushed you, got it!" Ino declared, punching her fists angrily in air.
"No no! No need to beat anyone up. Just calm down for Kami's sake!" Sakura yelled in exasperation as she physically held her friend back who was hell-bent on beating someone incapacitated.
-oOo-
"Starting today, all of you are real shinobi." Iruka began in a serious yet gentle tone once the students had quietened down. "But you are still genin. The hard journey that lies ahead has just started."
"Now you will soon get missions to help the village. So today we will create the three-man teams. Each will be led by jounin sensei." He continued in the same monotonous tone, regarding all of the kids carefully. "You all will follow your sensei's instructions in order to successfully complete your missions."
"We've tried to balance each team's strength." He finally said with the ghost of a smirk on his face at the various squawks and yells and groans. "Now let's begin, Team 1 has…"
So, I'm finally at the point where my fate for probably the rest of my life would be decided, huh. Sakura thought as her mind started running at hundred miles per second. She didn't even try to dart her eyes anywhere other than the old desk in front of her in case she disrupted whatever plan the universe had for her.
She would be put in a team with three people, one of whom will be her sensei. What if they ended up not being a good fit? What if her teammates ended up not liking her or vice versa? There were so many things that could go wrong.
It was almost funny how little control we have over the universe and even the events that shape us to be who we are. She thought bitterly.
Did she have any choice regarding her teammates? Those she would have to trust her life with? Nope. Did she have any choice regarding her teacher who was supposed to give her the knowledge she would acquire from now on? Nada.
She would just have to trust her the academy instructors' judgement and hope with all her heart that it wouldn't end up being a disaster. But could she, really, trust them?
"Team 7…Sakura Haruno…" Her head jerked up at the mention of her name. The rosette was practically on the edge of her seat, waiting in anticipation for the next two names. This is it!
"…Naruto Uzumaki…"
A loud cheer and a yell of 'dattebayo!' reverberated throughout the room. Okay…
"…And Sasuke Uchiha."
A loud groan and a silent scowl.
…
…
…
Damn.
-END OF CHAPTER-
Author's notes:
I honestly have no idea how many of y'all pay attention or even read these so in case you are, you're already in my good books. *Wink*
Anyway coming to 'apparently' more important topics, this is probably going to be a long fic but I think it was a little obvious considering the small taste I gave y'all at the start of this chapter and also cause it starts from the…um..well, start. What with six years earlier, yada yada…
One thing, Sakura is by no means my favourite character in the series. However, whenever I look at her character, I just see a lot of wasted potential. So, let's take out a pickaxe and dig in, shall we?
IMPORTANT: Sakura-centric, improved personality (a little like Naruto Shippuden and Boruto), changed dynamics of Team 7 as well as with other characters, most probably will end up AU or at least AU-ish.
Do review, lemme know your thoughts and if I should go on 😊
Oh, and lastly, you can ask any questions you have in the reviews as well, I'll be responding in my author's notes at the end of the chapters similar to this one. Peace out, homies.