This is my first Naruto fic so any feedback is appreciates.

Also if anyone is interested in being an editor/beta-reader then please PM me.

Being reincarnated was a little anticlimactic. Being reincarnated as Sakura Haruno in a fictional world was even more so. At least from Hannah's perspective it was.

It wasn't like how any of the fanfiction she'd read described it. There was no sense of consciousness before she was born and there were no feelings of frustration at being trapped in an infant's body. She hadn't even been fully aware of herself for a while. There wasn't any way for her to describe it, it was like she had been asleep but awake at the same time. As if she was under mild sedative and while she was aware of the things happening around her, she had no conscious control over her own body. It was only when Sakura's parents requested a shinobi squad to escort them to Konohagakure that her brain seemed to 'wake up'.

Also unlike the stories she had read Hannah, Sakura now she guessed, didn't panic. Concerned was a somewhat better way of describing her current state of emotions. She'd always had a calm disposition, at least as Hannah she did. Honestly she was just glad it wasn't one of those 'wake up in Sakura's body on the day of graduation instances'. That might have instilled some panic in her.

"Sakura, it's time for today's lesson." She mutely turned towards Sakura's mother, no her mother now. She didn't let anything slip onto her face as she followed her mother's instructions. Her mind wandered as her body performed the steps of the tea ceremony Mebuki Haruno had drilled into her since she could sit upright.

Sakura's origin was something of a surprise to her. Neither the anime nor the manga had gone into any kind of detail regarding her upbringing. The most any official sources gave was that Sakura's childhood was normal, with no tragedies or complications. So far it was accurate, there were no tragedies or complications but it wasn't exactly easy. Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno were merchants and thus Sakura had been born on the road, quite literally on the side of the road.

For the most part they were ordinary people but she could deduce that perhaps some of Sakura's original motivation to become a shinobi was due to her parents. Most of it would be because of Ino and a little because of Sasuke but she would bet that her first thoughts of becoming a shinobi was as a result of her parents. In this world, they had been locked in an arranged marriage and neither parent had ever gone into the shinobi career. She could see that there was mutual respect and some kind of love for one another but beyond that she couldn't really guess. They were excellent partners when it came to business. Kizashi was charismatic and charming which made him best suited to speak with clients while Mebuki was organized and meticulous as she handled behind the scene tasks.

Kizashi was more laid back than Mebuki, often joking with Sakura and ruffling her hair when he got the chance. She preferred him over Mebuki. Mebuki had been raised to be the perfect merchant's wife and she held those same standards to Sakura. It wasn't like she minded the lessons that were forced upon her. It was mostly etiquette, housework and anything else that could be considered wifely duties. In addition, Mebuki taught her the ins and outs of their merchant business in preparation of the day when Sakura would marry a merchant herself and carry on the family tradition of expanding the business.

The Harunos were a surprisingly large merchant clan, with members stretched far and wide across the map, and this wide reach was achieved through marriage. A genius strategy really but that ultimately meant life with her parents was stifling. Even when she hadn't been consciously thinking, she found it stifling. Sakura was to stay out of sight, tend to her own needs and expected to think like an adult. She thought that this was what made 'Inner Sakura' manifest itself in the original Sakura's mind. Having no outlet to express herself she needed 'Inner Sakura' to do it for her. That and she had most likely been lonely.

Becoming a ninja was a way out, she assumed, of this life where things were decided for her and it would provide freedom from the expectations that threatened to smother her. But would Hannah, now Sakura, follow the path of the shinobi?

Hannah wasn't a pacifist, sure she liked to pursue peaceful resolutions but she knew sometimes you just had to punch someone in the face. However, following the same path as the original Sakura meant she'd have to kill. There would be no avoiding it, especially if she was placed on Team Seven.

'Speaking of.'

Did she want to change things? She had only been invested in the first Naruto series so she knew that plotline fairly well minus a few irrelevant episodes. Naruto Shippuden never quite captured her attention though she knew the gist of how things played out.

Forget Baruto though, no thank you.

However, if she could prevent a few things from happening before the canon timeline then that impact would change the events further on which would present a whole new set of challenges.

Her head spun as she contemplated her options. A part of her, a big part of her, didn't want to get involved. She could just figure out another way to get her independence or even accept being in an arranged marriage since there were worse outcomes and she'd be relatively safe. Safe and away from the shitstorm that followed Team Seven around, away from betrayal, away from pain. Things worked out in the end anyway right?

'Would you be able to live with yourself though?'

Right because if you could do something but don't and then bad things happen, doesn't that make you responsible to some extent? But would she even be able to change anything and how was she supposed to do it? Hannah hadn't been anything extraordinary, she liked reading and cooking but was otherwise normal. She wasn't athletic or overwhelmingly intelligent so could she really hope to outsmart some of the most nefarious individuals to exist?

'You were a problem solver though.'

She took a deep breath. 'So what was the biggest problem?'

Hiruzen Sarutobi was the biggest problem. Ultimately it was Danzo but only because of Hiruzen's unwillingness to act against him, to see past the guilt he felt towards the man and placing his trust in him despite the fact that the very same man had tried to assassinate him. She could understand feeling bad about obtaining something someone else had desperately wanted but the fact that he had let it impact his ability to lead effectively was inexcusable. Most of the problems that plagued the village were as a result of his inability to govern the village without his personal feelings getting in the way. She didn't expect him to be completely emotionless but sentimentality was ultimately not only his downfall but the downfall of the Uchiha clan.

However, she doubted that she'd be able to remove him from power since most still held strong loyalty to the man. She would need to create change from a different angle.

Danzo was of course the cause of all the main issues surrounding the village. The Uchiha massacre, Root, leaking Naruto's jinchuriki status and a whole plethora of other shitty things. But simply getting rid of Danzo, however she planned to do it, wouldn't solve everything. Particularly the underlying tension in the Uchiha clan.

This however, wasn't exactly Hiruzen's fault. Tobirama hadn't made taking over the role of Hokage easy for him since the man left such a shitty legacy behind as a result of being the most undiplomatic person in existence. His very clear discrimination against the Uchiha was the catalyst for pushing Madara over the edge after all.

So, if she were to figure out how to get Danzo removed then she'd need the Uchihas to be a part of it somehow. Them and Shikaku Nara, because any plan is better with someone who has a big brain, plus the Nara wouldn't be bothered about working with the Uchiha for the greater good of the village. That didn't answer the question of how to expose Danzo for what he was. She was sure that there were suspicions surrounding him because not everyone in the village could be that willfully ignorant but without evidence to back up theories there was no way to prove any of it. Another problem was that he most likely had some of the higher ups under his thumb, maybe even a few of the Uchiha but she couldn't be certain.

'You're not making any progress, think! Where's the easiest place to start looking for evidence?'

"Sakura! Are you paying attention?" She blinked rapidly, her senses focusing back on the present as she looked towards Mebuki. They were in the middle of another etiquette lesson, who knew there could be so many, and she hadn't been actively paying attention since she had finished making the tea. Muscle memory at its finest she supposed.

"Sorry Haha-ue."

Mebuki narrowed her eyes but didn't reprimand her any further, continuing with the lesson. It would be a couple of weeks before they reached Konoha so she reluctantly set aside her thoughts in order to avoid getting scolded. There was still time to plan.

'Guess it's the ninja life for me huh?'

Thanks for reading.