Haruno Sakura; 4 Years Later

Age 16

-Empty Promises-

I hadn't been promoted to the chuunin rank this year. Once again, only ONE person had passed this year and of course, it wasn't me.

I knew I wasn't the greatest ninja in the world but I was hoping that when it was announced that only one person got promoted that it would be ME this time around.

When I was on a team of three with Sasuke, he was able to make me look better simply by being there. I was able to work off of his wonder and I looked like a good ninja. Now that Sasuke is no longer on my team, I only have Naruto to work off of and he just makes me look worse.

It wasn't the fact that I wasn't a chuunin that bothered me. I knew that once I became a chuunin then Sasuke would notice me. I mean, that's what Ino did and it worked for her.

I'm not as pathetic as Ino though and I'm not going to go all out.

I had tried Lee's self-motivation technique to get myself to train hard this time. I told myself that if I didn't get promoted this year then I would quit being a ninja because obviously I'm not good enough.

If I quit being a ninja, then I could focus more on something that I was more naturally gifted at like looks to win Sasuke's heart.

As I walked home from the Hokage's office, I took a minute to let it all sink in.

I wasn't a chuunin.

I had tried so hard this year and I was SURE that I had made it and that Sasuke would notice me this time.

Shikamaru's empty words of "Try again next year." I'm going to remember them forever. The tone of his voice, the way his face looked and then my reaction.

I didn't want to admit it to myself but the longer I took to become a chuunin, the further away Sasuke got from me.

Ino was coming between us. She didn't really love Sasuke and he didn't love her back. She was only using him because having the hottest guy in Konoha as your boyfriend looks really good.

Sasuke didn't know better. His family's been dead for a long time and he's forgotten what love feels like. That's why he thinks he loves Ino.

That's why he needs me.

He needs me to help show him what love really is.

Picturing Sasuke's face in my head just then made me feel slightly light-headed. Not the way I USUALLY feel when I think of Sasuke…but something different.

Rather than the usual wonderful feelings I get from Sasuke's image, I felt sad and almost hopeless.

I was almost to my house and once I was there, I would be in the privacy of my own room and wouldn't have to worry about letting my feelings out in public.

I wasn't a chuunin?

Why not?

Why was INO a chuunin?

I was SO much smarter than Ino! The smartest in the class!! Well, the smartest one in the class that the tests showed anyway.

Why did Ino trick Sasuke like this?

It made me sick. My vision began getting slightly clouded and blurry. I raised my hands up and rubbed my eyes.

I can't be crying now. It's no big deal! A lot of people didn't make chuunin this year! It wasn't just me!

But Sasuke…

It was as if there were two people fighting inside my head. But it's not like I haven't been notorious for having a voice inside my head.

I quickly ran around the corner of a nearby house and let myself go.

I allowed myself to cry and the tears to flow. It didn't feel any better but at least I wasn't trying to hold it back any longer.

I had hardly been crying for a minute when I heard a voice behind me.

"SAKURA!!! SAKURA!! OVER HERE!! LOOK!! I'M UP HERE!!!"

I looked up to see Naruto was on the roof of the house I was standing next to. He appeared to lose his balance because five seconds later, he was on his head right in front of me.

Idiot.

"Oh. Hi Naruto." I greeted him to be polite. I seriously can't stand him.

"Hey Sakura, are you all right?" He asked me as he stood up. As if it was any of his business.

"Yes…" I told him, rubbing my eyes. I didn't need him to know I was crying.

"What's wrong?" he continued obnoxiously. "Were you crying?"

"No!" I lied.

"Yes you were, Sakura!" He said. "Come on, tell me what's wrong!"

Well, it's not like I could lie about it anymore. He knew I was crying. So I decided to give him the vaguest possible answer.

"I didn't get promoted to a chuunin…" I told him. It wasn't a lie.

"Oh." He told me. "Neither did I."

Big surprise there…

"But I didn't know that mattered to you so much cause I thought you were kinda… planning on stopping."

He didn't understand! Geez! That's why he's a guy!

"That's why I'm upset! I promised myself that if I didn't become a chuunin then I'd stop being a ninja right here and now! And I'm not a chuunin! So I'm going to stop! Obviously that's not what Sasuke's looking for!"

I put my hands on my hips, angry that he had forced me to tell the whole story.

"Well Sakura…" he started. He didn't continue. What was he going to say. I tapped my foot to show that I was waiting and when that didn't clue him in, I decided to prompt him.

"'Well Sakura…'?" I said for him. He's so stupid…

"Nothing!" he said, giving me a stupid grin.

I think it was time for me to go.

"If that's what you want to do, Sakura, you should do it! After all, it's YOUR life and you should lead it the way YOU want to, not the way anyone else wants to!"

What was that supposed to mean?

I bet he was telling me to quit being a ninja so that Sasuke would lose interest in me. Naruto probably thought that if Sasuke lost interest in me then I'd lose interest in Sasuke and then there would be a small tiny chance that I'd date Naruto! Well, there was NO WAY that would EVER happen.

"WHAT are you talking about, Naruto?" I asked him.

"Forget about it, Sakura! If it makes you feel any better, I didn't pass the chuunin exam either!"

He already told me that. Like I needed to hear it twice! Like I needed to know that I was STILL on the same level as Naruto!

I was so NOT on the same level as Naruto.

He graduated at the BOTTOM of our class!!

If anything, the fact that he wasn't promoted and I wasn't promoted made me feel WORSE!

"No, it DOESN'T make me feel any better." I told him as I turned to walk away.

He didn't give up though.

"Hey, let's go get something to eat!" he said while chasing after him.

Yeah, after he had just insulted me?

"I can't, Naruto." I said, not even turning around. "I have plans today."

"How about tomorrow then?" He pushed.

He just doesn't get it. Maybe I should just say NEVER.

"No, I'm busy tomorrow too." I lied as I continued walking. Of ALL people for him to have a crush on, why did it have to be ME?

"Sakura, come back!" he said as he ran out in front of me, walking backwards. As if I was playing hard to get or something.

I decided to be honest with him.

Maybe that'd make him go away.

"Naruto, how many times to I have to tell you that you have absolutely no chance of ever getting a date with me?!" I yelled at him. Maybe I had yelled a little TOO loudly but maybe he'd get it.

"Oh Sakura!" he said. "You're so cute even when you're angry!"

That was the last straw! I was at the edge of my ropes with him! I couldn't even stand to look at him anymore!

I wound up my arm and soon he had my fist implanted in his face. He fell over on his back.

"Just get OUT of my face, Naruto." I told him. "And STAY out!"

I walked away, leaving him lying there on the ground.

The last thing I needed was to be seen with Naruto.

I began walking back to my house when I suddenly spotted Tenten standing next to a tree out of the corner of my eye.

I hadn't been talking to Tenten much lately, I don't know why but I decided to go over and talk to her. Maybe she could be my shoulder to cry on. A girl's got to be selfish every now and then.

As I got closer, I saw Neji behind the tree.

I definitely didn't want to go over there if Neji was over there because he is one of the scariest people in the entire world.

Unfortunately for me, Neji's also got excellent vision and I've got beautiful pink hair so he spotted me.

I could feel him glaring at me. Literally. It burned.

In order to save face and make it look like I wasn't spying on them, I walked over while waving. I was still a little angry from my meeting with Naruto so I wasn't really in the mood to talk much but I went over anyway.

"So did Sakura set you up to do this?" Neji asked Tenten, who was visibly upset. She has no reason to be upset, she's a chuunin now.

Tenten shook her head.

"I don't believe you." Neji said coldly.

What were they even talking about. I definitely came at a bad time.

"No…" said Tenten quietly. "It was all me. I just thought that maybe if I showed you that female ninjas were…"

"What?" Neji interrupted her. "All exactly the same?"

I found myself getting offended about what Neji said and I wasn't even there.

"You're all too caught up in love that you'll never amount to anything." Neji continued. "Tenten, you're just barely a chuunin because you've been too busy drooling over me and Sasuke…"

I thought about that. Since when did Tenten love Neji?

Oh well. I guess it'll never work out.

"And Sakura, you're too caught up trying to look beautiful for Sasuke that you'll probably never even surpass genin rank."

What?! Why was he saying this?! Why was he even dragging me into this?!

"What?" I asked, a bit of anger to my voice. However, I was still scared of Neji.

"The only female ninja I've seen amount to anything is Ino." Neji continued. That last comment could have been left out. It really burned. I hated to think that people thought Ino was better than me.

I could feel the anger filling up within me.

"Ino's twice as obnoxious about being with Sasuke!" I told Neji so that he wouldn't be misinformed from now on.

Neji sighed. As if he had ANY place to be sighing.

"From what I saw, Ino worked hard, became a ninja and impressed Sasuke because of that."

How DARE he!

Just as I was about to open my mouth to correct Neji to tell him that Ino only worked so hard to impress Sasuke and she was SO obsessed with impressing him that she became better, Tenten pushed past me and ran away.

I suddenly lost any or all bravery I had right then and there. There was NO way I could talk to Neji all by myself with no one there to protect me if he decided to kill me.

I looked over at him, glaring at me.

When Sasuke glares at me, I melt.

When Neji glares at me, I burn.

He seemed to have grown a couple of inches since Tenten left.

I felt a little awkward about turning to run away while he was glaring at me but I wanted to get out of there. Maybe he was trying to scare me away.

"I…have to go now." I told Neji, turning to leave.

"If you have any thoughts about continuing being a ninja, I suggest you go train." Neji said, coldly.

As I walked away, I couldn't help but think.

I didn't plan on continuing being a ninja. I promised myself that I would quit and I wasn't going to go back on my word.

I wondered if I had to go and tell anyone that I was quitting or if it just happened.

I wonder what Ino would say. Surely she'd laugh. She'd been able to make it so high while I haven't progressed at all in the four years I've been trying.

I wonder what SASUKE would say when he finds out I quit. That probably won't look good in his eyes.

Those eyes. The ones I had fallen in love with.