Genre: Action/Drama/Angst/Romance

Pairings: Eventual NaruHina, SasuSaku, NejiTen, ShikaTem, ShikaIno, possibly others.

Summary: During the 3-year time skip, when the Chuunin exams are held for the second time, the lives of the Konoha Genin, especially that of Hyuuga Neji, are thrown into disarray by the appearance of a girl with luminous white eyes, carrying the name of Hyuuga Suzuki. Exactly WHO is Suzuki, and how will the Konoha gang, especially Neji and Hinata, deal with the seething hatred she holds for the very clan from which she takes her name?

Notes: OK, just to clear up any time-line inconsistencies, my own personal version of the Naruto timeline goes like this: Naruto anime – filler – 2.5 yr. Time skip – Naruto 2. That basically means that I view the anime-filler as events that occur in the 6-8 months after the Sasuke-retrieval arc and prefer to think that Naruto leaves with Jiraiya after those 6-8 months and is therefore only actually gone from Konoha for 2-2.5 years or so. At the point GWE begins, it is roughly a year and a half since Naruto has left, and the Rookie-9 are 14. That makes Neji's team 15, Gaara 14, Temari 17, and Kankurou 16. Suzuki is 14, same age as the Rookie-9.

As always, thoughts are in italics, inner-selves talking will be in bold, and dialogue is in normal quotes.

Ghost-White Eyes

Chapter One – The Stirring of a New Wind.

Summary – The Chuunin exams are looming on the horizon, and Sakura and the others must decide if they can put aside their memories of the last exam in order to take their chances in this one.

The dark-haired girl reached over to her dresser, picking up the flat pendant on a leather cord. Holding it in her hand, she stared at it for a moment, eyes tracing the well-memorized lines of crystalline blue and white that sparkled through the blackness of the stone. Closing her hand around it, she let her eyes drift closed for a moment before opening them again and fastening the pendant around her neck. The flat stone swung momentarily before coming to rest in the hollow of her throat, warming to her body heat. Fastening her hitai-ate around her neck, she picked up the backpack that sat forgotten on the bed and swung it onto her back. Turning towards the door, she let her hand drift across the dresser, lingering for a moment over a faded photograph in a worn frame before she pulled the sliding door closed and walked down the hall. Bidding goodbye to the sole other occupant of the house, she slid her feet into her sandals and headed off down the dirt road without hardly a glance behind her.

"Ittekimasu (3)! I'm training with Tsunade-shishou today so I'll be back home late."

The girl in the red dress waved to her parents as she headed out the door, pulling it closed behind her. Stepping out onto the street, she paused for a moment. Closing her eyes, she tilted her face towards the warm sunlight, reveling in the feeling of warmth as a light summer breeze ruffled her hair. The dress she wore was in a Chinese-style, and was much the same as the dress she had worn in her academy days as a young Genin. It had a high collar that was open in the front with a zipper running from it and a skirt that was split up both sides to her waist. White edged the crimson silk at the collar and hem, and there was a white ring embroidered on the front of the skirt as well as on the back of the bodice, just like before. Anyone who was just meeting the girl might not have noticed the differences between the dress she wore now and the one she had worn before, but those who knew her well noticed the change. This dress had no sleeves, and the hemline was shorter, only reaching mid-thigh. At her waist, on either side where the skirt was slit, there was a smaller embroidered circle of white that joined with the white edging. Along that very same edging was embroidered small sakura blossoms in the palest of pink, only visible upon close inspection. Underneath the dress, the girl still wore the same dark green leggings as always, but she had changed her footwear, now sporting black sandals instead of blue, and having added a set of black shin guard-style armour. The only other difference in her outfit was the addition of black fingerless gloves with a pink sakura embroidered onto the back of them. There was a small white bag attached to the back of her dress, and she sported a black holster on her right thigh, white bandages underneath to pad it. Haruno Sakura opened her jade-green eyes and brushed pale rose-coloured tresses out of her face, securing an errant strand behind the hitai-ate she wore as a headband. In the last two years or so she had started to grow her hair out again, but each time she tried, she found that it seemed to get in the way. So she just ended up cutting it again. Since then, she had decided to simply keep it stylishly short, only an inch or two longer then where it had been during that first abortive Chuunin exam.

I never really thought about how annoying long hair can be when you're training. Guess I was just too preoccupied with other things before.

She frowned slightly as her thoughts took her to the root of those "other things". It was really more accurate to say thing. Thing, as in one singular isolated part of her life that had taken control of her mind, spirit and heart and refused to let go. That thing, or person as it were, had a name. Uchiha Sasuke. Last survivor of the prestigious and legendary clan that was betrayed and destroyed by one of it's own, and the prodigy who had turned his back on his friends and abandoned Konohagakure in order to gain power. The boy who had stolen her heart and dashed it to the ground with as little concern as he would have for a fly he swatted from the air. Sakura sighed slightly as she walked down the sidewalk. That was another thing that she couldn't seem to change. Just like her hair, though she tried to let her feelings for the cold-hearted Uchiha flow from her like runoff from a storm, they kept returning. She felt irrevocably trapped in her current state. She had certainly grown stronger, her tutelage under the Godaime Hokage had seen to that. But it was in her heart that Sakura felt doubt in her own strength. And so it was that the pink-haired kunoichi found her mind drifting to the question that she asked herself every day.

Why can't I just get over him? I've accepted the fact that he left. That he abandoned Konoha and everyone in it. That he abandoned ME. So why can't I just let him go?

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

She turned towards the voice, halfway expecting it to be Naruto. Of course, it wasn't. The noisy blonde had been gone for nearly a year, off on some sort of training journey with the Ero-Sennin Jiraiya. She giggled slightly at the thought. Even though he was one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya didn't seem at all like the sort of person who was anything other then a pervert. Especially the way that he was always "researching" for those horrid books he wrote.

"Ohayou, Lee-kun. How are you this morning?"

Sakura smiled at the black-haired young man in the green jumpsuit who stood in front of her. Rock Lee grinned, perfect white teeth seeming a tad extra shiny this morning, and struck the "nice guy pose", handing her a single pink rose. She took it from him with a smile and a nod. Lee was always such a sweet guy to her. Sakura knew she didn't have feelings for the high-spirited taijutsu master, and she knew that he was aware of that too. But that didn't seem to ever stop Lee. Every day he strove to not only present Sakura with flowers and gifts and the like, but to proclaim his eternal devotion and resolve to one day win her heart away from the cold-hearted Uchiha who had absconded with it. And in a way, Sakura was thankful for it. Lee was a good-hearted guy, and it was certainly a nice thing to have someone who actually NOTICED her and thought of her in that way.

"Thank you, Lee-kun. You're always so nice to me."

Lee gave her his famous grin and nodded. He saw Sakura most every morning as he headed for training with Gai-sensei. They took the same road; she heading to the Hokage's tower and he to the training area that he and Gai-sensei used that was a few miles past the tower. Lee had taken it upon himself to walk with Sakura every morning since the first day they took that road, declaring that he would never be able to live with himself if his "beautiful blooming flower" came to any harm. Sakura had laughed and waved him off, saying that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but Lee had insisted. Since then, it had become normalcy for him to meet her as she took the road to the tower, usually with a flower or other small gift in hand. He knew perfectly well that her heart still belonged to the Uchiha and he didn't try to dissuade her from it. Rock Lee was perfectly content to simply shower the girl he loved with his adoration and affection and to languish in the knowledge that even if he couldn't make her love him, at least he could make her smile. Things had continued in much the same way and they had soon developed a friendship. They had even taken to training together at some points, as Sakura had wanted to develop her taijutsu skills and Lee found that her use of chakra-enhanced strength made her quite a suitable sparring partner for him.

"Lee-kun, you really don't have to walk me to the tower every morning, you know. I mean I'm sure that you'd rather get an earlier start on your own training so that you can beat Neji like you've always wanted. And I really AM alright on my own."

As Lee started off onto his typical speech about protecting the fragile beauty and honor of his most-treasured flower, Sakura let her mind wander to her meeting with Tsunade the other day.

Flashback

Sakura carefully took the scroll from the hand of her mentor and nodded. The pair of honey-brown eyes in front of her narrowed slightly as the tattooed brow furrowed in thought. The Godaime Hokage, Tsunade, scratched one painted fingernail against the side of her head and sighed.

"Sakura, there's no need to look so serious about it. You did a fine job of learning the technique; I just want you to practice it a bit more. Hone the skills you already possess. That scroll contains not only the basics of the technique but also the details and procedures of several different applications. Study it, and when you feel confidant enough to try it out, I'll observe how you do."

The Genin in front of her nodded and turned to leave. As she placed her hand on the doorknob, the clearing of a throat behind her stopped her pace.

"Sakura. The Chuunin exams are going to be held 4 months from now. I think you should consider registering."

Sakura stiffened, hand still on the doorknob. The Chuunin exams… At the thought of the last abortive exams, a swell of memories surged up within her. Sasuke, covered with the cursed seal's dark flames, attacking the Oto-nin with murder in his eyes. Sabaku no Gaara transforming partially into his possessed form, the Shukaku of the Sand, and attacking Sasuke then herself. The Sandaime Hokage murdered by the traitor Orochimaru who had given Sasuke the cursed seal. Sasuke…she couldn't think about him at all without her mind automatically following the trail of thoughts to that one fateful night when he had left her lying on a bench with nothing but a cryptic "thank-you". Tsunade watched the emotions evident in her student's face, expression serious. She knew how her apprentice felt about the young missing-nin, but she also knew that Sakura had far too much potential for it to be wasted pining away for the Uchiha boy who had left. And it was time that Sakura realized that. She stood up, brushing platinum blonde bangs from her eyes.

"Sakura. I won't force you to take it, but I strongly advise it. You came to me to get stronger; that was what you asked of me. But you cannot stay a Genin forever if you hope to accomplish that wish. I realize that you have painful memories of the last Chuunin exam, but I want you to think about what you risk losing should you choose to avoid taking it again. The decision is yours, but I want you to promise me that you will at least consider it."

Sakura's shoulders relaxed slightly and she nodded quickly once.

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou. I will consider it. I will also review the contents of this scroll as you have asked. Arigatou."

She took the handle of the door and turned it, stepping out into the hallway and closing it behind her. Tsunade smiled as she heard her apprentice heading down the hall. Shizune cocked her head to one side quizzically as she handed the Hokage her tea.

"Tsunade-sama, what was that all about? You seem like you want so badly for Sakura to take the Chuunin exam. Why not just order her to? You know that she would obey if you did."

The blonde-haired woman smiled, resting her chin on her clasped hands. Shizune was right, of course. Sakura was a dutiful enough apprentice that if her shishou and her Hokage told her to do something, even if it was something she didn't want to do, she would complete the task as efficiently as she would any other mission that was given to her. But that wasn't the reason behind the amber-eyed woman's requests.

"You're right, Shizune. I could have just ordered her to take it. But if she takes it under my order without really wanting it, not only will her mind and heart not be in the endeavor, but her performance as a Chuunin will also be lessened. Besides that…"

She glanced out the window to where her red-clad student was walking to her normal training area. Her brow furrowed slightly.

"Sakura still carries a lot of wounds from the last Chuunin exam; wounds that are proving to be difficult to heal from. She needs another chance to prove, not to us, but to herself, that she isn't as weak as she's always thought she is. A chance to finally regain her confidence and stride foreword rather then clinging always to the past."

End Flashback

"Sakura-chan. Sakura-chan!"

Lee's words jolted Sakura out of her reverie. She flushed in embarrassment, realizing that he'd likely been trying to get her attention for some time now.

"Gomen Lee, I spaced out there. What were you saying?"

The jump-suited young man shook his head and smiled. He pointed to a small cafe and held up a change-purse.

"No apologies necessary, my kawai Sakura-chan. However, I will repeat my youthful request and ask you if you would give me the honor of buying you breakfast. As it is, there is still time before your training is scheduled to start. If you would only say yes, my youthful heart would be blessed by the company of an exquisite lotus-bloom such as yourself."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at Lee's often-comical way of speaking, as well as his never-ending enthusiasm. Sure, it was silly, but it also made her laugh and easily took her mind off of the thoughts that had been plaguing her. She checked her watch and nodded.

"All right, Lee-kun. Since there's still some time, let's get some breakfast. But don't go thinking this is a date, because it's not! We're just two friends getting a quick bite to eat."

Lee struck another "nice guy" pose and nodded frantically.

"As you wish, cherry-blossom of my heart!"

The green-eyed kunoichi shook her head slightly and followed Lee into the café. Looking around, she spotted some of the other Rookie-9 in the back corner table. Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru were sitting around a large plate of smoked meat, the two others watching with expressions of slight nausea as Chouji plowed through his meal. Upon seeing Sakura and Lee, Ino stood up and waved.

"It's Forehead-girl and Lee-san. Hey guys come and join us!"

All three of them had changed slightly too, it seemed. Ino had decided she liked her hair longer after all, and had been growing it out again. While it wasn't as long as it had been before, it was certainly longer then after the prior Chuunin exams. She had changed the style a little bit, adding a bun at the base of her ponytail that was decorated with a simple hair stick and tie. Her outfit hadn't changed much, though she had shifted from a top and skirt to a one-piece dress of the same cut and style. Fingerless fishnet gloves that reached her elbows replaced the arm warmers she had once worn, and the bandages on her body were limited to her legs and lower half. Her hitai-ate was still worn as a belt around her waist. Chouji still wore his hitai-ate the same way, but he had traded his shorts for long pants and his jacket now had long sleeves with a red stripe running down the outside edge of each sleeve. Shikamaru's outfit hadn't changed at all since he had added the green flak vest to his ensemble, but he had added forearm guards like the ANBU wear, and his hair had grown a bit so that he now had a few strands that hung down in his face. Sakura nodded and she and Lee made their way over to the table. Sliding into the circular booth, they picked up menus and ordered. Ino leaned over towards Sakura, eyebrows raised.

"Soooo Forehead-girl. Coming here with Lee-san, huh? What will people think?"

Sakura glared at Ino and stuck her tongue out before taking a sip of her ice water.

"It's not what you think, Ino-pig. Lee-kun and I are just friends. We take the same road to training every morning, so we often walk together. He's also been helping me with my taijutsu training. I mean, with Team 7 gone now…"

There was suddenly silence. Ino grimaced, feeling somewhat guilty. She knew what Sakura was really thinking. "with Naruto and Sasuke gone now..". She hadn't meant to remind her blush-haired friend of the two young men who were her most important people; she had just wanted to poke some fun at the other girl. She took a nervous sip of her drink, the sudden silence around the table seeming deafening.

"A..aa…Sakura…I didn't mean to…"

The pink-haired kunoichi shook her head. Ino was right, after all. She really ought to give up on the raven-haired Uchiha. She forced a smile and waved her hand towards her friend.

"It's ok, Ino-pig. Naruto will come back when he's finished his training. And as for Sasuke-kun…. I just need to accept that he's probably not going to come back and focus on getting on with my life, right?"

Ino stared at her friend a bit warily. She knew Sakura better then most people, and she certainly knew her well enough to know that she was a lot more bothered by Sasuke's leaving then what she wanted everyone to think. The blonde couldn't help but feel saddened for her friend. Even though she herself had long-since given up on Sasuke and moved on to other things, she knew that her rose-haired best friend had always cared a great deal more for the onyx-eyed prodigy then any of his other fan girls. And she also knew that it was Sakura, above all the others, who truly understood the reclusive Uchiha and who truly loved him for who he was, not just his looks or demeanor. Sakura knew the real Sasuke, even if Sasuke himself didn't realize it, and it was because of that fact that Ino knew Sakura would have a long road ahead of her if she planned to give up on her hopes of a love with the Sharingan-user.

Baka Sakura, trying to act all strong and pretend you're not hurting. I know you better then that, Forehead. I know you still cry for him at nights when you're alone.

Trying to ease the uncomfortable silence, Ino changed the subject. Turning to Lee, she poked him in the shoulder to get his attention. The young man spun around from gazing at Sakura, bowl-cut hairdo whirling as he did so.

"Ne Lee-san, did you hear? They're going to hold the next Chuunin exam four months from now. Our team is going to participate. Asuma-sensei wants us to try again. Is your team participating too?"

Lee nodded enthusiastically, the table nearly shaking from his motion. Since his operation from Tsunade, Lee had taken an even more serious approach to his training, working harder and harder each day. But, despite the fact that he trained harder, he had also become wiser. He knew that, as important as winning might be, if he injured himself again as he had before, there would be no other operation that would restore his body. If that happened, he really WOULD have to quit being a ninja.

"Hai! Gai-sensei says that the fires of youth that burn within us are crying to be freed and that the way we must do that is to prove ourselves in this next Chuunin exam. While I cannot speak for my team-mates, I know that my own warrior's soul is filled with jubilation at the prospect!"

Sasuke and Ino giggled slightly while Chouji kept eating and Shikamaru sighed and looked bored. The lazy Chuunin leaned back in his seat and shook his head, munching on a stick of grilled meat.

"You guys are too noisy. Being a Chuunin isn't all that great, you know. It's so troublesome most of the time. Besides, Ino; how do you expect to participate if you only have a 2-man cell? Just troublesome, I tell you. You'll have to find a new team-member or you'll be at a disadvantage. The only ones who'll have any sort of chance are the complete 3-man cells like Lee's."

Ino whacked him in the back of the head, blue eyes widening. He could really be dense sometimes.

"Shikamaru, you idiot! Think before you speak!"

She glanced back to Sakura, who had quieted down and was staring intently at her tea. Ino laughed nervously.

"B..besides, who says that they aren't going to change the rules this time around? I mean, with Konoha still at war with Oto, they probably want as many Genin participating as possible, right? So a 2-man team should be fine. Besides, Asuma-sensei wouldn't have suggested it if there was something wrong with the idea."

Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes, rubbing the back of his head where Ino had whacked him. He picked up his discarded skewer of meat and started eating again.

"Actually…Tsunade-shishou wants me to enter the Chuunin exam."

The others around the table stopped eating and stared in shock at their pink-haired companion. Lee was the first one to speak up.

"Sakura-chan, do you really think that is wise? A flower's blooms are so fragile, they should be protected from the evils of the world. Who will protect you if you are all alone in the exam?"

"He's right, Sakura. Don't you think you should wait until Naruto gets back from his training? Then you'd have him as your backup. You wouldn't be all by yourself against everyone else."

Though Ino's concern was genuine, Sakura couldn't help but feel that it struck a little bit of a nerve. While she was certainly apprehensive about the possibility, it stung that her friends seemed to think she'd grown so little that she still needed to be protected. She narrowed her jade-green eyes and finished her drink, setting the glass down.

"Don't underestimate me. I'm not the weak little Sakura I used to be. I'm not the girl who always hid behind Sasuke and Naruto anymore. So don't expect me to still be that girl. Besides, I don't even know if I WANT to do the Chuunin exam. I've got a lot of things already to worry about, what with my medic-nin training and Tsunade-shishou's taijutsu training. Anyway, I'm late. Lee-kun, thank you for the meal."

Pushing her plate aside, she stood up and headed out of the café towards the Hokage's tower.

Author's Notes:

3 – Ittekimasu "I'm leaving now"

Yeah I know, this chapter ended up being really Sakura-centric. But I LIKE Sakura, and I think she's a much more complex character then most people give her credit for. I also really like exploring not only her relationship with Sasuke, but the way that she grows as a person after he leaves. I feel that it is Sasuke's abandonment that really serves as the impetus for Sakura's transformation into a stronger person. Anyway, don't worry. The story itself isn't Sakura-centric. If anything, it's Neji-centric, as he's the one who will likely have the hardest time adjusting to Suzuki's existence as it throws his own into disarray. Next chapter will give a bit more of an insight into what the other Konoha Genin are up to, their feelings on the upcoming exam, and probably Suzuki's appearance (if I get that far before I get to a stopping point).

Chapter 2 Preview: Ino, Chouji, and Lee aren't the only ones preparing for the Chuunin exams. Neji and Tenten, as well as the remaining Rookie-9 are all working hard to improve on their individual techniques. But the exams this year will be a little different. Will Sakura decide to enter in the exams after all? Will Neji be able to advance his Kaiten to the next level? Will Hinata ever pull together the courage to challenge her cousin and her sister and prove herself? But all of those questions fall to the wayside by the arrival of a newcomer from a strange village, possessing the emotionless white eyes of the Hyuuga.

Please read and review, begs the little purple button...