Title: A Little Pain
Summary: At the age of 7, there were a few things Hinata Hyuga was sure of. One, her father, Hiashi Hyuga, was the strongest shinobi she knew. Second, just the thought of her having to one day make decisions for her entire clan terrified her beyond belief. Third, her younger sister Hanabi, at the age of 2, was very easy to impress.

Hinata Hyuga never wanted to lead her Clan and when she is stripped of her title and essentially an outcast in her home, she finds solace in the brief comforts of a pink-haired girl named Sakura. Though little did Hinata know that losing her heiress title would send her life spiraling down a path of self discovery, bravery, and the realization that changing yourself is a possibility is the most powerful jutsu of all. But... perhaps stopping yourself from fainting whenever you happen to be around your crush is a start. And convincing the entirety of Konoha that it's first all-kunoichi team won't be a complete and total failure should be prioritized before any of that.

[;';]

From now on, Author's Notes and Comment Responses will take place at the end of the chapter!

Chapter 8: The Melancholy of Sakura Haruno

Sakura Haruno felt her throat go fiery raw that particular late afternoon in Maruyama Park.

I hate going to the academy! She thought as she sobbed on. I don't wanna be a ninja anymore!

Sakura had only been going to the Ninja Academy for one year and today was the last straw after another round of teasing from Atsushi, Kenta, and Ganta. Sakura shoved her face deeper into her hands, chest racking with another sob. "Sakura," Mebuki would say, her emerald eyes soft. "those bullies won't even matter in a few years. You should ignore them! You have a beautiful forehead." Mebuki would continue.

Sakura, on the other hand, begged to differ.

No matter what the pink-haired girl seemed to do, the boys seemed to relish teasing her forehead no matter what.

Her bangs covered her forehead all the time.

Sometimes for Academy festivals, Sakura would even have her bangs swept over behind her right ear as she sported a small ponytail with a cherry blossom charm, as gifted by her mother.

Sakura even tried finding private places to be on her own at recess.

Yet somehow, it always came back to her forehead and the three jerks that were her classmates would continue on.

Sakura sniffed strongly. She would just ask her parents if she could leave school and be a normal villager. Her father was just a merchant now, selling fine wood carvings while her mother manned the home. Sakura wasn't sure where she could go ultimately, but it would definitely be better than maybe one day ending up on a team with either of the three boys she dreaded seeing daily.

"Hey, aren't you the girl who always gets called "Billboard Brow" at the Academy?" A voice cut through the air. There was no malice, just curiosity.

Sakura looked up with a start, hiccuping all the while, to see a girl with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes staring right back at her. Sakura recognized her immediately as the pretty Ino Yamanaka, the girl everyone seemed to love and adore. Sakura could understand why; Ino was like a bright sun in their class, at least to Sakura. A bright sun that everyone else seemed to orbit.

Ino smiled, "I'm Ino Yamanaka. We have the same class together at the Ninja Academy." She said as if Sakura didn't know that already when the blonde was so popular. (Sakura did briefly think over that it was a possibility considering they never ever talked.) "What's your name again?"

Sakura blinked, a few more tears escaping her eyes, half expecting this to be a joke. Yet Ino continued to look at her, waiting. "... My name is Sakura." Sakura eventually mumbled, hoping that the girl would leave once she obtained her answer.

"Huh?" Ino pursed her lips together. "I can't hear you. Speak up." She said in a sing-song tone.

"My name is Sakura!" Sakura all but shouted, just wanting the girl to go away.

That's when she felt the finger poke at her forehead. Ino had lead closer. "Hmmm… I guess your forehead is kind of big. I can get why they call you "Billboard Brow" now." Sakura felt her lips tremble. Ino was just going to tease her too. Just perfect. "With the way you cover your head up you look like those ghosts in the stories."

Sakura crouched into herself more. That insult was new.

Ino then smiled. Just as usual when Sakura's bullies relished in some new insult.

Then Ino stood up and began walking away.

That was different.

"Come back tomorrow this time tomorrow, okay?" The blonde girl called over her shoulder. "I'll give you something nice!" Then just like that, Ino kept on walking and Sakura was left dumbfounded and not sure what to think.

That was entirely different.

She wants to give me something? The thought stuck with Sakura even when she went home and ate dinner.

What on earth did one of the most popular girls at the academy want to give her that wasn't a new crappy nickname she didn't want.

"Sakura, dear, how was your day?" Mebuki asked, smiling expectantly at her daughter. "Did anything happen today?"

Sakura opened her mouth, completely ready to tell her parents that she was ready to stop attending the Ninja academy. She wanted to be a normal civilian. Maybe she could run a wagashi shop and never have to see her classmates again.

Then Sakura thought of Ino and her grin.

"Not really." Sakura mumbled instead. "I just played at the park. I'm gonna see a classmate tomorrow."

"A new friend?" Mebuki gasped, pleased.

"Not a boyfriend, I hope." Kizashi said sternly, mostly out-of-character for his usual playful behavior.

"Dad!"

"Honestly, Kizashi."

"What?" Kizashi exclaimed. "I'm protecting my little girl!"

Sakura awaited anxiously the next day in the park for Ino to show up.

She would see what Ino had today for her and all depending on the results, then Sakura would tell her parents her plan to abandon the academy and become a sweets maker. It seemed like a very solid plan, at least in the pink-haired eight year-old's opinion. Sakura wasn't the best with the physical stuff in the first place, something very important for a shinobi.

Why go to the academy for something she's horrible at?

Not that Sakura had the best abilities baking, but she was sure that she could learn later if she ever left the academy.

Probably.

While Sakura was deep mid-thought about her plan to become proficient enough in baking and making sweets when Ino finally arrived. Letting out a bright, "hey!" When she did. "You actually came! Great!"

"I-Ino-sa-"

Ino held up a hand, cutting Sakura off immediately. "No '-san'! That's what people say to teachers and old people!" Ino crossed her arms with a pout. "Say something else that's cuter."

Sakura gulped, "Ino-chan?"

Ino nodded, smiling in satisfaction. "Much better!" She skipped. "Now we can skip to the part we're both waiting for." Ino held out a red ribbon out, grinning ear to ear. "Tada!"

"... A ribbon?"

"Yeah, cute right?" Ino said, mostly to herself than anything. "It's cute but red isn't really my color. So I thought you would like it!"

"I… don't really wear ribbons." Sakura eventually grounded out, hoping that the blonde wouldn't get offended and then huff off in a tizzy.

Ino pouted immediately, "how do you know if you don't try it on though?" She put her hands on her hips. "You have to try it on to see if you actually like or hate it. It probably looks better on than you than you think! Come on, let's just get it on for a little while and…" Ino trailed off as she took a step closer hands fiddling with Sakura's bangs.

Sakura's cheeks flushed lightly but Ino's blue eyes were full of concentration, paying no mind. Heart stuttering, Sakura looked elsewhere, finding the fat thrush perched on a bench nearby suddenly a lot more interesting. She was more than relieved when Ino took a step back, clapping her hands together.

Cute?

Sakura couldn't see what she looked like with the ribbon on, but she knew for sure that her bangs were split down the middle now. Completely changed from the bangs that occasionally got caught in her eyelashes day to day.

"See? You're cuter this way, Sakura!" Ino placed her hands on her hips again, this time sporting a proud expression. "You have to keep the ribbon now, no give backsies!"

Sakura's face still felt warm but she gave Ino her expression of thanks anyway. But. The dark thought seemed to loom over head. "... But." Everyone from here to Kiri could see her forehead now.

"But what?"

"My forehead." Sakura knew she didn't need to elaborate anymore on that. Her forehead was humongous, a courteous gift from her mother and her mother's mother. Sakura didn't really relish giving anyone any extra fuel to pick on her now that her forehead was practically shining with a big gleaming target on it.

Ino only frowned, holding up a finger in a matter-of-fact way. "The only reason they pick on your forehead is because of how much you hide it!" Sakura blinked in surprise, but Ino continued on. "You're actually really cute, Sakura. So don't just hide behind your hair and be scared. Show your forehead off and show them that you don't care!"

Ino-chan…

Cute.

Cute.

Sakura felt like her head was spinning a bit as Ino clasped her on the shoulder with another smile. "Just trust me, alright? No one is gonna pick on you anymore when they see you don't care about anything they say! That's what my mom always tells me!"

The blonde said it with so much conviction, Sakura actually believed her.

"O-okay."

If Ino Yamanaka said it, it was something that had to be true.

Bright and sun-like, beautiful Ino Yamanaka.

Everything would get better at the academy now that she wasn't hiding her forehead.

At age 9, there were a few things Sakura Haruno was certain of. First, her forehead was very big. Second, her mother named her after the cherry blossom tree in the backyard of her childhood home. Third, her father really liked sharing bad jokes. Fourth, there was no one more perfect than her crush who she got to see everyday.

In fact, fifth thing Sakura was certain of was the fact that the reason she got to see her crush everyday up close and personal was because they were best friends.

Ino Yamanaka was undoubtedly perfect with her lovely blonde hair she kept adorned with various hairclips, her bright eyes that looked like a cloudless summer day, and a wide array of pretty clothes.

Ino dazzled everyone they knew from the first day of their first year in the academy.

Sakura had noticed immediately the circle of people that gathered around the girl as Ino giggled and nudge the girls around her. She had plenty of people she could call her friends and Sakura never thought that one day she would be one of them.

Ino's best friend.

They did everything together from partner assignments to sleepovers. This sleepover in particular being extremely important. Mebuki had almost prevented Sakura from going when she caught a cold a week ago after she gave her scarf away to Hinata Hyuga. Yet with enough rest and soup, an obscene amount of soup, Sakura had managed to give the cold a sixteen hit combo of her own and make it in time for their sleepover.

Sakura glanced over at Ino's bed from her place on the guest futon. Ino was leaning over, giggling away quietly at her newest bit of gossip from the academy so her parents wouldn't hear that they were still wide awake. Apparently Natsuki Nishijima had a big crush on Hikaru Takashi. "Like, he's always making those really bad jokes." Ino went on with another giggle. "He's almost as bad as Uncle Kizashi."

"Y-yeah." Sakura giggled herself. Her dad had some really bad ones, Kizashi's most recent being "What does a cabbage merchant give his wounded cabbages? A cabbage patch!"

"But still, most of the girls in class have a crush on Sasuke-kun." Ino went on.

"Yeah." The boy was the best student in their grade and Sakura could admit that he was handsome with his raven black eyes and hair. But he was no Ino, that was for sure. "He's really good with every jutsu our sensei gives him."

Ino peered over closer, giggling again. "Is there anyone you like, Sakura?"

Sakura's heart pounded wildly.

Was this finally going to be her moment to say it? Ino never said anything about someone she had a crush on, let alone Sasuke who Sakura knew she couldn't compete with if he were ever to suddenly gain interest in the blonde. Which would be infinitely worse than Sakura opting not to say anything and not at least let Ino know how she feels.

"Um… well I like you, Ino-chan." Sakura closed her eyes the moment the words left her mouth, heart feeling like someone was squeezing their fingers around it. There I said it!

She finally did it.

She finally told Ino how she felt about her.

A few seconds passed.

Then another handful.

And another.

There was still no immediate response and Sakura opened an eye wearily. She couldn't see the expression on Ino's face but Sakura's heart filled with dread as she imagined what Ino's face could look like.

Sakura could hear Ino taking in a long breath as she finally began, "I'm sor-"

"Just kidding, I got you!" Sakura said as she sat up, forcing out the laughs. "I can't believe you fell for it! That's what you get for saying I'm a bad liar."

Ino leaned back, sitting on her knees. "That was a joke!?"

"Well you said I was a bad liar the other day."

"Because you are!" Ino argued. "You always give yourself away and that's bad when you're a ninja."

"Well, I just proved that I can."

"When there aren't any lights o-"

Ino's doors suddenly slid wide open, Chiaki turning on the lights with a frown. "Girls, I told you it was bedtime!"

Sakura and Ino squealed.

"Mom, we were sleeping! We just woke up-"

"You're not fooling me with that excuse, Ino! I told you it was bedtime!"

Sakura let the exchange between Yamanaka's fall on deaf ears, her ears only able to hear her own heart pounding loudly.

You messed up! A voice exact to her own seemed to scream inside her.

She messed up.

She messed up.

She messed up.

She messed up.

Sakura was convinced Ino had been acting weird since the night she decided to be honest with her feelings.

Ino who was currently blabbing on to their group of friends as if nothing was bothering her about the situation at hand. Maybe because Sakura had made a fine attempt to cover everything up about her blunder the moment she knew Ino was going to turn her down. However, Sakura knew the unspoken rules.

Who really believes someone after they say that they don't like you after just telling you that they like you?

No one.

No one ever had a crush on Sakura and even she knew this to be absolute playground law.

Sakura wanted to curl into a ball so deeply that she would disappear into thin air and then she wouldn't have to remember how she ruined everything between the two of them.

"... kura. Sakura!"

Sakura jolted out her thoughts. Ino had been calling out to her, hands on her hips as the group looked over to the sole pink-haired girl in their troupe. "Huh?"

"We wanna play hide-and-seek in teams." Ino repeated. "Wanna team up with Hana? She keeps saying there's no way I can find everyone without any help!"

"Because you can't!" Hana chortled.

"Just watch me! I don't need to be in a team to find everyone in basically five minutes!"

Sakura bit her lip. Or you just don't want to hang out with me anymore because you know I have a crush on you! She thought bitterly. Then in a matter of seconds, Sakura felt bad for the thought. This wouldn't have happened if Sakura hadn't told Ino anything. Besides, maybe Ino really did just want to prove that she was able to find everyone without any help. The blonde was notoriously competitive. "Um, okay?"

Ino cocked her head to the side, "you okay?" She asked. "We can still team up if you want to."

Sakura did.

Even if it would be awkward, she really did.

But Ino knew now.

"I'm gonna just get some water and sit this round out." Sakura said instead. "I'm just a little tired."

A worried look passed over Ino's face, "are you getting sick again?"

"No!" Sakura waved her hands. "I'm not even cold!" Her mother had knitted her a new red scarf (minus the cherry blossoms) and mittens and made Sakura wear double the amount of winter clothing she would wear in order to still play outside and attend classes as normal. Konoha barely had snow anymore, spring right around the corner. "Just thirsty and I know that I always get found really easily so I wanna get water and just watch everyone else get caught first."

"Geez." Rumi said as she rolled her eyes, but Sakura could hear the good nature in her tone. "Someone's been hanging around Ino too much lately, Miss Sassy Pants."

Sakura gave her best light giggle, "Ino-chan, good luck!"

"They're gonna need the luck, not me!" Ino grinned. She covered her eyes accordingly. "ONE! TWO! THREE!"

Everyone scattered into the forest like Naruto and his group of friends would when Iruka would catch them slacking off. Sakura wasted no time running off in the direction that would take her home.

She needed to fix this.

If she found someone else that she liked and told Ino, then Ino would have no choice but to believe Sakura's claims that she was just lying before about having a crush on her.

Anyone completely different from her would be perfect.

Sakura sighed, her breath becoming a puff of smoke. If only she just told Ino there was no one she liked at the academy and she wouldn't even be in a problem. Sakura's throat suddenly clenched tightly. Why did I think someone like Ino-chan would ever like someone like me?

"Sakura, dear."

Sakura looked over her shoulder from her textbook to see her mother standing at her door. "Yeah?"

"Ino is at the door, asking for you."

Sakura's heart lurched. "Oh um, can you tell her I'm not here?"

That made Mebuki raise an eyebrow, "I think Ino already knows that you're here if I said that I would go and get you. She wants to play at the park with you and all your friends. You've been studying all day non-stop lately and your teachers always saying that you have some of the best grades in the class academically and your jutsu have been improving. So I think it's fine if you want to play with your friends."

Sakura bit her lip. She couldn't play with Ino yet.

She still hadn't found anyone to like yet that wasn't her.

"Are the two of you fighting?"

"Huh?"

"Are you and Ino fighting?" Mebuki repeated. "She told me that she thinks you've been trying to avoid her. Is that true?"

"N-no!" Sakura said as softly as she could, hoping her small yelp didn't alert the blonde girl waiting outside. "I've just really been wanting to study and get better in class so I haven't felt like playing lately. I-Ino-chan comes from a big clan and has a bunch of tutors and clanmates she can practice with and I don't want to fall behind."

Sakura's mother made a much more sympathetic expression as she stepped closer, setting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Honey, is that what this has really been about?" No. "Sakura, just because your friend is from a large clan and has different opportunities presented to her than you, that doesn't mean you should let that interfere with your friendship. Ino doesn't care about that at all. Wanting to study your tushy off is fine but at the expense of your friendship? That just isn't right or fair to either of you."

The pink-haired girl shuffled her feet under her desk.

While it would be a lie to say she never felt a little jealous about where Ino lived, that didn't mean it really bothered her.

Ino never did anything to make her feel less than because of where she lived and being the heiress of a clan. So as if she would ever avoid Ino over that. Not that her mother knew that. "... I still want to finish studying for the day. Can you tell Ino that I'll meet up with everyone later? Please?"

Mebuki looked as if she wanted to disagree entirely and toss Sakura outside with a 'just don't come back too messy'. However, she complied with a gentle reminder of what she just said and gave Sakura an hour more of studying tops. An hour that, unfortunately, went much faster than Sakura anticipated.

Sakura sighed and fiddled with her shirt as she slowly made her way to the park hoping that by the time she got there, everyone would have gotten bored and wouldn't feel like playing. Then Sakura could run back home and say that she tried to get there in time to play with everyone, 'oh well'.

As if that's gonna happen. The voice from before said grouchily. It had been popping up more and more lately.

Sakura pouted, but she knew that that would probably be true.

Her luck wasn't that good.

Unless maybe she took a detour. Sakura knew the forest they played in like the back of her hand due to the many times they played hide and seek there. Maybe if she walked long enough, she would get there with just enough time to spare before everyone was suddenly too bored to play games.

Sakura almost skipped before she reminded herself that she was supposed to be walking slower than a turtle.

She inhaled deeply as a warm breeze swept her way. Soon the cherry blossoms would be blooming and filling the air and Sakura's family would go Hanami viewing. That was the perfect distraction as Sakura made her way through the main center of Konoha to the forest. Ino and the gang usually preferred the area of the forest closest to the academy grounds.

Sakura started her journey to their preferred spot from a little further away in the forest.

Everything would go fine, everything would go just according to plan. Sakura was almost 90% sure.

Then Sakura heard the familiar thump of kunai hitting wood and with a start, Sakura whipped her head to the left to see it was only Sasuke Uchiha, training on his own. Her heart was beating erratically as the boy paid her no mind and continued to throw kunai after kunai at his targets. Just like in class, he hit every mark.

"E-er, h-hi, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura decided to say for the sake of being polite. Sasuke Uchiha had always been one of her quieter classmates, but his silent nowadays had seem starker and colder. Could she really blame him after everything that happened to his family? He had no friends at the academy but Sakura could never muster the courage to attempt to be his friend.

Maybe today would be different?

However, all she got was a brief glare and no response as Sasuke went back to throwing kunai at his targets.

Sakura shrank nervously, heart stuttering even more and she placed a hand on her chest in an attempt to calm her nerves.

Sakura froze.

Her heart was beating wildly out of control. For someone other than Ino. This had to be it, Sakura decided. This had to be the person.

Suddenly her plan to walk as slowly as she could to her and her friends preferred meetup spot when out the window as she broke into a sprint.

She could finally fix everything with Ino!

"Guys, guys!" Sakura waved her arms as she finally reached her friends. "You won't believe who I like!"

"Hmm, let me guess." Agito said sarcastically. "Sasuke Uchiha?"

"You already know?!"

Rumi shrugged, "well he is the most popular boy in the academy." She said matter-of-factly. "Every girl likes him."

"O-oh. Right." Sakura mumbled. "What should I do then? I'll have a lot of rivals for him then!" Sakura could faintly see the disgruntled look on Ino's face.

She ignored the pang in her chest.

Just wake up, Sakura. The voice inside her growled.

Just wake up.

"Again, Sakura!" Kurenai called as Sakura panted.

They had been repeating this drill all day and Sakura just about had it with staring at the same Kurenai clone. Ino and Hinata were off sparring together not too far away, Kurenai dubbing them well enough to focus on themselves. Sakura, on the other hand, needed to improve her taijutsu drastically.

It definitely showed in the amount of times the Kurenai clone had handed Sakura's dignity on a platter.

This is humiliating!

She just needed one solid hit to make the clone poof into non-existence and she could finally regain her pride as a genin. Sakura glared at the clone and initiated the charge with a fist that Kurenai Clone blocked with grace before pushing Sakura back.

Sakura dodged the kick that came over head with a roll.

She charged again, left fist braced and yet Kurenai Clone seemed to dodge that just as easily. Sakura spun on her feet, hoping to at least nick the clone on her side with her right fist. That move only garnered Kurenai Clone smacking Sakura's hand down and kneeing her in the chest softly yet firmly.

"If this were a real battle, just one solid kneeing here could have you incapacitated for the rest of the mission. Maybe even killed if your enemy had the strength for it." Kurenai said as the clone finally disappeared, albeit, not to Sakura's own fists. "You messed up when you started to give in to your anger and frustrations." Kurenai noted calmly. "Sakura, you have the makings for a great illusionist and kunoichi as a whole. It will just take time to get there."

Sakura tried not to let out a huff of annoyance. At least she knew her sensei cared about her training and progress. Getting bested by a clone time and time again was a lot better than having a sensei who just left Sakura to her own devices and just focused on training the part of the team with the most potential.

Kurenai placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "how about a break?" The woman smiled.

Sakura nodded in appreciation.

"Remember to-"

"Walk it off, I know." Sakura interrupted. It was the same as always.

"I was going to say drink water." Kurenai chuckled lightly. "But yes, walking it off was going to be my next statement." The raven-haired woman looked over to her other students. "Ino, you're turn for evaluation! Hinata, you can get a break! Drink some water and walk it off! Ino, we're working on your…"

Sakura stopped paying attention as she clumsily gulped at her water while she walked.

Her head hurt, she felt like her feet were about ready to fall off, she wanted to collapse on the grass, and on top of that she wanted to sleep for a million years.

Today wasn't her best day.

"Um, Sakura-san?"

Sakura didn't need to look to know who that soft voice belonged to do. "Hey, Hinata."

The blue-haired girl came into her line of vision, a worried expression on her face. "Are you okay?"

Sakura gave the best smile she could offer, "I'm fine. It's just annoying to be the worst on our team at genjutsu. I didn't think I was that bad before."

"I.. I think you're improving every day." Hinata mumbled.

Sakura felt herself smile for real, though it was slight. Hinata always did her best to comfort anyone if they were feeling down in the dumps. "Thanks, Hinata. You're really nice."

Hinata smiled bashfully, her cheeks pink from her earlier sparring with Ino. "I think that if you stepped a bit lighter, you'd have an easier time with Kurenai-sensei." She offered her advice quietly. "I think you might be putting too much weight into your feet so it takes you a longer time to move around than you'd like to."

"You think so?"

Hinata nodded, "a-at least I think so." Hinata added softly. She was at least getting over her nervous ticks as of late, slowly but surely.

"I guess I have to work on that then." Sakura sighed. "Kurenai-sensei said she doesn't mind if I want to punch hard but that I had to move faster then. I guess that was what she meant then and she wanted me to figure it out."

"Oh."

"But thanks for giving me advice, I really appreciate it. I'm pretty jealous of you sometimes, the Hyuga have a really pretty style." Hinata may hesitate in a spar or during missions, but that never changed the fact her taijutsu style was one with grace. Sakura could only imagine what it would really be like sparring Hinata if she actually utilized her clan's abilities to strike the chakra system directly. Shy little Hinata probably wouldn't seem so not-scary then.

"I….cantrainwithyouifyouwant." Hinata mumbled quite unclearly.

"... what?"

"I-I said that I could help you train… if you wanted…" Hinata stammered out again, albeit much clearly.

"Really?" Sakura asked. "Thanks!" Maybe she could get somewhere before the end of today's training session after all.

Author's Note: And finally chapter 8 arrives.

It took a bit longer than planned thanks to Christmas mania at work then there was some international traveling and then this chapter went through the ringer.

Mostly in the fact that my original ideas for the chapter kept being scrapped and changed for what I thought would be 'better renditions'. I knew that I wanted this to be a predominantly Sakura perspective chapter, but wasn't too sure how to play it off in-line with the timeline built for the fic. Which is firm enough to have an idea where to head but loose enough to allow me writing creativity. Plus I wanted to write the seeds of Inner Sakura's arrival in Sakura's life since we never got that in the canon series. Unless they covered it in a filler arc or something because I stopped watching those the moment I realized what filler episodes were. Not to mention my multiple 'Non-linear Writings' submissions in my ALP folder. But without enough determination, we got this. 'tfw you tell your crush you like them but you don't like you and now things are awkward and you wanna fix it so it can be like before' the chapter. Most of us have been through it and it sucks every bloody time.

Finally, we have the chapter I've been waiting to do for a while. The chapter to reveal Sakura's complicated past with Ino with what I've been hopefully successfully foreshadowing for a while now with the re-written chapters. Sakura used to have a crush on Ino DUN DUN DUN. What's real funny is that on ffn where I'm cross-posting this, one reviewer guessed that Ino had a crush on Sakura and I was just there like 'ooooh so close!' While I of course have the 'egh my writing' feeling every writer has when making anything, I'm still happy I got this chapter done.

Huge shoot out to new reader on AO3 'gingerbridge' who has recently began reading ALP and left really wonderful comments to every chapter leading up to this one. I didn't see them until this morning and those messages along with the others for Chapter 7 really gave me the extra kick in the pants to finish Chapter 8 today cause I refused to go one more day without updating.

So I hope everyone enjoys chapter 8! I have some old comments to go read through and message back!

Comment Response:

Potatofriesfrench: Thanks so much for the review! I don't want to say anything about the Chunin Exams for the sake of story spoilers. Just know that some things will stay the same as the canon and that some things will change. I hope you look forward to seeing what said changes are.

Guest1: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I've mentioned it in author's notes (unless I completely forgot to over here but did on AO3 and if that's the case, that's on me) that while this is a Naruto fanfiction, I'm taking my own creative spin on things in certain parts of the story including canon lore and character history. So expect things like the Ootsuki Clan to happen since some things that happened in canon and didn't happen in canon might not always apply here. But all three girls will be getting their own respective 'power ups' throughout the story that I, on the highest of keys, wished for them to have. The fic is just sort of a slow burn for right now but a certain Exam is right around the corner so expect some action to finally occur!

Guest2: So close but so far! You were so warm about the crush thing I almost exploded, but it was actually Sakura who had the crush on Ino! I did my best to hint it in the chapters previously and in this chapter that Sakura had feelings for Sakura (I had to do some serious editing here to add the edits from AO3 here because I forgot to mid-writing chapter 7) and that while Ino didn't return the feelings, she was more than happy to continue the friendship but Sakura in her bi-panic decided to throw everything away. I'm taking more of a focus on building up friendships as well as shinobi skills with the characters before going the romance route (while peppering in the childhood crushes) since they're just kids right now and really trying to get their careers going. I do have a general outline of the story however and have quite a bit planned before things really involving romance in the story. But I would say to expect their developments as characters, especially the female characters due to Kishi's lowkey crap development of them in regards to anything but romantically charged feelings, their development will do more with their own personal journeys rather than being charged by their romantic feelings for other people. They might be influenced by their loved ones, but not necessarily those they love romantically. I hope you enjoy reading more of the story as things go along because the Chunin Exams are right around the corner!

Dobbyhasnomastr: Thanks for the read! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I'm having a lot of fun writing Hinata, as well!