The sun blazed across the sky as if welcoming everyone with its warmth. Sakura scoffed at the thought. It was just a nuisance to her, her hair, and her trying to run from Ami Hotaru and her mini pack of friends. Although a useless attempt, it was also the best one she had yet, since she dashed all the way from the Academy to Training Ground One.

Just as she met the sign signifying as a warning to other wanderers to be wary, she was brutally shoved to the ground. Sakura fought, rolling over onto her back only to face the purple haired and red faced Amy. If she wasn't so scared, she'd laugh at the sight of how tired she was, with smoke practically escaping her ears and nose.

"How dare you try to run? We've been through this before, you ugly cow!" One of her minions, Mei, piped up, releasing a long awaited kick to her abdomen. Sakura's body instantly curled in pain but was held in place by a smirking Ami, who slapped her across the face. She cackled, the faint whiff of tempura on her breath made Sakura groan in frustration, mourning for her lost lunch.

At that moment, a clang of katana against a tanto blade pierced through the training grounds. Alert, Sakura's head jerked up as Ami's hold relaxed on her. Taking her chance, green eyes narrowed as she flipped the switch, placing her on top of the currently squealing girl. Instantly, the three children surrounding them yanked Sakura away, leaving Ami panting from the sudden weight that was pressed upon her.

And yet, their attention was stolen away from the two ANBU currently sparring in front of them. Long, raven hair flowed behind one of the masks, whipping gracefully as he blocked the curly-haired ANBU's attacks. A quick gleam of red flashed towards the girls' direction before they both turned back to their fight.

Sakura watched in awe as they practically danced with each other, their movements so fluid and graceful. Her green eyes shone in admiration as she looked towards Ami, who was on the brink of drooling. Not surprising, of course, Sakura thought as she rolled her eyes at the thought of the eight year-old chasing after someone so much older than they were.

Picking up the red ribbon her new friend, Ino, had given to her, she tightened it into a bow at the top of her head. At that point, Mei had a look at her before pulling her by the hair to the ground. Sakura let out a weak squeal at the sudden tension. She groaned, pulling at the crumbles of dirt on her face.

She blindly slapped the hand holding her short hair away, standing up. She sent a furious glare to Mei, who returned it to her. Sakura wiped the sweat off her face and stormed away. After seeing the two men fight in front of her, she knew what she wanted to do.

Her mind instantly cooled. Two graves laid next to each other underneath the heat of the sun. Her father, and her mother. They had died just two years ago on a mission. It was the first time she had ever made a vow to herself. She remembered every word she had said, not realizing that she forgot a few things.

"Tou-san, Kaa-san. You had someone waiting for you to come back, and yet you left them behind. And I have no one to come back to now, but unlike you, I'll always come back."

Now, the pain hurts a little less. After two years of taking care of no one but herself, Sakura had held up pretty well. "I'll become stronger than you. I won't let anything break me down. I'm gonna become stronger than those ANBU, I want to be respected by everyone like they are. After all, I'll always come back."

Picking herself off of the hardened dirt, she brushed a leaf off the top of her father's grave. Sakura sighed, wincing at the quick sear of pain through her cheek, making a mental note to stop by the convenience market near her apartment complex.

And so, as the sun began setting behind her, Sakura set off to buy her a little box of soothing cream. Hopefully, nobody at the Academy would notice, she didn't need any more excuses for the others to make fun of her. At the counter, she noticed a little set of kunai, something that shouldn't have been there, of course. It was small and discreet, yet was perfectly sharpened. She picked it up.

"How much is this?" She asked the store clerk who sat behind a wooden desk, unbothered. A faded silver fan was blowing air in his face as he shuffled through the money he had just earned, most likely paying bills or rent. He looked up, and confusion flashed over his face.

"That's not..- should you be using those?" He stood, plucking the dangling set away from her. Sakura nodded, pointing to her student badge. The man handed them back to her, shrugging. "Well, five-hundred ryo, for that and the cream you're holding."

A pout mindlessly made its way onto her face as she dug through her mother's old and worn wallet. Pulling out the correct amount, she spilled it into his waiting hand. In return, she was handed her new items along with the receipt, which was just her order written messily onto a slip of paper. Just in case she couldn't handle the kunai, he had chortled, waving her off.


Aim. Steady. Fire!

Sakura's fingers loosened on the kunai, letting it soar across the six-foot space that she had placed between herself, and the little target boards that she had set up in the middle of the forest, where nobody would find her. Hopefully. The kunai landed with a satisfying thunk- on the tree a bit away from the targets.

A wave of embarrassment and disappointment flooded through her little body, but her mind quickly stomped it down. She wouldn't stop until she hit the target fifteen times in a row, she promised herself. That was her first mistake. It was almost fifty tries later when she finally hit the target. And doing it fourteen more times? Rather unlikely with her now sore and twig-like arms.

However, instead of wallowing in despair at her failures, she instead gloated in being able to land a kunai. Although a few at the Academy had easily achieved this, she couldn't help but feel as though she had worked the hardest for it. And now, she was going to become the strongest kunoichi in the village!

Dropping her kunai's back into the beige pouch, she attached it to the back of her hip, where her dress covered it. The pouch bulged out from where it laid. Snatching her white flask filled with water in her hand, she walked out to her now favorite training field- Training Ground One.

Luckily for Sakura, it was noon. Lunchtime. This meant that she'd have the entire field to herself, at least, until a few shinobi finished eating and came bounding out, ready to dispense their energy. She set her water bottle down, pulling her hair into a tight ponytail that sat at the base of her neck. And now, time to run.

Pushing her lithe body to continue on, she darted around the fields, lap by lap. It turned out that running away from Ami and her hoard of friends helped, and she made it through a grand total of twenty-one laps before collapsing on the ground. It was like eating dirt again, but this time, the pain on her cheek was lessened. She grinned, a new burst of adrenaline rushing through her. Would she regret this later? Most likely. But she set about doing jumping jacks until her body gave out on her.

One hundred jacks in, and she regretted it. She changed directions, deciding that it'd be better to do push-ups instead, so she could launch kunai's more effectively at her targets. Sakura panted but determinedly pushed her arms into a ninety-degree angle, shaking as she made her way up. Just a few more!

"Oh, would you look at this!" A voice called across the fields, breaking her concentration. She bolted up, looking at the sudden newcomers. From the hair, she could tell it was the same two from yesterday. They were much younger than she expected, both couldn't have been any older than eighteen. And in ANBU? Her inner self whistled.

"Good afternoon, ANBU-san!" Sakura bowed her head towards both members, desperately trying to calm her rushing breaths and heart rate. The taller, and what seemed to be the older of the two, smiled at her. She couldn't help but notice how one side lifted slightly higher than the other as a smirk would. But this was no smirk. It was all teeth, the glittering white, and the upturn of the pale lips.

The other one, who looked much more stern, softened. His hair reached mid-back, and his eyes looked as though they were made of steel. He gave her a mere nod, before turning back to his partner. "You know that we're ANBU?" He questioned. Sakura reveled in the deep voice that rumbled from his chest.

"I recognize you! You're that little girl from yesterday, training and playing tag with your friends!" When the curly-haired male received a strange yet hurt look, he became confused. He ranted off, describing each and every girl. "And then there was that purple girl, who finally managed to catch you. You're pretty fast for someone your age, by the way."

An 'o' came across Sakura's lips as her eyes darted away. "Thank you for the compliment, ANBU-san." She gave him a little smile of her own before grabbing her things. "Have a nice day!" She bid the two and darted off.

"You know what that was about, 'Tachi?" He turned to his companion, a brow diligently raised. Said man shook his head. He had no clue that she was there, he noted. She and her friends were tiny, after all, and couldn't cause damage if they wanted to.

"Shisui, perhaps you'd like to go eat lunch instead? I believe my mother made tempura." That hit the spot. Shisui nodded, stars twinkling in his onyx eyes. Grabbing his surrogate brother's hand, he dragged him, quite literally, due to his flicker technique, to the Uchiha's main branch living area.

"Mikoto-oba-kachan!" Shisui sang, bounding into the kitchen, where Sasuke held his favorite plushie, Shulk. The dinosaur's forest green spikes were slightly bent from cuddling it to sleep every night. Itachi had given it to him when he was four and still, four years later, it was one of the only luxuries he was allowed due to Fugaku's traditional beliefs. Sasuke giggled, rushing up to Shisui. "Shisui-san! You came over for lunch?"

Shisui nodded in affirmation, turning back to his aunt. Her waist-length black hair fluttered as the ceiling fan whirled above them. It was still late August, and the cool breezes were slowly coming in during the evenings. During lunch, on the other hand, while the sun peered down at them, his hot and angry wave beating on the tops of their heads. His mother had died almost a decade ago when he first activated his Mangekyou. Of course, he had rarely used it since, and especially so once he gained a new family a little while afterward, the Uchiha main household.

From little Sasuke, who was sweet and took after his mother, to even Fugaku, who would more than often pat him on the shoulder, expressing his pride in his practically adopted son.

"Shrimp tempura, anyone?" Mikoto asked, setting the large plate of steaming shrimp onto the middle of the table. In less than ten seconds flat, all four men made their way into the designated seats at the table. Despite the traditions of the matriarch and patriarch sitting at the heads of the table, Mikoto had stubbornly argued that they should sit together, as a couple would. So now, Sasuke and Itachi would automatically settle in across from their parents, with Shisui rather awkwardly yet comfortably next to them.

At first, Fugaku's curious eyes had always scanned them, as if searching for an answer. He was always ignored. It was clear that the three boys would be addressing it anytime soon, and he couldn't find a decent argument to split them up, since even Itachi appeared to be okay with it.

"Nii-san, will you and Shisui-san train me later today?" Sasuke peered up at the elder two, hope and wistfulness apparent in his eyes, which matched their own. Shisui instantly perked at the request. He began to nod but was cut off.

"I am afraid that we will be sent on another mission today, Sasuke. Maybe later, okay?" Itachi stood, poking his little brother's forehead. He bowed to his parents. "Otou-san. Kaa-san."

Mikoto frowned. A few months after her eldest son, who, mind you, was only eleven years of age, was accepted into ANBU, he had been going on mission after mission. It was worrying, she didn't even know if he ate all his meals or not! Just a few days after, though, her worries had somewhat lifted after finding that her nephew would be assigned onto the same team.


2 Years Later


Sakura adjusted the falling sleeve of her beige sling pack as she walked through the doors of the almost empty classroom. The few occupants included Uchiha Sasuke, whose older brother insisted he be early for class on a daily basis. Sakura's interest was piqued after hearing him speak of him.

Next to him sat a snoring Uzumaki Naruto. The usual ball of energy was almost always next to Sasuke, who complained every day about it. Sakura suspected that he didn't mind that much, considering the fact that the two of them never moved seats.

At the very back of the room, where they could spy on their precious crush at all times, sat Hotaru Ami and her pack of friends. They snickered at Sakura's entrance, but their attention was stolen away as Sasuke poked Naruto in the cheek with the tip of his pencil, slightly pouting.

A chorus of giggles erupted from the bunch of girls, which Sakura pushed aside. She went to her usual corner, a table behind Naruto and Sasuke. Bent over a certain textbook of shinobi rules, she focused on memorizing at least five of them before class began in ten minutes.

Over and over again, her pencil scratched against a sheet of paper as she, slowly as possible, wrote each rule down. She would repeat this for each of the rules allotted two minutes before moving on to the next one.

Absentmindedly, Sakura continued jotting down each rule, oblivious to the now filling up room. Someone dropped into the seat next to her.

"Good m-morning, Sakura-chan!"

Hyuuga Hinata. The clan heiress. There was talk that she'd be replaced by her older cousin, Hyuuga Neji for her supposed lack of competence and skill. Sakura, her closest friend, found this all to be bull. While the girl may appear shy, she was quite passionate about the things she cared about, including a certain blonde that was currently napping at the front of the room.

Her head snapped to the right, shocked by the sudden words being spoken into her ear. "Oh! Hinata, good morning. Wait- class is starting now? Oops!" Sakura sheepishly grinned, setting her tools away. She hurried up to the front of the classroom, pulling out a few sheets of fresh paper before going to sharpen her pencil by the trash can.

Iruka stepped into the classroom, sporting his professional, but not unkind, half-smile. He seemed to be happy that the retired Sandaime Hokage would be relieving him of his duties early today to take the academy children for a history lesson, although everyone knew it was just an excuse for them to get a bit of sunshine and interaction, they were only eight, after all.

Due to the shortened class period, they only had an hour for lessons. At least, Iruka called it a lesson. It was really just a game of dodgeball, but with soft and squishy kunai. The game was simple. There were two teams, red and blue. The class would be split accordingly. The final person standing would receive an assignment pass. Iruka knew that if he had called it a homework pass, then the winning student would twist it into passing an entire night's worth of homework. Which would be unfair, in his opinion.

"Now, the winning team.." He announced. Everyone's interest was piqued. All hopes of being the last person standing were thrown out of the window as soon as they looked at Sasuke, but if they could just be on his team…

"They win bragging rights!" Iruka declared. A chorus of whines echoed through the room as they pouted out of disappointment. And thus began the dodgeball game.

Sakura was floored. Completely, thoroughly floored. Clearly, Iruka-sensei hadn't thought this through. Here she was, on team red, her ribbon of significance wrapped tightly around her thigh. Beside her, with a look of rare shock, was Uchiha Sasuke. He had tied his own red ribbon around his forehead, most likely to ward off the hairs that stuck to his forehead when he sweated, like when he trained. Not that Sakura paid that much attention to it, of course.

The whistle blew, ending the game. Many looks of confusion were sent his way.

"We have ten minutes until the Sandaime arrives! Go wash up all that sweat, and for goodness sake, Kiba! How did you get so much dirt on yourself?" Iruka berated, frowning as he brushed as much debris off as he could before sending the boy along. His attention turned to everyone else. "Congratulations, Sakura and Sasuke. Since we are out of time, you both win an assignment pass. Great job, team red!"


Sakura, Hinata, and Ino sat in a triangle on top of the Hokage mountains, a little bit away from the rest of the class, who also separated into mini groups.

Upon meeting the other two, Ino had declared them the three only decent girls of Year 3. Except for the fact that she was a fangirl. She and Sakura had a little fallout a year after they met, considering that they both had a crush on Sasuke. They quickly settled the problem though, because they knew that Sasuke was just a boy, and they were best friends. So what if they got to date the boy of their dreams? Would it be worth it to lose a best friend of a lifetime over someone who couldn't care less about the world? Although they had to admit. It was mostly due to Hinata that they got over the situation.

Sakura couldn't say that she liked Sasuke anymore. After the friendship scare with Ino, she began seeing him a bit differently. She couldn't deny the fact that he was cute, and that it was somewhat difficult to keep her eyes off of him, but apart from that, she didn't have any actual feelings for the raven head.

On the other hand, Ino was practically head over heels for him. He had apparently shoved off a few bullies before they headed into the Academy. She was always teased to be the flower girl, which she did really like flowers, but come on. Bullying? The blonde that Sakura knew now would only roll her eyes and casually hand them a dead weed, saying that was what they represented.

After that incident, though, Ino was convinced that there was a side of Sasuke that she could uncover.

"Forehead! Hina-chan! My mom packed dango today!" Ino squealed at the sweet treat. Before she could even blink, the pinkette had taken one of the sticks and bit into the pink ball. She let out a hum of satisfaction.

"Oh, my kami! Are these from Aiya-obaasan?"

"Her hanami dango is the best!" Hinata quickly picked up one stick of the tri-colored dango, thanking Ino before digging in. Sakura absentmindedly thanked her as well, reaching for seconds.

"What are you girls doing later? We should go shopping later," Ino mused as her eyes quickly darted towards Sasuke before scooching closer to her friends.

Sakura chewed her fried rice thoughtfully. She wanted to get more practice with her kunai skills and to just train, but she had to admit- a girl's day did sound relaxing, especially since they'd been doing that all day. It wouldn't hurt to take a break from training.

However, Hinata shook her head. "It's evaluation day for the clan and I'm paired up with Neji-niisan. I have to prepare."

The platinum blonde pouted before it turned to a look of pure mortification. "That means I have an evaluation day, too! I'll probably be with Choji and Shikamaru, though. Man, Hina-chan. At least the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans let us group together, yours is just cruel! How could they let you battle your own cousin as those dumb elders breathe down your neck?"

Sakura let out a snort of amusement before turning to Hinata. "Since Ino-pig's gonna be training with the guys, would you like to prepare with me?"

Her offer was accepted with a small smile and hopeful eyes.


Class with the Sandaime had ended three hours earlier, and Hinata had just left an hour ago. In just that short amount of time, they had reviewed basic shuriken and kunai throwing, each of them helping the other with stance and grip. Of course, not without the standard three laps around the training grounds by the forest, of course.

They had spent the final fifteen minutes sitting side by side against a tree trunk, sipping cold-brewed tea that Hinata always enjoyed, especially after a training session. "You know," Sakura began, "I think pairing you with your cousin is a rather interesting tactic. Everyone knows that he's advanced for his age, and he hasn't even graduated from the Academy yet!"

"They do it so I can see how.. I compare differently to him. It is most likely a ruse to show how much more training I need," Hinata's eyes shifted to her kunai target. Only half of them hit the target, with just two hitting inside the red circle. She then looked at Sakura's, who hadn't missed a single time.

"That's not fair, though! All Neji-san ever did in his childhood was train! Up until the Academy, you were studying on how to become the proper Hyuuga heiress!" Sakura protested. It was true. Hinata had clan duties, it was only proper to attend each and every event, especially since once she got older, she'd be more focused on training to become a better kunoichi.

"Don't compare yourself to him, Hinata-chan. You have your life organized between your clan, training, and friends. Neji-san just trains, grunts, and glares. And although it's unfortunate that he lost his parents at a young age, I did as well! But what stopped me from turning into him? My friends. Maybe he's a strong ninja, but he also lacks compassion, unlike you."

There was a comfortable silence as Hinata took in her best friend's words. She suddenly stood. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. I needed that." They exchanged their goodbyes before she ran off.

Since they had first met two years ago, Hinata could only thank Sakura, and perhaps, to an extent, Ino, for boosting her confidence. The pinkette knew that she was strong, she just needed a little push and motivation to do so.

A sudden rumble erupted from her stomach. Even with nobody around to hear it, her face still reddened with embarrassment. Quickly tucking her set of dull kunai back into her pack, she zipped it closed, attaching it to her hip. She added a mental note to sharpen half of the set after she had dinner.

Emerging from the forest, Sakura just barely managed to dodge the kunai directed towards her. The tip of it just barely nicked her ear as it drove into the birch wood behind her. A look of shock passed her face as she looked towards her attacker. Or, in this case; attackers.

"ANBU-san? Sasuke?" Her fingers had already pulled the kunai out of the bark, wielding it in front of her face. It dropped as she recognized the three in front of her.

Just through his peripheral vision, Itachi saw Sasuke's head tilt in a mix of recognition and confusion. "Sasuke, is she one of your classmates?"

"Aa, I think her name is-"

"Sakura. My name is Haruno Sakura," She cut in helpfully.

The tallest of the bunch stepped forward and pulled her closer with a hand on her shoulder. Her jade eyes widened at the close proximity but decided not to comment on it.

"I'm Uchiha Shisui! Considering this is the third time I've bumped into you here, it must have been fate putting us together," A sly smile crossed his face. It was unlike the smirk Sasuke pulled whenever Naruto did something dumb, such as trip over his own two feet. Although the right side of his mouth gravitated upwards, it was anything but a smirk. She blushed at his words.

"Shisui, please. Ignore him, he tends to make a fool of himself when meeting new people," The long-haired man lightly shoved Shisui aside. "My name is Uchiha Itachi."

"I know," Sakura blurted. Crap. Instantly, an elegant brow was raised. "Er, I mean, you're Sasuke's older brother.. I've seen you pick him up from the Academy a few times," She said. A look of understanding flitted across his face as he nodded.

"And now we all know each other!" Shisui jumped in before grabbing Itachi and Sakura's wrists, dragging them towards the heart of the village. He figured Sasuke would go wherever his precious brother did, so he left the boy alone. His assumption was correct.

Sakura practically ran to keep up with his pace. "Ano, Uchiha-san-"

"It's Shisui to you, Sakura-chan! Now tell me, will your parents be fine with us taking you out to dinner?" He chirped, finally letting go of her wrist. The small bit of warmth quickly disappeared and she silently rubbed it.

"We should go ask for their permission instead, Shisui. Sakura-san's parents would be worried if she didn't come back on time," Itachi answered for her, turning to the pinkette.

Sasuke, who had yet to say anything, turned to look at her in slight pity. In return, he got a slight smile and a shake of the head. "I don't believe the dead can worry."

"EH?!"


And that was how Sakura found herself sitting in the main Uchiha household. The walk through the compound was awkward, it was like snow in the middle of June with the way they stared at her, judging the combination of green eyes and pink hair.

The Uchiha matriarch, however, was more than happy to let her stay for dinner. She fawned over the ten year-old girl, marking her as the most exotic adorable little girl she had ever laid her eyes upon, winking at her sons, including her third surrogate child, Shisui.

Sakura marveled at how elegant one could've been. The way she single-handedly balanced cooking, lecturing Sasuke for not bringing his friends over earlier, especially one as pretty as she, and Sakura was even more surprised when she took out a broom and began sweeping.

Just minutes later, the older woman stuck her head outside of the kitchen and hollered. She was certain even the Hokage could hear her yelling.

"Fugaku! Dinner is ready, wash up! We have a guest today, dear!" Brushing imaginary dust off of her apron, she carefully untied it, hooking it beside the refrigerator. "Sakura, darling, would you be a dear and help me set the table?"

Kami, could time go by any slower? If she had to sit and watch Uchiha Fugaku grunt and glare at her for just another five minutes, she'd explode. Whether it'd be with embarrassment or anger from his obvious lack of interest, she didn't know. All she knew was that the other Uchiha's surrounding her were very much amused.

"I must say, Uchiha-sama, your cooking is wonderful," Sakura said, hoping to wave the awkwardness away with her comment. Bemused from the sudden conversation change, although there wasn't any in the first place, Mikoto was glad to go along with her.

"Oh, Sakura-chan! You're making me feel old! I'm only thirty-four, darling! Fugaku, how do you like the food?"

Great. And there goes the hope of a decent conversation. To her surprise, he actually responded. (After a not so subtle kick from his wife- Shisui winced upon the smack of impact)

"It is satisfying," He commented, wiping his mouth. "Itachi, I would like to talk to you once you are finished with your meal."

Itachi nodded, turning to his mother. He thanked her for the meal and swiftly followed his father through the maze known as the main compound. As soon as they left, three pairs of eyes flew to her.

"So, Sakura-chan," A devious smile crossed the matriarch's face. "How'd you meet my lovely Ita-kun, Sasu-chan, and, uhm-"

"The sad excuse of our older cousin?" Sasuke interrupted, earning an undignified yelp from said older cousin. Mikoto laughed, nodding. Sulking, Shisui turned his chair away, facing the kitchen door. Upon hearing the whispered giggles behind his back, however, piqued his curiosity as he grudgingly turned back to them.

"Okay, now that we've dealt with that, continue on, Sakura-chan!" Mikoto instantly stopped her hushed laughter, propping her chin onto her palms as her elbows sat on the table. Shisui's eyes twitched.

"Well, Uchiha-sama," Sakura began before Mikoto stopped her mid-sentence, threatening to make her do Shisui's laundry. She sighed. "So, Mikoto-sama, I have actually bumped into Itachi-san and Shisui-san three times at the exact same spot. I'm also Sasuke's classmate!"

"Mikoto-oba-kachan! You're going to be so proud of me, I told Sakura-chan that it must be fate since we accidentally met three times! Oh, the look on Itachi-chan's face was priceless! Ne, ne, do you think he was jealous?" Shisui slapped his knee, guffawing.

A huff of air passed through Sakura's mouth before she, Mikoto, and Sasuke began laughing uncontrollably. A good minute had passed before they had finally calmed down, Sasuke even reaching up to wipe a few tears away.

"Well, I know I'm a pretty funny guy, but I don't think it was that funny.." Shisui frowned, looking at the trio trying to hold back their smiles.

"Shisui."

"Oh shit. Itachi! That hurts, damn it!"


A/N: Guess who's backkkkkk! I actually started this draft months ago before I started my hiatus, but I'm pretty sure it only took me a week max to write the entire chapter :0 Please favorite, follow, and review!