Disclaimer: Do I have to do this every time? Oh well, Naruto obviously doesn't belong to me, he belongs to Kishimoto.
Give me a dramatic drum roll for the second chapter! Here it is!
Have fun.

Chapter 2

Waking up the next morning was like a breath of fresh air. Sakura had slept longer and better than she had in quite a while. Languidly sitting up in her bed, she yawned and stretched. The satisfying pop of her joints completely woke her and so she dragged herself out of bed and to her wardrobe. Her arm reflexively reached for her red qipao dress but she hesitated.

She had decided to take her ninja career more serious, shouldn't she somehow reflect that in her style? She had already decided on cutting her hair, why not go all the way? With a new goal in mind, she threw herself at her wardrobe. The next few minutes, clothes could be seen flying everywhere. With a triumphant exclamation, the girl emerged from the chaos, clutching a bundle of clothes to her chest. She skipped into the bathroom, humming merrily under her breath. After showering and going through her shortened morning routine did she finally turn to the mirror.

She blinked.

Somehow, the new look made her look more professional or at least more comfortable with herself. The jade green shirt had three-quarter sleeves and was surprisingly fluffy. She also donned black leggings that covered her legs completely. The ends near her ankles were wrapped with bandages and she wore her dark blue ninja sandals. Her weapons pouch was located on her right leg as always. The only thing left was her headband, the proof she was a shinobi of Konohagakure. She didn't want to wear it on her forehead like so many other ninja but how should she do it instead? After a moment she just tied it around her neck, a cross between a necklace and scarf. Critically eyeing her hair, she just pulled it back into a ponytail. Not that she would have it much longer.

Finally happy with her looks, she made her way to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. She bade her parents good morning and snagging an apple in the passing.

The streets of Konoha were already buzzing with activity despite the early morning hours. Sakura threw a look of longing at the sky far above her where some ninja already jumped from roof to roof. This sight alone spurred on her motivation to be a better ninja. She hoped that her sensei would teach her team how to do that soon.

The teen arrived at the hair salon a couple of minutes later and was greeted warmly by the old woman in charge.

She was ushered to a comfy chair further back in the shop and sat down with anticipation bubbling under her skin. "Oh dear, you have such pretty cotton candy locks. A colour one doesn't see every day. So what do you want me to do with it?" The old lady practically cooed at her. Sakura's answer came out more a question. "I ah I want to cut it to about this length?" She motioned with her hand to her chin, wavering in her resolve slightly. "Maybe a bit longer?" The older hair stylist chuckled. "May I show you something I think would fit you?" A nod was all she needed. Resolutely combing through pink locks with her fingers, she parted the teens hair on her right side, tucking the bangs behind her ears. "…Something like that and chin long?" The girl nodded wide-eyed, transfixed with the way, a little asymmetry made her look so pretty. And the best part was, that her forehead miraculously seemed normal sized like this. How? Was this some kind of magic? How could she look so different with only a few tugs here and there?

A light tap on the shoulder from the hair stylist brought her back to reality. The woman gave her another warm smile and told her that she would now start cutting her hair if that was what she wanted. Still fishing for words, a breathless "yes" was all she managed.

The next couple of minutes were filled with repetitive clack clack clack after which strands of candy coloured hair drifted through the air and landed on the floor. All the while, Sakura and the hairdresser talked about peculiar hairstyles and colours. Time flew by and half an hour later, she stood in front of a full body mirror and admired her new look.

Thankfully her hair ended up way different than the way Ino's had looked in her childhood. It was a little longer than chin length so she had the option of making a cute, tiny ponytail when needed. All in all, she nearly looked like a different person. And somehow…she liked it. She had officially take another step out of Ino's shadow.

Thanking the old hair stylist over and over again, she paid and left the hair salon. Her next destination was the ninja academy, where she would fill out the paperwork needed for her registration as a real shinobi and have her picture taken.

Finding herself once again trudging through the streets, the desire to be a better ninja overwhelmed her. She might have decided to take her chosen career seriously, but only changing her outward appearance really didn't make that much of a difference. But she still had to wait more than a day before meeting her sensei and where else could she learn new skills? After pondering on the question for a few minutes, the answer hit her like a sledgehammer. The library. Why hadn't she thought of it earlier? In her younger years, she had spent hours in there, finding an escape from her bullies in the pages of children's books. That was, before she met Ino. It was fitting to return to the library when she was once again alone. A bitter feeling welled up in her. After her fallout with Ino, all her so called friends had stuck with Ino, leaving her all alone in her misery. Maybe that's also a reason why she had pursued Sasuke-kun with such a passion. The more she thought, the more a slight niggling suspicion made itself known at the back of her mind. She pushed it away, not wanting to deal with it just yet.

Shaking her head to get rid of all distractions, Sakura noticed that she was already in the academy, her body moving from muscle memory to get her to the destination. A final staircase later, she found the photographer together with a couple of her classmates. Shikamaru Nara was currently slouched in front of the camera, looking for all the world as if he would fall asleep every minute now. A grumpy photographer gave instruction after instruction to the teen, who skilfully ignored every advice on how to look into the camera. His friend Choji Akimichi stood to the side, happily munching on some potato chips. After a second of hesitation, Sakura joined him with a shy smile as a greeting, suddenly all too aware of her new look. She was a little nervous, waiting for any kind of reaction. At first, he gave her a polite smile and was about to turn back to watch his friends when his head twirled back around. Choji blinked at her owlishly, jaw slightly ajar and the potato chip in his hand fell to the ground, forgotten. "I-Is that you, Sakura-san?" A giggle escaped her at his unbelieving expression and she answered easily. "Yes, I wanted to look more like a ninja." Her hand found its way to her now short hair and she twirled a lock around her finger. "Though pink hair isn't all that intimidating…", she mused out loud.

"All the better for you to surprise your enemies when they underestimate you." His kind answer surprised her as she hadn't paid him or any boy that wasn't Sasuke much attention. She didn't expect for him to be that nice… Maybe because she had seen him and Shikamaru with Ino sometimes, that she had assumed they were like her? Now she felt stupid and guilty. Not having noticed her change in mood, Choji continued talking. "So, wo do you think is on your team? I mean, I already know that I am on a team with Shikamaru and Ino so I was just asking…" He trailed off halfway through the sentence as he noticed his rambling. His sheepish "sorry" was waved away by her as she answered. "Oh no, you don't have to apologize. As for my team…" her shoulders slumped "I have no idea…" Sakura eyed Choji critically, searching for any clue of malice but only found genuine kindness. This convinced her to tell him of her new resolve. "You know, I decided to take being a ninja more serious. The new outfit is also part of that. It's just… I hope, whoever they will be, that my team will understand and help me improve, because up until now, the only thing I am good in is theory." Her eyes widened slightly as she realized just how much of her insecurities she had laid bare before a classmate with whom she hadn't shared more than a couple of words before. Her slightly panicky look landed on Choji, who had continued eating his chips while listening to her. Now he paused and gave her a reassuring smile. "I am sure it will be alright. I mean, we get jonin sensei for a reason. They are here to help us improve." A warm feeling made its way through her body. She answered with a wide smile and a quiet "thanks".

The exasperated voice of the photographer brought their attention back on track. A thoroughly exhausted looking Shikamaru trotted in their direction. Once his eyes wandered to her, he nearly tripped. Eyes comically wide and finally looking awake, he blinked twice before speaking up. "Hello Sakura-san." "You can just call me Sakura if you want to", she offered both boys. "C-Can I call you Sakura-chan?" Choji's reluctant request made her smile even more. "Sure, but only if I can call you Choji-kun." The abashed looking boy nodded vigorously while crunching on another chip. Then, as if realizing something, he offered Sakura his bag of chips and asked. "Do you want some?" Normally, Sakura would decline right away, she was on a diet after all, but the hopeful look in his eyes made her hesitate. After a heartbeat, her thoughts ran along the line of who cares and she gratefully took a chip. This must have been some kind of hidden signal for the boys, because Shikamaru slouched even more and drawled lazily. "You know, you can also call me without honorifics." "But where's the fun in that Shikamaru-kun?", was the swift answer of the pink haired teen. A tired sigh was all the answer she got, before the photographer asked loudly "Will one of you grace me with your presence today or shall I wait till tomorrow to do my job?"

Sakura tilted her head in Choji's direction, silently asking him to go first. "Oh, I was actually waiting for Shika here. It's your turn now.", was the answer she got. After a quick goodbye, the kunoichi skipped to the photographer, thinking that maybe she had just made new friends.

After watching the pink haired teen walk away, the boys departed as well. On their way through the academy building, Shikamaru asked his best friend: "She seemed a bit different today, didn't she? Less …obsessive" He nearly winced at the last word. Every one of the boys feared the potential wrath of the fangirls. A reoccurring example of their viciousness was Naruto, he regularly became a victim after some stupid stunt or another. His friend agreed. "Yeah, she told me that she wants to take being a ninja more serious. She also seemed nicer." "Let's see how her actions speak for her. Troublesome…" With a final sigh, the two were on their way to one of their favourite cloud watching spots.

AN: Yup, that's chapter two.
I updated faster than planned but to be honest, I got really motivated by the support from you guys. I know it ain't much yet, but that makes all the support even more precious. Thanks a lot to all of you 3
My chapters also get longer bit by bit, just to mention it.