Since Sakura befriended Ino, Sasuke never seemed to be able to find any alone time with Sakura. Ino, Ayaka, and Hana always seemed to stand by her side, and worse, they kept trying to converse with him.
When he thought he found Sakura alone, the three of them appeared out of nowhere. They waved over to him, signaling him to come hang out with them, but he spun around and walked away from them. He went back inside the classroom and took his seat. He could hear a few of his classmates running around the halls outside. He stared out the window towards the Academy's training grounds, wondering when his brother would come back home. It had been a week, nearing two since he's been away. Sasuke wanted to tell Itachi about Sakura, and his training since he's been gone. Since Itachi became a Chunin, his missions seemed to take longer and longer each time. Sasuke practiced every day since their day in the forest doing kunai training. He's gotten almost every single of his kunai dead on the target, nearly perfecting his training.
The sound of the door opening and kids' voices pouring in broke his train of thought. Sakura took her spot next to Sasuke, followed by the other girls. Sasuke barely acknowledged their existence and looked straight ahead. Iruka came in, and the voices quieted down so they could pay attention to their sensei.
"Good morning everyone!"
"Good morning sensei!"
"Today, we will learn what it means to be a shinobi. Do you remember the three requirements for entering the academy? What are they?" Iruka asked.
"Love the village and hope to help preserve peace and prosperity. Have a mind that will not yield, able to endure hard training and work. Be healthy in mind and body," recited the class in unison.
"Very good. But, to be a shinobi, there are rules you must follow. For instance, rule number 4, 'A shinobi must always put the mission first.' That is a given. When you graduate, the Hokage will assign you missions. The mission must be a success. Even at the cost of a shinobi's life," Iruka could tell the vibe shifted as he said the last part. They were children, after all. It would be years before they graduated to Genin and started going on missions. It's too soon to be talking about death. Iruka put on a smile, hoping to ease their concerns. "But that's why you guys are here! So you can learn to defend yourself, and make sure you and your teammates stay safe and alive at the end of every mission."
"Um, Iruka-sensei?" Sakura raised her hand.
"Yes, Sakura."
"Well, people get hurt a lot on missions. Are there ninjas who help their team heal?"
"Mmm, there aren't any medical shinobis. They all work as doctors and nurses at the hospital instead of going on missions. But it is something you can learn, especially if you have excellent chakra control. Having someone who can heal on your team will always be a benefit."
This was the first time Sasuke heard her talk in class. Her shy demeanor prevented her from speaking out usually in class. Sasuke noticed Sakura's fascination with the topic, and the excitement in her voice when asking about medical ninjutsu compared to their usual training. He wondered if maybe Sakura was thinking of a different path than that of a shinobi.
After class, Sakura and Sasuke walked outside the classroom. He wanted to ask if she wanted to accompany him to the forest to train this time, but the girls showed up. For the past week, Sasuke left right away after school. He barely uttered a bye to Sakura before leaving, while she stayed behind to spend time with her new friends.
It looked like it would be another day he was going to train alone. Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets, walking away to train without a word. By the time he walked several feet away, he heard the girls call out, "Bye, see you tomorrow, Sasuke-kun."
He walked through the busy streets of Konoha. Vendors were trying to entice people to visit their stores, people haggled over prices, and kids ran across the streets with their toys. Sasuke reached the entrance to the forest when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He spun around to find Sakura smiling at him. Much to his surprise, with no one else besides her.
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to spend some time with you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said. "Just you and me. I don't like sharing you with Ino-chan, Ayaka-chan, and Hana-chan so much."
While she enjoyed her time with her new friends, Sakura enjoyed her time with Sasuke more. She couldn't help wanting to be selfish with him. Sakura held his hand and flashed him the biggest grin she could. He smiled back as his cheeks tinted pink, and led her towards the spot in the forest where he usually trains.
As they reached the middle of the clearing, Sakura noticed how worn the targets look compared to a week ago. They had more marks, the paint that created the bullseyes cracked, and even the trees had more slashes and holes than before. Sakura could tell he's been working harder every day. That's why he ranks at the top of the class.
Every day he trained, wanting to be better, to be seen as worthy by his father, and an equal to his brother. Sasuke found his usual spot in the middle of the clearing and took a deep breath before jumping up and throwing kunai into the air. Some hit dead on, and some just barely missed the bullseye. He improved so much since Sakura saw him train last week.
Seeing Sasuke train inspired her. She always put on a smile, but she heard the rumors and whisperings in school. Girls insulted her shinobi skills and talked about how she wasn't skilled enough, or pretty enough to be someone by Sasuke's side. It'd be a lie if she said she'd grown thick skin since Sasuke taught her self-defense and gave her the ribbon that adorned her head. Just because she could maybe successfully punch someone, doesn't mean their words didn't hurt. Even with Sasuke by her side, she doubted herself.
Sakura shook the thoughts from her head. Sasuke chose to befriend her. To spend time with her. They were jealous, and she was determined to prove them wrong. She got up and started focusing on her training. If they thought she lacked in combat, then she'll show them she can fight. If they thought her chakra control was inadequate, then she'll show them she can climb a tree using just her feet. Whatever ability they thought she lacked, she'd show them she could.
As Sasuke tried again and again to perfect his training, Sakura grabbed an old quiz from her bag. After creating a red target on the back of the paper, she taped it to the tree. She grabbed her weapons bag and stepped back about twenty feet. Sakura threw a shuriken at it, hitting within the target, but not the bullseye. All the training she spent with Sasuke was improving her skills, but it wouldn't enough to quiet the doubts and criticisms from her classmates. Not yet.
Sakura threw another shuriken and another. They got closer, but it still wasn't enough. Not yet hitting the center. An hour passed, and her arms were starting to feel heavy. She hadn't used her arms this much before, and it was exhausting. Most of her kunoichi classes taught her female infiltration skills and knowledge about other cultures. They centered around things like proper etiquette at tea ceremonies, and how to behave in high society. As well as customs in their ally countries. They may be at peace, but a war could break out again at any time. One must always be prepared when gathering intel. Weapons training or combat training wasn't high as a priority for kunoichis, and unlike Ino who comes from a renowned clan, she didn't have parents to help improve her skills. They were mere civilians now, and even when they were shinobi, they weren't exactly skilled in combat. Only Sasuke could assist in her training.
She decided to take her training more seriously if she was going to become a kunoichi that would be by Sasuke's side. Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She narrowed her eyes on the bullseye, throwing the shuriken. She held her breath as she watched it fly through the air. A few seconds felt like an eternity. It hit the bullseye. Sakura blinked a few times before walking towards the tree. She plucked the shuriken from the target and jumped up and down, excited about her accomplishment.
"Good job, Sakura."
"Sasuke-kun! Did you see it! I hit the center!" Sakura hugged him, grinning from ear to ear.
"Hey, you gotta be careful! These things are sharp!"
"Sorry, Sasuke-kun," Sakura looked down sheepishly, dropping the shuriken onto the ground.
Sasuke poked her forehead. She looked up, her face turning hot and pink. He smiled, picking up the shuriken from the ground and placing it in her bag. Sakura trained harder than before, and that erased any doubts Sasuke had that Sakura may not become a kunoichi.
"Um, Sasuke-kun?"
"Hn?"
"Since tomorrow's our day off, do you think maybe, you might want to," Sakura fiddled with her hands, her voice growing softer. "Want to do something together? Not to train. I mean we could, but maybe also go to the park or go on a picnic? Or..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at the ground. She could feel her little heart beating, pounding against her chest.
"Let's go on a picnic," Sasuke smiled. "Meet me in front of the academy tomorrow at noon."
"Huh? O-Okay!"
Sasuke picked up his bag and handed Sakura hers. He waved goodbye, then turned around and ran home. Sakura stood in that spot for a few minutes, smiling to herself before running home. She opened the door and greeted her mom. Mebuki noticed that Sakura's hands and clothes were filthy.
"Sakura! Where were you? What did you do?"
"I was training with Sasuke-kun!"
"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Mebuki held Sakura's hand, leading her to the bathroom.
"Mommy."
"Yes?"
"Can you help me make food tomorrow? I'm going on a picnic with Sasuke-kun!" Sakura grinned.
Mebuki couldn't help the shocked expression on her face. So much has changed in Sakura these past few weeks since Sasuke came into her life. She's been happier, and bubblier than ever before. Sakura was such a shy child, that she couldn't help but constantly worry about her. She was making friends, spending time with them, and training harder to be a shinobi.
Mebuki's curiosity grew at who this Sasuke was. How he could have such an effect on her daughter in just a few weeks. Sakura smiled and laughed more in these past few weeks than she had in eight years. Whoever he was, as long as he made her happy, Mebuki was glad Sakura had Sasuke for a friend.
A/N: This one was kind of hard to write. I knew how I wanted to end it, but it felt too short, so I kept adding things.
Thank you for all the reviews/favorites/follows! This one is a little late, got side-tracked, but hopefully, the next one will be out sooner! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!