A/N:Hehe... looks like this did become a drabble collection.
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At age 12, Haruno Sakura was the weakest link to Cell 7. She was the pink-haired princess with a crush, and good only as a hindrance. By the time she was 13, the girl had lost the boy she claimed to love and endangered the boy who claimed to love her.
The Fifth watched her apprentice with intelligent amber eyes.
Sakura, how you have changed.
The emerald-eyed child had come in desperation for the two people she loved, (platonic and romantic) and Tsunade had seen herself in the girl. For that she took the Haruno daughter under her wing, determined to strengthen her. But now the slug sanin had come to realize something.
The blonde woman would admit that she was conceited. She hid her age with a jutsu, kept her hair bound in a braid, and her toenails painted a sassy crimson. When she had seen her younger self in the female member of Kakashi's Team, the woman had wanted the girl to become like her: powerful, beautiful, respected. But looking at her now, the 'legendary sucker' saw a mistake in her training.
The kunoichi continued slipping scrolls, salves, and shuriken into her bag; oblivious to the pair of sad eyes looking over her.
Sarutobi's team had broken apart when Orochimaru betrayed them.
The silver-haired jounin lost his group when Sasuke left.
Sakura fought for her dubbed brother and her so-called love.
Tsunade had lived for her brother and her boyfriend.
They had been one in the same. And that was where the Hokage went wrong.
Her apprentice loved Sasuke, the bastard traitor who left her heartbroken. That is the equivalent of her loving Orochimaru(Jiraiya had once written his two teammates together in one of his novels. He was out cold for three months after that, between a super-human punch and a number of nasty ninjutsus.) Her brother was the Kyuubi vessel, who ended up protecting her while the amber-eyed woman had always been the protector of Nawaki. Tsunade had loved, lost, and never loved again. She thought she was strong for that. But observing the younger medic, deft hands tyeing up the bag and sandaled feet jumping gracefully to the windowsill, the woman learned.
The weakling of her team was stronger than her mentor would ever be. Sakura had never received love in return, and yet she kept giving it. She grew in strength not because of a need to overcome the pain in her heart as the blonde sanin had, but to prevent pain from those who had always protected her. The medical kunoichi was unrequited, and that made her strong.
Which is why the Fifth Hokage now watched as her pupil leaped from the window, escaping Konoha to once again try to find Uchiha Sasuke; why she would certainly be meeting Uzumaki Naruto on the way.
Sakura loved forever.
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